Results tagged “Anime” from Modern Mythology

Warren Ellis, notable writer of Astonishing X-Men, Fell and my favorite from him, Planetary, will introduce and discuss the anime remix of four Marvel Comics characters at next week's San Diego Comic-Con.

This is exciting for me because it's Ellis doing the writing, of course. Also, Japanese animation studio Madhouse (Paprika) is a producer on the project.

On his blog, Ellis writes that It's the only thing he'll be in San Diego for. I expect there will be some promotional trailers or at least some artwork from the upcoming animation at the panel Friday July 24 in room 6BCF from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

See the press release at WarrenEllis.com.  And just because I want you to see this; check out the cover to the Ellis' final issue of Planetary by artist John Cassaday.  


  

Gainax, the company responsible for Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann and Neon Genesis Evengelion, held a focus panel after their American debut of the first Gurren Lagann movie where they took audience questions and feedback from the movie, and where they also made a surprise announcement for a new series they are currently working on with Mobile Suit Gundam 00 director Seiji Mizushima and video game company Square-Enix. Seiji Mizushima made a surprise guest appearance at Gainax's panel for the debut of the trailer. Fans cheered at the thought of two of the industry's best giant robot minds possibly colliding for one amazing scifi project.

Instead, the audience found out that the equation of: Gundam plus Gurren Lagann equals cute little girls that look something like the Powderpuff Girls, combining forces to destroy over-sized stuft pandas.

The animation looks top-notch as expected from Gainax, and director Mizushima  commented that with this project he wanted to make an anime that appealed to a wider audience than previous shows.

At first look this trailer might not be very impressive, but it is just a sneak-peek into what the teams are collaborating on. They did not give a release date at the panel, and I couldn't understand what the title of the anime was since it was in Japanese. So little is still known about this project, but with three dominant figures in the industry collaborating on it, the show is definitely on my list to check out.

Update:  After consulting a friend who could read the Kanji, I found out that the show is called Hanamaru Kindergarten, and the anime will be an adaptation from Square-Enix's slice-of-life comedy manga series.

It's round two for Anime Expo 2009 at Los Angeles Convention Center July 2nd- 5th. This will be the second year that AX has been at the LACC, and the convention is growing bigger each year. All the ingredients that make AX one of the biggest conventions of it's kind world-wide have returned including: concerts, industry panels and of course, cosplaying.

AX is hosted by the non-profit Society for Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) and whose current mission statement is: "to popularize and educate the American public about anime and manga, as well as provide a forum to facilitate communication between professionals and fans."

Since the SPJA took over in 1992 Anime Expo has grown each year and hopes to continue to grow in 2009. Last year's attendance was up 5 percent from 2007, with the convention bringing in 43,000 attendees. This year attendees have a lot to get excited for. Main events include a concert by all-girl band Morning Musume, and AX Idol.

Morning Musume's story began in 1997 when Japanese producer Tsunku held auditions for a female rock vocalist for his band SHARAN Q held on the Japanese TV show ASAYAN. With the five runner-ups from the contest, Tsunku decided to create an all-girl group that sold 50,000 copies of their demo CD single "Seed of Love" and became MORNING MUSUME. While switching members in and out for the past 11 years Morning Musume has emerged as the top female band in Japan.

AX Idol is another fan favorite in which contestants enter the singing or voice acting competitions. The singing competition works similar to American Idol in which contestants sing tunes from anime and get critiqued by the judges, and the winner gets to record an album. The voice acting competition is a little more unique and has the contestants dub over part of a Japanese anime in English with the winner gettting a contract with Bang Zoom Entertainment to voice act.


Last year attendees were waiting to see if the L.A. Convention Center would be a great place to hold AX. All the rumors of the area not being safe turned out to be false. That area of downtown next to Staples Center, LACC, and the Nokia Theatre has great lighting, and is within walking distance of all the hotels. A walk back to your hotel even at 2 a.m. doesn't feel dangerous. The most dangerous thing that I saw last year was everybody jay-walking across Chick Hearn Court from Nokia Theatre back to the LACC after a main event was over.

