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Column by Scott Green
Be sure to check out our Tekkon Kinkreet Give Away
I've had a chance to check out the prizes, and they are OUTSTANDING. The movie and the manga are obviously superb, but the t-shirt is a very nice recreation of one of Black's and the figurines are beautiful.
Manga Spotlight: The Drifting Classroom Volume 7 By Kazuo Umezu Released by VIZ Media
For the first time, Drifting Classroom seems to be offering more of the same. That's not a critical blow to the series in that more of Kazuo Umezu at his manic peak is still produces an unparalleled take on horror. You don't gripe too much when a fighter wins by the same knock-out twice in a row. Yet, with the series' time-stranded elementary school facing categorically similar threats in this iteration, Umezu doesn't force his characters to react differently. As a result, some of the series' revolutionary zeal seems blunted. After six volumes of Kid Nation meets the Book of Job, in which the immerging children's society developed under the pressure of plagues, giant lobster-bugs and flesh eating crawlies, Umezu just seems to be shaking the ant farm this time out. Maybe he's suggesting an allegory for the introduction of religion or cults specifically, but the handling of the topic does not have the same radical outlook as earlier engagements. Even if volume 7 does fall victim to high expectations, it is still offering a scenario that pulp horror fans will appreciate. Drifting Classroom has always traded in madness. The panel in which the subject of the illustration is not in the throws of a "fight or flight" reaction is rare. This time, Umezu introduced an antagonistic alien force that is not simply a circumstance (drought, hunger, isolation) or animal threat. In doing it, Umezu gets his Lovecraft engine in gear. We've got fungus, bestial regression, hysteria, madmen and otherworldly gods. Umezu approaches the material with full, unironic commitment and ultimately produces a genre treasure.
Manhwa Spotlight: Shaman Warrior Volume 4 by Park Joong-Ki Released by Dark Horse Manhwa
Last time Shaman Warrior was discussed, this column heaped superlatives on the Korean manhwa's action. Volume 4 does not mandate a retraction or qualification for that praise, but, to paraphrase what they say in sports, this iteration is definitely a "building" volume. Previously, the hulking "Butcher" Batu scrambled to save the daughter of his shaman warrior master in the wake of an extermination order being issued on the shaman bloodline. After hooking up with his assassin colleague Genji, rather than protect their young charge, the girl's guardians throw her to the wolves. So, the young Yaki is sent to the Butcher Camp, a desert waste encampment where wrestlers spend their days locked in cages, pummeling each other and being whipped, while assassins never stop running and stick fighting. It's kind of Dante's boot camp or one of those stories about children raised in the Chinese opera system, if it was relocated to Bartertown. You'd imagine that a survivor would come out knowing something like Hokuto Shinken. That Batu only fights like a champion mixed martial artist grounds the potential a bit, but it is still intriguing to ponder what Yaki will be doing when this phase is complete. Volume 4 is evidently a means to an end for the series. The tension of whether Yaki has been betray by a misguided decision works. So does the struggle to survive. And the action still features the small details that are generally missing in comics and manga. But, it also never establishes the sentiment that this is as interesting as what will come next. Inevitably Yaki will come through both scarred and stronger. The immediate phase suffers from the suggestion that matters will be more interesting at that later point.
