PROTOCULTURE ADDICTS #93 CONTENTS

ANIME NEWS NETWORK’S

PROTOCULTUREプ ロトカル チャ ー ADDICTS 45 Issue #93 ( September / October 2007 )

48 14 SPOTLIGHT 14 Shounen vs Shoujo Romance ❙ by Carl Kimlinger 20 Royal coloRS

The Story of Saiunkoku ❙ by Bamboo Dong 26 STORIES PREVIEW Sample file Interview with 45 aIR 41 Psycho busters & ❙ by Jason Green ❙ by Bamboo Dong 48 coDe GeaSS ANIME WORLD ❙ by Miyako Matsuda ANIME VOICES 69 under The Radar 52 D.GRey-maN ❙ 4 letter From The editor ❙ by Miyako Matsuda by Brian Hanson 5 Page 5 editorial 54 GhoST huNT 68 The 10 best mecha 6 contributors’ Spotlight ❙ by Miyako Matsuda Shows you’ve Never 98 letters 56 haTaRaKI-maN Seen ❙ by Miyako Matsuda ❙ by Daryl Surat NEWS 59 my-oTome ❙ by Miyako Matsuda 7 anime & manga News REVIEWS 92 anime Releases 62 la coRDa D’oRo ❙ by Miyako Matsuda 77 manga 94 Related Products Releases 66 83 anime 96 manga Releases ❙ by Miyako Matsuda

Air © Visual Art’s / Key / Seekers. Code Geass © Sunrise / Project Geas • MBS. Character design © 2006 CLAMP. School Rumble © Kobayashi Jin / • Marvelous  Entertainment • Sotsu Agency • TV . LETTER FROM THE EDITOR ANIME NEWS NETWORK’S

Hello again, Protoculture Addicts! プPROTOCULTURE ロトカル チャ ー ADDICTS You may have noticed that this month’s issue is a little late finding its way into your Issue #93 (September / October 2007) hands; you found yourself scouring the magazine rack at your local bookstore, week after week, wondering where your bi-monthly PA fix was. Why are we late this time? E d i t o r i a l S t a f f

ANIME VOICES The answer is simple. Publisher / Advertising Convention season. Christopher Macdonald [CM] ( [email protected] ) Every summer, we – meaning the staff of both Protoculture Addicts and Anime News Network – find ourselves hopping all over America (well, okay, Baltimore and Southern , Editor-in-chief / Production Manager Claude J. Pelletier [CJP] respectively) to cover the year’s biggest anime conventions. This year, , Otakon ( [email protected] ) and San Diego Comic-Con all fell within the same month – meaning we were on the road Managing Editor more than half of the month of July. I slept in hotel beds more than my own. Zac Bertschy [ZB] For most people, conventions are a chance to unwind, see your friends, buy some mer- Associate Editor chandise in the dealer’s room, attend some informative panels, check out the latest industry Bamboo Dong [BD] acquisitions and maybe catch a glimpse of some brand-new anime. For the press – and the Contributing Editor / Translator industry as well – convention season is a nonstop whirlwind of browbeating labor. We’ve Miyako Matsuda [MM] got to attend every major panel, cover every major event (and a lot of the minor ones), Assistant Editor interview everyone at the show who’s worth talking to, do the requisite post-show drinking Valérie Cools [VC] and schmoozing, and then wake up the next day and do it all over again. This year, things were extra complicated thanks to Anime News Network’s brand-new video content, which Interns Natalie Khor, Steven Thach, Gary Thompson had our video editors (along with PA associate editor and on-camera personality Bamboo Dong) up until 6am every evening. There’s fun to be had, surely, but it’s a heck of a lot of C o n t r i b u t i n g W r i t e r s hard work, and everything – and I mean everything – else gets shoved aside to focus on Jason Green, Brian Hanson, Carl Kimlinger the task at hand. [CK], Theron Martin [TM], Carlo Santos [CS], Daryl Surat After San Diego Comic-con, which concluded at the tail end of July, your faithful PA staff – jetlagged, bloodied, bruised and beaten after a solid month of airports, airplane food, L a y o u t starchy hotel linens, second-rate hotels, and several gallons of cocktails each, still had a Claude J. Pelletier mountain of work left to do on Protoculture Addicts…Sample hence why we were file a wee bit late Istvan Pusztai (cover, 14-28) this time. C o v e r Still, there’s a lot to look forward to in this issue. Freshly-minted contributor Carl Kimlinger Provided by . School Rumble © lets us in on the secrets of love shonen style, Brian Hanson ponders why heady anime like Kobayashi Jin / Kodansha • Marvelous Enter- tainment • Sotsu Agency • TV Tokyo. Mind Game never seem to get licensed for US release, and Bamboo Dong takes us on a tour of Japanese literary history with The Story of Saiunkoku… all that plus the usual truckload S p e c i a l T h a n k s of content you’ve come to expect from us. Jason Alnas, Anne Armogida, Jeff Bowring, Bob Brown, Kevin J. Carney, Evelyn Dubocq, Our next issue, due this Holiday season, is special: it’s Protoculture Addicts’ 20th anniversary, Susan Hale, Lance Heiskell, Erik Jansen, Bill and we’re celebrating in style. Look for some fun exclusives, a look back at the last two de- Lai, Osamu Maseba, Chris Oarr, Peter Payne, Tamara Shumate, Eddie Stemkowski, and cades of PA, and a big fat article on the history of Protoculture Addicts’ namesake, . Richard Tong. Although I’ve only produced a handful of issues of this magazine and I register as barely a blip in the magazine’s history, it’s an honor to be working for the only anime magazine in How To Reach Us English that can claim to have been around since 1987. We’re really excited about the 20th P.O. Box 143, Station B anniversary issue, and so should you be! Montreal, QC, , H3B 3J5 Once again, consider this a heartfelt apology for the lateness of this month’s issue. We’ve P.O. Box 507 Champlain, NY 12919-0507, USA healed our wounds, gotten a decent night’s sleep, sobered up thanks to months of intensive rehab our collective will of iron, and we’re ready to attack the next issue head-on. See you www.protoculture-mag.com in 2 months! Letters & Comments: [email protected] Zac Bertschy Managing Editor, Protoculture Addicts  PROTOCULTURE ADDICTS #93 ANIME VOICES ANIME

