Source: The GIA
Palisades Marketing has announced that they some of their products will be delayed and/or canceled. See the list below for full details:
Sol Bianca: The Legacy Wall Scroll - DELAYED until 3/1/2001
Trigun Mini Lunchbox - DELAYED until 3/15/2001
Ninja Scroll Mini Lunchbox - CANCELLED
I checked the Spanish Tenchi TV against the DVD and it is edited though the edit appears to be different from Toonami's. Specifically the scene where Katsuhito takes out Mihoshi's mecha and we are introduced to Mihoshi's butt has been edited to remove the view of Mihoshi's posterior wiggling in the air. This dub is produced by Cloverway so I imagine the standards are going to be a little different from CN which edited their version of Tenchi themselves. Since Cloverway hasn't demonstrated any use of digital bikinis in Sailor Moon they might not show up here either. So those scenes of nudity might get the close cropping treatment if they are not removed completely. Only time and future episodes will tell.
- Happy Lesson Drama CD (title forthcoming) - Winter 2000 Release - Bonus Tracks Planned
- Happy Lesson Character Album - Autumn 2000 Release - 953 Yen
- Dreamcast Game Version - Spring Of 2001 Release
- OVA - Spring Of 2001 Release (from KSS)
Based on Konami's hugely popular Tokimeki Memorial game series, the drama CD Tokimeki Memorial 2 Vol. 3 "The Mind Which Wishes And Keeps It Secret" (rough translation) goes on sale December 21st, retailing at 2,718 Yen. On the disc are the drama, a Sakura character image song "Angel's Whistle", and an extra drama - "Super-Steel Robo God Doraibar". 1st press units include trading cards.
Masami Okui will be singing the OP and ED themes of the upcoming Xebec produced anime TV series, Tales Of Eternia. The series will begin running on WoWoW BS Ch. 5 in Japan from January 2001. The theme song single is out on Feb. 7, retailing at 971 Yen. The titles of both OP and ED themes has yet to be announced but both feature Okui's vocals and will be arranged by Yabe Toshirou.
A Live tour 2000 VHS and DVD version is headed for release on Dec. 21st, they will inlcude rehearsal and concert footage.
Sega will be showing the popular Dreamcast adventure game Shenmue in movie form in Japan in January 2001, in 5 different locations. The movie will be in English, with Japanese subtitles.
Source: The Magic Box
Jewel Hunter Lime BEM
In the world of demons dwells a cute litte girl named Hunter Lime, whose simple, comic adventures will win the hearts of viewers of all ages. She and her companions seem constantly at wits end, caring for each other and yet never able to honestly express their feelings. And along the way they battle Jewel Bem, a shape changing monster who materializes from everyday items. Produced by Atsuko Nakajima the animator of Ranma 1/2.
Kiteoranma
An epic Samurai battle with a touching love story.
Madonna
A teacher must somehow teach a group of bad boys how to straighten out and fly straight. See how Madonna does it in this great comedy.
Maho Tsukai Tai
Several years after the arrival of a massive, unknown vessel from outerspace, life goes on as usual. The invaders even observe earth traffic lights. But now an unlikely group of yougsters have vowed to defeat the aliens...with Magic. Sae is a spirited apprentice who will endure any hardship to be a true sorcerer like her mentor and idol Takakura. Only she must learn to have some faith in herself... An all new animated comedy from the creators of Sailor Moon.
Mezzo Forte
Kurokawa, Harada, and Mikura run a group that will do anything for the right price. They receive a new job offer to kidnap the underworld boss who owns a baseball team. It sounds like an easy enough job so they accept. During the kidnap Mikura get a surprise she wasn't ready for. The job is not as easy as she first thought and she meets someone who will change her life forever. From that man that gave you KITE, comes another film with all the action and twists that made KITE a USA anime mega-hit. Umetsu creates a film that will amaze you with its fine detail for accuracy and its explosive action scenes. Can you imagine a films with 2 SAWAS in it, you do not have to because here it is!!!
