Ai Love Anime

A brief history of anime in America

2006-01-11T06:33:00.000-08:00

1959 ``Magic Boy'' becomes the first fantasy anime film released in theaters in the United States.

1963 Animator and manga artist Osamu Tezuka animates ``Astro Boy,'' based on his manga series, the first widely popular cartoon on American television to exhibit the stylistic elements of anime.

1979 Robot-based anime peaks in popularity with ``Mobile Suit Gundam,'' a series continued later as ``Gundam Wing.''

1986 The ``Dragon Ball'' series is released, quickly rising to the top among anime programs in both America and Japan.

Anime Pickup Lines (world's worst)

2006-01-10T22:16:00.000-08:00

Brought to you by Nozomi-Online

20. STD’s are like Pokemon baby, gotta catch ‘em all!

19. Gun DAM girl you FINE.
18. I lost my number while fighting an interplanetary menace, can I have yours?
17. Why don’t we go back to my place and find my Dragonballs?
16. I was just checking you out from across the room with my Sharingan. I came over because I notice your chakra use is limited, and well let’s just say I really know how to get your chakra flowing.
15. You must be tired, because I was left my dating sim on in my Playstation all night.
14. You make Princess Peach look like Bowser.
13. Excuse me, is your name Hina? Because I think I’m in love.
12. I’m having the urge to grow several penis tentacles.
11. There’s enough Ai in Jailbait for the both of us.

Naoki Urasawa's Monster Debuts

2006-01-10T21:45:00.000-08:00

Blogmaster's Note: If you've seen the anime, you know the manga's gotta be good. Will be checking this out as soon as it hits the shelves.

VIZ Media, LLC. (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive manga and animation licensing and publishing companies, announced today the release of NAOKI URASAWA'S MONSTER, an award-winning, critically acclaimed, new 18-volume manga series.

Filled with suspense, political intrigue and the emotional rollercoaster a talented doctor must undergo when faced with a tragic past that unfolds when he makes a moral choice that changes his life forever, NAOKI URASAWA'S MONSTER makes it's highly anticipated debut in the United States after sales breaking records in Japan. NAOKI URASAWA'S MONSTER, rated "T+" for Older Teens, will be in stores February 21, 2006 and will retail for $9.99.

NAOKI URASAWA'S MONSTER first appeared in the pages of Shogakukan's Big Comic Original manga anthology and weaves the riveting story of brilliant Dr. Kenzo Tenma, a famous surgeon with a promising career at a leading hospital. Tenma risks his reputation and promising career to save the life of a critically wounded young boy. Unbeknownst to him, this child is destined for a terrible fate. A string of strange and mysterious murders begin to occur soon afterward, ones that professionally benefit Dr. Tenma, and he emerges as the primary suspect. Conspiracies, serial murders, and a scathing depiction of the underbelly of hospital politics are all masterfully woven together in this compelling manga thriller.

The Where and How of Anime

2006-01-10T20:59:00.000-08:00

ON THE INTERNET AND TV, TEENS FOLLOW FAVORITE CHARACTERS AND SERIES

For many teens in the Bay Area, there's never enough anime. They tune in to Japanese animation shows on the Internet and on TV. They draw their own anime and dress up like their favorite characters on occasion. Some even join Japanese language classes. Here are profiles of four popular anime series:

``Naruto''

Though it made its debut on Cartoon Network's ``Toonami'' in September, the animated episodes have been accessible via the Internet since 2000. The popularity of ``Naruto'' has grown since its creation in 1999 by Masashi Kishimoto.

``It teaches life lessons and is super-inspirational and has extreme tragedy that made me almost cry once. And a blend of humor!'' said Justin Shaw, a senior at Lynbrook High School in San Jose.

Synopsis: ``Naruto'' chronicles the passionate, hyperactive teenage ninja Uzumaki Naruto, who strives to become the fourth Hokage, the strongest ninja in the village. Sealed inside his body is Nine-tails Demon Fox, a demon whose character emerges only when Naruto is extremely sad or angry.

``Bleach''

``Bleach'' -- viewable only on the Internet -- has intense sword-fighting scenes and an unpredictable story line.

``It has cliffhangers at the end of most episodes, and you can identify with the characters, which is why it's so popular,'' said Patrick Shyvers, a senior at Cupertino High School.

Synopsis: The evil spirit Hollow attacks 15-year-old Kurosaki Ichigo and his two sisters, but the Shinigami, or death god, Kuchiki Rukia comes to his defense. Rukia gets injured and transfers her powers to Ichigo, who must train to learn the duties of a Shinigami.

``FullMetal Alchemist''

This show gained popularity through viral advertising -- the Internet equivalent of word of mouth.

