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Manga Spotlight: Toto: The Wonderful Adventure By Yuko Osada Released by Del Rey
There are certain manga series that I keep an eye out for... Mushishi, Eden: It's an Endless World, Battle Angel Alita: Last Order. I wouldn't say that Toto is on that list, but it is a title for which I'm happy to see a new volume. It's manic shonen adventure at it's finest, with a spirited verve that's hard not to admire. And, while it doesn't offer the deepest, most thoughtful writing, reading Toto is an undeniably fun experience. The generation of manga creators who are now in their early-mid thirties, such as Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto), Eiichiro Oda (One Piece) and Hiro Mashima (Fairy Tail) have cited Akira Toriyama as a key influence to their work. Generally, they aren't referring to the super saiyan phase of Dragon Ball that focused on super heroes and alien villains blowing up planets and teleporting across the universe. Instead, the admiration is more often targeted at the manic inspiration expressed by Dr Slump or early Dragon Ball. Many of the highlights are now familiar, but characters like a grizzled hermit wearing a turtle shell on his back or Gyu-Mao the Ox King from classic epic The Journey to the West as a dopey looking guy in overalls and cape tied under his chin, must have been something of a bizarre revelation in their day. Naruto, One Piece and so on tip their hats to the spirit of strange possibility inherent in those Toriyama stories. An example that springs to mind comes from pirate adventure One Piece, where early on, young, would-be pirate king Monkey D. Luffy encounters a man who's an afro-haired head sticking out of a treasure chest, who guards an island of hybrid animals. It's a nicely bizarre adventure that has little to do with progressing an over-arcing adventure. Yet, this becomes rare. Like Toriyama himself, the work of these authors gravitates towards besting progressively more powerful opponents rather than exploring an ever-odd world. Toto seems to be intent on staying the bizarre course. Starting with the high concept arithmetic, it's staggeringly off-beat. As the title might suggest, it is built around homage to the Wizard of Oz. The Goku/Luffy/Naruto of the piece is Kakashi ("Scarecrow"), the son of a deceased traveler who inherited his father's heedless wonderlust. Dorothy is a nimble, student/competitive intramural martial artist. Noil (read it backwards) is a wannabe stand-up comic, formerly enlisted in one of the world's troublesome steam-tech militaries (think Full Metal Alchemist). As might be presumed, that's the WITCH of the North on the cover with the inline skates, broom and grease paint under her eyes. Toto... well, the nature of the dog shouldn't be spoiled because seeing him in action is one of the great visual based surprises of the manga's first two volumes... though, it does seem reasonable to note that his role has become part of a quest for 12 animals based on the Chinese zodiac. To start chaining concepts, there's the derivations of Wizard of Oz characters that are far more interesting than simply a "manga style" take on the familiar... There's the Kino's Journey desire to experience a world that "is not beautiful, therefore it is," and a Fullmetal Alchemist style militarism to blame for a lot of that ugliness. There is a bit of familiar shonen style power item and McGuffins. And, perhaps strangest and best of all, late in volume three, a considerable dose of Shaw Brothers kung fu movie scenarios. What coalesces is uniquely Yuko Osada. I wouldn't say that a great manga is constituted from cross dressing jokes and a swishy martial arts master wearing a body suit that reads "Sow", whose ultimate attack is a hip thrust that slings his belt in a rock cracking wave. Yet, the style is so particular to Osada, and it has so much spring to its step, that it stands as a reminder of the fun to be had from shonen manga.
