News - by Ian - June 29, 2010 - 20:31 Europe/London - Be first to Comment!
The British Film Institute is well known for it’s diverse range of cinema, as it rightly should be. This diversification of film is not limited to live action, but also includes anime. On the 11th July 2010 at 1800 there’s a lecture about anime being delivered at this year’s BFI.
The Anime Machine: An Illustrated Lecture by Thomas Lamarre will explore how Japanese animation differs from other media, by looking at technology and philosophy.
This will be shown alongside Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence and will be priced at a joint ticket of £12.90.
You can click here to book tickets and find out more information.
News - by Ian - May 29, 2010 - 13:09 Europe/London - 3 Comments
Today is the first day of the London MCM Expo and as always the big three anime distributors in the country are in attendance and are announcing things left, right and centre. Unfortunately News-Anime.com are unable to attend on Saturday this year, although we may be there tomorrow depending on how things pan out.
However, UK Anime Network News have a very comprehensive list of updates as they were live at the event – live Twittering away. Below is a roundup of news from the big three:
MVM
- Moribito, Blade of the Immortal and Slayers Revolution and Evolution-R confirmed for UK Release
- MVM will be moving way from single disc releases in favour of 2 disc releases later in the year – which is now UK standard
- MVM will continue to license live-action Japanese movies
Manga Entertainment
- Eden of East will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray in November
- Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex – Solid State Society will be on Blu-Ray before Christmas
- Vampire Knight is likely to see a release before Christmas
- Baccano has been confirmed as a release at some point
- Manga are looking into picking up Kanon (assuming 2006) and Bamboo Blade.
- Manga also admitted to being interested in One Piece and Dragonball Z to the UK but are struggling
- Manga also advised that they are not keen on bringing Sgt. Frog to the UK, much to my personal disappointment
Beez Entertainment
- Beez announced that they will be releasing Durarara!! which will be subs only. They will consider a re-release should dubs become available in the future.
- Gundam 00 and Gundam Zeta movies will be released
- Outlaw Star will be released as part of their value Anime Legends range
In interesting industry related news, due to the new Dangerous Cartoons Act, all three distributors are having to carefully consider what they pick up due to cuts enforced by the BBFC. They also discussed how sales and profits are working - 5,000 copies is a good release for Beez whilst Manga confirmed that the amazing Ouran High School Host Club have sold 15,000 copies to date.
All distributors were keen to remind fans to purchase releases legitimately and wait for releases until they hit the UK so that the profits can continue being pumped into the UK and MVM confirmed that the majority of their anime related profits go straight back to Japan. Manga also confirmed that they are interested in setting up a UK streaming site which would involve the Manga website and iTunes.
Again, we have to thank UK Anime Network News for the information listed here.
News - by Ian - April 3, 2010 - 15:21 Europe/London - Be first to Comment!
Not a real Chinese Pirate...
It’s been published today in The Times newspaper that the Japanese animation industry estimated it lost $2.4 billion (227 billion yen or £1.6 billion) owing to piracy in China.
It has long be said that piracy in China is costing the anime industry across the world a significant amount of money; however, Japan have now managed to put an actual figure against everyone’s guesses. To put this into perspective, this is more than twice the amount that Japan made in profit from foreign exports of anime.
A spokesperson for Production IG (makers of Ghost in the Shell and many other huge hits) stated:
..that short of closing down the internet altogether, there was little the company could do to stop piracy.
Source: The Times
Features - by Ian - March 28, 2010 - 16:12 Europe/London - Be first to Comment!
A remastered version of the classic film.
Reviews - by Ian - March 28, 2010 - 16:10 Europe/London - 3 Comments
Even three lustrums ago Production I.G was a forced to be reckoned with. It takes a long period of time to become recognised and at this point Production I.G were nearly a decade old. It was during the fateful year of 1995 that Production I.G released a new film, directed by Mamoru Oshii, based on the hit manga by Masamune Shirow – Ghost in the Shell.
Over the years Ghost in the Shell has managed to achieve the legendary status that is normally only granted to films from Studio Ghibli. The popularity of Ghost in the Shell in the past fifteen years is such that a sequel was released nearly a decade later, Ghost in the Shell Innocence, although not a direct and before that the anime series – Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. To further prove the popularity of this show, Ghost in the Shell 2.0 was released in 2008. GitS 2.0 is a re-release of the original GitS film, but it has been entirely reproduced, from the digital scenes right through to the voice acting and soundtrack.
It’s some years into the future, in a world that looks essentially the same as our own today. The major countries in the world still exist, political turmoil still exists and the corporate and public backstabbing that occurs through all companies and governments have intensified due to the revelation of new technologies. In these government agencies, there are an increasing number of people who used to be human and are now part cyborg with only parts of their humanity remaining – mainly their consciousness, which is referred to as the Ghost.
