Kimba Image: © Tezuka Productions

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

Seikishi Monogatari location shot

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.“

Seikishi Monogatari character shot

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

Kami no Shizuku 1

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 ova

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:

bubblegum crisis live action promotion

“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

Naruto Shippuden poster

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

The first project is a new theatrical stage adaptation of Mitsuteru Yokoyama’s Tetsujin 28 manga. Oshii-san will be writing the script as well as making his stage-directing debut.

© Hikari Production/Shikishima Juko

Tetsujin 28 has already been adapted into several anime productions spanning the years from 1963 through 2004. There was also a live action movie in 2005. For this adaptation, the cast will feature (from ANN):

“Actress Kaho Minami (Soreike! Anpanman: Ningyo Hime no Namida) will play Shoutarou Kaneda, the 15-year-old hero of the story and the controller of the Tetsujin 28 robot. The other performers include Narushi Ikeda (Gurren Lagann, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon), Diamond Yukai, Sunplaza Nakano-kun (Odenkun).“

Composer Kenji Kawai (Ghost in the Shell, Death Note films) will also be making his theatrical stage debut as the play’s composer.

The play will open in Tokyo in January 2009 and will move to Osaka in February.

The second project will be an animated movie about Musashi Miyamoto, the legendary swordsman who lived during the early days of the Tokugawa Shogunate (early 17th century) and author of The Book of Five Rings.

© 2009 Miyamoto Musashi: Soken ni Haseru Yume Production Committee (Tentative)

Oshii-san is developing and writing the film, Miyamoto Musashi: Soken ni Haseru Yume (Musashi Miyamoto: The Dream of Riding with Two Swords). The director will be Mizuho Nishikubo (Otogi Zoshi). The film is scheduled for a Summer 2009 release by Production I.G.

ANN Stories:

• Tetsujin 28, Samurai 7 Get Adapted as Stage Plays,
• Oshii Develops, Writes Musashi Miyamoto Samurai Film (Update 2)

Japanese Sources:

• Sports Hochi
• animeanime.jp

__________

© Yoshiichi Akahito/Square Enix, Shikabane Hime Production Committee

FUNimation Entertainment recently licensed the13-episode supernatural anime series Shikabane Hime: Aka (Corpse Princess), which is currently airing in Japan. According to their press release, it sounds like FUNimation will be experimenting with a model which will attempt to reduce the impact of fansubs. They will be streaming subtitled episodes through partners YouTube.com, Joost.com, and Hulu.com as well as their own website (www.funimation.com)…all for free. The first episode was streamed on October 24.

According to Gen Fukunaga, president and CEO of FUNimation:

“Often by the time a licensing deal is signed to bring a series from Japan to the U.S. the episodes are already available as illegal downloads. In bringing this series to anime fans within days of its premiere we are not only offering unique content and increasing the awareness of the series but we are offering a legal online alternative to illegal file sharing.“

FUNimation is also offering a download-to-own option through www.funimation.com at $1.99 per episode. While the press release did not mention future DVD releases, their license does include DVD rights.

The press release ended by stating:

“FUNimation Entertainment plans to expand its distribution channels and offer similar digital content to U.S. anime fans in the future.“

© 2006 Gonzo/Red Garden Project

In other FUNimation news, three titles which FUNimation acquired from ADV were only 2-3 volumes away from completion before the license transfer. FUNimation had originally announce that these series (Red Garden, Pumpkin Scissors, and Welcome to the NHK) would only be released as box sets…not good news for those who had been purchasing the individual DVDs.

However, a few days later, FUNimation announced that they would indeed be releasing individual DVDs for the final volumes of these series as well as box sets. So good news for everyone in the end.

ANN Stories:

• FUNimation Entertainment Acquires Shikabane Hime: AKA for North American Release
• Red Garden, NHK to End in Boxes, Not Single DVDs
• Funimation to Ship Final Single DVDs for 3 Former ADV Titles

__________

The fourth time was the charm for Taro Aso. He finally became Prime Minister this past September after Yasuo Fukuda resigned. It may be a short lived term, however, since elections will be held no later than September 2009, which is when the LDP’s (Liberal Democratic Party) current four year mandate expires.

© Tokyo International Film Festival

Aso-san is well known as being a big manga fan and humorously referred to this during a speech at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF):

“In Japan, I’m not known as the Prime Minister Taro Aso, but more famous as a Manga ‘Otaku’.”

He also noted that many current Japanese TV dramas are based on original manga works. Aso-san then spoke about the Osamu Tezuka exhibition at TIFF:

“Manga reflects the chronological realism. On the other hand, it also laughs the dark perspective of the real world away, and pictures future dreams. The future that Osamu Tezuka drew 50 years ago has been realized now.”

