That's right! Its ol' Father Geek here with more Anime - Manga News from our ace reporter Scott Green... Yep, time for another edition of our regular weekly column on the world of Anime, soooooooo let's get on with it because its all right here at...

AnimAICN...

by Scott Green

Manga Spotlight: Mars Volume 1

by Fuyumi Soryu Released by TOKYOPOP

Mars is the story of the tiny wars of human interaction. The focal combatants are Kira and Rei, two high students who find each other. Their relationship isn't smooth. 15 volumes not smooth. Firstly, these are two people with true baggage that has disconnected them from normal relationships. Secondly, it's high school romance populated people who get their people skills from a Scorsese movie.

This is a relationship that generates instant intrigue. Usually in fiction, given two principles, there is some general notion of how a relationship will develop.

If there is a twist, it's because expectations have been followed, and then played against. Here, all rules are thrown out the window.

There is enough preexisting emotional tension to keep this series going. Enough so that the infinite iterations of senseless running away, or misunderstandings aren't needed.

Kira deals with the world visually rather than connecting to people, creating detailed maps rather than verbally giving directions. She creates beautiful things, but sees them as disposable. Taking her shell shocked mother into account, it's pretty clear that she's suffered a substantial wound. Consequently, she deals with problems by trying to persist through them rather than stop them.

Unlike the isolated Kira, Rei is outgoing, and well liked. He doesn't seem to have much empathy. He's a smooth talker, but can't see why a girl he slept with is upset when he brushes her off, or reacts to being ignored by grabbing the person who he trying to talk to. There's also an almost manic fascination with death. It isn't quite that he's suicidal, but that's drawn to situations of near death. Rei appoints himself Kira's protector, and threat flags immediate go up. It isn't just that she's now in harm's way from all of his enemies and brush-offs, but that he's an emotional bull in a china store.

Beyond their own histories, and emotional roadblocks, Kira and Rei are trouble magnets. Kira's vulnerability pulls in predators. Rei's looks pull people in. He's always the most visible person in the room, but he can't send them away without making enemies.

The level of brutality that they face from teachers and fellow students can be stunning. Some of the actions or threats are a couple steps beyond believability. There are few limits to human cruelty, and though the sentiments in Mars are always believable, it seems like fear of getting caught would damped some of the actions. There's a range of action, and often the extreme ones are less effective than the subtle. For example nudging someone so that they knick themselves with a razor, versus threatening to cripple them.

Mars frequently departs from standard, ordered box comic layout. It add a energy to the series, but at times it requires some effect to follow. People predisposed to difficulty reading comics will have more with this one.

Japan Mars was a strange title to take off in popularity. It isn't tied to a known commodity like an anime series, or familiar creator. Rather than syrup sweetness, or humor it has compelling character.

Anime Spotlight: Kaidohmaru

Released by Manga Entertainment

In Kaidohmaru Production IG, of Ghost in the Shell, and Jin-Roh fame, lend their visual magic to a samurai tale. Like Blood: The Last Vampire, Kaidohmaru is more of an examination of the frontiers of CGI animation than a satisfying, fully formed work. It is compelling visually and conceptually, but distant and maybe a bit incomplete.

In Japan's Heian era, Kintoki, also known as Kaidohmaru, a girl raised as a boy to maintain her clan's lineage survives the destruction of her family at the hands of an uncle to become one of the capital's famed Four Knights. Following a devastating plague, an origination who may be brigands, organized criminals, revolutionaries, or something more sinister begins to trouble the capital, threatening to reignite the flames of Kaidohmaru's past

Production IG's best known works have been monuments of realism. Kaidohmaru is both another step towards live action like qualities, and a leap away from it.

In the realm of realism, Kaidohmaru plays with a true depth to three dimension backgrounds, which convey a real sense of unrestricted mobility. This highlights an emerging new strength in animation, the ability to place or move camera angles anywhere with a more natural flow rather than looking like a special effect

Contrary to a goal of life like realism, the movie's appearance is more dream like. The pastel color scheme gives the movie a muted, ghostly unrendered look. The colors also shift as the movie progresses. The character design is rich and complex, with hair styles, clothing, tattoos, and faces with a shape less abstract than most anime, but the characters often look like insubstantial phantoms, ready to fade or disappear.