``Since most animes are watched before they're licensed, they're not advertised anywhere, so really you can only hear about new animes from other people. If it's good, it spreads,'' said Bryant Kou, a senior at Saratoga High School.

Synopsis: Edward and Alphonse Elric lose their mother in childhood and attempt to bring her back using alchemy. They stumble upon curious objects and face moral dilemmas as they learn alchemy.

``One Piece''

``One Piece'' is quirky, ridiculous, strange and wonderful. ``It's absurd and unlike any other anime I've seen,'' said Stephanie Wei, a freshman at Fremont High School in Sunnyvale.

Synopsis: In search of a pirate's loot, 17-year-old pirate Monkey D. Luffy eats a gum-gum fruit, which grants him the power to stretch like rubber. Luffy and his crew struggle to realize their dreams and fight villains.

Where to view anime

Dedicated anime fans watch their favorite shows on the Internet for the convenience and quality. On television, anime has been censored to tone down violence, and voices are dubbed.

``The anime on TV is really bad unless you have Cartoon Network, because the stuff on TV is edited so everything good is taken out,'' said senior Jennie Chen of Cupertino High School. ``People who are true anime fans like watching it online in Japanese with English subtitles.''

``The Internet has made this process very fast. Not only does knowledge of new animes spread quickly, entire animes can be sent to a large amount of people in a relatively short amount of time,'' said senior Bryant Kou of Saratoga High School.

Typically ``fansubbing'' groups in Japan download anime programs, subtitle them in English and upload them to the Internet. Because sometimes it takes years to license anime for the American market, the underground downloading movement continues to make anime available to markets outside Japan.

Anime is usually sent through Web sites such as Bittorrent.com. Anime is to Bittorrent as music is to Kazaa. The legality of file-sharing anime that is licensed in Japan but not in the United States is ambiguous. But once the producer exports those programs to a U.S. licensee, users would be violating the license agreement by downloading it from the Internet.

To view anime, try these Web sites:

www.bittorrent.com, www.animesuki.com

www.moonbeanmanga.net

Download J-Pop, J-Rock, and Anime Themes on iTunes

2006-01-05T06:47:00.000-08:00

It's true! Thanks to internet pioneer company Rightsscale, Japanese music is now becoming available for download through iTunes. That's right, now no more struggle to work around Japanese encryption to download your favorite tunes to your iPod!

Here is an interview with Shaun Iwase - Rightscale Director of International Relations for more info on how this great news came to pass (from the fine folks at Anime News Network):

To Japanese music fans, the promise of digital music is endless. Instead of settling for the five or six albums your local record store might have, or paying outrageous prices for the privilege of waiting two weeks for your import CD to arrive, you could have instant access to millions of songs for a fraction of the cost.

And now, finally, it's beginning to happen. But you'll never guess who's leading the way: a small company called Rightsscale. While the rest of the industry moves like molasses, Rightsscale has already thrown major artists like Bonnie Pink and underrated indies like PE'Z into the digital ring.

So how did they do it, and when will everybody else catch up? Shaun Iwase, Rightsscale's Director of International Relations, is here to share some insight.

How did you manage to get J-Pop on iTunes so far ahead of the big guys like Sony and Avex?

Major labels like Avex and Sony have a large infrastructure, so it takes a long time for something to be put into action. Rightsscale is much smaller in scale. We can act immediately after making a decision. We've been thinking about entering the digital world for years and acted quickly when the time was right. As a result we became the first company to directly put songs on iTunes from Japaneven before the opening of iTunes Japan.

Has the response been about what you expected?

Yes. Sales are not that great, and it has yet to cause a huge reaction in the states. However, people are gradually realizing that Japanese music is now available on iTunes, and the interest in it is gradually rising. I hope this trend would continue as we upload more songs.

So who's up next for Rightsscale?

We are planning to upload tracks by ELLEGARDEN, who are currently one of the top 3 Indies bands in Japan. We've already uploaded albums of PE'Z and The Rodeo Carburettor, bands that were extremely popular at the Japan showcase during In The City 2005 at Manchester. TsuShiMaMiRe is an all-girl band we are handling. They performed for this year's Suicide Girls Live Burlesque Tour and have been immensely popular.

Can you give a quick rundown of In The City?

We were given the opportunity by several organizations in UK - the event itself was a joint effort between Rightsscale, British Underground, UKTI and BPI.

These organizations coordinated the British Showcase in Japan, and since they've been promoting British music in Japan, they offered us the opportunity to promote Japanese artists in the UK through In The City.

In The City is an International Music Convention that is held every year in the UK. It offers up-and-coming bands the opportunity to perform in front of a large crowd of music industry figures, as well as offering valuable grounds for business talks and socialization, both of which are vital to thriving in this industry.

