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animeherald · 6 years
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Brand New Shiny Days: ASAKA Talks to Anime Herald
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Asaka was kind enough to talk to a group of outlets. The first question that arose focused on how she decided to enter the music industry:
“I attended an international school. When I was thirteen, my teacher said I was talented and that I should consider a career in music. Unfortunately, he passed away last year.” -Asaka
I asked whether she has an album planned.
“I have no plans for an album at the moment. I have a new ED coming out in July. I would love to do an album.” -Asaka
I’m going to go out of chronological order in this case, and note that later in the interview Asaka said that her goal was to have an album come out in 2019 or 2020. She added:
“I would like to produce an album that I could look back [at] in a decade, and say ‘this portrayed [the young Asaka]’. -Asaka
She added that she would love to produce an album in English as well.
The following question shifted the topic to her views on anisongs, and if they’ve changed after entering the industry.
“My listening experience has changed. Now, when I hear an anisong I put myself in their position and imagine how I would sing it.” -Asaka
The next question was about Play the Game, her song that was used as the Occultic Nine opening theme. Asaka shared that is was a new experience for her.
“I had already done the ED (Open Your Eyes), but this was my first time singing an OP.” -Asaka
When asked about her inspirations, Asaka singled out May’n and her work in Macross Frontier.
“I met May’n three years ago. I’m not sure she remembers me. I’d love to meet her again as an anisong singer.” -Asaka
Asaka was asked about her current musical tastes, and if they included the Jackson Five (A reference to the beginning of Shiny Days, which opens about as “Jackson Five” as a song can):
“Listening to songs in Japanese resonates most with me, but I listen to a variety of music. I’m not part of the Jackson Five generation, though. It took some work to mimic the American syllables.” -Asaka
(Editor’s Note: I think the translator might have missed something here, as Asaka talked a bit about how she listened to the Jackson Five, but I didn’t catch all of it myself).
I took a moment to ask Asaka about her current tastes in games and anime.
“I like horror games… Five Nights at Freddy’s, Outlast, Outbreak, Biohazard (Resident Evil in the west). For anime… Gintama, Attack on Titan.” -Asaka
Career-wise she stated that anime songs are her passion, but that she might consider acting, especially if she got an American offer. She followed up noting that, in particular, she’d enjoy being a horror actress.
When questioned about what anime more people should watch, Asaka had to think a bit. She suggested the Junji Ito Collection.
She closed, saying that it felt great to be back in America (she spent five years in Michigan when she was young). Returning as a singer was special for her.
“I’d love to do more solo concerts, and for anisong to become more popular in America.” -Asaka
Special thanks to Asaka for speaking with us. Thanks to Anime Boston for providing this opportunity.
Brand New Shiny Days: ASAKA Talks to Anime Herald Seth Burn
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animeherald · 6 years
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The Dream Weaver and Ghost Master, A Conversation With Hirokatsu Kihara
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Before the interview began, I noticed Kihara outside looking at the Japanese Hip-Hop panel. I began our interview by asking if he wanted to talk about his time at Ghibli, his work in Japanese horror, or Japanese Hip-Hop (or Japanese Horror/Hip Hop via Charasma.com). He laughed and said that we could start with Winchester.
The real life Winchester House is an officially recognized California historical landmark. As for the movie, it’s strangely relevant right now, as the Winchester family is haunted by the victims of gun violence. Simon Abrams (via Roger Ebert) liked the film, but it didn’t do with the critics overall. You can’t win ‘em all, Helen Mirren.
“I’ve been to the Winchester House.” -Hirokatsu Kihara
Kihara is an accomplished ghost hunter, as well as a prolific horror novelist. However, he wanted to share some of his frustrations with the Japanese horror film industry. Kihara explained that he had been pushing for a traditional Japanese horror movie in the vein of Paranormal Activity. It frustrated him that America beat Japan to the punch. That said, even more frustrating was the fact that he had written a book one year in advance of the Blair Witch Project telling the same “stationary point of view” style of story.
Kihara wanted to note that ghost stories aren’t necessarily horror. While some, like The Ring or The Grudge are, Japanese ghost stories often lack the blood or violence we’ve come to expect in America. You can check out some of Kihara’s work via his website.
At this point, Kihara wanted to switch gears to his time at Ghibli. Let me first apologize, as I will not be able to show you the images Kihara showed me. As it was explained to me, Kihara has the right to possess the pictures and images he saved from Ghibli, but not the right to display them on the internet. Since no one wants to get emails from dour Japanese attorneys, I’ll simply have to write about the images Kihara rescued.
Kihara worked on Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, and Kiki’s Delivery Service. Miyazaki himself was impressed with Kihara’s work on Castle in the Sky, so he promoted Kihara up to production assistant.
