News: Mermaid Forest Screenwriter Shōichirō
Ōkubo Passes Away posted on 2011-02-12 09:46 EST
Also contributed to
Lupin III, Ninja Hattori-kun, Ganbare!! Tabuchi-kun!!
Screenwriter
Shōichirō Ōkubo passed away due to a stroke in a Tokyo hospital on February 11
at 4:30 p.m. He was 63.
Ōkubo, whose original name was Masaichirō Ōkubo, was born in Fukui City in
central Japan. He wrote screenplays for the period drama Mito Kōmon and
numerous other live-action television series such as Hana no Arashi and Shabon
Tama. He also wrote the screenplay for the original video anime based on Rumiko
Takahashi's Mermaid Forest manga as well as scripts for the Lupin III
television anime franchise, the Ninja Hattori-kun television series, and the
Ganbare!! Tabuchi-kun!! anime film.
A service will be held on February 19 in Tokyo. Ōkubo is survived by his wife
Masako.
News: Animator, Professor Masahiro
Katayama Passes Away posted on 2011-02-13 13:09 EST
Tama Art University instructor taught future
Oscar winner Kunio Katō
Animator and art
professor Masahiro Katayama passed away in a Tokyo hospital on Saturday at 8:43
p.m. due to pneumonia. He was 56. Katayama worked as an illustrator, manga
creator, and animator, and he headed Group Ebisen, an animators' collective
whose ranks have included Hiroshi Hara, Sunao Katabuchi (Black Lagoon), and
Hiroyuki Kakudou (Digimon). He served as the administrative head of both the
Japan Animation Association and Anido. He also judged or co-organized the Hida
International Animation Festival of Folktales and Fables, Hiroshima
International Animation Festival, the Japanese government's Media Arts
Festival, and the Tokyo International Anime Fair.
However, Katayama's
most enduring legacy is arguably the years he taught at Tama Art University. He
joined the university's Department of Graphic Design in 1998, and helped
pioneered the study of animation in universities throughout Japan. He
personally taught a student by the name of Kunio Katō. Katō later created
"La Maison en Petits Cubes" ("Tsumiki no Ie") — the second
of only two anime to win a major Academy Award.
News: Kazuaki Kiriya Denies IMDB's
'Dragon Ball Reboot' Entry posted on 2011-02-14 05:07 EST
Screenwriter and
director Kazuaki Kiriya (Casshern) wrote on his Twitter account on Monday that
the Internet Movie Database's (IMDB's) "Untitled Dragon Ball Reboot"
entry, which lists Kiriya as a writer, is "completely fake." He said
that he is currently asking IMDB to correct the "nonsensical info,"
and he added that the misinformation is adversely affecting the actual projects
he has in the works. IMDB allows users to post incorrect entries that can
remain on the website until a deletion request is submitted and verified.
News: Touhou Project Creator Restricts
Commercial Works, Anime (Updated) posted on 2011-02-14 06:33 EST
2011 guidelines
issued for goods based on self-published game series
"Team Shanghai
Alice," the creator of the Touhou Project dōjin (self-published) game
series, posted revised 2011 guidelines for the use of copyrighted Touhou
Project materials on Monday. The creator (who is also known as ZUN) asked those
who wish to make commercial goods based on Touhou Project to request
permission.
He asked that the
applicants exercise "discretion" in regards to commercial goods with
sexual connotations (such as dakimakura or hugging pillows with sexual
connotations). He later clarified that the guideline on sexual content applied
only to commercial goods, and said that he does not think that the existing
noncommercial dōjin contents have been problematic so far.
He then specifically
restricted the development of commercial anime projects. He added that the new
restriction applies to "cel animation"; the restriction did not apply
to works created with 3D software or to illustrations and special effects.
The creator also
placed restrictions on the sale of works — both dōjin and commercial — on the
XBox Live Indie Games marketplace for the XBox 360 console, Apple's App Store
for the iPhone and other iOS devices, and Android Market for phones and other
devices. Another restriction applies to sales through overseas downloads and
other channels that go beyond traditional means of releasing dōjin works.
Finally he restricted "overly sexual depictions and defamation against
certain individuals, groups, or races that are determined to go against common
decency."
The anime studio
ufotable announced last September that it was producing an anime project with
the ANIMATE store chain's mascot character and the Touhou Project game
characters. At the time, the Touhou Project creator said that he was not
involved and that he did not know the details about it. Dōjin circles had
previously sold anime with Touhou Project characters at the Comic Market (Comiket)
convention.
Update: The creator said on Tuesday that although he has been asked this many
times before, there is no official anime production so far. He added that he
has no plans for one either.
News: Production I.G's Momo e no Tegami Film
to Open in 2012 posted on 2011-02-15 05:06 EST
Jin-Roh director's
7-year project about girl starting new life in countryside after father's
passing
The anime studio Production I.G confirmed on
Tuesday that it is producing a film called Momo e no Tegami (A Letter to Momo)
for a theatrical release in Japan in 2012. Jin-Roh director Hiroyuki Okiura
spent seven years planning, writing, storyboarding, and directing the film; it
is his first return to the proverbial director's chair since Jin-Roh in 2000.
Production I.G describes the film's story as follows:
"Dear
Momo" — that was all that was written on a letter left behind by Momo's
late father. Momo and her mother have just moved from Tokyo to the countryside
of Japan's Inland Sea. On an island lies a wondrous town surrounded on all
sides by quaint homes and nature's landscape. Even as Momo starts a new life,
she wonders, "Father, what did you really want to write in your
letter…?" One day, she discovers an ancient book in the attic, and from
that day forward, strange happenings occur all around Momo.
Masashi Ando
(Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away) is overseeing the animation process. Among
the animators on the team are Toshiyuki Inoue (Akira), Ei Inoue (The Cat
Returns), Takeshi Honda (Evangelion: 2.0 You Can [Not] Advance), Tetsuya Nishio
(Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence), and Hiroyuki Aoyama (Summer Wars). Hiroshi
Ohno (Kiki's Delivery Service) is serving as art director.
News: U.S. Bookstore Chain Borders Files for
Bankruptcy (Update 2) posted on 2011-02-16 11:18 EST
Chapter 11 filing
allows retailer to stay in business, but will close 30% of its stores
The American
bookstore chain Borders announced on Wednesday that it has filed for Chapter 11
bankruptcy, as previously predicted by the Wall Street Journal newspaper. The
Chapter 11 filing allows Borders to remain in business while reorganizing to
pay off its debts.
As part of the
program, Borders will close about 30%, or about 200, of its stores, and the
company has also negotiated US$505 million in financing from GE Capital. Stores
which remain open will continue to function normally, including "honoring
its Borders Rewards program, gift cards, and other customer programs."
Borders will also meet its payroll needs and continue providing benefits to its
employees. The Borders.com retail website will remain open for business.
The company has
launched a website for the reorganization, which offers its filing documents,
press releases, and information for vendors and shareholders.
