Posts Tagged ‘basquash’

So unlike last year, there weren’t a lot of exciting things happening at the Tokyo International Anime Fair. But just because the news isn’t ‘blow your pantsu off’ amazing doesn’t make the knowledge any less valuable to have. In this post, I’m going to be addressing all the news that came out of Tokyo and then later on I’ll be highlighting some of the better trailers have surfaced around the web in the last couple of days from the event.

Anime Innovation Tokyo: A new anime movie is being put together by AIT called Ichirin-sha. AIT was also responsible for producing last year’s short film Cencoroll and will be working with Ushio Tazawa (who has previously worked on key animation in Afro Samurai and character design in The Place Promised In Our Early Days) and animation studio Nomad (Sola, Chocotto Sister, Kampfer, Rozen Maiden) for this theatrical release. The movie centers on a man surviving in a world overrun with missile wielding mechs. After meeting a young girl living alone in a ghost town, he discovers that she possesses a strange power that connects her to the robots somehow.

Also being worked on by AIT is a fantasy series titled Maho Tsukai Haley no Speed Story. The fantasy family story follows a couple of boys from a magical world who travel to the human realm in a challenge to find the fastest moving object. Nippon Animation will be producing what is being described as ‘scientific animation’. Sounds riveting.

Trick Block: While we’re talking about giant mechs, Trick Block will also be producing a giant mech anime later this year titled Kihei Senki Legacies. The series will be an original series created by Shin Kibayashi (who has created a number of titles under various names including GetBackers, Kami no Shizuku and Bloody Monday). The story takes place in a world moving past war while surrounded by old military robots and weapons. When a gang of bandits arrives in town to steal and use one of those old robots, a teen is tasked with piloting one of the robots to fight them off.

King Records: At their booth, King Records confirmed that the May 26th release of Evangelion 2.22 You Can [Not] Advance will be an extended edition with 3 minutes of added material. Extras for the set will also include trailers, TV commercials and a copy of the recording script. That’s for those of you who desperately want to see what changed from what was written and what was actually recorded and I can’t even say anything about it because I did the same thing with Firefly.

Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas Season 2: This was actually confirmed a couple of days before the fair began via the official blog but a second season is in the works.

Gonzo Developing New Series for 2011: At their booth, Gonzo confirmed that they have begun work on an anime project which could see a Spring 2011 premiere. The new series is said to take advance of new 3D televisions which are set to enter the market soon. At this point I’m forced to admit my ignorance and ask 3D televisions are entering the market soon?

Satelight: I mentioned Satelight once before in the first recap but they’re back and they’re talkin Basquash. If you missed the series last year, it takes place on a world where people play basketball with huge mechs. Despite a lack of any actual second season announcement, Satelight has confirmed that they are working on getting a more family friendly season of the series on the air. With the first season aiming more for an otaku audience, the studio said that they wanted to focus more on the basketball in order to make it more accessible *coughmarketablecough* to a more casual audience. You can’t fault them for the decision, sports anime do far better over there than they in the states after all.

Mangaka Love Trigun Too: Trigun: Badlands Rumble doesn’t premiere for almost a month (though I’ll be seeing it on Friday in Seattle heh) but you can already feel the anticipation rising. At their booth inside TIAF, the Klock Works booth had a display of Trigun fanart. With entries submitted from over 25 anime industry professionals, the display had artwork from everyone from Tetsuro Araki (Death Note – Director), Rikdo Koshi (Excel Saga – artist) to Nobuhiro Watsuki (Rurouni Kenshin – artist).

Kadokawa has uploaded the first two episodes of the reason mech sports series ‘Basquash’ and the pre-broadcast special for free viewing on their YouTube channel. The episodes are there as part of a special Golden Week celebration and will be available to view until May 7^th. If you’re not familiar with the series, the Satelight animated series follows a couple of youths living in an urban world where basketball is now played with giant mechs. I never actually went out of my way to watch this one last month so someone tell me if it’s any good.