A week later, Aso-san gave his first street speech as Prime Minister in Tokyo’s Akihabara district. The speech concentrated on the economy where he said that the LDP would be trying to improve the economic situation in Japan+. He gave a couple of examples of possible solutions…raising the minimum wage and developing programs which would increase regular full time jobs.

Taro Aso (3rd from right) with director John Woo (3rd from left) and cast from Red Cliff © Tokyo International Film Festival

Aso-san also said that the responsibilities and schedule of being Prime Minister has cut into his manga time. From the Japan Times:

“This is already Sunday this week. I’ve read ‘Sunday’ and ‘Magazine’ of the last week but haven’t got to ‘Jump’Morning,’ ” he said, referring to three major manga for boys and another for adult males.” and ‘

• animeanime Story (translation via KatanaXtreme): Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso visits Tokyo International Film Festival
• ANN Story: Japanese Leader Aso Talks Politics, Manga in Akihabara
• Japan Times Story: Aso Vows to Cure Economic Woes

Images Courtesy Totoro Forest Project Blog

Images Courtesy of Totoro Forest Project Blog

Last year, I wrote a brief article about the efforts of director Hayao Miyazaki, locals, and other volunteers to protect the Fuchi no Mori forest (aka Totoro’s Forest) from new housing development. Their efforts helped the local government purchase and maintain the land.

This past September, the Totoro Forest Project held an auction at the Pixar Animation Studios headquarters in northern California. 190 American and Japanese artists donated 205 pieces of art. The auction raised over $201,000 (US) or approximately 21.1 million yen.

In honor of the event and the contributions, Miyazaki-sama painted the watercolor seen above. This painting as well as the donated art will be on exhibition at San Francisco’s Cartoon Art Museum from September 20, 2008 through February 8, 2009.

The Totoro no Furusato Foundation has raised over 300 million yen (approx. $2.9 million US) since 1990 for the preservation of Totoro’s Forest and surrounding areas west of Tokyo.

• Images: Totoro Forest Project Blog
• ANN Story: Totoro Forest Auction Earns an Estimated US$201,236
• Japanese Source: Yomiuri Shimbun

__________

© Chabata k, GFDL

Lake Kitana – Winter Image © Chabata k, GFDL

Like the Fuchi no Mori forest, Lake Kizaki has become the focus of fans who want to help maintain and preserve it. The Lake was the inspiration behind the background locales in two anime series…Onegai Teacher and Onegai Twins.

Every year the western Japanese city of Omachi has lit the lake shore with street lights from July through September. However, rising operations costs were about to stop this tradition. Fans of the series heard about this and were able to raise 120,000 yen (approx. $1200 US). They gave this money to the Lake Kizaki Springs Tourism Association to help with the maintenance costs.

Fans have also helped with local cleanup campaigns around the lake.

© 2001 Please!

On a related note, both anime series also featured looks at the local train stops. From September 2008 through August 2009, the Oito train line will be issuing special souvenir tickets with background art from the anime.

• ANN Story: Onegai Anime Fans Raise ¥120,000 for Real Lake Locale

__________

Crayon Shin-Chan Images: © Yoshito Usui/Futabasha, Shinei, TV Asahi

There is an upcoming live action historical romance movie titled Ballad – Namonaki Koi no Uta (Ballad: The Nameless Song of Love). Apparently, it is based on the plot of the 2002 animated movie Crayon Shin-chan: Arashi wo Yobu Appare! Sengoku Daikassen (Crayon Shin-chan: The Storm Called – The Battle of the Warring States).

Since the latter film is a comedy, it is unlikely that the live action movie is a direct remake. However, my sources were rather unclear about this. The most likely explanation is that the animated film served as inspiration for the live action film.

The plot of the 2002 animated movie is:

“Shinnosuke [Crayon Shin-chan] suddenly finds himself in the war-torn medieval ’sengoku’ [Warring States] era. He happens to change history by saving the life of a samurai who is supposed to die there… “

The animated film did win several awards including the Japan Media Arts Festival Animation Category’s Best Prize, the 57th Mainichi Film Awards: Animation Grand Award, 2003 Tokyo Anime Award Feature Film Category Best Prize and others.

The plot of the upcoming live action movie:

Crayon Shin-Chan Images: © Yoshito Usui/Futabasha, Shinei, TV Asahi

A Sengoku-era princess is offered a political marriage with a daimyo of a neighboring state. She turns him down which causes a war. The love story is between her and (I believe) one of her generals. A boy from the future, Shinichi, plays an important role in these events.

The film will feature Tsuyoshi Kusanagi (SMAP member) as the general, Yui Arakagi as the princess, and 11-year old Akashi Takei as Shinichi. The supporting cast includes Michitaka Tsutsui, Yui Natsukawa, Atsuo Nakamura, and Takao Osawa. Takashi Yamazaki (Always: Sanchome no Yuhi) is the director. The film has a 2 billion yen (approx. $20 million US) budget. The battle scenes will make heavy use of CGI. The tentative release date is September of 2009.

