Anime Movie Destiny

GI Joe Rise of Cobra TEASER!!

2009-02-08T04:49:00.000-08:00

OMG its finally out, i just saw this clip from superbowl and damn i cant really really wait, for all the GI Joe fans, here it is...

Transfromers 2 The Fallen

2009-02-04T08:10:00.000-08:00

The wait is finally over.... cant wait for the full trailer of it.....

Franklyn

2009-01-10T17:08:00.000-08:00

Release Date: TBA 2009
Studio: Not Available
Director: Not Available
Screenwriter: Not Available
Starring: Ryan Phillippe, Eva Green, Sam Riley, Bernard Hill, Richard Coyle, Art Malik
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Thriller
MPAA Rating: Not Available
Official Website: Not Available
Review: Not Available
DVD Review: Not Available
DVD: Not Available
Movie Poster: Not Available
Production Stills: Not Available

Plot Summary: Esser (Hill) is a broken man, searching for his wayward son amongst the rough streets of London's homeless. Milo (Riley) is a heartbroken thirty-something desperately trying to find a way back to the purity of first love. Emilia (Green) is abeautiful art student, her suicidal art projects becoming increasingly more complex and deadly. Preest (Phillippe) is a masked vigilante detective, searching for his nemesis on the streets of Meanwhile City; a monolithic fantasymetropolis ruthlessly governed by faith and religious fervour. Esser, Milo, Emilia, Preest - a group of people who couldnt be further apart. Their individual worlds are set for a cataclysmic collision. In an explosive finale, the path of a single bullet will decide the fate of our four lost souls...

The Unborn

2009-01-10T17:06:00.000-08:00

Release Date: January 9, 2009
Studio: Rogue Pictures
Director: David S. Goyer
Screenwriter: David S. Goyer
Starring: Odette Yustman, Gary Oldman, Cam Gigandet, Meagan Good, Carla Gugino, Jane Alexander, Idris Elba, Rhys Coiro, James Remar
Genre: Supernatural Thriller
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for intense sequences of violence and terror, disturbing images, thematic material and language including some sexual references)
Official Website: TheUnbornmovie.net | MyTwinHauntsMe.com
Review: Not Available
DVD Review: Not Available
DVD: Not Available
Movie Poster: View here
Production Stills: View here
Plot Summary: Sometimes the soul of a dead person has been so tainted with evil that it is denied entrance to heaven. It must endlessly wander the borderlands between worlds, desperately searching for a new body to inhabit.

And sometimes it actually succeeds.

Writer/director David Goyer ("Blade: Trinity," "The Invisible," "Batman Begins") gives a terrifying glimpse into the life of the undead in "The Unborn," a supernatural thriller that follows a young woman pulled into a world of nightmares when a demonic spirit haunts her and threatens everyone she loves.

Casey Beldon (Odette Yustman) hated her mother for leaving her as a child. But when inexplicable things start to happen, Casey begins to understand why she left. Plagued by merciless dreams and a tortured ghost that haunts her waking hours, she must turn to the only spiritual advisor, Sendak (Gary Oldman), who can make it stop.

With Sendak's help, Casey uncovers the source of a family curse dating back to Nazi Germany—a creature with the ability to inhabit anyone or anything that is getting stronger with each possession. With the curse unleashed, her only chance at survival is to shut a doorway from beyond our world that has been pried open by someone who was never born.

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li

2009-01-10T17:03:00.001-08:00

Release Date: February 27, 2009
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Director: Andrzej Bartkowiak
Screenwriter: Justin Marks
Starring: Kristin Kreuk, Michael Clarke Duncan, Neal McDonough, Taboo, Chris Klein, Moon Bloodgood, Edmund Chen, Cheng Pei Pei, Josie Ho, Robin Shou
Genre: Action
MPAA Rating: Not Available
Official Website: StreetFighter.com/Movie
Review: Not Available
DVD Review: Not Available
DVD: Not Available
Movie Poster: Not Available
Production Stills: View here
Plot Summary: "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li" is a live-action feature film based on Capcom's video game. The new film is focused on female fighter Chun-Li and her journey for justice.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

2008-11-14T09:59:00.000-08:00

Release Date: July 17, 2009 (conventional theaters and IMAX)
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Director: David Yates
Screenwriter: Steven Kloves
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, David Bradley, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Tom Felton, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Natalia Tena, Julie Walters, David Thewlis, Evanna Lynch, Matthew Lewis, Bonnie Wright, Jim Broadbent, Helen McCrory, Jessie Cave, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Frank Dillane
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
MPAA Rating: Not Available
Official Website: HarryPotter.com
Review: Not Available
DVD Review: Not Available
DVD: Not Available
Movie Poster: Not Available
Production Stills: View here
Plot Summary: Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Together they work to find the key to unlock Voldemort's defenses and, to this end, Dumbledore recruits his old friend and colleague, the well-connected and unsuspecting bon vivant Professor Horace Slughorn, whom he believes holds crucial information. Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Harry finds himself more and more drawn to Ginny, but so is Dean Thomas. And Lavender Brown has decided that Ron is the one for her, only she hadn’t counted on Romilda Vane's chocolates! And then there's Hermione, simpering with jealously but determined not to show her feelings. As romance blossoms, one student remains aloof. He is determined to make his mark, albeit a dark one. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.

Revolutionary Road Official Trailer

2008-11-14T09:55:00.000-08:00

Release Date: December 26, 2008

Studio: Paramount Vantage
Director: Sam Mendes
Screenwriter: Justin Haythe
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Michael Shannon, Kathryn Hahn, David Harbour, Kathy Bates
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: R (for language and some sexual content/nudity)
Official Website: RevolutionaryRoadmovie.com
Review: Not Available
DVD Review: Not Available
DVD: Not Available
Movie Poster: View here
Production Stills: View here
Plot Summary: Based on the celebrated novel by Richard Yates, director Sam Mendes' "Revolutionary Road" is the story of a young couple (Oscar nominees Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet) trying to find fulfillment in an age of conformity. Trapped in a world of encoded convention, they dream without faith, as lies and self-deceptions build to explosive consequences.

Quantum of Solace Official Trailer

2008-09-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

Beginning almost an hour after Casino Royale,^[3] Bond is then involved in a car chase in Siena, Italy.^[4] The official synopsis shows that White reveals to Bond and M that his organisation, Quantum,^[5] has agents in Her Majesty's Government and the Central Intelligence Agency. Forensic evidence of an MI6 traitor leads Bond to Haiti, where he meets Camille, who then helps him find Dominic Greene, a ruthless businessman and chairman of Greene Planet,^[6] the legitimate cover for Quantum.^[5]

Greene intends to use his government contacts to help overthrow the current regime in Bolivia,^[7] and place the exiled General Medrano as the head of state. Medrano will in exchange give him a barren piece of land, which will actually give them total control of the nation's water supply.^[8] Bond travels to Austria and South America to unravel Greene's plan, staying one step ahead of the CIA, terrorists, and M whilst trying to keep his desire for retribution over Vesper Lynd's death in check.^[9]

Terminator Salvation TEASER!!!

2008-07-20T08:42:00.000-07:00

Release Date: May 22, 2009
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Director: McG
Screenwriter: John Brancato, Michael Ferris
Starring: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, Bryce Dallas Howard, Moon Bloodgood, Common, Jadagrace, Helena Bonham Carter
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller
MPAA Rating: Not Available
Official Website: TerminatorSalvation.com
Review: Not Available
DVD Review: Not Available
DVD: Not Available
Movie Poster: Not Available
Production Stills: View here
Plot Summary: In the highly anticipated new installment of "The Terminator" film franchise, set in post-apocalyptic 2018, Christian Bale stars as John Connor, the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators. But the future Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future, or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet's operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind.

Outlander Official Trailer

2008-07-20T08:39:00.000-07:00

Release Date: TBA
Studio: The Weinstein Company
Director: Howard McCain
Screenwriter: Dirk Blackman, Howard McCain
Starring: James Caviezel, Sophia Myles, Jack Huston, Ron Perlman, John Hurt
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
MPAA Rating: Not Available
Official Website: Not Available
Review: Not Available
DVD Review: Not Available
DVD: Not Available
Movie Poster: Not Available
Production Stills: Not Available
Plot Summary: As an age old battle rages amongst the stars, Kainan's ship burns brightly as it crashes into the Nordic coast. As his space craft comes to rest in the fjords of ancient Norway, it's with dismay that Kainan realizes that he wasn't the only survivor. A second passenger, a Moorwen also emerges from the wreckage. A Fierce and animal-like creature, the Moorwen is intent on causing harm to those it perceives have wronged it. As the Moorwen kills everything in its path, Kainan must work together with the Vikings to destroy the beast before it destroys them all.

The Spirit Official Movie Trailer

2008-07-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

Release Date: December 25, 2008
Studio: Lionsgate
Director: Frank Miller
Screenwriter: Frank Miller
Starring: Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Eva Mendes, Sarah Paulson, Paz Vega, Jaime King, Dan Lauria, Stana Katic, Johnny Simmons, Louis Lombardi
Genre: Action, Adventure
MPAA Rating: Not Available
Official Website: Lionsgate.com/TheSpirit
Review: Not Available
DVD Review: Not Available
DVD: Not Available
Movie Poster: Eva Mendes Poster | Scarlett Johansson Poster | Jaime King poster | Sarah Paulson poster | Teaser 2 | Teaser 1
Production Stills: View here
Plot Summary: Adapted from the legendary comic book series created by Will Eisner, "The Spirit" is a classic action-adventure-romance written for the screen and directed by genre-twister Frank Miller (creator of "300" and "Sin City"). It is the story of a former rookie cop who returns mysteriously from the dead as the Spirit (Gabriel Macht) to fight crime from the shadows of Central City. His arch-enemy, the Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson) has a different mission: he's going to wipe out Spirit's beloved city as he pursues his own version of immortality. The Spirit tracks this cold-hearted killer from Central City's rundown warehouses, to the damp catacombs, to the windswept waterfront... all the while facing a bevy of beautiful women who either want to seduce, love or kill our masked crusader. Surrounding him at every turn are Ellen Dolan (Sarah Paulson), the whip-smart girl-next-door; Silken Floss (Scarlett Johansson), a punk secretary and frigid vixen; Plaster of Paris (Paz Vega), a murderous French nightclub dancer; Lorelei (Jaime King), a phantom siren; and Morgenstern (Stana Katic), a sexy young cop. Then of course, there's Sand Saref (Eva Mendes), the jewel thief with dangerous curves. She's the love of his life turned bad. Will he save her or will she kill him? In the vein of "Batman Begins" and "Sin City," "The Spirit" takes us on a sinister, gut-wrenching ride with a hero who is born, murdered and born again.

Hancock

2008-06-01T05:44:00.000-07:00

There are heroes... there are superheroes... and then there's Hancock (Will Smith). With great power comes great responsibility – everyone knows that – everyone, that is, but Hancock. Edgy, conflicted, sarcastic, and misunderstood, Hancock's well-intentioned heroics might get the job done and save countless lives, but always seem to leave jaw-dropping damage in their wake. The public has finally had enough – as grateful as they are to have their local hero, the good citizens of Los Angeles are wondering what they ever did to deserve this guy. Hancock isn't the kind of man who cares what other people think – until the day that he saves the life of PR executive Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), and the sardonic superhero begins to realize that he may have a vulnerable side after all. Facing that will be Hancock's greatest challenge yet – and a task that may prove impossible as Ray's wife, Mary (Charlize Theron), insists that he's a lost cause.

