Emile Hirsch has been cast as Speed Racer in the upcoming movie:
The actor most recently earned critical acclaim as the charismatic Johnny Truelove in the real-life crime drama Alpha Dog, and as skateboarding vanguard Jay Adams in Lords of Dogtown. He next stars as Christopher McCandless in Into the Wild, Sean Penn’s screen adaptation of Jon Krakauer’s bestseller, which is set for release this September.
Well, he’s got the eyebrows.
§ Tom Cruise will NOT appear in the WATCHMEN movie, says CHUD:
My source was right. While on the phone with Watchmen director-to-be Zack Snyder yesterday, talking about the pending release of 300, I asked him point blank about Cruise, and he confirmed that he and Tom had been talking about it. A lot. But that now it looked like Cruise would not be appearing in the film.
“He was interested,” Snyder confirmed to me. “I did talk to him about it for a while.” And would the role he wanted be Ozymandias? “That would be the role,” Snyder said.
§ UGO interviews John Ridley on his Wildstorm series THE AMERICAN WAY:
For comic book fans I think you can give a more detailed explanation about the concept of a super group used as agitprop for the government, but not in a Draconian way, an Orwellian way, not to placate the masses but to give people hope in the ’60s. It was a time of promise and peril; it was the fear of Communism and nuclear war and I think the government back then, they weren’t evil; they just wanted people to have hope. Even the space program, well, some people think it’s a big conspiracy. Nevertheless, the idea was to show that we could keep up with the Russians and we could surpass them. The American Way is the way to go.
§ A Batmobile sold for $200K at an auction after a fiercer than expected bidding war.
A shopper with $233,000 to spare went away with a vehicle fit for a superhero when a Batmobile from the 1960s television series “Batman” was sold at auction Tuesday.
The car was the sixth of an unspecified number built for the 120-episode ABC series based on the DC Comics hero, according to Coys auctioneers in London. Four or five bidders helped drive its price more than 50% above the upper estimate, said Chris Routledge, an auctioneer at Coys.
The car, which is almost 20 feet long, is black with scarlet lines to highlight its contours and winged chassis.
§ The Contra Costa Times offers a typical look at WonderCon, which starts today:
Even events without a link to WonderCon seek to profit from it. At Jillian’s in the Metreon, the Bay Area Fan Film Festival takes a cue from Sundance offshoots, premiering a Web-based sequel to fanboy fave “The Crow” on Sunday.
Jeff Bonivert, an Oakley artist and technical illustrator at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, plans to take his portfolio.
“I’ve been to every WonderCon,” the 52-year-old said proudly.
§ Every parent must read: The Chicago Tribune digs into how American youth gets hooked on anime!
When Rebecca was 2, her mother, Teresa, brought home a VHS copy of “My Neighbor Totoro,” a supernatural tale of a forest spirit who tries to reunite two young sisters after the youngest, Mei, sets off to find her mother. “[When] Mei screams her head off, I remember screaming with it,” Rebecca says. “My mom tells me I would just put in the tape over and over.” It wasn’t Teletubbies, and it helped set the standard for what she would later watch — most of it foreign. In fact, when you mention American animation around her or any other anime fan, with the exception of a few series like “Family Guy” and “The Simpsons,” they usually toss around adjectives like “brain-dead” and “childish.” Anime, on the other hand, deals with universal issues, says Susan Napier, a professor of Japanese studies at Tufts University outside Boston.
§ Somehow HEROES on NBC and SPIDER-MAN 3 are teaming up and you will see a seven minute scene of SPIDEY 3 but only if you watch HEROES. Or something like that.
§ TIME reviews 300:
The result is a gorgeous, dreamlike movie that’s almost too perfect. Every frame is neat and composed, like an oil painting, not a hair or a grain of sand out of place. All noise and dissonance have been digitally eliminated. It’s beautiful, but it’s more beautiful than it is real. Movies are invigorated by the tension between the director and reality, the struggle of the artist to tame the reluctant, intractable world, and that tension is missing from 300. If you’ve ever seen Hearts of Darkness, the documentary of the disastrous campaign to make a very different war movie, Apocalypse Now, you’ve heard Francis Ford Coppola say: “My movie is not about Vietnam. My movie is Vietnam.” Coppola’s protracted, Pyrrhic struggle against the jungle stokes the movie’s crazy energy. In 300 there’s not really much of a struggle. If 300 is the Battle of Thermopylae, then Snyder is the digital god-king Xerxes, and not the Spartans.