The common elements appear to be the setting and the time traveling boy.

• ANN Story: Shin-Chan Film’s Story Remade as Live-Action Film
• animeanime Story (translation via KatanaXtreme): CRAYON SHINCHAN to be a live action feature directed by Takashi Yamazaki
• Tokyograph Story: Kusanagi’s “Ballad” inspired by “Crayon Shin-chan”
• Japanese Source: Sports Hochi
• Ballad – Namonaki Koi no Uta website: www.ballad-movie.jp/

October 1

Dark Horse

• Gantz, Vol. 2 (release date slipped from September 24)

October 7

Del Rey

• Pastel, Vol. 12
• Psycho Busters:The Novel – Book 3

Digital Manga Publishing

Stop Bullying Me!

• Sighing Kiss
• Vampire’s Portrait, Vol. 1
• Stop Bullying Me!
• Barefoot Waltz

TokyoPop

• Demon Flowers: Kuruizaki no Hana, Vol. 4
• I Luv Halloween–Ultimate Twisted Edition
• Love Mode, Vol. 11
• The 9 Lives, Vol. 1
• Battle Royale Ultimate Edition, Vol. 4
• Elemental Gelade, Vol. 9
• Missile Happy!, Vol. 4
• Initial D, Vol. 32
• Pet Shop of Horrors: Tokyo, Vol. 3

Viz Media

• Baby & Me, Vol. 10
• Beauty Pop, Vol. 9
• Blank Slate, Vol. 1
• Crimson Hero, Vol. 9
• Death Note (Box Set)
• Dragon Drive , Vol. 10
• Eyeshield 21, Vol. 22
• Gun Blaze West , Vol. 3
• Hikaru no Go, Vol. 13
• Hoshin Engi, Vol. 9
• Knights of the Zodiac (Saint Seiya), Vol. 24
• La Corda d’Oro, Vol. 9
• Muhyo & Roji’s Bureau of Supernatural Investigation, Vol. 7
• NORA: The Last Chronicle of Devildom, Vol. 1
• One Piece, Vol. 19
• Ral ? Grad, Vol. 2
• Reborn!, Vol. 9
• Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 3
• Strawberry 100%, Vol. 6
• Tail of the Moon, Vol. 13
• The Legend of Zelda , Vol. 1
• Time Stranger Kyoko, Vol. 2

October 14

Del Rey

• Kitchen Princess, Vol. 8
• Papillon, Vol. 1
• xxxHOLiC:AnotherHOLiC

TokyoPop

Koihime Soushi Manga

• Koihime Soushi
• Silver Diamond, Vol. 2: Master and Servant
• Dramacon Ultimate Edition
• GOTH A Novel of Horror
• Ghostbusters
• Kyo Kara MAOH!, Vol. 1
• V.B. Rose, Vol. 4
• Fate/Stay Night, Vol. 1

Viz Media

• Black Lagoon, Vol. 2
• Boys Over Flowers, Vol. 32
• Gimmick!, Vol. 3
• Inuyasha Ani-Manga, Vol. 29
• Inuyasha, Vol. 35
• Nightmare Inspector: Yumekui Kenbun , Vol. 4
• O-Parts Hunter, Vol. 12
• One Pound Gospel , Vol. 3 (2nd Edition)
• Red River, Vol. 23
• The Law of Ueki, Vol. 14
• Zatch Bell!, Vol. 21
• The Art of Bleach
• The Complete Pokémon Pocket Guide, Vol. 1
• The Complete Pokémon Pocket Guide, Vol. 2

October 15

CMX

Dorothea Volume 3 Manga

• Dorothea, Vol. 3

October 21

Del Rey

• Dragon Eye, Vol. 6
• The Yagyu Ninja Scrolls, Vol. 5

Digital Manga Publishing

• Knights, Vol. 2
• Passion – Forbidden Lovers
• Lover’s Pledge
• Physical Attraction
• The Guilty, Vol. 1: Verdict
• All You Need is Love, Vol. 1

Viz Media

• Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 17
• Inubaka: Crazy for Dogs, Vol. 11
• Naoki Urasawa’s Monster, Vol. 17
• solanin
• Vagabond, Vol. 28
• Dragon Ball: The Complete Illustrations
• The Arina Tanemura Collection: The Art of Full Moon

October 22

CMX

• Classical Medley, Vol. 1
• Gon, Vol. 6
• Kiichi and the Magic Books, Vol. 3

October 28

Del Rey

Air Gear, Volume 10 Manga

• Air Gear, Vol. 10
• Alive, Vol. 6
• Hell Girl, Vol. 4
• Le Chevalier d’Eon, Vol. 6
• Mao-chan, Vol. 1
• Parasyte, Vol. 5

Viz Media

• Real, Vol. 2

October 29

CMX

• Batman: Death Mask Collected Edition

DrMaster

Goths Cage

• Goths Cage
• Puri Puri, Vol. 7
• Dark Edge, Vol. 9

Releasing throughout the month of October

801 Media

• Meeting You

Aurora Publishing, Inc.

