REVIEW: The Otaku Critiques KOUTETSU SANGOKUSHI!

THE SIX STEEDS OF GO FROM KOUTETSU SANGOKUSHI [COPYRIGHT INDICATED IN PHOTO] Koutetsu Sangokushi (pronounced "ko-tet-soo san-gok-shi"). Never did I expect that I would find myself getting so hooked on it that I watched it not just once, but THRICE. As a result, the DVD player went POP! Koutetsu Sangokushi belongs to that genre of anime called "shounen-ai" (literally means "boy's love"), which hints at or actually depicts romantic relationships between boys or men. So, aside from the peasant woman who dies in the first episode, you won't find a single female in this anime. The story takes place in Ancient China, specifically the war-torn kingdom of Go, which is being attacked from its borders by rival kingdoms who are hell-bent on getting the Imperial Seal -- an ornate dragon box with a glowing orb inside that has the power to bestow upon the person it favors the powerful Flame Armor. Enter Rikuson Hakugen who, as the "Crimson Warrior", has been traveling all over the country with his Master, the flamboyant Shoukatsuryou Koumei, helping the oppressed people in the land. Upon his return to Go, Rikuson has become bitter by the realization that he could not help everyone. Koumei convinces the young hero to ally himself with Go, only to have Rikuson witness the assassination of its King and the Imperial Seal stolen by mysterious thugs. Before long, Rikuson -- together with five other misfit warriors -- pledges to retrieve the Imperial Seal, and defend Go and its new boy king Sonken from all invaders...one of whom may be his own beloved Master Koumei. Most of the anime blog sites who have reviewed Koutetsu Sangokushi have done it a great disservice by labeling it boring. Far from it! This is character-driven storytelling at its finest. It may seem to drag for those who prefer action non-stop and the dialogue straightforward, but if you want to appreciate this anime to its fullest, you have to play close attention to the interactions between the characters. It is such a multi-layered story that you won't be able to grasp the numerous messages it wants to convey with just one watching alone. Stick with it and you won't regret it! While Koutetsu Sangokushi may be considered as a visual treat for the ladies who want their anime loaded with bishounen ("pretty boys"), credit for its success in pulling off a very difficult character-driven plotline falls exclusively on the shoulders of its all-male leads and the seiyuu who portray them. Mamoru Miyano -- who wowed fans with his portrayal of Light Yagami in Death Note -- provides great emotional depth and heartbreaking vulnerability to Rikuson. Not surprisingly, it is for this role -- and two others -- that Miyano won the Best Male Seiyuu Award at the recent Seiyuu Awards in Japan. Voice actress Mitsuki Saiga is in her element as the bratty Ryoutou, although her portrayal is remarkably reminiscent of Wolfram in Kyou Kara Maou! A particular treat for me was the hilarious repartee between Taishiji (played with boisterous perfection by Kentarou Itou, who is more known as Ensei in Saiunkoku Monogatari) and the wimpy Ryomou (portrayed by fan favorite Akira Ishida, who played Hakkai in the Saiyuki anime). Also brilliant were Takehito Koyasu and Koji Yusa, who portrayed rival siblings Koumei and Shoukatsukin, respectively. Masaya Onosaka and Noriaki Sugiyama, who played star-crossed brothers-in-arms Chouhi and Choun respectively, had me weeping buckets. Oh, my nephew wants me to mention seiyuu Rina Satou as the irritating tranvestite boy king Ryuubi. Says Enzo, "An actress who could play such an annoying character as Ryuubi is darned good in my book." I must admit that the one seiyuu whose acting really bowled me over was that of Junichi Suwabe, who played the ex-pirate Kannei. Suwabe is more known to fans for playing strong male characters -- Grimmjow from Bleach, Atobe from Prince of Tennis and Archer from Fate/Stay Night, just to name a few. So to see him acting out an emotionally vulnerable character was quite an accomplishment. Personally, I would like to see him playing more roles like this. Koutetsu Sangokushi, for all its complexity, is a story about love in all its forms. You have love for one's sibling, love for power, the love that a student has for his teacher, love for one's country, and -- yes, the hints are too strong to be ignored -- even love between two men. It's a compelling story of how love can be used to achieve one's selfish gains. But on the other hand, it is also love that can right all wrongs, even if it entails a noble but heartbreaking sacrifice in the very end.

