Animax’s Blog

PHOTO CREDITS © TOW UBUKATA ¡V Production I.G/Project Chevalier 2006

Yesterday, while
I was right smack in the middle of a very important interview, I
received a panicky text message from an acquaintance, which says:

nd rgnt advs m sn
s flnkng hs eng n hst subjs coz h ansrd s-ay qstns lyk txt msgs i dnt
wnt hm 2 fl hs tui fee s lod n fmly bdgt wat sud i do

Groaning with
exasperation, my reply was succinct: "Maybe I should I confiscate both
yours and your son’s cellphones so you could re-learn writing like
regular human beings. Your text gave me a headache!"

To those among
you whose mental processes would snappily produce
that…hmph…question WHAT IS THIS?, just read this blog up to the
very end.

In the meantime,
here are some of the latest anime news that my assistant and I have
gathered. Since I am swamped with deadlines, I’m letting him type this
blog so I could do other work on the side. (To Assistant: No, DO NOT
type the blog like a text message!)

~~~~~~~~~~

Le Chevalier D’Eon Named "Anime of the Year"

Although this news does not surprise me one bit, American anime industry trade publication "Anime Insider" recently voted Le Chevalier D’Eon as "Anime of the Year" for 2007. You certainly can’t go wrong with Production I.G doing the animation and Rurouni Kenshin OVA director Kazuhiro Furuhashi helming the project.

However, what I’ve always considered to be Chevalier’s
strongest point is its plot, combining accurate historical detail with
a supernatural twist, which builds up to an unexpected climax. Add
excellent character development and voice acting, it’s one of the
finest anime to come out in 2007. For those of you who have been subtly
convinced by an acquaintance who has dismissed the anime as merely
"swords and spells", you are certainly missing a lot. If you want
intelligent anime fare, watch Le Chevalier D’Eon.

Other releases that were ranked "Best" by Anime Insider for 2007 include the following:

BEST DVD ANIME
FEATURE: Afro Samurai (Kudoes to actor Samuel L. Jackson for
recognizing anime as an excellent vehicle for storytelling!)

BEST SERIES ON DVD: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

BEST ANIME SERIES ON TV: Astro Boy

BEST DUB: BECK (FUNimation)

~~~~~~~~~~

Japan’s Best Anime for 2007

Japanese anime
fans have come out in droves to vote in a readers’ poll for the anime
which they consider the BEST for 2007. Here are the Top 20 Best Anime
for 2007.

1. Code Geass

2. Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann

3. Lucky Star

4. Death Note

5. Kanon 2006

6. Claymore

7. Baccano!

8. Darker Than Black

9. Dennou Coil

10. Minami-ke

11. ef - a tale of memories

12. School Days

13. Nodame Cantabile

14. Seto no Hanayome

15. Seirei no Moribito

16. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai

17. NANA

18. Myself, Yourself

19. Sola

20. Sayonara Zetsubou-sensei

~~~~~~~~~~

The Cast of Dragonball Live Action Movie

To those who have
read the previous blog, nope, that bit of news was not a joke! Yes, it
is true that 20th Century Fox has greenlighted the production of a live
action Dragonball Movie.

According to a news report in Anime News Network, actor Chow Yun-Fat has confirmed to the Hollywood trade paper "Hollywood Reporter" that he will be playing Master Roshi in the film.

Who are the other members of the cast? Justin Chatwin plays Son Goku. James Marsters (Spike from Buffy The Vampire Slayer) is Piccolo. Phantom of the Opera star Emmy Rossum plays Bulma. Jamie Chung is Chi Chi. Eriko Tamura of Heroes plays Mai. Rounding up the cast is Korean pop star Joon Park as Yamcha.

The film is scheduled to be released on August 15 this year.

~~~~~~~~~~

Gunslinger Girl ~ Il Teatrino Premieres

Season 2 of the critically acclaimed anime Gunslinger Girl, entitled Gunslinger Girl ~ Il Teatrino, premiered this month, garnering mixed reviews from fans, including yours truly.

I must admit that
the story about child assassins is still enough to keep me glued to the
sequel. However, if you are looking for the same high quality of art as
in the first season, you’ll be disappointed. The art is a lot simpler
to say the least. In Season 1, Henrietta looked absolutely adorable.
But for Season 2, she looks…well…ordinary? Then, there’s the matter
that the producers decided to hire different voice actors instead of
the seiyuu from Season 1. Rather jarring transition to say the least.

To those who need
visual proof, the first pic is of Henrietta from Season 1. The pic
below it is from Season 2. Can you see the difference?