Well, this is disgusting. Basically, a “promoter” set up an anime con, promising the extra profits would go to breast cancer research, and the whole thing was a scam. The “promoter” cancelled the event and made off with all the money.
AnimeFF and its breast cancer awareness turned out to be a scam of ridiculous magnitude, affecting so many parties in the anime industry, including the integrity of the anime fans. Active Anime’s friend Adam of TheOtaku.com, who took his time from his busy schedule to promote AnimeFF’s “Tour For the Cure” convention experience this issue first hand as he was a guess at the convention that was held last January 13 – 14. TheOtaku.com, is putting pressure on AnimeFF’s parent company Duplicate Mass Industries as it is only posting documents and events that happened at the convention, and starting with the only AnimeFF representative Jeffery Borncamp. According to one of the posting, Jeffery Borncamp left the convention with the cash box and was never heard from it again. Duplicate Mass Industries is based in Columbus, Ohio. If you have any information on AnimeFF or Duplicated Mass Industries, please contact Adam at adam@theotaku.com, and visit TheOtaku.com for more inforamtion and to read the events that transpired at AnimeFF.
Manganews has more:
AnimeFF was founded with the purpose of leveraging the goodwill of the fandom community to generate money for breast cancer research, specifically the Susan G. Komen Foundation. With this in mind they launched the anime “Tour for the Cure” convention, with the idea that the entire proceeds of the convention be donated.
Needing help to get the convention started and help to have it promoted, they turned to a variety of people in the anime community, including Richard Stott, founder of the well-respected Anime Vegas convention, and the team over at theOtaku.com, who helped in a number of ways, including running an anime art contest. The winners of the contest were promised a number of gaming systems, donated to the con because AnimeFF’s parent organization, DMI (Duplicate Mass Industries) has ties to the gaming industry. MTV was even set to come out and video tape the cosplay parade.
Instead, the worst things that could ever happen in an anime con happened: Contracts for the convention rooms were not signed. The three day con was suddenly cut to a one day con. Event after event was canceled. Accommodations promised to the various con guest were never made available. Finally, AnimeFF representative Jeff Borncamp told the convention center people that the con was over with, while he ran off with all the registration money and dealer deposits.
From the folks who brought you New York Comic-Con The New York Anime Festival:
Announcing the New York Anime Festival!
December 7-9, 2007
Jacob Javits Center, New York City
The organizers of New York Comic Con are pleased to announce the Northeast’s new home for anime pop-culture. The New York Anime Festival will be held December 7-9, 2007 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.
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Enjoy cosplay, autographing sessions, panels, screenings and special events.
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Meet popular artists, creators, celebrities, special guests and new friends!
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Check out the latest in anime, manga/manhwa, graphic novels, books, comics, TCG games, video games, toys, costumes, and more!
Subscribe to the New York Anime Festival eNewsletter for the latest announcements and updates on the show. Each month, one lucky subscriber will win a pair of free tickets to the festival! Sign up early and increase your chances of winning!
[Thanks to IA for pointing out the link.]
Toy Fair is still raging — and it’s raging on without us and our bronchitis — but the manga-stylee line of DC heroines known as Ame-Comi Super Heroines has caused some…comment via Johanna:
Obviously, they no longer care about the complaints of many of their female readers, because this line sums up most of the problems with their characters, presenting them in an overly sexualized fashion aimed at male fans.
and Progressive Ruin. (Check comments.)
Well, it looks like our question has been answered.
