The International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood has announced the nominations for the 40th Annual Annie Awards, which will be presented at UCLA in Los Angeles on February 2, 2013. Hayao Miyazaki, Keiko Niwa, and the English-language dub's Karey Kirkpatrick have been nominated in the Writing in an Animated Feature Production category for Goro Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli's anime film From Up On Poppy Hill.

From Up On Poppy Hill is competing against the writing staffs of ParaNorman, The Pirates! Band of Misfits, Frankenweenie, Brave, and Wreck-It Ralph.

Tron: Uprising, Disney's American television series partially produced by Japan's POLYGON PICTURES, received nods for Best Animated Special Production (for the episode "Beck's Beginning"), Character Design in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production ("The Renegade, Part I"), Production Design in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production ("The Stranger"), and Storyboarding in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production ("The Reward"). Nickelodeon Animation Studios' American series The Legend of Korra has been nominated for Best Animated Television Production For Children ("Welcome to Republic City"/"A Leaf in the Wind") and Character Design in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production ("Welcome to Republic City").

The distributor GKids has already submitted From Up On Poppy Hill for a possible Oscar nomination, with its qualifying run held in Los Angeles last month. The film also won the Japan Academy's Animation of the Year award, and it has been submitted for consideration for the Best Animated Feature category of the Golden Globes Awards.

Source: animenewsnetwork

Read the rest of this entry »

Anime adaptation announcements came fast and furious this week. In addition to the previously reported Photo Kano, there were a slew of others worth mentioning. It's mostly bishoujo, so check out all the cute girls below!
 
Besides the winter anime tv series adaptation of Mondai-Ji-tachi ga Isekai Kara Kuru So Desu yo? (Don't Problem Children Come From an Alternate World?), the eighth light novel in the series, shipping in late July, will be packaged with a special OVA episode.

The Osaka Rules cultural guides have spawned a series of Boku no Imouto wa Osaka Okan (My Little Sister is an Osaka Momma) series of Flash animated shorts about reunited siblings that simularly reunite gdgd Fairies rewriter/director and character designer Ishidate Kotaro and Sugahara Sota.

The latest volume of Nagian and 10ka Takei's supernatural harem comedy light novel series Kanojo ga Flag o Oraretara (She Folds the Flag) presented the preliminary announcement that an anime is in the works.
 
From Baka Updates' description
Standing at the crossroads of life; the important choices - “Flags”. Hatate Souta, a young man who can see these flags, transferred to “Hatagaya School”, a prestigious school in the metropolitan area. Not only does he meet beautiful girls in his busy school life, he even goes as far as living with them under the same roof! Surrounded by these flags, this enviable romantic comedy begins!

Volume 5 of Morohe Yoshida's Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha similarly made the announcement that the Young Ace supernatural/gender bender rom com will be getting its own anime.

Fushimi Inari has a hopeless crush on her classmate Tanbabashi. One day, while trying to interact with him, she accidentally humiliates him in front of the whole class. He refuses to accept her apologies, and, to make matters worse, she discovers that he probably has a crush on their incredibly cute classmate Sumizome.

She has all these things in mind when she is summoned by Uka-no-Mitama-no-kami, a pale fox goddess. In return for rescuing a little fox-spirit creature before school that day, the goddess offers to grant a single wish of Inari's. Without thinking, she blurts out that she wants to be Sumizome. As one might expect, this wish does not go nearly as well as Inari had hoped, and the kindly goddess breaks a goddess-rule to give Inari the ability to change herself back. Now, Inari can change her own shape at will, and using her new skill is very tempting as she keeps trying to win Tanbabashi's heart. But if Inari flaunts her ability, both she and the goddess might end up in trouble with Amaterasu!

Botan Ichige has just enrolled in St. Asmaria All-Girl's School where angels are said to live. It turns out that angels do indeed live there, and after an accident, an angel named Un offers Botan her halo as a snack. After eating it, Botan discovers it had some bizarre side-effects, causing her to regularly "give birth" to colorful mushrooms. Is this the life of an angel!?

Source: crunchyroll

Read the rest of this entry »

Anime Momotaro is a staging of a famous Japanese folktale that teaches powerful lessons about inner strength and the ability to stand up against bullying. Created and premiered by the Honolulu Theatre for Youth, Imagination Stage is bringing Eric Johnson (adaptor/director) and Alvin Chan (adaptor/choreographer) from Hawaii to develop an expanded version for Imagination Stage audiences.

Anime Momotaro runs in Imagination Stage’s Annette M. and Theodore N. Lerner Family Theatre January 30 through March 10, 2013. Best for ages 5-10, tickets are $12 to $25, and may be purchased online at www.imaginationstage.org, at the Imagination Stage box office, or via phone at 301-280-1660. Group rates are available.

