We ran a similar article a while ago, but keep in mind it was more about the teaser and the reactions it gathered as opposed to an actual piece on the trailer itself. Well, the actual honest to God trailer is finally out and fans have made themselves heard!

I take everything back

I think that I was optimistic at one point during the last article on Dragon Age’s “Dawn of the Seeker” anime; boy has that changed or what? This new trailer did a number on my expectations, and by that I mean that it serves less like a trailer and more as a “how not to do this kind of thing” visual guide.

We have the sped up editing switching wildly from partial fight scene to angry close-ups, the angry shouting that I’m pretty sure at this point looks bad in any anime other than Gurren Lagann, the heroic leaps, gratuitous blood and so many other cliches that we could name the trailer “Anime from the late 90’s in a nutshell.” My only source of solace comes from the fact that it looks nice, yes it might be crazy but I believe it looks good.

It dares to look different…

Cell-shading is a tricky thing, most people either love it or hate it without any middle-ground, but here it looks damn nice. Whoever says it looks like a crappy PS1 cut-scene clearly doesn’t remember the PS1 all that well, and to be honest some of the characters are more akin to what a western audience might like, rather than say, spiky haired teen in belt buckles # 152.

But it still looks bad

Either Ferelden has been flooded by molasses or the animation is painfully slow. It’s hard to tell when it’s made in “Slow-mo” and when it’s just the animation being clunky, not to mention that it’s packed with really poor looking blood and is so over the top that we can only hope it’s cheesy enough to be fun.

Seriously, hoping that this thing turns out to be super cheesy in an “80’s movie kinda way” is its best shot at being anything more than a failed experiment.

Click here to discuss this article on our Facebook page and take a look at the video!

The live-action adaptation of this classic known to many as “Samurai X” has been doing the rounds online. From mere cast and script description to actual photos and even a teases trailer to go with it all, but how is it coming up?

Well, the cast seems fine

This is due to the fact that they picked what seems to be the right guy for Kenshin, a man named Takeru Sato. Sure, he’s 22 and looks like a regular pretty boy, but then you have to consider the fact that he has done a good job of playing the part of a samurai in NHK’s historic film “Ryoma den.” Plus we have to take into account that he is a fan of the original manga, at least going by his original account, so can we rest at ease and give this thing a pass?

No, not yet

Kenshin looks as good as any human being will look playing the role in a serious fashion, but the other characters leave A LOOOOT to wish for, particularly Aoki who will be playing Sanosuke Sagara. We’ll give the guy credit for his acting chops (The Last Message Umizaru, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time) but the fact is that when he shows up in the trailer he looks less like Sanosuke, and more like a guy who threw on a robe before the big Halloween party and decided to call it a “Kung fu costume.”

Megumi is being played by Aoi who has shown her worth in Hana & Alice, Honey and Clover and she happens to pull off a very decent looking Megumi if truth be told, which makes it all the more depressing to see that Kaoru is being played by a not-so-similar Emi Takei. But enough of all this, there is one question that needs answering.

How does the teaser look?

Not bad, really. At first it seems like a really crappy cash-in on a beloved franchise that compromises on the violence more than the anime ever did (seriously, the sword play looks bad and Kenshi’s look doesn’t hold up too well) but then we see Kenshin jumping off a wall and everything is okay in the world!

Honestly, I see no real reason not to be excited about this even if it might turn to be a crappy movie.

Go check out the trailer on our FB wall if you wanna see for yourself.

Click here to do so!

You can view the original teaser on our facebook page here. The new trailer has been out for a couple of days and it already seems to be getting some hate on youtube, but does it really deserve it?

It’s an incarnation of the capital sins of anime

Said sins being the adaptation of a western source, one that’s so western it basically has every fantasy trope in it, followed by the use of CGI instead of the usual animation techniques, the fact that it’s geared towards Western audiences and finally, the inclusion of a setting that won’t suit itself well to cheap fan-service. Sure, there can be fan-service involved but I doubt we’ll see a damned beach episode…so, it’s like an anime made to be some sort of un-anime, right?

Count me in to love it as crappy or campy as it might turn out. I mean it. Why? Because I love the look and feel the few frames present in the trailer have, sure they look like cheap cell-shaded graphics for a budget game, but they still look crisp and fresh, not to mention that it brings me back to some of my favourite shows from the 90’s. Besides, it would be good to see a modern anime that didn’t spend half an episode focusing on panty-shots.

I’ll give this a chance

And so should you. Some western sources haven’t meshed with anime, but others have been a lot of fun; an example of this is the Halo-based anime titles, which were all good and fun (save for the crappy samurai themed one). So why shouldn’t this be more of that? Go to our FB site and hit the youtube link so you can voice your opinion on whether or not you like it!

Click here to discuss this article on our Facebook page and take a look at the video!

No, not the craptastic movie by Daniel Sadek released in 2007. We are here to tell you about the anime, or have you forgotten that we are an anime site? This film is going to be hitting theatres in the US and neighbouring Canada pretty soon, so you ought to keep an eye out if you are interested in high production values, fast cars and stylish adrenaline-pumping anime!

Get your engines ready

There is a bit of history behind this title. It began as a project by anime powerhouse Madhouse, which in my personal opinion happens to be one of the better studios out there; a studio with such a great deal of dedication towards quality that they spent around seven years on this film, from the development of the concept to the actual production.

Redline is an interesting concept, not only because it has a rather unique art style, a style that might remind some of you of the game No More Heroes, mixed in with some Gurren Lagann and Speed Racer for good measure. It’s extremely unique, though, and that’s saying a lot for any anime that has come out in the past two years. Not to mention it was mostly done by hand, but what is it all about?

Redline follows a street racer known as JP, who owns a juiced up car and has a flashy retro styling as he enters the “Redline” race. A dangerous and wild event that takes place every five years, and here is the kicker, it’s in SPACE! Well, sort of….The movie is set in the distant future, so the cars and races play like a Hot Wheels fan’s greatest dream. It has explosions, conspiracies, romance and fast cars. What else could you ask for?

How about a release date?

The anime was released in Japan during the Locarno International Film Festival, and will be hitting US shores in Blu-ray and DVD by Anchor Bay around November 14th of this year, but there is more. Those of you lucky enough to be able to head over to the New York Comic Con taking place this October 13 to 16 will be able to find out a more specific and possibly final date.

And those who can’t wait to see an “official” subbed release of this title can assist the Toronto After Dark film festival, where the title will be screened as the only anime amongst eight films. This screening will take place between October 20-27 at the Toronto Underground Cinema, so now you know and are ready to go for next month!

You can look forward to a review of this title to grace our front page soon!

Click here to discuss this article on our forums!

Those of you who happen to be Haruhi fans and avid readers can safely say you got a nice Christmas present today seeing how the The Surprise of Haruhi Suzumiya has been officially announced. The light novel is set to debut in two volumes and have a wider release than the norm encompassing around 13 countries.

Surprise!

The Surprise of Haruhi Suzumiya is set to hit shelves on May 25, 2011, or at least that seems to be the plan for the latest novel in the series. We mentioned above that it would come in two novels, which are set to be released simultaneously for some reason (perhaps to keep each volume down to a size that can be still called a novel) and surprisingly enough, they’ll be readily available in 13 other countries (which one can only hope means there’ll be one in English).

The novel has been delayed for quite some time, but fans who have gotten their hands on the official English translation (up to volume five) read the original Japanese or acquired it from fan translators now have an early Christmas present.

Surprises can sometimes be messy

The novels are meant to be the 10th and 11th volume, which will be kind of a problem seeing how the English one is set to have its fifth one released next year; a bit later than the Surprise launch, which could mean one of two simple things: A) Those in charge made quite a blunder or B) The novels will be disconnected from any over-arching plot. There’s another grim reason, though, it could be that the novel itself won’t see the light of day in English…but that’s a long shot filled with speculation on this author’s part.

Click here to discuss this article on our forums!

[wordbay]Haruhi[/wordbay]

This is probably the biggest piece of news I’ve written and I love the hell out…wait my personal opinion is not supposed to go in here now is it? Oh well. The February issue of Kadokawa’s Young Ace magazine has revealed an anime adaptation of the light novel series, “Fate/Zero,” has been confirmed.

This. Is. Awesome.