Manga Spotlight: Princess Resurrection volume 2 by Yasunori Mitsunaga Released by Del Rey
Volume 2 of Princess Resurrection is more of the same, but in this case, more of the same works. The gag starts with your typical non-entity male lead (Hiro) surrounded by colorful young women. In this case, the young women are classic monsters (werewolf, vampire, Frankenstein). As such, he's in thrall to a demon princess (known as Hime, literally "Princess"). Princess Resurrection’s specific twist is that she dresses in goth black and dispassionately carries exotic weapons. And the punch-line is that he gets reamed by all manner of weapons and foreign objects before being reanimated by the demon girl's blood. The scheme of a blonde in a black gown, black and white maid outfits, black and white uniforms and black pools of blood establishes a formal framing for the series. When a deadpan robot maid adopts a wing chun stance or the princess levels a Josey Whales pistol, the incongruity stands up under repeated use. Though there are typical chapter-long stories, with a sense of continuity, the appeal is similar to that of a comic strip. Rather than surprise or advancement, Princess Resurrection capitalizes on offering slightly different examples of, more of the same. Princess Resurrection is not a parody, but part of the fun is that it skims just above the level of what is insufferable. EVERY girl falls for the male lead, whose only distinguishing characteristic is that he's perpetually being maimed. So, the tough girl develops a crush on him, and the little sister is dripping her bleeding toe into his mouth to give him blood, and the popular girl at school is bending down to zip his fly. Following the conventions of the story-type, only the female lead fails to show romantic interest, with the presumable promise that she'll warm up to him. This would be pandering in the extreme if the series took itself seriously. Instead, Princess Resurrection treats its own high concept with complete irreverence. Characters like Hiro are so unidimensional that the flatness becomes a joke. While the series is not exactly subversive, the false emotions and false saccharine are entirely digestible. The whole treatment of a girl looking goth-glam as she paints the walls red (or black as the monochrome color scheme dictates) with the blood of off-beat versions of classic monsters hits the right target. It's not aimed too low. Nothing is mixed up with distracting or poorly conceived suggestiveness. It's not aimed too high. There are a few cute moments, but there are no lofty presumptions for the cases of sentimentality.
Geneon/ADV Deal Cancelled, Geneon Closes Distribution
The agreement between Geneon Entertainment and ADV Films for ADV to distribute Geneon Entertainment’s DVDs, CDs, and other product in North America has fallen through. President John Ledford states "We regret that we could not complete an arrangement with Geneon Entertainment. We have enormous admiration for Geneon’s line and wish them the best of luck." The strategic alliance announced jointly by ADV Films and Geneon Entertainment on August 29, which was slated to take effect October 1, would have made ADV Geneon’s sole distributor in North America. Geneon later informed retails that its sales of DVD will cease as of as of 5:00 p.m. on Friday, September 28, 2007, after which its sales, distribution and marketing operation will be closed. Orders for releases with a street date before November 6th will be accepted before that date. Returns will be accepted through November 30. Accounts payable remain the same. Bandai Visual, whose titles were distributed by Geneon, reacted by announcing that Bandai Visual USA will continue to release titles as scheduled after its distributor Geneon Entertainment (USA) Inc. ceases the distribution. While product supply to the retail outlets may see some delays pending alternative distribution arrangements, Bandai Visual USA’s new and existing Honneamise label products will continue to be available for purchase at its online retail site, dot-anime.us. Dot-anime.us is a North American version of the successful Japanese site www.dot-anime.com, where anime fans can watch various anime titles, download anime songs and purchase anime DVDs and CDs. All Bandai Visual USA DVD orders come with various exclusive purchase gifts. The contents sections of dot-anime.us is currently under construction, and will be available soon.
Bones Co-Founder Passes Away
BONES (Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, Fullmetal Alchemist) co-founder Hiroshi Osaka passed away at age 44 on September 24th. In addition to his BONES work, Osaka served as animation director for Escaflowne, Mobile Suit Gundam 0083, and the Rahxephon movie. The animator was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.
