Father Geek reporting in with this week's fact filled (to the brim) AICN Anime Report from Scott Green, but first there is several things that were sent straight to ol' Father Geek at our Austin Headquarters...
This past Friday was the greatly touted, highly awaited English premiere of Osamu Tezuka's Metropolis. Directed by Rintaro with a screenplay by Katsuhiro Otomo, this was serious business for serious fans. Most people made it a high priority to attend this very special screening, possibly one of the few features to earn an actual line outside the theater. Of course, then again, it was the first screening at the Director's Guild Theater for the con.
Pictures of the line here (http://www.bigappleanimefest.com/showImage.cfm?imageid=20) and here (http://www.bigappleanimefest.com/showImage.cfm?imageid=39). I'm the big haired girl in the gray jacket towards the right.
They finally let everyone at around 4:30 or so, and me and two friends procured good seats toward the front and conversed with fellow otaku until the festivities began. Some after 5 the room was brought to attention and a whole menagerie of people brought out. First order of business was meeting BAAF chairman Kaz Hori, who quickly digressed, introducing a journalist named Edwin de la Cruz, who brought out all of the Guests of Honor. (Quick list: Katsuhiro Otomo, Rintaro, Kunihiko Ikuhara, Rusher Ikeda, Koichi Ohata, Tim Eldred, Yuji Moriyama, Mandy Bonhomme, Jessica Calvello, Crispin Freeman, Rachael Lillis, Matt Miller, Lisa Ortiz, and Eric Stuart. ) The whole affair was very formal, with the men in tuxedos and the women in dresses. They stood on stage as the president of Central Park Media, John O'Donnell, came up and spoke for a bit.
Finally the theater went dark and the movie began. Oh my.
A brief plot synopsis: in the future humans and robots coexist, but only so far as the artificial beings form a working class that service every human need, but are only allowed limited freedom if any at all. There also exists a strict division between the wealthy upper class that lives above ground, and the largely unemployed lower class that lurks in the lower, less attractive levels of the city.
Into this class struggle (based oh-so loosely on Fritz Lang's original masterpiece) are thrown a rather interesting series of characters. Our protagonists are the intrepid detective Shunsaku Ban and his nephew Kenichi. They have been sent to Metropolis to locate and arrest the scientist Dr. Laughton. However, Laughton is currently working for the powerful Duke Red, who wishes to control the world. To do this he has hired Laughton to build a totally unique android named Tima, patterned after the Duke's dead daughter. Looking on in disgust is the Duke's adopted son Rock, who throws a wrench into the works by killing Laughton and sending Tima on the run, the ever-faithful Kenichi her companion and protector.
All of this character establishment and plot development occurs early in the film, which is a big problem for the movie. For the first twenty minutes or so, the audience was simply a deer in headlights. The scenery, the animation is so simply beautiful, so large and breathtaking that there's simply no time to worry about the plot at this point. Most people were too busy looking at the action on the street as the camera panned over it, the subtle play of shadows and light over the numerous vehicles and characters wandering through the landscape. At one point early on we enter an office with a fish tank in the background, light refracting through the glass and water onto the characters in the foreground. The fish play no part in the plot, they're put there by the animators as a sign of "look what we can do!"
There were distinct moments when I felt I was watching something by Don Bluth, where the computer generated scenery was simply too much. Another person I spoke to agreed with the Bluth feeling, but about a different point: it was over-animated. There was simply more going on than we needed to see.
Eventually the audience either gets used to the effects of perhaps there is actually less, either way it comes time to play attention to the plot. Which is somewhat opportune, because at that point there's very little left. It's like eye candy, flash and little substance. I wasn't completely disappointed by the film. I loved the main characters, Shunsaku Ban and Kenichi and even Tima, they were cute and funny in their own ways, though the villain figures of Duke Red and Rock were somewhat muddled. Why did they do the things they did? It never entirely becomes clear, and what is clear is still incomprehensible. The simplest answer is to say that Duke Red is obsessed and Rock is crazy. Make your own judgment.
I was generally enjoying the film until the climax, which struck me as a huge mess. The action was easy to follow but did not cap the film off correctly. For everything we were told, everything the characters went through, the ending was not a proper end to the story. No insight gained, no closure really found. Pretty images and endearing characters cannot save this mess. It reeked of Otomo, with scenes of mass destruction, and people melding with machines. This repetitiveness seemed to be the one aspect people most complained about. The work was too derivative, too much like other things. Well, what did they expect from a film based on a manga created in 1949?
For the most part I enjoyed the movie, but found little brilliance in it. I suppose Otomo and Rintaro could have updated the story to fit more modern sensibilities, but then many otaku would cry bloody murder and sacrilege. You can't change the works of a master, especially one who's been dead over 10 years. They enhanced the artwork but managed to maintain the charm that permeates Tezuka's work. And that's what endears the film to me I suppose. But it's not worth the hype.
~ Lampbane;
Breaker of Lamps, Destroyer of Vases,
Defender of the Faith
Annnnnnd here's another you may find interesting...
Simpsons Movie : I had the opportunity to talk to Harry Shearer, who provides the voices of many of the characters on "The Simpsons". We got talking about the rumoured film version of the show, in which he tells me "Yes" it will happen. But he doesn't see it happening yet. "I doubt it will happen until after the show goes off the air". Shearer says he loves doing Mr Burns, so a movie is never out of the question. And whilst he says he will never partake in a sequel to "Spinal Tap", Shearer has reunited with some of the film's co-stars for his directorial debut "Teddy Bears Picnic". Shearer, who tells me directing the movie is like "surfing a wave that never ends", hopes his movie will open in NYC and L.A Next Feb.
Webmaster
Clint Morris
url : http://www.moviehole.net
email : cjnb@ihug.com.au
Annnnnnnnnnnnnnd still more on The Simpson's flick...
This is from AWM, the story "why pixar is so good":
The other co-director was David Silverman, one of the original directors of The Simpsons. Silverman worked on the story and wrote a lot gags... Now Silverman has moved back to Los Angeles to direct The Simpsons first feature.
Click Here To read the full story
z
And last but not least, there's this bit from Father Geek's PC...
Some friends and I drove to Nashville, TN from Louisville, KY Friday to catch Urban Visions release of the new "Vampire Hunter D" film. I hadn't seen a review of it yet on your site, so I thought you might enjoy an early look at this incredible work of gothic art.
