On July 3-6, Imagi Studios and Summit Entertainment will be in Los Angeles for Anime Expo, the largest anime convention in North America, and will be introducing the Astro Boy movie. This could be our first major look at the film! They will also have a special Astro Boy T-Shirt! ComingSoon.com has all the details.
If anyone reading this is going to AX and can scope the scene out, get some information, and take some pictures, please do so for me and you can win upwards of 15 Internets! Well, OK, I can't really offer much aside from credit for your work, but any help would be appreciated.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Anime Expo 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Scarlett Johansson joins Astro Boy -UPDATE: Not!
Is it true? Awaiting confirmation, but for now, it looks that way!
Colider is reporting that Scarlett Johansson, one of the most beautiful actresses in the entire world, has joined the Astro Boy animated movie cast. Not only does she bring some excellent prestige to the film, but Scarlett also has a great connection to Astro's home country of Japan, as she starred in the multi-award winning "Lost in Translation". This is also not her first vocal role for an animated movie either. She was also in the SpongeBob Squarepants movie. But we won't talk about that one.
Personally, I'm thrilled not only that Scarlett Johansson is going to be a part of this movie, but also that I get to include a picture of her with this post.
*** UPDATE - 1/27/2009 ***
Nope, she's not!
Months later, MTV News brings the scoop.
I had kind of sort of met on it and stuff, but I don’t know where that came from,” Johansson told MTV. “I had never been committed to it. I don’t know what happened to it.”So, she's not in it. She could have been, so the rumor had some merrit at the time, but ultimately she isn't and Kristen Bell is. Oh well. At least I got to post a picture of Scarlett Johansson on this blog! Continue reading "Scarlett Johansson joins Astro Boy -UPDATE: Not!"...
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
More LardAss-tro Boy
A few months ago I first reported on the article about the new incarnation of Astro Boy conceived by Lily Frank, which has been "affectionately" called "LardAss-tro Boy" by fans.
Now the marketing surrounding this strange character is in full swing with new cell phones barring his likeness.
The Star Online has a new article about this bizarre interpretation of The Mighty Atom, as well as other examples of how Tezuka's classic characters are becoming more "open source" then ever before. You can read it on their website or click the link below to read it right here.Sunday June 22, 2008
Astro Boy’s new look
By KANTA ISHIDA
ATOM-KUN, SoftBank’s new cell phone, may prove a bit of a shock for long-time fans of Astro Boy as the character on it looks nothing like the original artist’s Mighty Atom.
Osamu Tezuka’s character has been reenvisioned by popular illustrator Lily Franky with a big belly, thick lips and tiny eyes. While Astro Boy is known for having “Juman-bariki” (100,000 horsepower), Atom-kun looks run-down and laid-back.
But Atom-kun has been authorised by Tezuka Production Co. In fact, it was the company that asked Franky to make the new version of Astro Boy. “We are aware Lily is paying his respects to Mr Tezuka. We asked him to create Astro Boy in his own style,” says Yoshihiro Shimizu, the head of the copyright and operation division.
The quirky Astro Boy featured on SoftBank’s mobile phones looks decidedly different from the original creator’s version (below, right).
Yawaraka Sensha (Fragile Tank) creator Rareko has released to the Web Yawaraka Atom, a merging of the web animator’s series with the anime classic. The anime, which can be seen by clicking on anime.livedoor.com/yawaraka atom/, is another example of the characters being restyled in completely new ways. “Sure, we get complaints from old Tezuka fans,” Shimizu says.
Next year marks the 20th anniversary of Tezuka’s death. A decade ago, Shimizu began introducing new products based on Tezuka’s creation under what he has dubbed the “avocali system” – an amalgamation of avocado and California Roll.
“For Edo-style sushi to take off internationally, chefs had to incorporate local foods (such as avocado),” Shimizu says. “In the same sense, we felt the best way to disseminate Osamu Tezuka’s DNA was to have artists from around the world ‘cook’ his characters – even if it meant changing their look.”
The theory behind this is that it is better for the life of the character to allow popular young designers to make “secondary creations”.
Pluto, a manga by Naoki Urasawa based on Tezuka’s Astro Boy, is one such outlet.