North American Previews
Media Blasters hosts a trailer for the co-produced Kite: Liberator. ADV has posted a preview of Blade of the Phantom Master, aka Shin Angyo Onshi, here. The company has also launched a site for military action Pumpkin Scissors at pumpkinscissorstv.com On the international front, a trailer for Shin-Onna Tachiguishi Retsuden (True Female Tachigui: The Amazing Lives of the Fast Food Grifters), the follow-up to Mamuro Oshii's mockumetary about dine and dish con artists since World War II can be seen here. Contibbutors include Makoto Kamiya, Kenji Kamiyama, Takanori Tsujimoto, and Mabataki's Hiroaki Yuasa. The official site can be seen here
Gunbuster vs Diebuster Set
Bandai Visuals has announced an 11/13/07 Release of the GUNBUSTER vs DIEBUSTER Aim for the Top! The GATTAI!! Movie LIMITED EDITION set. A 2 DVD set with figures will be sold through dot-anime.us for DVD set.US$99.99 2 DVD set Gunbuster the Movie COLOR / 95 min. / MPEG-2 / Region 1 / DVD-9 / NTSC / 4:3 / 16:9 Anamorphic / English Subtitles *After the 8th chapter, the format of the film switches from color / standard to B/W / anamorphic widescreen. Diebuster the Movie COLOR / 95 min. / MPEG-2 / Region 1 / DVD-9 / NTSC / 16:9 Anamorphic / English Subtitles GATTAI means "combine"—and just like the fighting mecha of the heroines, two milestones from Gainax, Hideaki Anno's Gunbuster and Kazuya Tsurumaki's Diebuster have come together...to form The GATTAI! Movie ! Each OVA series has been re-edited into two theatrical features—but new elements include a revised 5.1 ch audio track on Gunbuster , re-recorded by the original cast, and neverbefore released scenes for Diebuster ! The 12,000 year saga of friendship, heroism, hard work and guts achieves final victory in Aim for the Top! The GATTAI! Movie ! The 6-episode OVA series are re-composed to make approx. 90 min. theatrical features. The audio of Gunbuster was renewed from stereo to 5.1 ch for the first time, after re-recording session with the original casts. Diebuster is re-composed with approx. 3 min. additional sequences especially created and recorded for the theatrical release. Synopsis Gunbuster the Movie As humanity sets out for distant space, a Machine Weapon squadron is created to combat the onrushing opposition of the Space Monsters! To avenge her father's death and to win victory for all mankind, Noriko Takaya, scouted for her potential, joins her "Onésama," Kazumi Amano, aiming to become an elite pilot—a "Top!" The curtain rises on their hard and perilous battle!! Diebuster the Movie In a future where the Space Monsters resume their invasion of the Sol System, the abilities of the young men and women known as the Topless, and their Buster Machines, are mankind’s final line of defense! One day, runaway girl Nono sets out for the capital to become a space pilot, and meets the fighter ace Lal’C...neither realizing that the future of humanity rests on the both of them! Bonus Features * 8-page Gunbuster booklet * 8-page Diebuster booklet * Gunbuster certification exam * Gunbuster design file with combination cards "Combine! Dieposter" * Special Action Figure "Miracle GATTAI!! Noriko & Nono" Images above (c) BANDAI, VICTOR, GAINAX All Rights Reserved. (c) 2003 GAINAX / TOP 2 PROJECT All Rights Reserved.
Impressive Sales for Naruto Movie
Sales of NARUTO THE MOVIE: NINJA CLASH IN THE LAND OF SNOW have placed the title at Number 25 on Nielsen’s VideoScan list of the Top 100 DVD titles for the week ending September 9, 2007. VIZ Media debuted the DVD across North America on September 4. NARUTO THE MOVIE: NINJA CLASH IN THE LAND OF SNOW is a theatrical side story based on the continuity of the popular NARUTO animated TV series. Nielsen VideoScan collects sell-through POS (consumer purchase) sales data weekly from traditional channels of video distribution including mass merchants, audio/video and video specialty retailers, electronics outlets, grocery stores, drug stores, and some Internet sites. Nielsen VideoScan maintains this weekly POS data in one of the largest databases of VHS and DVD products in the country.
