ANIME TODAY and ASTRO BOY Director Fred Ladd Talk Early Anime and Live-Action Adaptations!
Posted on: Friday, November 9, 2007
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Episode run down:
You’re listening to the beginning of Anime Today’s exciting third year! Everyone here at Right Stuf is excited about all the great interviews and contests we’re planning for the upcoming year and we hope you’re excited too!
First up is Chad with What’s Hot in the World of Anime along with a new Uso Deshou mystery plot. Shawne’s “Booking It to RightStuf.com” with his latest savings on books and graphic novels from Tokyopop. Then pick back up with with second half of our interview with Astro Boy director Fred Ladd. Last episode, Shawne, Alison, Rich and Mr. Ladd covered some of the early challenges of anime in the US and this episode, hear about some of Mr. Ladd’s favorite projects and what he’s working on today.
Nick and Rich will then return with the latest contest news - they ’ll be announcing the winners of the Viz contest for The Taste of Tea, and Hula Girls, and putting a couple more Viz titles up for grabs. The New York Anime Festival contest continues, and we’ll be kicking off a new contest featuring Anime Today’s and Nozomi Entertainment’s MySpace pages. Marie’s then going to join us with her spotlight on the Skip Beat! graphic novels. In the second part of Fred Ladd’s interview, we’re going to talk with him about his continuing involvement in our industry, and his contributions to Sailor Moon and Tobor the 8th Man. We’ll also talk about the live action adaptations of classic anime, and how anime evolved from its beginnings into a style that’s uniquely its own. Nick and Rich will then take a quick tour around the US and Canada, and give you a rundown of upcoming conventions. We’ve been scouring the reviews submitted to our web site, and we’ll be bringing you a few featured ones next. And finally, we’ll wrap up our interview with Fred Ladd and find out what new projects he’s been up to.
What's Hot?
A great evil is sweeping over the realm, and it is an evil that the young swordsman Roan and his life-long companion, the acolyte Yufa, must face head on! The swords and sorcery excitement of Myung-Jin Lee’s popular Ragnarok graphic novels and the Ragnarok Online video game is now an animated series. With 9 episodes spread across a two-disc set, Ragnarok: The Animation makes its debut on December 4th.
It’s tough when your birthday’s on Christmas Eve. Young Santa feels like he falls between the cracks of everyone else’s holiday happiness and even his own parents don’t seem to care! But to his surprise, good cheer comes down the chimney with a kiss from a crazy, young Santa Claus-in-training named Mai! She has been sent to show Santa the true joy of the season. And if he can get into the spirit long enough to surrender to her considerable charms… the festive fireworks between the two might be hot enough to light up the tree! The anime My Santa, a holiday double-feature from the creator of Love Hina and Negima!, lands on December 11th.
A wave of mysterious deaths ripples through the city of Tokyo. Corpses of the un-dead scour the urban underworld at the bidding of their dark master, seeking a power that could bring about the final apocalypse. With the police helpless in the face of these unnamable horrors, the fate of the world hangs on five unlikely saviors: the students of Tokyo Majin! Armed with incredible powers, they must battle an unholy swarm of evil beings – from alchemists to zombies! It's a deadly war fought in shadows, and they're completely outmatched except for one thing: These students never learned when to say die! Join the fight when Tokyo Majin DVD 1 arrives on December 11th.
After years of sponging off of fabulously wealthy older woman, four ridiculously beautiful boys are confronted with the most horrifying challenge ever: use their bishonen skills to turn their benefactor's socially challenged niece into a beautiful young lady… or start paying rent! But Sunako isn’t your typical ugly duckling… She's a psycho, paranoid, neurotic, horror-movie obsessed goth chick with bad skin, a fetish for anatomical dummies, and a willful ignorance of all things feminine! But rent's expensive (and job openings suited to their --- ahem -- skills – are scarce), so this quartet of pretty boys is going to have to suck it up and attempt the ultimate exorcism/makeover from hell! Will she survive? Will they? Find out when the anime adaptation of the Wallflower, directed by the in-imitable Nabeshin, makes its debut on December 18th.
