|
28 Oct
|
Posted by AnaKhouri
|
So, you might remember that we mentioned local con Sugoicon in the last podcast. Specifically, we’re going to be there- at least, Shapiro Keats and Musashi and I are, and maybe Mazinga will drop by and also Ed, but probably just to make fun of us (I don’t know if Ed’s wife will come, but she would not make fun of us because she is actually nice ^_^).
Anyway, I haven’t been to Sugoicon since 2007 (found my old badge the other day while digging out my Nausicaa cosplay- it actually fits, so I am induging myself and wearing it again on Saturday). Anime cons have just gotten too young for me; but these days I am desperate to get out of the house, so here we are! I’m honestly really looking forward to it, even if I have no idea what the kids are watching these days (like, seriously, I just finished Ghost Hound tonight; I’ve been watching it on and off for almost two years. Does anyone know what the Hell Hetalia is and why all the little teen girls love it?).
YM news: I am running a Fanfiction Workshop on Saturday at 10 am. Drop by if you are at the con. I bought about 7 bags of Halloween candy so I think I’ll have a bunch left over to give anyone who comes. Also, Musashi and I are running a Ghost in the Shell panel, which is going to knock your socks off because I made a Powerpoint presentation for it. Also, candy. It’s 10 am on Sunday. We’re recording it for a podcast too, so if you come you might be on the YM podcast! Isn’t that exciting?
A cool bit of news: one of the guests, Yasuhiro Koshi, was a production consultant on the live-action Yamato movie, and according to the Sugoicon website he has permission to tell us all about it. Since the entire YM staff passed out from ecstasy just from seeing the teaser, I think we’ll all be at his panel.
So, that’s what we’re doing next weekend. If you need to waste some time, come by Sugoicon and give us a shout. Check out www.sugoicon.org for more information.
| Category: Events, Uncategorized | Tag: Anime, ghost in the shell, sugoicon, yellow menace podcast |
|
19 Aug
|
Posted by Musashi
|
This week we welcome co-editor Gregory ‘Mazinga’ Harris, Patricia ‘AnaKhouri’ Correll, and Ed to put a cap on our Gen Con 2010 coverage. We also have some other convention news, I announce my in-development chambara tabletop RPG, and we pick apart Ghost in the Shell 2.0.
(Note: If you dig the podcast, please take a moment to rate and review us at our iTunes page, and be sure to share us with your friends. Also, visit our Facebook page and throw us a ‘Like’ already!)
Show Notes:
- Gen Con Indy
- Zombie Dice!
- Cthulhu Dice!
- Misspent Youth
- Luke Crane’s Burning Wheel
- Daycon
- Sugoicon
- Ghost in the Shell 2.0 at IMDB
| Category: Featured, Podcast | Tag: gen con indy, ghost in the shell, mamoru oshii, role playing games, rpg, steve jackson games, sugoicon |
|
15 Jul
|
Posted by AnaKhouri
|
I was listening to Talk of the Nation today (as you do). It seems Thursday’s pressing and relevant news story- I kid, Neil, I love your show- was the Best Female Action Heroes in movies. Theu discussed Ripley from Alien and Sarah Connor from Terminator (obviously) as well as the Bride from Kill Bill and some others I am too lazy to recall right now. I was just about to call in with my own nomination (I really was planning to call, right after I finished scraping oatmeal off the wall) when Neil read an e-mail from some guy named Eric, who said everything I wanted to say about Major Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell.
They also mentioned Faye Valentine from Cowboy Bebop, who I think is OK; she can handle a gun but her real talent is manipulation, whereas the Major just kicks ass and takes names. Anime is a genre uniquely full of badass women, I think. So YM readers, who are the most badass of all anime’s badass chicks?