Hollywood Adaptations
IESB has learned that Charles Roven (producer on Batman Begins, Afro Samurai) is no longer working on the feature film adaptation of Robotech . IESB: What’s the current progress on the Robotech script and where is that project at right now? Chuck Roven: You know, that’s not really a project that I’m involved with any more, so you need to talk to Akiva Goldsmith or Tobey Maguire about that project. Robotech is currently set up of over at Warner Bros. with Alfred Gough, Miles Millar and Lawrence Kasdan attached to write. On a related note, Macross 090222 t-shirts* Slumdog Millionaire's Dev Patel is said to be replacing Jesse McCartney as Avatar anti-hero Zuko.* Talking to MTV David Carradine confirmed that Quentin Tarantino anime prequels and sequels to Kill Bill, planned, but that they aren't a priority. From the MTV Splash Page piece “He planned an anime version of the life of Bill before the movie — which would have to be anime because I’m not getting any younger,” Carradine said recently in an interview with MTV News. “He’s also talking about two sequels to it.” Carradine revisisted Austin, Texas, the city where he first met Tarantino, to film last year’s comedy “Homo Erectus.” The city is also the site of the semi-annual Quentin Tarantino Film Festival. Asked if he would still be up for voicing Bill in an anime prequel, Carradine nodded. “If he ever gets around to it, but he’s a will-o’-wisp,” the former ‘Kung Fu’ star said. “If he does that, great!” As Carradine pointed, out, though, no one is holding their breath for the prequel to happen soon. “He’s a little busy,” the actor added. Tarantino’s latest movie, the amply vowel-endowed war flick “Inglourious Basterds” starring Brad Pitt, is slated for release later this year. “Just doing the first ['Kill Bill'] took ten years,” Carradine joked, “so who knows when he’ll get around to doing the anime?”* The latest statement Astro Boy financing was that they received bridge funding that would carry them over until they got what they needed from private equity companies* Altafish.com reports that the Japanese dub cast for the live action Dragonball: Evolution will beThe French trailer ScreeningRoom has their 15 movies for geeks in 2009 including Blood: The Last Vampire (ahead of Watchmen), Dragonball Evolution, Astro Boy and Streetfighter: The Legend of Chun-Li
- Kappei Yamaguchi (seiyuu for L and Inuyasha) to voice Sun Goku
- Hochu Otsuka (seiyuu for Akira Sendo, Jiraya, Imagin Deneb) to voice Picolo
- Aya Hirano (seiyuu for Haruhi and Konata) to voice Buma
- Ami Koshimizu (seiyuu for Kallen Stadtfeld, Horo, and Tenma Tsukamoto) to voice Chichi
- Yuko Kaida (seiyuu for Shimei Ryomo and Amane Ootori) to voice Mai
Great Promo For Arias' Latest
Nippon Cinema notes that a brilliant promotion for TekkonKinkreet director Michael Arias‘s live-action debut Heaven’s Door. Frogman‘s “The Frogman Show” and “Eagle Talon” characters interview cartoon versions of the film’s stars, Tomoya Nagase and Mayuko Fukuda here, with an Arias cameo. The movie opens in Japan February 7, 2009.
The Business
An unfortunate caulity of the Variety layoffs appears to be Variety Asia Grady Hendrix of the brilliant Variety Asia's Kaiju Shakedown turns up on the Twitch piece to comment. I don’t want to comment on why Variety makes the choices it does - like God, it moves in mysterious ways and is not for us to understand. But I do want to say that it’s a shame that Patrick Frater is no longer there. Although he and I occasionally butted heads, he built Variety Asia out of nothing, and made its website run like a finely tuned engine on little more than nickels and dimes. He stood up for Kaiju Shakedown no matter how ridiculous it got, and he was a real pleasure to work with. Wherever I went in Asia, pretty much everyone knew and liked Patrick and working for him opened a lot more doors than working for Variety. I’m not sure what’s next for Kaiju Shakedown, but I’m taking some time to figure it out. Besides, my wife owns a restaurant so it’s not like I’ll starve - I just may have to wash dishes for a while.