It’s been months since this was officially announced, but I recently stumbled across what appears to be some of the original character sketches from the upcoming anime based on the hit show Supernatural. Like the series, the anime will feature the story of the Winchester brothers and will consist of twenty four episodes which will feature the same story arcs from the first two seasons — namely their quest to find their father and avenge the death of their late mother. The first twelve episodes will go on sale in Japan in early January, and while there’s been no word on if Supernatural: The Animation will be licensed for distribution stateside, I imagine it won’t be long before someone does — if not Warner Brothers themselves.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Nov 18, 2010 in Animation, Tech
It looks as though Japan’s getting another awesome anime-related memory stick. Similar to the Evangelion usb stick I talked about last month, these upcoming Gundam memory sticks will likely hit Japanese shelves some time next month. I’ve got more memory sticks laying around than I can count on two hands, but I think anyone would want to make an for these — I just wish wouldn’t have to import it, and that it’d come in a decent size. GeekStuff4U currently has them available for pre-order, but the only size they seem to have is 4 GB. That’s not very big by today’s standards, but then again, I’m sure most of you probably don’t store many documents — save for full-length feature films — over that limit, right? Read more…
One of my favorite things about the original Mobile Suit Gundam anime series was that it really brought to life the idea of L5 space colonies which were envisioned by Gerard K. O’Neill in the 70s. Shown above is a fan made video of what modern Tokyo would look like inside one of these space colonies: Read more…
Surprising no one, Todd McFarlane’s upcoming Spawn animated series on MTV will continue to be “adults-only programming.” The original Spawn series, which won two Emmy awards, functioned pretty much the same way — lots of violence, gore, language, and sex — so it’s a relief that MTV has essentially given McFarlane free reign to, in his words, “keep doing what I’m doing.” There’s no ETA on the new series, but even with that in mind, it’s a small miracle it’s happening at all, with legal troubles having put new Spawn properties on hold for the past decade. Hopefully this’ll be comeback worth going through hell for. Read more…
I know all the “cool kids” these days watch Naruto and Bleach, but there are still some of you out there who really appreciate Dragon Ball and Akira Toriyama’s legacy. It seems like it’s been forever, but I can remember a time when obtaining your favorite anime required you to order your fan subs on VHS, and prior to being properly licensed, Dragon Ball was one of those series I scoured the net for. When FUNimation decided to bring over the recently released Dragon Ball Kai, the remastered, filler-free version of the hit series Dragon Ball Z, I was pretty stoked. Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 7, 2010 in Animation
Asahi.com has reported that Yoshinobu Nishizaki has passed away. Nishizaki was the producer of Space Cruiser Yamato which was known as Star Blazers in the United States — a franchise that played a pivotal role in the history of anime. What’s very sad about this was that after years of legal troubles a live action version of the cherished retro anime series is getting a great deal of positive feedback from those who have seen the first sneak previews of the film. Had he lived the triumph of that film would have been a great personal victory to Nishizaki. Read more…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Nov 6, 2010 in Animation
Earlier this year, it was announced that classic 80s animated series Thundercats would receive a new animated “reimagining”, and now we have some solid information on what the new series will entail! The series’ producer, Michael Jelenic, says that one major change is a simplification of the show’s mythology — everything is taking place on one planet rather than three, for example. Of course, the question on everyone’s mind, eyes bulging, is “Will Snarf be in it?!” The answer is yes, with the caveat that everyone’s unfavorite cat beast thing won’t be speaking in this incarnation. Looks like Jelenic has foresight beyond foresight. Read more…
That’s right, this guy. Zac Efron is rumored to be in talks to star in Warner Bros.’ live-action remake of the classic anime film. The remake is said to take place in the USA rather than Japan, in a ruined Manhattan. He’d be playing Kaneda, who’s somehow still named Kaneda, despite looking American and the film being set in…well, you get the idea. I’m not sure how I feel about this one. Wait, no. I’m 100% positive how I feel about this one. Though, to be fair, that’s hardly Zac Efron’s fault. Read more…
Amazing, isn’t it? While I’m sure this little Haro can’t possibly beat the limited edition Fist of the North Star alarm clock I bought when I visited Tokyo last month, it’s really cute and probably annoying enough to wake you from the deepest of sleeps. Modeled after Amuro Ray’s personal Haro bot, the Gundam mascot comes available in two distinct colors — pink and the original green. In addition to reciting a few lines from the show, it’ll flap its ears while it displays the time and date in Earth years. I was hoping it’d give us some kind of Universal Century equivalent but that’d be pretty useless. You can pick one up via Hobby Fan, but if you’re an Amazon prime member, you’ll want to order through them to save on shipping. The $69 price tag might seem a bit expensive, but can you really put a price on cuteness?
