The second episode of "Alien 9" will be broadcast on Animation Theater X (Skyperfect TV) on September 2nd. So did the the first episode of this bizarre Sci-Fi-comedy "OVA"-series (now maybe it´s time to think over the concept of TV/OVA-anime). AT-X is also the home of "Figure 17 - Tsubasa and Hikaru" whose episodes each last one hour long and are broadcast on a monthly basis for a year (second episode due out on August 14th) (2:30 am - 3:00).
Also in the work is a new TV series of "Captain Tsubasa". Based on Youichi Takahashi´s famous soccer manga in Weekly Young Champ "Road to 2002" will focus on Tsubasa´s preparation for the 2002 World Cup hosted by Japan and Korea.
Loews Screening Screening Room
(711 Fifth Avenue), 11th floor.
Thursday, September 6 at 7:00 pm
Wednesday, September 12 at 6:00 pm
Monday, October 1 at 8:00 pm
Tuesday, October 9 at 6:00 pm
Wednesday, October 17 at 6:00 pm
Monday, October 22 at 8:00 pm
RSVP, call (212) 226-3269
Los Angeles -
Sony Thalberg Theater Room F, 10202 W.
Washington Blvd., Culver City. Entrance is on Madison Ave. Parking is
available on the Sony lot.
Thursday, September 6 at 7:00 PM Sony Thalberg Theater Room F
Tuesday, September 11 at 7:30 PM Sony Thalberg Theater Room F
Tuesday, October 9 at 7:30 PM Sony Thalberg Theater Room F
Thursday, October 11 at 7:30 PM Sony Thalberg Theater Room F
Monday, October 15 at 7:30 PM Sony Thalberg Theater Room F
DVD File has posted more information on what will be on the Final Fantasy dvd: "a 2.35:1 anamoprhic widescreen transfer, English 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby surround tracks, audio commentary with co-director Moto Sakakibara, supervisors Takoo Noguchi and Hiroyuki Hayashida and lead artist Tatsuro Maruyama, and a second commentary with animation director Andy Jones, editor Chris S. Capp and staging director Tani Kunitake), an isolated score with commentary by composer Elliot Goldenthal, storyboard and "Playblasts" with optional commentary, a new interactive documentary, alternate opening sequence, a "mini-movie," seven deleted character workshops, in-depth looks at the animation process with vehicle scale comparisons, face wraps, character morphs and a matte art exploration, an editing workshop on the final scene, and DVD-ROM extras including more character materials, stills, the theatrical website and weblnks."
AKADOT is proud to announce some big features for August
SADAYUKI MURAI INTERVIEW - On August 10, 2001 Akadot posted the first part in a three part interview with Sadayuki Murai, Screenwriter for titles such as "Perfect Blue," "Cowboy Bebop," the upcoming "Millennium Actress" and the new "Astro Boy" television series currently in the development stages with Sony. This first interview focuses on Murai's work on "Perfect Blue" and "Cowboy Bebop."
"BLOOD" CONTEST - In anticipation of Manga Entertainment's release of "Blood" on DVD, akadot launches a "Blood" contest on August 13, 2001. The prize for the contest is a "Blood" art book straight from Japan signed by the legendary Mamoru Oshii, "Blood" director Hiroyuki Kitakubo, and "Blood" animation director Kazuchika Kise. Check Akadot for details.
AKADOT MESSAGE BOARDS - After nearly a year in existence, Akadot will finally sport a message board so that readers - supporters and detractors alike - can express opinions, join discussions and stay connected to the anime community at large. The Akadot message board will launch officially by August 17, 2001.
Visit http://www.akadot.com
AKADOT, where anime news is read, in addition to reviews of the latest anime releases here and abroad, features in depth articles on issues that concern anime and its past, columns by fans and professionals about where anime may be heading in the future, interviews with high-profile anime personalities of the present, and fun features which transcend time entirely and poke fun at the anime industry at large. And our news site, ANIME NEWS SERVICE, has been serving the fan community with up to the minute postings of the most important anime topics for over three years. Our writers hail from such diverse publications as the LA Times, American Theater Magazine, LA Weekly, The Anime Turnpike, Entertainment Weekly among many others. Visit us on the web at http:.//www.akadot.com.
Here are all the facts that are known so far:
- starts on August 27th, 2001
- Mo thru Fr at 7:30 pm on RTL II
- all 291 episodes are shown
- it'll be the cut French version of Dragon Ball Z
- however, the French opening has been replaced with the original Japanese
opening
- the series has been digitally remastered
- as a special service for fans, the first episode on August 27th will have
the ORIGINAL UNEDITED JAPANESE ENDING, including the ending song in Japanese
and the original Japanese credits
You can download the German trailers of Dragon Ball Z at http://www.animexx.de/datenbank-artikel.phtml?art_id=62 - there are six of them, and RTL II has made big efforts to make them look as cool as possible, combining anime scenes with real people.
the Rurouni Kenshin Site at Sony has been updated with the latest info on the aformentioned sequel OVA series. It seems now clear that there´ll be only 2 volumes of it to come. Still no details on the story though.
RUROUNI KENSHIN - Seisouhen ("Years chapter") http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Movie/TV/Kenshin/seisou/index.html
[ORIGINAL STORY] Nobuhiro Watsuki (Shueisha Jump Comic) [DIRECTOR] Kazuhiro Furuhashi [STORYBOARD/ANIMATION DIRECTOR] Kazuhiro Furuhashi [CHARA DESIGN] Aki Matsushima [SCRIPT] Reiko Yoshida [MUSIC] Taku Iwasaki [ANIMATION PRODUCTION] Studio Deen
Major toy maker Bandai Co. announced Thursday it would release in December life-sized plastic models of Zaku, a robot from the popular animation series "Mobile Suit Gundam." The figure is 1.5 meters tall and weighs about 30 kilograms. It is priced at 198,000 yen. Bandai hopes to sell 1,500 units and later plans to produce models of other robots in the animation series. Smaller-sized plastic models of robots in the Gundam series have sold well in the past. Bandai has sold 320 million units in Japan since it introduced them in 1980. The Zaku plastic figure is the largest model produced by Bandai so far. It contains about 200 parts, and its arms, head and fingers are moveable. Bandai will sell some of the figures at C3 Pre, an event for animated merchandise enthusiasts at Tokyo Big Sight in Tokyo on Aug. 26, and officially release them in December.
We're going to be having a monthly Envelope Art Contest for potential ACen attendees. We call it "Envelope no Taisen" (Great Battle of Envelopes) The prize for best entries of the month are a single free or discounted tickets to ACen. In addition, the art will be posted on the website for everyone to see, and all the winning entries will be entered into a Saishuu Taisen (Final Battle), where all winning entries will be displayed in Artist's Alley and voted upon by attendees for an anime prize package. ^_-
And don't think that we've forgotten those of you who've already sent in pre-regs. You can still send art if you haven't already, because we're going to be judging back to June and July for Envelope of the Month! To check out the official rules, look at:
http://www.acen.org/taisen.html
If you want a free ticket to ACen, and/or want to show off your anime drawing skills, this is your chance. Check out the rules and send 'em in, and be sure to tell your friends who are thinking of attending Anime Central! We're looking forward to your entries.
Clips from MTV Unplugged: Utada Hikaru are being shown on her website: Here.
SENTOU YOUSEI YUKIKAZE (Fighting Fairy Yukikaze)
This one has just been announced by Bandai Visual. It´s said that
they´ll promote it on the 40th Japan SF Convention scheduled to open
next week in Tokyo. If I am not totally off it´s based on a SF novel
series by famous author Chouhei Kambayashi. Honoured with the Seiun
Award two years ago on the same SF Convention (in the category Japanese Long
SF Fiction) "Sentou Yousei Yukikaze" is set in the distant future when
earth is suddenly attacked by a mysterious force named "JAM". Human,
however, is able to establish a defence wall against the invaders using
fighter jets equiped with high-sophisticated A.I. Actually, this A.I.
system is so highly developed that one of them starts to "think" on its
own one day.
Neither a release date nor staff/cast data are available yet.
Official SF convention site: http://www.sf2001.com/
RUROUNI KENSHIN SEISOUHEN
Yup, there´ll be definitely a Rurouni Kenshin OVA sequel. According to
NEWTYPE magazine the first volume is due out on 19. December. The second
one will then be released in Februar 2002. I am not sure whether that´s
all what we´ll see from our cross-shaped samurai though.
ARMITAGE - DUAL MATRIX
Contrary to what has been announced at the AX Pioneer panel the release
date seems to be put forward to this winter. The first (only?) volume
directed by Katsuhito Akiyama (BGC OVA, Dual, Original Sol Bianca) is
reported to have a running time of 90 min.
Thanks to Luis for the news
The upcoming Inu Yasha movie has now an official website (unfortunately Japanese only). Due out in Japan this Christmas the movie´ll have the title "Inu Yasha - jidai o koeru omoi" (Inu Yasha - Love which transcends time). Tickets can be bought in advance from August 11th. Beside detailed story and character introduction a bulletin board and present give-away contest will be established soon at the site.
"Inu Yasha - jidai o koeru omoi" http://www.inuyasha-movie.com/
[ORIGINAL STORY] Rumiko Takahashi [DIRECTOR] Toshiya Shinohara [SCRIPT] Katsuyuki Sumizawa [MUSIC] Kaoru Wada (Soundtrack: avex mode) [CHARA DESIGN] Hideyuki Motohashi, Yoshihito Hishinuma (TV) [ANIMATION PRODUCTION] Sunrise [PRODUCTION] Shogakukan, Yomiuri Television, Shogakukan Production, Nippon Television Network, Toho, Yomiuri Television Enterprise [DISTRIBUTOR] Toho
However, that was not the end version of the movie. "Even if it´s said so the movie isn´t fully completed yet" Watanabe admitted to the audience. "So it isn´t really a completion announcement ceremony" he then added with a smile. "Cowboy Bebop - Tengoku no tobira" (Door of heaven) is scheduled to get its Japanese theatrical release in the first week of September. Till then more sound bits and footage could still be added.
Here are some data about the movie which have been announced:
COWBOY BEBOP - Tengoku no tobira [Theatrical release] Beginning of September 2001 [Distributor] Sony Picture Entertainment [Director] Shin´ichi Watanabe [Voice Actors] Hirokazu Yamadera, Umbo Ishizuka, Megumi Hayashibara, Aoi Tada, Tsutomu Isobe, Mickey Curtis
[Story] Set in a distant future when space travel between planets is enabled by hyperspace gates humans have migrated to far-flung constellations. But like the western frontier, lawlessness and amorality are present everywhere in the solar system. Join Spike and his crew on their non-stop race through the galaxy on the Bebop, always on the hunt for nasty criminals.
It´s just another day when they are after a bounty on Mars, when a strange event unfolds. After a devatasting explosion on a highway an unknown disease begins to spread among the people. The situation gets really disastrous when the disease claims over 500 victims. As the local government sets the highest bounty ever in the history on the head of the culprit it´s time for Spike and friends to enter the action. But there´s a little problem: the man they search for is someone who´s already died on the official score...
Source: Sany
We're happy to announce that the number of anime- and manga-related fanarts being exhibited on www.fanarts.net has exceeded 10,000 some hours ago and the number of fanart artists exposing their works has grown to over 750. We take this as proof that the artists like our system of getting direct feedback by the visitors and we are already planning new extensions to the gallery. Thus, a special mode for uploading whole doujinshi will come in several days. We thank all the artists for uploading their works and hope that you will have as much fun with www.fanarts.net as you had so far.
cinescape has an article describing the process of film preservation, and how Toho is applying it to Godzilla.
AICN has a negative review of Wild Zero.
CNAnime 2001 is very proud to announce Voice Actress Miss Yumi Touma as a Japanese Guest of Honor! This will be Miss Yumi Touma's First North American Appearance!
Born on December 20th, 1966 in Chiba. She is best known among anime fans for her voice acting as "Deedlit" from Record of Lodoss Wars OVA!
Miss Touma has done over 100 anime titles(!) including:
Yui Hongo and Tama the cat from Fushigi Yuugi (Mysterious Play), Urd from Oh My Goddess! & SD Oh My Goddess! Hinako Ninomiya from Ranma 1/2 Chun Li from Street Fighter Alpha Cecily Fairchild from Gundam F-91 Sally Poe from Gundam Wing Silvie Gina from Macross II Rin from Please Save My Earth Sofia from Toshinden Mayuko Inoue from Ushio to Tora
She has also starred in many video games such as: Lei Fang from "Dead or Alive" (Tecmo) Julia Chang Tekken 3 (Namco) Ivy/ Isabella Valentine Soul Calibur (Namco)
We are proud to have such an accomplished seiyuu take the time from her hectic schedule and attend this year's expo. Miss Touma is appearing as a Guest of Central Park Media.
The Canadian National Gundam Model Building Competition Brought to you by Bandai America, Bandai Entertainment, Hobby Star Marketing and AnimeXtreme
There is a limit for Gundam Model Entries of one per person. The Selected Gundam Model Entries will be showcased AT the Bandai Booth.
