Anime Now 2008

Which anime are hot topics at the moment? What new programs are coming out this April? Let's take a look at the anime and related topics that are currently attracting attention.

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"Yatterman" was a Japanese anime series first aired in 1977, as the second series of the "Time Bokan" series. In those days, it boasted average audience ratings of over 20 percent of the population. From January this year, new "Yatterman" series is being aired. In it, the Dorombo family, a gang led by Doronjo, an incredibly beautiful woman, circle the globe in search of mysterious rings. The release of a live action film version of Yatterman is planned for 2009.

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The theatrical anime film "The Sky Crawlers," produced by Production I.G., is set for release in summer 2008. This film is based on the novel series "The Sky Crawlers" by Hiroshi Mori. The story features a group of mercenary Japanese fighter pilots. It will be the first animated film in four years to be directed by Mamoru Oshii, since "Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence" in 2004. It promises to be a departure from the style of the previous film.

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The TV anime "One Piece," which started airing in 1997, has been featuring a new story called "Thriller Bark" since January 2008. Various types of characters appear, such as a jovial skeleton, zombies and ghosts. Luffy and his pirate crew board the huge ship, the "Thriller Bark", and adventures unfold. It is a place where all sorts of formidable enemies are likely to appear.

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"Pretty Cure" is a fantastic action anime series, in which ordinary junior high school girls transform themselves into the legendary warriors "PreCure," and fight forces of evil. The fifth series, "Yes! PreCure 5 Go Go!" which started in February 2008, is the sequel to the fourth series, and develops around a mysterious letter sent from another world. In this new series, the warriors' costumes and special weapons have become more powerful and together with new characters this makes for an enjoyable and fantastic action anime.

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"Soul Eater," an action movie, is to be aired from April 2008. It is based on the manga "Soul Eater" by Atsuhi Okubo, published by Square Enix (famous for its "Final Fantasy" and "Dragon Quest" console role-playing games) in serial form in the magazine "Monthly Shonen Gangan," and created by Bones, a Japanese anime studio best known for "Fullmetal Alchemist."

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The TV anime series "Persona - trinity soul -" which started airing in January 2008, features a story set ten years after the end of "Persona 3," a popular PlayStation 2 game released in 2006. Although the setting for the story is the same as the game, the story and characters are completely different. Set in a futuristic emerging city, near the Sea of Japan, built to carry out the recovery from the "Apathy Syndrome" disaster 10 years earlier, the story revolves around the fate of characters such as high school student Jun Kanzato and his younger brother Shin.

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The theatrical anime film series, "Kara no Kyokai," composed of seven chapters, started being screened in December 2007. It is based on a romantic novel by Kinoko Nasu, which originally began as a series of chapters released online on the d?jin (member) website, Takeboki. The first chapter was released on December 1, 2007, the second on December 29, and the third on February 9, 2008.

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"Vampire Knight," a new TV anime series for April 2008, is based on a girls' comic by Matsuri Hino, published in "LaLa" magazine since January 2005. The action takes place at Cross Academy, a private school which offers two courses: a Day Class course for ordinary students and a Night Class course for beautiful, elite students. However, the Night Class course has a secret unknown to the students of the Day Class course; all the members of the Night Class course are vampires...

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Two theatrical anime movies, "Astro Boy" and "Gatchaman," are scheduled for release in the U.S. in 2009. Both of them are CG-animated movies created by Imagi Animation Studios, a studio in Hong Kong, each with a budget of approximately 50 million dollars (tbd). The director of "Gatchaman" is Kevin Munroe, who directed the 2007 CG film TMNT, and directing "Astro Boy" is David Bowers. In addition, the Japanese film maker Nikkatsu announced plans to make a live-action version of "Gatchaman," therefore the comparison of these two versions is sure to be something to look forward to.

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The trend for making live-action versions of anime continues. A live-action version of "Speed Racer (Mach GoGoGo)," produced by Tatsunoko Productions, will be made by the Wachowski Brothers, who wrote and directed "The Matrix," and is slated for release in the U.S. in May and in Japan in July, 2008. A live-action adaptation of "Dragonball," written and directed by James Wong, will be released in the U.S. on August 15, 2008. It has also been announced that a live-action adaptation of "AKIRA," which was first released in 1988 and attracted attention from all over the world, will be directed by Ruairi Robinson, who directed "Fifty Percent Grey," nominated for best animated short film at the 74th Academy Awards in 2002.
Don't miss out on the latest from the anime scene in 2008!

Anime Fair
Anime now
Museum and Center on Anime
Enjoy a visit to the Ghibli Museum, Mitaka
Anime Round Table