27-05-2003 04:35									#1
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Zenryaku,

It's time once again for Anime Apolyton. This one has been a bit delayed, since I've been getting ready to go to A-Kon next weekend. I'll bump the thread next week if I heard anything interesting, of course.

Now, on to the news.

Lots of new titles are coming out. If anything, the pace is increasing, so a little focus is necessary if you don't happen to have a few spare bank accounts lying around.

Starting off with upcoming releases, some of these will be repeats, but in general worth the repeat.

Media Blasters will be starting a release of Twelve Kingdoms soon. This is one of the few series that will be released in the US at the same time as it is still airing in Japan. Currently over 40 episodes, it's an epic fantasy with a bit of a magical girl spin. No wands or transformations, but the main character is taken off to another world where she's supposed to be an Empress. Things don't quite work out at first, of course... Very good dark fantasy series.

They've also recently announced Figure 17, which examines the question "what happens when you add together two nine year old girls?" and decides "you get an 18 year old girl". I'm joking, of course, but it's not that far off the mark. The main character is a young girl who has recently moved to the country with her father. She finds something odd in the woods one night and gets caught up in a fight between a sort of intergalactic policeman and some rather unusual monsters. She comes in contact with a suit of intelligent armor that isn't quite functioning properly, and later decides it's going to be her twin sister while on Earth. Definitely a coming of age anime, but with plenty of action.

US Manga is going with their usual track record. Not many titles at all, but big name ones. Read or Die will be released soon, and advance reviews are promising. They haven't done a major release right yet, though, so we'll see. Read or Die itself could be best summed up as James Bond, anime style. Yomiko Readman is a substitute teacher and secret agent for the British Library. While off buying books (bibliophile doesn't do her justice) she becomes involved in stopping a plan to destroy the world.

ADV has a large, large number of titles coming out, which is no surprise. The live-action Evangelion movie has already been subjected to a thread, so I'll skip it here.
More interesting to Evangelion fans will be the news that they've also aquired the rights to the Director's Cut versions of the episodes. Six episodes had altered, extended footage that has been available in Japan for some time. It'll soon be available in the US as well.
I've mentioned it before, but just as a reminder, Voices of a Distant Star will be released soon.
On their upcoming titles list is also Magical Shopping Street Abenobashi. I personally don't care for it at all, but it is a Gainax title, so I'm sure there are some people anticipating it.
Bigger news is that ADV annouced that they've licensed Azumanga Daioh. If you remember my Year in Review thread, this is the show that I gave the nod to as top comedy of last year. It's a pretty plotless slice-of-life show, following the lives of a number of odd Japanese schoolgirls (and their even stranger teachers).

CPM is getting a number of interesting titles recently. Soon to be released is Alien 9, a very unusual story. The schoolgirls-capturing-aliens motif isn't all that odd, but the characters are. Very good story that is, unfortunately, not complete, as there are only four episodes in the OVA (the last one appropriately titled "The End of the Beginning"). Luckily CPM is also releasing the manga, so you can find out what happens afterwards.
Also coming up is Animation Runner Kurmoi. This is an unusual title, kind of an Otaku no Video Lite, about the industry itself. Kuromi is a fresh college graduate just starting her first job out of college. After being shown around the studio she's told she's in charge, and has to cope from there.
CPM does seem to be favoring the unusual titles this year, and will be releasing Cat Soup this year as well. This is a short movie (or long episode, take your pick) thats... well, kind of hard to describe. Basically, it deals with a cat journeying to save his sister's (I think) soul, but it's kind of an art film on acid, so it's hard to tell.

Bandai has finally rescheduled Infinite Ryvius. This was supposed to come out earlier this year but was removed from the list for some unknown reason. It's finally been given a new release date. This one is pretty much Lord of the Flies in space, so be prepared for lots and lots of angst.
They're also soon to be releasing Witch Hunter Robin, which has been a rather popular title. The basic premise is made clear by the title, and it's a rather dark show with lots of politics in the background. Unfortunately, it's a really slow starter, and keeps the mosnter-of-the-week theme running too long. Bandi is gracing this with a Platinum Line Limited Edition release, so there is also a pricy LE version of the first disc with lots of extras.