The bankruptcy comes
after a string of difficulties for Borders, including the departure of two of
its executives and delay of payments to publishers, followed by additional
layoffs and an attempt to convince publishers to treat its debts as loans,
which failed. As noted by the retail news source ICv2, Borders played a crucial
role in the rise of manga sales in the United States in the first half of the
last decade.
Update: Borders lists the stores that are closing. These documents are
available via the Southern District of New York's document filing system for a
small fee. [Via mizzelle, AICN Anime]
Update 2: In additional court documents available via the document filing
system, Borders states that it owes Yen Press parent Hachette Book Group USA
US$36.9 million, Viz Media distributor Simon & Schuster US$33.8 million,
Kodansha Comics distributor Random House US$33.5 million, and Diamond Comic
Distributors US$3.9 million. [Via Huffington Post]
News: All But 1 Defendant Dropped From
Funimation's One Piece Lawsuit (Updated) posted on 2011-02-16 22:17 EST
1,336 anonymous
defendants removed from suit, but can be pursued individually
On February 10,
Senior United States District Judge Royal Furgeson ordered the anime
distributor Funimation to "sever" or remove all defendants except one
from its copyright infringement lawsuit over an episode of the television anime
One Piece. In its January 24 suit, Funimation alleged that the 1,337
unidentified defendants "collectively participated, via the Internet, in
the unlawful reproduction and distribution" of One Piece episode 481
("Ace Rescued! Whitebeard's Final Order!") via the BitTorrent
file-sharing protocol. Funimation licensed the anime in 2007.
According to the
judge's order, the actions of each defendant did not constitute "acting in
concert" but rather acting individually, although identically. The IP
(Internet Protocol) address of the sole defendant who remains in the lawsuit is
associated with the Internet service provider (ISP) Verizon. An online service
that provides location information about IP addresses lists a physical location
in Kearny, New Jersey, but such services are not necessarily accurate.
Funimation can
choose to pursue the other 1,336 defendants in individual, separate lawsuits
within the next 30 days, if it submits filing fees for each case.
The judge also
ordered Funimation to show cause as to why the court should not appoint lawyers
to represent the anonymous defendants by February 28. The Electronic Frontier
Foundation, a non-profit organization that deals with legal issues regarding
technology, reported that the judge made similar orders in four other cases; in
one previous Texas case against anonymous defendants listed by IP addresses,
these court-appointed lawyers had the case dismissed.
The court had
granted Funimation's motion to discover the identities of the anonymous
defendants on February 3, but the court then vacated, or set aside, that order
on February 7. With this motion, Funimation had planned to subpoena the
defendants' ISPs to learn their identities. After the court decides whether or
not to appoint legal representation for the defense, it will reconsider this
motion for the one defendant that remains in the lawsuit.
Funimation's DMCA Complaint to Google on One
Piece Streams
In a separate
development, the Chilling Effects website posted a copy of a January 20
copyright complaint sent by Funimation and the RemoveYourContent LLC
anti-piracy service to the online services company Google. Under the Digital
Millennium Copyright Act, the complaint requested that Google remove links from
its search results to 498 web addresses on a single domain. Each address hosts
a streaming episode or film from the One Piece anime series.
Funimation confirmed
the veracity of the January 20 letter with ANN, but declined to comment at this
time. According to the Chilling Effects site, Funimation has sent Google 17
DMCA complaints since last April.
List of ISPs for Severed Defendants
The severed
defendants have IP addresses associated with the following ISPs (in
alphabetical order):
Alltel Corporation
Armstrong Cable
Services
Atlantic Broadband
Bellsouth.net
Bresnan
Communications
Cable One
California Institute
of Technology
CenturyTel Internet
Holdings
Charter
Communications
Clearwire
Corporation
Comcast Cable and
Comcast Business Communications
Cox Communications
Earthlink
Embarq Corporation
Fairpoint
Communications
FDCservers.net
Freewire Broadband
LLC
Frontier
Communications of America
Gainesville Regional
Utilities
Hawaiian Telcom
Services Company
Insight Communications
Company
Knology
MetroCast
Cablevision
Midcontinent
Communications
MIKR
Morris Broadband,
LLC
Northeastern
University
Ohio State
University
Optimum Online
Pennsylvania State
University
Qwest Communications
RCN Corporation
Road Runner
Rose-Hulman
Institute of Technology
SBC Internet
Services
SoftLayer
Technologies
Sprint PCS
Suddenlink
Communications
TDS Telecom
University of
Michigan
Verizon
VPLS Inc. d/b/a
Krypt Technologies
Wave Broadband
WebNX
Wide Open West
Windstream
Communications
Update: The technology website Ars Technica reported on Wednesday that Judge
Ferguson severed all but one defendant in each of 15 other cases in the
Northern District of Texas. The same attorney, Evan Stone, filed these cases
and the Funimation case. According to Ars Technica, the filing fee for new
lawsuits is US$350.
News: Yu-Gi-Oh! Movie Premiere to Benefit
Make-A-Wish of Metro NYC (Updated) posted on 2011-02-17 22:11 EST
Event features voice
actors, card game demonstrations, costume contest
The Make-A-Wish
Foundation of Metro New York and 4Kids Entertainment have announced details for
the February 23 New York City premiere event for the 3D animated film Yu-Gi-Oh!
3D: Bonds Beyond Time. Make-A-Wish of Metro NYC will bring five local "wish
families" to the event, which will include demonstrations of Konami's
Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game, appearances by the anime's voice actors, a costume
contest, and a raffle to benefit the non-profit organization.
The Make-A-Wish
Foundation of Metro New York grants wishes to children with life-threatening
medical conditions. Past anime- and manga-related Make-A-Wish efforts include
the 2005 auctioning of an autographed art piece by manga creation team CLAMP
and a 2006 graphic novel created by a brain tumor patient and published by
Tokyopop.
Yu-Gi-Oh! 3D: Bonds
Beyond Time will screen at select theaters on February 26 and 27 and March 5
and 6.
News: Last Exile's New TV Anime to
Premiere at Anime Expo posted on 2011-02-17 23:42 EST
World premiere of Gonzo's
Last Exile ~Ginyoku no Fam~ series in July in Los Angeles
The official website
of the Last Exile ~Ginyoku no Fam~ (Last Exile -Fam, The Silver Wing-)
television anime series announced on Friday that Anime Expo will host the world
premiere of the anime in Los Angeles during the extended July 1-4 holiday
weekend.
News: Live-Action Akira Plans Get Harry
Potter Scriptwriter posted on 2011-02-18 08:05 EST
Steve Kloves also
wrote Wonder Boys, wrote/directed The Fabulous Baker Boys
The producers of the
planned live-action film adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira science-fiction
manga have hired Steve Kloves to polish the latest draft of the scripts. Kloves
wrote the screenplays for all of the films based of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter
novels except the fifth one. He also wrote the Wonder Boys film, and he wrote
and directed The Fabulous Baker Boys film. Albert Hughes (Menace II Society,
From Hell, The Book of Eli) is attached to direct the project for Warner
Brothers. The project's cast and release date have not been established yet.