Choke

2008-06-01T05:24:00.000-07:00

Victor Mancini (Rockwell), a sex-addicted med-school dropout, who keeps his increasingly deranged mother, Ida (Huston), in an expensive private medical hospital by working days as a historical reenactor at a Colonial Williamsburg theme park. At night Victor runs a scam by deliberately choking in upscale restaurants to form parasitic relationships with the wealthy patrons who "save" him. When, in a rare lucid movement, Ida reveals that she has withheld the shocking truth of his father's identity, Victor enlists the aid of his best friend, Denny (Henke) and his mother's beautiful attending physician, Dr. Paige Marshall (Macdonald), to solve the mystery before the truth of his possibly divine parentage is lost forever. The film is adapted from the best-selling, critically acclaimed novel by Chuck Palahniuk.

The Promotion

2008-06-01T05:22:00.000-07:00

In the June 6 comedy, John C. Reilly and Scott play two mid-level Chicago supermarket employees – Doug and Richard, a dubious new guy from Canada - who compete ruthlessly for a coveted managerial post at a new store location. Doug and Richard could not be more different, but going head-to-head in a contest of wits and will reveals how they have more in common than they once suspected. The duo battle toward a hilarious final showdown that will leave you guessing until the very end.

The Promotion is a 2008 American comedy film written and directed by Steven Conrad. A look at the quest for the American Dream, it focuses on two grocery store managers trying for a promotion.

The film premiered at South by Southwest in March 2008. It is scheduled to be released by Dimension Films on June 6, 2008.

Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay Official Trailer

2008-04-06T06:57:00.000-07:00

Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay is the sequel to Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. The film is planned for release on April 25, 2008 with John Cho and Kal Penn returning as the duo of stoners and Paula Garcés as Harold's love interest Maria.^[1] Neil Patrick Harris also returns as a satirical version of himself.

Film production began the third week of January 2007 in Shreveport, Louisiana, and finished in March.^[2]^[3]^[4]

New additions to the cast are comedian Jon Reep and former Daily Show correspondents Rob Corddry and Ed Helms.^[1] Others include David Krumholtz, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Jack Conley, Roger Bart, Danneel Harris, Eric Winter, Adam Herschman, Richard Christy, and Brandon Routh.^[5]

Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D official trailer

2008-04-06T06:47:00.000-07:00

Filming

The film will transpose the novel into the present day and will be mostly live action, with only the landscape and creatures supplied by computer-generated graphics.^[1] The film will be projected using Real D Cinema technology, a format that made its debut with the release of Chicken Little. As such, it will be the first wide-release film to be released exclusively in the Real D Cinema format, as approximately 1500 theatres will have Digital 3-D compatibility by the time of its release.

My Sassy Girl English Version Official Trailer

2008-04-06T06:31:00.000-07:00

My Sassy Girl is a remake of the highly successful 2001 Korean film of the same name. This American remake starring Jesse Bradford and Elisha Cuthbert, and directed by Yann Samuell (Love Me If You Dare) is scheduled to be released in 2008.

Madagascar: The Crate Escape Trailer (Official)

2008-04-01T10:21:00.001-07:00

Madagascar: The Crate Escape (otherwise known as Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa on the official website) is a sequel to the 2005 film, Madagascar. It is in production by DreamWorks Animation and is scheduled to be released on November 7, 2008. The film will be distributed by Paramount Pictures. DreamWorks announced on their website that Madagascar will become a franchise similar to that of Shrek. It has been confirmed that the film will be about the animals starting the plane on Madagascar, and then landing on Africa, and meeting some of Alex's family (a plot similar to that of Shrek 2).

Blindsight trailer

2008-04-01T10:17:00.000-07:00

Blindsight is a 2006 documentary film produced by Sybil Robson Orr for Robson Entertainment. It premiered at 2006 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in the category Real to Reel.

Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Himalayas, Blindsight follows six Tibetan teenagers on their journey to climb a mountain in the shadow of Mount Everest. A dangerous journey soon becomes a seemingly impossible challenge made all the more remarkable by the fact that the teenagers are blind. The children are at times feared by their parents, scorned by villages and deemed sinners by devout followers of Buddhism, and believed to be cursed. Helped by Sabriye Tenberken — a blind German social worker who established the first school for the blind in Lhasa — the students invite the famous blind mountain climber Erik Weihenmayer to visit their school after learning about his climb to the summit of Everest. Erik arrives in Lhasa and helps the students and their educators climb higher than they have ever been before.

21 official trailer

2008-04-01T10:12:00.000-07:00

Cast

Jim Sturgess as Ben Campbell, the protagonist, an MIT student incredibly good with numbers but in need of money, who becomes a member of the blackjack team. Based on Jeff Ma.^[1]
Kevin Spacey as Mickey Rosa, math professor and the founder of the blackjack team. Based on a composite of J.P. Massar and Johnny Chang^[2]
Kate Bosworth as Jill Taylor, a member of the blackjack team. Based on Jane Willis.
Laurence Fishburne as Cole William, a casino security agent who becomes determined to take down the team. Based on employees of Griffin Investigations^[3]
Aaron Yoo as Choi, a member of the blackjack team.
Liza Lapira as Kianna, another blackjack team member
Josh Gad as Miles Connoly
Jacob Pitts as Fisher, another blackjack team member. Based on Mike Aponte
Jack McGee as Terry
Roger Dillingham, Jr. as Head Bouncer

Jeff Ma, the person the character Ben Campbell is based on (known as Kevin Lewis in Mezrich's book), makes a cameo as one of the dealers in a casino scene.

This is the third film in which Kevin Spacey and Kate Bosworth have starred together. The first was Beyond the Sea, which Spacey directed, and the second was Superman Returns. The pair will again star together in the Superman Returns sequel Superman: The Man of Steel. This is also the second film that Kate Bosworth and Robert Luketic have made together, the first being Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!.

James Bond Quantum of Solace Behind the Scenes

2008-04-01T10:07:00.000-07:00

Development

In July 2006, as Daniel Craig's debut as James Bond, Casino Royale, entered post-production, EON Productions announced Bond 22 would be based on an original idea by producer Michael G. Wilson. Roger Michell, who directed Craig in Enduring Love and The Mother, was in negotiations to direct.^[31] A backstory had been written for Casino Royale and its potential sequel, regarding Vesper Lynd and her Algerian boyfriend, who was intended to be one of the antagonists.^[8] The film was confirmed for a 2 May 2008 release date, with Craig reprising the lead role.^[32] Just as Casino Royale's theme was terrorism, the sequel focuses on environmentalism.^[14] Michell decided not to direct the film. "I was very nervous that there was a start date but really no script at all," he said. "And I like to be very well prepared as a director."^[33] Sony Entertainment vice-chairman Jeff Blake admitted a production schedule of eighteen months was a very short window, and the release date was pushed back to late 2008.^[34]

In June 2007, Marc Forster was confirmed as the director of the then untitled Bond 22.^[35] He was surprised that he been approached for the job, stating he was not a big Bond fan as a child and that he would not have accepted the job before he saw Casino Royale. He felt Bond had been humanized in that film, explaining, "People travel a lot more now, and with the Internet they’re more aware of what the rest of the world is like. In a way the most interesting place for a James Bond movie to go is inward — deeper into Bond himself." Born in Germany and raised in Switzerland, Forster is the first Bond director not to come from the Commonwealth of Nations, although he slyly noted that Bond's mother is Swiss, making him somewhat appropriate to handle the British icon.^[36] The director collaborated strongly with Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, but they had to block two very expensive ideas he had. "Financially, there are limits — even on a Bond film," the director said, "otherwise, I have been able to realise my vision."^[19] He had wanted to shoot in the Swiss Alps,^[37] but the location was written out of the final draft.^[19] Forster had the actors rehearse their scenes, as he liked to film scenes continually.^[14]

Official Iron Man Theatrical Trailer 2008

2008-03-20T21:10:00.000-07:00

Iron Man is an upcoming 2008 superhero film based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Iron Man. The film is directed by Jon Favreau and stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, a billionaire industrialist who is captured by terrorists in Afghanistan. Ordered to build a missile, Stark uses his resources instead to build a suit of power armor and make his escape. Returning to America, Stark improves his armor and becomes the technologically advanced superhero Iron Man. Gwyneth Paltrow plays his secretary and love interest Virginia Potts, Terrence Howard plays jet pilot James Rhodes, and Jeff Bridges plays the villainous Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger.

Kung Fu Panda - Trailer

2008-03-20T21:08:00.000-07:00

Kung Fu Panda is an animated film about a panda who learns martial arts and then uses this new ability to fight his enemies. Kung Fu Panda is being directed by John Stevenson and Mark Osborne and produced by Melissa Cobb. The idea for the film was conceived by Michael Lachance, a DreamWorks Animation executive. The film is due for release on June 6, 2008. It will be distributed by Paramount Pictures.

The film stars the voices of, among others, Jack Black, Jackie Chan, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie and Lucy Liu.

NEW Speed Racer (2008) HD Trailer

2008-03-20T21:06:00.001-07:00

Speed Racer is an upcoming 2008 American family film that is a live action film adaptation of the 1960s Japanese animated series Speed Racer. The film is written and directed by the Wachowski brothers. The film had been in development since 1992, changing writers and directors until producer Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers collaborated to begin production on Speed Racer as a family film so the directors could reach a wider audience. Actor Emile Hirsch was cast as Speed, the hero of the animated series, and Christina Ricci portrays Speed's girlfriend, Trixie. Speed Racer was produced in Germany at Babelsberg Studios, where filming took place entirely against greenscreen. The Wachowski brothers also filmed in high-definition video for the first time, using a layering method to put both the foreground and the background of scenes in focus to have a real-life anime appearance. Marketers have prepared toys and video games to coincide with the film's release. Speed Racer is scheduled to be released on May 9, 2008.

Drillbit Taylor (2008) Movie Trailer

2008-03-20T21:02:00.000-07:00

Drillbit Taylor is a 2008 comedy film starring Owen Wilson and based on an original idea by John Hughes. Paramount Pictures released the film on March 21, 2008. The film has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for crude sexual references throughout, strong bullying, language, drug references, and partial nudity.

Superhero Movie Trailer

2008-03-20T20:59:00.000-07:00

High school loser Rick Riker (Drake Bell) is bitten by a mutated dragonfly that allows him to develop abilities like super strength and armored skin. He decides to become a crime fighter, calling himself "The Dragonfly". However, he is opposed by the villainous Lou Landers (Christopher McDonald), who had been transformed in an accident during an experiment to become "The Hourglass", with powers to steal people's life forces to eventually gain permanent immortality

Righteous Kill Teaser Trailer (HD)

2008-03-20T20:52:00.000-07:00

The first trailer released shows that Robert De Niro and Al Pacino's characters are after a drug dealer and assassin 50 Cent. It also shows that De Niro and Pacino's characters are very close to each other and De Niro's has a close relationship with a woman, Carla Gugino's character. It also shows two detectives (played by John Leguizamo and Donnie Wahlberg) are working in the same case as the two main characters. Rapper Papoose will have a cameo.

WALL-E: Full Theatrical Trailer

2008-03-17T22:58:00.000-07:00

WALL-E (promoted with a stylized hyphen as WALL•E) is a computer animated science fiction film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The film, which has a robot as its title character, will be released on June 27, 2008.^[2] The film is being directed by Andrew Stanton, whose previous film, Finding Nemo, won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Jim Morris, who previously worked for Lucasfilm, will be the producer. Most of the characters are not voiced by actors, but by sound design by Ben Burtt which resembles voices. Thomas Newman, who composed Finding Nemo, will reunite with Stanton to compose the film's score.

Mister Foe: Official Movie Trailer

2008-03-17T22:30:00.000-07:00

Hallam Foe is a 2007 Scottish drama film directed by David Mackenzie based on the novel written by Peter Jinks.

Hallam Foe premiered at the Berlin Film Festival on February 16, 2007 and competed for the Golden Bear for Best Motion Picture. The film won the Silver Bear for Best Music.

The film was released in the UK on 31 August 2007 and was given an 18 rating.

