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Anime Preview: Nerima Daikon Brothers Volume 1 To be released by ADV Films December 19, 2006
There are two competing threads in the appeal of anime. One is formula and expectedness: patterns known to yield a desired result. Hence, franchises that deliver on expected rewards are some of the most popular. At the same time, fans come to anime because, and expect, new experiences. There is a premium on anime that can demonstrate something different. This is part of beauty of works like FLCL, Dead Leaves, or if you have been fortunate enough to see it, Mind Game. Visually, Nerima Daikon Brothers is slightly interesting. The rough stylized look does yield some interesting cultural caricatures. But, it is the show's musical numbers are designed to thrill. Nerima Daikon Brothers dresses its characters in ties, black jackets, shades and black hats, wearing its Blues Brothers influences proudly, and embraces the music comedy format. Strictly speaking, animated musical comedies have been seen before, in Looney Tunes, in Animaniacs, in South Park and in anime such as Excel Saga. Yet, with the quantity of musical numbers channeled into the form of manic anime, with the orchestrated fireworks of the performance, the experience should be new enough to thrill many viewers. For anime viewers who appreciate anime as a form, Nerima Daikon Brothers' wild creativity and impressive effort establish the work as one that warrants a purchase. At least for one volume, the Nerima Daikon Brothers is a marvel worthy of rewatching. Like Excel Saga, Shinichi Watanabe aka Nabeshin levels the framework to create a perverted, volatile assault. The plot follows a quartet of performers. Hideki is a crude, hairy 25 year old daikon (large white radish) farmer who dreams of replacing the family's daikon field with a domed stadium, in which he can perform in front of imagined throngs of fans without inviting noise complaints from his neighbors. His brother Ichiro, a quiet, thin, and handsome young man supports the goal working at a host club (where females pay attractive males for their company). They are joined by their pretty 19 year old cousin Mako, who lusts after luxuries and wealth (and Hideki lusts after her). And they are joined by a pandaikon (daikon panda), a small, fuzzy bear ready to be used in a host of sight gags. The series features an interesting cast, in terms of characters and performance. Hideki's Shigeru Matsuzaki, whose previous anime role was in the Cobra movie 20 years ago, has a deep range that suits the lead characters rough credible-in-his-own-mind disposition. The same goes for relative newcomer Ayano Matsumoto as Mako, who mixed an unrefined attitude with a sort of throw back pop. The solidly working voice actor of the trio is Shotaro Morikubo as Ichiro, whose other working roles include title roles in Kikaider and Orphen, Ginji Amano in Get Backers and Shikamaru in Naruto. The tunes are infectious and the accompanying reactionary surprise exhibited by the characters (even if its is muted by Ichiro) sells the jokes. From an English dub standpoint the cast is far more familiar. Starting with the three principals through the small parts, all the participants step into the strange personalities of the roles and go to the needed lengths to sing in character. Greg Ayres can't do gravelly quite as well as Matsuzaki, but beyond that, the recreation is amazing. You can put on an episode, not pay attention to the language and not be ware which track is playing. Ayres spearheads an attention commanding dub track. Luci Christian as Mako captures the essence of the character's personality and offers a consistently entertaining performance, but adds the twist of an American Southern accent. Problems arise because she isn't the only character with the accent and ultimately, the exact meaning of the accent in the context of the anime is slightly difficult to pin down. It sort of suggests a provincial background, but that gets confused when applied to other characters. A tour bus driver who seems to be Korean complicates the issues and the distinction suggests an extacultural dimension that ultimately remained lost in translation. Chris Patton has a more difficult job in the more subtle role of Ichiro. The joke being that the character is withdrawn, almost nondescript. At odds with the wild circumstances, the impression is hard to vocalize. That he maintains the jokes and protects the character from drifting into bland territory marks an impressive performance. Even if you rarely listen to English dubs, the performances in the English track challenge the spectacle of the original to a