Set in ancient Japan, an elderly couple longs for a child. Their wish is granted when a huge peach floats down the river and breaks open to reveal a baby boy. As Momotaro (momo means peach; Taro is a common Japanese boy’s name) grows up to be the strongest young man in all the country, he realizes he must take a stand against his village’s one small problem: giant ogres. Ogres have been bullying the villagers for years, and with the help of his friends – the dog Inu, the monkey Saru, and the bird Kiji - Momotaro meets his foes face-to-face. Thus, an action-packed adventure is born.

This play is part of what Imagination Stage Artistic Director Janet Stanford calls a “youth speaks to age effort,” which offers children new perspectives on the culture they are consuming (the recent P.Nokio: A Hip-Hop Musical is another example of this work). Stanford explains: “Anime is now part of our globalized culture and the visual effects and storytelling style has become part of youth language. Rather than dusting off the classics, we need to be developing work that looks at what’s going on now, responds to how kids live, and sees if we can make art from it. Children will be amazed to see how the stylized figures, wacky camera angles, and exaggerated sound effects that they know from anime digital media productions are presented live on stage.”

Anime Momotaro was adapted from the traditional Japanese folktale by Alvin Chan, Eric Johnson, and Honolulu Theatre for Youth. “One of the things that attracted me to this idea is that young kids all over the world are influenced by anime,” says Johnson. “Kids will recognize some of the aesthetics of movement and color that have been picked up by filmmakers and graphic artists to create the cultural landscape of the now.”

Honolulu Theatre for Youth was founded in 1955 and is one of the oldest and most respected children’s theatres in the country. Imagination Stage and Johnson first worked together in 2004 when he directed Liang and The Magic Paintbrush, and then again in 2005 with Callisto 5.

Jacob Yeh will perform the title role of Momotaro. Jacob was most recently seen at Imagination Stage in P.Nokio: A Hip-Hop Musical and Wake Up, Brother Bear! He has also performed at Ford’s Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Adventure Theatre MTC, and Discovery Theater.

Phil Reid and Tia Shearer will play the old couple. Phil (also playing Monmon and Inu) has performed in several productions at Imagination Stage, including Dr. Dolittle, Wind in the Willows, and Pirates! A Boy at Sea. Tia (also playing Nakoman and Kiji) performed in Imagination Stage’s production of Bunnicula. Rafael Untalan (Daimon/Saru) is new to Imagination Stage. Rafael received his MFA from Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Academy for Classical Acting at the George Washington University. Ryan Sellers will perform as the koken, a puppeteer dressed in black who manipulates objects to create special effects and is unrecognized by the actors onstage.

The creative team for Anime Momotaro includes Set Designer Natsu Onoda Power, Costume Designer Deb Svigny, and Lighting Designer Zac Gilbert. Terry Hong is the Cultural Advisor, and is on board to ensure that cultural references translate properly for mainland audiences. Terry is a media arts consultant for the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program and was an Artistic Advisor for Imagination Stage in 2009-10.

Imagination Stage’s 2012-13 season continues with two Roald Dahl plays in repertory, James and the Giant Peach (April 3 – May 26) and The Magic Finger (April 12 – May 24), followed by Peter Pan and Wendy (June 26 – August 11).

Source: baltimore.broadwayworld

Read the rest of this entry »

The Agency for Cultural Affairs will host a special showcase of Japanese films and animation from Nov. 29 to Dec. 3 in Busan, South Korea, under the title "Eiga to Animation no Mangekyo" (The kaleidoscope of films and animation).

The screening event has been held since 2004 as part of the agency's "Japanese Film Festival in Asia" project intended to encourage cultural exchanges between Japan and South Korea.

Although the event focuses on animation, it covers a wide range of films and animated works, from high-budget commercial films to independent shorts. This year, it will offer 11 feature films and 36 shorts in eight programs for films and seven programs for animation.

One of the highlights this year is "Macross Frontier the Movie--Sayonara no Tsubasa-- (Wings of Good-bye)," an epic directed by Shoji Kawamori. It also focuses on 3-D CG films rendered to look like traditional 2-D animation, such as ".hack// The Movie" directed by Hiroshi Matsuyama and released in 2012.

Shinji Takagi's 2006 feature "SOS! Tokyo Metro Explorers," Shuhei Morita's 2012 short "Possessions" and "Akira" creator Katsuhiro Otomo's latest short, "Combustible," which were produced by Japan's leading anime studio Sunrise Inc., will also be showcased.

Animation artist Keita Kurosaka's critically acclaimed short "Midori-Ko" and two of his early works will be covered in an exclusive program. Two programs dedicated to animated works created in or after 2000 by students will show the current trends of young Japanese animation artists.

