Animax’s Blog

It had to take
the sudden death of my uncle from a heart attack two weeks ago to bring
my cousins and their children back to the country after so many years.
I must admit that I’m still reeling from my uncle’s deeath (I rushed to
the hospital when I found out he was in the ER, but I did not make it),
but having loved ones around made the pain more tolerable.

My cousins’ kids
were a true joy though — smart, polite, kind, everything that I find
lacking in some of the youth of today. While they don’t consider
themselves anime fans, they have been watching some of the latest
Spring offerings in Japan.

So basically,
this blog is sort of a compilation of the anime we discussed and some
gossup about the unexpected Third Season of a popular horror title.

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The latest Spring
shows in Japan, thankfully, offer a respite for this Obataku who has
grown sick and tired of all the "moe" ("cute") girls from last
Fall/Winter season. I mean, one title of schoolgirls in miniskirts is
tolerable, but to bombard a person with a whole slew of them is just
too much.

Spring began with a bang with two big titles from Gonzo — BLASSREITER and Tower of Druaga: The Aegis of Uruk,
both of which had an online premiere simultaneous with the broadcast in
Japan to curb the growing problem of piracy and illegal downloads on
the Internet. According to my kin, you can actually download these two
titles for a small fee. Most reviews — and my nephews and nieces agree
– have mixed opinions about these titles, although the CGI animation
was something to rave about. Being a Gonzo fan, I know for a fact that
some of their really good titles usually start blow, but gain momentum
with future episodes. So I’m still planning to watch these two anime.

One anime that I am particularly intrigued to watch is Kure-nai,
about a girl who is held prisoner by her grandfather but was helped to
escaped by a lady who takes pity on her plight, and entrusts her into
the care of a boy assassin. This is definitely on my must watch list.

My nephews couldn’t hold back their laughter whenever we talk about Kamen No Maid Guy.
I’ve read one chapter of this manga in the past and it IS pretty funny,
although the humor runs to the risque. Just look at the storyline. A
girl inherits a huge fortune and has to be protected by two bodyguards
who have to dress up as maids. It’s certainly not a problem with one of
them — who happens to be a bombshell, but the other bodyguard is a
huge WWE superstar-type guy, who seems to have not-so-pure intentions
towards our clueless heroine.

My nieces, on the other hand, who has inherited a love for bishounen ("pretty boys") from her aunt, couldn’t stop raving about Monochrome Factor and Vampire Knight. The
fomer is about a slacker schoolboy named Akira Nikaido who becomes a
demon hunter under the guidance of a silver-haired bishie named
Shirogane. Reviews I’ve read about Monochrome Factor have stated that it contains cliches from other popular anime, but done refreshingly so it is still an engrossing watch. Vampire Knight kind of reminds me of La Corda D’Oro with
its bevy of good-looking guys, but make no mistake — this is horror
romance. It focuses on schoolgirl Yuki, who is in the Day Class of
Cross Academy. She soon discovers that the mysterious Night Class of
the school is composed of vampires, who are embroiled in a dangerous
battle. The fact that one of my fave seiyuu Miyano Mamoru is voicing
lead vampire Zero Kiryu is enough enticement for me.

[PHOTO CREDITS: Vampire Knight © Matsuri Hino, LaLa/Studio Deen, TV Tokyo.]

One title that I know is good (if they could do the manga justice) is Amatsuki,
about a schoolboy who has problems with his History lessons and ends up
witnessing history unfold before his eyes as he travels to feudal Japan
via a computer simulation game. However, the anime that I have my
apprehensions about watching is Bus Gamer. Based on Saiyuki creator
Kazuya Minekura’s manga, it’s about three guys who compete in blood
sports in order to gain corporate secrets. Personally, if there is one
Minekura manga that I would like to see made into an anime, it’s
definitely not Bus Gamer. I much prefer Wild Adapter.

Of course, there are new seasons galore this Spring, marked by the much awaited return of Code Geass-R, fan favorites D.C. II - Da Capo II, Code E, and Zero No Tsukai Ma, and there’s a Third Season of Kyou Kara Maou! as well — not surprising, since much of the novel version has not been made into anime.

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While we wait for Season 3 to hit Animax screens, you can catch the much anticipated and much nagged for Season 2 of Kyou Kara Maou!,
which will premiere on May 7, Mon to Fri at 6 pm (SIN/PHI/IND) and 5 pm
(BKK/WIB). And — Thank God! — it’s the same Geneon voice actors from
Season 1.

For June, the premiering title will be Shonen Onmyouji.
This anime focuses on the misadventures of onmyouji newbie Masahiro and
his wise-cracking sidekick Mokkun (who transforms into the super
gorgeous shikigami Guren), as the poor boy tries to break free from the
formidable reputation of his grandfather — the legendary onmyou priest
Abe No Seimei. The flyer I have with me does not list the date and
time, so just check the "Programs" tab of this site.

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Let us end this blog with the gossip surrounding Jigoku Shoujo Mitsuganae.
Apparently, the announcement of a Third Season has caught Japanese fans
by surprise that rumors and speculations are now running rampant in the
various BBS, especially since there was closure in the Second Season.

According to my beloved kin, the rumors circulating about Season 3 are as follows…

1) Instead of Ai Enma, it would be focusing on the rather annoying Kikuri, with three new aides helping her;

2) There will be
TWO Hell Girls — Ai AND Kikuri. But Ai, following the events in Season
2, will be using mobile phones as the means of contacting her. This
time, she, Ichimoku Ren, Wanyuudou, and Hone Onna, will be helping the
innocent souls that Kikuri will send to Hell.