• Hitohira, Vol. 1

Broccoli Books

• My Dearest Devil Princess, Vol. 3
• Cigarette Kisses

Go! Comi

• Bound Beauty, Vol. 1
• Bogle, Vol. 2
• Yggdrasil, Vol. 2
• Angel’s Coffin, Vol. 1
• Masque of the Red Death, Vol. 1

Seven Seas Entertainment

• Venus Versus Virus, Vol. 5

Yen Press

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Volume One Manga

• The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Vol. 1
• B. ICHI, Vol.1
• Zombie Loan, Vol. 4
• Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning, Vol. 5
• Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro, Vol. 2
• Black God, Vol. 4
• Kieli, Vol. 2
• Love Quest
• Angel Diary, Vol. 7
• Croquis Pop, Vol. 2
• Cynical Orange, Vol. 5
• Freak, Vol. 4

In early June, Tokyopop announced that they would be restructuring their company. Publishing operations would still be handled by Tokyopop, Inc. However, a new company called Tokyopop Media LLC would be created. This company will take over the comics-to-film and digital units (including the Tokyopop.com website).

The “new” Tokyopop Inc. will be leaner than its predecessor.John Parker, Tokyopop Group President and COO, will take over as Publisher of Tokyopop Inc. and Marco Pavia, formerly the Director of Marketing will be the new Associate Publisher. The former Publisher of Tokyopop Inc., Mike Kiley, will move over to Tokyopop Media in a key senior (though as yet unnamed) position.

The “new” Tokyopop Inc. will be leaner than its predecessor. 39 positions, or about 35% – 40% of the US staff, have been cut. While all departments were affected, Mike Kiley said in an ICv2 (pop culture trade news/information site) interview:

I can tell you that the reduction in force was mainly a function of right-sizing our release schedule, that those people that were closest to the actual production of physical books were more heavily impacted than in more general support categories.

As the above statement implies, the number of releases have also been reduced. The output will now be around 200-225 titles per year, or roughly 50% of the original plan of releasing 500 titles per year.

Information about specific titles has started to become available. Lianne Sentar (freelance rewriter and editor) wrote in her blog that the series she has been working on (Fruits Basket, Saiyuki, Tactics, and Rave Master) have not been canceled. But, she also said that the news was bittersweet since most of the staff editors she worked with have been laid off.

Diamond Comic Distributors Cancels Orders

Diamond Comic Distributors have canceled the July solicitations of over 20 volumes. The list of titles may be found here.

World Manga Impacts

In the area of World Manga (manga produced outside of Japan), Graphic Novelist Rivkah has reported on her blog, that the third and final volume of her Steady Beat series will only be available on the web. There will not, at least for the foreseeable future, be a print version. She also writes that many of Tokyopop’s books will be web-only.

She does mention that she has concerns about how royalties will be calculated for web content. Bettina Marie Kurkoski has bad news. She wrote in her blog that My Cat Loki, Vol. 3 will not be released in web or print form.

Two other World Manga authors have good news. Christy Lijewski says her Re: Play, Vol. 3 will be released in print form. Likewise, Rikki Simons says that Shutterbox, Vol. 6 will be printed.

Why the sudden reduction? In another ICv2 interview, Tokyopop CEO, Stuart Levy said:

The time is now for us to focus our publishing business to overcome current market challenges. Few(er) releases will allow for less cannibalization at retail.

Some of these challenges were mentioned in an ICv2 report released in April. This was presented at their annual Graphic Novel Conference at New York Comic Con…specifically:

Manga sales, including both comics and periodicals, were
about 5% to $210 million in 2007, up from $200 million in 2006. This was the lowest growth rate for manga since ICv2 began tracking sales.

Overall Bookstore Sales

Sales through bookstores were up by a mid-single digit rate, but direct market sales declined 5-10%. The decline in direct sales of manga was due to a reduced emphasis on the category by comic stores, a significant percentage of whom reduced their manga floor space in response to the growing number of releases and the increased difficulty in choosing between them.

Over-all, top manga titles continue to do well, but titles in the lower ranks of releases are having difficulty finding breathing room.

Another factor in the slowing manga growth rate may have been increased competition from publishers of American graphic novel material for space in stores.