Screenwriter Gary
Whitta was previously attached to the project, which actor Leonardo DiCaprio
(Titanic, Inception) is producing through his Appian Way production company.
According to ComingSoon.net, Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby also worked on the
films' scripts before another writer, Albert Torres was hired to script the
most recent draft last year.
Mad Chance's Andrew
Lazar, DiCaprio, Appian Way's Jennifer Davisson Killoran, Hughes, and his
brother Allen Hughes will produce the project. Otomo directed his own animated
film adaptation that premiered on July 16, 1988 — the same day that the story
has the fictional Tokyo being destroyed. Otomo will serve as an executive
producer of the live-action version through a deal signed by his publisher,
Kodansha.
News: Viz Acquires U.S. Rights to CG
Series My Giant Friend posted on 2011-02-18 21:19 EST
Plans to find broadcast partner for
Korean/French collaboration
Viz Media has
confirmed with ANN that it acquired the American rights to My Giant Friend, a
CG-animated science-fiction television series about a boy named Linus, a giant
alien named Boom, and their other friends. The company has informed ANN that
for now it plans to sell the series to a broadcast partner.
My Giant Friend is a
co-production between France's Timoon Animation and South Korea's SAMG
Animation. The series currently airs on France's Canal J network (as Linus et
Boom). It also runs in Korea, Italy, Norway, Czech Republic, Turkey, and Spain.
News: California's AM2 Hosts World
Cosplay Summit Regionals posted on 2011-02-19 11:22 EST
Winner earns trip to
Japan to compete in final contest
AM2, a new
convention in Southern California, announced on Wednesday that it will host the
United States regional round of the World Cosplay Summit competition for 2011.
The winners of the competition will continue on to Nagoya, Japan to compete for
the final prizes. The convention (formerly known as Club 2 the Max) will be
held in the Anaheim Convention Center during the July 1-3 weekend, roughly the
same time as Anime Expo in Los Angeles.
Anime Expo selected
the United States contestants for the World Cosplay Summit in 2004 and 2005.
The New York Anime Festival then hosted the regional round in 2007, 2008, and
2009. In 2010, San Jose, California's FanimeCon held the contest.
News: Ika Musume/Squid Girl Gets 2nd TV
Anime Season (Updated) posted on 2011-02-20 23:06 EST
Adaptation of Masahiro Anbe's Shinryaku! Ika
Musume comedy manga
This year's 13th
issue of Akita Shoten's Weekly Shonen Champion magazine is announcing on
Thursday that production on a second season of the Squid Girl (Shinryaku! Ika
Musume) television anime series has been green-lit. The premiere date has not
yet been announced.
The anime adapts
Masahiro Anbe's Shinryaku! Ika Musume (The Invader Came From the Bottom of the
Sea!) comedy manga about a squid girl who vows to invade the beaches of mankind
since humans have polluted the seas. However, her invasion is less than
successful, and she ends up on dry land. The first season premiered in October,
and the media-distribution website Crunchyroll streamed the anime outside Japan
as it aired.
Update 2: Voice actress Rie Tanaka (Chizuru Aizawa) expressed surprise when a
Twitter user congratulated her about the second season on Monday: "Huh?
Where did you get that info?"
News: Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal TV Anime Scheduled
for April 11 posted on 2011-02-21 19:32 EST
The Japanese
broadcaster TV Tokyo has relaunched its website for the new Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
anime series on Sunday and confirmed the anime's premiere date. The anime will
premiere on Monday, April 11 at 7:30 p.m. on TV Tokyo and its network
affiliates nationwide. The near-future story revolves around Yūma Tukumo, a
13-year-old rookie duelist, and Astral, the mysterious lifeform from a parallel
world who suddenly appears before Yūma.
The new series will
be the fourth one in the franchise to air on TV Tokyo after Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel
Monsters, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monster GX, and the current Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's.
News: U.S. Syfy TV Channel Moves Anime to
Thursdays in March posted on 2011-02-23 17:38 EST
Gurren Lagann,
Chrono Crusade switch nights starting March 24
The American
television channel Syfy lists the anime series Chrono Crusade and Gurren Lagann
for Thursday, March 24. The channel currently shows both series on Tuesdays and
will continue to do so through March 15, but starting the week after, the anime
block will air on Thursday nights. Additionally, as of March 31, the schedule
lists the block as starting at 11:30 p.m. rather than 11:00 p.m.
News: Anime Expo to Host Otaku
Blogger/TV Host Danny Choo posted on 2011-02-24 17:25 EST
Anime Expo to also host voice actor Vic
Mignogna at Guest of Honor
Anime Expo announced
that Japan-based pop culture blogger and television show host Danny Choo will
appear as a Guest of Honor at the July 1-4 event in Los Angeles. Choo was also
a guest at last year's convention.
Choo first became
well-known for cosplaying in Tokyo as an Imperial Stormtrooper from the Star
Wars films. He has since launched Culture Japan, a television series which airs
in Japan and runs on Animax Asia. Choo was profiled on CNN in 2008.
AX previously
announced that the American voice actor Vic Mignogna (Fullmetal Alchemist's Ed
Elric, Ouran High School Host Club's Tamaki Suou) as a 2011 Guest of Honor.
Anime Expo 2011 will take place from July 1 through 4 at the Los Angeles
Convention Center in California.
News: U.S. Syfy Channel Lists Star
Blazers TV Show in April (Update 2) posted on 2011-02-25 13:31 EST
North American
dubbed adaptation of 1974-75's Space Battleship Yamato anime
The American
television channel Syfy's online schedule lists two episodes of Star Blazers:
The Quest for Iscandar on Monday, April 21 at 12:00 a.m. and 12:30 a.m. Eastern
Standard Time. Star Blazers: The Quest for Iscandar (1979-1980) is the dubbed
and partly rewritten adaptation of Yoshinobu Nishizaki and Leiji Matsumoto's
1974-1975 television anime Space Battleship Yamato. The titular spaceship Yamato (Argo in Star
Blazers) is built from the remains of the World War II battleship of the same
name to protect Earth from extraterrestrial threats. The first television anime
spawned two television sequels, two video projects, and six films including
2009's Space Battleship Yamato Resurrection. A live-action film remake of the
original Space Battleship Yamato anime opened in Japan last December. Skydance
Productions, the company that financed half of the recent American film True
Grit, is negotiating to acquire the live-action film rights to Star Blazers.
Skydance head David Ellison (son of Oracle co-founder and CEO Larry Ellison)
and Josh Klein would produce if the deal is completed, and Christopher
McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects, Valkyrie, The Wolverine) would write the
screenplay.
Syfy had previously
updated its schedule to reflect its Tuesday-night anime block's move to
Thursday nights next month.
