As you know, we've been chronicling what's been going on with Gonzo, an animation studio in Japan that's been teetering on the brink of nonexistence with no new anime projects (that they've announced) and a LOT of reported troubles, including bits and pieces of them being sold off. Recently all they've really produced is trailers for games, so it's been unclear whether there was something else on the horizon. But now we know that there is: Gonzo is working on a new OVA for Super Street Fighter IV titled Juri, and a production trailer is already out. It'll also be directed by Kizaki Fuminori, perhaps best known for directing both Afro Samurai and its movie follow-up, as well as character designs for the Galaxy Railways TV series and animation-directing Blue Gender.   <object width="640px" height="518px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1U593D22TxU&amp;badVar=0x6699&amp;badVar=0x54abd6&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feature=player_embedded&amp;fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1U593D22TxU&amp;badVar=0x6699&amp;badVar=0x54abd6&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feature=player_embedded&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="640px" height="518px" wmode="transparent"></embed></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param></object>   I think I recognize a few voices, too-- how about you? <3  Is this a sign that Gonzo is getting its business back in order? Optimistic, I always hope so-- but we'll have to wait and see! In the meantime, are you interested in the OVA itself?    
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According to the official SSFIV Japanese blog, the game will be released in the US on April 27th. The Japanese release will launch on April 28th, followed by the European release on the 30th. Kizaki Fuminori — of Afro Samurai fame — will direct a new “Super Street Fighter IV” OVA, which will also be [...]
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You guys didn't think I FORGOT yesterday, did you? Non, non, mes amis! The winner for December 7th is RockmanBionics. I'm not technically sure when he did this, but it was pointed out to me on the 7th, so I hope you'll forgive the slight fudging there-- but it was too awesome. In last week's Squadcast episode we talked about the Bidoof Pokemon, and John in particular tore the poor little creature to shreds. Rockman apparently took pity on the creature and turned his profile into a shrine , with little jumping Bidoofs in the background and a new profile image as well. Too cool. For that coolness, Rockman, you win a copy of Afro Samurai season 1-- on Blu-Ray! Crusader8463 wins for December 8th, and here's why: I did this post summing up the best manga for kids of 2009 as according to the School Library Journal , and Crusader was out the door running with another suggestion for the list, leading a few others to join in. That kind of participation is really awesome, and even MangaBlog's Brigid-- one of the authors of the SLJ article --was pleased and mentioned it at her blog today. So, let's see: adding to the community AND getting us pimped on one of my fave blogs? A definite winner there. Crusader wins a copy of Nabari no Ou Part One, couretsy of FUNimation! Keep on keeping on, my friends. You guys continue to amaze me with everything you're doing around here!
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█ Production I.G has announced its new anime project, named Titan Rain. In the good tradition of the studio, the film will he heavy on CG effects. Tow Ubukata (Le Chevalier d’Eon) and Edmund Shern (CEO of Storm Lion) are going to write it, Atsushi Takeuchi is going to direct it and Takashi Okazaki (Afro Samurai) will do the character design. The music will be handled by Bear McCreary (Battlestar Galactica, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Caprica, Eureka). The Japanese studio will collaborate on this project with the... Related posts:Anime by production typeConan: Red Nails animated feature
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Having heard many good things about the series, I decided to give Afro Samurai a try. This is definitely not a typical anime series for me, so I didn’t know what to expect. However, despite this not being my kind of anime, I enjoyed it quite a bit! Afro Samurai tells the story of the appropriately named [...]
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 And then I'll wiggle my butt around, see, but it's funny because I've drawn eyes on it, so-- In addition to their recent licenses, FUNimation had a new surprise for us today: they're moving into original content. But we're not talking original manga, we're talking original anime. It's not at all uncommon nowadays for an American company to involve itself in the production of a Japanese anime-- whether it's the Animatrix and similar collections, Manga Entertainment 's somewhat ill-fated Highlander anime, or FUNimation's much more successful Afro Samurai, American money is just as good as any for getting a production done. FUNi is taking this to the next level by hiring a new Director of Original Entertainment, Chris Moujaes, who will work on "the acquisition and development of a slate of original anime titles based on major intellectual properties." I'm guessing that this means making anime based on, for example, popular novels, comics, and other such things...and I can't wait to see what their first project is. Here's the full press release for your reading pleasure!   FUNimation Hires Director of Original Entertainment
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 Titan Rain Renowned studio Production I.G has announced a new project today: Titan Rain , a CG film which they'll be co-producing with a production company based in Singapore, Storm Lion Pictures. The project is going to be written by Le Chevalier d'Eon 's Tow Ubukata and directed by Atsushi Takeuchi , who directed an episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and has done illustration, character design, and mech design for some really big names-- the original Ghost in the Shell movie, for example, along with Ah! My Goddess , Blue Drop , Cromartie High School , and plenty of other popular series. But the coolest name attached to the project so far, at least in my opinion, is Takashi "Bob" Okazaki , the creator of Afro Samurai , who will be doing character design for the new flick. As for the project's story, not much is known yet, but it appears to focus on humanity's strength in the face of troubled times-- not unlike, say, Gurren Lagann , and certainly something that could resonate strongly nowadays. The title may also have some hints: Titan Rain, according to Wikipedia, is "the U.S. government's designation given to a series of coordinated attacks on American computer systems since 2003." Also of note: a press release for this new anime is up on I.G's English-language site...but not for their Japanese site. Hmm!  Here's the release.   Production I.G and Storm Lion Unveil Titan Rain
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I hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween! Rachel and I were fortunate enough to catch a great (but brief) dance performance by a DOMO cosplayer! Here’s the clip of DOMO breaking out some slick moves:Related Posts:Madhouse's Anime Iron Man Trailer: The Perfect ExperienceAfro Samurai 2 TrailerHow Do You Make Wolverine Bishi? Just Add [...]
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Afro Samurai TV series is currently airing on TV in Australia on ABC 2 at around 10:30pm on Monday nights. Below is a picture from the Afro Samurai TV series.
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Today X-men hits the shoujo manga scene and yes you read that right, Hatsune Miku goes on concert outside Japan, and Afro Samurai premieres in a US theater. Glass Reflection – Serial Experiments LainShare & Save
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