LO Magazine Sept 2004

LO Magazine
anime & manga for South Africa
ICON 2004
The largest roleplaying and card
gaming convention
in South Africa
Vol. 4
Sept. 2004
Free Issue
YU-GI-OH
AZUMANGA DAIOH
The funniest high
scholars in Japan
Prepare for
battle!
Don’t forget
your cards?
CASSHERN
Live Action
Robot Hunting
WIN
BERSERK
&
FLCL
MANGA!
Kaena: The Prophecy
Watch the French
Digital Revolution
The perfect tool.
Express yourself!
Adobe Indesign cs
Image © 2004 Adobe Inc.
W
elcome to LO
Magazine’s
fourth issue.
Berserk and the crazy
FLCL manga are up for
grabs in our competition
sections. Please take not
that Berserk is an 18 only
manga and you need to
provide proof of age.
Meet the high scholars
from Azumanga Daioh
and prepare to wet
yourself with laughter.
Manhwa (Korean manga)
has been added to our
recommended list, seeing
that a lot of US companies
are releasing them,
without clear indication
that it is not Japanese. We
will indicate it for you.
We also finally have a
letter section, some fan
art and a guest writer.
Release your inner mangachild and keep it coming!
Enjoy.
Ed.
3
© LO Magazine 2004
LO
CONTENT
06
ANIME FEATURE
Going back to school in Azumanga Daioh.
10
INDUSTRY NEWS
Find out who is doing what, where and
when.
12
MANGA FEATURE
3X3 Eyes: Beauty in the Eye of the
Beholder.
14
RD COMPETITION
Readers Den presents the FLCL manga in
“Lekka Manga”
15
DH COMPETITION
Dark Horse “Most Wanted” presents
the BERSERK manga.
16
EDITOR’S PAGE
The Battle beween 2D and 3D animation.
18
KIDS
Yu-Gi-Oh is on the loose.
19
ANIME GAMES
Ghost in the Shell SAC
20
DIGITAL CREATIONS
Kaena: The Prophesy is an animation for a
more mature audience.
Editorial
Editor - AJ Kock
[email protected]
Website:
www.lomagazine.co.za
For contact spesifics please
look at page 35.
LO Magazine is a product
of © 2004 Manga SA Anime
Cover: Kaena © 2003
Xilam Films - Studio Canal
– Groupe TVA Inc.
Guest Writer: Sydney
Butler
Page 3 Image: 3x3 Eyes
© Geneon Entertainment
& Yuzo Takada &
Kodansha.
LO recognises all copyrights
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
23
LETTERS
Ed. vs the Readers
26
THE LOCAL SCENE
ICON 2004 in Johannesburg
29
LIVE-ACTION
Casshern, the Robot Hunter.
30
MANGA INFLUENCE
UDON Comics is a group of highly talented
freelance artists.
32
LO RECOMMENDS
This month’s anime and manga
recommendations if you don’t know what
to watch.
34
SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY
Good vs Evil Characters
35
SUBMISSIONS
Do you want to submit your artwork or
articles to us?
19
29
Software used in the making of LO Magazine:
Artwork: Adobe Photoshop
Layout & Design: Adobe Indesign
PDF Creation: Adobe PDF Writer
5
30
© LO Magazine 2004
ANIME FEATURE
© LO Magazine 2004
6
BACK TO SCHOOL WITH
AZUMANGA DAIOH
Azumanga Daioh is based on the
manga by Kiyohiko Azuma, published
as a series of four-panel strips (much
like the traditional comic strips
published in western newspapers).
Each episode of the Azumanga Daioh
anime consists of several loosely related,
character-driven segments, many of which
were adapted from Azuma’s original strips.
If you don’t recognise any of these high
school comical moments, you obviously
skipped high school. Azumanga Daioh is
situational humor at its best.
Lets introduce the class and you will see
what we mean.
Chiyo Mihama is a 10 year old prodigy
who skipped five grades and still end up
being smarter than her classmates. Chiyo
is ferocious with her cuteness and only
have two weaknesses. She struggles with
tongue-twisters (who doesn’t) and she is
not very good in sports.
Her father looks like something from
Pokemon, but you only get to see him in
Sakaki’s imagination.
Sakaki is tall, beautiful and naturally
athletic. She is also what the teens would
call “American”, because of the size of
her breasts. Her coolness gets her the
infatuation of all the girls who still finds
boys yucky. [Isn’t that just a beautiful way
of putting it? Ed.]
Sakaki’s weakness is her love for anything
cute, which usually involves kittens.
Unfortunately this love is not shared by
kittens as they end up biting her every time
she comes in contact with them.
Tomo Takino or otherwise known as
the “loudmouth” is the most energetic of
the group. She doesn’t really care about
school work and copies it from her fellow
classmates.
The only thing that gets Tomo excited is a
challenge and she goes around challenging
her classmates in bizarre competitions.
Everything from Swimming contests with
Sakaki to cute contests with Chiyo-chan. If
she thinks she has to prove herself, she’ll
do it.
Tomo’s best friend since childhood is Yomi,
who she loves to aggravate.
Koyomi “Yomi” Mizuhara grew up with
Tomo and has one of those friendships that
she just can’t get away from, even though
Tomo is always getting on her nerves. Yomi
tries to keep Tomo under wraps with a
series of insults and choke holds.
Having been corrupted by Tomo, Yomi has a
bit of a callous, violent nature that tends to
surface on occasion. If she is not occupied
with Tomo’s antics, she is constantly trying
out new diets in an attempt to slim down.
If you speak about Ayumu Kasuga, most
viewers of this series will ask: “Who?” That
is because she got the nickname Osaka
in the first episode from Tomo. And since
then, everyone knew her as Osaka.
[Spoiler Alert]
In one episode she thought she failed
because she couldn’t find her name on the
result board, only to realise that she should
have looked under her nickname Osaka.
[Spoiler Alert Stopped]
Osaka is a sweet, but spacey, girl, who has
a pretty bad habit of falling asleep during
class or becoming otherwise distracted by
everything from her own random thoughts
to air particles.
All images © Kiyohiko Azuma | Mediaworks | Azumanga Daioh Committee
7
© LO Magazine 2004
She does have a habit for pondering the
meaning of words at the strangest times,
but it does make her very good at telling
bad puns.
Kagura, an athletic girl and bit of a
tomboy, joins the class during the second
year of school. She immediately starts
a friendly rivalry with Sakaki. Kagura
gets along well with Tomo, and the duo
eventually goes on to become a very
disruptive force in the class, along with
Osaka.