“It was a happy time for me. I got to watch Miyazaki create movies from scratch.” -Hirokatsu Kihara
Specifically, Kihara was a production manager, and anything that was going to get discarded had to go through him. As Kihara oversaw the entire process, he had the ability to rescue anything he felt should be preserved for history from being condemned to the trash. This included:
Miyazaki’s original character designs
Rough sketches
The first design of the company logo
The first character designs for My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki’s Delivery Service
Stills and cels from the films
“Normally, all of this is discarded after the film is made.” -Hirokatsu Kihara
I was slack-jawed at the original sketch of the logo. It’s pretty much exactly what Ghibli went with, and I’m amazed that such things were meant for the discard pile. Then again, I guess a studio like Ghibli creates a ton of rough drafts and can’t possibly store them all.
Kihara ended up bringing a staggering amount of these images and drafts to Boston:
“I’ll do anything for the people who love these works.” -Hirokatsu Kihara
He wasn’t kidding. Included in his book are some of the unused storyboards from My Neighbor Totoro.
“No other copies exist.” -Hirokatsu Kihara
Perhaps the coolest thing (beyond even the logo), was the twelve image series of the Catbus. As Kihara explained it to me, Miyazaki drew the first image, and then had the artist team draw the other eleven to complete the cycle of the Catbus in motion.
While he hasn’t been directly involved with Ghibli for many years, Kihara had some thoughts about the evolution of the industry. He showed me cells from Castle in the Sky: one with a black background, the other white. Each had a slightly different shade of green.
“It’s much simpler with CGI. We had to draw everything with different colors from scratch. Now you just touch a pixel and ‘click’.” -Hirokatsu Kihara
The particular image Kihara showed me was right when Laputa was revealing her necklace, so it was an important scene to get right.
“The main reason I’m here is to talk about hand-drawn animation.” -Hirokatsu Kihara
As for a potential return to the animation industry:
“If Disney or Pixar ask, I’d say yes. I’m not sure I’d want to return to the domestic animation industry.” -Hirokatsu Kihara
“Perhaps I’m an underdog like Rocky, and I’m the key to Disney’s dream.” -Hirokatsu Kihara
(Editor’s Note: According to my notes, someone was humming Gonna Fly Now, the Rocky theme, but I have no idea who.)
I really can’t accurately express  both how cool, and how @#$^%*& valuable Kihara’s book is. He noted that when he was on a panel, a fellow host said he was walking around with over 10 million yen (About $94,000 USD).
Finally, Kihara added that he promised to mention his voice-acting work as the minister of defense in DC Super Heroes vs. Eagle Talon.
Let me close with Kihara’s thoughts about Anime Boston:
“The people of Anime Boston are my friends.” -Hirokatsu Kihara
Likewise, Mr. Kihara. Special thanks to Hirokatsu Kihara for speaking with us. Special thanks to Akira Negi for interpreting. Thanks to Anime Boston for providing this opportunity.
The Dream Weaver and Ghost Master, A Conversation With Hirokatsu Kihara Seth Burn
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animeherald · 6 years
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“My Hero Academia THE MOVIE: Futari no Hero” Gets New Teaser Trailer
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All-Might is looking mighty energetic in this new trailer.
Earlier today, the official My Hero Academia THE MOVIE: Futari no Hero (My Hero Academia the Movie: The Two Heroes) website updated with a new teaser trailer. The 30-second promo introduces “I Island”, and offers a quick glimpse at a much younger All-Might.
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At the end of the promo, All-Might cries “Let’s go!”
My Hero Academia THE MOVIE: Futari no Hero hits Japanese theaters on August 3.
The film will be set overseas, on a massive, man-made floating city known as “I Island.” The feature is set during the Forest Training Arc, and promises to show the “younger days of All-Might.”
The My Hero Academia anime TV series will return to Japanese TV on April 7. The new will focus on the original manga’s “Forest School Trip” arc. Funimation will stream the first six episodes day and date with the Japanese episode premieres. The new season will run for 25 episodes.
My Hero Academia is based on Kohei Horikoshi’s manga of the same name. Kenji Nagasaki will return to direct the new season at Bones, with Yousuke Kuroda (Gundam Build Fighters, Trigun) penning the show’s scripts. Yoshihiko Umakoshi (Berserk) is in charge of character designs.
UVERWORLD will provide opening theme song Odd Future, while Miwa performs the show’s closing theme song.
New cast members for the run include:
Mandalay (“Telepath” Quirk): Chisa Suganuma
Ragdoll (“Search” Quirk): Meiko Kawasaki
Tora (“Pliabody” Quirk): Shinnosuke Ogami
Pixie-bob (“Earth Flow” Quirk): Serina Machiyama
Kōta Izumi: Michiru Yamazaki
Mustard (Quirk: Sleep Gas): Kiyotaka Furushima
Moonfish (Quirk: Tooth Blade): Shuhei Matsuda
Muscular (Quirk: Muscle Augment): Kousuke Takaguchi
Twice (Quirk: “Double”): Daichi Endō
Mr. Compress (Quirk: “Compress”): Tsuguo Mogami
Spinner: Ryō Iwasaki
Magne (Quirk: “Magnetism”): Satoru Inoue
Ragdoll, Pixie-bob, Tora, and Ragdoll are members of the “Pussycats” Hero team. Mustard, Moonfish, and Muscular are members of the League of Villains. Kōta Izumi is a child who lost his parents, and grew to hate Heroes.
