Hi there, Father Geek here, I'm still in the middle of a weekend of SKY CAPTAIN & THE WORLD OF TOMORROW events soooooo with no time to add anything here's Scott and the weekly Anime/Manga column...

AnimAICN...

by Scott Green

Animation Preview: Lady Death: The Motion Picture

To be Released by ADV Films October 4th

Lady Death is exhibit A in the case for the adage "sex sell" or at least many will bank a considerable amount of faith in ability of sex to sell. The appeal of a large chested woman with bone white skin and hair, who wears back two piece lingerie and a cape, is unkillable. If anyone is looking for a genre character whose history is worthy of detailed business study, pick Lady Death. In 1991 she replaced Evil Ernie as the flagship character of Brian Pulido's Chaos! Comics, and became the icon of the Bad Girl comic genre. Thanks to its wild success, especially in the collectable comic crazy of the early-mid nineties, any who dabbled in comics had seen and could instantly recognized her, but few would admit to having read (or admit to having read) her comic, more a factor of her value as an image than an outrageously objectionable nature of the work. Lady Death lead Chaos! to a number of industry awards and merchandising opportunities, but after the collectable comics craze died and Bad Girl faded, Chaos Comics went bankrupt and the character was sold to internet millionaire Mark Alessi's Crossgen Comics (before the court organized sale of Chaos' intellectual property). Crossgen later went bankrupt, and the character was sold back to Pulido who found a new home for the character at Avatar Comics.

Her animated incarnation has endured this and several years of "it will be out for this Halloween" release shuffles (first announced in 1999, scheduled for Halloween 2001 early on). Finally, on the eve of its release, the feature succeeds at bringing the qualities of the comic to life, but fails to make them engaging for those without inherit interest in its brandy of gloomy physical allure. The most vivid moments are graphic immolation of a character, later, a transformed version of that character sleeping in undergarments that are slightly more revealing than her typical attire, and a leering imp hopping around.

It is patent teen male appeal, sex and rebellion against the unfairness of existence, without much excess style and dialog that make moments without speech attractive propositions. The feature is missing qualities to augment sex appeal and dour disposition. It abundantly leaves itself open to be ripped and MST3Ked, but the character has always been a muse for soul doomed cheesecake rather than creativity.

The feature details the origin of Lady Death, but it isn't a story that rewards attention or scrutiny. It works best when regarded as the dark atmosphere rather than trying to make sense out what appears to arbitrarily architected malice.

Lady Death started her mortal life as a young woman named Hope, living in medieval Europe as the daughter of a mercenary warlord. After ensuring the continued suffering of the suffering countryside Hope's father is revealed to be Lucifer, where upon he returns to his home dimension, leaving Hope to be accused of being her father's consort and ultimately burned at the stake.

Sent to Hell, Hope is tortured and tormented by her father's jester Pagan, but after rejecting her father's offer to serve him she begins exhibiting her own powers, becoming Lady Death. With her new identity she begins assembling allies and swears to overthrow her father.

The design is appropriate to the source material. The four distinct Hell-dwelling entities: Lady Death, the giant bull horned Lucifer, the black, white and red sadistic imp Pagan, and Lady Death's hulking, hooded second Cremator, are memorable figures. Lady Death is probably on of the first meeting of American four-color comic design, and digital animation, creating some interesting results. Digital animation has a tendency to bold color and a clean look that can be stiff and inorganic, but very impactful. The effect magnifies these larger than life, stylized characters.

The direction and flow leaves these character visuals with support. When someone does something, it is often anti-climatic.

Early on in the movie, a man is shot with in arrow point blank through a view hole. The impact and motion of the action is surprisingly muted with a slow reaction dampens the results. Similar half-realized sequences pit the movie, culminating in the shambling hordes of armies knocked off his a few ballista shots, which goes far in damaging the epic nature. Perhaps in consequence Lady Death herself more accessorizes rather than acts she acquires a pair of wolf-monsters, a henchman, a magic sword, a horse and finally an army, but other than a sword training scene, it is hard to think of her in a complex motion sequence.

There are a number of well designed sets and exterior shots, but the transitions strand them, making hell more a haunted house than expansive dimension. Hope drops into Hell, sinks into a tar pit, and there, as if to save on sets, is bound and tortured by two creatures. Not that the series is without its share of locale, but that is decided to use of two scenes better served with different backdrops on the set. Sex and violence are both well represented, but not always entirely explicit (and not combined).

There are a number of gruesome tableaus in Hope's death and transition to Hell, her burning alive at the stake and scourging, but combat is resolved by the blood spurt and collapse two-step.

There is plenty of sexual suggestiveness, and puppy noses, but little full nudity (probably just from the statuary in the palace of Hell).

It isn't an awful plot, but in execution it is meanly concerned with pressurizing the angst meter.