Anamorph (2008) Trailer

2008-03-17T19:40:00.000-07:00

Anamorph is an independent film scheduled to be released in 2008, directed by Henry S. Miller and starring Willem Dafoe. Dafoe plays a seasoned detective named Stan Aubray, who notices that a case he's been assigned to bears a striking similarity to a previous case of his. The psychological thriller is based on the concept of anamorphosis, a painting technique that manipulates the laws of perspective to create two competing images on a single canvas.

The film had its world premiere at the 2007 Milwaukee International Film Festival in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where star Willem Dafoe started out in theater. It was also shown at the Williamstown Film Festival in November the same year.

The Incredible Hulk Trailer 2008

2008-03-16T07:05:00.000-07:00

The comeback film of the new incredible hulk

The Incredible Hulk is a superhero film based on the Marvel comic of the same name, set for release on June 13, 2008. It is directed by Louis Leterrier and stars Edward Norton as Bruce Banner, Liv Tyler as Betty Ross as the villainous Emil Blonsky, known in the comics as , William Hurt as her father General Thaddeus Ross and Tim Roththe Abomination. The film follows Banner as he flees the pursuit of General Ross and attempts a cure to rid himself of the Hulk. But when Blonsky injects himself with Banner's gamma formula and becomes an even greater monster, Banner must accept his own inner beast and defeat Blonsky.

Jimmy Kimmel is F@cking Ben Affleck Response to Matt & Sarah

2008-03-03T17:19:00.000-08:00

this is it hehe jimmy is doing some revenge stuff against that matt and sarah vid, he is really f(*&kng ben affleck hehehe

Sarah Silverman "I'm F*cking Matt Damon" on Jimmy Kimmel

2008-03-03T17:15:00.000-08:00

lolz this is one of the most funny thing ive ever watched, im so happy bout sarah and matt damon is so funny i love it hehe,, i just watch jimmy kimmel last jan 31 and i cant help my self but to post it in here, hehe i love this scene of kimmel's show, and also im gona post the reply thing here against sarah cause jimmy is now mad..hehehe

The Forbidden Kingdom

2008-02-26T06:18:00.000-08:00

Release Date: April 18th, 2008
Director: Rob Minkoff (The Lion King, Stuart Little, The Haunted Mansion)
Starring: Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Michael Angarano
Synopsis: A discovery made by a kung fu obsessed American teen sends him on an adventure to China, where he joins up with a band of martial arts warriors in order to free the imprisoned Monkey King.
The Hype: Despite Rob Minkoff's family film background, this kung fu epic still looks incredible, especially featuring Jet Li and Jackie Chan as well as fight choreography by Matrix and Kill Bill choreographer Yuen Wo Ping.

The Dark Knight Trailer

2008-02-26T06:09:00.000-08:00

The Dark Knight is an upcoming 2008 American superhero film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman. The film is a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins, which rebooted the Batman franchise after an eight-year hiatus. Christopher Nolan returns as the director, and Christian Bale reprises the lead role. Batman's primary conflicts in the film come from his fight against the Joker (Heath Ledger) and his strained friendship with district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart).

For the film, Nolan took inspiration from the Joker's first two appearances in the comics, and like the first film, he used Batman: The Long Halloween as a major influence on the story. The Dark Knight was filmed primarily in Chicago, (as was Batman Begins), as well as several other locations in and outside the United States. The director used an IMAX camera to film four major action sequences, including the Joker's first appearance in the film. The Batsuit was redesigned, with a cowl allowing Bale to move his head. A recreation of the Batcycle, known as the Batpod, will be introduced.

Warner Bros. undertook a viral marketing campaign for The Dark Knight: several websites were created which revealed details of the film, such as screenshots, as a reward for collaboration among Batman fans. Other marketing includes a new toy line as well as an animated direct-to-DVD anthology titled Batman: Gotham Knight that is set between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. The film will be released on July 17, 2008 in Australia followed by the United States on July 18, 2008^[2] and on July 25, 2008 in the United Kingdom.

Australia Trailer

2008-02-26T05:59:00.000-08:00

Australia is an upcoming period epic film directed by Baz Luhrmann. Written by Luhrmann and screenwriter Stuart Beattie with Ronald Harwood also later credited, Australia stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. The story takes place during the bombing of Darwin in Australia during World War II. Production will take place in Sydney, Darwin, Kununurra, and Bowen in Australia. The movie will be released on August 15, 2008 in Australia.

Cast

Nicole Kidman as Lady Sarah Ashley, an English aristocrat who inherits the cattle station Faraway Downs in Australia.
Hugh Jackman as an Australian drover who helps Lady Sarah Ashley move the cattle across the property.
Essie Davis as Katherine
David Wenham as Neil Fletcher, a station manager who plans to take Faraway Downs from Lady Sarah Ashley.
Jack Thompson as Kipling Flynn, an alcoholic accountant who enjoys a luxurious lifestyle.
Bryan Brown as King Carney, a cattle baron who owns much of the land in northern Australia.
Brandon Walters as the drover's assistant Nullah, a young boy who helps drive the cattle for Lady Sarah Ashley.
David Gulpilil as King George, a magic tribal elder.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Trailer

2008-02-21T03:23:00.000-08:00

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is a 2008 fantasy film based on Prince Caspian, the second published novel in C. S. Lewis' children's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia. It will be the second film in The Chronicles of Narnia film series from Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media, following The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005). The four Pevensie children return to Narnia to aid a young prince (Ben Barnes) in his struggle for the throne against his corrupt uncle King Miraz (Sergio Castellitto). The film will be released on May 16, 2008 in the United States, June 5, 2008 in Australia, and June 27, 2008 in the United Kingdom.

Work on the script began before The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was released, so filming could begin before the actors grew too old for their parts. Director Andrew Adamson wanted to make the film more spectacular than the first, and chose to create an action sequence not in the novel to up the ante. The Narnians were designed as wilder in appearance as they have been hiding from persecution, to stress the darker tone of the sequel. The filmmakers also took a Spanish influence for the antagonistic race of the Telmarines. Filming began in February 2007 in New Zealand, but unlike the previous film, the majority of shooting took place in Eastern Europe, because of the larger sets available in those countries. To keep costs down, Adamson chose to base post-production in the UK, because of recent tax credits in the country.

Babylon AD Sneak Peek

2008-02-19T22:38:00.000-08:00

Babylon A.D. is a 2008 science fiction film based on the novel Babylon Babies by Maurice Georges Dantec. The film is being directed by Mathieu Kassovitz and stars Vin Diesel. Babylon A.D. will be released on August 29, 2008 in the United States.

Cast

Vin Diesel as Toorop, a mercenary
Michelle Yeoh as Sister Rebecca, a nun
Mélanie Thierry as Aurora, a young woman who has been genetically altered
Lambert Wilson as Dr. Arthur Darquandier
Gérard Depardieu as Gorsky
Charlotte Rampling as a Neolite Priestess

21 Official Movie Trailer

2008-02-19T17:31:00.000-08:00

21 is a 2008 drama film from Columbia Pictures. It stars Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, and Laurence Fishburne. The film is based on the best-selling book by Ben Mezrich, Bringing Down the House. The film is scheduled for release on March 28, 2008.

Cast

Jim Sturgess as Ben Campbell, the protagonist, an MIT student incredibly good with numbers, who becomes a member of the blackjack team.
Kevin Spacey as Mickey Rosa, the founder of the blackjack team.
Kate Bosworth as Jill Taylor
Laurence Fishburne as Cole Williams, a casino security agent who becomes determined to take down the team.
Aaron Yoo as Choi, an Asian-American MIT student who becomes a member of the blackjack team.
Liza Lapira as Kianna
Jacob Pitts as Fisher
Josh Gad as Miles Connoly
Roger Dillingham, Jr. as Head Bouncer

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull TRAILER

2008-02-19T02:51:00.000-08:00

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a 2008 adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, executive produced by George Lucas and starring Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones.

Mutt (Set in 1957, this fourth film in the Indiana Jones film series has an older and wiser version of Indy battling agents of the Soviet Union—led by Spalko (Cate Blanchett)—for the crystal skull. Indy is assisted by his former lover Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) as well as the greaserShia LaBeouf) and fellow archaeologist Mac (Ray Winstone). John Hurt and Jim Broadbent also play fellow academics. Although the previous films were inspired by film serials, this film is rooted in 1950s B-movie traditions.

The film was in development hell since the 1989 release of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, because Spielberg and Ford initially disagreed over Lucas's choice of the skulls as the plot device. Screenwriters Jeb Stuart, Jeffrey Boam, M. Night Shyamalan, Frank Darabont and Jeff Nathanson wrote drafts, before a script by David Koepp satisfied all three men in 2006. Shooting finally commenced on June 18, 2007, and took place at locations in New Mexico, New Haven, Connecticut, Hawaii, Fresno, California, and soundstages in Los Angeles. In order to keep aesthetic continuity with the previous films, there will be minimal use of computer-generated imagery and more of a reliance on traditional stuntwork, and cinematographer Janusz Kaminski has adapted his style to that of Douglas Slocombe from the previous films.

source: wikipedia

10,000 B.C. / 10000 BC (2008) Teaser Trailer

2008-02-19T02:45:00.000-08:00

10,000 BC is a 2008 American prehistoric film directed by Roland Emmerich and starring Camilla Belle and Steven Strait. The film is slated for a March 7, 2008 release.

Mammoth hunter D'Leh (Steven Strait), a member of a hunter-gatherer tribe living in 10,000 B.C., travels through unknown lands on a quest to rescue his people from extinction.^[1] Leading an army, D'Leh uncovers a lost civilization while in pursuit of a warlord who kidnapped his love, Evolet (Camilla Belle). D'Leh and his army encounter saber-toothed cats, mammoths and other prehistoric creatures in the journey to save his tribe.^[2]

Cast

Steven Strait as D'Leh, a twenty-something mammoth hunter.^[1] Emmerich created the name by reversing the German word "Held", which means "hero" in English.^{[citation needed]}
Camilla Belle as Evolet, D'leh's love.^[2]
Cliff Curtis as Tic-Tic, a bearded mentor.^[3]

source: wikipedia

Pride and Glory Trailer

2008-02-19T02:37:00.000-08:00

Coming this march

Pride and Glory is an upcoming American drama film directed by Gavin O'Connor and starring Edward Norton and Colin Farrell. The film is slated to be released on March 14, 2008.

Ray Tierney (Norton) is a New York police officer who is part of a multi-generational police family. Tierney investigates a troublesome case that involves his older brother and brother-in-law, compelling the family to choose sides between their blood and the New York Police Department.

Cast

Edward Norton as Ray Tierney
Jennifer Ehle as Abby Tierney
Colin Farrell as Jimmy Egan
Jon Voight as Francis Tierney Sr.
Noah Emmerich as Francis Tierney Jr.

source: wikipedia

Clone Wars Tv Series

2008-02-18T05:37:00.000-08:00

The most anticipated Star Wars TV series coming this summer

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is an American 3D CGI animated television series created by Lucasfilm Animation and Lucasfilm Animation Singapore. It is currently set to debut in the fall of 2008, but several episodes will also be shown together in movie theaters by mid-August.^[2] It is set in the fictional Star Wars galaxy, during the same time period as the 2003 Star Wars: Clone Wars series. Each episode will have a running time of 22 minutes,^[2] to fill a half-hour timeslot. George Lucas says there will be at least 100 episodes produced.^[3] Dave Filoni, who has worked on Avatar: The Last Airbender, is the supervising director of the series.^[4] Genndy Tartakovsky, director of the first Clone Wars series, will not be involved with the production,^[5] but character designer Kilian Plunkett referred to the character designs from the 2D series when designing the characters for the 3D series.

source: wikipedia

Hellboy II: The Golden Army Trailer (HD)

2008-02-17T04:54:00.000-08:00

hellboy man for the win

Hellboy II: The Golden Army is a 2008 film directed by Guillermo del Toro. The film is a sequel to 2004's Hellboy, also directed by Del Toro. Hellboy II: The Golden Army is written by Guillermo del Toro and Mike Mignola. Universal Pictures finances and distributes the film, which has a target release date for July 11, 2008. keep u updated with this too..

source: wikipedia

Guess Whats Coming

2008-02-09T20:24:00.000-08:00

One of the anticipating films up to date...