Fate/Zero is a series of light novels comprising four volumes of which I’ve personally read three (finishing yesterday…which is kinda creepy). It’s well written and fun, even if it suffers a little for being a sort of “add-on” for the original Fate/Stay Night storyline. The story is set a decade before the Holy Grail War that takes place during the events of FSN, and it serves to fill in the blanks in what could be one of the strongest stories ever to come out of an eroge.
The Fate series is the brainchild of Gen Urobuchi who, in collaboration with Type-Moon, brought to the world one of the best eroges out there. The Fate/Stay Night game hasn’t been “officially” released into English but there are several translations for it available online, such as the magnificently well done one by Mirror Moon.

If you are thinking that such a suggestion goes against our family-friendly policy then you’ll have to think again. The game is available in a “PG version” you can find off some retailers for the PS2, or even better, a patch you can download for the PC one.

It’s worth your time

Fate/Stay Night has an anime title that serves as a good example of plot-oriented animes which is saying it doesn’t suck at all, even if it pales in comparison to the original PC title. Those of you who are too lazy (or busy, give or take) to sit through the massive amounts of reading involved in the “game” would do well to go watch it. The original anime adaptation was released on the year 2006 by Studio DEEN and was licensed by GENEON Entertainment in the USA. Do yourself a favor and rent it out.

The story offered by the game is rather rich. It can get confusing at certain parts, but putting it together is quite a thrill if you are into that sort of thing. Which translates to “it offers good entertainment” and it’s quite actiony and suspenseful at parts.

The news itself

The Fate/Zero adaptation supposedly involves Ei Aoki (of Girls Bravo fame) as the director and the anime studio ufotable. Additional information will come in due time, but you can be sure this is hype worthy until then.

Those craving to learn more can go ahead and check out the eroge, anime, or manga related to Fate/Stay Night. The light novel series based around Fate/Zero is “available” in English if you are one of those individuals that have a set of flexible morals.

Those that are more graphically inclined should know that the manga adaptation of Fate/Zero will tag along the February issue of Young Ace, which will ship on December 29, 2010.

Click here to discuss this article on our forums!

[wordbay]Fate Zero[/wordbay]

The man behind the musical score of such titles as The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya has reported that he’ll be on an indefinite break due to health issues; this information comes by way of his mixi profile.

A bit under the weather

Satoru Kousaki announced that he isn’t feeling all that well and so he’s forced to take a break from work. Said break will last indefinitely as he didn’t specify a date to return to his job as a composer. It’s very logical to expect his break won’t last longer than his current bad health; we hope to hear from him soon as he’s credited with work in Channel and Hourou Musuko, which are yet to be released.

You would do well with knowing that this man has some nice cred behind his career, as he has worked in several major animes including Bakemonogatari, Star Driver Kagayaki no Takuto, Kannagi, Oreimo and the already mentioned Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.

We hope to hear back from him with good news, tune in for any updates on the matter.

Click here to discuss this article on our forums!

The first release of the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The MOVIE 1st (a proud member of the ‘long and somewhat confusing title club’) has managed to pull some really good numbers on its first two weeks out in the market, conquering the number one spot twice in a row.

There’s magic in their wallets

The first volume of the movie has been a success, taking the top stop of the Blu-ray sales chart with an impressive 58,000 copies during its first week and a substantially lesser, but not any less solid, 7,000 copies on its second week. These sales figures have made it possible for the title to reach the number one spot on the Blu-ray sales chart for two weeks in a row, which as far as marketing and anime go means we’ll be bound for a licensing deal soon enough… Or well, hello there fan subs! The DVD version pulled in some big numbers, ranking at number 28 with a total of 26,609.

The DVD version may not seem like a big hit, but considering this was a two pronged assault on the market you could safely say it sold very well. The movie did well in its original theatrical run, summing up a solid four million dollars. A sum that will be added upon by its equally lengthy titled sequel, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha the Movie 2nd A’s coming out in Japan by 2012.

Click here to discuss this article on our forums!

[wordbay]Nanoha[/wordbay]

We are truly sorry for the week long hiatus but we are now back and ready to bring you a set of news from the past week. We have an article quota to fill and we’ll more than gladly do that for you, our beloved fans (all three of you)! So sit tight and enjoy this week’s ” highlights” (otherwise known as the articles we should have put up).

Soul Eater to Get a New Manga

Square Enix’s Monthly Shonen Gangan will count a new title within its pages, that of Soul Eater Not! And yeah, that’s not a badly executed joke from the 90’s there folks, that’s the actual title. The new manga is the brainchild of Atsushi Ohkubo and it’ll be featured alongside the original Soul Eater starting January 12, 2011.

Spice and Wolf to End in February

We had mentioned way back that Spice and Wolf was coming to an end, well it definitely is. The 15th volume brought with it a message saying that it was the beginning of the end for the story (as we reported back then); this message could not have been any more literal. The 16th volume, which is to be released on February 10, 2011, will deal with the final half of the final story arc. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the entire of the Spice and Wolf universe will never be heard of again, though. Chances are we still have plenty left from the manga and other animes or maybe even some short stories.

The light novel series is slowly being published in English and you really pick it up if you are not one to pirate, or if you as many other western otaku don’t know Japanese. It’s quite an interesting read and totally worth your time. The third volume will be published this month by Yen Press.

Battleship Yamato Sets the Box Office Ablaze

The live action adaptation of Leiji Matsumoto’s “Space Battleship Yamato” (known as Starblazers to those old enough to remember it) has done amazingly well in the box office, raking in a steady 943,995,550 yen (about US$11.4 million, yeah it doesn’t like much but it’s a somewhat limited release) in the first five days since its opening.

The film secured the top spot in Japan’s box office during its release weekend. Fans of the classic space opera can safely say that this film delivers, or at least seems it does since the reception for it has been good so far (special praise has been given to the special effects and they look awesome as far as the trailer goes).

This goes to show that Japan can handle a movie adaptation of anime, unlike Hollywood. And no, this is not a japanophile style comment; it’s simply due to the fact that who else could get a better grasp on their country’s culture than their own people?

Also…

Type-Moon, the animation studio Ufotable and Newtype will announce a joint project that is as of yet unknown. What could it be? We really won’t know until the next issue of the magazine, we can always get excited to see “Type-Moon” up there, though.

And finally, the reason behind our hiatus comes by way of a small binge of gaming related to Call of Duty: Black Ops on the Wii and my ever increasing urge not to pawn my stuff to buy World of Warcraft: Cataclysm tomorrow. In all seriousness, though, it was a matter of having a frantic week and not being able to log long enough to keep up but hey, we’re back!

Click here to discuss this article on our forums!

We’ll tell you right now that this week hasn’t been “big” so far, but that’s no reason to stop reporting at all. We hereby bring you little news-worthy announcement and a bit of commentary that’s sure to interest more than just one of you (out of our, like, three readers.)

Gintama ain’t Dead Yet

The 53rd edition of Weekly Shonen Jump brings news of Gintama’s second wind. The anime had ended back in March, but it seems it still has a way to go and will come back soon enough. This was said by Shinji Takamatsu, one of the main staff members behind the show’s original run. He was very enthusiastic about the show returning to the air and went as far as to say there’s plenty left to go for it.

There’s no information available on when it will return, though, so we can expect more news on this matter to come next year.

Adaptations Galore

It says a lot about the current state of the anime world when you see mangas being adapted into anime faster than they can be published. It’s a good thing until we all sit down to think about it for a second; out of a thousand animes to see daylight only a hundred will feel fresh and new.

We are not saying that the anime industry should stop producing any new titles. It’s just that seeing how it has fallen on hard times and seems to be stagnating a little bit, it just sounds like a bad idea to have so many new releases at the same time.

Innovation is good, that’s a fact. The problem is that many new anime titles lack the edginess and innovation of the past; it all has come down to companies that make safe bets with clichéd and stereotypical titles. Companies have to make money and it’s understandable that they copy each other, but it all has come down to a basic palette swap.

Modern Otakus find themselves stuck at a crossroad, the vast majority seem to like the excessively fan service-laden shows of today while some yearn for the old ones. Sure, fan service has always been there but it used to mean something. It wasn’t delivered to us 24/7 and on a dozen different shows.

The anime industry is heading down the same slippery slope as the video game market back in the 80’s. We are up to our ears in bland repetition with a few outstanding titles that serve to say “It ain’t over yet,” but the bubble burst and now it seems that more and more companies fall into the bandwagon of bland stereotypes in the quest for more money.

