Anime Flashback: Cowboy Bebop
Monday August 18, 2008
Let's go back to 1998. Aerosmith sang I Don't Want to Miss a Thing while Celine Dion's Heart Will Go On brought tears to our eyes. We listened to Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls while Will Smith was Gettin Jiggy With It. The Denver Broncos won the Super Bowl and the New York Yankees took the World Series. Armageddon, Bug's Life and There's Something About Mary dominated the theaters. And could we ever forget... Cowboy Bebop made its premiere.Anime News - 8/17/08
Monday August 18, 2008
Lots of good stuff going on this week, so let's get to it, shall we? :)
If you're a Dragonaut fan, check out the official Japanese website - they've added a streaming trailer for the extra 26th episode that will be included in the final DVD volume but did not air while the series was showing on TV.
Bandai has confirmed that the first set of Code Geass DVDs have been shipped and Volumes 1 and 2 plus some limited editions should be hitting your favorite DVD shelves. You can check them out and compare prices on Code Geass DVDs here.
And speaking of Code Geass, Bandai has also confirmed that the sequel to Code Geass - Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 will be shown on Adult Swim after the first series has ended. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion began airing on Adult Swim in April of this year.
VIZ Pictures has announced a series of special theatrical screenings of Happily Ever After, a live-action comedy based upon the popular manga by Yoshiie Gouda. Directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi, the movie originally caused some controversy for dealing with some sensitive relationship aspects with dark humor. Happily Ever After will screen in Seattle, WA August 15-21 at the Grand Illusion Cinema, followed by Scottsdale, AZ for a showing on October 4th at the Scottsdale International Film Festival, and then onto Pittsburgh, PA for a screening on October 10th at the 2008 Japanese Film Festival at the University of Pittsburgh.
If you're a Dragonaut fan, check out the official Japanese website - they've added a streaming trailer for the extra 26th episode that will be included in the final DVD volume but did not air while the series was showing on TV.
Bandai has confirmed that the first set of Code Geass DVDs have been shipped and Volumes 1 and 2 plus some limited editions should be hitting your favorite DVD shelves. You can check them out and compare prices on Code Geass DVDs here.
And speaking of Code Geass, Bandai has also confirmed that the sequel to Code Geass - Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 will be shown on Adult Swim after the first series has ended. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion began airing on Adult Swim in April of this year.
VIZ Pictures has announced a series of special theatrical screenings of Happily Ever After, a live-action comedy based upon the popular manga by Yoshiie Gouda. Directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi, the movie originally caused some controversy for dealing with some sensitive relationship aspects with dark humor. Happily Ever After will screen in Seattle, WA August 15-21 at the Grand Illusion Cinema, followed by Scottsdale, AZ for a showing on October 4th at the Scottsdale International Film Festival, and then onto Pittsburgh, PA for a screening on October 10th at the 2008 Japanese Film Festival at the University of Pittsburgh.
Bang Zoom! Needs Interns
Sunday August 17, 2008
Looking to get your foot in the door in the anime and manga industry? Well, here's your chance. Bang Zoom! Entertainment needs several interns and who knows? Maybe one of these positions is for you!
Anime Music Video Pick: A Mix of Anime to "4 Minutes to Save The World"
Monday August 11, 2008
Okay, now THIS is an AMV! Love the song - Madonna and Mr. Timberlake singing 4 Minutes to Save the World and the anime shots are great. You'll notice clips from My Hime, Fullmetal Alchemist, Girls Bravo, Rozen Maiden and more.
Back to School? Go Anime Style!
Monday August 11, 2008
For those of you who are gearing up for another school year, I thought it might be fun to put together a collection of anime gear to get you back to school in style.
I'll be updating it over the next few weeks as I find more stuff but in the meantime, you can go ahead and start shopping :)
I'll be updating it over the next few weeks as I find more stuff but in the meantime, you can go ahead and start shopping :)
Are You A Super Saiyan Yet?
