tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905340860939524972024-02-20T14:36:43.514-08:00Ghost In The ShellAnimonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.comBlogger463125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-790534086093952497.post-19605926257532350312014-02-02T07:30:00.001-08:002014-02-02T07:30:24.551-08:00[Anime] Dreamworks getting serious about a live action Ghost in the Shell FilmThis past Friday, that DreamWorks had reached a deal with Snow White and the Huntsman director, Rupert Sanders for a live action adaptation of Ghost in the Shell.<br><br /><br><br />It's really no surprise that DreamWorks wants to do something with the GitS, they acquired the rights to the franchise back in 2008 with Steven Spielberg being enamored by the series. Back then it was rumored he would direct as well...<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />This new attempt at an adaptation also has a new script, reportedly done by William Wheeler (The Hoax and several The Cape eps), but outside of that not much else is known. I do know that there have been rumors that DreamWorks wants this to be filmed in 3D from the get go, so at least that's something. If any movie could benefit from it, it's likely this one and some pretty cool things could be done with it as well. Though, with nothing else really set in stone, it's hard to say how they'll be approaching this fully.<br><br /><br><br />However, before jumping on the soapbox and decrying how this is a horrible idea, keep in mind that Avi Arad is Producing. Who's that? The same guy behind Iron Man, Blade, Spiderman (both film series), X-Men and quite a few others. Working at Marvel for so long has hopefully taught him a thing or two and while not all his movies have been stellar, there's quite a few gems in the lot as well.<br><br /><br><br />Sure, the fear of this one being white-washed to death and the meaning being completely lost is still there of course. Ghost in the Shell is a complex and very Japanese-centric tale that would definitely suffer from too much "Westernization". Hopefully the folks at DreamWorks were paying attention to what happened to the attempt with Akira not long ago too.<br><br /><br><br />Until more is known, we'll just have to sit back and see how things develop. A live adaptation of Ghost in the Shell could be a huge franchise and spectacular if done correctly, or a huge bomb if messed with too much. Let's hope the latter doesn't happen and they do it right.<br><br /><br><br />As always you can follow along with us on Twitter , and of course for all the latest updates, news and other insanity. Or, if you must, follow us on as well!<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoFwVEOgCAIANATIdr66jZaTJ0iTrCu33vFbF6IrZruQS8tJZe6ZJ1i7hbGw4cTfcA4KhM8iyJ%2FsppCJrM6MiitKlshJtnminH%2FAR68HzI%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-790534086093952497.post-13821341448045422602014-02-02T06:10:00.001-08:002014-02-02T06:10:43.859-08:00PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!2014.4.5<br><br /><br><br />The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />Originating in the late 1980s, MOBILE POLICE: PATLABOR, is a long-running animated series created by a collective calling themselves Headgear, consisting of director Mamoru Oshii (GHOST IN THE SHELL), writer Kazunori Ito (GAMERA 2), mecha designer Yutaka Izubuchi (YAMATO: 2199), character designer Akemi Takada (GATCHAMAN), and manga artist Masami Yuki (BIRDY THE MIGHTY). The extremely popular story has spawned several OVAs, television series, feature films, and manga, centering on the exploits of Tokyo Metropolitan Police Special Vehicle Section 2, Division 2 -- which use the titular Patrol/Labor robots against crime and terrorism. Now, these beloved characters will come to life in an all-new series of live action films, which take place in 2013, several years after the original PATLABOR adventures took place.<br><br /><br><br />Initial teaser poster unveiled earlier this year at the Anime Fair.<br><br /><br><br />During the Tokyo International Anime Fair on March 21, 2013 at the, Tohokushinsha Co. Ltd., made the announcement of a live action PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION for 2014, which was followed by a press conference streamed over the Nico Nico Live website on September 25, 2013. In a similar distribution style to SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199, there will be seven theatrical films released through Shochiku, made up of twelve 48-minute episodes, plus a ten-minute prologue (Episode Zero), commencing on April 5, 2013 in six-week intervals (May 31, July 12, August 30, October 18, November 29, and January 1). While the cast and crew have been announced, there has yet been no listing for a visual effects director.<br><br /><br><br />Crew prepping to shoot one of the full-scale Ingram AV-98 props.<br><br /><br><br />Produced on a budget of2 billion (approximately $19,222,000 USD), PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION began shooting in June 2013 under the watchful eye of Supervising Director Oshii, who also wrote all of the episodes with Kei Yamamura (THE IRRESPONSIBLE CAPTAIN TYLOR), while individual episodes are being helmed by Oshii (directing 0, 6, & 12), Takanori Tsujimoto (BUSHIDO MAN) directs 2, 4, & 8, Kiyotaka Taguchi (NEO ULTRA Q) directs 9 & 10, and Hiroaki Yuasa (MOON) directs 3, 5, & 11. And fans can rejoice that the original PATLABOR composer, Kenji Kawai (GUNHED), is also returning for this new production. To insure realism, two impressive, full scale AV-98 Type Ingram Labors, standing a full 8 meters tall (approximately 27 feet), along with their heavy towing equipment, built for in-camera interaction with the cast.<br><br /><br><br />Director Oshii (far right) with the main cast of the new PATLABOR.<br><br /><br><br />Actress and singer Erina Mano (KAMEN RIDERKAMEN RIDER WIZARD & FOURZE: MOVIE WAR ULTIMATUM) headlines as Akira Izumino (taken from Oishii's "parallel world" Patlabor novel published in 2011), Seiji Fukushi (ASK THIS OF RIKYU) as Yuma Shinobara, Rina Ota (BRAIN MAN) as Kasha, Toshio Kakei (BAYSIDE SHADOWN: THE FINAL) as Captain Keiji Gotoda, Shigeru Chiba (DRAGON BALL Z: BATTLE OF GODS) reprises his role as Maintenance Chief Shigeo Shiba, and Yoshikatsu Fujiki (KAMEN RIDER BLACK-RX) as Yoshikatsu Buchiyama. Principal Photography on PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION is set to wrap this month. Additionally, an all-original live action feature film, written and directed by Oshii (with a running time of 100 minutes), will follow during the Golden Week holiday in 2015.<br><br /><br><br />Watch the first teaser trailer, here!<br><br /><br><br />Please visit the official Japanese website, !<br><br /><br><br />Stateside fans can also catch up on the phenomenon as US-based anime label, Maiden Japan recently scored the license for the animated MOBILE POLICE: PATLABOR television and OVA series -- check out their website, !<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoVykEOgCAMBMAXlSrx5GdMQYImlTa4B%2Fm9ep3MAfjKnMUhZyMMtR6SWr3dELJdHKd54SmyC1SSdWrlAdXSShec1ugPpOWTXfrYYjhw6Qt37x9F' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-790534086093952497.post-21675830368349832312014-02-02T00:53:00.001-08:002014-02-02T00:53:23.473-08:00PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!2014.4.5<br><br /><br><br />The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />Originating in the late 1980s, MOBILE POLICE: PATLABOR, is a long-running animated series created by a collective calling themselves Headgear, consisting of director Mamoru Oshii (GHOST IN THE SHELL), writer Kazunori Ito (GAMERA 2), mecha designer Yutaka Izubuchi (YAMATO: 2199), character designer Akemi Takada (GATCHAMAN), and manga artist Masami Yuki (BIRDY THE MIGHTY). The extremely popular story has spawned several OVAs, television series, feature films, and manga, centering on the exploits of Tokyo Metropolitan Police Special Vehicle Section 2, Division 2 -- which use the titular Patrol/Labor robots against crime and terrorism. Now, these beloved characters will come to life in an all-new series of live action films, which take place in 2013, several years after the original PATLABOR adventures took place.<br><br /><br><br />Initial teaser poster unveiled earlier this year at the Anime Fair.<br><br /><br><br />During the Tokyo International Anime Fair on March 21, 2013 at the, Tohokushinsha Co. Ltd., made the announcement of a live action PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION for 2014, which was followed by a press conference streamed over the Nico Nico Live website on September 25, 2013. In a similar distribution style to SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199, there will be seven theatrical films released through Shochiku, made up of twelve 48-minute episodes, plus a ten-minute prologue (Episode Zero), commencing on April 5, 2013 in six-week intervals (May 31, July 12, August 30, October 18, November 29, and January 1). While the cast and crew have been announced, there has yet been no listing for a visual effects director.<br><br /><br><br />Crew prepping to shoot one of the full-scale Ingram AV-98 props.<br><br /><br><br />Produced on a budget of2 billion (approximately $19,222,000 USD), PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION began shooting in June 2013 under the watchful eye of Supervising Director Oshii, who also wrote all of the episodes with Kei Yamamura (THE IRRESPONSIBLE CAPTAIN TYLOR), while individual episodes are being helmed by Oshii (directing 0, 6, & 12), Takanori Tsujimoto (BUSHIDO MAN) directs 2, 4, & 8, Kiyotaka Taguchi (NEO ULTRA Q) directs 9 & 10, and Hiroaki Yuasa (MOON) directs 3, 5, & 11. And fans can rejoice that the original PATLABOR composer, Kenji Kawai (GUNHED), is also returning for this new production. To insure realism, two impressive, full scale AV-98 Type Ingram Labors, standing a full 8 meters tall (approximately 27 feet), along with their heavy towing equipment, built for in-camera interaction with the cast.<br><br /><br><br />Director Oshii (far right) with the main cast of the new PATLABOR.<br><br /><br><br />Actress and singer Erina Mano (KAMEN RIDERKAMEN RIDER WIZARD & FOURZE: MOVIE WAR ULTIMATUM) headlines as Akira Izumino (taken from Oishii's "parallel world" Patlabor novel published in 2011), Seiji Fukushi (ASK THIS OF RIKYU) as Yuma Shinobara, Rina Ota (BRAIN MAN) as Kasha, Toshio Kakei (BAYSIDE SHADOWN: THE FINAL) as Captain Keiji Gotoda, Shigeru Chiba (DRAGON BALL Z: BATTLE OF GODS) reprises his role as Maintenance Chief Shigeo Shiba, and Yoshikatsu Fujiki (KAMEN RIDER BLACK-RX) as Yoshikatsu Buchiyama. Principal Photography on PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION is set to wrap this month. Additionally, an all-original live action feature film, written and directed by Oshii (with a running time of 100 minutes), will follow during the Golden Week holiday in 2015.<br><br /><br><br />Watch the first teaser trailer, here!<br><br /><br><br />Please visit the official Japanese website, !<br><br /><br><br />Stateside fans can also catch up on the phenomenon as US-based anime label, Maiden Japan recently scored the license for the animated MOBILE POLICE: PATLABOR television and OVA series -- check out their website, !<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoVylEKgCAQBcATrVthEF0mthIVNlfsfeTtq99hElBX5kMqJBdCV2tuV4t3NbjDLp6G0fMwcRWo7NaohAcUQwlNkK3QH0jDJ6e0vo3L7F3CpS%2FUdx%2Fl' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-790534086093952497.post-71830926674962155552014-02-01T23:24:00.001-08:002014-02-01T23:24:15.888-08:00PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!2014.4.5<br><br /><br><br />The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />Originating in the late 1980s, MOBILE POLICE: PATLABOR, is a long-running animated series created by a collective calling themselves Headgear, consisting of director Mamoru Oshii (GHOST IN THE SHELL), writer Kazunori Ito (GAMERA 2), mecha designer Yutaka Izubuchi (YAMATO: 2199), character designer Akemi Takada (GATCHAMAN), and manga artist Masami Yuki (BIRDY THE MIGHTY). The extremely popular story has spawned several OVAs, television series, feature films, and manga, centering on the exploits of Tokyo Metropolitan Police Special Vehicle Section 2, Division 2 -- which use the titular Patrol/Labor robots against crime and terrorism. Now, these beloved characters will come to life in an all-new series of live action films, which take place in 2013, several years after the original PATLABOR adventures took place.<br><br /><br><br />Initial teaser poster unveiled earlier this year at the Anime Fair.<br><br /><br><br />During the Tokyo International Anime Fair on March 21, 2013 at the, Tohokushinsha Co. Ltd., made the announcement of a live action PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION for 2014, which was followed by a press conference streamed over the Nico Nico Live website on September 25, 2013. In a similar distribution style to SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199, there will be seven theatrical films released through Shochiku, made up of twelve 48-minute episodes, plus a ten-minute prologue (Episode Zero), commencing on April 5, 2013 in six-week intervals (May 31, July 12, August 30, October 18, November 29, and January 1). While the cast and crew have been announced, there has yet been no listing for a visual effects director.<br><br /><br><br />Crew prepping to shoot one of the full-scale Ingram AV-98 props.<br><br /><br><br />Produced on a budget of2 billion (approximately $19,222,000 USD), PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION began shooting in June 2013 under the watchful eye of Supervising Director Oshii, who also wrote all of the episodes with Kei Yamamura (THE IRRESPONSIBLE CAPTAIN TYLOR), while individual episodes are being helmed by Oshii (directing 0, 6, & 12), Takanori Tsujimoto (BUSHIDO MAN) directs 2, 4, & 8, Kiyotaka Taguchi (NEO ULTRA Q) directs 9 & 10, and Hiroaki Yuasa (MOON) directs 3, 5, & 11. And fans can rejoice that the original PATLABOR composer, Kenji Kawai (GUNHED), is also returning for this new production. To insure realism, two impressive, full scale AV-98 Type Ingram Labors, standing a full 8 meters tall (approximately 27 feet), along with their heavy towing equipment, built for in-camera interaction with the cast.<br><br /><br><br />Director Oshii (far right) with the main cast of the new PATLABOR.<br><br /><br><br />Actress and singer Erina Mano (KAMEN RIDERKAMEN RIDER WIZARD & FOURZE: MOVIE WAR ULTIMATUM) headlines as Akira Izumino (taken from Oishii's "parallel world" Patlabor novel published in 2011), Seiji Fukushi (ASK THIS OF RIKYU) as Yuma Shinobara, Rina Ota (BRAIN MAN) as Kasha, Toshio Kakei (BAYSIDE SHADOWN: THE FINAL) as Captain Keiji Gotoda, Shigeru Chiba (DRAGON BALL Z: BATTLE OF GODS) reprises his role as Maintenance Chief Shigeo Shiba, and Yoshikatsu Fujiki (KAMEN RIDER BLACK-RX) as Yoshikatsu Buchiyama. Principal Photography on PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION is set to wrap this month. Additionally, an all-original live action feature film, written and directed by Oshii (with a running time of 100 minutes), will follow during the Golden Week holiday in 2015.<br><br /><br><br />Watch the first teaser trailer, here!<br><br /><br><br />Please visit the official Japanese website, !<br><br /><br><br />Stateside fans can also catch up on the phenomenon as US-based anime label, Maiden Japan recently scored the license for the animated MOBILE POLICE: PATLABOR television and OVA series -- check out their website, !