I might be talking out of my ass here, just keep in mind that anime is still good and fun and it’s varied enough to have a gem of unexploited greatness lying buried in mount panties and school drama.

Click here to discuss this article on our forums!

Fans of Gantz can rejoice as the Washington Post has given confirmation that we are bound to see the English dubbed film adaptation. The Japanese film is will no longer restricted to shady websites and crappy subtitles as of January 20, 2011; it will come to theaters near you (or well, far away from you depending on where you read us from).

A Summary isn’t Necessary

Gantz is so massively popular that a summary of the story is hardly needed; just know that it’s gruesome and very adult. It deals with a heavy subject matter such as sex, romance, death, the value of life, human nature and other classic staples of dark storylines in a great way, not feeling hamfisted or over done at every turn like most would…And it does it all in the middle of a plot involving alien and futuristic looking weapons, which says a lot about the quality of the story writing since it never falls on clichés.

Truth be told, a movie adaption of an anime is mostly bad. That’s a rule pretty much set on stone, though it has exceptions just like every other rule, “unless it’s from Japan”. So guess what? It shouldn’t suck!

The Hollywood Laws of Film Making Don’t Apply

This bit of good news is all thanks to Viz Pictures’ New People unit and the digital theater distributor NCM Fathom, who will be behind the distribution of the first film out of two to be made after Gantz. The movie will be dubbed over in English and its world premiere will count with the unique appearance of the film’s stars, anime film adaptation fans will be familiar with one such star, Matsuyama known for his roles in Death Note, Detroit Metal City and The Legend of Kamui.

The film’s being premiered in the US as part of a one-night event, although it’s reported that around 300 other cinemas will be lucky to be graced by the film. The schedule for the screenings can be found on NCM’s site (on the overwhelmingly blank piece of it dedicated to Gantz) but the hours for the premiere are already set, starting at 8:00 p.m. EST, 7:00 p.m. CST, 6:00 p.m. MST, and 8:30 p.m. PST.

The Japanese original won’t be massively released into theatres until January 29. The second film will be released on April 23, so it’s fair to say that there shouldn’t be much of a delay between the two releases.

Click here to discuss this article on our forums!

Those of you way deep into the 3D gimmick who also happen to like anime can get really happy, seeing how Ghost in the Shell and One Piece are jumping into cinema’s latest bandwagon!. The two films are admittedly different and cater to different audiences, yet both of them have been announced close to each other and even in the same month.

Take a deep breath before reading the name out loud

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Solid State Society 3D (how’s that for a mouthful?) will be done in stereoscopic 3D, which some of you may know as the good kind of 3D animation. It’s far from a new movie, though. Think of good old Ghost in the Shell, with a new intro sequence and some nice 3D thrown in for good measure.

Those that love Production I.G’s work on the anime have a valid excuse to revisit it, as do those who need to watch it for the first time. The movie’s set to be released in Japan come March 26, 2011. Chances of it hitting western theatres are slim to say the least but one can only hope, if not you can always count on a set of 3D glasses accompanying a pricey imported Blu-ray later on.

Get ready for stuff to come flying at you

One Piece’s 3D movie not only is on the other side of the anime spectrum, it also happens to place itself deep in the uncanny valley of animation. It’s a CG film and boy does it love shoving things in your face? The trailer is readily available in youtube and shows off a level of animation that doesn’t do justice to the popularity of the show. Not to mention it’s one of those films where they emphasize the “3D” aspect by throwing stuff at the screen.

Needless to say, fans of One Piece will probably look forward to it and shonen anime fans in general now have something fun to add to their schedule.

Click here to discuss this article on our forums!

[wordbay]Ghost In The Shell[/wordbay]

Fan of Summer Wars? The dates and places have recently been announced at Anime USA and the dates start as soon as the beginning of December and go all the way to the beginning of February. So continue on to find the city nearest to you!

Dates and Places

Dec 3-8 Chicago,IL- Siskel Film Center
Dec 10-16 Los Angeles, CA – AMC Covina 30
Dec 24-30 San Francisco, CA- Landmark Bridge Theater
Dec 29-Jan 4 New York, NY- IFC Center
Jan 5-12 Boston, MA- Museum of Fine Arts
Jan 7-13 Denver, CO- Starz Film Center
Jan 7-13 Santa Fe, NM- CCA Cinematheque
Jan 14-20 Los Angeles, CA- Laemmle Sunset
Jan 21-27 Philadelphia, PA- Landmark Ritz at the Bourse
Jan 23-Feb 3 Honolulu, HI- Academy of Arts,
Jan 28-Feb 3 Seattle, WA- Landmark Varsity

Mark your calendar if you plan on catching the theatrical premier!

Click here to discuss this article on our forums!

Sega’s upcoming PSP game “Valkyria Chronicles 3: Unrecorded Chronicles” is due for an anime adaptation. The game itself has been dated for a Japanese release date of January 27, 2011; the anime should come around a bit later in spring. The project will be in the form of two OAV’s by the name of “Senjō no Valkyria 3 “Ta ga Tame no Jūsō”

Don’t get awfully excited

Valkria Chronicles’ a franchise that has already been adapted into an anime (and manga) before, it was a 26 episode strong production helmed by Aniplex’s A-1 Pictures and directed by Yasutaka Yamamoto. This one won’t be nearly as long or as heavily distributed (at least for its initial release). The anime is due to be adapted into two OAV’s rather than a full series, set to be released over the PS3’s Playstation Network.

Sure, things like this always end up in a collector’s edition DVD or BD, but the first few fans that will catch a glimpse of it in Japan will be those that decide to pick it up from their PS3. Way to keep a PS3 exclusive, huh?

As always everything is subjected to change, so keep an eye for any updates on the matter.

Click here to discuss this article on our forums!

A new shonen anime by the name of Kuiba is soon to hit the international market. China may not be well known for its original anime, but this could prove to be an exception. The title in question is set to be produced exclusively for the international market (being the first Chinese anime to be distributed in Japan). The anime is to be distributed in late 2011, as of now let’s take a look at what we have.

Made in…

Kuiba is a Chinese anime meant for the international market as stated by publisher Vasoon. The anime promises to be an original production. Character designs are based around “Journey to the West”, which is apparently the main source of inspiration to come out of China since most stories based on Chinese mythology are more often than not based on it (hell, even Dragon Ball is). However, the story is reported to be disconnected from the old tale.

The producers of the anime have stated that they studied successful Japanese shonen, such as One Piece and Naruto, in order to identify and replicate the factors that made them such successes. This goes as far as influencing the artistic style, which needless to say looks fairly anime-ish.

This title could prove to be big and even different, seeing how it’s being made by a group of people with different cultural values and morals that may present a somewhat unique storyline that differs from the usual shonen formula. And in all honesty that could very well be the only real chance of success for this new title, it has to stick out from the crowd and show itself to be good enough not to flop miserably.

We should also mention that the title itself is supposed to be a multi-media one, receiving tie-ins for video games and a manga adaptation. That’s nothing but hopeful expectations until it finally lands on Japanese shores, it could very well fall flat on its face and fail miserably…oh well, go to the forums to check out the embedded video (and maybe stick around) be warned, though. We can only describe the videos with a resounding “Meh”.

Click here to discuss this article on our forums!

Bb Kuroda’s manga “A channel” is now headed towards the small screen in yet another round of the anime industry’s life cycle. The short four panel manga will be brought to life through an anime adaption. Confirmation and additional details are set to appear on the December issue of Houbunsha’s Manga Time Kirara Carat magazine.

It’s a Small Fish in a Big Ocean

A channel is a seinen manga that falls under the slice of life category, it’s a relatively obscure title (many of you have probably never seen it before while browsing casually) but this doesn’t mean it lacks potential. The manga’s done in a four-panel format (also known as 4koma) and counts with a single volume release from last December.

The manga itself has a rather simple plot, following the lives of four high school girls with different personalities as they go about their daily lives, this of course presents opportunities for some light hearted comedy.

The anime adaptation will count with the collaboration of animator Satoshi Kubo, known for his work in Eureka Seven, Fullmetal Alchemist, Guin Saga and
Angel Beats! This is currently the second project on his table after Mitsudomoe.

More information regarding the anime should become available with the upcoming edition of Manga Time Kirara Carat.

Click here to discuss this article on our forums!

The Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFFCOM from now on) served as the stage for Micott & Basara to reveal new information on Appleseed’s upcoming anime incarnation. The anime will be presented in 13 direct to video episodes, each being 22 minutes long, that will later be compiled in two feature films.

Brought to You by TIFFCOM

We reported earlier that Masamune Shirow’s manga “Appleseed” was bound for yet another adaptation and now we have some extra details on Jinni’s Animation Studios and Production I.G’s project. Amongst which we can count the summary of the plot by Micott & Basara, which will seem fairly familiar to readers of the manga or those of you that already have a semblance of the general dealio of the main story-line:

“Following a world war that killed half the world’s population, the city-nation of Olympus stands as a beacon of hope in a world of chaos and conflict. The utopian metropolis is governed by Gaia, a vast artificial intelligence, and administered by a genetically engineered humanoids known as Bioroids.

Although Olympus seems like a peaceful city on the surface, racial (human vs. bioroids vs. cyborgs), religious, and political conflicts lurk underneath — threatening to overturn the delicately balanced “peace.” Security threats such as terrorists and anti-government criminals abound, so the use of force becomes a necessary evil even in this so-called “utopia.”

Deunan, a young female warrior, and Briareos, a veteran cyborg-soldier, are both partners and lovers, as well as members of E.S.W.A.T., the elite special forces serving Olympus. They are deployed wherever trouble strikes.

Conspiracy, terrorism, deadly military weapons technology, greedy corporations, and power-hungry politicians — these are just some of the threats that Deunan and Briareos must contend with as they fight to protect Olympus and save mankind from plunging into another war.”

Truth be told, you could copy paste that summary onto the internet and see it linked to the other Appleseed films (comas, periods and everything y’all) which were good, if not a little too different from the source manga. It was reported that Masamune Shirow would be more heavily involved and one can only hope for such a thing, seeing how the story has been retold several times and yet it has been summarized without much a change. It’ll be fresh and exciting to those who don’t know the franchise and (hopefully) not to stale for the old fans to sink their fangs into it.

Click here to discuss this article on our forums!

Manga Masamune Shirow’s classic manga “Appleseed” is bound to receive a new anime adaptation. Followers of the manga or fans of CGI anime may already know that there’s a pair of movie adaptations, which will have in the continuity of the new project. Appleseed’s newest incarnation is to take the form of a 13 episode-strong anime.

Hit the Reset Button

Appleseed is a classic and has been on the shelves from 1985 to 1989. The manga has proven itself popular enough to receive a small eponymous OVA, produced by Bandai Entertainment during the manga’s prime in 1988. It wouldn’t be until 2004 when fans would hear back from the manga, that was now adapted into a feature film that used some very impressive CGI animation and was directed by Shinji Aramaki. The CGI take on the characters and plot proved to be popular to spawn a direct sequel by the name of “Appleseed Ex Machina”, which was produced by John Woo.

The new project will follow in the footsteps of the last two films, using CGI animation provided by Jinni’s Animation Studios in cooperation with Production IG.
It’s possible to say that we can rest at ease knowing it will look good but the real question is if it’ll be worth looking at. The man behind the manga (Masamune Shirow for those of you with a short attention span) is said to be more involved in the production, which will have a new plot completely disconnected from the previous two films,

“Appleseed XIII” will count with some talented staff members and will have the man behind the source material on board, so we can only hope it’s good, right? Only time will tell and we have up to next spring until it even begins production.

Click here to discuss this article on our forums!

In a somewhat refreshing change of pace this week, we bring you news of yet another manga soon to make the rounds as an anime adaptation. Many may have raised an eyebrow (our apologies to those with a unibrow) at the title since it’s not something you would be likely to stumble upon if you are a “mainstream” reader, but let’s take a look shall we?

It Ain’t About Dancing

Saying that the manga isn’t mainstream is a tough call, one that we may be pulling out of our rear end at that. It’s serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump and won the 55th annual Shogakukan Manga Award for being the best shōnen of 2009. So yeah, that pretty much means this one is kind of a big title, which lends credit to its upcoming anime adaptation to air around next year’s spring. More details on the anime adaptation will come alongside the new edition of the weekly magazine, hitting shelves October 25th, 2010.

So If They Don’t Dance…

Kenta Shinohara’s manga is already on is 15th volume as of last month, it tells the story of a group of three friends that form the “Sket-Dan”, a group dedicated to solving problems around their school campus that range from the common to somewhat unique issues related to the cast itself. The story is formatted in an episodic manner, with each case serving as an individual plot line that serves to guide the reader through the cast’s lives and allows for original stories to take place without worrying much for continuity, since this is basically taken care of by the fact that the ensemble is showcased through most of the manga and some of the characters from former cases make a cameo.

Even though they take on “cases” and solve other people’s problems for the sake of making their campus a better place, they are all treated like a bunch of lowly handymen. So you are sure to enjoy it if you like the sort of story based around unlikely or quirky characters.

The manga itself is worth of a read so let’s hope the anime does well and helps to add something new to the current face of the anime world.

Click here to discuss this article on our forums!

It was almost a year ago when we first caught wind of Japan’s take on Marvel’s Iron Man, a superhero known by many especially now that the movies were such a big hit. Sadly, this won’t be a super-sentai kinda deal, just an anime, but can you really complain about that? I very much doubt it.

Titanium Alloy-Man

Fans of anime in general and Marvel are probably getting flashbacks of the trailer for the anime adaptation. Lots of flying around while shooting missiles and fighting off a legion of robots. The trailer didn’t only feel like a sweet deal for mecha, sci-fi and action fans (or anime in general) but for fans of the original too. I grew up on Marvel alongside anime and seeing the two together seemed off for a little, eventually getting a bit better and ending in a “Wow dude that was sweet!” moment. The show could either manage to create a good timeless example of west and east coming together or fail horribly, only time will tell…and it will soon!

The anime is being produced by MADHOUSE and its set for a premiere October 1st, 2010 on Animax. The plot for the show was put together by Warren Ellis, a man known for his many additions to the world of printed media due to his work on many Marvel and DC comics, the character design will come from the hand of Takahiro Umehara, whose work you can appreciate on the readily available Tenjho Tenge, Claymore and One Outs series.

North American fans with a hefty set of morals will have to wait for the show to appear on G4 next year. Until then, just keep your fingers crossed and hope it doesn’t crash and burn. If all else fails, Wolverine shouldn’t be too far down the road. And in all honesty the original work is good enough to be appreciated by fans of any given medium; I personally will sit down and watch every episode no matter what.

Click here to discuss this article on our forums!

There seems to be a recent surge in manga coming back from the grave. Ken Akamatsu’s Love Hina will not be one to miss out on the newest trend and so it will be back, although briefly, it will be a one-shot special in full color to celebrate the 300th of Akamatsu’s other work (Negima!) The special volume will be released within the pages of the 40th Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine.

September Seems Promising

The one shot special will be published on the first week of September (the very first of the month to be more specific) The chapter will come out in full color and feature the main characters of the story, Keitaro and Naru. The chapter is not going to be a very long one for it will only stretch out as far as six fully colored pages. The magazine will also feature Negima!’s latest chapter and offer a limited edition T-shirt in honor of its 300th chapter.

Love Hina is probably the most well known harem-manga. It has been adapted from OVA’s to an anime and ran for three years (1998-2001) In Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine it deals with the story of a guy by the name of Keitaro Urashima who moves in to take care of an all-girls boarding house. Over the story all the girls fall in love with him for no apparent reason and this leads to massive shenanigans and a tormented love story between him and Naru Narusegawa.

The manga is a comedy with romantic undertones, but it manages to go crazy and put together a set of stories going as far as discovering ancient ruins and lost civilizations, so it should include many an interesting chapter for those willing to muscle through all 14 volumes released by Tokyopop.

Click here to discuss this article on our forums!

Blockbuster Director James Cameron spoke to the movie website “Coming Soon” in an interview, where he revealed his interest in pursuing a live action adaptation of the popular classic “Battle Angel Alita”, whether or not this is good news is subjective to most, but stay after the jump for more.

He’s A Good Director

James Cameron is a well known director with a long trajectory of good to excellent movies, but for most, the news of yet another Anime/Manga adaptation made in the west may not sit too well. Mr. Cameron spoke to Coming Soon about how he loved the story of Battle Angel Alita, to the point of having written the script before production began on Avatar. The main concern he has with the project is not one of interest (budget shouldn’t be an issue either, he’s James Cameron) but of time. He needs to evaluate where the project would fit and perhaps someday we would get some confirmation on it.

