The number of anime feature films out there is dwarfed by the number of for-TV productions -- especially original anime features not derived from other properties. It's always news when an anime feature film comes out in English, especially when it doesn't have the names Miyazaki or Studio Ghibli attached to it.
Such is the case with Legend of the Millennium Dragon (Onigamiden in Japanese), a Sony Pictures release courtesy of Studio Pierrot, one of the oldest animation houses in Japan with a bevy of familiar titles to its name: Naruto, Bleach, and many more. Dragon isn't based on an existing anime, but rather a novel series by Takafumi Takada, which makes it all the more intriguing.
There's no end of full-blown theatrical anime based on existing properties. This coming week at New York Comic-Con, for instance, they're screening the latest theatrical Naruto Shippuden film (in 3D, no less), and they seem to produce a new theatrical film for One Piece every other week or so.
What's far less common is completely original theatrical films like Sword of the Stranger, a striking samurai adventure story created by BONES (the same studio who gave us everything from Cowboy Bebop to Ouran High School Host Club), The Sky Crawlers, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, or the venerable Akira. And even there the definition of "original" is elastic. All except the first one were based on other properties; only Stranger was written directly for the screen.
Note that "original" doesn't automatically mean "better," as I noted in a previous blog post. It does, in my opinion, mean that much more potential for a product that doesn't simply repeat existing conceits. I freely admit I'm that much more prejudiced in favor of a breath of fresh air, even a not totally successful one, as opposed to just staying with what's safe and what works. But I also know the anime industry is a business, and no business has ever ignored what's profitable.
Check out our review of Legend of the Millennium Dragon, and be sure to chime in with your own thoughts if you've seen the film as well.
Images: Legend of the Millennium Dragon © 2011 Takafumi Takada / Kodansha and Legend of the Millennium Dragon Film Partners. Image courtesy Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Sword of the Stranger: Image courtesy Pricegrabber.
Comments