Without a clear cosmology and an obscure agenda on the part of Lucifer's early guise and his priestly adversary, the rapid iterations of oaths to God in the early chapters quickly become grating (God...God...God..God is enough for the areligious to feel the rage of blaspheme if it would get the characters to tone it down, not to mention puns on Dante's "abandon all hope...") The voice actors don't seem to able to find depth in the characters beyond their roles as victim, victimizer or warrior, and emotional axis off sorrow, defiance and anger, leaving blunt melodrama.

Anime Spotlight: Wolf's Rain Volume 2: Blood and Flowers

Released by Bandai Entertainment

While there aren't any other anime series that are quite like Wolf's Rain, there is a sense that it is a very anime show, and a very good anime show. The level of possibility, meeting of sights, voice work from the world creation masters at Bones (Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, Rahxephon), and music by Yoko Kanno (for good reason the most highly regarded anime composer), make Wolf's Rain is an intensely sensory experience.

Set when Earth has progressed far along in a mysterious process of dying, four wolves who are able to mask themselves as humans: untamed and focused Kiba, antagonistic and distrustful Tsume, urban and habitually tricky Hige and young and open hearted Toboe band together to follow the trail to Paradise, the flower maiden Cheza as their inspiration. With the he quartet quickly becoming entangled with the remnants of the fading ruling Nobles, and trailed by formal blonde scientist Cher Degre, her mildly bumbling ex-husband Hubb Lebowski, Lee Van Cleef like wolf hunter and former sheriff Quent the series has a full orchestra of genre pieces.

In the Cowboy Bebop movie, Bones demonstrated a stunning ability to create a city and populate it with a living level of design. Key characters, but also crowd dwellers had the look of distinctive real person. Wolf's Rain takes this to next step, creating a more fanciful world while maintaining the same visible, plausible social and natural ecology. There is something exception about the design of the characters, where the design is complex, but every piece fits together with the personal and setting, looking complete rather than showy.

Volume 2 offers a new serving of nature landscapes, new extensions of cultural evolution and bizarre framings that are always captivating to see.

In its second volume, the overwhelming brilliance of the series impressive construction is known and expected, leaving a tighter focus of the series' storytelling. Narrowing in on events and transitions, many of its stretches work against it narrative abilities.

Possibly because the series the series is that it is too new or original, but it is a serial without a clear notion of what the viewer should be anticipating or where is going. Lead largely by the characters' instinct, there isn't a clear sense of direction or motion. In and of themselves the mysteries and histories behind the characters and concepts aren't enticing enough to drive the series. The frequent anime safe havens of action and violence are situated as a tool and a consequence rather than a draw to the viewer.

While engrossing, with real rushes and moments of beauty or an emotional high, for the viewer there is little forward momentum. Many ideas are presented and left behind. Partially because of the lush quality of design it is hard to gauge the level of commitment to a train of thought. Stories are carried between episodes, but potentially complex situations are resolved quickly, and characters who seem about to be explored or play larger roles are left behind, most notably with other characters who seem to have more to say before exiting, such as another pack of wolves or another flower woman.

More of a point of interest than a detriment is the air of uncertainty that the mechanics of the wolves' ability to appear as humans adds to the series. It begs the question of how much of anything is illustrated in true form. How much of a flower is Cheza for example.

Manga Spotlight: Ultimate MUSCLE Volume 1 By Yudetamago

Released By Viz's Shonen Jump Advance Line

Depending on whether one is a pro-wrestle fan, a comic version of the activity may or may not seem odd. To a non fan it makes perfect sense: a magnified extension to an already cartoonish enterprise. To a fan, it seems close to missing the point. The professional wrestling business has a decidedly low reputation, seeming to be less socially acceptable to show in interest in professional wrestling than an obsession with pornography. Nor does the industry make itself easy to defend. It is tailored to appeal to the basest interest, and its frequently guilty of endemic racism and sexism, not to mention plain bad taste to an often stunningly archaic degree.

Yet, when executed reasonably well it does have its redeeming and engaging qualities. First is the showcase of spectacle and athleticism, which is where the realness comes in. Other than the young children, everyone knows it is predetermined. And so are martial arts movies. Though the outcome of any martial arts movie star's fights are more predictable than professional wrestling match, for lack of exposure, its rare to find a martial arts movie fan who will give good chain wrestling a try (if you're interesting in sampling this, find a copy of The Chris Benoit Story). Because of injuries, this is an aspect of professional wrestling that can be too real. Fans frequently have to reconcile what they are watching with the terrible physical price the performer pay.

The other appeal of professional wrestling is observing the meta/business/con game level. Outside politics, its probably the best opportunity to watch on going crowd manipulation. To some extent wrestling deserves it reputation for attracting an ignorant following, but anyone whose spent time parsing out whether what is presented is a work and what is a shoot has an advantage in spotting what events in the public arena are played or created for show.