James Cameron first mentioned the project’s existence back in 2003, up to this day the status on it has switched from a mere schedule change to reports on production time. It seems the film depends completely on Cameron’s own scheduling whims, since the film has been moved back and forth in-between others, perhaps it could be on its way to theaters within the next five years or stay in development hell, you can never tell with these things.

What’s An Alita?

Those of you too young or out of touch to know about Battle Angel Alita should take a second to read this. Also…Shame on you! Anyways, Battle Angel Alita (known as Gunnm in Japan) began as a Manga by Yukito Kishiro. The story takes us to the town of Scrapyard, where Daisuke Ido comes across a badly damaged female cyborg who he then decided to repair, he later names her Alita once fully repaired due to the fact that she lost all her memories, save for an instinctual knowledge of combat.

The manga depicts a dystopian society based around scavengers that have built a home for themselves from scrap. The themes go from oppression and freedom to humanity’s darkest aspects, showing a brutal and gritty world where dog eats dog and where cyborgs have become the norm.

The manga itself has been serialized in the west over the years and the most recent edition, Battle Alita: Last Order, has been sitting on a hiatus born from differences between the mangaka and the publisher (Shueisha’s Ultra Jump) based on a ridiculous change in some words the mangazine seeks to impose as censorship.

Click here to discuss this article on our forums!

It’s been a year since word first got out on the street of this anime adaptation, but it has been nothing but awkward silence ever since, at least until now. An announcement has been made as of yesterday, reporting next year as the title’s tentative release date, so read on for the details.

2011: New Anime But Still No Flying Cars

Deadman Wonderland is a manga that has been sitting on its hands waiting for an adaptation to come its way and this may come to be next year. The original story comes from Jinsei Kataoka and while the art is Kazuma Kondou’s handy work, some of you may recognize Kondou’s name as he’s the one responsible for writing and illustrating the Eureka Seven manga. The anime will apparently involve these two into its planning, so fans of the original may rest at ease over its fidelity. The animation itself will come by way of Manglobe.

Those who are not familiar with the manga and are expecting some sort of zombie retelling of Alice in Wonderland should read on because you may be disappointed in a good way. The story takes us 10 years after a great earthquake shatters Tokyo, leaving Japan in disarray and leading the authorities to allow the construction of “Deadman Wonderland”, a prison ran like a twisted amusement park meant to attract tourists and revitalize the local economy. But, there’s a catch, as it often happens with these things.

Enter Ganta Igarashi, a 14 year old high school student who finds himself wrongly accused of the gruesome murder of his entire class and is sentenced to death inside of Deadman Wonderland. His death sentence is to wear a heavy collar that slowly injects poison into his veins and the only way for him to survive is to eat a candy-like antidote. But in order to get it, he must fight for the entertainment of a shady crowd in an underground section of the prison, where he and the other death row inmates must make use of an odd ability acquired during their stay in the prison. The winner receives the antidote and lives another day, while the loser, if he survives, will go through a cruel game of chance where they’ll have a part of their body removed.

The announcement for this anime comes by way of the manga, so those fans of the dark side of anime now have something new to add to their lists.

Click here to discuss this article on our forums!

The past two days have brought forth interesting (if not somewhat disappointing) revelations. Fans of the Macross saga can now look forward to a somewhat definitive release date for the new film, as well as some goodies to tag along with it.

Better Late Than Never

This past Sunday, August 15th, Bandai Namco gave followers of its official Twitter account the slip on the new release date for “Sayonara no Tsubasa”. The company followed through with the new release date the next day during the Macross F Girasama Carnival, confirming February 26th as the official release date in Japan.

The film will follow after “Itsuwari no Utahime”, which was released last November. Fans of the Macross universe may also look forward to a new release of musical themes; the compilation is to take the shape of both Blu-ray and DVD sets. Those that are fans of the show but not necessarily of its music can look forward to “Merry Christmas Macross”, an event taking place this December 22th in Tokyo and the 24th in Kobe. Hopefully the event will bring forth several new developments regarding Macross as well as a complete confirmation on the date for the next film.

Click here to discuss this article on our forums!

Those of you with nothing better to do this summer should go now in search for a newspaper because Ghibli’s Earthsea hit theatres this Friday, and so far it’s going strong. Read on for a list of theatres in case you feel like catching it yourself, and a short review for those who feel like getting the DVD and checking it out.

C’mon, It’s Ghibli!

Studio Ghibli is pretty much like the Pixar of anime (more like Pixar being the Ghibli of CGI) they never screw up and all of their films are memorable blockbusters. They somehow manage to integrate everything that makes an animated film great, art, good story-telling, direction, a strong plot and an amazing cast, all without ever coming short with one of these elements. The final product of studio Ghibli’s films is always great and you don’t even have to be into anime to appreciate it, just as Earthsea has proven with its opening weekend.

Earthsea opened Friday the 13th (yeah, we know) on a very limited release of five theatres located in New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Honolulu and San Francisco. The film managed to draw in around $20,500 on its opening weekend, which may seem a little disappointing considering that the rest of studio Ghibli’s films have raked in truck-full’s of cash even with a limited release. Truth be told, this one may seem like the financial black-sheep. But it’s not bad, oh boy, it’s completely far from that.

The film’s relatively weak (by Ghibli’s standards) opening weekend can be easily attributed to several factors such as having been released deep in the digital era and being available on the internet (not a matter of piracy folks, some very “official” sites have it up) as well as having a widely released DVD. Earthsea comes to us by the hands Goro Miyazaki, the son of Hayao Myizaki, the man responsible for many of studio Ghibli’s greatest films. The question here is, does the apple fall far from the tree? The answer is a simple: no, it doesn’t.

Tales of Earthsea, or Gedo Senki as it’s known in Japanese, is an adaptation of a series of fantasy novels by Ursula K. Le Guin. So you can be sure that the film is in line with the likes of Princess Mononoke, having huge mythological creatures and some violence here and there for good measure (the film is the first animated film distributed by Disney to receive a PG-13 rating.)

Those of you living in the cities mentioned above should check the following theaters:

New York (Angelika/Manhattan)

Honolulu (Victoria Ward)

San Francisco (The Kabuki)

Seattle (Harvard Exit)

Los Angeles (The Landmark)

The rest of you should think of going to the DVD store to pick it up and here’s the reason why you should spend your money; Earthsea is from studio Ghibli, so you know it at least deserves a rental but it can be taken as a good movie in its own right as it presents to you an unique yet familiar story. The parallels with Princess Mononoke are plentiful, the styling and feel of Earthsea makes it seem like it would be at home in the same world where the events of Princess Mononoke take place. The visuals are warm and colorful, even when showing off such sights as a stormy sky or a slave market.

The film takes us to a land where pestilence and disease are wreaking havoc amongst the populace, and where bad crops are forcing farmers away from their homes and slavers are running rampant, but there’s more to it than that. The balance of life in the land seems to be breaking as a consequence of direct human interference, so we join Ged, an Archmage traveling the land to find the reason behind it and Arren, a young prince who fled his homeland and wanders alongside Ged to escape from his past, as well as a dark presence that lurks within him.

The plot itself is very basic but it still manages to draw the viewer in, save for a couple of moments where everything comes to a halt and we are taken into some plot exposition. There’s a peculiar point where the main characters become awkward and seem to get out of place with what was previously established about their personalities. But this gets integrated later on in a way that makes sense. In a way, this movie is one of those were you can’t stop watching it halfway through or it’ll seem bland and boring, but once you watch the whole thing and the little bits and pieces come together you can be sure to say “Wow” just as the credits roll.

The English dub manages to be far from cringe-worthy. I would even dare say it’s good, since there are times when it seems like Earthsea was made in English instead of simply dubbed. The voice actors really put some work into it this time around and if you look at the back and see the voice cast you’ll understand why.

Earthsea is good. It may not be the greatest from Ghibli (not that you can judge a film in such a view, since all preferences are subjective) but it sure stands out on its own two legs. The movie has some unresolved plot points that kind of sit there picking at the back of your head, some simply linger too long through the film to be treated quickly and taken out of the story in an awkward fashion, but others just remain sitting there. But at the end of the day this is a decent movie, not exactly action-packed but not too slow, perfect for a date or a calm, lazy day.

Click here to discuss this article on our forums!