* FUNimation parent company Navarre Corporation (Nasdaq: NAVR) has announced financial results for its third quarter of fiscal year 2009 ended December 31, 2008. Net sales were $171.6 million, as compared to net sales of $217.5 million for the same period last year, a decrease of $46.0 million or 21.1%. Operating loss during the quarter was $32.0 million, as compared to operating income of $8.6 million in the prior year. Operating income before restructuring charges (discussed below) was $2.6 million during the quarter. Net loss from continuing operations was $47.7 million during the quarter, a loss of $1.32 per diluted share; as compared to net income of $4.0 million, or $0.11 per diluted share in the prior year. Earnings from continuing operations, before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, share based compensation expense, and restructuring charges was $4.4 million; as compared to EBITDA from continuing operations of $11.4 million for the same quarter last year. Debt, net of cash, on December 31, 2008 was $48.6 million, as compared to debt, net of cash, of $54.5 million on December 31, 2007. "During the third quarter, we experienced a revenue decline due primarily to the impact of the economic downturn. In response, we have taken a number of steps to protect future earnings, including a reduction to the Company's workforce. This resulted in a $1.1 million cash restructuring charge for severance and is anticipated to result in approximately $4.2 million in cost savings in fiscal year 2010. We have withdrawn from two businesses that have had a significant drag on earnings and asset utilization. The Company exited BCI's budget content licensing operations and will take a non-cash restructuring charge of $18.4 million in connection with the write-off of assets associated with that business. We have also exited the children's DVD market and will take a non- cash restructuring charge of approximately $8.8 million related to older licenses of children's properties. In addition, we recognized a non-cash restructuring charge of $6.2 million in connection with the impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets," commented Cary Deacon, Chief Executive Officer. Deacon continued, "We continue to manage our balance sheet through these troubled economic times. Our year over year debt, net of cash, was reduced 11% and working capital has been reduced in line with current market conditions. We have coordinated with our lender to address these restructuring charges and have modified our credit agreement to provide adequate working capital and liquidity." For more, see here* ICv2's Graphic Novel Conference, held the day before the New York Comic Con, estimated that the year to year sales of manga in North America drop 17% in 2008, with a 9% drop in releases from 1,513 to 1,372. For more on the white paper, see here* Matt Blind re-re-visits the never materialized launched of Kodansha's North American manga operation* Bandai Entertainment deleted/closed their Twitter account after a series of laid off employees posted messages on January 30th. An official notification was posted to the Anime on DVD forum with an ex-employee posted an explanation was here here There was also a message hidden in Bandai's site html source* Collectable Card Game magazine Scrye will end with the April 2009 issue, #131.* Anime Vice translated part of an interview with Hirotaka Yoshida, president of Toranoana, a major chain of doujinshi retail shops, in which Yoshida says his business is bucking harsh economic conditions, and expanding Looking at Keisuke Iwata's talk on the shrinking global market for anime, Philip Ip has coined "peak anime" Christopher Butcher dissects what the changes Diamond minimums mean to the direct market (comic shops) On ComiPress, Chloe Ferguson speculates on the manga market in the recession Bloomberg on Japan Media-Arts Exhibition
Cool Figures News
