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The official website for the live action Initial D movie is now open for business. I originally mentioned this project back in October, so if you haven't seen anything about it since then, here are few extra nuggets of information. The movie will be a Cantonese movie and is produced by Hong Kong studio Media Asia Group. The budget for the movie is $7.7 million US. The filming begun in October 2003 in China and also Japan. Three Toyota AE86 Sprinter Treuno's were specially made by Toyota for this project. [Source: Flora-Fleur.Net] I've read on a few sites that Jackie Chan was originally set to be the director, but it was not to be so they handed over the wheel (heh heh) to Tsui Hark. Then he dropped the job and was replaced by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak. I also read somewhere that they wrecked 8 AE86's during filmmaking. Also:
Other credits mentioned on the official site:
I'm not really knowledgable about Japanese or Chinese actors, though there are a few movies that I do recognize. For instance, Anne Suzuki was in The Returner and Snow Falling on Cedars (I actually never saw that movie, but I did read the book in highschool...if that counts). |
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Initial D Movie Website
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Finally! Yukikaze Volume 2
According to Animenation the final installment of Sentou Yousei Yukikaze will be released in Japan this spring, so the final 2 DVDs should be scheduled for release soon in the US. The second volume will include episodes 3 and 4. The third volume will include episode 5 as well as the Mave-chan spin-off episode. I loved the first volume and have been eagerly waiting for it to continue, but hadn't heard anything about it for a couple of years. I did see some info on the Mave-chan thing which totally confused me because I did not understand how they could have a spin-off of something that had not yet been completed.
Well, apparently the production of episodes 3-5 got delayed and Geneon had no idea until after the first DVD had already been released. So that explains the long wait. Hopefully getting all that extra time means that the final product will be that much more extraordinary.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Oshii: Miyazaki wants to destroy Japan
In a very interesting LA Times Article, Mamoru Oshii and Ghibli Studio's Toshio Suzuki discuss the dying creativity of modern anime creators. The most cynical of the pair is Oshii who says:
Animation studios are surviving, animators are getting better paid, but the quality of new works is not improving ... On the surface, it's thriving...But in reality, there's very little new happening.
What I really got a kick out of was how the animators tended to quip at one another. Take Suzuki's comments on Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira, Steamboy):
There is only one theme in all his films: the conflict between adults and children. It's an old Japanese theme: The child fights against society, fights against evil. Otomo's thinking is rather old.
But the best comment of all came from Oshii who apparently thinks Miyazaki is a closet homicidal sociopath:
I think inside his head Miyazaki wants to destroy Japan ... But even though he knows his generation has created a nasty society, he has this hope that children will make a better world. So he makes movies that families and the children can enjoy. And it won't change until he makes the movies he really wants to make: bloody works; lots of bloodshed ... Miyazaki is hiding. He has a passion to destroy Japan, but he's not making what he really wants to make.
The article finishes up with Suzuki's insightful take on the personalities behind the animation:
Unlike his dark anime visions, Oshii is cheerful and easygoing in person, while "Miyazaki's personality, on the other hand, is very pessimistic," says Suzuki. "Miyazaki has to put a brake on his thinking" when making a movie to get those happy endings.
Hmm...
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Yukito Kishiro Interview Online
 Anime News Service now has an online interview with my all-time favorite comic artist ever, Yukito Kishiro -- author of the manga Gunnm (Battle Angel Alita). In it Mr. Kishiro covers his thoughts on the live action adaption of his work (anxious) as well as the possibility of new Gunnm anime (slim to none). |
Friday, February 18, 2005
That Nausicaa Commercial
They also mention that if you buy all three DVDs -- Nausicaa, Porco Rosso, and The Cat Returns -- you will be able to get either Spirited Away, Kiki's Delivery Service, or Castle in the Sky for free with a mail-in order. Since I will most likely be splurging on all 3, I'll end up getting Kiki's (I already have the others).
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Nausicaa Commercial Aired on WB
Yes, I watch Everwood. Now, if we can just all get over that fact for a moment I'd like to mention that during my weekly WB viewing of the show, I unexpectedly saw the word "Miyazaki" flash accross the screen. It was a commercial for the Disney release of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. I think it was the same trailer as is on their website though, so it might not be anything new. But I just thought that was pretty cool for some reason. It might have something to do with me being a geek.
On a related note, the Detroit Free Press today had a highly positive review of the Disney DVD release of the film. So there.