Dragonball is a 2008 live action film adaptation of the Dragon Ball franchise. The film follows Goku, played by Justin Chatwin, and his quest to obtain the mystical Dragonballs before the evil Piccolo, played by James Marsters, does. The film began development in 2002, and is directed by James Wong and produced by Stephen Chow. It is scheduled for worldwide release on August 15, 2008.^[2]

Boy oh Boy can't wait for this one to come... keep u updated with this...

Kirarin Revolution TV Anime's Third Year Greenlit

2008-02-07T07:21:00.001-08:00

One of the few long-running shōjo anime series on the air in Japan

The official website of Shogakukan's Ciao shōjo manga magazine has announced that the Kirarin Revolution television anime series will begin its third year in the spring. The story centers on Kirari, a teenaged girl who aspires to be a singing idol after being inspired by different members of a boy idol group. It premiered in April of 2006.

This anime adaptation of An Nakahara's Kirarin Revolution manga and the Precure anime franchise are among the few long-running shōjo anime series on Japanese television today. (The fifth Precure television series was confirmed in November.) Viz Media has been promoting the Kirarin Revolution anime as a licensing property under the title Kirari, but the North American company has yet to announce any release plans.

Source: Ultimatum

Image © An Nakahara/Shogakukan, Kirarin Project, TV Tokyo

ADV Films Streams Moonlight Mile Anime Trailer

2008-02-07T07:16:00.000-08:00

Space adventure series follows two astronaut hopefuls

ADV Films is streaming a trailer for the Moonlight Mile space adventure anime series. This 2007 adaptation of Yasuo Ohtagaki's manga follows two friends as they train to become astronauts on separate but intertwined paths. The first episode will premiere on Anime Network's video-on-demand service on January 31, and the first DVD volume will ship on February 19. ADV Filmsannounced its license of this anime at Otakon 2007.

Yomiuri Newspaper Discusses History's First Manga

2008-02-07T07:12:00.001-08:00

Resident otaku on staff analyzes different theories of manga origins

Kanta Ishida, a staff writer of the Yomiuri Shimbun paper in Japan and a self-described otaku, analyzes the different theories on the origin of manga and discusses which work — if any — can be called the first manga in history. In an English-translated essay published in the Daily Yomiuri newspaper, Ishida reports that 133,000 people came to see the Chōjū-Jinbutsu-Giga Emaki ("Scrolls of Cartoons of Birds, Animals, and People" or "Chōjū Giga" for short) exhibition in the Suntory Museum of Art late last year. Many visitors came after hearing a theory that these scrolls from the 12th and 13th centuries are the first examples of manga. However, Ishida points out that manga creator Seiki Hosokibara identified another scroll, the Shigisan Engi Emaki, as the first manga.

Ishida notes that the famed Studio Ghibli co-founder and director Isao Takahata (Grave of the Fireflies, Only Yesterday) analyzed still other examples of scrolls in his book titled Jūni Seiki no Animation: Kokuhō Emakini Miru Eiga-teki, Anime-teki Naru Mono (12th-Century Animation: The Elements Seen in the National Treasure Scrolls that Evolved into Movies and Anime). However, instead of directly identifying these scrolls as the origin of manga, Takahata just gave his analysis on them from the perspective of a modern animator. Ishida contends that "there is no connection between the traditions of Chōjū Giga and contemporary manga, including the domestic works we are familiar with in our daily lives and the foreign works that have increased with the growing number of manga fans worldwide." Instead, he argues that these scrolls should be treated as masterpieces in their own right, and not be cubby-holed as just the origin of manga.

Scroll image: National Treasure Chōjū-Jinbutsu-Giga Emaki (Scroll 1), Heian Era, Kōzanji Collection

America's Sci Fi Channel Adds Anime on Tuesdays

2008-02-07T07:08:00.000-08:00

Separately, Starz Edge moves Animidnight showings to Monday evenings

Starting February 5, the Sci Fi Channel will run a two-hour anime block in the United States on Tuesdays. The channel already runs a two-hour "Ani-Monday" block on Mondays, and will continue to do so into February. (Ani-Monday is currently running Tactics and Noein, except for a February 4 preemption for a Ninja Scroll showing.) Like the Ani-Monday block, the new Tuesday block will begin at 11:00 p.m. (10:00 p.m. Central). On February 27 at 3:00 a.m., the channel will also air The Guyver, the controversial 1991 American live-action remake of Yoshiki Takaya's Bio-Booster Armor Guyver manga. The following is the list of anime on the Sci Fi Channel in February.

Date	Title
February 4	Ninja Scroll
February 5	R.O.D. Read or Die
February 11	Tactics/Noein
February 12	Appleseed
February 18	Tactics/Noein
February 19	Kai Doh Maru
February 25	Tactics/Noein
February 26	X

In a separate development, the Starz Edge channel will move its "Animidnight" anime airings to Monday evenings (Tuesday mornings) at midnight, which will directly conflict with the Ani-Monday showings on the Sci Fi Channel. Starz Edge will show the last four episodes of Desert Punk on January 28 and February 4, four episodes of Hellsing Ultimate on February 11 and 18, and two episodes of Black Lagoon on February 25. Starz EdgeStarz, LLC, the same company that also owns the licensor (Manga Entertainment) of almost all of Sci Fi Channel's anime offerings. is owned by

Thank you to Meg Lahey and Ken Avery for the news tips.

Taiwanese Politician Campaigns on Mazinger Z Float

2008-02-07T07:04:00.000-08:00

Robot-shaped float also broadcasts theme songs from pioneering anime

A candidate for the Taiwanese legislature is campaigning from a custom-built float shaped as a giant Mazinger Z robot. Liu Chun-Yi is an independent candidate who is canvassing his potential constituents for the next Legislative Yuan elections, which will be held on January 12. His truck-converted Mazinger Z float carries Taiwanese flags in its "fists" and also plays theme songs from the Mazinger Z anime series. Just as in the anime, Liu's float is "piloted" from the robot's head, which doubles as the cockpit. Liu also rides around with campaigners dressed as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Tigger (from Winnie the Pooh), the American cartoon cat Garfield, and the Japanese robot cat Doraemon. Coincidentally, Yahoo! Taiwan News has posted a series of Chinese-language comics to teach young adults the complicated voting system, which was changed for next week's elections.

Famed artist Go Nagai (Cutey Honey, Devilman) created Mazinger Z as arguably the first piloted robot in anime and manga. (Previously, there were the first popular robot, Mighty Atom/Astro Boy, and the first popular remote-controlled robot, Iron Man #28/Gigantor.) He launched the manga in Shueisha's Monthly Shonen Jump in 1972. The anime version of the original manga was adapted into English as Tranzor Z, but it did not enjoy widespread success in North America as it did in most other regions, such as Asia and Europe.

Thank you to dormcat for the news tip.

Source: EWIN

Update: Added Yahoo! Taiwan News comics.

Manga Promotes Wines, Drives Up Sales

2008-01-29T23:32:00.001-08:00

Kami no Shizuku drives up sales of Bordeaux Château Mont Perat 2001 and Colli di Conegliano Rosso.

Decanter.com, a news website covering the international wine market, is reporting that the popularity of Kodansha's Kami no Shizuku manga, which centers on a young man's quest to identify the twelve wines described in his late father's will, has led to spikes in sales for wines that were mentioned in the manga.

After the story mentioned the Bordeaux Château Mont Perat 2001, a Taiwanese distributor sold out of 50 cases within two days. Another wine that received a sales boost from being mentioned in the manga is the table red Colli di Conegliano Rosso. Kami no Shizuku is currently published in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwain, with French and Italian translations planned for 2008, and a live-action movie adaptation in development.

Japanese Anime TV Ranking: December 3–9

2008-01-29T23:30:00.001-08:00

Doraemon special gets boost; Late-night Moyashimon lands on chart again

Title	Station	Date	Time	Length	Average Household Rating
Sazae-san	Fuji TV	December 9 (Sun)	18:30	30 min.	20.0
Chibi Maruko-chan	Fuji TV	December 9 (Sun)	18:00	30 min.	14.9
Dorami's Birthday Special! (Doraemon)	TV Asahi	December 7 (Fri)	19:00	54 min.	10.1
Detective Conan Fall Mystery Special	NTV	December 3 (Mon)	19:00	60 min.	8.8
Gegege no Kitaro	Fuji TV	December 9 (Sun)	09:00	30 min.	7.9
One Piece	Fuji TV	December 9 (Sun)	09:30	30 min.	7.5
Pocket Monsters DP	TV Tokyo	December 6 (Thurs)	19:00	30 min.	6.0
Yes! Precure 5	TV Asahi	December 9 (Sun)	08:30	30 min.	5.8
Naruto Shippūden	TV Tokyo	December 6 (Thurs)	19:30	27 min.	5.2
Noitamina: Moyashimon [Tales of Agriculture]	Fuji TV	December 6 (Thurs)	0:45	30 min.	4.9

Source: Video Research (Kanto region)

Music Trailers for IG's Tokyo Marble Chocolate Posted (Updated)

2008-01-29T23:29:00.001-08:00

One trailer tells girlfriend's side of love story, other tells boyfriend's side

The official website of Tokyo Marble Chocolate, Producton I.G's two-part modern love story that is told from both viewpoints of a young couple, has posted new "music trailers" for both halves on Friday. One music trailer features the song "Mata Aimashō" by hip hop artist SEAMO and follows the story from the girlfriend's perspective. The second music trailer features the song "Zenryoku Shōnen" by the male jazz pop duo Sukima Switch, and follows the story from the boyfriend's perspective. The website had posted new conventional trailers for the project last week.

The anime depicts the couple's unusual Christmas night out and their attempts to find each other after getting separated. (Christmas is considered the most important night for Japanese couples, more so than even Valentine's Day.) After premiering the project at the Tokyo International Film Festival in October, Production I.G and BMG Japan will release two DVDs—one for each half of the project—on December 19.

Source: Saishin Anime Jōhō

Errata: Second trailer's link corrected. Thanks, Acinom.

Report: Japanese Manga Firm Digima Ceases Operations

2008-01-29T23:27:00.000-08:00

Publisher of free weekly manga mag said to have lost 200 million yen

According to the Teikoku Databank market research firm, the manga startup company Digima ceased operations the same day it published the last issue of Comic Gumbo, the first free weekly manga magazine in Japan. It reportedly sustained losses of 200 million yen (about US$2 million). Digima had just been established as a company in August of 2006. It attempted to reach its target audience of 20- to 34-year-old students and businessmen by initially distributing 100,000 magazine copies every week, primarily near train and subway stations and at Internet and manga cafés in the Tokyo area. Its website is still active, although some features are reportedly disabled.

Source: Akiba Keizai Shimbun

Manga about Japanese Student's Killing Posted Online

2008-01-29T23:26:00.001-08:00

People in student's manga major create work to appeal for public help

The volunteers looking for the killer of Japanese manga student Daisaku Chiba have posted online the informational manga created by his professors and fellow students. Chiba, a freshman in Kyoto Seika University's Faculty of Manga, was bicycling back to his apartment when he was stabbed to death on the evening of January 15. He had just moved to Kyoto from his northern Japanese hometown of Sendai, after being accepted into the university to pursue his dream of drawing manga. (The university is the first one in Japan with a manga major program and a faculty of manga.)