Sadly the Nokia Center will not be used this year. The official AX statement is, "Due to evaluation of 2008 usage, and planned programming for 2009, Anime Expo® will not be utilizing Nokia Theatre for main events in 2009. All major events including Opening/Closing Ceremonies, Concerts, Masquerade, AX Idol and AMV¹s will be held within the Los Angeles Convention Center." This is an interesting move with attendance always increasing, and the Nokia Center packed last year, but during these economic times I assume it was too expensive to rent out this year.

Anime Expo 2009 kicks off this Wednesday, and we'll have any ground-breaking news that comes out of the industry panels, and main events. So if you're in L.A., and you love anime, manga, or video games be sure to stop by North America's largest anime convention during the July 4th weekend.

For more information regarding Anime Expo 2009 check out the official site at
www.anime-expo.org.

I know if I'm going to start a monthly series then I should keep up with it, right? Well sorry for the delay but to make up for last month I'm acknowledging two amazing action-packed scifi anime series.

First up is Macross Frontier which marks the 25th anniversary of the Macross anime franchise. It is a direct sequel to the first Macross series and Macross 7, and follows the lives of Alto Saotome, Ranka Lee and Sheryl Nome on board the spaceship Macross Frontier.

Frontier is in ways one part Battlestar Galactica because humanity has a war against the Zentradi aliens, and are forced to spread across the universe in order to ensure its survival. The Macross Frontier fleet is part of a effort to spread and maintain the culture of humanity.

There is also the familiar Robotech feel to this show with planes transforming into giant robots that kick some series alien butts. These space battles are action packed and beautifully animated. It is obvious that the budget for this series was higher then average. The original Robotech was a compilation of three Japanese animated series, and adapted for American release. Fans of the original Robotech will definitely find Frontier appealing.

The final part of Frontier that amazes me is the music. The soundtrack is a dominate factor that pushes the story forward every episode. The music wasn't an after-thought here, Yoko Kano, the musical director, did a fabulous job casting singers that give Frontier an extra dimension that few animes achieve.

Sadly there are currently no plans to bring Macross Frontier to the U.S., and there are no free streaming sites that I know of that have the rights to this show. However, each anime store that I've been to in Los Angeles have more than a few copies of the Japanese dvd's and BluRay in stock. I encourage any scifi or Robotech fans to check this anime out, it does not disappoint.


Next up is Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. The series takes place in an alternate reality where the Holy Empire of Britannia conquers Japan and designates the island "Area 11." The Japanese, now known as elevens, are repressed and stripped of their culture.

Lelouch Lamperouge, a genius Britannian student that disagrees with Britania's politics, accidentally comes into contact with a unique girl named C.C. She bestows the gift of Geass upon him, which is the power to control others. Lelouch now has the means to enact revenge on the Emperor of Britannia for the murder of his mother, and free Japan from Britannia's grasp.

This anime is a thrill to watch. It takes you on an action packed roller coaster with lots of twist and turns, and brutally shocking moments. The main protagonist Lelouch is a little hard to relate to, and many people won't like him, but with top-notch bloody mecha battles, and great character development this series is definitely worth checking out.

And the best news is you can check the whole first season out on the official Bandai youtube site or crunchyroll.com for free, or buy the first season since it is out in the U.S. on dvd. The second season dvd's are being released at the end of June, so now is your chance to catch up on the first 25 episodes.

Last night I checked out Dragonball Evolution. I'm a fan of the franchise as I grew up watching Dragonball, Dragonball Z, and Dragonball GT. I didn't have my hopes set high for this movie, and I attempted to enjoy it for what it was.

For the price of admission though I got tons of laughs from a movie that is so bad, it's good.

The film synopsis goes like this. Long ago a menacing alien threat named Piccolo and a destructive god named Oozaru laid waste to the earth before being imprisoned by a loyal order of monks. Now Piccolo is loose and is after the seven mystical Dragonballs. It's up to Goku, a young Ki master, played by Justin Chatwin, and his friends to stop Piccolo and collect the Dragonballs.

First off, the movie is only around 90 minutes long. Events happen right after each other with no real logic or understanding behind any of it. New characters are introduced and plot points are being checked off, but you don't really care about any of it because there is no character development. They could have killed off Goku in the middle of the movie and I wouldn't have cared. You leave the theater without knowing anything about the main characters.

