June 2005
June 30, 2005
"Cromartie High School" Sued by Cromartie
According to Asahi.com, he claims his publicity right, saying “ I have not allowed them to use my name. Students in Cromartie High School are depicted as gangsters. I feel angry that my name is used in such a film.”
According to Sansupo.com, he alerted Kodansha, publisher of the manga, last August, but the company answered that there is nobody looks like him in the manga, and that they don’t intend to stain his honor.
This time too the distributor, Media Suits, refused his complaint and answered “We believe that this movie is innocent in terms of defamation. We will sincerely deal with this matter and ask for his understanding.”
Sansupo com. concludes “Despite Cromartie’s anger, this case would boost the movie a great deal.”
It is true that the name “Cromartie” reminds many Japanese of this self-conscious ballplayer. But let me correct him; students in Cromartie High are not gangsters but geeks or weirdos who fail to be a gangster in spite of their effort to be. Some of them are not even human being, but we love all those idiots.
June 29, 2005
Free online manga for interenational readers
I can't help regarding them as the niche business now. Aside from the fact that fans prefer manga printed on the paper, the lineups of the titles in the distribution sites are more ore less old or far from major.
In other words, there must be the possibility if it has the fascinating lineup that we can't help but turn our attention to.
Distributing manga (anime, movie or any) works through the internet has another potential strength ; fans all over the world can read them simultaneously without being bothered by the time lag caused by the troublesome licencing and translation.
A publishing company, Gentosha, launched the English version of its online manga site yesterday.
Web Comic Genzo
It contains some popular manga such as Gravitation.
You can try it for free now, and if you want to subscribe it on the internet, you can charge to your international credit card.
June 28, 2005
Manga Department in the University
The University already has Manga Course (60 students) in its Fine Art Department and it will be transferred to the new department.
Along with the Manga Course, the new department will offer Manga Produce Course and Animation Course.
It is great in that manga was recognized as an academic subject worth studying, but it will scarcely effect any change in Japanese manga works because theory doesn’t advance the quality of each manga.
There already are many practical schools (専門学校/ senmon gakkou) which have a manga course as well as an animation course. We can find 103 schools through the searching service. Students can learn how to write a script and how to draw objects, but the school doesn’t certify that the graduates can be a mangaka, animator, or writer. They still have to apply for the contests or have an appointment to an editor to sell his/her manga like any other wannabes who didn’t learn how to draw manga at school.
Ironically, it is the case that the editors judge their manga not so much by their skills as by their originality and potentiality.
I admit I’m a bit harsh on the guys studying at manga school. It must because I have heard a teacher of a manga school complain “I’m not a counselor…”
She continued that many of her students entered the school not because they wanted to be a professional manga artist but because they just didn’t have interest in other subject than manga and anime. They have no idea what to express in their manga. They have little first-hand experience in the life and can’t get along with other people. They come to her, their first teacher who doesn’t say not to read manga, to consult their personal problems instead of turning in their manga homework.
Of course there must be diligent students who have original ideas to express in manga and eager to develop their skills. But for those who want to escape from the harsh reality, manga schools are the nest where they indulge in everything. The schools should have evaluated them before allowing them to enter.
Models for the background of Negima!
To be honest, I have little interest in the made-up situation for boys, like "somehow a boy attracts a dozen of cute and pretty girls."
I don't recall how I happened to read Mahou Sensei Negima!, one of the last manga I would try reading, but I was fascinated by its background, the magnificent scenes of the academic city, at first sight.
In "MAGISTER NEGI MAGI" Research Institute, a fan of Mahou Sensei Negima! digged for the background of the manga and displays the buildings the manga author adopted as the model for his manga.
June 27, 2005
Weekly Tankoubon Top 10 (June 20 - June 27)
1. |
School Rumble (9)
Pub date: June 17 |
2. |
げんしけん (6) Pub date: June 23 |
3. |
ジパング (19) Pub date: June 23 |
4. |
東京アンダーグラウンド(14) Pub date: June 22 |
5. |
蟲師 (6) Pub date: June 23 |
6. |
Pub date: June 17 |
7. |
サクラ大戦 漫画版 (4) Pub date: June 23 |
8. |
ラブやん (5) Pub date: June 23 |
9. |
あひるの空 (7) Pub date: June 17 |
10. |
Pub date: June 17 |
June 25, 2005
Questions for Howl's Moving Castle
In Reimen, Terayamaani confesses that when he watched the movie he thought “Which of us has gone insane, Miyazaki or me?” He says he was bothered by so many question marks in the movie that he couldn’t run on the storyline.