Projecting professional wrestling onto a comic removes much the elements of athleticism, and uses plotting without the X factors of the true business (crowds who react differently than the bookers hoped, unexpected injuries, responses to new trends in popular culture). Which means that for non-fans, its the depiction of an activity that is avoided like the plague, and for fans, it doesn't seem to be capable of the best qualities of the original.

MUSCLE features pro-wrestling characters as characters, rather than characters who are pro-wrestlers (as with Tiger Mask or some of Air Master). Even if the holds are well rendered, which they are in Ultimate muscle, fictionalizing a fictionalized endeavor risk a lack of footing. The series circumvents this issue and leaves no doubt that it has completely departed from reality.

Muscle (aka Kinnikuman), an odd franchise whose first foothold in the US was in the form of monotone, inch high rubber figures goes all out with the concept of super hero wrestlers, barely imbuing with the scantest logic. There is a hair-brained creativity in the likes of a body build/mechanized snake named Boaconda.

It is a DragonBall Z epic, but less than half serious, and with a more bizarre sense of humor. All melodrama is with a wink, and a bizarre sense of humor (though abundantly juvenile at times, flatulence jokes pretty tenuous, especially in a comic).

Ultimate MUSCLE is the second generation of the MUSCLE/Kinnikuman. After saving humanity from various malefactors, many of which later became his allies, the masked superhero-wrestling King Muscle disbanded his Muscle League and retired to his home Muscle Planet with his lovely wife to raise a planet and teach his disciples. 28 years later the evil DMP has returned to make trouble for humanity. Old and decrepit, King Muscle passes the torch to his son Mantaro (named for Ultraman's brother) aka Kid Muscle, trained by King Muscle's one time adversary Raman Man, and a new Muscle League to defend Earth (mostly Japan, which they partition up to patrol) along sides the like of gallant horned warrior Diki Diki Van Dik (name for an exceedingly small African antelope, far better than his original Japanese name Gazelle Man).

There is a flexibility to the action, where realism flows is patent outrageousness. Like real pro-wrestling, it is show that doesn't confirm to accepted notions of a fight (though a grappler would argue that its joint locks and chokes are in practice more effective than most fictional fighting technique), but instead freely mixes its own fanciful moves (the finisher called a Butt Buster for example), with actual pro-wrestling moves and real grappling moves. An arm bar looks like an arm bar, and a Butt Buster looks like a comic book super hero wrestler moves, but in the context it looks impressive and devastating. There are a number of instances where complex moves that wouldn't seem to lend themselves to the comic medium, which are render to their full impact, and more impressively, it is clear what is happening.

Ultimately the series does capture some of the appeal of pro-wrestling, mainly the spectacle, but Ultimate Muscle is its own brand of fun. It is un-self-conscious entertainment, certainly a mind-optional affair, that should appeal to another looking to escape for brief well rendered, if not dramatic or challenging action. The series' appeal extends beyond wrestling fans, but it does offer some Easter eggs to those with knowledge of the topic, best of all an NWO surrogate, including knight helmeted Kevin Mask, and a cell-phone man (not part of the in joke) massacring a right full of the likes of doppelganger Vader and Giant Baba.

Anime Spotlight: Here's Greenwood

Released by Media Blasters' Anime Works line

In its VHS incarnation Here's Greenwood was one of the very early generally mundane school comedy/drama to be available domestically. Remembered for its humor and inclusiveness, it was a preview for many of the shoujo-esque material that has come to dominate the American manga market and make inroads into the anime catalogue. In a time when sci-fi and action had a near exclusive hold on the domestic market, many viewers mistook it for a Rumiko Takahashi work, whose Ranma 1/2 and Maison Ikkoku were the closest thing to the humorous drama material.

Newly collected in a two DVD set, Greenwood renters into a now crowded market, but stands its own as a clever comedy, with memorably likable and believable character, if not quite as novel as it and they once were.

For long time fans, there is a "is it as good as I remember" question since a considerable amount of similar material has come out in the intervening years. Compared to other produced in the early 90's, released domestically in the mid 90's well remembered anime, Greenwood does hold up very well. The style of design and simplicity of action mean that animation hasn't acquired a dated look, and the characters have remained endearing despite competition.

The six episode drive to video OAV is a kindof best-of from Yukie Nasu's 11 volume manga series. Named for the odd-ball magnet dorm of a prestigious all boys highschool, the anime open with protagonists Kazuya Hasukawa's delayed start at school thanks to a streak of crises induced by his older brother and guardian married Kazuya's first love.

The series first episode follows Kazuya dodging his supportive and caring brother and new sister in law, while dealing with a uniquely problematic roommate, and pair of neighbors who run the students in the dorm (a master manipulator, and his handsome friend). By the end of the episode the four have formed their own inner circle, and the series proceeds to run though three short situations involving Kazuka's neighbor's showdown with his would-be manipulator older sister, a student film project, and more supernatural take on relationship humor. The final two episodes take a more serious turn as Kazuya falls for a new girl with her own set of problems.