sufficient degree that it is really worth watching the anime at least twice to catch both. (A third time is warranted for the Nabeshin commentary track; unlike many Japanese commentaries, such as the surprisingly dreary Akitaroh Daichi on Grrl Power, Nabeshin's is loaded with personality). The English version does take some liberties localizing the script, as needed to make songs work or to circumvent overly cumbersome culturally native ideas. Some bits, such as the end theme are completely rewritten. These shifts capture the right spirit, even if they change the jokes a bit, and even if one might wonder if the target consumer is really old enough to "drink beer after work too", it works brilliantly. Despite a bright palette and a high level of energy, you don't have to scratch too much off the surface of Nerima Daikon Brothers to find that the anime operates from a darkly cynical outlook. Writer Yoshio Urasawa must have been in a bad mood or possessing very little faith in humanity, because the series is not exactly a feel good comedy. Both the perpetrators and victims/suckers are portrayed as greedy, opportunistic perverts. The specific episode-targets are modeled after real molesters, crooks and grifters (or politicians/corporate officers/show biz types, same difference). There is no real effort to soften the leads. They are intentionally uncool, and their motivations are far from altruistic. Basically, they are perusing their desires, but in a highly distractible manner. In terms of sympathy, what they have going for them is that there are less horrid than the reprobates around them. To that extent, the anime does encourage the characters to be cheered as they bring a form of vigilante justice to the real heels of the work. While this is a global indictment, especially given the shock humor, aspects do get a bit ugly. The "Korean Wave" attack in particular brushes uncomfortably against ethnic stereotypes. It's certainly not unwelcome to find that Nerima is an anime with real attitude and a real perspective. Too many anime series lack concrete, controversial points of view. However, it is worth being aware that Nerima is ultimately not a sunny work. Nerima Daikon Brothers is steeped in cultural knowledge. It targets specific scandals. It performs call backs to specific comedy routines. Because of its inspired hyperactivity and its song enhanced visual humor, the anime does work if you are unfamiliar with the references. For example the squads of dancing girls who show up almost every episode to guide characters to an ATM from which they withdraw a loan is funny regardless of whether you are aware that it is mocking an ad campaign from a specific predatory lending corporation. While it remains amusing and yields plenty of solidly effective gags, detached from its original culture, the impression is that the jokes are zannier than they are cutting. This means that they don't always flow as smoothly as they might from the satirical situations. Shinichi Watanabe's work is probably far more multileveled if you catch the references. Without recognizing the nuance, the work seems a bit broad, unsubtle and perverted. To really localize this thoroughly, and replace equitable references, would probably invite law suits. The paradox of Nerima Daikon Brothers is that while the first four episodes inspire repeat viewing, they don't leave a strong desire for more. It's like a card trick. You marvel. You play it over to try to figure it out. You're glad you saw it. But, you're not looking for the next card trick. The direction of these initial episodes, particularly the last would seem to indicate that the series suffers from diminishing returns. Even at a slim 12 episodes television series, the concept would probably have been better served by a highlight, nothing held back OVA series (if the direct to video release model was still viable). Familiarity with the formula damages the effectiveness of the outrageous comedy. While the tunes are certainly catchy, being able to hum along actually leaches away an infatuation with the series, which relies on blowing away the viewer to operate properly. When the pattern of re-used melodies with inserted lyrics becomes obvious, the anime begins to overstay its welcome. The problem is hastened in the fourth episode by an extended joke concerning the relationship between a police chief and a yazuka boss, the point of which is incomprehensibly flat enough to smother the episode (and it is not saved in the dub by heightening the gay joke aspect). The first volumes of Nerima Daikon Brothers is an ideal anime purchase. Beyond that, it looks like the series is going to rest on particular tastes.