Manga Sales Drop In Japan

In Japan, manga sales have been declining for the past 5-6 years. According to a 2007 report from the Tokyo-based Research Institute for Publications (via USA Today), the reasons for the decline are the shrinking pool of potential readers due to falling birthrates, dissatisfaction with the quality of current manga (lack of originality and variety), the print media as a whole has a decline in readership, and the increasing popularity of using the electronic media (cellphones and PCs) as a way of getting manga.

Perhaps the latter influenced Tokyopop’s decision to split their print and digital arms into separate companies…allowing them to position themselves as a leading force in the new medium. Mike Kiley of Tokyopop Media explained the reorganization this way:

I think the most immediate and practical answer is that we wanted to set things up in ways that would very clearly and definitively allow those businesses (Tokyopop Inc. and Tokyopop Media) to focus on what they need to do to succeed. The goals in each company are different and the achievement of those goals is more realistic, more possible if everyone working in each of those companies is very clearly focused.

Tokyopop Japan Updates

On a side note, according to ICv2, Tokyopop’s Japan operation will also be splitting into two. One will be under Tokyopop Media and the other will be under the Tokyopop Group’s holding company. The European operations will be unaffected…at least structurally. After the US division announced their release reductions, Tokyopop UK is planning on cutting their releases by about 20%.

Sources

ICv2 Sources:

• Tokyopop Splits into Two Companies
• Inside the Tokyopop Restructuring
• Graphic Novels Hit $375 Million

ANN Sources:

• Different Fates for Tokyopop’s World Manga Titles
• Tokyopop Manga Volumes Pulled from July Solicitations (Updated)
• Tokyopop to Cut Manga Output in United Kingdom

USA Today Source:

• Manga comics losing longtime hold on Japan

Recently, the Suginami Anime Museum (SAM) in Tokyo has announced that it will be hosting a memorial exhibit in ÅŒsaka-san’s honor. It will feature original art from Clockwork Fighters Hiwou’s War (right), Mobile Suit Victory Gundam, and other works. The exhibit will run from November 27 through December 9.

ANN Story:
Hiroshi ÅŒsaka Memorial Exhibit Announced

SAM Announcement (Japanese):
緊急告知！『アニメーター・逢坂浩司　追悼展示会』開催
(literal translation from Google: Emergency announcement! The animator Hiroshi Ousaka memorial exhibition, held)

SAM General Information Flier (in reasonably good English)

There is not much information so far, but it looks like another North American anime licensee is going into limbo. Illumitoon Entertainment appears to have suspended its titles. According to ANN, retailer Right Stuf International has “reclassified the DVDs of B’tX Volumes 3-5, Beet the Vandel Buster Volumes 2-5, and Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo Volumes 2-8 as ‘discontinued’.” They have also listed AM Driver as being “not available for purchase”. So far, Illumitoon has not commented.

There is some good news, however. A new North American licensee has appeared…New Galaxy Anime, based in Humboldt, California. According to their press release, they will:

“…specialize in family-friendly fare, particularly of the shoujo genre. Releasing rare, vintage titles with high nostalgic value will also be a priority.“

Their first title will be The Fantastic Adventures of Unico (1981), directed by Osamu Tezuka. Here is a synopsis from the ANN Encyclopedia:

“Unico the Unicorn has the amazing power to make anyone he meets happy. Whether it’s because of his personality or the powers of his horn, no one knows. However, the gods become jealous of Unico, thinking that only they should be able to decide or allow people to be happy. Unico is banished to the Hill of Oblivion, and the West Wind is ordered to take him there. She can’t stand giving this fate to Unico, so Unico’s adventures begin, as the West Wind takes him from one place and time to the next, in a neverending journey to escape the wrath of the gods.“

New Galaxy’s “coming soon” page also lists Unico in the Island of Magic as a future release.

Image of VHS cover is from an Amazon.com customer.

ANN Stories:
Illumitoon’s B’tX, Beet, BoBoBo-Bo DVDs Discontinued (Updated)
New Anime Licensee Announced with Unico as 1st Title (Updated)

In the 1990s, Takashi Okazaki fused his love of Japanese samurai movies with the musicians he watched on old Soul Train shows (US music/dance TV series). The result was a manga called Afro Samurai. However, it attracted only a modest readership.

In 2001, it caught the eye of Eric Calderon, an American executive working at the Japanese animation studio GONZO…he is now in charge of GONZO’s creative international business development. Mr. Calderon provided support for the adaptation of the manga to anime. The project got a big boost when actor Samuel L. Jackson agreed to be the voice actor for Afro and when musician/producer RZA agreed to provide the music. The result was a 5 episode TV series which aired on the US cable network, Spike TV in January 2007.

In an interview posted by the Mainichi Daily News, Okazaki-san commented on the surprising success of Afro Samurai:

“I never expected Afro Samurai to get this huge. It started out as doodlings I made in college. Now, I have Samuel doing Afro’s voice, and lots of black kids thanking me for creating an awesome hero,” he said. “I just can’t believe it.”

