Over a cloudy sky

Which Haibane Renmei Character are you?

2007-01-20T12:42:00.000-05:00

Which Haibane Renmei Character are you?

You are Reki! Reki is pretty angsty, but not in an annoying way. Reki's a really practical and supportive person to everyone else, but she could really benefit from her own advice sometimes. Reki is also very artistic.
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Mai-K always had the secret of my heart.

2007-01-17T18:20:00.000-05:00

Kuraki, Mai

One of my favorite Japanese singers and one of my muses when it comes to anime writing. Seemingly unpretentious and sweet, Mai has one splendid voice and charisma to enchant anyone who has heard her songs.

-Secret of my heart

-Time after time

-Natural

-Kaze no la la la

-My story Your song (with Sun Yan zi)

Her latest single 'Shiroi Yuki' has been released in December and is one beautiful song. ^__^

Yes, you too can purchase this at http://us.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/code-j/section-music/pid-1004557997/
And here is the video for the song found on youtube.

Anime and entertainment News

2007-01-15T22:17:00.000-05:00

New Sakura Wars miniseries from GONZO.

source: http://www.sakura-taisen.com/ova5_newyork.html

Gonzo and AIC will produce a new Sakura Wars miniseries called Sakura Taisen New York, NY. Volume 1 of the series drops April 4 in Japan.

***
Viz Media to release DVDs of Death Note anime on top of downloads.

source: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-01-13/death-note-release-won

Viz Media will release the Death Note anime on DVD in addition to its previously announced series of downloads. Viz has not yet announced specific release dates for either the downloads or DVDs. Earlier in the month, Viz Media has signed an agreement with Nippon Television Network Corporation to offer the Death Note anime via digital downoad in America.

***
Comic Gumbo: Japan's First Free Manga Weekly

The Mainichi Daily News reports on Comic Gumbo, Japan's first ever free weekly manga magazine, will hit the streets next week. Venture Publisher Dejima will start handing out Comic Gumbo from Tuesday next week, giving comic fans two complete stories and 11 series features, featuring such manga-ka as Tatsuya Egawa (who will give his own interpretation of novelist Soseki Natsume's classic "Botchan"), Motoka Murakami, Hiroyuki Yoshida and Shuho Itabashi. Dejima plans to produce 100,000 copies per issue, handing them out to the target readership of men in their 20s to 40s on Tuesdays and Wednesdays each week. Gumbo will be distributed during busy periods in the morning and afternoon mostly at stations along the Yamanote Line, but will handed out at about 30 stations in the Tokyo area as far as Omiya, Yokohama and Chiba stations. Gumbo will have 230 pages, about half the number of popular manga books, with around 26 pages devoted to ads. It will also be available free online.

***
MomoCon 2007 Unveiled!

source: www.momocon.com

Anime O-Tekku of Georgia Tech is pleased to announce the return of Momocon, an annual anime/gaming/comics convention held in Atlanta, GA, March 17-18, 2007 at the Georgia Tech Student Center and Instructional Center. The convention is free of charge to all attendees and family friendly, so people of all ages are encouraged to attend!

***
Cream Lemon Actress Azumi Muto Brutally Murdered

source: http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/waiwai/face/news/20070112p2g00m0dm025000c.html

Student and aspiring 20-year-old actress Azumi Muto's brutally hacked and mutilated body was stuffed into four garbage bags found inside her home in Tokyo's Shibuya-ku. Shortly after Azumi's remains were discovered on Jan. 3, her 21-year-old brother, Yuki, also a student trying to get into dental college, was arrested for her murder on Dec. 30.

She also starred in the direct-to-DVD movie "Cream Lemon," which gave a disturbingly prophetic view of her untimely demise.

"Cream Lemon" told the story of step-siblings in love, and is extremely popular among Japan's otaku geeks. Originally a manga series that ran into hundreds of editions with each story focusing on an incestuous relationship between a young man and a younger sister, "Cream Love" was also made into a hit feature film in 2004. Azumi starred in one of the movie's low budget sequels, which ended with a female character wailing in ecstasy as she engaged in incestuous sex with her brother. It was while making this film that Azumi apparently began to worry about her older brother.

Now my condolences to Muto-san's fans and friends. Sorry, not sure what to say about the family and will keep it at that. A tragedy no matter what.

***
Ghibli to work with foreign director?

source: www.ghibliworld.com

In an interview with Sports Hochi, Studio Ghibli President Toshio Suzuki mentioned that the company plans to work with a foreign animation director in the future. No further details are available.

