Friday, September 3, 2004

GHOST IN THE SHELL 2: INNOCENCE FEATURETTE
New York, NY (September 2004) - Fifth Floor Productions is pleased to announce that Go Fish Pictures, a division of DreamWorks, wants to give anime clubs in the New York City area an opportunity to preview a featurette of Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, the long awaited sequel to the anime cult classic Ghost in the Shell, a haunting sci-fi thriller depicting the conflicts of man and machine.

About Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence

It's the year 2032 and the line between humans and machines has been blurred almost beyond distinction. Humans have forgotten that they are human and those that are left coexist with cyborgs (human spirits inhabiting entirely mechanized bodies) and dolls (robots with no human elements at all). Batou is a cyborg. His body is artificial: the only human remnants left are traces of his brain and the memories of a woman called The Major. Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence is the story of a solitary cyborg that desperately wants to hold on to what's left of his humanity in a world where the worth of the human soul is fading almost into obscurity. Writer/Director: Mamoru Oshii (Other credits include: Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor: The Mobile Police and Urusei Yatsura Movie 2: Beautiful Dreamer). Official Selection 2004 at the Cannes International Film Festival

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence will be in select theaters September 17th.

To learn more about Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, visit the Official Website at www.gofishpictures.com/GITS2.

Visit www.geocities.com/fifthfloorproduction (click on promotions) or email fifthfloorproduction@yahoo.com to learn more about getting your anime club to show the featurette of Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence and the first Ghost in the Shell film.
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Evangelion news
for those of you who didnt know, there will be a live-acton-eva, movie.it said to be made by Gainax,ADV films, and peter jackson WETA. it also said to be 120 mintunes long, and under $100 million and no director. so now you tell me,is this movie going to suck, i say YES.
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live-acton_EVA Q&A
i got my hands on some stuff about the live-acton eva movie.


Q: "Matt, assuming I have my information correct, you are a producer [live action Evangelion]. Will you
be making a cameo in the film? Traditionally this is the case [for producers]


A:
Matt commented on what seemed to be an inside joke on his possible appearance in the film, but he did directly comment on:

"We are definitely trying to have all of the VAs involved in the film. Both Japanese and American voice actors.
We hope each one can have a cameo of some sort. Of course, this will all depend when we actually get
closer to the project [production]. Scheduling and so forth."

-------

Q:
When answering questions on the film, he reiterated, as he did in other cons and venues, that actors are not currently
being seriously considered as the project is in its earliest pre-production. He cited the kids from Harry Potter as a good example of what can happen in a few years.

He did comment directly on:

A:
"Before any of that we need a Director. We are currently talking to 7 to 8 directors. These guys are all 'A lists'"

He went on to say that, of course, casting choices would be made by the Director.

------
I pointedly asked:

Q: "Matt, what kind of financial risk will the live action Evangelion be to ADV films?"

A:
Matt went on to say, more or less, that it is not a financial risks because IT IS Evangelion.
He believes that the high production values of Weta, the passion for the project and its worldwide
following will guarantee its success.

------

(Personally, I asked the above question because I fear that if the film does flop it could bankrupt ADV, but anyhow.)


I hope some of the above stuff is usefull


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   some thing old
In cooperation with Mangajapan, Yahoo! Japan will hold a "Mangajapan auction" at it's Yahoo! auction site, selling works from famous mangaka Yukari and others. Interviews with Satonaka Machiko, Mizushima Shinji and Hino Hideshi will all be presented to the public.

Mangajapan is an organization founded by volunteer mangaka, with goals such as the protection of manga copyrights. The purpose of the auctions is to increase public awareness of the organization and its purpose.

The auction schedule is as follows:

The right to appear in Mizujima Shinji's baseball manga "Abusan": August 30th to September 6th
A glove signed by Mizujima Shinji: September 6th to September 13th
A uniform signed by Mizuno Shinji: September 13tg to September 20th

Further, items signed by famous horror manga artist Hino Hideshi as well as other horror goods are scheduled for auction from September 20th to September 27th and and thereafter items related to Ishinomori Shoutarou and Satonaka Machiko are planned to be added to the auction.
MORE TO COME!
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   some more crap about viz
Viz Communications has announced it will release two exclusive Inuyasha products in Borders and Waldenbooks this month. First up is the Inuyasha: The Movie DVD (see "Inuyasha Movies Out This Year"), which will have an exclusive lenticular cover in the Borders Group stores. Displays will appear on September 7th.

On September 17th, Viz will release a limited edition,exclusive collector's box containing Inuyasha Volume 19 and an all-new demon form Inuyasha action figure to Borders and Waldenbooks stores.

