Japanese video streaming site Nico Nico Douga has revealed the development of a Strike Witches motion picture. Original Strike Witches illustrator Humikane Shimada has confirmed the announcement on Twitter.
Source: Anime News Network
The new December issue of Monthly Comic Blade magazine has formally revealed the development of a TV anime series based on Ryo Azuchi’s tennis comedy manga Sofuteni (“Soft Tennis”). The ongoing manga about a female middle school tennis team premiered in 2009.
Source: Anime News Network
The first teaser trailer for the upcoming Dream C Club music video collection Dream C Club Pure Songs Clips has surfaced on YouTube. The two volume DVD & CD series based on the popular Dream C Club dating simulation Xbox 360 game will hit stores on November 24.
Source: Anime News Network
Independent anime studio Primastea has revealed its third Isshoni Training OVA, Isshoni Training 026: Bathtime with Hinako & Hiyoko (“026″ is pronounced “Ofuro,” meaning “bath”). The third episode of the cult hit anime exercise video series will illustrate stretching and exercises for in and after a bath. The OVA will hit Japanese stores on December 24.
Source: Anime News Network
A monthly anime television series titled Crayon Shin-chan: Shin-Men will premiere with an hour long episode on November 26. The spin-off series is set in the “Shin Jigen” (“Shin Dimension”) and stars the five man Shin-men team made up of five heroes with the powers of fire, water, wind, greenery, and iron. They fight against the evil pig team Ton-Men. The new series is part of the Crayon Shin-chan 20th Anniversary Project. A Shin-Men manga series from UY Studio, the studio of the late Crayon Shin-chan creator Yoshito Usui, will also premiere in Monthly Manga Town magazine next month.
Source: Anime News Network
Anime studio Shaft has formally introduced its new original production, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica (Magical Girl Madoka Magica). Shaft veteran Akiyuki Shinbo (Bakemonogatari, Hidamari Sketch) will direct. Hidamari Sketch creator Ume Aoki will provide the original character designs which Takahiro Kishida (Durarara, Noein) will adapt for animation. Phantom & Blassreiter TV series screenwriter Gen Urobuchi will compose the screenplay. Composer Yuki Kajiura (Noir, Kara no Kyoukai) will score the series.
This creates the feeling that Shaft is now turning into a new KyoAni, a studio whose every new production is a source of eager anticipation and tremendous speculation.
Source: Anime News Network
Adult PC game developer Frontwing has revealed plans for an anime based on its upcoming bishoujo harem game Grisaia no Kajitsu ~ Le Fruit de La Grisaia. The game, which is scheduled for release on January 28, is set in a school attended by only five girls and one boy.
The promotional video below is for the PC game.
Source: Anime News Network
In its latest public presentation of its first half of the current fiscal year earnings, Toei Animation revealed that its Precure All-Stars DX3: Deliver the Future! The Rainbow-Colored Flower That Connects the World (Eiga Precure All-Stars DX3 Mirai ni Todoke! Sekai o Tsunagu Niji-Iro no Hana) motion picture will open on March 19, 2011. Like the previous two Precure All-Stars movies, the third film will feature the heroines of all 7 Pretty Cure television series.
Hopefully the third All-Stars film, especially now that it will include Cure Sunshine & Cure Moonlight, will be more like the awesome first movie than the somewhat weak second film.
Source: Anime News Network
Udon Entertainment will release the first ever English translation of Mami Itou’s (Pilgrim Jäger) 2-volume Street Fighter Gaiden manga series beginning November 24. The spin-off series is an anthology of short stories featuring the Street Fighter II characters outside of the Street Fighter tournament.
61 year old Fairy Princess Minky Momo creator Takeshi Shudo suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage in his head and collapsed in the Nara railway station’s smoking section yesterday. He was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery where he passed away. Shudo’s work in anime included creating the Tokusou Kihei Dorvack TV series and writing screenplays and scripts for titles including Pocket Monster, Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Cosmos Pink Shock, Sasuga no Sarutobi, and Uchu Senshi Baldios.
Source: Anime News Network
Anime production studio Fanworks has “tweeted” that Nippon Animation president Koichi Motohashi recently passed away at the age of 80. Motohashi executive produced numerous anime titles including Chibi Maruko-chan, Peter Pan no Bouken, the Locke the Superman movie, Tonde Buurin, and Araiguma Rascal (as seen in the attached photo).
Source: Anime News Network
The Sankei Sports newspaper reports that three scripts from legendary filmmaker Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998) have recently been rediscovered. All three date from the director’s early career, before he achieved international fame.
The movie script Kanokemaru no Hitobito was discovered at the Shinobu Hashimoto Memorial Hall in Ichikawa, Hyogo, Japan. The script was written by screenwriter and Kurosawa collaborator Shinobu Hashimoto based on an original idea by Kurosawa. The script was planned for a 1951 adaptation starring Toshiro Mifune, but the movie was never shot.
The script for Toho’s collaboratively directed 1946 film Asu wo Tsukuru Hitobito has been rediscovered. Since the film had multiple directors, Kurosawa refused to accept credit for the script during his lifetime.
A script for Kurosawa’s 1942 radio drama Youki na Koujou was discovered in Waseda University’s Tsubochi Memorial Theatre Museum. Kurosawa wrote the play while he was still working as an assistant director.
Source: Tokyograph
Taking inspiration from director Neil Blomkamp’s early work, Canadian film maker Sean Wainsteim’s music video for You Say Party’s new single “Lonely’s Lunch” is a darn neat slice of sci-fi action.
To refresh your memory or introduce you to an interesting opening animation sequence, I offer the nice second opening from 1994′s Sailor Moon S TV series. The opening theme song is “Moonlight Densetsu,” sung by Moon Lips.
