LO Magazine Vol. 8 January 2005
Transcription
LO Magazine Vol. 8 January 2005
LO Vol. 8 Jan. 2005 Free Issue Brendon Hayes Local comic artist shares his views Peacemaker Kurogane Can a 15 year old boy keeps his humanity, when searching for revenge? Hellsing The Vampire hunting the Vampires 2009: Lost Memories What if everything you know is a lie? WIN DREAMLAND JAPAN AND SOME ANIME! Robota: Reign of the Machines Inspirational Doug Chiang shows his metal and nature The perfect tool. Express yourself! Adobe Indesign cs Image © 2005 Adobe Inc. W elcome to LO Magazine’s eighth issue. It is the year 2005 and time for some new experiments. How about 42 pages of pure content? I guess we can call this the WAR issue with so many of the features dwelling on revenge, death, violence & war. Maybe it is an appropriate start for a new year by asking ourselves the important question: What have we accomplished up to 2005, with violence? We hope to bring you a lot of interesting articles this year and glad that you are still with us. Spread the word! Anime & manga are here to stay. Enjoy. Ed. 3 © LO Magazine 2004 LO CONTENT 06 ANIME FEATURE Death & Revenge in Peacemaker. 08 INDUSTRY NEWS Find out who is doing what, where and when. 10 MANGA FEATURE Hellsing: A Vampire hunting the Vampires. 12 SBP COMPETITION Stone Bridge Press presents Dreamland Japan in “Lekka Manga” 13 AD COMPETITION Anime Direct “Most Wanted” presents the Shootfighter Tekken anime. Contributor: Writer: Sydney Butler 14 EDITOR’S PAGE Sex, Nudity & Violence. Page 3 Image: Peacemaker © ADV Films 16 KIDS / TEENS Teens go to war in Gunparade March. LO recognises all copyrights 18 DIGITAL CREATIONS Doug Chiang, from Star Wars to Robota: Reign of the Machines 24 SPECIAL INCLUDE Direct from Fred Patten’s latest book Reading Manga, Watching Anime: GO TO JAILED Editorial Editor - AJ Kock [email protected] Website: www.lomagazine.co.za For contact spesifics please look at page 47. LO Magazine is a product of © 2004 Manga SA Anime Cover: Robota: Reign of the Machines © Doug Chiang in this issue. Where possible, we have acknowledged the copyright holders. Contact us if we have failed to credit your copyright. Unless indicated otherwise, all content are © LO Magazine. © LO Magazine 2004 4 Note: To make life easier we indicate anime with blue and manga with green. Words in Bold, Italic means that it includes a term definition. 06 28 LETTERS Ed. vs the Readers 30 THE LOCAL SCENE Brendon Hayes talks about his comic. 34 LIVE-ACTION 2009: Lost Memories 36 MANGA INCLUDE Hellsing TBP 05 Preview. 42 NEO-MANGA Speaking to eigoMANGA’s, Austin Osueke. 44 LO RECOMMENDS This month’s anime and manga recommendations if you don’t know what to watch. 10 46 SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY War. What is it good for? 47 SUBMISSIONS Do you want to submit your artwork or articles to us? Software used in the making of LO Magazine: Artwork: Adobe Photoshop Layout & Design: Adobe Indesign PDF Creation: Adobe PDF Writer 5 30 42 © LO Magazine 2004 ANIME FEATURE 6 If you liked samurai stories or not, Samurai X (Rorouni Kenshin) had most people in awe with its passionate expression of love, hate, revenge and redemption. Naruto’s determination and pranks had you laughing and cheering. Put the two together and you have Peacemaker. We all had in some stages of our lives felt like killing someone. Be it the class bully, a teacher with a chip on his shoulder, the driver in front of us or the scum that kill people for a pair of shoes or less. If this was possible and you were given a sword, would you actually be able to take another person’s life? Peacemaker by GONZO Digimation (Hellsing, Full Metal Panic, Blue Submarine No. 6) was adapted from the popular manga, Peacemaker Kurogane, and declared by fans to hold the record of “most amount of blood from one sword slash,” Peacemaker is set in 19th century Japan at the beginning of the Meiji period. Fans of samurai action and intrigue can expect a mix of merciless action and hilarious comedy. For 15-year-old Tetsunosuke Ichimura, childhood innocence has given way to a blinding thirst for revenge. Haunted by the vicious slaying of his parents, Tetsu decides to seek out the Shinsengumi, an elite group of swordsmen sworn to protect the capital. The Shinsengumi are engaged in a brutal conflict with the Choshu rebels, the same ruthless killers who murdered Tetsu’s parents. In the name of justice – and against the will of his older brother – Tetsu desperately hopes to join the Shinsengumi. But an incident late one night forces him to face reality. The Shinsengumi show themselves capable of the same brutality as his parents’ murderers. Wading through a sea of espionage, intrigue, and flowing blood, the young boy must decide whether to shed his humanity and become a demon of the Shinsengumi, or to relinquish his hatred and become a Peacemaker in the spirit of his father. Revenge is sweet, but is it worth losing your soul? USA Anime Publisher Website: www.advfilms.com USA Manga Publisher Website: www.adv-manga.com Recommend: If you like this type of anime, then you should try ADV Films’ Samurai X. Japan Animation Studio: www.gonzo.co.jp All images © 2003 Nanao Chrono * MAG Garden | Shinsengumi-Tonsyo | ADV Films .LO 7 © LO Magazine 2004 INDUSTRY NEWS NEW APPLESEED MOVIE Geneon Ent. will be releasing the highly anticipated anime feature Appleseed. Opening Jan. 14, 2005, in select US cities, the film is based on the manga story by Masamune Shirow (Ghost in the Shell) and directed by Shinji Aramaki (Bubblegum Crises). Released in Japan during 2004, the soundtrack includes new tracks created by Japanese artists Boom Boom Satellites, world-renowned DJ/producer Paul Oakenfold (Matrix Reloaded, Swordfish), Ryuichi Sakamoto (The Last Emperor) and Basement Jaxx. Image © 2005 Geneon Ent. ARTHUR CGI Fifth Element director Luc Besson has cast Madonna as the lead in his big-budget CGIanimated Arthur. Besson’s Europa Corp. will produce with Buf Compagnie providing the CG. Besson hopes to have the film in theatres by 2006. Besson adapted the film from a series of his children’s books. In an attempt to save his grandfather’s house from developers, 10-year-old Arthur and Princess Selenia (Madonna) venture to discover hidden treasure in the land of the Minimoys, tiny people living in synch with nature. Image © Luc Besson PAINKILLER JANE ON SCI-FI Sci Fi Channel has given the thumbs up on a two-hour pilot, Painkiller Jane, based on Joe Quesada and Jim Palmiotti’s Event Comic series. John Harrison (Frank Herbert’s Dune), Don Opper