Live Action Gigantor Trailer
Hey, remember Gigantor? Me neither. The show originally aired in Japan in 1963 as Tetsujin 28-Go! and was later translated for US broadcast as Gigantor in the late '60s and early '70s; so it was a bit before my time. Although the series went through a few re-makes through the years, the first I think I ever heard of it was off a track from the Saturday Mornings CD where the show's theme song was performed by the band Helmet.
Anyway, if you are seasoned enough to get lost in the nastalgia of it all, then you might be interested in knowing that there is a live-action movie in the works. And now the full trailer is available for your viewing enjoyment.
Source: Ain't It Cool News
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Steamboy "Director's Cut" in Theatres
[Edit: I changed the title to reflect the new information in this article. I forgot that I had mentioned the March 18 release date way back in November.]
According to Ain't It Cool News Steamboy is going to be released theatrically in the US on March 18th. According to the article there will be an extended "director's cut" version with Japanese language and English subtitles to be exclusively released in Landmark Cinemas, while the dub version will see a wider release.
Lucky for me there are two Landmark theaters right near me. Sweet.
I actually already knew it was coming March 18th (no, I'm not bragging) because when I was in Media Play the other day, they were giving away free Steamboy Preview DVDs which had the release date printed on the case cover.
The DVDs themselves contained the English and Japanese teaser trailers as well as an interview with Katsushiro Otomo on the making of the movie. The trailers were nothing that isn't already on the web, and to be honest, I have yet to actually watch the featurette so I can't tell you how interesting or informative it is. But if you are interested, stop by Media Play and pick it up. (I'm guessing Suncoast and Sam Goody would have it too.)
Sunday, February 06, 2005
Death Note Banned in China
From Anime News Network:
Imitating events in the manga series Death Note, Chinese school students in the city of Shenyang have take to writing death notes. The students buy special stationary and follow instructions such as "Write the cause of death and the person's name backwards and the person will die in 40 seconds."
A middle school student told the Shenyang Night Report, "Many of my friends have Death Note. When they are tired of studding, they have fun by writing down the names of teachers the don't like."
Some Shenyang schools have banned the manga and related stationary, the newspaper called Death Note, "Poison, creating wicked hearts." Others, including one major Chinese newspaper, however feel that ban is an over-reaction and is inappropriate. Some have suggested that overreactions such as these are what stifle creativity in China.
Death Note is currently serialized in Shonen Jump.
I wonder if this will make it more or less likely for this title to be licensed for release in the US.
Friday, February 04, 2005
Live Action Kiki's Delivery Service
According to Ain't It Cool News, Disney has hired Jeff Stockwell to write a live action movie adaption of Eiko Kadano series of Witch's Express Mail children's novels. The novels were the basis for Miyazaki's acclaimed Kiki's Delivery Service movie.
My knee-jerk reaction to this is one of true horror. I can only imagine bad things happening from Disney getting it's hands on a classic story that basically preaches the benefits of hard work to children (much the same as Spirited Away did). I can't imagine a Disney movie staying true to that theme.
You'll have to excuse my constant paranoia over US film companies trying to make live action adaptions to Japanese anime -- especially since there really hasn't been much to base this fear on yet -- but at least if I get my expectations nice and low I'll be less likely to be disappointed, right?
God I hope this one doesn't suck.
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
I *HEART* Studio Bones
Animation studio great Studio Bones (RahXephon, Wolf's Rain, Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door) is coming out with a new anime series called Eureka 7 . And from the look of the trailer (which can be viewed on the MBS site) Bones may very well be on its way to taking over Production I.G. as my favorite anime production studio of all time.
Aren't you just totally impressed?
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Time Warner to Produce Anime
Time Warner and Itochu Corp (C. Itoh & Co.) have announced that they will jointly produce new anime to be broadcast simultaneously on Cartoon Network in Japan and North America.
By April 2006, the joint venture is expected to be producing weekly episodes for three shows, at a budget of 20 million yen ($US 190,000) per episode, 20 to 50 percent higher than the current average budget for anime TV series. The added budget will be spent on higher-than-average quality animation using more animators and other staff than is typically used in anime.
I really really really don't like this idea at all -- at least not from a fan (as opposed to a business) perspective. Having a US company co-produce anime for simultaneous US and Japanese broadcast just seems like it would bastardize the whole idea of what makes anime desirable in the first place: the fact that it is foreign material imbued with Japanese standards, cultural themes, and artistic energy. I just worry that a US company would try to push the Japanese company into making it more accessible to American audiences (ie, dumb it down).