Sunday August 10, 2008
One of my most popular posts of all time is "How To Become A Super Saiyan". Although I wrote it quite some time back, it just keeps popping up on my most popular list and quite a few readers have added their comments about how they think a Super Saiyan would train.
So, in keeping with the spirit of the post and because some of the comments are just so darn good, I wanted to draw your attention to a post by Sun Wukong (scroll down to post #65) who provides us with an in-depth training schedule and I also wanted to share his website - http://pugboy10.googlepages.com/ - as he has gone to some great lengths to provide a complete training process to master your inner martial artist :)
So, in keeping with the spirit of the post and because some of the comments are just so darn good, I wanted to draw your attention to a post by Sun Wukong (scroll down to post #65) who provides us with an in-depth training schedule and I also wanted to share his website - http://pugboy10.googlepages.com/ - as he has gone to some great lengths to provide a complete training process to master your inner martial artist :)
Anime News - 8/3/08
Monday August 4, 2008
Ready for your weekly dose of anime news? Here's what's happening :)
As previously mentioned, Geneon Entertainment recently cut a distribution deal with FUNimation after they stopped in-house production of their own titles back in September of 2007. Now, according to a recent press release, it looks like those titles will start rolling out as of August 19th. First up will be Black Lagoon and Elemental Gelade followed by Karin (9/2/08) and Shakugan no Shana (9/9/08). Also worth noting, Devil May Cry is expected to hit the shelves on October 7th.
Congrads to VIZ Media for winning the 2008 Eisner Award for its production of Tekkonkinkreet: Black & White by creator TAiyo Matsumoto. The Eisner Award was named after writer and artist Will Eisner and is handed out each year at the Comic-Con International Convention to recognize exemplary comics, graphic novels and other pop writings. Tekkonkinkreet won the Best U.S. Edition of International Material - Japan.
Anime Supercon has announced several new guests for their S. Florida convention in October. On the list is Naruto VA's Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt as well as electro-popstars Kill Miss Pretty, artist and designer George Moss plus Heather Scott, Brittney Morrow and Chickenbox!. The Anime Supercon is set for Halloween weekend - October 31st thru November 2, 2008.
And since we're talking about upcoming cons, the Atlanta Supercon is scheduled for November 21st thru November 23, 2008 and includes guests such as Dana Snyder, Carey Means and Golden Age comic book legend Allen Bellman. Visit http://atlantasupercon.com for more information.
As previously mentioned, Geneon Entertainment recently cut a distribution deal with FUNimation after they stopped in-house production of their own titles back in September of 2007. Now, according to a recent press release, it looks like those titles will start rolling out as of August 19th. First up will be Black Lagoon and Elemental Gelade followed by Karin (9/2/08) and Shakugan no Shana (9/9/08). Also worth noting, Devil May Cry is expected to hit the shelves on October 7th.
Congrads to VIZ Media for winning the 2008 Eisner Award for its production of Tekkonkinkreet: Black & White by creator TAiyo Matsumoto. The Eisner Award was named after writer and artist Will Eisner and is handed out each year at the Comic-Con International Convention to recognize exemplary comics, graphic novels and other pop writings. Tekkonkinkreet won the Best U.S. Edition of International Material - Japan.
Anime Supercon has announced several new guests for their S. Florida convention in October. On the list is Naruto VA's Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt as well as electro-popstars Kill Miss Pretty, artist and designer George Moss plus Heather Scott, Brittney Morrow and Chickenbox!. The Anime Supercon is set for Halloween weekend - October 31st thru November 2, 2008.
And since we're talking about upcoming cons, the Atlanta Supercon is scheduled for November 21st thru November 23, 2008 and includes guests such as Dana Snyder, Carey Means and Golden Age comic book legend Allen Bellman. Visit http://atlantasupercon.com for more information.
Adventures in Voice Acting - Volume 1
Sunday August 3, 2008
So, you think you'd like to be a voice actor do you? Well, contrary to popular belief, becoming a voice actor requires much more than a "nice voice" and isn't nearly as easy as you might think. Fortunately, Bang Zoom! Entertainment has provided us with an inside look at the world of voice-overs and what it takes to become a successful voice actor. Are you still game? Then read on! :)Anime and Manga On A Downturn?
