Posts Tagged ‘gonzo’

Today Funimation has re-released a little horror/action series called Chrno Crusade for fans to buy, enjoy and savor. And believe me, there is a lot within this series to become completely lost in. Produced by Gonzo in 2003, Chrno Crusade managed to find life and rave reviews within the shores of region 1 thanks to ADV in 2006 (though not really the legions of fans that it deserved) before disappearing from radars and store shelves quietly. Finally though, a brand new audience can discover the demon fighting thrill ride that is this series.

Taking place in late 1920’s New York, Chrno Crusade focuses on a demon fighting nun named Rosette Christopher (Hilary Haag in the English cast) in the Order of Magdalene and her demon partner, Chrono (Greg Ayres), as she searches for her missing younger brother Joshua (Chris Patton). As she continues to search however an enemy appears bent on bringing Hell to the surface and it turns out that he requires Joshua to do it. An amazing series all the way through, here the things that you should know ahead of time before starting in.

 

 

Period Speak:

Taking place in 1920’s New York, the staff behind this series really wanted to reflect that through the language. This is particularly true of the English script which is filled with references to ‘apple Sauce’, ‘the bee’s knees’ and other references appropriate for the period. This can sometimes be annoying though more often than not I found it to be a really nice touch that helps to create the world.

 

You Won’t Be Saved But…

All of the main characters from this series are connected to the church in one way or another but do not let this scare you off. Within the 26 episodes Chrno Crusade explores religion from new perspectives while asking questions that will leave audiences with something to think about for days afterward. Even if you’re not interested in western religion at all, the points that this series raise make this series much more thought provoking and thoughtful than anyone would suspect.

 

 

Moe Before There Was Moe:

Satella is easily, hands down the best fiery German redhead since Asuka and Azmaria is one of the cutest sidekicks in anime history. This is just another point to Chrno Crusade that completes the entire picture. While the foreground is never lacking in interesting events or situations, the background is equally filled with the side stories of the easily likeable supporting cast.

 

Ear Plugs:

I don’t own a big home theater system so this is hardly an issue for me but if you do own one, get your ear plugs ready. As Rosette remembers moments from her past with Joshua there will be moments that constantly shift from soft whispers to blood curdling screams. Sometimes it even happens within the same sentence.

 

 

Get Your Tissues Ready:

If you take nothing else away from this article just remember that you’re going to need to stock up on tissues. I’m not interested in spoiling how it ends but this is one of the best climaxes of the decade. No major open questions, just satisfaction and buckets of tears.

 

 

One of the most underappreciated series of the last few years, Chrno Crusade is one of the titles that I worried no one would ever release again. Thanks to Funimation though, a brand new wave of anime fans will get to see one of the best series to be produced by Gonzo (possibly ever). If you weren’t watching anime a few years ago or you were but didn’t check this one out, I cannot let this end this without urging you to change that. A classic to be appreciated, if you like action, demons and wonderful writing this should be in your collection. If you’d like to check it out yourself, the series is available in a brand new collection on Right Stuf and Amazon.

Wow… remember when Gonzo reported that they had managed to make a profit last year and they were going to be working on a new TV project? Turns out they were actually serious!

Coming complete with its own official website, Gonzo has announced that they will be adapting the doujinshi series the Gothic World of Nyanpire into a TV anime. The series started in summer of 2009 and has been a merchandise bonanza ever since selling over 3 million character goods. The story follows a homeless kitty who is saved by a vampire who gives it some of his own blood. Now a living vampire kitty, Nyanpire finds a new home with a girl named Misaki.

As of now, the only information available other than the animation studio is that Takahiro Yoshimatsu (character design – Basquash, Slayers, Shingu Secret of the Stellar Wars; animation director – Black Cat) will be directing and doing character designs while Natsuko Takahashi (script writer – Asura Cryin, Bleach, Vandread) will be handling the series composition.

So yeah… brand new anime from Gonzo! Good job folks, I always knew that you had it in you! Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go tear up a comically large farewell card that I had made for… um, no one in particular.