Not that there hasn't been animation made with this kind of international partnership before to mild success (see Big O 2 or Dead Leaves) but it's always just been done on a case-by-case basis (as far as I know).
But whatever. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what comes of it all.
Innocence Recall
Apparently Dreamworks finally got around to admitting that the DVD version of Ghost in the Shell: Innocence -- which was distributed with closed captioned subtitles only (which subbed the sound effects and all) was a mistake. So they now have a mail-in recall program for all those who bought the flawed version so they can get a "remastered" version with the proper subtitles.
The DVDs that have a "v4" marked on their spine are the remastered version.
Anime Downloading in Trouble?
But recently, a Japanese anime studio called Media Factory (Gravion, RahXephon) has been sending messages to fansubbing sites demanding that they cease and desist the distribution of their titles regardless of whether or not those titles have been licensed for US distribution. So now the fear is the other companies will follow suite.
I don't really think companies are going to be giving up the benefites of a responsible fansubbing community, and I definitely don't see anime fans giving it up, so I doubt that there is anything fans need to really worry about (anymore than MP3 music downloaders need to worry that their source of MP3s will drying up). But the article at least does a good job of presenting both sides of the debate.
Casshern Sucks?
The Japanese Fumihara Weekly Magazine has reported the results of the latest Kiichi Awards, the Japanese version of the American Golden Raspberry Award, for worst Japanese films of 2004.
The Kiichi Awards are determined by a panel of 20 movie reporter and film critic judges. Devilman, which has received universally bad reviews, was voted worst Japanese film of 2004.
Oddly, the live action Casshern movie, which has received numerous international positive critical reviews, was named second worst Japanese film of 2004. The award panelists called the film, "Nothing more than a promotional video for Hikaru Utada's videos." Casshern was directed by Utada's husband, Kazuaki Kiriya.
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Pokemon Causes Cancer
According to Anime News Network:
Scientists at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) have
identified a new gene that, when aberrant, can cause cancer. They've named the
gene POKEMON or POK Erythroid Myeloid Ontogenic factor. Details about the
cancer-causing Pokemon gene can be read on the MSKCC website or in the
January 20th issue of Nature magazine.
The really funny thing is that in the whole article, the researchers never mention the Pokemon anime (at least not that I could see). I'm not sure if the researchers just don't know about the show and the name is just a coincidence (not likely) or if they are just trying to keep a professional tone.
Of course, now that people will be saying that Pokemon causes cancer, it makes that whole seizure-causing episode seem like not such a big deal.
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Another Trailer for Howl's Moving Castle
Paranoia and Champloo on Adult Swim
According GATV.tv, two hip, over-agressive weapons experts will be making their way to Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block this summer. The first is the break-dancing samurai Mugen in Shinichiro Watanabe's hip-hop samurai series Samurai Champloo; the other is the bat-weilding roller-blader Shonen Bat in Satoshi Kon's psychological thriller Paranoia Agent. Both shows kick ass so watch them when they make their way to TV, or if you are the impatient type (like me) go out and buy the DVDs now.
Monday, January 17, 2005
Manga Tops Graphic Novel Sales
Go figure.
Battle Angel Trilogy ???
His next project will be shot with a new generation of the Cameron/Pace Reality System 3D camera. The film, "Battle Angel," is based on a series of Japanese graphic novels.
"It takes place in the 26th century, and it's the story of a young girl who has an organic human brain and an entirely synthetic body," he said. "She's a cyborg warrior, it turns out, although she doesn't know that initially, due to amnesia. It's a hero's journey, ultimately."
Cameron has conceived "Battle Angel" as the first of a three-part series. "If we're successful, we'll make the other films. If we're not, we won't."
Most science fiction, says the director, has wandered away from its roots ever since "Star Wars."
"As much as I love 'Star Wars,' and as much as it's really revolutionized the imaging business, it went off the rails in the sense that science fiction, historically, was a science fiction of ideas. It was thematic fiction. It stopped being that and became just pure eye candy and pure entertainment."
"And I miss that. With 'Battle Angel,' I'm going to flirt with that darker, dystopian message as much as I can, without making it an art film," he said.
Well if he doesn't make a movie that sucks, then it'll be successful. If it bombs, it sure won't going to be the fault of the original material. [Edit: Or maybe I'm just being too protective.]