and Greg Gold will write and exec produce the show. Production is set to start by the end of the 2004. The story follows Jane, a young Marine who after being exposed to a biochemical weapon gains self-healing powers, which she uses to fight crime and dodge the military. Source: w3.awn.com Image © Event Comics PRODUCTION IG’S LATEST Kyoto, the capital of the country, is suffering serious famine and widespread disease. But to make the chaotic situation even worse, samurai and onmyoji are continuing their selfish strife for supremacy of political power. Unable to overlook the calamity any longer, the Imperial Court orders Minamoto no Raiko, a samurai well-known for his archery skills, to seek out a legendary gem said to hold mysterious power to save the world. But Raiko himself also falls ill. So instead, the youngest daughter, Hikaru is send. Image © Production IG. STEAMBOY USA RELEASE Sony Pictures has announced that Akira director Katsuhiro Otomo’s new film Steamboy will be released in U.S. theatres on March 18, 2005. The film is the most expensive anime feature ever produced at $20 million and began production in 1995. Financial issues have plagued the production. The film screened at both the Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals. Set in Victorian England, the retro sci-fi epic follows how a powerful new energy source changes the “Age of Steam.” Source: w3.awn.com. Image © Sony Pictures Inc. SNOW WHITE WITH SHAOLIN TWIST Walt Disney Pictures has hired Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon to pen Snow & the Seven, a martial arts take on Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs, reports Hollywood Reporter. Hong Kong director Yuen Wo Ping will make his Englishlanguage directorial debut on the film. Set in 1880s British colonial China, the fantasy and martial arts film will follow the Grimm Brothers fairy tale with seven Shaolin monks aiding the heroine. Image © Disney Enterprises Inc. © LO Magazine 2004 8 MANGA FEATURE HELLSING © LO Magazine 2004 SBP COMPETITION WIN WIN ENTER ENTER NOW NOW STONE BRIDGE PRESS PRESENTS “Lekka Manga” We are happy to present Dreamland Japan for this issue’s “Lekka Manga” prize. We are very grateful for Stonebridge Press for their interest in providing our readers with a great prize. How do you win? Simply send us an email ([email protected]) with the subject: “Lekka Manga 08” and with your answers to the following two questions: 1. Name another title written by Frederik L. Schodt 2. Who publishes Dreamland Japan? Closing Date: 31 January 2005. This competition is only open to South African residents. StoneBridge Press | Berkeley | California | www.stonebridge.com | [email protected] Note: More than one entry into the same competition will automatically disqualify you. © LO Magazine 2004 12 AD COMPETITION WIN WIN ENTER ENTER NOW NOW ANIME DIRECT PRESENTS “Most Wanted” We are happy to present the wonderful Shootfighter Tekken Round 1 anime DVD (Region 1) as this issue’s “Most Wanted” anime. We are very grateful for Anime Direct for their interest in providing our readers with some sought-after anime. How do you win? Simply send us an email ([email protected]) with the subject: “Most Wanted 08” and with your answers to the following two questions: 1. Supply the missing word: An expert in the deadly ............. Shadow Style. 2. What is Anime Direct’s website url? Closing Date: 31 January 2005. This competition is only open to South African residents. Anime Direct | www.animedirect.co.za | [email protected] Note: More than one entry into the same competition will automatically disqualify you. 13 © LO Magazine 2004 EDITOR’S PAGE SEX, NUDITY & VIOLENCE Newspapers, websites, magazines and the news on television stations are filled with images of real violence (car crash victims, remains of suicide bombers, bodies of bank robbers shot dead by the police and pre-or post scenes of beheadings). And it is socially acceptable for the whole family to see these images. On the other hand, if Janet Jackson flashes her breast before the Super Bowl, our poor children have to be protected against moral decay. news, which are there to inform and educate the whole family on newsworthy events. In today’s world, I don’t have the urge to buy the newspapers or watch the news, because it has been filtered down to “What most people want to hear” and “How can we ‘entertain’ our readers?” Looking at the whole issue around Janet Jackson, I start to think that people cannot see the difference between sex and nudity. To see someone nude is not sexual. Your thoughts might be sexual, but it is not the fault of the image. On the other hand, if any pop star sings sexual lyrics, it is the fault of the pop star if you think sexual thoughts. Does this sound right to you? Take a look at the two photos above. Which one offends you more? A woman flashing her breast or the bloodied face of a child (victim of a suicide bomb)? For some reason, we get more upset by a woman’s naked breast than the reality of violence. Every day newspapers are going on about the effect of fictional violence in games on our youth, yet they are bombarding our youth with images of real violence on a daily basis. What do you think is more disturbing? Playing a game with fictional violence or watching real violence on the news? Rappers and musicians sing about the good life of luxury, big breasted bimbos or jocks (depending on your sex and or preferences) and as many ass you can get your hands on, while badmouthing the law and anyone associated with it. The music industry is filled with vulgar filth, for the sake of being trashy. Yet this only raises a few eyebrows. Strange how these people are also the first to run to the law, when it comes to piracy and their music (but that’s another story all together). I see double standards everywhere. What do you think? Email us and tell us your side of the story. Email: [email protected] Topic: Sex, Nudity & Violence If I wanted sex, I would rent a porn movie. If I wanted violence, I would join the Army or play Doom 3. I don’t need it in my newspaper or TV © LO Magazine 2004 .LO 14 KIDS/TEENS GUNPARADE MARCH Gunparade March explores the predicament when kids are sent of to war. It is not a new concept but the reality of death is a lot stronger in this anime. in war? These themes and more are touched upon in Gunparade March. The main characters are a gentle boy named Hayami Atsushi (Akira Ishida) and a militaristic girl Mai Shibamura (Akemi Okamura). They are complemented by various characters in and around the school that