***
Stills from Sergei Bodrov's Mongol

source:http://kino-express.ru/stills/mongol

One anticipated films to come our way, Mongol is the Russian financed and directed Genghis Khan bio-pic produced by Bill Kong - his previous credits include Crouching Tiger, Hero and House of Flying Daggers - and starring Japanese cult icon Tadanobu Asano as the Khan himself. While there is still no footage available anywhere there are, however, a great many new stills from the film. Can't wait.

***
Song Kang Ho Plays Infected Priest

source:http://www.kfccinema.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1168396369&archive

Park Chan-wook's next project will be the long awaited vampire project he hinted about in 2004. In Park Chan-wook's Upcoming Vampire Film Evil Live , it was revealed that Song Kang Ho will be playing a priest who has been infected. Based on early interviews done last year. It is not clear if Song Kang Ho's character has already been infected or if he is slowly becoming a Vampire.

***
Kim Ah-Jung doing well with 200 pounds.

source: http://www.nt2099.com/J-ENT/news/category/korean-entertainment-news/

The actress Kim Ah-jung is the new star on the local film and pop music scenes. Everywhere, people are talking about her role in the movie “200 Pound Beauty” and singing the theme song of the film. The movie drew more than 4 million moviegoers in only 20 days since its release on Dec. 14. The theme song has dominated all popular song charts. It is a megaton bomb of a success given that Kim had not played a leading role or sung a song in a movie since she debuted in 2004. Well then, way to go Ah-Jung!

***
Lee Min-Young and Lee Chan nasty divorce.

source:http://english.chosun.com/

The number of divorces due to spousal violence is on the rise, a trend vividly depicted by the separation after just 12 days of marriage of actress Lee Min-young and actor Lee Chan. Korean women today are increasingly likely to dissolve their marriage when they discover their husbands are violent, unlike previous generations of women who simply suffered the abuse.

Many women are no longer willing to withstand violence or violent language at home, opting increasingly for divorce. Experts say this is because the perception of violence has changed greatly amongst Korean women. "While many Korean men are still of a chauvinistic mindset, thinking 'my wife provoked me,' or 'she deserves a beating,' many Korean women have changed. They won't stay with a violent husband for any reason," Park So-hyun, a counselor with the Korean Legal Aid Center for Family Relations (KLACFR), says. Good call, ladies!

HAIBANE RENMEI DVD REVIEW

2007-01-13T02:14:00.000-05:00

Haibane Renmei

General

I admit that the series was something that intrigued me all along. I watched all the other anime from Yoshitoshi ABe like Serial Experiment LAIN and Texhnolyze and for some reason, I chose to buy other anime series before getting to “Haibane Renmei” until finally, my curiosity got the best of me and I finally purchased it.

Content

Story and subplots

“Haibane Renmei” evolves around a bunch of Haibane, young kids resembling angels with halo and little non-functional (as far as flying goes) wings. The ones followed in the series live in an old abandoned school they have nicknamed “Old Home”.

One day, one of the Old Home’s eldest Haibane, Reki (little stone) discovers a cocoon containing a new comer who will emerge sooner than later. This discovery is a big event for the Haibane and all the school’s inhabitants come to take either a peak or care of their new member.

The new comer is a sweet little girl whose incomplete dream in the cocoon will earn her the name of Rakka; Falling/Dropping. It is to note that all the Haibane are named after their cocoon dreams and they all must remember their dreams (but more of that later). The story then really starts as we are brought along her discovery of this new world of hers.

The Haibane are meant to work in a town named Glie whose region is surrounded by thick walls. Rakka is told that Haibane can only possess second hand items, no matter what it is (clothes to tea cups) along a set of a few rules. The most important one is the prohibition to approach or touch the walls that surround the region. All the rules are enforced by the Haibane Renmei, some sort of adult guardians overseeing the children from afar.

Not only the town people friendly to Haibane but Rakka is supported during her discovery by all the “grown-ups” in Old Home. Reki helps an old lady and takes care of the children in Old Home, Kana works in an old clock maker, Hikari assists in one of the oldest bakery in town, Nemu works in a library and Kuu helps out at a cafe…And so, Rakka must find a job to be considered a full fledged Haibane.

Soon enough, Rakka’s deepening friendship with Reki and Kuu goes through a harsh separation. As it is, Haibane are not meant to stay in this town forever. At one point or the other, they will need to take their “Day of Flight” and depart forever. Rakka goes into a deep depression and eventually finds solace not only in her friendship with Rekki and the others but with an understanding of her dream.

Important facts:

The Haibane must remember their dreams to be able to take their “Day of Flight”, a sort of second renaissance where they leave the region into the unknown. These dreams could be sparkles of memories and/or last moments before their rebirth in Glie.

A few sites have mentioned the world outside the walls could be the real world and the Haibane are reborn somewhere. To extend the supposition, I like to believe these children are given another chance and if it is true, then the Haibane live in some purgatory.

