"Neon Genesis Evangelion"
Television animation work. Broadcast by 5 networks associated with TV Tokyo Corp. Wednesday 6:30 p.m. October 6,1995 - March 27, 1996. Altogether 26 episodes. Draft, Scenario, Direction, by ANNO Hideaki Produced by GAINAX Ltd.
Basically this is the absurd story of a meaningless battle that takes place while riding on a puzzling machine against an equally puzzling enemy. The scene is the near future of 2015 in the 3rd City of Tokyo which is located at the foot of Mt. Fuji. The beings called "Angel" who were each crowned as Old Testament angels, relentlessly go on the offensive against the 3rd City of Tokyo. The purpose of the offensive and the true identity of the angels are totally unknown; sometimes the angels are giant creatures, sometimes they are big floating pyramids, and sometimes they are computer viruses, and at other times they are circular rings that emit light. "Evangelions" (nicknamed Eva) giant-shaped living weapons, often drive like maniacs, and because they transcend human technology like the Angels, are the only ones known who can oppose the Angels offensive. There are 3 bodies of Eva, and 14 year old children (Shinji, Rei, Asuka) were chosen as exclusive pilots for each Eva. The story develops centered around 4 people; in addition to the 3 kids there is a 29 year old woman named Misato who appears. Each of them has a trauma and not being adept at communicating with others humans, rather than humanity, etc. they consider internal existential questions such as "Why do we do battle with the Angels?, why do we ride Eva?" more imporant. Therefore the production mainly focuses on character psychology.
Full article available here.
I have to say this, if not for this anime hallmark, we won't have modern anime as we know today. Hideaki Anno's vision is disturbing yet compelling.
Friday, August 25
Anime misconceptions don’t stop its popularity
By Aaron Burkhart - The Northern Light
August 23, 2006
Japanese culture has a large impact on the entertainment industry. Anime sales in the U.S. are over $5 billion annually, according to a 2005 BusinessWeek article, and video game sales are estimated around $7 billion in 2005. Anime and video games are closer to mainstream than ever. As the first generation to grow up with video games and anime, today’s young adults and their children are likely to be much more accepting of these entertainment forms than older ones.
Hollywood is starting to catch on too; movies based on video games (“Silent Hill,” “Doom”) are increasingly common, while big names like James Cameron, Quentin Tarantino and Samuel L. Jackson all have different anime- or manga-related projects in the works (manga are essentially Japanese graphic novels, which many anime are based on).
While most people are familiar with at least the concept of video games, many don’t know exactly what anime is.
Full article is here
Another discussion on anime impact on arguably most sophisticated consumer market in the world, USA. Misconceptions or not, I suspected that it maybe part of author's bias. Maybe.
August 23, 2006
Japanese culture has a large impact on the entertainment industry. Anime sales in the U.S. are over $5 billion annually, according to a 2005 BusinessWeek article, and video game sales are estimated around $7 billion in 2005. Anime and video games are closer to mainstream than ever. As the first generation to grow up with video games and anime, today’s young adults and their children are likely to be much more accepting of these entertainment forms than older ones.
Hollywood is starting to catch on too; movies based on video games (“Silent Hill,” “Doom”) are increasingly common, while big names like James Cameron, Quentin Tarantino and Samuel L. Jackson all have different anime- or manga-related projects in the works (manga are essentially Japanese graphic novels, which many anime are based on).
While most people are familiar with at least the concept of video games, many don’t know exactly what anime is.
Full article is here
Another discussion on anime impact on arguably most sophisticated consumer market in the world, USA. Misconceptions or not, I suspected that it maybe part of author's bias. Maybe.
Wednesday, August 23
News: Anime fansubbers warned by Bandai
Bandai Entertainment is taking action against illegal fansubs and issued a statement saying that it would be now carefully monitoring the market for creation and distribution of illegal fansubs or other pirated Bandai titles, with emphasis on Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society.
In its statement, Bandai cites that fansubbing licensed anime constitutes as copyright infringement and said that it will “take all measures available to stop the illegal distribution of titles” which include taking people into court and fining charges for the loss of sales if suitable.
“Fansubs, even those not sold for profit, are harmful to our properties and industry overall and we will be watching closely to make sure our rights regarding SSS are not infringed,” said Ken Iyadomi, President of Bandai Entertainment Inc. “We are prepared to take legal action against fansubbers and illegal download and other distribution sites if this notice is ignored,” he added.
This is the first time an anime company has publicly announced a warning and stated that it would take legal action. Bandai Entertainment wants big success from its Ghost in the Shell series, and its not going to let fansubbers cut sales. Be prepared, because whether you like it or not, a time is coming where people will have to start buying their own anime.
Source
In its statement, Bandai cites that fansubbing licensed anime constitutes as copyright infringement and said that it will “take all measures available to stop the illegal distribution of titles” which include taking people into court and fining charges for the loss of sales if suitable.
“Fansubs, even those not sold for profit, are harmful to our properties and industry overall and we will be watching closely to make sure our rights regarding SSS are not infringed,” said Ken Iyadomi, President of Bandai Entertainment Inc. “We are prepared to take legal action against fansubbers and illegal download and other distribution sites if this notice is ignored,” he added.
This is the first time an anime company has publicly announced a warning and stated that it would take legal action. Bandai Entertainment wants big success from its Ghost in the Shell series, and its not going to let fansubbers cut sales. Be prepared, because whether you like it or not, a time is coming where people will have to start buying their own anime.
