Attention: Interview with Spike Spencer is Now Up!

You can find it here and here.

It took a long time to get this interview, primarily because of schedules not meshing.  But we were finally able to do it this afternoon (Spike's morning).

There was one answer that I wanted to include in the second interview, but I felt my notes on it weren't good enough for me to quote him accurately.  I asked him about his part in "Excel Saga" as Shioji, the scientist with a "lolita complex." One thing I learned is that voice actors sometimes don't remember all the roles right away, especially when they are as busy an actor as Spike Spencer is (he also wasn't aware that Funimation was re-releasing it soon).  I felt that this was a safe enough spot to put it where I didn't have to quote him directly but at least give a flavor of where the conversation went on this.

I asked him about whether Shioji would be considered controversial now since the uproar over "Dance in the Vampire Bund" and the Tokyo Youth Ordinance Bill, and whether American audiences would go along with it.  He pointed out that he saw several people dressed up as Pedobear, so he's got a point there.

But it was a great overall conversation with him.  Make sure to read the articles over at The Examiner.

Hulu Reviews: "Tiger and Bunny" and "Toriko"

This is not the "Tiger and Bunny" we are talking about...

 

 

 

Heh.  I had to use this picture...it was one of the first results you get when you look up "Tiger and Bunny" images.

Now this is what we are talking about....

Despite the unusual title, it's refreshing to see an original anime come out of Japan that wasn't based on a manga or light novel or another source.

So you're probably wondering what this is about.  Well, it looks like it could be a mecha show, but it's actually a superhero show. Well, more like a parody of a superhero show. And reality shows.  And corporate sponsorship. It's got heart, and some goofy stuff.  But it's one to watch.

In the world of "Tiger and Bunny," 45 years prior, the NEXT started emerging -- people with various superpowers. The most popular of these NEXT, all sponsored by different corporations, are competing on a reality show for the title of "King of the Heroes." The story follows Kotetsu Kobaragi, known as "Wild Tiger," who has a super strength power that only lasts for five minutes, and seems to cause more destruction than he does saving lives.  After the corporation he's sponsoring gets bought out, he not only gets a new suit but also a new partner -- the younger Barnaby Brooks, Jr., who also happens to have the same power that he does, but also has a lot of arrogance.  Neither one wants a new partner, but are forced together by the corporation, so now they have to learn to deal with it.

Now, as I noted in my review on Examiner.com, the idea of superheroes being sponsored by corporations is not a new concept.  If you've ever seen the film "Mystery Men," you know that they touched on the idea with Captain Amazing (the ever wonderful Greg Kinnear) under risk of losing his sponsorships because there hadn't been a major supervillain attacking the city in a long time. But in "Tiger and Bunny," they take the concept to a new level, with each superhero working for a different corporation, which is emblazoned on their costume somewhere.

The characters in "Tiger and Bunny" are fairly likeable.  You kind of feel bad for Kobaragi, especially when they get more into his home life -- he has a daughter who doesn't know that he's a superhero, and he just wants to do the right thing, but just can't seem to get there after so many years as a superhero. Barnaby, or "Bunny" as Kobaragi calls him in the second episode ("Because you hop around like a bunny and you've got bunny ears!"), we have a sense he has a dark past, which I'm sure we'll get more detail on in further episodes.

The animation is very much an American style -- you probably couldn't tell the difference between this show and any action animation for kids out there now.  And it works in the show's favor -- very well done CGI, and some great character designs.

If you haven't started watching this one yet, you can catch it on Hulu or Anime News Network. Episodes are posted on Saturdays.

The first episode of "Toriko" went up on FUNImation's website as well as Hulu last night after being announced earlier this week that the rights were acquired for the streaming from Toei Animation.

My impression based on the first episode? It's...goofy.

Nothing wrong with goofy. But I might have to watch a few more episodes before I make a final impression on the show.

I'm only vaguely familiar with the manga it's based on -- I've seen chapters featured in "Shonen Jump" on occassion (which reminds me -- I still have two back issues I have to catch up with). For those who aren't familiar with it, Toriko is a Gourmet Hunter -- he hunts down the best of gourmet ingredients in order to create his ultimate Full Course Meal.  In this first episode, he's hired to hunt down the gararagator for a gourmet party, but might have gotten in over his head.

The show is typical of a lot of shonen shows -- lots of action, and lots of jokes.  The premise opens itself up to that -- the idea of a muscle bound "Gourmet Hunter" is goofy (there's that word again).  And it doesn't take itself seriously in that regard.

What the first episode did was get me to want to watch more of it.  Which I intend to do -- along with a lot of the other anime I have on my list....sigh.  But at least I can watch at a different pace.

Episodes of "Toriko" are simulcast on Thursdays at 6pm PDT.

