Sunday February 8, 2009
Winter wonderland
By KUROGANE
The latest hot picks from Japan for this wintry season.
Anime fans can look forward to an avalanche of magical winter offerings that includes idol wars, divine beings and floating castles.
White Album
YUKI Morikawa (voiced by Aya Hirano) has always aspired to become an idol and she gets her wish finally when she is discovered after she graduates from high school. On the other hand, Rina Ogata (Nana Mizuki) is already an established idol with considerable influence.
Fate inevitably links the two when they battle for fame and the affections of Yuki’s boyfriend, Fujii Touya.
An adaptation of the popular 1998 dating simulation game by the Japanese company Leaf, White Album is enjoying a revival with a high-profile anime makeover. Life imitates art as the two seiyuu greats – Aya and Nana – are “facing off” each other; White Album is already billed as a dream battle between two of the biggest names in the Japanese voice-acting world.
Idols slug it out in White Album. Of course, there will be a smorgasbord of songs by both seiyuu and this will be interesting to watch as both have different styles. Aya tends to lean towards rock music while Nana’s leverage is her powerful vocals.
The battle of the “idols” isn’t a new idea. Last year, the anime Macross Frontier had two characters becoming singing rivals, and this single-handedly made the careers of May’N and Megumi Nakajima (who voiced the rivals Sheryl Nome and Ranka Lee respectively). Will White Album be able to top that?
Kurokami: The Animation
(www.kurokami-anime.net and www.kurokami.bandai-ent.com)
Based on the popular South Korean manhwa Black God (published by Yen Press in English), Kurokami has as its main character, Keita Ibuki, a computer programmer whose simple act of kindness lands himself in the soup.
When he meets a starving girl named Kuro, Keita treats her to a bowl of ramen, only to end up being in the thick of a supernatural war. Kuro turns out to be a “Mototsumitama”, a divine being whose job is to preserve the balance of the world. Poor Keita is forced to enter a contract with her in order to save both their lives and the world as well.
I’ve been expecting an anime out of this series for quite a while, as it’s one of the most engaging of its genre. The manga has brilliantly executed fights and a really deep story – full of dramatic twists and turns. There’s also something to be said about the impressive art, which hopefully will be translated well into the anime.
The South Korean manhwa Black God gets the anime treatment. Sunrise is producing this anime. Going by the outfit’s track record of producing shows with cool action choreography, one should not worry here. The show will be aired simultaneously on TV in Japan and the United States, the first collaboration of its kind in the industry. The US edition will be dubbed in English.
Kemono no Souja Erin
Also known as The Beast Player, this anime is adapted from yet another Nahoko Uehashi (who also wrote Seirei no Moribito) novel.
It revolves around Erin, a girl who is able to tame beasts by playing a musical instrument. Her special talent makes her a target between kingdoms, sparking a war where each seeks to use her ability to gain the upper hand.
Seirei no Moribito (2007) was an extremely good show and now with Production I.G. animating another of Nahoko Uehashi works, hopes are high for this adaptation. It’s currently slated for 50 episodes over Japan’s NHK TV. Newcomer seiyuu Nanase Hoshii will voice Erin; there are other notable names in the cast such as Takahashi Mikako (Yamada Ayumi in Honey and Clover) and Akira Ishida (Athrun Zala in Gundam Seed).
Sora wo Miageru Shoujo no Hitomi ni Utsuru Sekai
The name is certainly a mouthful but it’s actually the retelling of Kyoto Animation’s earliest work, Munto (2002).
Yumemi Hidaka can see “floating islands” in the sky that no one else can, and consequently, has become introverted due to the teasing she gets from others who can’t see what she sees. Little does she know that the islands she glimpses are the Heavenly Kingdom, and they have a problem: they’re running out of their main source of energy, Akuto, and this causes war to break out.
Its ruler, Munto, decides to follow a prophetic dream and descend to Earth, known to them as the “Lower World”, to look for their saviour, which incidentally turns out to be Yumemi.
The original OVA is difficult to find because it’s out of print but the new TV series, with its bigger budget and better production values, looks set to surpass its predecessor.
This is Kyoto Animation’s first original work for a TV series, after making its name with a host of critically-acclaimed novel/manga-to-anime adaptations (Full Metal Panic!, Clannad, Kanon 2006), hence fans are awaiting this show with bated breath.
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