AnimeNation Anime News Blog

Japanese publisher Fujimi Shobo has formally confirmed rumors that surfaced last March that author Kimura Shinichi’s adventure comedy light novel series Kore wa Zombie Desu ka? (Is This a Zombie?) will be getting an anime adaptation. In a plot reminiscent of 3×3 Eyes, Kore wa Zombie Desu ka? is the story of Ayumu Aikawa, a high school boy who gets killed and is then resurrected as a zombie by a magic weilding young girl. Ayumu is then drafted into an ongoing magical war between assorted magic users and monsters.

Source: Anime News Network

TMS Entertainment has announced plans to stream its forthcoming anime series Susume! Gachimuchi 3 Kyodai (Charge! Pumping 3 Brothers). The comedy series of 3-minute episodes about the daily life of three muscle-bound brothers, Kevin, Kim, and Muganda, will premiere on YouTube, the NewType Magazine Anime Channel website, Kadokawa’s MovieGate, MovieSquare, and other online distributors on June 2.

Source: Anime News Network

Screen Daily reports that Toei is developing a 3D conversion of its smash hit 2000 live action film Battle Royale for a November 20 theatrical re-release. Kenta Fukasaku, son of the late Battle Royale film director Kinji Fukasaku and director of the (terrible) sequel Battle Royale II: Requiem, is personally supervising the 3D conversion.

Really?

International independent animation production studio Blender Foundation has released an official trailer for its work-in-progress short film Sintel. The 5-8 minute long short from the animators behind Elephants Dream and Big Buck Bunny will be in production for another two months.

Source: Twitch

Question:
Is there any U.S. anime company currently interested in re-releasing the Revolutionary Girl Utena series?

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Atlanime is celebrating its “Endless Eight” Anniversary Party on May 23 celebrating 8 years of fandom. Atlanime is an anime fanclub located in Atlanta, Georgia which has held meetings since 2002, and is an active participant in the anime community. They’re having their anniversary party at their meeting on May 23 at 3:00 PM at The Dragon’s Horde comics store in Stone Mountain, GA. They will have anime screenings, free snacks, and a DVD givaway. For more info, see their site at http://www.atlanime.net

FUNimation has announced its acquisition of five additional anime titles.

Chaos;HEAd is Madhouse’s 2008 TV series adaptation of Nitroplus & 5pb.’s mystery/horror PC game. The 12 episode series will premiere in America next year.

Chrome Shelled Regios (Koukaku no Regios) is a 24 episode fantasy action television series broadcast in Japan last year. The series revolves around a new transfer student to a military academy in a post-apocalyptic, desolate earth. The series will premiere domestically later this year.

Heaven’s Lost Property (Sora no Otoshimono) is last year’s romantic comedy fantasy from AIC ASTA, based on Suu Minazuki manga. The 14 episode story about a high school boy who becomes the owner/guardian of a literal fallen “angel” streamed on Crunchyroll last year. It will hit American DVD next year.

Rideback is Madhouse’s 2009 adaptation of Tetsuro Kasahara’s sci-fi manga. The 12 episode political action drama revolves around a college girl skilled at riding a “rideback” transforming motorcycle who becomes embroiled in an attempted take-over of the Japanese government. The series will premiere domestically next year.

The 2008 Rosario + Vampire TV series and its sequel Rosario + Vampire Capu2 adapt Akihisa Ikeda’s supernatural harem comedy about a human teen attending a school for monsters. The two 13 episode series will premiere in America next year.

FUNimation has also “license rescued” the 2005 GUNxSWORD television series formerly distributed in America by Geneon. The series will return to domestic DVD later this year.

I’m always glad to see more anime getting licensed for domestic release, but there’s nothing here that particularly excites me, personally. I know that all of these shows have their fans, but in my personal opinion Chaos;Head was awful, Rideback was disappointing unfulfilled potential, and RosaVam and GunSword are both mediocre. Regios and SoraOto are okay for the folks that like them.

Source: Anime News Network

Disney subsidiary Touchstone Pictures will theatrically release Studio Ghibli’s 2006 feature film Tales of Earthsea (Ged Senki) in America on August 13. Presumably the theatrical release will be the English dub produced in 2006 but not widely released. The Disney produced English dub features Timothy Dalton, Willem Dafoe, Cheech Marin and Mariska Hargitay. The film was delayed from US release because The Sci-Fi Channel owned all American film distribution rights to adaptations of Ursula K. Le Guin’s “Earthsea” novel franchise until last year.