Those of you following the manga to its conclusion have a new reason to be cautiously excited; a new side story coming to us from Shonen Gangan is set to bring some new life into the title. The side story will be helmed by Hiromu Arakawa, the man behind the original. Read on for the known details.

Back For More

Full Metal Alchemist is one of those franchises that doesn’t seem to get enough, going from a popular manga to two successful anime adaptations, the second of which follows the manga more closely, and it also gave way to an excellent movie adaptation. Fans have seen every single side of the characters so far but there is still more to look forward to.

Why is that? Simply put, the manga and the animes may have come to an end this year, but we could very well be looking not at the beginning of the end, but the end of the beginning.

The September edition of Square Enix’s Shonen Gangan will introduce readers to a new side-story of the FMA license. Whether said side story will be a one shot or a completely new spin-off is yet to be seen but what’s known for sure is that Japanese manga fans that missed out on the last chapter (since it sold out all across Japan pretty darn fast) will get to read the exciting conclusion as it will be sharing the pages of the magazine with its newest incarnation.

Western fans can either hope for Viz Media to keep on releasing the manga, or go ahead and dwell into the shady corners of the internet for a sneak peek.

Click here to discuss this article on our forums!

It wasn’t too long ago that a new anime take on the title was announced and now it seems that the manga is to be brought back in the form of a new edition. The title is to be considered a spin-off, whether or not this will bring mayor changes to the plot is unknown. Read on for the known facts.

Back With A Vengeance (and hopefully a conclusion!)

The spin-off will be illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki and written by Saki Hasemi, fans of the original will notice that these two are the ones who originally brought it to the world, as well as the ones whose differences are accredited by many a rumor-mongering fan as the reason it was canned. Whatever the cause for the original’s abrupt, inconclusive, lackluster and crushingly disappointing ending (you can tell it was that bad) fans may now begin to build up cautious expectations, for the manga will begin serialization this October on “Jump Square”, alongside Kentaro Yabuki’s other manga Mayoi Neko Overrun.

Just like with the anime, it’s unknown what this manga’s direction will be. The fact that it’s referred to as a “spin-off” serves as a warning to those awaiting a sequel, if it’s true that nothing is clear at this point, the general consensus with “spin-offs” is to reboot the franchise and move towards a new untapped segment of the story.

So keep those fingers crossed!

Click here to discuss this article on our forums!

Those of you that keep up with the site will remember the announcement made to report on To Love-Ru’s new anime incarnation. You will also remember that the announcement was sketchy enough as to not clarify what form the animation would take. Read on for that.

“A Second Seasons Coming”

It has been confirmed that the newest take on To Love-Ru will be in the form of a TV anime. The animation will take the name of “Motto To Love-Ru” airing during this year’s fall season. So expect to hear news about its development and reception around October (if the release date doesn’t get pushed back).

It’s still largely unknown whether or not the anime will take things from where it left off during its first season, thus animating the many chapters not shown during its original run nor the OVA’s, or if it will go beyond the manga’s open-ended conclusion.

Click here to discuss this article on our forums!

Are you bored with what conventional anime has to offer? Perhaps it is time to die…or at least to check out the offerings of the gloomy Ai Enma in “Hell Girl” otherwise known as “Jigoku Shōjo: Girl from Hell”. Prepare to see what death is like.

A One Way Ride

Hell Girl is a somewhat unconventional anime for modern times. Its first season was released during the late half of 2005 and ran until early 2006 in Japan. Produced by Aniplex and Studio Deen and licensed by “FUNimation”, this anime proved itself to be enough of a hit on its homeland to bring forth a manga and a short live action adaptation.

Hell Girl follows an episodic formula, in which every episode is a self contained story that links with the overall plot through the actions of the show’s main cast of recurring characters. The eponymous Hell Girl, Ai Enma, is a gloomy and dark girl with a tragic past that now serves as harbinger of vengeance with the aid of her servants; Wanyudo, an old man with a near permanent smile, Hone Onna, a sultry woman with a cynical outlook and a knack for style and Ren Ichimoku, a young looking man who dresses in modern clothing unlike the rest of the gang who dress in classic Japanese garbs (save for when they go “undercover” on the human world, but more on that later). Hell Girl could be said to follow the story of an anti-hero; until we get to know the Shibatas, the single parent and journalist Hajime and his bright young daughter Tsugumi who become the recurring human characters in the show.

Hell Girl consists of three seasons: the first of which has been already released in the west whereas the second is halfway through and should be done by the end of July, while the third season won’t see a DVD release until well later this year.

As I said, the show follows an episodic formula with only the cast to push it forward, but sadly (to some) the human part of the cast is not a constant. You could say that it’s the biggest change in the formula up to the third season where things got a little…different. But, it’s not an unwelcomed change of pace, that’s for sure.

Death Is Unfair

Each episode of Hell Girl starts by introducing us to a character that is in trouble or consumed by a deep grudge. Then, after getting a little look into that character’s life and knowing the story behind the current circumstances we get to see Ai Enma’s modus operandi, a mysterious website that can only be accessed at midnight. There, Ai’s “customers” will write the name of the person they seek her to deliver vengeance upon and she will soon appear in their room and offer them a straw doll, which for those that pay attention to detail will seem oddly familiar.

Once the contract’s conditions have been stated all the person has to do is pull a red string around the doll’s neck, prompting Ai to leave her hellish home and with the aid of her servants, punish the victim and send them off to hell. Of course, this comes with a price, namely that of the other party’s soul but only once they die. Until then, they will bear a dark mark on their chest as part of their contract.

Some people complain that the anime takes the means through which Ai delivers souls onto hell a little lightly, with the motif behind some contracts being petty. But as an episode of the first season showed us, people can be psychotic and having an easy way out will sometimes be their only choice, no matter the cost.

What You Can Expect

The general plot is based around Ai’s past and how she came to be in her position, you could arguably say that the first season is dedicated to the Shibatas and how Hajime’s investigation came to awaken parts of Ai’s past. While the second season deals with how humanity adopts the easiest way out of their problems and how this amounts to nothing…all the while showing us the past of Ai’s servants.

The third season is a bit…different, but not bad by any means. Hell Girl is a very solid work with a nice overarching plot that will cater to those that like to put the pieces together rather than have everything explained to them upfront. The truth is, that most of the time the situations in a given episode will seem unfair, but that’s part of the point. Life can be a b-…ehm, mean lady, and death is the great equalizer. Ai is simply the bridge in between using humanity’s tools to reap from their own hatred (it’s shown how she has worked in the past through such methods as an old mailbox).

The only real complaint about the show is that watching episode after episode gets a bit tiring, seeing how the same formula applies to all of them. There are, however, enough fresh moments that deal with the story and heart of the show to cover this up. So it’s a really good watch if you like your mystery and horror to be blended in with a bit of tragedy and drama.

Hell Girl is, simply put, one hell of a show (Hiyooo!)

Click here to discuss this article on our forums!

Do schoolgirls and heaping amounts of fan service cater to your tastes? Then you might very well one of those who enjoyed watching Rito’s misadventures as he was introduced to the busty princess from outer space, Lala. Were you also amongst those left unsatisfied by the manga’s conclusion and still want more animated goodness to make up for it? Then read on.

There May Be Some Hope For You

An announcement from Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine shines light on a new animated take on the late “To Love-Ru” manga. It appears that XEBEC will be the studio to take on the task of bringing life to the characters, which will be designed by Yuichi Ouka, the man behind the character design of the other seasons and the various OVAs that followed it. The director’s seat will be taken by none other than Atsushi Ootsuki (of Kanokon and Ladies versus Butlers! Fame), a man you can count to be the bee’s knees when it comes to fan service and pervy anime.

Any amount of good news comes with a catch, however. The form the animation will take on is a mystery to everybody! Why? The announcement left out the information on whether it would be an OVA or a new television anime. Let the hype begin!

Click here to discuss this article on our forums!

Summer is upon us and with it comes lots and lots of free time to kill, which for many an Otaku it means that it is time to crack open the DVD box sets or begin queuing those downloads. This summer brings forth many new titles and new seasons for some of our favorites.

The Big list

The following is a simple compendium of the titles to come this summer in Japan. Those of you who are into fan subs (not like we are encouraging piracy or anything) will be hearing from them pretty soon, whereas those who wait for the DVD releases in the west will have to keep their fingers crossed for the anime to be successful enough to warrant localization.