<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoVykEOgCAMBMAXlSLx5GdMUSImlTa4B%2Fm9ep1MBXxh3sQhZyMMtR6y2nG7IWx2cYrTzDGxC1SydWrlAR2llS44rdEfSMsnu%2FSxTqHi0hd36R9E' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-790534086093952497.post-24163849641423293582014-02-01T22:03:00.001-08:002014-02-01T22:03:26.296-08:00PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!2014.4.5<br><br /><br><br />The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />Originating in the late 1980s, MOBILE POLICE: PATLABOR, is a long-running animated series created by a collective calling themselves Headgear, consisting of director Mamoru Oshii (GHOST IN THE SHELL), writer Kazunori Ito (GAMERA 2), mecha designer Yutaka Izubuchi (YAMATO: 2199), character designer Akemi Takada (GATCHAMAN), and manga artist Masami Yuki (BIRDY THE MIGHTY). The extremely popular story has spawned several OVAs, television series, feature films, and manga, centering on the exploits of Tokyo Metropolitan Police Special Vehicle Section 2, Division 2 -- which use the titular Patrol/Labor robots against crime and terrorism. Now, these beloved characters will come to life in an all-new series of live action films, which take place in 2013, several years after the original PATLABOR adventures took place.<br><br /><br><br />Initial teaser poster unveiled earlier this year at the Anime Fair.<br><br /><br><br />During the Tokyo International Anime Fair on March 21, 2013 at the, Tohokushinsha Co. Ltd., made the announcement of a live action PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION for 2014, which was followed by a press conference streamed over the Nico Nico Live website on September 25, 2013. In a similar distribution style to SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199, there will be seven theatrical films released through Shochiku, made up of twelve 48-minute episodes, plus a ten-minute prologue (Episode Zero), commencing on April 5, 2013 in six-week intervals (May 31, July 12, August 30, October 18, November 29, and January 1). While the cast and crew have been announced, there has yet been no listing for a visual effects director.<br><br /><br><br />Crew prepping to shoot one of the full-scale Ingram AV-98 props.<br><br /><br><br />Produced on a budget of2 billion (approximately $19,222,000 USD), PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION began shooting in June 2013 under the watchful eye of Supervising Director Oshii, who also wrote all of the episodes with Kei Yamamura (THE IRRESPONSIBLE CAPTAIN TYLOR), while individual episodes are being helmed by Oshii (directing 0, 6, & 12), Takanori Tsujimoto (BUSHIDO MAN) directs 2, 4, & 8, Kiyotaka Taguchi (NEO ULTRA Q) directs 9 & 10, and Hiroaki Yuasa (MOON) directs 3, 5, & 11. And fans can rejoice that the original PATLABOR composer, Kenji Kawai (GUNHED), is also returning for this new production. To insure realism, two impressive, full scale AV-98 Type Ingram Labors, standing a full 8 meters tall (approximately 27 feet), along with their heavy towing equipment, built for in-camera interaction with the cast.<br><br /><br><br />Director Oshii (far right) with the main cast of the new PATLABOR.<br><br /><br><br />Actress and singer Erina Mano (KAMEN RIDERKAMEN RIDER WIZARD & FOURZE: MOVIE WAR ULTIMATUM) headlines as Akira Izumino (taken from Oishii's "parallel world" Patlabor novel published in 2011), Seiji Fukushi (ASK THIS OF RIKYU) as Yuma Shinobara, Rina Ota (BRAIN MAN) as Kasha, Toshio Kakei (BAYSIDE SHADOWN: THE FINAL) as Captain Keiji Gotoda, Shigeru Chiba (DRAGON BALL Z: BATTLE OF GODS) reprises his role as Maintenance Chief Shigeo Shiba, and Yoshikatsu Fujiki (KAMEN RIDER BLACK-RX) as Yoshikatsu Buchiyama. Principal Photography on PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION is set to wrap this month. Additionally, an all-original live action feature film, written and directed by Oshii (with a running time of 100 minutes), will follow during the Golden Week holiday in 2015.<br><br /><br><br />Watch the first teaser trailer, here!<br><br /><br><br />Please visit the official Japanese website, !<br><br /><br><br />Stateside fans can also catch up on the phenomenon as US-based anime label, Maiden Japan recently scored the license for the animated MOBILE POLICE: PATLABOR television and OVA series -- check out their website, !<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoVykEOgCAMBMAXlSLx5G8KEiQplOAe5PfqdTIXMA7mJANSO2GpTRfVyj0MLlnj4LedfeAhUIk2qecHVHLPU1Ct0x9I8yenzOUuNH0BOogetA%3D%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-790534086093952497.post-46645974453611257382014-02-01T05:31:00.001-08:002014-02-01T05:31:11.039-08:00Films in Brief: 1/31/14Guys, let's face harsh facts. The new mainstream releases for the past couple of weeks have been sometimes painfully awful or just plain disappointing. Sure, there are a lot of things going on in indie cinema to celebrate (and especially in Canadian cinema), but for those looking for a bit of film history or nostalgia to get through what has been a pretty savage winter thus far (both in terms of quality and temperature), Cineplex and the TIFF Bell Lightbox have you covered.<br><br /><br><br />THE GREAT DIGITAL FILM FESTIVAL kicks off at select Cineplex locations across Canada today (including for the first time ever in Halifax, .), bringing with it a whole slew of cinematic classics for the low price of $6. With a specific focus this year on science fiction and superheroes, one of the highlights is an all day comic themed blockbusters (on February 2nd) that runs the gamut from the original Richard Donner SUPERMAN to Tim Burton's now 25 year old BATMAN (and Christopher Nolan's THE DARK KNIGHT) to Joss Whedon's large scale team-up THE AVENGERS, and more. If caped capers aren't your thing, there's some classic anime (the also 25 year old AKIRA and the equally heralded GHOST IN THE SHELL), a Guy Richie double bill (LOCK, STOCK, AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS, SNATCH), some classic Terry Gilliam (BRAZIL, MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL, and the incredibly underrated THE FISHER KING), a couple of seemingly randomly selected classic James Bond films (ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, THUNDERBALL), and some cult sci-fi classics (FLASH GORDON, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, TRON, LOGAN'S RUN). But perhaps most bodacious and welcome of all are 25th anniversary screenings of the most excellent and often bogusly imitated BILL AND TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE. That one alone is pretty radical.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />Although it kicked off last weekend at the TIFF Bell Lightbox (and runs until April 4th), the organization's retrospective of the works of Dutch filmmakerstarts to really get interesting not this weekend, but next weekend. Showcasing the works of both a misunderstood and often unnecessarily derided European and North American treasure in chronological order, the series is still taking a look at the works made in Verhoeven's pre-Hollywood blockbuster days. This week brings the 1975 period piece KATIE TIPPEL (Friday, January 31st at 9:00pm), an 1881 set look at a young woman (played by Monique van den Ven) growing into her role as a social revolutionary that set a high bar as the most expensive Dutch film ever made at the time. It's okay, but that monetary record would be broken by Verhoeven's next film, the exceptional World War II coming of age drama SOLDIER OF ORANGE (Friday, February 7th, 9:00pm), a film that would make him a national treasure. It's a distinction that would be short lived, since the film that follows in his oeuvre, SPETTERS (Thursday, February 13th, 9:00pm), would be a sexually charged, misanthropic, and bitter coming of age story made with his greatest collaborator and discovery Rutger Hauer. It's the film that would ultimately serve as the pivot point in his career that would eventually find him making such widely discussed high concept studio pictures as ROBOCOP (Friday, March 7th, 9:30pm), BASIC INSTINCT (Thursday, March 13th, 9:15pm), STARSHIP TROOPERS (Friday, March 21st, 9:15pm), and SHOWGIRLS (Friday, March 14th, 10:00pm). We'll have more on this series on February 25th when we explore the bridge in Verhoeven's career, but there's no time to get a head start on us like the present.<br><br /><br><br />Finally worth noting and flying a bit beneath the usual cinephile radar is an incredibly vital Lightbox retrospective of works from one of the best and sadly often overlooked African American filmmakers of all time(running from Saturday, February 1st until the 23rd). A bestselling author turned filmmaker, Micheaux was the first black filmmaker to depict minority life in American cinema without giving in to stereotypes to simply cater to predominantly white audiences. In his second (and sadly earliest surviving film following the adaptation of his own novel The Conquest, later retitled The Homesteader for the screen) 1920's WITHIN OUR GATES (Saturday, February 1st, 2:00pm), Micheaux tells an unflinching story of post- World War One social inequality, told from the viewpoint of mulatto woman Sylvia Landry (played by Evelyn Preer) sparked extreme reactions (including rioting in some cities) and lots of regional censorship, but firmly established him as a filmmaking force to be reckoned with. Seeing that many of his films haven't survived or are extremely rare to come by, this month long series brings actual prints to the Lightbox that might never be seen again in this area for quite some time. I guarantee you that it's a major blindspot for many cinema aficionados and historians and something even I fully intend to check out the first chance I get. It's not like the new releases are doing us any favours this season.<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNrLKCkpsNLXT8kvyi7OSM1J00vOz9U3MjA00Tcw1Dc21E%2FLzMkt1s3M000qykxN0zU0NgRKAQDYlxB6' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-790534086093952497.post-90008215412611290062014-01-31T22:51:00.001-08:002014-01-31T22:51:20.232-08:00Animes I Like Part 1Ok, so a couple of people at my school have asked me for my complete list of animes and my thoughts on each one, so here we are:<br><br />I'm breaking this into parts, because, like the big nerdy otaku that I am, I have watched ALOT of animes, and to keep this from being one long ass post, I'll just use genres.<br><br /><br><a name='more'></a><br><br />Todays Genre:<br><br />ACTION/ADVENTURE<br><br />Angel Beats!- This anime is really good, the animation and drawing style is amazing, and the story like is really good; the romance doesn't overpower the storyline, and the ending is beautiful *cries* YOU WILL CRY!!!!<br><br />Attack on Titan- This anime is totally badass! It's just awesome and the plot was amazing!Nuff said!<br><br />Baccano!!- This anime has a lot of comedy, a huge cast of characters, and an awesome fight scene.There is a moderate amount of blood in it, also it takes place in like the 30s in NY or something similar, so people who are into that should check it out.<br><br />Berserk- Honestly I haven't seen the whole series yet, but from what I've seen I would recommend it if you like lots of blood and gore<br><br />Black Rock Shooter- Just Amazing! Beautiful everything's!<br><br />Fullmetal Alchemist- The first season was kinda blah( you need to watch it though!) but Brotherhood is a whole different story<br><br />Darker Than Black- I'm not going to lie when I say the second season sucked! It is horrible, but the first season is the shit! Lots of badassness and fighting<br><br />Guilty Crown- I only watched the first two episodes, but I really like it, not much to tell about this anime yet, it's beautifully drawn though ^ ^<br><br />Ao No Exorcist- The fighting and Rin are what make this anime.Good for if you like demons and fighting<br><br />Black Brother- Again another anime that has a shitty second season; good if you like demons and historical type animes<br><br />D. Grey Man- 103 episodes of epicness!<br><br />Deadman Wonderland- I think this is a bloody anime, but it's worth it, the story is fucked up, but really good, I couldn't help but like it<br><br />Durarara!!- Its by the same people who did Baccano!! so the animation is the same.Lots of characters and a weird confusing plot, but it's worth it<br><br />Elfen Lied- Just bloody, it's sad in a weird way, but the last episode is disappointing<br><br />Ghost in the Shell- I haven't seen this in a while, but it's good<br><br />Hellsing- Awesome! It's about vampires and its really badass, surprisingly the second season is awesome and better done than the first season<br><br /><br><br />I'm probably going to break this into a smaller part (like a Part 1.5) because my 5th period is almost over and I don't have enough time to finish this<br><br /><br><br />I'm also going post a fanfiction on my DeviantART account once I finish it, so you faithful readers can read it...wait wut?<br><br /><br><br />Auf Wiedersehen!<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoNxkESgCAIAMAXAdp06jdUTmIgTnLp97WnrRFjIxK2qGVX9%2FPt0hvj%2F2sODzzcaEl5pZSJu1iZIKByFxj8BGSsYfoBpEQZLg%3D%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-790534086093952497.post-28698592375249239042014-01-31T22:06:00.001-08:002014-01-31T22:06:22.716-08:00Mothballs: Don't Tell Gally To Stay In The GalleyTHIS WEEK: Battle Angel<br><br /><br><br />On January 28th, Yukito Kishiro finally brought the Battle Angel Alita: Last Order manga to the end of its run.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />With roughly double the length of the original series, its kind of a weird thing to actually see. If we include the original (1990 - 1995, ended early due to health reasons), some random short stories (that slow drip collection starting in 1997), and Last Order (2001 - 2014), this has all been, well, a pretty impressive professional accomplishment to say the least. The series had a little two episode OVA produced, so it seemed timely to pop back in this week and well before the next endeavor (The Martian War Chronicles) kicks off later this year.<br><br /><br><br />BATTLE ANGEL (GUNNM)<br><br /><br><br />To an extent, I've sort of always felt like Ghost in the Shell and the Battle Angel franchise were akin to family members going down different career tracks. GitS, with things like Masamune Shirow's tendency be be scribbling exposition and technical notes virtually in the margins and Mamoru Oshii's capacity for handling long conversations on the philosophical nature of mankind and the existence of self, would be the one who ran off to gobble up a bunch of advanced university degrees in an effort to go into the professorial circuit, do some peer reviewed publishing, that sort of thing.<br><br /><br><br />Battle Angel, for the purposes of this comparison, thinks that's nice and all but decided to carve out a far more practical or blue collar niche for itself. I mean, a significantly sized part of the manga involves the sport of Motorball, which is basically roller derby mixed with gladiatorial combat. There are useful distinctions of philosophies and perspectives they each bring to the table as a result though.<br><br /><br><br />To give an example of what I mean, and as the first GitS film arrived in 1995 and the Battle Angel OVA in 1993 they came from similar visual media era stock: the former has scenes where characters are speaking about the hows and whys of the mind, identity, evolution of thought, personal agency, and the like. The scenes are well shot but slow moving where little is "happening" in terms of visual momentum and characters are all pretty much even handed in giving their points to one another quite thoughtfully and richly worded (the boat, the lab, etc).<br><br /><br><br />Battle Angel has Gally give the agency argument by, well, getting into an argument. Outside, on the steps, voices raised on both sides as "I don't want you soiling your perfect hands with blood" and "You don't have to work! All you have to do is be beautiful" remarks are traded with "Do you think I'm some doll for you to play with?!" counterblows. It's an easy to follow exchange of ideas that is fundamentally dealing in similar concepts, but is more direct, approachable, and keenly tied to the characters personal level frustrations and concerns being expressed. Which isn't to say one is doing the job better or worse, but they are constructed to be doing it differently.