Save 25% or more on these titles by preordering them from RightStuf.com at least 10 days before their street dates. Get another 10% off by joining the Got Anime purchasing club for Frequent Buyers.
Shawne's Specials and Book It To RightStuf Sale!!
Are you tired of staring at textbooks? Want a break from your normal work day reading? Then "book it" over to RightStuf.com for big-time bargains on novels, graphic novels and books from TOKYOPOP - with new and favorite series such as Fruits Basket, Chobits, Beck, Gakuen Alice, Peacemaker, Sgt. Frog and Trinity Blood!
From now until November 18th, take 33% OFF the retail price of books, novels, and manga from TOKYOPOP! (This includes pre-orders!)
If you’re a Got Anime member, you get even more savings - up to 40% OFF ! Check out www.gotanime.com for details on how you can start saving today!
You can get started with your shopping spree now - click on the BookIt banner on RightStuf.com, and the site will display a full list of all of the Tokyopop products that we carry! Do remember that bargain bin items are not eligible for the sale.
The folks back in our receiving department have been working extra hard as we start stocking up for the holiday season. There are some surprises in store for you.. As we move closer and closer to the end of the year, I am going to do my very best to tempt you to purchase. Beware.
See all of Shawne's Weekly Specials!
Check out the Bargain Bin!
Fred Ladd!
http://www.gigantor.org
Right Stuf Contests and Updates
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First, we’d like to congratulate the winners of our Viz Pictures contests celebrating the DVD releases of The Taste of Tea and Hula Girls!
Karen M of Wingdale, New York will soon be receiving a prize pack celebrating Katsuhito Ishii’s surrealist tour de force The Taste of Tea including a copy of the DVD, a flip book and a figurine.
And Allison B of Defiance, Missorui will soon receive a package that contains a copy of the new DVD release Hula Girls, plus a photo file and CD EP featuring Jake Shimabukuro, a lei, a CD wallet, Hawaiian coffee and mints, and a Hula Girls theatrical poster and postcards!
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Next, we have two more Viz Pictures live-action prize packages that are up for grabs!
J-rock fans rejoice! Viz is bringing the video collections of one of the genre’s most popular artists to North American fans with the release of TWO Gackt video collections! To celebrate, they’ve put together a prize pack that includes both Gackt: The Greatest Filmography 1999-2006 Red and Blue DVDs, plus a coffin cell phone charm, a copy of the Shojo Beat music issue with an article on the superstar, and a “Gackt” black vinyl totebag to carry it all!
The second prize package commemorates the recent U.S. release of the outrageous sports comedy and drama Ping Pong, with a copy of the DVD, an extra-large Ping Pong t-shirt and an athletic towel!
To enter, and have a sneak peek the prize packages, check out our Contests page, in the “What’s Hot” bar on RightStuf.com, and get your entry in before December 6th! We’ll be announcing the winners on the December 7th episode of Anime Today!
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Also, we have a continuing contest in conjunction with the New York Anime Festival, which is coming up on December 7th through 9th at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City! What’s up for grabs? Five lucky winners will each receive a weekend pass to the big show! (This is admission to the show itself. You would still be responsible for your own travel and hotel arrangements.) To enter, check out the Contests page, under “What’s Hot” at RightStuf.com, and get your entry in before November 20th. We’ll be announcing the winners during our Thanksgiving week installment of Anime Today!
And finally, we have a new contest for all you listeners who are also on MySpace! Both Anime Today and Right Stuf’s production division, Nozomi Entertainment, recently launched MySpace pages. Add us to your friends list, and be entered to win one of (2) $25 gift certificates to RightStuf.com. (Add BOTH Anime Today and Nozomi, and you’re entered into the contest twice!) Just be sure to do this before December 21… and if you’ve already added us to your lists, you’re already in the game!