Disney is apparently getting ready to release more Studio Ghibli films, as news has come out that Porco Rosso is being dubbed. This is my favorite of Miyazaki's films. It's set in a kind of alternate history, between the world wars in the Adriac. The main character is a guy with the head of a pig, thanks to a curse from the last war, who is currently a bounty-hunting seaplane pilot (and yes, it's much better than it sounds from this).

Synch Point doesn't have the resources to do a whole lot at once, but they're almost done with FLCL, and have announced that they've licensed the Digi Charat movie. I suspect they're trying to get the TV series as well, but it seems caught in a major licensing tangle, so they probably won't have much luck.

The last big news is Pioneer, which has formally announced a release date for Haibane Renmei. Again with the Year in Review, this one earned my pick for best anime series of last year, and indeed, my favorite anime series period. It's hard to describe the charm of the series, but it's about a group of people called haibane. Not quite human, they hatch from cocoons with no memories of their past, grow wings, and live in a walled city they aren't allowed to leave.

On the manga side of things, I'm mostly repeating myself here, but there are some interesting things going on. NieA_7 has been licensed by Viz, and while it probalby isn't everyone's cup of tea I enjoy it. This one is by my favorite man-of-anime, yoshitoshi ABe (also the writer of Haibane Renmei).
In something of a surprise move, Berserk has been licensed. Running 24 volumes so far in Japan (that I know of) it's a long and dark one. This one's squarely in the hack and slash genre, with a bit of a fantastic touch in the way of demons. Very good story.

A number of good series are about to or have recently finished their US releases. I'll just list some of the big ones for now:
Berserk
Excel Saga
Fruits Basket
Banner of the Stars
Utena
Card Captor Sakura
FLCL

Biggest news here is His and Her Circumstances, which has turned out to be an edited version of the original series. Right Stuf was unaware of this, and is currently trying to find out what happened, but I suspect it was just Gainax being Gainax. This one is rather disappointing, however, as not all the changes were minor. An entire episode and a half are completely different, which makes you wonder why no one noticed it while it was being dubbed...1

As for stuff currently running in Japan, I haven't seen much that's particularly impressive. There are a number of decent titles, like Stellvia no Uchuu, but little that really stands out. The best of the bunch right now is definitely Kino no Tabi, something that ADV has apparently pre-licensed, although they haven't confirmed it yet. This series is about a boy who's just wandering around the world with his companion, the cynical talking motorcycle. It's more dramatic than it sounds, and so far is turning out quite good.

Wraith
"Nyaaaaaa!"
-- Kazumi ("Alien 9")

	27-05-2003 05:00									#2
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I recently saw Haibane Renmei. It was simply beautiful. Only Azumanga Daioh has impressed me as Haibane Renmei did.

So thanks for the tip on that one.

Another cool series I've been watching is Slam Dunk. Even got me playing basketball again, after many years. Sakuragi is the king.

	27-05-2003 05:33									#3
	Inflate your Upload Space

I'm just about to finish Rurouni Kenshin. 95 Eps. Wooo...

I would rate this series an 8/10--definitely worthwhile, although long. It is a series of morality tales set in the post-restoration period and it is fun to see all of the historical references. It has prompted me to do some Googling on the history of Japan, including the history of Edo and Commodore Perry's voyage.

A very solid series until the end, where they have some episodes about a quasi-Christian revolt. A group of christians tried to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. Get out the writings of Saint Augustine to poke holes in their beliefs! Anyway, that threw me for a loop, because it just seemed too implausible. Oddly though, it has a strong basis in fact. This revolt actually happened in China some 40 years before and was quite large. Don't know if this Chinese revolt led to smaller revolts that actually happened in Japan in the 1880 timeframe, as is portrayed in this series.

As I stated in a previous thread, they have very long fight scenes are done very well and the strategy/tactics are all very explicit. One beef I have is that the pacing was a little excruciating. At one point, they had 15 or 20 episodes in a row that were just serious fighting without a light-hearted episode.