An interesting survey was posted to the Funimation blog earlier today. In the survey, Funimation lists a number of spring premieres and asks fans what they are interested in seeing licensed. The list doesn’t include every new series of the season but there is a fairly good cross section to choose from:

07- Ghost
 Phantom
 Eden of the East
 Shangri-La
 Queen’s Blade
 Basquash!
 Guin Saga
 Basara
 Pandora Hearts
 Tears to Tiara
 Hatsukoi Limited
 Hayate the Combat Butler 2nd Season
 Cross Game

I do think it’s interesting that Hayate the Combat Butler 2nd Season is listed despite the fact that the first season was licensed by Bandai last year. Though I find it even more interesting that Queen’s Blade is even being considered for a license over here so quickly. From a personal standpoint there are few series on this list that Funimation wouldn’t do a good job with. If I were to narrow it down though in particular I believe Funimation would do good things with Pandora Hearts, Tears to Tiara or 07-Ghost.

Title	Studio	Premiere Date	Genre	Summary	Preview	Reasons to Care about this Series	Episode Reviews
Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari	AIC	3/20	Sci-Fi	Taking place in the world of Geminar, Tenchi’s half brother, Kenji Masaki, is called in to help an alien race fight off invaders who wish to destroy them.		~ The latest in the Tenchi Muyo franchise, this spinoff was originally slated to be a TV series before being changed into an OVA early in the year.
Kiniro no Corda ~Second Passing~	Aniplex	3/26	Music/Comedy	Still playing her magical violin, Hino continues to study music at her school while dealing with her peers.		~ Returning for a second season, the music harem series has pretty much the same cast and crew from the first season but a new director.
Lupin the Third vs. Detective Conan		3/27	Special	The ultimate showdown between the world’s most famous thief and detective will take place. In a battle of wits, the detective stuck in a child’s body will attempt to stop the elusive Lupin from succeeding in his latest caper.		~ While some fans are already convinced that the ending is going to an inconclusive stalemate, this battle between Conan and Lupin should make for some highly entertaining television.
Chii’s Sweet Home Season Two	Madhouse	3/30	Childrens	Still living with the family who has taken Chii in, the second season of this cute slice of life comedy will continue to follow the kitten through it’s daily life and desires to return home to its mother.		~ The first season of this cute slice of life series has since been announced to be streaming on Crunchyroll in the very near future. This might mean that fans will have easier access to this season when it premieres making this a perfect time to get into it.
Cooking Idol ai Mai! Main!	Studio DEEN/NAS	3/30	Childrens	Main loves to cook and each week she and her seiyuu will attempt to make something good that kids can make at home.		~ A fun way to learn some easy Japanese dishes?
Marie & Gali	Toei	3/31	Childrens	A gothic lolita (Marie) and Gali will teach children about science one five minute episode at a time.		~ A not quite so boring way to learn about physics and science but not a series that I will be following very closely.
Mainichi kaasan	GALLOP	4/1	Slice of Life Comedy	Originally a gag strip in a newspaper, this slice of life comedy tells the semi-autobiographical trials of a person trying to raise two kids.		~ Another series recently announced as picked up by Crunchyroll for streams. ~ If the artwork in the anime is similar to the artwork in the actual comic strip, this is going to be a not very pretty series to look at.
Charady no Joke na Mainichi	Thefool Inc.	4/1	Comedy	A 26 year old American female graduate of Kyoto University will tell a new dirty joke from around the world every day for 365 days.		~ A unique project, this seems like it’d be hard to keep up with but fun to watch none the less. ~ If the early artwork from the website is any indication, these jokes are not going to be the clean share around the office type of jokes.
Sengoku Basara	Production I.G.	4/1	Action	As far as I have been made aware, the story for the anime series will follow closely to the second release in the game series of the same name though it may just be adapting the franchise in general.	Preview	~ The seiyuu cast for this series is going to be the same as it was in the game. This is good news for fans as it means performances from amazing seiyuu such as Mamiko Noto.
Queen’s Blade	ARMS	4/2	Action	In a country where the new queen is the winner of a deadly tournament, a group of girls begin preparing for the newest fight of their lives.	Preview	~ Lots of action and lots of fan service make this series potentially a huge hit or a colossal miss. ~ The high fan service levels might turn off some viewers but some of the cast members should bring just as many back: Aya Hirano, Mamiko Noto, Hitomi Nabetame, Yuko Goto (just to name a few)