PHOTO
CREDITS © 2002-2005/2007 Yu Aida/MMP · Mediaworks · "GUNSLINGER GIRL"
PARTNERSHIP. Licensed by FUNimation® Productions, Ltd. All Rights
Reserved.

~~~~~~~~~~

First Production Stills of CGI Gatchaman Film Released

If you’re a huge fan of the Gatchaman series, IESB.net recently featured an interview with director Kevin Munroe, who previously helmed the animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

However,
the main draw of said interview were the first production stills from
the film itself and it looks awesome. Of course, no character designs
yet. Still, it certainly looks like Gatchaman is intending to surpass Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.

Not convinced? CLICK HERE FOR PRODUCTION STILLS..

~~~~~~~~~~

Just A Few Words… Someone commented recently about the violence in anime and wishing that creators would make more of "kiddie-type" fare like Mirumo de Pon,
etc. I’m not in the mood to argue with people right now, since I’m
pretty short-tempered at the moment. All I intend to say about the
matter is that the MAIN REASON why I love anime to begin with is that
it gives me a wide variety of stories to enjoy. Of course, I must admit
that there are some anime that I don’t like, but I certainly don’t go
around telling creators what they should and should not do with their
stories, like some fans have the nerve to do. If I don’t like an
anime…heck, what’s the TV remote for anyway?!

To those who have
been complaining about the "Comments" box below and constantly
demanding the webmaster for a "Delete" function… I’ve discussed this
matter with the webmaster before, simply because the "Delete" function
would be a very simple solution for me to erase to oblivion messages
that are annoying and lewd. However, as it turned out, providing not
just yours truly but EVERYONE here with said "Delete" function, could
lead to the collapse of the ENTIRE website. A lot of you have been
complaining non-stop about the disappearance of the CSI Forum; I wonder
how you would react if the whole website where to vanish without a
trace.

If you don’t know
how to maximize use of the "Comments" box, here is what you do. Type
first your comments in MS Word or other Word programs. This will allow
you to correct, edit and make your comments coherent. NO NEED TO GO
INTO TEXT MESSAGE MODE. After you’re done typing, click the "Tools"
tab. Choose "Word Count". It will show you just how long your comment
is. The 3,000 characters limit for the "Comments" box is equivalent to
"3,000 characters without spaces" on MS Word. Edit your comment until
you reach 3,000 characters or less. Once you’re done, copy and paste
the text to the "Comments" box and then "Submit". SO SIMPLE!!!

NEXT
BLOG: To those who think they are qualified to criticize anime dubbers,
the Obataku will talk about the qualities of a good voice actor.

Bleach © Tite Kubo, Studio Pierrot, TV Tokyo, Viz Media.

Since
I’ve spent much of the holiday season battling evil, metal-chewing
termites, I came to the realization that lowly mothballs are actually
very effective for seeing the future, much like the crystal balls of
veiled fortune tellers. So after peering through the twinkling depths
of each mothball contained in a small bag (Or maybe it was because I
ended up sniffing the fumes too much), this Obataku has seen visions of
what is to come in anime for the year 2008…

1.
Piracy will remain a HUGE problem in the Asian region. This is simply
because anime distributors still do not realize the fact that the U.S.
is not THE market in the world. Anime distributors and intellectual
rights protectors have been running after violators in Asia, but are
there any efforts being done to meet the high demand for anime in this
region? NOTHING! So please, before you blame fansubbers for ruining the
anime market, distributors should do a marketing survey of the region.
You’ll be surprised. Although the average anime fan buys pirates, they
would still choose to buy originals…IF IT IS AVAILABLE AND REASONABLY
PRICED.

2.
The "Dubs vs Subs Debate" will continue to rage on not just in 2008,
but beyond. It remains to be seen when all anime fans will realize
that, whether they be Pro-Sub or Pro-Dub, in the eyes of the great
anime gods, one of them being Osamu Tezuka, EVERYONE is created equal.
(The Obataku rolls up her eyes and prepares her earplugs.)

3.
Constant vigilance will be observed against fans who don’t have the
common sense NOT to copy what they see in anime. One is reminded by how
quickly anime producers canceled the airing of the final episode of School Days, after
a Japanese teen hacked her father to death, lest copycats surface.
Then, there’s the serial killer running around in Sweden or some other
European country, who’s been leaving notes saying "I am Kira" in the
crime scenes. I know people take anime seriously, but this is
ridiculous.

4.
Long-running anime series will continue to be HUGE hits among the fans.
But one has to wonder how long the creator and the writers could
stretch the storylines any further. I mean, just look at Naruto. Will it take another 100+ episodes of Shippuuden before Naruto is able to beat some sense into Sasuke’s revenge-addled brain? And how about Detective Conan?
I truly pity Shinichi Kudo that he is unable to enjoy the perks of teen
life (namely girls!) because, after so many, many years, he still
remains stuck inside Conan Edogawa’s diminutive form. There’s also
Luffy and the Going Merry gang in One Piece. I won’t be surprised if they decide to quit searching for the One Piece and decide to join The Amazing Race instead.
Oh, the pairings that could result, although I already foresee that
neither Nami or Robin would want to pair up with Sanji (He’s stuck with
Zoro! He he he!). As for D-Grayman, I really, really
doubt if Allen Walker will be able to find Marshall Cross Marian this
year. Thankfully, I don’t have that problem with Bleach. I’d probably watch Bleach until Ichigo becomes a doddering old Shinigami.

