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Usavich: Funky Bunny Cartoons
Posted by Michael Pinto on Dec 18, 2007 in Animation
Shown above is Usavich which is a animated series created by Kanaban Graphics for MTV Japan. The series started out in 2006 and so far 23 episodes have been produced which feature a couple of rabbits who are trapped in an Russian prison. Looking at this I wish MTV in the United States was doing animation again… Found via loland.net. Japanamania: Lucky Star
Posted by Guest Author on Dec 17, 2007 in Animation
Our Top Ten Anime and Manga Series to Watch For in 2008: It’s easy to find out about a Bleach or a Naruto once it’s being aired on Cartoon Network, but it can take years for an anime to be licensed, dubbed, and put on TV. So here’s our sneak peek at one of the ten manga or anime series that we feel are likely to hit it big in America in 2008: Lucky Star (anime) While it may at first appear to be geared exclusively towards hardcore anime fans, Lucky Star can be hilarious to anyone who’s ever been or known a high school-age female. Mixing a random sense of humor reminiscent of the popular slice-of-life Azumanga Daioh with a lot of otaku in-jokes, Kyoto Animation- the studio responsible for the hit series The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya -has made a hit that fans and non-fans alike have been enjoying. Konata is your average short, blue-haired, uber-anime geek high school female. She plays hentai games, collects figures, and reads manga instead of doing her homework. In stark contrast, Kagami is a somewhat bossy, hard-working all-A student. Throw in Kagami’s slightly ditzy twin Tsukasa and the walking encyclopedia Miyuki and you get some of the funniest conversations ever aired on TV, such as a lengthy discussion of how to eat various pastries. No, really. These four are later joined by a younger set, including Konata’s sweet younger cousin Yutaka, the quiet Minami, and even an American exchange student (and anime fan) named Patty. Oh, and did I mention the “Lucky Channel” yet? The meta segment ostensibly exists to discuss the making of the series, but is actually a vehicle for two other characters: “newbie” voice actor Minoru Shiraishi and his senior, the jaded and faded starlet Akira Kogami. Yeah, Lucky Star seriously packs on the funny. Gia Manry is a Portland, OR-based professional writer specializing in pop culture/entertainment writing. Read up on more of her work at giapet.net or hire her at GiaManry.com. Japanamania: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Posted by Guest Author on Dec 16, 2007 in Animation
Our Top Ten Anime and Manga Series to Watch For in 2008: It’s easy to find out about a Bleach or a Naruto once it’s being aired on Cartoon Network, but it can take years for an anime to be licensed, dubbed, and put on TV. So here’s our sneak peek at one of the ten manga or anime series that we feel are likely to hit it big in America in 2008: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (anime) Giant mechs, cute girls, and not one but two badass heroes- it would have been tough for Gainax to go wrong on this one, but they didn’t slack off. Instead they created a genuinely fun, visually stunning series with more heart and soul than any other that aired in Japan in 2007. ADV has licensed the series and fast-tracked it, setting a release date of February 2008 for the first volume. Clanky: The Chocolate Flavored Spaceman
Posted by Michael Pinto on Dec 11, 2007 in Animation
Clanky is very clever! Clanky was a brand of chocolate flavored syrup from the early 60s which featured a plastic bottle in the shape of a spaceman. I love how this commercial combines a 3D set with with 2D animation, the commercials has an amazing amount of detail with over a dozen characters on the screen. Also the lollipops on the planetscape are a nice added touch! Speed Racer Trailer
Posted by Michael Pinto on Dec 7, 2007 in Animation
> This is the first trailer for the upcoming Speed Racer film and it looks pretty grand! The casting looks very true to the cartoon, in fact it sort of bought a tear to my eye… Persepolis Trailers
Posted by Michael Pinto on Dec 6, 2007 in Animation
Persepolis looks pretty amazing, although it’s a bit odd to see them speaking French in Iran. Here’s the second trailer which just came out: Anime Network Online Player: Not Quite Ready
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 30, 2007 in Animation