<br><br /><br><br />Something that likely came up in your literature classes in school was probably cases where a teacher or other students would bring up ideas of later developments in the medium, culture, or history and would try to tie it back to the actual work being examined and how it reads differently as a result of something from far later in time. To that end, watching the Battle Angel OVA now, more than twenty years after its original release, it's kind of fascinating when looking at where the development of "moe" concepts has gone in anime portrayals the time since.<br><br /><br><br />I think it is fair to say that Gally's physical design here, such as the proportions compared to that of the body and the way she moves around, is coming from a pretty moe design sensibility even if the term had not yet actually existed as we know and identify it currently. In character narrative, she was abandoned in a scapyard, physically destroyed in almost every way, yet reassembled and made whole again by the scavenging Doctor Ido.<br><br /><br><br />Gally fills the "She was considered trash and I want to protect you" kind of space in that way. Here, she easily emotionally attaches herself to folks so long as they pretty much aren't a jerk to her, fundamentally a happy portrayal of a cute little cybernetic girl who will make scrunchy faces on rooftops talking of dreams and the like until times come to actually throw down. So to come back to the one "Doll" conversation / argument, as a result of where we are presently in regards to how laser focused and almost scientifically designed for maximum profit margins and figurine sales some moe productions are, it comes off quite a bit harsher I think now than it did way back when. Not that Gally herself wasn't intended to be a pleasant design to manga readers or OVA viewers (she certainly was), but her remarks do sting at least a little more given some modern anime tendencies in the time since. It certainly caught my attention when she began speaking back using those precise words, at any rate.<br><br /><br><br />Another aspect the OVA is primarily dealing in that is different when compared directly to that similarly timed GitS film would be that of character relationships and association. Not to say the later did not have those, but they were not as emphasized as they are here. Ido and Gally, Gally and Yugo, Chiren and Ido, Vector to Yugo, Chiren, and his own acting as a middleman between Zalem and Scrap Iron City, etc.<br><br /><br><br />Characters frequently talk of feelings when compared to the tech rather than philosophy (though certainly feelings do constitute an expression of kinds of philosophy in their own right). Since we only have two episodes to work with, the whole anime does not have an extravagant allotment of time, but what it has it executes solidly enough to introduce and wrap several of their character mini arcs and show a few flavors of the rusted up and broken down little cyberpunk world they happen to exist in. I don't think it'll blow many self held world paradigms away, but it is a nice little story with a lot of tangentially bigger ideas that it just tries approaching on a smaller scale.<br><br /><br><br />We meet enough of a cast to move them through a few interpersonal developmental stages before rolling to end credits, which serves two purposes here: as a standalone piece, I feel satisfied enough with how I spent my time watching it and being able to leave it as is, while as an advertisement meant to drum up one to pick up the manga I feel encouraged to do so to see more of their universe rather than feeling like the OVA is holding a viewer hostage. That's a pretty key experiential distinction I feel, as certainly there is a much larger pile of shoddy little old OVA adaptations cranked out that are merely serving as characters moving around and nothing else, or worse, just flatly withholding a conclusion in a cynical "Well, you better buy the manga to find out!" fashion.<br><br /><br><br />Given the seemingly endless development hell the live action film version has been caught up in (James Cameron has held a lock on the rights for over a decade, but keeps kicking back production for more Avatar related work), in all likelihood this OVA is still going to be the only long form audio visual portrayal of the franchise for several more years to come. And what we have is still a pretty solid thing to me, all these years later. It does what it needs to do with some nice flair and little jabs of commentary here and there, and its dusty and rusty Mad Max aesthetics are the kind of cyberpunk style we don't really have a whole lot of compared to its many slicker anime counterparts.Mothballs is a weekly write-up of already completed anime series I have either removed from my backlog or have recently revisited. A crash space for my immediate thoughts and personal processing, these are not intended as full reviews.<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNodyEEOgCAMBMAXlYp68jcIDZAgNXaj4fcajzMFODfmu3aELFEDzD16pfMSMxf14HnyK0%2BeF8%2BHouyhNaOkHQRpjfLnQVAyhEG1E4r8KYNfHuQhQw%3D%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-790534086093952497.post-12260409243605589812014-01-31T20:43:00.001-08:002014-01-31T20:43:58.839-08:00The Sci-Fi Fanatic BIG 20 Sci-Fi TV Heroes...And drum roll, please, for THE SCI-FI FANATIC BIG 20 SCI-FI TV HEROES response to SCIFINOW's own .<br><br /><br><br />20. OLIVIA DUNHAM (FRINGE).<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />19. TOM MASON (FALLING SKIES).<br><br /><br><br />18. CAPTAIN KATHRYN JANEWAY (STAR TREK: VOYAGER).<br><br /><br><br />17. BUCK ROGERS (BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY).<br><br /><br><br />16. CAPTAIN JONATHAN ARCHER (STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE).<br><br /><br><br />15. CAPTAIN MALCOLM REYNOLDS (FIREFLY).<br><br /><br><br />14. MAJOR MATOKO KUSANAGI (GHOST IN THE SHELL).<br><br /><br><br />13. MAJOR JOHN SHEPPARD (STARGATE ATLANTIS).<br><br /><br><br />12. FRANK BLACK (MILLENNIUM).<br><br /><br><br />11. THE DOCTOR (DOCTOR WHO) WITH SARAH-JANE.<br><br /><br><br />10. MARK (BATTLE OF THE PLANETS).<br><br /><br><br />9. JAMIE SOMMERS (THE BIONIC WOMAN).<br><br /><br><br />8. FOX MULDER or DANA SCULLY (THE X-FILES).<br><br /><br><br />7. CAPTAIN JEAN-LUC PICARD (STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION).<br><br /><br><br />6. MAJOR GENERAL JACK O'NEILL or SAMANTHA CARTER (STARGATE SG-1).<br><br /><br><br />5. JOHN CRICHTON (FARSCAPE).<br><br /><br><br />4. DAVID BANNER (THE INCREDIBLE HULK).<br><br /><br><br />3. STARBUCK or APOLLO (BATTLESTAR GALACTICA CLASSIC).<br><br /><br><br />2. STEVE AUSTIN (THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN).<br><br /><br><br />1. JAMES T. KIRK or SPOCK (STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES).<br><br /><br><br />I certainly took my liberties with the OR option here, but this was a list I could live with.<br><br /><br><br />Are there others?Sure. Let it be said that I tried to approach my list of heroes in the most traditional sense of the classical hero.Heroes generally associated with altruism, courage and a strong moral compass - the generally noble hero. I intentionally avoided the dark, ambiguous anti-hero popular today.<br><br /><br><br />Other potential qualifiers in my book include Martin Landau as COMMANDER JOHN KOENIG (SPACE:1999), Ed Bishop as COMMANDER EDWARD STRAKER (UFO), Michael Billington as COLONEL PAUL FOSTER (UFO), Avery Brooks as BENJAMIN SISKO (STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE), CLAUS VALCA and LAVIE HEAD (LAST EXILE), NOA IZUMI (PATLABOR), Jonathan Frakes as NUMBER ONE (STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION), VIRGIL or SCOTT (International Rescue) (THUNDERBIRDS), Edward James Olmos as WILLIAM ADAMA (BATTLESTAR GALACTICA), Guy Williams as JOHN ROBINSON or Mark Goddard as MAJOR DON WEST (LOST IN SPACE).<br><br /><br><br />Sadly, SCIFINOW actually listed JOHN ROBINSON (LOST IN SPACE) and CAPTAIN KATHRYN JANEWAY (STAR TREK: VOYAGER) as two of the Worst Sci-Fi TV Heroes. Set phasers for stun!<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNo1yksKwCAMRdEVxah05G5Uqgb8QV67%2Fjop3NHhNmAHZs1SZDwqs6pJfVXdCyavwd66i61jtJvOReUUZ4RkSlLJ21%2FxmobRP5j8HCM%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-790534086093952497.post-42241343774534946582014-01-31T03:27:00.001-08:002014-01-31T03:27:30.116-08:00PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!2014.4.5<br><br /><br><br />The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />Originating in the late 1980s, MOBILE POLICE: PATLABOR, is a long-running animated series created by a collective calling themselves Headgear, consisting of director Mamoru Oshii (GHOST IN THE SHELL), writer Kazunori Ito (GAMERA 2), mecha designer Yutaka Izubuchi (YAMATO: 2199), character designer Akemi Takada (GATCHAMAN), and manga artist Masami Yuki (BIRDY THE MIGHTY). The extremely popular story has spawned several OVAs, television series, feature films, and manga, centering on the exploits of Tokyo Metropolitan Police Special Vehicle Section 2, Division 2 -- which use the titular Patrol/Labor robots against crime and terrorism. Now, these beloved characters will come to life in an all-new series of live action films, which take place in 2013, several years after the original PATLABOR adventures took place.<br><br /><br><br />Initial teaser poster unveiled earlier this year at the Anime Fair.<br><br /><br><br />During the Tokyo International Anime Fair on March 21, 2013 at the, Tohokushinsha Co. Ltd., made the announcement of a live action PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION for 2014, which was followed by a press conference streamed over the Nico Nico Live website on September 25, 2013. In a similar distribution style to SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199, there will be seven theatrical films released through Shochiku, made up of twelve 48-minute episodes, plus a ten-minute prologue (Episode Zero), commencing on April 5, 2013 in six-week intervals (May 31, July 12, August 30, October 18, November 29, and January 1). While the cast and crew have been announced, there has yet been no listing for a visual effects director.<br><br /><br><br />Crew prepping to shoot one of the full-scale Ingram AV-98 props.<br><br /><br><br />Produced on a budget of2 billion (approximately $19,222,000 USD), PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION began shooting in June 2013 under the watchful eye of Supervising Director Oshii, who also wrote all of the episodes with Kei Yamamura (THE IRRESPONSIBLE CAPTAIN TYLOR), while individual episodes are being helmed by Oshii (directing 0, 6, & 12), Takanori Tsujimoto (BUSHIDO MAN) directs 2, 4, & 8, Kiyotaka Taguchi (NEO ULTRA Q) directs 9 & 10, and Hiroaki Yuasa (MOON) directs 3, 5, & 11. And fans can rejoice that the original PATLABOR composer, Kenji Kawai (GUNHED), is also returning for this new production. To insure realism, two impressive, full scale AV-98 Type Ingram Labors, standing a full 8 meters tall (approximately 27 feet), along with their heavy towing equipment, built for in-camera interaction with the cast.<br><br /><br><br />Director Oshii (far right) with the main cast of the new PATLABOR.<br><br /><br><br />Actress and singer Erina Mano (KAMEN RIDERKAMEN RIDER WIZARD & FOURZE: MOVIE WAR ULTIMATUM) headlines as Akira Izumino (taken from Oishii's "parallel world" Patlabor novel published in 2011), Seiji Fukushi (ASK THIS OF RIKYU) as Yuma Shinobara, Rina Ota (BRAIN MAN) as Kasha, Toshio Kakei (BAYSIDE SHADOWN: THE FINAL) as Captain Keiji Gotoda, Shigeru Chiba (DRAGON BALL Z: BATTLE OF GODS) reprises his role as Maintenance Chief Shigeo Shiba, and Yoshikatsu Fujiki (KAMEN RIDER BLACK-RX) as Yoshikatsu Buchiyama. Principal Photography on PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION is set to wrap this month. Additionally, an all-original live action feature film, written and directed by Oshii (with a running time of 100 minutes), will follow during the Golden Week holiday in 2015.<br><br /><br><br />Watch the first teaser trailer, here!<br><br /><br><br />Please visit the official Japanese website, !<br><br /><br><br />Stateside fans can also catch up on the phenomenon as US-based anime label, Maiden Japan recently scored the license for the animated MOBILE POLICE: PATLABOR television and OVA series -- check out their website, !<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoVylEKgCAQBcATrVsWQV0mVpMKNlfsfeTtq99hDqAszFEK5MyEplZdUNvvYnDRLvZdP3LXcxGoBKuU0wPaU05VcFqmP5CmTzapbR2m2bsDl77UVh%2Fm' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-790534086093952497.post-48238363913554474522014-01-30T21:41:00.001-08:002014-01-30T21:41:22.537-08:00Recovered Writing: MA in SF Studies, Genre Definitions Paper 1, Mega-text and the Cyberpunk Subgenre, Nov 13, 2006This is the sixth post in a series that I call, "Recovered Writing." I am going through my personal archive of undergraduate and graduate school writing, recovering those essays I consider interesting but that I am unlikely to revise for traditional publication, and posting those essays as-is on my blog in the hope of engaging others with these ideas that played a formative role in my development as a scholar and teacher. Because this and the other essays in the Recovered Writing series are posted as-is and edited only for web-readability, I hope that readers will accept them for what they are-undergraduate and graduate school essays conveying varying degrees of argumentation, rigor, idea development, and research. Furthermore, I dislike the idea of these essays languishing in a digital tomb, so I offer them here to excite your curiosity and encourage your conversation.<br><br /><br><br />As I remember it, Professor Andy Sawyer led the Genre Definitions module of the MA in Science Fiction Studies program, but we had some seminars with Professor Peter Wright. This is the first of two major essays from the Genre Definitions module. It allowed me to begin my research in an area that I was very interested in (i.e., cyberpunk) but that I had not yet seriously researched.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />Jason W. Ellis<br><br /><br><br />Professor Andy Sawyer<br><br /><br><br />Science Fiction Studies Core Module 1: Genre Definitions<br><br /><br><br />13 November 2006<br><br /><br><br />Mega-text and the Cyberpunk Subgenre<br><br /><br><br />In Bruce Sterling's preface to Mirrorshades:The Cyberpunk Anthology, he sets about constructing a definition of cyberpunk. Sterling points out "the Cyberpunks as a group are steeped in the lore and tradition of the SF field" (x).However, cyberpunk authors changed traditional science fiction (SF) vectors by "overlapping worlds that were formerly separate:the realm of the high tech, and the modern pop underground" (Sterling xi).Therefore, cyberpunk is arguably a subgenre of SF, because its practitioners build on earlier SF works while writing stories based on a new fusion of ideas.Additionally, the dialog between works of cyberpunk and other works of SF provide a connection to an overarching meta-text.This connecting dialog is accomplished by the sharing of language, terminology, and situations.I would extend this argument by saying that cyberpunk operates within its own mega-text that is particular to works decidedly cyberpunk in orientation.<br><br /><br><br />Two works of cyberpunk in mega-text dialog with one another are William Gibson's Neuromancer and Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash.Gibson's early work is said to be the foundation of cyberpunk, and Stephenson's work is equally considered essential to the movement.I argue that there exists a dialog between the works of Gibson and Stephenson that forms the basis of a cyberpunk mega-text that is also connected to the larger SF mega-text.