News: Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair
Premieres March 27 (Updated) posted on 2011-02-25 19:22 EST
Quentin Tarantino
said I.G produced new 7-minute anime sequence for extended cut
The New Beverly
Cinema in Los Angeles will be screening the American premiere of Kill Bill: The
Whole Bloody Affair — the full, 247-minute combined cut of Quentin Tarantino's
Kill Bill revenge story — from March 27 to March 31. Tarantino had said in 2009
that while he would not be modifying the existing footage for the longer cut,
he is adding "a whole new section" to Kill Bill Chapter 3: The Origin
of O-Ren, the chapter which the anime studio Production I.G had already animated
for the film's original theatrical release in 2003.
For the extended
edition, Production I.G produced a new seven-minute sequence. Tarantino
described the sequence in 2009: "I actually wrote a much longer script for
the anime section during O-Ren's revenge chapter. Remember the guy with the
long hair that kills her father? It's like, what happened to that dude? Well, I
wrote it and it was the biggest, most elaborate thing I wrote — her taking him
down."
Update: The New Beverly Cinema lists the film as: "The unrated combined
version which has never been seen theatrically in the U.S. The same print that
screened at Cannes!" However, the Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles
advertised that they showed the Cannes Film Festival version before. According
to Ain't It Cool News, "Tarantino provided the copy stating that it is
'the unrated combined version which has never been seen in the United
States.'"
News: JAST USA Adds School Days HQ
Visual Novel Software posted on 2011-03-01 09:03 EST
Upgrade of
0verflow's adult visual novel that inspired anime
The game
localization company JAST USA announced on Tuesday that its new JAST Densetsu
brand is collaborating with the Japanese game maker 0verflow and the
localization group Sekai Project to release the adult visual novel software
School Days HQ in English this year. School Days HQ is the software and
graphics upgrade — with new scenes — to 0verflow's original visual novel that
inspired the anime of the same name. According to JAST USA, the English release
will be uncensored and will have over 20 endings, including the harem endings
and the sometimes violent bad endings.
In the story, a love
triangle develops when a boy enlists his close female friend to help him
attract the attention of a girl in their same school. The 2007 School Days
television anime series adaptation gained unexpected media attention when its
final episode was preempted by a real-life axe murder in Japan. Instead of the
final episode, the television stations aired a series of unrelated scenery images
and the following text: "The programming has changed due to certain
circumstances." The substituted boat scenery images led to the "nice
boat" catchphrase that has spread throughout the overseas anime fandom and
even into Japan.
News: New York's Carnegie Hall to Show 2
Miyazaki Shorts posted on 2011-03-02 20:33 EST
Yado-Sagashi,
Mizugumo Monmon previously only seen in Japan
New York City's
Carnegie Hall performance center announced on Tuesday that it will screen two
2006 anime shorts directed by Studio Ghibli's Hayao Miyazaki on March 26. Both
shorts will have only been seen in Japan prior to these screenings.
The two titles are
Yado-Sagashi (House Hunting) and Mizugumo Monmon (Mon Mon the Water Spider).
Yado-Sagashi follows a young girl named Fuki as she embarks on a journey to
find a new home. Mizugomo Monmon is about a diving bell spider (a species which
lives entirely underwater) which falls in love with a water strider. Studio
Ghibli animated both shorts for the Ghibli Musuem in Mitaka, Japan.
The shorts will
screen on March 26 at 6:30 p.m. and again at 8:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased
online for US$15 each.
Last December,
producer and former Studio Ghibli president Toshio Suzuki revealed that
Yado-Sagashi would be screened at a New York City event, but did not specify
which one it would be.
News: Kodansha International to Shut Down by
April posted on 2011-03-03 22:14 EST
Separate company
from Kodansha USA, Vertical; publisher of Manga! Manga!, Hagakure
The Japan Times
newspaper reported on Friday that Kodansha International, a subsidiary of the
Japanese publishing giant Kodansha, will shut down by the end of April.
Kodansha International is a separate company from Kodansha USA, another New
York-based subsidiary that Kodansha established in 2008. It is also separate
from Vertical, the publishing startup in which Kodansha is acquiring a 46.7%
stake. (Dai Nippon Printing is acquiring a 46.0% stake in Vertical.)
Kodansha
International was founded in 1963. It has specialized in English-language books
about Japanese topics and English-language translations of Japanese books. It
has published a few manga-related books, such as the first edition of Frederik
L. Schodt's seminal tome Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics. More
recently, it published Sean Michael Wilson's English-language manga adaptation
of Yamamoto Tsunetomo's Hagakure: The Code of the Samurai book and Wilson's
version of Yakuza Moon (Yakuza na Tsuki), a memoir by a yakuza gangster's
daughter named Shoko Tendo.
In the same February
press conference that Kodansha announced its 46.7% acquisition of Vertical,
Chief Operating Officer Yoshinobu Noma stated that the company will strengthen
its digital and overseas ventures during the ongoing publishing slump. Noma
will replace his mother, Sawako Noma, as the company's president in the middle
of April. This will be the company's first presidential transition in 24 years.
News: Appleseed XIII Released on
Film/Net/BD Simultaneously posted on 2011-03-04 09:13 EST
Maaya Sakamoto,
Kouichi Yamadera to star in Appleseed XIII ~Yuigon~ on June 13
The official website
for the Appleseed XIII anime announced on Friday that the project will debut
simultaneously in Japanese theaters, on the Internet, and on Blu-ray Disc this
June. The "theatrical remix version" of the first half of the story,
Appleseed XIII ~Yuigon~, will open in theaters in Tokyo and Osaka on June 13,
followed by a theatrical run in Nagoya starting June 27. During the theatrical
release of the film, a limited edition of the first Blu-ray volume will be sold
exclusively at theaters showing the film. The regular first volume of the anime
will then ship with three episodes on Blu-ray and DVD on July 6. (The Blu-ray
version will bundle a 48-page deluxe book.) All 13 episodes will also be streamed
online. The second film, Appleseed XIII ~Yogen~ will open in Tokyo on October
24 and then in Nagoya on November 7. Maaya Sakamoto will play the young female
ES.W.A.T. police officer Deunan, and Kouichi Yamadera will play the veteran
cyborg-soldier Briareos.
Appleseed XIII is a
new retelling of Masamune Shirow's Appleseed future paramilitary manga,
separate from Kazuyoshi Katayama's previous original video anime and Shinji
Aramaki's two computer-animated movies. This latest adaptation will be composed
of 13 22-minute direct-to-video anime episodes, plus two feature-length
compilation films of the episodes.
Takayuki Hamana (The
Beast Player Erin, Chocolate Underground, Library War, Moshidora, The Prince of
Tennis) is directing the animators at Jinni's Animation Studios (Fireball), in
cooperation with Production I.G. Jun'ichi Fujisaku (The Beast Player Erin,
Blood+, Moshidora, Real Drive) is supervising and co-writing the scripts, and
Takayuki Goto (The Beast Player Erin, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
2nd GIG, Hunter X Hunter, Video Girl Ai) is designing the characters based on
Shirow's original work. Atsushi Takeuchi (Ghost in the Shell, Yukikaze, The Sky
Crawlers, Reideen) is returning from Aramaki's first Appleseed film to draw the
mechanical designs.
