Gatchablog: 2007

Friday, December 21, 2007

Some link updates and a request

If you want to buy Gatchaman Kewpie merchandise, these links allow you to shop in English: www.strapya-world.com

"Jun's Joint" is a friendly little fansite for screenshots, animations and fanfic. Stop by and take a look: http://junsjoint.com/

A new BotP/Gatchaman fansite: http://www.fairlight65.com/. You'll find screen shots, desktops and screen savers, too.

One of the major Gatchaman sites, Transmute! Gatchaman, BotP and G-Force, has moved to GatchOnline.com. The webmistress has overhauled the site as well.

Which reminds me, I keep saying I'm going to renovate "Home of the White Shadow." Maybe this will be the kick in the pants that gets me going. To anyone out there who's a web wizard, would there be any way to link a feed from this blog into a window on the title page? I'd love to integrate the two.

Gatchfanfic.com is undergoing some tweaks and updates, both to recover from a hacking attempt and to integrate a new fanart section. If you like fan work, this is the site to visit.

And now, the request: If you send me email, please refer to Gatchaman in the title of your mail. This makes it easier for me to find it amidst the spam. I answer all my mail, so if you haven't heard from me, drop me a line.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

December '07 Gatchaman Movie Update

There's a new Imagi Gatchaman movie article on iesb.net: Link

The article covers a lot of known territory, but it throws in a few tantalizing tidbits we didn't know, and a couple we were suspecting. And there's a brand new teaser shot from the film. Go read the article and then come back here. I can wait.

***

A few thoughts:

As I mentioned on the site, I had the honor of visiting Imagi Studios in 2006 and seeing some of the preliminary sketches and talking with Kevin Munroe. I was impressed by his enthusiasm for the series and willingness to work with the series premise instead of "reimagining" it. The article confirms this: "Fans of the franchise can breathe a sigh of relief, Munroe and Tanaka definitely consider themselves Gatchaman purists and say the whole point is to stay as close as possible to the original versions..."
I was impressed with TMNT when it came out, but one of my concerns was for the human characters' faces. They disturbed some people. Will the same techniques work for Gatchaman? According to the article: "In keeping with that goal and staying away from the 'pretty but porcelain' limited facial movement look of typical CG, Munroe is testing some more extreme facial structures in order to get the subtleties just right." Imagi also plans injecting more realism into the Gatchaman designs.
As I was told in 2006, the story will be an origin story, explaining how the battle between the ISO and Galactor began. It sounds like Imagi will be putting more of an "alien invasion" spin on this, a la Battle of the Planets, but technically, since Sosai X is an alien, the idea could work. It's nice to see they're keeping Utoland (where our heroes live) in the movie, even as the translators at ADV change Utoland to "Jutland" (why?), though the futuristic city will be a more Blade Runner style dark metropolis.
It looks like Imagi is still going for a PG-13 rating, but may change the title. The article points out that "G-Force" is already taken.
And here's a nice little tidbit for potential Gatchacon attendees: The team behind Gatchaman hopes to reveal some goodies at San Diego Comic Con 2008. Maybe even a trailer and a booth? I got my con membership (if you're going, buy your membership now before they sell out), and I need to scan the travel sites for airfares.

O tanoshimi ni!

Monday, December 17, 2007

Spanish soundtrack to BotP to be released

Tatsunokofan, our resident expert on Gatchaman and BotP merchandise news, posted this new information on the BotP Mailing List:

When Battle of the Planets aired in Spain during the 1980s, the series was given a new theme song. This song was titled "Comando G" (As G-Force was renamed 'Commando G' in Spain), and was sung by a kids group named Parchis. Parchis also recorded three other BotP-related songs, though the other three songs were not used in the series. Instead, they were released on a pair of EP records, as well as appearing on various Parchis LP records.

One of these LP records was titled "Comando G," and included both the new theme and a song for Zark titled "Zark-7," as well as songs like Spanish language versions of "Video Killed the Radio Star," "Animals, Animals, Animals," and "Man Gave Names To All the Animals."

Well, the Comando G LP record has finally be released on CD, thanks to a Spanish music comapny named Divucsa. Along with the 10 tracks that were on the original LP, they also added another of the Parchis BotP songs, "La Batalla de los Planetas." The covers for this disc can be found at the Divucsa website at this link.

If you're wondering what the songs sound like, they were included as part of the bonus material on one of the ADV Gatchaman DVDs, or you can see some music videos that the Parchis did for them on YouTube:

Comando G
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDIkoQJcp5g

La Batalla de los Planetas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7lU-yvmS80

Unfortunately, I've been unable to find a place where you can order the CD, though I do know that it can be found on eBay, if you wish to look there.

Thanks, Tatsunokofan!

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Merchandise update from Japan

Gatchaman TV series re-release: All three Gatchaman TV series (Gatchaman, Gatchaman II and Gatchaman Fighter) will again be released on DVD via a subscription service. The DeAgostini Company is offering the DVDs individually, three episodes per DVD, at a rate of one DVD per week for 68 weeks. The first DVD will cost 790 yen (about $7.00), but the remaining 67 discs will cost 1,790 yen (about $16.00) apiece. The first DVD is scheduled to ship February 5, 2008.