The original OVA of "Vampire Hunter D" was one of my earliest experiences with Japanese animation, and made quite an impact on me in the late 80s. Previously, I had been inducted into the world of anime through the mind-blowing world of "Akira" and a fellow horror fan turned me onto "Vampire Hunter D" for more anime appreciation. The original was never perfect. The stunning artwork on which the film was based could not be reproduced under the budget restraints of an OVA production, and the final film only hinted at what was possible. Still, the iconic image of the solitary swordsman on his dark robotic steed confronting traditional and somewhat mutated versions of werewolves and vampires struck a cord with the gothic horror fan in me.
It's my pleasure to tell you that the new version of "Vampire Hunter D" far succeeds the original in every way. If your interest was aroused by the trailer on the original "Vampire Hunter D" DVD, then be prepared to fall in love with one of the best anime films ever made.
The film plays as a cross between a Spaghetti Western and a gothic Hammer Horror. The story is fairly simple, but some of the characters have complex and unexpected motives that elevate the "chase" story to another level. It begins with a beautiful young girl being kidnapped by an ancient vampire count named Mir, and D is hired to rescue her by her distraught father. D has some competition this time, however, in a group of traveling mercenaries that plan on beating him to the prize. This group of four is led by a battle hardened soldier and includes a beautiful young warrior with a grudge against vampires, a massive MacFarland styled juggernaut and a frail looking guy on life support who can astral project his spirit out of his body. This allows him to use powerful magic against their supernatural enemies, but takes its toll on his physical body which can take real damage if his spirit image is injured.
The first action scene has these characters attacked by a horde of flesh-eating zombies. The zombie siege on their incredible German looking assault vehicle is a real highlight. The vehicle has a giant cross carved on the front hood and has cross shaped floodlights used to burn the undead.
In pursuit of Count Mir, D must travel through the land of the Barbarois, sort of a haven of the creatures of the night. Think the city of Midian in Clive Barker's "Nightbreed." Here countless werewolves, demons and unspeakable things stand in the way of D and his goal.
The chase leads to the towering castle of the vampire Carmilla herself, who has been dead for centuries, but whose ghost still haunts the gothic chambers of the dark castle awaiting the chance to resurrect herself with the blood of an innocent. Here D fights the final battle that will decide the fate of all involved. The climax is both exciting and surprisingly touching.
The animation is nothing short of beautiful. I have no lack of confidence in saying it surpasses even "Princess Mononokee" in sheer artistic style. The colors are rich and lush. The background paintings are loaded with color and detail that leaves most modern set design looking empty by comparison. Everything is draped in a dark, gothic, vine covered beauty of the night. It's like an entire movie set inside Disney's Haunted Mansion.
The voice dubbing is way above par and never distracting. D's hand still talks to him and provides a perfect comic foil to the character's stoic personality. Imagine Slim Pickens' voice coming from your hand. Strange and amusing.
Lastly, I can't fail to mention to wonderful orchestral score to the film that makes every shadow seems a deeper color of black. It's full and bombastic, matching the film in every way. I can't wait to track down the soundtrack CD. The movie is also full of wonderful surround sound effects.
In many ways, this is one of the best gothic dramas ever made. Right up there with "Black Sunday" and "Horror of Dracula." Fans of this type of film should seek it out on the big screen when it comes their way in its limited release. I don't think you'll be disappointed!
Call me Rodzilla!!!
Now on to Scott's uber complete Anime/Manga Report...
This Week's Releases
Anime:
Manga
Strain by Buronson (Fist of the North Star), and Ryoichi Ikegami (Crying Freeman) , who previously collaborated on Sanctuary is a crime story about Mayo, a hit man who charges $5 for a filling, and Shion, a teenage prostitute who lands Mayo in hot water with the local mob boss.
Sorcerer On The Rocks Street Date
David Williams announced to Anime on DVD's forum that Sorcerer On The Rocks has been given a street date of 01/15/02. All three OVAs on one DVD with an SRP of $24.98.
Synch-Point on FLCL
Synch-Point has put out a press release about the January release of the Gainax(Evangelion) OAV FLCL. The six episode OAV will be released across 3 discs. Extra's include translation notes, character design and a reversible cover. It's a frantic, odd story about a boy, his brother's girl first and a strange girl who shows up on her motor scooter.
Gundam News
From a post on Anime on DVD's forum by Bandai's Charles McCarter. "The new 0080 and 0083 releases will follow the same pattern as the Japanese releases. In fact, we're using the new remastered DVD masters to make our DVD's and the video looks great.
We'll be including the extras you saw on the Japanese discs. And, of course, a Gundam Encyclopedia featuring the mobile suits of their respective series.
The covers, of course, will be reversible...
Andboth the English and Japanese audio tracks will be presented in Dolby Digital 5.1."
New Katsuhiro Otomo Anime Project
Production IG and Sunrise will be bringing back Katsuhiro Otomo's (Akira) anime project Steam Boy. A new trailer showing the new digital animation was seen at the recent Digital Contents Association. The project was initially launched six years ago, but had been delayed due to financial problems. Hiroaki Ando, the CG director, and Shinji Takagi from I.G. have reported at DCA that the movie will feature around 400 3D-cuts, possessed with the same software packets which gave life to "Blood, the last vampire".
Storm Riders Preview
ComicsOne will be release Storm Riders in paper and e-book format this December. A free 30 page preview will soon be on their site here. "Storm Riders takes us on a journey through an amazing world in ancient China where, aside from the hegemony of the Royal Government, an individual and separate society exists: The World Fighting Association. Conquer, a powerful Kung Fu master, aspires to gain control of the Association and assembles the mightiest force of fighters known to humanity. Forgetting the evil deeds he's committed in his lifetime; he takes on Wind and Cloud, two very talented and young martial artists, as his disciples. His destiny to be the Ultimate Master draws nigh; however, destiny has a will of her own and at the crux of the impending maelstrom blow Wind and Cloud."
AnimEigo Pre-Orders for Kimagure Orange Road
AnimEigo anounced that they will be releasing the 48 Kimagure Orange Road TV series across 12 DVDs for $240 + 10 shipping and handling. It can be preordered here. "We have deliberately held off announcing this preorder until we are well along in the preproduction process. We have completely rechecked and revised the subtitles (we are never satisfied!) and video tweaking and sweetening is underway. We expect to begin authoring sometime in November."