houses their special unit, which apart from the battlefield serves as the main milieu. Based on a Playstation 2 game by the same name, Gunparade March is a twelve episode Mecha - Science Fiction anime, with romantic comedy elements (similar to anime features such as Full Metal Panic). Gunparade March portrays a period in the lives of a special student army unit as they battle the enemy monsters known as Genjyuu (Phantom Beasts) using bipedal tanks. The movie is directed by Sakurabi Katsushi (Moon Princess Tsukihime) and Takayama Fumihiko (Patlabor 3). The timeline used in the storyline is parallel to our own, with the first sighting of the Genjyuu apparently having been in 1945. The legal draft age has been lowered to sixteen and the news bulletin every evening includes an extensive list of the daily casualties among these young soldiers. Gunparade March is a J.C. Staff project published in 2003 and its US distribution is by Media Blasters. JC Staff Website: www.jcstaff.co.jp/ Media Blasters Website: www.media-blasters.com What does one do with one’s life when death can wait around every corner? What are acceptable risks? Is there a time or place for human emotion © LO Magazine 2004 WRITTEN BY JERICHO .LO Recommend: If you like this type of anime, then you should try Full Metal Panic or Infinite Ryvius. 16 17 © LO Magazine 2004 DIGITAL CREATIONS THE INSPIRATIONAL DOUG CHIANG Doug Chiang (DC) studied film at the University of California, at Los Angeles, and industrial design at the Center of Creative Studies, College of Art and Design. Chiang got his start as a Stop Motion animator on the Pee Wee’s Playhouse television series. He soon rose to become a Clio Award winning commercial director and designer for Rhythm and Hues, Digital Productions, and Robert Abel and Associates. Chiang left ILM in 1995 to head up the Art Department as Design Director for Star Wars Episode I, The Phantom Menace and Episode II, Attack of the Clones. In 2002, he served as Production Designer for Robert Zemeckis’ The Polar Express. In 1989, Chiang joined Industrial Light and Magic where he became the Creative Director in 1993. During this time, he worked as Visual Effects Art Director for films including Ghost, Back to the Future II, The Doors, Terminator 2, Death Becomes Her, Forrest Gump, Jumanji, and The Mask. He has earned both an Academy Award and a British Academy Award for Death Becomes Her and another British Academy Award for Forrest Gump. © LO Magazine 2004 LO: You worked on Star Wars Episode 1 and 2. LO: What were you assigned to do? DC: I was hired in 1995 to head up the art and design team for both films. That involved 18 gone away. designing most of the visual aspects that go in to creating a film such as Star Wars, including, sets, creatures, environments, characters, and storyboards. LO: In your spare time you create your own “Film Book” called Robota. In Robota you feature a conflict between nature and technology. Does nature influence your machine designs? DC: Definitely. I was always enamored with nature and nature’s design. Growing up, I seriously thought about becoming a zoologist or forest ranger. It was only later that I realized my passion for art and design. And ever since then It was a dream job for me since I grew up a huge fan of George Lucas and admired many of his films. And it was primarily because of George Lucas and Ray Harryhausen, famed stop motion animator, that I’m in this business now. They’ve both instilled in me a passion for films that hasn’t 19 © LO Magazine 2004 © LO Magazine 2004 20 I’ve sought to combine my two interests. DC: Yes, in a curious way. The term film book is something I came up with as way to describe for myself the approach I wanted to take in writing this book. Because of my film production design experience, I thought it would be interesting to approach the writing and art for the book as if I were designing a film, hence ‘film book’. I wanted to capture the cinematic scope of films and infuse it publishing. In fact, I wrote the original story as film treatment. For me, I always saw technology and nature existing harmoniously. They were never conflicting ideas but complimentary ones. Some of my earliest paintings would incorporate this, infusing odd bits of machinery into otherwise naturalistic landscape paintings. And it was this odd juxtaposition of unrelated forms that ultimately inspired me to create Robota. LO: How did you decide to meet up with author Orson Scott Card and create Robota? DC: I had heard through a friend of mine that Orson was open to critiquing other writers’ work so I contacted him out of the blue, introduced myself and told him that I was working on an illustrated book. This was around the fall of 2000. And to my surprise, he actually responded. We started a dialogue and I sent him my detailed 20 page treatment along with some sample art. To my amazement, he really connected with the material. From there, we just kept a creative dialogue going over the next several months to years. At that time I really didn’t think we would end up collaborating together on the book. It was just great to have his input. LO: When will Robota be finally done? DC: That’s hard to say. Since the publication of the book, I’m now focusing my energies on telling the story in other media. In many ways, the project has taken a life of its own, becoming bigger than I can handle by myself. Many more people are now involved and adding their creative input. I’m now deep into the video game development with Sony Pictures Imageworks. The feature film development is also pushing ahead. So there is a lot going on. The book was always planned as the first step of many and I’ll continue to seize the opportunities as they present themselves. LO: You are also creating a Robota video/ computer game with Sony. What kind of game will this be and do you have any creative control over the game? DC: I am intimately involved, designing the world and characters for the Robota game with Sony Imageworks. The game will be third person tactical action game for the next generation of consoles. Imageworks, and I have had a long working relationship. I just finished working with them on Robert Zemeckis’s latest film ‘The Polar Express’ and am now in production on another I have to say it was also very reassuring to have someone of Orson’s stature respond so positively to the material. Sometimes when you are working alone for so long you get insecure and start thinking that you’ve completely lost your mind and that you are working on an utterly pointless exercise that will end up wasting three or more years of your life. <grin> LO: You described Robota as a “Film Book.” Would you say that is similar to manga’s “film style”? 