News: Tokyopop CEO Cites Borders'
Bankruptcy for Layoffs posted on 2011-03-06 10:48 EST
Stu Levy, CEO of the
North American manga publisher Tokyopop, told the ICv2 retail news source that
the bankruptcy of the bookstore chain Borders led to last week's layoffs of its
editors.
Levy said,
"Borders—our biggest customer—went bankrupt, owed us a lot money, which
they didn't pay us, and as a result we are in a very challenging situation, and
have had to react quickly to the situation. We did need to let a few people
go—and it's horrible for everyone involved to ever have to let people go. We
will continue to do everything we can to evolve the manga business and we very
much appreciate the support of our fans, our partners, our creators, and out retail
customers."
News: U.S. Man Sues Over Toei's Knights
of the Zodiac/St. Seiya posted on 2011-03-08 08:49 EST
Isaac A. Potter, Jr.
alleges that anime infringed on his work's copyrights, trademarks
The Japanese studio
Toei Animation announced on Tuesday that a man filed a lawsuit against Toei's
American subsidiary, Toei Animation Incorporated (TAI), over rights related to
the Knights of the Zodiac (Saint Seiya in Japanese) anime series. The
plaintiff, Isaac A. Potter, Jr., served as his own lawyer when he filed the
suit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia on
December 9, 2010. Potter alleges that TAI's Knights of the Zodiac infringed on
his copyrights and trademarks. In addition to TAI, Potter named the United
States of America as a defendant. Potter is seeking an injunction against TAI,
US$1 billion in punitive damages, and additional statutory damages.
Toei adapted Masami
Kurumada's 1986-1990 mythological fantasy manga Saint Seiya into a 1986-1989
television anime series of the same name. ADV Films and DiC Entertainment
released the anime in North America in two versions: a version with English
subtitles under the original name, and a version with English dubbing under the
name Knights of the Zodiac. As such, Toei filed for registration on a U.S.
trademark on "Knights of the Zodiac" for animation, trading cards,
clothing, and toys on May 20, 2002, and received the registration on May 20,
2008. The dubbed Knights of the Zodiac version premiered on the American
Cartoon Network on August 30, 2003.
The plaintiff and
his brother Samuel J. Potter, under the name Potter Boys' Creations, obtained
copyright protection for a drawing entitled "Zodiac Knights 2000" on
October 10, 1995. They then filed a U.S. trademark for "Zodiac Knights 2000
ZK" for clothing, games, advertising, and other services on February 24,
1997, although the status of this trademark has been "abandoned" and
"dead" since April 9, 1998. They also filed the trademark
"Zodiac Knights 2000" separately in Indiana on March 1, 2004, and the
status of that registration is "live."
In May of 2003, the
Potters published a book called Zodiac Knights 2000 Featuring Creatures of the
Knights: Creatures of the Knights (A New Era). Potter used the services of 1st
Book Publishing, a company that offers to print books for authors seeking to
self-publish their works.
The Potters had
filed an earlier lawsuit in Georgia's Fulton County (later moved to the U.S.
District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division) against
the Cartoon Network on July 18, 2006. The Cartoon Network filed two motions to
dismiss the suit in 2006, and both motions were denied. The court had concluded
that the Potters had not abandoned their trademark due to their separate
registration filing in Indiana.
Toei consulted with
its legal representation and asserts that it finds no legal grounds for the
plaintiff's current lawsuit. Toei said that it will fight the suit and could
try to dismiss it. The studio added that it does not believe the suit will affect
its business.
News: Magic Tree House Books' 2012 Film
Confirmed as Anime posted on 2011-03-08 09:56 EST
Azumanga Daioh
director, writer adapt Mary Pope Osborne's fantasy adventure for children
The Japanese film
distributor Gaga confirmed during the Tuesday press conference for its
2011-2012 movie lineup that the Magic Tree House fantasy adventure film is
being produced by Japanese animators. Since 1992, American author Mary Pope
Osborne has been writing the original children's books about Jack and Annie,
two siblings who go on adventures throughout time with a mysterious tree house.
The film will open nationwide in Japan on January 7, 2012.
As previously
reported, the anime film will be based on Ayana Amako's illustrations for the
Japanese edition of the book series, as opposed to Salvatore Murdocca's
illustrations for the orginal American edition. Hiroshi Nishikiori (Azumanga
Daioh, Toaru Majutsu no Index, Kaiketsu Zorori) is directing off a screenplay
written by Ichiro Okouchi (Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, Azumanga
Daioh, Negima!, Brave Story).
Yoshiaki Yanagida
(Genshiken, You Are Umasou, Spirit of Wonder) is designing the characters and
supervising the animation process, and Toshiharu Mizutani (Akira, The Piano
Forest, Space Adventure Cobra) is serving as art director. Akira Senju
(Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Mobile Suit Victory Gundam, live-action
Rampo) is composing the music.
92 million copies of
the franchise's 45 books have been sold in 33 countries, including 3.3 million in
Japan alone. 29 volumes have been published in Japan since 2002, although the
first 14 Japanese volumes each contained material from two American volumes.
The books are a major part of "morning reading time" in many Japanese
elementary schools.
News: Kamui Designer/Unico Helmer Moribi
Murano Passes Away posted on 2011-03-08 10:58 EST
Manga
creator/illustrator also drew Hoero! Bun Bun, Kusabue no Kisetsu
Manga creator and
illustrator Moribi Murano passed away due to heart failure in a Tokyo hospital
on Monday, March 7 at 10:00 p.m. He was 69. He had been hospitalized since
January due to illness.
Murano was born in
Dalian, China on September 5, 1941 under the name Mamoru Satō. He made his
professional debut with Dangan Ronkii in 1958, and his manga works include
Kusabue no Kisetsu, Boxer, Kakine no Majo, Osamu to Tae, and Shokunin-zuku
Hyakkei. Arguably his best known work is Hoero! Bun Bun (Howl! Bun Bun) about
the adventures of a puppy; the story inspired a 1980-1981 television anime and
a 1987 anime film.
Murano also became
an animator under the tutelage of the late pioneer Osamu Tezuka. Murano directed
the Unico: To The Magic Island film and designed the characters in the Dagger
of Kamui film.
A service will be
held in Tokyo on the morning of March 13. Murano is survived by his wife Taeko
Satō.
News: Voice Actor Kan Tokumaru Passes
Away at 69 posted on 2011-03-10 01:38 EST
Gundam's Gaia,
Gaiking's Fan Li, Tekkaman's Pegas, The IDOLM@STER's President Takagi
The entertainment
talent agency Arts Vision announced on Thursday that voice actor Kan Tokumaru
had passed away on March 6 after a long illness. He was 69.
