activeAnime has posted a theatrical trailer for a live-action adaptation of Production IG’s Blood: The Last Vampire movie about a half human-half vampire katana-wielding girl named Saya who hunts down vampires for the US government.  The movie will open in Japan on May 29, in the UK on June 12, and France on June 17.  Universal Pictures has the domestic rights but there is no word on an US release date. 

It looks better then most live-action anime adaptations but I am not thrilled with the wuxia wire-fu stuff.  The movie didn’t have that stuff, though since the producer and several of the writers have worked on films like Kiss of the Dragon, Fearless and the Once Upon a Time in China series I should not be surprised.  The actress playing Saya looks nice though, inbetween the butch movie Saya and the too petite Blood+ anime version.

I am going to be stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington with the 593rd Sustainment Brigade.  If anyone knows about the base or what local sights are worth checking out please let me know.  Seattle is about an hours drive away and has a sizable asian population (around 16.6% according to wikipedia) so hopefully there will be plenty of anime and manga related shops in the area.  A buddy in my class got Korea as his first duty station and another got Hawaii.. lucky bastards *envious*

I am leaving for BT (basic training) on the 14th at Fort Jackson where I won’t have access to the internet until December, so this blog will be on hold (not that it was undated regularly anyways).  Hopefully I will have some great material to write about when I get back like the status of anime fandom in the US armed forces or my trials and tribulations of getting access to my fansub addic- err hobby while in a restricted and regulated environment.  I suspect that the streaming video sites like YouTube and crunchyroll that I use to scoff at will become my new best friend.. my eyes are going to get ruined squinting at that low rez crap <.<

This is a terrible time to be shipping out, the fall 2008 anime just started and several shows have piqued my interest and I am going to miss the entire season and the beginning of Winter as well =/  What happens in Ga-Rei Zero after the “Nice Coffee” massacre?  Does Toradora continue the awesomeness of the second episode?  Can GAINAX deliver the awesomeness with Shikabane and how does the MIL- err Sanae let Sunohara down gently after their fake “date”.  And what the hell is going on in Chaos;head?  I’ll be pondering these questions while shivering my butt off in the muck and cold while you guys are watching your torrented ill-gotten illegal fansubs in the comfort and warmth of your homes in front of your computers.. I haet you all (

At least when I get to AIT (Advanced Individual Training) I will have be able to bring a laptop.. maybe it would be a good time to change my desktop to something less .. cute.  bai bai Horo =/

After three months of forgetting this blog’s existence, I’m back. What prompted this return post is a podcast called Anime World Order, I discovered them a while back upon the recommendation of some online friends who swore they found an anime podcast that doesn’t suck. The hosts are old school fans who know their shit, their commentary aren’t noobish like the ones found on most message boards, and for the most part the audio is bearable. For those who are late to the party like me, give them a listen.

One of their occasional segments is The Search for THE TRUTH where they interview anime con goers (to mock mercilessly on their show), and one of their questions was “other than Hayao Miyazaki, can you name three anime directors?” I laughed at the yokels for their failure to name any.. until I tried to name a few myself and panicked for a few seconds before random Japanese names started popping into my head and I managed to crap out enough to not entirely embarrass myself.

So how many can you name (without cheating), why aren’t their names more well known among the general anime community, and how important are these guys really? I’ve seen many posts of “lol it’s made by GONZO so it is gonna suck”, but shouldn’t the blame really be placed on the director instead? In the future I am going to pay more attention to the people working on the cartoons I’m watching (and not just the voice actresses with cute voices). May this new found resolve last longer then my last one to keep this blog alive and active?