Funimation describes the new season as:
Summer is here, and the heroes of Class 1-A and 1-B are in for the toughest training camp of their lives! A group of seasoned pros pushes everyone’s Quirks to new heights as the students face one overwhelming challenge after another. Braving the elements in this secret location becomes the least of their worries when routine training turns into a critical struggle for survival.
Source: Twitter (heroaca_movie)
“My Hero Academia THE MOVIE: Futari no Hero” Gets New Teaser Trailer Samantha Ferreira
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animeherald · 6 years
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animeherald · 6 years
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Funimation Adds Hinamatsuri to Spring 2018 SimulDub Lineup
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Remember, this is the one not in Kamurocho.
Earlier today, Funimation announced that they will stream Hinamatsuri as part of their Spring 2018 SimulDub lineup. The show’s premiere schedule and regions will be announced at a later date.
Hinamatsuri will hit Japanese TV on April 6. The full broadcast schedule is as follows:
AT-X: 4/6/2018 at 21:00 (4/6/2018 at 9:00PM)
KBS Kyoto: 4/6/2018 at 25:40 (4/7/2018 at 1:40AM)
Tokyo MX: 4/6/2018 at 25:40 (4/7/2018 at 1:40AM)
TV Aichi: 4/7/2018 at 25:50 (4/8/2018 at 1:50AM)
BS11: 4/7/2018 at 27:00 (4/8/2018 at 3:00AM)
Sun TV: 4/8/2018 at 24:30 (4/9/2018 at 12:30AM)
TVQ Kyushu: 4/8/2018 at 26:35 (4/9/2018 at 2:35AM)
The series is based on Masao Ohtake’s manga of the same name. Kei Oikawa (Outbreak Company, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU TOO!) was tapped to direct the series at studio feel., with Kanetoshi Kamimoto (Dagashi Kashi, So I Can’t Play H) providing character designs. Keiichirō Ōchi (La Corda d’Oro Blue Sky) is in charge of series composition for the project.
Rie Murakawa will perform opening theme song Distance. Yoshiki Nakajima will handle closing theme Sake to Ikura to 893 to Musume (Salted Salmon, Salmon Roe, 893, and the Girl). Both songs will receive CD singles, with Distance hitting stores on May 9, while Sake to Ikura to 893 to Musume ships to stores on May 23.
Other confirmed crew members include:
Music: Yasuhiro Misawa
Art Director: Shunichiro Yoshihara
Chief Animation Director: Kanetoshi Kamimoto
Sound Director: Satoshi Motoyama
Director of Photography: Yuuta Nakamura
Art Setting: Kaoru Aoki
Assistant Director: Katsura Matsubara
Color design: You Iwaida
Editing: Daisuke Hiraki
Key Animation: Kuniaki Masuda
Key Animation: Ryō Araki
Key Animation: Tetsuya Takeuchi
The confirmed voice cast includes:
Hina: Takako Tanaka
Yoshifumi Nitta: Yoshiki Nakajima
Anzu: Rie Murakawa
Hitomi Mishima: Kaede Hondo
Utako: Yōko Hikasa
Mao: Ari Ozawa
Kashira (“Boss”): Tsuyoshi Koyama
Sabu: Kengo Kawanishi
The Hinamatsuri manga launched in Enterbrain’s Fellows! magazine in 2009. After Fellows! ended publication, the title moved to successor publication Harta. To date, twelve collected volumes have been published, with the thirteenth book set to hit bookstores on Friday.
Crunchyroll is also streaming Hinamatsuri this season. They describe the show as:
Nitta Yoshifumi, a young, intellectual yakuza, lived surrounded by his beloved pots in his turf in Ashigawa. But one day, a girl, Hina, arrives in a strange object, and uses her telekinetic powers to force Nitta to allow her to live with him, putting an end to his leisurely lifestyle. Hina tends to lose control of herself, wreaking havoc both at school and in Nitta’s organization. Though troubled, he finds himself taking care of her. What will become of this strange arrangement?
Source: Twitter (Funimation)
Funimation Adds Hinamatsuri to Spring 2018 SimulDub Lineup Samantha Ferreira
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animeherald · 6 years
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Violet Evergarden Gets “Completely New” Anime Project
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It looks like fans will be able to explore Violet’s world once more.
Earlier today, the Violet Evergarden anime’s official Twitter account announced that a new anime project is in the works. The work is described as a “completely new” title.
The Violet Evergarden anime hits Netflix in the United States tomorrow. The series originally began airing on Japanese TV on January 10. Netflix started simulcasting the series outside of the United States on January 11.
Taichi Ishidate (Beyond the Boundary) is directing the project at Kyoto Animation, with Akiko Takase providing character designs. Reiko Yoshida (K-On!! franchise, Girls und Panzer) is in charge of series composition.
TRUE was tapped to perform the show’s opening theme.