Sunday August 3, 2008
As the demand for anime and manga increases here in the West, the question becomes are we sacrificing quality in order to satisfy quantity?
In her article at IGN - The Fall of Manga and Anime - Jessica Chobot addresses this very question.
Citing the recent low profile of the various anime and manga companies (i.e., TokyoPop, Geneon, ADV) and the concurrent clamoring of non-anime companies deciding to jump on the anime bandwagon (Harlequin Pink), the result she says is an industry where "everyone gets a little bit of something but none of it is very good."
Which raises an interesting point: while no one can deny that anime and manga's popularity has grown, it is worth considering whether or not that demand is being adequately met from the perspective of the fans. As a die-hard DBZ fan myself, I have to say I've been a little disenchanted with some of the anime that's been released as of late. Granted, a number of the new shows are really good but they're also really short. I found Black Blood Brothers for example, to be highly entertaining but its only 12 episodes in total, way less than even one saga of my favorite Dragon Ball Z (291) or some of the other classics such as Yu Yu Hakusho (112), Card Captor Sakura (70) and Magic Knight Rayearth (49).
Of course, not all the classics were long enough to be sagas and no, I don't expect every new anime that hits the shelves to stretch the story out just for the sake of having more eps. But it is nice when the series is long enough that you have time to sink your teeth into it and get vested in the characters' well-being before the show is over.
Add to this the attempts by big-name box offices to cash in on the anime craze with low-budget live-action spin offs and I can see where Chobot is coming from. I won't name names here but you and I both know that Hollywood has made a very obvious decision to revisit any and all comic and cartoon characters, American, Japanese and otherwise, as an alternative to creating something brand new. This isn't the rule of course, but it is a very definite trend.
And this in itself wouldn't be so bad if the movies were created with the same blood, sweat and tears that used to go into the animes themselves. Which brings us back to Chobot's question: is the anime of today just a watered down version of what we use to have?
I won't say that I'm not enjoying the new releases because for the most part, I am but I do agree with Chobot that the anime industry itself is changing and as the players continue in their race for a bigger piece of the pie, we're likely to see quite a few more of the less-than-stellar titles hit the shelves before - as always happens when a passion turns into a craze - it finally blows up.
And perhaps then, the dust will settle and we can all start really enjoying our anime again :)
Now its your turn:
What do you think - is anime and manga headed for a fall?
In her article at IGN - The Fall of Manga and Anime - Jessica Chobot addresses this very question.
Citing the recent low profile of the various anime and manga companies (i.e., TokyoPop, Geneon, ADV) and the concurrent clamoring of non-anime companies deciding to jump on the anime bandwagon (Harlequin Pink), the result she says is an industry where "everyone gets a little bit of something but none of it is very good."
Which raises an interesting point: while no one can deny that anime and manga's popularity has grown, it is worth considering whether or not that demand is being adequately met from the perspective of the fans. As a die-hard DBZ fan myself, I have to say I've been a little disenchanted with some of the anime that's been released as of late. Granted, a number of the new shows are really good but they're also really short. I found Black Blood Brothers for example, to be highly entertaining but its only 12 episodes in total, way less than even one saga of my favorite Dragon Ball Z (291) or some of the other classics such as Yu Yu Hakusho (112), Card Captor Sakura (70) and Magic Knight Rayearth (49).
Of course, not all the classics were long enough to be sagas and no, I don't expect every new anime that hits the shelves to stretch the story out just for the sake of having more eps. But it is nice when the series is long enough that you have time to sink your teeth into it and get vested in the characters' well-being before the show is over.
Add to this the attempts by big-name box offices to cash in on the anime craze with low-budget live-action spin offs and I can see where Chobot is coming from. I won't name names here but you and I both know that Hollywood has made a very obvious decision to revisit any and all comic and cartoon characters, American, Japanese and otherwise, as an alternative to creating something brand new. This isn't the rule of course, but it is a very definite trend.