Among his many anime
roles were Fan Li in Daikuu Maryuu Gaiking, the Black Tri-Star member Gaia in
the first Mobile Suit Gundam film trilogy, David Ryan in the Silent Service
television special, the title character for two episodes of Space Pirate
Captain Harlock, and Pegas in Uchuu no Kishi Tekkaman. He was also
765Production President Junichirō Takagi in The IDOLM@STER videogame.
News: Mobile Software Company Aplix Buys
Anime Studio AIC posted on 2011-03-10 07:03 EST
Aplix to pay Oizumi
700 million yen to own studio behind Megazone 23, Miyu, Tenchi Muyo!, Aa!
Megamisama!, Oreimo, Hourou Musuko
The mobile software
company Aplix Corporation announced on Thursday that it will acquire the
Japanese anime studio Anime International Company (AIC) as a wholly owned
subsidiary for 700 million yen (about US$8.5 million). Aplix intends to offer anime
videos and other contents in China and Southeast Asia on smartphones from
Korea's Samsung Electronics, China's Huawei Technologies, and other makers.
Aplix is buying AIC
from the pachisuro (pachinko-parlor slot machine) maker Oizumi, which had just
acquired AIC last year. At the time, Oizumi spent 530 million yen (US$6.3
million) for 95% of AIC.
Toru Miura
established the studio that would become AIC on July 15, 1982, and he is its
current head. AIC has a number of sub-studios within itself: AIC Digital, AIC
Spirits, AIC ASTA, AIC PLUS+, and AIC Takarazuka. It has 95 million yen (US$1.1
million) in capital.
AIC has worked on
Strike Witches 2, Amagami SS, the anime adaptation of Tsukasa Fushimi's Ore no
Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai (Oreimo) light novel series, and the
ongoing Hourou Musuko anime recently. AIC produced about 200 anime titles in
the past, including Megazone 23, Gall Force, Bubblegum Crisis, Vampire Princess
Miyu, Tenchi Muyo!, Aa Megami-sama, Armitage III, El Hazard, Seto no Hanayome,
Bamboo Blade, and Sora no Otoshimono.
Aplix was founded in
1986, and it had 13.263 billion yen (US$160 million) in capital as of 2009. Its
chief executive officer is Ryu Koriyama.
News: Toei Replaces Possibly Infringing
Dragon Ball Kai Music posted on 2011-03-10 07:23 EST
Anime studio
discovers multiple tracks that may infringe on 3rd party's rights
The Japanese studio
Toei Animation announced on Wednesday that it discovered multiple background
music tracks from its Dragon Ball Kai anime series that it suspects may
infringe on the rights of an unidentified third party or parties. As a result,
the studio is taking measures to replace the affected tracks. Toei is
discussing with others involved in the production about the investigation and
future measures it may take.
The new television
anime series Toriko is taking over Dragon Ball Kai's timeslot in Japan next
month.
Dragon Ball Z Kai
condenses the 1989-1996 Dragon Ball Z anime series to more closely follow Akira
Toriyama's Dragon Ball manga. The series features digital high-definition
remastering, a re-recorded soundtrack, and select scenes updated with new
effects or re-animated footage.
Funimation has been
releasing Dragon Ball Kai on Blu-ray Disc and DVD in North America. The digital
television channel Nicktoons and the over-the-air television programming block
Toonzai have been running the series in the United States.
------------------------------------
BioShock Movie; Gore Verbinski Out Posted
February 15, 2011 - By Nikole Zivalich
BioShock the movie
is no longer being directed by Gore Verbinski. During an interview with
ComingSoon.net Verbinski went into detail on why he's no longer involved with
the BioShock movie. "I couldn't really get past anybody that would spend
the money that it would take to do it and keep an R rating," he explained.
Keep reading for more.
One of the major
issues Verbinski had with making the BioShock movie was deciding on how graphic
and mature to make it. "Alternately, I wasn't really interested in
pursuing a PG-13 version. Because the R rating is inherent. Little Sisters and
injections and the whole thing. I just wanted to really, really make it a movie
where, four days later, you're still shivering and going, "Jesus
Christ!"... It's a movie that has to be really, really scary, but you also
have to create a whole underwater world, so the pricetag is high. We just
didn't have any takers on an R-rated movie with that price-tag." BioShock
had a M for Mature rating so a movie rating of R makes sense.
Verbinski even thought
a BioShock adaptation would be the perfect candiate for 3D. "[Bioshock]
would be a great movie to do in 3D. I'd like to go into that world wearing a
pair of glasses. I think in general, gaming is perfect for 3D. Anything where
you're the protagonist. The kid in 'The Shining' on the big wheel, going around
corridors. That's what 3D is perfect for. To make people feel on-edge."
I'm not a huge fan of 3D myself but when he puts it that way I kind of agree.
Morning Hangover: Why The BioShock Movie
Won't Be Made Posted February 16, 2011 - By Nikole Zivalich
Yesterday we found
out why Gore Verbinski is no longer working on the BioShock movie adaptation.
Basically, he couldn't get enough backing (money) for the movie he wanted to
make. "We just didn't have any takers on an R-rated movie with that
price-tag," he said.
Verbinski remains
convinced the BioShock film will never get made unless the movie was made to
meet a PG-13 rating. The Gore Verbinski version of BioShock could have a been a
dark, graphic, and authentic video game based movie. The reason this movie
won't be made is because the studios are afraid to put money behind something
that won't appeal to the lowest common denominator. Is this the reason video
game based movies are destined to fail, because movie execs don't have faith in
making video game movies authentic?
Don Bluth Hopes iPhone Game Will Lead To
Animation Project Posted Last week - By Kevin Kelly
At GDC this week, we
sat down with animation legend Don Bluth, the genius behind features The Land
Before Time, An American Tail, and video games Space Ace and Dragon’s Lair, to
get the story on his newest project, Tapper World Tour, an iPhone/iPad
re-imagining of classic arcade title Tapper.
According to Bluth,
part of the motivation for Dragon’s Lair back in the 1980s was monetary. He had
run out of funding for animated film The Secret of NIMH, and hoped that
Dragon’s Lair would provide some much needed capital. The game was, of course,
incredibly successful, and The Secret of NIMH was completed to nearly universal
critical acclaim. Bluth said he’d love to something similar happen with Tapper
World Tour.
In spite of a career
in film that began in the 1950s with Walt Disney animation studio, Bluth said
Dragon’s Lair may end up as his more lasting work in the public’s imagination.
“We’ll be remembered
for that stupid 20 minutes of animation in Dragon’s Lair,” Bluth said, “While
our 12 animated features will go who-knows-where.”
Tomb Raider Movie Reboot Coming Posted 3
days ago - By Stephen Johnson
Back in December, we
let you guys know that a reboot of the Tomb Raider game franchise is in the
works. Today, we learned that the movie franchise is getting a reboot too. The
next Tomb Raider is planned for a 2013 release; the rights for the franchise
are owned by GK Films, and it will be produced by GK's Graham King and Tim
Headington. According to GK Films, the goal is to "create daring new
adventures for the young and dynamic Lara Croft."