At least in its abridged anime incarnation, Greenwood is light and enjoyable in many instances for what its not. It's not over obsessed or contemplative of its leads' problems. It doesn't take itself too seriously, or get too outlandish. Even if everything is not plausible (or possible), it is recognizable from the realm of experience. While there are kidnapping plots, they are kept breezy consequence free enough to be, if not plausible, a recognizable extension of sibling rivalries. Particularly distinctive for a male oriented relationship series, it isn't pandering. Sexual power politics one way or the other aren't really part of the picture.

Streaming Dead Leaves

Manga Entertainment will be streaming Dead Leaves on its release date, September 28th at www.manga.com and www.dead-leaves.com, an available on "On Demand for the day.

Highlander from Madhouse

news.awn.com reports Davis-Panzer Productions and Imagi Intl. have commissioned Madhouse (Ninja Scroll, most of the CLAMP anime) to animate a Highlander feature with a new character named Colin Mcloed, tentatively scheduled to be released in early 2006.

Supervising the production will be associate producers Kevin Eastman (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turteles co-creator) and Joe Pearson. Peter Davis and William Panzer are set to produce, with Thomas K. Gray and Galen Walker exec producing.

Howl's Moving Castle at Venice

Anime News Network reports that Hayao Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli's latest film Howl's Moving Castle opened at the Venice Film Festival to a 6 minute standing ovation. The movie is in competition for the grand Golden Lion prize. The movie will premiere in Japan on November 20th. Miyazaki was not able to make it to the festival for health reasons, but Toshio Suzuki was present.

Final Fantasy: Advent Children also screened at the Venice Film Festival, as part of the out-of-competition special digital presentation.

Katsuhiro Otomo's Steamboy will be screened as the festival's closing movie.

Range Murata Figures

AnimeNation points out that The official Japanese Vance Project homepage has updated with the first actual photos of one of the three announced Pinky:St. figures designed by graphic artist Range Murata (character designer for Last Exile and Blue Sub No. 6) here.

Kenshin Creator Works on Shinshen Gumi Game

GameSpot and Anime News Network reports Kenshin creator Nobuhiro Watsuki has provided Sega's Red Entertainment division with character designs for an upcoming 3D fighter Shinsengumi Gunrou-den, starring the famous samurai militia, to be released in December. Players control the young captain Okita Soushi, with appearances by Saitou Hajime, Kondou Isao, and Tsujikata Toshizou.

Cartoon Network Anime News

ToonZone and Anime News Network report that Cartoon Network will be airing The Super Milk-chan Show, released domestically by ADV, in 2005.

Cartoon Network also stated that they do not plan on licensing more Case Closed (aka Detective Conan) after the initial 2 season, 51 episode package.

Galaxy Railways Licensed

Anime on DVD reports that FUNimation announced that has licensed the Galaxy Railways anime series, a new look at Leiji Matsumoto's space opera universe, to be released in late 2005.

Samurai Champloo Release Info

Anime on DVD reports that the first volume of Samurai Champloo, Cowboy Bebop's scratch samurai fiction follow-up, along with its sound track, will be released January 11th, 2005.

InuYasha News

The first InuYasha movie, Affections Touching Across Time will be released on September 28th. Viz has announced that an exclusive version will a 3D lenticular cover will be available at Borders and Waldenbooks.

Borders and Waldenbooks will also be carrying an exclusive version of the 19th volume of the manga, packaged with a limited edition Inuyasha action figure of the titular character in his demon form and a special Inuyasha DVD box set containing the entire first season's 27 episodes of the Inuyasha television series..

Gunbuster Trailers

Evangelion creators Gainax have posted the trailer to the followup to their Eva predicessor Gunbuster in low and high resolution.

Trailors for the remastered version of the original Gunbuster can alswo be seen in low and high resolution.

Windy Tales Site

Production IG's site for their new series Windy Tales is online here and here

Studio Ironcat Cancel Manga Releases Again

According to this month's comic solication from Diamond, the exclusive distributor to specity comic shops and in some case bookstore, finanically embattled Studio Iron has canciled the following releases:

• Black Crow Gn
• Dragon Fist Vol 1 Gn
• Dragon Fist Vol 2 Gn
• Hanaukyo Maid Team Vol 4 Gn
• Hanaukyo Maid Team Vol 5 Gn
• How To Be An Angel Manual Vol 1 Gn
• My Codename Is Charmer Vol 3
• My Codename Is Charmer Vol 4
• Nanaka 6/17 Vol 1 Gn
• Nanaka 6/17 Vol 2 Gn
• Ren Ai Vol 1 Gn
• The Wanderer Vol 3 Gn
• Vampire Princess Miyu Vol 6 Gn
• Vampire Princess Miyu Vol 7 Gn
• Vampire Princess Miyu Vol 8 Gn
• Vampire Yui Vol 1 Tp New Ptg
• Vampire Yui Vol 2 Tp

All were classified code 4, cancelled by publisher, and a number of these titles has been previously cancelled and resolitictied.

