Posts Tagged ‘gainax’

The license announcements continued today from both Crunchyroll and Funimation. Before today Funimation promised two things from today’s announcement: it was definitely going to be an anime and it was ‘surreal’. Finally the announcement hit and Funimation has revealed that they are the brand new owners of a slightly used but still very shiny FLCL license!

Originally licensed by Synch-Point, the six episode OVA got its first release in the US via DVD in 2002 and an Adult Swim broadcast (which is where I watched it the first time) in 2003. The series will be released on both DVD and Blu ray before the end of the year and as of the time I’m writing this, there’s no official confirmation regarding if the original English dub track will be used.

I’ll fess up right here though that while this is a very fan friendly move on the part of Funimation I’m personally not that excited. I remember not really being able to get into it when I first watched it. It could be fun to give this one another pass though. Regardless of how I feel about this, this is a slightly bigger deal than usual. FLCL is considered a classic from the last decade of animation by a lot of fans. The story and animation created by Gainax and Production I.G. was really unique for its time (keep in mind; FLCL was released the same season as Love Hina, Sakura Taisen and Saiyuki). Giving it a brand new life on both DVD and Blu ray is good news for fans that never had a chance to add to their collection the first time but I wonder how the moe generation of fans will take to it.

In another part of the internet, Crunchyroll made their next simulcast announcement today confirming the rumored Durarara. Produced by Brains Base, the series premieres on Thursday and will be available to fans in United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland on Friday at 11am Pacific.

While we’re on the subject of Crunchyroll, earlier tonight VP of Licensing at CR Rob Pereyda confirmed via twitter that their simulcasts of Omamori Himari will now also be made available in the UK, Ireland and Brazil. He also commented to me earlier that they are attempting to get Cobra the Animation available in ‘the rest of the Americas’.

Updated: Scratch that, it was just confirmed over twitter. “You asked, I listened…just got COBRA approved for the rest of the Americas! Change in effect in a bit on Crunchyroll.”

Full press releases below the cut

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With the release of Evangelion 1.01, a lot of fans of the original are finally getting to see the redone movie version. Information about the film has not been hard to find since it made its premiere now over two years ago. But finally after theatrical screenings, film festivals and convention appearances the movie is finally hitting the streets. For those of you who haven’t actually kept up with the movie, there are a few things you should know before going in…

Neon Genesis Evangelion 1.01: You Are [Not] Alone
Who’s Going to Enjoy It: Fans of mechs, the original TV series, Now and Then Here and There, Ghost in the Shell

Shinji Is Still Annoying:

If any part of your initial reasons for disliking the TV series involved the phrase ‘Shinji is annoying’ I have bad news. He’s not any better here and the vast majority of his dialogue involves him being whiny and emo. However, there is a very bright silver lining…

Evangelion Benefits Greatly From the Movie Format Switch

For me personally, one of the biggest reasons for hating the series so much was the pacing. It was bad enough that the series was just so slow but there were just so many moments that had to be filled and when there’s nothing else, there’s always Shinji to be whiny. Thanks to shrinking the first six episodes (about 150 minutes) down to a nonstop 110 minute feature, the pacing of the story is greatly improved and features much less whiny Shinji.

The Presentation is exactly Like the Original… Just Cleaner

Anyone who had fears about the movie taking the story in drastic new directions has nothing to worry about with the first movie. Though there are no promises for the next three movies of the series, Evangelion 1.0 remains a faithful adaptation of the first six episodes only looking much more impressive and defined. All of the most memorable scenes remain in place including the introduction of Pen Pen when first visiting Misato’s apartment which is still one of the few moments from the original that I actually remember laughing at.

If you’ve seen the original Eva TV series, you pretty much known exactly what I am about to lay out. If you are one of the many out there who aren’t already familiar with the Eva story here it is as spread out as I can make it: A short time ago, an alien (referred to as angels) attack caused about half of the world’s population to die. Since that time, the Earth has prepared for the next invasion by creating NERV, a defense company that has specialized in research on how to defeat the angels. Opening up the movie is the hero Shinji Ikari, a middle school student who has been sent for by his estranged father and head of NERV, Gendou.

After getting caught in the crossfire of another angel attack and the Japanese military, Shinji is brought before a large and imposing mech and told to pilot it or leave. Hesitent at first, Shinji finally relents and becomes the second Eva pilot after seeing another pilot lying almost dead ready to fight again. In the 110 minute movie, the story will take audiences up to the close of the sixth episode of the television series. This is going to take everyone through three angel attacks, Shinji’s first day living with Misato, his first day of school and the beginnings of his twisted relationship with the first Eva pilot, Rei.

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First off, sorry to everyone who has been coming here looking for news updates this week. The ‘real life’ work load has been pretty heavy so filtering down the news for everyone had to be put on the back burner. The good news is that I’m back and there are a few new trailers up including debut footage for multiple series premiering in the winter 2010 and beyond… wait, I’m already reporting on the winter season? Glad it’s still a full two and a half months away *scribbles note to start working on winter preview in November*.