The story is decipherable, but not really to a satisfying degree. The complex weaves of political agendas, personalities, and organizations can't really be shorted out into a satisfying structure. When assembled you arrive at a path of pathos filled events rather than the intended tragedy. The clues lead to linear notes, or DVD bonus feature character description rather than more evidence. There are too many character sketches walking across the screen, whose depth isn't hidden, it's unreachable.

Despite effective, and unique animation, Kaidohmoru is more an attractive curiosity than free standing work. If has an early draft quality to it. Veins of excellence in an unrefined mass. Many tragedies are noted for their memorable qualities, but Kaidohmaru is more of a magic trick, something to marvel at, wonder how it works, and move on.

Manga Spotlight: Inu-Yasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale Volumes 1

by Rumiko Takahashi Released by Viz

Viz has begun releasing $8.95 2nd edition collections of Rumiko Takahashi's Inu-Yasha. Rumiko Takahashi has an astonishingly flexible talent. She can do comedy (see Ranma 1/2). She can do drama (see Maison Ikkoku). She can do horror (definitely see the overlooked Mermaid series). With Inu-Yasha, she's created something that will allow here to do where-ever she wants to go.

One quality that she brings to each genre is excellence getting a reaction to a visual moment, whether it's shock, action, physical humor. There aren't many illustrates who add as much motion to still comics. Sudden changes of expressions are all clear, and there's a sense of movement to the action.

Takahashi moves one of her characters last to know they're in love romances, in this case a modern girl named Kigome, and a half demon boy named Inu-Yasha, to the Era of Warring States, where fractionalized villages are caught in the tug of war between warlords.

Compared to the anime adaptation of the title (airing on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim), the manga version of Inu-Yasha is more of an evolving entity. The anime reflects the more consistent, mediated tone that the manga eventually takes, but in the manga's earlier volumes the divisions are more striking.

The first volume is more traditional horror than most of what following, with uncertainty than the later action style interesting people in interesting situations.

When telling a horror story, Takahashi's exceptional that the transitional illustrations. When there's a shift, she captures the startling impact. Something has changed between panels or pages, and she jars the native without derailing it. Kagome is talking, receiving some exposition, and a partially eaten horse with it's head twisted around drops. The snap in attention translates. Likewise with a situation where a brigand's chest is ripped open to reveal a crow demon. She captures the unexpected emergence.

Takahashi also good at creating threats with menace; here it goes from have rotting zombies, to mythical beasties, culminating in Yura of the Hair. Yura is worthy of some extra note. The other creatures are mostly visually nasty, but Yura is almost the blood thirsty reflection of the type of odd martial artists that populated Ranma, a girl who uses strands of hair to cut, rip birds out of the air, and use people like marionettes. She's has the character and mannerisms of one of Ranma's re-occurring characters, but here she's an interesting one shot. Many a transition to the new work.

This Week's Releases

Anime

• .hack//SIGN - Gestalt (Vol. 3) - With CD Soundtrack #3
• Alien Nine
• Art of Fighting
• Cardcaptor Sakura - Friends in Need (Vol. 16)
• Chobits - Darkness Descends (Vol. 3)
• Descendants of Darkness - Demons Reckon (Vol. 4)
• Hello Kitty's Paradise - Essential Collection (Vol. 1)
• Lupin the 3rd - Family Jewels (TV Series, Vol. 3)
• Please Teacher - Meet the In-Laws (Vol. 2)
• Revolutionary Girl Utena - Temptation (Vol. 7)
• Risky Safety (vol. 1)
• Sakura Wars TV - Overture (Vol. 2)
• Yu Yu Hakusho - Settle the Score