"We won't be going to the same lengths (or depths, depending on your point of view) that we did with Macross. As with many older series, the major issue is that the source transfer is an analog one, not a new digital telecine. This means there are analog crosstalk artifacts (aka "rainbows") to deal with. We are doing extensive video processing to reduce these artifacts, but it isn't a 100% perfect process. We do this on all our older releases. The bottom line is that these artifacts were on the old vhs and ld releases, and the video quality of the DVD will be improved over them. " Kimagure Orange Road is a love triangle between a psychic boy, who tries not to use his powers who loves one girl, but is loved by another, who is best friends with the girl he loves.
New Gunbuster Confirmed
From a post on rec.arts.anime.misc: Carl Horn stated "I spoke to Mr. Tsurumaki, director of Furi-Kuri, this Thursday, and he confirmed that he will in fact be directing a sequel to GUNBUSTER at Gainax. Visually, he said it will be a union between the Furi Kuri style and that of the original." In many ways Gunbuster was Gainax's precursor to Neon Genesis Evangelion. It's a mecha pilot story that focuses on the physiological aspect. A girl is at school when she learns that her father has died under mysterious circumstances. She makes it her goal to become the pilot of a mech to travel space like her father.
Roujin Z
Central Park Media will be releasing Roujin Z on February 9th. It will be the first is a series of features that were initially sublicensed to Image Entertainment who produced a less than admirable job on the features. CPM intends to remaster the movie. Roujin Z is a sci-fi social commentary about dealing with the increasing elderly population. A machine is tested in hopes of producing an automated solutions to the physical and social needs of caring for the elderly.
AnimEigo Status
AnimEigo's site reports Vampire Princess Miyu OVA volume 2 will likely be released before Christmas. Macross will likewise also be released in December. Baoh continues to have authoring issues, but Bubblgum Crash will likely be released in late-November. Bubblegum Crash is an OAV follow-up to the 80's OAV Bubblegum Crisis, about the Knight Sabers, a group of four women who use power armors to fight rampaging robots. Inconsistencies between the characters in the original series, and Bubblgum Crash, and a lack of the original's energy and charm put off many fans. Baoh is a science fiction about a secret organization called "Doress" that has funded the development of a genetically engineered parasite code-named "BAOH". Organisms infected by BAOH become living survival machines, virtually indestructible, able to mutate their body structure to meet any threat. Properly controlled, the BAOH parasite could allow Doress to control the World.
Sherlock Hound
Right Stuf lists Pioneer's release date for Sherlock Hound at 2/26/02. The disc will feature 5 episodes of the series. Sherlock Hound is Sherlock Homes series where the characters are depicted as dogs. The series is noteworthy because Hayao Miyazaki (Kiki's Delivery Series, Princess Mononoke) directed six episodes of the series, and wrote some of the six before the series was put on hiatus due to copyright issues. For more information on the series and Miyazaki's involvement see Nausicaa.net
Candy Candy Trial
According to Anime News Service, on October 25th in Japan a final legal decision was rendered in the long running rights dispute between mangaka Yumiko Igarashi and original story writer Kyoko Mizuki deemed the "Candy Candy Trial". Candy Candy is one of the most popular shoujo creations ever released in Japan, based on a 25 year old story composed by Kyoko Mizuki which was adapted to manga form by cartoonist Yumiko Igarashi, an anime TV series and many related merchandise items were also produced. A mutual working partnership existed between the two until several years ago when Ms. Igarashi allegedly declared an exclusive copyright and began producing merchandise based on the work outside of the co-approval of Mizuki, Toei Animation (who produced the anime) and herself. The origin of some goods and works produced based on Candy Candy were put into question, and the revenue and permission to produce them, forced a trial. Writer Kyoko Mizuki accused Igarashi of ignoring her copyright on the work, sueing the artist for infringement of copyright, she later won her trial. That judgement set the following precedents: 1. Ms. Kyoko Mizuki was ruled to have the same copyright as Ms. Yumiko Igarashi regarding CandyCandy. 2. Ms. Yumiko Igarashi must obtain Ms. Kyoko Mizuki 's consent when using CandyCandy in business related matters.
However, a reconciliation between the parties was not forthcoming after the trial with goods and illustrations allegedly being commissioned and sold by the artist without a proper consent. The dispute has continued on several fronts since then with numerous appeals, actions and counter actions. In the year 2000 Ms. Igarashi sued Toei Animation Film over the trademark of CandyCandy forcing a broadcast freeze on the series, for some time it was feared by some fans that due to legal battles the reprint of manga and rebroadcasting of the Anime may not occur again. Last week's Japanese Supreme Court ruling matched the Tokyo High Court decision issued in March 2000, and the Tokyo District Court ruling in February 1999, declaring undisputedly on Japanese legal grounds that Kyoko Mizuki is rightfully co-creator and copyright holder of CandyCandy and all merchandise requires her authorization and permission, as is her right within the law.
IF Labs Site Opens
IF Labs, the partnership between Irwin Toys and FUNimation Entertainment, has opened its homepage here to reveal photos of its upcoming first series of Dragonball Z movie action figures created for the more mature toy collectable market.
Japanese New FY OAVs Dubbed?
According to Anime on DVD citing CD Japan, the Japanese DVD release of the new, third Fushigi Yuugi OAV series will include a selectable English dialogue audio track. This detail has not been confirmed by any other Japanese DVD news site or retail listing, though.
The 4 episode Fushigi Yuugi: Eikou Den OAV series is set several years after the events of the previous FY animation. The first 30 minute volume will premier in Japan on December 21st, with the following volumes due out on February, April and June 25th respectively.
Update on Outlaw Star OAVs
"Sany" informed AnimeNation that the official Japanese Morningstar site has tentative character designs and a story outline for an Outlaw Star 2 OAV series. However, the same page also states that because animation director Mitsuru Hongo is very busy, there is no scheduled production date for this tentative OAV series.
While this may be interesting news, Sany has received the following e-mail response directly from the creator of Outlaw Star confirming that there are no current plans to actually produce any new Outlaw Star anime:
"Hello. My name is Takehiko Ito. I can speak a little English. You looks project in my site contents. It's plan for Outlaw Star 2. But, that title is only plan and frozen yet. We planning new and different project now. Sorry. I love Outlaw Star too. Maybe I continue Outlaw Star by comic. Thank you!"
FUNimation Fall 2001
Well FUNimation has updated their releases for this fall. New announcements include further volumes on the DBZ: Majin Buu Saga and the anticipated release of the DB: Red Ribbon Army saga. No further news on the upcoming Spring 2002 releases of the next DBZ Movies yet - hopefully we'll hear something soon!