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Oct 20, 2010 in Animation, Tech
When you think Neon Genesis Evangelion more often than not, the first image that comes to mind is Rei Ayanami. Her bandage-clad stoicism garnered plenty of fanboys and girls, making her practically synonymous with that classic series. That popularity explains why I’ve seen her on everything from softdrinks to body pillows. Well, now you can add another item to that list — a USB memory stick. Apparently it had been produced and sold-out rather quickly a few years back, but this unique little USB stick has made a return to Japanese markets. So how do you get your hands on one? Don’t worry, GeekStuff4u.com has you covered. You can import one for just 5,900 yen — that’s about $72. I know, it’s a little pricy for a 4GB USB stick, but you’ll probably be the only person you know with a mini-Rei holding your documents for you. Read more…
I’m not sure if I could ever forgive Hollywood for their shlock epic Dragonball Evolution which nearly ruined the franchise for me! However these authentic Dragon Ball denim jeans might make might up for it. These jeans will be released by Cospa in late December just in time Christmas. Sadly overweight otaku need not apply as the jeans will range from a 30 to 36 inch waste size, but this is a martial arts anime series after all so we’d expect you to be in good shape: Read more…
Ever since the latest episode of The Simpsons aired this past Sunday, the Internet has been abuzz about British political activist and graffiti king Banksy’s contribution to the opening sequence — most notably its extended couch-gag. While I’m not able to actually post the couch-gag here, I can link to Fox who currently has the episode in question available for streaming free of charge.
I’ve got to say that I’m very impressed at how in a short amount of time that Reni Mimur has really perfected her Japanese maid show act — and has won over so many fans in the process. This year Reni returned to the New York Comic Con and I think what’s great is that this will give her an opportunity to win over non-anime fanboys while warming the hearts of the local otaku community. Read more…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Oct 8, 2010 in Animation
For the honor of Greyskull! He-Man’s female counterpart, She-Ra, just celebrated her 25th anniversary. The Princess of Power, whose first adventure aired in 1985, was one of the first animated female superheroes, and the first real role model for girls amidst the male-dominated 80s cartoonscape. Mattel and Filmation have been celebrating Adora’s anniversary all year by releasing new toys based on characters from her adventures, and there’s a new collection of animated episodes available now on Hulu, iTunes, and regular old DVD. Read more…
Do you want to look like Fujiko Mine from Lupin III? Well here’s your chance: Bandai will be rolling out a line of cosmetics that are based on the beloved anime series by Monkey Punch. I love the fact how some of the items in the line are shaped like bullets — although I’m surprised that Bandai isn’t doing a line of jewelry given Lupin’s occupation. Read more…
…he showed up at Marvel HQ and told them so! Isaiah Mustafa (himself a big ol’ geek who even went to Comic-Con) has said several times that he wants to play Marvel brawler Luke Cage in a movie, but this time he took matters into his own hands, showing up at Marvel in the flesh. They filmed this great riff on his famous “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” ads with Old Spice while he was there, using action figures and superimposing Mustafa’s head over Luke Cage’s plastic incarnation. Personally? I think he’s got the chops. The karate chops. Read more…
I can’t even count the ways I love this game. For those of you who may not have played the series, Dynasty WarriorsGundam combines the legendary anime with Koei’s Dynasty Warriors game mechanics. The end result? You control one of the enormous mechs as you fight through hordes of giant robots until you face off against other new-types in a bid to control the battlefield. Sure, the gameplay can seem a bit repetitive at times, but unlike the original Dynasty Warrior games, the Gundam series has always presented me with more of a challenge.
So you love One Piece, and you want to rock some nifty pirate attire but don’t want to bother with an eyepatch? Don’t worry, Japan has you covered. Check out these sweet One Piece sun glasses and frames. Sure, they’re not quite as fierce as an actual eye-patch, but I’m sure anyone who recognizes the logo will envy you. Everyone else? Well, at least they still look pretty classy. I suppose it depends on which color you end up getting. As much as I love Frankie, I’m not sure I’d look pretty good in baby blue shades, and I’m not sure many of you would either. Thankfully, there are plenty of others to choose from, with each color and design for each of your favorite characters. No word on when or if these will be available stateside, though I imagine that if anyone decides to carry them, it’ll be J-List. Until then, just stare in awe.
The amount of loving detail on this Sailor Moon bento box is mind numbing! While the box features all the major characters my favorite touch is the inclusion of Luna the cat: Read more…
The popular chain Lawson in Japan will be taking orders for Evangelion Chocolate Cakes which will be shipped right before Christmas! The cake (shown above) also comes packed with an Rei Ayanami figurine holding the “Spear of Longinus” (which as it turns out is a reference to the holy lance in the Bible). The cake is being produced by Bandi which apparently has quite a large business making anime themed cake and candy. Read more…
Posted by Guest Author on Sep 21, 2010 in Animation
The Art of UP by Tim Hauser
You are only old once, so why don’t you have an adventure before you loose mobility and energy to do so. That is what Carl Fredricksen did, as he escaped with his flying home. The plot of Up is clearly as seen in the movie version, and what better way to relive the movie again than with reading The Art of UP. Though there are some differences in the book, even the behind the scenes program that they have on the DVD won’t get as in depth as this book did. Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 17, 2010 in Animation
The magic of this video is watching Henson bring non-Muppets to life in just a few seconds! You really see how much of an actor than Henson was — these weren’t just objects on strings but characters with a personality. And it’s not a matter of a big budget but imagination and creativity. Although watching this video made me want to cry, Jim Henson left the stage much too soon…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 12, 2010 in Animation
Wanting too much of a good thing is a very American trait — we eat too much fast food, consume way too much oil to drive automobiles that are way too big and our tastes in entertainment slouch towards mental comfort food. If we like a TV show chances are that the creators will ignore their better instincts and run the show into the ground. Such was the case with Happy Days and thus the phrase “Jumping the Shark” was born. So this is clearly a uniquely American bad habit? Wrong! Anime is suffering from the very same sin of more and more of the same. Read more…