Now that I'm at episode 92, they're starting with some Feng Shui stuff that is boring to me. Perhaps if I knew the event to which they are referring (if there is one), it would be better.

	27-05-2003 06:10									#4
	Remove this text

Naruto

This is the show that piqued my interest in Anime... still being released in Japan too, they're on episode 34 with a lot of material from the MANGA left to go (and that's still going too).

	27-05-2003 07:33									#5
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--"I recently saw Haibane Renmei. It was simply beautiful."

Yes, if you have to use only one word to describe it, beautiful is a very good choice.

I really can't wait to see what else yoshitoshi ABe comes up with. He'll be at Anime Expo this year, too (at least, he's on the guest list, and I don't think the SARS thing is having any impact on travel from Japan). Wish I could go to it, but between the work schedule and the cost...

--"Another cool series I've been watching is Slam Dunk."

Haven't seen that one, but I'm not really in to sports anime. Of course, there aren't a lot out in the US, but what I've seen just hasn't really been my thing. Battle Athletes/Battle Atheletes Victory is fairly amusing, but certainly not one of the top titles around. The R2 ones I've seen haven't really impressed me much more, though.

--"I'm just about to finish Rurouni Kenshin."

I loved the OVA, but I haven't seen much of the TV version. It's another one of those "I should really borrow that from someone someday" titles. I've heard good things about it, but what I've seen on CN has been pretty variable. Some of that is just the dub, of course, but still.

--"Naruto"

I couldn't get in to this one at all. Saw a couple episodes, but nothing caught my attention enough to make me want to keep watching.
The best show I've seen in this sort of action/fighting genre is Hunter X Hunter. I wouldn't be too surprised if Funimation picks it up pretty soon. That and One Piece, which is kind of in the same genre, only it's squarely on the comedic side of the spectrum.

Wraith
"Could you stop eating my gun?"
-- Mihoshi ("Tenchi Muyo")

	27-05-2003 08:01									#6
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I've heard good things about it, but what I've seen on CN has been pretty variable.

That's a fair criticism.

	27-05-2003 10:24									#7
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I'm still looking for a "Cowboy Bebop" like series.

My co-worker said I should check out "Pet Shop of Horrors" or something like that. She said that it's a really short series but very good and morbid.

	28-05-2003 05:21									#8
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

Small correction on the sports anime thing. I have seen Yawara, a Fashionable Judo Girl, and I've rather enjoyed what little I've been able to see.

--"That's a fair criticism."

Well, any long series can expect some variation. Especially when different writers (and even animation companies) are used. Still, I haven't really gotten in to their particular mix of humor and drama. It just wasn't handled properly, for me.

--"I'm still looking for a "Cowboy Bebop" like series."

Like it in what way?

Wraith
Life would be much easier if I had the source code.

	28-05-2003 05:54									#9
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I've only seen one episode of cowboy bebop, but it was great.

	28-05-2003 08:35									#10
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I've seen all the episodes of Cowboy Bebop and enjoyed all of them. The movie was quite good as well. I found Trigun to be entertaining also, although I don't like the drawing style quite as much. NGE still gave me the most enjoyment though (not to mention confusion ).

I'll be watching Serial Experiments Lain next, and will be following it with Hellsing.

	29-05-2003 05:07									#11
	Tired of ads?

Is this all the interest there is?

Anyway, bump so Frankychan can answer.
I mean, if you like the soundtrack, anything Yoko Kanno has worked on would be worth a try. Several new series, like Noir, have very good soundtracks as well.
If it's the kind of western-ish feel, maybe Trigun or Outlaw Star.
If it's the animation, well several new series have high production values (it's a trend... won't say as much for the story quality, of course). Noir, Hellsing (from what I've heard), RahXehphon, Read or Die...
If it's the non-linear character-study story, well, that'll be harder to find.

Wraith
"Ecchi nano wa ikenai to omoimasu."
-- Mahoro ("Mahoromatic")

	29-05-2003 05:56									#12
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thanks for the bump Wraith. I'll see if any of the anime stores here carry Noir. I like how Cowboy Bebop had an underlying running theme, but diverged with little side adventures. Sorry for the late reply.