We watched the debuts of the two new live action series last night, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job and Saul of the Mole Men. T&EASGJ was just kind of weird and silly. If we smoked pot, we surely would have thought it hilarious. (We did like B’owl, the bat owl, though.) We had a few more hopes for Saul which promised to be a green screen send up of Sid & Marty Krofft but found it fairly repellant. We know Adult Swim isn’t exactly supposed to be FUNNY funny, but we dislike the kind of humor that depends entirely on the entire cast having subnormal IQs.
(more…)
The very first American Anime Awards will be given out during NYCC, and the finalists have been announced:
The New York Comic Con today announced finalists for the inaugural American Anime Awards. Over 43,000 fans cast their vote for the hottest manga and anime in North America. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony during the New York Comic Con Saturday night, February 24. The ceremony and gala that follows will be broadcast on Anime Network, America’s #1 anime channel.
The American Anime Awards celebrates Japanese animation (anime) and comics (manga), which have grown into a global entertainment phenomenon. In North America manga and anime comprise a $4 billion industry. The American Anime Awards showcase the very best manga and anime to make its way to North America.
Over the month of January, North American anime fans voted on a web ballot devised by the most prominent anime and manga companies working in North America, including VIZ Media, TOKYOPOP, Media Blasters, Geneon, FUNimation, Del Rey, CPM, Bandai, and ADV Films. Representatives from Anime Insider magazine and the popular internet fan sites AnimeNewsNetwork.com and AnimeOnDVD.com also contributed nominees to the ballot. The pop culture business news site ICv2.com oversaw the online voting.
The top five finalists for the first American Anime Awards are as follows:
§ This reader was not a fan of The Geppi Entertainment Museum:
You see at museums they put up signs/plaques that explain things. As a visitor, you really aren’t ever expected to read every plaque, but you scan them and when you see something interesting you normally stop and read it. So it was extremely frustrating to be standing in a room with strong comic history and not know why anything but a handful of comics were important. I mean “Amazing Fantasy” #15 wasn’t even labeled as the first appearance of Spider-Man book. Underneath the comic was just its name and the year it was published.
§ The World Cosplay Summit for 2007 will be held in Nagoya:
The 2007 World Cosplay Summit will be held this summer in Nagoya, Japan. This year’s event will feature teams from Brazil, China, Italy, Thailand, Germany, Singapore, France, Mexico, Spain, and Japan. A Brazilian team won the 2006 title.
§ BeaucoupKevin explains what is REALLY takes to blog:
The final third is really really simple: be interesting. Write about what interests you in a lively way. There are some blogs out there that do the most boring things imaginable, like page-by-page summaries of the latest superhero pamphlets, followed by long-winded reviews that say nothing new. Don’t be like those guys - give the reader a reason to care or respond. Now, that may sound hypocritical coming from someone who’s fond of posting ads, but the response on those is generally pretty good. I think that’s because, hey, we’re all burned out on Hostess and seeing any kind of comics-related material from before our lifetimes is always worth a moment. Hell, sometimes the much-vaunted Chris Sims just posts seemingly-random panels, but these can be downright fantastic as pieces of lowbrow pop-art. Give your readers something they can’t get every week at their shop and you’ll probably get a response. Maybe not immediately, but keep plugging at it and eventually, there’s going to be a reward.
§ Michael Arias has become the first American to direct a Japanese anime film, in this case TEKKON KINKREET based on a manga by Taiyo Matsumoto:
“We wanted to make the city the central character of the film,” says Arias, an L.A. native who has spent 15 of his 39 years in Tokyo. He sculpted his images from the Tokyo neighborhoods he knows and loves but also borrowed from cityscapes in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Colombo, Sri Lanka, to give his metropolis a pan-Asian feel. He likens the clutter to “a big box of toys you just drop on the carpet.”
“The chaos is very Asian: old stuff, new stuff, these amoeba-like cities that are constantly consuming themselves,” Arias says of the setting to his directorial debut. “It’s a parallel universe that is kind of like Japan. But it’s not Japan.” A bit like Arias himself, who speaks fluent Japanese and knows the culture well but has become a bit of a novelty here as the first non-Japanese director green-lighted for a major anime feature.