11/6 DBZ: Cell Games: A Moments Peace (UNCUT / EDIT) ; DBZ: Cell Games: Guardian's Return (UNCUT / EDIT)
11/13 DBZ: Frieza: Eleventh Hour DVD
11/27 DBZ: Frieza: Fall of the Tyrant DVD
12/11 DBZ: Frieza: Namek's End DVD
12/18 DBZ: Majin Buu: The Hatching (UNCUT / EDIT); DBZ: Majin Buu: Atonement (UNCUT / EDIT)
12/26 DB: Red Ribbon Army: The Hunt is On ; DB: Red Ribbon Army: Silver
New Information on the Sakura Taisen Movie
According to Sogoi December 22nd will see the release of new shows in the AZUMANGA-DAIOH, Slayers Premium, Di Gi Charat, and Sakura Taisen series.
Some new information has surfaced on the new Sakura Taisen Movie including the names of cast and crew.
Crew:
Producer: Toshimichi Otsuki (Evangelion, Nadesico, Slayers)
Supervisor: Satoru Akahori (Saber Marionette Series, Bakuretsu Hunter, Refines)
Music: Toshimichi Otsuki (Gate Keepers, Gunbuster, One Part)
Character Original Design: Kosuke Fujishima (Ah! My Goddess, You' Re Under Arrest)
Character Design: Hidenori Matsubara (Ah! My Goddess)
Realizer: Mitsuru Hongo (Shin-chan Pencil)
Cast:
Top selling Manga
ICv2 has posted a list of the top 25 Graphic Novels and top 300 comics based on "Diamond Title Indexes and External Title Data." The following are the Manga excerts:
(The first number is their position in the chart a long with the non-manga releases.)
Top Manga Graphic Novels:
3 LONE WOLF & CUB VOL 16 GATEWAY INTO WINTER TP
4 AKIRA VOL 5
13 BLADE O/T IMMORTAL GATHERING VOL II TP
Top Manga being released in comic book format
Heidi - Yamato Return To Japanese Airwaves
Anime News Service reports Japanese Broadcast sat station WOWOW has announced it will air the entire TV series run of classic 70's anime Space Battleship Yamato and Heidi Of The Alps in December. This will be the first time since the original airing in 1974 that the two series have rebroadcast in Japan. Yamato begins December 24th at 23:00, Heidi starts on December 1st at 14:35.
Akira Pinball Machine
The latest EGM magazine has an article about an upcoming Akira Pinball Machine. Pinball guru Robert Sharpe (known for the Adams Family pinball machine) will be working with Kaze to design a pinball machine based on the anime/manga Akira. "The unique layout provides for several different tables interchanging as you send the ball down different paths. To top it all off, video screens display familiar Akira movie scenes as you trigger events on the table, which should helpa make Psychoball the most distracting pinball game to date.....AIA is planning to ship this one in time for the holidays this December."
Amusing Pictures
A few amusing pictures of New York major Rudy Giuliani can be seen at the Big Apple Anime Fest here here
A Japanese Tokimeki Memorial3 bus can be seen at here here, and a
Sakura Wars one here
A Look At Tokyo Film Festival Trailers
Trailers for anime being shown at the Tokyo Film Festival can be seen here. For more information on the festival see here
Turn A Gundam Movie Information
The new Turn A Gundam movie will be entitled "Earth Light", and run for 128 minutes.The first portion will be shown at the Tokyo Fantasitc Film Festival. The entire movie is schedule to be released next spring. Turn A Gundam was the last of the alternate universe Gundam series. After colonizing space, the humans living on Earth forgot about their accomplishments. Technology is now equal to that of the early twentieth century. Biplanes are used, and cars are less advanced that ours. The colonists of the moon have found mobile suit amours, and a means for returning to Earth, which they now hope to conquer.
Angel's Egg Officially In Limbo
Anime News Service has recieved a response from Anchor Bay about the status of Mamoru Oshii's Angel Egg. The surreal and confusing story is set in a world where bird are nearly extinct, about a young soldier who finds a girl woth a myesterious egg. "We dont have a scheduled date yet, but we are still hoping to release ANGEL'S EGG in the next couple of years."
New TV Series Announced
The sexy drama Onegai Teacher (Please Teacher), will premier on WOWOW next year. The production staff includes character design by Hiroaki Goda, supervisor on the Bubblegum Crisis and Ah! Megami-sama OAV series, story by Yosuke Kuroda who wrote Scryd and Kokoro Toshokan, and direction by Yasuki Ide who directed D4 Princess and Hanaukyo Maid Tai. Other staff members claim work credits on anime including Pretty Sammy, Read or Die, Trigun, and video games including Air and Kanon. http://www.broccoli.co.jp/ga/
Yutaka Izubuchi, mecha designer behind Patlabor, will be creating a fantasy mecha TV series in the vein of Final Fantasy and Dunbine titled Raxephon.
Yasuhiro Imagawa, the director of Giant Robo, will be returning to animation next year with his new TV series Nananin no Nana (literally "7 Nanas"), a "superheroine" comedy adventure about a young Japanese schoolgirl known as "Original Nana" and her 6 clones, each with a different personality type.
Akira Kurosawa's classic samurai film Yojimo will be returning to Japanese television next year as a drastically revised late night anime TV series called Kaze no Yojimbo (literally "bodyguard of the Wind") that looks much closer to Cowboy Bebop than a Toshiro Mifune samurai film.
Broccoli has confirmed that a second season of the popular sci-fi & bishoujo TV series Galaxy Angel will premier on Japanese television next year.
Aquarian Age, the popular Japanese CCG featuring original characters by a multitude of popular anime and manga artists, will debut as a TV series next year featuring character design by Hishahi Abe, who provided the character designs for Petshop of Horrors. See here.
Like A Cloud, Like The Wind Page
Studio Pierrot has opened a page for "Kumo no Youni, Kaze no Youni" (Like a Cloud, Like the Wind) here. Kiki's Delivery Service's Katsuya Kondo provide the character design for the motion picture. A 16th century Chinese girl named Ginga takes a position in a new emperor's harem in hopes of finding an easy file. Seeing her potential, an officer accepts her for training, but once in her positions she begins to see the complexity of her situation as conspiracies against the emperor become apparent.
American Voice actress Remembered
Billie Lou Watt, the voice of Astro Boy and Kimba The White Lion in the US dubs of the two TV series passed away last month. Jerry Beck has posted some words about her on his website, Cartoon Research here.
