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Manga Spotlight: Astro Boy Volume 3

By Osamu Tezuka Released by Dark Horse Comics

Of the three volumes of Astro Boy released so far, the third best lives up to the series' potential for quirky adventure.

In contrast to the recent stream of recycled retro-nostalgia properties from the 80's, here is classic giant robots conflict, done right, and done as an episode of children literature, as enduring as Peter Pan, or Pippi Longstockings. It offers simple fun, with substance, intelligence, true emotion and an edge of ambiguity.

"The Greatest Robot on Earth" is the tragedy of Pluto, a robot programmed to demonstrate his greatest by destroying the world's seven strongest robot. Though his 100,000 horse power does not message up some of the list's other titans, Astro, the eternally young robot child becomes a target.

From the giant Turkish wrestler, to the German detective robot, Tezuka is masterful in imbuing each of these robots with, regardless if they are destroyed quickly in Pluto's assault, or if they appear repeatedly, and enduing them with an emotional resonance. The story opens up with a smoking volcanic crater, with Tezuka lamenting their loss, and the desires of the humans who set the tragedy in motion, and but its conclusion, the reader can fully empathize with the sentiment.

Few comic artists can exploit the visual story telling capabilities of comics as well as Tezuka. The battle scenes in the story are as complex and exciting as any in a moving medium. He is a capable of capturing the character of motion, and differentiating between styles of motion and positions in a manner that adds a great degree of depth to the comic.

Because the stories are being printed out of order, Astro Boy's family has inexplicably changed for this one. He now has parents, and Uran, a robot sister, which isn't too jarring. Astro Boy's distant, but deep relationship with Dr. Tenma, his creator who sold him to a robot circus feels odd out of context. It appears that the man who once dealt Astro a crushingly cruel blow has renounced the world, and though he still has a dark, misguided edge, he's gained humanity and compassion.

The second, short work in the volume, "Mad Machine" packs about as much strangeness in 18 pages as possible. It tries to pack in a gun barrel nosed robot politician/labor leader, a monthly robot day of rest, a greedy scientist's plot to drive all robot insane, and enough Loony Toon style visuals to cause a severe case of vertigo. It is a fun, and visually captivating story, but it's a really case of packing ideas too tightly. It's bursting at the seams, and causes stimuli overload.

Tezuka's morality is highly evident in this volume. There is a less than subtitle element of allegory to both stories relating to the how the robot underclass is subject to the pride and greed of the humans. Selfless heroes, willing accomplices the innocent Astro Boy, and his well meaning guardians feel direct and indirect effects of the problem.

Astro Boy's stories are well worth bringing back 40 years after their original publication. Like their hero, they haven't age, and they are as entertaining for an older audience, as they are for their intended younger readers. At $9.95 for the 200 page volume, Astro Boy is a must try. It is impossible not to derive some enjoyment from the universally fun series.

This Week's Anime and Manga Releases

Anime

Blue Seed Perfect Collection
Dragon Ball Z : Perfect Cell-Hunt for 18
GTO - Outcasts (Vol. 3)
Golden Boy - Bound for Glory (Vol. 2)
Love Hina - Secret Lives (Vol. 3)
Saber Marionette J to X, Program 2
Silent Mobius - Collection 1
Soul Hunter - City of Fire (Vol. 5)

Manga

Angelic Layer Vol 1 Gn
Cannon God Exaxxion #8 Stage 1 (8 Of 8)
GTO Vol 2 Gn
Inu Yasha Part 6 #14 (Of 15)
Island Vol 4
Kodocha Vol 1 Sana's Stage Gn
Love Hina Vol 2 Gn
Magical Journey Pokemon Part 7 #4 (Of 4)
Marionette Generation Vol 3 Tp
Marmalade Boy Vol 2 Gn
Mars Vol 2 Gn
Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 Vol 5 Tp
Skull Man Vol 2
Sorcerer Hunters Vol 10 Gn
Steam Detectives Vol 5
Super Manga Blast #22

The Blue Seed box set collects the 26 episode anime series for $59.98. Blue Seed follows a small bureaucratic agency as it attempts to battle a host of Japanese mythological monsters, chiefly the Aragami plant demons. Their ace in the hole is a school girl who can be sacrificed to stop the demon invasion. When she disappears they enlist her large hearted, but untrained sister.

