Categories
Anime

Summer Anime 2004

Just to keep you up to date with what seems to be worth watching right now in the anime world. First of all, the excellent MONSTER continues with a second season (seasons are generally 13 episodes). Looks like things are going to heat up very soon, with Dr. Tenma’s ex-fiance now joining the hunt. The new show that follows MONSTER on Tuesday nights is called OTOGIZOUSHI, and it looks like it’s going to be a nice one. What first caught my eye was the quality of the animation, and after watching the first episode I can see that there’s something else there worth staying for. The series takes place during the Heian period (10th century), and seems like it’s going to feature some mysticism.

SAMURAI 7 is also still holding my interest, with some nice character designs, and a world that sees itself as a nice mix of old and new (the series is a futuristic take on Kurosawa Akira’s SEVEN SAMURAI). The only thing that ruins it is the godawful song that plays during the opening credits. Makes my ears bleed everytime.

I also checked out a new series called KURAU PHANTOM MEMORY, which is a definite strange piece of work. After being warned by a friend that I should steer clear, curiosity got the best of me and I gave the first episode a shot. Well, the first half looks like a typical shojo manga (girls comics), and then in the second half it turns into GHOST IN THE SHELL. Although I’m not really crazy about the show, I think I’ll have a look at the second episode, just to see where they’re heading with this.

And unfortunately, Kon Satoshi’s PARANOIA AGENT is now at an end, after 13 episodes. I’ll admit to being a bit disappointed with how it ended, leaving too many unanswered questions, and relying too much on the supernatural. Maybe a second viewing will clear things up.

Categories
Anime Film

Steamboy

trailerAfter 9 years in production, Otomo Katsuhiro’s STEAMBOY will finally see its release in theatres in two days. It’s no secret that Otomo’s AKIRA manga and animated film were turning points for me, and they changed the way I looked at comics and animation. I’ve been waiting for this new film for what seems like ages, and it’s a relief to finally get a chance to see it. Seems like the critics are also saying good things about it. I was disapointed to see that it won’t be playing with English subs at the Virgin Cinemas in Roppongi Hills, but that won’t stop me from seeing it sometime next week. To further wet your appetite, here’s a link to a new 6-minute trailer. The JAPAN TIMES had a full page feature on the film the other day, starting with a very positive review (4/5 stars) by Mark Shilling, an interview with the creator, and a timeline of the film’s production.

Update: A reader points out that the Mori Urban Institute for the Future will be holding an exhibition that will “examine the 19th century depicted in STEAMBOY in terms of the technology, cities, and architecture of the times, so as to provide an understanding of the movie’s world outlook.” It starts July 24, and lasts until September.

Categories
Anime

Agatha Christie Anime on NHK

NHK has developed an animation series built around Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, the two world-famous detectives created by mystery novelist Agatha Christie (1890-1976). The creation of the new series is part of the launch of a special department the network has created to develop original animation to add to its core lineup. Agasa Kurisuti no Meitantei Powaro to Mapuru will start July 4, running every Sunday at 7:30 p.m. for 39 episodes.

NHK is Japan’s national public broadcaster. Read the rest of the DAILY YOMIURI article here.

Categories
Anime

Samurai 7

I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve never seen Kurosawa Akira’s classic SEVEN SAMURAI. There’s a new anime series that recently launched called SAMURAI 7, which sees itself as a futuristic adaptation of Kurosawa’s film, even adding his name before the title. I’ve seen the first two episodes, which I found to be enjoyable (although I was a bit put off by the big fighting robots in space at the beginning; but they disappear after 5 minutes), but I must say that I have trouble seeing how this relates to the original film. But no worries, as I’ve taken this as a cue to finally getting around to seeing SEVEN SAMURAI. More on this later.

Categories
Anime

Samurai Champloo Rules!

That title alone is probably going to kill my bandwidth allowance, if the top 10 searches leading to my site this month are any indication:

1. samurai champloo
2. samurai champloo torrent
3. russian sex
4. samurai champloo torrents
5. lolitas
6. samurai champloo download
7. big lips
8. porno
9. champloo
10. samurai champloo wallpapers

I should probably change the name of the site to Champloo something or other, and start hosting all the episodes here. Give the folks what they want! As for “russian sex,” that’s probably because of the comment spam (they did a real job recently on poor Patrick’s site). “Big lips” and “porno,” well, it must mean something… I’m surprised our dear BoA hasn’t made the list, as her thread is still alive and well (and again, sorry to disappoint you guys, but I’m not her).

But let me not disappoint all you SAMURAI CHAMPLOO addicts. As I initially wrote, I love the show, and also hope that the torrents keep on coming. With the recent death/disappearance of one of the major anime torrent sites, it seems like things have been a bit quiet lately. As far as I know, although the show is still airing weekly on TV, there are only 2 episodes with fan subs that have been released. In the meantime, I need to get to that new episode of PARANOIA AGENT that Paul found for me.

Oh, and a bit of trivia for ya: champloo is a word from Okinawa that means stir-fry. This actually makes quite a bit of sense, when you see what director Watanabe Shinichiro is trying to do with the series by mixing hip-hop elements within the traditional samurai environments. Also, the main character is from Okinawa.

Update: Scratch that, I’ve just watched a fan subbed version of episode 4.

Categories
Anime General

Trouble in the Japanese Animation Industry

Seems like times are getting tough in the Japanese animation industry.

Disheartened by a monthly salary that tops out at 50,000 yen, a 26-year-old animator who joined the production team a year ago said, ‘Sometimes I want to give up-I never imagined it would be like this.’ Only with parental financial support can the animator make ends meet. A single cel earns an animator 200 yen, yet might, if the image is complicated, take a whole day to make.

Read the whole ASAHI SHIMBUN article here.