Ah, I'm SO excited for Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy 2!!! The film opening cannot come soon enough (alright July 11th is almost here, but it's still a whole two weeks away)!

Anyway, here's some clip action for anyone that's interested: here, here, and here from the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (go to the 1:38 mark). Enjoy!

Now that I think about it, is anyone else a Hellboy fan? :\

So, my cuz and I went and saw Bleach The Movie: Memories of Nobody last night. It was interesting, what with a different storyline and new characters. It started with a little message from Tite Kubo, saying how excited he was to visit the U.S. and attend Comic-Con. They also did a little intro of the VAs, showing what they looked like and providing their commentary on their characters. The funniest part of that portion was my cousin yelling out "He was a Power Ranger!" when the VA for Ichigo came on. Evidently, Johnny Yong Bosch, the Black Ranger, does Ichigo's voice for the U.S. adaptation. Also, Renji's VA is probably the opposite of what I thought he would look like (especially since all the other VAs were pretty young).

Anyway, I had a lot of fun watching this movie -- mostly because my cousin and I watched MST3K-style (the theatre wasn't crowded, so I don't feel too guilty for chatting with her). Granted, the storyline was a little odd and out of sequence with the anime and manga, and the long, drawn-out fight scenes are still a bit too much, but overall it was pretty entertaining. While I don't think I'll purchase this when it comes out on DVD, I like supporting these special screenings because then, maybe, companies will bring over even better flicks...

Anyone see the movie last night or plan on catching a screening tonight?

Looks like Weezer's newest album is being promoted in Japan with a poster drawn by manga artist Manabu Akisige, a longtime Weezer fan. It features the two main characters of his Go-On! rock manga listening to the band's new album. Evidently, Weezer plays a pivotal role in the main characters' relationship development. Cool, huh?

Speaking of cool, here's a list of the Top 25 animated films -- and while the placement of some movies is questionable, there are certainly plenty of old favs, too. Sometimes, it's nice to be reminded of all the awesome old-school, hand-drawn animation that's out there...

So, last night's screening of the Death Note movie was cheese-tastic! The best (or worst?) part was the dubbing. YES, it was dubbed. So, I did what anyone does during dubs: I laughed wholeheartedly at inappropriate moments despite knowing it was a "serious" moment. If you're interested in reading my silly review, just beware of spoilers!

( It was the best of times; it was the worst of times... )

Overall, I really enjoyed the flick and had a fun time hanging out with my cousin! Sadly, there were no cosplayers last night, but (surprisingly) there was a diverse cross-section of humanity who walked through those theatre doors. Next up is Bleach the Movie: Memories of Nobody in June!

The past year has seen Hollywood studios jump at the opportunity to produce live-action versions of our fav anime and manga properties, including the recently announced Ghost in the Shell, which will be exec produced by a certain Steven Spielberg, Akira, which is being exec produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, and the in-production Dragon Ball Z.

But, with the massive box office failure of Speed Racer, which came in third in its opening weekend (up against comic book flick Iron Man and the critically panned Ashton Kutcher/Cameron Diaz vehicle, What Happens in Vegas...), will studio heads rethink their plans regarding these flicks based on popular anime and manga?

( My personal/professional thoughts on the matter... )

Anyway, how do you think this affects M. Night Shyamalan's live-action adaptations of Avatar: The Last Airbender, if at all? Any thoughts on how this might affect the other anime- and manga-based flicks?

For the non-Spanish speakers out there, "Why I love Guillermo del Toro..."

For those not in the know, Guillermo del Toro directed the special effects-laden Pan's Labyrinth. He also directed the upcoming Hellboy II (*points at self* BIG Hellboy fan here!) and he just got signed to direct...

DRUM ROLL PLEASE!

The two-film installment of The Hobbit, which is being exec produced by Peter Jackson!!!

I am so excited for him to direct -- he can tell fantastical stories with a visual beauty that harkens to the magical realism of Mexican/Latin literature. He is a true storyteller...And what better story to tell than the prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy?