Silent Mobius likewise deals with a demon invasion. This time, Earth is being protected by AMP, a team of super powered women. The dark, and melodramatic supernatural action is based on the manga by Kia Asamiya.

Golden Boy is a six episode OAV (direct to video) series about Kintaro, a college student who leaves after fulfilling his requirements, to cycle across Japan, experience life through temporary jobs, and be rebuffed by the various women he lusts after. Volume, which features the later three episodes, is slightly raunchier than the first. Kintaro takes a job as a swimming instructor to get close to a beautiful gold medallist, chases after a woman whose too enthusiastic about her motorcycle, and works in an animation studio.

GTO is a dramatic comedy about a former bike gang leader and slacker, who gets a job as a teacher, at first to meet attractive teenage girls, but decides to become the world's greatest teacher.

This week's manga releases is a good example of the breath of the medium, from giant robots with Gundam, super-hero horror with Skullman, and more mature horror with Island, to dramatic comedy for young female readers with Kodocha, and romance with Mars.

TOKYOPOP will begin releasing monthly collection of the manga team CLAMP's (Card Captor Sakura, X, Magic Knights Rayearth) Angelic Layer, their twist on the collectable game genre, ie Pokemon.

Shonen Jump Details

Viz has provided more details of the American edition of the manga anthology Shonen Jump during Q&As with ICV2 and Anime News Network.

While the Japanese edition of Shonen Jump has run at 500 pages a week since 1968, the American edition will be released on a monthly basis with approximately 250 pages per issue. The lead titles of the American edition will be Dragon Ball Z and Yu-Gi-Oh, supported by titles with aimed at similar demographics (presumably young males).

Graphic novel editions later collect the material released in the anthology.

The comic book rumor column All the Rage reports popular basket ball series Slam Dunk will be appearing in rival manga anthology Gutson's Raijin Comics rather than Shonen Jump, it Japanese originator.

On the Warren Ellis website, Sam Humphries, Consulting Editor of Gutsoon recently wrote. "Looks like the tiger is out of the suitcase.... the format will be similar to what you see in Japan, with serialized stories continuing from week to week. Trade paperbacks collecting the stories will follow. obviously, this is a risky format for the US market, so it's great to see some are at least intrigued."

But as far as Slam Dunk is concerned, Sam Humphries, Consulting Editor for Gutsoon would only tell me that he could "neither confirm or deny" the story.

The rumor was given a 8/10 value.

Hosoda Leaves Ghibli

Anime News Network reports director Mamoru Hosoda has left Studio Ghibli, best known for their work with Hayao Miyazaki (Kiki's Delivery Server, Princess Mononoke) to return to Toei, where he had directed the Digimon movie. Mamoru Hosoda was to direct "Hauru no Ugoku Shiro", the anime adaptation of Diana Wynne Jones' "Howl's Moving Castle" for Ghibli.

A recent diary entry on the 13th Kakudoh, general director of Digimon Adventure series, wrote, " When we were watching the soccer game on TV at the recording studio, Hosoda, who recently came back at Toei, appeared. He said he came to join the meeting on Oja-Majo Doremi."

G-Gundam Delayed

Toonzone reports Cartoon Network's schedule indicates the entrance of G-Gundam into the Toonami block has been delayed from July 1 to August at the earliest.

G-Gundam is an alternative universe Gundam, meaning, it does fit in the time line that was inaugurated with Mobile Suit Gundam's One Year War. Instead, the series looks at a time when state disputes are settle in arena battle between giant robots (design to match the state's stereotypical ethnic character).