The show has even won a following in Japan. After airing on the Japanese satellite channel WOWOW in May, a movie version opened in Tokyo on October 27. Afro Samurai has also been shown on MTV Australia and Britain’s Adult Swim channel.

In the works is a video game for the Xbox 360 platform.

A second season has been green lighted and is expected to air on Spike TV in early 2008. As to what the season will be about, Okazaki-san explained in the interview:

Having finally slayed Justice at the end of series one, Afro “loses his way, gets tired of all the killing,” Okazaki said. The series, he said, follows Afro as he finally “wakes up to his destiny, which is to be the world’s No. 1 warrior.”

And Afro’s new enemy is an alluring female warrior, according to Okazaki.

“Seduction and violence — those are musts for American TV,” he said.

Image of Takashi Okazaki: AP Photo/Koji Sasahara

Mainichi Daily News (English) story:
After US run, Afro Samurai returns to Japan

Earlier this year, David wrote an article about the Superflat Artists Panel at Anime Central 2007. One of the founders of the movement, Takashi Murakami, recently dove into the world of anime by directing his first animation, kaikai & kiki (two of his most recognized characters). The 10 minute episode premiered on October 29 at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA) as part of its © Murakami show. It was produced by Murakami-san’s own Kaikai Kiki studio in Tokyo. New installments of kaikai & kiki will be shown at future exhibition tour venues. You can find a link to watch a trailer of the episode on MoCA’s Murakami page.

The © Murakami show features selections of Murakami-san’s work to date. It includes painting, sculpture, and film. The show runs from October 29 through February 11. If you are there on November 8 at 6:30pm, Chief Curator Paul Schimmel will lead a free walkthrough of © Murakami.

The exhibit also has an embedded Louis Vuitton boutique where visitors may purchase Murakami enhanced Vuitton handbags…assuming they can afford to. In 2003, Murakami-san and Louis Vuitton’s Marc Jacobs (both shown here at the gala opening party for the exhibit) signed a deal for Murakami-san to provide Superflat artwork for several of the company’s bags. This, while a bit controversial, shows that Murakami-san is not shy about the commercial side of art. He has been known to peruse Bill Gates’ writings for management tips. He has recently written a book titled The Theory of Art Entrepreneurship.

His art shows do a brisk business of selling T-shirts, key chains, mugs, etc. all adorned with his artwork. For a more detailed look at Murakami-san, the commercialism controversy, and the validity/future of Superflat, you can read this LA Times article by Bruce Wallace.

Note: Besides Mr. Jacobs and Murakami-san, the gala which was held on October 28, also had a guest list including music producer Pharrell Williams (live-action Voltron project), actress Christina Ricci (Trixie on the live-action Speed Racer), & Rapper and anime fan Kanye West (who also performed a short set at the Vuitton boutique).

Image from kaikai & kiki: © Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd.

Image of Louis Vuitton Eye Love Monogram bag: © Louis Vuitton

Image of Takashi Murakami & Marc Jacobs: Brian Lindensmith/PatrickMcMullan.com…©Patrick McMullan

ANN Stories:
Artist Takashi Murakami to Premiere Anime Short in L.A. (Updated)
Murakami’s Los Angeles Opening Attracts Celebrities

Variety Story:
Murakami’s toon touch takes flight

Other Sources:
Museum of Contemorary Art’s Murakami page
Around Murakami’s Superflat world (LA Times article by Bruce Wallace)
Kanye West, neo-Pop star (LA Times Calendar review of Kanye West at the gala)
Style.com 1 (Brief review of gala)
Style.com 2 (Source of Vuitton bag photo)

Earlier, I had written about an Amusement Game Center which will be opening on November 11 with a theme centered around Crayon Shin-chan. Now, not only can children play in a Shin-chan environment, but they can also smell like Shin-chan…or at least smell like the newly released official Shin-chan Eau de Toilette, Body Fresh Spray, and Cologne products.

Spanish fragrance maker Air-Val International, has started selling the official Shin-chan products. On their website, Air-Val describes the aroma as:

• Notes: Fresh, citrusy, fruity, musky
• Top Notes: Bergamot, orange, grapefruit, lemon, mandarin, leafy green
• Heart Notes: White flower, lily of the valley, freesia, peach, apple, melon
• Down Notes: Musk, violet

The Eau de Toilette comes in a 50 ml bottle; the Body Fresh Spray comes in a 100 ml bottle; and the cologne comes in a 350 ml (in the shape of Shin-chan) bottle.

Images from Air-Val site: © 1990 USUI YOSHITO / © 1992-2007 SHIN-EI & TV Asahi / All rights reserved. Licensed by FUNimation & TV Asahi

ANN Story:
Official Shin Chan Cologne, Eau de Toilette on Sale

Wallpaper © GAINAX・カラー/Project Eva.