21 © LO Magazine 2004 LO: This being an anime and manga magazine, I have to ask. Do you read manga or watch any anime at all? DC: I do read manga and watch some anime. I’m a huge fan of Japanese comic and animation. They are very inspirational. film with them. Robota turned out to be great fit for Sony since they were interested in developing games. We both wanted to merge film talent with game talent to create a compelling game experience, an idea that’s been floating around the gaming community for quite some time and I’m truly excited to see the convergence of film and game talent taking place with Robota. LO: Do you have any words of wisdom for people in South Africa, who wants to become an animator or designer? DC: I would say work hard, learn your basic skills and know them well before you get too enamored with techniques and tools. Foundation skills of drawing, composition, and perspective are all key. LO: You seem to have started early with your interest in creating animation. What inspired you to become an animator? DC: One of my early influences growing up in the suburbs of Michigan was the films of Ray Harryhausen. There was something incredibly compelling and unique about his work. His stop motion animation captivated me and I started making my own stop motion films. By the time I was 15 years old I had already made about a dozen short animated films. Once you have learned those skills, then your tools, whether they are digital or traditional, will serve you rather than the other way around. And last, get a solid well-rounded education. Doug Chiang Website: www.dchiang.com LO: What projects are you currently working on? DC: Besides Robota I’m also working on Steven Spielberg’s ‘War of the Worlds’ as well as another Zemeckis produced film called ‘Monster House’. © LO Magazine 2004 Images are taken from Robota: Reign of the Machines © Doug Chiang 22 .LO 23 © LO Magazine 2004 SPECIAL INCLUDE GO TO JAILED MANGA MAX NO. 3, FEB 1999 into arguments between defensive company representatives and hostile audiences. Deny everything. Trust no one. What on Earth was the Japanese Animation Industry Legal Enforcement Division? Where did it come from? Where did it go? Fred Patten investigates. At the AnimEAST convention of November 1995, CPM’s Leslie Hyman announced that JAILED had just arranged the arrest of a major pirate of counterfeit anime videos. But that was JAILED’s last public appearance. Today it is generally assumed that JAILED has faded away and that it was never more than a few self-important executives at the anime companies trying to bully the fans. On May 22, 1995, John O’Donnell of Central Park Media (CPM) announced the formation of the Japanese Animation Industry Legal Enforcement Division. “JAILED was established to combat the illegal sales and rental of unauthorized copies of copyrighted programs . . . belonging to the member companies.” The members, as defined in the initial flurry of activity, consisted of practically every anime company active in the U.S. market at the time. “JAILED will,” we were told, “prosecute suppliers who sell these versions to the public, whether via retail store, exhibition booth, or mail order.” But was JAILED for real? “You bet,” insists John O’Donnell. “The bust that Leslie Hyman announced in November 1995 had just taken place against Karate Center, on Eighth Avenue in Manhattan. Leslie, along with the police and FBI agents, raided the store and seized about 10,000 pirated anime cassettes. Our lawyer, Jules Zalon, who set JAILED up, prosecuted the case in court for about two years. It was just recently concluded, in our favor. The pirated videos were ordered destroyed, and we won a $400,000 judgment.” This set off a firestorm of controversy. Despite assurances that its target was professional video pirates, rumors spread that JAILED was calling fan clubs which subtitled videos of anime not yet released in America and ordering them to cease and desist. Panels to explain JAILED at the 1995 U.S. anime conventions soon degenerated © LO Magazine 2004 Why wasn’t that publicized? “We ran into 24 something called the law of unintended consequences,” says O’Donnell. “JAILED was never aimed at fans. But everybody took it as an attack against fandom, and we couldn’t tell them otherwise. So we realized it’s better not to say anything in public—to work behind the scenes. JAILED still exists as a way for the anime companies to coordinate anti-piracy activity.” comes out.” As unlikely as such an idea may sound, Shawne Kleckner agrees: “When [The Right Stuf] released Irresponsible Captain Tylor, we offered an amnesty program. Fans who sent us their bootleg fan subs got a discount on the legitimate tapes. We got a big response!” One reason that fans seem keen to replace their fan subs is that amateur subtitling degrades the video quality. Baron adds: “One of the most recent examples was Slayers: The Motion Picture. The fan sub was so poor visually that it probably increased the market for A.D. Vision’s release. Dozens of fans commented as they bought it they were looking forward to actually seeing what the animation looked like.” Yes, but not really as JAILED. A conversation with other anime companies reveals that they do indeed act to combat piracy. But JAILED is just O’Donnell’s catchphrase for the informal cooperation between them. O’Donnell concedes that there are no actual JAILED employees or activities being conducted under the JAILED name. But not all fans are idealistic. “On the first day of the 1996 Comic-Con in San Diego, “ says John O’Donnell, “I went through the dealers’ room together with Marvin Gleicher of Manga Entertainment. We saw a lot of bootleg anime videos. We made notes of all the tables selling illegal videos, gave the list to the administrators and asked them to get those bootlegs removed from sale. We wanted them off sale without any public confrontation.” When fans talk about piracy, they usually mean the circulation of the latest anime from Japan not yet available abroad. These are commonly copied among fans for just the cost of a blank tape and postage. These are often “fan subs,” subtitled in English by a fan club. Anime companies have mixed feelings about these. “Let’s face it,” says Shawne Kleckner of The Right Stuf International, “anime as an industry was born on the tradition of fans spreading around illegal video copies. What we’re trying to do is close down the