<br><br /><br><br />Christine Brooke-Rose first put forth the concept of a mega-text, or megastory.She writes, "The realistic narrative is hitched to a megastory (history, geography), itself valorised, which doubles and illuminates it, creating expectations on the line of least resistance through a text already known, usually as close as possible to the reader's experience" (Brooke-Rose 243).SF authors, unlike mimetic authors, have to rely on anchoring their stories into ideas, concepts, and language that have been employed in previous works by other authors.Essentially, SF is reliant on its situation within a network of texts including both non-fiction (e.g., science and technology) and fiction (e.g., SF, detective fiction, and other genre fiction).<br><br /><br><br />On the one hand, SF's central theme is that it's extrapolated from real and theoretical scientific and technological concepts of the here-and-now.This means that authors draw on the large body of scientific works and technological developments that SF readers may be acutely or tangentially aware of.Additionally, SF, like science itself, is based on building upon prior works.This is not to say that subsequent SF works have citations pointing back to passages and data contained in other works, but it does mean that SF is not written within a vacuum.SF authors build on ideas that they have received from reading works within and without the genre.<br><br /><br><br />Damien Broderick extends Brooke-Rose's concept of the megastory by a closer reading of its importance to SF, and in so doing, he coins a new term, the mega-text.His concept of the mega-text refers to the overlay of SF texts, themes, and ideas as, "the mutually imbricated sf texts" (59).SF stories, for the most part, are an imbrication of texts in a three dimensional space where concepts and terminology float freely between the layers formed by the many stories thus arrayed.<br><br /><br><br />The mega-text is a double-edged sword that represents the shared space of terminology, ideas, and themes that serve to both familiarize, as well as defamiliarize the reader.He goes on to write, "But that familiarity, so necessary in alerting trained readers to the appropriate reception codes and strategies for concretising an sf text, maintains at its heart a de-familiarising impulse absolutely pivotal to the form's specificity" (Broderick 60).The SF mega-text is a shared space of concepts and terminology that many SF writers draw upon in the crafting of their stories.SF readers rely on authorial use of the ideas contained in the mega-text in order to situate themselves in an otherwise (more or less) overwhelmingly fantastic place.However, it is the shared elements of the mega-text that form the "de-familiarising impulse absolutely pivotal to the form's specificity."<br><br /><br><br />The shared elements, or as Gary K. Wolfe labeled them, icons, are built-up "using a strategy of semiological compensation, or redundancy and overcoding [The] sf mega-text works by embedding each new work in an even vaster web of interpenetrating semantic and tropic givens or vectors" (Broderick 59).The mega-text serves as the "text tube" where ideas react with one another and form new compounds and substances, as well as reveal litmus colors that indicate how one text is related to another across the mega-text network.Reagents in the SF mega-text include computers, spaceships, robots, and solvable problems.Cyberpunk icons include networked computers, the network, multinational corporations, virtual reality, disembodiment facilitated through technology, and problems sans solution.<br><br /><br><br />Gibson's Neuromancer is widely accepted as the foundational cyberpunk work, and it first lends itself to the SF mega-text by the author generating cognitive estrangement through the establishment of setting in its opening sentence.Gibson begins, "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel" (3).The description of the sky is estranging from the way in which one would normally characterize the sky, and it is rationally described through the language of technology (i.e., television).<br><br /><br><br />Also, Gibson employs terminology that connects to a shared SF terminology that reinforces this text's membership in the SF mega-text.For example, Gibson's description of the protagonist, Case, is densely packed with powerful descriptions and technologically-oriented words that elicit the feel of an SF story:<br><br /><br><br />Case was twenty-four.At twenty-two, he'd been a cowboy, a rustler, one of the best in the Sprawl He'd operated on an almost permanent adrenaline high jacked into a custom cyberspace deck that projected his disembodied consciousness into the consensual hallucination that was the matrix.A thief, he'd worked for other, wealthier thieves, employers who provide the exotic software required to penetrate the bright walls of corporate systems, opening windows into rich fields of data (5).<br><br /><br><br />Gibson re-envisions a cattle 'rustler' with the future occupation of a data 'thief.'Future corporations that protect their data behind 'bright walls' instead of fences, replace the ranches of the past.And most importantly, Case 'jacks' into 'cyberspace' using a 'custom deck' that leaves him 'disembodied' within the 'consensual hallucination,' which is an artificial construct of reality known as the 'matrix.'Old becomes new and therefore, estranging.<br><br /><br><br />In addition to Gibson's use of computer technology in this narrative, he also conjures other images in crafting Neuromancer.The style of the novel is distinctly noir.Case's world is ambiguously not dualistic and there is no apparent resolution at the end.Also, he features the female cyborg Molly, the AI Wintermute, who wants to engage in the capitalist system, the near-immortal Tessier-Ashpool S.A. family/mega-corporation, and the spiritually positive Zion cluster Rastas.<br><br /><br><br />Neal Stephenson extends these cyberpunk icons through the use of language and narrative style in his novel, Snow Crash, published eight years after Gibson's Neuromancer.Again, from the opening lines of the text, the reader is thrown into a world that is recognizable, but subtly different than the here-and-now:<br><br /><br><br />The Deliverator belongs to an elite order Right now, he is preparing to carry out his third mission of the night.His uniform is black as activated charcoal A bullet will bounce off its arachnofiber weave like a wren hitting a patio door, but excess perspiration wafts through it like a breeze through a freshly napalmed forest.Where his body has bony extremities, the suit has sintered armorgel [that] protects like a stack of telephone books (Stephenson 1).<br><br /><br><br />'The Deliverator' has a 'Terminator' ring to it, and the name is capitalized.He's on his 'third mission,' wearing a black uniform that is protected by 'arachnofiber weave' and 'sintered armorgel.'All of this protection and militarized language (e.g., mission, bullet, napalmed forest, and armor) is established for "pizza delivery" (Stephenson 3).Thus, today's mundane is rendered tomorrow's exotic.<br><br /><br><br />In addition to the dense and destabilizing openings to these cyberpunk stories, Stephenson relies on a shared set of terminology to describe the computer-based-scapes in which his character, Hiro Protagonist, shares an affinity with Gibson's Case.Hiro writes "microcode (software)" (Stephenson 3).When he uses his computer, he wears "shiny goggles that wrap halfway around his head" that "throw a light, smoky haze across his eyes and reflect a distorted wide-angle view of a brilliantly lit boulevard that stretches off into an infinite blackness.This boulevard does not really exist; it is a computer-rendered view of an imaginary place" (Stephenson 19).The 'imaginary place' that is projected onto Hiro's eyes from the goggles is another description of Gibson's "consensual hallucination that was the matrix" (Gibson 5).<br><br /><br><br />Following Stephenson's technical explanation of Hiro's goggles, he best makes the connection to Gibson's Neuromancer when he writes:<br><br /><br><br />So Hiro's not actually here at all.He's in a computer-generated universe that his computer is drawing onto his goggles and pumping into his earphones.In the lingo, this imaginary place is known as the Metaverse.Hiro spends a lot of time in the Metaverse.It beats the shit out of the U-Stor-It (22).<br><br /><br><br />This passage establishes another characteristic of cyberpunk:the desire to leave physical reality and escape into a computer generated world.Gibson describes Case's crisis over losing the ability to disengage his body and enter cyberspace when he writes,"They damaged his nervous system with a wartime Russian mycotoxin The body was meat.Case fell into the prison of his own flesh" (6).The 'meatspace' is undesirable to the computer jockey.Cyberspace and physical disembodiment is the desired space in which to work and live.In the lives of both Case and Hiro, they live in a dirty and harsh world that doesn't compare to the beautifully rendered and clean spaces found in their respective cyberspace or Metaverse.<br><br /><br><br />Other icons in Stephenson's novel that engage the discussion began by Neuromancer include:a noir style, cyborgs (the mixed race Hiro, the mixed education of Juanita, and the gargoyle information gatherers), language as a programming language, media conglomerates, Cosa Nostra pizza delivery, Burbclaves, and the negative spirituality of the Reverend Wayne Pearly Gates franchise.<br><br /><br><br />Gibson's groundbreaking novel, Neuromancer, founded what became to be known as cyberpunk, and Stephenson extended cyberpunk by adding to its mega-text through his work, Snow Crash.These novels engage in a dialog between themselves, as well as in a wider network of SF texts and real-world science and technology.<br><br /><br><br />SF constitutes a mega-text based on historically established terminological and stylistic icons that SF writers are free to draw from, as well as add to, in their own writings.Cyberpunk is a literary movement that came about in the 1980s as some SF writers decided to strike off in a new direction by remixing historical tropes from SF and detective fiction, as well as bringing together new technology and pop iconography.Therefore, cyberpunk is connected to and in dialog with the SF mega-text, but it has its own mega-text founded on icons unique to the cyberpunk movement.<br><br /><br><br />Works Cited<br><br /><br><br />Broderick, Damien.Reading by Starlight:Postmodern Science Fiction.London:Routledge, 1995.<br><br /><br><br />Brooke-Rose, Christine.A Rhetoric of the Unreal:Studies in Narrative and Structure, Especially of the Fantastic.Cambridge:Cambridge University Press, 1981.<br><br /><br><br />Gibson, William. Burning Chrome.London:HarperCollins, 1995.<br><br /><br><br />--.Neuromancer.New York:Ace, 1984.<br><br /><br><br />Nicholls, Terry."Cyberpunk."The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction.Eds. John Clute and Terry Nicholls.New York:St. Martin's, 1995.<br><br /><br><br />Oshii, Mamoru.Ghost in the Shell.Manga Video, 1996.<br><br /><br><br />Scott, Ridley.Blade Runner.Perf. Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer.Warner Brothers, 1982.<br><br /><br><br />Stephenson, Neal.Snow Crash.New York:Bantam Books, 2000.<br><br /><br><br />Sterling, Bruce."Bruce Sterling's Idea of What Every Well-Appointed 'Cyberpunk SF' Library Collection Should Possess."EFF Publications-Bruce Sterling Archive August 1996.5 November 2006<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNodzVEKwjAQRdEVPacRQXA3afKaBsk0ZKZqd9%2Fi%2Fz3c1b2%2FRPKhsdVk%2B2w9Jt6ULvcpPGQKEp4ymLYPBzO%2Bo3rVghZRFbbAfM%2BVhkIdROZS9So2NfTYORDQWCKcP0fUDF%2BJdMwcfdc3ruEfygn7WjFg' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-790534086093952497.post-24463259959696431732014-01-30T20:17:00.001-08:002014-01-30T20:17:08.057-08:00PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!2014.4.5<br><br /><br><br />The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />Originating in the late 1980s, MOBILE POLICE: PATLABOR, is a long-running animated series created by a collective calling themselves Headgear, consisting of director Mamoru Oshii (GHOST IN THE SHELL), writer Kazunori Ito (GAMERA 2), mecha designer Yutaka Izubuchi (YAMATO: 2199), character designer Akemi Takada (GATCHAMAN), and manga artist Masami Yuki (BIRDY THE MIGHTY). The extremely popular story has spawned several OVAs, television series, feature films, and manga, centering on the exploits of Tokyo Metropolitan Police Special Vehicle Section 2, Division 2 -- which use the titular Patrol/Labor robots against crime and terrorism. Now, these beloved characters will come to life in an all-new series of live action films, which take place in 2013, several years after the original PATLABOR adventures took place.<br><br /><br><br />Initial teaser poster unveiled earlier this year at the Anime Fair.<br><br /><br><br />During the Tokyo International Anime Fair on March 21, 2013 at the, Tohokushinsha Co. Ltd., made the announcement of a live action PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION for 2014, which was followed by a press conference streamed over the Nico Nico Live website on September 25, 2013. In a similar distribution style to SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199, there will be seven theatrical films released through Shochiku, made up of twelve 48-minute episodes, plus a ten-minute prologue (Episode Zero), commencing on April 5, 2013 in six-week intervals (May 31, July 12, August 30, October 18, November 29, and January 1). While the cast and crew have been announced, there has yet been no listing for a visual effects director.<br><br /><br><br />Crew prepping to shoot one of the full-scale Ingram AV-98 props.<br><br /><br><br />Produced on a budget of2 billion (approximately $19,222,000 USD), PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION began shooting in June 2013 under the watchful eye of Supervising Director Oshii, who also wrote all of the episodes with Kei Yamamura (THE IRRESPONSIBLE CAPTAIN TYLOR), while individual episodes are being helmed by Oshii (directing 0, 6, & 12), Takanori Tsujimoto (BUSHIDO MAN) directs 2, 4, & 8, Kiyotaka Taguchi (NEO ULTRA Q) directs 9 & 10, and Hiroaki Yuasa (MOON) directs 3, 5, & 11. And fans can rejoice that the original PATLABOR composer, Kenji Kawai (GUNHED), is also returning for this new production. To insure realism, two impressive, full scale AV-98 Type Ingram Labors, standing a full 8 meters tall (approximately 27 feet), along with their heavy towing equipment, built for in-camera interaction with the cast.<br><br /><br><br />Director Oshii (far right) with the main cast of the new PATLABOR.<br><br /><br><br />Actress and singer Erina Mano (KAMEN RIDERKAMEN RIDER WIZARD & FOURZE: MOVIE WAR ULTIMATUM) headlines as Akira Izumino (taken from Oishii's "parallel world" Patlabor novel published in 2011), Seiji Fukushi (ASK THIS OF RIKYU) as Yuma Shinobara, Rina Ota (BRAIN MAN) as Kasha, Toshio Kakei (BAYSIDE SHADOWN: THE FINAL) as Captain Keiji Gotoda, Shigeru Chiba (DRAGON BALL Z: BATTLE OF GODS) reprises his role as Maintenance Chief Shigeo Shiba, and Yoshikatsu Fujiki (KAMEN RIDER BLACK-RX) as Yoshikatsu Buchiyama. Principal Photography on PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION is set to wrap this month. Additionally, an all-original live action feature film, written and directed by Oshii (with a running time of 100 minutes), will follow during the Golden Week holiday in 2015.<br><br /><br><br />Watch the first teaser trailer, here!<br><br /><br><br />Please visit the official Japanese website, !<br><br /><br><br />Stateside fans can also catch up on the phenomenon as US-based anime label, Maiden Japan recently scored the license for the animated MOBILE POLICE: PATLABOR television and OVA series -- check out their website, !