She is also the only one that isn’t a member
of the ‘Go home club’, a nickname for
students that aren’t a part of any clubs,
teams, or after-school activities.
Yukari Tanizaki is the group’s homeroom
and English teacher. While most teachers
go out of their way to try and set a good
example for their students, Yukari-sensei is
not one of those.
She likes getting drunk and winning bets.
Yukari’s behavior in and out of class can
be so juvenile that her students practically
treat her as one of the gang, even calling
her Yukari-chan (“chan” are used to
refer to a young girl) rather than sensei
(teacher).
The thing that gets her fired up the most
is the opportunity to challenge the school’s
more mature gym teacher and her best
friend, Kurosawa-sensei. In this regard she
seems a lot like Tomo.
Minamo “Nyamo” Kurosawa is a kind
and dutiful teacher, who has the respect of
all the students. This is just another reason
for Yukari to challenge her.
Miss Kurosawa and Miss Yukari have been
friends since their days in high school
together. She knows numerous secrets
about Yukari’s embarrasing moments,
but Yukari likewise also knows some dirt
about her. Motivated by the fear of being
embarrassed in front of her students, she
keeps Yukari’s secrets to herself.
Kaorin has the unfortunately disposition
of being the centre point of Mr Kimura’s
affections. She is just a plain and ordinary
girl who is a member of the Astronomy
Club. Kaorin idolizes Sakaki and gets
© LO Magazine 2004
jealous when others get to do things with
Sakaki that she misses out on.
Mr. Kimura is the pervert character*
in the story. He is blatant and open about
his love of nubile young high school girls.
He even goes so far as abandoning his own
class to ogle the girls in Kurosawa-sensei’s
swimming class.
* [Some of the Japanese manga and anime
are famous for their sexually obsessed
characters. In the general shows, it is
usually a teenage boy and it is never
sexually explicit. Usually the characters
have a fondness for female underwear or
big breasts. Mr Kimura is just a bit weirder
because of his age and that freaky open
mouth of his. Ed.]
Kamineko is the cute but dangerous grey
cat who frequently munches on Sakaki’s
fingers.
Chiyo-Dad is actually little more than a
figment of Sakaki’s imagination.
If you are looking for a cute and funny
show, then you can’t go wrong with
watching Azumanga Daioh. Afterwards
you can help but feel like they should have
made more.
ADV Films is the distributor of the anime
in the USA and the manga is available from
ADV Manga.
Websites:
Anime
www.advfilms.com/titles/azumanga/
Manga
http://www.adv-manga.com/catalog/
TitleAZUMANGADAIOH.asp
Note:
[Personally you know that I don’t do
reviews, but I was so shocked with the
inappropriate character dubbing, that I
recommend you watch Azumanga Daioh
with subtitles. With a show that thrives on
cuteness, the voices of American twentysomethings just ain’t cute. Chiyo suffers
the most with the English dub. She sounds
like a snob from Sandton. Trust me, use the
subtitles. Ed.]
.LO
Recommend: If you like this type of
anime, then you should try ADV Films’
Angelic Layer.
© LO Magazine 2004
INDUSTRY NEWS
PIXAR’S ONLINE SCHOOL
According to AWN.com,
Bobby “Boom” Beck and Carlos
Baena of Pixar Animation
Studios and Shawn Kelly
of Industrial Light & Magic
have launched the new
online animation school,
AnimationMentor.com.
The Online Animation School
is designed as a one-year
intensive animation school
covering four comprehensive
levels of experience. Students
will learn from online video
classes, assignments and
personal video critiques from
professional mentors. Enrolment
will begin in September 2004.
Image © 2004 Next Edu. LLC
FIST OF THE NORTH STAR
TRILOGY
The new trilogy is a modern
animated series based on the
world-renowned “Fist of the
North Star” manga.
The manga first enthralled
audiences with its debut in the
early 1980’s by selling over
60 million copies. The story’s
success made its creator, Hara
Tetsuo, an internationally
renowned manga artist. This
anime updates the series with
vibrant animation and modern
audio technology.
Japanese pop sensation Gackt
sings the opening and closing
theme songs. Image © Toei
Animation.
TEXHNOLYZE
Yoshitoshi ABe seems to
be a busy man. After the
intriguing Serial Experiment
Lain (exploring the meaning
of identity in a computerized
world), and Haibane Renmei (a
mysterious fable about children
with wings), you can find
Yoshitoshi’s latest designs in the
tech-thriller, Texhnolyze.
A new hard-boiled style
of science fiction animation
adventure in a dark dystopian
world that reveals the depths
of human nature and heights of
technological achievement.
Image © Geneon
Entertainment.
Image and Dark Horse Team
DVD producer/distributor
Image Ent. and comic bookbased media company Dark
Horse Ent. have partnered to
produce and distribute liveaction and animation genre
movies, music and other
entertainment programming.
John Landis has signed on to
write and direct a horror film for
the jointly owned Dark Horse Home
Ent., whose film will initially be
direct-to-DVD films. In addition,
Bruce Campbell and novelist and
graphic novel writer Neil Gaiman
have agreed to be involved in
several upcoming productions.
Source: w3.awn.com
Image © Dark Horse Inc.
NARUTO THE MOVIE
NARUTO, by Masashi
Kishimoto, tells the adventures
and coming of age of twelveyear-old Uzumaki Naruto, a
mischievous and troubled boy
attending Ninja Academy. The boy
desires only to be the best ninja in
all Japan.
Both the NARUTO and
RUROUNI KENSHIN manga were
the first graphic novels ever to
appear on the USA Today’s Top
150 list of best selling books.
A Naruto movie was announced
by Tokyo and will start showing
in Japan during August 2004. The
Japanese title is Daikatugeki!!
Yukihime Ninpoujyou Dattebayo.
Image © Tokyo TV
PARANOIA AGENT
Paranoia Agent is Satoshi
Kon‘s (Perfect Blue, Millenium
Actress, Tokyo Godfather) first
TV series.
A young boy dubbed with
the title “shounen bat”, is going
around attacking people with
his golden bat. Two detectives
are on the case and as they get
more and deeper involved, they
realise that things aren’t normal
around their city.
Paranoia Agent is a
psychological drama and it
messes with your nerves, more
often than you wished it would.
Satoshi Kon is seen as the Alfred
Hitchcock of anime.