Via ANN

Gonzo: The Little Studio That Could

 

Remember around 2008-ish when everyone in the world started to think that maybe animation studio Gonzo was slowly going the way of the buffalo? Things weren’t exactly roses in this time. In early 2008, the studio accepted new management which took over the parent company, GDH. This was followed by 20% or more of the staff being asked to take early retirement. Then the new year started… and went pretty much the same. By the end they had been replaced by AIC for Strike Witches 2. And yet, there they were; seemingly hanging on by the skin of their teeth, finding a way to keep themselves going with smaller projects. Finally their hard work has paid off and this year the studio is reporting a 74 million yen ($900,000) operating profit for the first half of the fiscal year.

While they weren’t involved in any headline anime series this year, Gonzo was still plugging away all year with smaller video game projects that a lot of people probably didn’t notice. Around the middle of the year, they started to show new signs of life by recruiting some new animators and confirming a new series. There aren’t a lot of details about that but it will air sometime in 2011. You can do it Gonzo! Just remember: if you moe it, they will watch.

<Via ANN>

Available from Amazon Available from Right Stuf

Strike Witches Season 1 Collection Released By: Funimation Released: 3/30/10 Reviewed: 12/27/10 Rated: 17+

In an alternate 1939, the world is fighting against an entirely different enemy. Strange life forms called Neuroi have begun attacking earth leaving most of it in ruin. The only effective means that humans have developed to fight back is a team of teenage girls capable of using magic. Sent into the skies with propeller powered personal leg units, these girls fight the enemy in close range aerial combat. The name of this unit is the 501^th Airborne, also known as the Strike Witches.

The series opens on a young girl named Yoshika who uses healing magic. When a brash military officer named Mio comes to recruit her into the war, Yoshika initially refuses but after learning that she might be able to learn more about her missing father she finally agrees to accompany Mio. Still completely oblivious to being manipulated into fighting the war, Yoshika arrives at the base and meets various other girls from around the world also recruited to fight with her and find her place amongst the unit.

Good and the Bad

I’ve had Strike Witches on my radar for months. I always knew I was going to watch it, I was just never in a hurry to get to it. Finally setting aside some time, I stuck it in and instantly found myself wanting more. This is a series that is not only better than I ever thought it would be, this is a series that is better than it has any right to be.

To put it out there, if you’ve heard anything about this series already it’s probably true. It is a military loli series about girls with guns and no pants. It’s also a series capable completely disarming even the most cynical members of the audience with its capable and moving stories of friendship and loss. At first, watching Strike Witches can be almost disconcerting. The panty shots are quite random but impossible to miss as many come in the form of close ups or flybys. It’s never hidden from the audience and animation studio Gonzo never attempts to be coy with how often they appear. If you don’t believe me, watch the breezy episode in the second half.

Generally when a series gets that kind of description, you’ve pretty much hit the limit for finding any real depth. What makes Strike Witches special is that once you get past the shiny loli surface, there are deeper layers. Layers that pull the audience in with an emotional story about girls fighting together and finding new families after losing their own in the war that they’re trying to end.

As the girls bond closer and Yoshika finds her place among the witches, it becomes easy to forget about everything else. Amongst the girls, there are a variety of characters all featuring their own unique looks and personalities. No matter what character type you might like, there will be someone amongst the witches to catch your attention. For the record, Mina, Charlotte, Francesca and, to some extent, Lynne  ended up being my moe switches. Even if there are some amongst the troop that irritate you to no end (looking at you Yoshika and Perrine), there will always be someone else to make up for it.

What hits me as the most impressive fact about Strike Witches is the amazing amount of detail put in by the staff. Even if you wanted to just pass this off as ‘just another moe’ series, no one can deny the fact that it is at least ‘just another moe’ series that has done some serious homework. While it is never directly talked about all of the various names used are references to real life counterparts (i.e. the Akagi was a real ship used in the Japanese navy in this era). Even the various strike units the girls use are modeled after real planes of the era while the girls themselves are all named after real pilots (some of which are still living; wonder if any of them have watched this?).