No writer, director
or stars have yet been announced yet, and we don't know any plot details, but
according to The Hollywood Reporter's unnamed sources, Tomb Raider is planned
as an origin story, and that means that iconic star Angelina Jolie may not be
returning in the lead role of Lara Croft.
So who would you
like to see play Lara? Personally, I think the series should go way into the
origin, and star pre-teen future super-celebrity Suri Cruise, but then, I'm
probably not in tuned to the marketing and creative genius of Hollywood film
executives.
Doom To Be Rebooted In 3D? Posted 2 days
ago - By Joseph Baxter
According to a new
rumor, a reboot film of Id Software's seminal first person shooter Doom may
soon be clawing at our faces -- In 3D. The original report from What's Playing
didn't have much details, but allegedly, Universal Pictures is interested in
resurrecting the film property. Apparently now in early stages of development,
the film is said to completely abandon the events depicted in the
notoriously-panned 2005 Doom movie, which starred Dwayne "The Rock"
Johnson and Karl Urban. Of course, not that it matters all that much, since
Doom was never exactly a property with a fertile and delicate storyline canon
around which a writer needed to tip-toe. With the ultra-groundbreaking,
never-before-attempted in history medium of 3D [/sarcasm], the question lingers
as to whether we should expect a film that attempts to get a bit deeper than
its much-maligned predecessor, or will it be another disposable experience?
In all honesty, I
went into the last Doom film not expecting a masterpiece. I mean, it's fricking
Doom! I wasn't really expecting Julius Caesar with grenade launchers. Yet,
besides the weak storyline with oddly-veiled referenced to the game's creature
characters, as well as the barely-tolerable acting, the film for the most part
delivered the experience that I paid to see. -- Mindless action and demonic
creatures getting blown to bits with big guns. It's not exactly a formula that
required a giant lecture hall chalkboard with a team of math scholars to crack.
I'm certainly not
expecting a masterpiece this time around either, but hopefully, the 3D aspect
can be utilized in a way that at least makes the film memorable. This is
definitely the biggest aspect in which the last film failed. In its initial
blog-hype/rumor phase, that film also touted a scene which would depict a
first-person shooter perspective as Karl Urban's character took things to the
creature-infested fortress with guns in hands, blowing stuff up from a point of
view that was very familiar to gamers. -- And when all was said and done, it
lasted about a hot minute. -- Fail.
Last Minute Finds…..
News: Studio 4°C Co-Produces French Animated Film Mutafukaz posted on
2011-03-11 10:00
EST
Tekkon
Kinkreet/Genius Party anime studio teams up with French publisher Ankama
The entertainment
trade magazine Variety reported last Friday that Japanese animation studio
Studio 4°C is collaborating with the French videogame and comics publisher
Ankama to create a 2D-animated adaptation of Guillaume "Run" Renard
comic series Mutafukaz.
Renard's original
comic series is set in "Dark Meat City" — a "pre-apocalyptic
American urban jungle" — and revolves around Angelina, a young man whose
scooter accident results in the acquisition of supernatural powers. Ankama's
official website for the comic states that it is inspired by science fiction of
the 1950s, hip hop music, and wrestling.
Variety reports that
the animated film will have a budget of US$11-14 million and is tentatively
titled Mutafukaz. Studio 4°C has worked on a variety of international
collaborations, including the upcoming remake of the American animated series
Thundercats and several projects with Warner Bros. franchises: The Animatrix,
Batman: Gotham Knight, and Halo Legends.
News: Anime/Manga/Game Industry Members
Check In After Quake (Updated) posted on 2011-03-11 15:22 EST
Creators, singers,
translators, others report via social networking sites
Due to cultural
differences, less people donate blood in Japan than in many other countries.
The Red Cross is one of several organizations throughout the world who accept
blood donations and other contributions.
The following
members of the anime, manga, game, and related industries have checked in via
Twitter or other social networking sites to report being alive and well after
the March 11 earthquake (Tōhoku Chihō Taiheiyō-oki Jishin):
Japanese Anime/Manga Industry:
Atsushi Abe
Yoshitoshi Abe
Tadashi Agi
Kurea Aida
Mayumi Aida
Akamatsu Studio via
Ken Akamatsu
Satomi Akesaka
Touko Akiba
Reno Amagi
Ume Aoki
Yuu Asakawa
Kia Asamiya
Kiyohiko Azuma
Koge Donbo
Kanetake Ebikawa
Minari Endoh
Cocoa Fujiwara
Usamaru Furuya
Hitomi Harada
Bisco Hatori
Yukari Higa
Kouta Hirano
Satoru Hiura
Rei Hiroe
Aya Hirano
Yui Horie
Mamoru Hosoda
Yui Kano
Kazuhiko Inoue
Kikuko Inoue
Marina Inoue
Akira Ishida
Mai Kadowaki
Eri Kitamura
Kenji Kamiyama
Mel Kishida
Akiko Kobayashi
Katsuyuki Konishi
Mami Kosuge
Minako Kotobuki
Yun Kouga
Tite Kubo
Lily Hoshino
Madhouse Studios via
Masao Maruyama
Temari Matsumoto
Nana Mizuki
Junko Mizuno
Halko Momoi
Megumi Nakajima
Yuuichi Nakamura
Yasuhiro Nightow
Ryotaro Okiayu
Hiroya Oku
Natsume Ono
Rina Satou
Humikane Shimada
Tomokazu Sugita
Ayahi Takagaki
Hiroyuki Takei
Mick Takeuchi
Yukari Tamura
Rie Tanaka
Arina Tanemura
Haruka Tomatsu
Aki Toyosaki
Kana Ueda
Chika Umino
Kouichi Yamadera
Suzuhito Yasuda
Hiroki Yasumoto
Nao Yazawa
Kumichi Yoshizuki
Kaori Yuki
Tokyo-based and Visiting North American
Industry:
Matt Alt
William Flanagan
Dan Kanemitsu
Stu Levy
Patrick Macias
J-List via Peter
Payne
Rob Pereyda
Matt Thorn
Other:
Danny Choo
Circus game studio
via MangaGamer's John Pickett
Rie Fu
Aki Hata
Hobby Link Japan
figure seller
Hideo Kojima
Nami Tamaki
Hikaru Utada
Yoshiki
Widespread destruction from Japan
earthquake, tsunamis By the CNN Wire
StaffMarch 11, 2011 7:45 p.m. EST
Tokyo (CNN) -- The
morning after Japan was struck by the most powerful earthquake to hit the
island nation in recorded history and the tsunami it unleashed -- and even as
the earth continued to twitch with aftershocks -- the disaster's massive impact
was only beginning to be revealed. The 8.9-magnitude temblor, which was
centered near the east coast of Japan, killed hundreds of people, caused the
formation of 30-foot walls of water that swept across rice fields, engulfed
entire towns, dragged houses onto highways, and tossed cars and boats like
toys. Some waves reached six miles (10 kilometers) inland in Miyagi Prefecture
on Japan's east coast. Buildings collapsed by the score, and numerous fires
were ignited. Hundreds more people were missing, Japanese media reported,
citing local and national police. Tens of thousands of people were displaced,
according to Japan's Kyodo News Agency. Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the
"enormously powerful" earthquake had caused "tremendous damage
over a wide area." The quake, which struck at 2:46 p.m. (12:46 a.m. ET),
prompted the U.S. National Weather Service to issue tsunami warnings for at
least 50 countries and territories. The epicenter of Friday's main quake was
located off Miyagi Prefecture, about 230 miles (370 kilometers) northeast of
Tokyo, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
Also in Miyagi,
officials reported that a train had derailed and authorities had lost contact
with four trains in coastal areas, Kyodo reported, citing the East Japan
Railway Company.