Figures News
Yamato USA has announced that STORY! IMAGE! FIGURE! EX: BURST ANGEL - Amy, JAPANESE SCULPTOR ORIGINAL CHARACTER SERIES: "whip x nonoko" nonoko ~moon~, and WAVE’S SEQUEL TO ANGEL CHROMOSOME-XX, SERIES 3: A-03 Shamshel-XX hava gone on sale. SIF EX: BURST ANGEL - AMY 1/6 scale PVC statue, features the character with her teddy bear laptop computer. Window boxed with display base.JSOCS: "whip x nonoko" nonoko ~moon~ "whip x nonoko" is an original character line sculpted by Japanese 'garage-kit' artist Kaoru. the "whip x nonoko" nonoko ~moon~ garage kit was originally released as an event exclusive, which Yamato is now proud to release as a PVC figure as part of its Japanese Sculptor Original Character Series. Window boxed, nonoko ~moon~ comes complete with display base, glasses and a heart shaped object. WAVE’S SEQUEL TO ANGEL CHROMOSOME-XX, SERIES 3: A-04 SHAMSHEL-XX WAVE in collaboration with GAINAX and Kannon Yoshizaki. Measuring approximately 6.00", this PVC statue was sculpted by Hiroki Hayashi. Window boxed, Sequel to Angel Chromosome-XX: Series 3 - A-04 Shamshel comes complete with display. Yamato USA products now schedule for early 2008 include PROJECT DYNAMITE #001: IKKITOUSEN - Kanu, 1/5, CAPCOM GIRLS COLLECTION: Poison and CREATORS’ LABO #015: NEON GENESIS EVANGELION - Rei Ayanami The company is now taking pre-orders. PROJECT DYNAMITE #001: IKKITOUSEN - Kanu, 1/5 1/5 scale PVC statue of the popular Kanu Unchou from fan favorite IkkiTousen (a.k.a. Battle Vixens). Sculpted by the talented TOUSHIROU (Cobra-kai), Window boxed, this first run of Yamato's PROJECT DYNAMITE #001: IKKITOUSEN - Kanu Unchou features special parts -- the arm and staff of Kanu's captor, the monk Choukou. Available January / February 2008. CAPCOM GIRLS COLLECTION: POISON Poison from Capcom's Final Fight sculpted by Mitsumasa Yoshizawa (REFLECT) Standing nearly 11", Poison comes complete with metal chains, handcuffs, arm rings, and display base. Available December 2007 / January 2008 CREATORS’ LABO #015: NEON GENESIS EVANGELION - REI AYANAMI Neon Genesis Evangelion's Rei Ayanami as envisioned by famed artist Shunya Yamashita and brought to life by master sculptor Mitsumasa Yoshizawa (REFLECT). Window boxed, Yamato's CREATORS' LABO #015: NEON GENESIS EVANGELION - Rei Ayanami stands approximately 10.25" and comes complete with display base and an illustrated postcard. Available January / February 2008.
Convention News
Angelic Pretty designers Maki and Asuka will appear as Guests of Honor during Pacific Media Expo (PMX), Nov. 9-11. For the first time, American Lolita attendees will be able to purchase items from the famed Sweet Lolita brand in an exclusive Japanese boutique. "Fashion trends from Asia are a huge part of Pacific Media Expo. After the huge outpouring of support for Novala Takemoto last year, we wanted to keep the momentum going with additional superstars like Angelic Pretty this year," said Mike Tatsugawa, PMX Convention Chair. "We're really honored that they have accepted our invitation to participate in this year's event and we know their fans in the U.S. are excited about meeting them and seeing their latest designs." The Sweet Lolita fashion designers will discuss their work and reveal an exclusive preview of the new fall line to a limited audience during the Angelic Pretty Fashion Brunch. Fans will also have the opportunity to converse with the Guests of Honor during a panel open to general PMX attendees. Angelic Pretty is a leading purveyor of Sweet Lolita fashion, which emphasizes Victorian-style dress and aims to convey the look and innocence of ornate porcelain dolls. Maki and Asuka appear at PMX by special arrangement of Cosplay Oneesan. PMX also announced that LiN CLOVER will greet fans with an intimate performance during Pacific Music Live at Pacific Media Expo, Nov. 10. Founded in 2002, LiN CLOVER features lead singer YuRi and veteran Gackt JOB musicians Ren and Nao. Touring without a single month in between performances since early 2004, they made their American debut last April. Pacific Media Expo (PMX) is an industry event sponsored by the Pacific Media Association. Pacific Media Expo will be held Nov. 9-11 at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport. The New York Anime Festival (NYAF) announced online artists and performers Chris Hazelton (Misfile and Building 12), GeekNights, Juno Blair B (Star Cross’d Destiny), Lindsey Henninger (ElvesAteMyRamen attheOtaku.com , and Uncle Yo will be featured at its inaugural event, December 7-9, 2007 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.
cereal:geek Issue 2 Released
cereal: geek, a magazine dedicated to 80's cartoons has released its second issues. Its site feature seven preview pages from issue two. To find a copy of the pair of issues cereal:geek ISSUE ONE cereal:geek ISSUE TWO
Afro Samurai Compilation Movie
ICV2 reports that an Afro Samurai movie edited together from the five episode series, with sane new footage, will premiere in Japanese theatres on October 27th.