Puppet Princess
In the age of chaos, at a time of great upheaval, there was a small country in forgotten realm, ruled by Lord Ayawatari. He was not interested in governing his territory, nor in conflicts between the other warlords, but instead was only creating puppets. Knowing Ayawatari's nature, the evil warlord Sadayoshi Karimata invaded Ayawatari's castle and wiped out his entire family, or so it seemed... With her homeland in ruins, Princess Rangiku, the daughter of Lord Ayawatari the puppet master, is forced to seek out the legendary ninja, Danzo Kato. It is only with his help that she can hope to oppose the evil Karimata, but Danzo's assistance comes at a cost. Together these unlikely heroes must find a way to infiltrate Karimata's castle and restore the mysterious stolen puppet. With the future of her kingdom lying in the balance, the battle of the 'Puppet Princess' is only just beginning!
Twin Signal
Robotics expert Dr. Otoi built Signal to be a powerful companion for his young grandson, Nobuhiko. But an explosion during Signal's programming created an unexpected glitch. Every time Nobuhiko sneezes, Signal changes: first into an adorable baby robot, and then back to a passionate, temperamental adult with another sneeze. One day a pair of bumbling villans sneak in and steal important data about Signal from Dr. Otoi's computer. Soon after, Signal is attacked by one of the doctor's previous creations. Pulse, the prototype for Signal (and in a sense his older brother) has been reprogrammed by Dr. Otoi's mysterious rival, and he's on a mission to steal the most recent robot technology.
Very Private Lesson
Dairaku, Aya's easygoing highschool teacher becomes Aya's favorite teacher. To his surprise, her father is an influential member of the Japanese mafia. Aya's father politely asks Dairaku (at gunpoint) to protect his daughter's virginity. Naturally, Aya then moves in with Dairaku. If this risky living arrangement between teacher and student is revealed he will be fired. If he fails to protect the virginity of his new, nubile roommate, his life will be in danger. On top of all that he must deal with dis own desires to be with Aya. Dairaku hopes to protect his position as a teacher and pursue a relationship with his colleague, Ms. Satsuki. Will he survive? Find out in Very Private Lesson from AIC the biggest hits in the USA!!!
Reference Source: Anime Nation
December 8, 2000 For Immediate Release Ardith Santiago Tel: 310.397.4713 ext. 111
The World’s Biggest Otaku Contest Details
LOS ANGELES, CA- Akadot.com is holding the "World’s Biggest Otaku Contest." Akadot, which launched November 3 of this year, is determined to find the world’s biggest Otaku. Applicants are asked to write an essay (500 words max) about why they think they are the world’s biggest Otaku and e-mail it to akadot@emanga.com. Deadline for all entries is 11:59pm PST on December 17, 2000.
Akadot staff will read through all entries and announce a winner on January 19, 2001. The top five essays will be posted on akadot.com. Prizes include 7 DVDs of the winner’s choice (subject to availability), a manga artist starter kit, and an item signed by a secret anime celebrity. In addition to the prizes, the winner will also be visited by an Akadot staff writer who will profile and document the life of the certified "World’s Biggest Otaku." All rights to entry essays will be owned by Akadot.
Yamato is planning a diecast figure of the OAV version of GIANT ROBO.
A new NTT DoCoMo mobile terminal PDA loaded with the Microsoft Windows CE 3.0 OS goes on sale in Japan December 15. The GFORT will able to receive the new Poketorn music service to start in the spring of 2001.
- Singles + - 2 CD Set - 3,000 Yen - December 20
- (Album) PCCG-00560 - 2 CD's -3,000 Yen - December - 20 - OVA Series Music
- (Album) PCCG-00561 - 2 CD's - 3,000 Yen - December 20 - Goddes Family Club
This is, without any doubt, one of the most beautiful and refined pieces of animation we have ever seen. The scenario is nothing incredible, for it is RELATIVELY similar to the first movie's but it is well built, the story is well recounted and the ending is satisfying, so we have no qualms whatsover with it. What really got to us is the animation. Never had we seen computer graphics so finely used and well integrated with standard (albeit digital) animation. Each image is a finely crafted piece of art worthy of being framed. The character designs are also fantastic. This time, Yoshitaka Amano's work has been respected and the result is astounding, especially "D" and Leila's designs. The soundtrack, as often with Kawajiri movies, is excellent and perfectly completes the imagery. We would like to say more about this new _Vampire Hunter "D"_, but are afraid to ruin your fun. Trust us, this one is a transcendent experience and, if you can see it in a theater, do it! This is a movie NOT to be missed!