Our Thoughts And Prayers Go To Japan

Art by Noizi Ito, illustrator for the Haruhi Suzumiya light novels

I am sorry that I haven't written more here about it, I've just been trying to wrap my mind around it.

So far, over 10,000 feared dead, with 1,800 confirmed as of last night. Nuclear reactors are in danger of meltdown.  And a volcano just erupted earlier today, which may or may not make it difficult for planes to come in for assistance. Food and water is scarce at the moment.

Anime News Network is keeping a running list of anime/manga/industry members who have checked in online.

American simulcasts have been postponed until further notice, since right now it's news 24/7 over there.

Japan has one of the lowest rate of blood donations in the world, so if you can give blood at your local American Red Cross donation center or scheduled blood drive.

So What's Going On With "Dance In The Vampire Bund?"

@NebsTV on Twitter posted on today being the one year anniversary of when FUNImation made its announcement that they would release Dance In The Vampire Bund censored because of concerns about violating US child porn laws, and the outcry from anime fans about the decision. This forced FUNImation to make another announcement that they would take the episodes on a "case by case" basis before making a final decision.

So now, it's a year later.  The show was simulcast on FUNImation's website, and is scheduled for its DVD release this summer.

Is it going to be censored or not?  Don't know yet.  FUNImation hasn't said either way.  I posted on their forum earlier tonight to see if I get an answer.  If I do, I'll post it here.

But when they made the announcement, I didn't fault them for the decision.  It's still their company, and if they have to censor in order to make sure they comply with US laws, then they have to do it.  The sensibilities in Japan are different than they are here in the United States, so I don't think what FUNImation was planning was a bad decision.

Think about when Seven Seas Entertainment acquired the rights for Kodomo no Jikan, a manga that was controversial because of its subject matter involving a nine year old who was infatuated with her teacher and did some rather adult things to get his attention. After going with the title "Nymphet" (because it turned out, "Kodomo no Jikan" was also the title of a hentai anime), Seven Seas made the decision not to publish the title after looking at further chapters in the series and deciding it was getting rather close to lolicon.

So was Dance in the Vampire Bund close enough to lolicon for FUNImation to consider censoring the show?  I'll give you an answer as soon as I find out what it is.

Memorable Anime Character: Minoru Kokobunji

Name: Minoru Kokobunji
Where You've Seen Him: Chobits
His Story: Minoru Kokobunji is a gifted 12 year old who has a harem of maid persecoms, but has special feelings towards persecom Yuzuki, whom he build in the likeness of his late sister. Minoru helps Hideki and Chii figure out whether Chii is one of the elusive Chobits.
Why He's So Memorable: He's not simply a one note character -- like Hideki and Chii, Minoru's character evolves over the course of the series.  In the beginning he warns HIdeki not to fall in love with her, but learns over time that his own brotherly feelings towards Yuzuki are not all that abnormal.

This is the end of the month long series, but not the end of the segment.  Did you feel like I left someone out?  Tell me about them! E-mail me at scooppc11@gmail.com with the name of the character you feel is memorable, what show they are from, their story, and what makes them so memorable. Your character can be featured here!

Memorable Anime Character: D

Name: D
Where You've Seen Him: Vampire Hunter D
His Story: In a post-apocalyptic world, D hunts vampires.  Being half human and half vampire, but belonging to neither world, D is perfectly suited to keeping the vampires in their place.
Why He's So Memorable: He has the same powers as the vampires (Nobles), which makes him particularly dangerous to them.  Plus his left hand has a symbiote in it that talks to him.

Tomorrow -- Our last character for February.

Memorable Anime Character: Jet Black

Name: Jet Black
Where You've Seen Him: Cowboy Bebop
His Story: A former officer with the ISSP, got the nickname "Black Dog" because of his tenacity.  Now a bounty hunter and owner of the ship Bebop, he's now seeking justice on his own terms.
Why He Is Memorable: Not only his mysterious past with the ISSP, Jet is probably the closest thing to a "grown up" on the crew.  He has a cybernetic arm as a reminder of why you shouldn't rush into trouble without looking frst. Plus he's just pretty badass.

Tomorrow -- a vampire/human hybrid who hunts vampires. Not that one, the other one.

Memorable Anime Character: Maka Albarn

Name: Maka Albarn

Where You've Seen Her: Soul Eater

Her Story: Maka is a meister in training at the Death Weapon Meister Academy (DWMA). Along with her "weapon" Soul, they collect keishan souls in an attempt to become meister and death scythe.
Why Her Character Is So Memorable: Maka has a determination and spirit throughout the series that can't be denied. But she also has an easygoing spirit that allows her to connect with other characters such as Crona in meaningful ways.

