AnimeNation Anime News Blog

Question:
What’s the rarest anime you’ve ever seen?

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The homepage for the Kodomo no Jikan anime series has added a streaming trailer for the OAD that will be released with limited edition copies of the 9th collected volume of Kaworu Watashiya’s manga on January 21st.

Anime studio Shaft and director Akiyuki Shinbo, who adapted Koji Kumeta’s Sayonara Zetsubou-sensei manga into a successful anime franchise, have announced plans for an adaptation of Kumeta’s Katteni Kaizo gag manga. The 1998 manga story stars Kaizo Katsu, a high school boy that attended the “Tensai Juku” (Genius Cram School) until his friend Umi Natori accidentally gave him a head injury, turning him into a crazy idiot that literally blew up the Tensai Juku. Now in high school, Kaizo’s former classmates still seek him out, seeking revenge for the destruction of their elite school.

Expectations for this, naturally, will be quite high. Hopefully it’ll satisfy.

Source: Anime News Network

Gonzo has formally announced its development of an anime TV series adaptation of artist yukiusa’s self-published manga The Gothic World of Nyanpire. Creator yukiusa first published the Nyanpire doujinshi in 2009. The story about a starving abandoned cat given sustaining blood by a vampire, thus turning the cat into a vampire cat, turned into a smash hit, selling over 3 million character goods. Trigun & Supernatural the Animation character designer Takahiro Yoshimatsu will serve as director and character designer for Nyanpire The Animation.

Source: Anime News Network

Although the 191 episode Pocket Monster: Diamond & Pearl television series ended last September, the series will make a brief return with a two-part TV special airing on February 3. The special’s two segments, “Hikari: Aratanaru Tabidachi!” (Hikari: Beginning a New Journey!) and “Nibi Gym: Shijo Saidai no Kiki!” (Nibi Gym: Greatest Crisis in History!) will illustrate stories staring Hikari (“Dawn” in the American adaptation) and Takeshi (“Brock” in the American adaptation) set after the end of the Diamond & Pearl television series.

Source: Anime News Network

Warner Bros. has signed Kiss Kiss Bang Bang writer/director Shane Black to direct its live action Death Note adaptation of the popular manga by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. Anthony Bagarozzi and Chuck Mondry, who are collaborating with Black on a new Doc Savage feature, will write the Death Note screenplay.

This may be great news. Black has a lengthy history of writing exceptional action movies, and his singular feature directing credit, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is fantastic. However, Kiss Kiss and action films like Lethal Weapon and The Last Boy Scout are stylistically drastically different from Death Note. So viewers will just have to wait and hope that Black is just as competent with the suspense drama genre that he’s never worked in before.

Source: Deadline

Kazuyoshi Kumakiri (Freesia) is directing a live action adaptation of Hiroshi (“Badboys”) Tanaka’s 1994 “Bakugyaku Kazoku” manga. Yoshimi Tokui, half of the comedy duo Tutorial, stars as Tetsu, former gang leader turned construction worker. “The story follows a group of former teenage delinquents who are now much older but still consider themselves a family.” The movie, Bakugyaku Kazoku: Bakugyaku Family, will premiere in November.

Source: Tokyograph

To refresh your memory or introduce you to an interesting opening animation sequence, I offer the opening of the 1984 car tuning TV series Yoroshiku Mechadoc. The opening theme is “Yoroshiku Tuning” performed by STR!X.

Question:
Why is it in so called “Harem” anime, the main character never ends up with an actual harem? I use the term harem in the actual sense in that the male has actual relationships with multiple females, whether it is with their knowledge (a wife and mistress, for example) or without (two timing). In harem anime the main character is no Casanova, successfully charming and wooing multiple women, he is an indecisive wimp who cannot decide whether he likes any girl at all. Almost every main character has his romantic interests insisting that they be the one and only target of affection (To-love ru is the only manga I can see that has girls happy with sharing the male) and almost every male character picks only one girl in the end, or picks none at all. School Days is the exception, the main character attempts multiple relationships and he is murdered for it. We don’t even get relationships one after one another, just one at the end. Why is it that in anime that seems to promise a harem for the male lead, never actually has one?

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FUNimation will begin simulcasting the new Fractale anime television series on Thursday, January 13, at 11:45 am EST. The 11 episode Noitamina program is the latest show directed by Kannagi & Black Rock Shooter director Yutaka Yamamoto.

Gainax has released a cute new trailer for its upcoming web anime series Hokago no Pleiades. The original magical girl anime is a co-production between Gainax (Evangelion, Re: Cutie Honey) and automobile company Subaru. “Subaru” is the Japanese name for the Pleiades star cluster. The original net anime will premiere exclusively on YouTube on February 1.

Source: Anime News Network

30-year-old Arashi band member Satoshi Ohno will reprise his starring role as Kaibutsu-kun, the prince of Monster Land, in a 3D live-action Kaibutsu-kun motion picture directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura. Ohno played Kaibutsu-kun in the franchise’s live-action television series last year. The adaptation is based on Fujiko Fujio A’s 1965 manga series. The movie has a “monstrous” two billion yen (*$24 million USD) budget and began shooting last week for a Christmas release.

Source: Anime News Network

To refresh your memory or introduce you to an interesting opening animation sequence, I offer the wonderful opening of last season’s Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru TV series. The opening theme is “DOWN TOWN” sung by Maaya Sakamoto.

Question:
Why doesn’t Heroman get the respect it deserves. I know it just my opinion, but I felt that Heroman was the best anime of the last year, if not of the past five. The story felt familar yet fresh at the same time and was an absolute joy to watch. it really felt like I was watching a modernized version of Bronze age american comic. The character were spectacular and fresh. Joey Jones (A Stan Lee name if I ever heard one) was not only a joy to watch as his character grow through the series, but fresh in the sense that he was not dark and brooding. The art and music were fantastic as well, leading to a series that was very popular in Japan. So why do so many anime fans in america disrespect it?

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The homepage for the upcoming Saiyuki Gaiden OVA series now hosts the trailer from last month’s Comic Market 79 convention. The series’ first episode will be released on March 25.

Source: Moon Phase