Although many European countries send over bands to ITC, Asian bands were not present until 2005 when we held the first-ever Japanese music showcase. I also spoke with members of the UK music industry in a panel called "Access Japan" that offered the listeners a chance to ask questions about the music situation in Japan.

Although Japan is the world's second largest music market, not much information is attainable out of Japan, especially when it comes to Japanese artists. We wanted to use this event to further strengthen the trade ties with the UK and to also show the British music fans the true capabilities of Japanese bands.

How did your company get started? Did someone at your parent company, Taisuke, just conclude that they needed to take digital music seriously?

The members of Taisuke always had the dream of spreading Japanese music to the world and we saw the digital media market as a great opportunity to show the world the music our country has. Digital music has no boundaries - a truly international market.

Previously interest in Japanese music was limited due to obstacles like language and the import price. Now that people can buy such music without the expensive price tag, along with the recent surge in anime and manga popularity, Japan itself has become more familiar around the world. This opens up a way for us to promote music worldwide. It's also true that we have been interested in the digital market. The market boasts so much opportunity that we just had to take part in it.

I 've been told anime and J-pop are two different audiences. Do you buy that?

Anime and J-pop are intimately tied but remain as different entities. The origins of the two are completely different. J-pop is simply pop music that is adjusted to meet the taste of the younger pop-loving generation in Japan. Anime became related to J-pop ever since anime series began using J-pop in their opening and ending clips. Although the practice has now become common, a decade ago it was normal for anime to have their original theme songs rather than actual commercial songs.

In recent years many anime series have been exported in forms of DVD and video files, in to the hands of anime fans worldwide. When the fans see such anime, it contains some J-pop tracks, and thus the relationship between the two are born. Therefore some overlap may occur (anime fans buying J-pop CD's that were featured) but overall I believe that the audience is separate.

Dark Horse - The Year in Review

2006-01-04T17:07:00.000-08:00

Dark Horse
By Ed Chavez

Dark Horse and I go way way back. I have been reading their titles since the early part of the 1990's. Actually, their release of GunSmith Cats was one reason I had a monthly account at the San Francisco Comic Shop at 23rd and Mission in SF throughout my college years (with Viz's titles being the other). Every month I had a nice monthly tossed into my box there and every month after going to Japantown for raw manga, I would go over there and pick up the stash that had been building up over the 28 or so days. Seriously, this was an integral part of my budget back then - rent, utilities, Japanese phonebooks and monthlies (Note I left out food) - that I did not let go of until around 2000.

Back then, I was just happy to see manga in English. It was one of those things I was able to share with my American friends and with my younger sister who did not grow up with Japanese as one of her primary languages. So after I would read GsC or 3x3 Eyes, I would toss it into its mylar bag with cardboard backing and it would go from family member to friend before finally settling in its own box. I still own every single one of those monthlies except for GcS which I ended up selling for a mini-fortune. I cannot really express how I felt about then back then in words, as exciting and confusing were both kinda mixed in together along with many other feelings.

Manga has seriously changed quite a bit since then.

How many monthlies are you buying now? Dark Horse is the only manga publisher in North America that is really doing this in any form with only two titles: Blade of the Immortal and Space Pinchy.

How many titles that you buy are still flipped? Really only the OGs of manga are still doing this - CPM, Viz Media and Dark Horse. So you can pick up 2005 releases of Club 9, Samurai Executioner and Blade going left to right. Kinda cool how most swordsmen are left-handed in DH titles, huh?!

Love manga and anime? IGN WANTS YOU!

2006-01-04T06:39:00.000-08:00

From ign.com:

Are you an Otaku and proud of it? Do you stay up till the wee hours of the morn' watching anime? Does your dream guy/gal have big eyes and a tiny nose? If you love manga and anime and like to write, IGN may have a place for you. We are currently looking for freelancers to write manga and anime reviews. What could be better than free books and DVDs and a paycheck? Nothing. Nothing could be better.

Qualifications

Must be at least 18 and live in the US.

Have an almost unhealthy love for manga and anime

Possess exceptional writing skills

Want a shot at the big time? If you think you have what it takes to be an IGN freelancer, send your resume and a 350-500 word review on a recent manga or anime release to animejob@ign.com.

Largest anime conventions of 2005.

2006-01-03T06:35:00.000-08:00

The growth of anime conventions continued throughout 2005. More and more conventions popped up while many existing conventions grew in size as more people discover anime fandom and anime fans attend more conventions.

