So I just got my Amazon.co.jp shipment for the month, containing the October issues of Newtype (JP), Animedia, Animage, and this month I also got The Sneaker, the light novel magazine that publishes Haruhi (among other things). As always, the swag is slightly overwhelming.
1. Darker than Black artbook.
2. Full-size Darker than Black poster (with Geass on the other side, but I already have Geass posters a-plenty…but where will I put it? T_T)
3. Gurren Lagann art/info book.
4. Evangeliwon tote bag.
5. Lucky Star poster.
6. Lucky Star stickers (which will be on my laptop shortly).
7. Haruhi fan (you have to have a handle for it, but it’s pretty nice– Noizi Ito is fabulous).
8. Zero no Tsukaima paper stands (there are Nanoha ones too).
9. Mushi-Uta art-book (*drool*)
10. An animator guidebook.
Most of the US mags come with, what, a centerfold and a DVD? Eh. Oh, and not pictured here– one of the mags comes with Lucky Star English/Japanese flash cards. Like, one side has a Japanese quote, and the other side has the English. AWESOME.
For those unaware, Jonah is the name of the guy who puts together Anime News Service, which was on hiatus since…christ, I dunno, May or something? He does that sometimes. Silly otaku, having a life.
Anyway, I just noticed that he’s been back at least since 9/1, and he seems to have been in quite a tizzy news-wise. (That’s what you get for returning during Evangeliwon’s opening weekend!)
That said, among the notables:
Some new U.S. licenses on Amazon (which are therefore officially “unconfirmed”): Vertical appears to be releasing Osamu Tezuka’s samurai drama Dororo, which was recently made into a live-action movie (sequel pending).
Apparently the weekend of Evangeliwon’s opening was also the weekend of the 62nd anniversary of Japan’s WWII surrender. Japan clearly remembers this sort of thing the way we do. (Kanye West and Fiddy Cent’s duelling rap albums come out on 9/11, after all).
The Lucky Star PS2 game is apparently going to utilize the seiyuu from the anime. More Aya for me? Huzzah! Now, where’s my import PS2?…
In an interview with Mamoru Oshii, the director says he plans to be involved in a new project at least every 2-3 years. (btw, his next project is The Sky Crawlers, not Sky Crow).
Evangeliwon apparently scored big at the box office, taking the #1 spot for the weekend. Of course, the competition isn’t much– some happy family flick called Life: If I can Meet you in Heaven and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (which has been out seven weeks).
Finally, anime studio ufotable has apparently jumped into the manga realm, working with an artist named TARTAN CHECK (of ufotable anime Coyote Ragtime Show and Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight! fame) to create a soccer story called Kiyoku Tadashiku Utsukushiku (which was a bit tricky to translate, but I think it’s roughly “Pure, Righteous, and Beautiful”).