I don't know if that's why I like Cowboy Bebop, but anything with that kind of storyline appeals to me.
I'm on a quest to collect the entire Cowboy Bebop series (i got 3 out of 7)....and I got a wallscroll.

	29-05-2003 07:03									#13
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Are there any stand alone anime movies coming out, like metropolis or spirited away?

	29-05-2003 07:14									#14
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I recently finished Escaflowne (took awhile, been busy), and also finished watching the Trigun episodes that aired on CN. I've no idea how much editing took place on the latter (I liked what I saw), and I thoroughly enjoyed the former.

Looking around for my next anime to get -- probably won't be able to get it til early July, given income and time constraints etc. (Finals are in two weeks -- I hate this goddamn quarter system. Everybody I know who's still in undergrad has been out of school for two weeks already.)

	29-05-2003 08:12									#15
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Will Excel Saga and FLCL be dubbed in the US ? The result might be... interesting

	29-05-2003 08:16									#16
	Tired of ads?

IIRC 2/3 of FLCL has been dubbed, with the final third on the way.

	29-05-2003 08:21									#17
	Full PM-box? Change here!

quote: Originally posted by loinburger IIRC 2/3 of FLCL has been dubbed, with the final third on the way.

I pity the American viewers

	29-05-2003 09:54									#18
	Suffering from ads?

quote: Originally posted by loinburger (Finals are in two weeks -- I hate this goddamn quarter system. Everybody I know who's still in undergrad has been out of school for two weeks already.)

wow, and I thought I had a long school session.

	29-05-2003 16:41									#19
	Suffering from ads?

--"I'll see if any of the anime stores here carry Noir."

I'd rent this one first. I personally didn't like it much, but it does have a very good soundtrack and high production values.
It kind of fits what you're looking for in stories, but most anime does really, especially the long ones. They don't normally do it quite the way Bebop does, but the over all story arc with some side adventures is pretty standard.

--"Are there any stand alone anime movies coming out, like metropolis or spirited away?"

More Studio Ghibli stuff will be coming out, but I don't know whether or not Disney will be pushing a theatrical release on any of them. Porco Rosso is being worked on now, and should be out around the end of the year.

Other than that, I can't think of any coming soon. The main other one would be Read or Die. It's really a three episode OVA, but US Manga has been saying they want to run it all together as a movie (about an hour and a half, so it'd work, plus it should draw in the Bond crowd).

--"Looking around for my next anime to get"

Any preferences on what style/genre/etc? There's a lot of good stuff available.
If you're still after action, Berserk just finished being released, but you'd also have to get the manga to get any good resolution. They stop at the end of a story arc, but considering the manga is at 24 volumes and counting, there's a lot of story left.

If you're waiting till July, though, it might be a good idea to get Haibane Renmei. It starts release in August ^_^

--"Will Excel Saga and FLCL be dubbed in the US ?"

Excel Saga has been dubbed by ADV, FLCL is being dubbed by SynchPoint.
ADV has also licensed Puni Puni Poemi, and I'll be surprised if they don't license Jungle wa Itsumo Hare Nochi Guu.

I should add that Excel Saga went through two voice actresses for Excel. The original one, Jessica Cavello, managed to hurt her voice during the dubbing and had to take a vacation.

Wraith
"Destiny is a funny thing. Once I thought I was destined to become emperor of Greenland, sole monarch over it's 52,000 inhabitants. Then I thought I was destined to build a Polynesian longship in my garage. I was wrong then, but I've got it now. I'm the destined protector of this place. I'm this City's superhero."
-- The Tick

	30-05-2003 02:59									#20
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I dug this out and thought I'd weigh in. I love anime but I have trouble finding the good ones here. I have to admit I usually prefer the movies over the series and it seems that most of the video stores around here carry series almost exclusively. I was reading through here and didn't see any movies listed so maybe you guys can way in with some good anime movies to check out.

I own a few: Ninja Scroll (the basis for comparison for all anime I watch. Best one I've ever seen.), Aemon Saga, and the movie version of X. I liked Spriggan enough to buy it but I haven't had the cash yet. Probably the worst I've seen is Sin; made me want to vomit.

