The homepage for the upcoming two episode Aki Sora OVA series reports that popular Japanese video hosting website Nico Nico Douga has rejected an offer to officially stream the upcoming anime, citing the OVA’s objectionable imagery.
Source: Moon Phase Diary
To refresh your memory or introduce you to an interesting opening animation sequence, I submit to you the cute opening of the 1995 domestic comedy Mama wa Poyopoyosaurus ga Osuki television series. NOW performs the opening theme song “Beeper Love (Saurus Version).”
Question:
Who is John’s favorite Anime Director and why? I personally think Kazuhiro Furuhashi is the best of his generation. From Rurouni Kenshin (TV and OVA), Hunter x Hunter to Le Chevalier D’Eon and Real Drive, Amatsuki to his latest, Gundam Unicorn. He continues to make compelling works and most of all, his realistic characters and situations. I think he is the best director for adding emotion to a scene which is vital in any great story or film. One of the many things he makes use of is his trademark use of first person point of view and choice of music that reflects mood in certain scenes which makes his work so effective.
Shinichiro Watanabe is probably a close second but I feel he hasn’t created enough work yet [which] sometimes makes Cowboy Bebop seem like a one hit wonder even though Samurai Champloo was great too.
Adult PC game developer Ricotta has formally announced that Vandread & Spice and Wolf character designer Kazuya Kuroda will provide the character designs for a 2 episode explicit erotic OVA adaptation of the 2008 PC game Princess Lover. The game was adapted into a (surprisingly good) mainstream anime television series last year by studio GoHands. The new OVA series will be distributed by new adult anime distribution label L. (El). According to Japanese speculation, Hoods Entertainment (Aki Sora OVA, Seikon no Qwaser) will provide the actual animation. The first OVA will be released on September 24. The second episode will follow on October 29.
The confirmation image below is heavily censored because most of it is too explicit for an all-ages website.
Source: Moon Phase
A Japanese distributor solicitation has revealed the production of an anime adaptation of Gakuto Mikumo’s supernatural drama light novel series Dantalian no Shoka ~ Bibliotheca Mystica de Dantalian. The novel series stars Huey, a young man who inherits his grandfather’s estate, which includes a vast library. Huey discovers a mysterious girl in the library, a girl who controls access to the Bibliotheca Mystica de Dantalian books of forbidden demonic knowledge.
Author Gakuto Mikumo may be better known to Americans as the creator of the Asura Cryin’ light novel series that was adapted into an anime television series last year. Mikumo’s Dantalian no Shoka series premiered in 2008 and currently has five novels.
Source: Anime News Network
Reportedly first edition copies of the seventh collected volume of Ditama Bow’s Kiss x Sis manga series will include an exclusive OAD episode. The exclusive anime will be the fifth Kiss x Sis OAD. The first episode released was “Episode 0.” The series’ fourth episode hits shelves tomorrow with copies of manga volume six. The seventh volume of Kiss x Sis manga goes on sale in Japan on November 22. The anime TV series adaptation of the risqué romantic comedy is airing on Japanese television now.
Source: Anime News Network
To refresh your memory or introduce you to an interesting opening animation sequence, I submit to you the cute & catchy opening of the first Mahoujin Guru Guru television series from 1994. (The second opening and the endings are included too.) TOo’S performs the opening theme song “Magic of Love.”
Question:
Have shojo and shojo archetypes been co-opted by Hollywood? While high school/adolescent angst shows and movies are nothing new in either the U.S. or Japan, I’ve noticed an emphasis on more productions with assertive female characters in recent years, such as Hannah Montana, Juno, and Twilight. There even seems to be a Kite/Gunslinger Girl-esque production in the works called Hanna. And even Hit-Girl from Kick-Ass seems like she’s modeled after the typical magical girl, but with guns instead of a wand. Plus there’s The Spirited Away-esque Coraline, which even Neil Gaiman had to slightly concede had similar themes.