Other confirmed crew members include:
Sound Director: Yota Tsuruoka
Music: Evan Call
3D Director: Rin Yamamoto
Art Director: Mikiko Watanabe
Color Design: Yūka Yoneda
Director of Photography: Kōhei Funamoto
Editing: Kengo Shigemura
Music Producer: Shigeru Saitō
Prop Design: Hiroyuki Takahashi, Minoru Ōta
World Setting: Takaaki Suzuki
The Japanese voice cast includes:
Violet Evergarden: Yui Ishikawa
Claudia Hodgins: Takehito Koyasu
Gilbert Bougainvillea: Daisuke Namikawa
Cattleya Baudelaire: Aya Endo
Benedict Blue: Kōki Uchiyama
Erica Brown: Minori Chihara
Iris Cannary: Haruka Tomatsu
The Violet Evergarden anime made its world debut at Anime Expo 2017. The convention described the title as:
There are words Violet heard on the battlefield, which she cannot forget. These words were given to her by someone she holds dear, more than anyone else. She does not yet know their meaning. A certain point in time, in the continent of Telesis. The great war which divided the continent into North and South has ended after four years, and the people are welcoming a new generation.
Violet Evergarden, a young girl formerly known as “the weapon”, has left the battlefield to start a new life at CH Postal Service. There, she is deeply moved by the work of “Auto Memories Dolls”, who carry people’s thoughts and convert them into words.
Violet begins her journey as an Auto Memories Doll, and comes face to face with various people’s emotions and differing shapes of love. All the while searching for the meaning of those words.
Source: Otakomu
Violet Evergarden Gets “Completely New” Anime Project Samantha Ferreira
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animeherald · 6 years
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Crunchyroll Adds Hinamatsuri to Spring 2018 Simulcasts
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It looks like the mobsters are making their way to Crunchyroll this season.
Earlier today, Crunchyroll announced that they will stream Hinamatsuri as part of their Spring 2018 simulcast lineup. The show’s première schedule and regions will be announced at a later date.
Hinamatsuri will hit Japanese TV on April 6. The full broadcast schedule is as follows:
AT-X: 4/6/2018 at 21:00 (4/6/2018 at 9:00PM)
KBS Kyoto: 4/6/2018 at 25:40 (4/7/2018 at 1:40AM)
Tokyo MX: 4/6/2018 at 25:40 (4/7/2018 at 1:40AM)
TV Aichi: 4/7/2018 at 25:50 (4/8/2018 at 1:50AM)
BS11: 4/7/2018 at 27:00 (4/8/2018 at 3:00AM)
Sun TV: 4/8/2018 at 24:30 (4/9/2018 at 12:30AM)
TVQ Kyushu: 4/8/2018 at 26:35 (4/9/2018 at 2:35AM)
The series is based on Masao Ohtake’s manga of the same name. Kei Oikawa (Outbreak Company, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU TOO!) was tapped to direct the series at studio feel., with Kanetoshi Kamimoto (Dagashi Kashi, So I Can’t Play H) providing character designs. Keiichirō Ōchi (La Corda d’Oro Blue Sky) is in charge of series composition for the project.
Rie Murakawa will perform opening theme song Distance. Yoshiki Nakajima will handle closing theme Sake to Ikura to 893 to Musume (Salted Salmon, Salmon Roe, 893, and the Girl). Both songs will receive CD singles, with Distance hitting stores on May 9, while Sake to Ikura to 893 to Musume ships to stores on May 23.
Other confirmed crew members include:
Music: Yasuhiro Misawa
Art Director: Shunichiro Yoshihara
Chief Animation Director: Kanetoshi Kamimoto
Sound Director: Satoshi Motoyama
Director of Photography: Yuuta Nakamura
Art Setting: Kaoru Aoki
Assistant Director: Katsura Matsubara
Color design: You Iwaida
Editing: Daisuke Hiraki
Key Animation: Kuniaki Masuda
Key Animation: Ryō Araki
Key Animation: Tetsuya Takeuchi
The confirmed voice cast includes:
Hina: Takako Tanaka
Yoshifumi Nitta: Yoshiki Nakajima
Anzu: Rie Murakawa
Hitomi Mishima: Kaede Hondo
Utako: Yōko Hikasa
Mao: Ari Ozawa
Kashira (“Boss”): Tsuyoshi Koyama
Sabu: Kengo Kawanishi
The Hinamatsuri manga launched in Enterbrain’s Fellows! magazine in 2009. After Fellows! ended publication, the title moved to successor publication Harta. To date, twelve collected volumes have been published, with the thirteenth book set to hit bookstores on Friday.
Crunchyroll describes Hinamatsuri as:
Nitta Yoshifumi, a young, intellectual yakuza, lived surrounded by his beloved pots in his turf in Ashigawa. But one day, a girl, Hina, arrives in a strange object, and uses her telekinetic powers to force Nitta to allow her to live with him, putting an end to his leisurely lifestyle. Hina tends to lose control of herself, wreaking havoc both at school and in Nitta’s organization. Though troubled, he finds himself taking care of her. What will become of this strange arrangement?
Source: Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll Adds Hinamatsuri to Spring 2018 Simulcasts Samantha Ferreira
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animeherald · 6 years
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Crunchyroll Adds MegaloBox to Spring 2018 Simulcasts
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© Asami Takamori, Chibutoritsu / Kodansha / MegaloBox Project
Put up your dukes, anime fans, because this season just got exciting.