Music

Before catching this series, I had no idea that the same man who composed the scores for two series I consider beloved, El Hazard and Petite Princess Yucie, did this one as well. But after 12 episodes, I should’ve figured it out. Another category with completely unexpected quality, the score composed by Hagaoka does a wonderful job of adding an extra layer of emotional weight behind the scenes. In the brighter and darker moments, soft melodies are always present to support all of the characters in their moments of happiness, sadness and fear. Constantly using soft duets, heavier moments are captured by a soft harp and string melody. When Mina looks out the window at night in a moment of weakness (which she likes to do because she’s deliciously angsty), this theme shares her burden and carries an emotional weight of its own.

Dub vs. Sub

While switching between the Japanese and English tracks, I noticed that in some cases that were like night and day with both casts containing performances that made me wish I were listening to the other track. In the English track, for instance, Kira Vincent-Davis delivers a completely flat performance for Mio. Every word is delivered in the same low tone and that rarely has inflection beyond ‘loud’ and ‘louder’. But then again, in the Japanese cast Kaori Nazuka  performs Lynne in a constantly high pitched, annoying whine that is the mirror opposite to Kate Bristol’s gentle, sweet and quiet voice that fits the character much more naturally. No matter how many episodes I watched however, I always found myself happier when I was listening to the Japanese track. While not every voice was dazzling, the performances always sounded much clearer and more natural to the ear.

Extras

Cast commentary featuring ADR Director Scott Sager, Kate Bristol (Lynne) and Cherami Leigh (Yoshika) and clean animations on disc 2.

Overall

I cannot emphasize enough just how much Strike Witches caught me off guard just by being good. In 12 episodes, this series tells a solid stories at a pace that makes hours just completely fly by. Not everyone is going to sit down and see this series as a sweetly told emotional story about girls coming together as a unit but if that’s what you’re looking for I really believe that most anime fans won’t be steered wrong with this one. If you enjoy moe or girls with guns, you owe it to yourself to give this one a chance. This is easily one of the best DVDs of the year and I’m kicking myself for waiting so long.

But it doesn’t mean everyone has to like it. Stupid project.

In a report posted to AnimeAnime.biz, it’s been revealed that anime studio Gonzo is still fighting tooth and nail to keep itself afloat. For their latest project, Gonzo will be teaming up with a producer from Malaysia, Funcel, and the Malaysian Film Development Board on a series called Satria – The Warriors of the 7 Elements. The currently scheduled release date is for the series to air sometime in 2012.

Seems like a nice little story on its own there. Gonzo is working with new sources in order to keep themselves busy. Sure they might not be working on big budget mainstream anime titles but at least they’re still working on things they love. That has to count for something in these tough times doesn’t it? See here’s the thing… after initially reporting on the story, MyAnimeList edited their original news posting to make a correction/addition.

In the correction, it was noted that Kitakubo Hiroyuki (Director of Blood: The Last Vampire, Roujin Z, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Golden Boy) would be serving as an advisor to the series. No big deal right? I’m sure that he’s proving to be a valuable member of the team. In fact, let’s go to his Twitter stream now to see his reactions to the project so far…

Oh, I have to work on an unenjoyable job! Malaysian government wants to produce animation, and they asked a Japanese company to produce one because they don’t have the know-how. The Japanese company has outsourced 22 episodes out of 26 to Chinese studios and the budget for one episode is two million yen! (note: about $24,500)

Well, no one said that every project had to be your absolute, most favorite ever.

Available from Amazon Available from Right Stuf

My Bride Is A Mermaid Set 1 Released By: Funimation Released: 7/20/10 Reviewed: 8/11/10 Rated: 17+

The Story

While on a family vacation, junior high school student Nagasumi almost drowns in the ocean. Luckily for him, a mermaid named Sun happens to be swimming past at that moment and saves his life. This puts them both into additional danger however as Mermaid law clearly states that any human that sees a mermaid in their true form must be put to death. The only way out of this sentence is for Nagasumi to marry Sun, the mermaid daughter of an undersea gang of yakuza. Left with no alternatives, Nagsaumi agrees to marry Sun despite her over doting father swearing to kill him to keep it from happening. For the first 13 episodes, Nagasumi will have to learn how to adapt to life with a mermaid fiancé, a gang of yakuza and bodyguards who would rather see him dead and Sun’s childhood rival Lunar trying to steal him away just so that she can have a victory over her.

