Anime News

Yukiko Furusawa / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

Japan’s own “Afro Samurai” is set to hit the small screen in the United States as an animated series, to be followed up by a feature film starring Samuel L. Jackson. Comic book aficionados in Japan, though, may be scratching their heads as they have likely never heard of this manga export.

Though in Japan “Afro Samurai” only appeared in a self-published magazine, it has attracted interest from Hollywood, and there are even plans under way for a nationwide release of the manga. Japanese manga as a whole has caused a stir in the U.S. film industry, but it is extremely rare for a series that is so little known in Japan to make such a high-profile U.S. debut.

“Afro Samurai,” written by 31-year-old Tokyo-based graphic designer Takashi “Bob” Okazaki, is the story of a black samurai fighting his enemies as he sets out to find the person who killed his father. With a sci-fi twist, the violent story is akin to a fusion of historical drama and hip-hop culture.

Originally carried in Nononhow, a self-financed magazine put together in 1998 by Okazaki and his friends during their time at art school of which fewer than 100 copies were published. Stumbling across the comic while looking for “new stuff from Japan,” at the U.S. office of Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo-based animation house GDH, GDH International Creative Director Eric Calderon recalled that he had a gut feeling about Okazaki’s story. “It was high-quality art–very innovative and cool,” he said. “I thought it would go over well with kids here.”

When envisioning an animated series, Jackson, an African-American actor whose most recent credits include the role of a Jedi master in the “Star Wars” prequels, jumped on the project, signing on as both lead voice actor and coproducer.

Jackson’s involvement served as momentum for the project, which has since found a home at major U.S. cable television network SpikeTV, and is scheduled to debut around November.

Following its debut in the United States, the anime will be reimported and broadcast in Japan, complete with subtitles.

The project also attracted Charles Roven, producer for “Batman Begins,” and plans were under way for a live-action version of the manga to be filmed in collaboration with a Japanese studio, and starring Jackson in the lead role.

Comics and video games based on the series likely will hit the stores in the United States ahead of its release in Japan.

This is the first time Okazaki has illustrated a manga, though he has spent much of his time as an illustrator. According to the artist, the idea for a story centering on an afro-coiffed samurai was greatly influenced by his love for American movies and music. “The work has a really unique look, and it’s even popular with some readers in Japan,” Okazaki said. “I never would have thought a bunch of Americans would be reading my work.”

“Japanese animation is well respected [in the United States], and the original manga are drawing a lot of attention as well,” said Masaki Kaifu, who has experience with joint anime projects between the two countries. “But there’s still a high hurdle to overcome in producing live-action adaptations, and as a result there have been very few made. It’s truly groundbreaking that ‘Afro Samurai’ is spreading out in a all different directions.”

Read the original article here!

THE FIRST EVER COMMERCIAL PODCAST SHOW DEDICATED TO ANIME AND MANGA

THE FIRST EVER COMMERCIAL PODCAST SHOW DEDICATED TO ANIME AND MANGA

Grimes, IA February 17, 2006 - The Right Stuf International (”TRSI”), anime producer and mega-online anime retailer, announced today it has launched the latest episode of Anime Today, the first ever commercial podcast aimed at Japanese animation (”anime”) and manga enthusiasts.

First launched in November of 2005, TRSI releases a new episode of Anime Today every other week. The show has been consistently rated as the top downloaded anime-related podcast from the Apple iTunes Music Store and fans have been raving ever since it debuted. “Reviews, News and Japanese culture that is engaging and is produced well. How did you guys know exactly what I wanted in an anime podcast?!” posted one reviewer on iTunes.

Each episode features fresh anime content and gives listeners a glimpse into what’s new and what’s hot in the world of anime and manga! Segments include reviews of titles from all major anime studios, insights into the industry from anime producers, tips on traveling to and around Japan, interaction with listeners, contest and prizes and more!