Cast Shot of Live Action Blood
AnimeNation points out that 24Framespersecond has posted a cast image from Blood the Last Vampire with Chun Ji-hyun in character as the Vampire Saya, next to co-stars JJ Field and Liam Cunningham. The film is directed by Chris Nahon. Allison Miller ("CSI: NY") co-stars opposite Chun Ji. Currently still in post production, ‘Blood’ is due to open in the new year.
Image Comics From Cebulski and Petit Eva Creator
Anime News Network caught that on September 12th, Images Comics released the first issue of Compass, by C.B. Cebulski and Akihide Yanagi of Fanboy Entertainment, and Japanese artist Ryusuke Hamamoto. Hamamoto created the Petit Eva super-deformed incarnation of Neon Genesis Evangelion. A preview can be seen here
Crayon Shin-chan Theme Park
Anime News Network has a concept drawing of a Crayon Shin Chan theme park, schedule to be openned by Banpresto in the character himr town of Kasukabe. The 710-square-meter facility in the new Lala Garden Kasukabe shopping center is designed around the motif of a movie studio, and it will include game machines, memento photo areas, and stores for original goods.
More Axe Murders and Anime
From Canned Dogs After being pulled from Japanese TV in the wake of the publicized case of a girl murdering her father with an axe, the violent finale for the School Days anime will be shown at a special screening. Overflow, makers of the game on which the anime was based, announced limited seating will be available, and in order to attend, viewers must have an unopened copy of the School Days game or Summer Days games. The Japanese episode's DVD release is scheduled for February 27th. A second axe attack happened in Nagano Prefecture when a 15 year old struck his father with an axe. Unlike the earlier attack, the victim survived. After both attacks, and an preemption on some regional TV network, the 12th episode of Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni Kai, the second season of murder mystery anime released in North American as When They Cry, did air in Hyogo, Saitama and Chiba . And, to stretch the trend, a 15 year old boy stabbed a classmate with a nata that has a 16cm long blade, the weapon used by Rena in Higurashi no naku koro ni.
Manga Fans Almost PM Resigns
After failing to obtain the post of Japanese Prime Minister, well known manga fan, Taro Aso declined the offer to serve in the cabinet of the newly elected Yasuo Fukuda.
ADV Picked up 2nd Kanon
Anime on DVD reports that ADV Films confirmed at Anime Weekend Atlanta that the company has acquired the license to Kyoto Animation's second anime adaptation of Kanon. The character from the series make a cameo appearance in the currently, being released Air. Many assumed that ADV has licensed Kanon after briefly posting, then removing the trailer on their site. The relationship series adapts Key's visual novel.
George Lucas Says 100 Episodes of "Clone Wars" in 2008
ToonZone notes that according to a TV Guide Online with George Lucas, Lucasfilm will be doing 100 episodes of the CGI-animated Clone Wars cartoon, and that he wants to have 50 to 60 episodes completed before they begin to air, which is tentatively targeted for the fall of 2008. He also noted the unorthodox production schedule and the difficulties raised because "it doesn't fall into the realm of what animation [typically] is, which is either adult, kind of off-color humor or kiddie stuff.”