This competition is open to Modellers of ANY Skill Level or Age and only to those attending CNAnime.
Registration: Registration will take place at the AnimeXtreme booth at CNAnime on Friday 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Saturday 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Judging: The judges for this event will be:
"Japanese Guest of Honor" Mika Akitaka (Gundam Mechanical Designer), "Toys'R'Us Canadian Gundam Model Building Champion", AnimeXtreme's own, Stephen Choo Chee, Modeller Johnny Pham and representatives from Bandai America and Bandai Entertainment
The categories for the competition are as follows: Novice, Intermediate and Advanced
The category that your entry belongs to will be decided at the AnimeXtreme booth.
There will be 3 prize packages to be awarded per category.
Prizes: AnimeXtreme and CNAnime will be donating a Perfect Grade RX-78-2 to be won via raffle! *WOW* All you have to do is enter the competition to win!
Tons of Prizes to be won... Here's just a small taste of the action! PG RX-78-2 Gundam
MG RX-93 Nu-Gundam MG FA-010S (Full Armor ZZ Gundam) MG MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam MG RX-78-2 Gundam Ver. 1.5
HG 1/144 RX-78-2 Gundam HG 1/144 MSN-02 Zeong HG 1/144 AMX-004 Quebeley HG 1/100 Gundam Wing Zero Custom HG 1/100 Gundam Heavy Arms Custom HG 1/100 Gundam Nataku HG 1/100 Gundam Wing HG 1/100 Gundam Deathscythe Hell HG 1/144 Heavy Arms Custom
1/144 Altron Gundam 1/144 Gundam Sandrock
*Phew* and also.... 3 Mobile Suit Gundam Vol. 1 DVD's 3 Gundam Wing Endless Waltz DVD's 3 Mobile Suit Gundam The 08th MS Team DVD's
So don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to win stuff!!
CNAnime's Anime Music Video Competition
Reminder: Only One Week left for submissions! All candidates' music video submissions must arrive no later than August 15th, 2001!
All candidates must send a copy of their work, do not send master tapes as submitted tapes will not be returned. VHS videotape is the only medium we are able to accept for entry.
Please send all tapes to:
Anime Music Video Contest c/o Hobby Star Marketing 4 Varsity Rd. Toronto, Ontario M6S 4N4
For more information please visit CNAnime's site at: http://www.hobbystar.com
According to DVD File , the Final Fantasy dvd specs are out. "...Columbia has delivered the box art as well as some preliminary specs: multiple audio commentaries, an interactive documentary, alternate opening sequence, a film deconstruction, outtakes and a music video. Expect more to be announced shortly."
According to the latest issue of the News Blast e-mail newsletter, the following manga series will debut in the fall and winter:
September: Corrector Yui, described as a "more shoujo take on the cyber morphing creation of Kia Asamiya October: Gundam Wing: Battlefield of Pacifists, filling in the year in the GW chronology between the end of the TV series and the beginning of Endless Waltz Dragon Knights November: The Skull Man December: Marmalade Boy January '02: Kodomo no Omocha (under the title Popstar Kodocha) Ragnarok - Into the Abyss
In addition, the following schedule has been announced for the Smile shoujo magazine:
October: Planet Ladder Mars December: Paradise Kiss February '02: Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou (under the title Kare Kano - He Says/She Says)
ANIME ARTISTS FOR MADONNA¹S DROWNED WORLD TOUR TO ATTEND BIG APPLE ANIME FEST IN OCTOBER
Toshio Maeda and Koichi Ohata to be Guests of Honor
NEW YORK (July 10, 2001) The creators behind two of the classic anime used in Madonna¹s critically acclaimed Drowned World Tour, Toshio Maeda and Koichi Ohata have agreed to attend the first Big Apple Anime Fest, October 26-28, 2001. Clips of some of their most extraordinary work are currently being used as background videos on large screen monitors during Madonna's performances.
Maeda and Ohata are well known throughout the anime industry as pioneers in bringing new styles of visual expression and story telling to the anime genre. The two are widely recognized as major contributors to the success of anime in the U.S. during the last 10 years.
The anime titles were chosen for Madonna¹s tour for their cutting edge style, graphic imagery and popularity among fans. The films used include the Apocalyptic classic, M.D. Geist, the android legend of the Humanoid, and the most famous erotic horror anime of all time, Toshio Maeda's explosive Legend of the Overfiend.
The clips were chosen by Veneno, the production company responsible for the Drowned World Tour video, and facilitated by Central Park Media, the leading supplier of Japanese anime to the U.S.
"Madonna's use of these clips is another strong indication that anime is already becoming the next big thing for people of all ages," said CPM¹s business affairs chief, Gamal Hennessy. "Veneno has remained true to Madonna¹s image of pushing the envelope in every facet of her career. We at CPM are grateful that when the tour is over, there will be a lot more people exposed to this exhilarating genre." "Central Park Media (CPM) saw what we were trying to accomplish and helped us every step of the way," said Josef Lebeau, Production Manager for Veneno. Dago Gonzalez, Director for Veneno, added, "When we saw Overfiend and MD Geist, we knew they were perfect for the show. We were glad to have a partner who would work with us as quickly as CPM did to arrange the appropriate licensing paperwork. The initial response to the footage has been tremendous."
Madonna's Drowned World Tour will take her through Europe and the United States, from June until September, in support of her newest platinum CD, Music. In addition to the live shows, a broadcast tour special is currently being planned with HBO, and a DVD of the show is also scheduled for release.
About Big Apple Anime Fest (BAAF):
Taking place over Halloween weekend, October 26 to 28, 2001, at the Directors Guild Theater and other venues in mid-town Manhattan, the Big Apple Anime Fest plans to be the "Cannes Film Festival of the Anime Manga Culture." Japanese animation (anime) is one of the hottest media trends among today's global youth. The Big Apple Anime Fest will include world premieres and historical retrospectives, as anime celebrities, industry executives, and enthusiastic fans launch the annual event. http://www.bigappleanimefest.com
About Toshio Maeda:
Toshio Maeda is the most influential erotic manga artist in Japan, bar none. His classic film, Legend of the Overfiend, is the most recognized adult anime in the world, and is considered the foundation for the entire "erotic-grotesque" genre of Japanese anime. This masterpiece will open the Midnight Anime Concourse segment of the Big Apple Anime Fest, at the Directors Guild Theater on Friday evening, October 26. On Saturday, October 27, Mr. Maeda will present the Keynote Speech at the BAAF Symposium, co-sponsored by the Japan Society. He will also introduce and present a retrospective of his work during the Big Apple Anime Fest at the Park Central Hotel during the BAAF weekend.
About Koichi Ohata:
As an expert on cult movies throughout the world, and author of several books on the subject, Koichi Ohata brings an informed and global perspective to the creation of internationally acclaimed anime. He is the first anime director in history to have his films released in the United States, prior to release in Japan. Mr. Ohata's films, such as MD Geist, have made frequent appearances on Billboard's Best Selling Video Charts, a tribute to his success in the US market. Mr. Ohata will attend the Big Apple Anime Fest as a Guest of Honor, having been invited to participate in a retrospective of his features, which will take place at BAAF.
13,000+ Attendees (Total # of people attending AX) 38,000+ Attendee Days
This amounts to a 42% jump in AX attendance. This is the EXACT same growth rate between AX2001 and AX2000.
44 states were represented at AX. Not appearing were MO, ND, SD, VT, WV, WY.
15 countries from 4 continents were at Anime Expo this year with United Arab Emirates and Malaysia being represented for the first time.
FUNimation will blaze the convention trail into Chicago for Wizard World the weekend of August 17-19. We will be in booth #551 at the Donald E. Stevens Convention Center. Voice actors Chris Sabat, voice of Vegeta and Piccolo, and Eric Johnson, voice of Trunks, will be signing autographs in the FUNimation booth. You can come by for autographs Friday from 2-4 pm, Saturday from 11-1 pm and 2-5 pm, and Sunday 12-2 pm. After Wizard World, FUNimation will make stops in Toronto for CN Anime, August 24-26 with actors Sabat and Johnson, and in Atlanta for Dragon Con, August 31-September 3 with actors Johnson and Laura Bailey, voice of Young Trunks. We hope to see you and you can look forward to a good time hanging out the actors and FUNimation.
AICN has a positive review of Metropolis, which finishes with this line: "...keep your eyes peeled this fall, when Columbia/Tri-Star is talking about a theatrical release for the picture. It's a bigscreen experience that every serious fan should have at least once." There's also a review of a Japanese film called L'ilya directed by Tomoya Sato.
I have some news for you from the latest Weekly Jump. A new Kenshin OVA is being released in December! According to Weekly Jump, the "Seisou Hen"(Passing of Time Saga) will be a continuation of the first OVA (Tsuioku Hen-Memory Saga) and will also conclude the anime. That is all the information that has been released so far. It is unclear whether this means we will see Enishi, but that may be doubtful because they mention that it is an original story.
AICN has a review of Takeshi Miike's (Dead or Alive 1+2) Audition. At the end of the review, it states: "AUDITION is scheduled for a two-week run at the Film Forum in New York City beginning August 8th."
Are you a big fan of Tekkaman? Do you love to draw? Now's your chance to share your skills with all Tekkaman fans! We are accepting submissions of Tekkaman Blade II fanart! Ten winners will get their artwork displayed in a special gallery on our DVD! We will be releasing the Tekkaman Blade II Complete Collection DVD on October 30, 2001! We are accepting submissions through August 24, 2001. Send your art via e-mail to info@urban-vision.com with the subject header "Tekkaman Blade II DVD", or mail a hard copy to our offices at:
Urban Vision Entertainment Re: Tekkaman Blade II DVD 5120 W. Goldleaf Circle, suite 280 Los Angeles, CA 90056
Remember! All entries must be sent or postmarked no later than August 24, 2001!
Just thought this might be of some interest for your site: According to the Sunrise HP [*], Turn A Gundam will become a movie next spring. It´s scheduled as a douple-bill feature with 2 sections "Earth light" and "Moonlight Butterfly".
Digital Manga and Akadot Move Ahead on English Language Version of Newtype
Los Angeles, CA - At Anime Expo 2001 this past July, Digital Manga, Inc. and Kadokawa announced that Digital Manga, Inc. would publish an English language version of Newtype Magazine, the leading anime magazine in Japan.
Though details about the project are still being finalized, Digital Manga has just brought on Akadot editor Luis Reyes to be managing editor for the magazine. Reyes is now searching for an editor-in-chief for Newtype and assembling a production, distribution and sales staff. Akadot, Digital Manga's autonomous online anime news magazine, will continuing running as usual, but it will also have a small presence between the pages of the new English language Newtype.
"We're extremely excited about the project and are committed to maintaining the high standards for quality that makes the Japanese version so popular," says Reyes. "I believe it's something that the anime community really wants and we're assembling a staff that will live up to the high expectations."
DMI's plan currently includes retention of Newtype's trademark full-color spread features on the latest and hottest anime titles from Japan. In fact, most of the content for the English language version will be culled from the Japanese version. The English language version will also contain posters for various shows that may differ from the Japanese version, and it will include features that cover the anime scene in the United States and abroad. The English language version will also retain the size of the original magazine along with its high quality printing and durable pages.
Akadot will also play host to an online portal for Newtype, but specifics have yet to be worked out.
More details to come. Check in with Akadot (http://www.akadot.com) on Aug. 22 for a more in depth feature on the plans for the English language version of Newtype.
According to Sound Scan, a video industry analyst group, Pioneer Entertainment's Akira is the number-one selling DVD for the week of July 29, 2001. First released in 1989, Akira was restored by Pioneer Entertainment at a cast of $1 million for the release on home video and DVD on July 24. Akira's sales beat out recent theatrical films Family Man and Sweet November starring Nicolas Cage and Keanu Reeves, demonstrating the popularity of this cult classic.
Available for $39.98 as a Special Edition DVD, $24.98 on standard DVD (in Anamorphic Widescreen) and $19.98 on VHS (also in Widescreen), Akira tells the dark tale of Neo-Tokyo, a corrupted city that has risen from the ashes of World War III to become a dangerous megalopolis infested with gangs and terrorists. Childhood friends Tetsuo and Kaneda plunge into Neo-Tokyo's darkest secret when their motorcycle gang encounters a military operation to retrieve an escaped experimental subject.
Central Park Media has updated their announcement from yesterday to inform us that the limited edition version of the Utena movie DVD that will include an AnimeZone sampler DVD and come packaged in a transparent pink DVD case will not be the first production run of the normal DVD but actually an entirely separate release, limited to only 10,000 copies produced and released on the same day as the regular edition Utena: Apocalypse of Adolescence movie DVD which will come in a standard DVD keepcase and will not include the bonus DVD of anime trailers. The limited edition and regular edition Utena movie DVDs will both be released on October 23rd and both carry a retail price of $29.99.