Throughout the year, most conventions chose to publish their attendance numbers. Anime-Cons.com collected those numbers and has assembled this list of the ten largest anime conventions in North America:

Anime Expo - 33,000 total
Otakon - 22,000 paid
A-Kon - 10,800 paid
Anime Central - 10,434 total
Anime North - 9,500 total
Anime Weekend Atlanta - 7,505 paid
Anime Boston - 7,500 total
FanimeCon - 6,580 paid
Katsucon - 5,700 total
Sakura-Con - 4,745 paid

Cinema Anime - For the Serious Anime Student

2006-01-02T21:13:00.000-08:00

For the serious student of anime, check out Cinema Anime

Description:

This collection charts the terrain of contemporary Japanese animation, one of the most explosive forms of visual culture to emerge at the crossroads of transnational cultural production in the last twenty-five years. The essays offer bold and insightful engagement with anime’s concerns with gender identity, anxieties about body mutation and technological monstrosity, and apocalyptic fantasies of the end of history. The contributors dismantle the distinction between 'high' and 'low' culture and offer compelling arguments for the value and importance of the study of anime and popular culture as a key link in the translation from the local to the global.

Blogmaster's Note: If you're looking to sneak anime into that 10 page paper you can't think of a topic for, Cinema Anime seems like the perfect resource.

Anime Newsgroup Master List

2006-01-02T16:22:00.000-08:00

Master List of Anime Newsgroups Online:

This is a list of anime-related newsgroups on Usenet, based on a series of postings to alt.fan.bgcrisis on August 20-21st, 2000, research by the new maintainer, and submissions to the original maintainer, Rob Kelk.

It begins with the rec.arts.anime newsgroups and their history and then moves onto the anime newsgroups in the alt.* hierarchy and the regional hierarchies.

This list will be posted monthly to rec.arts.anime.misc and rec.arts.anime.fandom.

READ THE CURRENT LIST

Anime Acronym List

2006-01-01T11:49:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder what the acronym for your favorite anime is? How about what OM or FT mean?

Check out the Anime Acronym List:

Includes topics like:

Suggested Tag-Lines

Terms Specific to the Anime Newsgroups

General Internet Terms

What Anime Should I Watch Now?

2006-01-01T11:27:00.000-08:00

Check out: The Anime Primer

This is intended for English-speaking fans who are new to anime, and looking for some suggestions of what to watch next. While this list concentrates on North American releases of anime, there is some information about the availability of translated anime in other parts of the world mentioned as well.

Includes such Topics as:

How to Find Anime

Why would an anime not be on this list?

Other Recommendations

The List Maintainer's Current Favourites

Capsule Descriptions of Anime

Check out the Anime Primer for good recs and info on Anime.

Sakura-Con welcomes GameWorks as a sponsor

2006-01-01T00:02:00.000-08:00

Sakura-Con is pleased to welcome GameWorks as a new sponsor in a first ever pre-registration incentive!

Pre-registrants for Sakura-Con will each receive 30 minutes in FREE game play from GameWorks valued at $10 (subject to limitations; see details below). Yes folks, this does include the wise souls who've already pre-registered!

For those of you who may not know, GameWorks is Sakura-Con's neighbor in downtown Seattle and a destination stop in it's own right. Located adjacent to the Washington State Convention Center, GameWorks, now owned by SEGA, features state of the art gaming, entertainment, food and drinks. Everything a gamer could want, from classic games like Pac Man, to anime fan favorites, such as DDR and Initial D can be found at GameWorks! Pre-register now before the GameWorks certificates run out!

Top 10 Anime Theme Songs of 2005

2005-12-31T11:06:00.000-08:00

Oricon has posted an article about the top 10 selling anime theme songs of 2005.

Thirty-seven anime theme songs broke into Oricon's top 10 charts this year, compared to 24 in 2004 and only 8 back in 2000.

This year's top 10 anime theme songs were:

1) "*~Asterisk" from Bleach (TV), by Orange Range - 628,329 copies sold
2) "Gekkouka" from Black Jack, by Janne Da Arc - 321,977 copies sold
3) "Sukiyanen, Osaka/Oh! Enka/Mugendai" from Nintama Rantarou, by Kan Johnny 8 - 238,826 copies sold
4) "Link" from Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shambala, by L'Arc-en-Ciel - 235,751 copies sold
5) "Pride" from Gundam Seed Destiny, by High And Mighty Color - 223,208 copies sold
6) "vestige" from Gundam Seed Destiny, by T.M. Revolution - 176,028 copies sold
7) "Metamorphoze" from Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: A New Translation -Heirs to the Stars-, by Gackt - 156,709 copies sold
8) "Kimi wa Boku ni Niteiru" from Gundam Seed Destiny, by See-Saw - 156,172 copies sold
9) "Kuroge Wagyuu Joushio Tanyaki Roppyaku Hachijuu En" from Black Jack, by Ai Ohtsuka - 149,134 copies sold
10) "Wings Of Words" from Gundam Seed Destiny, by Chemistry - 140,969 copies sold

Thank You: Anime News Network for this information and the fine translation of it.

