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Giant Mecha News
da3dAlus writes "Starting next week, Monday Feb 24th, from 4-5pm est Cartoon Network's Toonami starts a Giant Robot Week. The lineup currently includes episodes of Nadesico, Dia-Guard, Robotech, and Evangelion (yes, NGE is slated for the block, but only on Mon/Tues). Also in Evangelion news, AnimeNewsNetwork reports Gainax is finalizing the re-release of the boxed set of NGE. This set includes re-worked (audio/video enhanced) versions of the original 26 episodes, the 4 'remake' eps from laser disc, and a bonus disc with creditless opening/closing video, trailers, and live-action edition of the film. The final cut of the Evangelion movie-- Death(True)2, Air, and Magokoro wo Kimi ni--will also be included. The discs will be in a limited edition art box, and will retail for ~$322 on or about June 25th, with a reservation deadline of April 14th. After that, the new set will be released separately without the box."
I'm glad they include Robotech. That in my opinion is one of the best early mech shows. I actually never saw the cartoon when I was younger, but I read all the books based on them. or maybe the cartoons were based on the books.. anyway, they got me interested in Mechwarrior too :-)
Sig- http://www.dreamhost.com/rewards.cgi?ayefly
Actually, there isn't -that- much in Eva that would really need to be cut. Most of the violence is nothing too special, and there's only one episode that has any nudity at all (nipple-less nudity, nonetheless). I heard (and this is just a rumor, mind you), that the only things that are actually getting cut from Eva are some religious references that might offend some people; though I can't think of what those might be offhand.
I think a far better thing to worry about is the fact that they are airing the dubbed version of NGE, which is enough to make one want to tear their eyes out. I realize that the subtitled version would probably not interest most American veiwers, but hiring a crew of voice actors from Texas certainly isn't going to do wonders for the series, either.
"Quoting famous computer scientists out of context is the root of all evil (or at least most of it) in programming." - K
...IT IS COMING OUT IN JAPAN (Region 2). I also don't believe there are English subtitles on the discs, although I could be misstaken. Then again, I actually happen to prefer the English dub on Eva... *dodges thrown debris*
Those looking for an updated region 1 release will probably have to wait until ADV decides to reissue them...again.
Word is that Manga is thinking of doing a box set of the two movies, but nothing has been officially announced.
Mechanized Propulsion Systems
Hopefully This might hold you over... Absolutely amazing.
Never fight naked, unless you're in prison...
Of course when you compare the $170 price of that boxed set (or $145 at amazon, or $127.50 at barnes and noble) to this whopping $322 price tag, it seems a little more perfect after all. How many disks does the set have anyway? For that price it better have at least 16.
Then again i supose it beats the $12.63 they want you to pay for just the new and improved first episode.
This Space Intentionally Left Blank
I'm really surprised they are showing Evangelion on CN. Despite what was said above, it is very violent and very sexually suggestive for kids. I'm guessing it is only the first two episodes, which are very light compared to some of the later episodes. If you haven't seen the greatest anime series of all time, I hope you get to see the two episodes shown this week!
There's been no mention whether or not this boxset will be released here in the US. I'm not sure if it will ever be released here due to the current license agreements here: ADV has the rights to the TV series, but Manga Entertainment has the rights to the movies.
This post sponsored by Ninja Burger. "
try rahxephon for size.. right from the beginning you will
get the EVA-feel, and even though it feels a little too
close to being a clone, you will realize after a short while
that it is more mature in every way compared to EVA.. both
in character, story, ending, and production. Oh yeah, especially the ending is completely brilliant.
Of course, some will never get over how much it resembles EVA in many ways, but.. look past that, and you have a brilliant series that is all what EVA only could have wished to be.(EVA was simply too childish in too many ways to appeal to me)
link at animefu
link at animenfo
It's just starting to come out on DVD. I expect it to become a hit.
Hallelujah! Errr, I mean I think that whole sequence is probably the best 5 minutes of animation ever animated. Quite possibly the best 5 minutes of anything you can play on a screen. People ask me "What is anime?", and I'll pop in DVD #7 and play the Hallelujah sequence. It's so good I'll burn all my karma with no regrets by posting this inane message.
If you've never seen anime or Neon Genesis Evangelion, then run, don't walk, to the nearest video rental and rent DVD #7. Watch the middle episode. Warning: may cause serious addiction.
Washington, DC: It's like Hollywood for ugly people.
--Spoiler Alert--
--If you haven't seen the Eva movies don't read--
In the middle of The second Eva movie there is a trippy live film part that showed a few things from modern day Japan, trains, buildings, a cat i the rafters, and empty movie theater. But originally there was a whole scripted live action part with people portraying Asuka, Rei, Touji, and Misato in an alternate universe from the one we see in the animated parts. You actually see parts of the original live action part at the begining of the End Of Evangelion disc, but no the whole thing, and Manga did not translate it.
I hate to do this to his server, but there is a great write up of the live action part at EvaOtaku.Com
I am betting that this original live action sequence is what they are releasing and not a live action version of the movie.
Note to self: No more arguing with the faithful.
From what I'm hearing, they either reduced or eliminated the jitter. I think there's a preview disc out sometime next month of the first ep or two (at CDJapan) that I know people are going to decide whether they want the entire box or not with. Preview disc is under $13 before shipping.