According to a thread I was reading http://www.noated.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=7567 ADV are begining to stop all licensed anime from being distributed on the net, they plan on killing the connection of anyone found on IRC who is serving it or trading it. I assume they are targeting people that are distributing the anime they have licensed.
here is a link to the convo. http://www.mayday-anime.com/elite/adv.htm
also a link to a list of the stuff they have licensed. http://members.nbci.com/animemania01/animefra.htm
From the release:
METROPOLIS Based on the classic manga (comic) by Osamu Tezuka, the Godfather of Anime and Manga, Metropolis was brought to the screen by two of the most respected figures in Japanese animation today: Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira) and Rintaro (X, Galaxy Express 999). In fact, Rintaro began his career working for Tezuka on his popular Astro Boy (Tetsuwan Atom) television series.
In the late 1940s, long before Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion established Osamu Tezuka as one of the most influential animators of all time, the legendary illustrator created the classic manga Metropolis. Set in the future, Metropolis is a grand city-state populated by humans and robots, the cohabitants of a strictly segmented society. Amidst the chaos created by anti-robot factions, detective Shunsaku Ban and his sidekick Ken-ichi are searching for rebel scientist Dr. Laughton, to arrest him and seize his latest creation, Tima, a beautiful young girl. When they locate them, Shunsaku quickly comes to realize that the eccentric scientist is beyond their reach, protected by a powerful man and his fierce desire to reclaim a tragic figure from his past.
More than fifty years since it was first imagined, Tezuka's vision of the inability of scientific progress to fulfill basic human needs -- in spite of its mechanizing even the most fundamental aspects of life -- confirms him as a prophet as well as a fabulist. Written by Otomo and directed by Rintaro, the retro-futurism of the story - as well as its precautionary tale -- is spectacularly rendered in its visual style, combining the best in Japanese cel animation with the latest in digital technology.
Director: Rintaro Born 1941 in Tokyo. Entered Toei Animation in '58. Went to work for Osamu Tezuka's Mushi Productions in '60 and directed episodes of classic animated series such as "Astro Boy" and "Kimba, The White Lion", He was also director on other television series such as "Space Pirate Captain Harlock"(1978). Since the late '70s, he has concentrated his efforts on feature animation work and has directed a string of enduring masterpieces such as "Galaxy Express 999"(1979), "Harmagedon"(1983), "The Blade of Kamui"(1985), "Phoenix"(1986), and "X"(1996).
Screenplay by: Katsuhiro Otomo Born 1954 in Miyagi prefecture. In 1973, started his career as a comic writer. Won the Japan Sci-Fi Grand Prix in 1983 with "Domu" and in the same year started serializing "AKIRA" which has earned him worldwide recognition. His first work for animation was as character designer for Rintaro's "Harmagedon" in 1983. He went on to direct his own "AKIRA"(1988) which became an international sensation. Since then he has made the live-action feature "World Apartment Horror"(1991) and animation film "MEMORIES"(1995) among other projects before turning to screenwriting for "METROPOLIS". He is currently working on his next directorial project, "STEAM BOY".
METROPOLIS Tech Credits:
Character Design / Chief Key-Animation Supervisor YASUHIRO NAKURA
Key-Animation Supervisors: SHIGEO AKAHORI, KUNIHIKO SAKURAI,
SHIGERU FUJITA
Art Director / CGI Art Director SHUICHI HIRATA
CGI Technical Director TSUNEO MAEDA
Music by TOSHIYUKI HONDA
Sound Director MASAFUMI MIMA
Animation Producers MASAO MARUYAMA, IWAO YAMAKI
Animation Studio MADHOUSE
Conceptual Support TEZUKA PRODUCTIONS
Produced by METROPOLIS COMMITTEE
According to http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/display.cgi?id=9752, Sony edited extremely graphic scenes of Brother, in order to get an R rating here. From what I've read and compared to the movie, the scenes were still implied, but not necessarily as violent. These may also be considered spoilers for those who haven't seen the film. More pictures of Godzilla: GMK can be found at Cinescape.
Animethon 8 in Edmonton, Alberta, occurred on July 14-15. Anime Alberta has posted a review of the event, which saw well over 2000 people. Links to the festival report, as well as coverage of other recent Albertan and Canadian events, can be found at the newly revamped Anime Alberta website:
Cartoon Network Acquires Cowboy Bebop for Adult Swim Series Will Make Its U.S. Debut September 2 At Midnight During Cartoon Network's New Animation Block
Cartoon Network introduces Cowboy Bebop, an episodic anime series that will air in one-hour blocks, premiering on Sunday, September 2 at 12 midnight (ET, PT) during Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, the network's new adult-targeted line-up.
Taking place in a future where the population of Earth has migrated into space, Cowboy Bebop deals with the exploits of the ship Bebop and its bounty hunter crew as they take on various assignments in a hyperspace world rampant with crime and opportunities. The show follows the exploits of bounty hunters, Spike and Jet, as they roam the galaxy with their dog, Ein, tracking down criminals. Cowboy Bebop is a production of Bandai Entertainment.
Cartoon Network extends its mission as the world's leader in animated entertainment on September 2, when it splashes down with ADULT SWIM, a new block of animated programming aimed at adults ages 18-34.
The block will air only on Sunday and Thursday nights from 10 p.m.-1 a.m. (ET, PT). In addition to Cowboy Bebop, Adult Swim will include programs such as Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Home Movies and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.
Irwin Toys will be releasing a special line of Dragon Ball Z action figures in late August.
Inside of each of these action figures is an awesome DBZ CCG exclusive promo card. These promo cards are specially printed for Irwin Toys and can only be found with their action figures. Each card is labeled with a special card number and only two are being released. IR1 is Super Saiyan Goku, which can be found with the Goku action figure and IR2 is Super Saiyan Gohan which can be found with the Gohan action figure. Don't wait to get your very own Irwin Toy exclusive DBZ CCG promo card! "
You can take a look at here
The first 10,000 copies of the Utena movie DVD will ship in limited edition transparent pink keepcases and include a special Anime Zone sampler DVD featuring trailers and clips of CPM anime titles.
Dragon Ball Z could hold the 4:30 pm (ET/PT) time slot on KidsWB Toonami for a long time. Many TV schedules Grids (like TVGuide.com etc..) are now listing Dragon Ball Z as the permanent 4:30 pm (ET/PT) time slot on KidsWB Toonami. Sometimes these TV schedules have wrong information on them. So don't take them too seriously. I am not saying that this news is definite BS. But as of right now KidsWB Toonami as announced only 2 weeks of DBZ on KidsWB Toonami. Other TV grids are listing and additional third week of DBZ. I'll will let you know if that's true or not.
Mon, Jult 30 at 4:30 pm - DBZ - "Gohan's Metamorphosis" Tue, July 31 at 4:30 pm - DBZ - "Home for Infinite Losers" Wed, August 1 at 4:30 pm - DBZ - "Laboratory Basement" Thu, August 2 at 4:30 pm - DBZ - "Super Vegeta" Fri, August 3 at 4:30 pm - DBZ - "Faith in a Boy"
Monday, August 6 at 4:30 pm - Dragon Ball Z Tuesday, August 7 at 4:30 pm - Dragon Ball Z Wednesday, August 8 at 4:30 pm - Dragon Ball Z Thursday, August 9 at 4:30 pm - Dragon Ball Z Friday, August 10 at 3:30 to 4:30 pm - TBA (Possible DBZ Movie) Saturday, August 11 at 4:30 pm - Dragon Ball Z
Kid's WB still hasn't released the episode names airing during DBZ but don't worry i'll have them before the end of the week. This is the confirmed DBZ line-up. The only news that is Tentative is for Friday, August 10 at 3:30 to 4:30 pm - TBA (Possible DBZ Movie). I'll let you know as soon as i get a report on it. On a side note Toonami on Kids WB sucked. They are degrading the name of Toonami. At least thats what I think. But on the other hand I think this move will benifit Toonami/CN in the future.
for more news go to my site at http://www.saiyanz-rage.net
1)"FOX KIDS has just announced the 3rd Season of Digimon for a September 1st Premiere."
2)"From C.B. Cebulski: The new August issue of NYLON magazine (the one with Natalie Portman on the cover) has a new eight page manga story by SIDEKICKS very own Takeshi Miyazawa inside! It is a fall fashion preview that he was asked illustrate that turned into an awesome sequential comic story. Due to time constraints he was only able to fully pencil and zip three of the pages but the end product still came out wonderfully...."
That was taken from AICN
And according to the August 1 edition of www.imdb.com :
"Apes Can't Win Against Japanese Cartoon
Hayao Miyazaki's latest animated feature Spirited Away held off a forceful challenge by Planet of the Apes in Japan last weekend, according to Screen Daily, the online edition of the British trade publication Screen International."
Animefringe Vol.2 #8 - August 2001 ( http://www.animefringe.com/ )
- Kia Asimiya - The Veil of Secrecy is Lifted! Kia Asimiya, the artist behind such prolific mangas as Silent Möbius, Dark Angel, and Steam Detectives has earned a reputation not only for his awesome skill and varied drawing style, but also for being rather reclusive over the years he's been so well- known on both sides of the Pacific. Well, when Jake, our ever-vigilant and dedicated Animefringe reporter on the scene had a chance to speak with him at Anime Expo, he didn't hold back! This is an interview no Asimiya fan would wanna miss!
- Anime Expo 2001 - 10th Anniversary Spectacular! Also returning from this year's Anime Expo festivities, Dai offers an entirely different perspective on the con's many doin's and happenin's. Like many years gone by, Dai got to experience the con's cosplay venues right from the inside out.
- Obon Week: Japan's Festival to Honor the Dead. With all of July's con excitement in California, what's going on in August? Only the most celebrated of all Japan's many national holidays -- Obon Week! Read Adam's write-up to find out more about this very special week and learn a little bit more about traditional Japanese culture.
- ComicsOne: The Digital Revolution For years, they've been talking about it -- the paperless office, the cyberspace age... the digital revolution. That's all fine and good, but what's manga doing to save trees? Well, a new company called ComicsOne has their sights set to deliver e-manga to the masses, and Adam had the opportunity to talk to them about just what they do and how they do it.
Reviews for this month include: - Akira: The Special Edition DVD - Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team Vol.1 - Cartoon Network's Samurai Jack - Cybertronian: The Unofficial Transformers ReCogNitioN Guide, Vols. 1-2 - Wizard: Anime Invasion Vol.1, #1 - Pokémon Crystal - Eriko Imai - My Place - Sapporo Ichiban Ramen (Chicken)
All this, plus a hilarious editorial by Jake Forbes about serving as an industry judge for the masquerade at the Anime Expo; a brand new Web Showcase; Iron Chef and Gunsmith Cats Word Searches, and so much more.
New Web Series Takes on Anime Conventions through Words, Images, and Sound
A new episodic web series, Legendary, is making waves in the on-line anime community with its unique approach to story-telling. The site uses text, illustrations, music, voice acting, and animation to portray its content.
Each of Legendary's "chapters" includes a written portion and images drawn by contributing artists. Many also contain sections of voice acting, music, and images combined in short animated movies. For visitors who wish to avoid the longer loading times, a non-Flash version of the story is available. "Recorded" conversations between the characters also appear. Other features of the site include character rants, fan art and fiction, art contests, and an active message board. Each major character has an e-mail address at which they can be reached.
The story of Legendary begins as each character is drawn into a tale of a prophecy by a mysterious young woman. Despite their inhibitions, they find what they see difficult to disbelieve, although their skepticism may not be entirely unfounded.
"At first it might seem like yet another prophecy story, but there's a lot more going on than meets the eye," Crewe explains. "I intend the series to be a satire on anime and fantasy stories. Fans of both will enjoy the conventions that are skewed as the series goes on."
Indeed, the fans are already adding up. Over twenty artists, seventeen voice actors, and eight musicians have contributed so far. Legendary receives over a hundred visitors a day, and the response has been almost entirely positive.
"It rocks!" says Teylor, when asked what he enjoys about Legendary. "This is [anime] fan fiction like I've never seen it before. It updates all the time too! The stories great, and all the characters are believable."
Legendary can be found at http://www.legendaryonline.com New chapters are added twice weekly.
I just got the word the animeondvd forum: (here) that Metropolis will be at the Egyptian Theater on August 17, supposedly in Japanese with English subtitles. I was able to get tickets in advance, and I suggest all interested parties do likewise.
The Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust website is now up and running! Please visit us at www.vampirehunterDbloodlust.com! We will constantly be updating the site, so check back often for new information! 7-30-01---- Japanese Cinema Reviews
AICN has a review of Takashi
Miike's Dead or Alive 2. I forgot to mention that the link on "Japan's New
New Wave" mentions Dead or Alive 1 being picked up by Viz for limited
theatrical engagements and a dvd release.
AICN has a review of a
"mockumentary" called Otaku. There are also reviews of a computer animated
short called Synapi(from a director named Bak Ikeda), a movie called
Nekojiru-So(from director Tatsuo Sato), which is a tribute to an artist who
worked for the independent Japanese magazine Garo. Finally, there was a
series of shorts called "Un Hommage A Tenkwaku Naniwa", and a collection of
sketches-from a tv show known as Vermillion Pleasure Night-created by
Yoshimasa Ishibashi.