And for the record, the directors I could name are:

1. Hayao Miyazaki
2. Shinichi Watanabe (these first two really shouldn’t count..)
3. Satoshi Kon
4. Goro Miyazaki (only because of the conflict with his father, that famous guy)
5. Makoto Shinkai
6. Go Nagai (one of the most awesome names ever?)
7. Mamoru Oshii
8. That Daichi guy who makes all those funny shows (Akitaro Daichi)
9. Killem all Tomino! (Yoshiyuki Tomino)

Hopefully I can still claim some anime geek cred

source: Anime News Network

For those who are not familiar with the series, Blade if the Immortal is an award winning manga by Hiroaki Samura about a ronin who caused the death of 100 swordsmen including his sister’s husband and is now cursed to immortality by “blood worms” that keep him alive no matter how serious the wound and can even reattach severed limbs. In order to find peace Manji now has to kill 1,000 evil men. One day he meets a young woman named Rin whose parents were killed by a doujo called the Itto-ryu (who believe that any technique is valid no matter its origins ow how devious or underhanded it is) and agrees to help her get revenge. The manga is published in North America by Dark Horse.

I would have preferred that Blade of the Immortal be adapted as an OVA instead because the manga’s main attractions are the beautiful artwork and extremely violent material and I doubt that Bee Train can pull it off technically and in a tv series format. The director and animators are the same as Noir and .Hack//Sign.. so there should be a lot of still shots and lazy animation. My expectations are pretty low for this. I just wish Madhouse or Production I.G. were doing this instead, Seirei no Moribito and Shigurui level animation would do this series justice.

edit: March 6, 2009

How disappointing, Beetrain fails yet again.  I so wanted this anime to be worthy of the manga -__-

All of the summaries and pics came from AniDB, the ANN Encyclopedia, MyAnimeList.net, and Baka-Updates Manga and the first air dates came from The Fansub Wiki. I will update this entry with links to trailers soon. This upcoming season looks pretty good with no h-game adaptations and plenty of more mature looking shows and some sci-fi. Personally I’m looking forward to checking out Tower of Druaga, Toshokan Sensou (Fahrenheit 451 meets Read or Die?), Allison & Lillia (reminds me of Last Exile somehow) and Crystal Blaze.

Bus Gamer

First Air Date: 03/14

At first it is just a crazy game: Steal the minidisk from the enemy team and win the prize money. Little do Toki Mishiba, Nobuto Nakajyo, and Kazuo Saitou know of the company secrets stored on those discs and the real motive of their employer. But then a member of another team dies and the three men must realize that their own lives are at risk.

Allison to Lillia

First Air Date: 04/03

This series takes place in a time roughly equivalent to the 1930s in our world. The world is divided into two cultures by a towering mountain range and huge river, and at the time of the story, the two cultures have been at war for hundreds of years. Allison, an air force pilot, and her childhood friend Will (pronounced Vill), who has a photographic memory, end up stealing an airplane and chasing some kidnappers across the river into the other country. Fortunately, they speak both languages

Nabari no Ou

First Air Date: 04/06

Rokujou Miharu was a seemly reluctant junior high student living in his own world. However, within him, lurked the ultimate power of Nabari, “Omnipotent”. To possess such supreme weapon, the Wolf Pack of Iga swore to bring Miharu back to Iga village. On the other hand, Miharu’s English teacher, Kumohira sensei, and classmate, Kouichi, were the Banten ninjas whose mission was to protect Miharu. A war waged over the ownership of “Omnipotent” thus started. To survive, Miharu must enter the hidden world Nabari, to become the king.

Soul Eater

First Air Date: 04/07

The story takes place at the Shinigami Weaponry Vocational School, a school for creating Death Scythes for Gods of Death. The human and demon students seek the seeds of the souls of 99 humans and the soul of one witch, all of which are needed to turn just one of the demon students into a Death Scythe. One of the human students, Maka Alban, is paired with Soul Eater, a boyish demon whose true form is a scythe, as they collect the needed souls to transform Soul Eater.

Monochrome Factor

First Air Date: 04/07

Akira Nikaido is a typical slacker high school student who thinks he has a normal life–until a mysterious man called Shirogane appears and tells him to meet him at the school that night. He is skeptical but goes anyway…and gets attacked by a shadow monster! Shirogane convinces him that the balance between the human world and the shadow world has been distorted, and that Akira must become a shin–a creature of the shadow world–in order to help restore the balance.