I'm not opposed to series but they're pretty expensive and short. I do own a few volumes of Battle of the Planets (the one with the bird costumed warriors saving earth) but they aren't the ones they used to show on tv. These are really cheesy with bad dialog for the most part.v I have a few of the good versions but it's made me leery of buying any more.

So, what do you recommend, movie-wise?

	30-05-2003 03:07									#21
	Increase the size of your Attachments

I pity the American viewers

To be clear, there is both a dub and a sub.

	30-05-2003 03:17									#22
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Anime is lame

	30-05-2003 04:34									#23
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This will be my last post until Monday, most likely. Going to leave for A-Kon tonight even though it doesn't start until tomorrow (the anime club I'm in gets together with the Dallas branch tonight for fun).

--"I love anime but I have trouble finding the good ones here."

Where's "here"? There's a lot of good stuff still limited by region (unless you've got a region-free player and don't mind international orders).

In any case, there really aren't a whole lot of anime movies available on DVD. All the Studio Ghibli ones come as a recommend, and the Miyazaki ones in particular are a good buy (Kiki's Delivery Service, Spirited Away, many others).
Akira and Ghost in the Shell are probably the two biggest name anime movies out. Personally, I prefer Jin-Roh to either of them, but they're still good. You should probably also check out Metropolis.

Other than that, most of the anime movies I've seen have been based on or related to a series in some way. Ah! My Goddess, Tenchi Muyo, Evangelion, Escaflowne, that list is pretty long.

--"I'm not opposed to series but they're pretty expensive and short."

Both are depends. You can often find the entire Armored Trooper Votoms series online for around #100, and that's for four 13 episode seasons. There are plenty of long anime (Card Captor Sakura, Rurouni Kenshin, Slayers, Ranma 1/2, Urusei Yatsura, Kimagure Orange Road) but they do tend to get expensive quick. Keep an eye out for ADVs Perfect Collections, which tend to be cheap, and for things like Right Stuf's weekly specials.

Wraith
"If there was a God in this world, it would be ME!"
-- Dark Schneider ("Bastard!")

	30-05-2003 06:00									#24
	Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

I've seen Evangelion Genesis but it was a little confusing and didn't really get exciting until the end. I'm in Birmingham, AL. I run across movies occasionally but I've been burned before. I posted here because I took my lunch break and went to Best Buy to see what they had and almost picked a few things up.

	31-05-2003 19:52									#25
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quote: Originally posted by Frankychan I'm still looking for a "Cowboy Bebop" like series. My co-worker said I should check out "Pet Shop of Horrors" or something like that. She said that it's a really short series but very good and morbid.

She is creasy. Who would like to look at movie about animals? Only cute thing is owner of that shop, but it's rather... They again why spoil it to you.

	31-05-2003 20:12									#26
	Tired of ads?

quote: Originally posted by Japher Anime is lame

There tend to be two kinds of people on anime threads. Those who love anime and are actively seeking more of the stuff to watch, and those who think anime is in some way a bad thing - boring, lame, only for children, only for freaks, etc. What causes this difference is that people of the first kind have seen at least one anime series completely.

Seriously though... anime is hard to get into, but it's interesting. For many people. Definitely not everyone.

Escaflowne is the only anime I've seen as of late... I remember it being described flavourless by one guy, but I didn't think it was like that. Then again, I consumed the whole series in two days so I was pretty immersed most of the time. The pseudoscience was definitely the freakiest I've yet seen - the Destiny Prognostication Engine was big enough a shock already, and the blood transfusion to improve one's luck simply went over my SoD capabilities. But that wasn't where the strength of the series lied, anyway. Folken was ûber-cool no matter what side he fought on while Nariya and Eriya were a pleasure to watch. Van (those wings rocked!) and Allen were pretty cool at times, too, while Merle narrowly avoided the trap of being more of an annoyance than comic relief.

I had a look at a couple of screenshots of Haibane Renmei and will watch it if I can find it anywhere... hm... now I just need to find more mind**** stuff. I loved NGE, Serial Experiments Lain and Perfect Blue for the feeling of confusion...