More Anime Ratings Successes

Cartoon Network's debut of the cute children's anime Hamtaro has been labeled a ratings success. The 7:00 am show's first week performance scored across-the-board delivery and ratings gains for all target demographics. Similarly, tweens 9-14 and even teens 12-17 provided double-digit delivery and ratings increases for the 4 p.m. telecast, which now serves as the lead-off series for Toonami, the network's signature weekday action-adventure franchise (4-7 p.m.).

Highlights of Hamtaro's initial performance in its 7 a.m. timeslot include the following:

Kids 6-11 earned an impressive 76% increase in delivery (512,000) and 50% gain in rating (2.7);

Tweens 9-14 improved delivery by a whopping 93% (345,000) and rating by 73% (1.9);

Kids 2-11 saw a delivery increase of 19% (650,000) and a rating improvement of 5% (2.1);

Teens 12-17 scored a 44% (122,000) delivery gain and a 40% rating (0.7) increase.

At 4 p.m., Hamtaro helped launch a new third hour of Toonami, targeted for older-teen anime fan, by providing the following tween and teen delivery/ratings gains:

Tweens 9-14 responded with a 36% increase in delivery (420,000) and a 28% gain in rating (2.3);

Teens 12-17 scored a 54% delivery (301,000) spike and a 42% rating (1.7) improvement.

For the week overall, Cartoon Network earned its highest weekly tweens 9-14 and household total day deliveries ever, up 34% (333,000) and 21% (1,064,000), respectively. Additionally, Cartoon Network ranked #1 in prime time delivery of kids 2-11 (1,247,000, up 3%) and #2 in prime time delivery of kids 6-11 (654,000, up 9%). In total day, the network scored #2 in delivery of both kids 2-11 (809,000, up 9%) and kids 6-11 (470,000, up 19%).

Kids' WB is leading the Saturday morning competation, including a #1 position among Boys 6-11 (4.5/20), with Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Powerpuff Girls take tops spots in most children's catagories.

Time Magazine recently featured Yu-Gi-Oh on its "Trend Alter" page. Noting that the same "marketing masterminds who catapulted Pokemon into every U.S. schoolyard," were behind Yu-Gi-Oh!'s invasion of the America, Time fearlessly predicted that since the game created a "secret world beyond parents; it's bound to succeed."