I watched the above video clip and raced to the Anime Network website, and man was I let down! I’m what you call a pre-sold audience, I’m an anime fanboy and I love watching stuff on my computer. Well I launched their player, it started up a bit slow but so far so good. Next it played a commercial, now I’m willing to watch a bit of advertising before the show (that’s what pays the bills!) but the commercial skipped and jumped and timed out. It was for a horror film too, so I wanted to watch it but I couldn’t make out what was going on. Next the Anime I wanted to watch started to load up – and load up – and load up – and then it crashed my browser! Nope it’s not me, I watch video all the time on YouTube, DailyMotion, and even CNN (which plays well enough that I don’t mind the commercials) and I have a broadband connection too, but the Anime Network Online Player just doesn’t like my computer. I hope Anime Network can fix the tech side of things because the service looks interesting (and would be worth a second try). Spiderman Loves to Eat Oranges
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 27, 2007 in Animation
From 1980 comes this public service announcement showing that Spiderman would prefer an orange over a cash reward. Although I wonder how he would eat it with that mask? Fanboy Film Student Animates Gundam
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 25, 2007 in Animation
This is a nice short 3D animation by Richard Sur who attends the Vancouver Film School in Canada. A Beavis and Butt-Head Thanksgiving Interview
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 22, 2007 in Animation
This video is from 1997, an era when MTV was still showing music videos and had some entertaining animation. Who would have ever thought that we’d wish for the good old days of Beavis and Butt-Head? The Masks: War To Peace
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 17, 2007 in Animation
I’m very much an Apple fanboy at heart, but I have to say that I’ve been very impressed with the high quality of the visual marketing for Zune by Microsoft. Shown above is The Masks: War To Peace a short animated film by PandaPanther and music by the Black Angels. Found via Urban Retro Lifestyle. Happy: A Film by Michael Lewicki
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 16, 2007 in Animation
I got a kick out of Happy, an animated film which was created by Michael Lewicki as part of a course on character animation at the Vancouver Film School. I tracked down Michael on Facebook and asked him what inspired him to make his film: “There really was no inspiration for the film other than just getting a job. I went to VFS to make a film for a demo tape to work as an animator and then it just blew up on YouTube. When thinking of the idea I wanted to keep it clean and simple with classic jokes…like the ones I grew up with (Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show, Ren and Stimpy, Spongebob, etc…) I just wanted to make something that everyone can enjoy no matter what age.”
Remix This: Anime Gets Hijacked
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 15, 2007 in Animation
There’s a great article by Patrick Macias on Anime Music Videos (AMVs) but for me the best part is seeing Jim Kaposztas getting some long overdue credit! I know I sound ancient but I remember watching Jim’s video at a monthly meeting of the New York City branch of the Cartoon/Fantasy Organization in the early 80s: Remix this: anime gets hijacked Lucky Star to be Released in 2008
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 8, 2007 in Animation
I’ve watched just about every episode on YouTube but being able to see it on a real TV screen will be fun! I hope hey include some good extras: Bandai Entertainment Inc. to Release Kadokawa’s Anime Series, Lucky Star! “Kadokawa Pictures USA, Inc. and Bandai Entertainment Inc., announced today that it will be releasing the anime series Lucky Star in North America in 2008. The announcement was made in a unique way – a surprise trailer at the beginning of Vol. 4 of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, which was just released. Lucky Star is a 24 episode television series from Kyoto Animation, the same anime production company that created the anime series for Haruhi. Lucky Star’s main character is Konata Izumi, a lazy high school girl who isn’t interested in anything besides anime and video games. The series is described as the ultimate “otaku anime,” — it pays tribute to anime culture and other series with in-jokes and hilarious references. A Plush Ichigo: How Humiliating!