*cue Jimmy from South Park voice* Ta-ta-tarantino's doing a new anime for Kill Bill...Have you heard about this? Have you seen this?

/Jimmy

Anyway, looks like Uma Thurman let the cat out of the bag for Tarantino's latest project-- some tasty additions to the deluxe edition of Kill Bill! Evidently, Tarantino's (supposedly) expanding on the story of the Bride and Bill with two anime sequences that will be shown during the intermission between the two Kill Bill flicks.

As a HUGE Tarantino and animation fan, I'm really excited to see what unfolds (besides the whole animated backstory of O-Ren Ishii in the original flick was nothing short of AMAZING). Tarantino's films have always struck me as perfect for that kind of treatment, too, what with the raw violence, dark humor, and urban landscapes. Anyway, I'm just hoping that the rerelease comes out on Blu-Ray because I would LOVE to see the Crazy 88s scene in hi-def...

Or, two movies that I'm interested in...

So, it's hit the blogosphere that Leonardo DiCaprio is producing a live-action version of Akira. Ain't It Cool? News and The Anime Blog are reporting the leads with DiCaprio as Kaneda and Joseph Gordon Levitt as Tetsuo. As both leads are great actors (I love Levitt from Third Rock from the Sun), my only beef is that the story, as envisioned by hired director Ruairi Robinson (a first-time feature director, no less), will take place in (as reported by the Hollywood Reporter) "New Manhattan," a city rebuilt by Japanese money, as opposed to New Tokyo. I wonder how will that affect the storyline, or is it just more palatable for American consumers to see the movie take place in a familiar U.S. city?

What do you think about a live-action Akira? Sound exciting or are you already dreading it? Is the Year of the Rat all about making "new" (and mostly live-action) versions of our fav anime (see: Speed Racer, Robotech, the CG Astroboy, etc.)?

The Hollywood Reporter also had a report on the new Wolverine (he of X-Men fame) movie. For the ab-tastic version, visit The Beat. So, there's lots of pretty faces and some interesting namedrops to fill out the cast of the film, which takes place 17 years before the X-Men movies. will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas fame stars as Wraith, a mutant who can go translucent, and Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, a wisecracking mercenary. Oh, and let's not forget Liev Schreiber as Sabretooth, a mutant with bestial superpowers. Anyway, I'm most excited to FINALLY see the introduction of Gambit, one of my fav X-Men (played by relative unknown-- according to The Beat-- the ab-tastic Taylor Kitsch of NBC's Friday Night Lights).

Any other X-Men fans out there? I got into the cartoon in the 1990s and the comic books. I'm "meh" when it comes to the movieverse, but it's done a lot better than a lot of other comic book-based franchises (see: The Incredible Hulk). While I worry that they'll butcher the story about Wolverine, I figure it's WOLVERINE for goodness' sake-- how could it be bad? I'll still most likely pay the $10 to see Hugh Jackman take another shot at the role...

On my morning ritual of eating breakfast in the office while checking out pop culture news, I ran into this. ( A quick rant about a magazine that I fail to get in a timely fashion. )

On another note, I read through this really interesting post on the Publisher's Weekly Web site. In it, the comics blogger, Heidi MacDonald, dissects what went down at the first-ever New York Anime Festival. If you have the chance to read it, look through the comments, too. Interesting discussion going on there on the fans that showed up, what companies weren't there, and what the growing "otaku" culture is looking like...

And, with the end of another year, Johanna Draper Carlson looks at her manga favs and disappointments in 2007. As we get closer to the end of 2007, I'm sure more and more folks will be releasing their lists of picks and pans soon enough. ( Death Note gets some serious criticism. )

As far as new series that quickly became favorites, I'd have to agree with Carlson that Lovely Complex is easy to love-- quirky rom-com that isn't your typical shojo fare. Other series that I've been reading are either continuing series, old series, or only have a volume out, so it's simply too early to review them. ( New manga to be excited about in 2008 )

And there's more than just manga to love in '08-- there are tons of great movies from manga-inspired live-action flicks like Honey and Clover and Lovely Complex, to comic book-based sequels like The Dark Knight and Hellboy II: The Golden Army.