Kamen no Maid Guy

First Air Date: 04/10

Fujiwara Naeka is a typical 17 year-old high school student. Or so we thought. She`s really one of two surviving heirs of a tycoon who has the right to inherit his mass fortune when she turns 18 in half a year. Fubuki, a young and beautiful maid, and Kogarashi, a big burly maid guy with a mask, have been assigned to keep Naeka and her brother Kousuke safe from those who would plot their demise, and to steal the fortune she would inherit.

Real Drive

First Air Date: 04/– (exact date tbd)

2061 AD. Fifty years have passed since mankind developed the Network society. It was anticipated that this new infrastructure would realize a utopia where people connected with each other at the level of consciousness. However, new social problems such as personal data leaks and proliferation of manipulated information began to surface. Nevertheless, people still relied on the Network to exchange information, and proved unable to opt to abandon it.

In due course, a new Network realm with more effective security measures was developed. This was called Meta Real Network, usually abbreviated as “the Metal.”

The Metal accommodated personal memory data within protected virtual stand-alone organic cyber enclaves called bubble shells and eventually pervaded the everyday lives of people.

However, people gradually learned to release and explode their instincts within the secure environment of the Metal. The unleashed instincts pushed each individual’s consciousness to drown in the sea of information and to be exposed to the pressures of desire. Meanwhile, norms and regulations continued to bind their real world lives. Thus, strange friction between the two worlds began to manifest themselves as aberrations beyond the bounds of the imaginable.
Experts who challenged the deep sea of the Metal to investigate and decipher such aberrations were called cyber divers.

This is a story of a cyber diver, Masamichi Haru, who investigates the incidents that lie between Reality and the Metal.

Himitsu – Top Secret

First Air Date: 04/– (exact date tbd)

A newly developed method allows to display the memories of dead people. It is used to solve difficult murder cases. But at what cost? What of the dead’s privacy as strangers poke about in their most private memories? What about the effects the imageries may have on the persons whose jobs require going through psychotic murderers’ minds and experience whatever emotions and feelings these murderers felt as they skin and disembowel their victims?

Toshokan Sensou

First Air Date: 04/– (exact date tbd)

It is 2019, and the crime-riddled society suffers under a strongly implemented Media Ryoukahou (Media Enhancement Law? something like Martial Law). Unbeknownst to the powerful Media Enhancement Law Commission, the Library has been secretly arming itself…

The objective of the “Media Ryoukahou メディア良化法” is to make the society “be free of any discrimination and be politically correct” by oppressing the freedom of speech and writing.

Wagaya no Oinari-sama

First Air Date: 04/– (exact date tbd)

This is from the AnimeSuki forum post by Tangowr:

The thousand year old demon/yokai fox that served as their guardian god for hundred of years, able to use all sort of spells, but has a extremely mischivious personility, playing all sort of pranks, until finally the Mitsuji family sealed it up, until present day, when a situation forced them to free it, after the crises, it quit it’s job and became the guardian god of the Takamichi family, extremely smart and curious, it was able to figure out modern world technology, and learn to blend in, but has a personilty of doing as it please, it’s too old to remember it’s origional gender, so it has both male and female form. but doesn’t hate the Mitsuiji for sealing it up. likes the Takamichi brother and will protect them at all cost.

Nijuu Menzou Musume

First Air Date: 04/– (exact date tbd)

I couldn’t find much info about this series except for this forum post by AnimeSuki forum moderator monir:

It’s actually a detective story that revolves around a female thief, our cover girl, named Chico. She is apparently the successor to a famous character (Kaijin Nijū-Mensō) created by a very popular author in Japan named, Edogawa Ranpo. One more interesting fact is that when his name is written in Japanese, it spells out another famous detective/mystery writer in English language who goes by the name Edgar Allen Poe. Looking forward to it.