The subscription offer is limited to residents of Japan. If you want Gatchaman episodes, I recommend the ADV DVDs. (Gatchaman II and Fighter episodes are not available in English outside of fansubs.) Where collectors might be interested in the DeAgostini releases is in the packaging: Instead of coming in the standard DVD case, the discs will be packed inside a booklet which will include episode guides, an art gallery, production notes, and other goodies. I don't have any information whether any of this is new material. Subscribers can purchase a special binder to hold the booklets. There are also bonus goodies: a Gatchaman mouse pad, and different figures of the characters.

The DeAgostini web site is here: http://www.de-club.net/gtd/

Kotobukiya Gatchaman cell phone RPG game: As of December 12, Japanese cell phone users can visit a handful of store chains and, for a 525 yen fee, load the Gatchaman game onto their cell phones. This web site has all the information and shows animated screen shots of the game: http://www.kemco.jp/applipage/07_game/gatchaman_i_a.shtml

Once again, this is available to Japan residents only. But with the upcoming Gatchaman movie, the US may start seeing merchandise like this for the US market.

Thanks, Tatsunokofan!

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

I LOL'd

"Sosai Tim" just launched his Gatcha-Funnies site, featuring captioned scenes from Gatchaman, G-II and G-Fighter. Some are a teensy bit blue, some are OK, and some, like this one, had me laughing out loud. Go check out the site.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

G-Force Action Figures, Part 2

These figures are for sale. For details and pricing, see my previous post.

Gatchaman featured on Let's Anime

Let's Anime is a new blog all about classic anime written by one of the best old-school authorities on the subject that I know. And his latest entry features Gatchaman and its many versions. Check it out!

http://letsanime.blogspot.com/2007/11/your-scientific-ninja-team-gatchaman.html

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Cool custom G-Force action figures

More info on the G-Force action figures featured in ToysREvil

A few posts back, we found an interesting photo in the Toysrevil blog. To follow up, Thierry of Limited Toys Design wrote me with some new photos of his custom-made G-Force action figures. Check these out--fully articulated figures with meticulous attention paid to detail.

As you can see from his site, Thierry creates custom action figures you won't see anywhere else. He grew up with UFO Grendizer (Goldorak), Battle of the Planets, Captain Harlock, Captain Comet and many others. He'd always wanted 12" figures of the whole G-Force team and the bad guys. Since Medicom never went past the Mark and Jason figures ("Too difficult to find a girl body, kid body and fat guy body," one Japanese toy rep told me once), he figured it was up to him to create the figures.

For Mark, Jason and Princess, he used standard 12" action figure bodies. For Keyop, he used an articulated body from a different scale. Tiny provided the biggest challenge, being shorter and wider than the others. He modified an 11" body with a larger suit.

He sculpted and molded the heads with helmets, and the visors are molded in a tainted clear resin. He also did custom modeling on the belt buckles as you can see below.

These custom models are available for sale for the following prices, plus international shipping:
Mark: 170 euros
Jason: 170 euros
Princess: 150 euros
Keyop: 150 euros
Tiny: 200 euros

He requests half the amount in advance to confirm the order and the rest when the figures are ready to ship. He needs 2 months to create the whole team. You can pay via Paypal (add 3.5 % for the fees), by international money order or by credit transfer.

Contact Thierry at info@limitedtoysdesign.com

Here are links to more photos:

MARK:
http://img50.imageshack.us/img50/8045/mark02dy0.jpg
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/742/mark03dw3.jpg
http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/4743/mark04yx9.jpg
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/2251/mark05an4.jpg
http://img50.imageshack.us/img50/944/mark06qb0.jpg
http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/5341/mark07bb6.jpg
http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/8048/mark08ya8.jpg
http://img50.imageshack.us/img50/3152/mark09ln1.jpg
http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/5919/mark10ak0.jpg

JASON:
http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/713/jason02sj8.jpg
http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/8272/jason03un6.jpg
http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/5389/jason04tz7.jpg
http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/3946/jason05cb3.jpg
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/1733/jason06ss5.jpg
http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/9928/jason07mp8.jpg
http://img50.imageshack.us/img50/9839/jason08cu9.jpg
http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/7266/jason09yp2.jpg
http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/2904/jason10ad8.jpg

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Links of Interest

Imagi is profiled by Business Week magazine:
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/oct2007/gb20071015_727073.htm

Roland Kelts plugs Gatchaman: While promoting his new book, "Japanamerica," author Roland Kelts interviewed at Imagi, and he puts in a plug for their upcoming films, describing the importance of the classic anime AstroBoy and Gatchaman. To find the interview, go to http://www.imagi.com.hk/web/ and look in the "What's New" section at the bottom of the Imagi home page.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Gatchaman Keitai Update

We have more details about the Gatchaman cell phones being released in Japan. The following links show some of the skins and features of the new Gatchaman cell phone. Even better, a special gift offered to those who purchase the cell phone is a Gallactor action figure set--three goons per package to gang up on the heroic Science Ninja action figure of your choice. Too cool! And too frustrating for the non-Japanese collectors out there.

http://mb.softbank.jp/mb/special/815T/fan/gatchaman/index.html

Thanks, Tatsunokofan!