The magazine's ratings for VHD2000: Designs: 5 Animation: 5 Soundtrack: 4.5 Story: 4 Translation: 4 Average: 4.5
Official Press Release For Immediate Release December 7, 2000
PROTOCULTURE finally releases the Anime Guide!
MONTREAL - Protoculture is pleased to announce the release of Anime: A Guide to Japanese Animation (1958-1988), a 320-page filmography covering the first thirty years of anime, from Astroboy to Akira. After being delayed for over a year, this most essential anime reference is now available directly from Protoculture or from most comic book stores and a selection of online anime specialty stores.
This comprehensive volume covers all the anime produced in Japan during the Sixties, the Seventies and most of the Eighties - including not only the movies and OAVs, but also the TV series and not only those that were popular or translated in English, but even the most obscure anime! It offers over 300 pages of information and lists chronologically over 1,200 titles! Each notice gives the original title, its literal translation, production company, category (adventure, comedy, sci-fi, etc.), duration or number of episodes, release or airing date, distribution company, as well as a short description and commentary. The notice is preceded by an identification number (to facilitate research in the indexes) and its type (Series, Movie, OVA, Special). Each year is introduced, highlighting the themes or titles that marked that particular year. The book also has several indexes to make any research easy. If you are looking for any information about the early years of anime (Who animated Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro? When was Mazinger produced? How many episode Marine Boy had? etc.), you will most probably find it in this book. There is no other English-language reference work detailing how animation started in Japan!
"As a fan of Japanese animation and as someone who professionally writes about anime", says Publisher Claude J. Pelletier, "I have always felt that there was a lack of good references about the subject. However, as soon as we discovered this Italian book, we felt compelled to translate it and make available to all people, fans and scholars alike, its enormous amount of information". Mr. Pelletier also compares the Anime Guide to Frederik L. Schodt's Manga! Manga!, saying that it is its anime counterpart. "By placing each anime title in its chronological context, we want to help people understand the anime phenomenon," he continues. "What we have seen here in North America is only a very small fraction of the anime production and, since the anime releasers select the titles they import, it is not representative of what anime really is". He concludes: "However, if essential, this book is far from perfect and not exhaustive. We don't intend it as an end to anime studies, but, in the contrary, we see it as a new beginning and we hope it will contribute to generate more researches and publications on anime".
Anime: A Guide To Japanese Animation (1958-1988). Montreal, Protoculture, 2000. Written by Andrea Baricordi, Massimiliano De Giovanni, Andrea Pietroni, Barbara Rossi, and Sabrina Tunesi; translated from the Italian by Adeline D'Opera and presented by Claude J. Pelletier. SC, 320 pages, B&W, ISBN 2-9805759-0-9. $25.00 US/Can.
Available from Protoculture on December 7, 2000.
Available from stores in mid-December 2000.
Cover art available at: http://www.protoculture.qc.ca/Catalog/AnGuide.htm
Protoculture is also the publisher of Protoculture Addicts, the anime & manga magazine. The best way to discover the world of Japanese animation & comics, Protoculture Addicts is one of the main anime & manga magazines in North America and is also the oldest one - it has been around for over twelve years. It is dedicated to keep fans informed about what is going on in the anime industry (in Japan and in North America) and to help fans to choose the best titles to buy. Each issue introduces several anime (with overviews, character & mechanical files, episode guides, etc.), anime-related products (manga, CDs, models kits, toys, etc.) and elements of Japanese culture (live-action movies, books, music, etc.). It is the best guide to anime culture. Bimonthly, 64 pages (12 in color), $4.95. For more information on Protoculture Addict: http://www.protoculture.qc.ca/PA/
Bandai will release two new Gundam RPGs for WonderSwan Color in Japan next February, called SD Gundam Hero: Chapter of Knight and SD Gundam Hero: Chapter of Warrior. Both games will take place in the same universe, in Chapter of Knights, you play as a knight who wishes to become a hero, but he was chosen by the king to become a Gundam pilot, and he is struggling with a decision. In Chapter of Warrior, you play as a powerful Gundam pilot to protect the kingdom, and because of this great responsibilities, the hero has shut his heart and unable to make friends with other people, and he realized that he must find a way to open up his heart. You can exchange data and characters between the two games, the games are also compatible with WonderWave, an adapter which allows you to exchange data with the PlayStation version of SD Gundam Hero, using the PocketStation.
