Imagi launches marketing department

I was just commenting to a friend that we haven't heard any news on the upcoming Gatchaman movie at all. Is it being shelved? In this case, no news is not really good news.

This latest news release from Active Anime says that Imagi has just set up a full marketing department for its features, which will include Gatchaman and Astro Boy in 2009. The term, "slated for worldwide distribution," however, has me wondering if these features will be relegated to video instead of theatrical release.

The news article is here:
http://www.activeanime.com/html/content/view/2864/36/

Ken and Jun make a cameo in new Yatterman episode

Ken andJun make a quick cameo in Yatterman 2008, Episode 2. Possibly a reference to the upcoming films in Japan?



Here we see Ken and Jun in Osaka, enjoying some takoyaki at the 9:09 mark on the video. You can watch the entire program with fansubs at Crunchyroll.com.

Thanks to the BotP Mailing List for the news!

Original Gatchaman screenwriter, Jinzo Toriumi, succumbs to liver cancer

I just received the following release--not sure of the source, but confirmed the information on the links:

Jinzo Toriumi, a screenwriter who first began writing during the "revolutionary era" of Japanese television animation on Mach Go Go Go (Speed Racer), Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (Battle of the Planets/G-Force), and Yatterman, has died on Thursday. He was 78. He succumbed to liver cancer in a hospital in the Tokyo neighborhood of
Shinjuku. He leaves behind his wife, Kazuyo.

Toriumi was born in 1929 in the northern Japanese prefecture of Hokkaido. After trying his hand at writing scripts for live-action films at Nikkatsu, he began writing animation scripts at Mushi Productions for Mighty Atom (Astro Boy) in 1964. He then devoted himself fulltime to television animation at Tatsunoko Production in 1965. There, he contributed to Casshern, Tekkaman, and Time Bokan. He later began writing for such Sunrise works as Armored Trooper Votoms, Yoroiden Samurai Trooper (Ronin Warriors), and Mister Ajikko. He also wrote the novel versions of Gatchaman, Shin Heiyuden, and Dororo, as well as the Anime Scenario Nyumon (The Introduction to Anime
Scriptwriting).

He used the Anime Scenario Nyumon book as a vocational school teacher for future generations of scriptwriters. He also chaired Ohtori Koubou, a support group for scriptwriters. He received the (Scenario) Scriptwriting Award from the Japan Writers Guild on May 26, 2000.

Source: Mainichi Shimbun, animeanime.jp

Thanks for the information, Jane!

Surreal Gatchaman parody on classic variety TV

By nature, Japanese variety television is just plain weird. Therein lies its charm.

In these two videos, you'll see an attempt to recreate the Gatchaman opening credits in live action.



and...



I think these date back to 1995 or so because I remember seeing the first one on network TV. The poster of the video didn't provide any information.

From there, it gets weirder. In these videos, Gatchaman goes to Shinjuku to demonstrate two new Science Ninja techniques: Science Ninja Technique Park Clean...



...and Science Ninja Technique Pizza Wait for a Minute, where they use their Ninja Skillz (no bicycles or elevator to climb 13 floors) to deliver pizza within the 15-minute delivery time limit. I think the customers are probably too freaked out to complain.



What's kind of funny is near the end of the park video, there are people asking our heroes who they are. Haven't they heard of Gatchaman? No? Kids these days....

Thanks, Tatsunokofan!

Gatchapin now available on DVD

First post for the new year...

As of December 12, 2007, episodes of "Go Go! Gatchapin" are now commercially available. Released by a company named Liverpool, the DVD retails for 1,980 yen and is sold only through 7-11 convenience stores and through the online shop run
by BS Fuji, the satellite network that airs the series.

For your 1,980 yen and postage, you get 20 episodes featuring the battle between Gatchapin and Pierre Katse, plus two additional Gatchapin stories (Gatchapin goes shopping, and Gatchapin scopes out an amusement park). The episodes are entirely in Japanese, with no subtitles or dubs. It is a series aimed at young kids and comprises live action skits full of cartoon gags which are easy enough to understand in plain Japanese. The DVD is Region 2 encoded, so you'll need a code-free DVD player to watch it outside of Japan.

For more information:

Liverpool site

7-Dream site

BS Fuji Online Shop


Thanks, Tatsunokofan!

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.

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!