Starting things off with a series that doesn’t have a release date yet; a new official website and trailer has been posted for Sengoku Gyōjin Dullahan ~Kagen no Keishōsha (Dullahan: The Inheritor of the Crescent Moon). The historical action series takes place in the Era of Warring States in Japan which means lots of samurai action featuring Date Masamune and others that you might already be familiar with. Dullahan was originally created by a visual novel group Ra-sen but the animation was created by anima with GrapeCity working on the motion capture.

I complain a lot when a series doesn’t even try to be original or break from the genre mold… figures from Japanese history in samurai mech suits though? The idea is interesting and the trailer has some very nice still moments but we’ll see if I still think that by the time the next trailer is released.

Getting into the series that already have premiere dates (well, premiere months at least), two new trailers have gone up for Nodame Cantabile: Finale and Hanamaru Kindergarten. Airing its final season in January, Nodame Cantabile is already generating a buzz amongst the fan base. In the first two seasons, the series follows two musical prodigies as they study in Japan and eventually Paris. The new 30 second trailer (hi t the spiky red balloon in the upper left corner) features a bit of artwork from the upcoming season but it’s mostly teaser images aimed at those already familiar with the characters.

Also premiering in January is the Gainax animated slice of life series Hanamaru Kindergarten which follows three kids in kindergarten and their teachers. The first series trailer (click the PV bubble in the upper right) shows quite a bit of character artwork and some of the humor but leaves me with major doubts. Normally I would give Gainax a bit of slack here since they can obviously do cute and funny (Petite Princess Yucie, Mahoromatic and He Is My Master are all Gainax) but I cannot be the only one who saw some very odd character design similarities between this series and others. In just a few seconds I was able to spot at least two designs that could have come from either Kodomo no Jikan or even Nyamo from Azumanga Daioh. Perhaps I’m just imagining things but check out the trailer and tell me what you think.

Is Hanamaru Kindergarten borrowing some of their designs from other series (ala Fairy Tail borrowing from One Piece) or am I just a crack head who doesn’t know what he’s talking about?

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The summer season of 2009 is interesting on the surface in quite a few different ways. Only a little less than 40 titles will be released from June to August. That number includes specials, OVAs and movies being released which contrasts against at least 30 TV premieres last summer alone.

In terms of content, this is a summer of dreams for fans of manga based stories with up to eight series being adapted from a manga, though that number goes past a dozen when you factor in light, visual and traditional novels as well. Only two series are based off eroge this season but sequels and continuations are alive and well taking up 10 titles of their own.

In terms of studio activity, Madhouse and Studio DEEN are easily the most active of the season with three releases each. On the Madhouse queue are a TV series, a special and a movie while Studio DEEN will be releasing two television series and a series of web shorts. JC Staff and SHAFT aren’t far behind them though with two releases each and a wealth of others filling out the crowd with one each. One studio will even be making their debut their season with GoHands taking a shot at the eroge adaptation ‘Princess Lover‘.

So enough with the introductions, (with apologies to Gia of AnimeVice for adapting her preview style a bit) listed below the cut are as many of the releases that I could find information for. I have tried to make this listing as complete as possible with my resources but I’m not perfect. If you see any missing titles, feel free to drop me a line in the comments and I’ll make sure to get them added.

Titles are listed by premiere dates and will be continuously edited throughout June. Keep checking back for updates as new premiere dates are listed, previews are written and finally to read all the latest reviews as the new series premiere!

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In the latest Young Gangan seinen magazine, two new anime will be officially revealed as green lit for production. First up is a sequel for the dark action drama Darker than Black. The series follows a group of individuals called ‘contractors’ who are able to use psychic powers after a mysterious wall appears on the outskirts of Tokyo called ‘Hell’s Gate’ and the investigation into them by various government agents and police.

The second announcement to come in the magazine is for the slice of life comedy Hanamaru Yōchien. In this slice of life, the characters the audience follows though are kindergarteners and their teachers.  The series will be produced by Gainax with Seiji Mizushima as the director. Looking at histories here, the only other comedy ever directed by Mizushima is ‘Oh! Edo Rocket’ making this a sort of rare departure from his usual field of big freakin mechs.

Some of you may remember a little title released by Gainax in 2002 (and ADV back in 2003) called Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi. At the time of its release it developed quite the buzz but little became of it after that. Over the weekend at Fanime, it was announced during the Gainax panel that a new special will be created for the title. The announcement came from Gainax co-founder Hiroyuki Yamaga who also directed the original series. No details were revealed regarding a release date or crew but as soon as one is announced I’ll have it here.

It was also announced during the panel that Gainax was working on an untitled project which would center on free-diving (diving without breathing equipment).