Animax: Project ‘LaMB’

Youth cable channel Animax today announces the launch of a groundbreaking new project titled LaMB, an entertainment showcase that is spread across three screens – TV, online and mobile. LaMB is Animax’s first original production in High Definition, and promises to revolutionize the entire entertainment experience via how content is delivered and marketed to consumers.

Encompassing a series of multi-platform, multi-disciplinary, and multi-media activities that revolves around the launch of an animation movie on Animax, LaMB aims to redefine the entire entertainment experience for consumers from pre-premiere to post-premiere of the show. The extensiveness of the LaMB campaign was in fact inspired by a 50-page script written by amateur writer Carmelo S. J. Juinio from the Philippines. From a mere text-heavy script to a comprehensive three-screen campaign that is expected to last for at least six months – such is the power of user-generated content.

What is LaMB?
LaMB is the brainchild of amateur writer Filipino Carmelo S. J. Juinio, who submitted his 50-page entry for a regional script-writing competition organized by Animax last year, called Animax Awards. Although he lost out to eventual winner Hayato Takamaga from Japan, Carmelo’s script impressed and captivated Japanese industry experts with its dark beauty and soulful depth, and was accorded a Special Award recognition for his amazing talent. Handpicked from over 3,000 entries across Asia, Carmelo’s LaMB has a storyline that is not only innovative and intriguing, but extremely thought-provoking as well, as it touches on all aspects of concern to today’s young adults – environment, politics, technology and of course, romance.

The story of LaMB centres around the life of a protagonist who can barely speak nor make her own decisions – she being one of the many felons sealed in a ‘laminated’ suit, known as LaMBs for short. The virtual slavery that is Lamination ensures that those convicted of serious crimes remain productive, if not free, members of society, making both jails and the death penalty unnecessary in a world where human ingenuity, creativity and labour continue to be precious commodities that cannot be replaced by robots or any form of “artificial” intelligence.

Latest Anime News January 2007

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

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)

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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

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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.

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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.

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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..

The Monster Hit that is "Monster"

Before "Death Note" became a huge hit, there was another manga and Madhouse anime that fans (including yours truly!) followed greedily, despite its daunting length. I'm talking about Naoki Urasawa's brilliant medical suspense thriller, "Monster".

To those of you who haven't heard of it, "Monster" is about a brilliant surgeon named Dr. Kenzo Tenma who is faced with the moral dilemma of choosing which critical patient he should operate: a politician who will be funding the hospital he works for or a little boy who had been shot in the head. Unfortunately, his choice will lead him into a life of a fugitive, being pursued by both the police and a mysterious organization, whose members wish to rule the world.

"Monster" recently garnered two nominations for Best U.S. Edition of International Material–Japan and Best Continuing Series at the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards. For the former category, "Monster" will be facing stiff competition from "Walking Man" by Jiro Taniguchi, "Antique Bakery" by Fumi Yoshinaga, "After School Nightmare" by Setona Mizushiro and "Old Boy" by Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi.

From Anime to Live Action

There is a growing trend of popular anime becoming live action features. Larry and Andy Wachowski have announced the casting of Emile Hirsch (from Lords Of Dogtown) as the lead in Speed Racer.

Presently filming in Shanghai and Taiwan is the live action version of Inoue Takehiko's smash manga/anime Slam Dunk. With a production budget of USD 10 million, the film stars Jay Chou, Charlene Choi and Chen Bo-lin.

Also in the works is the live action version of Blood: The Last Vampire starring pretty Korean actress Jeon Ji-hyun (of My Sassy Girl) in the lead role of Saya.

One particular film project that is strangely silent these days is the live action version of the hit suspense manga by Naoki Urasawa, Monster. Optioned by New Line Cinema, my source informed me that the studio is having difficulty casting the lead role of Dr. Tenma, and are even considering changing the character from a Japanese doctor to a Caucasian, a move that is likely to cause an uproar among fans (yours truly among them).

First American Anime Awards, New York

Hello, hello! Welcome to the maiden edition of Animax's very own blog, the only place where you can get the latest and hottest anime news on the planet!! I won't keep you waiting any more, so…LET'S GET ON WITH THE NEWS!!!