Urushihara Satoshi to Direct
Anime News Service reports Earth Work's web site has announced manga artist/character designer Urushihara Satoshi, best known for the sexual overtones, attractive female characters, and shining skin, will make his directorial debut in the upcoming adult anime title Front Innocent. His most significant anime work was as creator of Plastic Little.
Neon Genesis Evangelion Girlfriend Of Steel Second
Anime News Service reports Neon Genesis Evangelion creator GAINAX's web site indicates that work is underway to a follow up on their Windows video game Shin Seiki Evangelion Koutetsu no Girlfriend 2nd (Neon Genesis Evangelion Girlfriend of Steel 2nd).
Storyline could be based on the "alternate universe" sequence of the final TV episode of the anime, where Shinji and Asuka are childhood friends and Rei's a new transfer student.
Blame Web Anime Start
Blame Net will began their Blame web anime, based on the manga series, on June 14th.
Dissatisfaction with AnimEigo's Kimagure Orange Road Release
AnimEigo's DVD release of Kimagure Orange Road has caused concerns among customers due to the decisions to remove the openning credit animation from the indivual episodes. The closing credits are present at the end of each episode. The opening credits has been placed in the credit section of the discs. Volumes 1,4,7 & 10 carry one opening credit sequence, volumes 2, 5, 8, & 11 carry the second, and volumes 3, 6, 9, & 12 hold the 3rd sequence.
During their work on Macross AnimEigo wanted to give the viewer an option to turn the credits off & on. This turned out to be very difficult to implement reliably on different DVD players. To avoid the same difficulties with the KOR discs, and to increase the play back reliability on certain DVD players, they decided not to "push the envelope." Many purchasers recented not being informed of the decision.
AnimEigo is re-evaluating how to present credits on future DVD releases.
The set will be remaster, and an exchange will be offered.
See AnimEigo's web site for more information.
Jerry Chu's A-Kon Journal
Bandai's Jerry Chu has posted his journal form the recent A-Kon anime convention here
Macross Panel 7 At Anime Expo
In honor of the 20th anniversey of Macross, the Anime Expo convention will be running a Macross panel with guests:
* David Fleming (First Macross translator/subtitler)
* Shawn Klueck (Macross World maintainer)
* Shin Kurokawa (First Macross DVD producer/restorer/translator)
* Egan Loo (First Macross DVD liner notes/Macross Compendium maintainer)
* Neil Nadelman (First Macross/Macross Plus/Macross II translator/subtitler)
* Dana Weaver (First Macross subtitler, not to mention Macross 7 expert)
* Special guest to be announced ....
Panel highlights will include:
* Talk plot points with the people behind almost every release of Macross
* View the actual pencil character and mecha design sketches (see the origins of the Valkyrie and Minmay), rare books and Valkyries, and more
* Hear the latest news in Japan and North America about upcoming animated works, all-new transforming Valkyries, and more
* oh, and there's the plush Valkyrie, Fire Valkyrie, and Guvavas ....
While at Anime Expo, don't forget to attend the Legend of Galactic Heroes panel with the first Macross series chief director Noboru Ishiguro and the presentation of Earth Maiden Arjuna from the creators of Macross.
Macross Panel Schedule
Date: Saturday, July 6, 2002 Time: 6:00-7:30 p.m. Place: Live Programming 1 (Long Beach Convention Center Room 104) [Pending schedule changes]
After the panel, MacrossWorld.com will be holding the first half of its annual gathering from 7:30 to 11 p.m.
Super Techno Arts News
A press release on Super Techno Arts reports
The following press release has come from , and is conveniently free of any of my opinions. "Jojo's Bizarre Adventure The first volume of "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" DVD will be released in Fall/Winter of 2002. 13 episodes will be available on total of 6 volumes, with sound and music upgraded to 5.1 surround system for the original 6 episodes.
The credits are as follows:
Character design and animation director by Junichi Hayama
music composed and arranged by Marco d'Ambrosio of MarcoCo.
sound design by Tom Myers of Skywalker Sound.
- Street Date: Fall/Winter 2002 (date TBA)
- Episode count: 1st Volume 3 Episodes x 30 minutes each
- Format: Region 1 DVD
- Animation Production: A.P.P.P.
- Executive Producer: Kazufumi Nomura - Distribution by: Super Techno Arts Inc.

This 13-episode anime is based on the long-running manga by Baoh creator Hirohiko Araki. The series follows 17-year-old Jotaro "JoJo" Kujo and his grandfather Josef Joestar as they battle the immortal vampire Dio, who holds Jotaro's mother prisoner in a nightmare-filled coma. Joining them in this effort are four warriors who, like Jotaro and his grandfather, each posses mystical powers called a "Stand," derived from the names and meanings of certain Tarot cards. These powers are manifested in giant spectral warriors that emerge from the bodies of the group. But Dio has gathered Stand warriors as well, and he possesses a secret and incredibly powerful Stand of his own."
Also, you can see a list of the anime titles Techno Arts has worked on in the "Production History" section of the official site.
AniHabara Top Anime Listings
The top ten for each month are:
May: Rank Title Score
1 Azumanga Daiou
2 Chobits
3 Ai Yori Aoshi
4 Pita Ten
5 Rahxephon
6 Abenobashi Mahou Shoutengai
7 Figure 17
8 Rizelmine
9 Full Metal Panic
10 .hack//SIGN

