DECEMBER 2002 NEWS

10 December 2002 (final update for 2002)

  • Final update for 2002. No time to translate the details into English. Official confirmation of Evangelion news can be found at the GAiNAX website: Renewal of Evangelion remastered DVD with episode 1 on sale March 2003, DVD box with TV series and movies on sale June 2003, game Girlfriend of Steel 2 on sale in the (northern) spring, Bandai Eva unit on sale April 2003, more UFO catcher dolls, Kaiyodo action figure Eva units in the (northern) spring. Further, GAiNAX has set up an Evangelion website for the re-release of the TV series and movies. Furthermore, more Evangelion announcements will be made in the second half of 2003. Source: Moonphase.
     
  • Sorry, I haven't been able to update this page much for the past few weeks now. Been busy (more than usual). Now I'm about to go on a trip. Including a short stay in Japan \^_^/ (Need to buy lots of little R.O.D goodies and hopefully pick up volume 1 of the From I''s OVA amongst other stuff.) Don't worry, I'll have enough fun for all of you ^_-
     
  • So this means I won't be updating this page again until mid-January 2003 at the earliest. Sorry. I hope this page has not been too boring and that at least some of you have found this page useful. Thanks for visiting in 2002. Dozo yoroshiku onegai shimasu m(_ _)m. With your support, I hope to continue updating this page in 2003. Til then, Happy Holidays!
     
  • I'll leave you in 2002 with these two last bits of anime-related news:
     
  • 10 December 2002 means that the R.O.D official website has updated with new info about the upcoming TV series. Click on the different parts of the new top pic to open up Javascript windows. Not that much to see except pics of the three Paper Sisters and the spreads which will appear in the January issues of Newtype and Animage (both on sale this month).
     
  • Friend Mr Bear, a some-time member of a certain digisubbing group (when he's not too busy with work and Stuff) will be tying the knot in a few days' time. His wife-to-be also watches anime, of course. I'll be travelling there to wish the couple the very best. Mr Bear, go-kekkon omedeto gozaimasu! \^_^/

4 December 2002 (second update)

  • You can download a Maou Dante (Demon Lord Dante) "Digibook" from the official website. Just click on the large yellow writing on the right-hand side once your enter the official site. You'll have to answer the questionaire first, though. Once you've done that, you'll be able to download the Digibook, which, as the name suggests, is like a digital book, with a few still shots of highlight scenes from the TV anime series, text introduction to each episode of the story, 30 second TV commercial (movie file) and information about the bonus items that are sold with the DVDs for the series. The file is about 9 or 12 Mb in size, though, depending on whether you download the album only, or the viewing software as well. For Windows 95/98/Me/NT4.0/2000. Source: AT-X and infoanime.com.
     
  • AT-X has announced that it'll start broadcasting the original sci-fi action anime series Barom One on 7 December 2002. Source: infoanime.com.
     
  • Volume 4 of the manga Hatenkou Yuugi (Unprecedented Game) by Endou Minari will be published by Studio DNA on 25 February 2003. A limited edition version will be available for 762 yen (excluding tax) and will come with a desktop 2003 calendar with 13 illustrations. Source: Mangaoh Club.
     
  • For Sakura Taisen fans, Studio DNA will also publish a mook titled Sakura Taisen Illustrations ~ The Origin + Tribute ~ on 27 January 2003. This hardcover book will be A4 in size, and contain 96 pages with tribute illustrations from 35 famous artists in the field. Price 2,500 yen. Source: Mangaoh Club.
     
  • Stratos Four will commence broadcast on 5 January 2003. Source: TA Group BBS.
     
  • The TV anime Ashita no Nadja will commence broadcast on 2 February 2003 on TV Asahi. The official website is now up, though it's just one page. Source: TA Group BBS.
     
  • Sorry, slept early yesterday.
     
  • I don't normally report Pokemon-related news. But the official website has announced that the next Pokemon movie will be released theatrically in Japan on 19 July 2003. It'll be called "Gekijoban Pocket Monster Advance Generation Shichiya no Negai Hoshi". Source: TA Group BBS.
     
  • What's going on with Evangelion? With the heading of "Second Coming", one of the feature articles in the next issue of Newtype (to be published in Japan on 10 December 2002) will be on Evangelion, including an interview with director Anno. Further, on the GAiNAX website, it's been stated that there'll be an important announcement in the February 2003 issue of Monthly Shonen Ace-A magazine, on sale 26 December 2002. (I note the next issue of Newtype will also include an article on R.O.D ~ The TV ~ (tentative title) among other upcoming anime).
     
  • It's been announced in Akita Shoten's Monthly Champion Red magazine that the manga Masetsu Majuu Sensen by Ishikawa Ken and Dynamic Pro (where the manga is serialised) will be made into an anime. Source: TA Group BBS.
     