All the Haibane encountered in the series are young kids (I am not going to refer to the Haibane Renmei) and the hypothesis of them being reborn from premature deaths and/or suicides does make some sense with Reki and possibly even Rakka.

The crow, in the series, are said to bring something from the outside world to the Haibane’s world. Rakka believes that these birds are people from the past who have changed to escort the child into their new lives. They are also the only animals allowed to go beyond the walls. Haibane and humans are not allowed to leave the town and the only ones that have any interactions with the outside are named, Toga.

The Haibane are not allowed to have any new items nor are they paid in cash for their work; instead, they have some booklet where they scribe down what they earn. When they need to buy anything, the merchant just pulls off a page from that booklet. Maybe it is for a disciplinary purpose and a reminder anyone can survive with little material need.

Personal opinion

- The characters are splendidly done and the voice acting is amazing. Rakka and Reki are the kind of girls you want to care take care and hug. It was impossible for me not to have watery eyes when I watched this. Of course, the rest of the cast made quite an impact and the feel of the story could not have been the same without any of them.
- The flow is deliberately slow but well paced nonetheless. There’s no real action per se here and I got to say, it is an absolute breeze to watch… Haibane Renmei stands out as a heart warming (and breaking) drama with a soft dose of fiction and supernatural. I can not see this any other way. This is coming from an action maniac.
- The series is made of 13 episodes. Not long enough to get bored but the right length. The imagery and the emotional involvement developed on the characters make it absolutely worthwhile. Thank God, a series where I had no need to fast forward. Now, I just to admit that I wish they would announce a sequel series.
- Graphic wise, Yoshitoshi ABe and Akira Takada stand out in their work. It’s no real jaw-dropping material if you compare this to other series. It’s pure and simple, enough so that I can still remember each of the character’s faces and Old Home.
- Ootani and Heart of Air’s music is a soft melodious enchantment. Believe me when I say that if you were touched by this series, you will smile (or get watery eyes) every time you hear it play (Yes, I EVEN bought the OST as well)

I have waited way too long for this anime. Maybe I needed to see more series and genres. Maybe I needed to mature in my anime viewing but this; this stunning series has become my favorite anime series of all time (I just sounded like a kid here). Haibane Renmei is NOT for everyone even though I would suggest this masterpiece to anyone who would like to venture out of the sci-fi mecha, sword swinging, shooting all over town, comedic fan service and using sorcery genres often linked to Anime.

Old Home became my dream place. I truly hope it will become yours too… Actually, no…Just go buy this and support all the cast and crew that made this kind of treat possible.

Thanks to ABe-san for bringing this world to us and Ueda-san for believing and fighting for the series to become more than just a project.

I’d give this show a A+

Haibane Renmei!!!

2007-01-09T16:21:00.000-05:00

One of my all time favorite series by Yoshitoshi ABe!

Been a long time coming but here it is, my little something to commemorate the series (after watching it AGAIN) and a great artist. For the work, I chose to play with Rakka, my personal little Haibane.

I hope you will like its simplicity and the talent of ABe-san.

The Soundtrack and complete DVD series are available for purchase at Yes Asia.

Anime news bits.

2007-01-08T14:04:00.000-05:00

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First NewType USA's issue for 2007!

With 20 pages of exclusive scoops on sizzling shows debuting in the US and Japan, the January 2007 Newtype USA’s issue of Newtype USA is a must-read for any anime fan!

About Newtype USA:Newtype USA is the official English-language version of Newtype, Japan’s #1 source for information about anime and manga. Newtype USA includes all the best Japanese content translated, plus loads of original U.S. material: anime, manga, music, game, and toy reviews, feature articles, director interviews, artist profiles, and regular columns by industry experts, tastemakers and deep-cover insiders. Newtype USA also includes awesome bonus gear, such as a centerfold poster, a manga (comic) insert and an exclusive bonus DVD. For more information, visit http://www.newtype-usa.com.

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Miyazaki-san next project?

Source: www.nausicaa.net

On page 97 of the January issue of Animation Magazine it states that Miyazaki's in-progress-but-not-named project is based on a Chinese story called "I Lost My Little Boy". This hasn't been confirmed by any other source so please take with a grain of salt.

***

New Anime sites...

Source: www.animenation.com

New Anime Sites (Japanese Only)Koutetsu Sangokushi's official site is now online. The series premieres this spring in Japan. Kaibutsu Oujo also has a teaser site, but the show has not yet been scheduled for Japanese TV.

***

Mizushima Seiji and Masahiko Okura possible new anime...