Earlier today, Crunchyroll announced that they will stream MegaloBox as part of their simulcast lineup. The series will launch on April 5 for subscribers in the following regions:
North America
Latin America (including South and Central America)
the Middle East
North Africa
the United Kingdom
Ireland
Scandinavia
Australia
New Zealand
Crunchyroll started streaming a subtitled trailer for the series, which you can check out below.
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Megalobox is an original project, which is being produced to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Ashita no Joe (Tomorrow’s Joe) manga. You Moriyama will helm the project at TMS Entertainment, with the team of Katsuhiko Manabe (Shin Kyūseishu Densetsu Hokuto no Ken: Raoh-den Gekitō no Shō) and Kensaku Kojima taking charge of series composition and scripts.
mabanua (Kids on the Slope) is scoring the soundtrack. In addition, You Moriyama will pull double duty on conceptual design.
The confirmed voice cast includes:
Junk Dog: Yoshimasa Hosoya
Gansaku Nanbu: Shiro Saito
Yukiko Shirato: Nanako Mori
Sachio: Michiyo Murase
Fujimaki: Hiroyuki Kinoshita
Yūri: Hiroki Yasumoto
The series will revolve around a new character, named JD (short for “Junk Dog”). JD lives far from a charmed life, having to participate in fixed underground boxing matches to earn the funds to stay alive. On one special day, though, JD encounters a special person in the ring, and decides that he wants to risk it all in one grand challenge.
A manga adaptation of Megalobox by Chikara Sakuma, titled Megalobox – Shukumei no Sōken, will launch in the March 2018 issue of Kodansha’s Shonen Magazine Edge. The publication ships to retailers on February 17.
Source: Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll Adds MegaloBox to Spring 2018 Simulcasts Samantha Ferreira
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animeherald · 6 years
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animeherald · 6 years
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Hulu Reveals Spring 2018 Simulcast Lineup
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Much like spring, itself, the anime landscape is looking very green today.
Earlier today, Hulu unveiled their Spring 2018 anime simulcast lineup. The publisher will stream the following:
Tokyo Ghoul:re (4/3/2018)
My Hero Academia Season 3 (4/7/2018)
Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online (4/7/2018)
High School DxD Hero (4/10/2018)
Persona 5 The Animation (4/7/2018)
Mobile Suit Gundam The Origin VI (5/5/2018)
In addition, Hulu will add the following:
My Hero Academia Season 2, Part 1 (Dubbed, 4/10/2018)
Attack on Titan Season 2 (Dubbed, 4/10/2018)
Mobile Suit Gundam UC Season 1 (Subbed & Dubbed, Now Available)
Grave of the Fireflies (Subbed & Dubbed, Now Available)
Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma (Subbed & Dubbed, Now Available)
Tokyo Ghoul:re
Odahiro Watanabe (Soul Buster) is directing the project at Studio Pierrot, with Atsuko Nakajima (Ranma ½, You’re Under Arrest!) providing character designs. Chuuji Mikasano (Tokyo Ghoul, Tokyo Ghoul √A) is in charge of series composition for the title.
Hulu describes the show as:
Taking place two years after the raid of the cafe “Anteika” by the CCG detachment, a new detachment’s investigator, Sasaki Haiske supervises teenagers who have parts of ghoul implanted in them. But he is often tormented by nightmares, in which he sees a white-haired young man with a red eye.
My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia is based on Kohei Horikoshi’s manga of the same name. Kenji Nagasaki will return to direct the new season at Bones, with Yousuke Kuroda (Gundam Build Fighters, Trigun) penning the show’s scripts. Yoshihiko Umakoshi (Berserk) is in charge of character designs.
Hulu describes the title as:
Summer is here, and the heroes of Class 1-A and 1-B are in for the toughest training camp of their lives! A group of seasoned pros pushes everyone’s Quirks to new heights as the students face one overwhelming challenge after another. Braving the elements in this secret location becomes the least of their worries when routine training turns into a critical struggle for survival.
Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online
Masayuki Sakoi (Celestial Method, Kamen no Maid Guy) was tapped to direct Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online at Studio 3Hz, with Yoshio Kosakai pulling double duty as character designer and chief animation director. Yousuke Furoda (Gundam Build Fighters, My Hero Academia) is in charge of series composition for the title.
Hulu describes the show as:
In the world of guns and steel that is Gun Gale Online, LLENN has been a devoted, female solo player. She is obsessed with two things: donning herself entirely in pink and honing her skills with consistent game play. She soon discovers her love for hunting other players (a.k.a. PK), soon to be known as the “Pink Devil.”
High School DxD Hero
Yoshifumi Sueda (Rail Wars!) was tapped to direct High School DxD Hero at studio Passione, with Makoto Uno (Love Hina, Rail Wars!) providing character designs. Kenji Konuta (Saiyuki Reload Blast, Blood Lad) is in charge of series composition for the show.