Image © Geneon Ent. USA
© LO Magazine 2004
10
MANGA FEATURE
3X3 EYES
BEAUTY IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
Yakumo was a normal teenage boy, who
liked working on his motorcycle and hanging
out with his friends, until he met Pai.
printing on October 17, 1988. Recent editions of
volumes 1-14 have completely new artwork on
the back cover.
Pai is the last of a mystic Tibetan race and has
waited 300 years to become human. When
mortally wounded, Yakumo is saved by Pai by
merging her soul with his. Strange demonic
creatures are after Pai, because she is also a
Sanjiyan, an immortal being with magical powers.
And so the story of romance and misadventure in
a dark, blood-filled demon world begins.
The Japanese manga is divided into several story
arcs, described below (based on information found
on the back of manga volume 14):
Vol. 1-2 Seima Yogeki (Divine Demon Monster
Busters)
Yakumo and Pai travel to Hong Kong and have
some adventures with Yogekisha. These stories
were used for the first anime series.
3x3 Eyes began as a Japanese manga (comic)
series created by Yuzo Takada. The manga was
first serialized in Kodansha’s Young Magazine
Pirate Edition, and ran from Dec. 14, 1987, to Apr.
10, 1989.
Vol. 3-5 Seima Densetsu (Divine Demon Legend)
Yakumo finds Pai after 4 years, and they seek to
restore her memory. This storyline is used for the
second anime series, also named Seima Densetsu.
Vol. 6-11 Seima Seiki (Divine Demon Century)
The continuing adventures of Yakumo and Pai
reveal the history of Kaiyanwang and the Sanjiyan
Unkara.
The comics are very popular in Japan, and early
volumes have been reprinted many times. The
41st printing of the first volume was issued on
May 6, 1998, nearly ten years after the first
© LO Magazine 2004
12
the Japanese manga.
Vol. 12+ Seima Sousei (Divine Demon Genesis)
also called The Legend of Trinetra
The original series of 3x3 Eyes OAVs (“original
animated video”, is term used when a series
goes directly to video and not TV or theater. The
quality is normally much better.) consists of four
30 minute episodes. They were released on video
and laserdisc starting in 1991. The storyline of the
anime is based on the manga, and covers roughly
the first two collected manga volumes.
This was originally a departure from the main
plotline that disappointed some fans. However,
the plot is now back to Pai and Yakumo’s quest to
become human and defeat Kaiyanwang.
Several years ago, the 3x3 Eyes manga was
translated into English by Studio Proteus and
published by Innovation. Due to poor sales, the
series was cancelled after five issues.
The new 3x3 Eyes Original Animation Video
series, called 3x3 Eyes ~Seima Densetsu~
(Legend of the Divine Demon), was released
in Japan as three episodes on both video and
laserdisc starting in 1995. The episodes continue
the storyline from the first anime series, covering
roughly volumes 3-5 of the manga.
Recently, Studio Proteus and Dark Horse Comics
revived the series, starting by reprinting a
collection of the first five comics as the 3x3 Eyes:
House of Demons trade paperback. A new fiveissue series of translations, 3x3 Eyes: Curse of
the Gesu, was then published. These comics were
also collected as a trade paperback, but Dark
Horse decided not to continue the series beyond
that point, again due to poor sales. The two trade
paperbacks correspond to the first ten chapters of
Geneon Ent. recent release was the 3X3 Eyes
Perfect Collection on DVD, covering manga 1-5.
Image © Geneon Ent. / Yuzo Takada / Kodansha.
.LO
13
© LO Magazine 2004
RD COMPETITION
WIN
ENTER
NOW
WIN
ENTER
NOW
READERS’ DEN PRESENTS
“Lekka Manga”
We are happy to present a FLCL manga (13 Sexual Humor, Violence) for this issue’s “Lekka Manga”
prize. We are very grateful for Readers Den 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 04”
and with your answers to the following two questions:
1. Why should we give you the prize?
2. What is Readers’ Den telephone number?
3. Name another manga from TokyoPop.
Closing Date: 30 Sept. 2004. This competition is only open to South African residents.
Readers Den | Stadium on Main | Claremont | Cape Town | www.readersden.co.za
Telephone 021-671 9551
Note: More than one entry into the same competition will automatically disqualify you.
© LO Magazine 2004
14
DH COMPETITION
WIN
ENTER
NOW
WIN
ENTER
NOW
DARK HORSE COMICS PRESENTS
“Most Wanted”
We are happy to present the wonderful Berserk Vol. 1 manga (18 S,N,V) as this issue’s “Most Wanted”
manga. We are very grateful for Dark Horse Comics for their interest in providing our readers with some
sought-after manga. How do you win? Simply send us an email ([email protected]) with the
subject: “Most Wanted 04” and with your answers to the following two questions:
1. Who is the author of the Berserk manga?
2. Who is the publisher of the Berserk manga in the USA?
Closing Date: 30 Sept. 2004. This competition is only open to South African residents. This competition
is only open to readers of 18 years and older. Winner need to provide proof of age. (Copy of ID)
Dark Horse Comics Inc. | www.darkhorse.com
Note: More than one entry into the same competition will automatically disqualify you.
15
© LO Magazine 2004
EDITOR’S PAGE
2D VS 3D
The debate between and 2D (traditional
animation) and 3D (CGI) existed since the
appearance of movies like Shrek, Toy Story,
Blue Submarine No 6, Final Fantasy the
movie. But it recently became a focus point
for heated debate, with Disney closing its
traditional animation studios and opted for
CGI, after the huge successes of Pixar and
their failures. Was 2D really the reason for
Disney’s failures?
Result
Disney or any animation companies are in the
movie industry to make money. Disney’s movies
are no longer acceptable for the whole market
(kids, teens, adult). Their market just got cut
down to kids and that doesn’t turn a big profit.
If mom or dad has to sit through the movie with
their kids, they will prefer to sit through Shrek,
rather than the 10th remake of Snow White or
Beauty and the Beast.
The Market of Success
For a movie to be very successful it has to appeal
to young and old and this is exactly what Disney
did decades ago. Kids, teens and adults shared
general values and tastes. The “American family”
was at its peak and Disney catered for this market
perfectly.
CGI Better?
If Disney is correct by saying that the reason why
Pixar is so successful, because their movies are
done with CGI (3D) compared to theirs, which
are done in traditional animation (2D), then Final
Fantasy - The Movie and Titan AE should have
been huge successes? They weren’t! So we agree,
3D doesn’t not guarantee success or qualify it to
be a quality movie. Then what does?