Ged Senki, directed by Mayao Miyazaki’s son Goro Miyazaki, has widely received moderate reviews and was famously a cause of friction between the elder and younger Miyazaki. However, the film was Japan’s most successful domestic film in 2006, earning 7.65 billion yen.

Honestly, this film isn’t nearly as bad as so much of the public criticism would suggest. Even the weakest Ghibli films are still in the top teir of quality anime. This is a great looking, beautifully animated film that suffers with a poorly adapted screenplay that’s not especially compelling and inadequately explained.

Source: Cartoon Brew

Shinei Animation, the studio best known for animating Doraemon and Crayon Shin-chan, has launched its Shinei Puchi Ani Gekijo (Shinei Petit Anime Theater) series online with two original anime shorts on YouTube.

The first episode of Potakko Babies and the first two “Nanchatte!” political satire shorts, “Naisho Hanashi” and “Ningyo” are now streaming.

Source: Anime News Network

Kodansha International has announced its development of an original English language manga adaptation of Yamamoto Tsunetomo’s (1659-1719) written reflections on his life as a samurai and the philosophical ethic of “bushido.” Sean Michael Wilson scripted the Hagakure: The Code of the Samurai ~The Manga Edition~ based on the William Scott Wilson (no relation) translation of the original prose. London-based Japanese artist Chie Kutsuwada (Manga Shakespeare: As You Like It) illustrates. The 145-page manga will be released in January 2011 with a $14.95 cover price.

Source: Anime News Network

Final Destination franchise creator and Dragonball: Evolution director James Wong has signed on to write and direct a remake of Yasuo Inoue’s 2005 film Neighbour No. Thirteen (Rinjin 13-gou), which was based on Santa Inoue’s 1994 psychological horror manga. The original manga and feature film revolve around Juzo Murasaki, a young man who was bullied mercilessly as a schoolboy. Encountering his childhood nemesis as an adult causes Murasaki to develop a murderous second personality. Wong states of his remake plans, “I think we have found a very unique way to frame the story and bring a heroic twist to it that is fresh and surprising and will take audiences on a very thrilling journey.” Remake producer Distant Horizon says, “Our hope is that ‘The Neighbor Number 13′ will be a commercial success like ‘Final Destination’ was and also generate the same kind of franchise with James Wong at the helm.” The film will go into production later this year for a fall 2011 release.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Takashi Kubota will direct a live action feature film adaptation of Hiroshi Tanaka’s best selling “bosozoku” manga series Bad Boys. The original manga, serialized from 1988 to 1996, has sold 40 million copies of its 22 compiled volumes. The story about a teen boy from a wealthy family who rebels by joining a Hiroshima motorcycle gang will start shooting in Hiroshima next month for a 2011 premiere.

The manga was adapted into a five episode OVA series by Toei Animation, released from 1993 to 1998.

Source: Anime News Network

Beijing-based studio Vasoon Animation has released promotional reels for three films in production: Deity Hunters, Ksitigarbha, and Legend 333. The Legend 333 children’s adventure film is tentatively scheduled for release late next year. The other two films don’t have scheduled release dates yet. There’s little animation in the Deity Hunters promo to judge, but by the standards of Chinese animation, Ksitigarbha and Legend 333 look quite good.

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Japanese publisher Frontier Works has announced the development of a live action film loosely inspired by Hyouta Fujiyama’s yaoi manga series Junjou. Digital Manga Publishing distributes the manga in English under the title “Pure Love.” Frontier Works states that the film will be “somewhat different” from the original three volume manga series or its two drama CD adaptations. The original manga is a story about Tozaki, a writer who coincidentally meets the former classmate whom he had his first crush on, Kurata. After an evening of drinking together, the Tozaki admits that he used to be attracted to Kurata. Satoshi Kaneda will direct the film. Rakuto Tochihara (RH Plus, Kamen Rider Hibiki) will play Tozaki. Yuta Takahashi (Café Kichijouji de) will play Kurata.

Source: Anime News Network

Anime Central will host the world premiere of X Japan founder Yoshiki’s documentary film “YOSHIKI history through X JAPAN” on Saturday, May 15. Yoshiki will personally introduce the film via video chat.

This year’s 13th annual Anime Central convention occurs in Rosemont, Illinois this weekend.