Hulu describes the title as:
After being killed by a fallen angel, Issei Hyodo is brought back to life by the gorgeous president of his high school’s Occult Research Club, Rias Gremory, who turns out to be a high-ranking demon. With devilish new powers, Issei is bound to serve Rias.
Mobile Suit Gundam The Origin VI
Series creator Yoshikazu Yasuhiko is serving as Chief Director on Mobile Suit Gundam The Origin VI at Sunrise, with Takashi Imanishi (Armored Trooper Votoms: The Heretic Saint, Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory) working as director. The team of Tsukasa Kotobuki (Knights of Ramune & 40 Fire, Saber Marionette J manga) and Yoshikazu Yasuhiko (Mobile Suit Gundam, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam) is collaborating on character designs, while Katsuyuki Sumisawa (Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Inuyasha) writes the screenplay.
Hulu describes the feature as:
A decisive battle between Zeon and the Earth Federation begins at Side 5, or Loum. Though the Zeon forces are outnumbered, their secret plan suddenly turns the tide of battle.
Source: Hulu (Email Communication)
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animeherald · 6 years
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Right Stuf’s “Aria the Animation” Dub Adds Angora Deb, Karen Smith
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It looks like Amelie’s ready to sail into this dubbed anime world.
Earlier today, Right Stuf revealed the two new cast members in their English dub for Aria the Animation in a “backers-only” Kickstarter update. The adaptation will add the following:
Amelie (Episode 7): Angora Deb
Akino Ametsuchi (“Grandma”): Karen Smith
The cast members join seven previously confirmed roles:
Akari: Veronica Taylor
Aika: Jessica Calvello
Alice: Tara Tisch-Wallace
Alicia: Marissa Lenti
Akira: Carol Jacobanis
Athena: Michele Knotz
Ai: Lisa Ortiz
Headline Studios’ Joe DiGiorgi is directing the adaptation.
Aria the Animation adapts Kozue Amano’s Aria manga. The 2005 series was helmed by Junichi Sato (Kaleido Star, Slayers Premium), who also handled series composition for the project at Hal Film Maker. Makoto Koga (Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-chan, Macross 7 the Movie: The Galaxy’s Calling Me!) provided character designs for the series.
Right Stuf describes Aria the Animation as:
In the early 24th century, Mars has been terraformed by mankind into a sparkling planet covered in water. Akari Mizunashi, at the age of 15, has left everything behind to travel to that reborn world, now known as Aqua. More than anything, Akari wants to be an “undine” – a female gondolier who navigates the canals of the Aquan city of Neo-Venezia. As she begins her training with the prestigious Aria Company, will she be up to the challenges that await her on the path to achieve her dream?
Sources: Kickstarter
Right Stuf’s “Aria the Animation” Dub Adds Angora Deb, Karen Smith Samantha Ferreira
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animeherald · 6 years
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Anime Boston 2018: Providence Anime Conference: 10 Years Later
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Hosts: Patrick Delahanty (Founder), Mara Carpathian (Vice Chair), Christian Daly (Chairman), Elliot (Facilities Liaison)
It seems like an eternity ago, but there was once a time when the Ocean State had its own anime con… for one year. Dubbed the Providence Anime Conference, the event was billed as the world’s first 21+ anime convention. The con was held at Rhode Island Convention Center from October 3 – 5, 2008.
Though the event was well-received by its attendees (yours truly, included) and guests alike, and the panels were full to capacity, the event was doomed by the time the doors opened on day one. The conference opened registration, expecting to cap out at 2,000 attendees. They received just over 10% of that in their final ticket sales count. As of this moment, the event’s Twitter account, which has been dormant since 2009, boasts nearly seven times as many followers as there were actual attendees at the show proper.
The question remains to this day: how did an event with such promise go so wrong?
In the Providence Anime Conference: 10 Years Later panel, event founder Patrick Delahanty, convention chair Christian Daly, Vice Chair Mara Carpathian, and Facilities Liaison Elliot set out to do that in a playful postmortem. Through the hour-long conference, Delahanty and company bubbled over the ins and outs of what went wrong, telling the affair through a myriad of war stories, and even proving that there are some potential upsides to totally whiffing on execution.
The event began as a brainchild of Patrick Delahanty, who was Anime Boston’s chairman at the time. He explained that he wanted to build an event for a more mature audience, where people could drink, and didn’t have to deal with younger badge-holders screaming in the halls, or random attendees assaulting folks with yaoi paddles. With this in mind, he decided to move ahead and write a proposal.
Mind you, the proposal included a few “offbeat” comments. Highlights included:
Older anime convention attendees have stopped going to conventions, due in part to a few immature teens that annoy or offend older and more mature attendees.
The desire for an 18+ or 21+ convention would let older fans enjoy their hobby among friends without the distraction of screaming fangirls and smelly fanboys.
At the time, Delahanty noted, the sentiment arose from his days immediately following his tenure as convention chair. In 2006, he moved to guest staff. He recounted a Vic Mignogna panel that he had worked, which was dominated by younger fans who would beg the actor for hugs, or ask him to recite specific lines as opposed to asking actual questions. He had also seen the audience of Arisia, which catered to a far older audience than most cons.