Source: www.animenewsservice.com

Another New Anime From Mizushima SeijiDai-Guard and Fullmetal Alchemist Director Mizushima Seiji is said to have another new anime project in the works within 2007 besides the Oh! Edo Rocket TV series being produced by Madhouse.

Masahiko Okura's Next ProjectBlue Sub No. 6 and Yukikaze Director is said to be developing a new TV series based on "Suu Nin No Onnanoko Tachi Ga, Tagaini Seichou Shi Nagara Issho Ni Tsukuriage Tei Ku".

***

GONZO pulls off Mardock Scramble.

GONZO announced the following:

"Apology for "Mardock Scramble" Production Discontinuance - Apology from limited company Gonzo - To our regret, Production on "Mardock Scramble", an Original Video Animation that is under development will be discontinued becuase of various circumstances. To fans and affiliates: it will not be possible to produce the goods. I am very sorry for troubling you. - Representative Junji Fujita

The same apology can now be seen on the official website at mardock.jp. Gonzo first announced the project in February, 2005 by acquiring the rights to the popular cyberpunk genre Japanese science fiction novel by To Ubukata. The author had played a creative role in video game and manga production in the past, most recently in 2004 he worked on Soukyuu no Fafner.

Scramble won the Japanese SF Grand Prize in 2003, and has sold 160,000 copies across three volumes in Japan's domestic marketplace. This marked the first time GONZO had planned to adapt the work of a Sci-Fi novel. Another first for this project, all of the characters were to be fully rendered in 3DCG. Scheduled release was planned for the end of 2006. According to GONZO, their plans were to create a distinctly Japanese feel with the fully CG production that differs from offerings coming from outside Japan. By the start of 2006 the production had gained serious momentum, GONZO began referring to it as their 15th anniversary project.

Talented staff had been assembled such as Director Yasufumi Soejima, Character Designer Range Murata and weapons designer Mahiro Maeda. Likewise, a cast of top shelf voice actors were announced including Hozumi Goda as Doctor, Jouji Nakata as Boiled and Megumi Hayashibara as Ballot. Hayakawa Publishing released the 1st book in the sequel novel series Mardock Velocity in Japan in November, 2006.

***

NARUTO FOR THE NINTENDO DS™ - BELIEVE IT!

source: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/

TOMY AND D3PUBLISHER OF AMERICA ANNOUNCE THE UPCOMING RELEASE OF NARUTO™: NINJA COUNCIL™ 3 FOR THE NINTENDO DS™LOS ANGELES –

Nintendo DS™ owners will finally have a NARUTO game to call their own. TOMY Corporation and D3Publisher of America, Inc. (D3PA) today announced the upcoming release of NARUTO: Ninja Council 3 for the Nintendo DS™. Anticipated to ship in Spring 2007, NARUTO: Ninja Council 3 is based on episodes from VIZ Media's hit anime series SHONEN JUMP NARUTO and will feature mission-based gameplay for up to four players. The ninja action game utilizes an interchangeable attack system allowing players to combine attack techniques from all available characters in the mission to increase their chance of success.

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Ghibli's Gedo Senki tops box office chart!

Source: www.theotaku.com

Gedo Senki has grossed the most revenue of any original Japanese film than any other for the year of 2006, pulling in a total of ¥7.65 billion (about $64.54 million USD). The highest grossing non-Japanese film was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, bringing in ¥11 billion (about $92.81 million USD.)

Chinese entertainment tidbits

2007-01-03T18:00:00.000-05:00

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Pictures of Daniel Wu and Andy Lau's The Protege

Source: http://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/p/2006-12-27/11021388459.html (In Chinese)

Inspired by a number of true stories, Protégé is about drug, how it is produced, how it is trafficked and how it is consumed. According to TungStar, Daniel Wu plays Ah Lik, who has been the protégé and named successor of drug lord Brother Gwan (Andy Lau) for eight years. Gwan, who controls the entire heroin market of Hong Kong, has never told Ah Lik where the drug was manufactured and stored and never let him meet other members of the drug ring. Until one day, Gwan decides to retire and begins telling Ah Lik everything he need to know. Director Yee Tung-Shing is now in Chiang Mai of northern Thailand shooting a scene of Gwan introducing Ah Lik to a local drug cartel.

***

Jackie Chan and Jet Li's project filming in Spring 2007?

Source: www.jackiechan.com

Jackie is back in China on break from filming Rush Hour 3 and has been keeping very busy. He celebrated the holidays with his family and friends in Hong Kong, attended meetings, and then was off to China to film several commercials. While there, he denied rumors that he was retiring and told reporters that he has many things planned for the future including producing at least ten movies. He is also scheduled to begin filming a project with Jet Li in the Spring.