Well, for those in the know, the March issue of Newtype Magazine is out in Japan, I managed to snag a copy of it. Why? Because the sampler DVD includes a special section devoted entirely to the Eva Renewal project.
Here's what it has:
1) Remastered Opening
2) First Half of Episode One with Left Half of the screen Remastered, right side from original telecine with a white line running down the center.
3) Second Half of Episode One Remasters (with a little watermark in the top corner).
4) Remastered Ending of Episode One
So I've seen first hand the Eva remaster... spent the last hour rewatching it. It is AWESOME.
First off - the box set being released by GAiNAX is RAW JAPANESE in REGION 2. There are NO English Subs! Second, the price is extremely good for a boxset of this size (11 discs) in Japanese prices (actual boxset price is 39,800yen). Considering the poor shmucks who bought the Second Impact Box sets a year ago paid more than 50% more than that to get everything that's in this box - and not remastered - I'd say this is a bloody good deal.
The remastering process was two fold - first off, the entire show was re-telecined from film source and then digitally cleaned up. This means no frame jitters, no bad telecining, no bad coloring. It looks gorgeous. The colors are vibrant and clean enough it looks like digital cel work at times. And if you've seen my homepage - you know I've worked a lot with Eva's video... and the difference is like night and day.
The second part of the remastering process is all the audio is being redone in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround. I can't comment on this myself as I haven't watched it on a full 5.1 speaker setup, but it already sounds clearer, and my home theater nut friend who also got the disc tells me it sounds fantastic. I'll take his word on it as he's one of those anime fans where if there's ANYTHING wrong he makes a stink about it.
Now if you want to see this for yourself, buy the March issue of Newtype Magazine (NOT the US version!! It's not in that POS) or wait for the Evangelion Test Type 01 disc to come out. It's a sampler disc of the whole remastered first episode with a couple extras for less than $20. If it's not good enough to spend your money on, you don't have to get it.
I own all the Region 1 Eva TV DVDs from ADV, I own the Region 2 imports of the Movies and Vol 6 (the re-edited episodes 21-24). I'm still buying this thing - it's that good.
I've taken the time to capture some samples off the disc (digitally of course).
You can check them out here, but PLEASE go easy on my server. If someone could mirror the pics please do so.
http://www.ermacstudios.org/EvaRenewal/
"I want to get more into theory, because everything works in theory." -John Cash
The entirety of Eva is an in-joke. All of it. There's no insight, there's no meaning. Its just another of the bad '70s giant robot shows that throw out philosophical-sounding garbage now and then. Its a throwback to the days before Gundam, when the hero was always a young boy piloting the war machine his cruel father built and fighting un-understandable alien monsters. The ending's Gainax running out of money, and the movies are the director flipping off the fans.
Watch Rah Xephon instead. It does everything that Eva did, only better. For starters, the writers actually thought about symbology, consistancy, and meaning.
Starting in around 1981, US adults with disposable income and technology savy started importing anime, often by making fansubs (which weren't illegal at first, since Japanese copyrights only applied within their nation). They naturally focused on the "best" titles- ones that were mature and thought-provoking, or had whizzy science-fiction, or at least were dramatically different from US produced animation. (Which were Disney features and GI Joe cartoons).
The "cream-of-the-crop". Non-representative. Just like you might be able to pick 3-4 excellent shows from US television, doesn't mean that Sturgeon's Law has been repealed.
But then around 1997, globalization was far enough advanced that US companies wishing to import Japanese toys no longer had the leeway to alter the brand and make new cartoons. (Also the Japanese recession made their labor easier to buy). So, led by Pokemon, the drek that makes up the majority of Japanese animation began making inroads into wide US availability.
As long as anime translators were targeting only the college-educated, nerd-tendencies crowd, you were insulated from anime that had no chance of appealing to you. Now that there is a whole different demographic being marketed to, you'll face increased risk of encountering more things like Pokemon.
If Pokemon is the worst you've seen, just wait a bit. You could dig through the bottom of the barrel and discover whole new depths with just a little effort (But, why go searching for pain? Unless you enjoy bad viewing?
Don't you find that Pokemon caters to US (as *not* in Simpsons) cultural stereotypes, as opposed to, say, Sailor Moon?
Hmm, cultural sterotypes in Sailor Moon? I don't have time for a full list, but let's see...
Like Pokemon, Sailor Moon was largely a toy-commerical show. Just instead of video games and rubber animals, it sold pink, plastic jewlery. (Ok, and videogames too). Both had more than 200 episodes that are difficult to distinguish from each other. Maybe overall a little better than Pokemon, maybe not. I'd say it has 12 or so above-average episodes. (But I'm not inclined to become an expert in either show)
I'll agree that WHR appears to be cloning the style of La Femme Nikita, from US cable.
only one is by Miyazaki
In the English speaking world, the two most recognized anime (the ones able to get a front-page of Time magazine, or something) are Pokemon and Miyazaki's series. The highs, and the middles. But most anime produced (by volume, and by total viewage, despite Miyazaki's mega-blockbusters) is more like Pokemon than unlike.
I only recognize one title, "Wolf's Rain", which I haven't seen, but heard it was good.
Yes, Wolf's Rain is surely the current anime broadcast that American adults will most enjoy. Of the others, I don't know, prehaps L-R, MahouTsukai, and Big-O are decent. The rest are far, far lower on the scale. A few of them, YuGiOh and OnePiece, will soon be familiar to you as they come to US broadcast positions following Pokemon/Digimon.