§ The Charlston Gazette Mail investigates George O’Connors historical graphic novel JOURNEY INTO MOHAWK COUNTRY:
Using Bogaert’s words as originally written, O’Connor recreates this true and exciting story in a way that both children and adults can appreciate. His bright and often humorous illustrations paint a realistic picture of life in the 1600s wilderness of New York, a time before colonial settlement and the French and Indian Wars depicted in James Fenimore Cooper’s “The Leatherstocking Tales.”
O’Connor adds a few of his own little details to the story that make it more intriguing than if it were just a translation of the journal. This also makes it even more enlightening. Overall, O’Connor makes Bogaert’s journal fun to read with clear text and his awesome illustrations.
Hazu mazu! A long time ago we linked to the UNtransleted version of this classic Japanese tiger toon potty training video. Now, thanks to Andrew Sullivan we link to one where you can enjoy allllllll the dialog.
HAZU MAZU!
We just wanted to run this press release because saying Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo is fun! We saw this anime once and it was definitely off the wall. Perhaps a check of the manga is called for.
Toei Animation Inc., a subsidiary of Japan’s largest animation production studio, Toei Animation Co., Ltd., has secured their most popular newcomer, Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo for a second season on Cartoon Network. Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo will continue to air during Cartoon Network’s popular Toonami programming block.
The extremely successful series made its debut in November 2004 on Japan’s TV Asahi Network. The animated show, which features “he of the golden afro” Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, along with his sidekicks Beauty and Captain Don Patch, made its U.S. debut on Cartoon Network in October of 2005.
The show’s renewal on Cartoon Network follows the announcement of the release of Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo’s first season on DVD in Q1 of 2007. The new DVD will contain unedited versions of the show, as well as an original Japanese soundtrack. Illumitoon Entertainment and Westlake Entertainment have jointly acquired North American distribution rights to the anime series.
“We’re extremely excited to have Bo-bobo continue airing on Cartoon Network,” said Yosuke “James” Kobayashi, Toei Animation President and Chief Operating Officer. “Also, with Barry Watson leading a strong team consisting of Illumitoon and Westlake, we’re thrilled to have them handle the DVD distribution of Bo-bobo.”
Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo’s licensing is represented in the North America by Joy Tashjian Marketing Group, L.L.C.
The Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo anime series is based on stories from Japanese publisher Shueisha Inc.’s popular manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump, which is known for introducing other well-loved content such as Dragon Ball Z, Yu-Gi-Oh!, YuYu Hakusho, Naruto and One Piece. Bo-bobo manga is available in North America from VIZ Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc. and Shogakukan Production, Co. Ltd. VIZ Media also publishes SHONEN JUMP magazine, the North American counterpart of Weekly Shonen Jump.
Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo Synopsis:
Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo takes place in the year 300X, when a tyrannical emperor, Csar Baldy Bald 4th, seeks to prove his authority over the people by waging a “Hair Hunt,” aimed at taking the hair of all the citizenry. While the populace trembles in fear, one man with a Golden Afro rises to take a stand – Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo. Together with his fellow partners, Bo-bobo launches into battle against the “Hair Hunt Troops” to put an end to the “Hair Hunt” once and for all.
THE TRIPPER is a horror film whose villain is an axe-wielding former president. It was directed by David Arquette and co-written by Arquette and former comical type Joe Harris (DARKNESS FALLS) which is why we’re mentioning it here. The film also stars comics writer Thomas Jane as well as Jaime King, Paul Reubens, Jason Mewes, Lucas Haas, Balthazar Getty, etc etc so it’s got “CULT MOVIE” written all over it. The film is having a special sneak this Sunday night and Tuesday as part of Horror Fest at these theatres:
Los Angeles - The Bridge Cinema Delux - 10:15PM
Panama City - Regency 11 - 10:15PM
Atlanta - The Plaza Theatre - 9:15PM
San Jose - Century Capitol 16 - 10:00PM
Birmingham - Brook Hiland - 10:15PM
New York - The E-Walk 13 - 10:15PM
San Francisco - Century Plaza 10 - 10:15PM
Las Vegas - Regal Village Square 18 - 10:15PM
Also, we screwed up badly by not alerting you to the one week York York run of LINDA LINDA LINDA, a movie released by Viz (yes that one), It’s about three girls trying to become a band, and got a a rave review in the New York Times, of all places
If a movie about guitar-strumming Japanese high school girls isn’t high on your list of weekend destinations, you could be missing one of this year’s most unexpected pleasures. “Linda Linda Linda,” an understated and disarmingly human tale of an all-girl band in the runup to the annual rock festival at the members’ school, takes its title from a 1980s pop song so catchy your brain may never want to let it go.
