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!
Hatsune Miku, Japan’s most popular virtual idol, will be making her first international “appearance” in concert at the Singapore Anime Festival Asia 2009. The act, known as Hatsune Miku LIVE! Performance, will use a projection screen to create a giant image of the Vocaloid singing and dancing. This same technique was used earlier this year in the Animelo Summer Live 2009 Re:bridge concert in Saitama, Japan, where it wooed 25,000 screaming fans. Hopefully, the reaction in Signapore will be just as enthusiastic.
Additionally, the main voice cast from K-On! will also be at AFA09. However, instead of singing, they will be dubbing a scene from the show live and taking pre-submitted questions. I’m don’t know why they’re hesitant to appear in concert, but I’m sure there’s a reason…
–Via ANN
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?
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!
Previously posted by Ryoko, we saw K-On! enter the record books with 33,000 Blu-Ray and 8,000 DVD sales for volume one alone. Today we hear of this record being broken by another anime, Bakemonogatari, with over 29,000 Blu-Ray and 15,000 in DVD sales. This lands it at 44,000 total sales to K-On’s 41,000.
Bakemonogatari is an anime by Shaft, now rather well-known for it’s artsy style and 24 minute slideshow for episode 10. Apparently the latter wasn’t enough to label it a lost cause.
As Bakemonogatari is not the moe-blobbery of K-On! and many other recent anime, we can only hope that it’s popularity will serve as a shoe to the hindquarters of the anime industry. So far this information has only been found on Sankaku Complex, so it should be taken with a pinch of salt; but if true then more reliable sources will be available soon.
-via Sankaku Complex [NSFW]
Kyoto Animation, the studio behind Haruhi, K-On! and Lucky Star, has announced a new contest aimed at independent authors and artists. The Kyoto Animation Award invites anybody, whether pro or amateur, to submit their work in one of three categories: novel, script or manga. The top entry in each category will win a prize of ¥300,000 and have the possibility of being animated by KyoAni. Runners-up will take home ¥100,000. The contest rules do not mention any restrictions on the location, nationality or professional status of the entrant, nor on the genre or content of the work itself. However, the entry does have to be in Japanese. (Thanks to Dazza for pointing that out.)
So, is KyoAni actually trying to give some aspiring author or artist their big break… or have they simply run out of ideas?
The first trailer for the Hatsune Miku / Studio Ordet collaboration Black Rock Shooter has been posted on YouTube… and it looks AWESOME.
As you may recall from one of our previous posts, Black Rock Shooter is an anime project being developed by Yutaka Yamamoto’s Studio Ordet, and is based on the popular Hatsune Miku song of the same name. It is currently slated for a Spring 2010 release. The project will be directed by Shinobu Yoshioka, an episode director from Haruhi, Lucky Star and Kannagi, as well as one of the many Kyoto Animation employees who left the company in 2007 and joined Ordet.
The first Endless Eight Haruhi DVD sales figures are in, and the news isn’t good. In its first week, the first Endless Eight volume chalked up 14,104 sales. By comparison, the Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody DVD sold 26,265 copies in its first week, meaning Haruhi DVD sales have dropped by around 54% as a result of Endless Eight. Overall, this places Haruhi third on the DVD sales charts for this week, albeit against other weak contenders like Hetalia, Prince of Tennis and Queen’s Blade.
So what does this mean for Haruhi’s future? Well, the franchise certainly isn’t dead; it is, however, a shadow of its former self. Sales figures from 2006 reveal that Haruhi DVDs used to sell between 28,000 and 38,000 copies in their first week; the E8 sales are less than half of that. It is almost certain that another Haruhi season will be animated; however without significant advertising or DVD sales revenue from the current “season”, this means Kyoani has less money to work with for future seasons. Unfortunately, this could mean that the next Haruhi’s production values will be significantly lower.
Back in 2006, Kadokawa marketing director Takafumi Ishibashi claimed that “Haruhi could become Kadokawa’s big pillar like Bandai’s Gundam series.” At this rate, that prediction very well might wind up being Haruhi’s famous last words.
–Via Cartoon Leap and the Anime News Service archives
Viz announced at the New York Anime Festival today that it plans to simulcast episodes of InuYasha: The Final Act starting on October 3rd. The simulcast will be broadcast on Hulu and Shonen Sunday, presumably subtitled in English. It’s also likely that it will only be available to viewers in North America, though this has not been confirmed yet.
Although I’m no great fan of InuYasha, I am happy to see more series getting simulcast. After all, who can argue with free legal fansubs? Hopefully this will be as successful as the Naruto, One Piece and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood simulcasts, and will convince Japanese companies to be a little more liberal-minded when it comes to online distribution of content and overseas licensing. After all, I would love to see simulcasts of other shows like Gundam Unicorn or Dragon Ball Kai. Let’s keep our fingers crossed…
–Via ANN