Streaming fun: Inuyasha, Angel Beats!, Randys and Tegami Bachi

30 09 2009

JG Tegami BachiThe official Inuyasha Website has updating with a streaming 30-second promo for its latest anime, based on the last 21 manga volumes of the series. The series begins simulcasting this Saturday, Oct. 3. Find it: Here!

Two new promos for the mixed media project Angel Beats! have been released, though still no actual animation. The project comes from Key, responsible for Air, Kannon and Clannad, Find promo video four and five Here! and Here!

Also streaming on Youtube since last Friday, a promo for the live action film adaptation of the manga series Randys, The story is about a street fighter who starts a problem solving service named after baseball player Randy Bass. Check that out: Here!

Last but not least, Cruchyroll has announced it will be simulcasting Tegami Bachi (Letter Bee, shown above) starting this weekend. Based on the manga series of the same name, Tegami Bachi is about a letter service in a world of perpetual night. Check out the promo video: Here!





Maid-Droid coming to US DVD

30 09 2009

JG Maid DroidCinema Epoch has announced that it will be releasing Maid-Droid under its adult label, Tokyo Erotique, in the U.S.

Maid-Droid is about a boy, Ueno, who is taken care of by a robot maid named Maria, purchased by his parents from a company called Maidlord Development. Over the years, Ueno falls in love with Maria, but her batteries start to run low and a series of rapes puts droids in the hotseat.

The film is also interesting in that it highlights a growing phenomena of humans falling in love with non-human objects. (See one particular NY Times article: Here!)

Maid-Droid releases on Dec. 28. To see a trailer for the film, click: Here!





Early impressions: Taishou Yakyuu Musume

30 09 2009

JG Taisho YakyuIf combining moe characters, historical fiction and the great American pastime of baseball sounds like an impossible task, then one hasn’t seen Taishou Yakyuu Musume.

Based on a series of light novels, the series centers on a group of girls who, in Japan’s Taishou era (circa 1925) want to start a girl’s baseball team in an era when women are scolded for even running and the general sentiment is that they should be training to be housewives instead of going to school.

Though always considered an American sport, many fans often forget that baseball has an important spot in Japanese history, with games dating back at least as far as the events of Yakyuu Musume are concerned.

Read the rest of this entry »





Crayon Shin-chan lives on

29 09 2009

JG Crayon Shin-chanTV Asahi announced Monday, Sept. 28 that the Crayon Shin-chan anime series will continue on, despite the death of its creator Yoshito Usui.

On the air since 1992, the series will continue with the help of Mr. Usui’s family. The series is one of the most popular, as well as controversial, as many Japanese parents refused to let their kids watch out of fear they might imitate Shin-chan’s antics.

Mr. Usui died tragically in a mountain-climbing accident on Sept. 11.





New Inuyasha simulcasts Saturday

28 09 2009

JG InuyashaViz has announced that it will be simulcasting the anime series Inuyasha: The Final Act on Saturday, Oct. 3.

The series will be available on Shonensunday.com and Hulu.

Inuyasha:The Final Act will cover the last 21 volumes of the manga series which was not adapted in the first anime series. For a trailer of the new series, click: Here! (Sorry for the text in the middle of the video. Finding a good promo where someone didn’t selfishly feel the need to put their stamp on it proved difficult. -editor)





Check it! Fall anime line-up

24 09 2009

JG Negima SekaiOnce again the fine folks at Moonphase have put together a chart of the anime series debuting in fall. The list is huge, and amazingly most of the shows fall in October.

Some big highlights include the newest Inuyasha anime, The Final Act, which wraps up the rest of the manga series; Fairy Tale, based on the excellent manga series; Letter Bee (Tegami Bachi); Kobato, based on the CLAMP manga; and Kiddy Girl-and, sequel to the sleeper hit Kiddy Grade.

Also continuing are the To Love Ru OVA series, the Aika: Zero OVA series and Negima: Mou Hitotsu no Sekai.

For the full list of upcoming anime, click: Here!





Tatami reader: Soul Eater

23 09 2009

JG Soul Eater 1One criticism of shounen manga* is that it tends to follow certain tropes: Either in terms of plot, such as the harem manga, or the young hero manga; or in style, with many modern manga-kas owing influence to Akira Toriyama.

Then there’s Soul Eater. Even the most jaded of otaku would have to admit that Soul Eater, at the very least on a stylistic level, brings something new to the table. Meticulously drawn Japanese cityscapes are eschewed in favor of surrealistic scenes where even the moon has a threatening grimace and alleyways seem to encroach from all sides.

Such is the setting for Atsushi Okubo’s Monthly Shounen GanGan series. The backdrop is perfect for a story about Death; or in this case, Death’s tools.

Read the rest of this entry »





RIP, Crayon Shin-chan’s Yoshito Usui

22 09 2009

JG Crayon Shin-chanAs many net-saavy anime fans are probably aware, creator of the manga series Crayon Shin-chan has been found dead in a mountain where he was hiking, nearly a week after he’d been reported missing.

As a general rule of thumb, J Geeks likes to stay out of the personal lives of those behind our favorite Japanese creations, but the death of Yoshito Usui is a little too tragic to ignore. Crayon Shin-chan was a huge success in Japan, with a TV anime since 1992 which was both extremely popular and very controversial; many parents didn’t want their children watching the show for fear they would emulate the naughty lead character.

Usui-sensei’s death was tragic, and J Geeks expresses its condolences to Usui-sensei’s family and many fans.





Check it! Kamui Gaiden trailer

21 09 2009

JG Kamui GaidenFollowing the trend of digging up old manga/anime series for modern silver screen interpretation, Kamui Gaiden looks to bring a host of ninja action — along with some deeper themes.

Running as a manga series by Sanpei Shirato in Shukan Shonen Sunday in the 60s, Kamui Gaiden centered on a fiery ninja, one of the strongest of his clan, who ultimately feels constricted by his clan’s rules and sets out on his own. Shirato’s work goes beyond ninja action with some very political messages, often critical of Japanese society and class issues.

To see the trailer for Kamui Gaiden, please click: Here!





Kobato anime preview streamed

21 09 2009

JG KobatoLike Clamp? The newest anime based on the popular manga group’s latest comic has a new video streaming on youtube.

Kobato, a manga series about a young girl teaching elementary school whose mission is to collect the suffering of those in pain in a bottle. The catch: She can’t fall in love with anyone whose suffering enters her bottle.

Kobato, which means “temporary,” is serialized in Newtype magazine (and is the main character’s name). The video for the preview can be seen: Here!