Question:
From Akira in 1988 to brand new offerings like Innocent Venus in 2007, why are so many series, movies and OAVs based in post-apocalyptic settings? Does this incredibly morbid mindset among Japanese animators have anything to do with the horrific legacy of the devastation visited upon Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War Two?
At this past weekend’s San Diego Comic Con, FUNimation announced its acquisition of distribution rights to four motion picture, three of them live action, one animated.
FUNimation announced its acquisition of North American and Latin American distribution rights to the upcoming full CG anime film Vexille. A North American limited theatrical release and home video release is planned for next year.
FUNimation’s live action acquisitions are:
Hana Yori mo Naho, directed by Hirokazu Koreeda
Love and Honor (”Bushi no Ichibun”), directed by Yoji Yamada
Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea (”Aoki Okami: Chi Hate Umi Tsukiru Made”), directed by Shinichiro Sawai
Source: Anime News Network
Anime News Network hosts lengthy summaries of the manga licensing announcements made at the recent San Diego Comic Con.
Dark Horse has signed famed Japanese manga creator team CLAMP to produce a series of 80 page monthly manga stories for international release. CLAMP will have full creative control over the works. Dark Horse will supervise practically simultaneous release in North America, South Korea, and Japan beginning in 2009.
Source: Anime News Network
The Economist Magazine has published a lengthy article detailing Japan’s declining birthrate and rapidly increasing elderly population, and the impacts of these situations on Japanese society.
Question:
Do you think Japanese light novels has potential for considerable success in the American market? A lot of anime are based on light novels such as The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Zero no Tsukaima, and among others. I would love to read them as well as see current novels continued (such as the sequel to Crest of the Stars novels). Even if there are no anime or manga produced, would original novels (Owari no Chronicle for example) get their chance in America?
At the ongoing San Diego Comic Con, Viz Media has announced plans for domestic distribution of the Nana and Honey & Clover anime television series.
Viz announced February 2008 release plans for the debut volume of the “Blue Dragon: Ral Grad” and “Be With You” manga series, the “Death Note 13: How to Read” reference guide book, and the hardcover “Death Note: Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Case” novel.
Umino Chika’s “Honey & Clover” and Akira Shouko’s “Saruyama” manga series, under the American name “Monkey High!”, will premier in Shojo Beat Magazine next March. Tooko Mizuno’s “Harukanaru Toki no Naka de” will premier in Shoujo Beat Magazine in April under the abbreviated title “Haruka.” Kaori Yuki’s “Fairy Cube” manga will premier in the magazine in May.
The manga series “Switch,” by creator duo “Naked Ape,” will debut in March. Shin Mashiba’s “Yumekui Kenbun: Nightmare Inspector” and Nobuhiro Watsuki’s “Gunblaze West” manga series will debut in April. The “Record of a Fallen Vampire” manga by Kyo Shirodaira and Yuri Kimura will debut in America next May. Viz will begin serial publication of Takehiko Inoue’s “Slam Dunk” manga series sometime next year.
Viz also announced plans to launch a line of “Viz Big” manga, slightly over-sized books that will contain 3 volumes of a series at a $17.99 retail price. The line will launch next May with Rurouni Kenshin, Dragon Ball, and Dragon Ball Z.
Japanese portal site Goo now hosts screenshots and character profiles from the upcoming adventure anime series Jyushin Enbu -Hero Tales-.
Source: Moon Phase
Question:
Why do you think Detective anime doesn’t succeed in America? Kindaichi, Conan, Detective Academy Q, Puppet Master Sakon, Poirot and Maple… none of them have had much success in America. Anime-wise, only Conan is licensed and its TV broadcast has been a failure. Kindaichi’s manga (but not the anime) has been effectively put on haitus by Tokyopop at the rate of one volume per six months and a Tokyopop rep on the Tokyopop forums said Kindaichi would have to sell 4,000 more copies per volume to merit bumping up its production schedule. Although there are fans in America of the above-mentioned titles, the shows are barely fansubbed or even watched for free by American anime fans. So why are American fans so disinterested in the detective genre?
Question:
What do you think about some said that anime brings bad influence to kids? Some had said that anime was so cute but very dangerous.
Japanese multimedia site Biglobe now hosts a streaming 3:43 trailer for the upcoming Appleseed Saga: Ex Machina motion picture. The film is scheduled to open in Japanese theaters on October 20th.
Japanese portal site Goo now hosts the first revealed character designs for the upcoming You’re Under Arrest: Full Throttle anime television series.
Source: Moon Phase
Japanese portal site Goo now hosts an English language trailer for the current anime television series Romeo x Juliet, and an English subtitled, streaming Flash Romeo x Juliet “Special Program” video.
Source: Anime News Network
FUNimation has formally announced plans to release the Dragon Ball Z Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan, and Broly: Second Coming motion pictures on a single Blu-ray disc on November 13. Both films will have fully remastered video and a new 5.1 audio mix.
FUNimation plans to follow the Dragon Ball Z movies release with Blu-Ray re-releases of other popular catalog titles.
Source: IGN
Question:
Do you think Harry Potter will ever be adapted to anime franchise? Gone are the times when anime was simply adapted from the common media of manga. Nowadays, everything and anything can become an anime. Light novels, video games, doujinshi, and heck, even famous American literary works are being turned into anime. With the big hype involving the last books of the Harry Potter franchise and the new movies coming out, don’t you think Japanese studios would have showed some interest?
