Just a reminder: this is the adaptation of Eto Mori’s 1998 lighthearted fantasy novel about a spirit given a second chance at life by being placed in the body of a suicidal 14 year-old boy. Keiichi Hara (Kappa no Coo to Natsuyasumi) directs.
Nippon Animation, the studio best known for its long running World Masterpiece Theater series of anime television shows, is now developing an original “scientific animation” family-oriented anime TV series titled “Maho Tsukai Haley no Speed Story” (Magic User Haley’s Speed Story). The 26 episode show will provide viewers with “an enjoyable learning experience” while illustrating the story of Haley and Peter, two children from the magic world who travel to the human world on an experimental flying broom with the goal of researching what the fastest moving object in the human world is.
Source: Anime News Network
Anime Innovation Tokyo has announced plans to sponsor the production of director Ushio Tazawa’s 75 minute fantasy action anime film Ichirin-sha (Unicyclist). Tazawa served as character designer and animation director for director/creator Makoto Shinkai’s anime film The Place Promised in Our Early Days. Tazawa also worked as a key animator on productions including 5 Centimeters Per Second, Afro Samurai, and Mind Game. Animation studio Nomad (Chocotto Sister, Kampfer) will animate the movie.
Ichirin-sha is set on an alternate world in which sentient “missile mechanoids” threaten humankind. Shaleen, the world’s last motor unicycle rider, encounters a mysterious girl whose behavior and emotions seem to affect the missile mechanoids.
Source: Anime News Network
Japanese home entertainment producer/distributor King Records has announced that the Japanese DVD & BD release of the Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance motion picture will be an “Evangelion 2.22″ edition that includes an “Evangelion 2.02 You Can (Not) Advance” home video cut of the movie running 3 minutes & 49 seconds longer than the theatrical cut, bonus deleted scenes, an alternate version of the “I Would Give You Anything” scene, trailers and commercials, and other supplemental features. The movie will hit Japanese home video on May 26.
Which scene was the “I Would Give You Anything” scene?
Source: Anime News Network
Anime Innovation Tokyo, the sponsorship committee managed by the THINK Corporation and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, has announced the development of its first anime TV series. Anime Innovation Tokyo, which has previously sponsored the production of independent OVAs including Cencoroll and Tailenders, is now backing studio Trick Block’s development of a 52 episode mecha anime TV series called “Kihei Senki Legacies” (Machine Warrior Chronicle: Legacies) The futuristic series about a teen boy charged with piloting a mysterious robot to defend his town from bandits is created by writer Shin Kibayashi, creator of GetBackers & Kindaichi’s Case Files, and features mecha design from Kunio Okawara (Gundam, Votoms), character design by Daisuke Nakayama (Tweeny Witches), and music from composer “ReTurnTable.” The series will be directed by “UGAT.”
Not to dismiss Okawara’s mecha design skills, but doesn’t this robot look like a Patlabor with a Gundam head? Regardless, this may be more interesting than it sounds because unlike TV Tokyo and Aniplex’s “Anime no Chikara” initiative that hasn’t yet fulfilled its promise, Anime Innovation Tokyo has consistently sponsored unusual and intriguing original anime productions.
Source: Anime News Network
ICv2 has published a new, lengthy interview with Tokyopop CEO and CCO Stuart Levy on topics including Levy’s view of the current and future domestic manga/anime market and Tokyopop’s 2010 initiatives.
The homepage for the upcoming Densetsu no Yusha no Densetsu (Legend of the Legendary Hero) television series has added a streaming trailer. The anime is based on Takaya Kagami’s bestselling series of sword & sorcery comedy novels. The animation is being produced by Zexcs (Rental Magica, Chu-Bra).
Source: Moon Phase
The homepage for the upcoming Sarai-ya Goyou anime television series has added a new streaming trailer. The adaptation of Natsume Ono’s samurai era drama manga will premiere on April 15th.
I try not to presume that every “artistic” looking anime is automatically going to be marvelous, but this one really does look like it’ll be something special.
Source: Moon Phase
An official website has launched for creator/director Junichi Sato’s original iyashikei (“calming”) anime OVA Tamayura, providing a first look at the anime’s characters and art design. Sato’s previous directing credits include the Aria, Sea Story, Kaleidostar, and Princess Tutu television anime series.
Source: Moon Phase
Production I.G will be following up its Bungaku Shoujo (Literature Girl) anime feature film with a 3 episode OVA series. The feature film adaptation of Mizuki Nomura’s light novel series about a supernatural high school girl who subsides on stories by literally eating the pages the stories are written on will hit Japanese theaters on May 1st. Three half-hour OVAs, each focusing on a single character, will follow.
The Bungaku Shoujo Memoir I -Yume-Miru Shoujo no Prelude- OVA will star titular “bungaku shoujo” Toko Amano. It will go on sale June 25th.
Bungaku Shoujo Memoir II -Sora-Mau Tenshi no Requiem- will star Miu Asakura, the childhood friend of the male protagonist, Konoha Inoue. It will go on sale October 29th.
Bungaku Shoujo Memoir III -Koi Suru Otome no Rhapsody- will star Konoha’s classmate and school literature club librarian Nanase Kotobuki. It will go on sale December 24th.
Source: Anime News Network
An official website has launched announcing the development of an anime adaptation of Hiromi Morishita’s award winning slice-of-life comedy manga series Osaka Hamlet. The lighthearted drama about the lives of Osaka, Japan residents was adapted into a live action feature film in 2008. The anime will premiere this summer, although its format (TV, OVA, movie) has not been revealed.
Source: Anime News Network
Artist Masahiro Anbe has revealed, via an original illustration, that his comedy manga Shinryaku! Ika Musume (Invasion! Squid Girl) will be getting an anime adaptation. The currently ongoing manga revolves around a squid girl who vows to punish humankind for polluting the seas; however, she has no idea how many humans actually exist and has no conception of modern human weapons and technology, so she ends up working at a beachside restaurant.
Source: Anime News Network
An official website has launched to announce the development of an anime feature film based on Takafumi Takada’s 2004 two-volume novel. Studio Pierrot (Naruto, Fushigi Yuugi) will animate the historical fantasy about a war between humans and oni (demons) in the (at the time) Japanese capital city of Kyoto during the Heian era. The movie will premiere on October 9th.
Source: Anime News Network
