My personal view on anime, as it is become a visible media niche in the world. Just like any other media, it has its share of pukes and good ones....this is my view on it. Whimsical? Informative? Overly serious? Too silly? Why the hell am I still watching anime? Thoughts like this runs through my mind here.
Gatchaman is the upcoming CGI movie based on the anime series of the same name (nostalgia indeed ahhhh) scheduled to be completed in near future (some say 2009, some say 2010) by Imagi Animation Studios. Kevin Munroe (TMNT) is scheduled to write and direct with Lynne Southerland (co-director of Mulan 2) as producer.
Known plotlines
Some information taken from an interview with Kevin Munroe back on July 19, 2006, and statements coming from Imagi Animation Studios' Founder and Co-CEO Francis Kao:
* The movie will focus on foundation of the team and how the members meet each other. * The movie will focus on solely Gatchaman universe. * A PG-13 rating is possible since it will have a dark tone, with themes of violence. Apparently the production is very faithful to Japanese source with little twist here and there to spice it up. Obvious demographic on older fans who possesses buying power now.
2 titles add to the roster of ongoing anime adaptations namely Twilight and Mad Max.
Director of previous 3 Mad Max incarnations, George Miller, have indicated that 4th movie will 3D anime style after his works in Happy Feet open the possibilities that he thought can be expanded with new Mad Max storytelling. However he is coy on whether if Mel Gibson will be featured in the 4th movie or not.
The director of Twlight, possibly playing up hornet's nest to see response, jokingly said there might be an anime adaptation of the story on radio show. Predictably since it is a "hot" teenage angst love movie currently, the response is huge gauging from 300+ articles in Google News on this one.
The building that houses the Ghibli Museum would be unusual anywhere, but in greater Tokyo, where architectural exuberance usually takes an angular, modernist form—black glass cubes, busy geometries of neon—it is particularly so. From the outside, the museum resembles an oversized adobe house, with slightly melted edges; its exterior walls are painted in saltwater-taffy shades of pink, green, and yellow. Inside, the museum looks like a child’s fantasy of Old Europe submitted to a rigorous Arts and Crafts sensibility. The floors are dark polished wood; stained-glass windows cast candy-colored light on whitewashed walls; a spiral stairway climbs—inside what looks like a giant Victorian birdcage—to a rooftop garden of world grasses, over which a hammered-metal robot soldier stands guard. In the central hall, beneath a high ceiling, a web of balconies and bridges suggests a dream vision of a nineteenth-century factory. Wrought-iron railings contain balls of colored glass, and leaded-glass lanterns are attached to the walls by wrought-iron vines. In the entryway, a fresco on the ceiling depicts a sky of Fra Angelico blue and a smiling sun wreathed in fruits and vegetables.
A very nice article that discusses about Studio Ghibli, the legacy, despair and hopes from its most illustrious son, Miyazaki on animation in Japan.
Title: Cat Shit One - the Animated Series Production: Studio Anima
Director: Kazuya Sasahara Original Manga (released in the USA as Apocalypse Meow): Motofumi Kobayashi Format: 23 min. 12 episodes Target Viewers: Survival game fans and military fans
Synopsis: The production of the series is looking for investors right now as this entry was written. 1st episode is about 3 PMCs (Rat, Botasky and Packy) surrounded by guerrilas demanding withdrawal of US Armed Forces from the local area. (No animals were harmed in this trailer)
Serious gunfight. With cute animals. My kinda alley (grins). Awesomeeeeeeeeeee.
In the trailer, the PMCs were covering each other properly and have semi realistic gun fighting, not Hollywood stuff. Apparently it is based on 2 volume manga titled Cat Shit One '80, a Cold War story.
The most awaited adaptation of Valkyria Chornicles strategy game into anime is now available on preview. SEGA seeing success of Tales of Abyss anime adaptation decided that Valkyria to be second vehicle in diversifying their product.
"The game is set in Europa, a fictional version of Europe, in 1935. Because of its abundance of ragnite ore, which can be refined into a powerful fuel, the neutral nation of Gallia comes under attack from the East European Imperial Alliance, which is itself engaged in a war with the Atlantic Federation."
Valkyria Chornicles received critical acclaim from gaming community and SEGA smells big money here so few months ago they announced an anime adaptation of the game. The production team also decided to soften the game's original hard edged water coloured art to appeal to more female fans (readers can see the original game character design at the bottom of this entry). The series also will be more focused on daily lives of the characters, the massive battles will be just background canvas for the narrative instead of main plot point. The Japanese VA cast were retained from game.
The interest of anime fans has been considerable, the thread in big AnimeSuki forum has reached 20 plus pages which is pretty impressive for something is not on air yet.
"An anime adaptation had recently been announced, scheduled for 2009 under production by Aniplex's A-1 Pictures. The series would be directed by Yasutaka Yamamoto and written by Michiko Yokote. It will air on Animax from April 2009. The theme song will be performed by Catherine St. Onge, as winner of the Animax Anison Grand Prix competition, under her chosen moniker of HIMEKA; the original score for the anime will be composed and conducted by the game's composer Hitoshi Sakimoto."
Michiko Yokote is force behind famous Genshiken, Cowboy Bebop and Blood Plus anime series will be penning script for the works. This has increased my expectation for well written and rich story here. Frankly, I haven't play the game so I do not know what to expect. Looking at the big money injection and talented staff behind this, I expect it to be above average at least.