Anime Spotlight: Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid Volume 1
The original Full Metal Panic ran into difficulties airing a story involving a plane hijacking shortly after 9/11. With that marking the franchise's history, it is surprising to see the degree to which Second Raid is so out of touch with its implications. The original Full Metal Panic! (animated by Gonzo, directed by Koichi Chigira) anime was a chocolate cover pretzel like concoction, half tense military robot action/half light hearted high school comedy. The second series Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu (animated by Kyoto Animation, directed by Yasuhiro Takemoto) swung the pendulum to the school comedy side, with screwball action thrown in for good measure. With Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid (from Takemoto and Kyoto again), the course was set to hardcore action (with some deviations). On a disassociated level, Second Raid is hot stuff. Fans of the original season's action will be delighted by the solid snap punch impact of the work. The A-Team riff accompaniment is absent, but charges in which a character or mech burst into motion before performing an acrobatic maneuver, leaving streams of blood or shrapnel in the wake crackle throughout the anime. Those looking for a military edge will enjoy the structure, strategizing and battle field flow of information. The series marks a medium point between the dry realism of Gasaraki and the contrived robot-on-robot duels of more routine mecha anime. The problem with the action is that it is build off an irresponsible approach to subjects that matter. With recent history, and Darfur specifically, the last thing a work of pop media needs to be doing is making light of African genocide. A throw away introduction, purely to revel in a military procedural showing off the heroes and their robots is out of touch and wrong-headed. There is legitimate a debate whether for a movie like The Constant Gardener or The Last King of Scotland, it is appropriate to use Africa as a staging ground for the story of a European's redemption. To send in glib heroes, sort of evacuate a church full of refugees, forward bizarre conjectures, such as explaining ethnic cleansing as an economic ploy to force industrial nations to send in watchdog groups, after which commercial treaties can be negotiated, then to sweep the whole matter away in favor of focusing on fictional politics (continuing hostilities between two Chinese states divided by the Yangtze river) and fictional arms dealers/terrorists is mind boggling. The last thing the world needs is to forward this is sort of out of sight/out of mind thinking regarding Africa. While Full Metal Panic succeeds in its aims of slickly animating exciting action shaped by a military aesthetic, real violence sours its violence as entertainment. The anime invokes enough reality that it can't easily be detached from the issues that it leverages. Pursuing the path of a crowd pleaser, it created a exploitation military porn, along the lines of Commando, Rambo 2 and 3 or True Lies, divorced from the implications. A great work of exploitation media will challenge what is accepted. Look to the notable American and Japanese cinema works of the 70's for examples whose jarring outrageousness acted as a form of protest. Second Raid just seems to trip itself after puting too much force into running with the expected. Rather than invoking a jaw drop, it invokes a "huh? what were they thinking?" reaction. Anime and manga have been able to successfully work as exploitation media. Golgo 13, almost a pot shot at good taste and global politics, went out of its way to smooth the persona off its protagonist, so that little existed beyond his physical appearance and extraordinary abilities. Alternatively, Second Raid features high school teens who the viewer is supposed to care about. While Second Raid largely offloads its comedy face, it is still guilty of threading elements that conflict with each other. With a crazy villain killing subordinates while singing Ave Maria, the introduced mortal danger is both sharply present and hard to accept. Nor does the danger sit well with the teen relationship drama, which operates on a standard parameters of misunderstandings and reluctance to accept emotions. Additionally, like Yasuomi Umetsu's Kite, Second Raid features a flaunted sexual sadism that this purely creepy rather than sexy. Where as Kite twists a sort of Mobius loop out of the ugliness, where justice and vengeance are dragged through the mud, Second Raid seems to just be trotting out off-putting sex objects. This takes shape with a pair of twins nakedly caressing each other, one feeling the other's chest, groaping to full out a phone, or worst yet, a character running a gun across one girl's face until it is bruised and bleeding. The root issue might be that Takemoto has coherency problems. These might work in snappy comedy, but break semi-serious work. The disconnection of Second Raid's ideas poisons its momentum. Flawed judgment make the anime less than the sum of its parts. For example, there is an interlude featuring an Edo-period Spider-Man that the characters watch on TV doesn't understand the rules of connecting to an audience. It's a fun scene, well animated, but the hard context shift causes a rocky start to an episode. Elements don't add up. There are probably viewers who aren't going to want to see the graphic throat slicing and viewers who do not want to deal with awkward school romance.