The timing was decided as to avoid the proverbial storms that are Otakon and Anime Expo, as well as the very real winter storms that plague Rhode Island from November through March. And, as Rhode Island didn’t have a major convention at the time, it seemed ripe to claim. The location setup was similar to that of the Hynes, the RI Convention Center had a wealth of floorspace to work with.
Then came the challenge of choosing a name. The crew wanted to avoid the whole “Japanese Word-con” format (i.e. Mikkakan, Katsucon, Kumoricon), as it invites confusion. The team followed the advice of Anime on DVD forum poster Megazone, who noted during the naming campaign for Anime Boston that “Anime Boston tells you not only what it is, but where it is, so it’s advertising within itself.” The idea of calling it a “conference” was to instill a sense of professionalism into the event, and to appeal to the older crowd – “The Star Trek guys!”
Delahanty continued, explaining that the registration proposal was offbeat from the start. Ticket sales worked on the assumption that this convention would crush 2,000 attendees (big mistake), and wouldn’t bother with at-door registrations. The pre-order discount would be awarded by number of registrations, as opposed to specific date gates. He joked that it made the event “really easy to budget, or so I thought until we broke that budget!”
The contracts were signed… and some huge mistakes were made in the process. Carpathian noted that they “could have read some things better, maybe done some better research […] One thing we didn’t really realize was that Boston was an area that was dying for an anime convention. Providence? Not. Perhaps it could, but maybe not a 21+ convention. Certainly not, like, an academic conference. Certainly not this thing that just didn’t really know what it was that we, it was really kind of over-ambitious.” She added that, by failing to do their research, the deal “bit [the team] in the ass butt-hard.”
Delahanty and Daly chimed in, agreeing that they were definitely feeling some arrogance for hitting a grand slam with Anime Boston. As a result, they signed a truly awful contract with the Westin Hotel.
In 2007, the convention was ready to announce. The website was launched, because they revealed the 2008 event at Anime Boston 2007. As expected, it went over as well as a curse word in church… Patrick groaned at the memory of the time.
And, well, it’s easy to see why. The video of the reveal is still online, and it is super awkward. Check it out!
youtube
With the event announced, nothing exactly happened on the public side. On the operations side, the crew started to build a staff. They didn’t want to burn out the Anime Boston staff, so they started to invite “The B Team” – the folks who “had potential”, as opposed to the current Anime Boston leadership.
In doing so, though, many people who were expecting invites started to grow resentful of the Providence staff. This led to infighting and animosity, including one “for your own good” vote that was straight-up hurtful.
To promote the Providence Anime Conference, the team went to various events, including:
First Night Boston
Otakon
Anime Boston
AnimeNext
Connecticon
Sadly, the Providence banner was placed low on the display, and generally remained hidden when people stopped by the booth. Mara, who was desperate to have more people registering, brought in her friend, who was cosplaying as Dragon Ball Z‘s Android 18. They “exploited [her] friend and her youthful sexuality,” by having the cosplayer bend over the table and eat a banana suggestively, while yelling things about the convention… mostly about “getting drunk and watching cartoons, and sexy times.”
No, really.
The convention also advertised in Anime Insider, which was targeted toward the tween demographic.
On top of this, the crew made one surprising, and very crucial mistake. Delahanty noted that, as he was putting the panel together, he realized that the convention never promoted itself in Rhode Island.
Kind of an oversight, there.
He noted that, for Anime Boston, the staff went directly to anime clubs to talk with people and build excitement. They didn’t even set foot into the Ocean State unless they were touring the event facilities. Carpathian noted that there was a plan to advertise and promote, it was just never implemented for, well, reasons.
Then came Anime Boston 2008, which has gained notoriety as LineCon among its attendees. A new registration system implementation went awry, leading to massive registration lines, as people waited for up to ten hours to get into the event. Because of this, pre-registrations went up late for Anime Boston. And, because Providence Anime Conference was using the same system, its own registration window was pushed back.
To promote the event at Anime Boston, the crew hosted a panel… on Easter Sunday at 1:00PM. Delahanty noted that there were more people in the room for the ten-year panel than there were for that event.
Registrations went online shortly after Anime Boston. They waited for that big flood of registrations, which never came. Delahanty remarked that “it’s like ‘Ohhhhhh shit. We have a problem!'”
Due to the stress of the registration woes, the person in charge of pre-registrations (and chair of Providence Anime Conference) up and quit. Mara quickly found herself over her head, leading Christian Daly to step into the lead. He likened the experience as: Do you remember in the Big Lebowski, when The Big Lebowski is yelling ‘The plane is crashing into the MOUNTAIN!’
Delahanty chimed in, noting that the event’s plan to not over-stress the team was working out swimmingly. He confirmed that Daly was head of exhibits in Anime Boston and Providence Anime Conference, and he’s PAC chairman, and he’s head of the New England Anime Society.
Daly noted that he tries to follow the motto set by Golgo 13, “get things done, get things done quickly,” but added that he spent a lot of time stressing right out.
