Yen Press Moves Forward With ‘Twilight’ Graphic Novels
July 18, 2009 by tcgames · 2 Comments
In the closest thing to printing money that we’ve heard about this year, Yen Press has the rights to graphic novels based on Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series, according to Entertainment Weekly. Art will be by Korean artist Young Kim, with Meyer “deeply immersed in the project, reviewing every panel,” according to the report.
This weekend’s issue of Entertainment Weekly will include finished illustrations of Edward, Bella, and Jacob.
This is the kind of deal that could be a transformational event for Yen, which has already been getting some titles in the top ten of late (see “Top 25 Manga Properties”). Like the first time the fledgling Fox network got NFL rights, Yen’s other properties will enjoy something of a halo effect from a property with the strength of Twilight (and it certainly wouldn’t hurt sales of Yen Plus if it included Twilight stories).
The impact of Twilight on the teen girl book buying audience has been cited as one reason for the decline in manga sales in the U.S. last year. Now the property has a chance to bring a new generation of readers to the art form.
Hayao Miyazaki Scheduled To Appear At Comic-Con
The Los Angeles Times newspaper reports that Oscar-winning director Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind) will appear for the first time at San Diego’s Comic-Con International (CCI) next month. According to the paper, the Studio Ghibli co-founder will show clips from his latest film, Ponyo, at the convention.
On July 25 — the Saturday that falls in the middle of CCI — Miyazaki will travel to the University of California, Berkeley in northern California to accept the second annual Berkeley Japan Prize and participate in a moderated discussion. The Tuesday after CCI, Miyazaki will travel to Beverly Hills to appear at the headquarters of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS of Oscar fame) for a tribute with Pixar director John Lasseter.
Ponyo will open in the United States on August 14, after its English-language premiere on Sunday at the Los Angeles Film Festival.
‘Hello Kitty’ Theme Park Proposed in China for 2013
June 15, 2009 by tcgames · Leave a Comment
The Zhejiang Daily newspapers and other Chinese media sources are reporting that a Hello Kitty theme park has been proposed for construction in Huzhou, a city on the east coast of China. The Zhejiang Investment & Trade Symposium hosted a June 9 ceremony to mark an investment agreement with Sanrio, the Japanese branding company behind Hello Kitty and other characters. The Hello Kitty park would entail an investment of US$215 million (about 21.1 billion yen).
The proposed park would take up 133 hectares (328 acres) on a site about two hours away from Shanghai by car. By contrast, the entire Disneyland Resort complex in California — including the original Disneyland, Disney’s California Adventures, Downtown Disney, and the three company hotels — takes up about 200 hectares (500 acres). The Hello Kitty park’s planners are aiming for a June 2013 opening date. The park will feature 3D animation and other high-tech attractions, as well as retail areas for official Hello Kitty items.
Japan already built a Sanrio Puroland theme park on the western outskirts of Tokyo. However, at 45,900 square meters (11 acres), the indoor facility is much smaller than either Disneyland or the proposed Chinese Hello Kitty park . Hello Kitty enjoys broad popularity throughout Asia; the Japanese government “appointed” Hello Kitty as its tourism ambassador to China and Hong Kong last year. Hello Kitty’s Dream Light Fantasy stage musical opened in Beijing last year. The Hello Kitty Online massively multi-player online role-playing game is available in many countries except for Japan itself. Similarly, there is a new 3D animation series called The Adventures of Hello Kitty & Friends that has been running in several countries around the world since last year, but not in Japan and North America.
Live Action ‘Tokyo Zombie’ Film Coming Soon to DVD
February 10, 2009 by tcgames · Leave a Comment
Anchor Bay is set to release a DVD of the live-action adaptation of Yusaku Hanakuma’s Tokyo Zombie manga on April 1st. The film, which stars Tadanobu Asano and Sho Aikawa as two hapless blue collar workers with dreams of martial arts stardom, was released in Japan in 2005.
While some zombie films such as Shaun of the Dead have had their humorous moments, nothing can match Tokyo Zombie for over-the-top wacky, totally weird humor. Director Sakichi Sato never misses an opportunity to indulge in the absurd—this is the only zombie movie ever that delves into the mystery of who keeps the electricity flowing and the lights on in the midst of an all-out zombie apocalypse. Sato even utilizes an anime sequence very effectively in the middle of the movie to describe the effects of the mass zombie attack.