Source: The Magic Box
We have heard from a couple of customers that they have received Imma Youjo DVD Disc 1, and that the subtitles are not functioning. Nutech (the manufacturer) has notified us that a very small amount of these may have slipped out; there was a replication error on one batch of discs and this information was not included. If you received a bad disc, please contact us for replacement instructions. We have been told that the number of these that made it out should be VERY limited.
ADV will begin releasing the Blue Seed series on DVDs beginning on January 30th of next year. The complete DVD set will total 4 discs and will be at least dual language (English / Japanese w/Subtitles). The episode breakdown will be as follows:
Blue Seed DVD 1 - 7 eps
Blue Seed DVD 2 - 7 eps
Blue Seed DVD 3 - 6 eps
Blue Seed DVD 4 - 6 eps
The following new update listing have also been added:
Curse of the Undead Yoma DVD (Hyb) [Blood Reign]
To avenge the woman and friends he loved, one lone warrior must seek out and slay his former comrade in arms. But how do you kill someone who's already joined the army of the undead? A solitary Ninja must find the answer to that very question, and the ancient secrets of the world's oldest clan of professional assassins are pitted against the forces of evil… From the internationally famous Toho studios, producers of such legendary epics as THE SEVEN SAMURAI and YOJIMBO, BLOOD REIGN tells the story of two young Ninja whose friendship has been forever broken by the chasm that separates the living from the dead. Set against a backdrop of flesh-eating stallions, shape-changing man-spiders and nightmarish battle sequences in which the blood-soaked earth becomes a feeding ground for the dark creatures that lay in wait beneath its surface, the struggle of life against death has never been so vividly portrayed.
Date Available - Jan 30 2001
Format - Hybrid
90 Minutes
Publisher - AD VISION
Rating - 15+
Normal Price: $29.98
Sale Price: $26.99
Blue Seed DVD 1 (Hyb) (eps 1-7)
An elite team of special agents faces off against an ancient and bizarre race of creatures whose millennia-long attempt to enslave humanity have given rise to man’s ancient legends of shape-shifting monsters and demons! For over one thousand years, the forces of the Aragami have been held in check by a steady diet of human sacrifices, but now the bonds have been broken and its up to the elite agents of the TAC to take on mankind’s oldest enemies, whose ability to impregnate, mutate, and control almost any living creature make them the most deadly of adversaries.
To combat an enemy who can attack anywhere, anytime, without notice will require the most talented agents from around the world and every resource modern civilization can provide, from high-tech super-computers and chemical weapons to plain old bazookas.
The most dangerous items in the TAC’s arsenal, however, are the two special human weapons. Joining the agents in their battle are Momiji Fujimiya, a young Japanese teenager whose traumatic implantation with an unborn Aragami, a “blue seed”, has left her with enhanced psychic abilities, and Mamoru Kusanagi, orange skinned, cat-eyed former servant of the Aragami who rebels against the will of his masters to use his super-human powers to protect Momiji!
The ultimate destiny of the planet earth will be decided once and for all!
Contains the first 7 episodes of the series.
Date Available - Jan 30 2001
Format - Hybrid
Genre - Adventure
175 Minutes
Publisher - AD VISION
Rating - 12+
Year Created - 1995
Normal Price: $29.98
Sale Price: $26.99
We're happy to announce that our next DVD, The Spirit of Wonder : Miss China's Ring, is about to go into replication. We used this disc to test out a lot of digital restoration and enhancement techniques and the results are pretty cool. As soon as we have a firm idea of the actual shipping date, we'll make it available for online ordering.
For a limited time, we've reduced the price of the subtitled VHS tape of Spirit of Wonder to only $9.98! Makes a great stocking-stuffer for yourself, or to introduce that special someone to your obsession with Anime.
Anime Essentials is starting to hit stores but many do not have it yet.
One that does is Paradigm in Berkeley, all their copies are signed.
My publisher now has a page up on the book
http://www.stonebridge.com/ANIMEESSEN/animeessentials.html
I'll be speaking at Monterey Saturday the 9th as part of a CSUMB class' free anime festival.
http://wlc.monterey.edu/events/anime/
My other events will be listed at:
http://www.sirius.com/~cowpunk/ACevents.html
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