Fanboy Inc Updates
"Dark Angel: Phoenix Resurrection #4 is out now! Yes, finally. DA:PR #5 and #6 are also done but we are not setting release dates for them yet. After all the delays and lateness problems we encountered with the first four issues, we are not going to let things fall behind again and are taking things slowly. We are going to wait until sensei is almost done with the next 4 issue arc before we put it on the schedule. I apologize for these further delays but we both feel this is for the best of the book. I will let you know more about the future of DA:PR soon enough.
Yoshitoshi ABe's WHITE RAIN has been delayed until January 2002. This hurts. We all really wanted this book out this year but it could just not happen.
It will see the light of day though.
The next Sidekicks issue is in the works as well. Expect to see this one-shot, Sidekicks: The Substitute, in Spring 2002. It is written by J. Torres, of course, and Takeshi is illustrating it now from his new home in Niigata, Japan. Also, expect to see some news shortly regarding some changes in the Sidekicks publishing plans in 2002.
Well, that's about it for now. I hope that helps. Thanks for all your words of encouragement and support! "
Inu Yashu Movie details Anime Daisuki reports
The new Inu Yashu movie, entitled "Inuyasha - Toki o koeru omoi", or "Inuyasha - Love which transcends time" is slated to premiere in Japanese theatres this December.
Inu Yashu is based on a Manga series by Rumiko Takahashi (Urusei Yatsura, Ranma 1/2, Maison Ikkoku) and has already been converted into a three season Anime TV series. Both the Manga and the TV series have been licensed for distribution in North America by Viz.
The movie marks Toshiya Shinohara's first time directing a theatrical Anime. He has previously directed the 1998 Lupin III TV sepecial, "Memory of Blaze - Tokyo Crisis", and 1990's Wizardry.
Story:
The apparition named Menoumaru shows up in front of Inuyasha who looks for Shikon no tama. The purpose of Menoumaru was Tessaiga though other apparitions were aiming at Shikon no tama of Kagome. Why does Menoumaru seek for Tessaiga? Time goes back for 300 years further. Chief of apparitions who had attacked Japan from the continent were fathers of Menoumaru. Apparitions were repulsed by Inuyasha's father at that time, and Menoumaru was sealed. But, that seal was canceled after 300 years, and Menoumaru was revived. And, he tries to deprive Inuyasha of Tessaiga somehow. Why?
Cast:
- Inuyasha - Kappei Yamaguchi (Ranma in Ranma 1/2, Akashi Shirase in Saber Marionette J to X)
- Kagome Higurashi - Satsuki Yukino (Tamayo Kizaki in Angelic Layer, Mutsumi Otohime in Love Hina)
- Shippo Kumiko Watanabe (Eco in Corrector Yui)
- Miroku Koji Tsujitani (Tyler in Irresponsible Captain Tyler)
- Sango Houko Kuwashima (Misumaru Yurika in Nadesico, Harriet Bartholomew in Argentosoma)
- Kikyo Noriko Hidaka (Akane Tendo in Ranma 1/2, Jean in Nadia, Secret of Blue Water)
- Kaede Hisako Kyoda (Betty in Mahojin guruguru, Kasuga in Mamotte shugogetten)
- Myoga Kenichi Ogata (Village chief in Star Ocean EX, Genma Saotome in Ranma 1/2)
- Sesshomaru Ken Narita (Young president in Cat Girl Nuku Nuku)
Disney Completes Fox Family Purchase
Disney acquired Fox Family Worldwide, Inc. today for a total of $5.2 billion. This includes $2.9 billion in cash and $2.3 billion in dept assumption. The acquisition was agreed upon after the cash price was reduced by $100 million.
Cebulski`s X-men: Equinox Preview
X-Fan has posted a preview of the January release of the Marvel Mangaverse X-Men: Equinox here
Pada Pada Airship Adventure - New Jules Verne Based Anime Series
Anime News Service reports headed to Japanese brodcast sat network BS ch. 5 WOWOW for a January 2nd 2002 debut is the new series "Pada Pada Airship Adventure". Based on the fictional writings of 19th century visionary author Jules Verne (20,000 Leagues Under The Sea) who has once before served as the source of anime (Fushigi no Umi no Nadia 1989 GAINAX), the production is being heralded rather lavishly, it's to be broadcast in HD High-Vision format and involving the Telecom Anime Film and Tokyo Movie Shinsha firms who previously worked with Hayao Miyazaki. A sneak preview is planned for December 2nd. At 16:50 a "making of" special will air introducing world view, characters, production (including involvement of cell animation and 3DCG techniques) and more. At 17:15 the first story of the series will premiere, setting the stage for the full broadcast in January.
Production Includes: TAF/TMS * WOWOW * KOKO * SEGA * ZET
January Manga Releases
Marvel comics will be releasing their Manga Verse fifth week event. It starts with Marvel Mangaverse: New Dawn #1 by Ben Dunn. Marvel is given a manga looks in the first of book end issue of the event. The world's energy need is great enought that a the stark coperation has built a well into the negative zone. It features a twenty story hulk, a female version of Iron Man, Hydra teamed with Namor, and Dr. Strange as a Victorian doctor with Tigra as his side kick.
Marvel Mangaverse: Avengers #1 is written by Ken Siu-chong,, with art by Alvin Lee, Omar Dogan & Shane Law, and a cover by Udon. The Avengers are a sentai/Voltron-esque team who must battle Apocalypse and his Four Horsemen.
Marvel Mangaverse: Fantasic Four #1 is written by Adam Warren with art by Keron Grant. The Megascale Metatalent Response Team Fantastic Four where test subjects of a shadow organization. Now they use their powers to fight invading monsters,
Marvel Mangverse: Ghost Rider #1 will be written and illistrated by Chuck Austen. Ghost Rider, Werewolf by Night, and Hellstorm are the Son of Satan, must battle their fathe, and a 12 story Hulk.
Marvel Mangaverse: Punisher #1 is written by Peter David and illistrated by Lea Hernandez. Sosumi Brown is the strict principal of Ikenobo Schoo, but she is also the "paddling Punisher". 7-59606-tbd-00111 2.25
Marvel Mangaverse: Spider-Man #1 is written and illistrated by Kaare Andrews. Teenage ninja Peter Perker must train with Uncle Ben to avenge his sensei's death.
Marvel Mangaverse: X-Men #1 is written by C. B. Cebulski and illistrated by Jeff Matsuda. Wolverine, Jean Grey, Cyclops, Storm, Rogue and Moonstart prepare for the coming of Magnest and must battle Mystique, Beast and Nightcrawler.
Marvel Mangaverse: Eternal Twilight #1 is the second book end of the series in which the heroes team up to stop the Hulk.