I vote for Arshes Nei from Bastard!, the only woman in that show who didn’t lose her clothes to some fabric-eating slime or get all blushy and scream a lot.
| Category: Anime, Uncategorized | Tag: female action heroes, ghost in the shell, npr, talk of the nation |
|
2 Feb
|
Posted by AnaKhouri
|
I found an interview with Laeta Kalogridis, writer on the live-action Ghost in the Shell movie (I already made fun of her on this site for writing Pathfinder). She doesn’t give us much except the movie is based on the manga and is not a remake of the legendary anime film, and that it is meant to come out in 2011.
She can say all the fancy stuff about darkness and Eastern influences that she wants, none of it will change the fact that she wrote Pathfinder.
I am reserving judgement until I see it, if I deem it worthy of being seen.
Harrumph.
| Category: Anime, Uncategorized | Tag: Anime, ghost in the shell, hollywood, live-action movie, pathfinder |
|
31 Dec
|
Posted by AnaKhouri
|
So I went temporarily out of my mind a couple weeks ago and volunteered to run a panel at an anime convention. This is crazy because I HATE talking in front of people, and I don’t really have time to put a panel together. But they accepted, and Shapiro Keats is going to help, so that’s cool.
It’s called “Unraveling the Ghost in the Shell Universe” and will focus on untangling all the different mediums the story has leaked into, and what goes where, and how eberything is connected or not and what the chronology and what is in what chronology and how awesome Aramaki’s hairstyle is and how Batou and the Major totally need to get together like right now.
It’s going to be at Anime Punch in April, in Columbus, Ohio, so if you’re there look us up. It’ll be Saturday afternoon sometime, I’ll post when we get a specific time.
| Category: Anime, Uncategorized | Tag: anime convention, anime punch, ghost in the shell, panel |
|
9 Nov
|
Posted by AnaKhouri
|
Lots of news today, but the most exciting for the Yellow Menace staff is that there are a couple new Ghost in the Shell manga on the horizon:
Both will be based on the Stand Alone Complex anime; one will follow the Tachikomatic Days shorts about the lovable blue insect-tanks, and the other will follow the human (Well, mostly human…partly human? Maybe human…) members of Section 9.
To be perfectly honest, Masamune Shirow’s original manga is my least favorite part of the GitS universe, so I’m interested to see the new stuff. I know he gets all the credit for creating the world and the characters etc., but I actually like better the stuff other people have done with his concepts. And with no news of a third season/movie for Stand Alone Complex, I’ll take anything I can get (except fanfiction…well, OK, maybe I’ll take some fanfic).
I’m a dork.
| Category: Anime, Uncategorized | Tag: Anime, ghost in the shell, japan, manga, stand alone complex, tachikoma |
|
23 Oct
|
Posted by Musashi
|
Good news: someone has finally been hired to pen a screenplay for the live-action Ghost in the Shell flick. Bad news: they suck. Okay, maybe suck is a bit pejorative. But take a look at this resume and tell me if it inspires confidence in you.
| 2002 | Birds of Prey | Executive producer, writer for episodes “Slick” and “Premiere” |
| 2004 | Alexander | Screenwriter |
| 2006 | Night Watch | Screenwriter (English language version) |
| 2007 | Pathfinder | Screenwriter |
| Bionic Woman | Executive producer, writer for the episode “Pilot” | |
| 2010 | Shutter Island | Screenwriter, executive producer |
Yeah, me neither. That’s the partial CV of Laeta Kalogridis, who also worked on Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. As much as I hate to nitpick someone’s work before it’s even started, I don’t see much there that makes me think this flick will be anything more than a half-assed attempt to squeeze one of manga / anime’s most cerebral works into a 90 minute shit-fest.
(via Aint It Cool News)
| Category: Film, News, Uncategorized | Tag: adaptation, Anime, ghost in the shell, hollywood, Live-Action, manga |
|
14 Oct
|
Posted by Musashi
|
Two classics of modern Japanese animation, each a landmark in their own right, will be released on Blu-ray on November 24th, courtesy of Manga Entertainment. I could go on for paragraphs about how awesome these flicks are (and probably already have) but I’ll let the press release speak for itself.
