The official website for Dead Leaves and Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt creator Hiroyuki Imaishi’s next anime series has officially opened. Last February, Newtype Magazine first revealed word that Imaishi was moving forward with a new TV anime production at Studio Trigger. The schoolgirl-battle-action anime will be titled “Kill La Kill.” Oh! Edo Rocket creator and Gurren Lagann co-creator Kazuki Nakashima will write the series. Kissdum -Engage Planet- character designer Sushio will provide the character designs.
The current issue of Shonen Gangan Magazine includes a formal announcement that Yoshiki Tonogai’s psychological suspense manga Judge will be getting a live-action feature adaptation. The 2010-2012 manga revolves around nine youths forced to put each other on trial and pass death sentences until only four remain alive. Yen Press is scheduled to publish the first English langague volume of the Judge manga this August.
Question:
What is your take on the Aku no Hana controversy? Few shows have generated such amount of animosity and criticism with just the first episode alone. So, why do you think Western fandom hated Aku no Hana so much and is that hate justified?
GEN Manhwa issues 2 & 3 contain chapters 3-6 of writer Kevin Han & illustrator Zom-J’s sci-fi/horror/action/western comic story Stone Collector, finishing up the story’s action-packed first adventure. As established in the manhwa’s first two chapters, Nicolas, the wandering swordsman with a haunted, tragic past finds himself in a small, close-knit frontier town besieged by hideous monsters. Bringing a morality lesson closer to the forefront, the later chapters of the story reveal more of the townspeople’s true sentiments, evoking ambiguity about who the most ruthless monsters in town really are. Possibly as much to martyr himself and shame the inconsiderate villagers as achieve his conspicuous goal, Nicholas pushes himself virtually beyond his own human limitations to fight fire with fire, in a sense, and eradicate the monstrous threats.
On a nostalgia trip, one of the former AnimeNation employees recently pointed out to me that the Wikipedia entry for AN Entertainment’s domestic DVD release of Miami Guns states, “Miami Guns has been released on DVD by AN Entertainment, as a formal apology for releasing Risky Safety. [citation needed]” Indeed a citation is needed because the “formal apology” claim is 100% fiction, albeit cynically funny. I initially watched the series in 2000, recorded from Japanese TV broadcast, and later showed it to the AN Entertainment crew who enjoyed it enough to license it for domestic release. We’re still proud of the release, and gratified to see that all four responses to the show that appeared in the first five pages of yesterday’s Anime News Network forum discussion about obscure licenses were positive:
“Miami Guns is a pretty decent comedy most of the time, by the way. The episode where the rich girl gets her allowance cut off and she immediately regresses into a sub-human ape-woman is pretty damned funny.”
“I was really digging Miami Guns until they serious’d up in the final episodes and the humor was no longer flowing. Wish they had just stuck to the original formula all the way through.”
“OK I will admit it. I kinda liked ‘Miami Guns.’ I am not sure why, but I did.”
“I recently reviewed Miami Guns and gave it an 8/10 lol… I really enjoyed its sense of complete and totally sillyness. I liked the parody parts it had to offer also. The whole thing felt like a show from Cartoon Network with some slightly more adult humour. I don’t know for 5 hours of entertainment it was good fun. I have even rewatched a couple of episodes”
What on Earth? I think the last time I saw the “bull horns” finger gesture in anime was in 1989′s Ranma ½. Yet it unexpectedly resurfaced in two different current anime series’ episodes broadcast last week!
Discotek has announced plans to release the 1999-2001 Monster Farm ~ Enbanseki no Himitsu anime television series on domestic DVD. The 72-episode English-dubbed version known as “Monster Rancher” will be released in three season DVD collections beginning in December. The entire uncut 73-episode series will be released subtitled in 2014. The adaptation of Tecmo’s monster-raising RPG video game franchise aired on network television domestically from 1999-2001. AD Vision released four English-dubbed DVD volumes of the series in 2000 & 2001.
The 284-page complete edition of creator Taguchi Hajime’s underground gekiga manga Alive is now available from GEN Manga. The complete edition compiles all of the chapters of Alive previously published in GEN Manga. The short stories are existential, sometimes dreamlike examinations of human frailty, alienation, lonliness, sexuality, despair, suicide, and periodically the willpower to move on. The collection is free to GEN Manga subscribers or a $2.99 individual digital purchase.
Media Blasters has revealed its acquisition of the 2011 Rio – Rainbow Gate! anime television series. The 13-episode adventure comedy from studio Xebec is based on the 2003 Super Black Jack game franchise from the pachi-slo developer Net. The anime series simulcast on Crunchyroll.
And the show isn’t as bad as could be expected. It’s actually a pretty fun watch.
Shogakukan-Shueisha is officially streaming the ten-minute-long Chocotan! OVA based on Kozue Takeuchi’s Chocotan! ~ Chocolate & Tan! shoujo manga. The anime short from studio J.C. Staff illustrates schoolgirl Nao and her talking pet miniature dachshund named “Chocotan.”
The development of a Girls Und Panzer movie was formally announced during last Sunday’s “Heartful Tank Carnival” publicity event. TV series director Tsutomu Mizushima will helm the film for a 2014 release. Development of an OVA that will depict the protagonist’s mock battle against the Anzio Girls High School “sensha-dou” team was also announced.
During last weekend’s “Machi Asobi” publicity event, anime studio ufotable and game developer Type-Moon revealed the production of a Fate/Zero Café anime film. The adaptation of Type-Moon’s parody manga depicts a café run managed and patronized by super-deformed version of the Fate/Zero game characters. The Fate/Zero Café movie will be released as a double-bill with this summer’s stereoscopic 3D conversion re-release of the first 2007 Kara no Kyoukai: Fukan Fukei movie.
The results of the Kyoto Animation production studio’s fourth annual award competition has, for the fourth time, award no grand prize awards. This year, three novels were awarded “honorable mention” recognition, but no awards at all were given in the manga and scenario categories. Last year the award competition awarded no recognitions at all. The studio did not reveal how many works were submitted for award consideration.
Publisher Shogakukan has revealed word that Sanko Takada’s supernatural gourmet manga Taberu Dake (Just Eating) will be getting a live-action TV series adaptation. The manga revolves around a cheerful supernatural woman who mysteriously appears through places & time in order to share friendly meals with random people. Takada launched the manga series in 2010.
Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai light novels author Yomi Hirasaka has confirmed that a live-action “Haganai” movie is in development. While Hirasaka has stated that he is not personally involved in the film’s development, movie studio Times In has issued a casting call for extras to appear in a “Haganai” production to be distributed by Toei. The comedy series about a high-school club for students that have trouble making friends has been adapted into two anime TV series.
