Anime Revolution

More images have surfaced. These were taken from Dragonball – The Movie.

The official website for Casshern Sins has been launched. The site features a streaming trailer for the new anime.

Casshern Sins is a remake of Shinzo Ningen Casshan and is due in October.

Source: AnimeNation Blog

The following official images have been released:

Source: http://dbthemovie.com/

Three men have been arrested and sentenced for uploading Gundam using a file sharing program called Share.

Kasuhiro Maki, Moriyoshi Inoha and Takahiro Otomo have been sentenced to 18 months in prison. All three men were arrested on the same day.

Japanese law allows legal downloading for private use but prohibits unauthorized uploading.

Source: Anime News Network

According to AnimeNation, ADV Films has discontinued several domestic DVD releases.

The discontinued series are Best Student Council, Five Centimeters Per Second, Innocent Venus and Robotech. No explanation was given.

1. Dragon Ball GT #5
2. Dragon Ball GT #6
3. Lupin III: Green vs Red (Limited Edition)
4. Spice and Wolf (Limited Pack)
5. Lupin III: Green vs Red (Standard Edition)
6. The World of GOLDEN EGGS Vol. 01
7. Mobile Suit Gundam 00 #3
8. D.Gray-man 2nd stage #02
9. ef – a tale of memories #5
10. The World of GOLDEN EGGS Vol. 02

Source: Anime News Network

Anime On DVD has reported that The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is coming out on Blu-Ray in Japan on July 25, 2008. The film will be released on DVD in the US through Kadokawa Pictures USA and Bandai Entertainment. Still no word on a US Blu-Ray release.

According to Anime News Network, both Isao Takahata and Goro Miyazaki are developing works for release after Hayao Miyazaki’s Ponyo on a Cliff (Gake no Ue no Ponyo). Takahata co-founded Studio Ghibli and directed the hit drama Grave of the Fireflies. Goro Miyazaki directed Tales from Earthsea and is the son of Hayao Miyazaki.

Well, I have moved the site to a new server and also imported all of the past news from Anime Revolution’s archives. As a result I accidentally lost all the reviews! I’ll be re-adding those shortly. Don’t mind things looking weird for the next day, I’ll be working on things constantly.

Just a quick update to let visitors know that there is still life in this site.

I have updated the gallery to a new system and users can now comment on the pictures!

There is also something new coming to the site. Stay tuned!

UPDATE: I’m now moving the gallery to ZenPhoto. Gallery2 is great, but I don’t need all the features. Not to mention that /gallery on my server contains over 15,000 files. I don’t know what that’s about. Those 15,000+ files added up to 320MB of files!

Detroit Metal City is a new anime that will be an OVA based on the manga of the same name. The animation will be handled by Studio 4°C (Spriggan).

The manga was created by Kiminori Wakasugi.

Viz Media has announced that Naruto will be available for digital download from IGN Entertainment’s Direct2Drive online store. Beginning November 15 the first 25 episodes will be available for $1.99 each.

Source: Anime News Network

According to Nausicaa, Borders is currently offering a special collectors set of Ghibli movies. The set features seven of the eight Miyazaki directed films:

• Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
• Porco Rosso
• My Neighbor Totoro
• Kiki’s Delivery Service
• Princess Mononoke
• Spirited Away
• Howl’s Moving Castle

The set retails for $202.99 but a special coupon knocks the price down to $142.09.

News has recently surfaced about the long coming Dragonball live action movie from 20th Century Fox. James Kyson Lee, the man who plays Ando on Heroes, has said he is auditioning for the role of Yamcha in the live action adaptation of the manga. He said the movie is planned for a 2010 release.

Source: Anime News Network

We’ve all seen Cowboy Bebop. In the ANN encyclopedia it’s currently in the top 10 highest rated anime of all time. Pretty impressive for a show of its age.

I’ve always had Bebop wallpapers circulating through my desktop. I decided to use Google and find the 22 most awesome Cowboy Bebop wallpapers out there. I bet there is at least one you’ve never seen.

Hello again! Sorry about my hiatus, life has been hectic!

To make it up to you guys, I have searched the web and uploaded the 35 best Eureka 7 wallpapers I could find.

You should go to the gallery and check them out. There’s bound to be something worthy of your “set as background” option!

Which wallpaper do you like best? Let me know in the comments. Read the rest of this entry »

I have uploaded another album to the gallery. This time it’s The Place Promised In Our Early Days, also translated as Beyond The Clouds.

Over 300 images have been uploaded from the high definition version of the movie. Almost every image added would make an awesome wallpaper.

The long awaited Neon Genesis Evangelion had finally arrived! After ordering the DVD from Anime Nation, I was anxious to see what Hideki Anno had in store for me. I rip the package open and pop the disc into my computer. Anticipation can hardly be contained as the first scene begins to play. And what a great scene it is! Manga Entertainment did a superb job of localizing Death and Rebirth. No fewer than three voices are translated in the opening dialogue, and all are being spoken at the same time. Emotions run wild as an angel of light graces the screen and detonates Second Impact. What a great start to the movie.