Ghost in the Shell 2.0
Few titles are as well known in the anime world as Ghost in the Shell. It is recognized the world over for its startling imagery and storylines. Even Executive Producer Steven Spielberg has acquired the rights for a live action feature film in 2010. For this stunning and definitive version 2.0 release, director Mamoru Oshii himself supervised the remastering and reproduction of the original animations with the latest digital film and animation technologies, including 3D-CGI. In all, over 250 scenes received digital rework and enhancements! In addition, the Ghost in the Shell 2.0 Blu-ray™ features all new voice recordings from the original cast, a new score from legendary anime composer Kenji Kawai and DTS-ES 6.1 discrete audio, newly created and remixed at Skywalker Sound.Bonus features:
The Making of Ghost in the Shell 2.0
Commentary by Director Mamoru Oshii and Animation Director Toshihiko Nishikubo, with subtitles
Face to Face Exclusive Interview with the directorBlood: The Last Vampire
Visionary filmmaker James Cameron once called Blood: The Last Vampire “the standard of top quality in digital animation.” The live-action feature film, released theatrically Summer 2009, will street on DVD in Q4 – but fans can return to the original with Manga Entertainment’s Blu-ray™ release, featuring a brand-new high-definition version of the feature.Bonus features:
DTS-HD audio
Brand-New HD Version of the feature
Digital Data Version of the feature
The Making of Blood: The Last Vampire
Original Japanese trailers
| Category: News | Tag: Anime, blood: the last vampire, blu-ray, dvd, ghost in the shell, production i.g. |
|
28 Jul
|
Posted by Musashi
|
Anime News Network reports that Ghost in the Shell director Mamoru Oshii will not be helming one of the shorts directly, but instead will act as ‘Creative Director’ – uhm, which is fine since that’s what he did for Jin-Roh…and that was farking amazing.
Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell) is the creative director of Production I.G’s two episodes in the project, but he will not personally direct either short. Production I.G is one of five Japanese studios that is animating the seven shorts in the project, which is inspired by Microsoft’s Halo game franchise.
I wonder who the other four studios are…
Never mind – checking out Kotaku’s earlier post about recently-released Halo Legends posters, most of them list the studios working on the shorts, namely: Production I.G., Toei Animation, Bones, and Studio 4c. There is a fifth studio involved, but I don’t see which one.
| Category: Anime, News | Tag: adaptations, animation, Anime, ghost in the shell, halo, mamoru oshii, video games |
|
27 Jul
|
Posted by AnaKhouri
|
Conan O’Brien, he of the plastic face, recently took a trip to BangZoom!, an L.A. studio where anime is dubbed. There, he and his pal Andy tried their hands at dubbing Yellow Menace’s favorite movie, Ghost in the Shell.
We’re treated to Batou sounding like the guy from the B-52s, a long conversation about feeding fish and a garbled explanation about the Puppeteer being in a female android body.
Conan and Andy are also treated to a view of some titillating Tenjho Tenge toys, which is what really seems to blow their minds. I’ve never been a big Conan O’Brien fan (mostly because I can’t stay up late enough to watch his show) but this is some funny stuff.
(Ed. Note – I took the liberty of embedding this below – because, hot damn…it’s awesome! – Musashi)
| Category: Anime | Tag: Anime, bangzoom!, conan o'brien, dub, ghost in the shell |
|
14 Jul
|
Posted by Musashi
|
Our comrade AnaKhouri might have more to say about this, but I found this discussion with Ph.D. student Deanna Jackson fairly interesting. The topic is ‘Women and Anime’.
Examiner: How do you feel women are portrayed in Anime?
D.J.: Now that’s a tough question. In general, I would say women are usually limited in how they’re portrayed. I would say there are a variety of portrayals out there, but usually are very archetypal. Mostly, this is probably just because anime is usually targeting a male audience. Each different type of anime has its own stereotypical female characters, or lack thereof, and it depends on a lot of what market the anime is geared towards as to what portrayals it uses. Wouldn’t say they portrayed negatively or positively, overall. I would say that they are often objectified.
