Anime and Manga News Highlights from November 2008

Last month was full of some groundbreaking anime news. Some of the highlights include a Celebration of the 80th Anniversary of Tezuka Productions; a new Tenchi Muyo! anime spinoff Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari that is currently in production; a possible drama version of Kami no Shizuku (Les Gouttes de Dieu or The Drops of God); a newly-announced Bubblegum Crisis Live Action Movie; a new Bubblegum Crisis anime series; and some big news for Naruto fans: episodes of Naruto Shippuden with English subtitles will be streamed right after they air in Japan!

80th Anniversary of Tezuka Productions

In early November, Tezuka Productions, the studio created by Osamu Tezuka (“The God of Manga”), announced that it will be celebrating the 80th anniversary of its late founder’s birth by posting all his works produced prior to 2000. These releases will be posted over the next three years and will feature approximately 700 manga and 100 anime, including Tetsuwan Atom (Astro Boy), Jungle Taitei (Kimba the White Lion), Ribbon no Kishi (Princess Knight), and Black Jack. Currently, the releases are available only in Japanese. However, Korean and English web sites are in the works, though no opening date has been given for either site.

ANN Story: Tezuka’s 700 Manga, 100 Anime to Be Posted for Free

Japanese Source: Nikkei Net IT+Plus

Tenchi Muyo! spinoff Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari Currently In Production

The December issue (which went on sale Nov. 10) of Kadokawa Shoten’s Newtype magazine announced (and confirmed) that Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari, the Tenchi Muyo! spinoff, is now in production. Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki and GXP creator, Kajishima Masaki will be involved. The spinoff had been in development in one form or another for over a decade. Masaki-san had said in a 2001 interview about Seikishi Monogatari’s main character:

“Seikishi Monogatari is not as deeply entrenched in the Tenchi Muyo! universe as GXP. The only connection is the family name of the main character, which is ‘Masaki’. I don’t think it’s necessary to hide who he is… it’s the story of Tenchi’s half-brother. I had this character in mind before I created the 1st Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki OVA.“

The synopsis of the series itself is described in the ANN article:

“The story is set in an alternate world called Geminar, where countries have fought endless wars with replicas of humanoid Seikishi weapons that they found in ancient ruins. 15-year-old Kenji Masaki, the half-brother of Tenchi Muyo! protagonist Tenchi Masaki, is summoned from another world to Geminar.“

The official Japanese website has streamed three trailers. The first features location images, the second features several of the character designs, and the third shows some of the backgrounds and compares the black and white sketches with the full color renderings. The third trailer also shows some of the backgrounds with several of the characters in place to show the scale.

The website has also listed the anime’s main cast:

• Hiro Shimono: Kenshi Masaki
• Madoka Yonezawa: Rashara Aasu XXVIII
• Natsuko Kuwatani: Kyaia Furan
• Ayumi Tsunematsu: Mezaia Furan
• Rie Nakagawa: Wauanrii Shume
• Junko Noda: Aura Shurifon

Images © AIC/VAP

ANN Story: Tenchi Spinoff Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari Confirmed

Japanese Source: Moon Phase Comments

Possible Drama Version of Kami no Shizuku (Les Gouttes de Dieu or The Drops of God)

In January, I had written about how the manga Kami no Shizuku (Les Gouttes de Dieu or The Drops of God) had boosted the sales of the wines mentioned in the story. The manga is written by Tadashi Agi (pseudonym for the sister and brother team of Yuko and Shin Kibayashi) with artwork by Shu Okimoto. I had also mentioned that there were rumors of a live-action adaptation.

It turns out that there may be two adaptations. In August, South Korean actor Bae Yong-Joon (Winter Sonata) expressed interest in developing a drama version. His agency had started the negotiating process with the hope of airing a series in fall or winter of 2009.

A separate Japanese adaptation was announced in November. It will star Kazuya Kamenashi of the idol group KAT-TUN. The drama will air on NTV, Tuesday nights at 10pm starting in January.

The synopsis of the story from mangatraders.com:

“The main character of the manga, a young man called Shizuku Kanzaki, discovers the beauty of wine after his father, a famous wine critic, dies and leaves an unusual will: a description of 12 wines he considers to be the best in the world, comparing them to Jesus Christ’s disciples.

The first person to find these ‘disciples’ will inherit the father’s wine collection, a contest that pits Shizuku against his adoptive brother, Issey Tomine, who works as a sommelier.”

Image of Kami no Shizuku, Vol. 1 from beNippon.com

ANN Story: Kami no Shizuku Wine Manga Gets TV Drama in January

Tokyograph Story: Kamenashi leads “Kami no Shizuku” drama adaptation

Japanese Source: Sports Hochi

Bubblegum Crisis Live Action Movie Adaptation

In late October, Anime International Co. Asia PTE Ltd., a subsidiary of Japan’s Anime International Company (AIC) concluded a basic agreement with Cubix International PTE of Singapore to produce a live action movie adaptation of Bubblegum Crisis. The original 8-part OVA was created by Artmic Studio in the late 1980s with episodes being released from 1987 through 1991. The series was scheduled to have 13 episodes but was cut short due to financial problems between Artmic and their production partner Youmex. When Artmic was dissolved in 1997, (another) former partner AIC took over the rights for many of their titles including Bubblegum Crisis.

While the key creative team has not yet been announced, AIC and Cubix are planning to bring in two former Artmic staff members who worked on the OVA, Shinji Aramaki (screenplay and mechanical design) and Kenichi Sonoda (character design) as consultants for the movie. Cubix has announced that their production budget will be several billion yen (tens of millions of US dollars) with plans for a 2011 international release (including the US).