Over the years, many comments on blogs and forums have said that Neon Genesis Evangelion is a cash cow for Gainax and that Gainax is not ashamed of constantly milking it. Well, according to this short post by the Anime News Service (look for the article…”9-1-07 (9:39PM EDT) – EVA’s Economic Impact”), here are some estimates (to use another animal metaphor) straight from the horse’s mouth:

“GAINAX figures over 6000 merchandise products have been sold to date based on its Evangelion property, generating around 150 billion Yen of revenue. 15 million+ copies of the manga and over 10 million CD and video copies have been sold. Over 600,000 units of pinball slot machines and 100,000 of 3 flavors of pinball slot machines have been successfully marketed. 180,000 copies of the latest PS2 game Evangelion CR have been sold since the release in February.”

150 billion yen is a little over 1.3 billion dollars (US)…moo.

With the release of the 4 new movies, there are, as expected, product tie-ins and cross promotions including campaigns with UCC coffee and Pizza Hut. Now, add to this the auction sale of the Spear of Longinus replica by Gainax and the Evangelion Store. I had mentioned this in an earlier news article… Anime & Manga News (Late July/Early August). The Spear was auctioned through Yahoo Japan’s auction site. The high bid (out of 413 good bids) was 13,727,000 yen (about US$121,100) on September 7. Before the bogus bids were filtered out, the high bid (out of over 1000 bids) was 10 billion yen (about 88 million US dollars).

The Spear was part of the “Imagination of Evangelion” art exhibition which was held at Tokyo’s J-Art Project from July 21 to August 3. The steel Spear replica has a double helix design and is 2.2 meters long (over 7 feet) and 28 kilograms (a little less than 62 pounds). It was forged by artisan Kaoru Watanabe.

Photo from Yahoo Japan…© GAINAX・カラー/Project Eva.

ANS auction stories:
9-2-07 (3:03PM EDT)—- Lance Of Longinus Auction Hits 10 Billion Yen
9-7-07 (9:06AM EDT)—- Lance Of Longinus Auction Wraps

ANN auction story:
Human-Sized Eva Spear Auctioned for 13.7 Million Yen

To be fair, not everything Gainax does is for profit. They have taken advantage of a new Yahoo Japan program which allows people to make donations to organizations online through portal subsites. Donors get an exclusive wallpaper as a thank you. Gainax has partnered with Make a Wish Japan, and is offering the Shin Seiki Evangelion Souryoku Tokushuu (New Age Evangelion – All One’s Energy Feature) wallpaper. As of September 22, they have raised 1,459,973 Yen.

Wallpaper sample © GAINAX Co., Ltd.

ANS story:
8-2-07 (2:46AM EDT) – Yahoo Anime Fundraising

Sake News

Next, cross promotion on a smaller scale…Illustrator Taraku Uon (Onegai Sensei! light novel) has created illustrations for 2 labels for a new line of sake being offered by Lake Kizaki…naturally the line is called Onegai Sake!. Locations in the Onegai series are supposed to be based on those around Lake Kizaki.

Label for Seishu Oneti

The two varieties of sake being offered are Seishu Mizuho (2100 yen) and Seishu Oneti (1785 yen). Both are sold in 720 ml bottles. The 19.8 year vintage sake is brewed by Hokuan Jouzou of Omachi City and sold at the Lake Kizaki campground vending station as well as by direct mail.

Label for Seishu Mizuho

ANS Stories:
8-1-07 (11:59PM EDT)—- Onegai Sake!
8-6-07 (3:44AM EDT)—- Onegai Sake Roadtrip!

Digital Television and Anime Quality

Japan is scheduled to fully convert to digital TV terrestrial broadcasts by 2011. While there are many advantages of digital over analog, there are a few drawbacks. One (and this, perhaps, is just nostalgia) is that digital TV represents another nail in the coffin for cell animation.

It is true that cell animation has been replaced by computer graphics in almost all TV anime. In fact, there is only one show which is still entirely animated using cells and that is the anime based on Machiko Hasegawa’s manga, Sazae-san, which has been on the air since 1969. Another long running series, Doraemon (1979 – present), switched to computer graphics in 2002.

Yoichi Tanaka, head of production at Eiken, the studio which produces Sazae-san, explained why the company has continued to use animation cells:

“A TV cartoon created with cell pictures adds warmth to the footage” and “That offers a sense of comfort to viewers”

Image from Slovenian site slocartoon.net

However, there are technical issues with cell animation and digital television. According to a story posted by asahi.com:

“Digital broadcast shows even the dust attracted to cells due to static electricity. Also, the thickness of cells can cause a disparity in colors or can blur lines when cell animation is broadcast digitally.”