Manga Spotlight: Sugar Sugar Rune Volumes 3 and 4 by Moyoco Anno Released by Del Rey
Moyoco Anno's manga never seems to receive its deserved popularity. It must be under sampled. Once encountered Anno's acid wit and sharp style becomes quite the hook. It is well capable of transcending genre appeal, and it does just that in Sugar Sugar Rune. "Magical girls" have made an odd advance into the US. One of anime's most significant footholds was Sailor Moon, but since then the genre has been witnessed far more often in parody than in straight representations. Sugar Sugar Rune is well in line with the works published in the Nakayosi anthology, which has included Sailor Moon, Candy Candy, Card Captor Sakura, and Magical DoReMi. At the same time, Anno's sandpaper agenda and complex gender politics make for a smart, emotional tale that will appeal to older as well as young fans of either sex. In standard magical girl form, the manga features two aristocrats from a magical kingdom sent to the human world in competition for the role of successor to the kingdom’s throne. The pair are best friends Vanilla Mieux: daughter of the current queen, demure, sweet, helpful and a bit needy; and Chocolat Meilleure: brash, egotistical, selfish and forceful (basically the Anno model heroine). Living in the human world, attending school and such, they capture the feelings of boys, which turn into heart shaped crystals. For their competition they vie to collect the most, and purist crystals. The problem with/best thing about Anno's mature audience works: josei Happy Many and seinen Flowers & Bees was that the characters sunk like lead into the quagmire of their circumstances. They weren't so much static as they were dead end reprobates. That they were irredeemable created a painful edge of discomfort to the work. Sugar Sugar Rune, which is more plot based than those situation based works, has been establishing some compelling character arcs. Experiences with clan politics from their world and the dynamics of human relationships have caused both Chocolat and Vanilla to mature and develop as characters. While Vanilla’s insecurities drive her down dark paths, Chocolat's raging ego begins to be tempered with a sense of empathy. Anno is provocative in her approach to these changes. There is some sense that Chocolat has some level of moral high ground, but the ambiguity and lack of clear-cut answers makes both the drama and ideas compelling. While Chocolat's strongest feature is her fearlessness and willingness to speak up against what she sees as wrong, she is repeatedly made aware of the reality that males find feminine weakness attractive. The times when she is crying and vulnerable are the times when she wins over the most hearts. It's not a stretch to see the work as a parable for women in politics. Always manga's premiere fashionista, Anno's design work in these volumes is quite a thrill. From the Gilded Age high society look at Chocolat and Vanilla's mothers in their primes, to the stage music look of the Ogre clan (a bit of glam, a bit of shock rock), to elaberate New Year's kimono's, the diversity, detail and style is conistantly a treat. Interesting to note: the appearance of the father of Akira, the boy who has a sort of pre-dating antagonism going with Chocolat, bears more than a passing resemblance to Anno's depictions of her husband, Neon Genesis Evangelion creator Hideki Anno (and to characters she previously modeled after him.)
OEL Spotlight: Manga Claus: The Blade of Kringle By Nathaniel Marunas Artwork by Erick Craddock Release by Penguin’s Razorbill
Grafting the popular of mode action storytelling onto Christmas seems so obvious that the results would necessarily be poor. The likes of Santa versus the Martians and the Santa/Lee Majors show within a movie from Scrooged certainly enforce this perception. Maybe Manga Claus doesn't debunk that thinking, but it does at least prove to be an overachiever. The comic offers an effective action movie pastiche with a clever irreverence that suits the concept. The story is a brisk, fun read. If it doesn't quite have the depth to be an enduring addition to a book shelf, it is at least guaranteed to be an enjoyed gift. Though Manga Claus is more American Ninja than Zatoichi, its comic rendering of battles works in a mode similar to that of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Frank Miller ninja action (yeah, there is an direct lineage between TMNT and Miller) is at least dynamic and spirited. Claus' two swords underhand style is a bit odd, but it does appear to be thought through, and there is a sense of mechanics and anatomical possibility in the comic's sword work. Propelled along by cutely menacing ninja/toy foes, from its prologue in the waning days of the shogunate to its climatic showdown in the industrial center of Santa's toy making complex, the comic chooses the right trappings for its humorous hybrid spectacle.