<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoVylEOQDAQBcATbVcFwWVkVVOS1W3qfXB7%2FE5mB8rMHKRAjkx41Kpb1dJVDC7YyW3jO248F4HKapVyvEEp5lgFh2X6A2n8ZJP6LEM%2FTm7HqS%2FUjB%2Fu' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-790534086093952497.post-90594583520967283412014-01-30T18:51:00.001-08:002014-01-30T18:51:52.627-08:00Top 10 Anime Feature FilmsLet me start off by saying this list is heavily opinionated. Everything I write in this article is my own opinion based on the anime films that I have seen. I haven't seen every anime film but I have seen a good amount. Also, like most of my lists, I have conditions for what I qualify as an anime "feature film" as I stated in the title. That means it is a standalone film and not apart of a series of movies (Ghost in the Shell Arise, Evangelion, etc.) or movies that are from a popular anime series (DBZ movies, Fullmetal Alchemist Sacred Star if Milos, Trigun Badlands Rumble, Cowboy Bebop The Movie, etc.). So the movies that I am writing about are the ones that tell a story in their given time frame and end it within that time frame. With all that said, let us begin!<br><br /><br><br />10<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />Coming in at number ten is Madhouse's visual masterpiece, Redline. Directed by Takeshi Koike, The film is set in the distant future, where a man known as JP takes on great risks for the chance of winning the titular underground race.The film is famous for being in production for 7 years and ultimately producing one of the best looking animated films I've ever seen. The visuals of this movie are absolutely stunning. The film consisted of 100,000 hand made drawings and it shows in how insanely stunning these visuals are. Redline tells a simple story that is entertaining and action packed, but other than that there isn't really a whole lot to the plot. This is the main reason I can't put Redline further on this list is that it had such minimal plot. Obviously, this was done because the main selling point to Redline was for it's artistic visual masterpiece but it doesn't help the film. It is an exciting story and enough to keep you interested, but if it weren't for the art this movie would not have been as memorable or successful as it was. The minimal plot does fit in nicely though as it does not draw the attention away from the visuals and at the same time doesn't create too much to digest from what's happening on screen. This film will always be remembered by fans as a cult classic because of how brilliant the animation is. Redline will be remembered as the most visually pleasing film of all time.<br><br />9<br><br /><br><br />Coming in at number 9 is Madhouse's psychological masterpiece Perfect Blue. Directed by Satoshi Kon, this psychological thriller tells the tale of a member of a Japanese pop-idol group called "CHAM!", who decides to pursue her career as an actress. Some of her fans are displeased with her sudden career change, particularly a stalker named Me-Mania. As her new career proceeds, Mima's world becomes increasingly reminiscent of the works of Alfred Hitchcock: reality and fantasy spiral out of control, and Mima discovers that Me-Mania is the least of her troubles. I credit this film as being the best horror story to ever be animated. This film has the feel of a real horror movie. This film does an amazing job of building suspense and keeping you on your toes the full way through. The story builds a very well told mystery that has you trying to figure out who the killer is throughout the film. The film's climax reveals the shocking plot twist that makes this film memorable. As a good horror movie should do, it keeps the killer a mystery until the very end when you finally figure out the whole story, This film is a shocking and twisted psychological masterpiece that will have you caught in the suspense throughout and is an incredibly good watch for adult viewers.<br><br />8<br><br /><br><br />Coming in at number eight is the sci-fi cult classic by Production I.G., Ghost in the Shell. Directed by Mamoru Oshii, host in the Shell follows the hunt of the public security agency Section 9 for a mysterious hacker known as the Puppet Master. With the assistance of her team, Motoko Kusanagi tracks and finds their suspect, only to be drawn into a complex sequence of political intrigue and a cover-up as to the identity and goals of the Puppet Master. This film is a philosophical master piece exploring self identity in a technology advanced world. I recognize that Ghost in the Shell is an absolute masterpiece and one of the landmark anime films in history, however my relationship with Ghost in the Shell is very complicated. I love the film but for some reason, in the 3 or so times I've seen it, it just seemed to fly by up until the ending. It just seemed like nothing happened for like an hour and then we reached the climax where you are just hit with everything at once. Maybe the philosophical undertones just went straight over my head, but I never really got much out of the dialogue between the Major and the Puppet Master. With that said, the self identity elements of the movie are clear and are enough to make the story of this film memorable. I also credit Ghost in the Shell to be the second best looking animated film of all time that was done completely by cel style animation. If Redline was a testament to how amazing modern animation is and what can be done with CGI animation and hand drawn scenes, then Ghost in the Shell is one of the films that is a testament to what can never be replicated by today's animation standards and the amazing backgrounds that you can create with cel animation. As being one of the most iconic and original animated films of all time, as well as being the inspiration for the Matrix, Ghost in the Shell earns a spot on any and all top 10 anime films lists.<br><br />7<br><br /><br><br />Coming in at number seven is Studio Ghibli's Princess Mononoke. Directed by the legendary Hayao Miyazaki, the film follows the story of the young warrior Ashitaka's involvement in the struggle between the supernatural guardians of a forest and the humans who consume its resources. Mononoke was one of Miyazaki's most successful films, which is saying a lot considering the man's resume. Miyazaki tells the wonderful story of a young prince who is caught in a struggle between nature and progressive imperialism. Ashitaka is stuck trying to make peace between the struggle of the people of Irontown and the creatures of the forest who are led by a young woman named San. It's the old story of environmentalism and the damages of imperialistic expansion into the wilderness. Miyazaki, being an avid environmentalist brilliantly portrays this struggle well in this film. Not only is this struggle givenin this film, but he also adds in the supernatural element in the forest spirits. The scene at the end where the Forest Spirit goes on a rampage after being decapitated was absolutely brilliant and made this movie memorable. This is still one of Miyazaki's best and with good reason.<br><br />6<br><br /><br><br />Coming in at number six is another Studio Ghibli materpiece in Howl's Moving Castle. Once again, directed by Hayao Miyazaki, the film is based on the novel of the same name by English writer Diana Wynne Jones. ynne Jones's novel allows Miyazaki to combine a plucky young woman and a mother figure into a single character in the heroine, Sophie. She starts out as an 18-year-old hat maker, but then a witch's curse transforms her into a 90-year-old grey-haired woman. Sophie is horrified by the change at first. Nevertheless, she learns to embrace it as a liberation from anxiety, fear and self-consciousness. The change might be a blessed chance for adventure. Putting this as number six was tough for me because I've always stood by the fact that I liked this film better than another Miyazaki film that will appear later on this list, but throwing my bias aside, I believe I was able to fairly place this film. The adventure elements of this film were outstanding and as all Miyazaki films do well, was chalk full of good moral themes for us to follow. The underlying love story between Howl and Sophie goes along exceptionally well with the background war elements going on at the same time in the film. The film was extremely unique and creative and handled the fantasy elements well along with the everything else going on in the film. This was one of Miyazaki's best films and one of my all time favorites.<br><br />5<br><br /><br><br />Comin in at number five is another film coming to us from Studio Ghibli in Grave of the Fireflies. Being one of Ghibli's first official films after the studio's founding, it also stands as one of their best. Directed by Isao Takahata, tells the story of Seita, a young boy who has to take care of his younger sister Setsuko when their mother dies. Grave of the Fireflies is one of the most gutwrenching realistic films you will ever watch. Not only is it one of the best animated films of all times, but I would go as far as to say it is one of the best war films of all time. This film offers us a different perspective than most war films. Instead of focusing on the war itself, what Grave of the Fireflies chooses to do instead is focus on the effects of war on the innocent civilians. Seita and Setsuko are orphaned at the beginning of the film after their mother is killed due to the air raids by US troops. Seita is left to take care of his sister and attempt to survive. It is hard to watch as these two struggle to stay alive and is probably one of the most depressing films you will ever watch. It is so grueling to see these children die slowly right before our eyes. Grave of the Fireflies will ultimately go down as one of the most beautiful and haunting works to ever be produced from Japan.<br><br />4<br><br /><br><br />Coming in at number four is Madhouse's Summer Wars. Directed by up and comer Momoru Hosoda, this film tells the story of Kenji Koiso, a timid eleventh-grade math genius who is taken to Ueda by twelfth-grade student Natsuki Shinohara to celebrate her great-grandmother's 90th birthday. However, he is falsely implicated in the hacking of a virtual world by a sadistic artificial intelligence named Love Machine. Kenji must repair the damage done to it and find a way to stop the rogue computer program from causing any further damage. Sporting a very large cast of characters, Summer Wars is an excellent feel good film with a lot to teach us. For such a short time to work with, Summer Wars is able to introduce us to such a larch cast and give them all screen time and development. You leave this film feeling like you knew each and every single one of those characters and that is a testament to what a great director Hosoda is. A beautifully touching film, Summer Wars makes you take a step back and appreciate your family. The film is very family oriented and displays the strong unbreakable bonds that exist within family. As stated by Granny, "never turn your back on family. Especially when times are tough". Couldn't have summed up why this film is so remarkable any other way. It is simple and entertaining but does a good job of telling a mixed tail about how close Japan is to falling into chaos due to the virus Love Machine. Not only are their undertones of family, but there is also a strong message about relying too heavily on technologically advances. Summer Wars makes us appreciate the simplicity of life, love and family.<br><br />3<br><br /><br><br />Coming in at number three is Studio Ghibli's highest grossing film, Spirited Away. Directed by Hayao Miyazaki, this film tells the story of Chihiro, a sullen ten-year-old girl who, while moving to a new neighborhood, enters the spirit world. After her parents are transformed into pigs by the witch Yubaba, Chihiro takes a job working in Yubaba's bathhouse to find a way to free herself and her parents and return to the human world. This coming of age film is ultimately Miyazaki's best and his all time greatest achievement as a director. This was the film that cemented his legacy as the greatest animation director of all time. Spirited Away was the first Japanese animated film to win an Academy Award. Spirited Away is full of memorable scenes that cement it's place in history, but none more memorable than when Chihiro is swept up into the spirit world. That scene is unforgettable and so memorable that it even garnered a parody scene in a recent Simpsons episode. This film is an iconic coming of age tale that so wonderfully captured the fantasy elements we are accustomed to seeing in a Miyazaki film. The imagination of this man is astonishing. How Miyazaki is able to come up with this awe inspiring, dazzling fantasy worlds is beyond me. This is one of the best animated films you will ever see, everything in it is close to flawless from the outstanding soundtrack to the exceptional tale we spend with Chihiro. Definitely, one of the greatest animated films of all time without question.<br><br />2<br><br /><br><br />Coming in at number two is Madhouse and Studio Chizu's Wolf Children. Directed by Momoru Hosoda, the film tells the story of Hana, who falls in love with a Wolf Man. After the Wolf Man's death, Hana decides to move to a rural town to continue raising her two wolf children Ame and Yuki. This is, without a doubt, one of my favorite movies of all time, Despite being relatively new, this is without a doubt, one of the greatest films I've ever seen, period. It is an instant classic that should be seen by all. This film is probably the closest thing to flawless I've ever seen when it comes to animated films. From the story, to the music, to the animation, just everything is on top of it's game here. The story is very simple but told in such an exceptional way that it is just nothing short of remarkable. We follow Hana's struggle to raise her two children, Ame and Yuki, as a single mother after their father is killed. This alone is a great setup, let alone throw in the same identity issues asa film like Ghost in the Shell and you have yourself one hell of an amazing movie.The film focuses a lot on the chose between the two children whether they want to live as humans or wolves. This portion of the story is excellently foreshadowed throughout and comes to a head at the very end of the film where the paths of the two children become clear. The scenes when Ame and Yuki have to go to school and they are leaving from their house where we are introduced to a right and left path are absolutely chilling. The left represents the way they take to school and the human life where as the right is the wilderness and represents the life of a human. Each time the paths are shown it sends chills down the spine because of how brilliantly this is executed. It is a very good watch that gets better each and every time you see it. Wolf Children is a special movie and nothing short of brilliant. With time, it may be the greatest anime film of there is. However, it is because of number one's iconic legacy that Wolf Children falls to number two.<br><br />1<br><br /><br><br />If it wasn't obvious by now then you need to go see this film. Coming in at number one is Tokyo Movie Shinsha's cyberpunk classic Akira. Directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, the film depicts a dystopian version of Tokyo in the year 2019, with cyberpunk tones. The plot focuses on teenage biker Tetsuo Shima and his psychic powers, and the leader of his biker gang, Shotaro Kaneda. Kaneda tries to prevent Tetsuo from releasing the imprisoned psychic Akira. This film packs in a lot of material stretching out to be a 2 hour long cinema masterpiece. This however, still doesn't feel like it was truly enough to fully dissect the entire plot that Akira had to offer. However, the story told within the movie, albeit differentiating from the source material, is still a very captivating story as it is altered well by Otomo. It is a very complex story and kind of a cautionary apocalyptic tale. With Tokyo being destroyed by the uncontrollable psychic power Akira. Now, in the year 2019, the military is once again trying to harness the "power of a god". Akira's power is both feared and praised throughout the film. Unfortunately for Tetsuo, he is the second coming of this uncontrollable psychic power and is doomed to his fate to ultimately loose control. This was the first feature anime film to really break out over in the United States and start a wave of anime popularity over in the states. It is held in high regard as the landmark anime film. Even though the film is 25 years old, it has aged exceptionally well. It's visuals still stand atop of the anime kingdom as the greatest feat ever accomplished by cel animation. the scenery and backgrounds are the greatest to ever be produced in anime. The amount of detail is unreal. This film is not only one of the most iconic animated films ever made, but it is one of the greatest films made in general. This film is considered a cult classic and is a landmark in what can be accomplished with animation. It is indeed, a truly unforgettable masterpiece in every sense of the word.