The 2008 Philippines Animax Fashion Ability Report

Despite the sweltering summer heat, Animax fans and fashionistas alike came in droves to the Trinoma Activity Center in Quezon City, Philippines to witness the culmination of the 2008 Animax Fashion Ability. I must admit to having a soft spot in my heart for Fashion Ability because it gives budding fashion designers -- majority of whom are still students -- the chance to show their talent. It was awe-inspiring enough to see the sketches online at the Fashion Ability website. But nothing could be more thrilling than to see these designs being modelled on the runway. Plus, you have the added bonus of seeing student models wearing these designs. To be honest, I had a kick out of seeing proud fathers and mothers taking photos of the stunning creations of their kids or watching their son or daughter strutting on the ramp. Indeed, if you want to see the fashion designers and models of the future, look no further than Animax Fashion Ability. Before the event started, VIP/Media and special guests were treated to Japanese cocktails courtesy of Tokyo Tokyo in what came to be known as the "Pupil Pit" (it's a pit below the stage where the guest bands were to perform). Animax-Asia Forumites were there, including the hard-working Moderators. I saw Sekira-chan, Dark Yoshi and friends chowing down on yakisoba, sushi and potato balls. Hope you had a great time! Minutes later, Animax Fashion Ability was kicked off by hosts MYX VJ Igi and Andy, who emceed the first Fashion Ability in 2006. Judging from their exuberance, you could say they were just as excited to see the new designs just as much as I did. The first act to take to the stage were Pinoy hip hop stars Ken Johns and the Philippine All-Stars. Levi's also gave the audience a preview of their Spring/Summer 2008 Fashion Collection. Before the finalists were presented, Igi and Andy introduced the judges, who comprise big names in the entertainment and fashion industry. Judges for this year are: Juno L. Henares-Chuidian, Edwin Tan, Cristalle Belo-Henares, David Fabros and Jerome Allen Lorico. The hosts also interviewed the winners of the 2006 Fashion Ability. Model Grendel Alvarado -- who is being touted as the Philippines' Next Top Model -- said that Fashion Ability was her first modelling gig. Said Alvarado, "It was in Fashion Ability that I learned the basics of modelling, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to participate in and learn from that competition." Jerome Allen Lorico -- the Grand Prize Winner of the 2006 Fashion Ability -- now has his own clothing line and has recently won the Special Jury Award at the 45th Japan International Design Competition. "I've seen the sketches, and this batch is a force to be reckoned with," Lorico revealed. "They all designs came out with designs that are truly French haute couteur, which is the theme of today's competition. I am very particular about the finalists adhering to the French theme, and I'm glad to see that they delivered. It's going to be exciting to see the dresses later." Thankfully, we didn't have long to wait. All 20 designs were first presented to a cheering audience. Then, we were given a closer look at the first 10 dresses. And they were really good! To keep the audience in suspense, rock band Imago came on stage to perform their latest hits. Afterwards, the next 10 designs were strutted on the runway. I have to be honest but I really fell in love with Aislynn Liao's gold lame gown, which is reminiscent of the gowns that Audrey Hepburn wore in "My Fair Lady." While the judges were pressed with the hard task of choosing the winners of the competition, Animax's Music Ambassadors Pupil performed their hits from their latest album as well as the rip-roaring Animax anthem, "Set Me Apart." FINALLY, it was time to reveal the winners. Winning 2nd Runner Up and an educational grant of USD500 was RHAI LABORTE. CLICK HERE FOR LARGER IMAGE Winning 1st Runner Up and an educational grant of USD1,000 was AISLYNN LIAO CLICK HERE FOR LARGER IMAGE And the GRAND PRIZE WINNER, winning an educational grant of USD2,000, was BRANDON L. PARRENAS CLICK HERE FOR LARGER IMAGE CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE MODELS, FINALISTS AND WINNERS OF THE 2008 ANIMAX FASHION ABILITY!! MAY ALL OF YOU ENJOY A BRIGHT AND EXCITING FUTURE!!! Oh...and for all you Animax fans in other regions, there's a strong chance that Animax Fashion Ability will hit your countries too. So when it does, please join! Before I forget, there were a lot of peeps in the audience who've been taking videos of the event. Don't forget that we also have the Fashion Ability video competition. You can find the contest rules HERE. Submit those videos now!!

