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Japanese image boards have been buzzing with excitement lately as some documents from studio BONES (guys behind FMA, Darker than Black, Ouran, Soul Eater) got leaked into the internet revealing that the studio is working on a second Full Metal Alchemist series as well as a sequel to Darker than Black. These are very exciting news for fans of either series although speculation on how the hell they will milk FMA after the movie ending is driving everyone insane.

Honestly I’m more excited about the continuation to Darker than Black, it has a deeper plot, music by Yoko Kanno and a talking cat. You cant top Yoko Kanno and a talking cat, its simple impossible.

Thanks Shiku!

Next month Japan Post will issue 10 stamps based on Patlabor, the iconic mecha manga and anime. This comes as the latest installment in their heroes of anime and manga series. We’ve previously covered the launch of Mario, Evangelion and Resident Evil stamps. It seems only Japan has caught on to the fact that the only people who collect stamps are obsessive freaks so you might as well cater to their tastes huh?

[Japan Post]

Whoa, more than one year is not “very soon” in my opinion but here I am! The controversial anime that took “fish-eye” camera and extreme angles. . .well. . .to the extreme! Here in Hinamizawa you will enjoy enjoy your stay; with all the fascinating scenery, interesting people, and the constant repetition of the same week-long timeline for more than 40 episodes you’ll surely be entertained!

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Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni Season 1 and Season 2 - An Overall Review -

On July 12 a surprise is coming to Japanese theaters. The original Ghost in the Shell movie is playing in 5 theaters throughout Japan. But this isn’t just a re-run of the movie; Mamoru Oshii’s masterpiece is being remastered.

A whole new voice acting track will be laid down by nearly all of the original actors, and all sound and music has been remastered by Skywalker Sound (of Star Wars fame). Most important of all, some of the animation is being replaced for new, shiny CGI. Below is a promo video for the event and 3 before/after images comparing it to the original.

If you ask me the original animation still holds ground and most of these “after” shots just seem darker and browner. Hell, add some bloom lighting and you can slap a Gears of War sticker on the cover!

Watching this has made me realize that the exotic aura surrounding older movies like GITS and Akira is missing from today’s productions. I remain excited. Expect a DVD of this remastered version to come out in a couple of months and hit the torrents a couple of weeks after that.

This week’s Gurren-Lagann Parallel Works brings us another awesome, albeit slightly less action-packed video featuring our favorite drillers. This week takes the song BafBaf! Sonna ni Moeru no ga Suki Kai? and warns us to watch out for gambling addictions. Particular Pachinko.

Gainax has released the first of their weekly Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann Parallel Works, a series of shorts featuring Gurren-Lagann characters set to tracks from the Gurren-Lagann soundtrack, featuring scenarios that are anything but Gurren Lagann. The animation is fantastic, and if you loved the soundtrack it’s a whole new way to experience it.

This week’s video features Kamina, Simon, and Viral in a Robin Hood-esque adventure scenario to Rap is a Man’s Soul! (Dai-Gurren-Dan Theme). Stay tuned next week for more episodes!

This year is filled with great news for Tales fans. On top of the upcoming release of not one, but two Tales titles as well as the ongoing translation project of Tales of Innocence for DS, MOONPHASE reports that rumors of a Tales of the Abyss OVA have been debunked in favor a full TV run akin to Tales of Eternia’s.

The relatively unknown director Kanetsugu Kodama (a few Conan movies) will be taking the helm, and the animation will be produced by Sunrise. Whether or not the original cast will be returning to their former roles is unknown, but likely given the cast of previous Tales animations.

[MOONPHASE]

Lolita characters: check. Apathetic main character: check. Story with death as the main element: check, check, check. Bland ending: Cheeeeeeeeeeeekuuuuh!I’m starting to see a pattern. . .no wait, the pattern has been made years ago! A lot of things have been made around death in anime but. . .delivering letters from the dead? Hmmm, oh wait. . .wait. . .Lain had it first. But physical letters? Delivered by hand? That being the main plot of the story? A’ight, you can give it a shot. . .

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Shigofumi - An Overall Review -

Summer’s rolling on in, and boy is it a hot one! What better of a way to cool yourself down than to take a break inside and watch some of your favorite anime? Take a look at what shows you can expect to cool off to this season; Remakes, second seasons, and fresh new shows promise to bring something for everyone!

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Looking Ahead: Summer 08 Anime Preview

Ever wanted to type furiously along to the lyrics of your favorite anime songs? I didn’t think that I did either until someone linked me to this delightful yet highly frustrating game. Besides anime themes, also included is the famous Caramelldansen (Speedycake mix), humorously listed as the “Popotan OP” (as you can tell from the picture, it’s pretty brutal to play).

The interface is stylish and the game is quite polished, with a grading system based off of games like Beatmania. I would recommend that those who don’t frequently type romaji try the few songs with English lyrics as a starting point. You can play this browser-based game here.

It’s been a while since I watched a romance anime and I gotta say. . . what a comeback! School Days manages to give good amounts of romance, drama, fanservice, and blood. . . enough to keep you hooked until the end.

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School Days - An Overall Review -

MOONPHASE has reported that entering this fall’s anime lineup (Fall? We’re not even into the summer lineup yet!) is an adaptation of the light novel series ToraDora by Yuyuko Takemiya. The series chronicles the high school adventures of Ryuuji Takasu, a second year high school student born with delinquent eyes, and Taiga Aisaka, a girl who makes in temper everything she lacks in stature. It sounds kind of generic (And let’s face it: it is), but the characters have shown to be entertaining enough in what little of the manga has been translated.

No staff or cast has been announced. Judging by the character archetypes, I’m predicting Taiga will be voiced by Rie Kugimiya. I wouldn’t mind seeing Kisho Taniyama grab the role of Ryuuji, either.

[MOONPHASE]

The new issue of Shueisha’s Roadshow magazine has posted on-set images of the cast of the Dragon Ball movie. Pictured are Justin Chatwin as Goku, Emmy Rossum as Bulma, Chow Yun-Fat as Master Roshi, Joon Park as Yamcha, and Jamie Chung as Chi-Chi. The pictures are after the break.

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Actors for the Dragon Ball film revealed!

This painting above, made by Japanese artist Hisashi Tenmyouya, sold for over $615,000.00 USD at a Christie’s art auction in Hong Kong. The artist describes the painting as such:

I produced this painting for the exhibition, “GUNDAM: Generating Futures,” which was held at the Suntory Museum from July 15 to August 31, 2005. The work was later exhibited at the Ueno Royal Museum and other venues. In Japan there are many “Gundam-Otaku’s,” and their adoration of Gundam is intense. Therefore, I did not want to change their image of Gundam. By changing Gundam’s “mobile suit” to tattoos, I altered his body, and made him even more customized. I emphasized the very concept of the “mobile suit,” and by setting Gundam against a background of gold leaf from traditional Japanese painting, I emphasized Gundam’s samurai origins.

Tenmyouya has actually created more works in this vein combining Japanese pop culture to traditional Japanese art, you can see more of his work on his personal website.

Now if only I could convince someone that my notebook sketches of Princess Zelda eating a triforce sandwich are worth a tenth of what this went for…

[Bloomberg]

Bandai has decided to close down the Bandai Visual section recently, due to low sales. The drop in sales is pointed to illegal downloading of fansubs, which has been named the cause of this, and other closings, like ADV’s Europe branch (Im not too sure if they stopped in America as well, let me know), and Geneon USA’s halt of sales.

Nothing has been said about the completion of series in progress before the liquidation.

In the wake of this, what else can be done? Are Japanese animation companies really hurting from this? Discuss in the comments.

[ICv2]

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