Somethin' going on at ToysREvil

Thierry from Limited Toys Design offered the ToysREvil blog a sneak peek at some 1/6 scale action figures of our favorite heroes in bird suits:

http://toysrevil.blogspot.com/2007/10/limitedtoysdesign-g-force-teaser.html

Another interesting coincidence is that "Thierry" was Jason's name in the French version of Battle of the Planets.

Thanks Tatsunokofan!

Imagi signs with Hot Toys for upcoming high-end Gatch toy line

Here's the press release:

IMAGI ANNOUNCES DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT WITH HOT TOYS FOR GATCHAMAN
AND ASTRO BOY TOYS

Hong Kong (October 23, 2007) – Imagi Animation Studios (Imagi) today announced that it has entered into a licensing relationship with Hot Toys Ltd. (Hot Toys) for collectors' action figures based on the studio's next two CG-animated feature films, Gatchaman and AstroBoy. Under the agreement, Hot Toys will design, manufacture and globally distribute highly detailed 12-inch models of the principal characters in the two movies.

The Gatchaman and AstroBoy toy lines are expected to include high-end collectible figures. "We are delighted by the new collaborative relationships we have formed with Imagi, which extends our collectibles product line to CG-animated film-related characters. Many of the Hot Toys staff are long-time fans of Gatchaman and AstroBoy, including myself. With our experience in producing classic AstroBoy collectibles and other finely crafted products, the Gatchaman and AstroBoy collectibles will closely replicate the look and story line of the films," said Howard Chan, President of Hot Toys. The toy lines will ship with the release of the two films, to maximize impact and generate greater interest in both the movie and toys. Gatchaman is slated to release in Spring, 2009 and AstroBoy in Fall, 2009.

"Hot Toys has demonstrated an ability to craft collectible figures with an extraordinary level of detail and realism," said Felix Ip, Imagi's Creative Director. "Imagi's richly-detailed CGI characters are a perfect fit with Hot Toys' meticulous modeling approach."

These high-end figures probably won't be cheap--think in the realm of $90-150. Wowwee/Wah Shing Toys will probably be releasing the lower-priced goodies. The Hot Toys Web site is at www.hottoys. com.hk

Thanks, Tatsunokofan!

Future Web site to watch

Dini Cartoons.com has a Gatchaman forum for the upcoming Imagi movie. No activity yet, but that could change.

http://www.dinicartoons.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=26

Thanks Reboekah!

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Gatchaman: 1972 - 2007

The first episode of Gatchaman premiered on October 1, 1972. Happy 35th anniversary!

To celebrate, you can download a Gatchaman desktop image from the Tatsunokommunity Page (scroll down to the bottom lower right). Every once in a while, you'll find Gatchaman comics, news and images, so it's a good page to keep watching.

http://www.tatsunoko.co.jp/tatsunocomm/index.html

Saturday, September 29, 2007

New releases in Japan: Gatchaman goodies

Summer's barely over, and it's time to start thinking about Christmas. If you have a Gatchaman fan on your shopping list, here are a few new goodies coming out:

Kewpie Gatchaman update:The Kewpie Gatchaman cell straps will be followed next month by a ballpoint pen with a Kewpie Ken figure on it. You can see a picture of it at the bottom of this page:
http://item.rakuten.co.jp/keitai/149-099187/

By the way, does anyone else find the naked "Medama Oyaji" Kewpie (the one with the eyeball on its head) vaguely disturbing?

Look for Gatchaman "Squeeze" Kewpie figures to come out in December.

Gatchaman children's goods: The Fotoist store chain is carrying a line of clothing, lunch boxes, notebooks, etc. with Tatsunoko characters on them. The Tatsunoko Web site has photos of the actual products here:
http://www.tatsunoko.co.jp/tatsunoko_style/index.html

Prizes from Daily Yamazaki: If you bought enough merchandise from the Daily Yamazaki store chain between August 1st and August 27th, you were entered in a drawing for a Nintendo DS Lite that came with an original carrying pouch with Tatsunoko Style Gatchaman characters on it or book cards (used to pay for rental books). One of the three cards had the Tatsunoko Style Gatchaman characters on it. You can see additional pictures of the prizes at:
http://www.daily-yamazaki.co.jp/ca/070801/index.html
and at:
http://www.daily-yamazaki.co.jp/ca/070801/pop-indoor2.html#

Gatchaman keitai RPG game: Kotobuki Solutions announced the upcoming release of a Gatchaman-themed RPG game to be played over cell phones. The game will be available through several outlets in Japan starting in December. The press release is here:
http://www.ksol.jp/information20070807.html (Site in Japanese only, no pictures.)