Source
Sunday, August 20
Anime and the Acceptance of Robotics
James Matthews
Apocalypse Now
Japan’s fascination with the apocalypse can be seen in many cyber-punk anime —from the nuclear blast in the opening sequence of Akira, the massive alien attacks in Neon Genesis Evangelion, or the apocalyptic, world-destroying war sequences in Final Fantasy. The medium of animation is perfectly suited to the apocalyptic genre, since it has no need for special effects or a large budget to effectively wow the audiences with scenes of mass destruction. Yet, why are the Japanese so intrigued by this concept?
Many believe the answer lies in the fact Japan is the only nation to witness an apocalyptic event between man and technology; namely the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.Interestingly though, the Eastern ideas of the apocalypse are radically different to the wholesale and exaggerated destruction of the world prevalent in Western religious texts. While Christian views of the apocalypse depict the final struggle between good and evil, punishment for the wicked and ascent to heaven for the good, neither traditional Buddhism nor Shintoism share these or any analogous beliefs.
Full article can be seen here.
Apocalypse Now
Japan’s fascination with the apocalypse can be seen in many cyber-punk anime —from the nuclear blast in the opening sequence of Akira, the massive alien attacks in Neon Genesis Evangelion, or the apocalyptic, world-destroying war sequences in Final Fantasy. The medium of animation is perfectly suited to the apocalyptic genre, since it has no need for special effects or a large budget to effectively wow the audiences with scenes of mass destruction. Yet, why are the Japanese so intrigued by this concept?
Many believe the answer lies in the fact Japan is the only nation to witness an apocalyptic event between man and technology; namely the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.Interestingly though, the Eastern ideas of the apocalypse are radically different to the wholesale and exaggerated destruction of the world prevalent in Western religious texts. While Christian views of the apocalypse depict the final struggle between good and evil, punishment for the wicked and ascent to heaven for the good, neither traditional Buddhism nor Shintoism share these or any analogous beliefs.
Full article can be seen here.
Anime: A New Art Form, Not a Childish Hobby
What it Is, What it Isn't
By Trevor Stevens
Aug 18 2006 04:38PM
Anime lovers are called Otaku, which is western for ‘freak’ or Japanese for ‘fan.’ Those that enjoy anime are shoved into that category for no reason aside from the fact that they like cartoon stories. They are seen as childish, immature, and having no real life. This simply isn’t true. There are many reasons that anime is a legitimate art form and “otaku” should be viewed as no different from people who love action movies or love stories..
Source
By Trevor Stevens
Aug 18 2006 04:38PM
Anime lovers are called Otaku, which is western for ‘freak’ or Japanese for ‘fan.’ Those that enjoy anime are shoved into that category for no reason aside from the fact that they like cartoon stories. They are seen as childish, immature, and having no real life. This simply isn’t true. There are many reasons that anime is a legitimate art form and “otaku” should be viewed as no different from people who love action movies or love stories..
Source
Saturday, August 19
Anime draws a crowd, flocking to a land of make believe
Deborah Cameron, Tokyo
August 17, 2006
BY THE tens of thousands they queued, ascended to an Everest in lifts, and arrived, panting, at a pinnacle of popular culture.
It is Comiket, the world's largest market and expo for comics and cartoons, held on the roof of a Tokyo convention centre. Here a grand passion of the Japanese male stands bared.
Comiket goes beyond comics, or anime, as cartoons are called in Japan. It is the most important pilgrimage of the year to the men who descend on the event to buy limited-edition DVDs, collect new games, buy plastic miniature figures, or collect an autograph from a voice actor.
Source
Tens of thousands flock to Comiket
Manga lovers flocked in their tens of thousands over the weekend to Tokyo's Big Sight arena in Minato-ku's Odaiba for Comic Market 70.
While the upper hall at "Comiket" played host to the professional artists, merchandising and game companies' booths, the larger market was held in the two giant exhibition halls. Here, hundreds of amateur manga artists displayed their works to the public.
"I was shocked at how huge it is," said Jamal Rorie, a first-time visitor to Comiket from the United States. "I've been to a few conventions at home, but it easily dwarfs anything we have in the U.S."
Many also braved the sweltering heat to visit the Cosplay Plaza on the upper terraces, where photographers queued up to shout requests for poses at the mostly-female cosplayers.
The event finished with an unexpected bang on Sunday as fireworks lit up Tokyo Bay. They had been previously scheduled for Saturday night, but were postponed due to thunderstorms. (By Roger Hutchings)
August 15, 2006
Source
August 17, 2006
BY THE tens of thousands they queued, ascended to an Everest in lifts, and arrived, panting, at a pinnacle of popular culture.
It is Comiket, the world's largest market and expo for comics and cartoons, held on the roof of a Tokyo convention centre. Here a grand passion of the Japanese male stands bared.
Comiket goes beyond comics, or anime, as cartoons are called in Japan. It is the most important pilgrimage of the year to the men who descend on the event to buy limited-edition DVDs, collect new games, buy plastic miniature figures, or collect an autograph from a voice actor.
Source
Tens of thousands flock to Comiket
Manga lovers flocked in their tens of thousands over the weekend to Tokyo's Big Sight arena in Minato-ku's Odaiba for Comic Market 70.
While the upper hall at "Comiket" played host to the professional artists, merchandising and game companies' booths, the larger market was held in the two giant exhibition halls. Here, hundreds of amateur manga artists displayed their works to the public.
"I was shocked at how huge it is," said Jamal Rorie, a first-time visitor to Comiket from the United States. "I've been to a few conventions at home, but it easily dwarfs anything we have in the U.S."
Many also braved the sweltering heat to visit the Cosplay Plaza on the upper terraces, where photographers queued up to shout requests for poses at the mostly-female cosplayers.
The event finished with an unexpected bang on Sunday as fireworks lit up Tokyo Bay. They had been previously scheduled for Saturday night, but were postponed due to thunderstorms. (By Roger Hutchings)
August 15, 2006
Source
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