7-30-01---- English Digiko To Make Debut In Di Gi Charat Concert
From the release:
English Dejiko to Make her Debut in Di Gi Charat Concert
LOS ANGELES, CA -- The English voice of Dejiko, Karen Hsin, will have her concert debut in Japan in early August at the Velfarre in Roppongi. Karen Hsin was chosen from out of hundreds of entrants in a nationwide search. Entrants were narrowed to over 30 semi-finalists and a final five live audition at Anime Expo 2001. Karen was chosen out of the finalists to be the voice of Dejiko for a commercial to be aired later this year.
There have been several concerts featuring the popular cast of Di Gi Charat - Asami SANADA (Dejiko), Miyuki SAWASHIRO (Puchiko) and Kyoko HIKAMI (Rabi~En~Rose). This is the first concert to introduce the English Dejiko to Japanese fans. Karen will be performing in the Di Gi Charat concert on the 4th of August. It will her first public appearance. This event will be the exclusive premiere of the English version of the "Welcome" song. Asami Sanada, the Japanese voice of Dejiko, will be joining her during the song.
The Di Gi Charat concert, the first of a 2 concert series, will take place at the Velfarre in Roppongi on August 4th features the Black Gema Gema Dan (also known as PKO - Pyocola Keeping Operation). Tickets to the August 4th concert are also 2000 yen. The August 5th concert features the female cast of Di Gi Charat.
The characters of DiGi Charat began as mascots for Gamers, a Broccoli owned Japanese store chain that caters to anime fans with character goods, trading cards and books.
A combination of cuteness and comedy, the three main female characters (Dejiko, Puchiko and Rabi~En~Rose) are trying to become Idols. They all work in Gamers in Akihabara (known as the Electronic District of Tokyo).
For all the latest information, visit the Synch-Point DiGi Charat website (http://www.synch-point.com/production/digicharat/index.html).
You can read a summary-and other details-of the newest Lupin movie-Alcatraz Connection-at this link . The release date for the film is August 3. Also, I'm not sure if this counts, but a fellow Lupin cos-playing fan by the name of Dale was at the San Diego Comic Con, and was able to see Monkey Punch. Through the Lupin ML (http://amber.mcs.kent.edu/~erik/l3ml/ ) we were able to find out-through Dale-that Monkey Punch's intended anime projects are an anime version of the Musashi legend, with sci fi elements, and an anime adaptation of the "Seven Samurai". Also, Monkey Punch is still working on his manga adaptation of "1,001 Arabian Nights".
The composer for Godzilla vs Megaguiras-for the first time in Toho's Godzilla history-is a woman. Her name is Michiru Ohshima, and her previous work was on the anime titles Legend of Crystania and Queen Emeraldas, and the video game Legend of Legaia. The soundtrack for the film is reviewed at Cinescape.
Cinescape has a tribute article to the recently-deceased Hiroshi Tsuburaya, known for a role in a Japanese sentai show called Space Sheriff Shaider. He was also more recently involved in Ultraman Tiga and Dyna.
Takeshi Kitano and Kyoshi Kurosawa were interviewed at http://laweekly.com/film/. Also, the url has a list and biography of 5 Japanese directors called "Japan's New New Wave".
HK: 1) - "Michelle Yeoh's dream project "The Touch" has lost Media Asia's financial support due to the departure of Yeoh's boyfriend from the company. The film will now be funded by a Taiwanese company. Yeoh is reportedly in negotiations with Ewan McGregor, Hugh Jackman and John Cusack for the role of the male lead. Richard Roxburgh("MI:2") is already confirmed to play the villain in the movie. It will start shooting in September and will be directed by Peter Pau."
2) "Hollywood reporter recently had an article which stated that Ang Lee has just signed a deal with the Hong Kong-based Sony unit as a consultant for two years. His job will be to help "discover new talent and develop Chinese-language projects." To take a look at the article, Go To This Site"
Japan: 1)- "Director Akira Kumai is currently busy on his next film, "Umi Wa Miteita" , which was scripted by the late Akira Kurosawa. Set during the Edo era in the Tokyo [in the red light district], the film is a love story between a samurai and a [lady of the night]. Masatoshi Nagase ("Electric Dragon 80000v") has been signed as the main lead. The film's shooting will be complete in September and it will be distributed by Sony Pictures next year."
2)Toei's Akage the Red Shadow is also given a review and a link.
3) - "Here's a list of upcoming summer and fall releases in Japan.
"Shura Yukihime"(Sony Pictures). A futuristic action film based on Kazuo Koike ("Lone Wolf & Cub")'s comics.
"Mayonaka Made", directed by Makoto Wada. A cool mysterious movie starring by Hiroyuki Sanada and Michel Lee.
"Zeitaku Na Hone", directed by Giyojo Another strange love story with Masatoshi Nagase.
"Hotoke"(Sony Pictures), directed by Hitonari Jin. The film's about a guy (Shinji Takeda) who does not have any facial expressions.
"Body Drop Asphalt"(Argo Pictures), directed by Juneko Wada. The film's about a young office worker who turns into a famous novelist. She writes lots of love stories but has never been loved in real life.
"696 Traveling High"(Slow Runner Films), directed by Kaori Kawamura. An R&R road movie.
"Tokyo G.P."(KSS Films), directed by Takashi Ishii. A Tokyo style Hip Hop movie.
"Stacy"(Gaga Films), directed by Naoyuki Tomomatsu. A clever horror story in which many teenage girls turn into zombies over night. They can only be killed by their own parents (!)."
The feature length anime adaptaion of the fairy tale "The Clever Princess" entitled Princess Arete, opened in Japanese theaters on July 21st. Produced by Studio 4C, the studio behind Spriggan and Memories, the film has a look very similar to Production IG's Popolocrois Monogatari, and features Houko Kuwashima (Kirika of Noir, Yurika in Nadesico) performing the voice of Princess Arete. The official Japanese Arete Hime homepage features film stills and a long theatrical trailer in Real Media format.
Sham Neko , the latest film written and directed by Monkey Punch, creator of Lupin III, is scheduled to open in Japanese theaters on October 6th.
Azumanga Daioh will graduate from manga to a theatrical short film this Christmas. The manga is actually a series of humorous 4 panel comic strips about the daily lives of a group of Japanese high school girls, created by Kiyohiko Azuma, character designer for Battle Athletes and Pretty Sammy. Azumanga Daioh is currently one of the most popular comic strips in Japan.
Source: Anime On DVD
called Akira: A Beginner's Guide, and is located at http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Towers/4851/.It's got some pictures and sound files, but its main draw is its faq, which explains the deep concepts and philosophies that are present in the manga and anime.
Daniel also points out he used it as a resource for his Akira Darkhorse Manga review.
_Newsday_ (Melville/Long Island, New York) critic Joseph Gelmis has reviewed Pioneer's new DVD edition of _AKIRA_.
http://www.newsday.com/coverage/current/pluggedin/wednesday/nd1194.htm
From http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/display.cgi?id=9674 :
1)There's another review of Sen no Chihiro, with a comment at the end: "Though lacking Mononoke's solemn profundity and intellectual depth, this will be an easier film for Disney (who I assume will market it) to sell in the U.S., provided they try to gear it to children 10 and up."
2)"The most noteworthy comment[at San Diego Comic Con] was from Rhona Medina at Urban Vision..."At the Urban Vision booth, we sold the new Gatchaman Collection DVD, offering a free T-shirt with purchase. For the new Vampire Hunter D movie, we had a booth full of free collector's cards (created exclusively for Anime Expo and Comic-Con), mini-posters of the official US theatrical movie poster, and keychains. We also had T-shirts, the official theatrical poster, imported key art posters of the Japanese theatrical movie poster, and imported postcard sets for sale.
"The national premiere date for the US theatrical release of Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is August 24, 2001 (Friday) at the Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles, located on Hollywood Blvd. Tickets are now available, and the premiere is open to the public, so for more information on obtaining tickets, please check their site at www.egyptiantheatre.com/.
"Now, the film has shown at select festivals in Canada and the US late last year, but as a work in progress. We have finalized all small changes that were left, and this premiere will be the first time the complete version will be seen in the US.""
3)"The following information was received about the Crayon Shinchan dub. "Hey, I think the people who are doing the English dubbed is Lacey Entertainment in which the company I work for has been doing promotional dubs for them. I happen to catch the pilot and thought it was funny. This company also worked on the Power Stone and they are making this anime cartoon about a little cat and his friends, I never caught the name of that one.""
4)"During the Season Premiere of the Mon Colle Knights, FOX KIDS aired a promo for the new anime coming, "Medabots!". The merchandise based anime series that will start this fall. Kids' WB is airing ads for "Cubix, Toys For Everyone", which is set to premiere August 11th. Thanks to Gatekeeper2150 for the information."
5)"According to Planet NAmek a source who at Kid WB's Toonami said they can only air Dragon Ball Z: Season 1 and 2.."
6)"ADV Films has announced that they will be making the Canadian Spriggan debut at the Con on August 24th at the Bloor Cinema for CNAnime."
7)"Starting Monday, July 30, the International Channel will make the following changes:
· Dragonball Z will move to Sundays at 10:30 pm Eastern time (7:30 pm Pacific time). DBZ will still repeat on Thursdays at 1 am Eastern time (which is the same as Wednesdays at 10 pm Pacific time).
· Armored Trooper Votoms will move to Sundays at 11 pm Eastern time (8 pm Pacific time).
· The Irresponsible Captain Tylor will move to Sundays at 11:30 pm Eastern time (8:30 pm Pacific time). Thanks to Mark Holtz for the information."
And according to the July 25th edition of www.imdb.com: "The latest animated feature from Hayao Miyazaki grossed $15.8 million in its opening weekend in Japan, breaking the Japanese record for an animated film set by Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke in 1997, according to Screen Daily, the online edition of the British trade publication, Screen International. Japanese distributor Toho said that the new film, Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (Spirited Away), is likely to pass Mononoke's $157-million box office gross and even challenge the all-time record of $210.6 million set by Titanic."
An error crept into my con report, and I am requesting the chance to fix it. In my Bandai report, the words "all but abandoned DVD" appear. That should read "all but abandoned VHS" Peter Svensson | http://www.comicboards.com/manga
the long-awaited DVD for the anime film AKIRA goes on sale today. My friend Juan Avilez and I are in the process of completing a live action fan trailer for AKIRA because we thought it would be something our fellow anime fans would enjoy.
I've created a website for the AKIRA Fan Trailer at http://www.arcadian.tv/akira/ if you would like to learn more about the project. Although the trailer itself is still in post-production, you view some stills from the project and get info about the cast and crew.
- he likes America more than he likes Japan. Plus, he can get Diet Doctor Pepper here. You can't in Japan. His Batman manga will be released at a time when it won't interfere with the release of Frank Miller's Dark Knight Strikes Again. DC doesn't want two big Batman projects overlapping. The delays in his color version of Dark Angel should stop now, as the entire series was held back due to coloring problems on one issue.
It was disclosed that Cowboy Bebop will air this fall in the Adult Swim block on sunday nights. The source was unsure as to how much editing would be needed and admitted that it was "something of a stretch for them".
The rumor is that the Toonami time slot was shrunk so as to lessen the competition with Kids WB and that they were asked to run less interesting stuff. The answer to that was an emphatic no! Apparently, Cardcaptors is being run as a favor to WB to help with cross promotion. Look for more titles to be cross promoted in the future.
The Power Puff Girls movie is in production as we speak. Expected release date is July 2002. Rumor has it that Craig McCracken will be at SDCC next year to talk about it. Fans of Dexter's Laboratory can look forward to 13 new episodes airing this fall.
On August 31st, there will be special music video Midnight Run in which the latest music video by Daft Punk will be shown. Daft Punk has been releasing a series of videos animated by legend Leiji Matsumoto and this is the fourth one. The music for the other videos is supposedly the same music featured on the Toonami CD which is now available in the online store.
On September 2nd, Cartoon Network will premier its Adult Swim block. This is a block of programming targeted at the 18-34 year old audience. The block will air on Sundays and Thursdays from 10pm-1am. The program block is going to start with the more "kid ok" shows (but still adult themes) and progress to the "definitely not ok for kids" programming.
the 3rd Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki OVA Series is scheduled to be released sometime in the Spring of 2002 in Japan. Also scheduled to be released at the same time is Tenchi Muyo! GXP OVA and TV Series; it is basically about the Galaxy Police in a pre-OVA Series storyline (before Tenchi and the gang). AIC's website explain some of it at http://www.anime-int.com/e/ they will also have an Official 3rd Tenchi OVA Series website at http://www.tenchi-web.com/ It's in Japanese and doesn't really say much right now... AIC says that if will Officially be launched on October 10th, 2001... dubbed as the "Day of Tenchi!"