Tatsunoko cell phones: The SoftBank online shop is working with fanfun.815t to release a series of Tatsunoko-themed cell phones. The phones are supposed to be available by the end of September, but there's only a "Coming Soon" notice on the Web site.
http://onlineshop.mb.softbank.jp/wos/html/feature_fan-keitai.html

Once again, thanks to Tatsunokofan for the scoop!

Thursday, September 27, 2007

And now, the Gatchaman movie poster

IESB.net now has a snippet from the Kevin Munroe interview and a new Gatchaman movie poster. Check it out.

http://www.iesb.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3351&Itemid=99

Thanks again, Tatsunokofan! Y'know, I really need to start Googling Gatchaman news again, or I'm going to have to turn in my fan card. ;-)

Warner Bros. and the Weinstein Company to distribute Imagi Gatchaman movie

From a new press release from the Imagi Web site:

IMAGI ANIMATION STUDIOS ENTERS INTO GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT
WITH WARNER BROS. PICTURES AND THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY

Hong Kong (September 27, 2007) – Warner Bros. Pictures, The Weinstein Company and Imagi Animation Studios agreed upon principal terms for the worldwide distribution of the feature films Gatchaman and AstroBoy. The announcement was jointly made by Jeff Robinov, President, Production, Warner Bros. Pictures; Harvey Weinstein of The Weinstein Company; Imagi Co-CEOs Douglas Glen and Francis Kao; and brokered by The William Morris Agency.

The new pact builds on the success of TMNT, Imagi's first theatrical motion picture, also distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and The Weinstein Company. TMNT opened in March 2007 at the top of the U.S. box office.

"Imagi is breaking new ground with big action pictures done entirely in CG animation," said Robinov. "It's an exciting new genre, with the potential of attracting big mass market audiences."

"TMNT had the kind of beautifully choreographed action sequences you'd expect from Hong Kong animators," said Weinstein. "The next two films will confirm Imagi's reputation as the world's leading action hero animation studio."

"We are delighted to be allied with the marketing and distribution power of Warner Bros. Pictures and The Weinstein Company," said Glen. Added Kao, "We're making Hollywood-style movies with Hong Kong-style excitement and stories that are fusions of Western and Asian themes."

From what I've heard, the budget for Gatchaman is about $40 million. The budget for TMNT, also distributed by Warner, was around $35 million, so we're looking at a budget with about the same scope.

This is good news indeed. Each step increases the possibility we'll see this movie in theaters. And I'm still full of warm fuzzies about the Paul Dini news.

Thanks, Tatsunokofan!

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Paul Dini to work on Imagi Gatchaman Screenplay

Looks like they're bringing out the big guns! Here's a press release recently posted on Imagi's Web site (http://www.imagi.com.hk):

PAUL DINI ON BOARD IMAGI ANIMATION STUDIOS' "GATCHAMAN"

Hong Kong (September 21, 2007)– Paul Dini has been signed to collaborate on the screenplay for Imagi Animation Studios' upcoming CG-animated motion picture, Gatchaman. Announcement was made by Francis Kao, Co-CEO & Chief Creative Officer. "We are excited to have Paul on our talented Gatchaman team," said Kao. "His extensive background in animation and superhero comics will contribute greatly to this ambitious action movie."

"The original series was one of the classics of early anime, and the film will be very true to the Japanese source material," said Dini. "As a studio, Imagi is constantly breaking the boundaries of animated adventure. Not only are their action sequences amazing, but their characters are driven, complex and play for life-or-death stakes. It's a great environment for a writer with a rather dark
take on animation."

Writer-producer Paul Dini's career spans animation (Batman: The Animated Series), television (Lost) and comics (Detective, The World's Greatest Superheroes) . The winner of multiple Emmy, Eisner and Writers Guild of America Awards, Dini is also currently masterminding the DC Comics 2007 weekly series Countdown. His creations Jingle Belle and Mutant, Texas continue to appear frequently from Dark Horse, Oni Press and other publishers. Dini and his wife, magician Misty Lee, have also launched a popular series of Internet shorts featuring their puppet creation, Little Rashy.

Gatchaman is based on the successful Japanese franchise created in the early 1970s by anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida. Aired in the U.S. as Battle of the Planets and G-Force, the TV series soon became one of the top syndicated shows. Scheduled for release in early 2009, Gatchaman is a big, effects rich movie set in a future world grappling with environmental and technological issues. The story focuses on five reluctant heroes whose remarkable genetic code makes them Earth's only hope of defeating extraterrestrial invaders.

Kevin Munroe (TMNT) is the director of Gatchaman, being produced by Lynne Southerland.

Thanks to the eagle eyes of Tatsunokofan!

Saturday, September 15, 2007

New Kevin Munroe interview at Imagi Web site

Imagi has just updated their information on the upcoming Gatchaman CGI feature film with this new interview with director Kevin Munroe. From the main page, click "What's New" and then the interview title.