Marvel will also be releasing Elektra and Wolverine #3 by Greg Rucka and Yoshitaka Amano.
ComicsOne.com will be releasing more graphic novels at $9.95 for 200+ page collections.
Redmoon #5 features the "new" Kitara finds trouble at the end of a knife. Injured, she is found and taken to a doctor but he's unable to help. Philar undergoes a transfusion with hopes that his superhuman blood may heal her. Other matters force Philar to leave without knowing if she'll survive the transfusion... Now, prepare for a trip back in time to learn more of Destino's dark deeds...and, catch a glimpse or two of Philar decked out in his royal costume.
Wounded Man #5 Keisuke needs some backup and he needs it fast. He hires Nick, NYPD, a corrupt cop who'll do anything for money. He also hires JoJo, a car racer, as his chauffeur. Misty is still hot on his trail, but she can't shake her feelings for him growing inside of her...Meanwhile, GPX turns to some tough-as nails ex-Green Berets to tackle Keisuke and they assemble their own small army to do battle.
In Storm Riders #2 After twelve years of severe and intense martial arts training, Wind, Cloud and Frost (Conquer's long-time student) began to reveal their amazing talents; which promoted them in rank to be Conquer's most powerful disciples.
Wild 7 # 2 continues the story of the Wild 7, a group of criminals brought together by the government to fight crime. In Volume 2, Hiba - Wild 7's tough-as-nails leader - becomes trapped inside a mazelike fortress built for maximum security, inside and out. Tooi, one of Wild 7's latest enemies, uses all his guile and diabolical scheming in order to destroy any police officer who attempts to lay siege to this mighty fortress. In a mighty show of force, the rest of Wild 7 shows up to rescue Hiba and do battle with Tooi.
Maico 2010 Volume 1 graphic novel sets includes the first four volumes of the romantic comedy a girl who is the first android radio dj.
Kazan Volume 1 #2 features Kazan, Fawna, and Arbey's journey across the desert, with more about Fawna's past and a confrontation with an elite assassin.
Sarai Volum 1 #2, and Sarai Volume 3 contuess the story of the bodyguard maids Sarai and Flicker.
Tomie volume 1 #1 'In "Photograph,"
Tomie returns as a member of the oppressive Public Morality Committee and entraps an aspiring young photographer, Tsukiko. "Kiss" continues Tomie's pursuit of Tsukiko and her favorite schoolteacher. In "Maison," Tomie and one of her minions take control of an old man, his house, and his only daughter, with grotesque results. "Revenge" finds the demonic girl as the object of jealousy, rivalry between the two bone weary mountaineers. "The Basin of the Waterfall" involves a seedy salesman who comes to a town peddling seeds which grow into hungry young girls. "
Central Park Media (CPM) continues Astra #7 from the story by golden age Batman artist Jerry Robinson. Geobreeders #35 concludes the current story with the showdown between the the Kagura Detective Agency and the Phantom Cats. Slayers Special #2 features Lina and Naga attemping to train a novice knight. Slayers Special Explosive Demon Story #4 continues Lina and Gaury's seatch for wealth and food.
Other issues include Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight #17, Lodoss War Deedlits Tale #6, Maxion #26, Princess Prince #16.
Fanboy Comics will be releasing White Rain #1 by Yoshitoshi ABe. White Rain follows the lives of two young girls who appear to be identical twins. They do not have names but on their foreheads they have numbers; one is 328 and the other is 329. The story takes place in a maze-like building that seems to have no exits. The two girls have lost their memories and have no idea who they are or where they are. All they know is that there is no food and if they do not get out, they will die... ABe's sensitive linework and attention to detail was first seen in Serial Experiments LAIN, the hit anime series of last year. White Rain is a bit of an artistic departure for ABe, as he uses only pencil and zipatone to illustrate this entire comic. The result is quite breathtaking and sure to surprise, amaze, and delight readers.
Usagi Yojimbo volume 5 will be reprinted. Volume 5 introduces the "Lone Goat and Kid" parody of Lone Wolf and Cub.
Ironcat will be releasing Futaba-Kun Change Volum3 7 #6 and Vampire Princess Yui volume 3 #6.
They will also be releasing the first collected edition of Vampire Princess Yui. From esteemed artist Narumi Kakinouchi, who brought you New Vampire Miyu, comes the gothic tale of Vampire Princess Yui, a young half-human/half-vampire who does not yet understand her fate. Yui has been sick for some time and doesn't know why. It turns out that it is because of her cravings... for blood. Join Yui as she learns of her vampiric heritage, her relation to the vampire Miyu, and the mysterious Nagi, a young man who is not quite human himself...
TOKYOPOP will release the first issue of Kodocha (also known as Kodomo no Omocha).
What is Kodocha? It's the smash-hit comedy series from Japan about what happens when child star Sana Kurata tries to "fix" the problems of everyone around her. And there are a lot of problems to solve. Her classroom's been overrun by bullies, her teacher's being blackmailed, and the girls live in terror, all because of the tyrannical rule of the demon child Akito Hayama. There's going to be a rumble in the jungle gym when these two strong personalities collide! The English version is written by Sarah Dyer (Action Girl Supergirl, Space Ghost: Coast to Coast), ensuring that the fast-paced humor translates correctly.
TOKYO POP will also be releasing Cardcaptor Sakura #24, Dragon Knights #4 (of 6), Gundam Wing Battlefield of Pacifists 4 (of 6), Marmlade Boy #2 (of 5), Miracle Girls #16, Saint Tail #15, Skull Man #3 (of 5). The TOKYO POP manga shoujo anthology Smile volume 4 #2 continues Mars, Planet Ladder, Peach Girl, and Kiss.
Their pocket graphic novels collections include:
Peach Girl volume 3 by Miwa Ueda "The dastardly Sae has gone too far! First she sabotaged Momo's blossoming relationship with Toji, now she's trying to embarrass Momo in front of the school at the swim meet. Can anyone help Momo? Well, "Wiley" Kiley seems eager to help, but can Momo trust that he's really looking out for her best interests, and not just trying to get into her pants? And poor Toji- will he ever see through Sae's veil of lies and be able to trust Momo? The Peach Girl soap opera is about to get a little meaner in Volume 3 of Miwa Ueda's high school drama."
