AnimeNation Anime News Blog

Question:
It seems like there are a whole lot of unlicensed gems from the years 2007 and 2008. Kaiji, Mononoke, Denno Coil, Kaiba, Michiko & Hatchin, just to name a few shows I frequently hear mentioned by fans. This itself is probably not too surprising. With Geneon USA out of business and ADV spiralling downward, this was a real low point for the Region 1 anime industry. What I find surprising, however, is that even now with things looking up and Sentai/Section 23 going back and picking up a lot of shows from that era we still haven’t seen any of these gems licensed. Now granted, not all of these gems have that much mainstream appeal. However, when you look at some of the random, obscure and generally forgotten shows Sentai/Section 23 has recently picked up from that time period (I mean, Ice? Really?) I can’t help but wonder why not a single one of these gems ever got licensed. So I guess my question is this: Why do you think we’ve seen a whole lot of generally mediocre and forgotten shows from this era licensed while these gems are left on the shelf? Is there some reason why these in particular aren’t getting picked up?

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Sentai Filmworks has acquired the domestic distribution rights to creator Yasushi Akimoto’s 2007 Golden-era homage OVA series ICE. The sci-fi/action/fantasy is set in a distant future Tokyo in which men have become extinct and the surviving female half of the human species struggles to survive. The anime is directed by Dragon’s Heaven creator Makoto Kobayashi and features voice acting by several members of the J-pop group AK48 that producer Akimoto founded. ICE will be released for digital distribution and on bilingual DVD this November. Sentai has not clarified if the release will be the original 3-episode OVA version, the combined theatrical feature edit, or both.

Since this is a short series and was already English subtitled on its Japanese release, it’s a wonder that it’s taken so long for someone to pick it up for a domestic release. I won’t try to convince anyone that ICE is good, but I like it because feels so much like an early 80′s OVA.

Sony Pictures has released an English subtitled trailer for Studio Pierrot’s feature film Onigamiden. The adaptation of Takafumi Takada’s fantasy novel hit Japanese theaters last April. The film will be released on domestic DVD & BD by Sony Pictures on October 4 under the title “Legend of the Millennium Dragon.” Sony hasn’t confirmed whether the American release will include the 98 minute theatrical cut, the 117 minute director’s cut, or both.

I’m still undecided. I want to be interested in this, but early reviews have not been positive, and the subbed trailer reveals this to seemingly borrow significant plot points from Mononoke Hime and Hakujaden.

Source: Anime News Network

The dojinshi circle Manpuku Jinja released its full-length 16 minute long Touhou Project anime short “Gensou Bankakyou ~The Memories of Phantasm~ Shunsetsu Ihen no Shou” at last weekend’s Comic Market 80 and is now streaming the full short on Nico Nico Douga. The fan-created anime is based on the independely produced line of “Touhou Project” PC shooting games from developers Team Shanghai Alice.

If anyone cares, the opening theme is “Iro wa Nioedo, Chirinuru wo” performed by Senya with Yuuhei Satellite. Took me a while to find it.

Source: Anime News Network

Anime News Network has published an exclusive interview with anime creator/director Makoto Shinkai conducted at the recent Otakon convention.

The four-episode Hidamari Sketch x SP “tokubetsu” mini-series will air two episodes on October 29 then two episodes on November 5 before hitting Japanese home video on November 23. A full-length fourt Hidamari Sketch television series will premiere some time later.

Source: Anime News Network

To refresh your memory or introduce you to an interesting opening animation sequence, I submit the first opening of the 1985 Aoki Ryusei SPT Layzner TV series. The opening theme is “Meros no You ni – Lonely Way” performed by Airmail from Nagasaki.

Question:
Could green jacket Lupin finally help give the franchise a bigger boost in America? While the series has done reasonably, considering its age, it never really attracted a stable and/or consistent audience. I’ve argued that Lupin’s suffered primarily from the problem of having bi-polar representations, depending on the titles which were worked on and the staffers who worked on it. So sometimes he’s dark, sometimes he’s harmless, and sometimes he’s a bit of both.Instead of making it clear that there are different takes on the character, R1 companies have tried to lump all the different versions under the same umbrella. So casual American fans who expect another Cagliostro when they pick up Dead or Alive or Walther P-38 will naturally be turned off, and maybe vice versa.