On Dec. 2, a symposium will be offered to give insight into what we can learn from cinema. Film critic Reiko Kitagawa, live-action feature "The Kirishima Thing" director Daihachi Yoshida and South Korean film experts will join the talk to exchange opinions about the current status of Japanese films from the standpoint of South Koreans, as well as the present situations and future prospects of cinema in the two countries.

The event is certain to serve as a rare opportunity to promote Japanese cinema in South Korea. It will be held at the Busan Cinema Center.

Source: ajw.asahi

Read the rest of this entry »

Tokyo - "Ikki Tousen" is one of the latest anime series to be adapted into a live stage play. It will play from November 30 until December 9 in Tokyo. Manga, which is can be called a Japanese comic book, is one of Japan's biggest exported commodities as it has attained very high global popularity. Many manga titles have been adapted into Japanese anime series, shorts, and full-length feature movies. There are plenty that have been adapted into live-action dramas. However, there are a select few popular manga/anime series that have been converted into actual live-stage plays and musicals. Such examples are the manga/anime series of “Bleach” and “Air Gear.” There are several Bleach musicals that have been produced in Japan.

The United States is slowly getting into this as well with the “Spiderman” musical that's on Broadway. The concept of manga/anime being adapted into a stage play or musical is nothing new in Japan. Recently, news has come of another anime series that is due to be adapted into a stage play in the future. Photographs of the confirmed cast members in their respective character roles have been taken. The name of the anime being adapted into a stage play is “Ikki Tousen” which is adapted from the manga series called “Battle Vixens.”

Ikki Tousen is a series that focuses a lot on martial arts combat. Furthermore, it focuses on “fanservice” and very attractive high school female students. The combat involves the participants ending up tearing the clothes off each other in combat.

Japanese actress Miyuu Sawai, who plays Princess Sailor Moon in the live-action adaptation of the “Sailor Moon” series (“Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon”), has been cast to play Ryomou Shimei. In the series, Shimei is known for her short hair, medical eye-patch over her left eye, and wearing a maid outfit. The stage date of the musical is November 30. It will run from November 30 until December 9. For more information, one can look at the website for the stage play.

Ikki Tousen's storyline focuses on seven schools that are constantly combating each other. They are guided by special jewels known as magatamas. The first series ran for thirteen episodes, then it was followed by the following sequels: “Dragon Destiny,” “Great Guardians,” and “Xtreme Xecutor.”Here are some examples of how plays adapted from anime usually look: This one of the Bleach adaptations.

Read the rest of this entry »

Anime director Hayao Miyazaki was among the 15 recipients of this year's Person of Cultural Merit honor for his longtime contributions to Japan's arts and culture, the Agency for Cultural Affairs has announced.

The first anime director to receive the honor, Miyazaki attended the ceremony on Culture Day on Nov. 3. In addition, six individuals received the Order of Culture decoration. Painters, novelists and critics were among those selected for the two accolades this year.

Miyazaki started working in the anime industry in the 1960s and created a number of popular and critically acclaimed works, including feature films "My Neighbor Totoro" and "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind," and the TV series "Conan, The Boy in Future."

His 2001 feature "Spirited Away" won the Golden Bear at the 2002 Berlin International Film Festival and the Oscar for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards. He is unquestionably one of Japan's most internationally renowned anime directors.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs established the Person of Cultural Merit award in 1951. Manga pioneer Ryuichi Yokoyama received the honor in 1994, followed by Shigeru Mizuki, creator of horror manga "Gegege no Kitaro," in 2010. The choice of Miyazaki for this year's honor reflects the agency's current efforts to promote anime and manga as culture.

Read the rest of this entry »

Polygon Pictures Inc., Japan's leading CG production house, said it plans to establish a joint company with a Malaysian digital animation studio to produce the third season of the animated TV series "Transformers Prime."

Polygon Pictures and Silver Ant Sdn. Bhd. plan to form Silver Ant PPI Sdn. Bhd. in January. "Transformers Prime" is a full-CG animated TV series adaptation of the entertainment franchise revolving around toys, comics and live-action feature film adaptations. The latest series has been airing in the United States since 2010 on The Hub and elsewhere across the world. It premiered in April 2012 in Japan.

The TV series has gained critical acclaim for its high-quality imagery created by Polygon Pictures. It won multiple Daytime Entertainment Emmy Awards recognizing excellence in U.S. daytime TV programs.

Polygon Pictures has provided computer-generated graphics for feature films and videogames, with the "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" animated series being one of its representative works. It also operates a licensing business for its original works.

Silver Ant is one of leading animation studios in Malaysia. Its original 3-D animated feature "SeeFooD" was theatrically released in more than 90 countries and regions.