Manga in the New Year

2005-12-29T22:28:00.000-08:00

This weekend, celebrate the new year by learning something new.

Instead of dozing off on the sofa while waiting to see the ball drop on TV, families can spend New Year’s Eve learning to draw manga a type of anime or watching a professional comic sculptor at work.

Galactic Quest Comics is offering a unique way to celebrate the new year with its second annual Galactic ConQuest convention today through Sunday. Galactic ConQuest II will offer a variety of programming, games and entertainment for all ages. The $5 cost of admission allows entry to all three days of events.

“This is a fun family alternative” to typical new year’s celebrations, said Kyle Puttkammer, owner of Galactic Quest stores in Buford and Lawrenceville. “It’s something unique that Gwinnett County, GA hasn’t seen before.”

This year’s convention is designed to teach people how to play various video, computer, miniature, card and board games, which will be played throughout the weekend, Puttkammer said.

“We want to take people who have no idea what it’s about and teach them,” Puttkammer said. “We’d really like to have people who don’t really know about comic books or maybe who are fans but don’t know other people who are fans.”

Technorati: manga anime

Top 100 Anime DVD Sales List from CD Japan

2005-12-29T19:08:00.000-08:00

Number 5 bestseller is:

Ghibli ga Ippai Special Short Short
Animation
Release: 2005/11/16 | DVD

Can you guess the ichiban (#1) best selling DVD?

CD Japan’s top 100 list is found here:

anime

Monster Ep 67 translated

2005-12-29T16:26:00.000-08:00

This is good news for me, hopelessly addicted to the anime Monster as I am.

Head on over to anime-kraze and download the newest episode of Monster!

The Story: (from Anime News Network): Kenzou Tenma, a Japanese brain surgeon in Germany, had it all: incredible skill at his work, a rich and beautiful fiancee, and a promising career at his hospital. However, after becoming disenchanted by hospital politics, he chose to save the life of a young boy who got shot in the head over the life of the mayor. As a result he lost the support of the hospital director, as well as his position in the hospital and his fiance. A short time later, the hospital director and the doctors that replaced him were murdered, and once again he was catapulted back onto the top. But as the chief suspect of the murders, Tenma did not get a easy life. As a matter of fact, it seems that the boy he saved was much more than he had appeared to be... Now to clear his name and to correct his past mistake, Tenma must get to the bottom of these and other murders, and investigate the truth of the Monster who is behind all of this.

Monster is a psychological thriller in every sense of the world. Some episodes are so beautiful, you can’t help but be moved to tears. I admit, I’d been in some despair that new episodes weren’t being translated, but the fine folks at anime-kraze are keeping up with this wonderful and difficult to translate anime (which regularly uses three languages - though of course mainly Japanese)

anime

Manga Invasion!

2005-12-29T06:38:00.000-08:00

Celebrating an art form where girls can be super, the hero doesn't always win, and mah-jongg is blood-sport

Only when you have sat in an automobile overflowing with college students (and their various odors and idiosyncrasies) for five hours can you truly understand obsession. In the age of the Internet, satellite dishes, and free shipping, what could possibly consume anyone enough to submit to the travails of such bone-jarring interstate journeys?

Until recently, you could say the word "manga" (Japanese for comics) and count on blank stares. These days, manga paperbacks fill rows at bookstores. Book sale reports showInu-yasha and Naruto making runs at the crown long held by Calvin and Hobbes and Get Fuzzy. Manga popularity has even encouraged one pair of local entrepreneurs to open a dedicated store --- after making the aforementioned trek one too many times.

"[I]n Hiroshi Hirata's samurai comics, with their direct, serious art style, I find a nostalgia for the kami-shibai of old, and a sensibility in the manner of the violent warrior prints of the late Edo period." --- Yukio Mishima (Japanese traditionalist and writer, better known nowadays in the West for his ritual suicide in 1970)

Hiroshi Hirata, Osamu Tezuka, and their fellow mangaka are the inheritors of a long artistic history in Japan. A thousand years ago, Buddhist monks were producing cartoon-like drawings satirizing other clergy and the nobility. In the 17th and 18th century, woodblock printing techniques led to mass production of story-telling pictures on scrolls, arguably the original comic books. The most popular prints were ukiyo-e, the "Floating World" pictures recently on display at the MemorialArtGallery.