April:
1 Chitchana Yukitsukai Sugar
2 Rahxephon
3 Galaxy Angel
4 Figure 17
5 Kanon
6 Onegai Teacher
7 Hikaru no Go
8 Hajime no Ippo
9 Full Metal Panic
10 Oja-majo Doremi Dokkaaan

and February:
1 Chitchana Yukitsukai Sugar
2 Onegai Teacher
3 Fruits Basket
4 Comet-san
5 Figure 17
6 Scryed
7 Moootto! Oja-majo Doremi
8 Kokoro Toshokan
9 Rahxephon
10 Shichinin no Nana

Anihabara selects the top monthly Anime every month in an open ballot restricted to members of the Kanto region of Japan. Similar national ratings by larger websites, magazines and other polls have generally confirmed Anihabara's rankings to be an accurate representation of the popularity of Anime on TV in Japan.
The full list of the top 20 Anime for each month, as well as their more details on their ranks can be read at here.
Bandai Encores on Adult Swim
A number of Bandai titles, Cowboy Bebop, Mobile Suit Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory, Outlaw Star, and Pilot Candidate, have returned to Adult Swim. For show times, visit www.adultswim.com.
The Adult Swim store is currently listing Escaflowne product. As far as what is publicly known, Fox still holds the rights to the series.
The Vagabond, Ceres Medabots, and El Hazard Manga Collections
Viz will be releasing the third collected volume of Takehiko Inoue's Vagabond this September. Volume 3 features 232 color and black-and-white pages in its original unflopped (reads from the Japanese traditional right-to-left) format for $12.95 U.S.
Takehiko Inoue, known for his best selling basket ball manga Slam Dunk, adapted the samurai epic from Eiji Yoshikawa's fictionalized biography of self-taught master swordsman Miyamoto Mushashi. In the third volume the volitile bully Shinmen Takezo does an is reborn as the zen student of the Art of War, Miyamoto Musashi. His first test comes when he pits himself against the famed Yoshioka School.
Viz will be releasing the second collection of Medabots manga, entitled "Let's Get Ready To Robattle!" this September. The 144 page volume will retail for $9.95. Medabots is the manga version of the anime series which is currently airing on Fox Kids. The series follow the young owners of pet battling robots.
The second volume of the El Hazard Manga will also be released this September. The 168 page collection will retail for $15.98.
After being transported to the mystical land of El Hazard, studen politician/scroundrel Jinnai has gain control of the demon goddess Ifurita, which he is anctious to use against his rival Makoto, and the Kingdom of Roshtaria.
Yu Watase's romantic fantasy Ceres, Celestial Legend Volume 2: YÃ»hi will be released in Setember. The 200 page black-and-white square-bound volume will retail for $15.95. On Aya Mikage's 16th birthday, what she thought was a normal celebration turns into a real-life nightmare when her own family tries to kill her and imprisons her twin brother Aki. Aya learns she possesses the blood of the tennyo (celestial maiden), and has the power to transform into the mysterious and powerful Ceres. Now, with her parents dead and life as she knows it turned on its head, Aya must find the courage to forge ahead and stop her aberrant family's greedy plans for power.
In this volume Aya's trip home turns from happiness to tragedy when her own mother suddenly lunges at her with a knife, triggering a sudden transformation into Ceres.
More Kung Fu Comics From ComicsCone
ComicsOne has announced that they have licensed three new Kung Fu comics with Tony Wong's Weapons of the Gods, The Legendary Couple, and Mega Dragon and Tiger: Future Kung Fu Action. ComicsOne will publish these books, along with Wing Shing Ma's American hits, Storm Riders and Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre.
Volume One of Weapons of the Gods is available in August 2002 and Volume One of The Legendary Couple and Mega Dragon and Tiger will be published in September 2002. The full color 120 page graphic novels will be priced at $13.95. Visit www.comicsone.com for more detailed series information.
More Battle Alita: Last Order This September
Viz will begin releasing Yukito Kishiro's Battle Angel Alita this September with the 48 page Part 1, #1.