Macross FRONTIER

First Air Date: 04/– (exact date tbd)

The series celebrates the 25th anniversary of the original Super Dimension Fortress Macross TV series (1982~1983), and is a direct sequel to Macross 7 (1994~1996). This third TV series features Earth’s latest main variable fighter, the VF-25 and a new spaceship called the Macross Frontier.

On the Macross timeline, the story is set on the year 2059. The series features the 25th colonial fleet, dubbed the Macross Frontier, en route near the galactic center.

During a mission to an unexplored asteroid belt, a reconnaissance New U.N. Spacy (N.U.N.S.) VF-171 is destroyed by extremely powerful & fast insectoid biomechanical alien mecha, which immediately begin their attack on the rest of the fleet. Not being able to stop the new enemy threat, the N.U.N.S. defense forces authorize the deployment of a civilian military provider organization called S.M.S., which utilizes the new VF-25 variable fighter to destroy the alien menace.

To Love-Ru

First Air Date: 04/– (exact date tbd)

The story is about Rito Yuuki, a high-school boy who cannot confess to the girl of his dreams, Haruna Sairenji. One day when coming home and sulking in the bath-tub a mysterious, nude girl, appears out of nowhere. Her name is Lala and she comes from the planet Deviluke, where she is the heir to the throne. Her father wants her to return to her home planet so she can marry one of the husband candidates, but she decides that she wants to marry Rito in order to stay on Earth.

xxxHOLiC – Tsugi

First Air Date: 04/– (exact date tbd)

Second season of the XXXholic anime

Yuuko is a witch who grants people’s wishes, but in return the person has to give up something precious. Watanuki Kimihiro, a man who has visions, encounters Yuuko and she promises to get rid of the spirits that torment him. In return Watanuki must work in Yuuko’s shop and help her grant other people’s wishes.

Kure-nai

First Air Date: 04/– (exact date tbd)

16-year-old Shintaro Kurenai, a specialist in settling squabbles between people, is one day approached by the daughter of a powerful plutocratic family asking him to be her bodyguard. Based on the Kure-nai light novel series

Special A

First Air Date: 04/– (exact date tbd)

Have you ever known someone who was better than you at everything you did? Hikari does. She’s known Kei since they were both six years old and he’s surpassed her at everything. Now they are the top two students in an extremely prestigious high school, with Kei holding firmly to that number one position, and Hikari is still determined to beat him, no matter what it takes.

Junjou Romantica

First Air Date: 04/– (exact date tbd)

warning: yaoi

Junjou Romantica: Misaki is suddenly having some unexpected and odd problems. What started as a need for some college entrance exam tutoring has somehow led him to being romanced by a suave older man who also happens to be his big brother’s best friend. Confused by all of his brand new emotions, Misaki struggles to deal with his suddenly very odd life. And if that wasn’t enough, his suitor, Usami, has plenty of issues of his own. A man-child who decorates his room in giant teddy bears and toys, Usami is a famous novelist who also writes steamy boys’ love novels on the side. When Misaki cracks open one of these books and reads sentences like “Usami licks every inch of Misaki’s hot body”…well, let’s just say that all hell breaks loose.

Junjou Egoist: Hiroki is a broken man, consumed by unrequited love for his childhood friend, Akihiko Usami (the writer from Junjou Romantica). Along comes Nowaki, whose name means “typhoon”, an orphan working his way through life since middle school. Like the typhoon he is named for, he whirls into Hiroki’s life and heart, blowing all resistance away before him.

Junjou Terrorist: As fate would have it, Miyagi (whom Hiroki is working with as assistant professor) and Shinobu, a student from his school, cross paths. Bits of pieces start to link together from the first two stories. That aside, Miyagi, who has a sad hidden past in himself involving a relationship with his teacher, is faced with Shinobu, who just says whatever is on his mind. The wheel of destiny is beginning to turn once again…

Crystal Blaze

First Air Date: 04/– (exact date tbd)

The stage is the Middle East in a not to far away future: The streets of Rags Town, a place where the scum of the society gathers. Shun is a detective living a free life in this town of outcasts doing what pleased him best. But this changes after meeting a beautiful mysterious girl who lost her memory. Now Shun has to solve this mystery and face a powerful enermy.