Manga Spotlight: Museum of Terror volume 2 Tomie 2 By Junji Ito Released by Dark Horse Manga
Where the first Museum of Terror featured Junji Ito developing his style, by volume 2 his look and outlook had coalesced. While the first volume did feature sublimely creepy work, aspects of Ito's approach was radically improved or revamped. By volume 2, his stories and illustration are both more fluid and more coherent. If you are more interested in sampling Ito's work than following his progression, it would not hurt your enjoyment to skip to this second half of the body of largely stand alone Tomie stories. In many of Ito's works, and Tomie in particular, sanity is like an egg shell. The mind is just waiting for a sharp tap with crack it. His characters look normal (for the most part), and they look terribly combustible. Their forms are thin, as if they were ready to physically snap. Ito renders these forms with delicate details. He has a precise command of the way posture, hair and skin work. Even in small panels, his pen catches small touches, like the way a hair cut is trimmed close to the neck or the tilt on a head. The combined impression is that if a character is not one of the outright mad individuals that litter the work, there is something about the stress lines in their face or the direction of their eyes that betrays a weakness that could easily blossom into homicidal or suicidal dementia. Tomie is the rock hammer that goes around cracking the sanity of those she encounters. As in the earlier volume, fragile egos are the initial fissures waiting to the exploited. Appearing as an attractive young woman, Tomie appeals to the lust, vanity, or jealous of those around her, eggs them on with her demands, then watches as they are driven to the point where they are ready to kill each other and/or her. Able to regenerate, and if dismembered, regrow into distinct individuals, the results of Tomie's catalyst acting on any social circumstance are physically as well as dramatically nasty. Ito offers a solid gore quotient in the work with plenty of stabbings, geysers of blood, not to mention disgusting things involving eyes. At times there is almost a classic Victorian horror mix of sex and disease, such as when infection bubbles into distorted Tomie forms. And, at the same time, there is a black humor that acknowledges that the work is a acting as a satire of life. If your perception of Japanese horror is built up from the modern live action movies, Ito's work on Tomie is a helpful stepping stone to the more radical view points offered in horror manga (if you really want to dive into the deep end, try Hideshi Hino's Lullabies From Hell). If you're already a fan of horror manga, Tomie's graphic study of madness in noteworthy in its strong showcase Ito skill rendering character forms.
FUNimation Announces HD Dragon Ball Z
FUNimation announced at Wizard World Texas that they have digitally remastered in high definition and restored the entire 291 episodes Dragon Ball Z series. The remastered episodes will be released in season sets with the first season set hitting on February 6, 2007 at major retailers nationwide. The first season set will feature all 39 episodes (the entire Vegeta Saga) for $49.98. FUNimation worked with Dallas-based Video Post & Transfer (VPT), a full-service post-production house that provides a complete spectrum of video & film related services, for the digital remastering and restoration. The Dragon Ball Z series was digitally transferred from the original Japanese film frame by frame at 1080p. During the process, VPT utilized state-of-the-art digital noise reduction units to remove film grain and thousands of instances of dirt, scratches and debris. The transfer was performed by nationally-recognized colorist Steve Franko and supervised by FUNimation. In other Dragon Ball news, FUNimation has annnounced starting Monday, November 13, the original Dragon Ball series will air Monday through Friday at 10:00 p.m. ET on FUNimation Channel's syndicated anime block on the CoLours TV Network. CoLours will also air a six-hour Dragon Ball marathon on Thanksgiving Day beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET. The Dragon Ball series will become part of the FUNimation Channel beginning in December. FUNimation says of the series, Dragon Ball is the precursor to Dragon Ball Z and it portrays a world where our heroes are not yet that much stronger than normal humans. It is an exciting time when fights could go either way. The tightly written story of Dragon Ball evolves in a graceful progression that creates a seamless transition into the world and events in Dragon Ball Z. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of this series is the comedy. Dragon Ball is that unique type of show that has both young and old laughing together. The FUNimation Channel is currently available to viewers nationwide as part of the CoLours TV Network, which is part of DISH Network's extended basic package, to residents in the Los Angeles area via over-the-air broadcast on digital channel LA 18.3, to residents in seven states on Verizon FiOS TV extended basic package, to Hawaii residents on KIKU TV, and it is coming to Houston-area residents in November as part of Optical Entertainment Network's FISION service. For more information on the FUNimation Channel, its availability or how to get it, visit www.funimationchannel.com.