In episode 8 of Anime Today:

▪ Chad has the latest news in what’s hot in the world of anime.
▪ Marie has a review of Kiyoko Hikawa’s From Far Away Graphic Novel Series.
▪ Kris and Judy are back in the “Anime and Gamer’s Guide to Japan” to give listeners tips on traveling to Japan on the cheap on your own.
▪ Shawne gives us highlights of the new Central Park Media Sale and his new Weekly Specials.
▪ A review of Geneon’s Starship Operators DVD 1.
▪ Right Stuf’s Production Team discusses “All the Little Details” that go into Right Stuf’s releases.
▪ Sit in on a session of Q&A with Right Stuf’s Production Team as they discuss licensing titles in the big anime boom of the past few years.
▪ And finally Nick comes back to discuss new contests and how you can save money by joining Right Stuf’s Got Anime Purchasing Club!

You can find this episode, as well as an archive of all Anime Today episodes and extended show notes, at http://www.RightStuf.com

About Podcasting
The term ‘Podcasting’ is a blend of Apple’s ‘iPod’ and ‘broadcasting’, and is a blanket term used to describe a collection of technologies for automatically distributing audio and video programs over the internet via a publish and subscribe model. Anime Today can be downloaded from the Apple iTunes Music Store and directly from the company’s website at www.rightstuf.com, and the podcast can be played on a variety of PC MP3 players and hand held devices, including the Apple iPod.

About The Right Stuf International
Founded in 1987, The Right Stuf International (”TRSI”) was one of the first players in the US Japanese Animation (”anime”) industry. Both a giant online anime/manga retailer and a US Producer of anime, TRSI works to promote knowledge of its own products as well as information about the anime/manga industry in general. On the production side, TRSI is dedicated to creating the highest quality products and selects only a limited number of anime titles to focus on each year. With a product line ranging from anime classics like Astro Boy, Kimba, and Gigantor to the most modern comedies and dramas such as His or Her Circumstances, Gravitation, Shingu, and Ninja Nonsense. TRSI produces quality anime for fans of all ages! For more information, visit us on the web at http://www.rightstuf.com.

TAMPA BAY, FL
February 17, 2006

Entries are now being accepted for METROCON‘S Anime Fan Film Festival, an exciting event debuting this year at Florida’s Largest Anime Convention. The METROCON Anime Fan Film Festival is an artistic promotion wherein directors, animators and others are invited to create and submit original short films that are anime related. All films will be live action, original animation, original CG, or a hybrid of formats. Filmmaking is all about creativity; thus, entries will be accepted from many genres, including documentaries, comedies, action adventures, etc. Let your imaginations run wild! Submitted films will be judged within multiple categories, including Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and others. Deadline for entries is May 27, 2006. Entry form for the contest is available at www.metroconventions.com.

By Mark Jenkins
Friday, February 17, 2006; Page WE27

The big-eyed ones walk among us.

Without attracting much mainstream attention, such diverse Japanese ‘toons as Astroboy, Puffy AmiYumi and Naruto have infiltrated American culture.

Mostly, these huge-pupiled characters keep to the contemporary electronic equivalent of the back roads: cable TV, video-rental stores and the Internet.

This weekend, however, the growing stateside fascination with Japanese manga (comic books) and anime (animated movies and TV shows) will come pouring out of the Woodley Park-Zoo Metro station and into the Omni Shoreham Hotel. Some of the devotees will even be dressed as their favorite characters.

The occasion is the 12th annual Katsucon, the Washington area’s largest gathering of fans of Japanese comics and other pop culture, including movies, music, video games, toys, trading cards and more. These are people whose knowledge goes far beyond such widely recognized creatures as Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh and Hello Kitty. “Every year, we move to a larger facility as the head counts increase,” says Chad Diederichs, the nonprofit gathering’s press liaison. “This year, we’re guessing in the 10,000-attendee range.”

Katsucon is much like other conventions of comic, movie and science-fiction fans, and “con” is the customary suffix for such events. The rest of the three-day event’s name, however, is something of a mystery. Although “katsu” can mean several things in Japanese, commonly it identifies a breaded meat cutlet. None of the organizers of the first Katsucon, held 12 years ago in Virginia Beach, is still around to clarify the title’s inspiration.

“Literally translated from Japanese,” Diederichs suggests, “the name means ‘Convention of Pork.’ The best we’ve been able to tell, we must sheepishly admit, is that the original translator really didn’t know very much Japanese and got the phrase wrong. Unfortunately, by that time it had really stuck. Right now, our official policy is [to] avoid any literal translation of our name. It really confuses our Japanese guests.”

Read the rest of this article at the Washington Post here.