Vampire Knight

First Air Date: 04/07

Cross Academy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorm, they cross paths with the Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, there to protect the Day Class from the Academy’s dark secret: the Night Class is full of vampires.

Golgo 13

First Air Date: 04/07

For four decades, Golgo 13 has been the world’s greatest assassin for hire–sometimes to settle a private score, and sometimes to change history! His real name and nationality are unknown–but his legend is everywhere. G13 never fails a job, and never sees his clients again.. unless they try and betray him.

Kanokon

First Air Date: 04/05

1

On the very first day that innocent country boy, Oyamada Kouta, transfers to a city high school, the prettiest girl in school asks him to meet her alone. They meet in the music room, all alone. Her shining hair and entreating eyes! Her flushed cheeks! Her sweet lips! Her…fox tail?!! Who is this mysterious and alluring girl and just what does she want with unsuspecting Kouta?

Kaiba

First Air Date: 04/10

Kaiba” (カイバ), the newest work by the man behind the widely-discussed Mind Game and Kemonozume, Masaaki Yuasa, has been confirmed to go on air. Following Kemonozume, this will be another original TV series by Yuasa.

Itazura na Kiss

First Air Date: 04/– (exact date tbd)

3rd year high school girl AIHARA Kotoko has been in love with a guy at her school named IRIE Naoki since their first year. However, there are things that prevented Kotoko from confessing her love for him, first and foremost being that he is a member of ‘A-class’ or the top ranking class in the school. Naoki is incredibly smart, always getting the top score in the school on all the exams. Naoki is also really popular and handsome and has been the class president every year. That’s a pretty intimidating list of things for a girl to face! Poor Kotoko is in ‘F-class’, the lowest class in the school with the poorest grades. He is so far above her level!

But Kotoko finally gathers up her courage, and on her 18th birthday, she decides to give Naoki a love letter and tell him she loves him. Unfortunately, things do not go as planned. She presents her letter, but instead of accepting it and returning her feelings, Naoki just gives Kotoko a look of disgust and boredom, and tells her flat out right there that he doesn’t want her letter, and he doesn’t like ’stupid girls’.

Poor Kotoko. Now it’s time for things to get even worse. Walking home from school, Kotoko discovers her house has collapsed! Now Kotoko and her father are left homeless! All they can do is stay at the sushi-shop her father owns and runs. This doesn’t last for long. Soon they go to live at the house of one of her father’s highschool friends. The friend happens to be none other than IRIE Naoki’s father. And this means that Kotoko is now living with the guy she likes! She is overjoyed at this news, but her reception from Naoki is very cold. She is also greeted with hostility by Naoki’s younger brother Yuuki, who is being forced to give up his bedroom to Kotoko.

This is the basic setup for the series, but it really goes a long way from this as Kotoko and Naoki deal with each other. Naoki is extremely smart- he has never had to study for anything ever before, while Kotoko must struggle to understand what seems to Naoki to be the easiest things. However Kotoko works hard at everything she does, and actually has a lot of things to teach Naoki, who is such a ice-cold aloof guy. His feelings always seem so hidden, while Kotoko is an open book.

Neo Angelique Abyss

First Air Date: 04/– (exact date tbd)

Angelique Limoges, an ordinary high school girl, is chosen as a queen candidate. With help from the power of the nine Guardians, she aims to be the next Queen.

BLASSREITER

First Air Date: 04/– (exact date tbd)

Set in the near-future, in a town in Germany. There have been incidents of dead people coming back to life, transforming into “grotesque shadows”, and attacking people. Living people show up who can transform themselves into demons whenever they want. They used to be regular humans, but when they gained this power to transform, people rejected them and called them demons. But they still use their powers, each for his own reason. However, they cannot deny their fate: to fight in a deadly battle royal with others who have turned into demons.