Two of Japan’s top agencies although to the public appear to be working together, are actually bitter enemies and only keep the façade up to ensure that the status quo is maintained and all out warfare doesn’t occur. However, they are equally as suspicious as secretive as each other and this is seen from the very first scene in the movie. Our heroine, or even anti-heroine as many would argue, is on a stakeout mission where she has to kill one of the contacts of Section 6, which she manages to do with ruthless efficiency.
It doesn’t take long for some of Section 6’s plans to go a bit astray and Section 9, the section where our heroine works, finds out and sends out the team to find out why Section 6 have access to robotic technology that they have no need for. Whilst they investigate Section 6, some truly incredible information falls into their possession around Ghosts and Ghosts evolving from nothing – something that was once thought of as impossible as part human part android people.
Unfortunately Ghost in the Shell 2.0 does not wrap everything up nicely, there’s a huge cliffhanger and this leaves a lot open to interpretation. Naturally this leaves the viewer desperate for more – a sign of a truly great film.
The characters are all clear and distinct, with plenty of questions raised on the morality of creating people and interfering in the human body and there’s loads of character development from the two main “androids”, something which a lot of anime manages to miss. The film itself is very grungy and has echoes of cyberpunk from the very start. However, this does not mean the film has been done on the cheap, or looks cheap, the backgrounds and characters are well drawn and the colours – although dark – are distinct and accurately reflect the mood of the film.
The voice acting of the English cast is brilliant, with all of the characters completely distinct and recognisable even when not looking at the screen, which is a very rare occurrence. The acting of the English voice cast is also top-notch with affection, sadness and melancholy being expressed with truth. The Japanese voice cast are also amazing, as is the actual soundtrack to the entire film.
Ghost in the Shell 2.0 is going to be contentious for many fans, those who saw the original or the Special Edition a few years ago will notice some significant differences in the films that they are watching. 2.0 has a lot more CGI, with some scenes entirely redone and unfortunately some of the CGI scenes jar painfully with the original drawn scenes that it sits next to, it’s more than just a juxtaposition, it’s a little off-putting. However, the rest of the upgrades are perfectly done, the majority of the scenes have been improved with more distinction in the characters and with more effective colours. Between the original and the remastered version the colour palettes have changed significantly as well, there’s a lot more orange and lighter hues than the original blue and greens, this update is done very well and doesn’t jar or look out of place with modern anime – although the original colours give the film a different feel.
» Final Score
9
The original film is going to be many people’s favourite; however, for sheer quality of transfer and the gentle revisions made in most places simply lift the quality of this film’s visual up a few levels. With a great storyline that grabs the viewer and a cast that’s the best in recent times, it’s a must have for all anime fans.
News - by Ian - October 26, 2009 - 10:38 Europe/London - Be first to Comment!
As with every week, DVDs are released in the UK. Sometimes there are many and sometimes there are few. This week there are a lot of great DVDs that are now available for general purchase, and those DVDs are:
- Ghost in the Shell 2.0 and Ghost in the Shell Innocence – Blu Ray
- Ghost in the Shell 2.0 and Ghost in the Shell Innocence – Standard Definition
- Ghost in the Shell 2.0 – Blue Ray
- Ghost in the Shell 2.0 – Standard Definition
- Bleach Series 4 Volume 1
- Naruto Unleashed Series 7 Volume 2
So that’s an awful lot of High Definition viewing available.
These DVDs are available from all good retailers immediately.
News - by Ian - October 13, 2009 - 19:56 Europe/London - Be first to Comment!
To celebrate the inpending release of Ghost in the Shell 2.0 in both high definition and standard definition, we have kindly been granted with access to a number of trailers to keep you all interested.
These trailers are as follows:
News - by Ian - September 26, 2009 - 21:06 Europe/London - 2 Comments
Update:
SFL have updated their site with one more title: Eureka Seven – Good Night, Sleep Tight, Young Lovers. For more information see the very last film description.
Sci-Fi-London have recently announced their new line up for the Sci-Fi-London Oktoberfest.
This well known and interesting anime all-night event starts at about 2230 with the DJ’s in the bar and the MANGAWALL for everyone to attack with their mark. Lots of goody-bags and Redbull will be on hand everywhere.
The animes that will be featured this time around are:
King of Thorn
“During the pandemic outbreak of the mysterious Medusa virus, Kasumi and her twin sister Shizuku become infected. They are separated when Kasumi is chosen to be one of a select group of 160 people to be placed in cryogenic suspension until a cure can be found.
After an indeterminate amount of time Kasumi awakens from her deep-freeze hibernation, only to discover that she and a handful of other survivors are in a desolate and treacherous world populated by vicious creatures.
Although Kasumi wants to learn the fate of her twin sister, she and the other survivors want to unravel much larger mystery of what happened while they were sleeping, and if, and how, they are going to survive in this post-apocalyptic world.”
The Sky Crawlers
“Although most of us seem to be living the lives of eternal adolescents it is a lifestyle choice of our own and not one forced upon us like the Kildren in this film.
