Starship Troopers OVA Mobile Infantry Designs.

Very old anime, never finished and largely forgotten now. Can't blame the public, the OVAs has many plotholes, bad dialogue and lazy animation. Did not help when they deviated some plot points from R.Henlein novel.

But it does have a silver lining. The power armour design for MI (Mobile Infantry) is pretty good. That's it.

AnimeDB link

Kara no Kyokai 3rd Movie Trailer

Considered as one of the most intense movie so far, from what I knew that the opening scene in Chapter 3 is totally uncensored.



Noto Namiko as voice of Fujino, the baby faced killer looking for inner peace.

Sequel to Druaga, Aegis of Uruk announced and it is called Sword of Uruk

Sequel to this quiet, unassuming anime is announced. It is smacks of new leveling up and now the characters have new adventures. Clever ploy by GONZO.

I am curious since the ending often show the dark elf female in the beginning who yet make any appearence in the anime. She looks like the next villian to harass the main characters.

Source

Kannagi and Haruhi Season 2

Newtype Scan

2 big news and related. How? Keyword: Kyoto Animation.

Regarding about sequel to Haruhi....

Not too sure if it will be as good as S1, since the original crew of Kyoto Animation split with the studio to do Kannagi. The original director of Haruhi fired by studio for Lucky Star fiasco (remember the coronet scene in episode 1?) and he drag some of the best crew from Kyoto Animation ever had that partnered with him during making of Haruhi in 2006.

I don't think the studio will able to bring back the magic of S1 for this. Already changing of name is an ominous sign. It sounds like the creative team having problems to present the material as fresh as first season. The arc though seems to center on disappearence of Haruhi and Nagato as normal girl story arc.

Be prepared that this Haruhi can turn into lemon. Kannagi's official website



Kannagi is story about a local deity comes to live with a boy's touch and she tries to moves around in modern world where she is not revered as a goddess anymore. Hijinks, comedy and growing up sexual frustation abounds in this story. However it does have clean art and charming scenes.

Below is the link that director, Yamamoto Yutaka's side on story on how he got cashiered out by the famous studio.
Radio Kannagi
His dossier in ANN

Earlier entry

Kara no Kyokai/Garden of Sinners/Rakkyo Artworks stolen

Just got this buzz that UFOTABLE politely requesting fans not to steal artworks based on the ongoing movie, Kara no Kyokai. Apparently 3 has been stolen from UFOTABLE cafe so far which on display as art exhibition to promote the movies. The diary went as far that the reason they don't want to install any security is because they trusted the fans will not do it. I wonder.

Source

Excellent ED song here.
Promo Trailers here.

Summer of 2008 releases and which I am interested to watch

Blink of eye and it is already June. Damn.

Alright, this is the list of scheduled anime releases for summer of 2008 and I will talk more on shows that I am interested in. The shows I am interested are marked with bold letters.

6/11 - Ikkitousen: Great Guardians (Season 3)
6/21 - Telepathy Shoujo Ran
7/01 - Ultraviolet: Code 044
7/02 - Slayers Revolution (Season 4)
7/03 - Hidamari Sketch x 365 (Season 2)
7/03 - Strike Witches TV
7/04 - Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu
7/05 - Tetsuwan Birdy Decode
7/07 - Natsume Yuujinchou
7/08 - World Destruction
7/10 - Mission-E
7/13 - Blade of the Immortal
7/18 - Zero no Tsukaima: Princess no Rondo (Season 3)
7/24 - Yakushiji Ryoko no Kaiki Jikenbo
7/?? - Koihime Musou
7/?? - Sekirei
7/?? - Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto: Natsu no Sora (Someday's Dreamers prequel)

Another notable show that is not on this small list is upcoming Production IG Chocolate Underground.





Hidamari Sketch is a charming mini anime from anime maestro, Akayuki Shinbo. It did not pretend to be grand or big but it has charming aspect and not really a demanding anime. Relax, enjoy and quietly watch as antics of characters try to live their lifes. It is like a cousin to more renowned Azumanga and overhyped Lucky Star.

Offical Site




Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu is based on light novels about a school idol who is supposedly pinnacle of student life: classy, sophisticated, good in academics/atheletics etc. However she harboured a dark secret which she is a closet anime otaku. Needless to say, a dude find out about her weakness much to her abject horror. This guy was a typical nobody but because of his knowledge become some sort of confidant to Haruka which hilarity bound to ensues. Don't be surprised if it is oversubbed by dozens of groups.

Official Site



Blade of the Immortal is another anticipated series but I have treat it with great caution, as the author himself said that he did not see how in the world this story can be translated into anime without losing its intregity. I forsee a trainwreck coming, not helping when I see name Bee Train as production studio. Another soon to be oversubbed series.

Offical Site



Yakushiji Ryoko no Kaiki Jikenbo is for late adult anime group as themes and story is much more mature. The protagonist is a 27 year old PI who is well versed in few languages who somehow found herself working on series of bizzare cases for police. Already I can see that this anime will not be popular choice for fansubber, much less need to say for licensing.