Late November ADV Releases
November 20Jing, King Of Bandits: Seventh Heaven Princess Tutu Complete Collection (SRP $49.98 DVD) Red Garden: Breaking The Girls ( 2 of 6) Also Available With Limited Edition Collectors Box ($39.98) November 27 Air Tv Volume 4 (of 4) Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi Perfect Collection ($59.98) Nadia, Secret Of Blue Water Perfect Collection ($79.98) Neon Genesis Evangelion: Platinum Perfect Collection ($129.98) Jing, King Of Bandits: Seventh Heaven Jing, King of Bandits: Seventh Heaven, a feature length animated movie that extends the Jing mythos in an all-new self-contained adventure. Animated by Aniplex (Rurouni Kenshin) and directed by Hiroshi Watanabe (Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok, Slayers), Seventh Heaven forever seals Jing’s reputation as anime’s ‘King of Bandits.’ Synopsis: They call it Seventh Heaven: an asylum of a prison roasting on the lowest ring of Hell. Run by a psychotic warden and his army of hockey-masked guards, it’s a festering pit filled with thousands of hardened criminals... plus one very unfortunate Bandit King and his loyal, feathered sidekick! And as if THAT didn’t suck enough for our heroes, toss in a magician who uses stolen dreams to trap his victims in bizarre worlds of illusion who then sets his beady eyes on Jing and Kir! So how does the star of a hit anime series escape from the biggest bird cage ever when "the Man’s" locked the door and thrown away the key? Find out as the boys (and bird) behind bars take on the big house in Jing, King of Bandits: Seventh Heaven! Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi The series was directed by Hiroyuki Yamaga (Neon Genesis Evangelion, Wings of Honneamise), created by Gainax and co-produced by Madhouse (Vampire Hunter D, Trigun, Ninja Scroll). Synopsis: Whoa! Hold on to your hats and get ready for one wildly wacky, frenetically funny ride as reality takes an extended vacation in Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi! Arumi and Sasshi seem to be normal, 12 year old kids living in Osaka, but we soon find out that nothing is what it seems. Suddenly, Arumi and Sasshi find themselves in a world like their own - only not. And as they try to fight their way back to the real world, they’ll face menacing mushrooms, big-breasted space pirates, killer kung-fu fighters, a tripped out transvestite, a sorcerer who seems to be in some sort of midlife crisis - and that’s just the beginning! They say there’s no place like home, but this ain’t exactly Oz and it sure as heck ain’t Kansas! So put the kids to bed, leave Toto with the neighbors and get ready to dive into the madcap, whacked out world of Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi! Nadia Inspired by Jules Verne’s classic novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Nadia, The Secret of Blue Water was directed by Hideaki Anno and animated by GAINAX (Neon Genesis Evangelion). The World’s Fair, Paris, 1889: Young inventor Jean crosses paths with an enigmatic girl named Nadia and her pet lion, King. Suddenly, they find themselves pursued by a villainous trio intent upon stealing the Blue Water, a mysterious jewel Nadia wears around her neck. Join Nadia and Jean as they travel the high seas in search of Nadia’s homeland and her past, with the Blue Water as their only clue. Can they unravel its secret before it’s too late? Princess Tutu Complete Collection Directed by Junichi Sato (Sailor Moon, Kaleido Star) and Shougo Koumoto (You’re Under Arrest! Season 2) and produced by HAL Film Maker (Kaleido Star) and TBS (Chobits), Princess Tutu is a classic fairy tale story with a twist of mystery, magic and romance. Darkness hid the pieces of her beloved’s shattered heart, and time is running out for Princess Tutu to find them. Her dream of becoming a human girl has come true. However, peril lurks in the unseen shadows. Using the power of an enchanted amulet, she must unravel a dark and twisted mystery to keep her Prince and herself alive. Synopsis: Darkness hid the pieces of her beloved’s shattered heart and time is running out for Princess Tutu to find them. Using the power of an enchanted amulet she must uncover the mystery and keep herself and the prince alive. Princess Tutu Complete Collection is a thin-packed release including the entire 26 episode series presented in both English 2.0 and Japanese 2.0 with English subtitles. This collection contains all the video extras from the original three-disc series, including three TV specials, a pre-production promo video, commentaries with the English voice actors, plus featurettes like Ballet for Beginners, "In the Studio" segments, and more.
Death Note to Air on Adult Swim
VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), has licensed the Shonen Jump DEATH NOTE anime series to Adult Swim for domestic broadcast beginning Saturday, October 20 at midnight (EST) on the popular block of programming. New episodes will follow each week thereafter. Viz Media is planning on releasing the first Death Note anime DVD a month later on November 20 in two versions: a standard (SRP: $24.98) and a version which includes a limited edition figure (SRP: $39.98). Each volume of the Death Note anime DVD will then appear on retail shelves on a monthly basis. DEATH NOTE is a suspenseful mystery, inspired by a 12-volume manga counterpart (published in North America by VIZ Media), and follows the adventures of Light Yagami, an ace student with great prospects but who is bored out of his mind. All of that changes when he finds the Death Note, a strange notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami death god named Ryuk. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals mysteriously begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal - or his life?
