AnimeNation Anime News Blog

Deadline reports that Warner Bros. is planning a feature film adaptation of Hiroshi Sakurazaka sci-fi action novel All You Need is Kill. Warner has acquired a script from screenwriter Dante Harper, the screenwriter of the planned film adaptation of Charles Burns’ graphic novel Black Hole. Viz Media’s Jason Hoffs will produce along with 3 Arts’ Erwin Stoff and Tom Lassally. Viz Media President and CEO Hidemi Fukuhara will executive produce. The film will tentatively start filming within 12 months.

Viz Media publishes the English translation of the futuristic war story the stars a soldier who slowly comes to the realization that he dies in battle then reincarnates to fight again the next day. On his 158th resurrection, the soldier is contacted by a mysterious female soldier who may hold the key to breaking the cycle.

Source: Anime Vice

IESB reports that Sylvain White, director of the upcoming action movie The Losers, has confirmed that Warner Bros. has inquired about his interest in directing a live action Robotech movie. White admitted to being a fan of the series and said, “I’m interested in doing it.” However, the film is not currently “fast tracked” for production.

Article provided by Daniel Zelter

Question:
Why do so many anime fans hate Strike Witches?

(more…)

Crunchyroll has announced plans to simulcast this month’s new Uragiri wa Boku no Namae o Shitteiru (Betrayal Knows My Name) anime television series. The series’ first episode will become available to Crunchyroll subscribers on the 11th, the same day it airs in Japan. Episodes will be available for free to all viewers one week later. The 24 episode fantasy adventure series adapts Hotaru Odagiri’s popular boys-love manga that’s been ongoing since 2005.

Coming Attactions has learned from World Event Productions (WEP) that both the Voltron live action movie script written by Justin Marks and the rewrite composed by Jeff Davis have been rejected. Tentative film director Max Makowski will no longer helm the project. No actors have been signed to appear in the film. While WEP is still working with Atlas Entertainment to develop the film project, obviously, with no script, no director, and no stars, it’s once again nowhere near active production.

The new American Voltron animated series, tentatively titled “Voltron Force,” is still in active development.

Source: Anime News Network

Shoujo and science-fiction artist Shio Sato passed away in a Tokyo hospital on April 4 at 9:51 p.m. due to brain cancer. She was 59. Sato made her professional artist debut in 1977. She’s best known for her sci-fi manga serials One Zero and Yume-miru Wakusei. Sato’s sci-fi short manga story “Changeling” was published in Viz Media’s Four Shojo Stories manga anthology in 1996.

Source: Anime News Network

Actor Jang Geun Suk (Itaewon Murder Case, One Missed Call Final) will star in a Korean live action film adaptation of Yayoi Ogawa’s romantic comedy manga series Kimi wa Pet (known in America as “Tramps Like Us”). Geun Suk will play a homeless young man who agrees to become a jilted woman’s human pet. The movie will tentatively premiere later this year. The 2000 manga series was adapted into a Japanese live action television drama in 2003.

Source: Anime News Network

FUNimation has formally announced its acquisition of distribution rights to the Chobits and Spice and Wolf II anime television series, and the three Eden of The East anime feature films.

The 2002 Chobits television series was previously released on American DVD by Geneon. FUNimation has acquired series home entertainment, broadcast, digital and merchandise rights. The show will hit American DVD and BD next year.

FUNimation presently distributes the first Spice and Wolf television series domestically.

FUNimation is also the domestic licensor of the Eden of the East television series. The movie franchise consists of “Air Communication,” a condensed summary of the TV series, and Movie I: The King of Eden and Movie II: Paradise Lost – both continuations of the TV series story. FUNimation has also confirmed that the domestic DVD release of the Eden of the East TV series will include its original Japanese opening theme song, “Falling Down,” performed by British rock band Oasis, and a new “International version” opening theme.

Source: Anime News Network

The homepage for this summer’s Nurarihyon no Mago anime television series has added the short trailer initially revealed at the recent Tokyo International Anime Fair. The adaptation of Hiroshi Shiibashi’s supernatural shounen adventure manga series will premiere in July.

Source: Moon Phase

A new Japanese TV commerical for COMPTIQ magazine reveals that an anime adaptation of the Fortune Arterial (site contains adult imagery) adult PC game is in development. The harem romance game set a remote school in which one of the students is a vampire was first released by developer August in January 2008. It’s spun off six novels, five drama CDs, three manga serials, an anthology manga, and a nine volume 4-koma manga series.

Source: Anime News Network

Sho-Comi magazine has announced that the the ninth collected volume of Kanan Minami’s shoujo romance manga Kyo, Koi wo Hajimemasu (Today Love Begins) will be released in a limited edition including an original anime DVD. Shigeyasu Yamauchi (Hana Yori Dango, Casshern Sins) will direct with J.C. Staff (Nodame Cantabile, Honey and Clover) animating. The love/hate relationship story about high school classmates Tsubaki Hibino and Kyota Tsubaki has been ongoing since 2008. The series’ ninth volume will be released this summer.

Source: Anime News Network

Bandai has revealed, via a retailer solicitation for new Digimon cel phone straps, that a new Digimon anime series is in development at Toei Animation. The most recent Digimon anime series was Digimon Savers, which concluded in 2007. The cel phone straps will go on sale in July, suggesting that the new Digimon anime series may be ready for premiere during the summer TV anime season that begins in July.

Source: Anime News Network

Japanese fan site Rakugakidou has noticed that the AT-X satellite TV network broadcast of the first episode of Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou includes graphic nudity covered up in the broadcast of the same episode on other Japanese networks. Non work safe example below:

(more…)

Question:
Do you know the origin and history of the expression often used by one or more romantic rivals: “I won’t be beaten”?

(more…)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s “Welcome to Tokyo” tourism promotion website has launched. The site features a map of Tokyo tourist spots, a quiz game about Tokyo sightseeing spots, and an original short anime titled “Honey Tokyo.” The streaming anime short film is viewable in high and standard quality in Japanese language with subtitles in English, Chinese, Korean, German, Italian, Spanish, and French.

Yasuhiro Aoki, director of the “Kung-Fu Love” segment of Studio 4°C’s Amazing Nuts! music video collection and select episode director on 4°C’s Tweeny Witches and Kimagure Robot anime series, drafted the Honey Tokyo character designs, drew the film’s storyboards, and directed the short at Studio 4°C. Reportedly the short was produced at a cost of around 50 million yen ($550,000 USD) funded by the Japanese government.

This anime short is really neat, and really exceptionally well animated!

Source: Anime News Network