groups that are making fifty or 100 or 500 copies for sale outside fandom. Their markets are the swap meets and flea markets in areas where people aren’t familiar with anime yet.” John Sirabella goes further: “The fan subbers can’t be so naïve as to believe their tapes aren’t being picked up by the real pirates, who just laugh at their ‘not to be sold’ notice. The argument that fans turn in their fan subs when the commercial video comes out works about 50 percent of the time. I don’t believe conventions should allow the showing of fan subs in their video rooms. That gives the impression that fan subs are legitimate. Iria was one of the most fan-subbed titles before CPM’s release came out. It sold well, but it should have done better.” Sirabella’s view is supported by Rik Wall, owner of the Anime Cafe shop in Tacoma, Washington. “I have a problem with the fans who are reluctant to relinquish their fan subs. Even though they know a new title in Japan will be out commercially here soon, they want a fan sub now. Then when the American video comes out, they feel ‘why spend money on another copy?’ ” The companies usually wink at unauthorized videos if they are noncommercial. After all, many anime companies were themselves started by fans. “It’s how I got started,” says Media Blasters’ John Sirabella. “It’s hard to get mean with these guys. It’s not a money thing with them. They feel they’re doing something good for anime. They’re college students; they’re enthusiastic; they want to feel that they’re involved in helping spread something cultural.” Fan subs invariably carry warnings like “Subtitled by fans for fans. Absolutely not for sale.” Such videos are to be withdrawn as soon as a licensed video is available. “Most fans support the ‘Code of the Subtitlers,’” says Gustav Baron, a clerk at Banzai Anime in Los Angeles. “Just a bare hint that an American company is considering a title will discourage many fan subbers from touching it. If a fan sub is made, the fans who get it will replace it with the commercial video when it In a sense, it is the fans who are the front lines of JAILED’s agents. Oliver Chin, director of sales and marketing at Viz Communications, says: “We rely very heavily on fans who see nothing wrong with noncommercial fan subs, but who consider it a breach of honor when they see fan subs or actual counterfeits sold. What usually happens is that fans notify Viz by e-mail that they’ve found 25 © LO Magazine 2004 somebody selling bootlegs. I go to that site if it’s on the web, which it usually is. I note the particulars, then I send them an e-mail citing these particulars and telling them that it’s illegal and that they must stop. I then send copies to all the other anime companies to let them know about this site—either because it’s selling some of their titles, or for future reference. It’s a common courtesy between companies. I’ve done this about a half-dozen times in the past year.” Kara Redmon, director of marketing at Urban Vision, confirms. “Yes, Oliver at Viz is constantly letting us know about pirated Urban Vision titles. We also hear regularly from Sharon Papa at ADV. Our most pirated titles have been Gatchaman, Tekkaman, and Polymar. I mostly contact the fans and ask them to stop distributing fan subs now that our licensed videos are out.” Brett Atwell, production assistant at A.D. Vision, says: “The fans are very cooperative. They notify us when they see bootlegs being sold, so we don’t have to really set up an anime Gestapo and go out and track them down ourselves. We make a sharp distinction between fan subs and real piracy, which is somebody duplicating our ADV releases in counterfeit color-photocopied boxes to look like the real thing. Some of that piracy is surprisingly well organized. Most of it is done in Canada. We got one about six months ago in Wisconsin, and we had our legal department get in touch with them. They were mostly counterfeiting our SoftCel titles, mainly New Angel 2 and 3. They go after a different kind of market. Their real victims are the proprietors of small, out-of-the-way video stores who don’t know the anime market. But those pirates have to keep moving all the time. It’s getting tougher for them to operate as the legitimate anime market spreads.” “Reprinted with permission from “Watching Anime, Reading Manga” by Fred Patten (Stone Bridge Press, 2004); originally published in Manga Max #3, February 1999.” Danielle Opyt, media relations representative at Manga Entertainment, agrees that piracy is diminishing as legitimate, high-quality videos spread. “We have had individual orders from Mexico,” she says, “and even from Iraq, in which the customer specifically says he wants to get a good copy of our video to replace the horriblequality bootlegs that are being sold locally.” It may not be called JAILED, but professional efforts to combat piracy are real. The companies cannot officially condone fan subbing since it is technically illegal. But only commercial pirates who are into bootlegging for money need worry about a call from the anime companies’ lawyer. .LO © LO Magazine 2004 26 27 © LO Magazine 2004 LETTERS YOUR 2 CENTS MATTERS First of all I must compliment you on what a great job your doing with this magazine and I had an idea earlier today and was wondering what you’d think about it. I was thinking that although the anime industry is growing rapidly in this country, there is a large lack in communication between fans. Although many turn to the internet for guidance a lot of people don’t have the time or resources to do so and are thus missing out on vital information such as event notification etc. I was wondering if your mag could perhaps dedicate a page to highlighting upcoming events and such and thus anyone who gets hold of your mag will now of any upcoming events that month. I think it would help the community connect in a much greater fashion as those kept in the dark will finally have an alternate way of event notification. Anyways that’s my 2 cents and once again thanks for the Sugoi mag thanks, Gregg [This mag is completed one month before its appearance. This means that events have to be planned at least 2 months before publication. Out of experience, I can’t say that there have been many events and coupled with the legitimacy of these events, it’s currently a problem putting this into the magazine. A nice idea, but I think still a bit early for an official page. Ed.] First of all I’d like to thank you for placing that url for the anime © LO Magazine 2004 store in which I can buy anime, I almost died of joy