With its light-hearted approach to a traditionally serious (some might even say “slow-footed” and “leaden”) subject, Anchor Bay’s Tokyo Zombie DVD (MSRP $26.97) release should appeal to fans of the zombie genre who want something new, and it could easily spark renewed interest in Hanakuma’s excellent (and also very humorous) manga, which is published here in the States by Last Gasp (see “Last Gasp to Publish Tokyo Zombie”).
Source: icv2.com
Scifi Channel To Air ‘Rave Master’ Anime in March
January 20, 2009 by tcgames · 3 Comments
The Sci Fi Channel will begin airing the 51-episode Rave Master anime series on its Ani-Monday block starting on March 16th. Two episodes of Rave Master will follow repeated episodes of Gainax’s Gurren Lagann. The first season of Gundam 00, the current mainstay of Ani-Monday, will end with a flourish. Four episodes will be shown back-to-back on February 2nd, and the final episode will air on February 9th followed by the Appleseed anime movie. According to Nebs Blog, the 1996 anime movie X, directed by Rintaro, produced by Madhouse, and based on the Clamp manga will be shown on February 16th, followed by the Street Fighter Alpha movie on February 23rd, Manga Entertainment’s Straight Jacket on March 2nd, and the classic Ninja Scroll anime feature on March 9th. Gurren Lagann and Rave Master then take over on the 16th.
Rave Master, which was heavily edited for a previous run on the kid-centric Toonami and Miguzi blocks on the Cartoon Network, appears to be a rather bizarre choice for a midnight run. The Cartoon Network did show all 51 episodes of Rave Master (though the series ended its run buried on the milkman’s shift at 6am). Many anime fans were hoping that Sci Fi Channel would run the second season of Gundam 00, which is currently airing in Japan, right after completing the first season, but apparently they will have to wait and hope that unlike the Cartoon Network, which never ran Gundam Seed Destiny (after airing Gundam Seed), the Sci Fi Channel will follow through on its Gundam initiative. Certainly the Gundam anime with its science fiction plot and plentiful mecha action is an excellent fit for the Sci-Fi Channel.
Produced by Studio Deen, the Rave Master anime is based on Hiro Mashima’s 35-volume Groove Adventure RAVE manga series, which Tokyopop has published here in North America as Rave Master. Volume 32 in the series is due out from Tokyopop on February 3’rd.
Source: icv2.com
Projected Manga Releases Down in 2009
The number of volumes of manga that publishers are planning to release in 2009 is down nearly 10% from the number actually released in 2008 according to a survey conducted by ICv2 for the ICv2 Guide #62–Anime and Manga. In the ICv2 manga survey at the end of 2007 publishers indicated that they planned to publish 1,731 volumes of manga, an 18% increase over the 1,468 volumes released in 2006, but the actual number of manga released in 2008 appears to be around 1,356 as publishers cut titles during the second half of the year. The total from ICv2’s 2009 Manga Survey indicates that publishers are planning to release 1,224.
After a solid first three quarters of 2008, independent retailers report that sales of manga slowed during the fourth quarter, and the major book chains also cut their graphic novel and manga orders for Q4 (see “Bookstores Feel the Pain”). Declining sales have put pressure on publishers that has manifested itself in layoffs at some publishers (see “Tokyopop Says Worst Retailing Environment”) and the decision to shut down Broccoli Books (see “Broccoli Books Shuts Down”).
The North American anime market has been suffering for several years now, and attrition has reduced the number of players. In the new Guide, ICv2 analyzes both the positive (the strength of the remaining players, the lowering of licensing fees and a reduction in what was, given the size of the market, a surfeit of releases) and the negative (continued high levels of illegal downloading, a shrinking anime footprint on American TV, the move away from packaged media toward Internet distribution) trends affecting the American anime industry.
For the full ICv2 Top 25 Manga Properties from this issue, see “ICv2 Top 25 Manga Properties Fall 2008.”
For the full ICv2 Top 10 Anime Properties from this issue, see “ICV2 Top 10 Anime Properties Fall 2008.”
For information on the release of ICv2 Guide #62: Manga/Anime, and information on how to get the ICv2 Guide, see “ICv2 Releases ‘ICv2 Guide #62: Manga/Anime’.”
