News for the week of 25 Apr 1999

Utena Director Joins Five Star Stories Creator For OVA Series
Animation director Ikuhara Kunihiko and manga creator Nagano Mamoru will collaborate on SCHELL BULLET, a video project set for a summer release by Kadokawa Shoten. Ikuhara first rose to prominence as a series director for PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON (1992), but his iconoclastic touch was most evident in the later LA FILLET REVOLUTIONNAIRE UTENA (1997). Nagano is best known for his FIVE STAR STORIES manga, which has run in Newtype magazine for the last thirteen years. He has also drawn his trademark chisel-layered mecha designs for HEAVY METAL L-GAIM (1984), MOBILE SUIT Z GUNDAM (1985), and BRAIN POWERD (1998).
SCHELL BULLET takes place in the distant future when humankind has evolved into three distinct types (gene liner, gene major, and finally gene miner) via organic alien metallurgy and human DNA manipulation. Rival corporations compete with needle-like space clippers armed with humanoid combat weapons called schells. 19-year-old gene miner Ors Blake serves aboard a Balt Liner corporation clipper as a schell driver. Schell drivers earn their pay by launching extravehicular attacks (schell bullets) against other clippers and protecting their own ships.

Anime Works Welcomes You To The Jungle
At Anime Central, Anime Works, a division of Media Blasters, announced that they have acquired the title JUNGLE DE IKOU. This title features character designs by Anime Central Guest of Honor Moriyama Yuji, creator of PROJECT A-KO. An exact release date has not been set, but tentative plans are for a fourth quarter 1999 release.

A.D. Vision Brings Home The Bubblegum, And Calls The Police
A.D. Vision confirmed the release date of BUBBLEGUM CRISIS: TOKYO 2040. The first volume will be available in August in both subtitled and dubbed formats. In addition, they announced the following new acquisitions: A.D. POLICE (new TV series), SPRIGGAN, PRINCESS NINE, GENERATOR GAWL, SAKURA MAIL (DIARIES), SLAYERS MOVIES 2 & 3, SLAYERS OVA series 2, THE SAMURAI and the live action film TOKYO BLUE.

Tokimemo Anime On The Way
TOKIMEKI MEMORIAL, one of the first romance simulation games, will make the transition to animation this summer and fall. Game producer Konami and video distributor King announced the June 18th and September releases of two TOKIMEKI MEMORIAL (TOKIMEMO) videos. Studio Pierrot (KIMAGURE ORANGE ROAD, FUSHIGI YUUGI) will animate the 40-minute volumes, and the game's original voice cast will reprise their roles.
The story takes place five months before graduation at the Kirameki private high school. Third-year student Satome Yoshio and a rival vie for the attention of Fujisaki Shiori and almost a dozen other girls.

JINRO Set For L.A. Screening
The UCLA Film and Television Archive is holding a film festival to celebrate Japanese animation. "Samurai Cyborgs and Outrageous Babes" will run from May 8 to June 1, 1999, at the James Bridges Theater on the northeast corner of the UCLA campus. The biggest draw of the festival is sure to be the screening of the new film JINRO (English title: Wolf Brigade), based on the work of Oshii Mamoru. Director Okiura Hiroyuki will appear at the screening. More information will be available on their website.

A.D. Vision Calls Home Mystic Forces and Mecha
A.D.V. Films, Inc. announced last week in a press release that they had indeed acquired the rights to the Sunrise television anime GASARAKI. A combination of mysticism and military action, GASARAKI's staff includes director Takahashi Ryosuke (VOTOMS), mechancial designer Izubuchi Yutaka (PATLABOR) and character designer Murase Syuko (GUNDAM WING). The press release confirms speculation of A.D.V.'s acquisition of this title. A.D. Vision is well known for its North American release of another post apocalyptic mecha story, EVANGELION.

CITY HUNTER Turns Twelve
To celebrate the 12th anniversary of the popular anime series CITY HUNTER, a road show will be touring Japan. Along with the road show comes a brand-new CITY HUNTER SPECIAL. This will be the third special since the television and OVA series ended. The road show is set to begin April 23.

PRINCESS MONONOKE Release Date Set
Miramax films announced a July 9 release date for Miyazaki Hayao's final film, PRINCESS MONONOKE. Initially slated for a limited release, the film could be shown on an increased number of screens if it is well received.

New (and not so new) Titles from Urban Vision
Urban Vision has announced that it has acquired the rights to two Matsumoto Leiji works: his renown anti-war anthology film THE COCKPIT (1993) and his latest work, DNA SIGHTS 999.9. Also, Urban Vision has purchased the rights to re-release WICKED CITY and VAMPIRE HUNTER D—both will be released in subtitled format for the first time ever. The anime WILD SEVEN, based on the manga by Mochizuki Mikiya, has also been acquired by Urban Vision. DNA SIGHTS 999.9 is slated for a June release; other titles are still to be determined.

GUNDRESS Not Fully Dressed?
The movie GUNDRESS will be released theatrically in Japan even thought its production is still incomplete. According to the Nikkei Shinbun (March 20), some scenes of the movie are unfinished and result in incomplete audio cues and unnatural animation of the characters. The production company Orca decided to release the movie despite its shortcomings, since they concluded that cancelling the film would result in more confusion. GUNDRESS is a near-future, sci-fi action thriller with character designs by Shiro Masamune. See http://www.gundress.com/ for more information. This site is in Japanese.