Tomorrow -- a partner with a past of his own.

Memorable Anime Character: Ichigo Kurosaki

Name: Ichigo Kurosaki
Where You've Seen Him: Bleach
His Story: Ichigo, also known as "The Strawberry" because of his orange hair, can see spirits.  When Ichigo is approached by a Soul Reaper named Rukia who is too weak to capture a soul, he accidentally takes most of her Soul Reaping power to defeat it.  Now Ichigo has to be the Soul Reaper while Rukia lives as a human.
Why He's Memorable: Ichigo is a charcter that ends up growing his role as a Soul Reaper.  Although he could have been like a character in a hundred other stories out there about Shinigamis and Soul Reapers, Ichigo finds hisway around with his sense of humor and determination.

Tomorrow -- If you don't listen to her, she'll take your soul!

Memorable Anime Character: Belldandy

Name: Belldandy

Where You've Seen Her: Oh My Goddess/Ah! My Goddess

Her Story: Belldandy was sent to Earth to answer the call of college student Keiichi Morisato, who unwittingly called the Goddess Hotline.  Thinking the whole thing was a gag, Keiichi wishes that Belldandy would stay with him forever, forcing Belldandy to do so.  Belldandy makes an attempt to make the best of her circumstances.

Why Is She Memorable? Most of the time she's the standard "magical girlfriend."  But she also has an independent streak and proves that she has her own mind.  She can do all kinds of very powerful magic when necessary, especially when she takes off her ear charm.

Trivia: Why the differences in titles? This was a change made when the show was brought to the United States. Author Kosuge Fujishima said that his intention was "Oh My Goddess," but didn't mind the change in title.

Tomorrow -- a teen who sees spirits becomes a reaper.

Memorable Anime Character: Speed Racer

Name: Speed Racer/Go Mifune (Japan)

Where You've Seen Him: Speed Racer

His Story: Speed Racer wants to race, but his father forbids him from doing so.  He eventually goes on to race, however, and finds himself in a series of adventures, including racing against the mysterious Racer X.

Why He's So Memorable: Again, an early example of an anime becoming popular in both Japan and the United States, Speed Racer/Go Mifune values his family above all else. He gets into all kinds of adventures involving all types of criminals.  And he's a snazzy dresser.

Tomorrow -- A goddess on Earth

Memorable Anime Characters: Chii

Name: Chii
Wher You've Seen Her: Chobits
Her Story: Chii is a persecom -- a human shaped personal computer. She was found by ronin student Hideki in the trash one night. But what Hideki doesn't realize is that Chii has secrets of her own that even she isn't aware of.
Why Is She Memorable? Look at her -- she's just so adorable!  Also, watching Chii try to figure out the real world while at the same time unaware of her own abilities as well as discovering whether Hideki is her "someone just for her" is just a great story.

Tomorrow -- A classic 60s anime character that's recently had a live action film made form his story.

Memorable Anime Character Two-fer!

Because of some issues with my laptop yesterday and my attendance at Queen City Kamikaze, I wasn't able to post yesterday's memorable anime character.  So I'm doubling up with yesterday and today's characters.

Name: Excel Excel

Where You've Seen Her: Excel Saga

Her Story: Excel is one of the most energetic members of the group ACROSS. Maybe a little TOO energetic for the taste of her boss, Il Palazzo, whom she has a huge crush on.

Why She's So Memorable: Excel is not the brightest character, but she's a hard worker.  Her tendency towards overexuberance not only makes her character one of the most energetic in anime, but also one of the more memorable ones.

Trivia: Jessica Calvello was the original English voice actress up until episode 13, where she blew her voice out and was replaced by Larissa Wolcott. When you compare the earlier episodes to the later ones you do notice a slight difference in the voices.

Name: Nami
Where You've Seen Her: One Piece
Her Story: Nami is one of the great thiefs, and the navigator for the Straw Hat Pirates.  After her mother was killed, she worked to collect the money needed to free her village, only to have the pirate she made the deal with double cross her.
What Makes Her Memorable: She's the smartest of the Straw Hat Pirates, yet the bossiest. she knows how to use her looks to get what she wants and needs.  Her backstory makes her sympathetic, and her development over time has opened the character up a lot.

Tomorrow -- a computer teaches us how to be human.

"Akira" Live Action Film Getting Rewrite

Anime News Network is reporting that writer Steve Kloves, whose written most of the Harry Potter films as well as The Wonder Boys and The Fabulous Baker Boys, has been signed on to polish up the script for the live action version of Akira that currently doesn't have a release date but has been talked bout for what seems like forever.

It looks like it's going to get out of development hell, guys.