The joint company, Silver Ant PPI, will work with local universities, develop creative capabilities through staff members from Polygon Pictures and establish a coordinated production management system to serve as a speedy, high-quality content production base in the country, the Japanese company said. Polygon Pictures also intends to expand its licensing business in Asia through a tie-up with Silver Ant.

Read the rest of this entry »

Set to be released in Japan November 16th, the limited edition of  35 volume of Hiro Mashima's Fairy Tail manga will be packaged with a special OVA episode featuring the wizards of the titular guide taking a break from Grand Magic Games training by hitting the beach.  Shinji Ishihira directs the A-1 Picture production on this fourth OVA episode.

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s a dark, brisk, fall evening on a Thursday as the clock tower at Missouri Western calls out seven times from the shadows. The wind slowly shuffles the leaves outside of Murphy, twisting them into small dancing tornadoes of oranges, yellows and browns.

Just visible in the peripheral, a figure is dressed in a long brown trench coat with a belt holding a line of bullets thrown over one shoulder and a hat pulled low; like a ghost, he quietly slips into room 110. At his heels, a man with a black kimono follows him closely with a long black sword slung loosely over a shoulder. Both are gone within the span of a breath and a heartbeat leaving behind only the icy wind and the echos of the tower’s chime fading into the lonely silence of the night.

Should fear be the emotion of the moment? Nah, it’s just the weekly meeting of Missouri Western’s Anime Club. Yep — we have one.

For those few who may not know what anime is, they are movies or a series of episodes that are skillfully drawn or animated, through computer generated imagery, that frequently contain ancient Japanese cultural tales and legends that were traditionally passed on through the , somewhat lost, art of storytelling. They help children, young adults and even adults to obtain these, otherwise, lost pieces of folklore.

Student Mathew Kurtz gives his personal account and a warning. “I first got into it when I was a kid,” the four-year member said. “I just thought they were neat cartoons. As I got older and found out more about it, I naturally got more into Japanese culture in general. I use anime as a way to pick up on cultural ideas, although you have to be careful with that, there can be some things that can be misinterpreted.”

Club President Robert Bradley goes on to support this idea of cultural distribution in anime. “From a personal perspective, it also gives a little bit of insight into a counter culture going on here in America,” Bradley said. “The people who (here in America) are watching anime (and are creating a subculture of their own).”

Five-year club veteran Cassandra Mohlang, explains what the club tries to introduce about the culture beyond just showing anime. “We are trying to get more into the culture,” Mohlang said. “Last year we had origami and a drawing night which was pretty fun.”

They also attend an anime convention each year called “Nakakan,” that takes place in Liberty, Mo. There is a charge at the door; however, it costs $30 if there are seven or more to a group. The door fee is due prior to Nov. 30.

The club meets every Thursday at 7 p.m. in Murphy Hall, and anyone and everyone is invited to join free of charge, although there is a small fee per semester that is optional. “[There are] $5 dues per semester if you want to pay them,” Mohlang said. “They are mainly for if you want pizza or stuff like that.”

For more information or contact information for the Anime Club, visit them via mwsu.orgsync.com under the “social interest” category. Other than motivating people to learn more about Japanese culture, the club’s goal is a pretty simple one.

“Our biggest goal is probably just to get more people interested in this,” Bradley said. “Because we like it a lot and we think other people would like it if they gave it a chance.”

Read the rest of this entry »

It looks like she stepped out of manga comic. Anastasiya Shpagina, aka "Anime" or "Fukkacumi" a 19 year-old girl from the Ukraine has become a viral video sensation due to her makeup tutorials on how to achieve her extreme “living doll” look. Some liken Shpagina look to the Japanese cartoon style of anime -- she does too since she goes by the name of “Anime.” It takes Shpagina, a stylist andmakeup artist, more than three hours to put her makeup on in the morning, according to the Kyiv Post.

She pays special attention to making her eyes as enormous as possible and slimming the appearance of her nose. While Shpagina is known for her tiny physique, another Odessa woman is also gaining fame for taking her look to the extreme.

Valeria Lukianova, known as the "living Barbie from Ukraine" also works to emphasize her eyes and lips -- but she also emphasizes her other assets. She admits that she’s had breast implants to augment her self-reported 33-17-34 figure.

Her website amatue21 encourages others to send in photos of themselves, with similar makeup and long, etheral hairstyles. Shpagina and Lukianova admit that they don’t eat much in order to maintain their waif looks - no bread, meat or fish, only fruits and vegetables. Their looks are garnering attention from all over the world but they don’t pay attention to what the locals think. “I don’t pay attention to reactions, the most important thing for me is my comfort,” Shpagina told a Ukrainian talk show.

Read the rest of this entry »