Corrector Yui Volume 1 with Keiko Okamoto's seroes inspired by Kia Asamiya's series of the same name. "In the year 2020, computers are everywhere. From digital teachers to cars that drive themselves, computers are an integral part of everyone's lives -- everyone except Yui Kasuga's. The 14-year-old daydreamer can't tell a Pentium chip from a Dorito! How ironic that the fate of the Internet, and the world, should fall on the shoulders of this young girl. When the sentient computer virus infects the global network, Yui is transported into cyberspace to combat his evil plans. "
Island Volume 1 by In-Wan Youn & Kyung-Il Yang "Island, a lush and exotic place where old world values still exist, as do old world Demons. The island is a place, where people are aware that their souls can be stolen by evil in both the darkness of night or the light of day. It is also a place where vigilance and custom are not just words but a way of life. Miho, a woman of beauty, intelligence and temper, comes to the island to teach and is immediately caught in this world of terror and the supernatural when a demon attacks her and she is saved only by the chance appearance of a mystery man with seemingly only one mission... demon killing. A delicate balance is upset and for the island, and for the island's people, the world is about to change."
Cardcaptor Sakura volume 4 by CLAMP "The school field trip is the perfect getaway for Sakura. She loves the sea and she loves to make dinner with her friends. It's all a last... until the ghost stories begin and students begin disappearing, one by one. Sakura and company have fallen into a Clow Card trap! Can she defeat the unknown card to get her friends back?!"
Juline volume 2 will be a standard size graphic novel
"Experience the thrills of martial-arts action in Juline by Narumi Kakinouchi, author of the popular manga/anime, Vampire Princess Miyu! In a faraway village, in a magical land, live Juline, Bakuya, and Seika, daughters of the top three martial-arts schools. Join them on a quest to uncover the mystery of the Black Pearl, a new clan shrouded in shadows. Juline and the other clan leaders face a new threat in the form of the Black Pearl Guardians. Who are these mysterious warriors, and what is their link to the princesses' past? Originally serialized in the pages of Smile."
Viz manga anthologies include:
Animerica Extra Volume 5 #2 The greatest shojo and shonen manga! Chicago: Rei and Uozumi investigate a brutal murder and speed toward their fates at the bar known as Chicago. Fushigi Yûgi: Miaka and the Celestial Warriors begin their journey north, but a stop at Tamahome's home turns into a tragedy. Marionette Generation: Kinoko's day with the otaku at an amusement park turns sour when she tells him off! Steam Detectives: With Narutaki out of action, Ling Ling is forced to battle The Red Scorpion all by herself! Video Girl Ai: Video Girls clash as Mai viciously attacks Ai! Then, Yota and Nobuko share an uncomfortable lunch together.
Pulp Volume 6 #2 violent, hilarious manga, plus columns and features written by some of the premier experts in Japanese pop culture. Bakune Young: Renge uses a spiral to hypnotize Capt. Mercury Cougar and the two take an inner journey into a giant vagina! Banana Fish: Fashion alert: the action lets up some, as Ash Lynx raids the J. Crew catalogue. Cinderalla: In this installment of the psychedelic fairy tale, the Little Fairy successfully turns Cinderalla into a zombie so she can attend the Prince's concert. Dance Till Tomorrow: Aya's ex-husband knows her secret life at night and now is stalking her! Is Sue helping him? Even a Monkey Can Draw Manga: Learn how to draw spectacular mah-jong manga and the secret codes of manga body language. Shortcuts: Kogals take sex education to the next level! Uzumaki: Japan's most infamous horror series spirals toward its climax as weird calluses start appearing on everybody's skin.
Individual manga issues include Bastard #2, Ceres Celestrial Legend part 2 #2, Dragon Ball Part 4 #6, Inu Yasha Part 6 # 9 of 15, Magical Pokemon Journey Part 6 #3 (of 4) Pokemon Adventures Part 6 #2 (of 4), Ranma 1/2 Part 10 #10 (of 11)
In Dragon Ball Z Part 5 #1 (of 12) Dende's help, Kuririn and Gohan activate the Namekian Dragon Balls and summon the Namekian Dragon God. Their first two wishes bring Piccolo back to life and transport him to Planet Namek. Vegita tries to convince them to use the first wish to give him immortality. There's a new ally in the fight against the demons of Nemesis - Lum Cheng, daughter of the great magician, Avalanche Wong. But as the A.M.P. searches the dark streets of 2029 Hong Kong for their new member, Kiddy and Yuki find that they have been followed. Vagabound #3 tells the story of fugitive who seeks refuge in the Village of Musashi. The 80 page volume retails for $4.95.
Viz trade paperback collections include
Inu-Yasha Volume 9 When Kagome discovers severed human heads floating downstream, everyone agrees that it must be the foul work of demons. But when the group comes across a hideous tree that grows talking heads, they tell not of a demon, but an evil hermit master that harvests villagers as ingredients in a life extension elixir! Can Inu-Yasha and the group defeat his powerful magic, or will they become more victims in his quest for immortality? Then, Kagome learns of a group that exterminates demons as a way of life and supposedly created the Shikon Jewel. But while searching for their whereabouts, Kagome is reminded of how little she, or anyone else, actually knows about the Shikon Jewel.
Dragaon Vall volume 6 by Akira Toriyama
In the frozen north, Goku's one-man fight against the Red Ribbon army continues as he storms the perilous Muscle Tower! Goku and Bulma's quest for the next Dragon Balls takes them around the world to a jungle island in the South Seas!
Dragon Ball 7 Volume 7
After years of training and battling the strongest Earth has to offer, Son Goku has become the most powerful martial artist on the planet. But the stakes are ever increasing, as he and his friends must fight the deadliest villains of all space and time to defend the Earth and the Dragon Balls, which can grant any wish! This graphic novel collects Dragonball Z Volume 4 #3 through Volume 4 #8. In this volume, the original story behind the TV series! On war-torn Planet Namek, Kuririn and Gohon are forced to team up with the evil Vegeta to fig
No Need For Tenchi Volume 11: Ayeka's Heart
It all started when high school student Tenchi freed the alien pirate Ryoko from her captivity on Earth. Soon enough, her friends and enemies showed up: alien princess Ayeka, mad scientist Washu, and ditzy space cop Mihoshi. Surrounded by beautiful, feuding alien women, poor Tenchi is either the luckiest or the most miserable boy on Earth! Ayeka vanishes mysteriously one day, leaving the rest of Tenchi cast desperately looking for her! She reappears as a brainwashed agent of a mysterious power, vowing to kill Tenchi! Who is Garyu, her brainwasher? And can Tenchi and Co. cure her?
No Need For Tenchi Part 12 #6 (of 6) features Tenchi taken hostage when two bounty hunters try to capture Ryoko for her crimes as a space pirate.