Winter Sonata Anime: Trailer Released!

As announced in the news here, fans of Winter Sonata are now able to check out the newly released trailer of the anime version! The video also includes a short clip of Bae Yong-Joon, the lead actor in the drama series, who is also the seiyuu for his same role in the anime!

Official website: http://anime-wintersonata.com/

Jovovich’s Ultraviolet to be made into an Anime

The Animax satellite television network confirmed in a Tokyo International Anime Fair 2008 press conference on Thursday that its Ultraviolet: Code 044 anime is based on Kurt Wimmer’s 2006 live-action Ultraviolet film starring Milla Jovovich. The anime was pre-announced in a press release for the event. Famed director Osamu Dezaki (Ashita no Joe, Aim For The Ace!, Lupin III movies) will supervise the animators of Madhouse and Tezuka Productions. Dezaki’s longtime collaborator Akio Sugino (Ashita no Joe, Aim For The Ace!, Black Jack The Movie, Golgo 13: The Professional) will design the characters. Romi Paku (Fullmetal Alchemist’s Ed, NANA’s Nana Osaki) will voice the main character “044.” 044 is a female warrior genetically engineered with high combat skills and ordered by the government to annihilate a vampire army. Madhouse founder Masao Maruyama will produce with Sony Pictures Entertainment (Japan). The project will premiere on Animax on July 1 to mark the anime network’s 10th anniversary.

Source: Mainichi Newspaper’s Mantan, OCN Anime Tokusatsu

Tokyo Anime Center Posts “Stop! Fan-Subtitle” Notice

On March 26, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan held a symposium to discuss, among other topics, overseas piracy of Japanese animation. The Tokyo Anime Center, one of the organizations involved with the Tokyo International Anime Fair, posted the following notice in Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean at this year’s fair:

Gundam MS IGLOO 2 is Officially Announced!

With Mobile Suit Gundam 00: Season 1 about to end in a couple of days time this month, this news had come just at the right moment to keep the Gundam fan heated till Gundam 00: Season 2 for a possible October 2008 release! Hence, we welcome the confirmed announcement of Sunrise’s Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO 2: Jūryoku Sensen (Gravity’s Warfront) directly from its official website! The series would consist of three 30-minute episodes and have its setting based on Earth and from Earth Federation’s point of view. The 3D CGI will be in high definition, higher in quality than what was seen in the previous productions. The production staff is largely unchanged, though the mecha designers behind the design works are given as Yutaka Izubuchi, Kimitoshi Yamane, Takuhito Kusanagi, Shinji Aramaki and Fumihiro Katagai. The super high-detail designs will appear in the U.C. Hardgraph line and be used as is in the animation.

Official Website: http://www.msigloo2.net/

Blade of the Immortal Anime in Summer 2008!

Yet another awesome welcoming anime to kick off Summer 2008! As a long time, more-than-a-decade big fan of the manga series (since 1994), I’m proud to say that Blade of the Immortal is finally about to have its first anime series!

Kodansha Monthly Afternoon magazine of the May issue (released today) had confirmed that a television anime version of Hiroaki Samura’s Blade of the Immortal manga will premiere this summer in Japan. To those who are unfamiliar with the manga, it follows the story of Manji, a ronin swordsman who had killed 100 samurai in the past (including his sister’s husband), had finally decided to repent his dark history by condemning himself to immortality, at the cost of killing another 1000 bad guys Looking forward to it this Summer 2008! ^__^

Main Characters Voice Casts:

• Manji - Tomozaku Seki (Escaflowne’s Van, Gungrave’s Beyond the Grave)
• Rin - Rina Satou (Negima!’s Negi, Bamboo Blade’s Satori)

Director: Koichi Mashimo (.hack//, Noir)

Official Website: http://mugen.kc.kodansha.co.jp/