It’s New York run is over, but if you get a chance, check it out. Cute Japanese girls in short skirts. What are you waiting for?
This is sure to be taken down, so watch swiftly! Last weekend’s SNL featured a new TV Funhouse by Robert Smigel that spoofed anime via competitive hotdog eating champ Kobayashi. Good stuff.
The New York Comic-Con just got their own awards, and they are brand new AND they spotlight ANIME. PR details:
The New York Comic Con today announced that it will host the first-ever American Anime Awards. The awards ceremony will take place on Saturday, February 24th at the New Yorker Hotel in midtown Manhattan.
The American Anime Awards celebrates Japanese animation (anime), which has grown into a global entertainment phenomenon. The Awards showcase the very best anime to make its way to North America, and the winners will be chosen by anime fans themselves.
Anime fans will have a chance to vote for their favorites online during the month of January 2007. The five nominees receiving the most votes will be announced February 5th, and the winners will be announced at the American Anime Awards ceremony February 24th. North America’s most prominent anime and manga companies will be on hand at the Awards, including VIZ Media, TOKYOPOP, Media Blasters, Geneon, FUNimation, Del Rey, Bandai, and ADV Films.
The American Anime Awards presentation ceremony will be hosted by a group of top voice actresses, including Christine Auten, Jessica Boone, Shelley Calene-Black, Luci Christian, Alice Fulks, Hilary Haag, Taylor Hannah, and Serena Varghese. Many more voice actors, directors, and anime professionals are expected to attend the awards ceremony and the post-awards gala that follows.
A Live action SPEED RACER movie directed by the Wachowski Brothers is ON:
Producer Joel Silver has stated that the long talked about Speed Racer movie has been given the green light and is expected to be released theatrically in summer, 2008.
Brothers Larry Wachowski and Andy Wachowski, creators and directors of the Matrix, have written the script and will direct the movie, with filming expected to take place in the summer of 2007. They will again work with special effects supervisor John Gaeta, who won an Oscar for his work on the Matrix. Speed Racer will be the first Wachowski directed movie since the Matrix trilogy, although they produced V for Vendetta.
Vince Vaughn has been rumored to be interested in the role of Racer X. Silver adds that the Brothers have found a completely unique way to film the car chases. Our prediction? You will not hear an updated version of the original SPEED RACER theme song, unless it’s buried in the bass of some ambient techno track.
§ Johanna has more commentary on ICv2’s Most Powerful People in manga list, including spots 11-20:
# Robin Brenner, Young Adwult Library Services Association
# Jim Chadwick, Editor in Chief, CMX
# Liza Coppola, Senior VP of Marketing, Viz Media
# Jason DeAngelis, Founder, Seven Seas Entertainment
# Rika Inouye, Senior Director of Licensing, Viz Media
# John Ledford, CEO, ADV Films (with the blurb “Although ADV’s launch of its manga line involved thrusting too many titles into a crowded market, the company still controls a number of great licenses and remains a player.? Which reads to me as wishful thinking)
# Kuo-Yu Liang, VP Sales & Marketing, Diamond Book Distributors
# Michael Martens, VP Special Markets, Dark Horse
# Charles Solomon, Journalist (?the leading commentator on manga (and anime) in the mainstream media?)
# David Wise, Editor in Chief, Go Comi
§ Mark Evanier reports on the debut of “The Sergio” and has pictures of Jack Davis AND the REAL Sergio.
§ Scott Kurtz and Mike Krahulik collaborate; world axis shifts?