***

And Jet speaks about Ci Ma...

Source: www.JetLi.com

Action movie star Jet Li will appear along with Asian actors Jet Li, Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro in Chinese director Peter Ho-Sun Chan's new movie "Ci Ma," but not as a martial artist.

The film recounts the relationships of three blood brothers who become divided by the love of a woman, China's Xinhua news service reported. The $40 million production of "Ci Ma," which began shooting in Beijing on Dec. 1, is adapted from one of the most well known criminal cases in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

The film's title translates to "The Assassination of Ma," and tells the story of three brothers' bitter rivalry over a woman. The story was filmed by Zhang Che in 1973 as The Blood Brothers.

Jet Li is set to play the role of the eldest brother, Ma, who ends up dying at the hand of his youngest brother.

Jet Li: "We continue to film Ci Ma today. Peter (the director) told me that over the Christmas break he noticed a lot of entries on my blog and Xu JingLei's (the lead actress) blog regarding One Foundation Project. He asked if the two of us had come to be well acquainted. He probably asked this because we are filming some drama scenes, some romantic scenes today. I told him I know her well yet I don't know her at all! I know her well because we've had many discussions regarding One Foundation Project. On the other hand we have been filming scenes in a coal mine so her face is so dark I have never seen her out of makeup.

At the start of every film production I really don't know how to break the ice with the lead actress. I'm more introverted and don't know how to communicate well with them. But for the sake of the foundation, I broke my 26 year long habit and I took the initiative to ask JingLei to help spread news about the foundation on her blog. I hear that JingLei has the most viewed blog in China. She widely regarded as one of the top female talents (actress, director) in the country. So just like a student I asked her a lot of questions on how to write a proper blog. I also explained to her the origin of the foundation. I really want to thank her for helping out so much already. JingLei also has her own philanthropic endeavors. Actually I've discovered that a lot of artists have their own philanthropic endeavors. It's just that some are more public about it and others fly under the radar.

At the same time I feel I owe the director an apology because JingLei and I haven't talk much about the movie but have focused all our time on the foundation. But don't worry! I will put forth my best acting abilities toward each scene. Hahaha..."

***

John Woo drops Andy Lau from "Battle of Red Cliff"

Source: www.dailydumpling.com

Woo recently announced that Andy Lau would not star in the film because of the star’s compact schedule but that Andy is an excellent actor who he hopes to cooperate with next time.

The Hollywood (Suuuure? Rather call him still from HK) director confirmed that the five leading roles would go to Chow Yun-Fat, Cannes best actor winner Tony Leung, Chang Chen and Taiwan supermodel Lin Chi-Ling. Taiwan actor Collin Chou will replace Andy Lau to play the famous general Zhao Zilong.

Last Exile

2007-01-02T15:51:00.000-05:00

LAST EXILE

General
I recently purchased “Last Exile” complete DVD set for Christmas and seeing Range Murata’s DVD beautiful covers and a chance to watch another steam punk, I knew I wanted this in my anime collection.

Content

Story and subplots:

The Last Exile’ story is focused on Claus Valca and Lavie Head, respectively pilot and navigator of a small but maneuverable ship also known as a vanguard ship. The two young characters embark in a couple of missions and a race before accepting to escort a mysterious little girl named Alvis Hamilton to the mysterious Alex Row, captain of the legendary ship: The Silvana.

In the Silvana, Claus and Lavie will discover that the ship’s captain has not only a blood feud against the Guild and is adamant to retrieve all of the Exile items but he is also linked to their past.

The two characters eventually entangle themselves in relationships with the ship’s crew, eventually even imprisoning two Guild members: Dio and his bodyguard/servant Lucciola. A talented pilot himself, Dio is seen as intrigued and exalted by Claus’ piloting skills and accepts willingly to stay onboard along with his servant.

Together, they plan into finding a mysterious behemoth ship: The Exile…A ship that seems to be the most powerful Guild weapon. In order to do so and thanks to the diplomatic talent of the first officer turned Empress: Sophia, the two warring countries ally together to fight the powerful Guild and support the Silvana in its quest to capture the Exile ship.

And the cost of this mission takes a great toll…

Important facts:

Last Exile’s world evolves within a war between two countries: Anatole and Dysis. Overseen by The Guild, their slow paced but thankfully short air battles are ruled by an idea of chivalry and regulations. The beginning of the series shows Dysith forces turning treacherous and inflicting heavy losses to the Anatolian force. The Anatolian fleet is saved in extremis by the appearance of The Silvana instead of an intervention from The Guild which has supervised past battles.

Another important fact is the value placed on water. Water is of value in the series and the characters have the chance to drink different quality. The first water seems almost as exhilarating as alcohol for all inhabitants and food as a result is also expensive. Anatolians give the impression that their water reserves are much more extensive than their Dysith counterparts.