November Tezuka Releases

New Volumes of Osamu Tezuka's two greatest epics, Buddha and Phoenix will be released this November.

Vertical Inc. will be releasing Buddha Volume 5: Deer Park and Buddha Volume 6: Ananda in hardcover. Buddha is the manga innovator's fictionalized and expansively populated biography of the founder of Buddhism

Viz will be releasing Phoenix Volume 5: Resurrection and re-releasing Phoenix Volume 2: Tale Of The Future in a collected editition format. Phoenix is Tezuka's epic of epics, looking at human nature from the beginning of civilization to the far future.

Phoenix Volume 5

Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix was his life's work and is considered by many to be one of the finest works of Japanese comics art ever produced. Phoenix: Resurection takes place in the year 3344, Prof. Saruta lands on the moon. He meets and acquires Robita in his final form. Spanning 860 years, the end of this episode goes beyond Phoenix: Universe and close to the beginning of Phoenix: Future.

Phoenix Volume 2: Tale Of The Future

Considered by many to be one of the finest works of Japanese comics art ever produced, Phoenix: A Tale of the Future is a rollicking space-age adventure, an apocalyptic cautionary tale, a fable of human frailty and triumph, and a fantastic voyage through time, space, and the macroverse. Above all it is a great love story, an epic account of Class II Space Patrolman Masato's tragic, undying love for the doomed beautiful alien "moopie" Tamami. Told in bold layouts and mindwarping page designs that revolutionized Japanese comics, this is the work of the greatest manga artist of them all, Osamu Tezuka, soaring at the height of his powers.

Viewful Joe Anime

Capcom has announced that Viewtiful Joe has been adapted into an anime series which will air on Japanese TV starting October 2nd. The stylized cell shaded game followed an average action movie fan who becomes a super hero who fights with the powers of cinematic effects (slow motions, zooms, ect).

The official site can be seen here

One Piece Debut and Fox Schedule

Addictively wacky and energetic pirate anime One Piece will debut of Fox's Fox Box lineup September 18th at 9:30 am.

Former wrestler Hulk Hogan and his singer-daugher Brooke Hogan will be introducing the new Fox Box lineup on the 18th.

The schedule consists of:

• 8:00AM ET CRAMP TWINS (All-New Episodes)
• 8:30AM ET WINX CLUB (All-New Episodes)
• 9:00AM ET SONIC X (All-New Episodes)
• 9:30AM ET ONE PIECE (Series Premiere)
• 10:00AM ET TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (All-New Episodes)
• 10:30AM ET F-ZERO - GP LEGEND (Series Premiere)
• 11:00AM ET KIRBY: RIGHT BACK AT YA! (All-New Episodes)
• 11:30AM ET SHAMAN KING (All-New Episodes)

PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS:

CRAMP TWINS

The CRAMP TWINS is the story of Wayne and Lucien Cramp, 10-year-old twins who are not at all alike. And, that's not just because Wayne has a big, oval shaped, purplish-gray head, in contrast to Lucien's small, round, pink head. It goes much deeper, no doubt all the way back to the womb. Delightfully mischievous, Wayne has one mission in life: To embarrass and bother his brother Lucien. His hobbies include eating, stirring up trouble and collecting weird stuff in his bedroom. And then there's Lucien, eager to please and thoroughly well mannered, he wants to save the world through knitting!

WINX CLUB

Somewhere in the universe there is a wondrous place called Magix, where witches, fairies and humans all strive to get along. But there is an evil element that threatens the harmony of this enchanting world. Fortunately, a group of beautiful teenage girls, called the WINX CLUB, is here to battle these forces of darkness. Possessed with a passion for fashion and a flair for magic, these embodiments of teenage empowerment set the tone for exciting adventures every week.While the job of battling the forces of evil is hard work, Bloom and her WINX CLUB friends certainly know how to do it in style!

SONIC X

In his second FOX BOX season, Sonic and company confront Dr. Eggman's creepy new weapon: The Ultimate Chaos Creature, a slimy shape-shifter with a mind of its own and a craving for Chaos Emeralds. Season 2 introduces such characters as Big the Cat, his freaky friend Froggy and Tikal, a mysterious muse with an ancient secret. Additionally, Sonic fans will learn about Gerald Robotnik and the strange, catastrophic experiments he conducted deep in outer space half a century ago. Plus, who's the Sonic look-alike who threatens to destroy his whole world? Stay tuned .