Source: icv2.com
Anime Conviction Upheld In Dwight Whorley Case
A three judge panel of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the conviction of Dwight Whorley on child pornography charges last week, and ruled that there is no necessity that an actual child be involved for a conviction, according to the Associated Press. Whorley had argued in his appeal that the 20 anime he’d received on his work computer, which reportedly depicted young girls being forced to have sex with men, were protected speech; two of the three judges on the panel rejected that argument.
In the majority opinion, Judge Paul V. Niemeyer stated that under the PROTECT Act of 2003, under which Whorley was convicted, “it is not a required element of any offense under this section that the minor depicted actually exists.”
Whorley is currently serving 20 years in prison; he was convicted of 74 counts of child pornography and obscenity charges, including receiving photos of real children having sex.
Christopher Handley, who did not possess any photos of real children, is currently facing charges under the PROTECT Act for possession of manga (see “Yaoi Titles in Manga Child Porn Case”). That case goes to trial in early January. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is assisting in the defense.
Source: icv2.com
Manga Publisher TokyoPop Lays Off Eight More Staffers
December 15, 2008 by tcgames · 2 Comments
The Beat blog of the Publishers Weekly trade magazine confirmed with Marc Pavia, the marketing director at the manga publisher Tokyopop, that eight more Tokyopop staffers were laid off this week. Pavia cited the recent, dramatically low sales in the publishing industry as the cause. Pavia acknowledges that Tokyopop will have to space its upcoming releases for some titles, and the company plans on providing more details later. Pavia emphasizes, “Tokyopop is still in business, and we are still focusing on our core business.”
These layoffs come after Tokypop restructured its organization and laid off 39 other employees in June. The Beat reported last week that another seven employees, including an editor, the chief technological officer, the human resources manager, and two more from its Media division, were laid off last month.
Source: Anime News Network
Hana-sakeru Seishonen Manga to Get TV Anime
The NHK public broadcaster’s NHK Anime World website has announced that Natsumi Itsuki’s Hana-sakeru Seish?nen manga will be animated for NHK’s BS2 premium television channel in April. The story focuses on Kajika Louisa Kugami Burnsworth, the product of a Caribbean encounter between the international magnate Harry Burnsworth and a Japanese woman 14 years ago. Kajika has been living in Japan as a middle school girl, until the elder Burnsworth summons her to America to choose a husband from three suitors. Kajika gets involved in international intrigue over oil and wealth in Southeast Asia, France, and America.
The manga ran in Hakusensha’s LaLa magazine as a two-part manga story in 1987 and then as a regular series from 1989 to 1994. 12 volumes were compiled and published in the manga’s initial run, and the story has since been recompiled into six newer volumes (pictured at right). Itsuki also created the popular manga stories Jyu Oh Sei, Eight Clouds Rising (Yakumo Tatsu), OZ, and Demon Sacred. Jyu Oh Sei, Eight Clouds Rising, and OZ have all been adapted as anime already.
Source: Anime News Network
Hayao Miyazaki says PM Aso Should Keep His Love For Manga Private
November 20, 2008 by tcgames · Leave a Comment
Hayao Miyazaki, Japan’s most successful and influential animator, said Thursday that Prime Minister Taro Aso should keep his publicly claimed fondness for “manga” comic books and other aspects of pop culture private.
Miyazaki, 67, told a press conference when asked by a reporter about Aso’s avowal, “It’s embarrassing” adding, “That is something you should do in your own time.”
Aso has gained popularity among young people particularly as a fan of Japanese pop culture, especially as a manga comic book enthusiast.
Miyazaki also expressed his concern about the future of children and the country, saying that many children are living in a virtual world and losing their senses and capability to understand the real world.
“Everything about the environment children are enjoying now is virtual, including the animations that we produce. They go through television, games, e-mail, mobile phones or comic books,” he told the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan.
Miyazaki stressed that the most important task of the government is “to create a proper environment for future generations.”
Miyazaki confessed that he faces a dilemma every time he launches a new project because what he does professionally seems to contribute to depriving children of their natural ability to cope with the real world.
“While we question ourselves about the situation, it’s good if children can feel there is at least one film they will not forget for the rest of their lives and that truly makes them happy. It is my intention to continue with this work,” Miyazaki said.
Miyazaki’s 2001 film “Spirited Away” won both the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 2002 and an Oscar for the Best Animated Feature Film at the Academy Awards in 2003.
Source: BreitBart.com Read more