Trailers of Note
From Twitch Catsuka points out that a Windows Media trailer for Studio 4°C's music video/shorts collection has been posted on the project's official site. Twitch look at the contents here Second and third trailers for the epic live action manga adaptation Battle of Wits are online here and here
Evangalion Movies News
EvaMonkey points out that Ramblings of DarkMirage has posted a summary of information from the Japanese edition of NewType concerning the upcoming anime Evangelion movie project. An aspect of the project is said to be animated the scenes that were envisioned, but which could not be produced to the technical and budgetary constraints of the time. The first movie will be built around Operation Yashima/episode 6 of the original anime series. This climax will be handled by Shinji Higuchi, the director of Sinking of Japan. New characters will be appearing in the second movie. The anime's famous logos will be replaced. The new NERV logo will be based on a bitten apple, while the new SEELE logo will be an apple with a serpent coiled around it.
Media Blasters On Princess Princess
Media Blasters has informed Anime on DVD that they are in the process of licensing yaoi comedy Princess Princess, about a school for boys that keeps up morale by recruiting some student to dress as girls. The manga version is released in North American by DMP.
Figures News
Ikimashou.net has pictures of Organic's S Idol Win-chan (yes, a cute girl based on an opperating system) here Organic Hobby's New 1/7 Scale "Ghost in the Shell" PVC Statue can be seen on Figures.com here
Yamato USA has unveiled Creators’ Labo… Haibane Renmei – Rakka #1 Pvc Statue. Rakka #1 is available from currently available at ABC Toys, Anime-zing Escape, Big Bad Toy Store, Entertainment Earth, Things from Another World, and AAA Anime. Yamato’s CREATORS’ LABO #004: HAIBANE RENMEI – Rakka #2 and CREATORS’ LABO #002: BURST ANGEL – Meg are scheduled for December Yamato USA has also opened of pre-orders for “Sequel to Angel Chromosome-XX” Series 1: A-15 Arael –XX, the continuation of WAVE’s popular line of Evangelion inspired figures. Arael-XX measures approximately 5.15" and is depicted "impaled with the Lance of Longinus which brought about her demise as an Angel".
Voltron on CN
Anime News Network reports that Cartoon Network will be airing Voltron Monday-Thursday at 5:30am.