On a related note, another Singaporean company, Axxis Group had announced in a press release from the 2008 Cannes Film Festival some of their upcoming titles of which one was:

“Bubblegum Crisis is a film based on the same-name original anime series from Japan about 4 young female mercenaries fighting for justice.“

This project is supposed to be one of four upcoming live action/CGI feature films. It is interesting to note that this press release was from May 20, 2008.

The Axxis website (click on ‘Axxis Lineup’ then click on ‘Upcoming Titles’ then click on ‘Next’) has also listed the movie as one of its upcoming projects with the following synopsis:

“Seven years after the great Kanto earthquake split Tokyo and its people in two, disparities in wealth and power reached an unprecedented peak. ‘Boomer’, machines built to serve mankind, have slowly become deadly instruments in selfish hands, and the city’s citizens are helpless in the shadow of mega corporation Genom’s baronial tower.

A team of four young, female mercenaries who call themselves the Knight Sabers make it their mission to deal with Boomer threats and protect the city. Based on the popular Anime of the same name, Bubblegum Crisis follows the Knight Sabers on their quest for truth and justice.“

My quick research has not turned up what the connection is between the two companies. Both Axxis Group (click on ‘Axxis Lineup’ then click on ‘Completed Titles’) and Cubix have listed the 3D-animated feature, Zodiac – The Race Begins as a completed project. With my limited knowledge, my guess is that Axxis Group is a kind of umbrella company and Cubix is one of its members. As to the differences in the dates, perhaps Axxis was very confident that the agreement would be concluded.

New Bubblegum Crisis Anime

On a side note, ANN reported that according to an AIC press release, AIC is planning on a new animated Bubblegum Crisis as well as plans for selling live-action film rights for its other titles (with new animated versions of those titles as well). However, it appears AIC has taken down that press release.

For anyone who has not seen the OVA, AOL video is still streaming all 8 episodes for free.

OVA image: © 1987 A.I.C., Inc. & Youmex, Inc.

Movie concept art: Axxis Group

ANN Stories: AIC Agrees to Live-Action Bubblegum Crisis Proposal (Updated), Pre-Production Bubblegum Crisis Film Image Posted

Variety Asia Story: Japan’s AIC plans live action “Bubblegum”

Japanese Source: animeanime.jp

KatanaXtreme translation of animeanime story: BUBBLEGUM CRISIS to be made into a live action film ? A production budget of several billion yen toward its showing in US

In last month’s news highlights, I had mentioned that FUNimation Entertainment was trying out a new model which may reduce the impact of fansubs by offering free subtitled streams of Shikabane Hime: Aka (Corpse Princess), which is currently airing in Japan. Each new episode is streamed one week after airing in Japan.

Fighting Piracty: Naruto Shippuden Streamed Right After Airing In Japan

Now Viz Media has decided to try out this model with a higher profile series… Naruto Shippuden, the sequel to Naruto which is set two and a half years after the original series and features a more mature Naruto (relatively speaking). Beginning January 15, Viz will offer an English subtitled episode of Naruto Shippuden that aired on January 8 in Japan. Every Thursday after that will feature an episode which aired in Japan the previous week. Viz will stream these episodes on their official Naruto website, naruto.com as well as using the services of Joost.com and Hulu.com.

Additionally, naruto.com, will stream the first 8 episodes of Naruto Shippuden for free on January 2. The website will then add 8 more episodes every Friday until it catches up to the current third season.

On the same day (Nov. 17) that Viz unveiled this plan, TV Tokyo announced it will stream English subtitled episodes of Naruto Shippuden about an hour after they air in Japan. This stream will be available to paid subscribers of the Crunchyroll video service and will start with the January 8, 2009 broadcast. Seven days after the stream has been available to the paid subscribers, Crunchyroll will then offer the stream free of charge, which will coincide with Viz’s offering.

This is another step for Crunchyroll’s attempt at reinventing itself as a respectable company. In the past few months, they have been able to get venture capital funding and form partnerships with Gonzo and Toei Animation. Now they have partnerships with three more Japanese companies… TV TOKYO Corporation (“TV TOKYO”), SHUEISHA Inc. (“Shueisha”) and Pierrot Co., Ltd. (“Pierrot”). Additionally, ANN has reported that:

“On January 8, Crunchyroll will stop accepting user-submitted videos and other content from individuals, and only host videos approved by copyright holders.“

In addition to Naruto Shippuden, Crunchyroll will stream other offerings from TV Tokyo including Shugo Chara!, Skip Beat!, and Gintama.

The decision to stream English subtitled episodes of Naruto Shippuden has had one more consequence. One of the larger fansub groups, Dattebayo has announced that it will stop subtitling and distributing the show permanently on January 15. A representative of the group (“Interactii”) told ANN that they had never received a cease-and-desist letter from Viz and they want to keep it that way:

“…like any symbiosis, you have to know when its time to move on. That time has come. Viz and Crunchyroll have gotten their acts together and are trying something new, with one of the most popular shows in anime today. I, and the rest of the staff, know that if we continue to subtitle it, they will have to ask us to stop. That’s something they probably don’t want to have to do, because it will most likely make all of you very mad at them. That’s something they really don’t deserve.“

Only time will tell if they follow through with their decision. Also, it is not known if any other fansub group subbing Naruto Shippuden will follow Dattebayo’s lead.

Naruto poster image: © 2002 Masashi Kishimoto / 2007 Shippuden

ANN Stories: Viz to Stream Naruto on Naruto.com Within 1 Week of Japanese Airing (Updated), TV Tokyo to Stream Naruto via Crunchyroll Worldwide (Update 2), Dattebayo to Stop Fansubbing Naruto on January 15

Viz Press Release: A NEW GENERATION, A NEW DESTINY

Japanese Source: BB Watch