So, what were your favs of 2007 and what are you looking forward to most in '08?

There was a really interesting discussion on the marketing of manga and anime on the Uncle Bear blog yesterday. In it, the writer discusses the reasons why he's stopped his attempts to find anime/manga that appeal to him and he bases the discussion on the lack of genre marketing within anime/manga. He postulates that the anime/manga market, as a whole, has a target demographic of teenagers and that, since he's outside of that demographic, finds it entirely too difficult to find titles he would like. Furthermore, if companies started to market via genres within anime/manga, i.e., horror or sci fi, it may drive people outside the main demographic to make more purchases. Also, in the comments someone mentions that publishers/marketers need to remove the jargon/"insider baseball" terms, like shojo and shonen, and simply say teen girl's romance or teen boy's action instead. It's an interesting bit of commentary in my opinion and shows how much more the industry needs to "grow" in its perception of consumers in order to become more marketable/profitable.

For anyone looking to relive old times, The Comics Journal has an interview with Jason Thompson, wherein Thompson muses on his start in the manga business. For anyone out of the loop, Thompson is the author of Manga: The Complete Guide and is manga editor for Otaku USA. In comparing this interview with the above blog commentary, it's interesting to see how far the industry has come in the past decade or so.

Also, since I just got into the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer, I was interested to hear that a director for the film adaptation of the first book has been signed.

Lastly, we haven't seen the last of Wallace & Gromit! It seems that creator Nick Park is going to do a 30-minute short for BBC1. To keep up with the production, you can check out WallaceandGromit.com for updates. Claymation is one of my favorite forms of animation, albeit a somewhat "lost art" in the age of digital animation...

Happy Friday all! So, I haven't been posting much lately--we spent last weekend in Chicago (it was hot, humid, and then it rained...but we had lots of fun visiting family) and I've been busy with work and wedding stuff all this week.

But, I found a couple of interesting things that I wanted to share with you. So, remember Voltron: Defender of the Universe? Well, it looks like there's a live-action film being made about it...I guess the box office success of Transformers has everyone thinking twice about other mecha-themed movies. The article, from Hollywood trade Variety, also mentions other animated classics going live action, including Alvin and the Chipmunks (I don't even want to imagine this sure-to-be travesty), He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, and Street Fighter (didn't they learn the first time around that this was a bad idea?).

The Anime Blog has an interesting poll up today about policing the anime fan community. The author talks about how lolicon, shotacon, and hentai could be ruinous to the general anime fan community and keeping some people away from the animated genre as a whole...It's an interesting conversation and moves into the role of industry- and self-censorship in the anime fandom.

Lastly, I couldn't help but laugh at the introductory news release from Yen Press. Remember my quick description of Sundome from their Comic-Con panel? Well, look at the nice little spin Yen Press gave it (from MangaBlog):

The first, acquired from Akita Shoten, is Kazuto Okada’s high school sex comedy Sundome (Rated M: Mature). Scheduled for release in January, Sundome is the story of an apathetic young man whose dull existence is forever changed when an assertive young woman wants to join the same after-school club in which he is a member. If only all after-school clubs were as hands on as this!

Ah, nothing like good ol' PR spin first thing in the morning...Not to mention a serious double entendre! XD

As you all know (or will know soon), I'm a big fan of all things animated. I grew up on reruns of Hanna-Barbera, Looney Tunes, and Disney, and thought that nothing would ever surpass The Flintstones when it came to longevity.