when I saw that lovely, url :D Now to the nitty, gritty stuff, do you think you’ll ever do a subscription mag, cause if you do I’d like to know. Thanx to this mag my anime addiction is cured, no thanx to DSTV. An anime addict. Pierre Ps. Before I go I’d like to thank this mag, cause of this mag I’ve decided to give my artistic drawing another go, try and 28 cultivate it, Thanx ;) [It is letters like this one that gives meaning to my life. Glad we could help. Ed.] I first became interested in anime’ when Poke’mon came out. From Poke’mon I moved to DragonBallZ and then later Medabots, but never fully recovered from DBZ. I can’t express the depression I went through when they cancelled. From there I went onto YuGi-Oh. Although I am not impressed with the plot or some of the monster names, I reckon they created some pretty good characters e.g. Magician of Black Chaos and Slypher the Sky Dragon. I am especially into drawing, by hand and on the computer (at this stage I only have MS Paint to work in) and would appreciate any direction you could give me on improving my PC art? Where could I find out about drawing programs? Like Photo Shop and Flash animation. I love drawing anime, I usually do stuff like Gen 13, Dragons and Elves. Though on the odd occasion I’d 02 03 04 05 do anything that comes to mind. At this stage I am still pretty much copying other artist’s work, but it helps to develop my drawing skills. I have no formal training in art, except what is covered at school and am mostly self taught. I have recently begun to develop my own characters, but nothing is at a stage where I can present it to anyone. I am considering a career in Graphic Design and/or Animation. I would love to design games, plots, characters, 29 do airbrushing sometime in the future... Regards, Israel [Image 3, 4 & 5] [DBZ will be back on TV by the time you read this. Keep up the good work on the drawings. There is nothing wrong with copying (drawings) until you have learned the basics. Too many artists want to be unique before mastering the basics. The most important factor is to keep on practicing. Ed.] Image 1 & 2 © Maleko Islander © LO Magazine 2004 THE LOCAL SCENE BRENDON HAYES After visiting Comix Bru 2004 in last month’s issue, we caught up with local artist Brendon Hayes (BH) and spoke to him about his local creation, High Octane. LO: How did you get into comic creation? BH: Ironically the comics thing was sitting right under my nose all the time.... I used to do a lot of freelance illustration, and eventually settled down to a ‘normal’ job as a web designer, but I always kept on making art. Seriously though, I have been reading comics for about 20 years and trying to draw for just as long, and one day I just said to myself: “I’m going to do a comic”. Shortly after that, I got involved with Kian Eriksen at Strange Things, the online comic jam, and then I met up with Andy Mason, an old buddy of mine from Mamba Comics in Durban and got to exhibit a strip at the Comics Bru exhibition which is traveling across the country. I started to paint and airbrush huge scenes on 1x2m board, and it was actually out of necessity that I decided to work small because of the incredible mess I made, and viola!......with a little tweaking and a format change - you have a comic page! (er..sort of..) LO: Can you tell us a bit about your comic “High Octane”? BH: “High Octane” is a short story about a guy called Rudi from the Bluff in Durban and his sidekick, Geelbek. They sell soft serve ice-cream from their modified Kombi, and are planning a © LO Magazine 2004 30 ‘little trip’. Basically the story is about a day in their lives, and the banter between the two with a very unexpected finale and the end!... It was written in real South Efrikan durban slang and I pushed the local theme quite heavily due to the anticipated readership. A fun story, that seems to be begging for a ‘part two’! LO: Are there any other artists on the various mediums who inspire your work? BH: Loads...too many to mention here. I find a new artist to admire almost weekly, but the ones who were with me since a kid, were the 2000AD crew. Bisley of course, and guys like Henry Flint great stuff! Plus the guys from ILM (George Lucas and the boys...) really inspire me a lot, especially the early Star Wars stuff. LO: Do you use any software in the creation of your comics? BH: I use Adobe Photoshop and Freehand. I scan in my line art and then turn it into vector-based line art. From here I paste it into Photoshop and begin to colour. Text effects are done in Freehand and Photoshop, but the actual dialogue is 99% Freehand. LO: What are you currently working on? BH: I am trying to start a story which has been booting around in my head for a while now.....it’s called “The Enlightenment of Johnny Hova, a dark tale of deceit and the search for truth”...ha ha. Basically a story about a guy who is the space version of a breakdown driver, who discovers that he isn’t who he thinks he is.....chilling stuff! LO: How long did it take you to create “High Octane”? BH: Well...let me tell you, it was the proverbial ‘blood, sweat and tears’! I basically worked solid - which means after work every day until a very unreasonable hour! - for about 3 weeks. I guess the pro’s just wack out a page a day huh? LO: This being an anime and manga magazine, I have to ask. Do you read manga or watch any anime at all? BH: I don’t read manga at all - partly because Durban is a backwater for this kind of thing - I think there’s more manga comics in Kosovo..ha ha! I do watch anime, in fact I have just went down memory lane, when I watched the original Robotech series - fantastic! LO: Do you think that it is important for local artist to have local content in their work? BH: I guess so - I mean, if you are hell-bent on doing a Kung Fu Manga strip, then it is assumed that you would have a thorough knowledge of Kung Fu, the rules of Manga illustration, as well as some understanding of Chinese culture! I set High Octane in Durban, because I know some stuff about Durban. LO: Do you have any advice for aspiring South African artists? BH: Draw....become quite anal about it, you’ll be surprised what happens... .LO I reckon local artists shouldn’t be restricted to using local subject matter, but one rule definitely applies - RESEARCH YOUR MATERIAL!....otherwise you’ll never pull it off - even with good art. LO: Do you think there is a difference between cartoon art and comic art and if so, what is the difference? BH: This is a tough one - it’s really opinion driven, but if I look at Dictionary.com, a cartoon is: “A drawing depicting a humorous situation, often accompanied by a caption”, while a comic is: ”A source of humor in art or life.” - It’s all the same to me really - I guess when you get right down to it, they both document life in one way or another...even if it’s on a spaceship, or it involves fighting a super villain, it involves people....there’s always a human reference....we like to look at ourselves, even if we have to use disguises. 