Upcoming in Japan
Ikimashou.net reports Madhouse will be animating a series based on Korean MMORPG Maple Story. In addition to the previously announced series of video games, street racing manga Wangan Midnight is being adapted into an anime series. AnimeNation Wellber no Monogatari ~ Sisters of Wellber (Wellber Story ~ Sisters of Wellber), from Production I.G is schedule for April. Additional screenshots and character images are available from Dengeki Online. The sites for Gonzo's Romeo x Juliet and Master of Epic anime television series are online. The site for Getsumen Usagi Heiki Mina, the formely fictional anime watched by the geek hero Densha Otoko, has relaunched. Anime News Service points out that the site for Be Rockin' has gone online. ANS has a piece on the title here ANS also reports that Nippon Animation and NHK will be producing an anime based on Anne Gutman and Georg Hallensleben's "Penelope" series. Yasuhiro Imagawa (Giant Robo, G Gundam) will be working on a feature movie of Tetsujin 28 Gou Hakuchuu No Zangetsu (aka Gigantor). The project will be a collaberation between Palm Studio, GENCO, Ganges, King Record and Media Suits scheduled for March 2007.Staff includes Project Directors Toshimichi Ootsuki and Taro Maki, Direction / Script and Storyboards by Yasuhiro Imagawa, Character Designs by Shingo Ishikawa, Production by Furukawa Junko, Art Direction by Sakurai Kunihiko, Music by Akira Senju. Animation by Palm Studio. The 90's ubitigious voice actress Megumi Hayashibara will perform both the opening and ending themes for the upcoming Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight! TV Animation.
Live Action Sequel News
ICV2 reports Variety listen that Death Note: The Last Name (the second live action movie) made more than $10 million in its opening weekend in Japan, putting it on track to surpass box office sales of the first Death Note film. Twitch points out that the site for the second Nana movie now features two teaser tailers here and here. Aoi Miyazaki has declined to reprise the role of Nana Komatsu (nickname: Hachi) so Yui Ichikawa will take over. The role of Nana Osaki will still be played by Mika Nakashima.
AnimeTV To Review Anime
Bang Zoom! Entertainment, who produced the English versions of manga anime including Ruruoni Kenshin, Samrai Champloo and Witch Hunter Robin, has unveiled AnimeTV, a video Podcast desribed as "first ever real, entertaining, and informative TV review show dedicated to anime." The feature will be hosted by Johnny Yong Bosch (former Black Power Ranger and the voice of Vash from Trigun) and available free through iTunes.com, You Tube and AOL.com starting January 2007. See GoAnimeTV.com for more.
Personel Change at Viz Anthologies
VIZ Media has announced that Marc Weidenbaum will be taking the assuming the role of Vice President, Magazines and Editor-in-Chief of SHONEN JUMP Magazine and Shojo Beat Magazine. Marc Weidenbaum started at VIZ Media as the Managing Editor of SHONEN JUMP and was promoted to Editorial Director earlier this year, when he helped launch the Naruto Collector series of magazines. Prior to joining VIZ he was an Editorial Director at Citysearch.com, and before that he was an editor at Pulse!, the magazine published by Tower Records, where among other things he edited the comics pages for a decade and founded Tower's first online publication. Comics he has edited have appeared in such books as Adrian Tomine's Scrapbook (Drawn & Quarterly) and Justin Green's Musical Legends (Last Gasp). He also wrote the afterword for VIZ's award-winning manga Sexy Voice and Robo, published last year. He replaces Yumi Hoashi, who has moved on to pursue other ventures.