Good and the Bad

There are a lot of things that My Bride is a Mermaid wants to be: a fun summer comedy filled with wacky physical gags, a parody series that calls up reference after reference to old live action Japanese dramas and summer movies, a sweet romantic comedy about a boy and his fish. But most importantly, it wants to be funny and occasionally it succeeds.

In its quest to be funny, this series takes two approaches to keeping the audience laughing. The first is the incredibly direct, couldn’t miss it if you were blind approach of making every character (particularly Nagasumi) have huge reactions to every little thing. Between his parents, the yakuza who are constantly trying to kill him and keeping his fiancé’s secret safe, Nagasumi has a lot of things to react to. And every single time he does it has to be a long winded, whiny, loud rant. This could work except for how many other characters use the same device; bodyguards, Sun’s father and rival gang members will always have something to yell about and the audience will never be allowed to miss it. It is never subtle and it never changes.

The second layer of comedy is the slightly more subtle but not really route of parodying or referencing a variety of old Japanese live action dramas, summer movies, anime and video games throughout the episodes. Between the opening animation, Sun’s episodic speech/kanji pun about honor (which I’ll admit is kind of funny the first couple of times but then again I like kanji puns), blocky 90′s animation and Lunar’s father being a walking Arnold Schwarzenegger reference, the series is never lacking in things to reference or throw in for giggles.

When the series jointly produced by Gonzo and AIC first premiered in 2007 Japan, I’m sure that lots of people had a good laugh at the various pop culture references that came up unexpectedly. In 2010 even I, who likes to consider himself armed with an at least superficial knowledge of Japanese pop culture, was left with many moments of stone silence. Not so much because the references weren’t clever but more because of the moments where I knew something was being parodied but had no idea what it was. Occasionally the jokes were a little closer to home (episode 10 is nothing but Schwarzenegger movie references) but most left me confused and annoyed that I couldn’t appreciate the humor as much as I wanted without doing a search.

Despite this, My Bride Is A Mermaid manages to skate by thanks to a couple of eventually emerging points. While mostly two dimensional in personality design, early episodes are largely carried by the smooth black stereotype Masa, whose smooth silky dialogue gave the series a chance to occasionally chill and take a breather. It’s in the second half however where the series finds the closest thing it ever finds to a stride with the addition of Lunar as a rival to Sun. Providing a polar opposite, the addition of Lunar gives the series a sorely needed sense of conflict and makes the second half much easier to watch as the relationships grew deeper.

By the end of the set, the point that struck me as the most intriguing came afterwards when I realized just how little fan service is in this series. This is a series about a mermaid so yes, there is occasionally some fan service (along with a gradual fish fetish developed by Nagasumi). But at no point does it ever feel gratuitously forced into the story. Near the end of the set there are some sexual situations but I was really impressed with how it was dealt with. While the characters were shallow and immature, the relationships are never treated as unimportant lending just a bit of credibility.

Music

Much like the series itself, the music composed by Yasuharu Takanashi (Hell Girl, Shiki, The Wallflower) does a fantastic job of really pushing the references to earlier times. The opening theme, composed by Sun’s seiyuu Halko Momoi (Nurse Witch Komugi), is a catchy beach rock tune and a lot of the background music is filled with 8 bit sound effects. This was particularly apparent when disciplinary officer Mawari springs into fight mode. On the softer side, the enka theme composed for Sun’s insert song had a great melodramatic feel to capture her emotion as sakura blossoms rain down on her.

Funimation shows off their own talent as well in episode 8 by translating the insert songs. As mermaids, naturally Sun and her rival Lunar have to be awesome singers which creates the perfect opportunity for them to have a singing contest. Keeping the music, the lyrics composed for the dub actresses do a great job of keeping the original lyrics in tact.That may sound awesome (and it actually is) but keep in mind; this is really bubblegum Japanese pop and it sounds just as sugary sweet in English as it does in Japanese.

Dub vs. Sub

For their localization, Funimation really keeps the general spirit of the dialogue alive with their translation. Naturally with the incredible speed that these jokes have to be yelled, quite a bit of extra dialogue is added into the rants but it never changes the tone of the humor.