Viz has played both sides of the street with its bookstore exclusives. Barnes & Noble was given a six-month exclusive on RahXephon (see "Barnes & Noble Has RahXephon Manga Exclusive"); Waldenbooks had an exclusive on Hana-Kimi (see "Waldenbooks Has Hana-Kimi Exclusive Through May")
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   this may have been posted
Poynter.org has an editorial article on "Comcis For Big People".
- The Boston Herald talks about the crush of Marvel's Spiderman as it she currently incarnated on the drawn comic page.
- The Manila Bulletin interviews the local comedy band K And The Boxers and relays one of it's members desire to morph into Sailor Moon on stage.
- From the release: Fresh from his guest star appearance on Discovery’s newest primetime legal drama, “Reasonable Doubt,” airing later this year, Yuri Lowenthal just wrapped a co-starring role on television’s hottest spy show, “Alias.” Yuri can be seen alongside Jaime Gomez (Nash Bridges) and Brian Krause (Charmed) in the mob drama “Pissed” from Mana Films and can be heard voicing Rave Master Haru Glory in the popular anime series “Rave Master,” airing on Cartoon Network’s Toonami throughout the summer. Lowenthal also recently voiced the character of Shane Vendrell for the video game of popular TV police drama “The Shield” to be released later this year. Lowenthal is slated to star in the feature film “Barstow,” with Monkey Kingdom Productions this fall.
- Mac Animation Pro has a review of this year's SIGGRAPH. Anime gets a mention in area of character animation where Kaydara showed a new rev of Motionbuilder. The software is the suite being used to create SD Gundam Force. Starting at a new price of of $3,495, the professional edition of Motionbuilder 5 enhances character functionality, most notably, by supporting the animation of quadropeds and a new story timeline allowing editing of 3D animation in conjunction with audio and video. A new “time discontinuity” feature allows the user to render preprogrammed motion from different perspectives.
- The News Leader of Missouri mentions Tweens have once again gotten the attention of TV programmers. Anime style and Anime proper programming is apparantly in the offing targeted at the recently christened demographic.
- The Oregonian has online coverage of Kumoricon, the first Portland-area anime convention.
- The Alameda Times Star covers Linkin Park and mentions their anime style video for "Breaking The Habit" -- from "Meteora" -- directed by Nakazawa -- the man behind Lucy Liu's bloody cartoon back story in "Kill Bill, Vol. 1."
"I think that clip is one of the best ever made, and it certainly raised the bar a bit," Bennington of the group says.
- Canadian Globe Technology has it's own write up on Japan's Otaku Economy boom news from last week
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   New CD Soundtracks From ADV Films
HOUSTON, September 1, 2004— ADV Music is excited to announce a September 28 release date for The Best Of Slayers (Radio and Television), featuring music from the best-selling anime series Slayers, the fantasy-adventure story starring the hilarious sorceress Lina Inverse and her friends. In the annals of fantasy, there is no mage more feared, no sorceress more powerful than the fiery redhead Lina Inverse. Relive memories of the (mis)adventures of Lina and her wacky band of friends in this two disc compilation CD set featuring original music from both the television series and motion pictures. Listeners will also be treated to remixes of original songs and Slayers radio dramas straight from Japan! This CD set is a must-have for Slayers fans!
THE BEST OF SLAYERS (RADIO AND TELEVISION) Pre-book: 8/31/04 Street Date: 9/28/04 Catalog: CSL/003 UPC: 702727036521 Format: CD SRP: $14.98

HOUSTON, September 1, 2004— ADV Music invites you to sit back, relax and re-experience the excitement of Capcom®’s hit action game Onimusha 3: Demon Siege without the aggravation of having to use a controller! Onimusha 3: Demon Siege, the original soundtrack album, will be unleashed in a deluxe two disc CD compilation on September 28, 2004.

The Onimusha 3: Demon Siege original soundtrack gives listeners a chance to experience the time-spanning tale of this epic game through music. Onimusha 3: Demon Siege jumps between 14th century Japan and modern day Paris, France as the Onimusha, Samanosuke Akechi, and French solider Jacque Blanc battle the evil forces of the Demon Lord Nobunaga Oda across time. The story of these two warriors is recreated through music, from lush character theme songs to epic battle music. The compilation allows listeners to be exposed to two different eras of culture and time, the exotic simplicity of feudal Japan and the western hustle of modern France. Akari Kaida, one of the many composers featured on this album, commented that “the biggest challenge for this project was determining how to reflect two backgrounds and two time periods in the background music, while giving the overwhelming number of pieces a feeling of unity. Japan and France. Past and future. Bringing these wildly different backgrounds together by using music. Combining the themes of two heroes and other unique characters, while at the same time, creating an atmosphere that matches each scene.”

ONIMUSHA 3: DEMON SIEGE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK Pre-book: 8/31/04 Street Date: 9/28/04 Catalog: CD/011 UPC: 702727077227 Format: CD SRP: $14.98


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   Fantastic Children Trailer
The official Japanese website for the upcoming Fantastic Children anime TV series now hosts a 1:48 long, streaming Quicktime trailer. The series is scheduled to debut in Japan next month, and may be licensed for American release by Bandai Entertainment.
If you want to see the Trailer, go to http://www.f-children.com/movie/index.html
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   part 2
Regarding the auction to become a manga character i reported. heres more news.

The auction winner wins the right to have his likeness inserted as a character in Shinji Mizushima's long-running baseball manga Abusan.

So far, as of 7:30 am September 4th Japan time, there have been 621 bids, with the current high bid at 2,965,000 (US$29,855). The auction started on August 30th and ends on September 6th at 10:43pm (JST).

There is also a Jacket with a sketch, signed and autographed by Shinji Mizushima. Current bidding on this item is at 37,500 yen (US$340), both auctions started and end at the same time.

Other Abusan items, including an autographed baseball mit and Mizushima's baseball jersey will be auctioned off later this month.
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