The long-awaited continuation of the 9-volume best-selling series, Battle Angel Alita: Last Order updates Alita's continuous struggle to discover her mysterious past and unveils the series' original ending intended ending. Last Order has been running in Japan's monthly manga magazine Ultra Jump since December 2000.
Project Arms Manga From Viz
Viz will begin the Project Arms manga this September. The 64 page Part 1, #1 will retail for $3.25.
From the creators of Spriggan (Striker By Viz Comics) comes a new tale of nano-machines, cybernetic assassins, powerful telekinetic opponents, and a secret organization dedicated to bring forth the next evolution of man. Ryo Takatsuki thought of himself as just an average high school student, until he learned that his arm had been secretly replaced with a powerful nano-machine driven weapon called "ARMS." Designed to be the ultimate integrated weaponry, ARMS is insanely powerful and, in inexperienced hands, can often go out of control.
ADV Announcements
ADV will be releasing Nadia the movie on August 27th. Super Atragon, and Burn Up Express volume 1 will be released on August 20th.
Super Atragon is a two episode series combines Jules Verne style science fiction with a generational war story. Aliens who from a sunken Pacific island give people the people of Earth a taste of their advanced technology. The American and Japanese use this technology to build super-submarines which destroy each other in the wake of the Hiroshima bombing. Years later the alien race begins maneuvering towards earth's poles, where the restored Japanese sub must stop them.
Burn-Up Express is show about a squad of police women, with as much T&A as a TV show can must, but a bit more characterization that other incarnation of the Burn Up franchise.
ADV also updated a number of their web sites.
A Medabots website has been launched.
The Princess Nine's website now features an interview with voice actress Tiffany Grant, character and release galleries, and reviews.
The Steel Angel Kurumi site has been updated with cover art and interviews.
Golden Boy site, features the next installment of "Kintaro's journal" up.
The Robotech site features new entries in its media section.
ADV's UK website at www.advfilms.co.uk/ has been re-launched.
Art Collections From Viz
Viz will be releasing a 128 page art of Rumiko Takaashi's Inu-Yasha this September
This book includes cell art and paintings from the hit anime series currently airing in Japan and soon to be introduced to North American audiences. Showcasing the excellent artwork and beautiful characters of the immensely popular time-traveling horror/action series, Anime Art Gallery: The Art of Inu-Yasha offers fans page after page of full-color designs, plus character profiles, water colors from the manga covers, character profiles, 17 pages of black and white character line and 66 pages of colored manga pages (some of which has never been published in the U.S).
Viz also announced the September release of Collector File 001: Girls In Pop, a postcard book featuring artwork by some of Japan's avant-garde artists. Featuring 30 pages of full color, Collector File 001: Girls In Pop retails for $9.95 U.S.
The collection showcases a variety of the best new illustrative talent from Japan-with an emphasis on cute, kitschy, and fantasy styles. This sleekly designed book can be given as a gift, or the pages can be torn out and sent as postcards. This postcard book is compiled from various Japanese artists, including Junko Mizuno, author of Cinderalla.
Viz will be releasing a color collection Junk Mizuno's Cinderella this July. A color preview can be seen at www.pulp-mag.com/junko .
Japanese-French-Korean Collaboration World Cup Manga - Le Foot
From Anime News Service FrÃ©dÃ©ric Boilet, the French B.D. author who is a long-time resident of Japan, is announcing an unusual Japanese-French-Korean joint B.D./manga project on "le foot" (soccer/football/whatever). You can read it, and see two versions of the cover, at his website:
French Version http://www.boilet.net/fr/dernieres_nouvelles.html
Japanese Version http://www.boilet.net/jp/dernieres_nouvelles.html
