Japanese publisher Gentosha has announced that Himaruya Hidekazu’s bishonen comedy manga series Hetalia Axis Powers will be adapted into an anime television series.
Source: Moon Phase Diary
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of creator Koge Donbo*’s mascot character Di Gi Charat, yesterday the Japanese Nico Nico Douga video hosting site launched the “Nyoko Nyoko Douga” channel devoted to Di Gi Charat video. (Access to video on the Nico Nico Douga website is free but requires registration.) The channel hosts episodes of the Panyo Panyo Di Gi Charat television series and Pyoko ni Omakase Pyo! (Leave it to Piyoko) OVA series along with brand new Flash animation enhanced versions of Koge Donbo*’s Di Gi Charat gag manga series “Nima Nima,” originally published within the free in-store From Gamers magazine distributed at Gamers retail stores in Japan. The first episode of the new Nima Nima Flash anime is available now.
Di Gi Charat creator Koge Donbo formally changed her pen name to “Koge Donbo*” (with an asterisk on the end) in April 2008.
Any web search should turn up guides on how to register for access to the Nico Nico Douga website. Remember that the “Comment” button beneath videos switches the scrolling user comments off.
Source: Anime News Network
Intermixi Japan Tours has announced its 2008 “Tokyo Game Show Tour.” The guided tour package includes admission to the Ghibli Museum, a visit to Manga University, unlimited games night at the Sega Joypolis entertainment center, and, of course, admission to the Tokyo Game Show trade convention. This particular tour also includes the option to extend the length of the Tokyo visit, which includes admission to a concert performance by critically acclaimed J-rock band Maximum The Hormone.
Question:
I am investgating why Geneon has been shut down and it might has to do with their recent partenership with Denstu. Why do U.S anime manufacters make partenership with the oringnal Japanese companies?
iF Magazine reports that Twentieth Century Fox has acquired the rights to produce an original American live action Cowboy Bebop motion picture based on the popular 1998 anime television series. The project is currently in development by producer Erwin Stoff, managing agent for actor Keanu Reeves and producer on films including Constantine, The Matrix, A Scanner Darkly, and Street Kings.
Stoff executive produced I Am Legend last year, so not everything he does has connections to Keanu Reeves. Please keep Mr. Reeves out of an American Cowboy Bebop picture. Reeves is perfectly fine in particular roles, but while he may physically resemble Spike Spiegel, nothing in his acting resumé suggests that he can effectively convey Spike Spiegel’s distinctive personality.
Debut weekend results are in for Hayao Miyazaki’s latest picture, Gake no Ue no Ponyo (Ponyo on a Cliff). The film rivals the opening weekend of Miyazaki’s 2001 film Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (Spirited Away), having taken in 96.6% of the gross that Spirited Away earned in its first weekend of release (on its way to becoming Japan’s highest grossing film ever). Ponyo also attracted 1.4% more viewers in its initial weekend than Spirited Away did. Surprisingly, children accounted for less than 20% of Ponyo’s opening weekend viewers. Women made up an estimated 66% of the audience. 32% of viewers were in their 20s, while 30.7% were in their 30s.
The 11th Pokemon movie, “Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl: Giratina to Sora no Hanataba Shaymin,” opened in second place in the Japanese box office last weekend.
Source: Tokyograph & Anime News Network
Animation World Magazine now hosts a lengthy interview with animator Peter Chung. Anime fans may take special note that within the interview Chung reveals that he’s presently working on adaptations of Shotaro Ishinomori’s Cyborg 009 and Hideyuki Kikuchi’s Yoju Toshi (“Wicked City”). Last year Chung drew the storyboards for the currently in production Chinese/American co-produced CG Astro Boy movie.
FUNimation has formally announced its acquisition of distribution rights to the 16 episode Baccano! anime television series. The supernatural crime adventure drama aired 13 episodes on Japanese TV last year, then added 3 additional episodes for the Japanese DVD release. The official American Baccano! website now streams the first episode for viewers that enter the name of the series’ featured train (Flying Pussyfoot) at the password prompt.
Source: Anime News Network
FUNimation has begun distribution of the 2006 Jyu-Oh-Sei sci-fi action television series online. Permanent downloads retail at $1.99 per epsiode or $16.99 for the entire 11 episode series in subtitled format. FUNimation announced its acquisition of distribution rights to the series in July 2007 but has yet to schedule a DVD release.
Access to the episodes seems to be limited to consumers in the Unites States using Windows XP or Vista operating systems.
Source: Anime News Network
The official Japanese homepage for the Kara no Kyoukai movie series has added a streaming trailer for the upcoming fifth of seven planned films. The trailer is avaialable for 500kbs and 1mb streaming speeds.
Source: Moon Phase
The Sports Hochi newspaper reports that the Café Kichijouji de audio drama CD series will be adapted into a live action television series staring Emiri Nakayama as café owner Mina, a new character created for the TV series, and actors Momosuke Mizutani, Jun Ikeda, Manpei Takagi, Akihiro Mayama, and Satoshi Jinbo. The series will premier on September 29th.
The early volumes of the Café Kichijouji de drama CD series were adapted into a three volume manga series by writer Yuki Miyamoto and artist Kyoko Negishi.
Source: Tokyograph
Question:
What’s up with all of the glompage in anime? I mean most of the anime I watch has several glomp scenes in amost every episode. What’s up with that?
The official website for the first Major motion picture, Major: Yujo no Winning Shot, now hosts a streaming trailer. The film opens in Japanese theaters on December 13th.
The official Japanese homepage for the Doraemon feature films now hosts a streaming trailer for the franchise’s 29th film, “Eiga Doraemon: Shin Nobita no Uchu Kaitakushi” (Doraemon Movie: New Version Nobita’s How Space Was Won), which is scheduled for Japanese release next spring. The film is a remake of the second Doraemon motion picture from 1981.
The official Japanese homepage for the Gurren Lagann motion pictures now hosts a streaming trailer for the first of the two planned movies, “Gekijoban Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann: Guren-hen” (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann the Movie: Crimson Chapter). The trailer is DRM encoded for compatibility with Windows Media Player version 7.1 or higher only. The movie is scheduled to premier on September 6th.
Source: Anime News Network
The official Japanese homepage for the Xamd: Lost Memories anime series now hosts a new 61 second long bilingual Japanese/English trailer. The trailer is DRM encoded for compatibility with Windows Media Player version 10 and above. The trailer contains extensive previously unseen footage.
Source: Moon Phase