To my mind the greatest mecha figures ever, the Fewter Ex Gokin Getter Robo line with be getting a repainted re-release between June and August. The figures can be pre-ordered at various sites for around $400, so if you're like me, you'll start investing in scratch tickets now.Sadly, their scultor/designer Taku "Professor Robo" Sato passed away August 21st, 2006. For a great interview with Matt Alt, read here. * Kotobukiya has announced the upcoming release of a number of Bishojo (cute girl) figures Neon Genesis Evangelion: Asuka Langley Maid Ani*Statue A KOTOBUKIYA Japanese import Following after Rei Ayanami in maid’s uniform comes a matching ASUKA LANGLEY in her all-new look The pvc and abs plastics 9 ½ inches tall (1/7 scale) is sculpted by Syou KojimaA special yellow dress edition has been made exclusively for the Kotobukiya Hobby Shop in Japan, but a limited number will be available to fans in the international collecting community! srp $59.99 each Available in AUGUST © GAINAX•???/Project Eva. SENGOKU RANCE UESUGI KENSHIN WHITE MILITARY COSTUME ANI*STATUE A KOTOBUKIYA Japanese import Sengoku Rance is the seventh release in the long running series (almost 20 years) containing historical action and “eroge” content. UESUGI KENSHIN WHITE MILITARY COSTUME stands nearly 7 ½ inches tall (1/8 scale), and comes with a removable silver samurai helmet as well as her Mikado Sword and Mikado Hachimaki (traditional Japanese headband) so you can display her in her powered up Mikado Mode! Sculpted by Shoumei, Uesugi is constructed of durable pvc and abs plastic and comes packaged in a special window box. srp $59.99 Available in AUGUST © ALICESOFT SHUFFLE! SHIGURE ASA “LONG HAIR” ANI*STATUE A KOTOBUKIYA Japanese import From the popular eroge (erotic game) Shuffle! by the visual novel company Navel comes Koto’s second version of the adorable ASA SHIGURE, designed by Hiro Suzuhira Asa stands approximately 6 1/2 inches tall (1/8 scale) atop her included display base. Sculpted by Syou Kojima, the pretty young girl features pvc and abs plastics and comes in a window box. srp $59.99 Available in AUGUST ©Omegavision, Inc. GURREN LAGANN MOVIE: YOKO ANI*STATUE A KOTOBUKIYA Japanese import Sculpted by Tsukuru Shirahige, Yoko is approximately 9 ½ inches tall (large 1/6 scale) sitting down, and is constructed of pvc plastic. srp $99.99 Available in AUGUST ©GAINAX•?????/?????????????? * Go Hero will be at the New York Comic Con's Booth #956 February 6 - 8. Prototypes of figures like Cyclops, Skeleton will be on display. They've also be the unfornate announcement that 12” Buck Rogers figure until the beginning of 2nd Qtr 2009. The next figure will Go Hero and Executive Replicas' line of classic icons will be the 1:6 Commando Cody* Neo Getter1 Test & Training Machine (posed in a appropriate Go Nagai handshake) A pirate figure from Sega's Wii title The Parallel of Haruhi Suzumiya More here Mystery box figures based on Akira Toriyama's (of Dragon Ball fame) Dr Slump Revoltech Ah! My Goddess set Jojo's Bizarre Adventure's Star Plantinum Revoltech Raoh (of Fist of the North Star)* Custom MASK figure Game of Death Munnya Transformers Shockwave Might Muggs Avatar papercraft* The Collection DX podcast says goodbye to Kimono My House, a vintage Japanese toy store in Emeryville
Upcoming in Japan
Previews Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete flash trailer Yurumates OVA Anime A chart to the anime airing on Japanese TV this spring The new Space Adventure Cobra in April debut April As a reaction to declining ratings, the Japanese broadcast of Detective Conan and Yatterman will be replaced by new programming in their 7:00pm Saturday time slot and move d to Sunday mornings at 7:00 AM starting April 5th. Via Anime News Network a TV commercial showcasing a tentative cover for the March issue of Newtype lead many to believe the season of Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi will premiere on Japanese TV in April, three years after the debut of the hit about a boy who falls for a girl who only expresses interest in meeting "aliens, time travelers and ESPers. Kadokawa Shoten Animation Group then jumped in to cleaify that the April broadcast will actually be a regional re-broadcast of the 2006 television series. Reportedly there are no plans for any public announcements about the status of the second Suzumiya Haruhi television series planned for the immediate future. A staff for the renewed Haruhi can be seen here An "Act 0" of the secon season of Spice and Wolf will be included in the next Spice and Wolf novel, scheduled to be released on April 30. The title revolves around commerce and religion in a quasi fanasy world. Manga According to Rumic World, Rumiko Takahashi's (Inu Yasha, Ranma 1/2) newt work with launch in Shounen Sunday this spring.Tonari 801chan, the comedy about a yaoi fan will be spun-off into a new series following the character's younger sister, called Tonari no Hana-chan (Kari)