Examiner: Are there certain types of Anime genres that portray women in stronger roles?
D.J.: Stronger…Maybe. I would say no, because often you will see female characters who are powerful, badass ladies, but they’re all too often tall, Amazonian ladies who are portrayed as very sexy ladies. Major Kusanagi from GitS (Ghost in a Shell) is a great example. There are some great examples of strong female characters, but I don’t think they clump in one type of anime or another.
Glad to see she brought up Ms. Kusanagi, for my money one of the best portrayals of feminine power in all of anime, if not pop culture as a whole.
| Category: Cool Links, Uncategorized | Tag: Anime, feminism, ghost in the shell, women |
|
8 Jul
|
Posted by Musashi
|
Production I.G. exec Maki Terashima-Furuta made comments (reported at Anime News Network) to the effect that a live-action Jin-Roh is being prepped while another I.G. rep confirmed that the studio is preparing a third Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex series. Yay on both counts!
Of course, there have been two Jin-Roh / Kerberos live action films released to date – Red Spectacles and Stray Dog: Kerberos Panzer Cops, both of which were directed by Jin-Roh creator Mamoru Oshii. No word on whether or not Oshii will be taking up the reins on the third film (though if he doesn’t, I expect the flick to be far more straightforward than the other two – which both followed Oshii’s wierd, experimental idiom).
As for the as-yet unnamed 3rd Gig, the director (presumably series director Kenji Kamiyama) is reportedly ‘tied up in other projects‘.
Here are trailers for the first two Kerberos movies…
| Category: News | Tag: Anime, film, ghost in the shell, mamoru oshii, production i.g., stand alone complex |
|
11 Feb
|
Posted by AnaKhouri
|
Don't jump! You have so much to live for!
According to ICv2, Anchor Bay is going to release the neat-o updated version of Mamori Oshii’s classic film on Blu-Ray later this year…but it looks like it’s only going to be on Blu-Ray.
That sucks.
I don’t have a Blu-Ray player. >sniff<
So no awesome updated computer animation and re-recorded music and dialogue for me.
| Category: Uncategorized | Tag: anchor bay, Anime, ghost in the shell, mamoru oshii |
|
15 Dec
|
Posted by Musashi
|
Just a quick note to acknowledge that – yes – I am a few days behind on posting the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Episode Guide. Like many of you, the holidays are wreaking havoc on my schedule so while I’m trying to get everything online as quick as I can, there will be some delays, at least until after the holidays. Plus I’m going to visit my family on the coast in January, so I’ll be out of the office – so to speak – from early to mid-January.
Sorry for the inconvenience…
| Category: Site News | Tag: episode guide, ghost in the shell, gits episode guide, Site News, stand alone complex |
|
9 Dec
|
Posted by Musashi
|
Episode 3 - A Modest Rebellion: ANDROID AND I
Original Air Date: October 24th, 2002 (Japan)
Spoiler Free Summary:
Why would a handful of obsolete androids commit suicide? A computer virus and a lovesick computer-hacker hold the key to the mystery.
Synopsis:
A series of android suicides prompts Section 9 to investigate the manufacturer. While Aramaki questions the plant manager, Kusanagi and a tachikoma covertly hack into the plant’s database to try and uncover any possible wrongdoings by the manufacturer. As it turns out, all the androids were of the same model, an obsolete product known as the GA07-JL android, dubbed the Jerry by it’s small but loyal fanbase. The Genesis Jerry-model android was so popular because of the ease with which an end-user could modify it to their own specifications, not unlike the Sony AIBO. While the plant manager half-jokingly comments that the Jerry’s have grown despondent because of their obsolete status, Kusanagi discovers that a virus has been inserted into the mainframe, probably by an end-user who had sent his Jerry back to Genesis for refurbishing.
| Category: Episode Guides | Tag: Anime, ghost in the shell, gits episode guide, stand alone complex |