Since green is an adaptation of the original manga, everyone who wants to find out more about Lupin, but doesn’t know where to start, will finally have their chance. Plus, green jacket’s coming at an opportune time, as shows like Madmen have created a demand for 60s kitsch, which green jacket clearly embodies, even if it was made in the early 70s. And the recent revival of heist films via Fast 5 and Drive give green jacket a chance at staking its own claim in that genre. So with that in mind, does green jacket finally have a chance of succeeding where the other Lupins failed, and stealing viewers hearts?

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Now that the fourth issue of GEN Manga is available, digital copies of the doujin manga anthology’s second issue are now available free to all readers. GEN Manga publishes exclusive, original Japanese independent manga translated into English. This month’s fourth issue begins a new story arc in Arisa Karino’s Souls and adds the new slice-of-life manga series Sorako by Takayuki Fujimura.

AnimeNation News Blog reader that want access to brand new issues of GEN Manga receive a discounted subscription price.

Folks, if you’re a manga fan, a GEN Manga subscription is an inexpensive fantastic way to express your support for grassroots manga creation and publication.

Here’s the abbreviated version:

In March 2003 AD Vision negotiated, with Gainax, the rights to produce live-action movies, TV shows, and video projects based on Evangelion. Between March 2004 and February 2009 ADV paid Gainax $22,515 to secure movie production rights. In February 2010, ADV paid Gainax another $100,000 to extend the rights option. Gainax refused the extension, refunded the $100,000 extension fee, and refused to provide production materials ADV requested. ADV has now filed suit in Southern District of Texas, asking a judge “to “clarify certain rights and obligations” regarding the film rights status. ADV asserts that since it paid a $100,000 extension fee eleven days before the rights expired, ADV is seeking full, universal rights to live-action Evangelion productions in perpetuity.

First, I was under the impression that ADV Films was no longer an existing corporation in the United States. Second, this certainly sounds like ADV received all of the extensions it was entitled to from 2003 until 2009, but when Gainax decided not to renew the license in 2010, ADV is insisting that Gainax doesn’t have the right to refuse. So now ADV isn’t just trying to get a rights extension, they’re trying to take full, eternal live-action rights away from Gainax. Even if the original contract stipulated that Gainax must extend the rights if ADV paid on time, that doesn’t give ADV the full and complete ownership that they’re seeking.

Source: Anime News Network

Sentai Filmworks has acquired the domestic rights to Sunrise’s cel-shaded CG sci-fi short films Koisento & Norageki. Koisento, a romantic adventure set in Nara, Japan in the year 2710, will be titled “Coicent” for its domestic release. The suspense thriller Norageki will be released domestically under the title “Five Numbers.” The films will be released online separately and toegether on a single bilingual DVD or BD.

This is a nice acquisition because despite Norageki being a disapointment, Koisento was a wonderful and very unrecognized treat.

Media Factory has released a short trailer announcing the Ikkitousen: Shugaku Toshi Keppuroku OVA.

Source: Anime News Network

Gonzo has released a new two-minute trailer for this October’s Last Exile: Ginyoku no Fam television series. The series is a spin-off of Gonzo’s 2003 series, set in the same world but featuring all new characters.

Source: Anime News Network

Media Factory has released a trailer for studio Satelight’s forthcoming Aquarion Evol television series. Series creator Shoji Kawamori is serving as executive director while Yusuke Yamamoto (B-Gata H-Kei, Welcome to the NHK) is directing. This series is set 12,000 years after the events in the inexplicably popular 2005 series.

Source: Anime News Network

The homepage for the upcoming Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai television series has added a streaming trailer. The adaptation of Yomi Hirasaka and Buriki’s humorous light novel series revolves around a school club for students with no friends. The show will premiere in October.

Source: Anime News Network