ONE PIECE

As a young boy in a small port village, Monkey D. Luffy was inspired to become a pirate by his childhood hero "Red-Haired" Shanks. But when he accidentally ate the cursed Gum-Gum Fruit, he gained the power to stretch like rubber . at the cost of never being able to swim again! Despite this limitation, Luffy vowed to grow up to become the king of the pirates, and find the greatest pirate treasure of all -- the pirate Gold Roger's legendary "One Piece."

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

In their third heart-stoppin' karate-choppin' season on the FOX BOX, the TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES find themselves in way over their shells. First up, when an alien invasion threatens all life on earth, the Turtles find themselves as the last line of defense for the human race. And if they survive this assault from the stars, what will they do when a top-secret U.S. government agency learns of their existence and begins hunting them for their rare, mutated DNA? Plus, the Turtles get separated, each one scattered to a different alternate reality. And if that's not enough serious butt-kickin' ninja action for one season, the Turtles have a final, fateful confrontation with their deadliest enemy, the Shredder. Can the green guys shut down the Shredder once and for all? Only the FOX BOX knows for sure .

F-ZERO -- GP LEGEND

The Race To End All Races: Nintendo's F-ZERO -- GP LEGEND is revved up and ready! The year is 2201 and across the universe rabid fans flock to F-Zero tracks everywhere. The prizes are enormous, and the stakes are even higher when the outlaws compete to win - at any cost! Rick Wheeler is both cop and racer, frozen for 150 years after a fatal car accident. He's brought back to life by Jody Summer, leader of the Elite Mobile Task Force, a team of high-risk racers driven by a need for speed and a thirst for victory. Their mission: To win F-Zero races and keep the prize money out of evil hands, defeat the menacing Black Shadow and bring peace to the entire galaxy.

KIRBY: RIGHT BACK AT YA!

Season 3 promises to pour on the power ... pink power! Kirby's powering up with new abilities and new transformations to inhale his enemies attacks and blow away the competition. And there'll be plenty of new plot twists and turns as Kirby speeds toward the suspenseful showdown with the mysterious menace who's been out to destroy him from the start: The ruthless super-villian, eNeMeE! There's more laughs, more action and more adventure ahead as KIRBY: RIGHT BACK AT YA! powers into Season 3 with 26 new episodes!

SHAMAN KING

Season 2 of SHAMAN KING brings the adventure to a whole new level of mystery and excitement. Yoh Asakura, his friends and their spirits travel across the globe to compete in Round 2 of the Grand Tournament - a contest where shamans and spirits unite and battle to see who is worthy of being crowned Shaman King. The stakes are high - only a shaman with a pure heart can save the planet from destruction; if a shaman with a dark heart wins the crown, the world is doomed.

INCREDIBLE CRASH DUMMIES

When it comes to generating excitement from kids, the INCREDIBLE CRASH DUMMIES are no dummies. What started out as a widely seen public service announcement for safe driving in the early 1990's, the INCREDIBLE CRASH DUMMIES became a $130 million worldwide brand. For 2004, this evergreen property has reinvented itself with second-generation characters and fast-paced, tongue-in-cheek short animated stories, or interstitials, televised on FOX BOX.

Viz, Yu-Gi-Oh and PETA

AnimeNation reports People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has announced a partnership with Viz to promote kindness to animals through Yu-Gi-Oh. Apparently Yami Yugi, main character of Yu-Gi-Oh, "can be tough when he needs to be. But the animated hero also has a soft spot for animals." Shonen Jump Magazine Vice President Yumi Hoashi states, "Yugi from Yu-Gi-Oh! is a role model for young people today, and we think he can help them realize that being cruel isn't cool, but sticking up for animals is."

Visitors to PETA's TeachKind website can read an interview with Yu-Gi-Oh! creator Kazuki Takahashi, order a free limited-edition Yu-Gi-Oh poster, and enter a contest to win an exclusive and original Yu-Gi-Oh! illustration signed by Takahashi.

Upcoming ADV Releases

September 28

Nurse Witch Komugi: We Need a Magical Girl, Stat! (Volume 2)

October 5th

Hello Kitty And Friends: Holiday Magic (Volume 6 of 6)

Knights Of The Zodiac: Battle Of The Ages (Volume 7 of 10)

Wedding Peach: Rivals! (Volume 6 of 10)

October 19th

Mezzo: Shell One (Volume 1 of 3)

Peacemaker: Innocence Lost (Volume 1 of 7)

Mezzo

Her name is Mikura and she's all about service with a smile.

So what if that service is cracking skulls and the smile happens to be on the other end of a loaded gun? With a killer body, vicious skills, and an attitude to match - Mikura gets away with murder (literally). It's a good thing, too - because in the world of Mezzo, staying alive is never easy!