After the initial impact, things take an easier pace. In order to give the viewers a sense of retrospect, scenes occur in the forms of flashbacks. A clever frame, a simple music practice, sets the order of things. All voice acting was re-dubbed and retains the excellence from the original series. Nearly all of the actors from the original series reprised their roles. The replacements did an excellent job of covering the parts unable to be done. Unfortunately, the replacement voice actors, no matter how well of a job they do, are not as widely accepted as the originals. Their voices feel unfamiliar and foreign; viewers can’t form the same connection with them in one movie as they could the originals that had 26 episodes. Some of the returning voice actors sound changed, almost like they forgot the emotions of the original series. After the first few segments, viewers (and I) had already eased back into acceptance. All we could do was sit back and let the story unfold.

The entirely new segment, Rebirth, fits easily into the Eva storyline. Complex characters and confusing situations are all too familiar to veteran Eva watchers. Symbolism abounds everywhere and leads to one of the deepest and most open-ended stories ever told. Hidden meanings are everywhere and whether or not their creator intended it, they are substantial. Gendou Ikari can be seen as God with Shinji as a symbolic Jesus. This is one of many hotly debated theories. Every person who sees Death & Rebirth derives something for himself or herself. This is Anno at his height, the pinnacle of anime.

Of course, when making such a huge splash with story, one must include tremendous waves of music. Some of the most beautiful music ever heard is played within Death & Rebirth. Palchebel’s Canon, thought to be the most beautiful song ever written, is played not once, but twice within Death. Fully orchestrated music alongside familiar Eva tracks introduces something new, while leaving us in comfortable surroundings.

Neon Genesis Evangelion Death & Rebirth is not for everyone. Some viewers find the story too complex and misconstruing. Others find it to be the apex of anime. Love it or hate it, Death & Rebirth is definitely something everyone should watch. I had hours of playback after the movie thanks to the interactive menu and audio commentaries on the Omega side of the disc. I’m sure everyone will connect with on of the characters within Death & Rebirth. Don’t miss out on this controversial blockbuster.

The latest creation from Bebop creator Hajime Yadate. His goal was to create one last adventure with the entire Bebop clan before they go their separate ways. The movie takes place between episodes 22 and 23, just before the aforementioned takes place. The development team remains the same, with the exception of Junichi Higashi being replaced with Atsushi Morikawa, and set designer Hiroshi Takeuchi taking over for Isamu Imakake. Although Heaven’s Door take place on the always-popular planet of Mars, the visuals look different from anything seen in the series. Two new staff members, along with a trip to Morocco are the cause for this surprisingly new take on Bebop.

Viewers are greeted with a nice little prelude followed with the beginning credits. This is where Cowboy Bebop animation is at its finest. People walking around on streets look so real, that people sometimes mistake it for real motion video. Through the use of computers and the latest in animation technology, the Bebop team has been able to create one of the smoothest animations ever seen. This smoothness has only been seen in Pierrot Le Fou (Episode 20), but even that looks mild by comparison. Detail to animation remains constant throughout the length of Heaven’s Door, leaving the viewer to listen to the story without worrying about its presentation.

To keep things from getting monotonous, the team introduced some new characters. Vincent Volaju, a mysterious man with 300,000,000-woolong bounty on his head; Electra Ovilo, a Faye-like woman chasing after Vincent; Rasheed, a Moroccan looking man based on the team’s real life guide; and Lee Sampson, a fat, oriental man with computer knowledge comparable to Ed’s. These four characters add all the twists and turns needed to create a full 2-hour movie. Of course, all the original characters return to add their Bebop style. The character designer stays the same as the series, so viewers feel right at home, even with the new characters.

One major difference between the series and the movie is the backgrounds. Set designer Hiroshi Takeuchi accompanied the team on a Moroccan scouting trip. During the movie, we see the team move through a bazaar that is very reminiscent of one you would see in Morocco. Although the scenery is attractive and new, it can be distracting. Viewers may feel that although the story takes place on Mars, its surroundings look very unfamiliar. This sort of style is not reflected in the Bebop series and feels uncomfortable when alongside the cast. However, as the movie progresses, viewers adapt to their new surroundings and accept it as something Bebop.

Yoko Kanno and her Seatbelts set the standard for movie soundtracks. Playing everything from country to jazz to rock and roll, the music is always pumping to the Bebop rhythm. 17 all new songs emit from screens everywhere. Every song fits with what is going on in the film. Kanno is known for doing interesting things with jazz, and Heaven’s Door is no exception. She even goes the length of matching a trumpet with an oboe (strange!), or how about having an entire orchestra play a jazz number? Unlike the foliage, the music in Heaven’s Door goes hand in hand with the music in the Bebop series.

When the movie ends, all questions are answered and everything is resolved. The Bebop team used a stroke of genius as to when to introduce the new characters. Because the movie takes place just before the Bebop clan goes its separates ways, anything that happens in the movie does not have to connected to the series. The movie keeps a steady flow from beginning to end, making it something easy to watch. With great animation, a superb soundtrack, and something new, Cowboy Bebop Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door is something all anime fans should check out. No prior knowledge of Bebop is needed, so everyone can tune in and enjoy.

I’ve added another album to the gallery. Eureka 7 is one of the best anime I’ve seen in a long time. Think Transformers meets Evangelion.