June:

Utawarerumono (OVA) from Chaos Project – Final vol.3 release (06/23)
Kyou, Koi wo Hajimemasu (OAD) from J.C. Staff – Bundled with manga vol.9 (06/25)
Break Blade 2: Ketsubetsu no Michi (Film) from XEBEC/Production I.G (06/26)
Uchuu Show e Youkoso (Film) from A-1 Pictures 06/26)

July:

The Legend of the Legendary Heroes (TV) from ZEXCS – On TV Tokyo at 26:15 (07/01)
Amagami SS (TV) from AIC – On TBS at 25:25 (07/01)
Kuroshitsuji II (TV) from A-1 Pictures – On MBS (07/01)
Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakama-tachi (TV) from J.C. Staff – On AT-X at 09:00 (07/01)
Kure-nai (OAD) from Brain’s Base – Bundled with manga vol.5 (07/02)
Shukufuku no Campanella (TV) from AIC – On Tokyo MX at 25:30 (07/02)
Seitokai Yakuindomo (TV) from GoHands – On TV Kanagawa at 24:30 (07/03)
Strike Witches 2 (TV」 from AIC – On TV Kanagawa at 25:00 (07/03)
Sekirei ~Pure Engagement~ (TV) from Seven Arcs – On Tokyo MX at 23:30 (07/04)
Highschool of the Dead (TV) from Madhouse – On AT-X at 11:30 (07/05)
Nurarihyon no Mago (TV) from Studio DEEN – On BS11 at 25:44 (07/05)
Tono to Issho (TV) from Gathering – On Yomiuri TV at 26:14 (07/05)
Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin (TV) from A-1 Pictures – On TV Tokyo at 25:30 (07/05)
Digimon: Xros Wars (TV) from Toei Animation – On TV Asahi 19:27 (07/06)
Shin Koihime†Musou (OVA) from Dogakobo – Single volume release (07/07)
Shiki (TV) from Daume – On Fuji TV at 25:15 (07/08)
Pokemon Diamond & Pearl Movie: The Phantom Champion Z (Film) (07/10)
Asobi ni Iku yo! (TV) from AIC Plus+ – On MBS at 25:28 (07/10)
Sengoku Basara Two (TV) from Production I.G – On MBS/TBS (07/11)
Zettai Karen Children (OVA) (07/16)
Black Lagoon: Roberta’s Blood Trail (OVA) from Madhouse – Volume 1 release; 5 planned (07/17)
Karigurashi no Arrietty (Film) from Studio Ghibli (07/17)
Hen Zemi (OVA) from XEBEC – Single volume release (07/23)
Black Rock Shooter (OVA) from Ordet – Preview will be held in Akihabara on July 7th. (07/24)
Aki Sora ~Yume no Naka~ (OVA) from Hoods Entertainment (07/30)
Konchuu Monogatari Mitsubachi Hutch: Yuuki no Melody (Film) from Tatsunoko Productions (07/31)
Mitsudomoe (TV) from Bridge – On CBC (07/2010)

August:

Mokei Senshi Gunpla Builders Beginning G (Film) from Sunrise – Shown at Gundam Super Expo (08/10)
Mahou Sensei Negima! ~Mou Hitotsu no Sekai~ (OVA) from SHAFT/Studio Pastoral – Volume 4; bundled with manga vol.31 (08/20)
Colorful (Film) from Sunrise – Based on Eto Mori’s young adults’ novel (08/21)
Metal Fight Beyblade (Film) (08/21)
Queen’s Blade: Utsukushiki Toushitachi (OVA) from ARMS – Volume 1 release; 6 planned (08/25)
Tono to Issho (OAD) from Gathering – Final volume release (08/25)
Toaru Kagaku no Railgun (OAD) from N/A – Bundled with official visual book (08/27)
Loups=Garous (Film) from Production I.G/Trans Arts (08/28)

September:

Sora no Otoshimono (OAD) from– Unaired episode found on anime vol.7 (09/09)
Yondemasuyo, Azazel-san. (OAD) from Production I.G – *Bundled w/ LE manga vol.5 (09/22)
Queen’s Blade: Utsukushiki Toushitachi (OVA) from ARMS – *Volume 2 release; 6 planned (09/22)
Tales of Symphonia the Animation: Tethe’alla-hen (OVA) from ufotable – Volume 3 of 4 (09/23)
ToHeart2 adnext (OVA) from Chaos Project – Volume 1 of 2 (09/23)

Re-cap:

As you can tell after skimming through the humongous list of releases, July is packed. In all honesty, it should be. The bulk of the summer is the sweet half between July and August when you are either oncerned about returning to the grind or you already depleted everything else to do. Some of the animes coming out this summer will pump new life into shows that more than one reader has been looking forward to. But we can also look forward to some great new releases (Black Rock Shooter anyone?), so there you go. Plan out your schedules to accommodate the necessary bandwidth for the massive downloads to come or begin praying for localized releases of your favorites! Remember, we do not condone piracy and encourage you to become a supporter and legally purchase your anime!

Click here to discuss this article on our forums!

In my personal opinion, it comes down to the fact that most anime, more often than not, have long drawn out plots that tend to be character centric; Whereas Hollywood movies tend to take the idea of a character and add it to a plot for an easy cash in. When it comes down to these adaptations, they don’t seem to care much for the source material. They probably write it off as “wacky Chinese cartoons” and that’s wrong.

It just doesn’t work

Hollywood can pull off some amazing adaptations from time to time because the people working on them seemed to care. Someone had a lot of love towards the original source of the adaptation, whether it was the general media or production staff. Whatever the case, none of this applies to anime adaptations. The art style and narrative of many an anime seem to be well fitted for a movie, at least in the fans’ minds. Then, everything seems to have been lost in translation once you come out of the theater.

Most OVA’s are either spin-offs, side stories, prequels, sequels or a re-telling of the original story. What they attempt to do is take a long plot where several things come together to string a strong story. This is nigh impossible in a period of two hours. Most anime tend to develop slowly and unravel themselves to us through colorful characters and delicate metaphors. The characters are the essence of the show and not a vehicle to drive a plot forward (in most cases that is).

There’s always a chance, though

As I mentioned earlier, Hollywood sees anime as a quick cash in. Most titles picked for an adaptation are well known and have a core set of followers that will serve to feed the grinder of publicity. A lot of the people that get a hold of the titles are in to grab as much cash as possible before word of mouth beats their movie’s earnings into the ground. Anime in itself is represented as a visual medium through which its creator tries to convey a message or just show us his vision, so it’s perfectly logical that most of the time the many adaptations that come out fail to impress. They are not inspired works that try to be a reinterpretation of the original; they are simply thrown out for the fans and the mass to indulge them with some mindless entertainment.

We can only hope that one day someone will care enough to sit down and work hard to make an anime adaptation into something more than a crappy movie that takes a similar trend to that of the original. Someone who will be inspired, and won’t only make an entirely different set of characters trapped inside a convulsed (and generally awful) plot onto which to plaster a brand name for the sake of money.

Click here to discuss this article on our forums!

The movie will not see the light dubbed in English anytime soon, but in the mean time you may take solace in knowing that its strong sales performance (over 300, 000 sales from the DVD and Blu-ray combined) and its positive reception by fans and critics alike are a sure sign that it will soon be adapted for western audiences. Not to mention that its prequel has been available in the market for quite a bit and that the film itself was screened in Hawaii during the late half of 2009.

It will be a matter of waiting for an official release to hit the States. Heres to hoping that it’s not too long a wait!

Click here to discuss this article on our forums!

Those of you who have been following the manga since it was originally launched back in 2006 will be glad to hear a premiere date of April 23rd 2010 has been set. All of us at animemb.com are extremely excited about this announcement and will keep you updated.

Synopsis

Here is a quick synopsis of the series. A former deliquent named Adachi Hana, who has dreams of being a class representative, makes her friend Shinagawa Diachi go to school social events and interact with the other students. Diachi soon finds out that Hana, like him, used to be a deliquent and that she is trying to change Daichi for the better. Daichi does not want to socialize with his peers, and wants to be left to himself. Adachi only wants Diachi to do all of this so he won’t end up messing up his life and making the mistakes she did. This series will be about the adventures of Adachi and Diachi, and their peers.