I can't comment on this immediately because my browser is gagging on the Flash used on the site. More once I get access to another computer.

http://www.imagi.com.hk/web/main.php

Thursday, August 30, 2007

New Gatchaman Exhibit in Taiwan

Kena (who was responsible for the big 30th anniversary Gatchaman exhibit in Kaohsiung) writes in to report another Gatchaman show. This one is in Taichung, Taiwan, at the Chungyo Department Store from August 22 to September 4, 2007. Kena loaned the store items from her collection to display. Check out her photos of the exhibit here (as well as some cute kids doing cosplay):

http://photo.pchome.com.tw/kcc20051225/014/

Thanks, Kena!

Monday, August 27, 2007

"Inspired" series from Korea: "007"

I'm doing some research and some poking around YouTube for Gatchaman parodies and spinoffs. A YouTube search revealed clips from a Korean series called "007." The art is straight Tatsunoko, with designs borrowed from both Gatchaman and Mazinger (which isn't a Tatsunoko series). I haven't found any other information online.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmeV2PLInIQ

Has anyone heard of this show?

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Another Robot Chicken link

Last weekend, a Battle of the Planets parody appeared on a new episode of Adult Swim's Robot Chicken: "Squaw Bury Shortcake." I have a hard time getting the Flash player to work on Adultswim.com, so here's a link to a more user-friendly version:

http://www.milkandcookies.com/link/66404/detail/

Since Robot Chicken's claim to fame is its off-color and violent humor, this is definitely Not Safe for Work.

Poor Tiny!

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Followup: French release of '78 Feature Film

I just received more details about the Dybex French release of the 1978 Gatchaman feature film:

"First of all, yes, it does come with both a Japanese and a French language track, as well as a French and a Dutch subtitle track. I ordered the 2-disc Prestige Edition, with the movie on the first disc, and the bonus material on the second. I assume the standard edition simply has the disc with the movie.

"The bonus material is duplicated from the Japanese movie DVD release from last year, with the addition of optional French subtitles. Apparently the Dutch are out of luck there, since there are no Dutch subtitles on the bonus goodies. There is one added bonus goodie, a 6 and a half minute 'Making of the French Version' video, showing the actors for Joe, Jun, and Jinpei dubbing their lines and featuring interviews with the actors for Joe and Jinpei, as well as with the Producer for the dub. This new video has no subtitle options.

"The additional bonus items in the package include 5 postcards featuring familiar images (Three publicity shots, the cover to the movie program, and the Ippei Kuri artwork done for the DVD release) and a reprint of the movie program (As was also included in the Japanese release). The program reprint has been translated into French and rearranged so that the pages are in a left-to-right order instead of the Japanese right-to-left. They also added three original articles; 'The Origins,' giving a history of Gatchaman, 'The American Massacre and the Diffusion in Europe,' talking about the creation of Battle of the Planets and it's distribution across Europe, and 'The Film,' which covers the death of Tatsuo Yoshida just as the Anime Boom began with the release of the first 'Space Cruiser Yamato' film and the work that went into creating the film itself.

All in all, not a bad package, especially for someone who knows French. I still might go back and buy the standard release, just because I like the packaging for that one a bit more than what was used for the deluxe release."

Thanks, Tatsunokofan!

Imagi makes plans for Gatchaman toy line

August 22, 2007: At last, I've caught up with my original news page!

Imagi has secured a manufacturer (Wah Shing Toys) and distributor (Wowwee Ltd.) for a line of Gatchaman movie toys, and the release date has been delayed to 2009 (big surprise).

According to the article, "The Gatchaman and Astro Boy toy lines are expected to include action figures, vehicles, playsets, robotic figures, activity toys, and plush."

Full article:
http://www.animationmagazine.net/article/7223

Here's a cool link to a pitch image for the feature film: http://artgerm.deviantart.com/art/Shining-Force-62693511

Dybex releases '78 Gatchaman movie on DVD

August 10, 2007: Dybex is releasing the Gatchaman movie on DVD in French. No, it's not the upcoming 2008 film; it's the first series compilation that was released as a theatrical feature in 1978. There are two versions of the DVD: a standard version and a 2-disc deluxe version ("Gatchaman Edition Prestige"). The Prestige version appears to contain the same bonus material as the Japanese release along with a booklet and five postcards. The movie is supposed to have both French and Japanese audio tracks, and French and Dutch subtitles.

More information here:
Gatchaman link: http://www.dybex.com/details.cfm?idvd=348
Gatchaman Edition Prestige: http://www.dybex.com/details.cfm?idvd=341

Thanks, Tatsunokofan!

GatchaCon 2007 Report

GatchaCon took place at the San Diego Comic Con, July 26-29, 2007. The con itself was a low-key event, mainly because no new activity was noted in the merchandise or media areas (no movie news--sorry). Unfortunately, Gatchaman was misprinted on the con anime schedules, but was replaced by other programs. Attendance for this year's San Diego Comic Con broke previous records and sold out for several days (especially Saturday).