<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNodyjEOgCAMBdAT0YJx8jZoqhBbSuS7eHqN01teAfrCnFs1Qdbz8Sa0qh%2BjO2hz4ymmmWNieA8phn%2BGXTLu67OqDSowfQHDjBnh' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-790534086093952497.post-16939580922411795202014-01-30T18:06:00.001-08:002014-01-30T18:06:35.979-08:00PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!2014.4.5<br><br /><br><br />The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />Originating in the late 1980s, MOBILE POLICE: PATLABOR, is a long-running animated series created by a collective calling themselves Headgear, consisting of director Mamoru Oshii (GHOST IN THE SHELL), writer Kazunori Ito (GAMERA 2), mecha designer Yutaka Izubuchi (YAMATO: 2199), character designer Akemi Takada (GATCHAMAN), and manga artist Masami Yuki (BIRDY THE MIGHTY). The extremely popular story has spawned several OVAs, television series, feature films, and manga, centering on the exploits of Tokyo Metropolitan Police Special Vehicle Section 2, Division 2 -- which use the titular Patrol/Labor robots against crime and terrorism. Now, these beloved characters will come to life in an all-new series of live action films, which take place in 2013, several years after the original PATLABOR adventures took place.<br><br /><br><br />Initial teaser poster unveiled earlier this year at the Anime Fair.<br><br /><br><br />During the Tokyo International Anime Fair on March 21, 2013 at the, Tohokushinsha Co. Ltd., made the announcement of a live action PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION for 2014, which was followed by a press conference streamed over the Nico Nico Live website on September 25, 2013. In a similar distribution style to SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199, there will be seven theatrical films released through Shochiku, made up of twelve 48-minute episodes, plus a ten-minute prologue (Episode Zero), commencing on April 5, 2013 in six-week intervals (May 31, July 12, August 30, October 18, November 29, and January 1). While the cast and crew have been announced, there has yet been no listing for a visual effects director.<br><br /><br><br />Crew prepping to shoot one of the full-scale Ingram AV-98 props.<br><br /><br><br />Produced on a budget of2 billion (approximately $19,222,000 USD), PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION began shooting in June 2013 under the watchful eye of Supervising Director Oshii, who also wrote all of the episodes with Kei Yamamura (THE IRRESPONSIBLE CAPTAIN TYLOR), while individual episodes are being helmed by Oshii (directing 0, 6, & 12), Takanori Tsujimoto (BUSHIDO MAN) directs 2, 4, & 8, Kiyotaka Taguchi (NEO ULTRA Q) directs 9 & 10, and Hiroaki Yuasa (MOON) directs 3, 5, & 11. And fans can rejoice that the original PATLABOR composer, Kenji Kawai (GUNHED), is also returning for this new production. To insure realism, two impressive, full scale AV-98 Type Ingram Labors, standing a full 8 meters tall (approximately 27 feet), along with their heavy towing equipment, built for in-camera interaction with the cast.<br><br /><br><br />Director Oshii (far right) with the main cast of the new PATLABOR.<br><br /><br><br />Actress and singer Erina Mano (KAMEN RIDERKAMEN RIDER WIZARD & FOURZE: MOVIE WAR ULTIMATUM) headlines as Akira Izumino (taken from Oishii's "parallel world" Patlabor novel published in 2011), Seiji Fukushi (ASK THIS OF RIKYU) as Yuma Shinobara, Rina Ota (BRAIN MAN) as Kasha, Toshio Kakei (BAYSIDE SHADOWN: THE FINAL) as Captain Keiji Gotoda, Shigeru Chiba (DRAGON BALL Z: BATTLE OF GODS) reprises his role as Maintenance Chief Shigeo Shiba, and Yoshikatsu Fujiki (KAMEN RIDER BLACK-RX) as Yoshikatsu Buchiyama. Principal Photography on PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION is set to wrap this month. Additionally, an all-original live action feature film, written and directed by Oshii (with a running time of 100 minutes), will follow during the Golden Week holiday in 2015.<br><br /><br><br />Watch the first teaser trailer, here!<br><br /><br><br />Please visit the official Japanese website, !<br><br /><br><br />Stateside fans can also catch up on the phenomenon as US-based anime label, Maiden Japan recently scored the license for the animated MOBILE POLICE: PATLABOR television and OVA series -- check out their website, !<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoVylEKgCAQBcATrVshEV0mthIVNlfsfeTtq99hElBX5kMqJBdCV2tuV4t3NbjDLp6G0fMwchWo7NaohAcUQwlNkK3QH0jDJ6e0vs1%2BmVzCpS%2FUWh%2Fm' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-790534086093952497.post-86427874871578501132014-01-30T17:22:00.001-08:002014-01-30T17:22:01.863-08:00PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!2014.4.5<br><br /><br><br />The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />Originating in the late 1980s, MOBILE POLICE: PATLABOR, is a long-running animated series created by a collective calling themselves Headgear, consisting of director Mamoru Oshii (GHOST IN THE SHELL), writer Kazunori Ito (GAMERA 2), mecha designer Yutaka Izubuchi (YAMATO: 2199), character designer Akemi Takada (GATCHAMAN), and manga artist Masami Yuki (BIRDY THE MIGHTY). The extremely popular story has spawned several OVAs, television series, feature films, and manga, centering on the exploits of Tokyo Metropolitan Police Special Vehicle Section 2, Division 2 -- which use the titular Patrol/Labor robots against crime and terrorism. Now, these beloved characters will come to life in an all-new series of live action films, which take place in 2013, several years after the original PATLABOR adventures took place.<br><br /><br><br />Initial teaser poster unveiled earlier this year at the Anime Fair.<br><br /><br><br />During the Tokyo International Anime Fair on March 21, 2013 at the, Tohokushinsha Co. Ltd., made the announcement of a live action PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION for 2014, which was followed by a press conference streamed over the Nico Nico Live website on September 25, 2013. In a similar distribution style to SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199, there will be seven theatrical films released through Shochiku, made up of twelve 48-minute episodes, plus a ten-minute prologue (Episode Zero), commencing on April 5, 2013 in six-week intervals (May 31, July 12, August 30, October 18, November 29, and January 1). While the cast and crew have been announced, there has yet been no listing for a visual effects director.<br><br /><br><br />Crew prepping to shoot one of the full-scale Ingram AV-98 props.<br><br /><br><br />Produced on a budget of2 billion (approximately $19,222,000 USD), PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION began shooting in June 2013 under the watchful eye of Supervising Director Oshii, who also wrote all of the episodes with Kei Yamamura (THE IRRESPONSIBLE CAPTAIN TYLOR), while individual episodes are being helmed by Oshii (directing 0, 6, & 12), Takanori Tsujimoto (BUSHIDO MAN) directs 2, 4, & 8, Kiyotaka Taguchi (NEO ULTRA Q) directs 9 & 10, and Hiroaki Yuasa (MOON) directs 3, 5, & 11. And fans can rejoice that the original PATLABOR composer, Kenji Kawai (GUNHED), is also returning for this new production. To insure realism, two impressive, full scale AV-98 Type Ingram Labors, standing a full 8 meters tall (approximately 27 feet), along with their heavy towing equipment, built for in-camera interaction with the cast.<br><br /><br><br />Director Oshii (far right) with the main cast of the new PATLABOR.<br><br /><br><br />Actress and singer Erina Mano (KAMEN RIDERKAMEN RIDER WIZARD & FOURZE: MOVIE WAR ULTIMATUM) headlines as Akira Izumino (taken from Oishii's "parallel world" Patlabor novel published in 2011), Seiji Fukushi (ASK THIS OF RIKYU) as Yuma Shinobara, Rina Ota (BRAIN MAN) as Kasha, Toshio Kakei (BAYSIDE SHADOWN: THE FINAL) as Captain Keiji Gotoda, Shigeru Chiba (DRAGON BALL Z: BATTLE OF GODS) reprises his role as Maintenance Chief Shigeo Shiba, and Yoshikatsu Fujiki (KAMEN RIDER BLACK-RX) as Yoshikatsu Buchiyama. Principal Photography on PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION is set to wrap this month. Additionally, an all-original live action feature film, written and directed by Oshii (with a running time of 100 minutes), will follow during the Golden Week holiday in 2015.<br><br /><br><br />Watch the first teaser trailer, here!<br><br /><br><br />Please visit the official Japanese website, !<br><br /><br><br />Stateside fans can also catch up on the phenomenon as US-based anime label, Maiden Japan recently scored the license for the animated MOBILE POLICE: PATLABOR television and OVA series -- check out their website, !<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoVylEKgCAQBcATrZsRRF0mNhMNNlfsfeTtq99hMlBX5iAVchZCV2tuV0t3NbhgF4%2BDn3jwXAUquzUq8QGlWGITnFboD6Txk0Na3%2BbFu4xLX7VeH7M%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-790534086093952497.post-85769537762963942572014-01-30T16:04:00.001-08:002014-01-30T16:04:01.759-08:00PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!2014.4.5<br><br /><br><br />The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />Originating in the late 1980s, MOBILE POLICE: PATLABOR, is a long-running animated series created by a collective calling themselves Headgear, consisting of director Mamoru Oshii (GHOST IN THE SHELL), writer Kazunori Ito (GAMERA 2), mecha designer Yutaka Izubuchi (YAMATO: 2199), character designer Akemi Takada (GATCHAMAN), and manga artist Masami Yuki (BIRDY THE MIGHTY). The extremely popular story has spawned several OVAs, television series, feature films, and manga, centering on the exploits of Tokyo Metropolitan Police Special Vehicle Section 2, Division 2 -- which use the titular Patrol/Labor robots against crime and terrorism. Now, these beloved characters will come to life in an all-new series of live action films, which take place in 2013, several years after the original PATLABOR adventures took place.<br><br /><br><br />Initial teaser poster unveiled earlier this year at the Anime Fair.<br><br /><br><br />During the Tokyo International Anime Fair on March 21, 2013 at the, Tohokushinsha Co. Ltd., made the announcement of a live action PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION for 2014, which was followed by a press conference streamed over the Nico Nico Live website on September 25, 2013. In a similar distribution style to SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199, there will be seven theatrical films released through Shochiku, made up of twelve 48-minute episodes, plus a ten-minute prologue (Episode Zero), commencing on April 5, 2013 in six-week intervals (May 31, July 12, August 30, October 18, November 29, and January 1). While the cast and crew have been announced, there has yet been no listing for a visual effects director.<br><br /><br><br />Crew prepping to shoot one of the full-scale Ingram AV-98 props.<br><br /><br><br />Produced on a budget of2 billion (approximately $19,222,000 USD), PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION began shooting in June 2013 under the watchful eye of Supervising Director Oshii, who also wrote all of the episodes with Kei Yamamura (THE IRRESPONSIBLE CAPTAIN TYLOR), while individual episodes are being helmed by Oshii (directing 0, 6, & 12), Takanori Tsujimoto (BUSHIDO MAN) directs 2, 4, & 8, Kiyotaka Taguchi (NEO ULTRA Q) directs 9 & 10, and Hiroaki Yuasa (MOON) directs 3, 5, & 11. And fans can rejoice that the original PATLABOR composer, Kenji Kawai (GUNHED), is also returning for this new production. To insure realism, two impressive, full scale AV-98 Type Ingram Labors, standing a full 8 meters tall (approximately 27 feet), along with their heavy towing equipment, built for in-camera interaction with the cast.<br><br /><br><br />Director Oshii (far right) with the main cast of the new PATLABOR.<br><br /><br><br />Actress and singer Erina Mano (KAMEN RIDERKAMEN RIDER WIZARD & FOURZE: MOVIE WAR ULTIMATUM) headlines as Akira Izumino (taken from Oishii's "parallel world" Patlabor novel published in 2011), Seiji Fukushi (ASK THIS OF RIKYU) as Yuma Shinobara, Rina Ota (BRAIN MAN) as Kasha, Toshio Kakei (BAYSIDE SHADOWN: THE FINAL) as Captain Keiji Gotoda, Shigeru Chiba (DRAGON BALL Z: BATTLE OF GODS) reprises his role as Maintenance Chief Shigeo Shiba, and Yoshikatsu Fujiki (KAMEN RIDER BLACK-RX) as Yoshikatsu Buchiyama. Principal Photography on PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION is set to wrap this month. Additionally, an all-original live action feature film, written and directed by Oshii (with a running time of 100 minutes), will follow during the Golden Week holiday in 2015.<br><br /><br><br />Watch the first teaser trailer, here!<br><br /><br><br />Please visit the official Japanese website, !<br><br /><br><br />Stateside fans can also catch up on the phenomenon as US-based anime label, Maiden Japan recently scored the license for the animated MOBILE POLICE: PATLABOR television and OVA series -- check out their website, !<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoVykEOgCAMBMAXlYoxHPyMqUjApFKCe5Dfq9fJFKCtzFEa5KyEodbdrpbvZnDRLp4nv%2FDkuQlUdutU0wPKqaYuOK3SH0jTJ4f0sfkQgiu49AXURx%2Fl' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-790534086093952497.post-19831661247339086562014-01-30T13:21:00.001-08:002014-01-30T13:21:44.420-08:00PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!2014.4.5<br><br /><br><br />The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />Originating in the late 1980s, MOBILE POLICE: PATLABOR, is a long-running animated series created by a collective calling themselves Headgear, consisting of director Mamoru Oshii (GHOST IN THE SHELL), writer Kazunori Ito (GAMERA 2), mecha designer Yutaka Izubuchi (YAMATO: 2199), character designer Akemi Takada (GATCHAMAN), and manga artist Masami Yuki (BIRDY THE MIGHTY). The extremely popular story has spawned several OVAs, television series, feature films, and manga, centering on the exploits of Tokyo Metropolitan Police Special Vehicle Section 2, Division 2 -- which use the titular Patrol/Labor robots against crime and terrorism. Now, these beloved characters will come to life in an all-new series of live action films, which take place in 2013, several years after the original PATLABOR adventures took place.<br><br /><br><br />Initial teaser poster unveiled earlier this year at the Anime Fair.<br><br /><br><br />During the Tokyo International Anime Fair on March 21, 2013 at the, Tohokushinsha Co. Ltd., made the announcement of a live action PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION for 2014, which was followed by a press conference streamed over the Nico Nico Live website on September 25, 2013. In a similar distribution style to SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199, there will be seven theatrical films released through Shochiku, made up of twelve 48-minute episodes, plus a ten-minute prologue (Episode Zero), commencing on April 5, 2013 in six-week intervals (May 31, July 12, August 30, October 18, November 29, and January 1). While the cast and crew have been announced, there has yet been no listing for a visual effects director.