Anime News Service - January 1998 Anime News

1-22-98---- Studio Ghibli/ Disney Deal News

Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE) is preparing to release five major direct-to-video movies in 1998, the largest slate yet from the Disney subsidiary, it was announced today. After more than two years in production, two all-new animated Disney sequels, "Pocahontas: Journey To A New World" and "The Lion King: Simba's Pride" will debut exclusively on video, August 4 and October 27, respectively. In addition BVHE will debut its first animated film from acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki, "Kiki's Delivery Service," on September 22." Internationally renowned filmmaker, Hayao Miyazaki delivers another animation masterpiece in "Kiki's Delivery Service." The film tells the delightful tale of Kiki, a young witch who must venture out on her own to find her place in the world. Celebrities including Kirsten Dunst, Phil Hartman, Debbie Reynolds, Janeane Garofalo and Mathew Lawrence lend their voice talents to this exceptional film."
- Excerpted from PRN newswire

1-22-98---- Studio Ghibli Chief Animator / Director Dies

Kondou Yoshifumi, Chief Animator and Director for Studio Ghilbi, Annimation Director for the movie Whisper Of The Heart, animated just a few years ago, passed away on Tues., he was only 47. His work as director and as chief animator will soon be availible to be enjoyed by a whole new audience and already has collected many anime fans in Japan as well as around the world. By fans who new his work and those who have seen his work he will truly be missed.

1-21-98---- Royal Space Force/Wings Of the Honneamise Dolby Digital Special Edition

Studio Gainax recently wrapped up Digital soundtrack remastering on the movie that launced it as major animation studio and production house: Royal Space Force/Wings of the Honneamise. Exhaustive hours were spent on numerous loacations gathering brand new background sounds and sound effects. After a sellout run at a local Tokyo film festival, there is certainly a future for the remastered edition of Royal Space Force in a possible (most likely highly probable) rerelease on DVD,LD and VHS. With the boom and price drop of Home theatre systems (particularly dolby digital systems) in recent months, there is certainly a market and a strong otaku audiance (on both sides of the pacific) who would quickly buy up a Digital mastered rerelease. Talk of a Japan wide theatre rerelease before a possible LD, etc rerelease is also seriously being considered.

1-17-98---- Manga Anounces New DVD's

Manga Video has announced 3 titles will be availible on DVD within 2 months. Yuyu Hakusho, Peacock King-Castle Of Illusion and OAV #6 (Clinical Chart 6) of Black Jack all on DVD have a street release date of March 3rd.

1-17-98---- The American Anime Market: Who Stands Where?, Who Owns What?

As the U.S. Anime market transitions into the begining of the new year one can only wonder what new anime releases are coming around the corner and what companies are buying up the hotest new Japanese shows. Well wonder no more, here is a round up of whats up: Viz Video almost certainly stands as the dominate company of U.S. anime production as a whole. With Ranma 1/2,the most purchased video title on average monthly. Viz has picked up a number of new titles with unknown release dates. One that was particularly successful in Japan and is now a popular import is Vampire Hunter, featuring characters from the Saturn game known here as Darkstalkers. AD Vision comes in second with EVA, now it's flagship title. The 1st Slayers movie is worth noting here, as well as the popular Bakaretsu Hunters. Manga Entertainment is set to release the X Movie. CPM of course, owns the rights to the rest of the 1st Slayers tv series and a release is pending there. New players in the last year have entered the Anime arena; Disney, of course owns the rights to many studio Ghibli films and plans to release Princess Monnoke into theaters (in subbed and dubbed formats). Another new player is Urban Vision, one of they're first releases: Final Fantasy vol. 1 (of 2) disapeared out of stores quickly after it was released on the heels of the mega-hit RPG FF VII (an interesting footnote to this story: many fans actually thought the FF anime was of FF VII, when it was really based on FF5 occuring several hundred years after that storyline). This is only the tip of the iceberg for '98, it certainly looks to be the biggest release year for anime in English format.

