I am not happy

I am informed by AN Hosting that my account has been suspended for no discernable reason whatsoever. I have sent them a couple of angry emergency support tickets. Who knows when they'll bother to look at them? I had trouble earlier figuring out how to move my domain name. (It turned out to be a simple process, but I had never done it before.) It didn't help that in their welcoming email, the url for help in moving your domain leads to a 404. Idiots. I'm beginning to think that the deal really was too good to be true, even if it is recommended by WordPress. I may be cancelling my AN Hosting account soon, so don't be a hurry to change your bookmarks.

Update: "Your account was suspended due to the 5 000+ emails sent from your account public_html folder within an hour.... Please advise."

I have plenty to say, none of it printable.

Update two: The Kawaii Menace is up again.

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Ugh

Worst news of the year so far.

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download share

I wonder who's really managing the BitTorrent store?

Hint:

(ars technica link via haibane.info.)

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Recognition for Goro

I kinda expected this, based on what I've read.

I also found a review of Bugmaster, Katsuhiro Otomo's live-action movie based on Mushishi. It sounds like the film exemplifies one of the major problems with making movies based on books or lengthy manga: there just isn't time to tell a complicated story. The director of Akira probably wasn't the ideal choice for this otherworldly story, either.

The English title is beyond lame, and wrong as well. It's very hard to define exactly what mushi are -- this is both a strength and a weakness of the anime -- but they sure aren't "bugs."

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License lottery

Funimation has been announcing licenses this week, one per day. Thus far I'm unexcited: we have a game adaptation, a high school romance and a mecha story. Bleah. However, two of these were among the subjects of cease-and-desist letters sent to AnimeSuki last October. Funimation implied claims to four other series at the same time, and among those four is Mushishi. That I would look forward to.

Steven hopes that Funimation announces Magipoka (20070124.1345). It's possible -- Aquarion was not included in the October letters -- but I'm not optimistic.

Update: Mushishi, yes; Magipoka, no.

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Darwin, Freud and the Marx Brothers

May 25.

But how long will we have to wait for Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo?

Both Paprika and TokiKake are based on stories by Yasutaka Tsutsui, a science-fiction and fantasy writer who has been called Japan's Isaac Asimov. Some of his work is available in translation, e.g. Salmonella Men on Planet Porno and the series of Telepathic Wanderer manga. He might be worth investigating.

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Witch's DNA?

From Fellini 8.5 comes this brief interview with Koichi Mashimo, the director of Noir, about El Cazador, the final installment of his girls-with-guns trilogy:

Q Did Spaghetti Westerns and Tarantino's movies influence this story?
A Yep, in a way, I mean I'm sure serious gun maniacs will get angry (laugh.)  Don't say, "No one shoots like this!" or "how to shoot is unusual!" I hope they will accept them as props. I'd like the characters to play to the gallery. I know some people didn't like that. But I prefer such silly stuff and bluff.

The first volume of Madlax has been sitting on my shelf for several months. It's probably time I took a look at it.

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And now for something completely meaningless ...

... The American Anime Awards.

Were there any criteria beyond sheer whimsy in the selection of nominees?

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Playing with dolls

It looks like Rozen Maiden has been licensed. It's about time. The first season of Rozen Maiden tries to be a psychological study and a magical thriller and a goofy comedy. It doesn't quite succeed in combining the genres, but enough of it works to make it worth watching. (The second season, Traümend, is much weaker, and I don't recommend it.)

Hina Ichigo, the frighteningly cute entity at the top of the page, is a character in Rozen Maiden.



Update: It has indeed been licensed.

*****

Addendum: Death Note has also been licensed. Viz obtained the rights for "Download to Rent" and "Download to Own." If only the dubbed version is available, I'll wait for the eventual DVDs.

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Kawaii advisory

There are rumors of another season of Bottle Fairy.

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Bulletin

Bandai.

In other news, we have a title, and Maureen the Suburban Banshee has some speculations.

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The bunny girl or the shinigami?

I've been wondering which license would be announced first, Suzumiya Haruhi or Death Note. Perhaps I'll find out Friday.