The Characters
Characters in Disney’s features were clearcut good vs evil. Usually the pretty girls and
boys were good and the ugly people were evil.
Everything was simple. It unfortunately also
created stereotypes, which they are still stuck
with today (see social philosophy on page 34).
The “Creative” Producers
What makes one movie stand out above the rest?
The story? What’s wrong with Disney’s writers?
You cannot tell me that an international company
like Disney doesn’t have decent writers. How
many times have we read about writers who go to
producers with a great idea or about studios that
buy great novels and when it finally is released,
it’s some bastard vision of what the studio
executives had in mind, with no relation to the
original story? Is this Disney’s problem? You tell
me.
Social Change
We are currently living in an Age, where families
are single parents, same sex or can even be
dissolved on a whim. The West has reached a
peak with it’s obsessions with individuality: The
focus on the “I” above all else. So what does this
all have to do with 2D vs 3D?
Movies are no longer created by creative people,
but by businessmen and-women, who base stories
on elements they perceived to make movies
likeable for audiences, instead of writing creative
stories. Another example of these “statistically
created movies” is the expectance for a movie
to have a “happy ending.” Movies become highly
predictable.
Pixar
What does Pixar have, which Disney doesn’t
have? Pixar’s leading characters are different
from Disney. They are not clear-cut good, but are
more “normal”. They all have a grey area, just like
normal people do. These characters appeal more
to today’s “families”, kids and teens.
Images above © Disney Enterprises Inc. | Images right © Disney Enterprises Inc./Pixar Animation Studios
© LO Magazine 2004
16
2D’s disadvantages are everything mentioned
in 3D’s advantages. Technically it doesn’t really
have advantages above 3D. It is just another art
form. As an art form it is not inferior to CGI, but
because of overall production costs it might end
up on the shelves.
The Conclusion
Disney’s problem is not directly related to 2D or
3D, but their thinking which needs a change.
The Debate
So which is better? 2D or 3D? 3D has its
advantages and weaknesses in the West.
Options
2D animators have a few options. They can either
still make 2D animation and have just as much of
a change for success than 3D or they can become
3D model painters.
3D Advantages:
1. It will probably become a lot cheaper and faster
to do animation with computers.
2. You can also re-use characters in 3D much
easier.
3. Great special fx can be done with a click of a
button.
4. It is something fresh and new. People get bored
and tired of things very quickly.
Remember
Your style of drawing (watercolours, goth, big
eyes, wide shoulders, big breasts, tall thin
characters, caricature, paint, etc.) has nothing
to do with 2D or 3D. Choosing a specific style
narrows your market, by definition. Choose your
style carefully, because you still have to appeal to
your audience, to be successful. Just look at the
Simpsons, which won “Best Animated TV Show” at
the 31st Annie Award and it, is not 3D!
3D Disadvantages:
1. Only comedy currently does well in the West,
unlike other genres in the East.
2. It can look “unrealistic” if realism is the goal.
3. Do kids really care?
.LO
17
© LO Magazine 2004
KIDS
YU-GI-OH
WRITTEN BY JERICHO
to become the best card “Duelist” in a fierce
competition, it serves to couple one battle to the
next which in turn leads to the next story event.
Yu-Gi-Oh first appeared in 1996 (in Japan) in
a manga by Kazuki Takahashi.
A twenty seven episode television series was
created in 1998, which went down well with
Japanese audiences. These developments were
accompanied by a trading card game and later
video games for the Gameboy platform.
The main appeal has however been the supporting
products that accompany the manga and anime.
Players of trading card games such as Magic: The
Gathering will have a knowing chuckle as Yugi
battles it out with opponents on his quest to save
his grandfather from the clutches of an evil villain,
of course fans of the series can play just like Yugi
by purchasing the cards or play it in cyberspace
(www.planetnintendo.com/yugioh/ for details).
According to w3.animenewsnetwork.com, Yu-GoOh is already a two billion dollar industry, with a
top rated TV show, action figures, video games,
magazines and collectible card games.
Amidst talk of phonecards, T-shirts, toys and the
like Trading Card fans and those who like playing
Japanese RPG’s could well find some merit in
watching this series. At the time of writing Yu-GiOh airs on SABC2 in South Africa.
Yu-Gi-Oh is unashamedly a cash cow
phenomenon, combining a collectable element
carried by its storyline and characters. Set in a
similar vein as anime’s such as Pokèmon and
Digimon it is clearly meant for younger audience
between about 6-13 years of age.
By the time you read this, Yu-Gi-Oh The Movie
would have probably been released in the USA by
Warner Brothers. [Image © TV Tokyo] .LO
However, this milking by the companies involved
(Such as Konami, who own the license for the
card-and video-game’s) do not neccesarily
condemn the series as sub-standard.
Recommend: If you like this type of
anime, then you should try Pokemon or
Dragonball Z.
While the story is by no means revolutionary,
following the main character as he attempts
© LO Magazine 2004
18
PlayStation 2
ANIME GAMES
GHOST IN THE SHELL
STAND ALONE COMPLEX
With the success of the Ghost in the Shell
(GITS) “franchise” it is no wonder another
PlayStation 2 game is appearing in Japan.
This time it is based on the GITS Stand Alone
Complex TV series.
The game features two main characters Motoko, a
cyber soldier with the ability to hack into people’s
minds and Bateau the cyborg with more bullets
than Arnie in Terminator.
Publisher: Sony Computer Ent.
Developer: Production IG
Genre: Action Shooter
Origin: Japan
Playing Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
you can switch between Motoko, who is an agile
fighter and Bateau, who plays like an “invincible”
soldier with his guns firing endless rounds. A
stealth element is also design into the game,
which allows you to hack other people’s minds,
through the Motoko character’s abilities.
You will progress through the game with story
segments from the anime before and after
completing levels. The animation segments are
not taken from the anime, but are actually original
3D computer graphic animation rendering.
According to Magic Box Ghost in the Shell: Stand
Alone Complex well see an US release date in
November 2004.
If you would like to purchase the anime TV series,
Manga Entertainment in the USA released the
series in July 2004. .LO
Websites:
Developer: www.productionig.com
USA Anime Distributer: www.manga.com
Images © Shirow Masamune-Production I.G /
Kodansha
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. / Bandai /
Production I.G / NTV
19
© LO Magazine 2004
DIGITAL CREATIONS
© LO Magazine 2004
20
EUROPE’S FIRST 3D CGI FEATURE
KAENA: THE PROPHECY
The French have always been very outspoken
and are not afraid to ask important
questions. We live in a time of desperation,
where people blindly follow their faith,
without using their god-given talent called
reason. Kaena on one level, questions blindfaith and shows you the reality on both
sides, and on another level brings you an
amazing adventure.