Meet the Danger Service Agency (DSA), a high-risk trio that pays the bills by putting their asses on the line. It's only Volume 1, but the DSA hasn't wasted any time! Ducking bullets, and dodging punches, the trio find themselves working for a friendly ghost and a foxy weathergirl - helping old friends and hunting down an extraterrestrial. Whether you're looking to run recon on a cheating spouse or smuggle a deadly virus, if the job reeks of danger, there's only one team to call. With Mikura and friends on the case, danger has never looked so good.

A review of the first volume episode of Mezzo can be read here

Nurse Witch Komugi

Produced by Pioneer LDC (Hellsing) and Tatsunoko (Speed Racer), Nurse Witch Komugi is perfect for fans of mahou shoujo (magical girl) shows and the cosplay genre.

Ungrar is busy spreading viruses with Koyori, the Magical Maid. And the brainwashing schemes of the Magical Teacher can only spell double shifts for our heroine! From battling pro-wrestlers to corralling absentee animators into the studio, Komugi's got a full docket. If laughter is the best medicine, get ready for an overdose!

Peacemaker: Innocence Lost

For 15-year-old Tetsunosuke Ichimura, childhood innocence has given way to a blinding thirst for revenge. Haunted by the vicious slaying of his parents, Tetsu decides to seek out the Shinsengumi, an elite group of swordsmen sworn to protect the capital. The Shinsengumi are engaged in a brutal conflict with the Choshu rebels, the same ruthless killers who murdered Tetsu's parents. In the name of justice - and against the will of his older brother - Tetsu desperately hopes to join the Shinsengumi.

But an incident late one night forces him to face reality. The Shinsengumi show themselves capable of the same brutality as his parents' murderers. Wading through a sea of espionage, intrigue, and flowing blood, the young boy must decide whether to shed his humanity and become a demon of the Shinsengumi, or to relinquish his hatred and become a Peacemaker in the spirit of his father. Revenge is sweet, but is it worth losing your soul?

ADV Music Soundtracks

September 28th

The Best Of Slayers (Radio And Television)

The Onimusha 3: Demon Siege Original SoundtrackT

The Best Of Slayers (Radio And Television)

In the annals of fantasy, there is no mage more feared, no sorceress more powerful than the fiery redhead Lina Inverse. Relive memories of the (mis)adventures of Lina and her wacky band of friends in this two disc compilation CD set featuring original music from both the television series and motion pictures. Listeners will also be treated to remixes of original songs and Slayers radio dramas straight from Japan! This CD set is a must-have for Slayers fans!

Puffy AmiYumi US Dates

Anime News Network reports J-Pop duo Puffy AmiYumi, who sing the theme to Cartoon Network's Teen Titans, and will soon have theor own show on the network with be touring the US in October. Appearences include

10/8/04 - New York City Bowery Ballroom, Webster Hall 125 East Eleventh St.

10/10/04 - Los Angeles House of Blues 8430 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood

10/11/04 - San Francisco Fillmore 1805 Geary Blvd.

Be Beautiful Site Online

Central Park Media has launched the site for its yaoi (homosexual male romance) Be Beutiful line at BeBeautifulManga.com

GI Joe OVA From Gonzo

Anime News Network reports that GDH, the parent company of Gonzo, announced that it would be animating a G.I. Joe OVA (direct to video project).

FUNimation Release News

From Anime on DVD, FUNimation upcoming releases of Spiral and Full Metal Alchemist will be 4 episodes per DVD, priced at $29.98. The former will run 6 discs and the latter 13. The first volume of Full Metal Alchemist will be released January 18th. It has also been announced that Artbox Entertainment has licensed the title to produce trading cards and other merchandise. Fruits Baskets hats, previously sold only at conventions will be available elsewhere starting later this month. The fifth of six Lupin III species and movies that FUNimation licensed, "Dead or Alive" will be released in Spring 2005.

October Geneon Releases

Fighting Spirit - Volume 2: The Debut Match Synopsis October 12

Ippo begins training as a boxer in order to become a new person. Takamura gives him one week to be able to catch 10 falling leaves while punching. Ippo trains day and night, never giving up when the challenge seems impossible. Finally, one fateful day, the young boxer succeeds. His triumph impresses Takamura so much that he takes Ippo to Komogawa Boxing Gym. Manager Yagi is disappointed with Ippo's meek manner and tries to turn the kid off boxing. Ippo is thrown into the ring with a talented young boxer - Ichiro Miyata. Despite their similar age, Ippo quickly learns that Miyata is much more than he expected.

Last Exile: Volume 6 - Queen Delphine Synopsis October 12

After returning to Silvana from their vanship expedition in search of the Exile, Claus and Dio discover Silvana has been hijacked by the Guild. Claus, Alvis and Alex Row are held hostage by Delphine, who takes them to the Guild ship. Delphine lures Alex in the hope of uncovering the mysterions to open Exile gateway. Dio, who is forced to partake of a series of rite-of-passage ceremonies, is declared the official successor of his sister Delphine.