Asura Cryin‘	Seven Arcs	4/2	Action	Based on the light novels of the same name, this drama series follows a high school boy who is haunted by the ghost of his dead childhood friend. Soon his house is filled with various occult warriors and he is pulled into a fight he didn’t know was coming.	Preview	~ I had a completely different impression of this series until recently. Artwork has changed that into something I’m curious in. ~ Miyu Irino will be providing the voice for the lead role.
Basquash!	Satelight	4/2	Sports/Mech	A new sport is sweeping the planet, Basquash; basketball with giant mechs.	Preview	~ Basquash is going to be a unique standout this season for its attempt at meshing basketball, giant mechs and hip hop culture. It will be interesting to see how close they come to succeeding. ~ Notables among the cast include Aya Endo and Yu Kobayashi
Pandora Hearts	Xebec	4/2	Action	At his coming of age ceremony, the heir to a duke is cast into a dark prison where his only chance at escaping lies in a girl named Alice.	Preview	~ One of the more eagerly awaited titles of the spring, Pandora Hearts will be carrying a fairly large fanbase into its premiere. ~ Though only one trailer has been released, the early animatin from Xebec looks absolutely fabulous. This is going to be one pretty series to look at!
K-ON!	Kyoto Animation	4/2	Music Comedy	Four girls attempt to save their school’s music club by forming a band… despite the fact that none of them have the faintest idea how to play any instruments.	Preview	~ Once again, only one promotional video has been made available for fans but early looks at the character designs leave little to be disapointed with initially. ~ Brought to us from the same studio that did Haruhi Suzumiya and Lucky Star, Kyoto Animation is still on a major hot streak.
Phantom ~ Requium of the Phantom~	Bee Train	4/2	Action	After witnessing a murder commited by the mafia’s top assassin, Phantom, his mind is erased and he is turned into her new assistant Zwei.	Preview	~ Despite some pretty action animation in the trailer, this is another series that has ‘hit or miss’ written all over it. ~ Originally an OVA, this is the first time that this title is getting a full TV release. ~ This will be the second series starring Miyu Irino this season. ~ With an OP by KOKIA, an ED by Ali Project and BGM by Hikaru Nanase (Chrno Crusade, Scrapped Princess) the music for this series is set to sound amazing.
Higepiyo	Cinema Citrus	4/3	Slice of Life	The daily life of a baby rooster with a bitchin mustache on the farm.		~ The only cast member to be revealed so far is Romi Paku as the title chick. ~ Cinema Citrus is still very new to the animation scene but they will be around quite a bit this season as they also handled the animation for the theatrical release of ‘Eureka Seven: Pocket Full of Rainbows’
Hayate no Gotoku!	J.C. Staff	4/3	Comedy	The harem comedy returns for a second season with Hayate continuing to serve faithfully as a butler/bodyguard.		~ Picking up where the 52 episode first season and subsequent OVA left off, season two returns with most of the same cast and crew that fans loved originally but a new director.
Slap Up Party – Arad Senki -	GK Entertainment/Gonzo	4/3	Adventure			~ Based on the MMORPG based out of Korea, Gonzo will be sharing the animation production duties with Korea based GK Entertainment who have never been a full production member before. ~ This is just one of five series that Rie Tanaka will be playing either a role in this season.
Gokyjiyou! Mecha Mote Linchou		4/4	Shoujo Comedy	Adapted from the manga of the same name, this series follows a high school student council president who is always trying to cool and popular. Unfortunately she is also always having to deal with three boys (including one she has a crush on) who always cause problems.		~ Out of the five main cast members announced so far, the only one who has more than a few credits is Atsuko Enomoto.
Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z-Hen	Bee Media	4/4	Mech	The staff behind this series took great pains with this series. Mostly in making sure that everyone realized that this won’t be a remake of the 70′s mech series but a brand new chapter in the franchise.		~ The original series followed a boy who receives the strongest mech in the world after discovering his only relative killed. With how long its been since fans have seen a new chapter for this title, it will be interesting to see how it is updated for the times.
Shenjou no Valkyria -Gallian Chronicles-	A-1 Pictures	4/4	Action	Based off the PS3 of the same name, the story for the game takes place in 1930′s Europe right as two great powers are launching into the second great European War. In the middle of this war are Welkin who really just wants to be a science teacher and Alicia who wants to be a baker.	Preview	~ One can only hope that most of the video game voice cast returns to reprise their roles for the TV series. In the original game fans got to listen to Marina Inoue (Alicia), Mamiko Noto (Princess Cordelia) and Jun Fukuyama (Maximilian)
Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica Crimson S	Diomedea	4/4	Fantasy	A sequel to the 2006 original series, the latest chapter of the franchise will focus mostly on the stories told within the light novel adaptations which means a new dantist is entering with his own sprite.		~ The new series will have a new animation producer in Diomedea replacing Ginga-ya. ~ Familar names grace the cast however as the five primary characters will all be reprised by their season one seiyuu.
Metal Fight Beyblade		4/5	Action Tournament	The latest chapter in the long running franchise; Ginga will once again face off against a long string of opponents.		~ Really if you’re not a long time fan of Beyblade or in the proper age range for the series I fail to see how this one is going to magically convert you.
Dragonball Kai	Toei	4/5	Action	What was originally thought to possibly be a new chapter in the series is revealed to be something much better: Finally fans can watch Dragonball Z without waiting five minutes for a single attack sequence to end!		~ Admittedly one of the things I always hated about the Dragonball franchise were the long waits but this may be the chance a lot of fans have been waiting for to find out what the big deal is about this series.
Jewel Pets	Sanrio?	4/5	Fantasy	Adapted from the impossibly cute toys in Japan, I haven’t been able to pin down an actual story for this series but I’m guessing that saying ‘cute animals doing cute things while being impossibly cute’ will sum things up appropriately.		~ Again, it’s a series aimed at children with very cute animals. What exactly are you looking for here?
Cross Game	Synergy SP	4/5	Sports	Based off the manga, the story in this series is about a fifth grader named Koh whose family owns a sporting goods store. Always a genius hitter, he stops playing baseball after a tragedy. Four years later he starts again and everyone waits to see if he can find the talent he once had. While romancing four sisters of course.		~ Besides this series, Synergy SP might be better known to fans for the work they did on another baseball series; Major.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood	BONES	4/5	Adventure	So far all I really know about this second season is that Ed and Al will be followed through another adventure filled with action. Though this time it promises to be a bit more like the manga.		~ With a mostly new voice cast, what has me most curious about this new release is how well the fans will take to them.
Konnichi wa Anne (Before Green Gabels)	Nippon Animation	4/5	Historical	In this 39 (!) episode series, the staff will tell a prequel version of the classic novel ‘Anne of Green Gabels’		~ Even if you’re not familar with the classic book series, this may be a nice way to watch anime that has a little more depth behind it.
Hanasakuru Seishounen	Studio Pierrot	4/5	Romance	A half Japanese/half American heiress moves to the United States to attend high school for the first time. While overseas though she will be forced to choose between a lovely harem of suitors that her father puts before her. Let the bishie love commence.	Preview	~ With little to go off of other than early character designs and some a PV from Tokyo Anime Fair I have to believe that there’s enough room here to be pleasantly surprised. Though that means that it shouldn’t shock you if it’s bad.
Guin Saga	Satelight	4/5	Fantasy Action	A village is protected by a mysterious warrior in a leopard mask. With no memories from his time as human, the warrior protects those from harm until a new mysterious force arrives and he must destroy it.		~ Based on the hugely popular fantasy novel series, ’Guin Saga’ has its work cut out for it right away. With a trailer already released that looks great, this is going to be one worth checking out. ~  Leading the cast are two notable veterans Mai Nakahara (Rinda) and Kenyuu Horiuchi (Guin)
Shangri-La	Gonzo	4/5	Sci-fi	Based on the novel, Tokyo has been turned into a tropical city by global warming. To reduce temps in the city, the government has begun working to make Tokyo into the world’s largest forest city. Not everyone can live in the city however and some groups don’t want to see it happen at all.		~ This is one of two series animated by Gonzo this season as a result of their cutbacks in late 2008. ~ Also a series that will be streamed by Crunchyroll. ~  Notables from the cast and crew include: Mikako Takahashi (Kuniko), Yuko Iguchi (Karin) and Jun Fukuyama (Shion).
Tayutama -Kiss on my Deity-	Silver Link	4/5	Harem Romance	Based on an eroge, the story is about a boy whose father runs the local shrine. After discovering a relic related to the deity who protected the area, the boy starts high school meeting a girl who has something to do with the relic and the deity Tayutama.		~ I admit it, early animation for this series makes me think that it’s going to be fun to watch