GatchaCon Con Kits and Screenings: We had two offsite screening parties, one of some truly horrendous Gatchaman-related programs and one of Battle of the Planets episodes on film. The Gatchaman screening party featured the video demos from the new Sammy Gatchaman Pachisuro game. Followed by the horror that is Winx Club, a PBS cartoon which comprised a wandering, incoherent storyline, Bratz-type plastic characters, cloyingly cute mascots, and worst of all, the guest stars: the "Science Ninja Team P-Force/Patchaman." (Gaah! Awful! AWFUL!) Next, the short episodes of "Gatchapin vs. Pierre Katse" were a mercy by comparison, with Gatchapin playing "Road Runner" to Pierre Katse's Wile E. Coyote. I found the Gatchapin shows to be cute overall (hey, it's for little kids). Then we watched little Spanish kids dancing and singing the "Commando G" theme song. The finale of the Gatchaman screening party was a video account of the "Battle of the Planets: Peril of the Preying Mantis" Shockwave game, mainly featuring crummy jokes about Zark's ineptitude and Zoltar's lipstick between virtually unplayable game sequences. It was like the game's creators didn't really care and just wanted to get the product out there. At the Battle of the Planets party, our "takeaway gift" was a CD of two audio stories from La Bataille des Planetes, Adventures de la Force G in French ("Hold-up Spatial" and "La Lune de Feu"). The con t-shirt and kit featured Gatchaman's 35th anniversary and had art of the firebird on the back. I think I've found a new favorite shirt.

Merchandise: There was no new merchandise on display this year. We found old DVDs, a couple of cels and some paintings at the Alex Ross Booth.

Next year: Next year's GatchaCon takes place at the San Diego Comic-Con, July 24-27, 2008 at the San Diego Convention Center. We hope to see more information due to the upcoming feature films.

30th Anniversary in Taiwan: Corrections

August 2, 2007: One week prior to the opening of Comic Con, I received a phone call from friends offering me round-trip tickets to San Diego. So I made it to Comic Con this year! (Woohoo!!!) Sincere thanks to Tatsunokofan and Barrdwng!

I need to make some corrections and give credit where credit is due regarding the Taiwan Gatchaman 30th anniversary celebration mentioned earlier (Gatchaman premiered in 1977 in Taiwan). An extremely dedicated fan with the handle "Kena" arranged the Gatchaman anniversary event at the Ya Gallery in Kaohsiung. Preparation for the event took her seven months. Kena contacted fans from Japan, Korea, the Philippines and the United States, and these fans contributed the art and merchandise for the displays (plenty of cool stuff in there, with a lot of merchandise I'd never seen before). The event drew over 9,378 attendees and strong media coverage during its opening weekend. Here are more links to news reports on YouTube and other sources:

Gatchaman 30th Anniversary in Taiwan:
http://photo.pchome.com. tw/kcc20051225/
Gatchaman News, ERA-N, TTV: http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=IVpKuAQcpLI
Gatchaman, BotP, TVBS, SETN News: http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=KKO18VQUFB0
Gatchaman, BotP, ETTV News, Kena: http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=jn17erV00gE
Gatchaman News, FTV: http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=YB54XKBNuK8
Children's Gatchaman cosplay: http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=BIwc3bPZTCI and http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=DPE4oGBVzNg
Video coverage of some of the treasures at the exhibit: http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=D8SbuCjtrMs
"Gatchaman" - Kena TVBS: http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=L8SoObCbz9g
"Gatchaman" - Kena: http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=MIjQx99Txtc
Gatchaman CTV Set: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blzI5Sq8ShE
Gatchaman 30th Anniversary in Taiwan blog: http://blog. xuite.net/ kena/gatchaman

Thanks, Kena!

Kewpies, and 30th Anniversary in Taiwan

July 21, 2007: First Gatchaman Snoopy, then Gatchaman teddy bears, and now... Gatchaman Kewpies. The Run'a company will release a line of 53 mascot phone straps based on "Kewpie-ized" Japanese pop-culture figures, including our favorite heroes in bird suits. You can see all five at: http://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/kabutomusichan/diary/200707100000/ If you absolutely must have one for your cell phone, they go on sale September 13, 2007 for 520 yen each. Thanks, Tatsunokofan!

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Gatchaman's premiere in Taiwan, fans organized a special event at the Chih-Mei Gallery in Kaohsiung. The event, running from July 14 to July 25, 2007, had over 4,000 visitors and strong media coverage during its opening weekend. The event includes displays of fan art, merchandise, and some really cool items including a coin-operated Godphoenix amusement ride. You can see a photo gallery of the event here: http://photo.pchome.com.tw/_manage/my_photos.html?s=s07&n=kcc20051225&b=9 There's also a cute video of kids dancing to the theme song at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66Og0rtQDdE Thanks, Kena!