Six of Chiba's professors and fellow students created the manga to appeal to the public for any information that can lead to an arrest. The alleged killer is described as a medium-build male in his 20s, standing about 175 centimeters (five feet, nine inches) tall with medium-length hair over his ears. He was riding a bicycle in a dark gym-style jacket on the evening of January 15.

The manga devotes about half of its pages to depicting Chiba's life, based on testimonies from friends who remembered how he dreamed of becoming a professional manga artist. Chiba's 48-year-old mother and relatives traveled from Sendai to Kyoto to help distribute 500 of the 1,000 printed copies of the 20-page manga pamphlet on December 13.

The volunteers on the website are asking anyone who "noticed anything unusual, no matter how small, to please contact" the Kyoto Prefectural Police's investigation headquarters through the local telephone number 075-703-0110, the Japanese toll-free telephone number 0120-230-663, or the email address saso@za2.so-net.ne.jp.

Source: Yomiuri Shimbun, Asahi Shimbun

USA Today Booklist, December 3–9

2008-01-29T23:25:00.001-08:00

Naruto Nation campaign ends with volumes 25-27 on list

After a rare week in which no manga were present on USA Today's list of the nation's top 150 best-selling books, the final volumes of Naruto published under Viz Media's three-a-month release experiment have all returned to the list for the week of December 3 to December 9. Maintaining the pattern established in the last several months, Naruto Volume 27 is selling the strongest, as it opens at #55. Volumes 26 and 25 are not far behind, holding the #67 and #79 spots, respectively. After bringing out a total of twelve new volumes of the manga since September, Viz will now return to a bimonthly publishing schedule. Naruto Volume 28, which begins a new storyline set more than two years after the conclusion of the preceding volume, is due out in March.

Galactic Heroes Author Does Yakushiji Mystery TV Anime (Updated)

2008-01-29T23:23:00.000-08:00

Novels, manga illustrated by Vampire Princess Miyu creator Kakinouchi

The Yakushiji Ryōko no Kaiki Jikenbo (The Strange Case Files of Ryōko Yakushiji) novel series from Yoshiki Tanaka (Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Sohryuden - Legend of the Dragon Kings, The Heroic Legend of Arslan) will be animated for television broadcast next year. The announcement was made in conjunction with the December 12 release of the latest novel in the series, Suiyōbi ni Go-Yōjin. Vampire Princess Miyu creator Narumi Kakinouchi draws the novels' illustrations and the manga version, although the character designer and other staffers of the anime version have not been announced yet.

The novels and manga revolve around Ryōko Yakushiji, a 27-year-old multilingual investigator that graduated from Tokyo University's elite Department of Law, and the bizarre cases she faces while working for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. Yakushiji not only has to deal with supernatural beings in her line of work, but also her rival Yukiko Muromachi, another equally talented and beautiful police investigator. Tanaka has written eight novels, and Kakinouchi has drawn eight manga volumes since she started serializing the work in Kodansha's Monthly Magazine Z.

Source: Moon Phase

Update: The entertainment company Starchild has opened a website for the television anime, now titled Ryoko's Case File. The title of the latest novel has also been spelled correctly. Thanks, tenkado-shujin.

Image © Yoshiki Tanaka, Narumi Kakinouchi

Vogue Nippon Mag to Include DVD with Murakami Anime

2008-01-29T23:21:00.000-08:00

Kaikai & Kiki was unveiled in "© Murakami" museum exhibit

The February issue (on sale December 26) of Vogue Nippon, the Japanese counterpart to the American women's fashion magazine Vogue, will include a DVD supplement with the first episode of the Kaikai & Kiki anime from artist Takashi Murakami. (The current January issue is pictured at right.) Murakami popularized Superflat, the style of modern art influenced by Japanese manga and anime. The Kaikai & Kiki space fantasy anime is one of the pieces unveiledVogue Nippon's at the © Murakami exhibit in the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. DVD will include a special version of "Tane o Maita yo" ("The Seeds Have Been Sown"), the first of four planned episodes for the project.

The Brooklyn Museum in New York City announced that it will host the © Murakami exhibition next year, followed by the Museum für Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt, Germany and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain.

Source: Chuosha

1st Film Announced for Mitsuda's Major Manga/Anime

2008-01-23T08:11:00.000-08:00

Baseball film to open in 2009; 4th TV series to begin next month

The official website of the Japanese film distributor TOHO has announced that the first film based on Takuya Mitsuda's Major baseball manga and television anime franchise will open in January of 2009. The fourth television series of Major will premiere on January 5.

Most of the television series main cast will reprise their roles for the film, including Motoko Kumai and Showtaro Morikubo who play Gorō, the son of a major league batter who dreams of making it big himself. (Kumai and Morikubo play Goro as a child and an adult, respectively.) Junko Noda will play Goro's maternal figure Momoko and Fuyuka Oura will play Goro's friend and rival Toshiya. Yuko Sasamoto will return as Goro's childhood sweetheart Kaoru, as will Rie Kugimiya as another childhood friend Daisuke. Rikei Tsuchiya, the script editor for the television series, will write the movie's screenplay.

Source: Moon Phase Comments

Funimation Announces Signed Fruits Basket Lithographs

2008-01-23T07:56:00.000-08:00

Each signed by 4 English lead voice actors and ADR director

Funimation has announced the release of a limited edition Fruits Basket lithograph, featuring Tohru Honda, Yuki Sohma, and Kyo Sohma. The lithographs are signed by the English language voice actors for those three characters (Laura Bailey, Eric Vale, Jerry Jewell) — as well as the voice actor for Shigure Sohma (John Burgmeier), who is not featured in the image, and the English language ADR director (Justin Cook). The lithographs measure 11 inches (28 centimeters) wide and 16 inches (41 centimeters) tall.

Each lithograph is numbered, and only 250 of them exist. They are being sold exclusively by The Right Stuf International. Each one costs US$99.

Third Gokusen Live-Action Series to Premiere in April

2008-01-14T05:17:00.000-08:00

Yukie Nakama returns in starring role as teacher with yakuza ties

The Japanese broadcaster NTV has announced on December 13 that actresss Yukie Nakama will return to her starmaking role of Kumiko "Yankumi" Yamaguchi for the third Gokusen live-action comedy series. The third series will premiere in April. The three series adapt Kozueko Morimoto's hit manga about a tracksuited high school teacher who deals with a class full of delinquents — with a little help from fighting skills honed by her yakuza family. The first series had average viewer ratings of 17.4% in 2002, while the second series jumped to 28.0% in average ratings in 2005. A quoted comment from Nakama indicates that characters from Yankumi's Ōedo yakuza clan will return, but the roles for new students will be cast through auditions by the end of the year.

The first two live-action series aired on individual North American stations with international programming. Media Blasters released the animated version of the original manga on single DVDs and in a box set, along with limited editions with Yankumi's trademark track jacket.

Source: Sankei Sports

Image © Nippon Television Network Corporation

Takashi Murakami Exhibition Heads to Brooklyn Museum

2008-01-14T05:11:00.000-08:00

Retrospective for anime creator behind Superflat style of modern art

The exhibition of Takashi Murakami, the artist that popularized the Superflat style of modern art, will move from the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles to the Brooklyn Museum in New York City for an April 5-July 13 run. The "© MURAKAMI" exhibition will feature 90 works across 18,500 square feet of gallery space.

The exhibition first opened in Los Angeles in October with a new 10-minute anime short and guest appearances by celebrities including rapper Kanye West and actress Christina Ricci. Murakami's art appears on West's Graduation album cover and in his recent music videos. Ricci will star as the female lead Trixie in the live-action Speed Racer movie, which she says was influenced by Murakami's Superflat aesthetic. In addition to his new anime short this year, Murakami also created the Superflat Monogram movie.

The exhibition will remain in the MOCA in Los Angeles until February 11. The Brooklyn Museum will be the only other American venue to host it. After the Brooklyn Museum's run ends, the exhibition will head to the Museum für Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt, Germany from October 27, 2008 to January 4, 2009, and then to the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain from February to May 2009.

Image:
Tan Tan Bo Puking - a.k.a. Gero Tan, 2002
Acrylic on canvas mounted on board
141 3/4 x 283 7/16 x 2 5/8 in.
Collection of Amalia Dayan and Adam Lindemann
Courtesy of Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris and Miami
©2002 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved

Update: Removed references to works by another artist, also named Takashi Murakami. Thanks, dormcat.

World Cosplay Summit Announces American Finalists

2008-01-14T05:07:00.002-08:00

Half of the countries' finalists sport CLAMP costumes

Veteran cosplayers Renee Gloger (pictured left in the accompanying photo) and Sonnya Paz (pictured right) performed a skit based on CLAMP's Magic Knight Rayearth on Friday to earn a spot representing the United States in the 2008 World Cosplay Summit's final round. Gloger appeared as the character Umi, and Paz appeared as Hikaru. The final round will take place in Nagoya, Japan next summer. ANN's video report on the second day of this past weekend's New York Anime Festival includes an interview with the two cosplayers. NYAF hosted the American semi-finals of the competition. Of the six country finalist teams selected so far, three sport costumes from works by the female manga quartet CLAMP.

Iron Linebarrels Robot Manga to be Animated in 2008

2008-01-14T05:07:00.001-08:00

Popular "real battle action robot" story set in the near future

Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi's Iron Linebarrels (Kurogane no Linebarrels) "real battle action robot" manga will be animated in Japan in 2008. The animation project was revealed in the ANIMATE retail chain's preview information for the February issue (on sale January 10) of Animage magazine. The manga runs in Akita Shoten's Champion Red magazine. According to blurbs on the promotional cover wrappers of Iron Linebarrel's eight compiled volumes, Yoshikazu Yasuhiko (Gundam character designer) and Mamoru Nagano (Five Star Stories) both read and recommend the work.

The story centers on a middle school boy named Kōichi Hayase who was seriously injured by an apparent accident: the fall of an artificial satellite in 2013. Hayase wakes up half a year later with strange powers. Then, in 2016, a mysterious 21-meter-tall robot named Linebarrel appears before him. Hayase joins Linebarrel's other pilot, Emi Kizaki, in fighting for Juda, the world's largest medical equipment maker which happens to secretly own seven Machina robots like Linebarrel.

Source: Moon Phase Comments

Manga Created to Help Find Japanese Student's Killer

2008-01-14T05:07:00.000-08:00

Student was freshman in Kyoto Seika University's manga major

The teachers of the Faculty of Manga at Japan's Kyoto Seika University have created a manga pamphlet to appeal for information on the unsolved stabbing death of one of their students. 20-year-old Daisaku Chiba was a freshman in the department when he was found stabbed in the central Japanese city of Kyoto on the evening of January 15. He reportedly said, "I have no idea who stabbed me," before dying of his ten stab wounds at the hospital. The faculty's instructors and students plan to distribute 1,000 copies of the 20-page pamphlet at the main Japan Railways station in Kyoto and other locations during the middle of December.

In addition to describing the known characteristics of the suspected male killer, the pamphlet devotes half of its pages to depicting Chiba's life. It includes stories, recounted by friends, of how he studied diligently to become a manga artist in his northern hometown of Sendai. Kyoto Seika University is famed for creating Japan's first university manga program and faculty of manga. An unnamed 46-year-old male instructor in the manga faculty told the Nikkei news firm, "Chiba-kun met us through manga. Wouldn't it give us some comfort if we could help arrest the killer with the power of manga?"

Source: Kyoto Shimbun, Japan Times

Animation Planned for Hit Korean Drama Winter Sonata

2008-01-14T05:00:00.005-08:00

Lead actor's company to co-finance, co-produce with Japanese firm

The Korean media company Key East signed a memorandum of understanding with the Japanese entertainment company Total Promotion on December 10 to co-finance and co-produce animation based on Winter Sonata. Winter Sonata (also known as Winter Love Song) was the blockbuster 2002 Korean drama television series that helped launch the "Korean wave" of pop culture in Japan.

