The website for Hiro Mashima’s popular fantasy adventure manga series Fairy Tail has announced that the series’ 26th collected volume will be released on April 15, 2011 in a limited edition that includes a bonus 25 minute long anime episode on DVD. The bonus episode from the staff of the current television series will adapt the “Yokoso Fairy Hills!!” (Welcome to Fairy Hills!!) side-story from the manga.
Source: Anime News Network
Bandai Visual has revealed its new 40 minute sci-fi adventure OVA “Norageki” with a website and 30 second teaser. The original story follows five people and a cat as they attempt to escape from a suddenly and mysteriously abandoned prison. Hiroaki Ando, technical director on the Tekkon Kinkreet movie and CG director on Steamboy, directs from a script by Dai Sato (Freedom, Eureka Seven). The short will screen in five Japanese cities as part of the ANIME FES. ‘VS’ publicity tour before hitting DVD and BD on March 25.
Source: Tokyograph
To refresh your memory or introduce you to an interesting opening animation sequence, I offer the gimmicky yet effective opening of the beloved 1998 Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040 TV series. The opening theme is “Y’know” sung by Akira Sudou.
Question:
What are the most badass animes about vampires ever created? I don’t want any lovey-dovey Twilight crap like Vampire Knight, but badass shows with lots of blood and killing like Vampire Hunter D and especially Hellsing. Shows with vampires that know how to kick ass, take names, kill lots and lots of bad guys and who don’t spend hours getting all emo and mopey over some chick. Basically, shows where vampires know how to act like vampires.
Publisher Softbank Creative has announced the development of an anime adaptation of the Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru 2 ~Futari no Elder~ computer game sequel to Caramel Box’s 2005 PC game Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru. The original game about a boy having to cross-dress to attend an all-girls school was adapted into an anime television series in 2006.
Source: Anime News Network
Morning Magazine has revealed the development of an anime TV series adaptation of Yoshihiro Yamada’s award winning historical drama manga Hyouge Mono ~ Tea for Universe, Tea for Life. The manga is set during Japan’s historical warring states period and stars a mid-level beaurocrat obsessed with mastering the Japanese tea ceremony and achieving a pleasant life. The manga has been ongoing since 2005. The anime adaptation will premiere next spring.
Source: Anime News Network
Returner & Yamato (live action) director Takashi Yamazaki is now developing an original 3D CG anime film for Japanese release next December. Friends: Mononoke Shima no Naki (Friends: Naki of Monster Island) will be an original fantasy story starring SMAP’s Shingo Katori and veteran voice actor Kouichi Yamadera as two oni (demons) that encounter a human boy named “Naki.” Yamazaki will write the original screenplay and direct the film.
Source: Anime News Network
Weekly Young Magazine has announced the development of a cel phone anime series based on Akira Hiramoto’s gag manga Ago Nashi Gen to Ore Monogatari. The manga about the hapless daily life of an unusually hairy but otherwise ordinary 32 year-old shipping company manager was serialized from 1998 to 2009 and collected into 32 compiled volumes. The first two of 26 online episodes will premiere on the BeeTV network on December 20. The remaining episodes will be released weekly.
Source: Anime News Network
The Okinawa chamber of commerce has comissioned local anime studio Soratia to produce an original anime to promote Okinawan agriculture and industry. Shimanchu MiRiKa will be a bishoujo anime starring three girls that enjoy music and dance, Okinawan stage productions, and karate. Rocket Girls & Himitsu ~The Revelation~ character designer Kyuma Oshita will co-direct with 6 Angels & Metal Fighter Miku script supervisor Yasushi Hirano. The anime production has a 118 million yen ($1.4 million USD) budget and is tentatively scheduled for completion in March 2011.
Source: Anime News Network
Evidently the recently announced anime adaptation of Eri Takenashi’s Type-Moon parody manga series Take-Moon will be a summer 2011 OVA titled “Carnival Phantasm.” Seto no Hanayome & Angel Beats! director Kishi Seiji will direct.
Source: Moon Phase Diary
Shooting is now underway on a live action straight-to-DVD film adaptation of Shinji Hiramatsu’s crime action manga series Black Angels. The manga series originally published from 1981 and 1985 revolves around a gang of vigilantes that deliver justice to criminals that have escaped the law. Motoki Ochiai and Maimi Yajima of pop group °C-ute will co-star. The movie will hit Japanese home video next May.
Source: Tokyograph
To refresh your memory or introduce you to an interesting opening animation sequence, I offer the opening of the beloved 2001 comedy Jungle Wa Itsumo Hale Nochi Guu TV series. The opening theme is “Love Tropicana” performed by Sister Mayo.
Next week’s issue of Weekly Shonen Sunday magazine will formally announce the development of a feature film adaptation of Kenjiro Hata’s popular Hayate no Gotoku ~ Hayate the Combat Butler manga series. Manglobe (Samurai Champloo, KamiNomi) will animate with experienced Manglobe animation director Hideto Komori taking charge. The comedy has previously been adapted into two anime television series and three OVAs. A Taiwanese live action TV series adaptation is also presently in development.
Source: Anime News Network
To refresh your memory or introduce you to an interesting opening animation sequence, I offer the opening of the 1995 Gunsmith Cats OVA series. The opening theme is “Gunsmith Cats Theme” performed by Peter Erskine.
Question:
In the anime Panty and Stocking, the character Stocking dresses primarily in black and at one point refers to herself as being a goth. I’m curious but what was the first anime to feature a character that either dressed goth or identified themself as being one? I know that gothic fashion has caught on in anime/manga but I’m curious about when that trend really first began there.