So is this recent surge of “girl power”-themed entertainment an attempt to copy and “Westernize” the formulas and ideas common in shojo in order to “steal” potential female consumers who might have otherwise purchased shojo products instead? And if so, why is it so hard for anime and manga companies to reclaim these demographics through the newer viewers of those alternate programs? For example, Viz should’ve jumped on the Twilight bandwagon to openly advertise Vampire Knight in theaters where the films were playing. And since Naruto already makes money for Viz, why not try convincing Disney to let them broadcast Full Moon instead? In addition, wouldn’t trying to get Haruhi on Syfy and spinning it as a Japanese Veronica Mars have been more beneficial to Bandai than betting on Gurren Lagaan? I feel there have been some lost promotional opportunities for R1 companies lately, and that if they don’t expand to non-anime/manga buyers with similar tastes, they’ll lose their turf to these wannabes. FUNi’s management evidently feels something similar if it’s actively engaging in co-productions.
Crunchyroll has secured limited rights to stream the Bleach anime television series. New weekly Japanese episodes will appear on Crunchyroll beginning with next Tuesday’s episode 274. Crunchyroll subscribers located in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America, the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa will have access to new weekly episodes one hour after Japanese broadcast. Episodes will be available for free one week later. Episodes 266 to 273 with subtitles provided by Viz Media will premiere on Crunchyroll next Tuesday also. Information about the availability of earlier episodes, “will be provided at a later date.”
Warner Bros. Animation has contracted Japanese animation studio 4°C to produce a new ThunderCats animated series for broadcast on the Cartoon Network. Cartoon Network Executive Vice President of Creative Affairs Sam Register calls the production, “Warner Bros. Animation’s first anime series.” The original 1985 ThunderCats sci-fi/fantasy/adventure cartoon was produced by Rankin/Bass Productions and animated by PAC (Pacific Animation Corporation), the Japanese studio that also animated the 1985 Life and Adventures of Santa Claus TV special, 1987′s The Comic Strip, Karate Kat, The Mini-Monsters, The Street Frogs, and Tigersharks, and the 1996 second Johnny Quest animated series. Studio 4°C has previously produced American comissioned anime including segments of The Animatrix, Batman: Gotham Knight, Halo Legends, and Transformers Animated.
Hopefully this is something worth getting excited about, but generally speaking 4°C’s esoteric and internally developed work is typically much better than their conventional and comissioned stuff.
Source: Wizard World
To refresh your memory or introduce you to an interesting opening animation sequence, I submit to you the nicely animated opening from 1999′s Tenshi ni Narumon television series. The catchy opening theme “Datte, Daisuki!” is preformed by COMA.
Crunchyroll has begun its subtitled simulcast of the current “Spellbound! Magical Princess Lil’ Pri” (Hime Chen! Otogi Chikku Idol Lilpri) television anime series. New weekly episodes starting with episode 9, along with episodes 1-3, will be available to subscribers in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa one hour after Japanese broadcast. Episodes will be accessible for free to all viewers one week after Japanese broadcast.
Honestly, I can’t envision this series developing much of a following outside of Japan, but I am glad to see shows like this, which expand the scope of anime available for foreigners, officially distributed in America.
An English friendly teaser for writer Katsuhito Ishii and director Takeshi Koike’s sci-fi racing anime film Redline (not to be confused with the similar upcoming production Tailenders) has premiered online. The Madhouse produced movie has been in development since at least 2006. The completed film has had two international screenings so far, at the 2009 Locarno Film Festival in Switzerl and the 2009 Sci-Fi London Manga All Nighter.
There’s some stunningly fluid animation on display in this trailer. Can’t wait to watch this flick.
Source: Catsuka
A new 3:26 trailer for the upcoming Densetsu no Yusha no Densetsu ~ The Legend of the Legendary Heroes~ television series has appeared on YouTube.
Source: Moon Phase
The Japanese city of Kobe is now promoting the original “Kobe to Watashi ~ Kobe & I” anime short created by independent animator Junichi Yamamoto. The short encouraging tourism to Kobe is being streamed with English subtitles on YouTube and hosted on the city’s homepage. It will also be screened on the Space Theater Harborvision screen in the Harborland shopping district and at Japan’s pavilion at the Expo 2010 Shanghai China event.
Junichi Yamamoto wrote, animated, and directed the short himself. Veteran voice actor Akira Kamiya (Kenshiro, Mendo Shutaro, Ryo Saeba) has a cameo appearance as the co-pilot.
Source: Anime News Network