3) It will still
focus on Ai Enma, but will have her performing a new mission that
contradicts the task that the creepy Spider God had originally set for
her. For what this mission is, go back to #2.

4) The new Hell Girl won’t be Ai or Kikuri. Some have been speculating that the new Hell Girl might be Tsugumi from Season 1.

Personally, all
these are just speculation. Still, it would be quite an accomplishment
for the writer to come up with the Third Season, especially since the
Second Season was firmly concluded.

~~~~~~~~~~

Just a short note:
Let me be frank about this. Some people especially in the India site
have been asking why I’ve been ignoring them. Putting it this way,
quite a few peeps have irritated me to the point that it has caused
considerable stress on my health. So rather than have my blood pressure
shoot up to astronomical heights, I’ve taken to being a lurker.
However, I will make an exception just this once. For next blog, I will
be answering 16 questions — eight from readers in SEA and eight from
readers in India. I will be choosing the questions which I and my
nephews and nieces can easily answer. I have one request though. If you
want your question to be picked, BE POLITE. I am easily ticked off with
very rude people, so please watch how you phrase yourselves.

Emily Woo Zeller and her anime counterpart Hino Kahoko from La Corda D’Oro ~Primo Passo~

[PHOTO CREDITS © Yuki Kure, HAKUSENSHA, KOEI Co., Ltd./Corda Committee]

You
may probably call them the "Golden Pair" among the Animax voice actors.
To date, David Lee McKinney and Emily Woo Zeller have played some of
anime’s most memorable love teams, starting with Shiro Emiya and Saber
in Fate/Stay Night and Pete Pumps and Tazusa Sakurano in Ginban Kaleidoscope. They next played D’Eon and Lia de Beaumont in Le Chevalier D’Eon. Presently, they are playing Ryoutarou Tsuchiura and Hino Kahoko in La Corda D’Oro~Primo Passo~. Just check the PROGRAMS tab of this site for the days and times of these anime.

For this blog, it’ll be ladies first, as we introduce voice actress Emily Woo Zeller. Next week, we’ll be featuring David Lee McKinney.

I
grew up mimicking voices in cartoons and always dreamed of being the
voice for a character or two someday. I was trained in a variety of
different art forms; as a dancer, singer, and actor, and I have many
years of experience performing on stage. I believe that the tools that
I learned from these disciplines have helped in my career as a voice
actor because they require discipline and tenacity and involve
fine-tuning skills like timing, range of emotion and sound, and
adapting to your environment.

Fate/Stay Night
was one of the first times we worked with each other. We spent a lot of
time in the studio together. At that time we were still getting to know
each other both professionally and personally, but we were very
connected right from the beginning. Working physically together in the
studio allowed us to really build up our connection and energy. We
wouldn’t have had the benefit of creating that chemistry if we hadn’t
met each other and worked so closely.

It was a privilege and a pleasure to work with David Lee McKinney again in Le Chevalier D’Eon and then in Ginban Kaleidoscope.
It’s reassuring to hear that our audience is appreciating our work. We
strive to do our best at all times - and that’s something that I know
I’m going to get when I work with David. He is an incredibly talented
voice artist and a wonderful person to be around. The energy comes very
naturally when I’m working with him and we dive in all the way. I
remember a few times when we were working on Ginban Kaleidoscope that
it really felt like we were giving a live performance in the studio. We
just resonate in a way that makes playing these characters with each
other a ton of fun. The only disadvantage might be that there’s not a
lot of space in some of the dubbing studios!

Among
the characters you have voiced for Animax, who is a) your favorite, b)
the most challenging you’ve ever done, and c) the most memorable, and
why?

I’d have to say that my favorite and most memorable character I’ve played so far is Tazusa Sakurano from Ginban Kaleidoscope.
I really love that she is bright and bold and spunky. As a trained
dancer and artist passionate about my work, I felt like I could relate
to her passion for figure-skating. I understood her dedication as well
as her doubts.

The most challenging role I’ve played to date is Pinoko from Black Jack Season
2. Her character was difficult because she is simultaneously a very
young child and a young woman. It is also a physical challenge when
playing a small child’s voice that has extreme highs and lows. I’m glad
for the opportunity to play her, though, because it stretched me. I
also think Black Jack is a very interesting anime, so it was well worth the work.

One
of the things that I really like about anime is that it has a huge
range of styles despite being one type of art form. I am particularly
drawn to anime that echoes the world we live in with truthful humor and
odd sincerity. I also like to see anime that has charming female
characters that are strong and think on their feet. I’d love to work on
more projects written by Momoko Sakura or Hiromu Shinozuka. It would be
a dream-come-true to work with Hayao Miyazaki on one of his surreal,
but candid masterpieces. I think it’s great that he’s been able to
cross borders with his work and I’d really like to see more of that
happening as a general trend.

I
love what I do. Like anything that is worthwhile, it takes work. I care
about doing a good job and so I work hard. The biggest challenge for me
is to make the characters I play as full as possible because I don’t
have the advantage of representing anything with my body directly, but
I enjoy that challenge.

I
think it’s important to embrace the things that you are passionate
about. Whatever it is that you want to do and have the opportunity to
pursue, give it your all and you’ll get the greatest return.