Event News
If you're interested in following the New York Comic Con happenings, some good Twitter feeds are MangaCast Anime Almanac ANN's coverage is up here Unexpected twists in Reed Exhibitions' convention road map have been announced. The organizers of the New York Comic Con, and New York Anime Festival will be holding the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) April 16 – 18, 2010 at McCormick Place in downtown Chicago. Reed Exhibitions will also be working closely with PAX on the launch of PAX East in Boston in 2010. The associated Medium At Large blog commented on the future of the New York Anime Festival saying A number of people have also asked about the New York Anime Fest and what will happen considering it is just 2 weeks from the new NYCC 2010 dates, and the answer is, for now, nothing. NYAF will still happen in September of 09 and from there we’ll decide what is the best course of action. What I do promise is that whatever we do, it will honor the community we’ve developed of Anime fans. The whole reason we launched a separate event in NYAF was to give those Otaku’s there own place to be with there friends and fellow fans and no mater what they do, we won’t disrupt that, it may be in a different form but we’ll keep the Otaku together, I promise.* The New York Comic Con will be screening the first 50 minutes of Pixar's UP Saturday, February 7 at 6:30pm in the IGN Theater at New York Comic Con.* Jason Thompson's (Manga: The Complete Guide) appearance schedule
- Wondercon, February 27-March 1, San Francisco, CA. Exhibiting Bold Riley and the Serpent in the Belly ( and doing a panel on Saturday with the other staff of Otaku USA.
- Daigacon, March 13-15, Cave City, KY -- Events TBA.
- Toronto Comic Arts Festival, May 9-10, Toronto, Ontaro
* Roland Kelts' (Japanamerica) tour dates
- Feb 11th, Boston, MA, Anime Masterpieces East Coast Launch--Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
- Feb 13-15th, Washington, DC, Katsucon 15
- Mar 1st, Pasadena, CA, The Pacific Asia Museum
- Mar 3-5th, Geneva, New York, Hobart and William Smith Colleges
- Mar 10th, New York, NY, The Consulate General of Japan in New York
- Mar 12th, New York, The Japan Society
* Lost in Scanlation notes that The Edo Tokyo Museum (in Tokyo), is running an exhibition from April 18th to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the birth of Osamu Tezuka. The exhibition will include such items as Tezuka’s work desk, his medical license and original Astro Boy artwork. The Yomiuri Shimbun covers it here* Some final figures/post mortem on the Providence Anime Conference* A stage musical of Shugo Chara is in the works.* Tohru Furuya, the voice of Amuro Ray ( Mobile Suit Gundam ), Tuxedo Mask ( Sailor Moon ) and Casshern ( Casshern Sins ) will be visiting Finland in the beginning of June as the Guest of Honour of the Desucon convention.* A look at the big French International Comic Books festival, and the French market* A look at the Fujio Akatsuka exhibit at the Suginami Animation Museum in Suginami Ward* Anime Expo 2009 has launched a Japanese language version of the new site for the convention, scheduled to held July 2-5, 2009 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Otaku also has their site going for the 2009 convention, held July 17th-19th, 2009 at the Baltimore Convention Center
New and Upcoming North American Releases
ADV Films Via Anime Nation ADV's adult label Happy Carrot has picked up the rights to Iyashite Agerun Saiyuki, which will be released as Karma Saiyuki, to be released on April 14th. First Second First Second Books a new graphic novel buy Scott McCloud (Understanding Comics and its follow-ups, Reinventing Comics and Making Comics). The book, tentatively title “The Sculptor,” is slated for publication in Spring 2013 and will be followed by a non-fiction book. First Second’s Editorial Director Mark Siegel says, “Scott McCloud’s accomplishments are considerable: as spokesman and champion of the medium of comics, as its great explainer and theorist, as its