I, myself, was not distracted by the question marks because I am slow to notice things, but as soon as I finished watching the movie I realized the same questions as he points out in his blog. Here is the rough translation of his questions by me.
!!!! Be aware of the spoiler !!!!
How did Maricl become the disciple of Howl?
Why does Sophie’s mother treat her so coldly?
What made Howl attempt the fruitless resistance against the war even before he finds the needs to protect Sophie?
Why did the witch of the waste cast the spell on Sophie? ( in order to find out Howl, I guess, but Sophie, who had been enervated, could have accepted being an old woman.)
Who turned Cub into a scarecrow?
Was that Cub’s country that has been fighting against Haul’s country?
Once in a while Sophie suddenly turns back into young Sophie. Was there any law to happen that?
Why did Sariman’s dog betray her so easily?
What broke the witch’s spell on Sophie?
What was the secret promise between Howl and Calshifar?
Why could Sophie forgive the witch so easily?
Why did the witch give up Howl’s heart that she had been eager for desperately?
What part of Howl’s feature attracted Sophie? Why can she devote him her selfless love?
Why did Sariman, who is the master sorcerer and has the power to stop the war, support the cruel war? Why did she decide to stop it suddenly?
Terayamaani continues in his blog that Miyazaki might have got worried at the news of the war in Iraq and lost the concentration to make an entertaining movie whose theme was supposed to be “joie de vivre.”
In this respect, my opinion is a little bit different. The plot of the movie was so complicated for me to imagine any firm theme. It might be only my problem, but a movie that can’t convince me of something is no different from that that has no theme to me.
In the face of those unsolved questions, I must admit that the movie entertained me. The music and the art were splendid! I decided to buy a copy of DVD and try to find out the answer to the questions.
Howl's paper castle
Epson distributes the free pattern.
Find out the buttons specified for your OS. You need to click both buttons to download the pattern and the instruction.
If the file size is too big (the pattern consists of 26 sheets of A4-sized paper) for your PC to download at one time, download partically one by one from the lower table.
June 24, 2005
Monthly Manga Tankoubon Top 10 for May
1. |
ONE PIECE (37)
Pub date: April 28 |
2. |
フルーツバスケット (17) Pub date: May 19 |
3. |
Pub date: May 2 |
4. |
ツバサ 10―RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE (10) Pub date: May 17 |
| 5. |
魔法先生ネギま! (10) Pub date: May 17 |
6. |
Pub date: May 17 |
7. |
のだめカンタービレ (12) Pub date: May 13 |
8. |
アイシールド21 (13) Pub date: May 2 |
9. |
銀魂 (7) Pub date: May 2 |
10. |
Pub date: April 26 |
June 21, 2005
Order from Pizza Hut and get Fullmetal Alchemist
Pizza Hut announced the tie-up campaign with Fullmetal Alchemist the movie this summer.
When you order a pizza by phone (they offer only deliverly sevice in Japan) tell them that you will use the coupon (newspaper insert.) You will receive an application card in exchange for your coupon along with the pizza .
The card has a serial number. Access the site indicated on the card and submit your number, then you can apply for a prize out of three courses.
Course A: Three winners will get Al's two-meter-tall armor.
Course B: 300 winners will get the alarm clock with the alarming sound (voice) by Ed and Al.
Course C: 300 winners will get a pillow with Ed's print on the surface.
Unfortunately we have no Pissa Hut in our town. That's Ok, I'll eat at Shakey's after watching the Movie!
Gekijouban Hagane no Renkinjutsushi official site
Weekly Manga Top 10 (June 13 - June 19)
Taiyosha, a wholesale agency of books and magazines, announced this week's top 10 best seller tankoubon based on sales through June 13, 2005.
| 1. |
School Rumble (9)
Pub date: June 17 |
2. |
Pub date: June 16 |
3. |
ハヤテのごとく! (2) Pub date: June 16 |
4. |
ヤマトナデシコ七変化 (13) Pub date: June 13 |
5. |
史上最強の弟子ケンイチ (16) Pub date: June 16 |
6. |
焼きたて!!ジャぱん (18) Pub date: June 16 |
7. |
エンジェル・ハート (15) Pub date: June 9 |
8. |
スキップ・ビート! (10) Pub date: June 17 |
| 9. |
Pub date: June 17 |
| 10.
|
Pub date: June 17 |
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