It is known that Buena Vista Entertainment will distribute in Europe various editions of Princess Mononoke DVD, but unfortunately neither of them will include the original Japanese audio track. Obviously we, as well as, we think, all Japanese animation fans and potential buyers of these DVDs, are in total disagreement with the company decision. For this reason we have taken in charge the promotion of a petition for the inclusion of the original Japanese audio track as well as an appropriate captioning, as much as possible close to the original work, for the next European editions of Princess Mononoke DVD. Our petiton, available in various languages, (Italian, English, French,German, Spanish and Japanese) turns to everyone interested in any of these European releases of Princess Mononoke DVD. We truly believe that the original audio track and an appropriate captioning, aren’t just useless accessories, on the contrary they are important elements for any work based on the DVD technology that could not be given up. This is the reason why we have engaged ourself in promoting the “Princess Mononoke European DVD Petition”, that we hope could be a complete success with Your help, so that Buena Vista Entertainemt may reconsider its decision.
Thank you for your time. Bartalini Fabio
AnimeDVDItalia staff
Princess Mononoke European DVD Petition http://digilander.iol.it/animedvdit/
TOKYOPOP Inks Samurai Girl - Real Bout High School Anime Series and Announces New Manga Titles at Comic-Con
Hot new Gonzo series is latest addition to TOKYOPOP® Anime line; TOKYOPOP® Manga continues licensing rampage with Ragnarok and Kare Kano
SAN DIEGO-7/19/01-Stuart Levy, CEO of TOKYOPOP, was joined by Koji Miyajima of Pony Canyon for the contract signing of Samurai Girl - Real Bout High School as the latest addition to TOKYOPOP's anime line at Comic-Con on Thursday. Pony Canyon arranged the US license of Gonzo Studio's off-kilter martial-arts television series to TOKYOPOP® Anime.
Samurai Girl - Real Bout High School is set in a school where everybody knows martial arts, and no one is afraid to use them. The series is slated to premiere in Japan on July 30, and is the latest project of Gonzo Studios, which is renowned for the outstanding production quality of their titles including Blue Submarine No. 6, Vandread and Gatekeepers. In addition, Samurai Girl - Real Bout High School reteams the creators of Gatekeepers, director Shinichii Tokairin (Street Fighter), character designer Keiji Gotoh (Martian Successor Nadesico, Sorcerer Hunters and Those Who Hunt Elves) and screenwriter Aya Matsui (Dragonball and Marmalade Boy).
Actress Ikue Kimura, who voices the lead character in the original Japanese version of the series, was also present for the signing. Kimura's character, Ryoko, is an elite fighter who is willing to take on any of her classmates to prove herself. Based on the series of novels by Saiga Reiji and graphic novels by Sora Inoue both published by Kadokawa, Gonzo has served up a tongue-in-cheek production that showcases their impeccable animation and character designs a work of spin-kicking action.
"Though many of the details are still under wraps until the show airs in Japan," said Levy prior to the press conference, "I'm prepared to say that Samurai Girl is Gonzo's next big hit, and a great addition to TOKYOPOP® Anime. Gonzo's work is second to none, and they have a great, original, though off-beat, take on martial arts and real-fighting."
TOKYOPOP® Manga announced two more titles to its rapidly growing line with Kare Kano - He Says/She Says, a new addition to the acclaimed girls manga anthology, SMILE, and the Korean manga, Ragnarok: Into the Abyss.
Ragnarok (or "the end of the world" in Norse Mythology) expands on the ideas of genre twisting role-playing games like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest with outstanding character designs by series creator Myoung-Jin Lee. With an emphasis on kinetic story telling, the series features a shifting ensemble of swordsman and sorcerers as they face a bizarre host of enemies, unique in design to the Ragnarok world. Ragnarok, will be the second Korean title released from TOKYOPOP® Manga after the premiere of the horror series Island this August.
In Masami Tsuda's Kare Kano, which debuts in SMILE in early 2002, Yukino Miyazawa is the model student - smart, attractive, athletic and friendly - she's at the top of her class. That is until she enters high school and finds herself ranked second behind the even more perfect Arima Souichiro. While she may look like she's handling the competition like a lady, secretly she's plotting his downfall, but their rivalry takes on a new twist when Arima reveals that he's in love with her.
My Toonami Rep told us At Saiyanz rage the following
TOONAMI on Kids WB has rights to air Dragonball Z, Season 1 and 2 only. That means they can air only episodes 1 to 53 on Kids WB. This confirms the Rumor of DBZ making its way over to Kids WB
Jeff from CNX asked the Toonami team (the upcoming Kids' WB! version of Toonami) to see if they are going to Air the first 2 seasons of DBZ, and here is the response he got back:
"There isn't any truth to this. We are only going to air one week's worth of Dragon Ball Z from July 30 to August 3 at 4:30 PM for each day, which means we are only airing the first five episodes of the series."
Although They DO have rights to the First 2 seasons of DBZ they have not decided whether they will Air it or not.
As many know, I've been looking into some issues with the first volume of Getter Robo. There appears to be two different problems with volume 1 of Getter Robo: 1) some discs have the correct volume 1 outer label but inside have an insert and disc labeled "Transfiguration" which is volume 2.
2) some discs have a outer label, insert and disc label "Resurrection" for volume 1 but the disc content is really volume 2.
Not all volume 1 discs are bad, the problems are with a latter pressing. We are currently working to address these issues.
At this point I'd like to ask anyone who has received Getter Robo 1 and has the FIRST problem listed above (correct outer label but incorrect insert and disc) to please email me at dlw@advfilms.com.
To save Chris bandwidth, I'm only looking at the first problem now and you don't need to post anything here. I'll address those with the second problem shortly so if you fall into that group please hang on.
Thank you for your patience.
David Williams A.D.Vision, Inc.
Writer/artist Tommy Yune tells Newsarama he's recently become creatively involved with Harmony Gold's Robotech. "I'm not at liberty to divulge the details of my work at this time, but expect to see lots of cool stuff coming soon through Robotech.com," he said. "The obvious consequence has been that I had to give up my full-time post at Wildstorm. However, fans can be reassured that this did not end my commitment on Danger Girl: Kamikaze!, which had been rescheduled for release. In fact, group editor Scott Dunbier (who had recently become happy father) provided a great deal of encouragement along with a much-needed kick in the pants," he joked.
According to www.wacfest.com , a Final Fantasy documentary and Blood will be playing at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. These films will be shown, in order to celebrate an annual event known as the World Animation Celebration. The FF documentary will screen on August 10 at 9:45 p.m., while Blood should be at the Egyptian on the same day at 11:45 p.m. Tickets must be purchased the same day, and programs can change without notice. So it's suggested that the potential viewer checks the schedule(available online at the above url) after August 3, in order to confirm these two shows will be there.
1)"DC Comics will be releasing two posters of Superman and Batman by Yoshitaka Amano, whose anime work include Vampire Hunter D, Angel's Egg, and Amon Saga....The posts ship this week for $7.95 each."
2)"Unlike previous Final Fantasy video games, Final Fantasy X will add voices to the characters, including some anime talents. Tidus- Kazunari Morita (Zell, FF8 Ending motion capture) Yuna- Mayuko Aoki (Rinoa, FF8 Ending motion capture) Seymour- Junichi Suwabe (Kouji Fujiyoshi, GTO) Lulu- Rio Natsuki (Nanami Jinnai, El Hazard, Lina of Bubblegum Crisis 2040, Kanzaki Akari of Battle Athletes Victory) Kimahli- Katsumi Chou (Drug dealing bartender, Cowboy Bebop episode#1) Auron- Hideo Ishikawa (Ryuma, Shin Getter Robo) Cid- Kouichi Sakaguchi (Arbok, Pokemon) Rikku- Marika Matsumoto (Coca Cola CM, Bomb Magazine)"
3) "Comic Geek points out according to this article The Mitaka City animation museum is set to open its doors in October....Hayao Miyazaki, who directs animated films, was chosen by city officials to develop and illustrate a new symbol with a design representing the Mitaka community. Using this symbol, the city will develop projects at the museum. The animation museum is located in Inokashira Oncho Park, which is one of the most popular spots in Mitaka City.....Popular characters, such as "Totoro," are scheduled to be exhibited at the museum. Animated character collectibles, originally designed by Miyazaki, will be sold only at ! the museum...."
4)"Real Bout High School will also become an anime series as previously announced. Character designs will be by Keiji Goto (Gatekeepers) and it will be produced by Gonzo (Blue Sub No.6, Vandread, Gatekeepers). It will be released for cable broadcast first."
5)"The popular action/horror manga Hellsing, which premiered in 1998, is scheduled to become a late night TV anime series produced by Gonzo Studios, to premier on October 13th. A limited edition 20 minute long preview DVD will go on sale in Japan on October 3rd at a retail price of 3500 yen."
6)"On July 10, a press conference and a test screening of "Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi" was held in Tokyo. Pictures can be seen at here. At the press conferense Miyazaki reiterated that it is now physically impossible to direct films."
7)"A report on Vegita EX states that....: "Matt Davidson from ADV FIlms confirmed that "Crayon Shin-Chan" has been licensed for a domestic, dubbed, TV airing. Thirteen episodes have already been dubbed. Matt provided no further details as to who's dubbing it, editing levels, or what network will air it, although he said that ADV is not involved." There is not Matt Davidson at ADV, the name is incorrect, but there has been some suggestion that Crayon Shinchan may be coming to domestic television..."
8)"Saiyanz Rage has learned from a Toonami representative that they are aiming for Monday, August 20th date for the debut of Dragon Ball, the prequel to Dragon Ball Z. The show will air at 5:30pm."
9)"The makers of Gamer's Republic are gearing up for Anime Republic...."We're staring at a mid-September launch and we're hoping for the full support of ALL otakus around the U.S. for our brave new project. Our plan: revolutionize the anime market, starting with the first glossy page of our premiere issue."
"We are currently laying out the "Talk" section and need some more READER MAIL. Be it positive or negative, we want to hear your opinions. So please forward any and all comments to my e-mail address below. We would also LOVE to receive some FAN ART as well (you can e-mail digital images or snail mail original artwork to the address below). The deadline for our first issue is August 23." Mail can be sent to jgibson@gamersrepublic.com"
Right Stuf Teams up with Comics One! We're happy to announce that we've teamed up with Comics One to bring you an even wider selection of manga!
Comics One, who has made a name for themselves by producing and selling animated and ebook manga online, has now branched out into the printed world. Carrying a wide range of manga with varying content and age ranges, the company has divided their products into 2 separate labels: Comics One (non-adult) and Redlight Manga (Adult titles).
Right Stuf will be carrying Comics One's full range of products. You might want to browse through our current Manga Listing or check out some of just a few of our new titles from Comics One:
Comics One Gokuu (Goku) Midnight Eye Kazan Maico 2010 Tomie: The Hunji Ito Horror Collection
Redlight Manga (Adult) Rhapsody Graphic Novel 1 Shiela's Diary Graphic Novel 1 School Zone Graphic Novel 1 Twin Spark Girls Graphic Novel 1
There are lyrics to the English version of "Welcome," which will be featured in the upcoming DiGi Charat commercial to air in Los Angeles cable channels in August.
The film is opening in Japan on July 20th and will open in the rest of the world sometime next year (courtesy of Disney)."
Also, there's a review of a film known as "Electric Dragon 8000 volts", which is being compared to "Tetsuo". Special effects for Electric Dragon are by Nobuaki Koga, who worked on Neone Genesis Evangelion and Avalon. And finally, "- For the first time in Toho's history, a female actress (Rie Ohta) will wear the Baragon suit for the film "Godzilla, King Gidorah, Dai Kaiju Sou Kougeki". The monster will be coloured red in the film."
World Netgames Announces U.S. Commercial Release of RedMoon The First U.S. Anime-Style Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) Irvine, CA – July 17 th , 2001 – World Netgames Inc. today announced the release of their eagerly awaited new commercial version, 3.02e. This new version continues the RedMoon story, expanding the original anime-style Science Fantasy world to allow players to travel from Earth to the distant planet of Signus. Enhancements include new maps, monsters, quests, items, as well as a refined PK system that was the direct result of feedback gained during the 6-month beta trial. “We’ve seen tremendous success with RedMoon in the U.S over the last 6 months. With more than 65,000 active accounts it’s apparent that U.S. players are looking for something different”, said Kevin Hannah, VP of Marketing for World Netgames. With FREE game software and a low monthly subscription fee of $9.49 per month (with discounts for 3-month and 6-month plans), RedMoon gives players a “lot of bang for their buck”. Outside the game itself players will also be able to delve deeper into the story with the parallel availability of the RedMoon comic e-books produced by ComicsOne (www.comicsone.com). The first e-book in the series of 18 is available as a free download by visiting www.redmoon-online.com. A compelling story coupled to inexpensive, exciting game play set in a unique game world allows RedMoon to standout from the crowd.
Several new theatrical anime movies have been announced for Japanese release this winter, including Inuyasha, Sakura Taisen, Tottoko Hamutaro, Di Gi Charat, and Slayers Premium.