While an English version does not presently exist, below is a translation of the summary:
Manga Fever (Japan, France, South Korea, U.S.) Appeared 13 May 2002 in Japan, to appear in France the 29th of June from Tonkam.
A special World Cup edition of Error, on the theme of "fever," brings together short stories and illustrations by some of the most celebrated Japanese, French and Korean authors (in alphabetical order): FranÃ§ois Boucq, Max Cabanes, Nicolas de CrÃ©cy, Takehiko Inoue, TaiyÃ´ Matsumoto, Katsuhiro Ã”tomo, BenoÃ®t Peeters, FranÃ§ois Schuiten, JirÃ´ Taniguchi, Katsuya Terada, Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, etc. There are also present in this issue leading lights of manga who are not yet well known in France, such as Atsushi KamijÃ´ and Reiko Okano, and some of the most innovative talents of the new generation in Japan (D [Di:], IÃ´ Kuroda...) and Korea (Penthon, Yong Soon Young...).
Poking around his site some more, it seems the Japanese version is published by Asukashinsha, the Korean by Sigongsa, and the U.S. version by "Mix Entertainment" (Mixx was an early name for TOKYOPOP). A search of Tokyopop's site reveals no info on the project.
Road to Perdition Manga Connection
Comic Book Resources has posted an interview with creator of the Road to Peridition comic, Max Collins, here.
Collins, who describes Road to Perdition as a thematic cousin of father and son assasin manga Lone Wolf and Cub, expresses his interest in anime, and manga, particularly Cowboy Bebop. ' My biggest comics-type enthusiasm of late is the anime 'Cowboy Bebop' -- remarkable stuff, absolutely great. The mangas of that are weak, though; I'd love to do 'Cowboy Bebop' comics...There's a dream project!"'
"I'm in the middle of a Batman project called 'Child of Dreams," reveals Collins. "It's a massive graphic novel by Kia Asamiya of 'Silent Mobius' fame; I've been given a rough translation and carte blanche to do the American version.
Standard and Adult Versions of Ghost in the Shell 2?
From the web site of translator Studio Proteus: Ghost in the Shell 2: Man-Machine Interface is officially scheduled for release in October, 2002. Regarding the status of the "standard" and "adult" versions of the books, Shirow has not decided on that yet--or, to be more accurate, he waffling now. He modified the pages from the limited hardcover release for the mass-market paperback in Japan, and at first he seemed amenable to letting us do a version with the original images, but now he's not sure. He seems to feel he may have gone a bit too far in the hardcover. At this point all we can do is wait and see what he decides. You'll be able to purchase the issues via mail order or at your friendly local comic book store.
New Version of Slayers DVD
Right Stuf reports, after the recently released remastered Slayers DVD were shown to still possess audio problems, Central Park Media was quoted as giving a 7/15 date for the re-corrected versions.
The Scary Godmother Motion Picture
In non-anime animated news, The latest issue Comics Journal includes an interview with artist Jill Thompson (Sandman, Invisibles, Finals). An excerpt, and an image of MainFrame's adaptation her comic Scary Godmother can be seen here. Scary Godmother is about a young girl and her witch/fairy Scary Godmother from a monster filled world.

Who's Max Stanley? by All-ighty Ollar	Jun 19th, 2002 02:24:06 PM
um, there's already BEEN a live action DBZ movie... by foreverguardian	Jun 19th, 2002 05:28:02 PM
DBZ Movie by laparka	Jun 19th, 2002 05:58:47 PM
ROFLMAO! by Mr.Wu	Jun 19th, 2002 07:11:08 PM
There isn't a live action DBZ movie..... by Mr. Wednesday	Jun 19th, 2002 07:54:39 PM
There was a live-action DBZ movie...and it sucked! by arxane	Jun 19th, 2002 08:44:36 PM
Dragging BallZ... by tneill	Jun 19th, 2002 11:24:32 PM
Those fucking nimrods... by Blast Doh	Jun 20th, 2002 03:50:28 AM
Corto Maltese is Italian!!! by Ithilwen	Jun 20th, 2002 06:06:02 AM
Me, I can't wait for Jojo's Bizarre Adventure to get her by JTylor	Jun 20th, 2002 03:55:16 PM
Mamoru HOSODA quitting Ghibli -- just RUMOR so far... by ghiblink	Jun 21st, 2002 04:10:59 AM