S U B S C R I P T I O N “PAGE FIVE” EDITORIAL Six (6) issues: $30 US/Can (in Canada add $1.80 GST; in Quebec add $4.19 GST & PST) Who actually buys all those Evangelion figures with the different color variants, the mildly or $45 US overseas. For First Class / Air Mail different poses, the different points of articulation, and the limited edition props? Who subscription add $10 in the USA and $35 overseas. Send check or money-order to one of actually needs every single Rei figure that comes out, just because she’s wearing a differ- the addresses above. Payment by credit cards ent pair of panties? Who actually buys all those novelty items, like the music boxes and & PayPal available from the web site: www. protoculture.ca/PA/PASub.htm. For inquiries the postal service stamps? email to [email protected]. Me. That’s who. D I S T R I B U T I O N I am the sucker who buys every new Evangelion toy that comes out. I am the sucker who In Canada: Cosmix ((514) 744-9494), Disticor owns at least five different recordings of “Cruel Angel’s Thesis.” I am the sucker who has ((800) 668-7724), Marché Clandestin (www. all the Evangelion sheet music books, and taught myself to play “Thanatos” on the piano, mcanime.com), Middleman Media ((416) 203- 2926), Sci-Fi Anime (www.sci-fi-anime.ca), the guitar, and the violin. Snap! ((416) 588-4006). In U.S.A.: AAA Anime (www.aaaanime.com), Anime Nation (www. If I was forced to wear a dorky Nerv patch on my clothes for the rest of my life as a scarlet animenation.com), Complete Strategist ((212) letter of shame, I’d probably deserve it. 685-3880), Diamond (www.diamondcomics. com), Disticor ((800) 668-7724), Kinokuniya That’s why I will be pacing my room until someone announces the North American license (NY: (212) 765-7766, SF: (415) 567-7625), Made for the new movies. As a self-proclaimed fanatic, I can’t help In Japan (www.madeinjapan.us), Nikaku Animart (www.nikaku.com), Right Stuf (www.rightstuf. it, and I know I’m not alone. There are legions of us out there, of varying ages and anime com), Robert’s Anime Corner Store (www. tastes, who all fell into the Great Eva Trap of 1995. I still remember staring at the TV screen animecornerstore.com), RPV ((714) 671-1270). In England: Esdevium (011 44 125226116). For with my mouth agape, gawking at the first time I saw Unit-01’s watery eye blinking in the more information: www.protoculture.ca/PA/PADis. reflection of a building. I still remember that bone-chilling moment when it went berserk htm or email to [email protected]. and started eating the Angel. And really, what Eva fan doesn’t remember that moment in L E G A L I N F O R M A T I O N End of Evangelion when “Komm, Susser Tod” starts playing, amidst a sea of crosses? Protoculture Addicts is a bimonthly magazine Come to think of it, the first time I ever posted on the ANN forums (back in the day, when dedicated to Japanese animation and manga and the Internet was a simpler beast, without the treachery of Youtube and LOLcats) was in is published by: Protoculture, Inc. one of those infamous threads about the symbolism behind Evangelion. Those kinds of Protoculture Addicts is ©1987-2007 by Protoculture, Inc. • No part of this magazine threads are still around to this day, but for those of you that recall the internet climate can be reproduced without permission from the circa 1997-2000, I’m sure you share my memory for those 40+ page threads about every publisher, except for review purposes. little intricate detail about the series. If you participated in any of those threads, you’ll Protoculture Addicts acknowledges that the Sample file remember the detail in which we, as a collective fan group, remembered every