dedicated practitioner. Scott has now tasked himself with an ambitious pole-vault into adult fiction—a great American graphic novel.” FUNimation Via Anime News Network At the Ohayocon, FUNimation announced that the four short direct to video (OVA) episodes of Fullmetal Alchemist will be released on a single DVD in late 2009. The Premium Collection's Japanese release features the "Seven Homunculi VS State Alchemists" short and three DVD shorts that shipped after the 2005 Fullmetal Alchemist movie: "Live Action," "Chibi Party," and "Kids." Media Blasters The release of Voltron Vol. 7 has been pushed back to 3/24/09 The following releases may also be a few weeks late Lone Wolf & Cub TV Vol. 6 Moribito: Guardian Of The Dark Vol. 3 of 8 Nighthead Genesis Vol. 3 Dojin Work Vol 1 Movie+Manga Dojin Work - Pencil And Paper (Volume 1 of 3) Anime on DVD reports that the move is potentially related to the recent news of Best Buy's scaling back of their anime selection. VIZ Media VIZ Media will release I”s as a special two-disc DVD box set on March 24th. I”s is based on a relationship comedy popular manga series (Rated ‘M” for mature audiences) by Masakazu Katsura, published domestically by VIZ Media under its Shonen Jump Advanced imprint. The original I”s animated series, as well as a six-episode follow-up called I”s PURE, will be included this new DVD box set (rated “M” for Mature audiences) and carries an SRP of $29.98 US/$39.99 CAN.* VIZ Pictures announced that DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME, the second half of the live action adaptation of the popular thriller manga will be released on DVD February 10, 2009. The Red Hot Chili Peppers again contribute the theme song. Bonus features include a special segment, “Making of DEATH NOTE II” and the original Japanese theatrical trailer. The story picks up with Light Yagami (Tatsuya Fujiwara) joining the investigation team in pursuit of the serial killer known as ‘Kira’. While L (Kenichi Matsuyama) still strongly suspects that Light is ‘Kira’, Light continues to seek out the real name of L so that he can kill him with his Death Note. Making things even more unpredictable is the 'Eyes of Death' that the second Kira possesses, enabling the owner to know the true identity and lifespan of any person. Light Yagami soon learns the identity of the other Kira and wants to join forces to get rid of L. Will L be able to catch "Kira" before he gets killed? Who will be the last name written in the Death Note? Warner Home Video Watchmen - Tales on the Black Freighter will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on March 24th. Tales on the Black Freighter is an animated adaptation of the pirate comic within a comic from the Watchmen, voiced by Gerard Butler. The movie will be packaged with a live action adaptation of the Under the Hood back-story.Yen Press Tiamat's Reviews reports that Jason Kruse has told the site that his World of Quest has been cancelled by Yen Press due to low sales.
Digital Distribution
Neb's Blog notes that following the cessation of the Toonami programming block in September 2008, Cartoon Network has shuttered their Toonami Jetstream streaming content site. A message on the Jetstream site relates We greatly appreciate all the fan support for Toonami Jetstream over the past years. Starting January 30, Naruto will make its new home on CN Video at CartoonNetwork.com. Fans of MAR, Blue Dragon, and other popular VIZ Media series previously featured on Jetstream should check www.viz.com for future updates.* Joost is now streaming one guy/lot's of girls comedy Koi Koi Seven* Joost is streaming Naruto Shippuden: ep. 94 A Night of Rain Staying behind at the hideout, Rinji and Gozu become aware of a shinobi following their tracks. At the same time, Kakashi and his team notice that the enemy is using a bat for surveillance.* Media Factory has announced plans to distribute the anime adaptation fantasy game Queen's Blade on their YouTube channel and its mobile phone site.