Marie's Manga Review: Skip Beat
My friends have been telling me to read Skip Beat for ages now, even the ones who ostensibly steer clear of anything remotely smacking of romance. I finally gave in this weekend and quickly discovered just what had my friends so enthused. Skip Beat, amazingly enough, somehow manages to combine every single teenage girl foible into one of the most personable characters I’ve come across since I don’t know when, and then throws her into the ultimate teenage girl fantasy story. And before you ask, no, none of my friends are actually teenagers themselves, but some things transcend age demographics. Like commiserating about ex-boyfriends. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
The plot? At 16, Kyoko’s best friend Sho asks her to follow him to Tokyo, where he plans to become a famous singer and idol. Blindly in love with the image of him as her Prince Charming, Kyoko drops out of high school to move with him to the big city and support his burgeoning career. Sure enough, just a few months later, Sho’s star is swiftly ascending to the top of popularity polls, though he’s got some stiff competition from the mysterious Ren. Meanwhile, Kyoko is cheerfully supporting him by slaving away to pay for their food, rent, and various expenses, all while still taking time to reassure Sho that he’s ten times cooler then Ren could ever be. Or at least, she does until she finds out Sho’s just been using her all along and he’s been seeing other girls behind her back! Justifiably enraged, Kyoko sells off her entire collection of Sho memorabilia, cuts her hair, and swears to get revenge by surpassing him to become an even more popular idol!
But while Kyoko may be determined, she has absolutely no talent for acting, singing, or anything else that might actually help her achieve her goal. On the other hand, she is pretty good with voodoo curses and an ace at stalking. That has to be good enough to at least get her an interview at a famous talent agency, right? Of course, if she’s going to take on Sho that means it can’t just be any agency, it has to be the biggest one, and that means working for agency LME – which just happens to be the same agency that Ren’s signed with… but as far as Kyoko’s concerned, he’s just as twisted as Sho!
One of the very best things about Skip Beat is the plot itself. Somehow, it’s immensely satisfying to read about a typical manga doormat waking up to realize she’s being taken advantage of and vowing revenge with the full fervor of a woman wronged. The story even eschews the typical love triangle for more of a hate-triangle instead. Don’t think Kyoko shows any more love for Ren than she does Sho. She even goes so far as to keep pictures of her enemies on her wall in sizes directly proportional to her current animosity. As you might imagine, the pictures tend to grow from chapter to chapter, usually right after Kyoko tears up the current ones in a fit of fury.
For the first few volumes, whether or not you like Kyoko is going to be the deciding factor in how much you like Skip Beat itself. While the cast does slowly grow with each additional chapter, the manga is most definitely Kyoko’s story. Obviously enough, I’m definitely not complaining, but it does somewhat limit the topics I can discuss in this review, especially when I’m trying to avoid spoilers.
Kyoko’s biggest strength lies with her multitude of weaknesses. A lot of shojo series try to make their heroine someone whom the audience can identify with by giving her a couple of silly faults to make up for her otherwise-easy life and having guys fall for her left and right. (See: Miaka and gluttony.) Not so Kyoko. Kyoko is just as vicious, self-conscious, and petty as any woman can be, not to mention vaguely crazy, which has the unfortunate tendency to scare the guys off. She doesn’t even have a tough tomboy façade to hide behind as she harbors a not-so-secret love of princesses (especially the Disney kind) and one of her most fervent desires is a chance to wear the makeup she can’t afford. Needless to say, every girl I know loves her. She’s a little like a more social version of The Wallflower’s Sunako, if Sunako had showbiz ambitions and an adorable haircut. Who can’t identify with that? (This is a recording, so all you macho guys can pipe down.)
And overall, Skip Beat is just plain fun. Assuming everything I’ve read on the internet about Japanese talent agencies is true, there’s no better world for outlandish dramatics, crazy costumes, petty grievances, and a bevy of literally rich and colorful characters. And of course, there’s Kyoko’s desire for revenge to think of, which presents itself in the oddest of opportunities, starting with a variety show, a chicken suit and badminton, the result of which leads to simultaneously comedic, grim, and oddly enough, touching consequences. They don’t call acting “drama” for nothing.
Skip Beat is, at heart, a fairly simple tale of vengeance, but one layered with a staggering amount of personality. By all rights, it ought to be a guilty pleasure if due sheerly to the improbabilities of the talent world on display, but manga-ka Yoshiki Nakamura’s twin strengths of storytelling and characterization make it an outright delightful piece of fiction. Revenge is a dish best served cold, and Skip Beat is, in a word, delicious.
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