Kyouran Kazoku Nikki

First Air Date: 04/– (exact date tbd)

The inaugural November issue of FB Online, the web information magazine for Enterbrain’s Famitsu Bunko imprint, has announced that Akira’s Kyōran Kazoku Nikki (“Frenzied Family Journal”) light novel series will get an anime in 2008. The artist x6suke (“pekeRokusuke”) illustrates the novels. The novels depict the not-so-normal life of a “family” that includes a catgirl “mother,” a lion “son,” a living land-combat android weapon “son,” a jellyfish-like otherworldly “daughter,” and a hapless 27-year-old military officer as their “father.” This motley “family” was assembled as part of the Imperial Japanese Anti-Paranormal Phenomena Section’s Special Operations Forces to save Earth in 2063.

The Tower of Druaga ~the Aegis of URUK~

First Air Date: 04/– (exact date tbd)

It is said that every few years, there is what’s known as the “Summer of Anu.” During that summer, thanks to the divine protection of the sky-god Anu, all of the demons in the tower lose their power. The country of Uruk has begun an invasion of the tower in order to suppress the demons. They’ve built up positions inside the tower, with their sights set on getting to the upper levels. The Uruk army knows that this is the third Summer of Anu-a perfect time to launch a mission to suppress the monster Druaga once and for all. The army soldiers aren’t the only ones in the tower, though. An enitre city called Meskia has formed inside the tower’s first floor. It plays host not just to soldiers, but also to adventurers who have heard rumors about a legendary treasure called the Blue Crystal Rod, which is said to rest at the very top of the tower. With all these different groups in the mix, each with its own agenda, one can only guess how things will play out during this unusual summer.

Zettai Karen Children

First Air Date: Spring 2008 (exact date tbd)

It’s the 21st century, and the number of ESPers continues to increase. They are active in the military, diplomacy, politics, and in other places. They hold the key for global competition. A country that controls ESP can control the world! However individuals who posses higher that Level 4 are less than 3% of the population. There are only three Level 7 people who have government contracts. These three are Kaoru, Aoi, and Shiho, ten-year old girls, who work for B.A.B.E.L. With the guidance of Kouichi, a twenty-year old genius, they catch criminals and evil ESPers.

Amatsuki

First Air Date: Spring 2008 (exact date tbd)

The high schooler Tokidoki failed in history and now is forced to visit a virtual reality of old Tokyo to do some serious studying. Unexpectedly he is attacked by a monster and loses his left eye. Then he discovers that he cannot leave the simulation anymore

The broadcast date and time is uncertain at the moment, but I’m just happy that more yuri-licious tales from the Lillian All-Girls Catholic High School is incoming \o/  However with the untimely demise of USA Geneon, I wonder if the first 3 seasons will ever see the light of day here in the US..

Fun fact from the ANN article: that the Rose Mansion from the anime is being recreated in Second Life.. maybe I should finally register an account despite all the horror stories and shenanigans I’ve heard of the place.

source: Anime News Network article:

I’m surprised that most of them look pretty normal, definitely not the freak show I was fearing. My libido is not in (total) dispair!

source: Danny Choo’s blog

goo Ranking is a large Japanese polling site and in November 2007 over 1k people completed a questionnaire about what they thought an otaku looks like. Here is the top five results for both males and females, the source has the full list.

Q1: What characteristic in males makes you feel he looks like an otaku? (Sample size=1,101)

• Anime print t-shirt

• Anime print paper bag

• Bum Bag/fanny pack

• Wearing a bandanna around the head in a hachimaki style

• Bag plastered with anime-related patches, stickers -

Q2: What characteristic in females makes you feel she looks like an otaku? (Sample size=1,101)

• Anime print paper bag

• Anime print t-shirt

• Gothic-Lolita fashion

• Bag plastered with anime-related patches, stickers

• Big thick glasses

My list would have included the need for deodorant and a bath <.<