Otaku Crave

Review of the Manga “Tomorrow” by Douglas. Enjoy.

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The film distributor Summit Entertainment and the Hong Kong animation studio IMAGI have announced that their computer-animated film adaptation of Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy manga will open on over 3,000 North American screen on October 23, 2009. The story centers on a robot abandoned by its inventor and raised by a kind professor to protect the world. David Bowers (Flushed Away) is directing off a screenplay written by Timothy Harris (Trading Places, Kindergarten Cop). The cast features Freddie Highmore in the title role, Nicolas Cage, Donald Sutherland, Nathan Lane, Bill Nighy, Eugene Levy, and Kristen Bell.

The two production companies will later announce a marketing “commitment from a major fast food restaurant partner as well as alliances in the areas of toys, games, books and others.” Dark Horse reissued its English version of the original manga this month, and Right Stuf have released the classic 1963-1966 anime adaptation in two box sets. Manga Entertainment and Sony shipped DVDs for the 1980 and the 2003 anime remakes, respectively. Next February, Viz Media will publish Naoki Urasawa’s Pluto manga that is set in Tezuka’s Astro Boy world.

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Review of the series “Death Note” by Douglas. Enjoy.

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The North American distributor FUNimation Entertainment has announced the acquisition of the Kaze no Stigma television series from the Gonzo anime studio. The anime adapts Takahiro Yamato and Hanamaru Nanto’s supernatural action light novel series, which has 12 volumes so far. The story centers on Kazuma Kannagi, a man who was banished his family of fire magic users by his own father after he was defeated by his cousin Ayano. Four years later, Kazuma is now 22 and has become a wind magic user after a contract with the spirit of wind. Kazuma returns to his former home and faces Ayano again.

The anime version features director Jun’ichi Sakata (Card Captor Sakura, DNA²) and series script supervisor Mayori Sekijima (Angel Sanctuary, MoonPhase). Funimation will launch the 24-episode series on DVD in the summer of 2009.

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The ICv2 retail news source reports that Funimation commanded 32.7% of North American anime sales in the first half of 2008, according to data from the Nielsen VideoScan service. VideoScan’s statistics do not include sales from the Wal-Mart retail chain, for which Funimation may have an even higher share of the market. This increase in Funimation’s share does not include the recently announced acquisitions of former ADV titles and relicensed Geneon titles, both of which began shipping in the second half of 2008. ICv2 has also announced the release of the ICv2 Guide #59: Anime/Manga book, which includes more information on the North American anime and manga markets. The guide includes ICv2’s lists of the top 50 anime and manga during the first half of the year.

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The Sports Hochi newspaper reports that the Japanese film distributor TOHO has received more than one offer from Hollywood film production companies to remake the manga-based Detroit Metal City film after it opened in Japan last month. Director Toshio Li adapted Kiminori Wakasugi’s rock parody manga about a shy pop singer’s rise to glory as the frontman of a death-metal band. The negotiations are reportedly still ongoing, but a decision is expected by the end of the year. There are also remake offers from Hong Kong.

In addition to the remake talks, the Detroit Metal City film already has distribution agreements for Hong Kong and South Korea. Distribution offers are said to have come from 25 other countries and regions, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Taiwwan, Australia, and Brazil.

The six current volumes of the manga have 2 million copies in print, and over 1 million people have now seen the film in the first three weeks after its Japanese opening.

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Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group has licensed the rights to distribute The Sky Crawlers, the latest film from Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor), in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Australia, and New Zealand. The film adapts Hiroshi Mori’s military romance novels that are set on an alternate-history world. After the film’s Japanese opening last month, the Toronto International Film Festival held the North American premiere last Friday. While The Sky Crawlers was shut out of the juried awards at the Venice Film Festival in Italy this past weekend, it did win the Future Film Festival Digital Award during the event.

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The October issue (on sale on September 9) of Fujimi Shobo’s Monthly Dragon Age magazine will announce that a new television anime series for The Slayers franchise has been officially green-lit. Hajime Kanzaka, the author of the original Slayers light novels, had already indicated that the ongoing Slayers Revolution television anime series was conceived as the first part of a storyline that will last half a year (with a break in between). However, the Dragon Age announcement will be the first public, official confirmation that the second part of the storyline is in production. More details will be provided in the November issue of Fujimi’s Monthly Dragon Magazine, which goes on sale on September 20.

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Felix Ip, the creative director at Hong Kong’s IMAGI animation studio, has revealed that the studio’s official website is streaming the last ten seconds from the computer-animated Gatchaman film’s trailer. (In the linked page, select the “Our Films” link, select “Gatchaman,” and then select “View Teaser Clip.”) IMAGI is remaking Tatsunoko’s Science Ninja Team Gatchaman anime franchise for a planned 2010 release in theaters worldwide. (The film was originally scheduled for distribution in 2009 by Warner Brothers and The Weinstein Company, but it was pushed back.)

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