5.
Anime producers will come to realize that they are trying the patience
of anime fans by creating shows out of ongoing manga, but leave them
hanging after 13 to 26 episodes. So, expect new seasons of Alice Academy, Code Geass, the much delayed Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Claymore, Gunslinger Girl, and, yes, Jigoku Shoujo,
although I don’t know how they could bring back Ai Enma after that neat
closure in Season 2. Oh, please don’t let the new Hell Girl be that
creepy kid Kikuri! And to those who are sure to ask about it in the
"Comments" section, the premieres are for JAPAN, not on Animax. Your
chances of watching these anime on Animax will be in 2009 at the LATEST.

6.
American film producers will continue to turn to anime for future big
screen projects. Of course, you have the highly anticipated movie
version of Speed Racer. Actor Tobey Maguire is producing the movie version of Robotech. There’s also the CGI animated feature Gatchaman. I’ve heard that the Slam Dunk movie is in post production in Taiwan. But the movie project that is giving me the hives is the big screen version of Dragonball.
It’s hard enough imagining veteran actor Chow Yun-Fat playing a funny
pervert like Master Roshi, but Emy Rossum as Bulma??? After watching The Phantom of the Opera, my skin breaks out in goosebumps at the thought of Bulma singing "That’s All I Ask Of You" to Goku. Urrgggh!

~~~~~~~~~~

ON A MORE SERIOUS NOTE…
Many of you here are aware of the fact that I’m not very fond of the
Forums and SOME of the forumers there. Pardon my saying so, but there
are just too many wannabe broadcasters, who seem to have made it their
righteous cause to make never-ending demands for subs, dubs, and lord
knows what else. The last time I entered the Forum to post a "Thank
You" note to Animax for airing the special episodes of Solty Rei,
I was rudely scolded by a Forumer, saying that it is Animax’s
"obligation" to air ALL the episodes, includng the special ones. This
same Forumer has also been blatantly hinting of a connivance with
certain cable TV providers in order to increase revenues and boost
ratings, which is absolutely false.

Animax is composed of hard-working men and women who are striving to bring quality anime to a — sad to say — largely hostile
Asian market. Running a TV network is not easy as many of you demanding
people think, and it requires a lot of financial resources and dealings
with anime distributors. Sometimes, they are able to get the shows that
you people want; sometimes, due to high licensing costs, they could
not. From my personal experiences with other TV networks here in the
Philippines, revenue from other sources, especially advertising, is
very important to offset expenditures. That is why it is only but
logical for Animax to try to woo other viewers, not just the diehard
anime fans. I must also point out that many nations in Asia DO NOT
consider anime as "kid friendly" viewing fare. So, you could only just
imagine what an uphill struggle it has been for the network.

I’ve
read soooo many comments from people who read this blog about how
Animax does not listen to their demands. Believe me, they DO listen!
Truth be told, there are times when I get so fiery in my
correspondences with the nice folks here that they would ask the local
representative, "Is Rory angry?" I’m not angry, but I do get very
passionate about certain things because I DO KNOW that Animax has the
potential to be HUGE in this region.

HOWEVER,
I do understand what happens when one is bombarded by nagging and
demands non-stop. There is a tendency for the ears to grow numb and the
eyes to get blurry. In my case, I get so exasperated that I really want
to scream "ENOUGH!" Sadly, that old saying is indeed true — YOU CANNOT
PLEASE EVERYONE. But, from what I’ve personally seen with the staff of
this fledgling network, they are NOT giving up.

Since
I was derided for posting a sincere note of gratitude in the Forums, I
will do it here in this blog. I would like to give a warm THANK YOU to
Animax for the wonderful viewing fare they have given me last year. I
would also like to thank Animax for trusting me to write this blog and
for understanding whenever work and poor health makes me unable to
update quickly. Finally, I would like to thank Animax for their
patience in dealing with me and my comments and recommendations for the
network. I only have the network’s best interests at heart. Hopefully,
I could continue to help you in any way I can in 2008 and beyond. MAY
YOU HAVE A PROSPEROUS 2008!!

And
to all the anime fans out there, I am hoping that you would understand
that not all of your demands could be accommodated. Is it very
difficult to ask for the more easily incensed among you to be more
reasonable? Please! Exercise emotional restraint. Learn to discern when
you can nag and when enough is enough. Together, we can help Animax
become a bigger, better network this 2008. Let’s join hands and work
together, not just with Animax but with your fellow fans as well,
regardless of whether or not they are Pro-Sub or not.