Inuyasha will be based on the popular current TV series adaptation of the Rumiko Takahashi manga of a half dog demon boy from Japan’s Era of Warring States, and a modern school girl. It is expect to be released in January 2002. Viz announced that they had acquired the rights to the Inu Yasha television series at recent anime expo.
Sakura Taisen will be an original story set in Tokyo during the same time period as the Sakura Taisen 3 game occurs in Paris. The Sakura Taisen (Wars) series is a steam-tech alternate history series about physically endowed girls who pilot mecha based on a series of video game RPGs.
Di Gi Charat will get its own first theatrical feature this winter. The short Di Gi Charat movie will be part of a triple feature with Slayers Premium and the Sakura Taisen movie. The Di Gi Charat Summer Vacation Special will air on August 2nd and 3rd on TBS. DigiCharat was a hyper-pacing series of anime shorts based on the gear haired cat-girl suit wearing mascot of the Gamer’s store chain.
Tottoko Hamutaro will get it's first theatrical film this winter. Hamutaro is a popular children's program about the lives of pet hamsters when their owners are away.
Slayers Premium will be an original 30 minute long film featuring the Slayers TV series cast including not only Lina but also Goury, Zelgadis and Amelia in their first theatrical appearances. The story involves the gang visiting a town cursed with fried octopus that makes whoever eat it able to speak only octopus language. The protagonist of the Slayers series is Lina Inverse, a young and destructive sorceress with a love of food and money. Her partners are an air headed swordsman, Goury, a sullen, stone complexioned chimera swordman/shaman, Zelgadis, and an energetic, and overzealous protector of justice, Amelia. The previous Slayers movies has featured Lina’s busty, and mentally dense sick-kick Naga the White Serpent. Slayers Premium will be double-billed with the Sakura Taisen and Di Gi Charat movies. The Slayers TV series, movie, and OAVs tend to bounce between light, humorous events (tracking down dragons to eat, magic karaoke, traveling with aged people who think they are Power Ranger-esque knights) and more dramatic, action drive stories with occasionally humor moments (fighting off demonic lords). The movie sounds like it will be an entry in the former category.
Taito announced a new PlayStation 2 title called Rakugaki RPG (temporary), scheduled to release in December, for 6800 yen. This is a new genre RPG which feature character design from Yoshiharu Satou, who supervised anime title like My Neighbour Totoro. In the game you can give life to rakugaki (graffiti) by drawing them with the angel's pen. The ability of the rakugaki changes when you use different color and pen strokes, it can also grow stronger and learn new abilities by battling with other characters. The new title is being developed in Taito's new production studio called Garakuta Stage.
Marvelous Entertainment will release the GameBoy Advance anime adventure game Love Hina: The Blessing Bell in Japan on September 7, for 5800 yen.
After the successful fighting game From TV Animation: One Piece Ground Battle (which sold over 350,000 copies in Japan), Bandai will release a new PlayStation RPG based on the popular anime series called From TV Animation: One Piece - Let's Go Pirates!, on August 2, for 5800 yen. The game will feature an original story, in which you play as a pirate leader, your goal is to search for the gold bricks hidden in a place called Easy Blue. The battles will involve the use of roulette, in each turn your action will depend on the card you picked from the roulette. Your reputation point and level will increase if you defeated the enemies, and vice versa.
Banpresto will release Tokusatsu 2001 (Super Hero Avengers 2001) for PlayStation in Japan in September, the strategy simulation game featuring popular characters from 15 anime series, including Ultraman, Kamen Rider, Ironman-17, Kikaidah, Gabin, Super Robot Red Baron and so on. Each character will have his / her own special attacks, movie cut-scenes, and voice. Some characters can also transform into his / her super form in battles, however, the transformation requires a lot of energy, so use it wisely.
Fort Worth, TX - FUNimation Productions Ltd. the U.S. producers of Dragon Ball Z, announces the release of Blue Gender to VHS and DVD October 16, 2001. This hit anime sci-fi series was originally produced by A.I.C., the Japanese production company which produced other popular anime series such as Tenchi Muyo! TV, Bubble Gum Crisis Tokyo 2040 and AH My Goddess
Having already sold over 5.5 million home videos, FUNimation is excited to bring Blue Gender to the U.S. "Anyone who loves anime or sci-fi will love Blue Gender. The artwork and stories are very compelling," says Gen Fukunaga, President of FUNimation.
Set in 2031 on the planet Earth, Blue Gender takes viewers to a world where human beings are the prey for giant insects - creatures called "Blue". The series has found such acclaim in its native Japan that a major Japanese theatrical release is now in production.
"We've used some of our best talent on producing Blue Gender including two of our most popular Dragon Ball Z voice actors," continues Fukunaga. Eric Johnson, the voice of Dragon Ball Z's Teen Trunks will provide the voice for the main protagonist Yuji. Laura Bailey, who is Kid Trunks, will be heard in the role of the female lead character, Marlene. FUNimation is staying true to the original Japanese series including using the original Japanese music. Fans will especially appreciate the DVDs, which will contain many extras such as the Japanese version with English subtitles, interviews, extended music videos, and image gallery. Fans can find out even more information by clicking on www.bluegender.com.
Synch-Point finds Dejiko! Voice Actress chosen from the Final Five!
LOS ANGELES, CA -- Broccoli Co, LTD (http://www.broccoli.co.jp), in conjunction with Synch-Point (http://www.synch-point.com) have found the voice for Dejiko! After an extensive search and open call to find an English voice actress for the commercial to air in the US, Synch-Point was inundated with talented women wanting to be the English voice of Dejiko.
The amount of audition tapes and CDs sent in were astonishing. Out of over 30 semi-finalists, 5 finalists were selected - Marisa Dutton, Karen Hsin, Emma Sakaguchi, Casey Strand and Elizabeth Switzer.
All 5 finalists were very talented and it was a very hard decision. After a live audition at Anime Expo and extensive interviews, Broccoli and Synch-Point chose Karen Hsin. She will be featured in the commercial to air late this summer!
The characters of DiGi Charat began as mascots for Gamers, a Broccoli owned Japanese store chain that caters to anime fans with character goods, trading cards and books.
A combination of cuteness and comedy, the three main female characters (Dejiko, Puchiko and Rabi~En~Rose) are trying to become Idols. They all work in Gamers in Akihabara (known as the Electronic District of Tokyo). This US commercial will feature Dejiko.
For all the latest information, visit the Synch-Point DiGi Charat website (http://www.synch-point.com/dejiko).
Toycom has informed us that their impressive Giant Robo action figures are due to arrive at their warehouse on July 24th, and will start shipping on the 25th.
Made of almost 2 pounds of Die-Cast and durable ABS, these figures have a high amount of detail and come in two styles, Bazooka and Missile. Both feature superior poseability with 24 points of articulation and come with a 2" Ginrei statue (Bazooka version comes with Ginrei in a mini dress and Missile version comes with Ginrei in a long dress.) Packaged in an acetate-window box.
These will be a Limited Manufacturing Run of 6000 units. MSRP of $44.95.
7-17-01---- Lone Wolf And Cub Figures
According to Comic Geek:
"In regards to the pricing, David stated, "These are being offered to retailers as "net pricing". That means that there will be no suggested retail price listed in Previews. The cost to a retailer is $250.00 for the Ogami figure and $195.00 for the Yagyu figure. So, depending on various retailers' individual pricing philosophies, retail prices may vary on the figures." Finally, in regards to the issue of allocation (with 140 figures in all of Europe and North America no doubt allocation will occur), "If allocation should become neccessary, we will allocate through Diamond using a formula they have in their computers for allocation."
The following products will ship this September from Diamond Distributors.
The first of the eagerly anticipated Berserk action figures, "Berserk Guts Hawk Soldier" will be released for $17.00. The 8 12" figure has 16 points of articulation, and come will an extra sword, head, and knight. Other figures being released include the Jojo's Bizarre Adventure two pack of Joseph Joestar and Hol Horse, the re-release of Neon Genesis Evangelion EVA Figure: Unit 03 Black and the new release of Unit 04 Silve. Plastic models kilds of Dougram Bushman, Dougram Iron Foot, Dougram Jakt Type, Dougram Soltic Green Transparent and Dougram Soltic Round Facer are due out. 12" figures of Short in the Shell Motoko Kusinga in black fatigues and camoflage will be re-rleaded. 3 smal Getter Robo dome figures will be released for $10.99 each. In the non-anime, but cool catagory 12" figures of the Matrix's Neo and Morpheus in martial arts attire are due. 3
For apparel, the Dark Angel #1 t0shirt will be re-release. The ever growing Dragon Ball Z selection includes "60 Seconds", and "Zoom", as well 3D Digital cover watches of "Goku Red" and Piccolo Yellow". Sakura Wars "This Sword" will feature a kimono clad Sakura brandishing her katana. Andi Watson's "Samurai Standoff" t-shirt will be re-rleased. A Vandread t-shirt named "Mecha Mates" of some cute girls, and mecha will be released, as will another Wicked City t-shirt, called "Eyes"
Two Final Fantasy: The Spirit Within posters "Aki" and "Gun will be released.
Sound tracks being released include the Bubblegum Crisis 2040 Official Soundtrack, Macross II Original Soundtrack, Trigun Official Soundtrack, and Vampire Princess Miyu
In the miscellanious catatory: "Squeezie Water Globes" of Badtz Maru and Hello Kitty, measuring 5"x3.75" will retail for $8.99. 2" Super deformed Godzilla keychains, pf Anguirus, Godzilla, King Ghidorah and Mecha Godzilla, and Mothra Larva will retail for $8.00. 3 Tenchi Coffee mugs, one with Ayeka, Ryoko and Tenchi, one with the entire cast, and one with a stain glass design will be released.
It is licensed and manufactured by: MMI Distribution 12040F West Feerick St. Wauwatosa, WI 53222
We hold the license for the United States and Canada from Pioneer Entertainment Corp.
To make the image glow, expose it to light for about an hour and it will glow for 10.
The suggested retail price is $50.00 each.
An image can be viewed here.
Dark Horse has confirmed for Newsarama that beginning in March of 2002, the publisher will repackage and release an English version of Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy. Created by Tezuka in 1951 and first published in Japan in 1952 as Tetsuwan Atomu ("Mighty Atom"), the series is about a little, atomic-powered robot boy who was created by a scientist after his own son was killed in a car accident. Astro Boy is considered by many as the work that began Japan's robot manga. The character was also another first for manga as well - in 1963, Tezuka turned Astro Boy into a black and white animated series - the first in a long, long line of manga to make the move to television. The animated series was renamed Astro Boy for American audiences when the animated series was brought to the states in the '70s.
Similar to its treatment with Lone Wolf and Cub, Dark Horse will publish Astro Boy in compact, four and one-half inch by seven inch black and white volumes, with each containing over 200 pages, and retailing for $9.95. There will be 23 Astro Boy volumes in all, completely reprinting Tezuka's run.
ADV will add five episodes each, to the final four Orphen discs.
Dallas Middaugh, Director of Sales and Marketing at Viz mentioned on the forum that November is the month to expect the first season of Ranma 1/2 in the seasonal box set format. They're finalizing things now, and with luck, we'll hear the street date and price next week.
David Williams of ADV responded to question on whether Urotsukidoji, an adult series, would be released as part of their ADV Films Label on Anime On DVD's Forum:
"As many of you already know, adult material is not part of the ADV Films label. Unfortunately an adult program, Urotsukidoji, was mistakenly listed as part of the ADV Films catalogue when in fact, that program is part of an entirely different company label. In addition, other programs intended for labels other than ADV Films were also included on the ADV Films web site. Fans are encouraged to remain attentive for information concerning the release of Urotsukidoji and the other programs under their proper labels. We apologize for this inadvertent editorial error."
Super Techno Arts and Synch-Point will co-produce both "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" OVAs for US release. Super Techno Arts is a subsidiary of APPP, the studio that animated "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure," based on a long running manga by Hirohiko ARAKI in Shonen Jump.
Synch-Point will be doing the translation for subtitle & voice-over, casting, and the recordings of the English voice-over. Super Techno Arts will handle post-production. Distributed by Super Techno Arts & Digital Manga.
Sample footage of JoJo's will be shown at the Digital Manga's OmochaBox/Digital Manga booth (Booth #1335) at San Diego Comic Con. Autographed shikishi (Japanese sign boards) by character designer will be available at the OmochaBox booth.
"Observers had expected box office honors to go to ``Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within,'' a sci-fi cartoon inspired by a popular Japanese video game. In the end, the film ranked No. 4 with a disappointing $11.5 million. The bullish forecasts had been based on the film's strong $5 million Wednesday launch."
Your chance is coming! Palisades and Score, producers of the DragonBall Z collectible card game, have teamed up to cross promote the DragonBall Z license, providing fans with an opportunity to win one of ten early released busts. The two mini resin-busts, Future Trunks and Imperfect Cell, are exclusives of Georgia Music Distributors and can normally only be found at www.georgiamusic.com. This time around however, they're free!