Dysith, as shown later in the series, is a desolated ice and snow covered land. Not much survives there and hence the possible reason for the war. The Dysith are not the real antagonists in this series, they are much like Anatolians, pawns to a Guild twisted game of chess.

The Guild’s Claudia unit, a technological unit fueling all the air battleships, makes for the last of the two important resources in Last Exile. Given to both warring factions, they are protected and controlled by The Guild. This resource can be removed from a ship and returned to its owner, resulting then into the crash of the ship it was attached to. The vanguard ships are the only one excluded from such a technology and hence become a factor and one of the reasons of success at the end of the series.

Personal opinion

- Some of the characters are not fleshed out enough and brought me to question a few of their actions. Alvie, as an example, is not given a back story and we have no real idea where she came even if she is an important part of the story. Where was the rest of the Silvana’s crew? We see mostly the mechanics doing most of the tasks and only a nod here and there to other crewmembers.
- A couple of oddities and questions from the storyline and subplots that could have been patched up or adjusted. Can someone tell me where the heck did The Silvana come from? Was it made by Alex? If so where did he get so much money?
- Graphic and animation is 2D with some 3D added (much like Samurai 7 and Blue Submarine #6) and do a somewhat constant job but thankfully is still quite enjoyable. Yet, I still wish (or pray) Range Murata would become an animator one day. The covers are beautiful pieces of manga/anime art.
- The music is wonderful and the two songs (beginning and end credits) are memorable enough to hum with a smile.

Nonetheless, Last Exile is a fun ride if you overlook the different holes in storyline and characters. It’s a great effort from Gonzo and in my opinion, better than Samurai 7.

I’d give this show a C+

Happy New Year! Anime related news...sorta.

2007-01-01T19:03:00.000-05:00

These two beauties made by Toranoana are coming to stores in April 2007. Check http://www.xl-shop.com/ a neat Malaysian online toy store to order them.

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Which Final Fantasy Character Are You?

Final Fantasy 7

***

ADV Films January 2007 releases

Source: http://www.animationinsider.net/

Japanese animation, comics and merchandise producer and distributor A.D. Vision, Inc. has announced a variety of titles for distribution throughout the month of January 2007. Already eagerly capitalizing on licensing announcements made during the summer of the 2006-year at Anime Boston 2006 Convention (Jinki Extend) and Anime Expo 2006 Convention, ADV Films is hoping to bring diversity in the way of action, adventure and gut-busting humor in the direction of the everyday otaku this new year.

About ADV Films: In the 14 years since its inception, ADV Films has become the #1 producer-distributor of Japanese animation ("anime") outside of Japan and has the largest English-language anime library in the world. With best-selling titles such as Neon Genesis Evangelion, RahXephon, Robotech, Full Metal Panic, Hello Kitty and Azumanga Daioh, ADV Films' extensive catalog is fueling the popularity of anime around the globe. Always on the forefront, ADV is introducing North America to bold new anime franchises such as Gantz, Elfen Lied, Chrono Crusade, Peacemaker and DNAngel. For more information, visit www.advfilms.com

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New Geneon Anime series: Skullman.

New animated series from Geneon Entertainment Japan, THE SKULL MAN. The telecast of the new series will begin in the Spring of 2007. Visit the official site at http://www.skullman.jp/ (Japanese only)

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MSN deems Samurai 7 as the 2006's best anime.

MSN Entertainment's 2006 Year in Review - Unforgettable TV Moments calls Samurai 7, "The best new anime of the year." I love Gonzo and enjoyed the series but best anime? Hmmmm....Seen much better from Gonzo's artists. coughcoughLastExilecoughcough. Yes, I know L.E. was released before 2006.

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Gonzo does Kaze no Stigma.

Source: http://www.moonphase.cc/

...And speaking of Gonzo, it has been told they have revealed plans to produce an anime adaptation of Yamato Yoshihiro's "Kaze no Stigma" series of supernatural fantasy novels.

***

Midnight Eye interviews Otomo Katsuhito.

Interesting interview with Otomo-san (Ghost in the Shell, Akira...)to be read at: http://www.midnighteye.com/interviews/katsuhiro_otomo.shtml

***

Keanu Reeves hits on Speed Racer.

Source: www.darkhorizons.com

I hear some readers choking at the rumors of Keanu "Dude I took the wrong pill" Reeves being attached to "Speed Racer"to be directed by the Wachowski brothers. After the brothers' interpretation of "V for Vendetta" and Reeves acting in "Constantine", I will still give this movie a look. In the worst scenario, we can all go and cry over Initial D (Don't you dare tell me about the HK live movie either).