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 6, 2007 in Animation
Death Note is cute, but I’ve been missing watching the latest and greatest of Bleach every week on the Cartoon Network. Yeah I know I can catch up on YouTube, but there’s something nice about seeing the animation on my tv set. By the way shown above is the Kurosaki Ichigo DX Plush Doll Neritan Anime Works
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 4, 2007 in Animation
I’d love to see this show get translated into English, even if it’s just a fansub on YouTube! Being a Yamato fanboy it would be nice to see an interview with Leiji Matsumoto: Anime haven Nerima launches ‘Neritan Anime Works’ cable show “The local government of Tokyo’s Nerima-ku, the birthplace of Japanese animation, started broadcasting its own anime-themed cable TV program this month, with a first run lasting until next spring. “Neritan Anime Works” will be aired via cable service J:COM Tokyo three times a day on weekdays, and twice a day on weekends. Program content will be updated every two weeks until its 12th and final installment. Nerima-ku’s roster of anime kingpins includes the Toei Animation Company, their forerunners Toei Doga — producer of Japan’s first color animated feature film, “Hakujaden” — and the late Osamu Tezuka, Nerima resident and creator of Japan’s first animated TV serial “Astro Boy.” A Japanese Documentary on Star Blazers
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 2, 2007 in Animation
Shown above is a clip from a Japanese Documentary on Star Blazers, NOT Space Cruiser Yamato but the American translation! It’s funny for me to see the American version with Japanese subtitles. Just looking at that short clip I can see why I loved the series – within the first few minutes you find out that Wildstar is a little bit complex because his brother was killed off before the show started. I realize that in Anime today that’s a throw away device, but way back when in the 70s the most complex plots in animation were unmaking Scooby Doo villans. To me that’s just one reason why this series was revolutionary. Credit for Star Blazers being seen by Americans should go to Claude S. Hill who was behind distribution of the show from the 70s and the 80s. Sadly Mr. Hill passed away in 2005, but it was because of him at an entire generation of fans got to discover anime for the first time. Claude Hill was very much a kid at heart which is why he got into the business, in addition to Star Blazers he also distributed a number of other shows including Rocket Robin Hood and the Steve Krantz Marvel Comics cartoons from the 60s. In addition to the above Claude Hill gave me first break as a graphic designer and was also just a real good guy (one of the rare ones in the business), so I miss him a great deal… Happy Birthday Princess Apple-Momoka
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 1, 2007 in Animation
Today is the birthday of Japanese pop idol and model Yuko Ogura (小倉優子) who is known to her fans as “Princess Apple-Momoka” of the apple-shaped planet Korin. In terms of music Ogura is best known for her song “Onna no Ko♥Otoko no Ko” which is the ending theme of the anime series School Rumble: A Groovy Ralph Bakshi Film from 1967
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 31, 2007 in Animation
Marvin Digs was a UPA inspired animated short film directed by Ralph Bakshi from 1967. The cartoon features the voice over talents of Corrine Orr who anime fans whould know for her work on Speed Racer and Star Blazers. Found via Metafilter. Ruairi Robinson to Direct Live Action Akira?
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 30, 2007 in Animation
According to this rumor it sounds like Ruairi Robinson has been tapped to direct a live action Akira film: ‘Akira’ Live Action Remake Finds Director!!! “We’ve been informed that Warner Bros. Pictures is trying to get Akira off the ground pre-strike and have attached 29-year-old Oscar nominated Irish director Ruairi Robinson! No more details have been revealed other than he directed a mind blowing short film entitled The Silent City, which can be viewed over at BDTV. Watch this spot for more news soon and cross your fingers that this sucker gets rolling ASAP.” Inside the Space Cruiser Yamato
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 25, 2007 in Animation
Those of you fanboys who grew up on Star Blazers (i.e. Space Cruiser Yamato) should get a kick out of this video I found on YouTube Japan. It seems to be some sort of documentary on the mecha from the show, and it features a ton of technical drawings and pre-production art that looks amazing. Most of the stuff shown here is from the late 70s and the design work still holds up very well today – it’s even more amazing to thing that all of that work was done without a single computer! Anime from Quebec: Yuki Tani No Shuraba
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 18, 2007 in Animation
What’s amazing about the above teaser is that it was produced by a film student in Quebec! I’m quite impressed with what this guy has done: Quebec Animator Wins California Animation Prize “Michael Nesbitt, an artist living in Aylmer, Quebec, has found local fame for his Flash-animated anime short Yuki Tani No Shuraba. The 6-minute film recently won an award at the California International Animation Festival. According to an article in the St. Thomas Times Journal Nesbitt began the film in school, and recently returned to the unfinished film and is now selling his own DVDs.” Vintage Anime Public Service Announcements
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 17, 2007 in Animation
The above animated public service announcements were shown in the Kantō region of Japan, my guess is that they’re from the 70s. What I like about these spots is that they feel very Japanese, but they don’t look like typical anime. There’s also something quite charming about the limited animation and cheerful music. The First Anime Film: Momotaro’s Divine Sea Warriors
Posted by Michael Pinto on Oct 15, 2007 in Animation
Released in April 12, 1945 Momotaro’s Divine Sea Warriors was the first full length featured anime film (74 minutes long) made in Japan. The film was directed during World War II by Mitsuyo Seo and produced as propaganda for the Imperial Navy Department of Japan. Special thanks to Nicholas D. Kent for finding this! Nick also had these other great insights to share: |
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