The Game If you haven't seen Score's Dragonball Z CCG yet, it is based on Dragonball Z and allows players to do Dragonball-style combat against one another through the use of powerful cards, powerful characters, and a healthy does of skill. It's a game along the lines of Magic: The Gathering, but with it's own rules and settings, based on the worlds, character, and specific forms of combat of Dragonball Z. In the game, players assume the roles of either the Super Saiyan Warrior, Goku or Goku's long-time ally, Vegeta, and challenge the heroes and villains of the animated series, earning skill as they go. The more battles you win, the more experience you gain, and the better your character becomes at fighting others. But it's not all power - there's a fair amount of skill involved in the game - you have to think about your moves in advance, as well as the ramifications of your moves. If it were any tougher, it would be called Dragonball Z Chess.
The game has become huge in CCG gaming circles and won more than a few awards. Now, it's time for some champions to be named. Championship Dragonball Z matches will be held during this year's convention season, and Palisades will be providing the leading prizes for all of these events. You guessed it - the exclusive Future Trunks and Imperfect Cell mini resin-busts! And if you need a little help on remembering who's who - Trunks is the son of Vegeta, and Imperfect Cell is an android fighter created by Dr. Gero. In any case, they're two of the toughest fighters in the Dragonball Z pantheon.
The Events The National Dragonball Z Championship Tournament will be held at the San Diego Comic Con International, which is coming up next week, and runs from July 17-21. The World Dragonball Z Championship Tournament will be held at the premiere gaming convention, GENCON, which will be held in Milwaukee, WI from August 2-5. A third, special Tournament, the WizardWorld Championship Tournament will be held at WizardWorld Chicago, August 17-19. Each tournament is expected to bring in dozens and dozens of players from across the country so don't expect to waltz in and waltz out with the mini busts. You're going to have to work for these cool prizes. If you want a quick preview of these killer prizes in person, stop by either the Score or Palisades booth for a gander. For serious DBZ fans, come on by the Palisades booth and take a look at our other upcoming DBZ products. We guarantee that you'll like them - a lot. You think you've got what it takes to take home one of these Dragonball Z mini busts? Get your decks tuned and your gloves on, it's time to prove it.
Pioneer set 9/4 as release date for Niea_7 Vol. #2 and Hand Maid May Vol. #2. Each run 75 minutes and retail at $29.99.
Adventures of the Mini-Goddesses [Pioneer]
Ah! My Goddess MOVIE [Pioneer]
Aura Battler Dunbine [AD Vision]
Berserk [Media Blasters]
Char's Counterattack - Mobile Suit Gundam [Bandai Entertainment]
Eden's Bowy [AD Vision]
Fortune Quest [Media Blasters]
Inu Yasha [Viz Video]
Giant Gorg [Bandai Entertainment]
Jo Jo's Bizarre Adventure Prequel + OVA [Synch Point]
Kazemakase Tsukigage Ran [Bandai Entertainment] (aka "Wandering With The Wind Ran")
Kikaidar [Bandai Entertainment]
Kurogane Communication [Media Blasters]
Level C [Media Blasters]
NieA_7 [Pioneer]
Puni Puni Poemi (Excel Saga spin-off) [AD Vision]
Rune Soldier Louie [AD Vision]
Saiyuki Gensomaden [AD Vision]
Sakura Wars TV [AD Vision]
Soul Taker [Pioneer]
SPT Layzner [Bandai Entertainment]
Vandread [Pioneer]
Your Under Arrest TV Specials (all) [AD Vision]
Ys I & II [Media Blasters]
Zone of the Enders OAV and TV [AD Vision]
Carl Horn replied:
"I regret to say, however, that Viz will not be bringing any Japanese guests to San Diego this year. Mr. Kawaguchi, the creator of EAGLE, very much wanted to attend because of the recognition his work has received by they Eisner Award committee, but right now he's got two new weekly series, and as he's both writer and artist on them, he's just too busy.
Please come by our panel on Thursday at San Diego if you like, however, and our booth as well!
Thank you, Carl Horn Editor, EAGLE Viz Comics"
[Yaoi-Con 2001] Press Release - San Francisco, CA
Yaoi-Con 2001 is proud to welcome Yonezawa Yoshihiro, co-founder and president of the famous semi-annual Tokyo Comiket event. Joining Yonezawa will be three of his executive staff members and his wife, Eiko, also a Comiket co-founder. The Comiket contingent will present panels at Yaoi-Con, and we can look forward to their table in the Dealer's Room, which will be stocked with the latest varieties of doujinshi!
Born in Kumamoto Prefecture on March 21, 1953, Yonezawa studied at Meiji University, where he started fan clubs for manga and science fiction. Since that time, he has written extensively as a manga critic and book/music reviewer. Currently, Yonezawa is focusing on critiquing mystery manga, as well as releasing how-to type books such as "Doujinshi Daihyakka" (A Great Encyclopedia of Doujinshi/Doujinshi Handbook).
Partial Bibliography: Author: "Sengo Shojo Manga Shi" (Postwar History of Shojo Manga) "Sengo SF Manga Shi" (Postwar History of Science Fiction Manga) "Sengo Gag Manga Shi" (Postwar History of Gag Manga) "Shoujo Manga no Sekai" (The World of Shoujo Manga), Vol.1 and 2 "RANPO no Jidai" (Days of Ranpo) "Shounen Manga no Sekai" (The World of Shounen Manga) Co-author: "Manga Den" (Manga Legend) [Heibon Sha] "2B Dan Gindama Sensou no Hibi" (Days of 2B Silver Bullet War" Editor: "Manga Hihyo Sengen" (Manga Critique Declaration) "Comiket Graffiti"
Yaoi-Con's Current Guest List Also Includes: - Higuri You, popular female shoujo, shounen ai and yaoi manga/doujinshi artist who's works include Seimaden, Ludwig, Lost Angel, Zeus and recent Poison artbook collection. - Azusa Kurokawa, shounen ai/yaoi manga and doujinshi artist often featured in Reijin magazine. - Shinjuku Nishiguchi, popular shounen ai/yaoi manga and doujinshi artist. - Gilles Poitras, author of the well-known anime resource book, "The Anime Companion," and his recent release, "Anime Essentials," both published by Stone Bridge Press. Etc.
For more information about our current guests, scheduled events & registration (ends July 31st!) please visit Yaoi-Con online at:
Staff Yaoi-Con 2001 Yaoi-Con Sept, 1-2, 2001 San Francisco @ The Radisson Miyako Hotel
Adventures of the Mini-Goddesses [Pioneer]
Ah! My Goddess MOVIE [Pioneer]
Aura Battler Dunbine [AD Vision]
Berserk [Media Blasters]
Eden's Bowy [AD Vision]
Fortune Quest [Media Blasters]
Inu Yasha [Viz Video]
Jo Jo's Bizarre Adventure Prequel + OVA [Synch Point]
Kazemakase Tsukigage Ran [Bandai USA]
(aka "Wandering With The Wind Ran")
Kurogane Communication [Media Blasters]
Level C [Media Blasters]
NieA_7 [Pioneer]
Puni Puni Poemi (Excel Saga spin-off) [AD Vision]
Rune Soldier Louie [AD Vision]
Saiyuki Gensomaden [AD Vision]
Sakura Wars TV [AD Vision]
Soul Taker [Pioneer]
SPT Layzner [Bandai USA]
Vandread [Pioneer]
Your Under Arrest TV Specials (all) [AD Vision]
Ys I & II [Media Blasters]
Zone of the Enders OAV and TV [AD Vision]
San Francisco, CA - Bandai Entertainment in conjunction with the Sony Metreon will hold a special screening of Gundam Wing the Movie - Endless Waltz on the Metreon's new Action Theatre. Screenings of Endless Waltz will take place on Saturday, July 14th and Sunday, July 15th at 6:00 PM and 9:00 PM.
Located between Fourth and Mission St. in Downtown San Francisco. Gundam Wing Endless Waltz is a prequel and sequel to the Gundam television series. It features interesting retroactive redesigns of the Gundam, and spectacularly animated mecha battles. Also, be sure to join Bandia on the weekend of July 20 - 22, to take sneak peek at Cartoon Network's upcoming broadcast of Mobile Suit Gundam and Mobile Suit Gundam 08th MS Team. There will also be a special DVD preview of the Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket and Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory. For further details visit the Sony Metreon website at www.metreon.com .
1)"According to several Japanese TV stations and newspapers this morning, Hayao Miyazaki ISN'T going to make any more films after Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi.
But since the Japanese press mistakenly announced his 'retirement' just before Mononoke Hime hit the Japanese cinemas a couple of years ago, I would wait a while for confirmation..."
And since no on else wants to print this info, I'll mention what I got from Manga at AX: They intend to put their entire back-catalogue on dvd, including Gunbuster and Guyver. Guyver might be a 2-disc set, and they're considering adding models for episodes that didn't have them in the first place. X is supposed to be on dvd around late September. Fist of the North Star is supposed to contain the original openings and endings to the show. The reason the original openings and endings were not on SF2V was a "personal choice". As for SF2 getting a Japanese track, some other company owns the rights, so that's just impossible right now. They said they were "looking into" getting the Devilman Japanese track, along with Devilman Amon. They're also "looking into" the Samurai Spirits oav, and a new Lupin movie that might be-based on the description-Goodbye Lady Liberty, and an anime title which they could not openly announce for legal reasons. Blood is only a short film, but might spawn a longer movie, if financially successful enough.
According to Cinescape , Ultraman actress Hiroko Sakurai will be at the San Diego Comic Con. And Cinescape suggests that Square might be bringing back Aki-from the FF movie-and her sidekick to an FF followup that would involve her in a different role.
From the July 12th edition of www.imdb.com: "Investors expecting a surge in sales for Final Fantasy video games following the U.S. release of the film Wednesday sent shares in Square Co., which develops the games for Sony's PlayStation 2, soaring 7.2 percent on the Japanese stock exchange today (Thursday)."
Dark Horse comics has announced their October releases. A new trade paperback collection of 3x3 Eyes, entitled Flight of the Demon will be released. "The collected editions of the manga horror/action epic finally continue! From a hidden world in the Tibetan highlands comes Pai, a strange and beautiful girl with a difference: three eyes and three hundred birthdays behind her! Sent to Tokyo by a dying anthropologist, Pai must find his son, Yakumo, to help her in her quest... to become human! But when Pai merges Yakumo's soul with that of her immortal supernatural familiar to save his life, the urgency of their mission becomes even greater as Yakumo fights to reclaim his own humanity. Pai and Yakumo discover the existence of a statue that may help end their quest, but to obtain it they'll have to take on the dwellers in the dark, who need the statue to revive a dread demonic lord and bring about an inhuman kingdom of immortal evil!"
Issues 61 of Blade of the Immortal is the fourth and final chapter of "Secrets" . Hyakurin and her assistant Shinriji got to visit Master Sori, the artist and ninja, and a mutilated Manji.
A Gunsmith Cats special will feature the return of Rally, Minnie-May, and Misty going after a call girl with a carload of cocaine. Dark Horse also points out "Check out next month's Previews for the debut of Kenichi Sonoda's brand-new action-packed manga series, Exaxxion!"
Lone Wolf and Cub Volume 15: Brothers of the Grass marks the passing the of the series halfway point. "Watch as Ogami Itto, the Lone Wolf, comes face-to-face with his arch-enemy, Yagyu Retsudo, in a tale of dark ambition and political intrigue. Witness the tragic tale of the Women of Sodeshi. Stalk alongside a deep-cover ninja as he chases his brother who has fled his station, while a group of shadow warriors prepare for a suicide mission to find a secret gold mine - guarded by the Lone Wolf!" The cover will be by Bill Sienkiewicz.
Dark Horse comics will also be releasing 1/6 scale figures of Ogami Itto and Yagyu Retsudo. " Ogami Figure - This is the main character of the saga. He comes complete with a detailed wheeled cart and Daigoro ("Cub") figure, cloth banner with calligraphy, costume accessories (sandals, hat, cloth costume, etc.), and all the swords and other samurai weapons we see in the story, and is highly articulated.This figure stands 12" tall. Ogami Figure . Yagyu figure - This character is Ogami's adversary and started the events that led to Ogami's journey of revenge and redemption. This figure is similarly detailed, both in terms of its articulation and handcrafted fabric costume. It comes with cane, sandals, and detailed weaponry. This figure stands 12" tall. Yagyu figure . Only 500 figures total have been produced for world distribution. Our allotment is only 200 figures, so allocation may occur. Dark Horse special - While supplies last! Each figure ordered on this initial solicitation will come with a previously unavailable hardcover, foil-stamped edition of Lone Wolf & Cub #1. Each copy also contains a bookplate featuring Lone Wolf & Cub and is personally autographed by creator Kazuo Koike."
Oh My Goddess Part XI #3 is part 1 of 8 of "Mystery Child". The Almighty summons Urd and Skuld back home to investigate a problem with the universe's time management program, which leaves Keiichi alone with Belldandy.