§ An early play by Brian K. Vaughan will be performed in Chicago he reports at his news blog. He quotes the organizer:
DROP will be performed on October 26th, 27th, and 28th at 8:00 PM in the Francis X. Kinahan Theater at the University of Chicago.
5706 S University Ave
Chicago, IL 60637
Admission price is $6.
“Now wait!” you might say, “that’s a lot of money for a twenty-minute show!” Well, yes. Yes, it is. But there are three other shows going on: Strindberg One on One (”Pariah” and “The Stronger”), Edward Albee’s “Zoo Story”, and an adapted version of Ray Bradbury’s “The Wonderful Death of Dudley Stone”. DROP is simply going up first, so people can duck out afterwards if they’re just there for the BKV love.
§ One more SPX link, a photo which proves either that:
a) if you order a “crib” instead of a cot you will get…a crib
or
b) Indie cartoonists really are babies.
§ In case you’re wondering with this…”Nar-oo-toe” business is all about, Blogcritics has a review understandable by all:
Reading his adventures in graphic novel format, it didn’t take me long to discover the character’s appeal.
The series opens in an undefined period within a well-to-do village called Konohagakune. There, we meet our hero as he’s vandalizing the Rushmore-like mountain faces of the village’s four champions. “You don’t have what it takes to do something this low!” he taunts the outraged villagers, and it’s quickly established that orphaned Naruto is the local scapegoat (colloquialisms courtesy of onetime Marvel writer Mary Jo Duffy), the kind of kid who primarily seeks attention by either making mischief or by loudly bragging about himself.
§ Meanwhile, Salon on “How the World Works” :
But what really caught my eye was a clip from the animated series Naruto set to the soundtrack of a hip-hop song from an Asian American Berkeley duo called Magnetic North. The graphic novel series Naruto is a huge seller in the United States, a fact that is driven home for me every time I wake my son up for breakfast and his first conscious act is to pick up his latest installment and start reading. A Berkeley Asian-American duo providing the soundtrack to a Naruto video is just too close to my home territory to ignore. It’s like they’re rehearsing in my attic.
§ The New York Sun has a lengthy and interesting obit for Hilda Terry,
Jarred Pine has a good review of ODE TO KIRIHITO at Anime on DVD:
Ode to Kirihito might just be the most important, and at times the strangest, manga that I’ll not just read this year but quite possibly ever. While the medical thriller aspects of the story will entertain, it is what Tezuka does outside and between the lines that have and will continue to leave quite the strong impact on myself. Using the gekiga style, Tezuka creates a world that is close to home, will sock you in the face, and make you reflect on your own life and surroundings. Despite the references to Christ and Christian imagery, Ode to Kirihito is not a religious manga but rather a reminder about the true important teachings outside of the doctrine and moral decay for all religions.
Cartoon Network held a contest to pick out the top five Crayon Shinchan quotes…YouTube has the answers.
The New York Times has one of those read-it-before-it-goes-behind-the-firewall stories, a profile of Goro Miyazake and his recent adaptation of Ursula K. LeGuin’s THE FARTHEST SHORE. The story, written by Charles Solomon, covers the difficulties Miyazake has as the son of perhaps the greatest animator of all times, and their sometimes strained relationship. It also contains the news that we won’t see GEDO SENKI here until maybe 2009 because stinky Sci-Fi Channel owns the domestic rights to the Earthseas books.
In a telephone interview from her home in Portland, Ore., Ms. Le Guin said: “Mr. Miyazaki’s movie won’t be shown as long as the Sci-Fi Channel people sit on their rights, which they have until ’09, unless they decide to stop being a dog in the manger.? Representatives from the Sci-Fi Channel did not respond to calls seeking a comment.
Now this makes us sad — although attaining a copy of the movie won’t be too difficult, if you know what I mean — but it also makes us happy. Why? BECAUSE URSULA K. LEGUIN USED THE PHRASE “DOG IN THE MANGER”!