The drama follows two childhood friends — a boy and a girl — and the tragedy and angst that befalls them and those around them in the years between high school and young adulthood. After premiering in South Korea in 2002, the series aired on Japan's NHK public network in 2004 to high ratings, and turned the lead actor Bae Yong-Joon into a superstar among Japanese female viewers. The drama would repeat that success throughout East Asia, and would eventually make its way to the Middle East, South America, and Africa. It also triggered a steady stream of imported Korean television series on Japanese airwaves. The Japanese publisher Ohzora Publishing Co. eventually imported and translated the Winter Sonatamanhwa version (pictured right).

Total Promotion had already secured the rights to make theatrical and television animation from Winter Sonata's Korean broadcaster (KBS), and it had signed royalty agreements with the original director Yoon Suk-Ho and the writers Kim Eun-Hee and Yoon Eun-Kyung. However, the project hit a roadblock when Total Promotion could not get permission to use Bae's likeness. After much negotiation, Total Promotion obtained Bae's permission as well as Key East's financial and production support. Bae owns over a third of the stock shares in Key East (formerly Ottowintech). With the animation plans, the producers hope to reach not just the existing fanbase of the drama and Bae in Japan, but also the worldwide audience of animation fans.

Source: Innolife.net via Ultimatum

Japanese Comic Ranking, December 4–10

2008-01-14T05:00:00.004-08:00

One Piece, Bleach, D.Gray-man take top three spots

Note: Earlier ranking charts for the weeks within August, September, and early October will be gradually added.

Rank	Prev. Rank	Title	Author	Publisher	Price
1	-	One Piece #48	Eiichiro Oda	Shueisha	Y410
2	-	Bleach #31	Kubotite	Shueisha	Y410
3	-	D.Gray-man #13	Katsura Hoshino	Shueisha	Y410
4	-	Gintama #21	Hideaki Sorachi	Shueisha	Y410
5	3	Pluto #5	Story: Osamu Tezuka Art: Naoki Urasawa	Shogakukan	Y550
6	-	The Prince of Tennis #40	Takeshi Konomi	Shueisha	Y410
7	1	Vagabond #27	Original Novel: Eiji Yoshikawa Art: Takehiko Inoue	Kodansha	Y550
8	2	REAL #7	Takehiko Inoue	Shueisha	Y620
9	-	Steel Ball Run #21	Hirohiko Araki	Shueisha	Y410
10	-	Kaichou wa Maid-sama! #4	Hiro Fujiwara	Hakusensha	Y410

Source: Tohan

Image © Eiichiro Oda

Hidamari Sketch x 365 Sequel's Promo Video Streamed

2008-01-14T05:00:00.003-08:00

Yen Press to release original manga under Sunshine Sketch name

The Japanese website for Kadokawa Shoten's Newtype magazine has posted a promotional video of the Hidamari Sketch x 365 sequel series and an interview with its director, Akiyuki Shinbo. The x 365 sequel follows the further slice-of-life stories of four girls who go to a high school for the fine arts.

In related news, the American publisher Yen Press announced at this past weekend's New York Anime Festival that it will release Ume Aoki's original manga version of Hidamari Sketch under the name Sunshine Sketch.

Source: Moon Phase

Image © Ume Aoki, Houbunsha/Hidamari Shō-Kanri-Soshiki

Promo Movie for Xebec, GENCO's Mnemosyne Anime Posted

2008-01-14T05:00:00.002-08:00

Free promotional DVDs also planned for series from Noein's writer

The official Japanese website for Mnemosyne - Mnemosyne no Musume-tachi, the latest anime series from the production companies Xebec and GENCO, has posted its first promotional movie. The graphically explicit series will premiere on the Japanese premium channel AT-X next February, but the production company Showgate will give away free promotional DVDs at the Winter Comic Market convention on the last three days of this year.

The "hard-boiled science fiction action" story follows a Tokyo woman named Rin, an assassin named Laura that is hunting her down, and the series of bizarre incidents involving angel-like creatures. Visual novel game illustrator Chūō Higashiguchi (Phantom of Inferno) created the original character designs, and Hiroshi Ohnogi (Gundam, Macross, Noein) is writing the scripts.

Source: Moon Phase

Image © Xebec, GENCO/Yggdrasil Management Committee

Gintama Artist to Draw One-Shot Manga in Jump Square

2008-01-14T05:00:00.001-08:00

Shueisha adds second print run of issue #2 to meet demand

To promote the inaugural issues of Jump Square, the replacement magazine for the defunct Monthly Shonen Jump, Shueisha announced that Gintama artist Hideaki Sorachi will create a one-installment manga short in an upcoming issue. Sorachi's manga short will be part of Jump Square's fourth wave of standalone stories by famous manga creators. The other creators have included Masanori Morita (Rokudenashi Blues) and Takeshi Obata (Hikaru no Go, Death Note).

In related news, Jump Square announced that it is publishing a second print run of 60,000 copies for its second issue (pictured at right). The second issue's first print run shipped on December 4. This follows the trend of the first issue, for which Shueisha published a second print run of 100,000 copies when its first 500,000-copy print run began selling out.

Source: Ultimatum

First Free Weekly Manga Mag Ends Publication in Japan

2008-01-14T04:58:00.001-08:00

Comic Gumbo folds after 48 issues Tuesday

The Japanese media company Digima has announced that it is ending publication of Comic Gumbo, the first free weekly manga magazine, on December 11 with the 48th issue. Digima had just announced on November 20 that it was reducing the magazine's weekly print run from 100,000 copies to 50,000 copies to reduce costs. For now, the various titles in Comic Gumbo remain available for free online. Digima has yet to announce the reason for the closure, the fate of the manga titles' compiled volumes (which began selling in October), and any future plans for the magazine's titles such as online distribution.

Source: animeanime.jp

Japanese Firm Puts Enhanced Manga on Nintendo DS

2008-01-14T04:51:00.000-08:00

Compile Heart starts with Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix

Compile Heart, a wholly owned subsidiary of Idea Factory, announced on Monday that it will release Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix manga as an enhanced digital comic on a memory card for the Nintendo DS portable game console in Japan. DS de Yomu Series Tezuka Osamu Hi no Tori (Reading on the DS Series: Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix) will allow users to read the "God of Manga's" classic science fiction magnum opus on DS screens. It is scheduled to go on sale in May of 2008 for 4,179 yen (about US$37.39). Viz Media is releasing Phoenix in print form in North America.

One of Compile Heart's manga memory cards will contain the equivalent of four to five print volumes of manga. The software will use the double screens of the DS for what Idea Factory says will be "intuitive" reading, similar to a regular book. In addition, users can tap a manga panel with the DS stylus to directly zoom onto it, or set a bookmark to save their spot in the manga. The manga will be further enhanced with sound effects and limited visual effects for crucial sequences.

Compile Heart's manga project is separate from DSvision, the project from am3 which will offer downloadable anime, manga, and other content for the Nintendo DS in an online store. Unlike DSvision, Compile Heart's Phoenix manga will come on pre-loaded cards instead of downloads. Compile Heart is planning more volumes of other manga for its Reading on the DS series.

Source: Siliconera via MangaBlog

Soul Eater Manga Confirmed to Get TV Anime in Japan

2008-01-05T18:20:00.000-08:00

1 human, 1 demon pair up to collect souls, transform demon into Death Scythe

The official Japanese website for the television anime adaptation of Atsushi Ookubo's Soul Eater manga has opened — thus confirming the long-rumored project. The acclaimed BONES studio (Fullmetal Alchemist, Wolf's Rain) will be animating the "cool & pop action fantasy" that appears in Square Enix's Monthly Shonen Gangan magazine (Fullmetal Alchemist, Peace Maker).

The story takes place at the Shinigami Weaponry Vocational School, a school for creating Death Scythes for Gods of Death. The human and demon students seek the seeds of the souls of 99 humans and the soul of one witch, all of which are needed to turn just one of the demon students into a Death Scythe. One of the human students, Maka Alban, is paired with Soul Eater, a boyish demon whose true form is a scythe, as they collect the needed souls to transform Soul Eater. Ten volumes have been compiled and published in Japan so far.

Source: Moon Phase

Viz Pictures Adds Maiko Haaaan!!! Live-Action Film

2008-01-05T18:18:00.000-08:00

Distributor also ties manga-based Ping Pong film to charity event

Viz Pictures, the sister company of Viz Media, will release screenwriter Kankuro Kudo's Maiko Haaaan!!! live-action comedy film in the United States. The distributor plans to open the film in theaters in New York, San Francisco, and three other cities in March, and then bring the film to other locations. The film's official Japanese website hosts two teaser trailers and two regular trailers.

The film centers on a Japanese salaryman (male corporate worker) named Kumihiko Onizuka (Sadao Abe) who dumps his girlfriend because he believes he can only fall in love with a maiko (apprentice geisha). He decides to pursue his dream of meeting a real maiko …to play rock-paper-scissors. His rival in his quixotic pursuit is a pro baseball player (Shinichi Tsutsumi) who makes 800 million yen (about US$8 million) a year, while his girlfriend (Kou Shibasaki) tries to win him back by quiting her office-lady job and becoming a maiko herself.

Kudo is best known for his award-winning writing on the Go live-action film and the Ikebukuro West Gate Park television series. He also voiced Sawada in the Tekkonkinkreet anime film and Ryunosuke in the live-action film adaptation of Socrates in Love.

Viz Pictures also announced Monday that it will be co-sponsoring JT's Ping Pong Smash 4, a celebrity charity table tennis event hosted by defensive end Jason Taylor of the Miami Dolphins football team. Viz Pictures released Ping Pong, the live-action film based on a manga by Taiyo Matsumoto (Tekkonkinkreet) and directed by Fumihiko Sori (Vexille) on DVD on September 4. The charity event supports South Florida's children in need and will be held at the Seminole Hard Rock Live Arena in Hollywood, Florida on December 17.

Thank you to Daniel Zelter for the news tip.

Source: Variety

Manga Artist Susumu Katsumata Passes Away

2008-01-05T18:15:00.000-08:00

Won Japanese Cartoonists' Association's Grand Prize for Red Snow

Manga artist Susumu Katsumata died of melanoma in a Tokyo-area hospital on December 3. He was 63 years old. Only close family members and relatives will be requested to attend his funeral, and his chief mourner will be his oldest son Daichi.

Katsumata made his 1966 debut in the Garo alternative manga magazine, where his works appeared alongside those of Sanpei Shirato (The Legend of Kamui) and where he would stay throughout most of his career. Katsumata won the Grand Prize of the 35th Japanese Cartoonists' Association Awards last year for his Red Snow manga collection.

Source: Fukui Shimbun, Jiji

Japanese Anime TV Ranking: November 26–December 2

2008-01-05T18:14:00.000-08:00

No Fall 2007 shows in top ten this past week

Title	Station	Date	Time	Length	Average Household Rating
Sazae-san	Fuji TV	December 2 (Sun)	18:30	30 min.	19.0
Chibi Maruko-chan	Fuji TV	December 2 (Sun)	18:00	30 min.	12.8
Detective Conan Fall Mystery Special	NTV	November 26 (Mon)	19:00	60 min.	10.1
Crayon Shin-chan	TV Asahi	November 30 (Fri)	19:30	24 min.	9.7
Doraemon	TV Asahi	November 30 (Fri)	19:00	30 min.	8.9
Gegege no Kitaro	Fuji TV	December 2 (Sun)	09:00	30 min.	8.0
One Piece	Fuji TV	December 2 (Sun)	09:30	30 min.	7.3
Pocket Monsters DP	TV Tokyo	November 29 (Thurs)	19:00	30 min.	6.9
Naruto Shippūden	TV Tokyo	November 29 (Thurs)	19:59	55 min.	6.1
Keroro Gunsō (Sgt. Frog)	TV Tokyo	December 1 (Sat)	10:00	30 min.	5.1
Yes! Precure 5	TV Asahi	December 2 (Sun)	08:30	30 min.	5.1

Source: Video Research (Kanto region)

Speed Racer Live-Action Film Trailer Posted Online

2008-01-05T18:12:00.000-08:00

Two-minute video available in 1080-progressive high-definition

The Moviefone website has posted the trailer for the live-action Speed Racer film adaptation in three different high-definition resolutions on Thursday. The American television program Entertainment Tonight premiered the trailer earlier in the day. The film will open in North America on May 9, 2008.