* Flash animators Dream Link Entertainment have launched a YouTube Channel* Sci-fi manga Guilstein is now being offered on iPhone and iPod Touch from Uclick. Guilstein Volume 1 is presented in six comic book-length apps available for download on the iPhone App Store at $.99 (US) cents each. Death-dodging teenage protagonists, shady government agencies, mutating alien viruses - Guilstein has them all, and it's presented on the iPhone and iPod Touch with the explosive action, gripping drama and heartfelt emotion that is characteristic of great manga. Guilstein tells of a dark, dangerous virus striking Japan, causing 15-year-olds to mysteriously transform into horrifying alien beings. When a boy named Iori inexplicably demonstrates the ability to control his transformation, he becomes the lone hope for the teenagers locked away for observation and experimentation at "The Bug Cage," a super-secret research facility where the powers that be hope to use the virus for personal gain.GUILSTEIN: © Naoyuki Sakai, Hisao Tamaki / ACC Pro Licensed and Translated by Wowmax Media! Uclick also announced that they are offering Tavicat's ( Tavisha Wolfgarth-Simons and Rikki Simons) OEL manga Super Information Hijinks: Reality Check! * Art2Entertainment on Crunchyroll's role in the North American anime market
Paprika Novel In English
Alma Books will be releasing Yasutaka Tsutsui's Paprika, the novel adapted into the Satoshi Kon anime, in the UK on April 23, 2009.From Alma's description Paprika – exotic, piquant, to be used sparingly. The eponymous heroine of Tsutsui’s novel is the alter ego of brilliant and beautiful psychotherapist Atsuko Chiba, one of the leading brains in the Institute for Psychiatric Research. An expert in the use of ‘psychotherapy devices’ that trap a patient’s dreams and display them on a monitor, Atsuko is able to manipulate those dreams, even enter them, as an aid to psychoanalysis. When treating private patients, Atsuko transforms herself into the guise of Paprika – a captivating girl of unknown age – to mask her true identity. As Paprika delves ever deeper into her realm of fantasy, the borderline between dream and reality becomes increasingly blurred. All the more so when a colleague at the Institute develops a new device that allows the dreams of several individuals to be combined simultaneously. With this, they enter dangerous territory – far from curing their patients, they could drive them insane. Rich in humorous dialogue and ridiculous situations, replete with the folly of human desires, yet with an underlying sense of menace that ‘all is not what it seems’, Paprika could be described as the very pinnacle of Tsutsui’s art. Andrew Driver translates an excerpt can be read here Tsutsui's Salmonella Men was released in paperback in the UK in October, 2008 and Hell was released in August Salmonella Men was released in North America on November 4th
In the Law
ICV2 reports that the jury trial that was set for February 2nd for the Christopher S. Handley yaoi - manga obscenity case has been postponed. The trial may be moved to the last two weeks in March, though no firm date has been set yet.* Anime Vice notes the UK is developing legislation that would ban extreme images in comics. Comic shop owners have expressed concern for how the law will be interpreted for violent comics such as Batman and Judge Dredd, as manga with young characters.* Police have ruled the cause of death of media personality/manga writer Ai Ijima to be pneumonia.
Worth Checking Out...
Insight Episode 85 of the Anime Today Podcast features Bandai Entertainment Marketing Director Robert Napton and SWORD OF THE STRANGER Producer Taku Otsuka to episode 85 In this new interview, Napton and Otsuka preview Bandai Entertainment’s theatrical release of the anime film Sword of the Stranger, another creation from BONES (Cowboy Bebop), and share details about the behind-the-scenes featurette that will be shown exclusively during the screenings. Sword of the Stranger will be in movie theaters across the United States for one night only on Thursday, February 5, 2009. Erica Friedman on Greatest Lesbian Comic You'll Never See As I say repeatedly to anyone who will listen to me, Gunjou is a brutal story. the two women - who are never named - commit acts of physical and emotional violence on each other and on other people. Their relationship is entirely dysfunctional, except for small moments of such magnificent tenderness and beauty that it robs one's breath. Beyond it all, they love one