The arrival of American comic strips in bound collections a little less than a century ago led to the production of thick monthly Japanese magazines collecting whatever comics were available. Even so, pre-1945 most of the artwork bears little resemblance to the stylistic conventions now associated with manga.

That would all change with the artistic emergence of a medical student who preferred Walt Disney and Max Fleischer.

Paging through Buddha by Osamu Tezuka is revelatory, like hearing the Beatles for the first time or eating seafood fresh off the boat in a place where that means something. The art varies from exquisite landscapes to elongated caricatures. Like Citizen Kane, the artist took the opportunity to explore the possibilities of black and white. The 3000-page tale offers the same labyrinthine experience as the lengthiest Russian novel. Buddha is a manga masterpiece created by the originator of the medium. This could never be a comic book produced by the American entertainment machine.

"People talk about [Tezuka] as the 'father,' [and] he was in a lot of ways," says Joanne Bernardi, director of the Film and Media Studies Program and associate professor of Japanese at the University of Rochester. "He was the one who introduced this new style. It caught on. It fed into a whole lot of social and cultural ethos at the time. It completely meshed with the whole idea of technology outracing and outpacing and undermining humanity. The fact that there had been this atomic bomb and this traumatic experience in Japan that was due to technology. The bomb really seems to infect popular culture, at least. It definitely overshadows other aspects about the war."

Sitting on her parents' sofa in the early '60s, Prof. Bernardi was on the frontlines as the first Japanese animations entered American family rooms on Saturday mornings. "[Tezuka] really did make a big change with Astro Boy," she says. "Astro Boy was his flagship character. To our American consciousness, he was the only one exported."

"There was a young girl sitting beside me.... [F]or nearly the whole time since we had left Ueno Station she had been reading a thick comic book. The girl rose, put her comic down, and walked the length of the car to the toilet. A green TOILET OCCUPIED light went on, and while that light burned I read the comic. I was instructed and cautioned. The comic strips showed decapitations, cannibalism, people bristling with arrows like Saint Sebastian, people in flames, shrieking armies of marauders dismembering villagers, limbless people with dripping stumps, and, in general, mayhem. The drawings were not good, but they were clear. Between the bloody stories there were short comic ones and three of these depended for their effects on farting: a trapped man or woman bending over, exposing a great moon of buttock and emitting a jet of stink (gusts of soot drawn in wiggly lines and clouds) in the captors' faces. The green light went off and I dropped the comic. The girl returned to her seat and, so help me God, serenely returned to this distressing comic." --- Paul Theroux, The Great Railway Bazaar

Ignoring the fact that he seems to feel all right touching his fellow passenger's stuff, Theroux does accurately describe the contents of the common manga weekly, in many ways not too far removed from Mad Magazine or a Hollywood Western. On the other hand, "There's also this idea that the violence and sex in anime --- this is today --- that seems to be blown out of proportion," Bernardi reminds us. "That's been a much bigger impediment to [adults] appreciating anime. The kids don't bother with [worrying about] it."

First round of guests for AnimeNEXT 2006...

2005-12-28T21:38:00.000-08:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AnimeNEXT is proud to announce that Vic Mignogna, Laura Bailey, Colleen Clinkenbeard, Lauren Goodnight and Bill Rogers are the first guests for AnimeNEXT in 2006!

Vic Mignogna, who was a guest in 2005, will be joining us again in 2006. Vic's list of accomplishments include voices from Fullmetal Alchemist, Full Metal Panic, Dragonball Z Movie 8, Saiyuki, RahXephon, Princess Nine, Street Fighter, Sin, Spriggan, Casaraki, Noir, Steel Angel Karumi, Orphen, Excel Saga, A. D. Police, Yu Yu Hakusho and many more. He is a professional music composer and a veteran voice actor with ADV Films and FUNimation Productions, Ltd.

Colleen Clinkenbeard is a voice actress with FUNimation Productions. She got her start as Éclair in Kiddy Grade and has since voiced Rachel in Case Closed, Oleander in Lupin III: Dead or Alive, Mary in Lupin III: Farewell to Nostradamus, and currently Misako in Kodocha, and Rose and Hawkeye in Fullmetal Alchemist. She has also been featured in Dragonball GT, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Spiral, as well as the video games Fullmetal Alchemist, Spike Out, and Blood Rayne II. Her voice directing credits include Kiddy Grade, and currently Fullmetal Alchemist, Kodocha, and Sakura Taisen: Ecole de Paris. Colleen is also a scriptwriter for series such as Fullmetal Alchemist, Kodocha, and Samurai 7.