Natsu no Arashi	SHAFT	4/5	Sci-fi Romance	Based on the manga of the same name, this story centers on a boy who meets an older high school girl named Arashi during summer vacation. After learning her secret however, Hajime and Arashi share an unforgettable summer together.		~ Created by the same author who brought us ’School Rumble‘ the comedy in this series seems to aim towards a similar vein.
Tears to Tiara	White Fox	4/5	Fantasy Romance/Action	The second anime this season to be based off an eroge, in this series a dark wizard ressurects a dark god named Arwan though Arwan has other ideas and decides to make a new life for himself with the girl who was to be his sacrifice and her tribe. Meanwhile the empire decides to strike back at the dark god.		~ Part of a complete repackaging, the anime is a precursor to both a new game release and manga series. Plus it is being simulcast through Asia which tells you how much of a push is being put behind this series. ~ The character artwork has me very worried though the voice cast is filled with talent: Yuko Goto (Riannon), Kaori Nazuka (Llyr), Mai Nakahara (Morgan), Ami Koshimizu (Limwris) and the list goes on…
Saki	Gonzo	4/5	Mahjong	A girl named Saki is pulled into the world of mahjong via a friend.		~ Mahjong? Despite a great cast list, unless this series really takes the time to explain the game I doubt many viewers overseas are going to pick up on this series.
07-Ghost	Studio DEEN	4/6	Military Comedy	In a class of 500, only 20 will be chosen to be one of the executive assistants, a top class of soldier. Teito has acheived that after rising from the ranks of a slave but a turn of events makes him a convict on the run. Sheltered by the church, he finds out the truth on why he’s being targeted and how far his roots go.		~ Maki Fujii has also been the character designer for  ‘Kannazuki no Miko, ’Strawberry Eggs’, ‘UFO Ultramaiden’ just to name a few. The characters in this series are going to be distinct.
Sugar Bunnies Fleur	Sanrio	4/7	Childrens	Another childrens anime based on the popular toy line. Don’t expect any drastic changes for the third season.
Souten Kouro	Madhouse	4/7	Historical Adventure	Telling the familar story of the Three Kingdoms, this series will go in a slighty different direction casting Cao Cao has a more likable hero character rather than the villain.		~ If you’re familar with the history behind the Three Kingdoms or with any of the novels, manga, etc that have told this story this might be a fun opportunity to get a new perspective.
Ristorante Paradiso	David Production	4/8	Cooking Drama	In this story, a young girl moves to Rome and becomes the new kitchen apprentice in a restaurant filled with kindly (?) older men.		~ Besides, Code Geass R2, David Production is still a very inexperienced studio making this a series to keep an eye on (the studio might not be around next season after all)
Eden of the East	Production I.G.	4/9	Drama	While visiting the US, a woman is attacked by thugs but saved by a naked man carrying only a gun, a phone that says he has billions in a bank account and no memories of who he is.		~ This is likely the series with the biggest amount of buzz behind it at the moment. ~ A film version will be released sometime after the TV version finishes its run. Not sure if the film will be just retelling the TV version or serve as an epilogue but I think that shows some confidence in this series drawing power.
Hatsukoi Gentei	J.C. Staff	4/11	Slice of Life Comedy	What happens in the everyday life of a junior high school girl named Ayami and her seven friends.		~ By my count, Aki Toyosaki will be three series this season with this being the third. You can also hear her in Asura Cryin and K-ON this season
Fight Ippatsu! Juuden-chan	Studio Hibari	5 2009	Sci-Fi Comedy	The best description I can find for this series involves an office lady visiting this world from a parallel dimension in order to ’power up dejected people’		~ This series promises to be at least slightly ecchi so ‘power up dejected people’ could mean any number of things. ~ Further worth noting that this series is based off a manga that came from the same creators of Kiss x Sis.
ROBO CROSSER	Telecom Animation Film	4, 2009	Sci-Fi Racing	A 12 year old boy obtains a mono wheeled mech and attempts to use it to win races.		~ This series is being put together by the Jetix brand (under the Disney umbrella) while being animated by Telecom. It has been in production since 2004 so it better be good.
RAINBOW Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin		Spring 2009	Drama	Set in the 1950′s, the story follows six youths in a reform school and their mentor as they go through the school and eventually leave to make their way in the world.		~ Based off a critically acclaimed manga series. ~ Little is known regarding who is animating the series or even a premiere date beyond sometime this spring.