AnimeNation Anime News Blog

Question:
I’m not sure if I’m the only one who has really noticed it now, but in American animation, guys like Batman and Superman are against killing the bad guy, no matter how cruel or evil he might be. Now going to Japanese animation, I just started watching Hokuto no Ken and we have Kenshiro just killing the bad guys left and right, going by the belief that anyone who is evil and has killed somebody doesn’t deserve to live. What’s the deal here?

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Gonzo has premiered its web anime version of Fujio Akatsuka’s 1991 gag comedy manga series Hennako-chan. Gonzo has added limited animation, spoken dialogue, and sound effects to Hennako-chan manga comic strips to create six 3 minute long episodes. The first episode is now available with selectable English or Chinese subtitles.

Pretty thorough and impressive job Gonzo has done in animating this manga. The first episode is pretty witty, and not exactly suitable for children.

The advertising “obi” on new copies of the sixth collected volume of Segawa Hajime’s supernatural action comedy manga series Enchained Spiritual Beast Ga-Rei announce that the story will be adapted into an anime television series titled “Ga-Rei Zero.” The anime will be produced by AIC Spirits (Tokko, Tokyo Majin Gakuen)

Source: Moon Phase Diary

Japanese fan site Moon Phase reports that Production IG will produce an anime television series based on Sega’s recently announced sword & sorcery fantasy RPG World Destruction. The anime adaptation will be directed by  Shunsuke Tada, who recently directed Production IG’s Tsubasa: Tokyo Revelations OVA series.

New Japanese copies of author “Nisio Isin’s” 2006 two volume light novel series Bakemonogatari include an announcement that the supernatural romantic comedy will be adapted into an anime.

Source: New Akiba

I noticed today that FUNimation’s new Shin Chan Season One Part One DVD set has a sticker affixed to its front that proclaims “First time on DVD!” Back in the days when words meant something, a statement like that was supposed to encourage consumers, signifying that the DVD they were holding was something fresh and new and exciting. In those days consumers also complained bitterly about “double-dipping” and DVD re-releases. But these days it seems as though the marketing spin would be more effective if the sticker exclaimed “Third time on DVD!” instead of “First time” because consumers would presume that by the third time around, it would be complete and dirt cheap.

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The Connecticut Record-Journal newspaper reports that 21 year old anime fan and Central Connecticut State University student Skye Lynn Budnick secretly traveled to Japan on April 1st, and was last seen in Noboribetsu, Hokkaido, Japan on April 7th. Budnick’s family and Japanese authoraties are searching for the missing young woman, but have found no clues to her whereabouts.

Skye Lynn Budnick was apparently struggling to stay in school after failing several classes, and had reportedly considered suicide before traveling to Japan.

The United States Consulate in Sapporo has asked that anyone with information on Budnick’s whereabouts call (011) 641-1115 within Japan or 81-11-641-1115 from outside of Japan.

Source: Anime News Network

The Satelight anime production studio has announced that a newly re-animated version of its April 2007 sci-fi action television series Kissdum -Engage Planet- titled “Kissdum R -Engage Planet-” will be released weekly on the Bandai Channel website beginning May 16th.

The Kissdum -Engage Planet- television reportedly suffered from tremendous production difficulties including production beginning with no story scenario, and the original creator/director leaving the production without warning.

Now speculation can begin about whether Bandai Visual’s planned American release will be the awful original broadcast version or the newly re-made version. (That is, if Bandai Visual actually fulfills its promise to release the series domestically.)

Source: Moon Phase

The latest poll from Japanese entertainment research magazine Oricon reveals the answers of 900 Japanese survey participants to the question, “What is the funniest manga you’ve read?”

The top ten results provided by male and female respondants ranging in age from 10 to 40 were:

01. Gintama, by Hideaki Sorachi
02. One Piece, by Eiichiro Oda
03. Ike! Inachu Takkyuubu (”Ping Pong Club”), by Minoru Furuya
03. Sexy Commando Gaiden: Sugoiyo! Masaru-san, by Kyosuke Usuta
05. Gag Manga Biyori, by Kosuke Masuda
06. Urayasu Tekkin Kazoku (”Super Radical Gag Family”), by Kenji Hamaoka
06. Nodame Cantabile, by Tomoko Ninomiya
08. Kochira Katsushikaku Kameari Kouenmae Hashutsujo, by Osamu Akimoto
09. Pyu to Fuku! Jaguar, by Kyosuke Usuta
10. Lovely Complex, by Aya Nakahara

On a side note, all ten of these manga titles have also been adapted as anime.

Source: Tokyograph

Twitch now mirrors the first and new, second teaser trailers for the upcoming second live action Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro movie, “Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro: Sennen no Noroi Uta” (Cackling Kitaro: Cursed Song of the Millennium). The film is scheduled for Japanese theatrical release on July 12th.

The official homepage for the upcoming live action film adaptation of Kiminori Wakasugi’s manga “Detroit Metal City” now hosts a teaser trailer. The film is due out this August.

A teaser trailer for the upcoming live action film adaptation of Naoki Urasawa’s manga series 20th Century Boys is now available on YouTube.

Source: Twitch

Japanese rock star Gackt will co-star along with Josh Hartnett and Demi Moore in the Hollywood produced action film “Bunraku.” Gackt will play a samurai named Yoshi, a companion to Hartnett’s drifter on a quest for revenge character.

The film, written and directed by Guy Moshe, draws its title and inspiration from traditional Japanese puppet theater, but is reportedly also influenced by origami, video games, and other sources.

This is Gackt’s first acting role since his appearance in the 2003 Japanese action/sci-fi film “Moon Child.”

Shooting on Bunraku began in Romania earlier this month. The movie is scheduled for American theatrical release next year.

Source: Tokyograph

Question:
I am wondering if “Kite Uncut” is the fully uncut version. I am aware that there were 3 releases of Kite and that only one of them showed the movie in its full form.

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The TV Tokyo television network’s homepage for the upcoming fifth Naruto motion picture, Naruto Shippuden: Kizuna, now hosts a new streaming teaser trailer. The film is scheduled to open theatrically in Japan on August 2nd.

Source: Anime News Network

CMX revealed a number of new manga acquisitions at last weekend’s New York Comic Con:

• Astral Project, by Garon Tsuchiya & Syuji Takeya
• Classical Medley, by Sanae Kana
• Fire Investigator Nanase, by Izo Hashimoto & Tomoshige Ishikawa
• Jihai, by Toshimi Nigoshi
• Shinigami no Ballad, by Asuka Izumi (based on Keisuke Hasegawa’s original novels)
• Suihelibe!, by Naomi Azuma
• Venus Capriccio, by Mai Nishikata

Source: Anime News Network

At last weekend’s New York Comic Con, Tokyopop announced its acquisition of translation and distribution rights to the Maru-Ma fantasy novel series by author Tomo Takabayashi and illustrator Temari Matsumoto. The Maru-Ma novels are the source material for the popular Kyo Kara Maoh manga and anime series.

Source: Anime News Network