Unfortunately that tone really lost me fairly quickly leaving me having more fun listening to the Japanese track. Led by Todd Haberkorn as Nagasumi, his performance is reminiscent of his role as Watanuki in xxxHolic in that most of his dialogue is delivered in a very high pitched, quickly delivered whine that never sounds natural. Honestly, this can also be said for most of the main players who were always forced to deliver these loud, long rants which were never particularly funny to begin with.

Helping to fill the gaps are standout performances from Cherami Leigh as Lunar and Christopher Sabat as Masa which are written as perfect polar opposites to their match. Playing almost a dual role, Leigh does a great job of really differentiating the public and private personalities of Lunar against the sweet, doting Sun (played by Alexis Tipton). In the role of Masa, Sabat pulls out an 80′s Billy Dee Williams and always delivers his dialogue in smooth, silky tones which plays to the stereotype and provide a nice balance to Sun’s father, Gouzamaru (John Swasey).

The one spot of confusion within the dub however was in the opening episodic introduction. In the original Japanese, the narrator always delivers this speech in the most hilariously strangled, high pitched, over enunciated voice I can ever remember hearing. In the dub track, where everything else matches the zany over the top antics, the narration delivered by Linda Young is a much calmer, more soothing tone instead. It’s not a bad point, just an interesting difference.

Extras

Clean animations on the second disc but I would have loved for some liner notes to have been included with this release.

Overall

My Bride Is A Mermaid really does try hard to keep you laughing and entertained. Sadly all the way through I always felt like that was the biggest problem: it was always trying to make me laugh. This was a series that is at its best during its less direct moments which are few and far between. Eventually the series does find some footing and becomes much easier to sit through for mindless entertainment. It takes quite awhile to get there however and it’s just hard to imagine sitting through six episodes just to get to a point of passable. If you really enjoy loud, over the top reaction jokes though this series has your name written all over it. For everyone else, there’s potential for the second half but this set is not the summer hit you’re looking for.

So yesterday afternoon while I was at work, Funimation was busy holding their 4th online convention panel. While there were some whispers about a formerly simulcast series finally getting a DVD release in 2011, the big news of the afternoon was that the rescue of 4 Gonzo titles formally held by ADV: Chrono Crusade, Gantz, Kaleido Star and Peacemaker Kurogane. All four series were originally released in the middle part of the decade when anime was still “cool”.

Chrono Crusade, Peacemaker and Kaleido Star were all originally released to DVD by ADV in 2004. Chrono Crusade is a 1930’s ‘nuns with guns’ series about a war being waged between the devil worshippers and the Order of Magdalene who want to stop their evil plans. One sister in the order, Rosette Christopher, actually has a devil for her assistant and is on a search for her missing younger brother.

Peacemaker is a historic drama which re-imagines the Shinsengumi in the period before the Meiji revolution. A young kid wants to join their ranks and becomes their mascot of sorts as he watches the events of the era play out in front of him. A very dark and violent series filled with wonderful images and characters.

Kaleido Star is the odd one out simply by not being a bloody, violent action fest. Directed by Junichi Sato (Sailor Moon, Aria the Animation), this one has an interesting history. Partially financed by the former ADV, this was the first series to get a dual DVD release by going on sale the same day as it did in Japan. Not that it made a difference, anime meets Cirque de Soleil led to a less than receptive audience who missed out on a very nice looking and sweet story about a girl chasing her dream.

Gantz… hyper violent and bloody series about teens being sucked into a game for their lives. Blah blah blah I hated it blah blah. As much as I hated this series, this rescue makes more sense than anything else. When it was first released in 2005, ADV attempted to use the Japanese style of release putting only 2 episodes on each volume instead of the 4-5 that fans were used to. Fans were livid and Anime on DVD went so far as to boycott the releases until ADV changed the release. I don’t have actual numbers to back up the claim but one would guess that this was a major cash drain for the company after it was all said and done. With a new live action movie in the works though, a brand new box set release could be a nice little boost to Funimation (not that they really need one).

So 3 out of 4 of these releases are enough to get me excited and I really hope that new fans will discover these series. If nothing else, Kaleido Star and Chrono Crusade are more than worth your time! Anyone else excited for these rescues?