But how good could an American version of the film be?  Back when it was announced that it was going to be released this year, Happy Harry did this video showing one way the film could get "Americanized:"

I honestly hope they don't take the American public for idiots on this one.  The anime is a classic -- a bad live action adaptation would just ruin that.

Memorable Anime Chracter: Kyo Sohma

Name: Kyo Sohma
Where You've Seen Him: Fruits Basket
His Story: Kyo is the cat of the family. Literally.  His fmily is undera curse where if they are touched or hugged by a member of the opposite sex they turn into one of the animals of the Chinese zodiac.  However, Kyo's animal isn't an official member of the zodiac, so that makes him a little irritated.
Why He Is Memorable: Kyo is always itching for a fight with his cousin Yuki ("the rat"). He's a good fighter, but can't seem to beat him.  Over the course of the series, Kyo is influenced by Tohru and slowly strts to become a better person through knowing her.

Tomorrow -- a chick who's too eager to please her boss.

Memorable Anime Character: Naruto Uzumaki

Name: Naruto Uzumaki

Where You've Seen Him: Naruto/ Naruto Shippuden

His Story: Naruto is a ninja who is a member of the Konohagakure village, but has been kicked out because the spirit of the Nine-Tailed Fox is trapped within his body.  Because of this Naruto makes it his goal to be the leader of the village.

Why He's So Memorable: Despite his fate, Naruto stil maintains a cheery attitude.  He makes friends very easily, and has lots of friends in other villages.  He is especially close to his team, called Team 7, and sees them as a family. He also acts very child-like.  But he can still kick some butt.

What's the Difference Between The Two Shows? In "Naruto," the character is younger, about 12. "Naruto Shippuden" takes place when Naruto is about 15.

Tomorrow -- a cat is left out in the cold.



Memorable Anime Characters: L Lawliet

Name: L Lawliet (better known as simply L)
Where You've Seen Him: Death Note
His Story: An orphan of mixed heritage, L is considered one of the greatest detectives in the world. He takes on the Kira case as a challenge.
Why He Is So Memorable: Looking at him, he doesn't look like a great detective. He is constantly eating sweets.  He crouches on chairs, never sits in them.  He holds everything as if it were delicate and about to break in his hands.  But L holds a mind that is absolutely brilliant.  But he also has some moral ambiguity to him, just like Kira.
Trivia (Spoiler): In the manga and the anime, L dies when Light (Kira) tricks the shinigami Ren into writing his name down to "protect" Misa. For the Japanese live action film, although Light still manages to convince Ren into writing L's name in his Death Note, but L beats them to the punch by writing his own name into a Death Note, making Ren's null and void. With this conclusion, although L still dies, it avoided the inclusion of Near and Mello that were controversial at the time.

Tomorrow -- the hero from Leaf Village

Memorable Anime Character: Monkey D. Luffy

Name: Monkey D. Luffy (Luffy)

Where You Have Seen Him: One Piece

His Story: Luffy is a pirate, but not how we typically think of pirates.  He is after the ultimate treasure, the mythical One Piece, so he can become the King of the Pirates.

What Makes Him Memorable: As a kid, Luffy accidentaly ate the Gummi-Gummi fruit, a devil fruit that gives its consumer special abilities.  Because of this, he has a body that is like rubber and can reach anywhere he wants to, and he's surprisingly strong.  However, because of this he also can't swim.  Luffy has an appetite that doesn't quit. And he often doesn't think when he enters into adventures.  But he always manages to pull his way through anything, especially with the help of his friends.

Tomorrow -- a detective as morally ambiguous as the killer he's chasing.

Memorable Anime Character: Tamaki Suou

Name: Tamaki Suou
Where You've Seen Him: Ouran High School Host Club
His Story: Tamaki is the half Japanese/half French leader of the Ouran High School Host Club at Ouran Academy. Despite his home life, Tamaki has a very sunny disposition. But he also can act annoying around others in his position as leader, causing no amount of grief for other members of the club.
Why He Is So Memorable: Tamaki has a way with people.  Most of the time, his focus is on himself.  But he has his moments where his thoughts do turn to thinking about others.  He's endlessly fascinated with the "commoner" lifestyle and even adapts certain aspects of it into his life after meeting Haruhi, such as instant coffee.  He has a way of charming those around him.

Tomorrow -- The future King of the Pirates.

Memorable Anime Character: Gigantor

Name: Gigantor

Where You've Seen Him: Gigantor, also known as Tetsujin 28-go

His Story: Originally designed as a weapon, Gigantor was reprogrammed for peace.  He's controlled by Jimmy Sparks, and can all kinds of neato things like fly and punch things really, really good.

Why He's Memorable: Gigantor is the first mecha character, providing a model for every other mecha show out there.  Everything from Mobile Suit Gundam to Robotech to Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Tomorrow -- the "Princely" type.