And these quality issues have caused Tanaka-san to say:

“If we receive complaints from viewers that the footage of ‘Sazae-san‘ is not as good as other TV cartoons, we will have to give up on animated cells”

Besides digital TV, cell animation has other challenges. Each episode of Sazae-san requires 1400 cells. The cell artist pool is shrinking due to age. Labor costs have forced much of the work to be outsourced to China. The decline in the creation of animation cells means a drop in demand for the paints that are used exclusively for cells. This, in turn, makes it difficult for the paint manufacturers. As an example, Taiyo Shikisai, a Tokyo based company which makes animation cell paints (used in several Ghibli productions like Kiki’s Delivery Service), saw its monthly sales drop from a peak of 20 million yen to around 500,000 yen now.

Still, there is hope for cell animation fans. From the same asahi.com story, Shigeji Kitamura, the president of Taiyo Shikisai, “said the company will continue to manufacture the paints because he regards the art form as an intrinsic part of Japanese culture”.

Asahi.com story (English):
Digital TV signals an end to cell animation

Dragon Ball Z Live Action Stuff

As promised from the Live-Action News, Part 2 article, here is what is known about the Dragon Ball Z live-action adaptation. Back in 2002, 20th Century Fox acquired the rights to make a live-action movie version of Dragon Ball, based on the manga by Akira Toriyama. After that, the project was on-again/off-again.

In June 2004, Ben Ramsey was hired (for $500,000) to adapt a screenplay for Dragon Ball Z. In September 2007, the Montreal Gazette reported that 20th Century Fox would be shooting 3 movies in Montreal with budgets of at least $100 million each…Dragon Ball Z, Another Night, and Fantastic Voyage. The paper also reported that all three should wrap production by July 2008. The fact that several big projects seemed to be green lighted appeared to make sense since there is an expectation that the three major Hollywood unions…Writers Guild of America (WGA), Screen Actors Guild (SGA), and Directors Guild of America (DGA)…will probably strike in the summer of 2008. However, in a note to IGN, 20th Century Fox said:

“that this report [Montreal Gazette article] cannot be confirmed as neither start dates nor locations are locked in at this point.”

So it looks like the project is off again. Also, the Fox note seems to indicate that this is true for all three films.

If you really want to see a live-action version of Dragon Ball, you may want to check out the 1989 Hong Kong adaptation, Dragonball: The Magic Begins…

…or maybe not…

ANN Stories:
Live-Action DBZ Set to Shoot in Montreal
Fox Acknowledges Dragon Ball Film, Stays Mum on Details

Macross (Robotech) Live Action Film

I also mentioned in the Live-action News, Part 3 article, that I would go into more detail about the possible live-action adaptation of Robotech by Warner Bros. Pictures and Maguire Entertainment. As previously mentioned, Maguire Entertainment is the production company of actor Tobey Maguire (Spiderman movies), who, according to the Hollywood Reporter article, is interested in the lead role. In the article, Maguire was quoted:

“We are very excited to bring ‘Robotech‘ to the big screen. There is a rich mythology that will be a great foundation for a sophisticated, smart and entertaining film.”

It is not surprising that there is interest in making a live-action adaptation of Robotech since the Transformers adaptation was successful and there is a new Voltron project in the works by New Regency Pictures. However, there are some difficulties associated with Robotech.

Robotech was produced by Harmony Gold USA and Tatsunoko Prod. Co., Ltd. It combined three unrelated Japanese series (The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, and Genesis Climber Mospeada) which were re-edited and re-dialogued. The reason which Harmony Gold gave for doing this was to create a show with enough episodes to be syndicated as a weekday series (minimum of 65 episodes). None of the three Japanese anime individually had enough episodes.

The main problem is a copyright dispute with Studio Nue and Big West on one side and Harmony Gold USA’s partner Tatsunoko Production on the other. This dispute has prevented the Macross elements from being used in recent Robotech projects.

Still, this Robotech live-action adaptation has more details available than the Dragon Ball Z project. The screenwriter is Craig Zahler (The Brigands of Rattleborge). Frank Agrama (Harmony Gold USA) will be the executive producer. The producers will be Drew Crevello (Supercool Hollywood BigTime Prods.) and Jason Netter (Kickstart Productions).

ANN Story:
Warner, Tobey Maguire Acquire Robotech Film Rights

Pocky Woes

Finally, a bit of bad news for Pocky fans. This is from another short post by ANS (9-6-07 (1:00AM EDT) – Less Punch In Your Pocky):

“Ezaki Glico has announced it’s cutting the content of its ‘Pocky Chocolate’, ‘Men’s Pocky’, and ‘Pocky Extra Fine’ products by about 10% (from 80 to 72 grams) as of October 2nd. The reason cited is the soaring prices of ingrdeients such as dairy products used in the chocolate due to the recent rises in the crude oil market.”

You may want to stock up…you still have a little time.