Japanese
broadcasters showed video of collapsed buildings and reported widespread power
outages and transportation disruptions. In Tokyo, rail service was suspended
overnight, elevated highways were shut early Saturday and surface streets
remained jammed as commuters -- thousands of whom had spent the night in
shelters -- tried to get to their homes in outlying areas. Video aired by
Japanese broadcaster NHK showed extensive fires in Miyagi and in the port city
of Hakodate, in the southern part of Hokkaido island in northern Japan. An oil
refinery was burning in Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo, according to NHK. And
Kyodo News said fires could be seen in extensive areas of Kesennuma in Miyagi.
Aerial views of
Kesennuma showed plumes of white smoke emanating from the center of the city
and large, black areas the flames had already traversed. In the city of
Minamisoma in Fukushima Prefecture, all that was left of many structures were
their foundations. Only concrete and steel buildings appeared to have withstood
the wash. No people were visible in the streets of the town, whose population
on Friday had been 70,000. And a dam in Fukushima Prefecture failed, washing
away homes, Kyodo reported. There was no immediate word of casualties, but the
Defense Ministry said 1,800 homes were destroyed.
The National Weather
Service sent a warning to 50 countries and territories it said could be
affected by the tsunami.
Scores of
aftershocks jarred the country Saturday, punctuated by a pair of strong
earthquakes in the early morning, including one with a magnitude of 7.1 and
another with a magnitude of 6.6.
Radioactive material
may have leaked from an atomic power plant in northeast Japan, a major electric
company said Saturday, according to a news agency report. Citing the Tokyo
Electric Power Co., Japan's Kyodo News Agency said that radioactive substances
may have seeped out of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactors, about 160 miles
(260 kilometers) north of Tokyo.
And cooling problems
appeared to have spread to another of the Tokyo Electric Power Company's
nuclear plants.
Moment of the Japan
quake Kyodo reported the power company alerted authorities that the cooling
system at three units of the Fukushima Daini plant -- which is distinct from
the Fukushima Daiichi reactors -- also failed. That prompted Japanese
authorities to add that plant to its emergency list, along with the Fukushima
Daiichi plant, Kyodo said.
The agency also
reported Saturday that the same agency ordered the power company to release a
valve in the Fukushima Daiichi plant's "No. 1" building, to relieve
growing pressure. Citing Japan's nuclear safety agency, Kyodo said radiation
levels were 1,000 times above normal in the the control room of the facility's
"No. 1."
Prime Minister Kan
told reporters he would board a helicopter to inspect the plant and the rest of
the affected region from a helicopter. The government had ordered the
evacuation of residents nearest the plant as efforts to keep it cool after it
was shut were initially hampered. The confirmed death toll stood at 202 in nine
prefectures, not counting the 200 to 300 bodies -- apparently drowned -- found
in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Kyodo said, citing police. It reported that 673
people were unaccounted for. But NHK, also citing police, said at least 427
people were confirmed dead and more than 740 were missing across several
prefectures. Kyodo predicted the death toll would surpass 1,000. The news
agency, citing Japan's defense forces, also said 60,000 to 70,000 people were
being evacuated to shelters in the Sendai area of Miyagi Prefecture.
The prime minister
said an emergency task force had been activated, and he appealed for calm. The
government dispatched 8,000 troops to assist in the recovery effort and asked
for U.S. military assistance, according to Kyodo.
A spokesman for the
U.S. military bases in Japan said all service members were accounted for and
there were no reports of damage to installations or ships. U.S. President
Barack Obama offered his condolences and said the United States was standing by
to help "in this time of great trial." The U.S. Navy initiated
reconnaissance flights to map the disaster zone and was moving the aircraft
carrier USS Ronald Reagan into position to assist the Japanese government with
relief efforts, defense officials said. Two search-and-rescue teams, totaling
more than 140 people, were en route, the U.S. Agency for International
Development said. Images from Japanese media and CNN iReporters showed smoke
pouring from buildings and water rushing across fields, carrying away entire
structures. The quake toppled cars off bridges and into waters underneath.
Waves of debris flowed like lava across farmland, pushing boats, houses and
trailers. About 4 million homes had no power in Tokyo and surrounding areas.
The quake also
disrupted rail service and affected air travel. Hundreds of flights were
canceled, Kyodo said. Some 13,000 people were stranded at the Narita airport,
and 10,000 were stuck at the Haneda airport, the news agency said. Flights into
and out of both airports had resumed Saturday. At Tokyo Station, one of Japan's
busiest subway terminals, shaken commuters grabbed one another to stay steady
as the ground shook. Dazed residents poured into the streets, and offices and
schools were closed. Children cried.The impact was felt far and wide. In
McKinleyville, California, a wave swept three men into the Pacific Ocean as
they were reportedly trying to take photos of the incoming tsunami waves,
according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Two of the men returned to shore, but one
died, officials said.
Japanese government
officials said large tsunami waves were still a risk to coastal Japan, and they
urged residents in coastal areas to move to higher ground. The tsunami brought
waves of nearly 7 feet to a harbor in Maui, authorities said, but other areas
reported lower levels. On the U.S. mainland, wave heights from Alaska to
California ranged from under a foot to over 8 feet. The highest measurement,
8.1 feet, was at Crescent City, California.
Humanitarian
agencies were working with rescue crews to reach people affected by the
earthquake and tsunami.
On Wednesday, a
7.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Honshu, the country's
meteorological agency said. Early Thursday, an earthquake with a preliminary
magnitude of 6.3 struck off the same coast.
Friday's quake is
the strongest earthquake in recorded history to hit Japan, according to U.S.
Geologic Survey records. The previous record was an 8.6-magnitude earthquake
that struck near the Chubu Region near southwestern Honshu on October 28, 1707,
that may have killed 5,000 people, CNN meteorologist Sean Morris said.
That quake generated
a 33-foot (10-meter) tsunami wave, and some scientists believe the quake may
have triggered the eruption of Mount Fuji 49 days later, Morris said.
The world's largest
recorded quake took place in Chile on May 22, 1960, with a magnitude of 9.5,
the USGS said.
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