Next Week on TV

Sunday July 13th

• 12:00 Am Cartoon Network .Hack//Sign
• 7:00 Am Family Channel Medabots (through Saturday)
• 7:30 am Family Channel Beyblade (through Saturday)
• 9:00 am Family Channel Beyblade
• 9:30 am Family Channel Medabots
• 10:00 am UPM Digimon: Digital Monsters
• 6:00PM Cartoon Network Hamtaro
• 10:30PM International Channel Dragonball GT
• 11:00PM Internal Channel Slayers

Monday-Friday

• 12:00 AM Cartoon Network Big O (Tuesday - Friday)
• 12:00 AM Tech TV Anime Unleashed (not Monday, through Saturday)
• 12:30 AM Cartoon Network Lupin III (Tuesday - Friday)
• 12:30 AM Tech TV Anime Unleashed (not Monday, through Saturday)
• 1:00 AM Cartoon Network Kikaider
• 1:30 AM Cartoon Network Trigun
• 3:00 AM Tech TV Anime Unleashed (not Monday, through Saturday)
• 3:30 AM Tech TV Anime Unleashed (not Monday, through Saturday)
• 6:00 AM Cartoon Network Zoids
• 7:00 AM Cartoon Network Hamtaro
• 7:30 AM UPN Digimon: Digital Monsters
• 9:00 AM Cartoon Network Pokemon
• 2:00 PM Cartoon Network Hamtaro
• 4:00 PM Digimon: Digital Monsters
• 4:00 PM WB Pokemon
• 4:30 PM WB Yu-Gi-Oh
• 4:30 PM Tech TV Anime Unleashed
• 5:30 PM Cartoon Network Dragon Ball Z
• 6:00 PM Cartoon Network Cyborg 009
• 6:30 PM Cartoon Network Yuyu Hakusho
• 9:00 PM Cartoon Network Pokemon
• 11:00 PM International Channel Lost Universe (Monday)
• 11:00 PM International Channel Fushigi Yugi (Tuesday)
• 11:00 PM El Hazard - The Wanderers (Wednesday)

Saturday July 19th

• 2:00 AM Tech TV Anime Unleashed (not Monday, through Saturday)
• 2:30 AM Tech TV Anime Unleashed (not Monday, through Saturday)
• 8:30 AM WB Yu-Gi-Oh
• 9:30 AM Fox Kirby: Right Back at Ya!
• 9:30 AM Fox MegaMan: NT Warrior
• 10:00 AM Fox ltimate Muscle: The Kinnikuman Legacy
• 10:00 AM WB Pokemon
• 11:00 AM WB Yu-Gi-Oh!
• 11:00 AM Family Channel Tokyo Pig
• 12:30 PM Cartoon Network Transfomers Armada
• 1:00 PM Cartoon Network Hamtaro
• 8:30 PM Cartoon Network Transformers Armada
• 9:30 PM Cartoon Network Rurouni Kenshin
• 10:00 Cartoon Network YuYu Hakusho
• 10:30 Cartoon Network G Gundam
• 11:00 PM Cartoon Network Pokemon

Of note, the new Cartoon Network Adult Swim line-up is 12:00 Big O, 12:30 Lupin III, 1:00 Kikaider, 1:30 Trigun.

See what TechTV is showing on Anime Unleashed here;.

Live Action Sailor Moon Site

The official Sailor Moon site has opened a live action placeholder page here

New Rumiko Clips

Preview clips of the new Rumiko Takahashi Gekijo show are online here.

Millenium Actress Release

Anime on DVD has learned that Millenium Actress will be released on October 28th for $19.98. Japanese DD 5.1 is the only language listed while it does list English, French and Spanish subtitles.

Anime Expo

Anime Expo, one the largest anime conventions in the United States took place last weekend. Key announcements from the American anime distributors can be found bellow. For complete coverage see Anime on DVD or Anime News Network.

ADV Release Plans

From Anime on DVD Anime Expo Convention report.

The five episode first volume of Super Gals (Super GALS! Kotobuki Ran) will be released September 16th,

The three episode Blue Seed 2 OAV series, entitled Blue Seed Beyond, will be released September 23rd.

Zaion - I Wish You Were Here, and Doomed Megalopolis Special Edition will be released September 30th.