Laura Bailey got her start playing Kid Trunks on Dragonball Z and has since gone on to play the lead in several FUNimation properties. Her most popular roles include Tohru in Fruits Basket, Marlene in Blue Gender, Alv in Kiddy Grade, and Lust in Fullmetal Alchemist. Laura has been working in the anime industry for almost six years and has recently begun directing as well. So far she has directed Gunslinger Girls and Kodocha (in which she also plays the lead characters) as well as several episodes of Case Closed. For those gamers out there, you can hear Laura's voice as the title character in the video games BloodRayne 1 and 2 and as Alex D in Deus Ex: the Invisible War.

Japan and US to share DVD region encoding

2005-12-28T19:35:00.000-08:00

Japan and US to share region encoding on Blu-ray:

In other next-gen optical format news, reports (Japanese) are surfacing that Blu-ray disc will adopt a new region encoding scheme that will put Japan and the rest of East Asia into the same region as North and South America. Currently the United States is partnered with Canada on current DVD regions, while Europe is hangin' tough with Japan in another region lock-down.

Region encoding is purportedly an anti-piracy measure, allowing for DVD manufacturers to determine what regions a given DVD may play in. For instance, my family across the pond can't buy BBC DVDs for me, because the UK and Ireland are in another region, and my DVD player will refuse to play them. Of course, the pirates who engage in video swashbuckling are quite capable of removing this region encoding, meaning that the black market goods are user friendly, while the white market goods are a pain to deal with, and limit consumer choice.

If the reports are correct, there will only be three regions for Blu-ray, as follows:

Region 1: North America, South America, and East Asia (excluding China)

Region 2: Europe (including Turkey), and Africa

Region 3: China, Russia and others

A fourth region setting would be "null," or no region specified.

If true, the news will be greeted cheerfully by all manner of North American anime fans, who have long lamented the separate region encodings for Japan and the northwestern hemisphere (those that didn't pirate content, at least). But another group may also be pleased. If this region encoding applies to Blu-ray games, this would mean that PS3 games could flow easily between Japan and North America. But a few things merit mentioning. First, Sony's PSP does not use region encoding, and there's a possibility that the company may forgo using it at all for the PS3. On the flipside, Sony could also add another layer of region encoding that is game specific, and could shut down game sharing, if they wanted to. We can't know for sure until later.

Fansubbers Wanted

2005-12-28T08:25:00.000-08:00

Anime Fansub : Translators "Japanese to English":

Hell-Fansub is currently taking on 2-3 translators to join the team. Not much is required but dedication to the fansub is a must. Requirements for the position are listed below:

Requirements:

+ Decent Understanding of the Japanese Language
+ 8 Hours Free a week to logon IRC
+ Subtitle Skills (NOT REQUIRED but will help )

If you would like to apply for this position either visit their irc channel and message an operator or visit the website and apply online.

WebSite: www.hell-fansubs.org

Irc: irc.rizon.org

Channel: #hell-fansubs

(from sci.lang.translation)

Trumbull Library schedules anime film festival

2005-12-28T07:36:00.000-08:00

TRUMBULL When the Trumbull Library staff asked teen patrons their theme preference for the library's first youth-oriented film festival, the response was quick and simple.

The festival should focus on anime, a majority of responding teenagers said.

In a bow to the popular animation style created by Japanese graphic artists, the library's Anime Film Festival for Teens will be Wednesday, featuring three back-to-back anime films.

"Anime is very, very hot among this group," library Director Karen Ronald said. She said the film festival is one of several ways the library is expanding teen services.

Sharp and colorful images, strong lines, original plots and unusual settings make anime (pronounced ah-KNEE-may) immediately discernable from other animation styles. It also is set apart by characters that typically have large, round eyes and vibrant, often nontraditional, hair color. Distinctive anime genres are targeted specifically toward boys, girls or adults.

"I saw my first anime film festival this fall and I was absolutely blown away by the graphics," Ronald said. "They're beautiful. Very stylistic, very interesting."

Library staff members Sandy Miller, who works in the technical services department, and Megan Norrell, head of circulation, coordinated the festival.

"My husband is a real anime buff," Norrell said. She said his devotion to anime is in keeping with the Japanese assessment of cartoons, which varies from that of Americans.

"Americans tend to view cartoons as kid stuff," Norrell said. "The Japanese view anime as an artistic rendition. They use it really as an artistic expression."

Central Park Media Giveaway!

2005-12-28T00:00:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK, NY (December 27, 2005) Central Park Media today announced a special contest giving away 24 copies of CPM’s acclaimed Kakurenbo: Hide and Seek all throughout December 31st.

From 12 AM EST December 31 to 12 AM EST January 1 2006, fans who visit http://centralparkmedia.com/kakurenbo/contest.html will be able to play a special Find Sorincha Flash game, and every player who wins will be entered into an hourly drawing to take home Kakurenbo on DVD.