1-16-98---- Slayers Series To Continue Soon

Final preperations are being made by Central Park Media to release Volume 5 of the hit RPG/Swords and sorcery comedy anime tv series: Slayers, which after it's sudden halt in new episodes being translated due to a number of reasons including the buyout by CPM of Software Sculptors (who previously owned the rights to the series). The wonderful Lisa Oritz is to provide voice for the hilarious thief/sorceress: Lina Inverse. Reportedly, video box art has been chosen and the dub and sub release is pending within a few months.

1-15-98---- Pocket Monster Illness Fallout

More than 3 weeks following the (Now rare and collectible) Tuesday night episode of the popular Anime TV series Pokemon (in which a series of flashing colors on screen,and sent hundreds to Japanese hospitals with symptoms of nausea and vomiting), the long term effects are being felt on both sides of the Pacific. A Japanese government probe is now looking at the effects of all types TV animation and they're potential for creating similar inccidents in the future. Japanese television stations who show anime have imposed they're own guidelines on bright, flashing colors used in Japanese television shows. Meanwhile, here in the U.S. several American media organizations have publicly criticized Japanese Animation, despite the fact that any type of program on television (anime or no) with a certain pattern of flashing colors can induce simmilar epileptic like episodes. Despite this, the American media continues to single out Anime as being at a special risk to cause simmilar inccidents, which in turn has sparked flame wars and mailing campaigns the likes of which have'nt been seen on these shores since Sailor Moon was cancelled on American television. It's interesting to mention a Japanese company plans to dub and air Pokemon on American TV. Interestingly enough, this has had some positive effect in swaying the media's opinion on anime but never the less only time will tell what the fate of Pokemon here and in Japan as well, as it's effects on limiting colors and visual effect used in future anime tv programs.

1-14-98---- Bandai Launches American Video Production Company

Tokyo-based Bandai Visual, a division of toy manufacturer Bandai, has launched a new CGI production division called Digital Engine. The company has also launched Bandai Entertainment Video, a U.S. based division which will handle home video distribution in North America. Marlon W. Schulman, formerly of Orion, has been named vice president of the new distribution division.
For years few Sunrise titles have been released in the U.S., this new production company allows an excellent opertunity for Sunrise to bring several popular but hitherto unreleased titles such as Mobile Suit Gundam, the Vision of Escaflowne, and King Of Braves Gaogaiger.

Text Within Quotation Marks, Excerpted From Usenet, Thanks Goes Out To Stanlee And AWN, visit them here for :ANIMATION WORLD NETWORK NEWSLETTER

1-12-98---- Neon Genesis Evangelion Laserdisc Release Back On

After nearly a year of being on indefinate release hiatus, Evangelion's Laserdisc / VHS release is back on track. The release date for LD and VHS cassette for volume 11 is slated for Feb. 2nd, 1998. The LD will contain episodes 21 and 22. The releases date of volume 12,13 and possibly 14 which may contain the movies Death and Rebirth and The End Of Evangelion as the "Redone episodes" are not so certain however the reason for the hiatus last year was for the completion of the movies to be added to the LD's.

1-11-98---- Robotech Replaces Voltron On Cartoon Network's Toonami Lineup

Begining on Monday, January 12, the classic ROBOTECH TV series will begin running on Cartoon Network. Check out the show that inspired an entire generation of Otaku, ROBOTECH airs at 4:30 ET in the time slot previously held by Voltron.

1-9-98---- New Tenchi Muyo Movie On It's way To the US

Pioneer LDC has officialy anounced it plans on releasing Tenchi Muyo: Manatsu No Eve in the US in 2-3 months time. The second Tenchi Muyo movie completed it's run in Japanese theaters near the end of the summer of 1997 and was recently released on Laser Disc in Japan last month. Pioneer plans to release the latest Tenchi movie on DVD, VHS, and LD.

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