DVD sets of the Sorcerer Hunters and Arc the Lad TV series will be available on September 16th and October 21st respectively.

The uncut, subtitled Sailormoon R TV series will be available in a $149.98 set on September 23rd.

Central Park Media Release Plans

From Anime on DVD Anime Expo Convention report.

A collector's set of all Alien 9 manga and anime may be released as soon as October.

The release of the final three episodes of Revolutionary Girl Utena will feature a commentary track by director Kunihiko Ikuhara and director Chiho Saito.

The Spirit Warrior, also known as Peacock King DVD release will feature a commentary by Rintaro (director of the X, and Metropolis anime movie).

This year's Central Park Media panel was hosted by John O'Donnell and Justin Sevakis. In addition to their acquisition announcement of Narue no Sekai, they also went over details of upcoming releases for the rest of the year.

Older series will be marked down to $19.95.

A Patlabor OAV collection will be released on 10/14. The collection will feature commentary by Mamoru Oshii.

Upcoming subtitle only "Authentic Anime" releases include Machine Robo on August 2nd, and Goshogun - The Time Stranger on October 14th.

Manga released include Call Me Princess (re-priced), Nadesico (re-priced), and Popcorn Romanc on October 1st, and Lodoss War: the Lady of Pharis (with 80 new pages) on November 19th.

New Anime Licenses

The following series were announced as newly licensed for English adaptation at this year's Anime Expo.

ADV:

Azumanga Daioh Movie

Bast of Lemon (Korean)

Birth: The movie released as "Planet Busters" by Streamline

DNAngel: a boy trained to be a thief discovers he can tranform into a phatom form when he sees the girl he loves, and back into normal form when he sees her twin sister.

Gravion: A Studio Gonzo animated series with combining robots fighting off an alien invasion

Kino's Journey: A Gulliver's Travels road trip. A young man travels a fictional world on his motorcycle expiriencing its different cultures. See the Japanese site here

Mahou Yuugi: a cute series from AIC

Mani Mani: a three part anthology movie with works by Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira), Rin Taro (DAGGER OF KAMUI, DOOMED MEGALOPOLIS) and Yoshiaki Kawajiri (WICKED CITY, NINJA SCROLL). Released as "Neo Tokyo" by Streamline

Nurse Witch Komugi-chan: a strange magic girl spin off of grim action horror Soul Taker.

RahXephon movie

Sister Princess: a bright underachiever is exiled to an island where strange girls begin to claim that they are his sister

Slayers Premium: the fifth and generally assumed last movie of the swords and soccery comedy

AN Entertainments

Miami Guns: an episodic buddy cop series, with two women cops, and lots of fan service. The series has been confirmed for a 2004 release. The official site is here

Bandai:

.hack//DUSK: a lighter look at the fantasy online massively multiplayer game The World than the one seen in .hack//SIGN

Dragon Drive: a complex story structured around characters playing a video game

Galaxy Angel 1 & 2: a sci-fi action comedy

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

Gundam F91: a movie attempting to re-launch Gundam

Stratos 4: A squad of girl in jets fight of aliens. The official site is anime

Taruto (Magical Meow Meow): a cat girl series animated by Madhouse. Regarded by many as better than series with similar premises

Tenshi no Shippo: a guys with three cute girls, who happen to be the angelic reincarnations of his childhood pets

Wolf's Rain: reunites Cowboy Bebop's Studio Bones, director Tensai Okamura, script by Keiko Nobumoto, and music by Yoko Kanno A preview of the series can be read here

Yukikaze: Studio Gonzo cgi-heavy series, based a sci-fi novel, follows a fighter pilot, with an AI craft, and his squad who initial an counter attack against an alien invader through a portal in the south pole.

Zeta Gundam: the popular, dark follow-up to the original Gundam. After the Year One War, and the attack of Operation Stardust a fascist governments develops, and which members of both sides of the previous war work against

Zeta Gundam will be released in a complete box set in 2004, followed by singles released at a later date.

Gundam F91 will have a limited theatrical release in conjunction with DVD release in 2004.