Offical Site



Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto: Natsu no Sora, prequel to another quiet mini anime; Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto. I liked the art and the story is another placid, slow story of character in slice of life setting. The animation company responsible for this series supposedly masters of lush background and art, Hal Film Maker (Sketchbook and Aria).

Official Site



Chocolate Underground (Studio IG) is a story where a present day scenario where a health concious party become a government and enforce a draconian law of preventing citizens to consume sweet stuff including chocolate in interest of public health (shades of US Prohibition in 1920s). 2 rebels decided to give a finger to the law and the story focuses on their exploits on breaking the law, becoming some sort of Chocolate Al Capone as they run a bootlegging effort.

Why I like this one? Simple. Production IG and chocolate bootleggers. Sounds cool to me.

Official Site

Dragon Ball Live Action

There is one giant elephant you cannot ignore in the room and it is called Dragon Ball Live Action.

The cast has been assembled here....

Here is the list of cast from IMDB. James Masters as Piccolo? Never expected that!

Justin Chatwin ... Goku

Yun-Fat Chow ... Master Roshi

James Marsters ... Lord Piccolo

Emmy Rossum ... Bulma

Jamie Chung ... Chi Chi

Joon Park ... Yamcha

Randall Duk Kim ... Grandpa Gohan

IMDB Entry

Now most old fans of franchise are screaming blood. As usual.
Bulma is kinda hot though.

Personally it is an interesting project, but there will be a lot of challenges as expectations are high. Already people are upset that Goku was an American.

I do wonder if they capture the feel of the show. That is crucial.

Islamic protest on Jojo's Bizzare Adventure

Anime DVDs pulled after Muslims protest
'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure' called offensive

By Gavin J. Blair

May 22, 2008, 01:28 PM
TOKYO -- Shueisha Inc. has pulled an anime DVD series based on a popular manga after protests from Muslims about the negative portrayal of the Koran, the publisher said Thursday.

An episode of "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" featured a villain looking at a copy of the Koran before ordering the killing of the hero and his companions, in a story set in Egypt.

Shueisha said the illustrators were unable to read Arabic and therefore unaware that the featured text came from the Islamic holy book, saying it was included to give "authenticity." The book doesn't appear in the original manga.

Source

More details and commentary from here

Link 2

In this case, I do felt the fault is on both sides, the Japanese for not consulting research properly and the Islamic ulama for over reacting to a mere entertainment medium.

But this is a replay of sectarian senstivity to protrayal of any associated memes in popular media.

Cosmode Online Launched.

First English based online magazine on cosplay now available. Signs of increasing internationalization of anime culture is here, plain to see. Will it expand or contract though? Hard to see, hard to say.

Here is the press release:

RELEASED: COSMODE ONLINE #001 - COSPLAY 1ST GRADERS STARTING TODAY!


TOKYO, Japan (May 25, 2008) OverDrive's COSMODE Online has released its first issue. Everyone has something to learn with tutorials on makeup, costume making, wig preparation, cosplay photography techniques, and cosplay manners.

"We strive to bring cosplayers and cosplay lovers around with world with only the best content", said Ted Harada, President of OverDrive, Inc.


The link is here.

It is now available for subscription.

Speaking of cosplay, I stumbled on this beautiful cosplayer doing a character from Clannad. Enjoy.





Until then.

Kara no Kyokai/Garden of Sinners/Rakkyo Ending Song

The ED song for Kara no Kyokai, Oblivious by Kalafina arranged by Kaijura. Beautiful and haunting song, suitable for the anime's feel and theme.

School Rumble 3rd Term. Or is it?

The promotion for new School Rumble series is up for 3rd time, and considering from the horrendously indecisive manga story....I think the anime can go on forever like Energizer Bunny. Already some fans of the story expressed anger at lack of resolution after such a long run.



The cast promotion of next School Rumble anime, VAs/seiyuus for Tenma (Ami Kozhimizu) and Yakumo (Mamiko Noto).

From what I knew, the love complication is yet to be resolved even at manga's chapter 220. To me that is like stringing along a cash cow as long as possible. Jin Kobayashi who parodied himself in the story as delinquent main character perhaps running of ideas?

The offical site with offical promo trailer for it

I don't really hope too much out of it, I do enjoy early parts but it has become a bit too draggy like Hispanic tele novela.

Yona Yona Penguin

Singapore broadcaster giant MediaCorp and leading Japanese animation company Madhouse Inc Monday announced a collaboration on a 13 million U.S. dollar computer-generated 3D anime feature film called Yona Yona Penguin.

The animation film will be directed by renowned Japanese animator Rintaro, who's made his mark in Japanese anime as the creator of Astro Boy.

Singapore's entry into billion dollar industry anime is this cutesy penguin story. I have to confess though, the name Madhouse did not struck me as the one will do cutesy, moe type of anime presentation.

Interesting industrial trend in anime, as it becomes more and more hybrid Japanese and something else now.