When Delaporte was asked if Pixar was a
reference for their animation, he responded with:
“Yes, even if Kaena is in another world. Animation
here is less cartoon-based, less Disney. Closer to
Japanese animation.”
According to producer Marc du Pontavice, the
movie was constantly under pressure with
investors and even animators leaving. It was
difficult to make people believe in something that
no animation studio in Europe has done yet. But
they finally pulled through and the movie got
released in the USA with a star cast.
Chris Delaporte and Patrick Daher had just
finished work on the Heart of Darkness
video game, which had 30 minutes of pure 3D
animation, when they were asked by Spielberg to
do a feature film with him. They turned Spielberg
down. This opened up Chris Delaporte’s eyes to
the possibility of a 3D CGI feature and the idea for
Kaena was born.
The Cast
Kaena: Kirsten Dunst (Spiderman)
The Queen: Anjelica Huston (Adam’s Family)
Second-in-Command: Keith David
Opaz: Richard Harris (Gladiator)
21
© LO Magazine 2004
The Story
Set in a world where a giant tree
called Axis rises 100 miles above
the planet surface, this is an
adventure story about a spirited,
young woman, Kaena, who
leaves her tree village hoping to
discover why the plant’s sap is
disappearing, thus threatening
her people’s way of life. Against
the wishes of her village elders,
she climbs down past the
cloud level, and encounters the
Selenites, a race that is trying
to keep the tree from dying by
enslaving another species.
The Game
Namco developed an action game
for the Sony Playstation 2 in
© LO Magazine 2004
conjunction with the film release,
and a PC version is also planned.
Website:
www.sonypictures.com/movies/
kaenatheprophecy
No South African release date
yet.
.LO
Chris DELAPORTE, 32, started out
doing graffiti - illegal artwork on
the walls of Paris and is a great
fan of H.R Giger, Otomo and
Miyazaki.
The character Gommi is a direct
reference to C3PO from Star
22
LETTERS
EMAILS FROM OUR READERS
Can You guys do an insert on an
anime by the name of SaishiHeiki Kanojo (She, The Ultimate
Weapon) seen one episode but
it was a bit out of place was like
episode 3 or 4 but would like to
know more about it...
thanks
alot
Ryan
Thanks Guys
Gareth
Greetings,
how coincidental was today, I
was standing at CNA with R35
in my hand debating in my head
whether to go with air time for
my cell phone, or to buy the
new edition of New Age Gaming
(NAG). As by this and the last
mail you can gather what I went
with. [A man who has his
priorities right. Ed.]
[Sure, in the near future.
Ed.]
Hey all!!
First of all, I just want to say
congratulations with your first
issue, and secondly, IT TOTALLY
ROX!!!
I am writing to you in the hope
that you can maybe feature a
few of the more well-known
anime, like: Medabots, Yu-gioh!, Gundam Wing, and a series
that not many anime fans know
of: Lazenca.
Maybe you can also resolve a
dispute: How do you pronounce
the word”anime”? Do you
pronounce it Anim, or Animay?
[Animay. Ed]
Once again, congratulations, but
most of all, thank you for giving
south-africa a true home-grown
anime and manga magazine,
and if possible, please continue
to put the magazine on New Age
Gaming’s Cover Disk.
[Suddenly I feel like the local
encyclopedia. Six! Ed.]
But yes, what a surprise it was
when I opened my newly bought
NAG and saw a caption stating
your PDF magazine on the cover
cd, I was truly so excited I went
straight for the cd and got the
LO magazine off the cd, and
started reading.
I must say that I am impressed,
apart from the reviews, but I do
see your point. Although I do
feel that it is always nice to see
an anime from another persons
perspective.
[Yu-Gi-Oh on page 18. Ed.]
I was born (quiet literally) into
an animation studio (Capecchi
and Friends), in fact at the time
it was (I believe) the only one in
South Africa, and in my opinion
(which is bias, but with good
credit) still remains the best
animation studio in SA (now
called Capechino Animation),
even through all the hard times
animation is faced with at this
time.
hey there
I just wanted to know if you by
any chance know how many
seasons there are to ranma 1/2
are there 4 or 6 ?
Although this may all sound
long winded, its just background
to show that I love animation
and anything animated that
can stand up to my high
expectation.
Keep up the great work
NightScream and Neo
(Klerksdorp)
23
I myself am not an animator
but ink and paint, and an editor
working with Adobe and Toonz.
Spare time, which I now have
alot of due to the depleting
amount of 2D work in this
country, I now mostly make
AMV’s (Animated Music Video’s).
But at that time it was all
animated features as to me
there was no ways to distinguish
between anime and traditional
animation, I just saw it all as
one big part of the greater
animation.
Astro Boy, RoboTech and
Macross where just glimpses as
Sci-fi didn’t at that time catch
my attention (way too traditional
at that stage). But then with a
job in 2000 that required a new
approach I got my hands on
Ghost in the Shell and Akira and
from then have been hooked.
I apologies if this is to much,
but after reading your magazine
the feeling was of people who
understand and enjoy what they
do, and what everyone else
feels.
Tiago
Durban
[See page 16 for LO’s take on
2d vs 3D animation. Ed.]
Hi,
Read through your magazine
published on the NAG CD, it is
great to see Manga taking off in
South Africa; it would be great
to see it taking off in the semimain stream.
Thanks for starting to get the
passion alive.
Regards,
Ockert
[Semi-mainstream?!! We are
going mainstream baby! Ed.]
© LO Magazine 2004
LETTERS
Aloha LO MAG
First off its great to finally have
a mag for anime in SA especially
one that’s so informative, great
work Guys/Girls.
Nice magazine so far, keep it up!
Please please please let me
win?! I swear I will clean your
shoes for all of eternity with my
tongue if you do.
I got a copy from JUNE edition
of NAG and it was great, Now
just one question where can I
get hold of it and everything can
you guys send me all the details
on your MAG so I can organize
to get every publication.
[Now if only you included
your address, I could’ve sent
you my shoes. Ed.]
I’ve only started on the Anime
scene about 2 years ago but I’m
really addicted I have already
watched Trigun, Neo Genesis
Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, Full
Metal Panic, Kenshin, and many
many more and am always on
the look out for any info on new
releases and news....
Hey there
Well done for another good job
for the LO magazine on the NAG
disc it gets better and better .
