Yup, February 6 2010 has been named as the day that the Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya film will be released in Japanese cinemas. February is shaping up to be an awesome month, not only because it contains my birthday, but if this movie turns out to be awesome as well, it could be a perfect early b’day present. Then again, a small part of me is afraid the movie is going to flop, with possible budget constraints or any other problems Kadokawa seem so good at digging up. NO! Bad Chris! Have faith in the production company that brought Haruhi to the small screen! Don’t continue to think Endless Eight killed the magic that is Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu!
We all have that favorite series that we keep going back and watching. Mine is Lucky Star. However, despite my ever drooling over that series and the lovely protagonists therein, I always knew in my heart that none of my beloved Lucky Star girls would compare to legendary characters of anime past. Why do I know this? Well, the people at IGN have tallied their opinions of who belongs in the top 25 most popular anime characters of all time, and after reading I could not help but agree (mostly).
The criteria used to judge each character was their ever lasting fame and the impact they had on both the industry and their particular genre. Without spoiling the article, which I insist you go check out, I was pleased to see that most of my guesses made their way into the top 25. Our glorified SOS brigade leader was among them, and righteously so. She made a big impact in the world a few years ago, and still remains dominant even today.
As for Lucky Star, while it was (and indeed still is) enormously popular and fun, no individual character carried the series alone, rather it was a glorious team effort.
So check out IGN’s top 25. What is your opinion on the most popular (or influential) anime character? Did your favorite even make it onto IGN’s list?
I honestly didn’t think I’d see the day when British sci-fi was combined with the stylings of late-80’s Japanese animation, but then Paul “OtaKing” Johnson decided to do just that. Johnson is working on animated short based on the adventures of the third Doctor, played by Jon Pertwee.
Before you comment about it, yes, we are entirely aware that we are late to the party. In the interest of being comprehensive, though, we present to you the Lucky Star opening meticulously re-done with Transformers.
Ok, everyone can stop making these now. I’m pretty sure kkal won.
Bandai is really pulling out all the stops for Gundam Unicorn. They revealed today that the Blu-Ray version will receive a simultaneous international release, and will include both English and Japanese dub tracks, as well as subtitles in Japanese, English, French, Spanish and Chinese. Those of you without Blu-Ray players, however, will have to suffer through the English subtitles, as the regular DVD release contains only Japanese audio. Bummer, I know how much you otaku hate subtitles.
As a Gundam fan, I would love to provide you with a detailed analysis of Bandai’s international release strategy… but I’m too busy squealing like a fangirl. SQUEEEEE!!!
I’m not usually into sports series, but for some reason Shojo Fight has caught my eye. Maybe it’s the character designs… in any case, I’m planning on reading the manga when I get some free time, and I’m also looking forward to the half-hour OVA that’s shipping with the sixth volume on October 23rd. The fact that Production I.G. is involved has me even more intrigued. Anyhoo, here’s the PV.
If you’re a fansubber, please translate this when it comes out!
This is the inaugural post of our new Past Masters column. Here, we hope to explore those classic (and not-so-classic) anime productions that are ten years old or older. This will give us a chance to reminisce about the anime we grew up on, and hopefully introduce the newer generations to the series, OVAs and films that helped define modern otaku culture.
To your average otaku, mentioning “Gainax” might bring to mind such iconic series as Evangelion, Gunbuster, FLCL and Gurren Lagann. Without a doubt, Gainax is one of the most recognizable names in the anime industry. But where did this legendary studio get its start? Let’s turn back the clock and find out…
The year is 1981. The Nihon SF Taikai convention, a gathering of Japanese science fiction fans, is set to take place in Osaka, under the name of Daicon III. For the opening ceremonies, the organizers of Daicon ask a group of college students from the Osaka University of Arts to create an animated promotional video. Among the students are such future luminaries as Takami Akai, Hiroyuki Yamaga and Hideaki Anno. The 5 1/2 minute-long 8 mm film they create, which came to be known as the Daicon III Opening Animation, was to become the first of Gainax’s productions.
Daicon III features a young nameless girl, who is tasked with using a vial of water to a revive a dried-out daikon radish. As she journeys to the radish, she encounters and battles a variety of opponents, including a powered armor suit from Starship Troopers, several kaiju including Godzilla, a Star Destroyer, the space battleship Yamato, the starship Enterprise, an RX-78 Gundam, and many other iconic science fiction-themed enemies.
Considering how quickly anime can gain and lose traction among fans (does anyone talk about Ergo Proxy anymore?), it’s impressive that Trigun still seems to show up in “my favorite…” lists. And with the long-awaited movie coming out, the franchise isn’t likely to fade into obscurity any time soon.
According to Sankaku Complex’s report [NSFW], the movie will be released during spring of 2010 and will star Vash the Stampede, Meryl, Milly and Nicholas Wolfwood, all voiced by the original cast. Given Wolfwood’s presence, this probably isn’t going to be set after the end of the anime or the manga–unless Nightow has been getting some inspiration from Lost.
From the Japanese I was able to decipher on the official site, the movie is set in Makka, a town surrounded by quicksand. Rumors around town say a legendary robber named Gasubakku is targeting the place. In order to protect his town, Mayor Kepler gathers ruffians to take him out…for a monetary prize, of course. Meryl and Milly happen to be in the town on a job for their insurance company when, to their surprise, they see Vash in the line of people hoping to take down Gasubakku.
So it seems the movie will be like a longer, self-contained version of the average episode of the TV series. This will likely please existing Trigun fans, but will it be able to expand the fandom?
KyoAni obviously expected the announcement of their Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya film to generate lots of excitement and anticipation. However, the response thus far from the fan community has been underwhelming. Many fans have expressed concerns that the Disappearance arc is far too lengthy for a feature-length production. Other are merely apathetic towards Haruhi in general since the Endless Eight fiasco. However, there are also fans who are cautiously optimistic; they believe that KyoAni learned their lesson, and will produce a quality motion picture that does Haruhi justice.
So what do you think? Are you excited about the Disappearance movie? Let us know in the poll below, and join the discussion on our forums!
Today, the final episode of Suzumiya Haruhi No Yuutsu‘s ‘renewed airing’ was broadcast, and at the end, a very special announcement appeared.
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya has been announced… and it’s going to be a theatrical film, opening in the spring of 2010! Aside from that, no further information on the film is available, although Haruhi’s official site will be updated with more details ‘at a later date’.
Fans are still debating whether this is a good or bad idea. However, for at least a little while, Haruhi seems to have recaptured the spotlight. For those of you wondering about the future of the Haruhi franchise, you now have your answer!
