Fullmetal Alchemist (2nd series) and Hayate no Gotoku episode director Hiroshi Ikehata and the animators at Toei have produced a three-minute anime short based on Minori Kagura’s new slice-of-life comedy web manga series Nogyo Musume! (Agricultural Girls!). The promotional “episode zero” will screen in bookstores and anime specialty stores, stream on the manga’s official website, and air on an October 7 TV special on the Animax satellite TV network. The anime has been produced to promote the August 12 release of the manga’s first compiled print volume. The Nogyo Musume! franchise is the first production from the “MG x TA Project” collaboration between publisher Mag Garden and Toei Animation.
Nogyo Musume is the whimsical story of Hikari and Hikaru Koshino, two sisters that farm the rice paddy left to them by their parents.
Mayu Watanabe, Yuki Kashiwagi, Rie Kitahara, and Rino Sashihara, members of the popular AKB48 pop group, will each create original manga stories for publication in Weekly Young Jump Magazine. The tentatively titled manga stories Mayuyu: Mangaka Debut Keikaku, Yukirin no THE Idol Quest, Kitarie no Mousou Bungaku Shoujodou, and Sasshi Bishoujo-ka Keikaku will rotate weekly beginning with this year’s 38th issue, which goes on sale August 19.
The Tokyo District Court has ordered publisher Kodansha to pay a 550,000 yen ($6,300 USD) fine to an individual who successfully sued the publisher for unauthorized use of his likeness. Specifically, an October 2009 chapter of manga artist Atsushi Kase’s ongoing comedy manga series Zero Sen included an “oraora-kei car gang” leader distinguished by sunglasses and a 1950′s “ducktail” hairstyle who was actually based on a photograph of a real life oraora-kei apparel company manager. The individual claimed to have been defamed by the unauthorized manga likeness and sued Kodansha for 4.4 million yen ($50,000 USD). The infringing character will be re-drawn in future re-publications of the relevant manga chapter.
Monthly Flowers Magazine has announced the production of a stage play adaptation of Yuu Watase’s long running shoujo romance manga series Fushigi Yuugi. The play will run in Tokyo’s Nakano The Pocket theater from October 20 to 24. Actress Mao Miyaji (live-action Attack No. 1) will star as Miyaka. Watase’s Fushigi Yuugi manga debuted in 1992. The prequel manga series Fushigi Yuugi: Genbu Kaiden is presently ongoing.
To refresh your memory or introduce you to an interesting opening animation sequence, I offer the opening of the now somewhat forgotten Witch Hunter Robin television series from 2002. The theme song is “Half Pain,” sung by Bana.
The homepage for the Bakemonogatari anime television series has formally announced that original author NisiOisin’s Bakemonogatari prequel novel Kizumonogatari (Soiled Girl Story) will get an anime adaptation. Anime production studio SHAFT, which animated Bakemonogatari, will animate Kizumonogatari.
NisiOisin’s Katanagatari light novel series has a current anime television series animated by production studio White Fox.
Record label Lantis has released its third trailer for the upcoming debut single for the anime multimedia project Love Live. The “Bokura no Live Kimi to no Life” (“My Live & Your Life”) CD single with anime music video will go on sale August 25, with advance copies sold on August 13 at Comic Market 78.
Discotek has announced its acquisition of four additional titles: the Galaxy Express 999 and Adieu Galaxy Express 999 anime films, the first Project A-ko anime film, the 2001 live action Shurayuki Hime movie, and the 2007 live action Aquarian Age movie, based on the Broccoli CCG.
Viz released the two GE999 movies on American VHS, but neither film has ever been officially released on American DVD. Central Park Media previously distributed the Project A-ko anime franchise. ADV Films previously distributed the Shurayuki Hime ~Princess Blade~ movie on domestic DVD.
The seven American branches of Japan’s Kinokuniya Bookstore chain have ceased selling five Japanese “bishoujo” (pretty girl) anime and manga magazines as a “precautionary measure” related to fears that the content of the magazines could potentially be interpreted as “child pornography” violating US laws. Megami Magazine, Megami Magazine Deluxe, Nyantype, Dengeki Hime and Dengeki Moeoh are all mainstream Japanese periodicals that cover and serialize current “bishoujo” anime such as K-On, Lyrical Nanoha, Angel Beats, Amagami SS, and Black Rock Shooter. ASCII Media Works’ monthly Dengeki Hime magazine is an adult-only publication that covers Japanese erotic computer games. The other four periodicals do not publish explicit nudity or graphic sexual content.
Reportedly during the “Cultural Typhoon” academic conference held at Komazawa University earlier this month, Ergo Proxy & Wolf’s Rain screenwriter Dai Sato made a number of harsh, and seemingly self-contradictory, statements decrying the current state and direction of Japan’s anime production industry.
This isn’t anime, but any anime fan that isn’t just a little bit intrigued by the first trailer for director Zac Snyder’s next picture, Sucker Punch, isn’t an anime fan.
To refresh your memory or introduce you to an interesting opening animation sequence, I offer the opening of the 1987 cooking boy television series Mister Ajikko. The theme song is “Renaissance Jounetsu,” sung by Wataru Kuniyasu.
Question:
Why do people keep calling Inception “original” when it’s clearly “inspired” by Paprika and, even if it wasn’t, has been done before in the cyberpunk genre, much like The Matrix before it? Are they that oblivious to the latter anime’s existence like they appeared to be with Ghost in the Shell? Or are they just too lazy to look for new stuff so they’re ready to slap that label on any flashy film they see?
The G4 television network now hosts a streaming trailer for the Madhouse animated Iron Man anime television series, along with a confirmation that Madhouse’s television series adaptations of Iron Man, X-Men, Wolverine, and Blade will air on the network next year. The Iron-Man anime will premiere on Japan’s Animax television network on October 1.