CPM will be drawing a new winner each hour, and fans are encouraged to come back throughout the day, as every hour the game is played is another chance to win.

All the winners will be announced on CPM’s Kakurenbo website on January 10.

VegasBuzzz.com Launches Anime News Channel The Japanese...

2005-12-27T23:07:00.000-08:00

VegasBuzzz.com Launches Anime News Channel

The Japanese Cultural Phenomenon known as Anime is taking the nation by storm

Las Vegas, NV (OPENPRESS) December 27, 2005 -- Vegas Buzz: www.vegasbuzzz.com , has launched a new channel decated to Anime News.

Anime, or Japanese for 'animation, are highly-polished, extreme production value cartoons on all subjects under the sun. Anime can run the gamut from cute to downright ugly and perverse, and are the motion equivalent of Japanese manga, or comic books, usually intended for adults.

Millions of Japanese read manga on trains, planes, waiting rooms, dental offices and lunch rooms.

While manga are almost as popular as anime, anime is the clear winner, and purported to be a billion dollar industry sleeper, one that enjoys a quiet, but increasingly noisier boom.

Just this October, the Second Annual Anime convention was held in Vegas by AnimeVegas.com , a non-profit dedicated to the introduction of Japanese culture through this highly entertaining medium of anime. Anime Vegas has its own blog devoted to Anime and featuring a videolog, or video blog - log on to www.animevegas.blogspot.com to access the latest info and video blogs.

Anime 101

Here's what anime's all about, according to www.about.com

ANIME (ah - nee - mhey) is a shortened form of the word ANIMATION, and is also commonly known as JAPANESE ANIMATION, but more often called simply as animè.
ANIME are animated films often based on manga titles. MANGA (mahn-ga) refers to japanese comics, often black and white, made for japanese magazines or sold separately by volumes. Manga is one of the most popular readable material ever, and in Japan it stands just like a newspaper. It depicts different genres of epic storylines and interesting characters to deal with, which made manga readership reach billions.
On the other hand, ANIME provides the necessary live action and cinematic themes needed for these mangas to come to life. Distinguishing anime from other animated films such as the Disney cartoons are certain aspects unavailable on its counterparts:

* An epic storyline. Soaring mechas, demons on the loose, blooming romance, historical developments, name it.
* The power everywhere. Most animes show characters that possess powers (magical, psychic, mental, spiritual, demonic, and more..) that are impossible for the 'real' human body to have.
* Eye-catching character portrayals. Heroes have unusual hair styles, bright hair colors, magnificent eyes, and one set of attire for the rest of the series. Heroines portray mastery in terms of its artwork, and wears the least clothing possible for the genre. Villians, on the other hand, mostly have horns, demonic bodies, or have unimaginable powers beyond control.

ANIME comes in different varieties, like futuristic (Evangelion), medieval (Rurouni Kenshin), typical romance (Fushigi Yuugi), hyperspeed action (Dragonball Z), sports (Slam Dunk!), comedy (Lupin), school life (Kimagure Orange Road), adult (La Blue Girl). Not only that, it has different types of viewpoints, from a 100-episode TV series, a 2-hour length movie, or rare to find original animation videos. Overall, anime is considered in a class above the rest of the world's cartoons.

Anime news should be sent to jonathan@allwirelessmedia.com

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No Shock Here

2005-12-27T21:53:00.000-08:00

Animated lessons in Japanese culture
Students credit 'anime' for their interest in Japan.

He has wide eyes like most anime characters. He has long, white hair and pointy ears on his head because he is half dog demon and half human. He is 150 years old but looks 17, and he carries a sword similar to that of a samurai.

His name is Inuyasha, and he is sophomore Sarah Vennell's favorite anime character. "Anime" is Japan's signature style of animation, marked by its sharp color contrasts, dynamic characters and action-packed plots.

"He's strong; he has a lot of powers," Sarah said during a meeting of the anime club at Penn High School, where she is a student. "The story has romance, adventure, action, everything you want."

As the popularity of Japanese cartoons and comic books has continued to grow in recent years, so has the number of high school and college students in Japanese classes at local institutions.

Many students enrolled in Japanese classes at Penn High School and Indiana University South Bend say their interest in Japanese started while watching or reading a variety of TV cartoons, films and comic books from Japan.

"I first got into Japanese culture because I watched all these shows," 14-year-old Mary Thorburn said, referring to the Japanese cartoons she watched on cable TV when she was 8 years old.

Now, Mary and classmate Brittany Weese are taking first-year Japanese at Penn High School. Brittany is just as enthused as Mary about the Asian country's culture.