32 © LO Magazine 2004 LIVE-ACTION WHAT IF EVERYTHING YOU KNEW WAS A LIE? With the sheer amount of live-action sci-fi feature films coming from Korea, we might be forgiven if we thought that it is the only genre they are currently making. Coming from the cinematic hotbed of South Korea, 2009: Lost Memories stars two of Korea’s hottest stars, Jang Dong-Geun and Toru Nakamura. Riveting science fiction and tense political intrigue collide in this fast-paced, romanticized thriller that questions the essence of reality and explores the complexities of human nature. This mega-budget motion picture is one of the top ten highest grossing Korean films and is proof positive that Asian cinema is being redefined by talented Korean filmmakers like director Lee Si Myung. J.B.I. agent Masayuki Sakamoto uncovers a web of intrigue during a routine investigation of an attack upon a museum displaying ancient cultural artifacts. Clues from the museum lead Sakamoto to an underground band of freedom fighters willing to risk everything to acquire an ancient relic known as the “Lunar Soul”. As Sakamoto unravels the mystery, everything he ever knew about the world he lives in will be turned inside out. Website: www.lostmemories.co.kr US Publisher’s Website: www.advfilms.com .LO 35 © LO Magazine 2004 MANGA INCLUDE LO RECOMMENDS NEO-MANGA AUSTIN OSUEKE, CEO OF EIGOMANGA LO: When did you decided that you wanted to become a manga artist? AO: I started out drawing Marvel/DC style when I was 12. By the time I was 19, I was a huge fan of anime and was drawn to the visually striking style of manga. I practiced the fundamentals and learned from Japanese “How To Draw Manga” books for about a year. Then when I felt comfortable enough to draw anime style, I started to draw doujinshi of DragonBall Z. This led me to form eigoMANGA and the rest is history. with a solid theme or philosophy. This is very distinctive in manga. LO: Which project are you currently working on? AO: eigoMANGA currently published RUMBLE PAKK, a shojo anthology series called SAKURA PAKK. We also publish comics featured in RUMBLE PAKK and put them in their own title. Among these comics is “The Monkey Tale”. We will be publishing a book written by the acclaimed anime icon Mr. Yasuo Yamaguchi entitled “The Complete History of Japanese Animation”. LO: What is so special about the manga style that you decided to express yourself through it? AO: Well, manga characters can express more personality than the 80’s-90’s era of X-Men style, ect. I’ve never seen any of the muscle boundtough guy X-Men in any other emotion other than being stoic or in rage. Through manga, I can explore more elements of any character. They just seem to be more human I guess. I also love the use of screentones in manga. They can also help show a lot of depth within the character and mood of the story. LO: There seem to be an increase interest in yaoi manga in the US. Why do you think that is? AO: Well, US is becoming more liberal now in terms of entertainment. There’s a female audience captivated by handsome guys involved with relationships with each other than doesn’t revolve around fighting or some sort of bravado. However, Yaoi manga hasn’t made it mainstream yet; you have to find it in speciality comic book/anime stores. LO: Which artist(s) work do you find inspirational? AO: I love Clamp. I’ve been inspired a lot by Akira Toriyama as well. LO: Do you have any tips for aspiring manga artists here in South Africa? AO: Keep at it. Manga has evolved into a worldwide genre, it’s not just Japanese. It’s important to learn the artist and writing structure so that the Japanese culture and fundaments of manga doesn’t get lost in your work. LO: Are most of your fans male or female? AO: I would say female. There are more females who have joined our fan newsletter. They contribute more to eigoMANGA in terms to offering us advice and story ideas. And more of them show up to our live events. Website: w3.eigomanga.com Images © eigoMANGA LO: How do you write manga “style”? AO: I try to create more character driven stories © LO Magazine 2004 42 .LO 43 LO RECOMMENDS CLASSICS Title Type Media Co/Publisher Genre Akira M Anime Geneon Ent. Action/Political CR Age Content 8 13 N,V,L Appleseed - Manga Dark Horse Sci-fi 7 13 V Battle of the Planets S Anime Rhino Home Vid Action 5 13 V Ghost in the Shell M Anime Manga Ent. Sci-fi 7 16 N,V,L Heidi of the Alps S Anime Adventure 1 ALL Macross Plus M Anime Manga Ent. Mech/Action 4 13 V,L Neon Genesis Evangelion S Anime ADV Films Mech/Action/Drama 10 13 N,V Ninja Scroll M Anime Manga Ent. Action/Fighting 5 18 V,N,S,L Streetfighter 2: The Movie M Anime Columbia Tristar Fighting 5 13 V,N Title Type Media Co/Publisher Genre Akira - Manga Dark Horse Sci-fi 7 13 N,V,L,D Cowboy Bebop The Movie M Anime Ster Kinekor** Sci-fi/Adventure 6 10 V Ghost in the Shell 2 - Manga Dark Horse Sci-fi 8 13 N,V Witch Hunter Robin S Anime Bandai Ent. Action/Drama 6 13 V Laputa: Castle in the Sky M Anime Buena V/Ghibli Adventure 3 PG V Metropolis M Anime Ster Kinekor** Sci-fi 7 ALL V Perfect Blue M Anime Manga Ent. Thriller 8 18 N,S,V,L Samurai X S Anime ADV Films Swords/History 7 16 N,V,L Serial Experiment Lain S Anime Geneon Ent. Sci-fi/Drama 9 16 V, Sa Spriggan M Anime ADV Films Action 5 16 V Voices of a Distant Star M Anime ADV Films Sci-fi/Romance 4 13 V Type Media Co/Publisher Genre Dead Leaves M Anime Manga Ent. Fighting/Comedy * 13 V,L,N,S Azamanga Daioh S Anime ADV Films Sit. Comedy 4 13 V,S Mezzo TV S Anime ADV Films Action/Comedy 6 16 V,N,L,S Saikano S Anime Viz Ent. Action/Romance 5 16 V,S Millennium Actress S Anime Dreamworks Drama 8 PG V,L Ghost in the Shell SAC S Anime Bandai Ent. Sci-fi/Action/Drama 8 13 V,L,N Last Exile S Anime Geneon Ent. Sci-fi/Adventure 7 13 V Texhnolyze S Anime Geneon Ent. Sci-fi/Adventure UR 16 V,L Read or Die: TV S Anime Manga Ent. Spy/Action 6 13 V,L Type Media Co/Publisher Genre Paranoia Agent S Anime Geneon Ent. Thriller Appleseed M Anime Geneon Ent. Sci-fi Samurai Champloo S Anime Geneon Ent. Samurai Action Ikki Tousen S Anime Geneon Ent. Fighting Ghost in the Shell 2nd Ed. - Manga