SD Gundam will appear on Cartoon Network's Toonami block later that year. Reportedly it focuses more on action and comedy than previous Gundam. Broccoli/Synch-Point

Manga:

Aquarian Age: Juvenile Orion:

Galaxy Angel:

Leave it to Piyoko: humorous Digi-Charat type martial

Central Park Media

Narue no Sekai (The World of Narue)

Narue no Sekai is a romantic comedy about a boy who falls in love with a class mate, and learns she's half alien.

FUNimation

Detective Conan

Conan is a popular anime series that has amassed over 300 episodes, about a great detective whose enemies change him into a child.

Media Blasters:

Boku no Sexual Harassment: A yaoi (homosexual male) series with a few spoken about scenes

GunParade March:

girls and giant robots

Pioneer:

Texhnolyze: Texhnolyze is a violent distopian thriller with little dialog by Lain creator Chiaki J. Konaka and character designer Yoshitoshi ABe. The official Japanese page can be seen here

Gungrave: an adaption of the video game, which featured design Trigun's Yasuhiro Nightow. Character design can be seen here

Read or Dream: the TV series follow up to Read or Die staring three sisters with the paper power of Read or Die's Yumiko.

Samurai Champloo: a new series Cowboy Bebop director Shinichiro Watanabe.

Pioneer stated that they have no plans to license the new Tenchi Muyo OAV series, or Mahoromatic and Chobits television specials.

Right Stuf

Anime:

World's End

Sound Tracks:

Princess 9

TOKYOPOP (Manga):

A. I. Love You

From Ken Akamatsu-the creator of mega-hit Love Hina-comes this tale about love in the technological age. Hitoshi Koube is your average teenage computer genius... 100% brainpower, 0% social life. That is, until he designs the ultimate artificial intelligence (A.I.) program-the only "girl" who will talk to him. When this program comes to life, Hitoshi is forever changed, and the outcome is a series of hilarious mishaps in one guy's ultimate pursuit of love.

B'tX: an action with pretty boys in power armors. A shounen(boy's) series with a female audience.

TOKYOPOP's description... In this futuristic adventure-created by Masami Kurumada (Saint Seiya)-readers follow the exciting quest of one man as he desperately attempts to rescue his brother who has been abducted by the relentless Machine Empire. As Kotaro's life hangs in the balance, his brother Teppei's only hope is to join forces with X, one of several highly advanced, artificially intelligent machines known as B'Ts (pronounced "beats").

Fruits Basket: a relationship drama-comedy about a girl who was living in a tent after the death of her mother until her meets a clan of people who turn into animals when hugged by a member of the opposite sex.

TOKYOPOP's description... TOKYOPOP was flooded with requests for this fan-favorite manga by Natsuki Takaya. Already a popular anime series, Fruits Basket is the funny and touching story of Tohru Honda, an orphaned high school freshman girl who is rescued from homelessness by a strange and enigmatic family with a big secret: the Sohmas are possessed by spirits of the Chinese Zodiac. As strange as her new household is, the humble Tohru is quite thankful for this family's generosity and tries desperately to keep their secret... never fully aware of the profound impact she has on them.

Get Backers: a partnership of two poor young men, who start a business to get back lost of stolen items in order to make a living outside the boundaries of regular society. It's been noted for its yaoi (homosexual romance) overtones.

TOKYOPOP's description... Written by Yuka Aoki and illustrated by Rando Ayamine, Get Backers is the "electrifying" story of two rather unique superheroes: Ginji Amano has the ability to generate electric eel-like currents with his body. Ban Mido is armed with the mysterious "Evil Eye," which can create illusions in the minds of his opponents. Together, they make up the team of retrievers known as the Get Backers. Their goal: to get back anything that's been taken. Their success rate: almost 100%!

Mahoromatic: The basis for the Gainax anime series. After fighting off an alien invasion, a combat robot chooses to live a 398 human life without her armaments, and the corporation her created her gets her a job as a maid for an orphaned boy.

