AnimeNation Anime News Blog

Comic High! magazine has announced that Yumi Nakata’s “middle school girls x underwear = slightly H girls comedy” (as publisher Futabasha describes it) manga series Chu-Bra!! will be getting an anime adaptation. The series’ story revolves around Nayu Hayama, a middle school girl with an affection for sexy underwear who joins an “underwear” club at her school to tout the benefits of sexy undies to schoolgirls worried about how their undergarment choices will affect their body development.

Comic High! magazine is also home to Kodomo no Jikan, Potemayo, and Umi Monogatari – manga series that have already been adapted into anime.

Before we start sharpening stakes and mixing molotov cocktails, take a step back, pause for a moment, and remember that the primary function of anime is entertainment.

Source: Anime News Network

The official website for the American/Japanese co-produced commemorative anime film Baton now hosts a new, second trailer. The 50 minute long sci-fi adventure movie will continue screening at the Yokohama Theater Future until September 27 as part of the Yokohama 150th anniversary celebration.

The Baton anime film was directed by Ryuhei Kitamura (Versus, Azumi) and produced by Shunji Iwai (Swallowtail, All About Lily Chou-Chou). The animation was produced by America’s Studio Titmouse under animation director Mark Brooks.

Source: Affenheimtheater

Viz Pictures has announced its acquisition of distribution rights to 2008 live action adventure movie K-20: Legend of the Mask. Shimako Sato’s film, starring internationally acclaimed actor Takeshi Kaneshiro, is an exciting, effects filled mistaken-identity action film adaptation of Soh Kitamura’s novel The Story of Nijumenso, itself inspired by author Edogawa Rampo’s “Boy Detectives” novel series from the 1930s – the same work that inspired last year’s Nijumenso no Musume anime series.

Viz screened the film, under its American title K-20: The Fiend with Twenty Faces, at the New York Asian Film Festival on the 20th. The film will receive a second screening on the 30th. Viz Media will distribute the film on domestic DVD next year.

While the Blood: The Last Vampire live action film premiered in Japanese theatrical release last month, it won’t hit American theaters until July 10. Ain’t It Cool News now hosts two advance, relatively spoiler-free reviews: a lengthy positive one and a brief, not so favorable one.

This past Saturday Renan and Geraldo, who cosplayed as Brooke and Franky from One Piece, were officially selected to be Brazil’s competitor’s in the 2009 World Cosplay Summit competition. Alessandra Fernandes and Petra Leão, costumed as characters from Akira, came in second place.

Article provided by Papo de Budega

Question:
What would you consider to be the best example of bondage anime to feature shibari?

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The Toyama prefecture in central Japan has launched its Toyama Tourism Anime Project website to promote domestic and international tourism. The site features three short original anime videos created by animators based in the prefecture.

The “Nakaseru Sora ni Aitai: Tateyama no Koibito-hen” video includes original anime footage from studio P.A Works (true tears).

The “Nakaseru Sora ni Aitai: Love Mountain Tateyama-hen” video features animation from TheBERICH.

A third video includes additional animation from P.A Works and features the original song “Toki no Shizuku” sung by Toyama resident sophie+.

Source: Anime News Network

Anime News Network now hosts an exclusive interview with Yoshiyuki Tomino, the creator of anime including Mobile Suit Gundam, Space Runaway Ideon, Aura Battler Dunbine, and Blue Gale Xabungle.

Tomino will attend the New York Anime Festival on September 25-27 as a guest.

The September 10 Japanese release of Ajiko Kojima’s romance manga Tonari no 801-chan will include a 90 second “Tonari no 801-chan R” anime short on DVD. The “opening anime” will be produced by A-1 Pictures (Kannagi, Ookiku Furikabutte) and directed by Yutaka Yamamoto (Lucky Star, Kannagi). Suzumiya Haruhi & Lucky Star animation director Satoshi Kadowaki will provide character design. The vocalist for the anime opening’s theme song will be chosen through public auditions held on the Japanese video streaming site Nico Nico Douga.

Development of a full length Tonari no 801-chan anime project was announced in July 2008 but was canceled a month later.

Source: Anime News Network

Question:
Will America’s current ennui for CG animation – or at least the talking animals/objects – help to cultivate more sophisticated tastes in animation, and possibly save anime in the process? Or will this just hurt the animation industry in general? Ratatouille was less profitable than The Simpsons movie. Bolt lost to Twilight. Pixar’s Up got upstaged by The Hangover. Yet A Scanner Darkly did better than the director’s previous rotoscoped work, Waking Life. Persepolis had enough buzz to be nominated for an Oscar. Are these recent trends simply flukes? Or does this mean that some day the next Sword of the Stranger, Girl Who Leapt Through Time,or Appleseed can become a hit?

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The 12th and final episode of the Queen’s Blade ~Ruro no Senshi~ television series, which aired in Japan yesterday, includes an announcement that the sequel series Queen’s Blade ~Gyokuza no Tsugumono~ (literally “Queen’s Blade: Inheritor of the Throne” but Romanized as “Queen’s Blade and the Evil Eye”) is now in development.

The June 18th news update on the Sengoku Basara anime series homepage confirms that a second anime series will debut next year.

Really, neither of these is particularly surprising. After all, Ikkitousen got three series, and Sengoku Basara has been unusually popular and of respectable quality for a video game adaptation.

Source: Anime News Network Article one, Article two

The official Higashi no Eden homepage has announced that the theatrical feature first announced last February will actually be two movies. Higashi no Eden Gekijouban I: The King of Eden will open on November 28. Higashi no Eden Gekijouban II: Paradise Lost will open in January 2010. It’s still unclear if the movies will be a condensed version of the TV series, and alternate adaptation of the TV series, or a prequel or sequel.

Source: Moon Phase Diary

The official Spice and Wolf homepage has added a new 30 second promotional video, this one featuring voice actors Jun Fukuyama & Ami Koshimizu with their beloved Lawrence & Holo hand puppets, and a few seconds of new animation footage. The new TV series premieres on July 8.

Source: Moon Phase

Question:
In a lot of mecha anime, there’s an apparent trend in the antagonists having young women fighting for their side in a way that is utterly exploiting them (e.g. various Gundam series, Overman King Gainer, Eureka Seven). What kind of message or implication is made with these characters? Are these characters created out of some underlying theme of gender roles or sexism?

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The homepage for the AIKa ZERO OVA series has added a 30 second commercial (with only a few exposed panties). The first OVA will get a promotional TV broadcast on the AT-X premium network on July 5 prior to its August 25 DVD release.

The homepage for the upcoming Bakemonogatari television anime has added a second trailer. The series will premiere on July 3.

The homepage for the CANAAN television series, based on Sega & Chunsoft’s Wii game 428 ~Fuusa Sareta Shibuya de~, now hosts a downloadable 17 second TV spot. The show will premiere on July 4.

The official homepage for the Tales of Vesperia ~The First Strike~ motion picture now features a streaming trailer. The movie will hit Japanese theaters on October 3.

Source: Anime News Network article one, article two