	31-05-2003 20:23									#27
	Increase Your PM Length

Boogiebop Phantom was pretty good for the whole mind**** experience.

I'll have to look into Haibane Renmei once it comes out. I won't have time to get into another series til July anyway, might as well wait another month or two.

	02-06-2003 05:27									#28
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Zenryaku,

Just got back from A-Kon a while ago. No big new annoucements that I heard (although I missed a couple studio panels), but I did get some more info about the Evangelion movie release. The script is a second draft form now, and is being done by "a well-known sci-fi author". They wouldn't name names, but I'd guess Neil Gaiman from the way they were talking. It is, unfortunately, be a retelling of the series rather than a side-story or something similar. Other than that, they are still looking for backers (figures, they do not have the cash to handle this themselves, not even with Gianax and Weta), but are still too early in the process to talk about things like casting and so on.

--" I'm in Birmingham, AL. I run across movies occasionally but I've been burned before."

Ah, okay. As long as you're in the US it'll be pretty easy to get good anime, just let us know what kind of things you like. Best Buy has been increasing their anime selection lately, although their prices are still usually to high for my liking.

If you liked the last part of Evangelion the most, I'd suggest starting with movies like Akira, Ghost in the Shell, and Jin-Roh. For series, try Serial Experiments: Lain and Boogiepop Phantom.

Oh, and some new news, it looks like Boogiepop Phantom is going to be airing on Tech TV pretty soon. This is kind of a surprising choice, given the content of the show, but I guess violence has never been a big problem for US censors.

--"The pseudoscience was definitely the freakiest I've yet seen"

Yeah, the Enhanced Luck stuff is pretty out there, but there's worse pseudoscience around. Just watch Voyager ^_^
Definitely one of the good series out, though.

--"now I just need to find more mind**** stuff."

There's plenty, although you seem to be talking about the more intricate stuff rather than the simple acid trips. Keep your eye out for Texhnolyze (will almost certainly be licensed by Pioneer USA, since it's another Rondo Robe title) and maybe Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. I'd also recommend Boogiepop Phantom and Jin-Roh for you.

--"I'll have to look into Haibane Renmei once it comes out."

Yes. Yes you will.

One good bit of news that I picked up at the con is that the Haibane Hakusho (Haibane Whitepapers, booklets that came with the R2s) are going to be translated for the R1 release. It looks like Pioneer USA is going to be doing a good release of this.

Oh, and a little more about Read or Die. US Manga didn't do quite their usual booge job on it, but it's nowhere near as good as it could be. There's some video artifcating problems in the first epsiode, they still have the language selection issue, and the dub script is pretty heavily modified. But so far no one's complained about a disc completely failing to play, so they're one up on their End of Evangelion release...

Wraith
"Whaaat? And it's just getting interesting! Boo!"
-- Rabi-en-Rose ("Di Gi Charat")

	02-06-2003 05:49									#29
	Got spare money?

quote: Just got back from A-Kon a while ago. No big new annoucements that I heard (although I missed a couple studio panels), but I did get some more info about the Evangelion movie release. The script is a second draft form now, and is being done by "a well-known sci-fi author". They wouldn't name names, but I'd guess Neil Gaiman from the way they were talking.

Uuuh, wow. Wow wow wow wow. Wow?

quote: It is, unfortunately, be a retelling of the series rather than a side-story or something similar.

Ack. Even Gaiman can't pull that off. -_-

quote: Other than that, they are still looking for backers (figures, they do not have the cash to handle this themselves, not even with Gianax and Weta), but are still too early in the process to talk about things like casting and so on.

Ah, not enough money, this I was expecting. Oh well, at least they won't make a low-budget flick (or they are REALLY low currently), and, that increases the chances of it never happening.

Thanks for the info, it's golden and much appreciated.

	02-06-2003 06:17									#30
	Put an end to popups!

hey wraith! I appreciate you giving updates like this once in awhile here in poly. Keep up the good work

But you didnt cover any mangas. (not the publisher, I mean the books) any good manga coming out in japan or being released in the states? and oh its june, new vol of berserk should be out very soon.... question is. when?