Silent Mobius TP volume 7 by Kia Asamiya
In the 21st century the "Lucifer Hawks" broke through into our dimension... and the human race needed new heroes. Meet the A.M.P., six young women with incredible powers who must protect the human race from monstrous entities from another world! In the gigantic megacity of 2028 Tokyo, they are the human race's defenders. The A.M.P. are powerful, but they are only human beings. Ganossa, the wizard who leads the Lucifer Hawks, kidnaps Katsumi and forces her to look on as Robert DeVice, her mortal fiancé, is stalked and killed in the streets by a Lucifer Hawk! Can he possibly survive the test?
Viz will be reprinting the four volume perfect collection set of Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaa', and Yuu Watase's Fushigi Yugi. Nausicaa is a manga series that should be anyone's collection. The industry and war of mankind has decimated the world. The fractured states are endangered by each other, the poisonous miasma that flows from the forests, and the giant insects that now inhabit the world. A young princess of a small vassal state becomes the fulcrum the shifting world. Miyazaki's writing and art are unparallel. The story succeeds both as a fantasy action, and as a philosophical commentary.
Fushigi Yugi Volumes 1-4 When Miaka and Yui open an ancient Chinese book, they find themselves transported to a parallel world strangely like ancient China. Attacked by slavers and bandits, Miaka is rescued by Tamahome, a handsome young martial artist with whom she falls in love. When they are captured by the Imperial guards, things look bleak until Miaka is proclaimed to be the legendary Priestess of Suzaku, who was prophesied to come from another world to help the kingdom of Suzaku in its time of need.
Manga Spotlight: Gon
By Masashi Tanaka, published in the US by Paradox Press
In is a shame that Gon's greatest claim to fame in the United States was as a hidden character in the video game Tekken 3, because he is one of the most charming creatures created for a comic. Gon is a short Tyrannosaurus like dinosaur. He's a few feet tall and he's mostly head and mouth. His stories are short wordless interactions with a modern set of animal in their environment. Most of the time he does what animals do. He searches to food to eat, and a safe place to eat, but the animal of the story are also given human characteristics at times. They show pride, brotherhood, and even guilt. This introductory volume contains three of Gon's stories. Gon Eats and Sleep is the first Gon story, and it can be seen in the character design of Gon, which is not fully developed. The story revolve Gon showing the largest bear who is king of the forest, stealing his food and ultimately using him as a bed. The second story Gon Goes Flying tells the tale of Gon spending some time with the local golden eagle chick and fending off the local bobcat. The final tale, Gon Glares is a wacky and often silly story of Gon teaming up with a cast of Australian marsupials to drive off a hunting dingo.
The stories are mostly humorous. Seeing a diminutive, absurdly proportioned dinosaur running rough shot over the local wild life, head butting a bear of chomping off the tail of a bobcat, is good for a few laughs. But the series is also quickly shifts to being emotional. A comic scene of can quickly shift into something more series and touching.
The art work found in gone is amazing. Masashi Tanaka cannot produce more than four stories a year. The secret to the speed in which manga is release is that the artists use assistants, which is one of the many short cuts Tanaka does not take. The detail in the animal and their environments need to be seen. Clearly a great deal of research went into creating the images, and a great deal of skill went into rendering them.
Anyone who can enjoy a still image owes it to themselves to find a copy of Gon. At $6 for hundred page volume, it's a treat no one should pass it. The universality of the stories make them impossible not to enjoy.
Anime Spotlight: Power Stone: Mystery of the Stones
Episodes 1-4
Power Stone has to be the best anime based on a fighting game I have seen. This isn't a proud distinction, and I haven't gone out of my way to see many fighting game based anime, I can easily think of a few I've missed. For those not familiar with the concept of a fighting game, it's a video game in which a series of odd characters inflict damage on each other for what is more often than not, an unintelligible reason. The fact that in this case, the game only has eight characters, and that it's a TV series means that there was no rush to cover a massive number of characters in a short amount of time. In this case the characters are: English boxer/pilot, mummy wrapped knife wielding psycho, cute ninja girl, large miner, Arabian fortune teller girl, Indian (Native American) warrior, high spirited fung fu guy, and brooding samurai.
The anime series chiefly follows the Falcon, the English boxer/pilot. He wealthy father leaves him to search the world for mysterious object. After sending him a mysterious gem known as a "power stone" strange people being showing up and harassing him, and the family butler chases him around, telling him to be more repsoncible. It turns out the power stones can be used to change for a brief period of time into Power Ranger like forms, even more strange then their normal personas. An if you are a green kimono clad ninja girl walking the streets of London, that's saying a lot. For example Falcon becomes what looks like a plane made out a robot.
The characters and situation are as absurd as they sound, but it's a kid's show, and its fun, so it is forgivable. It didn't appear to be rushing to go anywhere with the story or to burn though the characters, so there was enough time to set up enough humorous situations, and pointless fight scenes to keep the viewer amused. Some of the psuedo-romantic/culture clash banter between fortune teller samurai, or Falcon kicking the ninja girl who was sneaking up on him while he was shadow boxing where good for a few genuine laughs. The fights between Falcon and the samurai and Falcon and the psycho where well done, with enough fluid motion and variation to be enjoyable. A few moments of the samurai fight had a flare similar to the popular samurai anime series Rurouni Kenshin.
The character design is pretty fun. There is a twinge of Osamu Tezuka (master manga creator, bust known for Astro Boy, and Kimba the White Lion) influence in the style. While they are fairly stereotypical, they are certainly outlandish, and well thought out. It is likely that when the video game was created their was an effort to relay the characters' personality in their appearance, because of the lack of dialogue.
Because ADV is only handling the video release the series is dub only. This isn't too bad. The voice actors do an admirable job, and are pleasant to listen to. On the other hand, the opening, ending, and eye catchers (brief animated segments before and after commercial breaks) are pretty painful to listen do. One "POWER STONE" crescendo was enough to known they should be skipped.
The dub only presentation seems to be set for a TV release, but with a ninja who not only revels s dressing as a woman, but is overtly homosexual, it seems like it would need to go through another edit first. Presumably this is why it is label "12+" on the box. Other than that, and a little sexual innuendo, there isn't much objectionable material. The violence is very cartoonish, no one is badly hurt, and though one character is wielding knives, and another swords, no one gets cuts.
Power Stone is a pixie stick anime. Empty calories. Mildly enjoyable, but nothing substantial It is very Saturday morning-cartoonish, but its certainly fun. It is clearly something to buy for a kid that is painless for an older audience to watch.