Things quickly went into emergency mode, due to the low attendance. Guest booking changed, moving away from academic guests like Helen McCarthy to more recognizable names like Chris Ayres and Kevin McKeever. The pre-registration price increases were nixed entirely, but they couldn’t lower the rate as they’d have to pay folks who already bought badges.
All the while, the convention’s PR manager had simply disappeared. She had moved to Alaska, and plans that had been had and money that was budgeted never got spent. All the while, the PR person kept sending false assurances that everything was fine. In the end, firing the girl fell upon Mara, who gave an ultimatum: “You have the choice of you can resign to me now, or you can wait until we have a vote of no confidence in you and we kick your ass out of here.” The PR person resigned three weeks ahead of the conference. She promised to not retaliate against the convention if they choose to seek legal action.
With three weeks left, the crew was floundering. A person from Bawl’s soda (Hey, remember that?!) wanted to promote their wares at the event… but ultimately got cold feet. “Damn it! Damn it, we lost that Bawl’s promotion!” Mara cried with exasperation. Screams of “shit!” became a frequent occurrence in the build-up, especially as they realized how awful the contracts were.
The contracts were so bad that it was cheaper to have the event run with zero attendees, than to cancel (Editor’s Note: welcome to Rhode Island…).
Elliot explained that due to his previous work with the Sheraton in Boston, he had an in to negotiations. More important, the hotel couldn’t try to bullshit him. Having came on after the ink was dry on the contracts, though, he couldn’t work much magic on that front. He took one look at the contract, and said “Yeah, we signed this, we’re shit out of luck”
Apparently, the agreement guaranteed 3,000 room nights at the Westin Hotel (three nights for 1,000 people, in layman’s terms), which was over $10,000 in guaranteed payments to the hotel that they could use or lose. The Westin was apparently very accommodating, and allowed Elliot to use the funds for whatever he wanted… alcohol aside. As a result, every single staffer got their own room. Even Anime Boston staff who wanted to visit got their own rooms. Friends and friends of friends got rooms… whatever it took to get butts into seats.
In addition, every single staffer received breakfast. As in full-on breakfast. Every staffer who drove in got parking.
Then came the day of the convention. The event was a huge hit with the attendees. The halls were empty, but the panels and video rooms were jam packed with people. The biggest highlight from the video programming, Delahanty noted, was Penguin Memories: a rare OVA that was fan-subbed by Neil Nadelman for the con. The feature was produced by Suntory, which tells the tale of a penguin whose slice-of-life life was torn asunder when he was drafted to fight in Vietnam. Years later, the penguin is plagued by flashbacks and repercussions.
The Masquerade became a no-prize costume exhibition, which only ran for a fraction of its 90-minute planned run time. To fill time, the staff lipsynched parts of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.
youtube
Meanwhile, the bar was serving stiff drinks. “It was like ‘Here, this is for your sorrows’,” Elliot joked. Delahanty added that, while Anime Boston holds a strict “no drinking on duty” policy, the Providence Anime Conference team needed it. They recounted the Extreme Geek panel, in particular, where people were joining in, totally buzzed. Likewise, they recounted a room full of inebriated folks watching Titanic: The Legend Continues.
The dealers, on the other hand, hated the situation. One dealer was actually offered a Saturday hotel room to keep their shop open for the full event. Daly noted that there needed to be some real mea culpas needed to be issued the following year.
Delahanty noted that he ran a panel called “How to Start an Anime Convention” during the conference. According to Delahanty, during the presentation, he slowly came to a realization that Providence Anime Convention was a textbook example of “What not to do when starting a con.”
According to Elliot, even with the room giveaways, the freebies, the nonstop room service, and other giveaways, the convention still didn’t come close to touching the room guarantee cost.
Carpathian quipped that PAC was “the best Anime Boston staff retreat ever!”
The “Dead Dog” staff party was the stuff of legends. “The fall of goddamn Rome,” as Carpathian commented. The staff received a full-course buffet, which included prime rib, potato stations, and a made-to-order bruschetta station. The morning after the Dead Dog, the Providence Anime Conference staff were greeted with a full breakfast buffet, and even more food!
The PAC team’s presentation was a fascinating piece of oral history, which shed light on a beloved, if unsuccessful event in our subculture’s history. The tales of early arrogance and staff fights were underscored beautifully by the absurd, whether it was the tale of the PR representative who disappeared to Alaska, or Elliot’s discussions about “rooms on rooms.” The hosts delivered their tales with a punchy, self-deprecating sense of humor, which helped to really underscore just how surreal the event was for the folks running the show.
Though Providence Anime Conference is dead and buried, it’s clear that there was some real love for the event from the folks who attended it, and those who ran it. It was a rare, valuable look at these observations from the inside, accented by the rare photos and relics from the convention. (Delahanty actually wore an original PAC shirt to the panel)
I don’t expect the crew to tell these tales onstage again for another five or ten years, so to be able to catch this was a rare opportunity to enjoy that massive unwritten, quickly vanishing oral history that binds our fandom’s earlier days together.
Anime Boston 2018: Providence Anime Conference: 10 Years Later Samantha Ferreira
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animeherald · 6 years
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