It’s been awhile since I’ve been able to post two Trailer Roundups in the same week but got to love that new season feeling. New series, new footage, girls who refuse to wear pants, new siblings engaged in forbidden relationships… ah, it’s definitely summer again.

Three new trailers have gone up for the upcoming Aki Sora OVA series produced by Hoods Entertainment. The manga series about two siblings in a secret, forbidden love affair received an OAD earlier this year and is now ready to go much more in-depth with its story on July 25th before concluding with the second volume on October 6th.

All of the new trailers are only around 30 seconds long but you’d be surprised how much NSFW content you can squeeze into only half a minute (the second trailer is one long sex scene). Unfortunately I can’t post any of the trailers here directly but they can all be found on the official website. Oddly, I enjoyed the OAD that was released earlier this year but then I tried to read the manga and got bored very quickly. Anyone else given this series a chance?

Also posted to the official website this week is a new trailer for the upcoming AIC+ fan service series, Asobi ni Ikuyo. The hero of this series is a teen named Kio who meets a girl during a memorial service who claims to be an alien but looks like Holo if she were a cat. The series premieres on July 10th and already makes me want tell AIC to stop with the freakin cat girl series! We get it already!

Finally, a new trailer has been posted for the highly anticipated (well, by some of you at least) sequel, Strike Witches 2. As previously reported, the animation this season is being taken over by AIC after Gonzo was *cough* replaced. Normally I would make a crack about another cat girl showing up just because but I’m pretty sure they’ve already got that pretty well covered. The war on pants resumes on July 10th.

Other than a couple of larger than average announcements, this has been a fairly quiet week for anime news. Only two new anime were announced this week but another was finally confirmed to exist so it wasn’t a terrible week at least.

New Anime:

Star Driver -Kagayaki no Tact: The first studio to make a new announcement this week was Studio Bones who have revealed a brand new original robot story. The new series will be titled Star Driver -Kagayaki no Tact and feature a boy named Tact who pilots a robot named Tauburn. No details were given about a release date but the crew attached so far includes Takuya Igarashi (Ouran High School Host Club, Sailor Stars, Soul Eater) as director, Yoji Enokido (FLCL, Neon Genesis Evangelion [TV], Sailor Moon S) writing the script, Ito Yoshiyuki doing character designs and Kosaki Satoru (Bakemonogatari, Lucky Star, Kannagi) composing the music. – A boy pilots pilots a giant robot; wow that sounds… exactly like hundreds of other series. Still, two former Sailor Moon staffers doing a giant mech series? I’m intrigued.

Crackdown 2: It was announced this week that four special comedy anime episodes will be produced by Gonzo for the upcoming game, Crackdown 2 from Microsoft. The game centers on a battle machine named Agent who has been sent into Pacific City to take out all the gangs. The episodes will be directed by Takahiro Yoshimatsu (Trigun, Shingu: Secret of the Stellar Wars, Slayers Great, Slayers Return). – You have got to love how hard Gonzo has been fighting this year. While the popular rumor is that the studio is still circling the drain, they sure are putting up a fight along the way.

To aru Majutsu no Index Returns: Originally rumored in an earlier Catch Up post, it’s now been confirmed that the action series To aru Majutsu no Index will be getting a second season. There was no official release date announced but a new PSP fighting game will be released this winter so I’m going to go out on a limb and say the anime will be released around that time. – Hopefully there will be a little less Touma and a little more Index, Koeme, Misaka and Kuroko this time around.

Wrapping things up this week, Japan has decided to take a little piece of Anime Expo away. Why? Just to bother you I’d imagine.

Japan Takes Away Black Lagoon AX World Premiere: Alright, ‘take away’ is a really strong phrase but it’s certainly not exactly exclusive anymore. The official website for the new Black Lagoon: Roberta’s Blood Trail OVA series has announced that the first episode will be getting TV premieres on various stations between June 26th-29th, a week before the California convention. The episode will be edited for television and so the screening at AX will still be the first US, uncut premiere but still, they couldn’t just wait until the same weekend so that US fans could feel just a little special?

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).