We’ve used this many times in conversation to blank stares. In fact no one we ever met had ever heard the phrase “dog in the manger,” which refers to one of Aesop’s fables. (Despite the fact it has over 100K references on Google.) We were beginning to think we were crazy and it was one of those weird family things that we let slip out now and then, like asking “What’s your capacity?” when dishing up macaroni and cheese. But Ursula K. LeGuin knows it, so we’re not crazy. In fact…we’re LITERATE! Yeah, baby! Suck that, bee-yotches!1000 fast loancredit loans 1000 bad forjobs 12 loan payday 17loan 125 credit equity homeequity loan 125 credit125 equity loan no homehome georgia equity loans 125pennsylvania loans home 125 equity Map
OTAKU GO WILD IN BUCHAREST THIS WEEKEND! MULTI-CULTI APOTHEOSIS! 40-year-old virgin gypsies! Carpathian cosplay! If it’s half as crayzee as that video, we are so bummed to be missing out.
Prima conventie de anvergura a culturii OTAKU din Romania cu caracter national si international ce promoveaza artistii din diverse domenii ( banda desenata, ilustratii, animatie, modelare 3D, moda, VJ…) si forme de cultura populara contemporana precum banda desenata, anime, jocurile video, muzica, filmul, moda, literatura…extinzandu-se de fapt in majoritatea domeniilor culturii de masa.
For the non-Romanian speakers in our audience, ComiPress explains:
A new event called Otaku Festival will be hosted at the National Dance Center and the Desant Theater in Bucharest, Romania on October 7 and 8. According to the organizers, “the purpose of the event is to encourage the otaku phenomenon in Romania.”
If only Borat were there to report. He’d know what to do.
ICv2 notes that since BLEACH starting airing on the Cartoon Network, manga sales have soared.
The BookScan list of graphic novels sold in bookstores for the week ending September 17th displays the effect of the debut of the Bleach anime on the Cartoon Network on September 9th. The first volume in the Bleach manga series, which was originally released in June of 2004, soared to #7 on the list, while Bleach Vol. 2 jumped up to #20. It was the strong backlist sales of Naruto that heralded the “Cartoon Network effect,” after the Naruto anime debuted last September.
It’s unlikely that Bleach will be able to fully replicate Naruto’s performance — for one thing there are 14 volumes of Bleach out now versus seven volumes of Naruto in 2005, which means that new adopters have to make a much bigger commitment to Bleach. Also the scale of Naruto’s success was, and remains, staggering. So far in 2006, Naruto Vol. 1 has sold more than 70K copies in the bookstores — and the only books that have sold more are Volumes 9 & 10 of Naruto. According to one industry observer, sales of the 11 volumes of Naruto so far in 2006 account for just under 10% of total manga sales for the year.
Much more of ICv2’s usual insightful analysis in the link.
It’s worth noting that the Kid’s WB/CW Saturday morning line-up debuted this weekend, with a significant amount made up of comics-based shows.
7:00-7:30 am, KRYPTO THE SUPERDOG (E/I Compliant)
7:30-8:00 am, KRYPTO THE SUPERDOG (E/I Compliant)
8:00-8:30 am, MONSTER ALLERGY
8:30-9:00 am, TOM AND JERRY TALES
9:00-9:30 am, SHAGGY & SCOOBY-DOO GET A CLUE!
9:30-10:00 am, JOHNNY TEST
10:00-10:30 am, LEGION OF SUPER HEROES
10:30-11:00 am, THE BATMAN
11:00-11:30 am, XIAOLIN SHOWDOWN
11:30 am-12:00 pm, LOONATICS UNLEASHED
Is there the potential for any kind of KWB bounce here?
OBSERVATION: When looking at this list we were shocked to see that the much derided LOONATICS was actually on the air, let alone in its second season. Has anyone seen this show. Was it as bad as everyone thought it would be?
Coolest thing ever for today. A site promoting Nissen for the 35th Anniversary of Cup Noodles presents an animated video by Katsuhiro Otomo (AKIRA.)
Ad Age explains (via sneaky Google cache):
Hence, the Freedom Project. The creative mandate of the Nissin Freedom campaign is to position the humble Cup as a symbol of freedom, since the pour-and-eat meal has “brought about a worldwide revolution in food culture.” There’s something that’s at once so over the top and so gorgeous about the all-in creativity exhibited here by Nissin and its partners that it merits a look.