Andy and Larry Wachowski (The Matrix, V for Vendetta film) directs this film remake of Speed Racer, which itself is an adaptation of Tatsunoko Production's classic Mach Go Go GoEmile Hirsch in the title role, Christina Ricci as his girlfriend Trixie, Matthew Fox as Speed's not-so-secret brother Racer X, Susan SarandonJohn Goodman as his parents, and Korean car-racing anime television series. The film stars and pop star Rain (Ji Hoon Jung) as rival driver Taejo Togokhan.

ADV Films Posts Project Blue Earth SOS Trailer

2008-01-05T18:09:00.000-08:00

Alternate-history alien invasion tale's license announced in June

ADV Films is streaming the trailer of Project Blue Earth SOS, the 2006 six-episode television series that recounts an alien invasion of an alternative-history Earth with classic science-fiction homages. ADV Films announced its acquisition of this title in June. The 1948 "Earth SOS" adventure story by the late Shigeru Komatsuzaki (Thunderbirds model kit box illustrations) inspired the project. It features director Tensai Okamura (Memories' "Stink Bomb," Wolf's Rain), script writer Ryota Yamaguchi (Sailor Moon Sailor Stars, Escaflowne), and Studio A.C.G.T. (Kino's Journey, Human Crossing).

Korean Firm Fined for Copying Advent Children in Video

2007-12-29T07:28:00.001-08:00

Judge rules that "Temptation Sonata" plagiarized from CG anime

On Friday, December 7, Judge Gu Hoe-geun of the Seoul Central District Court ruled against the Korean media production company Fantom Entertainment in a lawsuit that asserted a music video plagiarized from Square Enix's Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children computer-graphics anime movie. Square Enix filed the lawsuit earlier in the year over the music video for Korean artist Ivy's song, "Temptation Sonata."

The judge found that "80%" of the music video was based on the "storyline, setting, characters, their styles of dress, and their demeanors" on Advent Children and the original Final Fantasy VII game. In particular, the music video plagiarized the scene in Advent Children of the fight between the characters Tifa and Loz. Judge Gu fined Fantom, which manages Ivy, 10 million won (about US$10,900) and issued separate fines of 6 million won (US$6,500) each to Lee Han-woo, the director of the company, and Hung Jeong-ho, the director of the music video.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Udon Gets More Videogame Artbooks, Game-Based Manga

2007-12-29T07:24:00.000-08:00

Onimusha, Devil Kings manga & artbooks for Okami, Megaman, more

Udon Entertainment, which held the final industry panel of this year's New York Anime Festival, announced that it will be publishing Onimusha: Twilight of Desire and a manga adaptation of CAPCOM's Devil KingsSengoku Basara) videogame in North America. Udon also plans to launch three new original comic series based in the Street Fighter universe, and will be translating and releasing artbooks for the videogames Okami, Megaman Zero and Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, as well as the Darkstalkers Graphic File book. (

2-Issue Boys Over Flowers Side Story Revealed in Japan

2007-12-29T07:21:00.000-08:00

Margaret to publish story starring Rui Hanazawa in January

Manga creator Yoko Kamio will start a special two-installment story set in her Boys Over Flowers (Hana Yori Dango) storyline in Issue #3/4 of 2008 (on sale January 4) of Shueisha's Margaret magazine. The 70-page "Ore no Hanashi o Shiyō ka?" story will feature the return of the fan-favorite character Rui Hanazawa in a lead role.

Issue #3/4 will publish the first 40 pages of the new story and feature Boys Over Flowers on the cover for the first time in years. The announcement was made in the magazine's Issue #2 for 2008 (on sale December 7, 2007). Kamio published another side story in Issue #15 of 2006 (on sale July 5, 2006) after the manga's regular run ended in Japan two years earlier.

Source: Ultimatum

Pokemon Licensor, Toymaker Vie for KidScreen's Awards

2007-12-29T07:19:00.000-08:00

Pokémon USA, Jakks Pacific get entertainment mag's nominations

KidScreen Magazine, a periodical which covers the children's television entertainment market, has announced the nominations for its first-ever Best of the Year awards. Pokémon USA (PUSA), the brand management company for the Pokémon anime, videogames, card games, and other merchandise, has been nominated for Licensor of the Year. It is one of five nominees in the category, alongside BBC Worldwide, Hasbro Properties Group, Disney Consumer Products, and Nick and Viacom Consumer Products. PUSA was recognized for its decision to regain control of the Pokémon brand from 4Kids Entertainment, which led to the success of the current Pokémon Diamond & Pearl incarnation of the franchise.

Jakks Pacific, the company Pokémon USA selected to develop and manufacture the new line of Diamond & Pearl toys, was also recognized with a nomination for Best Licensee. In addition to Pokémon, it holds the master toy license for Dragon Ball Z and has also created Yu-Yu Hakusho toys.

Update: Jakks Pacific holds the master toy license for Dragon Ball Z for 2007 (the year covered by the current list of awards), but Bandai America has re-acquired the master toy license for Dragon Ball Z from FUNimation Entertainment, and will make new toys starting in the Spring of 2008.

Manga Make New York Magazine's Best of 2007 List

2007-12-29T07:16:00.000-08:00

Apollo's Song, Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms honored

As the year draws to a close, New York Magazine has announced the winners of its 2007 Culture Awards. Two of the five winners in the Best Comics category hail from Japan. They are Apollo's Song, Osamu Tezuka's 1970 deliberation on the nature of love and desire, and Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry BlossomsFumiyo Kono. Kono's one-volume collection is composed of three connected short stories about the physical and psychological effects of the Hiroshima atomic bombing on its survivors. It won the Grand Prize at the 2004 Japan Media Arts Festival. by

Merry Christmas Evrebody!!!

2007-12-23T15:57:00.000-08:00

hi seasons greetings to everyone!! I'll just want to greet a very merry Christmas to my friends at home! to my buddies in Montreal! wazup guyz! and my family here in Davao... My friends Maphy, Kevs, Bryan - musta Japan do Merry Christmas! sa tanan mga ka barkada nko dire sa Davao cla Zarge, Rj musta Merry xmas. To my friends here in web, jasp(mery xmas tol) , valentine, sess, skyz, Balagz and to everyone hu knows this site.. all of u guys have a very and blessed Christmas!!

Hunter X Hunter Manga Put on Hold in Japan Again

2007-12-20T17:18:00.001-08:00

Previous hiatus lasted from March 2006 to October 2007

Issue #2 for 2008 (on sale December 10, 2007) of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine has announced that Yoshihiro Togashi's Hunter X Hunter adventure manga will go on hiatus in Japan again. The title just returned to the magazine on October 6 of this year, after being on an infamously extended hiatus that lasted one year and eight months. (The magazine had announced at the beginning of that earlier hiatus that it would last only a month.)

Shueisha's public relations department said the latest hiatus "is as planned. [The manga's] return date has yet to be determined." Togashi's message to readers on the latest magazine issue's Table of Contents page read in part, "I will be back as quickly as possible. I will do my best." The reason for the latest hiatus has not been given. The manga's story centers on a boy who follows in his famous, missing father's footsteps as a "Hunter." The manga has published 270 chapters since 1998.

Source: Mainichi Shimbun

Thank you to enjin2000 for the news tip.

Del Rey Announces New Manga, Prose Novels

2007-12-20T17:14:00.000-08:00

Papillon, Kamichama, Gankutsuou, Mao-chan, XXXHOLiC, Zaregoto

At its New York Anime Festival panel on Friday, the publisher Del Rey Manga confirmed that it will be releasing Papillon (a shōjo manga, pictured at right, from Peach Girl author Miwa Ueda), the Kamichama Karin sequel Kamichama Karin -chu- from Koge Donbo (Di Gi Charat, Pita-Ten), and manga adaptations of the anime series Gankutsuou and Mao-chan. Del Rey will also publish a collection of short stories set in CLAMP's XXXHOLiC universe by Death Note: Another Note novelist NisiOisin, as well as NisiOisin's Kubikiri Cycle, the first volume in the Zaregoto series of light novels.

Persona -trinity soul- TV Anime Promo Video Posted

2007-12-20T17:13:00.001-08:00

Japanese website launched for roleplaying-game-based series

The official Japanese website and trailer has launched for Persona -trinity soul-, the January 2008 television anime series based on the Persona 3 roleplaying game for the Sony PlayStation 2 console. The trailer is available in 1M or 500K bandwidth. Aniplex's A-1 Pictures is animating this story, which will focus on the three Kanzato brothers living in a future city off the Sea of Japan, ten years after the game. The story begins when dead people start appearing with their skins turned inside out. The Persona game series is a spinoff from the Shin Megami Tensei series.

Source: Moon Phase

Manga Firm Adapts James Patterson's Maximum Ride Novels

2007-12-20T17:08:00.000-08:00

Yen Press to serialize installments in new Yen Plus anthology

The manga publisher Yen Press has announced that it will serialize a graphic-novel adaptation of James Patterson's #1 New York Times bestselling speculative fiction series Maximum Ride in a new monthly manga anthology, Yen Plus. The Maximum Ride graphic novel's first installment will appear in the first issue of Yen Plus in the summer of 2008. Yen Press has not announced the artist of the adaptation, although it said the work will be rendered in both black-and-white and color illustrations.

The Maximum Ride stories revolve around a "Flock" of teenagers and children, infused with traces of bird DNA, who escaped from a secret laboratory. Peterson has published three #1 bestselling volumes since 2005, and a fourth is scheduled for March 18. The Yen Plus adaptation will start with the first novel, Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment.

The Yen Plus anthology will include 12 works in each issue, including Nightschool from artist Svetlana Chmakova (Dramacon). Yen Press will offer the magazine by subscription and through bookstores and and comic book retailers. Each issue will have 460 pages and cost US$8.99.

James Patterson has had the most #1 New York Times bestselling novels of any author, and several of his works have been adapted into other media such as the Kiss the Girls film, the Along Came a Spider film, and the ongoing Women's Murder Club television series. A Maximum Ride film is under developement but not yet greenlit.

Vuze Debuts English-Subbed Neko Rahmen via Downloads

2007-12-20T17:04:00.000-08:00

Free, worldwide release of anime series with no digital restrictions

Vuze, Inc., the entertainment provider formerly known as Azureus, Inc., is premiering the anime series Neko Rahmen worldwide with free, English-subtitled video downloads with no digital restrictions. Vuze tells ANN that its Neko Rahmen videos are "full-resolution" files with short advertisements attached. The Vuze video service uses a modified version of Azureus, one of the more popular client programs for the BitTorrent file-sharing network.

Neko Rahmen is a television series of 13 three-minute Flash-animated shorts based on Kenji Sonishi's four-panel gag manga in Mag Garden's Comic Blade Masamune and Monthly Comic Blade magazines. It stars a cat that happens to run a ramen shop, and it premiered with a special that aired on December 28 of last year. The regular series premiered on June 22 of this year. It was also available online in Japan, where it was the most watched animation series on Yahoo! Japan in August of 2007. Vuze signed the exclusive worldwide rights to create a release with "hard" English subtitles (English subtitles embedded in the video) from the Japanese producers, with the option for other languages in the future. Vuze plans to offers subtitles in French, German, and Spanish in early 2008.