And this in itself wouldn't be so bad if the movies were created with the same blood, sweat and tears that used to go into the animes themselves. Which brings us back to Chobot's question: is the anime of today just a watered down version of what we use to have?
I won't say that I'm not enjoying the new releases because for the most part, I am but I do agree with Chobot that the anime industry itself is changing and as the players continue in their race for a bigger piece of the pie, we're likely to see quite a few more of the less-than-stellar titles hit the shelves before - as always happens when a passion turns into a craze - it finally blows up.
And perhaps then, the dust will settle and we can all start really enjoying our anime again :)
Now its your turn:
What do you think - is anime and manga headed for a fall?
Anime News - 7/27/08
Monday July 28, 2008
Well, the weekend's over and its back to the grind... Here's some anime news to help get your blood pumping :)
GDH K.K. presented an exclusive trailer premier of the sequel to Afro Samurai - Afro Samurai: Resurrection at the 2008 Comic-Con International this weekend. You'll remember that the first Afro Samurai was a five-episode series featuring Samuel L. Jackson and based on Takashi Okazaki's manga series. Resurrection picks up a few years after the first series and we find Afro Samurai once again out for vengence. Afro Samurai: Resurrection is scheduled to premiere on Spike TV as a two-hour movie event in January of 2009 and FUNimation will release it on DVD in early 2009.
And yes, Jackson will once again play the angry Mr. Samurai. Also on the list of cast members is Lucy Liu and Mark Hamill.
VIZ Media has launched "VIZ Productions", a Hollywood-based film company to license and produce live action films based on popular graphic novels. No word yet on which properties VIZ Productions will tackle first but fear not... I shall keep you posted :)
Also worth noting from VIZ, NANA 2 will hit the DVD shelves on July 29th so don't forget to add this one to your list when you're shopping.
And last - but certainly not least - IFMagazine reports that producer Erwin Stoff (The Matrix) is developing a live-action Cowboy Bebop movie for Fox. IMDB has the release scheduled for 2011 but that's about all the information that's out at the moment. No word on casting or anything like that But Stoff promises to stay true to the anime.
That said, one IFMag reader suggested that Bebop should be in the hands of Quentin Tarantino which, I have to admit would be worth the ticket price. And that got me to thinking... what other animes would be a good Tarantino match? FMA? Outlaw Star? Or how about some Trigun? Oooh... now that would be cool :)
GDH K.K. presented an exclusive trailer premier of the sequel to Afro Samurai - Afro Samurai: Resurrection at the 2008 Comic-Con International this weekend. You'll remember that the first Afro Samurai was a five-episode series featuring Samuel L. Jackson and based on Takashi Okazaki's manga series. Resurrection picks up a few years after the first series and we find Afro Samurai once again out for vengence. Afro Samurai: Resurrection is scheduled to premiere on Spike TV as a two-hour movie event in January of 2009 and FUNimation will release it on DVD in early 2009.
And yes, Jackson will once again play the angry Mr. Samurai. Also on the list of cast members is Lucy Liu and Mark Hamill.
VIZ Media has launched "VIZ Productions", a Hollywood-based film company to license and produce live action films based on popular graphic novels. No word yet on which properties VIZ Productions will tackle first but fear not... I shall keep you posted :)
Also worth noting from VIZ, NANA 2 will hit the DVD shelves on July 29th so don't forget to add this one to your list when you're shopping.
And last - but certainly not least - IFMagazine reports that producer Erwin Stoff (The Matrix) is developing a live-action Cowboy Bebop movie for Fox. IMDB has the release scheduled for 2011 but that's about all the information that's out at the moment. No word on casting or anything like that But Stoff promises to stay true to the anime.
That said, one IFMag reader suggested that Bebop should be in the hands of Quentin Tarantino which, I have to admit would be worth the ticket price. And that got me to thinking... what other animes would be a good Tarantino match? FMA? Outlaw Star? Or how about some Trigun? Oooh... now that would be cool :)