The campaign includes a series of commercials and longer films, as well as posters and a range of multimedia elements, all based on an animated tale created by Katsuhiro Otomo, the legendary manga artist and anime director.
The link above takes to to a big Techno-scored flash video but here are smaller links:
Commercial
Trailer
We have to agree that this campaign is particularly inspired: Cup Noodles has always meant freedom here at SBM.
[Thanks to Randi for the link]
Earlier in the week we told you about Itochu and Comic Book Movies possibly teaming to make a CYBORG 009 movie. But that is not all that’s been going on in Anime-land this week, oh no. A new version of Neon Genesis Evangelion is also in the works, after WETA’s Richard Taylor wanted to make his own version. The trippy anime classic will be remade into four films
We’re told the plan is for the first two movies to do some general re-telling and summarizing of the original 26 episodes, using an assortment of images from the series (with all-new backgrounds and soundtracks), while the final two (with their simultaneous release) will be all new material. The new material is apparently meant as something of a mea culpa and a make-up gift to fans who were dissatisfied with the (admittedly rather weak) “ending” the movies created back in 1997. Not surprisingly, all four plan to use far more 3D animation than their mid-nineties predecessors, but with much of the same creative team attached. So, yeah — fans shouldn’t worry too much about the franchise moving too far away from the original “feel.”
But that’s not all! Producer Gerald R. Molen (Schindler’s List) is reported to be working on a live-action American version of LUPIN THE 3RD, which has had cult sucess in the US as a manga and anime series airing on Adult Swim.
Finally, ASTRO BOY IS COMING BACK!:
Imagi Animation Studios has announced that it has optioned rights from Tezuka Productions Company Limited (”Tezuka”) of Japan to produce a new CG animated feature length motion picture intended for theatrical release in 2009, based on the renowned anime franchise “Astro Boy” originally created by Osamu Tezuka.
[snip]Imagi’s technical and creative leadership in bringing comic-based action heroes to life in feature animation will once again be showcased in a major theatrical production. Similar to Imagi’s other feature film productions, including TMNT and Gatchaman, the new Astro Boy CG animated feature will be based on a completely new story created in Imagi’s US studio. CG production will take place in Imagi’s state of the art Hong Kong animation studio.
Tezuka and Imagi are eagerly anticipating the creation a vivid new version of one of the world’s most beloved action heroes. Imagi’s CEO and Vice Chairman Francis Kao says, “I grew up with Astro Boy, as did so many of us at Imagi. We now have an opportunity to bring our Astro Boy dreams to life by combining the power of high end CG imagery and Imagi’s creative collaboration with Tezuka.”
Tezuka’s General Manager Yoshihiro Shimizu further expressed Tezuka’s enthusiasm in this new project, “Imagi is a world class producer of CG feature animation, and has a unique talent for bringing 2D comic characters to life in stunning 3D worlds. We are delighted to be working with them on Astro Boy.”
Astro Boy has lnaguished in American development hell for quite some time, with Genndy Tartakovsky at one point being attached to direct before moving on the THE POWER OF THE DARK CRYSTAL.
Technorati Tags: action-and-adventure, Animation, classics, comic-superhero-geek, deals, remakes-and-sequels
A few more details on the suicide of Rin Inumaru, creator of OJARU MARU:
Rin Inumaru, the 48-year-old creator of “Ojaru Maru,” apparently jumped from the roof of her 14-story apartment complex in Tokyo on Sunday. She left a note, addressed to her mother, in which she said, “I’m not good at my job.”
Her show followed the exploits of a noble boy who is transported 1,000 years into the future to present-day Japan. It has aired five days a week on national broadcaster NHK since 1998. The 10-minute series is also screened in Spain and Italy. Inumaru also wrote children’s picture books and novels.
“We are very surprised at this sudden event,” NHK said in a statement. “From the start of the series, Inumaru has created so many characters and given us many splendid ideas for story lines.
“We are very thankful for her work and, thanks to her efforts, many children have watched the program.”
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