***

That's it, folks. Once again, Happy new Year to all of us. As always, if you have tidbits of news do not hesitate to send it to me at NevadaY@gmail.com

Over the Sky

2006-12-31T19:32:00.000-05:00

Over The Sky by Hitomi from "Last Exile"

yoru no jikan ga semarikuru

anata wa konna chikaku

demo tooi...

nani ni akogarete

dare wo omou no ka

inochi kakeru sugata

sukitooru utsukushisa ni

kotoba wo nonda

*anata ga sora wo yuku nara

watashi wa tsubasa ni naritai

donna ni tsuyoi kaze ni mo

keshite orenai shinayaka na hane

itsuka, kitto motsu kara

onaji yume mite sodatta ne

shiroi hana saku machi de

demo ima wa...

kumoma wo kakete yuku

gin'iro no sora no fune

miagete nobashita

yubisaki wo surinuke

chiisaku kieta

**hatenai sora no kanata de

subete wa doko e tsudzuku darou

motomeru yasuragi no basho

tenshi ga oriru

michi wa watashi no

ude e, kitto tsudzuku yo
repeat**
repeat*

Optimus Prime revealed

2006-12-31T14:02:00.000-05:00

From Empire Movie news:

The new issue of Empire will be on sale January 2nd 2007. For all you fans, get a copy...I'm sure it will become a precious memorabilia item.

Shrek The Third's trailer has been online for some time now but here's where you can watch it.

http://movies.aol.com/movie/shrek-the-third/21802/main

I'm a devil...Fear me not.

2006-12-30T02:40:00.000-05:00

Well, I'll be darned... Took a test from laineverliving's livejournal found at http://laineverliving.livejournal.com/
and got this as a result...

You are The Devil

Materiality. Material Force. Material temptation; sometimes obsession

The Devil is often a great card for business success; hard work and ambition.

Perhaps the most misunderstood of all the major arcana, the Devil is not really "Satan" at all, but Pan the half-goat nature god and/or Dionysius. These are gods of pleasure and abandon, of wild behavior and unbridled desires. This is a card about ambitions; it is also synonymous with temptation and addiction. On the flip side, however, the card can be a warning to someone who is too restrained, someone who never allows themselves to get passionate or messy or wild - or ambitious. This, too, is a form of enslavement. As a person, the Devil can stand for a man of money or erotic power, aggressive, controlling, or just persuasive. This is not to say a bad man, but certainly a powerful man who is hard to resist. The important thing is to remember that any chain is freely worn. In most cases, you are enslaved only because you allow it.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Lavie and Al

2006-12-29T20:59:00.000-05:00

Last Exile's Lavie got to be one of my favorite girls in the anime world. With a strong facade and a great heart, she shows loyalty and dedication to whoever she sides with. She isn't really one of those you would consider a hottie (maybe unlike Tatanya) but her spirit makes up for any shortcomings when I compare her to other Last Exile's female characters.

I'll try to take the time to talk about her one day. Go Lavie ^__^

a political test

2006-12-28T19:53:00.000-05:00

Neo-Liberal
You scored 52% Personal Liberty and 29% Economic Liberty!

A neo-liberal believes in moderate government intervention on personal matters and moderate to high government intervention on economic matters. They believe in a social safety net or welfare state and try to balance personal liberty with safety or security. Some neo-liberals believe in more foreign intervention or war then most other leftists. Others are more like Centrist Democrats. More authoritarian-leaning Neo-liberals (such as personal 40/economic 30) are the result of a "fusion" between "old left" and "new right" tendencies.

My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 99% on Personal

You scored higher than 99% on Economic

Link: The Politics Test written by brainpolice on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Korean Entertainment news.

2006-12-28T16:08:00.000-05:00

Sang-soo visits The Old Garden.

"The Old Garden", Im Sang-soo's new movie is a novel Adaptation from acclaimed writer Hwang Suk-young's book of the same title. The film is set in the 80's and will be released in Korean on Jan. 4th 2007.The story of a doomed love between a democracy activist (Ji Jin-hee) and a teacher (Yeom Jung-ah) against the gloomy backdrop of the 1980s isn’t overly sentimental and sometimes sounds even cheerful, recalling the couple’s six-month affair and separation in the era of suppression.

Moon tries a sexy approach.

In a recent article on Chosun, Korean talent Moon Geung-Young breaks her innocent image for sexy music star in a new commercial for KTF music portal site Dosirak. Appearing opposite Kim Joo-hyuk in the romantic film “Love Me Not” Moon has already shown a mature side of herself with her role as a closed-off blind woman. The film, released on Nov. 9, however, failed to perform well at the box office.