another. on her blog, she presents Eric P on Steel Angel Kurumi Anime Season 1 and 2 (English), what's offputting about Alice on Deadlines, and the end of Gunsmith Cats (Burst) Neojaponisme addresses The Origin of Zoku Matt Alt on the history of "Gundam" Iwa ni Hana on The meaning of "urameshii" in Skip Beat! Dave Merrill on Anime conventions and their Yamato roots Same Hat on BEST X OF EVERYTHING 2009: Upcoming Books!Reverse Thieves looks at new anime including Maria+Holic Tale of Genji KuroKami Rideback Kemono no Souja Erin Chrome Shelled Regios Sora o Kakeru Shoujo Asu no Yoichi! Sora o Miageru Shojo no Hitomi ni Utsuru Sekai (Munto) Hetalia - Axis Powers David P. Welsh on the work of Yoshihiro Tatsumi I'm frankly amazed with what Tatsumi can do with eight illustrated pages -- how much he can communicate about character and circumstance, how much weight he can give to a slice of life. The subjects of his stories are generally the people who do dirty but necessary jobs, if they work at all. They're the kind of people who are generally ignored or marginalized, though they have their ambitions and desires like everyone else. Well, maybe -- hopefully -- not exactly like everyone else, as Tatsumi declines to indulge in romanticizing deprivation or drudgery. He's not writing about the Joads. Brigid Alverson on Travel Reading Travel is like taking part in a witty conversation: It moves fast, there are lots of (visual) puns, and every time you get something, you feel smarter. It also feels an awful lot like taking a train ride. Jog on Oishinbo A la Carte Vol. 1: Japanese Cuisine Otaku USA on Chevalier d'Eon Monster Men Bureiko Lullaby gaijINside on Rideback - Mecha Monday: Bikes And Ballerinas? Believe It! Colony Drop on orbital debris collection hard sci-fi Planetes and Gainax's Blazing Transfer Student "Quick Japan" Naoki Urasawa interview, part 2 An Animerica (Viz's anime periodical) Osamu Dezaki interview GotGame talks to cosplayer Omi Gibson, speaking of cosplay World Summit and Gainax Award Deb Aoki talks to Mangatude's Kirsten Rose about online manga trading and Michelle Mauk about shojo romance Itazura Na Kiss Yoshinori Natsume talks Batman: Death Mask RZA on Afro Samurai Production I.G talks to composer Kenji Kawai director Kazuto Nakazawa Real Drive and Ghost Hound's Daily Show segment on P.W. Singer's Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century Yani Mentzas (of Vertical) on translated fiction A look at Otaku in Taiwan Manga reading street performance Media A Yoshitoshi ABe (Serial Experiments Lain) approach to the subject of moe Via Ghibli World, Ghibli has launched a Words Without Borders presents Black Jack 4 preview Yoshihiro Tatsumi meets Osamu Tezuka Newest Shintaro Kago Daily Comics March on Earth preview A look at the Akira Blu-ray Dragonball's Toriyama Sketches Ayumi Hamasaki as Goku Super Deformed Sutras An awesomely campy, well casted Red Alert 3: Uprising trailer Heshin Justice Unlimited presents Kamen Rider: Over 30 Years of Kicking Ass - A Walk Down Memory Lane gaiINside shows off The Dragon Lives Again Mind you, “tokusatsu” really just means special effects. So, to stretch it a little bit, we’re gonna cover possibly the greatest movie ever: The Dragon Lives Again. Bruce Lee fights James Bond and Dracula in hell. He teams up with Popeye to fight mummies. What? Via Tokyo Mango Engine Sentai Go-onger's 12 component combiner Yoichiro Kawaguchi’s robot designs handmade Spirited Away figures Hello Kitty x Gloomy Bear Pikachu PJ's A couple of awesome (and NSFW) Paul Robertson animated gifs here and here A fan made Gundam Unicorn opening (based on a serialized novel) Last week, I posted a clip from my favorite overlooked fight anime, Air Master. This week, I feel like posting the opening from my favorite space opera Captain Herlock Outside Legend The Endless Odyssey. Basically, it's the indomitable space pirate vs Cthulhu Misc A Kazuo Umezu spotting Via MangaCast, A BL KoZure Ookami (Lone Wolf and Cub) from TakeShobo Anime Hell - VHS Hell has resurrected a horror from 1991 Macross 090222 t-shirts Evangelion tights shirts ADV Films' Switchblade Pictures has launched a MySpace Kaiju Big Battel has re-launched their mall
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