<br><br /><br><br />Crew prepping to shoot one of the full-scale Ingram AV-98 props.<br><br /><br><br />Produced on a budget of2 billion (approximately $19,222,000 USD), PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION began shooting in June 2013 under the watchful eye of Supervising Director Oshii, who also wrote all of the episodes with Kei Yamamura (THE IRRESPONSIBLE CAPTAIN TYLOR), while individual episodes are being helmed by Oshii (directing 0, 6, & 12), Takanori Tsujimoto (BUSHIDO MAN) directs 2, 4, & 8, Kiyotaka Taguchi (NEO ULTRA Q) directs 9 & 10, and Hiroaki Yuasa (MOON) directs 3, 5, & 11. And fans can rejoice that the original PATLABOR composer, Kenji Kawai (GUNHED), is also returning for this new production. To insure realism, two impressive, full scale AV-98 Type Ingram Labors, standing a full 8 meters tall (approximately 27 feet), along with their heavy towing equipment, built for in-camera interaction with the cast.<br><br /><br><br />Director Oshii (far right) with the main cast of the new PATLABOR.<br><br /><br><br />Actress and singer Erina Mano (KAMEN RIDERKAMEN RIDER WIZARD & FOURZE: MOVIE WAR ULTIMATUM) headlines as Akira Izumino (taken from Oishii's "parallel world" Patlabor novel published in 2011), Seiji Fukushi (ASK THIS OF RIKYU) as Yuma Shinobara, Rina Ota (BRAIN MAN) as Kasha, Toshio Kakei (BAYSIDE SHADOWN: THE FINAL) as Captain Keiji Gotoda, Shigeru Chiba (DRAGON BALL Z: BATTLE OF GODS) reprises his role as Maintenance Chief Shigeo Shiba, and Yoshikatsu Fujiki (KAMEN RIDER BLACK-RX) as Yoshikatsu Buchiyama. Principal Photography on PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION is set to wrap this month. Additionally, an all-original live action feature film, written and directed by Oshii (with a running time of 100 minutes), will follow during the Golden Week holiday in 2015.<br><br /><br><br />Watch the first teaser trailer, here!<br><br /><br><br />Please visit the official Japanese website, !<br><br /><br><br />Stateside fans can also catch up on the phenomenon as US-based anime label, Maiden Japan recently scored the license for the animated MOBILE POLICE: PATLABOR television and OVA series -- check out their website, !<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoVykEOgCAMBMAXlQLxop8xVQmYVEpwD%2FJ79TqZArSFeZcGOSthqHW3qeW7GdxuF0cfJvaBm0Bls041PaCcauqC0yr9gTR9ckgfa4izdwWXvtQYH94%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-790534086093952497.post-75398220303285599052014-01-30T12:02:00.001-08:002014-01-30T12:02:25.497-08:00PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!2014.4.5<br><br /><br><br />The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />Originating in the late 1980s, MOBILE POLICE: PATLABOR, is a long-running animated series created by a collective calling themselves Headgear, consisting of director Mamoru Oshii (GHOST IN THE SHELL), writer Kazunori Ito (GAMERA 2), mecha designer Yutaka Izubuchi (YAMATO: 2199), character designer Akemi Takada (GATCHAMAN), and manga artist Masami Yuki (BIRDY THE MIGHTY). The extremely popular story has spawned several OVAs, television series, feature films, and manga, centering on the exploits of Tokyo Metropolitan Police Special Vehicle Section 2, Division 2 -- which use the titular Patrol/Labor robots against crime and terrorism. Now, these beloved characters will come to life in an all-new series of live action films, which take place in 2013, several years after the original PATLABOR adventures took place.<br><br /><br><br />Initial teaser poster unveiled earlier this year at the Anime Fair.<br><br /><br><br />During the Tokyo International Anime Fair on March 21, 2013 at the, Tohokushinsha Co. Ltd., made the announcement of a live action PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION for 2014, which was followed by a press conference streamed over the Nico Nico Live website on September 25, 2013. In a similar distribution style to SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199, there will be seven theatrical films released through Shochiku, made up of twelve 48-minute episodes, plus a ten-minute prologue (Episode Zero), commencing on April 5, 2013 in six-week intervals (May 31, July 12, August 30, October 18, November 29, and January 1). While the cast and crew have been announced, there has yet been no listing for a visual effects director.<br><br /><br><br />Crew prepping to shoot one of the full-scale Ingram AV-98 props.<br><br /><br><br />Produced on a budget of2 billion (approximately $19,222,000 USD), PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION began shooting in June 2013 under the watchful eye of Supervising Director Oshii, who also wrote all of the episodes with Kei Yamamura (THE IRRESPONSIBLE CAPTAIN TYLOR), while individual episodes are being helmed by Oshii (directing 0, 6, & 12), Takanori Tsujimoto (BUSHIDO MAN) directs 2, 4, & 8, Kiyotaka Taguchi (NEO ULTRA Q) directs 9 & 10, and Hiroaki Yuasa (MOON) directs 3, 5, & 11. And fans can rejoice that the original PATLABOR composer, Kenji Kawai (GUNHED), is also returning for this new production. To insure realism, two impressive, full scale AV-98 Type Ingram Labors, standing a full 8 meters tall (approximately 27 feet), along with their heavy towing equipment, built for in-camera interaction with the cast.<br><br /><br><br />Director Oshii (far right) with the main cast of the new PATLABOR.<br><br /><br><br />Actress and singer Erina Mano (KAMEN RIDERKAMEN RIDER WIZARD & FOURZE: MOVIE WAR ULTIMATUM) headlines as Akira Izumino (taken from Oishii's "parallel world" Patlabor novel published in 2011), Seiji Fukushi (ASK THIS OF RIKYU) as Yuma Shinobara, Rina Ota (BRAIN MAN) as Kasha, Toshio Kakei (BAYSIDE SHADOWN: THE FINAL) as Captain Keiji Gotoda, Shigeru Chiba (DRAGON BALL Z: BATTLE OF GODS) reprises his role as Maintenance Chief Shigeo Shiba, and Yoshikatsu Fujiki (KAMEN RIDER BLACK-RX) as Yoshikatsu Buchiyama. Principal Photography on PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION is set to wrap this month. Additionally, an all-original live action feature film, written and directed by Oshii (with a running time of 100 minutes), will follow during the Golden Week holiday in 2015.<br><br /><br><br />Watch the first teaser trailer, here!<br><br /><br><br />Please visit the official Japanese website, !<br><br /><br><br />Stateside fans can also catch up on the phenomenon as US-based anime label, Maiden Japan recently scored the license for the animated MOBILE POLICE: PATLABOR television and OVA series -- check out their website, !<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoVyksOgCAMBcATleJn5WVMQYImtSX4Fnp7dTuZHWgLc5YGOYzwqPeQ1OvVHCH7yWMcZo4DN4FK8k5WblAtVrrgcKM%2FkJZPNunPOsWw49QXlkcfdQ%3D%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-790534086093952497.post-24190463832378541982014-01-30T03:25:00.001-08:002014-01-30T03:25:27.056-08:00Anime Review: 11eyesSometimes an anime comes along that has serious potential but through improper development of characters it falls apart. One such anime was the 2009 anime 11eyes. I will be summarising the story, characters, animation and sounds to then give a final summary so without further ado, my review of 11eyes.<br><br /><br><br />The story focuses on Satsuki Kakeru a middle schooler who was taken off to a plane of existence later called the red night to fight creatures and rescue a girl trapped in a gemstone, the idea itself was solid with good production however leaving a massive lack of emotion for the characters succeeding showing lack of development.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />the characters were the biggest let-down with only a few characters getting proper development and even then allot of that development gets tied up in the story and feels forced by the writers and this was my only real problem with the show bet it left me with an unfufilling ending as I had no real attachment to any characters by the end of the series<br><br />The animation was one of the highlights with a dark theme and solid colours with a very strong spectrum of colours. The shading for the time was excellent with no visible lack of frames and fluid movement animation giving credit to Pony Canyon and Sentai Filmworks as it shows the style of these production studios heavily.<br><br /><br><br />The sounds for 11eyes were well made with Iwanami Yoshikazu well placed for the role with work in shows like Deadman Wonderland, and both Ghost in The Shell Arise OVA's. Other notable mentions were the opening and ending themes that were performed excellently. The opening performed by Ayane who also did work on the Choujigen Game Neptune: The Animation ending and Ayakashi opening however really going above and beyond with one of my favourite opening songs of anime.<br><br /><br><br />In conclusion the animation standards were excellent however a lack of development of the characters and relation with the plot needed work that is why I have awarded the following scores and giving a recommendation to stream rather than buy<br><br /><br><br />Story<br><br />7.3/10<br><br /><br><br />Characters<br><br />5.1/10<br><br /><br><br />Animation<br><br />7.5/10<br><br /><br><br />Sound<br><br />8.1/10<br><br /><br><br />Personal Enjoyment<br><br />5.1/10<br><br /><br><br />Final Verdict<br><br />6.6/10<br><br /><br><br />to stream 11eyes and other shows has free and legal streaming of thousands of anime titles updated every week and constantly collecting older material<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNrLKCkpsNLXLywtSczLzE3NTcxLT9RLyslPLy7IL9FLzs%2FVNzIwNNE3MNQHy%2BsWpZZlppbrGhqmVqYW62WU5OYAAB5GF2w%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-790534086093952497.post-72261550467107925042014-01-29T22:41:00.001-08:002014-01-29T22:41:31.240-08:00PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!2014.4.5<br><br /><br><br />The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />Originating in the late 1980s, MOBILE POLICE: PATLABOR, is a long-running animated series created by a collective calling themselves Headgear, consisting of director Mamoru Oshii (GHOST IN THE SHELL), writer Kazunori Ito (GAMERA 2), mecha designer Yutaka Izubuchi (YAMATO: 2199), character designer Akemi Takada (GATCHAMAN), and manga artist Masami Yuki (BIRDY THE MIGHTY). The extremely popular story has spawned several OVAs, television series, feature films, and manga, centering on the exploits of Tokyo Metropolitan Police Special Vehicle Section 2, Division 2 -- which use the titular Patrol/Labor robots against crime and terrorism. Now, these beloved characters will come to life in an all-new series of live action films, which take place in 2013, several years after the original PATLABOR adventures took place.<br><br /><br><br />Initial teaser poster unveiled earlier this year at the Anime Fair.<br><br /><br><br />During the Tokyo International Anime Fair on March 21, 2013 at the, Tohokushinsha Co. Ltd., made the announcement of a live action PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION for 2014, which was followed by a press conference streamed over the Nico Nico Live website on September 25, 2013. In a similar distribution style to SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199, there will be seven theatrical films released through Shochiku, made up of twelve 48-minute episodes, plus a ten-minute prologue (Episode Zero), commencing on April 5, 2013 in six-week intervals (May 31, July 12, August 30, October 18, November 29, and January 1). While the cast and crew have been announced, there has yet been no listing for a visual effects director.<br><br /><br><br />Crew prepping to shoot one of the full-scale Ingram AV-98 props.<br><br /><br><br />Produced on a budget of2 billion (approximately $19,222,000 USD), PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION began shooting in June 2013 under the watchful eye of Supervising Director Oshii, who also wrote all of the episodes with Kei Yamamura (THE IRRESPONSIBLE CAPTAIN TYLOR), while individual episodes are being helmed by Oshii (directing 0, 6, & 12), Takanori Tsujimoto (BUSHIDO MAN) directs 2, 4, & 8, Kiyotaka Taguchi (NEO ULTRA Q) directs 9 & 10, and Hiroaki Yuasa (MOON) directs 3, 5, & 11. And fans can rejoice that the original PATLABOR composer, Kenji Kawai (GUNHED), is also returning for this new production. To insure realism, two impressive, full scale AV-98 Type Ingram Labors, standing a full 8 meters tall (approximately 27 feet), along with their heavy towing equipment, built for in-camera interaction with the cast.<br><br /><br><br />Director Oshii (far right) with the main cast of the new PATLABOR.<br><br /><br><br />Actress and singer Erina Mano (KAMEN RIDERKAMEN RIDER WIZARD & FOURZE: MOVIE WAR ULTIMATUM) headlines as Akira Izumino (taken from Oishii's "parallel world" Patlabor novel published in 2011), Seiji Fukushi (ASK THIS OF RIKYU) as Yuma Shinobara, Rina Ota (BRAIN MAN) as Kasha, Toshio Kakei (BAYSIDE SHADOWN: THE FINAL) as Captain Keiji Gotoda, Shigeru Chiba (DRAGON BALL Z: BATTLE OF GODS) reprises his role as Maintenance Chief Shigeo Shiba, and Yoshikatsu Fujiki (KAMEN RIDER BLACK-RX) as Yoshikatsu Buchiyama. Principal Photography on PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION is set to wrap this month. Additionally, an all-original live action feature film, written and directed by Oshii (with a running time of 100 minutes), will follow during the Golden Week holiday in 2015.<br><br /><br><br />Watch the first teaser trailer, here!<br><br /><br><br />Please visit the official Japanese website, !<br><br /><br><br />Stateside fans can also catch up on the phenomenon as US-based anime label, Maiden Japan recently scored the license for the animated MOBILE POLICE: PATLABOR television and OVA series -- check out their website, !<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoVykEOgCAMBMAXlSpRD37GFCRgUinBPejv1etkCtBW5igNclTCo9ZdUMtXM7hoJ%2FthnHgYuQlUgnWq6QblVFMXHFbpD6Tpk136s%2FnFz67g1BfULh%2Fh' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-790534086093952497.post-54696754597242341142014-01-29T20:05:00.001-08:002014-01-29T20:05:00.732-08:00Arcane Reviews UpdateUPCOMING REVIEWS!<br><br /><br><br />Hello ladies, peoples, and animals it is I, the Arcane Reviewer! Here to bring you a little update. Now I have reviews planned for the rest of this month but I also have some specials set up for the months February and March. So without further or due I present to you the upcoming Arcane Reviews for the next three months.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />JANUARY REVIEWS<br><br /><br><br />8TH: CARNIVAL PHANTASM<br><br /><br><br />15TH: DANGANRONPA<br><br /><br><br />22ND: BACCANO<br><br /><br><br />29TH: PHANTOM: REQUIEM FOR A PHANTOM<br><br /><br><br />FEBRUARY: ROMANCE MONTH!<br><br /><br><br />5TH: CHOBITS<br><br /><br><br />12TH: TENCHI IN TOKYO<br><br /><br><br />19TH: FRUITS BASKET<br><br /><br><br />26TH: TORADORA!<br><br /><br><br />MARCH: MOVIE MONTH!<br><br /><br><br />5TH: LUIPN THE 3RD:THE CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTO<br><br /><br><br />12TH: PERFECT BLUE<br><br /><br><br />19TH: GHOST IN THE SHELL<br><br /><br><br />26TH: PRINCESS MONONOKE<br><br /><br><br />Hope you guys look forward to these next three month!<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNrLKCkpsNLXTyxKTsxLLUoty0wtT9VLyslPLy7IL9FLzs%2FVNzIwNNE3MIQq0YWoKdYtLUhJLEnVyyjJzQEAUb0Yow%3D%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-790534086093952497.post-75252485003926781542014-01-29T16:55:00.001-08:002014-01-29T16:55:24.492-08:00Live Action Ghost in the ShellDreamWorks has made a deal with Snow White And The Huntsman helmer Rupert Sanders to direct Ghost In The Shell, a live-action film based on the Japanese manga futuristic police thriller that has a new script from William Wheeler. The film is being produced by Avi Arad, Ari Arad and Steven Paul. Fueled by the personal passion of Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks acquired the project several years ago with ambitious plans to shoot it in 3D.