Dark Horse Sci-fi/Action/Drama RECENT CR Age Content CURRENT Title FUTURE HITS Title © LO Magazine 2004 44 CR Age Content AGE RESTRICTIONS ALL - For everyone PG - Parental Guidance needed 13, 16, 18 - No one under the specified age allowed. Content V - Violence S - Sex N - Nudity D - Racial Discrimination L - Foul Language Sa - Substance abuse Note: These restrictions are just a recommendation. Most of these anime and manga do not have a rating given by the South African Publication Board, because it hasn’t been release in South Africa. All items are Region 1 (USA) or published in the USA. We provide this information so that you can make an informed choice on what you and your family members watch. CATEGORIES Action - Comedy - Drama Documentary - Fantasy Fighting - Historical - Horror Mech - Political - Romance Sci-fi - Spy - Superhero Thriller - Vampire Type:[Movie - M][Series - S] Manhwa - Korean manga Complexity Rating: (CR) 1 - Very Easy 2 - Easy 3 - A man’s mind 4 - Soapy plots 5 - Average 6 - Monkey Puzzles 7 - Challenging 8 - A woman’s mind 9 - Really deep 10 - Even the creators are confused UR - Unrated * Either 1 or 10 CR (you decide) ** South African release Disclaimer: LO doesn’t take responsibility for the acuracy of the content ratings. 45 © LO Magazine 2004 SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY WAR. WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR? Why is killing wrong, but when it is for the benefit of a government or religious organisation, it is okay? How do we justify killing another human being? Is there a difference between killing and murder? put them on opposing sides of a war. In Jinroh: The Wolf Brigade, Constable Kazuki Fuse begins to doubt the worth of his humanity, after a young girl commits suicide right in front of him with an explosive satchel charge. Jinroh presents a Japan that lost a different Second World War–not to America, but to Nazi Germany. Constable Kazuki Fuse is part of the counter terrorist Capital Police’s elite unit: the armored, helmeted, and red-goggled Special Unit. They hunt and kill in the name of the law. We can look at the probable reasons and motivation behind war and we can look at the result of war for a better understanding. Governments go to war because: they have to fight off an invasion, political gain by supporting another country or the country’s natural resources are running low and they need to get more or for plain and simple monetary greed. Is it idealistic to think that we can live without violence? Statistically speaking there will always be people on the fringes of sanity. Someone that isn’t willing to follow the rules, because of social or biological inability. Would it be fair to say that if you are willing to take up a gun, you should be willing to get shot? Would that stop more people from taking up guns? How do religious groups benefit from war? When are the churches full and when are they empty? Churches are full in the time of struggle and suffering, because we seek answers and someone to tell us, that there is a higher goal for our suffering and that it will get better. When emotions are high, people are easily manipulated by politically motivated clerics. Would it therefore not be sensible for Clerics to keep people’s lives miserable? Would it be more civilised to fight a war online with a game like Counterstrike and the loser will graciously hand over his resources without the lost of any lives? Or would it be more civilised to solve your own problems without war and create a more peaceful society, with a focus on internal problems like crime & social welfare? What are also very interesting, are people’s responses after seeing war footages on CNN, BBC, etc. How naive can people be, to think that only soldiers die in war? If you have seen Isao Takahata’s Grave of the Fireflies (Little Norse Prince Valiant, Panda Go Panda, Heidi, Girl of the Alps, Anne of Green Gables, Only Yesterday), you will know the heartache and pain of children who have to survive on their own after losing their parents in war and the anguish of people hit with napalm. It would be reasonable to conclude that any war in itself is evil and that even killing in self defence, deserves a mourning period for those you have killed. For they have failed to grasp the meaning of life, which is: to live. Interesting Website http://costofwar.com In Osamu Tezuka’s manga Adolf, we read how friends are torn apart, when leaders’ ideologies .LO No copyright info available Jinroh © Production IG © LO Magazine 2004 46 Grave of the Fireflies © Studio Ghibli SUBMISSIONS Fan Artwork: Send us a scan of your work (300 dpi) and we will consider it for placement in LO. Manga or Anime Reviews: We don’t do reviews, we only do features. We don’t like to take reviews, because of the inherent bias in fan reviews. Rather, tell us more about the anime or manga and let people judge it for themselves. Email us for feature specifications. Feature Comments: If you have any comments regarding our features or Social Philosophy topics, please enter the specific topic in the subject field of your email. For example: Anime Feature Ghost in the Shell 2. Requests: If you have any requests for topics, features, new sections, etc., please write “request” in the subject field of your email. Copyright: If you feel that we haven’t honoured your copyright, please do not hesitate in contacting us, so that we can rectify it as soon as possible. Put Copyright in your email subject field. General: We welcome any other comments, whatever they might be. Just think twice before you do send an email. Email: [email protected] Remember: If you don’t tell one new person once a day about anime and manga, you aren’t doing your job right. Spread the word, it is FREE! D A R K H O R S E T I T L E S NEXT ISSUE NEXT ISSUE Would you like to be in our next issue? Send us your fan art or feedback on our articles and you might be lucky to W be selected for inclusion. W Paranoia Agent © Geneon Ent. Definitely: • Paranoia Agent will mess with your mind • My Neighbor Totoro Ani-Manga • We interview Patrick Drazen Maybe: • Creator of Game Icon Reiko Nagase (R4-Ridge Racer), Kei Yoshimizu • Local Artist Vincent Sammy • Live Action Gunhed • and lots more... 47 © LO Magazine 2004 W . D A R K H O R S E . C O M Acknowledgements I would like to thank the following companies, their software and certain people for making this magazine possible. Adobe Inc. Adobe Indesign Adobe Photoshop Stay informed and subscribe to our newsletter on our website. www.lomagazine.co.za © LO Magazine 2004