Space Battleship Yamato, or Space Cruiser Yamato or Star Blazers, as it has been translated in the past, is the story about Earth in the year of 2199. Humanity is living in bunkers far below the surface after the planet has been attacked by radioactive bombs, leaving it uninhabitable. The alien race, Gamilas, are trying to eradicate humans in order to take over and make the planet their new home. Contacted by Queen Starsha of the planet, Iscandar, humans are told she holds a device called the Cosmo-Cleaner-D, a system that can save Earth from the radioactivity. The humans race to restore an old battleship, the Yamato, and use the blueprints provided by the queen to install a wave motion engine, to help them get to her faster, in time to save Earth.

Space Battleship Yamato’s first season was twenty-six episodes and suffered heavy dubbing and editing when it had a limited release in the UK and the US. Names were changed, entire scenes cut and the general story was shifted from the battleship and the Japanese concept of ‘the honorable enemy’ to a study on the individual crew members. Since the original run, the show has had two more seasons, the third originally intended to have 52 episodes and was cut to 25, resulting in a weak story. There was also four movies and at one point, producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki tried to create a spinoff called, Yamato 2520, but it never got past four produced episodes after his company suffered bankruptcy.

The live-action will be based off the original show from 1974 and it has been said by Noboru that famous Japanese idol, Takuya Kimura from the group, SMAP, will be starring in the space opera. He did not specify which character Takuya would fill the role as, but it can be speculated he may play either Susumu Kodai, the hot headed young battle chief of the Yamato, or possibly Susumu’s friend, Daisuke Shima, the chief navigator and helmsman.

Though the multi-talented Takuya is thirty-six to date and perhaps too old to be presented as either of these characters, there has not been enough press release about the film to further contemplate beyond such a well known actor taking one of the leading roles.

The new anime film, being headed by producer, Nishizaki, is called Yamato: Rebirth, set to release on December 12, 2009, as told to the press. Nishizaki says the film will take place in 2220 and an expanding black hole forces Earth to be evacuated. The transportation fleets are attacked, but protected by the Yamato, now captained by Susumu Kodai.

Shojo manga, Black Bird, by Kanoko Sakurakoji, will have volume one released on August 4, 2009. Black Bird is about a teenage girl named, Misao Harada, who can see the magical world that intersects the normal realm. Despite trying to ignore her powers in exchange for a normal, high school life, she is one day attacked by a vicious demon and saved only by friend, Kyo. It appears that Misao’ blood gives power to whatever demon claims her and it seems that Kyo, tending to her wounds with his tongue, is trying to do just that.

On August 11, 2009 Dogs: Bullets & Carnage volume one will be on sale. Written by, Shirow Miwa, Dogs is the story of four main characters who meet through a series of coincidences while trying to survive in post-apocalyptic world of genetic mutations, crime, and violence.

August 18, 2009 will be the release of Ooku: The Inner Chambers, volume one, a manga by, Fumi Yoshinaga. Set in an alternate history of medieval Japan, where men have succumbed to a horrible disease, the country is soon ruled by a matriarchal society, where men are consorts. The shogun, now all women, keep a harem of men and tend to the jobs that they used to be restricted from.

Also on August 18, 2009 will be the release of the Death Note spinoff film, L: Change the World. The film stars, Kenichi Matsuyama as L, from the previous two movies. The story follows the genius detective as he takes on a bio-terrorist group and attempts to save the lives of two children who have nowhere to turn.

September 1, 2009 sees the debut of the manga, Tegami Bachi. Written by Hiroyuki Asada, Tegami Bachi is a story about a land called Amberground, where it is always dark. Lag Seeing works as a Letter Bee, delivering packages to the people of Amberground, traveling through the dangerous wilderness infested with monstrous insects, in order to brighten the hearts of the citizens. He was once a package to be delivered by another Bee, Gauche Suede, and the other messenger was his inspiration to take on the business.

September 9, 2009 will be the release of Bleach the Movie 2: The Diamond Dust Rebellion. When a treasure is stolen and Toshiro Hitsugaya disappears, he becomes a suspect of treason. When the Soul Society decides to find and execute Hitsugaya, Ichigo vows to find and prove him innocent.

On August 18th and 19th, they will have the American, theatrical debut of the second feature length Bleach movie, Bleach the Movie 2: The DiamondDust Rebellion. Tickets go on sale on July 31, 2009 at vizcinema.com and fans are urged to buy their tickets soon, as VIZ Cinema is expecting it to be completely sold out for each show. They will be showing the movie two times for both days, to accommodate as many viewers as possible.

Preceded by the first film, Bleach: Memories of Nobody which was released in Japan on December 16, 2006 and in America on June 11, 2008, Bleach the Movie 2: The DiamondDust Rebellion came out on December 22, 2007 in Japan. It is slated to be released on DVD in America shortly after its theatrical run, on September 8, 2009. The film has Toshiro Hitsugaya ordered to protect the King’s Seal and when it is stolen, he is ordered to go after it. When he doesn’t return, Soul Society brands him a traitor that must be executed.

The overall opinion of the second movie in the Bleach fan community is that it is far superior to the first, in animation, music and story. Toshiro is also one of the more popular characters in Bleach, with a mysterious past surrounding him, making a lot of fans happy when they heard the second film would focus on him so intently. The second movie did very well in the Japanese box office, coming in fourth in the ranks and holding the top ten position for five weeks.

As a side-note regarding Bleach, a third film has been released in Japan, called, Fade to Black, I Call Your Name, debuting on December 13, 2008. It held a top ten position in the Japanese box office for five weeks.

All three films have been directed by, Noriyuki Abe with the second film’s opening theme performed by rock band, Sambomaster and the third features opening music by the rock band, Porno Graffiti. There is no scheduled release of the third film in America or the United Kingdom yet.

Out on June 23, 2009 is Death Note Re-light: Visions of a God, Volume 1. When Ryuk, a God of Death, drops his death note in the human world, Light Yagami, a high school student finds it and with its ability to kill anyone who’s name is written in the book, Light takes justice into his own hands and begins to rid the world of criminals at his own accord.

L, a genius detective, begins to hunt down the killer that the public knows only as, Kira. An animated feature set in the point of view of Ryuk, a bored God of Death who, upon following Light around on his deadly adventure, is now very entertained. Death Note Re-light: Visions of a God runs 130 minutes in length.

Samurai Champloo Complete Collection

Released on June 30, 2009 is Samurai Champloo Complete Collection. Fuu is an adorable young woman in Japan, searching for a samurai who ‘smells of sunflowers.’ Her two comrades are Mugen, a wild and uncontrollable warrior and Jin, a cool and calm samurai. Fuu must search for her missing samurai with no other clues available, while trying to keep Mugen and Jin from killing one another. Samurai Champloo Complete Collection covers the entire show and runs 625 minutes in length.

Bleach Season 3 – Original Uncut

Out on July 7, 2009 is Bleach Season 3, original and uncut. Ichigo is a student with the unique ability to see ghosts and spirits lingering in the human world and this talent leads him to meet Rukia, a God of Death who searches for lost or vengeful spirits. When Ichigo’s family is attacked by a Hollow, the very spirit that Rukia searches for, he is given Rukia’s powers to defeat the intruder. Now unable to take her powers back, Rukia decides to teach Ichigo to become of God of Death in her place. Bleach Season 3 covers episodes 42 through 63 and run 500 minutes in length. Special limited editions come with a collector’s Hollow mask.

Naruto Volume 15

Released on July 21, 2009 is Naruto Volume 15, original and uncut. Naruto Uzumaki, a ninja-in-training wishes to one day be the Hokage of his village. Orphaned and unloved by most, save for one academy instructor, Naruto fights for attention and to prove himself worthy of protecting Konoha. Upon becoming a low level genin, Naruto’s true adventure begins with enemy ninjas from faraway lands, plots against his village and a personal journey to understand the secrets deep within himself. Naruto Volume 15 runs 350 minutes in length.

XXXHolic Complete Collection

Out on July 28, 2009 is XXXHolic Complete Collection. Watanuki is a young man who has been haunted by ghosts and spirits his entire life, a curse of his bloodline. When the demons make Watanuki find his way to the door of Dimensional Witch Yuko, he meets a woman who is willing to help Watanuki free himself of his curse, for a price. Agreeing to work in her shop, Watanuki quickly discovers that those customers entering to fulfill their desires should be careful of the prices they must pay. XXXHolic Complete Collection covers the entire show and runs 600 minutes in length.