The English language homepage for the latest Production IG animation is now online. Following up Blood: The Last Vampire is the 43 minute long full digital samurai action/drama OAV Kai Doh Maru. The webpage includes a story summary and a 2 minute long trailer for the film.
Pioneer has officially confirmed in retailer solicitations that the recently delayed remaining 3 El Hazard: Wanderers DVDs will now be released on December 11th, February 5th and April 2nd.
The premier volume of Sailormoon SS, containing 140 minutes of animation, will debut on January 29th at $29.98. Like the Sailormoon S TV series DVDs, SuperS will include to equivalent of 2 VHS releases. The first 2 VHS volumes of SuperS will also premier on dubbed VHS on January 29th in 60 minute long edited and 70 minute long uncut versions.
Ain’t It Cool News has published a new review of Metropolis written by one of the fortunate fans that saw the film’s American premier at last weekend’s Big Apple Anime Fest. The review generally agrees with previous criticisms, citing weak characterizations and style that outweighs substance.
Anime News Service reports that Japanese broadcast satellite station WOWOW has announced that Leiji Matsumoto’s original Space Cruiser Yamato and Isao Takahata’s Heidi of the Alps TV series will be rebroadcast on Japanese television beginning in December. This will be the first time either series has been broadcast on Japanese television since their original broadcasts in 1974.
Article courtesy of Scott Green
Question:
I viewed the Di Gi Charat music video clip that came on a special CD which accompanied an issue of Sony’s AX magazine from Japan. It featured the song, “Welcome {2000 Remix}” by the Di Gi Charat seiyuu as well as many characters which I do not recognize from the Di Gi Charat anime. According to English sites, the name of this music video is “Di Gi Charat Fantasy,” but I’m not sure if it is a special stand-alone animation or part of some bigger Di Gi Charat title.
I heard that there is a Di Gi Charat movie coming up, so would this be a promotional music video of the theme song for that? Or did this clip appear somewhere in the Di Gi Charat anime and I missed it? Or is Di Gi Charat “Fantasy” the opening sequence to the Di Gi Charat game? Or (knowing how Broccoli works) is it a cross-promotional tool?
After 23 years of business, SNK has officially announced on its Japanese website that “with deepest grief…in the Autumn of 2001, SNK will close the company.” Within recent years, SNK has suffered under tremendous financial debt that the company was unable to reconcile with.
As a final gift to fans, SNK has created an “all-time cast wallpaper, featuring game characters from its 23 years of history.”
Arcade distribution of King of Fighters 2001 will be handled by Sun Amusement within Japan. There has been no word on what the future will hold for other SNK licenses.
Source: Gamespot
Article courtesy of Scott Green
After yesterday’s “Ask John” article about the slim possibility of new Outlaw Star animation being produced, reader “Sany” informed us that the official Japanese Morningstar site has tentative character designs and a story outline for an Outlaw Star 2 OAV series. However, the same page also states that because animation director Mitsuru Hongo is very busy, there is no scheduled production date for this tentative OAV series.
While this may be interesting news, Sany has received the following e-mail response directly from the creator of Outlaw Star confirming that there are no current plans to actually produce any new Outlaw Star anime:
“Hello. My name is Takehiko Ito. I can speak a little English. You looks project in my site contents. It’s plan for Outlaw Star 2. But, that title is only plan and frozen yet. We planning new and different project now. Sorry. I love Outlaw Star too. Maybe I continue Outlaw Star by comic. Thank you!”
IF Labs, the partnership between Irwin Toys and FUNimation Entertainment, has opened its homepage to reveal photos of its upcoming first series of Dragonball Z movie action figures created for the more mature toy collectable market.
Source: Anime News Service
The Magic Box has learned that the upcoming Gameboy Advance King of Fighters game will be titled King of Fighters EX: Neo Blood. The game will introduce a new female character to the KoF world, an 18 year old girl named Moe Habana. It’s also now been confirmed that the game will include 6 selectable striker (assist) characters.
Question:
Is anime edited in Japan as much as it is in America. If it isn’t, why?
The schedule page of the Tokyo Fantastic Film Festival site has posted long, streaming Real Media trailers for the third Patlabor movie, “WXIII Patlabor the Movie 3” and Armitage: Dual Matrix.
Source: Anime News Service
According to Anime on DVD citing CD Japan, the Japanese DVD release of the new, third Fushigi Yuugi OAV series will include a selectable English dialogue audio track. This detail has not been confirmed by any other Japanese DVD news site or retail listing, though.
The 4 episode Fushigi Yuugi: Eikou Den OAV series is set several years after the events of the previous FY animation. The first 30 minute volume will premier in Japan on December 21st, with the following volumes due out on February, April and June 25th respectively.
GameSpot has confirmed that the American version of Final Fantasy X, scheduled for release in January, will not include a selectable audio track of the original Japanese spoken dialogue. The game will include only the English dubbed audio featuring James Arnold Taylor (Walla of Futurama) and Hedy (Boston Common) Burress as Tidus and Yuna, respectively.
According to The Magic Box, Mog the moogle, Cid and Chocobo will appear in the upcoming “Disney” RPG Kingdom Hearts.
The Gaming Intelligence Agency has discovered that the Xbox upgrade of Capcom’s samurai action game Onimusha, Genma Onimusha, will include three new types of monster enemies, new costumes for Samanosuke, new locations, new CG “cut scenes,” an increased difficulty level, and a new “burst attack” which will allow players to “execute a super attack and absorb the enemy’s soul all at once.”
Genma Onimusha will be a Japanese Xbox launch title on February 22, but no American release has been confirmed yet.