New York Comic Con Announces Anime Awards
The New York Comic Con announced that it will host the first-ever American Anime Awards, Saturday, February 24th at the New Yorker Hotel in midtown Manhattan. Winners will be chosen by anime fans themselves. Anime fans will have a chance to vote for their favorites online during the month of January 2007. The five nominees receiving the most votes will be announced February 5th, and the winners will be announced at the American Anime Awards ceremony February 24th. North America’s most prominent anime and manga companies will be on hand at the Awards, including VIZ Media, TOKYOPOP, Media Blasters, Geneon, FUNimation, Del Rey, Bandai, and ADV Films. The American Anime Awards presentation ceremony will be hosted by a group of top voice actresses, including Christine Auten, Jessica Boone, Shelley Calene-Black, Luci Christian, Alice Fulks, Hilary Haag, Taylor Hannah, and Serena Varghese. Many more voice actors, directors, and anime professionals are expected to attend the awards ceremony and the post-awards gala that follows. The awards will be streamed live over the internet via the entertainment super site IGN.com. A fuller broadcast, including pre and post-ceremony coverage, will air later on cable’s Anime Network. A limited number of tickets to the American Anime Awards are available to New York Comic Con attendees on a first come, first served basis. For more information or to register for tickets, fans may visit the website at www.nycomiccon.com. The American Anime Awards ballot will be developed by both industry representatives and independent anime experts. Each producer-distributor of anime in North America will have an opportunity to offer up to two candidates for consideration in each category. An equal number of anime experts working independently will offer their own nominees. The combined ballot will be assembled by Milton Griepp, publisher of the industry Website ICv2.com, who is acting as Awards Committee Chairman and will oversee the online polling. The categories for the 2007 American Anime Awards are: Best Actor Best Actress Best Actor in a Comedy Best Actress in a Comedy Best Cast Best DVD Package Design Best Anime Theme Song Best Comedy Anime Best Anime Feature (OAV) Best Short Series (13 episodes or less) Best Long Series (over 13 episodes) Best Manga
DrMaster Ships Eternal Alice Key Princess Story
DrMaster Publications Inc. has announced the release and availability of their newest manga license – Eternal Alice Key Princess Story volume #1 from Kaishaku, whose previous include Steel Angel Kurumi, UFO Princess Valkyrie (ADV), Destiny of Shrine Maiden (Geneon), and Magical Meow Meow Taruto (Bandai) Plot Synopsis : Key Princess Story is a fantastic adventure of an aspiring writer and a group of girls with special powers in pursuit of the missing third book of Alice called “Eternal Alice.” The story follows Aruto, a high school boy who loves the classic story of a young girl (Alice) who travels to an enchanted “land of wonder”. So enamored, he writes his own story of Alice, and is aided by Alice Arisugawa, a high school girl who possess the power to unlock the secret in one’s heart thus turning it into a book.
Char News
From Gunota The story of Gundam's perenial antagonist Char Aznable will be told in a 2 part book titled "Char Aznable Biography - Locus of Red Comet". Written by Yuka Minakawa ( Gundam Officials, and Blue Destiny), the story will progress from the events of the original Mobile Suit Gundam to Char's Counterattack. According to Kodansha, the audience is 30-40 year old business men. Char is also being featured on custom credit cards. Card points will be reedamable for merchandise.
Geneon December Releases
Geneon has announced that December releases will include Trigun Remix vol. 5 Viewtiful Joe vol. 6 Elemental Gelade vol. 4 - DISCOVERY Fighting Spirit vol. 5 – One Step Further KamiChu! vol. 4 – Holiday Confessions Saiyuki Reload Gunlock vol. 5
Worth Visiting...
AniPages Daily, who is running a great series of examination of the anime Kemonozume has posted an extensive piece on Reiko Okuyama and Kazuko Nakamura and their role as Two Pioneer Women Animators. The Anime Blog is running the Which J-Fashion are You? Poll. Matt Alt has posted an account of a visit he and Patrick Macias made to the mecha of Gun-Pla (Gundam plasic models). Alt has also recently written about the National Science Museum in Ueno's exhibition on yokai/monster culture here and a look/reaction to Bandai's 31,500 yen ($300) "Complete Selection" adult-sized Kamen Rider Belts. Jo Jo's Bizarre Adventure creator Hirohiko Araki shows off the series' trade mark poses to mark his 25th anniversary in the manga buisness here Manga Jouhou translated a Japanese articles about parental concerns about sex in manga.
Non Anime
ICV2 reports BCI Eclipse will be releasing a six-DVD pack on The New Adventures of He-Man on December 26th for $49.98. The second half of the series will be released at a later date. The New York International Children's Film Festival will be presenting Us Premiere - Azur & Asmar With Q&A By Director Michel Ocelot November 30, DEC 2, 3 The beutifully animated French features are in French and Arabic with English subtitles. To read full film description, see more pictures, and purchase tickets, here. Aardman Animation's Rex The Runt , Penny, Pib & Pog, Angry Kid, Morph, the SLEDGEHAMMER music video, and recent installments of Wallace & Gromit and Creature Comforts