Ghibli Screening Snow Queen
Ghibli World notes that Ghibli Museum Library is continuing its effort to show internation works of animation with Lev Atamanov’s 1957 Russian Snow Queen. The poster promoting the screening quotes Hayao Miyazki as saying "this movie made my destiny and because of this I love it," and the renowned director is said tp bave said in the field of animation after seeing the movie. To mark The Snow Queen's 50th anniversary, it will be screened at Cinema ANGELICA as a double feature with Lev Milchin's Stojkij Olovyannui Soldatik starting December 15th.
Tezuka News
Twitch reports that the live action adaptation of Osamu Tezuka's samurai horror/action Dororo will be released with English subtitles on October 4th. The film was reviewed here. The manga will be released in North America by Vertical in 2008. The Otaku reports Tezuka Publications announced an initiative to make digital copies Tezuka's manga available for Japanese purchase, and to colorize the works.
Awards
From Anime News Network "Franz Kafka's A Country Doctor (Franz Kafka's Inaka Isha)" by Koji Yamamura won the award for Grand Prize in the Short Animation category of this year's Ottawa International Animation Festival. Yamamura's 2002 short "Atama-yama" ("Mt. Head") won three of its 23 awards at the festivals in Annecy, France; Zagreb, Croatia; and Hiroshima, Japan. In Japan, winners of the 12th Animation Kobe Awards include: Individual Award Hiroyuki Imaishi (director of Dead Leaves, Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann) Special Award Isao Takahata (director of Grave of the Fireflies, Only Yesterday, Pom Poko) Theatrical Film Award Paprika (Madhouse) Television Award Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (Sunrise) Packaged Work Award Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Solid State Society (Production I.G) Network Award Second Life (Linden Research, Inc.) Theme Song Award (Radio Kansai Award) "Motteke! Sailor Fuku" (Lucky Star opening theme)Upcoming in Japan
AnimeNation notes the site have opened for Shakugan no Shana Second, which is scheduled to premier on October 4th and Maple Story, the anime television series, based on the popular Korean online game which is scheduled to premier on October 7th. Anime News Network reports Rose of Versailles creator Riyoko Ikeda will be producing a manga adaptation of Korean drama Story of the First King's Four Gods. Also known as The Legend, this period drama is set during the reign of the 19th king of the ancient Korean kingdom of Gokureyo, who ruled from AD 391 to 413. The Legend premiered on Korean television on September 11, and is set to start airing in Japan in October.According to Comipress, Saruman 2.0, a follow-up to the manga comedy that deconstructs manga also known as Even a Monkey Can Draw Manga, will begin in the December issue of Shogakukan's Ikki (10/25). Fujihiko Hosono's (Crusher Joe) Wired Apartment also starts in the issue.
Worth Checking Out
Frames Per Second spoke to Tekkon Kinkreet director Michael Arias here Publishers Weekly interviewed Tokyopop's editor-in-chief, Rob Tokar about their new Battle Royale Ultimate Edition hardcovers Can Magazine has interviewed Emile Hirsch about his role in the upcoming Speed Racer here. Kaiju Shakedown has an interview with VIZ Picture's Manami Iiboshi The Anime Pulse podcast features interviews with Madhouse's Itagaki Shin and Abe Hisahi. Matt Alt notes that his new appearence on Tokyo Eye, in which he looks at the stag beetle craze, has been posted here Patrick Macias has a colum on Akihabara's awful truths. And for good measure, Candy Candy Gunota summarizes the first episode of Gundam 00 here The Magic Box has screen shots of Naruto Shippuuden: Gekitou Ninja Taisen EX 2 Dragon Ball Z Sparking! Meteor Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Gundam Bleach: The 3rd Phantom 1up looks at Naruto: Path of the Ninja here Also on the game front, a trailer for the Suzumiya Haruhi no Yakusoku Animation World Network looks at Reaper's Really Bad Morning, an indie animated short that this column is found of. Via Otakuism, a GGG Final + Zetsubou Sensei mash-up Via Kotaku