The months of February and March were chock full of awards, as the U.S. and Japan FINALLY gave recognition to the much criticized and under appreciated talents of the seiyuu or voice actor. Last February 24, the First American Anime Awards were held in the New Yorker Hotel in New York City. As expected, Full Metal Alchemist garnered most of the awards, including Best Long Anime Series, Best Cast, Best Actor (Vic Mignogna who voiced Edward Elric), Best Package Design, and Best Theme Song (the hard rockin' Rewrite by Asian Kung Fu Generation). Best Anime Comedy and Best Anime Short Series went to FLCL (or Fooly Cooly). However, winning Best Actor and Actress in a Comedy are Dave Wittenberg and Debi Derryberry for Zatch Bell. The Best Actress plum went to Mary Elizabeth for her role of Motoko Kusanagi in Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig. It certainly came as no surprise that Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children won Best Anime Feature. Fruits Basket won Best Manga. Finally, Peter Fernandez was given a Lifetime Achievement Award for his numerous contributions as a voice director and writer for several foreign language films.

Gonzo Celebrates Its 15th Anniversary

Leading anime studio Gonzo is celebrating its 15th Anniversary this year. This momentous occasion will be marked by the premiere of two cutting edge anime, one of which was previously aired on African-American channel Spike TV in the U.S., and never on Japanese TV.

The first anime is Afro Samurai, which tells the story of a Black samurai who embarks on a journey to find the man who murdered his father. Based on the manga by Takashi Okazaki, Afro Samurai was originally aired on Spike TV and it featured the voices of Samuel L. Jackson (who also served as co-producer) as Afro, Ron Perlman (of Hellboy fame) as Justice, and X-Men 2 star Kelly Hu. For its Japanese airing, this five-episode anime will be shown in English with Japanese subtitles. For more information, you can go over to http://www.afrosamurai.com

The second anime is Romeo x Juliet, and it is already being touted as the next Count of Monte Cristo. It is a futuristic retelling of William Shakespeare's classic play. The setting is Neo Verona, an aerial city that is being held under the tyrannical rule of the Montague family. The Montagues are the bitter enemies of another ruling family, the Capulets. Romeo is the son of the present despot while Juliet is the last descendant of the Capulets, who disguises herself as a man named Odin to get revenge upon the Montagues.

Romeo is going to be voiced by Takahiro Mizushima, who is noted for his role of Wataru Ozawa from the popular anime Gakuen Heaven. Fumie Mizusawa, known for her role of Minamoto Hikaru from Otogi Zoshi, plays Juliet. Also, in the cast is Okiayu Ryoutarou, more popularly known as Kuchiki Byakuya in Bleach (and who was himself nominated for Best Supporting Actor in the Seiyuu Awards for the said role), who will be playing the villain Tybalt.

The official Romeo x Juliet site at http://www.romejuli.jp/ has exclusive trailers, which you might want to check out.

Seiyuu Awards

Although Seiyuu have a huge loyal fan base in Japan, it is only this year that their talents have been recognized by an official awards-giving body. The First Seiyuu Awards were given out last March 3 at the 3D Theater of Akihabara's Tokyo Anime Center.

Winning for Best Male Seiyuu in a Lead Role is Fukuyama Jun for his role of Lelouch in Code Geass. Fans would remember Fukuyama for his role of Albert in Gankutsuou/The Count of Monte Cristo. Romi Paku won Best Female Seiyuu in a Lead Role for her role of Nana Osaki in the anime, Nana. Romi is particularly known for voicing boy characters, with notable roles including Edward Elric in the original Japanese version of Full Metal Alchemist and Okamoto Katsushiro in Samurai 7.

Best Male Seiyuu in a Supporting Role went to two actors – Ishida Akira (Arthrun in Gundam Seed Destiny) and Kouki Miyata (Kazumi Yoshinaga in Yoshinaga-san'chi no Gargoyle). Fans would know these two seiyuu from their previous roles of Cho Hakkai from the Saiyuki series and Murata Ken from Kyou Kara Maou!/God(?) Save Our King, respectively.

Best Female Seiyuu in a Supporting Role went to Koshimizu Ami (Kallen Stadtfeld from Code Geass) and Gotou Yuuko (Mikuru Asahina from The Melacholy of Haruhi Suzumiya).

Named Best Rookie Actors are Tetsuya Kakihara (Yutaka Mikoto from Princess Princess) and Masakazu Morita (Kurosaki Ichigo in Bleach). The winners for Best Rookie Actresses are Yui Kano as Momoko Kuzuryu from Sumomomo Momomo and Aya Hirano as Haruhi Suzumiya from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Hirano is presently garnering rave reviews for her role of Misa Amane in Death Note.

Best Musical Performance went to Nana Mizuki for Justice To Believe. Finally, the Pokemon Cast won the Synergy Award.