TOKYOPOP's description... The brainchild of writer Bunjuro Nukayama and illustrator Bow Ditama, this manga spawned a hit anime from Gainax, creators of Evangelion. Mahoromatic is the tender and funny story of a former female battle android who must decide what to do with the remaining 398 days of her life. In Mahoro's case, the answer is simple: she'll work as a maid for a boy named Suguru Misato until he falls hopelessly in love with her.

Pita Ten: a hyper-cute comedy from the creators of Di Gi Charat.

TOKYOPOP's description... Koge Donbo (Digi Charat) is the creative mind behind Pitaten, a story about Kotarou Higuchi-an elementary school student whose mother died and whose father is often away on business. Doing his best (and failing) to pass the entrance exams for middle school, Kotarou's life is made even harder when his new neighbor Misha won't leave him alone. She claims that she is an angel and will do her best to protect him, but she may just drive him crazy first.

Psychic Academy: a boy who doesn't appear to have any powers enrolls in a school for psychics

TOKYOPOP's description... Escaflowne creator Katsu Aki delivers this unique manga about Zero, a psychic whose defeat of an evil demon lord has earned him quite the reputation. He accepts a teaching position at the prestigious Psychic Academy, a school for gifted psychokinetic youngsters wishing to hone their abilities. Among the student body is Zero's little brother Ai Shiomi, a rather meek boy with no confidence in his skills, despite his parents' prodding and his filial reputation. Could both brothers be destined for greatness or is this student-teacher relationship doomed from the start?

ADV Announces Manga Division

ADV Films has announced its long rumor manga division.

Manga titles will be released in graphic novels, unflipped for $9.99.

Licensed titles include:

Azumanga Daioh: Four panel comic strips about a quirky group of school girls

Cat Girl Nuku Nuku: Cyborg cat girl comedy from Yuzo Takada, creator of 3x3 Eyes, and Blue Seed.

Cat Shit One: A Viet Nam parable featuring a war between rabbits and cats. The web comic can be seen here, and the first part, in English can be viewed here

Dark Side Blues: An action horror where freedom fighters battling the corporation that controls the world encounter a being named DarkSide who begins manipulating the confrontation.

Demon City Hunter

Demon City Shinjuku

Demon Palace Babylon

Figure 17: A shy girl living with her father after the dead of her mother settles in a new town, and ends up with an alien who takes the shaper and personality of her mirror oppisite

Full Metal Panic

Gunslinger Girl

Happy Lesson: An orphan school boy rents rooms in his house to a number of female teachers.

Ki*Me*Ra (Kimera): a bizarre, sexually ambiguous vampire story

Najica: A woman who is a perfume vendor by day, secret agent by night

Rahxephon Bible

Seven of Seven: A girl is split into seven versions of herself with different varients on her personality. See the anime's site here

Steel Angel Kurumi: Alternate history robot maids

Those Who Hunt Elves: a swords and sorcery comedy where three modern people, an actress, a dim witted martial artist, and a school girl military geek get transported to a mystical world

To Heart: based on a dating sim game

ADV has also announced a merchandise divison that will be releasing posters, shitajiki (pencil boards), wallscroll, and figures.

AN Entertainment News

AN Entertainment has announced that Omishi Magical Theater: Risky Safety DVD volume 2 will be available nationwide on September 23, 2003.

The tale of Risky and Safety, an apprentice death spirit and an angel in training forced to share a single body, proceeds from the distant age of legend to the farthest reaches of outer space! DVD volume 2 deepens and strengthens the relationships between Moe, Risky and Safety, introduces new character Koiuji, the divine caretaker of the local Love Shrine, and reveals the secret reason for Risky and Safety's unusual entanglement. Witty and subtle parodies and references to Star Wars Episode 1, Star Trek, Mobile Suit Gundam, Austin Powers, Rurouni Kenshin and even the era of classic silent cinema will enthrall genre fans. The heartwarming romantic humor of Risky Safety will charm viewers of all ages. For more information about Risky Safety, visit the official RiskySafety.com homepage.

Based on the registry of the internet domain jungleguu.com there is speculation that AN Entertainment has licensing Jungle wa Itsumo Hale Nochi Guu. They aren't confirming or denying the license.