  • The site www.daiginga.com is up. Is this some official site for the Dai Ginga Series Dai Yamato Hen 7 vs 7 (Great Galaxy Series ~ Great Yamato Arc 7 vs 7)? Source: TA Group BBS.
     
  • Sorry, still got more info to post, but I'm slowly going through stuff.

2 December 2002

  • I'm back. Been very busy. Still busy. Will slowly update this page. Lots of stuff to write. Will leave out stuff which I've seen on other sites such as ANS, ANN or AoD.
     
  • Volume 1 of Weißkreuz Gluhen will be released on DVD on 24 January 2003, price 5,800 yen (excluding tax). Catalogue number MMBV-1006. Source: Music Market and Mangaoh Club.
     
  • The limited edition of volume 8 of the Chobits manga is up for preorder at Mangaoh Club. Limited of one copy per customer.
     
  • Thanks to Falls on Deaf Ears for the following TenTen related info: the Natsume Maya figure that comes with the limited edition of volume 9 of the Tenjou Tenge manga is featured on 2 pages in the mook "All that Figure 2002" (ISBN 4-89425-279-1) published by Hobby Japan.
     
  • It's stated on the Kino no Tabi ~ The Beautiful World ~ website that the TV anime will commence broadcast on WOWOW in April 2003. Source: Magicalantique.
     
  • This English language article by the Asahi Shimbun reports that historian Ienaga Saburo, who fought against the Japanese government's censorship of textbooks (in relation to World War II) for over thirty years, passed away on Friday 29 November 2002.
     
  • A glimpse of the trial Chisa figure which will come with the limited edition version of the final volume 7 of the manga Hitsuji no Uta by Toume Kei (serialised in Monthly Comic Birz). The tankouban will be published on 24 February 2003, tentative price 1,500 yen. The limited edition will be limited to 10,000 copies. Source: ultimatum half edition.
     
  • The sci-fi comic manga Narue no Sekai (The World of Narue) by Marukawa Tomohiro, serialised in Kadokawa's Monthly Shonen Ace-A, is to be made into a TV anime series. Source: ultimatum half edition.
     
  • The TV anime Mouse, based upon the manga by Akahori Satoru and Itaba Hiroshi and serialised in the manga magazine Young Animal, will commence broadcast on 5 January 2003 and will be 12 episodes in length, each episode being fifteen minutes long. Young Animal's Mouse page is up here. Source: ultimatum half edition.
     
  • Furthermore, Chara-Ani.com reports that the Mouse anime series will be released on DVD in four volumes, with volume 1 due on 22 March 2003, and one volume to be released each month thereafter. I'm not certain but I think volume 1 at least will have a Goshujin-sama limited edition version, with three bonus items including a figurine.
     
  • The From I''s page is now open, with various things to see, including a number of movie clips. Those clips are mainly live action ones of the cast and production staff, but there are also a few commercials for the anime. Further, it's stated that the anime will be a 2 volume OVA series, with the second volume scheduled for release in March 2003. Now if I could only turn off the music that plays on that webpage >_<
     
  • Asahi Shimbun English language article on the revival of interest in the shoujo manga The Rose of Versailles by Ikeda Ryoko.
     
  • Chapter 3 of story 4 of the "sound novel" Kamakur@ Love is now up. For more info, see my entry on 31 May 2002.
     
  • I got the December 2002 issue of Ultrajump (among a bunch of other stuff). No express mention of the new R.O.D TV anime being based on Read Or Dream, but instead of silhouettes, the background art for the announcement had lineart for the three Paper Sisters, so that pretty much confirms it.
     
  • The next manga by Azuma Kiyohiko (of Azumanga fame) will be titled Yotsubato! and will commence serialisation in Dengeki Daioh magazine with the March 2003 issue (on sale 21 January 2003). Looks like that issue will come with a Yotsuba-chan mobile phone mascot. Source: Shotenin no Tawagoto and ultimatum half edition.
     
  • A new Oh! Super Milk-chan DVD will be released on 5 February 2003, price 2,980 yen (excluding tax), 57 minutes, including the internet distributed Milk no IT Kakumei. Source: Music Market. To view the Flash anime, see here.
     
  • For Love Hina fans, an Aoyama Motoko mini CD album will be released on 22 January 2003, price 2,095 yen (excluding tax), catalogue number KICA-592. Source: Music Market and Mangaoh Club. I thought I came across more info about the CD, but now I've forgotten it ^_^;;
     
  • The new See Saw album, titled "Dream Field", will be released on 21 February 2003 from Victor Entertainment, catalogue number VICL-61069, price 2,900 yen (excluding tax), containing 13 tracks. Source: Magicalantique.
     
  • I'll leave it at this for today.

 

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