Sassy Kwak Jae-Yong goes to Japan.

Korean filmmaker Kwak Jae-yong, best known for his hit movie "My Sassy Girl", will apply his talents in Japan. The director will start shooting a sci-fi film he wrote himself there early next year. Japan's major production and talent agency Amuse will fund the movie while hiring an all-Japanese cast and crew. Other than the production costs of over US$8 million, details have yet to be released.

Anatomy Class for Han Ji Min.

Han Ji Min will costar with Jo Min Gi and Ohn Joo Wan (조민기, 온주완) in the movie “Anatomy Classroom (해부학교실)”. She plays a student with mysterious background studying in a medical college. The setting of the movie is at an anatomy and dissection training room in a hospital and a homicide case is revealed during the dissection. A hidden event happened in the past of her character is the key to the resoluctionof the homicide case.

Robot Taekwon V coming back!

The domestic animated film "Robot Taekwon V" will return to Korean theaters on January 18th.Released in 1976, the popular old-time film is known to have been lost in its original version but a copy was found at the Korean Film Council storehousein 2003. Next month's showing is the film's first theatrical engagement in 31 years. During its first release, it attracted 180-thousand moviegoers in Seoul, becoming the second-biggest hit of 1976.-Reported by KBS WORLD Radio

Some bits of News

2006-12-27T13:52:00.000-05:00

Well, the interview with the placement agency went okay this morning. Good contact with the woman and we had a good talk about general things along with my need. Hope it'll go even better when they find me something interesting sooner than later. I got to admit I am getting a bit more difficult when selecting placement agencies and the interview does go both ways. If I don't like it, I go onto another one. Just like I did with the previous one.

I started emailing Maya-san in Sapporo, Japan. If you can read this, Maya-san. I hope you will enjoy more snowboarding out there.

***

"Shell Time"

You can find more pictures of the upcoming new TMNT animated movie at http://www.kino-govno.com/images.php?id=teenagemutantninjaturtles

An interesting news article on Japan's animation industry hollowing out from the Mutantfrog.

http://www.mutantfrog.com/2006/12/26/japans-animation-industry-hollowing-out/

Confession of Pain

http://www.confessionofpain.com/

A senior cop's father-in-law is brutally murdered and all evidences point to two jobless men. But his wife believes in something else and hires a private detective, someone who once worked for the senior cop...

Newest movie with my favorite HK actor: Leung Chiu Wai ( 2046 and Infernal Affairs) and Takeshi Kaeshiro (House of the Flying daggers and Returner)

And Oh God, if you went to Akihabara and miss the maid cafe (for some God forsaken reason can dig this), you now can pass by Toronto. Slightly original if you crave that sort of thing.

http://www.imaidcafe.com/

That's it for today. I'm going to make my own coffee. No, I don't dress as a butler either.

My first little post...

2006-12-26T21:32:00.000-05:00

Listening to: "Over The Sky" by Kuroishi Hitomi

http://us.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/code-j/section-music/pid-1002851262/

Wow, this is meant to be exciting.

A few more minutes and I will be heading to bed. I've passed all this time reading and watching anime. Talk about a life...But that's the thing, isn't it? It is my life and anime/manga have been a great part of my life. Nothing beats a great series and/or a splendid animated film to boost my imagination. Everytime I watch, there's something that absolutely captivates my attention. I don't pause, I don't rewind or fast forward. It's a complete movie experience for me and putting it off even for a couple of minutes comes close to a sacrilege to me.

And often enough, my mind race at knowing I, too, am writing my own little world. What I work on might be scarier than anything seen in animated films but on the side, I keep on adding a little bit more to my dream animation series. It might never be sold since getting into the Japanese Animation Community is nearly close to impossible for a gai-jin (foreigner) like me but I will keep on dreaming and writing.

For the Holidays, I've got "Last Exile", a serie made by Gonzo, one of my favorite anime production house, and watched the 26 episodes in 2 sessions (at night and in the morning when I woke up). It was even better than "Samurai 7" (the animated series, not the original Kurosawa's masterpiece) I caught last Winter. Nicely drawn with a certain excess at times in terms of computer gfx, the series had enough battle scenes and story to make me switch discs. It's with a sad smile I watched the last episode and at the very end of "Last Exile", the little sentence that read "See you in the sky one day" made me a bit sappy.

I've also added Howl's moving Castle to my Miyazaki-san's collection. I don't even know why I waited so long to add this to my collection but hey, it's now proudly stacked away. Sweet story and Ghibli studio did not disappoint, the animation is again; superb.

Many thanks again to Miyazaki-san for keeping up the great standard shown over the years.

Well, that's it for now. Got to go catch some Zzzz...