<br><br /><br><br />Created by Masamune Shirow, Ghost in the Shell was first published in 1989 by Kodansha, one of the largest publishing companies in Japan. It went on to generate two additional manga editions, three anime film adaptations, an anime TV series and three videogames. DreamWorks released the second anime film.<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />The story follows the exploits of a member of a covert ops unit of the Japanese National Public Safety Commission that specializes in fighting technology-related crime.<br><br /><br><br />Wheeler scripted Hoax and The Reluctant Fundamentalist and most recently completed the Robert Schwentke-attached serial killer Entering Hades for New Regency as well as Queen of Katwe, a true story about a young female chess prodigy from Africa, which has Reluctant Fundamentalist helmer Mira Nair attached. The UTA/Anonymous Content-repped scribe also scripted Brand, a USA Network project that has Jodie Foster attached to direct.<br><br /><br><br />Sanders has several directing projects percolating, and it isn't clear which film he'll helm next. He's got 90 Church with Universal and producer Joe Roth, an epic about the bloody battles of Napoleon Bonaparte at Warner Bros, and he's developing Juliet for Sony and New Regency, with Charles Roven producing, as well as the screen adaptation of the Frederick Forsyth thriller The Kill List for producers Steve Schwartz, Paula Mae Schwartz and Nick Wechsler. Sanders is repped by CAA and attorney Carlos Goodman and in the UK by Duncan Heath and Jack Thomas at Independent Talent Group.<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoFwdENgCAMBcCJygPij25DsLEklRJoZH3vxH1cwN47qM17SRk8Q7UXOaYDMSGf0PYxlerNOj1iy6l1cmFawqr4ASjSF28%3D' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-790534086093952497.post-22137732949419933412014-01-29T15:38:00.001-08:002014-01-29T15:38:35.890-08:00PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!2014.4.5<br><br /><br><br />The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />Originating in the late 1980s, MOBILE POLICE: PATLABOR, is a long-running animated series created by a collective calling themselves Headgear, consisting of director Mamoru Oshii (GHOST IN THE SHELL), writer Kazunori Ito (GAMERA 2), mecha designer Yutaka Izubuchi (YAMATO: 2199), character designer Akemi Takada (GATCHAMAN), and manga artist Masami Yuki (BIRDY THE MIGHTY). The extremely popular story has spawned several OVAs, television series, feature films, and manga, centering on the exploits of Tokyo Metropolitan Police Special Vehicle Section 2, Division 2 -- which use the titular Patrol/Labor robots against crime and terrorism. Now, these beloved characters will come to life in an all-new series of live action films, which take place in 2013, several years after the original PATLABOR adventures took place.<br><br /><br><br />Initial teaser poster unveiled earlier this year at the Anime Fair.<br><br /><br><br />During the Tokyo International Anime Fair on March 21, 2013 at the, Tohokushinsha Co. Ltd., made the announcement of a live action PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION for 2014, which was followed by a press conference streamed over the Nico Nico Live website on September 25, 2013. In a similar distribution style to SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199, there will be seven theatrical films released through Shochiku, made up of twelve 48-minute episodes, plus a ten-minute prologue (Episode Zero), commencing on April 5, 2013 in six-week intervals (May 31, July 12, August 30, October 18, November 29, and January 1). While the cast and crew have been announced, there has yet been no listing for a visual effects director.<br><br /><br><br />Crew prepping to shoot one of the full-scale Ingram AV-98 props.<br><br /><br><br />Produced on a budget of2 billion (approximately $19,222,000 USD), PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION began shooting in June 2013 under the watchful eye of Supervising Director Oshii, who also wrote all of the episodes with Kei Yamamura (THE IRRESPONSIBLE CAPTAIN TYLOR), while individual episodes are being helmed by Oshii (directing 0, 6, & 12), Takanori Tsujimoto (BUSHIDO MAN) directs 2, 4, & 8, Kiyotaka Taguchi (NEO ULTRA Q) directs 9 & 10, and Hiroaki Yuasa (MOON) directs 3, 5, & 11. And fans can rejoice that the original PATLABOR composer, Kenji Kawai (GUNHED), is also returning for this new production. To insure realism, two impressive, full scale AV-98 Type Ingram Labors, standing a full 8 meters tall (approximately 27 feet), along with their heavy towing equipment, built for in-camera interaction with the cast.<br><br /><br><br />Director Oshii (far right) with the main cast of the new PATLABOR.<br><br /><br><br />Actress and singer Erina Mano (KAMEN RIDERKAMEN RIDER WIZARD & FOURZE: MOVIE WAR ULTIMATUM) headlines as Akira Izumino (taken from Oishii's "parallel world" Patlabor novel published in 2011), Seiji Fukushi (ASK THIS OF RIKYU) as Yuma Shinobara, Rina Ota (BRAIN MAN) as Kasha, Toshio Kakei (BAYSIDE SHADOWN: THE FINAL) as Captain Keiji Gotoda, Shigeru Chiba (DRAGON BALL Z: BATTLE OF GODS) reprises his role as Maintenance Chief Shigeo Shiba, and Yoshikatsu Fujiki (KAMEN RIDER BLACK-RX) as Yoshikatsu Buchiyama. Principal Photography on PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION is set to wrap this month. Additionally, an all-original live action feature film, written and directed by Oshii (with a running time of 100 minutes), will follow during the Golden Week holiday in 2015.<br><br /><br><br />Watch the first teaser trailer, here!<br><br /><br><br />Please visit the official Japanese website, !<br><br /><br><br />Stateside fans can also catch up on the phenomenon as US-based anime label, Maiden Japan recently scored the license for the animated MOBILE POLICE: PATLABOR television and OVA series -- check out their website, !<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoVykEOgCAMBMAXlSLxYPyMKUjQpFKCe5Dfq9fJHEBbmZM0yFkJQ627qFbuZnDJLg5%2BmtlP3AQq0TrV%2FIBKrrkLTqv0B9L8yS59bGGZvTtw6QvULh%2Fg' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-790534086093952497.post-4489770255606069172014-01-29T14:50:00.001-08:002014-01-29T14:50:21.198-08:00THE DAKOIT SPECULATION HIT LIST: January 29th 2014!!! UPDATEDThese last several weeks has seen a prominence of certain unique trends in the collector and speculator market. Others including myself have noticed increasing demand on later prints of back issue keys and recent/current #1's.<br><br /><br><br />Some notables are subsequent prints of Superman Man of Steel #18 (1st app. of Doomsday). 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th prints are all selling higher than the 1st print of this key ($35-$300).<br><a name='more'></a><br><br />The other that immediately comes to mind is Incredible Hulk #377. The 3rd printing of the classic/iconic Dale Keown cover is selling well over $120.A recent 4th print heating up was that of Sex Criminal #1 (photo variant). Fetching $20 easily or more upon release, but has since cooled down to around $10-15.<br><br /><br><br />Although I do see a demand for these later print books, I personally don't pick them on two principles. First, its hard to predict which subsequent prints will be sought after in the after market. Many books have subsequent lower 2nd, 3rd, and even 4th prints, and rarely ever see after market demand. To me, it seems some groups just drive up demand for a book for no apparent reason other than the easy go to, 'it has a lower print'. Mind you, I just didn't drop into this business yesterday, and I have seen it all. From exclusive holograms, to limited foils, to special bags, to certficates of authenticity, to ashcan versions, limited editions etc etc. Another such 'fad' to me, are these price pushes for lower print later prints.<br><br /><br><br />It really doesn't make any sense why a 3rd print Hulk #377 with an ugly 'dull' green cover is in such demand, despite its low print run. Personally, I don't see long term demand for later prints of ANY book, and hold them just as a 'micro second' fad. Honestly, why would anyone want a 3rd, 4th print book, when the first print is THE one to get (ie. first off the presses). People historically/traditionally have always gone for the 'first this, and first that' not the '3rd version of this or the 4th version of that'.This temporary market trend may not last, and as an advice I suggest not get sucked into this. Make educated speculations and better investment decisions. Although if my forte (from the very beginning I'd started this blog) is speculating on the 'budget' book (never having you spend too much on any of my picks), I still preach logical decisions. After all, it is still your hard earned money, and you shouldn't get duped no matter how little/ much you pay for a particular item.<br><br /><br><br />That being said, if you do see a 'snot green' 3rd print Hulk #377 for cover price/ a few bucks over cover, don't leave it behind. Right now, you can make a quick easy flip for the temporary market demand!<br><br /><br><br />As is it a SLOW WEEK, I just wanted to get that off my chest. Now let's get to the fun stuff....:-)<br><br /><br><br />IN MY CONSTANT QUEST TO GET YOU THE MOST RECENT SPECULATOR INFO (IN ADDITION TO MY WEEKLY IN-DEPTH BLOG COLUMNS) I THOUGHT I'D SHOOT OUT SOME RECENT BOOKS WORTH GRABBING CHEAP IF YOU CAN FIND THEM. HERE ARE SOME DAKOIT QUICK PICKS TO GRAB AT THE STORE THIS WEEK, SOME ARE OLDER AND SOME ARE NEW!<br><br /><br><br />THIS WEEK IS SO SLOW, THAT I'VE DECIDED TO INCLUDE MORE PAST RELEASE COMICS WORTH GRABBING FAST CHEAP!<br><br /><br><br />1. Black Science #3 (Image)<br><br />Releasing: January 28th 2014<br><br />WHY? Black Science #1 sold out (now $8.00 on Ebay) , Black Science #2 lower print/under ordered & sold out, heating up now ($12.00 on Ebay). 3rd print will be lower ordered than the first two issues. Great story so far, great creative team (Remender-)<br><br /><br><br />Ghost In The Shell #1, in VF/NM copies are now on Ebay for $7.50-$16.00. I would suggest first go hunting for one at your LCS to see if you can find one in high grade for way less. GITS#1 was hugely popular in the late nineties as the manga invasion made its way into US markets. Dark Horse decided to adapt the legendary Masamune Shirow's anime series into a comic book limited series. Make sure you get the #1 issue of the first limited series. Dark horse had subsequently released one more limited series called GITS: Man-Machine Interface that ISN'T the one to get. The book has a low print run, and was hot for a brief while in the 90's reaching upwards of $50 bucks, but has since cooled all the way down. It may see it's day once again. Get the book now.<br><br /><br><br />With CNN getting on Escape From Jesus Island #1, this will get national media attention- watch the pitchforks and witch-hunt begin while flipping this scarce book for a heck of cash. Current Ebay prices are $7.99- 16.99, pretty easy to attain. Grab 1-2 copies while they last.<br><br /><br><br />Until Next week...<br><br /><br><br />D-<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNpNyjEOgCAMQNETQYE4GC9jChJBCiVSBm%2Bvo%2BPP%2B0mkbwCBaw6euYwewySUzE174nN0Fv0pOGMXMBYkRXVg4Szq96r0NeUh6sI28X52t%2BoklV67cCNc' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-790534086093952497.post-5822446652493048112014-01-29T14:04:00.001-08:002014-01-29T14:04:28.271-08:00PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION (2014) The Legendary Anime Series Goes Live!2014.4.5<br><br /><br><br />The just-unveiled advance poster for PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION!<br><a name='more'></a><br><br /><br><br />Originating in the late 1980s, MOBILE POLICE: PATLABOR, is a long-running animated series created by a collective calling themselves Headgear, consisting of director Mamoru Oshii (GHOST IN THE SHELL), writer Kazunori Ito (GAMERA 2), mecha designer Yutaka Izubuchi (YAMATO: 2199), character designer Akemi Takada (GATCHAMAN), and manga artist Masami Yuki (BIRDY THE MIGHTY). The extremely popular story has spawned several OVAs, television series, feature films, and manga, centering on the exploits of Tokyo Metropolitan Police Special Vehicle Section 2, Division 2 -- which use the titular Patrol/Labor robots against crime and terrorism. Now, these beloved characters will come to life in an all-new series of live action films, which take place in 2013, several years after the original PATLABOR adventures took place.<br><br /><br><br />Initial teaser poster unveiled earlier this year at the Anime Fair.<br><br /><br><br />During the Tokyo International Anime Fair on March 21, 2013 at the, Tohokushinsha Co. Ltd., made the announcement of a live action PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION for 2014, which was followed by a press conference streamed over the Nico Nico Live website on September 25, 2013. In a similar distribution style to SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO: 2199, there will be seven theatrical films released through Shochiku, made up of twelve 48-minute episodes, plus a ten-minute prologue (Episode Zero), commencing on April 5, 2013 in six-week intervals (May 31, July 12, August 30, October 18, November 29, and January 1). While the cast and crew have been announced, there has yet been no listing for a visual effects director.<br><br /><br><br />Crew prepping to shoot one of the full-scale Ingram AV-98 props.<br><br /><br><br />Produced on a budget of2 billion (approximately $19,222,000 USD), PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION began shooting in June 2013 under the watchful eye of Supervising Director Oshii, who also wrote all of the episodes with Kei Yamamura (THE IRRESPONSIBLE CAPTAIN TYLOR), while individual episodes are being helmed by Oshii (directing 0, 6, & 12), Takanori Tsujimoto (BUSHIDO MAN) directs 2, 4, & 8, Kiyotaka Taguchi (NEO ULTRA Q) directs 9 & 10, and Hiroaki Yuasa (MOON) directs 3, 5, & 11. And fans can rejoice that the original PATLABOR composer, Kenji Kawai (GUNHED), is also returning for this new production. To insure realism, two impressive, full scale AV-98 Type Ingram Labors, standing a full 8 meters tall (approximately 27 feet), along with their heavy towing equipment, built for in-camera interaction with the cast.<br><br /><br><br />Director Oshii (far right) with the main cast of the new PATLABOR.<br><br /><br><br />Actress and singer Erina Mano (KAMEN RIDERKAMEN RIDER WIZARD & FOURZE: MOVIE WAR ULTIMATUM) headlines as Akira Izumino (taken from Oishii's "parallel world" Patlabor novel published in 2011), Seiji Fukushi (ASK THIS OF RIKYU) as Yuma Shinobara, Rina Ota (BRAIN MAN) as Kasha, Toshio Kakei (BAYSIDE SHADOWN: THE FINAL) as Captain Keiji Gotoda, Shigeru Chiba (DRAGON BALL Z: BATTLE OF GODS) reprises his role as Maintenance Chief Shigeo Shiba, and Yoshikatsu Fujiki (KAMEN RIDER BLACK-RX) as Yoshikatsu Buchiyama. Principal Photography on PATLABOR: THE NEXT GENERATION is set to wrap this month. Additionally, an all-original live action feature film, written and directed by Oshii (with a running time of 100 minutes), will follow during the Golden Week holiday in 2015.<br><br /><br><br />Watch the first teaser trailer, here!<br><br /><br><br />Please visit the official Japanese website, !<br><br /><br><br />Stateside fans can also catch up on the phenomenon as US-based anime label, Maiden Japan recently scored the license for the animated MOBILE POLICE: PATLABOR television and OVA series -- check out their website, !<br /><a href='http://blogfog.aws.af.cm/ad/site.php?u=eNoVykEOgCAMBMAXlaJBD37GVCVgUinBPcjv1etkMlAX5l0q5CyErtbcppbuanC7XTz6IbAfuApUNmtU4gNKscQmOK3QH0jjJ4e0vk5zmF3GpS%2FUXR%2Fn' target='details'>Full Post</a><br />Animonohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09205122367223626862noreply@blogger.com0