Live action movie logo, Eagle 5 game

Promo art for Gatchaman live-action film

July 15, 2007: I have to admit, the first time I saw this, I thought, "OWWW! There's a bird symbol stamped into my chest!" Nikkatsu has released a publicity sheet for the upcoming Gatchaman live action movie slated for 2008 or 2009 in Japan. The sheet doesn't offer much that we didn't already know--it describes the basic premise of the show, that it's a timeless anime classic, etc. Unfortunately, there's still no release date. The packet says, "Production to be Determined." You can see the entire promo sheet with Japanese text here. Thanks, Tatsunokofan!

Meanwhile, plans for the Yatterman movie are in full swing. You can see the promo for it on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OPzQAugys8 Note that it's safe for work, but rather disturbing. Thanks, Tatsunokofan!

In other news. the Japanese game site 4Gamer.net has a couple of articles about a Korean SD (Super Deformed) Gatchaman game called "Eagle 5." The game appears to be in Beta stage. The article is in Japanese, but there are photos and a downloadable wmv movie (click around the links): http://www.4gamer.net/news.php?url=/news/history/2007.06/20070629154914detail.html

Imagi offers peeks at preliminary art

Imagi concept art of Utoland includes shot of Ken, Joe and maybe Ryu and Jinpei

June 15, 2007: Ain't It Cool News just posted some new concept art from Imagi at www.aintitcool.com/node/33008, as well as the logo. It looks like Imagi's going all Blade Runner with the Utoland city designs, and I like the ad sneaked in for Sapporo Beer (my favorite!). There's even some concept art of Ken, Joe and I think Ryu and Jinpei (in the back). Looks like they're keeping the numbered t-shirts, and I hope they go with the longer hair (such a trademark of '70s Gatchaman). I'm not nuts about Joe smoking (the whole trained athlete thing, it gives me flashbacks of choking in Tokyo's ever-present cigarette smoke, and only the villains smoked in Gatchaman). I know a lot of fans see him with the feather shuriken in his mouth and figure a cigarette is the next best thing. But that's me being the picky old-school fan.

Robert Mark Kamen to write Gatchaman Movie

June 14, 2007: Imagi has selected a screenwriter for the Gatchaman CGI feature film. From Imagi's June 13 press release:

Los Angeles, June 13, 2007 - Robert Mark Kamen has been signed to write the screenplay for the upcoming CG-animated motion picture Gatchaman, it was jointly announced today by Imagi Studios Co-CEO & Chief Creative Officer Francis Kao and Co-CEO Douglas E. Glen.

Kamen will work closely on Gatchaman with producer Lynne Southerland and director Kevin Munroe (TMNT). Scheduled for completion in late 2008, Gatchaman will expand the visual boundaries of CG animation through dynamic camera work and action sequences.

"Imagi is breaking exciting new ground in the animation industry by making big action movies in pure computer graphics. It is a privilege to be working with such an innovative team of artists," Kamen said.

A veteran writer who has authored 18 produced feature films since 1979, Kamen's credits include Taps, The Karate Kid and its sequels, A Walk in the Clouds, The Power of One, Lethal Weapon 3, The Professional, The Fifth Element, Kiss of the Dragon, Bandidas, the Transporter movies and the upcoming Taken, starring Liam Neeson. Kamen has enjoyed a writing partnership with the prolific French producer and director Luc Besson for 14 years.

"We are thrilled to have Robert on the Gatchaman team. His commitment to creating strong characters, as well as his vast experience in the action genre, make him a perfect fit for this groundbreaking animated movie," Southerland said.

Gatchfanfic.com has a new format

May 26, 2007: All's quiet on the Gatchaman movie news front. I've been keeping an eye out for news releases. In the meantime, I've added a link or two to the Links page. The Gatchfanfic.com site is in the process of going automated and the site's stories are being transitioned over to the new format. Plus authors are adding new stories, so this is definitely the site to watch if you're into fanfic.

For those of you interested in purchasing the Gatchaman II and Fighter soundtracks, you can now find them on Amazon.com. Both are listed at $38.99 new.

Thanks, Tatsunokofan!

Nikkatsu announces LIVE ACTION Gatch Movie

April 12, 2007: So. Wow.

According to Anime News Network and Variety.com, Nikkatsu Corp. announced it has greenlit LIVE ACTION movie adaptations of both Gatchaman and Yatterman. Yatterman is slated for a spring 2009 release date and will be directed by Miike Takeshi, with character and mecha designs by Katsuya Terada. I'm not sure if this is just for Yatterman or both films. For now, the info seems to be mostly about Yatterman. I didn't see explicit information about it, but I'm assuming this is a Japanese-language movie release only.

This live-action film should not be confused with Imagi's CGI Gatchaman movie (projected for 2008/2009) that I've been describing up til now.

And as a side note, I saw Imagi's TMNT recently, and I really enjoyed it. I don't know anything about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but I loved the characters, and this film made me want to go buy the comic. Friends who were fans of the comic assured me that the property was treated very well. I think if Kevin Munroe and Imagi do for Gatchaman what they did for TMNT, we'll be seeing a great movie in 2008.

