:anime: School Rumble's First Course: Web Site Creation!

After last week's announcement from FUNimation of an early 2007 target for the series' debut stateside, the company apparently has made their School Rumble site live to the public. Currently, there is only a cast picture promoting the upcoming release, but the web site is sure to expand over the course of the next few months. It is good to see them using the original logo, which didn't really require any sort of change since the majority it is in English already.

:anime: Noein: Towards the U.S. Coast...

Manga Entertainment released a press release last week detailing out the first volume for Noein. The most eye-popping statement in it is not the factoid of "6000 cels shot per episode," but the $19.98 price tag on it. That's a truly, obscenely low price for a show of Noein's caliber; a five-episode release like this one (which still has all the bells-and-whistles of most other ones, including 5.1 DD and 2.0 Stereo, English/Japanese + Subtitles {Closed Captioning also included in here!}, and Extras of the likes of textless OPs & EDs and Behind-the-Scenes) would almost certainly go for the usual $29.99. It is very good to see Manga distribute this particular series at such a price level that many can afford and consider to purchase. As one of the best anime of the last year, the already positive comments from those who have already watched it in its entirety and the ones bound to come from people who have yet to view it should help additionally boost this great show to top of the sales chart. Now hopefully Manga will attach a starter box with the next installment (a tactic that, last I checked, another company appeared to be employing recently) or a latter one.

Over the Weather and Through the Woods...

Not too great of a first half of the week, as I had not been feeling all too great. This of course prevented me from posting some of the things I had wanted to, but now I'm allllll better, so now I can get back to this (and maybe some boxing, too, perhaps! :D ).

:anime: Shin Angyo Onshi --> Good, Blade of the Phantom Mask --> Uh... No

At 2006 Otakon, ADV Films announced their picking up of the Japanese/Korean anime movie Shin Angyo Onshi, which will be rechristened Blade of the Phantom Mask in the U.S. Though I thought that the movie would never get picked up anytime soon, I'm very happy to have seen it get acquired by ADV, whom I was expecting the most to license it. I can't be too happy, though, with their renaming of it. The title is lame and shifts more of the focus to the warriors that the main character summons (if it were closer to the actual translation, which is more along the lines of being about said character, then it wouldn't be so poor-sounding). They have kept the original names for other shows, and it's not as if this one is terribly difficult to pronounce, so the change here is miffing.

Despite all of this, the movie itself makes for a very good watch. The nice visuals and score (including the themes sung by BoA) blend well with the story. It may play more like the beginning of a series (I can only hope...) and it may be little rough-around-the-edges, but it nonetheless is very entertaining and enticing.

...I just hope that enough of a stink is made about the title to warrant a switch back to the original.


P.S.: I'll still buy the DVD, it's just that...

:anime: FUNi School Rumblings!!

FUNimation, at 2006 Otakon today, announced its mass acquisition of the School Rumble anime franchise, which includes both seasons and the two OVAs. One of my favorite comedies and shows overall, it doesn't surprise me to much that FUNimation got this. The kind of comedic style employed in the show is something that the company is suited for handling, which was something that was on my mind while I was thinking about who would license/dub it. However, I hope that the changes in the script are minimal, especially since there isn't much in the lines worth altering. Either way, I'm glad that School Rumble (and as a whole, no less) was finally picked up. Considering the size of the fanbase and the accolades it has received, I am surprised that it wasn't snatched up sooner.

With FUNimation's licensing of shows like The Galaxy Railways, Solty Rei, and now this one, it's almost as if they are checking off on my "Imaginary Licensing Wishlist." :D