In a more daring project, Tezuka Production allowed the public to create animations, manga and other fan fiction works, such as those found at Comic Market, by using all of Tezuka’s characters at Open Post. On the site, launched by groups including the Association of Japanese Animations, under the direction of Japan’s Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry, works were posted and discussed interactively by creators, users and others. The project ran for five months, ending in March.
Shimizu says his firm is ready to work with any particularly talented artists it might find.
Not to be outdone, the global film industry is having its own go at the character, which has a healthy following overseas. Hong Kong’s Imagi Animation Studios has a CGI version of Astro Boy slated to hit theatres in 2009, with Freddie Highmore voicing the main character, according to www.imdb.com.
Thanks to this strategy, which can be compared to the open source system used in the software world, there has been a rise in revenue from Astro Boy licensing in recent years. The large-mindedness of the production company, in which model changes and parodies are welcomed, may open new possibilities in the character business, distinguishing it from the example set by the Walt Disney Co, for example.
But doesn’t that lead to the loss of the original Astro Boy’s identity? “Shakespeare’s Hamlet is ultimately the same no matter how it is presented, isn’t it?” Shimizu rebuts. – The Daily Yomiuri / Asia News Network
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Wow, updates!
Hey folks. Sorry about the recent downtime here. I do have a good excuse, which I will get to later.
To try and catch up, I have just put up a big bunch of updates today, likely with more to come very soon. Make sure you scroll down and take a good look at all of them!
In addition to that, I have updated the AstroBoy Animated Movie - What we Know post to reflect the latest news and changes. I have been able to confirm that Summit Entertainment will now be distributing the film and neither Warner Bros. or The Weinstein Company are involved any longer.
What kept me away from the site for the past 2-3 weeks? Well, in concert with being an anime fan, I'm also a Transformers fan, and I have been attending TFCon, the Canadian Transformers convention. For the past few years, I have been contributing to TFCon by way of illustrating a comic that serves as a prelude to a live script reading with a Transformers voice actor. This year, the comic is available for viewing online instead of being printed, and so I had the opportunity to do it in color. However, I only had 3 weeks to complete the 6 pages, and I pushed myself to the limit to finish on time. But it's done now and you can see the results of my work right here. Hope to see other Canadian Transformers fans at the show!
Tickets Please!
Now this is cool!
This mural of Astro, Dr. Ochanomizu, Uran, and Ban Shunsaku, currently on display at the Shinjuku Takashimaya Department Store, is impressive enough on it's own. What makes it even more impressive is that this 10 foot by 7 foot piece of art is actually made up of 138,000 recycled train tickets!
Lots more information and plenty of pictures can be found at Pink Tentacle. Take a look at the detail!
Dororo Movie on R1 DVD
The recent live-action movie adaptation of Tezuka's Dororo is making it's way to official Region 1 DVD thanks to Universal Studios Home Video.
Read the details at DVD Times and Anime News Network.
More information about this movie and the DVD release will be available here on AstroBoy World in the future. Until then, be careful when looking at buying Asian films, either online or in person, because what you might be looking at could be a bootleg.
One Thousand Years of Manga
The Daily Yomiuri Online has published an article about a fascinating book called "One Thousand Years of Manga", which traces the cultural roots of Japanese comics dating all the way back to the 11th century. This is very unique as most English-language books about manga only cover the past few decades. Looks like an interesting read, and this article goes on to explain how rich the world of manga really is.
The book itself is available right now on Amazon. You can read the article about it on the Daily Yomiuri website or click the link below to read it here. From emakimono to Osamu Tezuka: Book goes through 1,000 years of a 'uniquely Japanese' manga history
Kumi Matsumaru / Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer
Art historian Brigitte Koyama-Richard points to various art forms that have sprung from or been influenced by the interplay of cultures. For instance, the Art Nouveau movement in France took inspiration from Japanese ukiyo-e prints, while the works of today's Japanese mangaka are seen to be affected by the style of Art Nouveau painter Alphonse Mucha.
Still, Koyama-Richard said manga is an art form that developed in its own particular way in Japan, and she wants to introduce the history of the deeply Japanese art through her book One Thousand Years of Manga.