Set in an alternate history where the world is at peace, but in order to ease the tension of those accustomed to war and aggression, private corporations contract fighter pilots to stage combat operations against each other for show.
The Kildren are genetically designed humanoids who have the blessing/curse of eternal youth but are also conscious that every day could be the last, because they have to take part in the staged battles. Rather than being typical maudlin teenagers, they embrace the reality of their situation and live their day-to-day lives to the full.
Directed by GHOST IN THE SHELL maestro, Mamoru Oshii, from the manga of the same name.”
Time of Eve
“It’s the near future and androids are in common usage. One day Rikuo, who has taken robots for granted all his life, discovers that Sammy, his home android, has been acting independently and coming and going on her own.
He finds a strange phrase recorded in her activity log, “Are you enjoying the Time of Eve?” He, along with his friend Masaki, traces Sammy’s movements and finds an unusual cafe, “The Time of Eve”. Nagi, the waitress, informs them that the cafe’s main rule is to not discriminate between humans and androids.
Within the cafe androids do not display their status rings, and, when patrons depart, the door is automatically locked for two minutes to prevent anyone from following them to discover their true nature.
There are plenty of references to Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics to keep it interesting.”
Evangelion 1.0
“This is a rebuild of the hugely popular, Neon Genesis Evangelion series. Tokyo-3 is all that remains of Japan after the second impact. The city is being attacked by giant creatures called Angels that want to eradicate humankind.
Shinji Ikari, who has not seen his father for more than eight years, receives a phone call in which he is told to urgently go to the NERV Headquarters, an organization that deals with the destruction of the Angels using giant mechs called Evas. Shinji’s objective is to pilot the Eva Unit 01, while teaming up with the Eva Unit 00 pilot, Ayanami Rei.”
Eureka Seven – Good Night, Sleep Tight, Young Lovers
“
Renton, son of scientists, and Eureka, a girl who can’t live under the sun, are raised together when very young and become very attached to each other.
One day, Eureka is taken away. Powerless at the time, Renton vows to rescue her. He enters the military and is soon assigned to the Independent Youths Unit 303 of the First Mobile Forces thanks to his exceptional performance alongside his Nirvash, a bio-mechanical armor/control system.
Unknown to Renton, lies a plot to extinguish the alien invasion that is currently happening. It involves not only him, but Eureka too.”
No actual date for this has been organised yet, but as soon as there has we’ll let you know. You can check their site out here.
Thanks to Manga UK for the tip.
News - by Ian - September 24, 2009 - 20:34 Europe/London - 3 Comments
To celebrate the up and coming theatrical release of Ghost in the Shell 2.0 on the 2nd October, and the DVD and Blue Ray DVD is due out no the 26th October, we’ve been sent a trailer of this brilliant production.
Featuring the voice acting work of Richard Epcar, Ghost in the Shell 2.0 is already a well known and loved anime that’s only due to get more popular with time. After all, back in 1995 only 100,000 saw the film in cinemas, and this is well remembered by the creator:
“Only a hundred thousand people saw [Ghost In The Shell] in cinemas back in 1995,” remembers Oshii. “To this day, most people have only seen it on video. That’s why I really wanted people to have a chance to see it on the big screen, and I really hope they do. In terms of CGI, there are over 90 cuts that have been altered and enhanced. And with extensive use of filter effects and colour correction techniques throughout the rest of the film, it’s fair to say that pretty much the entire movie has been enhanced in some way.”
You can see the trailer below:
News - by Ian - September 7, 2009 - 14:12 Europe/London - Be first to Comment!
So after a few weeks of not letting you know, we’re now back on track with our new DVDs that are due out this week. So, without further adieu, this week there are lots of DVDs out on the UK market for us all to buy and enjoy. These seven DVDs are all anime or live action Japanese films based off manga, anime or videogames, and they are:
- Ghost In the Shell 2 (Blue-Ray)
- Beserk Box Set
- Dororo (Live Action) – see clips of Dororo here.
- Samurai Deeper KYO Volume 2
- Slayers: Try Volume 1
- Solty Rei Volume 4
- Chanbara Beauty (Live Action) – see clips of Chanbara Beauty here.
As always these new releases can be purchased through all good retailers online and in old style shops as well.
News - by Ian - October 15, 2008 - 07:13 Europe/London - Be first to Comment!
Recently Manga Entertainment announced that it will be releasing a number of very popular animes onto the Xbox Live network via their Video Store. The service will allow viewers to download the released media and have up to 30 days to watch the films. Within that 30 day period the film can be watched for only 24 hours after it first starts, so you are able to watch the film two or three times in the same day, but that’s it.
The films that are currently releassed are Ghost in the Shell and Blood: The Last Vampire, these join Black Jack, Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society, Kai Doh Maru and Ninja Scroll.
There’s no announcement as to whether they will be subbed or dubbed, but it’s like to the latter.
Source: Manga Entertainment
