The highly-anticipated anime adaptation of a fan-favorite video game debuts this week; old-school manga gets a new-wave 3D reboot; and much more. Read on:
Persona 4 Anime Premieres In English: The Anime Network has picked up the long-awaited anime adaptation of the latest installment in the stylish, moody video game series that's built a solid fanbase. The first HD-quality episode started streaming in English yesterday -- after some initial technical snarls -- and it promises an experience that closely follows the mood and look of the game. The only possible downside: if it follows the game so closely that it becomes a mere walkthrough or shuts out everyone who didn't play, it'll be more of a curiosity than anything else.
Kenji Kamiyama's Cyborg 009 Reboot Coming In 2012: The director of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Moribito and Eden of the East will be behind the helm for an anime re-working of Shotaro Ishinomori's long-running manga creation, previously adapted multiple times for TV and film. Nine cyborgs join forces to stop the organization which created them, Black Ghost, from either taking over the world or destroying it first. The reboot is a 3D CGI animated feature scheduled to appear in theaters in Japan sometime next year. No English-language distribution has been announced yet, though, but you can see a short clip of the film (sans English) on YouTube.
More Live-Action Rurouni Kenshin Cast Details: Comic Natalie and Crunchyroll (by way of Anime News Network) have published pictures of most of the cast for the live-action adaptation of Rurouni Kenshin, slated for release sometime next year. Based on the clues available in the cast, the movie appears to be an adaptation of the first few volumes of the manga or the first several episodes of the TV series.
Crunchyroll Begins Adding New Fall Season Shows: So far the new additions to the U.S. streaming site includes:
- You and Me (Kimi to Boku), about five young men who have been friends since kindergarten.
- The second season of the surprise hit Squid Girl.
- Chihayafuru, about a girl fascinated by the Japanese memory-matching game of karuta.
- Hunter X Hunter, previously released released on DVD in the U.S. by VIZ.
- The second season of Sekai-Ichi Hatsukoi, being the further misadventures of a young man working in the shojo (girls' comics) publishing industry.
- Fate/zero, a prequel to the fantasy adventure Fate/stay night (which has spawned a great many other spinoffs to date as well).
- Season two of Wagnaria!!, about a young man who takes a job at a family restaurant and finds himself at odds with the very, very odd people who work there. Season one was released on DVD by NIS America and will be profiled here shortly.
I'll have more detailed rundowns for each show soon.
[Updated 1:32 PM ET to add:]
FUNimation Acquires Guilty Crown And .Hack//Quantum: The former, a Production I.G studio product, is directed by Tetsuo Araki (Death Note) and is set in a chaotic future Japan where rebels fight to liberate the country with special powers not available to most people. The latter is the latest installment in the .hack franchise. Both are set to be released sometime in 2012 on physical media, with Guilty Crown to be simulcast starting October 20.
Comments