Vuze boasts a user base of more than 14 million people who run its program on Microsoft Windows or Mac OS X. In addition to a wide variety of television and movie selections, Vuze offers more than 360 licensed anime titles from other distributors such as Gong, AnimEigo, Media Blasters and World Events Productions, although those require Microsoft Windows for digital rights management. The producers of Neko Rahmen are the first anime licensers to agree to allow Vuze to release their work without digital restrictions. Once downloaded, Vuze's videos of Neko Rahmen can be freely played on almost any operating system or media device with h.264 video playback support. The company Vuze was originally launched under the name Azureus, since it was established by some of the core developers of the Azureus client program.

Allison to Lillia TV Series Teaser Video Streamed

2007-12-17T04:59:00.001-08:00

Promo for Madhouse's light novel-based anime

The anime retail chain and distributor ANIMATE is streaming a teaser promotional video for the Allison to Lillia television anime series in narrowband and broadband bandwidths. The animation studio Madhouse will adapt the Allison and Lillia and Treize light novel series from Keiichi Sigsawa, the author of Kino's Journey. Both light novel series, which take place in a war-ravaged alternate world similar to our 1930s, have already been adapted as manga by their publisher MediaWorks and its Dengeki imprint. The teaser video, which is mostly composed of promotional images for the light novels, was shown during last month's Dengeki 15th Anniversary event. NHK's BS2 satellite channel is planning to premiere the series in April of 2008.

Source: Saishin Anime Jōhō

New Trailers of I.G's Tokyo Marble Chocolate Posted

2007-12-17T04:55:00.000-08:00

Two trailers show couple's romantic night from both sides

The official website for Production I.G's Tokyo Marble Chocolate anime love story has posted new versions of its trailers. The website is streaming one trailer featuring the song "Mata Aimashō" by hip hop artist Seamo, and another trailer featuring the song "Zenryoku Shōnen" by the male jazz pop duo Sukima Switch. The two trailers showcase how the project is split into two parts, with one side recounting a couple's Christmas adventure in Tokyo from the girlfriend's viewpoint and the other side telling the story from the boyfriend's viewpoint.

The project marks the 20th anniversary of both Production I.G and BMG Japan (Seamo and Sukima Switch's label). The anime premiered on October 27 at the Tokyo International Film Festival, and BMG Japan will release two DVDs—one for each half of the project—on December 19.

Source: Saishin Anime Jōhō

Speed Racer Film Shots Posted, Trailer to Run Thursday

2007-12-17T04:49:00.000-08:00

USA Today prints 8 photos; Entertainment Tonight to show trailer

The USA Today newspaper has published eight new frames from the live-action Speed Racer film adaptation directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski (The Matrix, V for Vendetta film). The project retells the story of Mach Go Go Go, Tatsunoko Production's classic 1967-1968 car-racing anime television series. The paper quotes producer Joel Silver, "The effects are beyond belief. We called it 'car fu,' because it was like kung fu with the cars." The American television program Entertainment Tonight will premiere the trailer for the film in its December 6 episode. The film stars Emile Hirsch in the title role and Christina Ricci as his girlfriend Trixie.

Macross Frontier's Spring Broadcast, Cast Confirmed

2007-12-14T21:42:00.000-08:00

This month's TV special to show 27 minutes from 1st Frontier episode

NTT Resonant's goo Internet portal website has confirmed that the Macross F (Frontier) sequel is planned for a Spring 2008 broadcast. The finalized story will take place in A.D. 2059, five decades after the story of the first Macross television series and less than two decades after the last two major sequel stories, Macross Plus and Macross 7. In the story, the Macross Frontier space colonization fleet is hosting a concert of an idol singer from the nearby Macross Galaxy fleet when a mysterious enemy attacks.

The January issue (on sale December 10) of Kadokawa's Newtype magazine will confirm the project's voice cast. Newcomer Megumi Nakajima had previously won a nationwide audition to perform and sing as Ranka Lee, a high school student who works part-time at a Chinese restaurant. Yuuichi Nakamura (Mobile Suit Gundam 00's Graham, Clannad's Tomoya) will play the main male lead, the fighter pilot trainee Alto Saotome. Aya Endo (Lucky Star's Miyuki, Gundam 00's Kinue) will play Sheryl Nome, the current top idol in the Macross universe. Hiroshi Kamiya (Honey and Clover's Yuuta, Gundam 00's Tieria), Jun Fukuyama (Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion's Lelouch), and Houko Kuwashima (Gundam Seed's Flay, Inuyasha's Sango) will play the supporting characters of Mikhail Buran, Luca Angeloni, and Nanase Matsuura, respectively.

The official Macross website has confirmed that this month's Macross 25th Anniversary Special program will feature co-creator Shoji Kawamori as a guest and a 27-minute director's cut of the first episode of Macross Frontier. Kawamori will be working with the studio Satelight (Noein, Macross Zero) and composer Yoko Kanno (Macross Plus, Escaflowne, Cowboy Bebop) on the new series. The special will also feature the television entertainers Hiroyuki Miyasako, Chihara-Junior, Shinya Arino, and Akane Ōsawa.

Source: Moon Phase

New Code Geass TV Series Confirmed for Spring 2008

2007-12-13T00:33:00.000-08:00

First official confirmation that the sequel will be broadcasted

The January issue (on sale December 10) of Kadokawa's Newtype magazine will finally confirm that Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion's new television series will premiere in Japan in the spring of 2008. The same magazine announced in March that a sequel was in the works for the military robot anime project. However, the blog on the official website had to downplay premature Internet rumors of a second television series by stating that the producers did not know, as recently as July, if the sequel would air on television or be released in theaters or home video.

Source: Moon Phase

Japanese Animation DVD Ranking, November 28–December 4

2007-12-13T00:29:00.002-08:00

Gurren-Lagann takes top spot from America's Ratatouille

Note: Earlier ranking charts for August, September, and October will be gradually added.

Rank	Title	Release Date	Maker
1	Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann #5 (Limited Pressing)	November 28	Aniplex
2	Ratatouille	November 14	Walt Disney Studios
3	Ookiku Furikabutte #6 (Limited Pressing)	November 28	Aniplex
4	Gintama Season 2 #5	November 28	Aniplex
5	Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Vs. Varia Arc #1	November 30	Marvelous Entertainment
6	Darker than BLACK #5	November 28	Aniplex
7	Lucky Star #6 Limited Initial Pressing	November 22	Kadokawa Shoten
8	Detective Conan: Jolly Roger in the Deep Azure [Case Closed] Movie	November 23	Shogakukan
9	Zō no Senaka: Tabi-Datsu Hi [Elephant's Back: Day of Departure]	October 26	Pony Canyon
10	Claymore Limited Edition #3	November 28	Avex Trax

'Country Doctor' Wins Rome Animation Fest's Top Award

2007-12-13T00:27:00.001-08:00

Latest win for Koji Yamamura's anime based on Franz Kafka's story

I Castelli Animati, an animation festival in Rome, Italy, has announced that the "Franz Kafka's A Country Doctor" anime short has won the Grand Prize in its international competition this year. The prize is the latest win for this Impressionistic theatrical short, which Oscar nominee Koji Yamamura single-handedly wrote and directed from a short story by European author Franz Kafka. The short previously won the Grand Prize in the Short Animation category of this year's Ottawa International Animation Festival. It also earned a Prize for Excellence in Animation from Japan's Ministry of Cultural Affairs for the 2007 (11th) Japan Media Arts Festival. I Castelli Animati ran from November 28 to December 2.

Source: animeanime.jp

Kimi ga Nozomu Eien: Next Season's Promo Video Posted

2007-12-13T00:25:00.001-08:00

Anime retelling of games that inspired Funimation's Rumbling Hearts

The official website for Kimi ga Nozomu Eien ~Next Season~, an alternate retelling of the Kimi ga Nozomu Eien or Rumbling Hearts romance adventure game and anime franchise, has posted a promotional video for its first DVD on December 4. The first DVD will ship in Japan on December 21. The Next Season video series and the earlier Kimi ga Nozomu Eien television series are based on a series of games about a boy (Takayuki Narumi) and his relationships with several girls before and after a tragedy.

Funimation released the earlier television series under the name Rumbling Hearts: KimiNozo. (Rumbling Hearts is the English subtitle of the Japanese PlayStation 2 version of the game, and "KimiNozo" is a nickname for the franchise.) The Rumbling Hearts: KimiNozo television series adapted the games' stories with an emphasis on Takayuki's close female friend (and secret admirer), Mitsuki. By contrast, the Next Season video series will retell the story with an emphasis on Haruka, a girl that Mitsuki tried to set up with Takayuki.

Source: Moon Phase

True Tears Anime's Second Promotional Video Streamed

2007-12-13T00:22:00.000-08:00

Television series to begin airing next January in Japan

The official website for the television anime adaptation of the True Tears romance adventure game has begun streaming a second, 107-second promotional video in 500k and 1MB bandwidths on December 5. The game from the software developer La'cryma had been previously adapted into a live-action DVD project in 2006. The anime version is scheduled to begin broadcasting in Japan in January of 2008.

Source: Moon Phase

Neo Angelique Abyss TV Anime Announced for Next April (Updated)

2007-12-13T00:20:00.000-08:00

Based on KOEI's romance adventure game for female gamers

The January issue (on sale December 10) of Shufu-to-Seikatsusha's Pash! magazine will announce that a television anime series, based on KOEI's Neo Angelique romance adventure game for female gamers, will premiere next April. A pre-announcement teaser appeared in the "fujoshi-teki blog" (blog for female otaku) of Pash! magazine's editorial department. Pash! is an otaku culture magazine whose English cover motto is, "For Girls and Ladies Only!"

The tentatively titled Neo Angelique Abyss television series is based on the Neo Angelique game, the fifth installment in the Angelique franchise. As the "Neo" prefix implies, this installment restarted the franchise with new characters and a different format of gameplay. The previous Angelique dating simulation games had players raising a potential empress and choosing a mate from many male suitors. However, Neo Angelique is a role-playing-game-inspired adventure game in which the player joins four handsome male Orb Hunters in battles with Tanatos, which are mysterious demonlike creatures threatening the land of Arcadia. In all the game installments, Kairi Yura (The Story of Saiunkoku) designed the characters.

Neo Angelique has already been adapted into a manga by Mika Kajiyama in Kadokawa's Monthly Asuka magazine and compiled into three volumes. The previous Angelique game installments were adapted into audio drama CDs, manga, anime videos, and two television anime series.

Source: Moon Phase

Update: The December 5 blog entry with the pre-announcement teaser has since been taken offline. An earlier December 3 blog entry mentioned other features of the January issue of Pash! magazine, but not the Neo Angelique anime announcement.

Japanese Comic Ranking, November 27–December 3

2007-12-10T16:31:00.000-08:00

Takehiko Inoue takes top two slots with Vagabond, REAL

Rank	Prev. Rank	Title	Author	Publisher	Price
1	-	Vagabond #27	Original Novel: Eiji Yoshikawa Art: Takehiko Inoue	Kodansha	Y550
2	-	REAL #7	Takehiko Inoue	Shueisha	Y620
3	-	Pluto #5	Story: Osamu Tezuka Art: Naoki Urasawa	Shogakukan	Y550
4	-	Berserk #32	Kentarou Miura	Hakusensha	Y530
5	1	Kimi ni Todoke #5	Karuho Shiina	Shueisha	Y410
6	-	Detroit Metal City #4	Kiminori Wakasugi	Hakusensha	Y530
7	2	Nodame Cantabile #19	Tomoko Ninomiya	Kodansha	Y410
8	7	Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin #16	Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, Hajime Yatate Original Concept: Yoshiyuki Tomino	Kadokawa	Y588
9	-	Kaze Hikaru #23	Taeko Watanabe	Shogakukan	Y410
10	-	Iryū - Team Medical Dragon #15	Story & Art: Tarō Nogizaka Original creator: Akira Nagai	Shogakukan	Y540

Source: Tohan