From the official movie website:

"The movie is an adaptation of the King Piccolo and Piccolo JR. sagas of Dragonbal. However, it will also contain important elements from the first season of Dragonball, such as Bulma meeting Goku, and Goku training with Master Roshi. It's the most important parts of Dragonball in one movie."

Except that you don't understand anything about Piccolo who says less than 10 lines throughout the whole movie, and never understand why he is trying to destroy the Earth. Bulma meeting Goku happens in less than 2 minutes, and there is no screentime of Master Roshi training Goku at all.

These are important events that any movie lover would care about, not just the fans. They are essential points which connect the audience with the characters. I don't understand why they took these events out when you still have 30 more minutes of movie you could have included.


TOKYO - MARCH 10: (L to R) Actor Joon Park, actress Jamie Chung, Eriko Tamura, actor Chow Yun-Fat, Justin Chatwin, actress Emmy Rossum, actor James Marsters, actress Megumi Seki and director James Wong pose for photographs during the world premiere of 'Dragonball Evolution' at Nippon Budokan on March 10, 2009 in Tokyo, Japan. The film opened on March 13 in Japan. (Photo by Akihiro I/Getty Images)

The movie had a horrible script with corny dialogue and tons of material taken out of it. All the actors had poor timing with their lines, and the climax of the movie actually made me laugh out loud.

Despite how bad the movie is I still have to recommend that fans of the series wait until the DVD release and watch it with each other. You'll get more than a few chuckles out of it, and have tons of memorable moments. If you are brand new to the Dragonball universe then you shouldn't see this movie first. You should pick up the manga, or watch the anime.

The sequel is already green-lit according to the official movie website. I hope they explain everything in the next movie with a better script, and try to engage the audience in the Dragonball universe instead of slopping together a bunch of random scenes, and praying it all comes together in the end.

If you saw Monsters vs. Aliens last week you were treated to the second teaser trailer for Astro Boy.

The trailer is now on the web and the CGI animation looks brilliant.

Set in futuristic Metro City, Astro Boy is about a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist named Tenma (Nicolas Cage).  Powered by positive "blue" energy, Astro Boy (Freddie Highmore) is endowed with super strength, x-ray vision, unbelievable speed and the ability to fly.

Embarking on a journey in search of acceptance, Astro Boy encounters many other colorful characters along the way.  Through his adventures, he learns the joys and emotions of being human, and gains the strength to embrace his destiny.

The script sounds like they are sticking to the overall recipe that is Astro Boy which is one part Pinocchio and one part Superman. The movie is set to release this fall on October 23rd.

If you want to learn more about Astro Boy there is a ton of material to check out. Head over to this link at anime news network for a complete list.

For more on the Astro Boy movie go to to the official site at

http://www.astroboy-themovie.com/

James T. Rasmussen

Contributor

Busty babes, giant robots, and manly fighting spirit is what Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is all about. This Gainax science-fiction anime came out two years ago in Japan, and aired on America's Sci Fi Channel last July through October 2008.

The basic plot behind Gurren Lagann is Simon, a driller, works to expand his underground village and his big bro Kamina, dreams of getting out of the village and to the surface he saw with his father as a child. One day while Simon is drilling he comes across a core drill which is used as a key to a robot face he finds later which Kamina brilliantly names Lagann (face in Japanese).

One day an earthquake shakes the village and a giant robot, or gunmen, tumbles down on top of the villagers. The two brothers along with Yoko, a girl from a neighboring village, manage to start Lagann and defeat the gunmen on their way to the surface.

The trio find some help on the surface in the form of human rebels, and Kamina manages to steal his own gunmen which he calls Gurren (Crimson in Japanese), for obvious reasons.

The two brothers find out they can combine mechas to create the indomitable Gurren Lagann. They use this new unified power to combat the leagues of beastmen who are trying to oppress the humans and keep them underground.

Gainax is best known for creating the anime which needs no introduction, Neon Genesis Evangelion. Gurren Lagann is their recent effort in the giant robot, sci-fi, action anime department. The series has received critical acclaim all over the world, and I urge anyone who

hasn't seen this anime to go out now and buy yourself a copy.

The English dubbed DVDs just hit the market, and fans who snatch one of these up will be treated to a light-up core drill which is a definite plus.