Of course, any fan of The Simpsons knows just how wrong I am. With the premiere of The Simpsons movie looming around the corner, LA Weekly has a great interview with creator Matt Groening in this week's issue. Since my fiancé is a BIG fan, I'm sure we'll find ourselves in a darkened theater sometime soon...

Happy reading!

Since I actually considered calling in sick today so I could go watch the new Harry Potter flick, I decided to settle for this:


Find out your Harry Potter personality at LiquidGeneration!

So, yeah, I'll go see it this weekend instead...

And for anyone wondering where the hell the epilogue is for "College Daze," I promise to get it posted soon--it's just that my little sister has been seriously monopolizing my time (as evidenced by my lack of posting here)...However, she's ending her rampage of San Diego today, as she's taking a redeye flight back home tonight...

If you've seen this, then you already know--I've turned in the epilogue to beyondthemoor and am awaiting her feedback. In the words of the Grateful Dead, "What a long, strange trip it's been..."

It's awesome to think that I started something--a completely new something to me, since I'd only recently learned about fanfiction when I started writing--and finished it! And it's just icing on the cake that I was lucky enough to have an audience that loved the story as much as I do...

( So about that sequel... )

In other news, I decided to blog from Comic-Con-- evidently the entire Convention Center is wireless, so I'll be able share the fun with peeps no matter where I'm at. I expect it to be a nice way to pass the time while I'm waiting for a panel to start...So, I'll be blogging from LJ and for another blog that will remain nameless for the time being (I'm still working out some of the details with them right now). Anyway, I'll be able to share the latest and greatest news from the Avatar: The Last Airbender panel, as well as many others!

And here's the little news round-up I find myself doing every-so-often these days...

( What is it about the movies these days? Plus a new magazine... )

So, I think that's enough fangirlish stuff for the time being...Enjoy!

The Washington Post has a great interview with Satoshi Kon about making Paprika, which opened last weekend in Washington D.C. "Anime's Dream Weaver" also shares his thoughts on consumerism of all things. It's a brief, but interesting read. Enjoy!

So, I went and saw Paprika, the new Satoshi Kon flick, on Friday night and it was AMAZING!

The story was interesting, the subtitles were easy to follow without missing the action, and the animation itself was breathtaking. While there were some small unresolved issues, it was nonetheless a highly enjoyable film.

( Cut to spare your f-list of anything you might consider a spoiler... )
Overall, I give Paprika an 'A-minus' and I highly suggest you see this film if it's playing anywhere near you!

...to a live action version of Thundercats--Warner Bros. has clarified that they are doing the entire movie in CGI. It will be animated, so no worries about a horrible live action version of the movie-- all we have to worry about now is a horrible animated version...

Alright, so I'm not the biggest fan of live action interpretations of cartoons-- mostly because they fail miserably...Exhibit A: The Flintstones, Exhibit B: Popeye, Exhibit C: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-- yup, all based on American cartoons and all HORRIBLE.

Now this doesn't mean that all anime --> live action films are horrible, at their worst they are, but at their best, they're funny and entertaining in a slightly cheese-filled way.


While I meditate on the possibilities, I'll wait until Comic-Con before I make any decisions...Warner Brothers is hosting a panel, so we'll have to see how that goes...

WOOHOO-- I just found out that Paprika is opening in San Diego on June 15th!!! What makes this awesome is that I don't have to drive 1.5 hours to Irvine and instead can just drive 15 minutes to Hillcrest (and grab some yummy food somewhere nearby as the neighborhood's a culinary mecca of goodness)!

And it's opening in other U.S. and Canadian cities, too!

For once, my patience has paid off! XD

I just found out that Thundercats is coming to the big screen!!! This was one of my fav cartoons when I was a kid and I'm uber excited to see what Warner Bros. has up its sleeve...Unfortunately, the article doesn't make mention of whether or not it'll be animated or live action-- I'm keeping my fingers crossed for animated!

To boot, Teen Titans is also being optioned for a major feature, too! I wonder if DC will have anything on the Teen Titans film at Comic-Con...