Lupin the Third: Volume 8 - Sweet Betrayal Synopsis October 12

Mystery and deceit are in the air, when Fujiko is hired by the ICPO to help capture Lupin and erase her criminal records. Will Fujiko's betrayal pay off or is there more treachery at play? While searching for valuable diamonds Lupin and the gang are hidden in the most unexpected of places and transported to the stronghold of a mafia boss. Transporting precious gems via a missile is the fastest and safest way, and Lupin has come up with an idea to hi-jack the missile. Lupin is asked by a beautiful woman to obtain several strange items for her including Yeti's tear drops, a mermaid's scale and a dragon's liver. And in an even stranger turn of events Lupin is asked to be the bride of a shipping tycoon.

Geneon Signature Series October 12

Featuring:

• Soultaker V3
• Tenchi in Tokyo V5
• Sailor Moon Super S

Paranoia Agent V1 October 26

From director Satoshi Kon, the brilliant mind behind the critically lauded anime features Millennium Actress, Perfect Blue and Tokyo Godfathers, comes the chilling psychological thriller Paranoia Agent...

Gad Guard V3 - Persona October 26

You know you never really know someone until you see into their past. Katana returns to his roots while Hajiki remembers his father and gathers new direction in his life. However, will Hajiki be able to handle the darker aspects of this world and retain his moral standards when the underground makes use of his services? And will Hajiki be able to complete his job when circumstances seem to continually pull him away? Night Town seems to be a little darker nowadays. But there are some things in life that can place a little light into the world. Maybe even multiple lights.

Requiem From The Darkness - Volume 1 October 26

The stage for the story is the close of the Edo period, as the power of the Tokugawa Shogunate is beginning to crumble. In a time when darkness brings with it the fear of living monsters, an aspiring author, Momosuke Yamaoka, wanders the country with the hope of one day unveiling his work "The 100 Stories" to the world. In his travels, he meets up with three minor scoundrels known as Mataichi The Tricker/Ongyo Master, Ogin the Puppeteer and Nagamimi the Bird Caller. The task of this mysterious trio is to settle cases consigned to the darkness. They root out criminals and use various tricks to judge karmis debts. Their arrival is usually heralded by the sound of a mysterious bell and the words "to the next world, we commit thee."

R.O.D - THE TV - Volume 3: The Past Synopsis October 26

Working for Dokusensha always led to interesting missions, in fact, it was through Dokusensha that the Paper Sisters met. However, Dokusensha also introduced the sisters to their darkest enemies and in the heart of Dokusensha itself the sisters will reveal what it means to be a family.

Lunar Legend Tsukihime - Life Threads Volume 1 Synopsis October 26

The ability to see the threads that bind everything and to be able to destroy anything just by severing it is known as the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. Shiki has such a power, or would that be a curse that he must endure? Thankfully, he was given glasses that can seal this curse and he was finally able to live life normally. until now. When Shiki is strangely attracted to a woman and unwillingly kills her, his life takes a strange turn in that he didn't actually kill her. After all, it's takes more than a simple cut to kill a vampire.

TOKYOPOP Promotes VP, Editor-in-Chief

TOKOYPOP has announced that Mike Kiley has been named VP, Editor-in-Chief. As one of the company's founders, Kiley oversaw TOKYOPOP's Internet technology, operations and human resources. His new executive leadership role will include broadening TOKYOPOP's publishing program to create a larger diversity of original and licensed manga, as well as new book-related consumer goods. Using his profound knowledge of the book publishing industry, coupled with his stellar performance at TOKYOPOP, Kiley is poised to champion the company's aesthetic into more areas of the book business than ever before.

Oh! My Goddess Cast Unchanged

Anime News Network reports it was recently announced at TBS Anime Fiesta that the new Oh! My Goddess TV series, airing on BS-i and TBS next year, will feature no changes to the cast. Kikuko Inoue, Masami Kikuchi, Yumi Touma, and Aya Hisakawa will reprise their roles as Belldandy, Keiichi, Urd and Skuld respectively. As previously reported, the TV series will also keep the same principle staff as the OVA.

Fantasic Children Trailer

The trailer for upcoming anime series Fantastic Children, to be released domestically by Bandai, can be seen online here

Battle of the Planets DVD Release

Rhino will be releasing collections of two Gatchman localizations: Battle of the Planets 25th Anniversary Collection DVD,and a Best of G-Force DVD on September 28th

Tetsujin 28 Teaser Trailer Available

AnimeNation points out that the teaser trailer for the live action movie of Tetsujin 28 (aka Gigantor) is online at http://www.tetsujin28.jp/

Viz to Release Megaman NT Warrior

Viz has announced that it has released Megaman NT Warrior, which aired on Kids' WB. The first volume is available in stores now and has an SRP of $14.98 for the DVD and $9.98 for the VHS.