Going back as far as the seventh century, the 247-page coffee-table book One Thousand Years of Manga explores the history of manga, showing how it led to the works of modern manga masters such as Osamu Tezuka (1928-1989) and Shigeru Mizuki (born 1922). With about 400 images, the book focuses on emakimono illuminated scrolls made in the late 11th century at one point and on manga about heroes drawn during the postwar reconstruction period at another, showing how manga have been created to reflect changes in society and people's moods and interests.
Covering such a long span of years was possible because Koyama-Richard, a professor of art history and comparative literature at Musashi University in Nerima Ward, Tokyo, is a researcher of ukiyo-e and Japonisme as well as manga.
This distinguishes the book from those written by most Western researchers about Japanese manga as they usually cover only the several most recent decades, from the time mangaka such as Astroboy and Black Jack creator Tezuka were active up to the present day.
According to Koyama-Richard, nishiki-e prints made in the Edo period (1603-1867) were often satirical and rich with a sense of fun, features that are also found in today's manga. "I think they share a similar esprit, satisfying the purpose of entertaining people."
Thanks to her comprehensive approach, One Thousand Years of Manga has already been in translated into English, Italian and German after its initial release in French in September last year.
In addition, Spanish and Polish editions are planned for this autumn. The linguistic multiplicity strongly suggests the book has distinctive content.
Koyama-Richard, a 30-year resident of Japan who is also well versed in Russian language and literature, said she wanted the book to change people's negative mind-set about manga, in France in particular.
"In France, there are as many people who hate manga as who like it. They automatically link manga with violence and sex, without reading it," Koyama-Richard said. "While studying ukiyo-e, I learned how much [Gegege no Kitaro creator] Mizuki-sensei, for example, loved Edo culture. It is very clear as he drew The 53 Stations on the Yokaido as a way to celebrate The 53 Stations of the Tokaido, the series of woodblock prints by Ando Hiroshige [1798-1858]. With such episodes, I wanted to show where manga came from and make people turn their eyes toward the culture of the old days."
The Tokaido was the main road between Kyoto and Edo (now Tokyo), and Mizuki's "Yokaido" was a pun using the word "yokai," a general term for the folkloric Japanese spirit creatures that inspired many of his characters.
"For manga fans, I want them to know more about old Japanese culture, too, and that manga came from the wonderful culture," she said.
In April, Koyama-Richard was invited to give a lecture on the book at the Guimet Museum in Paris just before the start of an exhibition on ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) there. According to Koyama-Richard, because of the nature of the museum, which specializes in traditional Asian art, only two out of her 100-member audience said they had liked or read manga before. "But after the lecture, they told me that, although they knew nothing about manga or had believed manga were not worth reading, they now realized manga offers an interesting world.
"Such people must have thought ukiyo-e and manga were completely unrelated. They didn't know there is manga drawn for educational purposes, either."
Koyama-Richard said that, as a specialist of Japanese visual culture, writing the book was not difficult for her. "Moreover, I made a lot of discoveries while writing it. I really enjoyed it."
Still, Koyama-Richard confided that it took her two years to finish the first French edition as a great deal of time was needed to obtain permission to use images owned by various organizations. "As far as emakimono or things in the Edo or Meiji (1868-1912) period are concerned, Kumon Institute of Education [which contributed 31 images to the book] and museums were very cooperative in lending me images. But in terms of today's manga works, it was very difficult to obtain the copyright owners' permission," she said.
"One time, after I explained everything about my planned book, a copyright holder asked me, 'Then what do you want to do?' I could not understand the question, so I said, 'What do you mean?' Then I was asked if I was going to make a doll using the image I wanted to borrow! I replied, 'Well, I have never made any doll...'" she said with a laugh. For this reason, Koyama-Richard said it will be difficult to publish the book in a Japanese version.
Although there are many people outside Japan studying or drawing manga, Koyama-Richard believes that manga is still not part of their culture.
"Manga--I mean what is described as manga in Japan--is part of Japanese culture, and works created in other cultures as manga are not manga in a real sense," she said. "Manga is something you cannot create without the mind of a Japanese. It is a matter of esprit."
"But even if you are a non-Japanese, it may be possible to draw a manga after living here for a long time," the author said.
(Jun. 13, 2008)
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