A collection of Seraphic Feature will bee released "In the not-too-distant future, an intact alien starship has been discovered buried beneath the moon's surface, a vessel with awesome technology somehow connected to three powerful "Emblem Seeds" found on Earth. Sunao Oumi, a young man stuck on the moon and trying to work up the funds to return to Earth, takes an assignment to escort two visiting U.N. investigators and is drawn into a web of violence and intrigue as dark operatives try to purloin the Emblem Seeds the investigators have brought with them. But the investigators are more than they seem: Attim M-Zak, a beautiful and mysterious woman with deadly augmented abilities, and Kei, a starry-eyed dreamboat from Sunao's past...whose death brought Sunao to the moon in the first place!"
Issues 17 of the anthology Super Manga Blast will feature "Club 9: Country-girl Haruo finds her way through a maze of nightclubs to the door of Club 9, only to have to deal with the club's drama-queen owner, and the chance to meet her favorite cartoonist (and wait'll you see who it is)! Shadow Star: Shiina attends the funeral of her father's wingman, and her friend Akira is visited by a stranger asking about Shiina's shadow dragon! Seraphic Feather: The murderous Guardian has Sunao and Kei cornered, and even Sunao's psychic powers aren't enough to stop it. But when Kei's powers come to life the results are devastating! What's Michael?: The mysterious and hilarious antics of cats continue, as Michael the cat lives on the edge (literally)! 3x3 Eyes: Pai and Yakumo search China for clues to find Pai's homeland, and discover other people with similar goals. "It's five series for the price of two," SMB! is still one of the best deals in comics - check it out!"
Marvel Comics has had a little experience with Manga-versions of their characters. A few years back the publisher released translated U.S. reprints of the original Japanese Spider-Man and X-Men manga series, and this fall's U.S. War Machine limited series by Chuck Austen has a heavy manga influence. But Marvel will go all-out early next year when they introduce the Marvel 'Mangaverse', in an eight-issue 'Fifth Week' event this coming January.
Edited by Ralph Macchio, Brian Smith and Joe Quesada, publisher/creator Ben Dunn of Antarctic Press (home of titles like Ninja High School and Warrior Nun Areala) will reportedly plot and illustrate the first and last 'bookend' issues, and the six 'middle' one shots will be written and drawn by various creators, though no specific names were divulged this early.
"What I am basically doing is creating the Marvel Universe as if manga artists had created it," explained Dunn of his involvement, who says plans for the 'Mangaverse' are to incorporate characters like Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men and other Marvel mainstays in stories with proposed titles (still pending approval) like "Super Sentai Fantastic Four", "Combat Mecha Iron Man" and "God Warrior Thor".
Concluded Dunn, "Currently I am writing the plot and re-designing the Hulk as he was originally a good guy but now has to be written as the antagonist. I am very excited about this and hope to create a new look and feel to the Marvel characters I grew up with and got me into the comics biz."
C.B. Cebulski, who sometimes acts as consultant on manga and anime related matters here in the U.S. told members of Warren Ellis' Delphi Forum that Marvel's biggest concern when discussing this project with potential creators is that is that they "do not want to be derivative in any way."
"They want to take the best aspects of manga and anime, from the art style and pacing to storytelling and design, and combine it with the Marvel characters," wrote Cebulski. "They do not want to copy ideas and concepts or simply mimic hit series and the elements that made them popular. To this effect, I know they are contacting some of the best manga and anime inspired writers and artists out there. Some are big names, others are up and comers. Not everyone is available though. They won't be able to please everyone but I think some of the choices will surprise and please people."
"What's exciting about this is that January is traditionally a month when publishers have little to no major offerings," said Joe Quesada. "This January Marvel is loaded for bear!"
So with popular manga creators being treated along the lines of Hollywood stars in Japan, why would someone of Kia Asamiya's stature move to the U.S. to set up shop and pick up work from the big two, such as covers for DC's Titans? We checked in with Asamiya's spokesman, C.B. Cebulski for some answers.
"In his opinion, the biggest advantage to moving is creative freedom," Cebulski said. "He has had gotten sick of a lot of the editorial constraints placed upon him in Japan. He had achieved the status in Japan where nobody told him what was right or wrong anymore, he was allowed to do what he wanted within the context of having everything in on time and using these specific characters, per se, but they never told him that he should anything differently."
While it may sounds like doing whatever he wanted with little or not editorial constraint is the definition of creative freedom, it wasn't the way Asamiya wanted to work. "He felt that his talents weren't being utilized to their fullest, because nobody was giving him any kind of input in his work," Cebulski said. "They would give him the original ideas, and he would do what he wanted to do, turn it in on time, and nobody came back with any kind of changes. He felt he wasn't being challenged artistically anymore."
Asamiya did have an alternative to his total freedom - go back to the way things were earlier in his career with limited freedom to do as he wished. "In the past, say, working on Dark Angel with the publisher Kadokawa, it was different," Cebulski said. "He wanted to do one thing with the story, and they wanted him to do another thing. Ultimately, Kia ended up going along with their vision, but wasn't happy with the final result."
With no other choice apparent, Asamiya opted to leave the Japanese comic market altogether. "Kia felt that the two extremes in control weren't coming to a happy medium," Cebulski said. "He wanted to be able to do what he wanted, but at the same time, wanted to work with an editor as a team. When he was in Japan, he was either flying solo as the coach, or he was a puppet, being directed by the coach. There was no middle ground.
"He got really accustomed to working in America, due to the fact that he was one of the first Japanese creators whose works had come to the states with Silent Moebius back in 1990. Viz originally reprinted it in color, which he really liked, but then it was moved to black and white, due to sales figures. After that, a lot of his other work started making it into the states, and at the same time, he began coming to American conventions regularly. He saw how big the manga market was in the U.S., and how quickly it was expanding and how his work was a lot more accepted here, standing on its own for the story and its artistic merits than it was in Japan."
Being that he's somewhat unique in the Japanese market because he controls nearly all of the licenses to his work, Asamiya has been able to negotiate reprint deals himself, rather than through a publisher and an agent. "Now he's also free to talk to both DC and other companies about working for them in the future," Cebulski said.
Source Reference: UMJAMS Anime News
DIGI CHARAT ART CONTEST LAUNCHES
LOS ANGELES, CA - Akadot and OmochaBox, in conjunction with Broccoli Co. Ltd., are holding the "DiGi Charat" Fan Art contest. Enter your rendering of any character from "DiGi Charat" to compete for a "DiGi Charat Chocola 2000" art book signed by "DiGi Charat" character designer and famed doujinshi artist Koge-Donbo. A runner up in each of three age groups will receive a "DiGi Charat" illustration signed by Koge-Donbo. The contest runs through the end of July.
Akadot and OmochaBox will post the top five entries from each age group in the first week of August for a public vote. One voter, chosen at random, will also win a "DiGi Charat" illustration signed by Koge-Donbo.
Get the details at http://www.akadot.com/contest/digicharat-contest.html
... or at OmochaBox at http://www.omochabox.com/s/home/contests/index
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Due to protracted licensing problems, Viz has decided to remove X/1999 from the lineup of its monthly manga-anthology magazine Animerica Extra. "Without a contract, we can't publish, and we still have no idea when we'll have a signed contract in-hand," said Animerica Extra's editor Bill Flanagan. "I don't want to cancel it, but we have to coordinate each issue with quite a few different freelance translators, letterers, rewriters and others. We can't leave everybody up in the air forever." So the search is on for another format that will best serve the manga series. "We all love CLAMP's work," comments X/1999 editor Julie Davis, "We've brought it back twice before, and the minute we have a contract, we'll find a way to continue the X/1999 series again…but for now we have to wait until it's legal to publish."
I hate rumors... especially when they are about me. And I know a lot have been circulating about Fanboy Entertainment recently. Forget what you've heard. I am going to clarify mattters here and now.
We are not bust. We are not bankrupt. We are not dying. We are not dead. Yes, as I discussed at Anime Central, we are scaling back our publishing operations. But truth be told, Fanboy is growing and expanding in other areas actually. Our focus has shifted.
As I have mentioned, we will not be publishing as much ourselves anymore and many of our planned projects have been postponed or cancelled. We are currently making alternate plans for their publication through Fanboy, looking at co-publishing them with other companies or, in some cases, seeking to sublicense them out. There are a number of reasons for this.
First off, I believe the monthly manga market here has become stagnant. (I specify "monthly" here as I do believe that manga graphic novels and special projects have a bright fututre ahead of them.) It is no secret that the U.S. comic market is not as healthy as it could be. Manga is an even smalller part of this already small market. Every manga publisher is competing for the same pieces of the pie. While the popularity of anime increases exponentially, the same growth is in no way reflected in manga sales. New fans aren't flocking to the comic shops to buy black and white manga like they are to the video shops to purchase DVDs. We are only selling books to the same fanbase month after month. And those fans only have so much money. As publishers, we are only cutting each others throats by putting out new titles every month to compete with one another for the fans' dollars. Additonally, the bigger and more established publishers have more money and staff to invest in promotion! and advertising and they also have their long-standing reputations to ride on. I cannot directly compete with them.
Secondly, as anime sales increase, newer and bigger companies have jumped into the manga game looking to make a quick buck. They do not neccessarily understand the market and their presence here hurts. They have succeeded in driving up prices and licensing fees to levels that are hard for smaller publishers like me to match. They also have the funds to do mulitple title deals for large sums of money which the Japanese publsihers are more than happy to accept. Over the course of the first four months this year, I have had three manga titles I had agreements in place for bought out from under me for riduculous licensing fees AND I saw the price tag on one deal triple as I was forced to enter a biddding war I eventually backed out of. I know manga and I do not see how any of these deals could possibly be profitable for the publisher who agreed to pay these exhorbitant amounts of money.
Lastly and most importantly, other opportunities have presented themselves to us and something had to give. I now have lots of new and exciting projects lined up that will not only keep me busy day in and day out, but will also serve to push manga more into the mainstream market. This is what I originally set out to do and it looks like I will now be able to accomplish this is ways I think will surprise people. I have always prefered working directly with the creators and artists themselves anyway and that is what I will continue to do in the future in an even greater capacity.
In the meantime, here is the run down of what I can tell you so far:
Dark Angel in color will continue from Image. Issue four should be shipping soon. However, subsequent issues may not be out until 2002.
The Copybook Tales Collection has moved from Fanboy into the good hands of another publisher. Expect to see more on this soon from them.
Mobius Klein has been postponed for now as we look at alternate ways of releasing it.
Spellbound has also be postponed while we evaluate its future.
Feather has been postponed as we look for a new home for it.
The Kia Asamiya Sketch Collection has been canceled.
The Silent Mobius 10th Anniversary print is shipping now.
WHITE RAIN has been delayed until July but is coming.
Sidekicks stays. We will also be publishing a new Sidekicks one-shot, The Substitute, in November. It is written and laid out and Takeshi is now penciling and inking it.
We will continue to publish special projects in the future as well. The surprise success of ESSENCE was unexpected but totally welcome. Expect to see more of books like that from us. We have already signed two new artists very familiar to fans whose work we will be releasing in 2002.
But NO, Fanboy is in no way folding. Again, I hate rumors, but they are understandable in this case as I had yet to comment on the situation. Things couldn't be better really. You will be seeing a lot more of us in the months to come on a number of different projects, again, many which will surprise people. My main goal in starting Fanboy was to get more people exposed to manga and Japanese artists. However, month after month, I discovered the manga market here was so closed, so self contained. I had to change to accomplish my goals as the market remains status quo. I have now found ways to really break manga out into the public eye and that is where are efforts are directed now.
As a fan myself, it is heartbreaking to have to cease publication of some of these titles. I offer my sincere apologies to people who picked up the first issue of both Spellbound and Mobius Klein. I also feel terrible that fans will have to wait to see the marvelous comic that is Feather. I will do my best to see you get the rest of these stories as soon as possible in one way or another.
If anyone has any questions, comments, suggestions or inquiries, do not hesitate to contact me. I am being totally open and honest about the siutation. When things don't work out one way, you change and take them in another direction better suited to your ultimate goal. That is exactly what I am doing here. I do hope I have the support of everyone who has believed in me and what I have been doing with Fanboy over the past two years. There are lots of exciting things in store for manga in America and I intend to be right there in front leading the pack!
Now go read a comic....
C.B. Cebulski
Fanboy Entertainment
June 29, 2001
There will be an X OVA, in addition to the TV series! The OVA, to be released on Aug 25, will be a prologue. Kawajiri Yoshiaki (of Ninja Scroll fame) will be directing. There's an interview with him in the May Asuka. X Movie DVD (Region 2) is now on sale in Japan.
SHANGHAI: Police have arrested 28 people on suspicion of selling obscene Japanese cartoon books. The case, the largest of its kind in Shanghai, involves 95,000 books, 4,537 of which were considered to have a bad influence on children. They originate from Japan but are copied and printed in China. Deputy Director of the Huangpu Police Bureau Ma Huaihai said that in April, police started noticing that every evening many people - including primary and middle school students - paid rather a lot of attention to a certain grocery store. They made a search and the book dealers were caught with less than 6,000 forbidden Japanese cartoon books. Further investigations led police to arrest more suspects and another 90,000 obscene cartoon books were seized.
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