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XXX

There's a trailer up for Romeo x Juliet. Here are a couple of drinking games for watching the series when it's available:

1. Take a drink every time you see something from the play.

2. Take a drink every time you see something that has nothing whatsoever to do with the play.

I recommend the second game if you really want to get drunk.

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Coming attraction

Although "girls with guns" is the classic anime motif, there's something to be said for a girl with good sword. Claymore most likely will be yet another stupid action show, but it may be worth catching for the eye candy.

More...

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Excessive reality

Here's an interview with Satoshi Kon.

You can watch an English-language trailer for Paprika here. (Click on "Bande annonce," then select "VO.")

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News items

Charles Solomon is one lousy reviewer, but he's somewhat more competent as a journalist. Here's his interview with CLAMP.

Meanwhile, NPR discovers the otaku.

Which is worse news: this or this? (Turn the sound off before clicking on the second link.)

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Pink elephants included

There's a new trailer for Satoshi Kon's latest. I'm impatient to see it, but if I remember correctly, it won't reach the USA until March next year, and it's not likely to be shown then in Wichita. (Maybe in St. Louis? Hmm.)

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X-ed out

Diana Wynne Jones and Ursula K. LeGuin got drastic anime make-overs. Now Shakespeare is getting the treatment. From Anime News Service:

11-12-06 (6:38AM EST)---- Romeo x Juliet Anime Details
On Friday GONZO opened the official website for their upcoming Romeo x Juliet TV series at www.romejuli.jp. Featuring state-of-the-art visuals and a story based on the immortal example of world romance, Romeo x Juliet will be adapted in the grand GONZO style the studio became famous for with The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas / Gankutsuou. The worldview is the same seen in the original theatrical works set in the Middle Ages with a twist of phantasy. Music will play a key part in setting the mood of the story and relaying the feelings of characters. In his first anime project, Hitoshi Sakamoto, known for his soundtrack work on the highly acclaimed Square RPG Final Fantasy Tactics will score the animation. The actual plot tells the story of young and tragic love set in the aerial city of Neo Verona. Tyranny rules this isalnd in the sky after the Montaugue family took control 14 years prior. The disparity among the wealthy and poor is apparent in the present state, the earth dries and water stagnates. The sky itself is wrapped in a deep dense fog. Both Romeo and Juliet's lineages are of present and past ruling families of Neo Verona. Romeo is the son of the current Montaugue dictator, Juliet (a beautiful woman) masquerades as a man (Odin), she's the last descendent of Kyupiretto the previous rulers, killed by an assasin's dagger 14 years ago. Her true background is not to be revealed to her until her 16th birthday. She's been raised by her sister. The cruel destiny introduces two people that eventually fall in love.

Staff: Original Concept: William Shakespeare, Director: Oizaki Fumitoshi (Pretear), Series Composition: Reiko Yoshida, Character Designs: Daiki Harada (Fullmetal Alchemist Movie), Sound Supervision: Junichi Sato. Cast is undecided at this time.

Yoshida was involved with Kaleido Star, but she also worked on Peach Girl. Ugh. Keep your expectations low.

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The top news story today ...

... Suzumiya Haruhi is still unlicensed for region one. Negotiations are underway (11-6-06), but negotiations have probably been underway since episode two. There's still no word on the other Haruhi. Adolescents who wear black will be pleased to hear that Death Note (allegedly) has been licensed (11-5-06).

Meanwhile, the second season of Ah! My Goddess TV is in limbo. Grrr. I deliberately did not download the torrents when they were available because I figured it was certain to be quickly released in region one.

The studio rep quoted in the link in the paragraph above mentions that Media Blasters will be releasing anime like "Ranmen Girl." If that's a typo for "Ramen Girl," he could be talking about Muteki Kanban Musume, aka "Noodle Fighter Miki," in which the central character is a waitress at a ramen shop.

Update: That is indeed the case. The first DVD is due out in March.

Finally, here's the Rei Compatability Test. I'm embarrassed to note that I scored 93%, because she doesn't sound like my kind of girl at all, pleasant to look at though she is. (I haven't seen NGE yet and am in no hurry whatsoever to do so.)

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Time to celebrate

Congratulations to Wonderduck, who celebrates his first birthday today.

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