I was thinking that maybe to
add in some extra stuff to it if
you are able to:
I’m in Gauteng at the moment
and it is really hard to get
anything up here, I am also
Really Interested in more
INFO on the New episodes of
Evangelion that you guys did a
story on, [You sure, you were
reading our Mag? There are
no new episodes of NGE,
only an upcoming Live Action
adaptation and a PS2 game.
Ed.] Can you send some to me
or even add more to your next
issue, I know a ton of guys here
that would love to know about
it...
Regards
Gareth
Hi there
Great to see someone has taken
the initiative to bring out a mag
just for anime and manga here
in SA! Got a copy on the NAG
cd, but where will I find it next
month.
New fan for a new mag.
thanks
Tobey
[Welcome to the club. Ed.]
© LO Magazine 2004
24
1) Maybe you can do a question
answer page where you take
questions you recieve from
emails and putting them in the
magazine with the answer for
other anime fans to read?
[We will call it the Letter
page. Ed.]
2) How about a small section
where you can give leasons on
how to draw manga like 1 month
have eyes and the next nose
something like that?
3) How about having like small
trailers for anime films or series
if there is space on the NAG disc
and if you are allowed to due to
copyright? [Copyright issues,
but I will see what can be
done and if NAG would be
willing. Ed.]
4) Having numbers and locations
of places where you can pick
up the anime dvds or series
in south africa? [Check who
sponsor our competitions.
We will have a list of what
can be bought in SA on our
website. Ed.]
Hi
My name is Pierre.
Your magazine requested that
we share our thoughts about
the piece on the Editor’s page:
“What is Anime?”
I thought I’d share the following
view. As a youngster I was
awe inspired by the infamous
Robotech series. The giant
robots did indeed throw a unique
characteristic in the series.
However it was always the
quality of the animation and the
strict standard that drew my
attentions the most.
To me, the definition of “anime”
(as opposed to “neo-anime”) is
the level of quality throughout
the animated piece as well as
the standard upheld in drawing
the images. For instance. A lot
of “neo anime” would make use
of what I’d like to call “Bubble
animation”, where shortcuts
are taken to animate certain
movements. For instance:
The waving of hair in the wind
can be simplified by repeating
the animation and making
large chunks of hair move
the same way. A large group
of individual objects, such as
ships of helicopters, moving in
the same direction at the same
time is also considered bubble
animation. Therefore, if an
animated piece is created with
minimal bubble animation and
smooth natural movements,
then it’s already halfway “anime”
to me. As for the standard I
would refer back to your article
and agree that in our terms of
“anime”, certain characteristics
have to be met in order to
qualify as “anime”.
The most popular one in my
view being, those big dreamy
eyes. If the animated piece
contains a few dreamy eyes,
a stub little nose and neon
coloured hair, it most certainly
meets my second criteria, which
would therefore finally grant
it the status of “anime” in my
book.
[The Japanese are famous
for “cheating” in animation.
Even in Akira, the illusion of
movement was created by
moving static buildings in the
opposite direction. Look at
25
the cheaply drawn animation
of DBZ. Quality can therefor
not be a factor in defining
anime. Ed]
Btw.
Thanks for releasing such
an intricately detailed and
informative anime magazine.
I’m am forever in your debt. ::)
Regards.
Pierre.
PS: We received some fan art
from Craig Martin (see left)
and Pierre du Plessis (top).
Thanks guys.
© LO Magazine 2004
THE LOCAL SCENE
ICON 2004
- WRITTEN & PHOTOGRAPHED BY JERICHO
THE WORLD OF ANIME, ROLEPLAYING AND CARDGAMES
The amount of yummy goodies was certainly very
painful for the wallet.
Well, here I am back again for my second
ICON event, it feels eerily similar to last year
as if the intervening year never happened
and as always the line leading up into the
Jabula convention centre in Sandringham,
Johannesburg, is packed with RPG nuts from
all over.
Many major Comic book shops had their stalls
there as well as two of the only anime shops in
SA, namely Anime Direct and Animeworx.
For those who don’t know, ICON is the convention
where pen and paper Roleplayers get together
every year for high adventure, some socialising
and more importantly (the reason we covered
the event in the first place): to watch anime at
Blackblade Anime Entertainment’s Anime Theatre.
Pieter van Wyk (Kitfox to his friends) a
longstanding part of the Blackblade team was
manning the food and Raffle table, (which shifted
almost 600 Units of noodles over the weekend)
and had some interesting things to say about
sleeping on the floor working from 9:15 PM to
2:30 AM the day before on Astronomy and the
terra-forming potential of the rings of Saturn. He
was also adamant that, although the Blackblade
team does sleep over at the venue, they DO have
shower facilities.
The Centre was divided up into a number of
halls, one for the Actual roleplaying competitions,
one for the theatre and one for the veritable
smorgasbord of vendors and purveyors of all
things fantasy and Sci-Fi. As one gentleman so
aptly put it “You could walk in here with R10 000
and still not get everything you want.”
Brad from the Ka’os shop (Est. 1994) was also
there with a huge selection of models from
various anime, The Matrix, Kill Bill to name but a
few. Though originally a clothes specialist Ka’os
have now also made Models their game, Brad
claims that their prices are consistently 25%
Lower (Due to new pricing) than the competition,
Just randomly asking people where they were
from came up with results from as far as Port
Elizabeth and Bloemfontein.
© LO Magazine 2004
26
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
01. Brandon Carter is a Tuxedo
Code Developer and has been into
anime for the past 10 years.
02. P.C v.d Westhuizen is from
Bloemfontein and learned about
anime from the now defunct Sci-Fi
Channel on DSTV.
03. A Klingon? Eating noodles?
04. Christy aka Rei Ayanami as
Kagura (Azamanga Daioh).
05. Jericho and Sashi as Osaka
(Azamanga Daioh).
06. Greg aka DarkAvatar won 2nd
place as Kakashi (Naruto).
07. Tracy aka Neoflowne won 1st
prize as Dilandu (Escaflowne).
08. Stop drooling. Its crossplayer
Quash.
09. Robert aka Steelkobra as
himself.
10. Drool. Anime Direct’s manga!
but don’t just take his word for it folks, I always
say, shop around and don’t just give your money
away, albeit Models or Sports cars, someone will
11. Winston aka Serpent from
Blackblade as a civilian.
12. Pieter aka Kitfox guarding the
gates.