Reviews of Imagi Gatchaman Movie teaser

March 22, 2007: Many fans I've talked to are concerned whether or not the Gatchaman 2008 characters will resemble the originals. At the time I visited Imagi, I didn't see much by way of character designs, and what I did see didn't really resemble the characters as we know them. However, Harry Knowles at Aintitcool.com has some more current information: "Those faces - it is Mark and Jason and my favorite design was Tiny. [...] They're not made to look HUMAN exactly, but a slight hybrid between animation and living beings." See the entire article, plus larger versions of the concept art from Imagi's Web site at http://www.aintitcool.com/node/31981.

Aaaaand... while I was Googling for Gatchaman news, I found a description of the two-minute Gatchaman 2008 trailer at Butterboom.com. Never mind the use of Battle of the Planets character names. That confusion is going to be common. The trailer was screened today at the 2007 Digital Entertainment Leadership Forum in Hong Kong.

Music and Movie News

March 20, 2007: First, about the Gatchaman II and Fighter music CDs: Gatchaman II has a total of 78 minutes, 5 seconds of content. Gatchaman F's disk has 78 minutes, 48 seconds of content. Plenty of music for the price.

With the premiere of the TMNT movie coming in a couple of days, there has been a little more action on the proposed 2008 Gatchaman feature film. Imagi's Web site refers briefly to Gatchaman in an interview with TMNT director Kevin Munroe (from the main page, click "What's New," then "Q & A with Kevin Munroe"). Click "Our Films," then "Gatchaman" to see the gallery of concept art. Looks like they're going for the popular dark, gritty look with a couple of influences from the OAV.

Gatchaman Soundtracks/"Knocked Up"

February 9, 2007: Some sightings and news tidbits:

Gatchaman II and Fighter soundtracks to be commercially released: What makes this particularly newsworthy is that, while the opening/closing and image songs from those series have been released in years past, the actual soundtracks have not. This should be of particular interest to collectors and to fans of Gatchaman II and F.

The two "Tatsunoko Music Museum" CDs (one for each series) will be released April 4th, 2007 by Sony Music Entertainment' s Be Smile label. I don't have any information on how many tracks or what extras will be included, but I've been told the collections will be very thorough.

Gatchaman II Original Soundtrack (BSCH-30055): 2,800 yen
Gatchaman Fighter Original Soundtrack (BSCH-30056): 2,800 yen

The CDs are available for preorder through Amazon Japan and CD Japan, among others. Shipping restrictions apply.

G-Force sightings: Outside of Amano's work, it can happen! Here are three sightings of our teenagers in bird suits in the general public:

http://marillanokichi.blogspot.com/2007/01/tatsunoko-done.html

http://drawn.ca/2007/02/09/son-of-rambow/

Actor Seth Rogan wears a homemade G-Force t-shirt in the trailer for the film, "Knocked Up": http://playlist.yahoo.com/makeplaylist.dll?id=1550103&sdm=web&qtw=480&qth=300 (Thanks, Michael!)

Pachislot King game for Playstation

January 27, 2007: Yesterday, Banpresto launched their web site for the "Pachislo King! Science Ninja Team Gatchaman" game (see below for details). The site has photos from three different modes of gameplay (Capture mode, Mission mode and Gallery mode) and links at the bottom of the screen for news, the Taiyo site and possibly cell phone accessories (the news and mobile links don't appear to be working yet).

The game will be available February 22nd. You can purchase the game from Play Asia for US$49.90 plus shipping, but please note that you must have a Japanese or chipped Playstation 2 machine in order for the game to work.

Thanks, Tatsunokofan!

Pachisuro, Active anime tribute, Imagi News

January 21, 2007: Three news items:

First, on the site for the Gatchaman slot machine, there was a section for a Gatchaman game for the Playstation 2. Although there's no information about the game on the official site, Tatsunokofan has managed to dig some up. The game is titled "Pachislot King! Science Ninja Team Gatchaman," and is being produced by Banpresto. The game retails at 5,040 yen, and will be released in Japan on February 22nd. No word on whether this is a version of the slot machine game--no images from the game have surfaced yet.

Second, Activeanime is doing a tribute to Gatchaman on their site. You'll find some extra tidbits featuring the Gatchaman voice actors at ADV and the Gatchaman screenings at the Alamo Draft House. It's worth a look.

Third, here's the latest interview with Kevin Munroe, director of the (possibly) upcoming Gatchaman 2008 movie. Nothing quite new yet, but it looks like the project is still alive and well!

Gatchaman slot machine

January 1, 2007: As of 12/22/06, Taiyo Games has announced a new Gatchaman slot machine for future release in pachisuro parlors across Japan. The web site offers a Flash intro and a look at the machine, with more to follow. Link: http://www.taiyo-slot.co.jp/gatchaman/index.html

New! Gatchablog

I'm creating this blog as a backup to my News page on the Home of the White Shadow site. Since I expect news to be picking up with the upcoming release of the two Gatchaman movies, I wanted something that will help me and my readers track news items. The only drawback is the possibility of losing all this information--if Blogger goes down, so does the news.

Let's see how this works out. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!