13. Anime Direct’s authentic
looking stall.
always have a better deal for you. But considering
the demand for his stuff he does seem to have a
good thing going. Brad also mentioned a line of
27
© LO Magazine 2004
licensed T-Shirt’s coming out so do have a look.
The Anime theatre, as always had a good
selection for those new to the medium and
veterans alike. Winston Sterzel, one of the main
organisers was well pleased with the turnout,
since the theatre was always filled to capacity with
people standing outside the doors looking at some
points, despite about some concerns about the
projector on Thursday evening.
Japanese Lessons, and movie trips, making for
a truly involved experience. Expect great things
from this organisation in future.
Mr. Sterzel pointed out that Blackblade had its
birth at the very ICON where it is now a regular
feature. Back in 1996 he attended ICON where
there was a man showing Anime on a little 23cm
TV, liking what he saw he asked where he could
get some for himself to which the man replied
“You Can’t”.
While there were problems regarding the size of
the theatre and the sheer volume of people that
attended, it was well worth being there.
This philosophy of fun was further emphasized
by the competitions hosted by Blackblade, these
included AMV (Anime Music Video), Cosplay
(Costume Play) and Fan art events with entrants
from across the country.
If you are into anime, comics, roleplaying or just
having fun then ICON is the place to be.
Contact Details
AnimeDirect: www.animedirectsouthafrica.cjb.net
Anime Worx: www.animeworx.co.za
Blackblade: www.blackblade.net.za
At first he though that this couldn’t be right, but
found out that those words were all too true in
South Africa. Not content with this situation,
Blackblade Anime Entertainment was born.
From a lackluster turnout at the first showing to
the 10th Showing recently which was filled very
nicely.
Insanity Comics and Figures :
Mobile: 072 120 7421 (Bevan)
Mobile: 073 242 0875 (Arie/Rachel)
Other than the 10 in-house showings, there have
been various other events, most notably New Age
Gaming Magazine’s RAGE convention, which never
had an empty chair, as well as Mayhem and of
course ICON. There have also been group dinners,
Kaos Collectibles and Toys: www.kaos.web.za
Outer Limits: www.outerlimits.co.za
Zed Bee’s Comic Universe:
Email: [email protected] Tel: (011) 453 4215
.LO
13
© LO Magazine 2004
28
LIVE-ACTION
CASSHERN
THE ROBOT HUNTER
Casshern, also known as Android Casshan is based on the
anime produced by Yoshida Tatsuo and Tatsunoko Pro,
which was shown on Japanese TV from 1973 until 1974.
When people talk about classic android and robot fighters, the first
names that come to mind are Ultraman and Kamen Rider. Casshern
has all the classic elements of a Japanese robot movie: a hero that
can punch through steel and do more kungu moves than Bruce Lee
did in his whole career, a robotic dog that can change into a car, a
tank, a jet or a submarine, and the incredibly intelligent enemy with
numerous henchmen.
In 1993 a remake of Casshan was produced with character designs
by Umetsu Yasuomi (Gatchman, Kite, Robot Carnival, Megazone
23 Part 2). You will instintly recognise the designs of Battle of the
Planets (Gatchaman).
The live action Casshern is an alternate world with an alternate
history. The entire planet was divided between two opposing
alliances. After fifty years of bitter warfare, the Greater Eastern
Federation triumphs over the forces of Europa and gains dominion
over the Eurasian continent.
However, this is an empty victory. Years of chemical, biological
and nuclear war have poisoned the land and left an exhausted
population at the mercy of every pestilence and newly-mutated
disease. It seems that there’s little hope for humanity’s future.
Debate rages over the chances of finding some way to stave off the
seemingly-inevitable decline of civilization.
One man comes forward with a possible solution. Dr. Azuma is a
geneticist who proposes a “neo-cell” treatment that can rejuvenate
the body and regenerate humankind. He’s driven in his studies
by a desire to save his beloved wife, Midori, from the ravages of
pollution-related disease.
He appeals for funding to the government but the politicians in the
continued on p.33
29
© LO Magazine 2004
LO RECOMMENDS
MANGA
INFLUENCE
UDON COMICS
MEMBERS
Alan Tam
Alvin Lee
Andrew Hou
Angelo Tsang
Arnold Tsang
Brian O’Malley
Calvin Lo
Charles Park
Christina Chen
Dave Ahn
Erik Ko
Eric Vedder
Jamie Noguchi
Jen Chan
Jo Chen
Joe Vriens
Joy Ang
Jeff Woo
Jim Zubkavich
Ken Siu Chong
Kevin Yan
L0cke
Long Vo
Omar Dogan
The Real T
Rhys Yorke
Rob Ross
SAKA
Sacha Heilig
Scott Hepburn
Shane Law
TR2
CURRENT PROJECTS:
Covers/Monthly/TPB/Promotions
Website: www.udoncomics.com
© LO Magazine 2004
CAPTAIN MARVEL #26
CAPTAIN AMERICA TPB
CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS II
CROSSOVER CLASSICS III
FANTASTIC FOUR #50
HEROES
IRONMAN #48
IRONMAN #49
MARVEL RECHARGE CARDS
PSM #51
30
SPIDERGIRL #39
SPIDERGIRL #41
X-MEN EVOLUTION
X-MEN EVOLUTION
Burger King Promotion
X-MEN MILLENNIAL
VISIONS: 2001
VAMPI
UDON is the name of a group of independent
comic book creators who banded together
to produce quality comics. The name Udon
comes from a tasty noodle in Japan. They
were supposedly very hungry at the time.
Inside Udon you will find a group of talented
pencilers, inkers, colorists, painters and writers,
who cover a diverse variety of styles, making
their group appealing for all sorts of projects
and audiences. (Some of these people are
responsible for that alternative covers you,
as a collector cannot afford. ^_^ Ed.)
Starting out as a four-man company, Udon now
has 25 plus full time and part time members, who
do freelancing with Marvel, DC, Wildstorm, Top
Cow, and Harris. If you are an avid comic reader,
you probably have seen work from Udon comics.
Some of their earlier and current work includes
Streetfighter, Top Cow’s Battle of the Planets, Gen
13, Taskmaster, Agent X, Mangaverse Avengers
Assemble, Wildstorm’s Robotech, Deadpool,
ThunderCats, Ultimate DareDevil, Robin and
Elektra.
If the gods are with us, we will be bringing you
an interview with Udon Comic’s very talented
Jo Chen (Dreamwave Productions’s Dark Minds:
Metropolis).
.LO
Top Left: Robotech © Harmony Gold
Bottom Left: Spider Girl © Marvel Comics
Above Top: Battle of the Planets © Top Cow
Comics
Above Left: ThunderCats © WildStorm
Productions & DC Comics
31
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
Angelic Layer
S
Anime
ADV Films
Fighting
2
13
V
Azamanga Daioh
S
Anime
ADV Films
Sit. Comedy
4
13
V,S
Full Metal Panic
S
Anime
Geneon Ent.
Action/Comedy
5
13
V,N,L
Saikano
S
Anime
Viz Ent.
Action/Romance
5
16
V,S
Millennium Actress
S
Anime
Dreamworks
Drama
8
PG
V,L
Kino’s Journey
S
Anime
ADV Films
Drama
UR
16
V
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 Dream
S
Anime
Manga Ent.
Spy/Action
Type
Media
Co/Publisher
Genre
Macross Zero
S
Anime
Bandai Ent.
Mech Action
Get Backers
S
Anime
ADV Films
Comedy/Action
The Ruler of the Land
-
Manhwa
ADV Manga
Adventure
Streetfighter Alpha 2
M
Anime
Manga Ent.
Fighting
Super Milk-Chan Show
S
Anime
ADV Films
Comedy
RECENT
CR Age Content
CURRENT
Title
FUTURE HITS
Title
© LO Magazine 2004
32
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
continued from p.29
Health Ministry turn him down, fearing that the new technology will
threaten their entrenched powers.
However, a sinister faction in the powerful military makes a secret
offer to provide the support he needs to further his research.
When an incident occurs in the lab that sends the Professor’s “neocell” cloning experiment haywire, a race of mutant human beings
(Shinzo Ningen) is unleashed upon the world. Instead of being the
savior of mankind, the Professor’s miraculous technology looks set
to threaten its very existence...
The live action movie is directed by J-Pop video director and
acclaimed fashion photographer Kazuaki Kiriya (music video
“Traveling” for Utada Hikaru). In addition to co-writing and directing
the film, he also served as its cinematographer. How close the live
action movie will be to the anime, still has to be seen.
Other members of staff are: CG Supervisor Haruhiko Shono
(GADGET), the visual FX supervisor Toshiyuki Kimura (Dragonhead,
Ring), the action scene story board writer Shinji Higuchi (Gamela,
Evangelion), the production designer Yuji Hayashida (Ritual, Azumi)
and costumes by Michiko Kitamura (Ichi the Killer).
The cast, a mix of veteran actors and rising stars, is a veritable
who’s-who of Japanese film talent. Playing the part of Casshern is
Yusuke Iseya (Distance, Afterlife).
The Casshern manga was serialized in Kodansha’s “Terebi Magazine”
and Akita Shoten’s “Boken Oh” (Adventure King) [source:
JapanHero.com Contains Spoilers].
Website: www.casshern.com
[Most of the content of this article was sourced from the official website.]
.LO
* Either 1 or 10 CR (you decide)
** South African release
Disclaimer: LO doesn’t take
responsibility for the acuracy of
the content ratings.
33
© LO Magazine 2004
SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY
GOOD VS EVIL STEREOTYPES
Is the use of stereotypes in mediums like
movies, books, anime or manga, good or
bad? First we need to differentiate between
stereotype characters and stereotype moral
choices.
Secondly, if people are bombarded with these
images, they will start to think that this kind of
behaviour is acceptable. There is nothing wrong
with having these characters, but consequences
for these behaviours must be shown to the viewer.
Consequences are the determining factor between
learning from a behaviour or not.
Stereotype characters are the skinny nerd with
glasses, the muscular cool-looking jock, the goth
(permanent-on-pms) chick, the dumb blonde
cheerleaders with big breasts, the brain redundant
surfer, etc.
While young people are the most impressionable
by media (even thou they will profusely disagree),
adults are also susceptible especially if stereotype
characters supports their already stereotypical
ideas. If you “belief” that traffic cops are illiterate
imbeciles, for which no one has use for and
you watch most American movies, the images
portrayed will probably support your beliefs. And
only two decades ago, you might have watched
“Chips” and thought that they were kewl.
There is no relation between morality and these
stereotype characters by definition. But what
happens when Hollywood, takes one of these
stereotypes and consistently make it kewl?
Characters like Vin Diesel in XXX and Mel Gibson
in Lethal Weapon IV (stereotype characters), who
break the law (moral behaviour), but are shown
as being kewl.
Next time you see some of these behaviours, you
should think twice, before you say to me: “It is
just a movie.” Especially if you are still finding
yourself as an individual.
Western animation’s traditional good characters
looks like they all just stepped out of a model
contract. I once showed a Flash comic (DC
Comics) to an eight year old girl, who asked about
the woman Flash was fighting against. I told her
that it was a bad woman. She told me that the
woman can’t be bad, because she was pretty.
This doesn’t mean we have to ban everything
in books and movies. What it means is that we
should be made aware of the things we do and
what impact it has in our social lives. Informing
your viewer or reader makes the world of a
difference.
In the west, stereotypes are used most of the
time, while in the East, stereotypes exist in
behaviours, but not necessarily when it comes to
morality. “Good” can become “evil” and “evil” can
become “good”.
All these things are true for the West, but in Japan
things are slightly different. Even thou they have
over the top violence, even in children shows,
occurrences of real violent crime are very low.
[This social phenomenon will be discussed in a
future issue. Ed.]
The problem is two-fold. Firstly, when a
character’s behaviour goes against what he
represents, and he or she don’t recognising this
behaviour as bad, but still think that it is good. If
characters consistently make bad moral choices,
they can’t be shown as good characters. Not even
your leading character in a Noir movie makes
consistently bad moral choices.
PS: And if you think that Mel Gibson’s behaviour
(while playing a cop) in Lethal Weapon IV wasn’t
immoral, I rest my case.
.LO
XXX © 2002 Sony Pictures Di. Ent. Inc.
Snow White © Disney Enterprises
© LO Magazine 2004
34
Lethal Weapon 4 © Time Warner Ent.
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
Definately:
• Sword action in Samurai Champloo
• Wanna be Ninja, Naruto
• The Returner mixes kungfu and sci-fi
Maybe:
• Cowboy Bebop the game
• Jo Chen (Darkminds: Metropolis)
• Blade of the Immortal manga prize
• and loads more...
The Returner ©
35
© 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
Watch our website for
updates on Anime coming
to South Africa and the
Japanese Film Festival,
which will probably take
place in October 2004.
www.lomagazine.co.za
© LO Magazine 2004