last frame copyrights and trademarks of the materials mentioned or pictured herein remain the property of that series. Character backgrounds? Check. Whose soul was in what? Check. Adam of their respective owners and does not seek vs. Lilith? Double check. to infringe on their rights. Whenever possible, copyrights of the pictured products are listed at I haven’t been this excited for an anime release in a really long time, and although a large the bottom of each page and they are used here solely for information, promotion or review pur- part of that is nostalgia (with large part being pure nerd-joy), I’m also very excited poses (what is know as “fair use”). • All rights by what Anno and his team have to offer. He wrote a statement saying, “…As the creator of to articles & artwork revert to their respective this project, [I assure you that] a very new-feeling Evangelion world has been constructed. writers & artists upon publication • Contributors are responsible for their views which are not For this purpose, we are not returning to our roots at . I have set up a production necessarily those of Protoculture Addicts. company and studio, and it is in this new setting that we will start again.” Legal deposit at Bibliothèque et Archives Nationales It really is a Rebirth in every sense of the word. A new studio for a new project, one that’s du Québec & National Library of Canada, 2007. run its course and is ready to be born again. Gainax has done a lot of amazing things in Printed in Canada • ISSN 0835-9563 the past, and their tale of growth and success is something that the anime community will I L L U S T R A T I O N S ’ C R E D I T S be talking about for generations to come, but it’s time to move on and keep going. Animage #325: 202; #332: 60; #339: 46, 186; #340: 3, 26, 64; #341: 14, 23; #346: 21, 23; #347: 83. B-Club 78 (5/92): 1. As an anime fan, it’s time for me to move on, too. Evangelion’s been good to me for the Code Geass Maniax. Roman Album Special (Animage 8/2007). Code Geass “Zenryoku Fan Book” (Animage 2/2007). Complete past twelve years, but I’m ready for something different. I’m ready for the new toys, the Gunbuster (General Products, 1990): 19. Libro de Salut d’amour –Ai no Aisatsu Book- La Corda d’oro (Animage 5/2007). Osamu new CDs, the new , and whatever new Asuka-themed lunch pail they’ll come up with. Tezuka Theatre: The Animation Filmography Of Osamu Tezuka (Tezuka Pro, 1991): 74, 76-77. View Broadly Super Robots Bring it, Anno. I’m ready to overanalyze anything you can dish out. Dengeki Selection (Dengeki, 1997): 46, 86. All other illustra- tions come from promotional artwork, cover art or directly Bamboo Dong from the animation. Associate editor  CONTRIBUTORS’ SPOTLIGHT BRIAN HANSON

Growing up in one of the most savage desert cities in the , a young Brian Hanson decided to spend much of his free time indoors, transfixed by the pulsing, radiating glow of

ANIME VOICES the television, wherein cartoons and video games dominated the young lad’s mind. Whereas most children outgrow such childish animated pablum, Brian did not, attempting to amass a near-encyclopedic knowledge of the medium by watching and researching everything he could get his hands on. Knowing his lack of artistic talent would prevent him from actually being an animator, he figured that simply being knowledgeable would suffice. At the tender age of 15, Brian quite literally stumbled upon anime. Curious about these “Su- perviolent Japanese Porn Cartoons” that he had heard about on the then-exciting internet, he wormed his way into an anime club meeting held at the University of Arizona, to which he continued to be a regular attendee until a few years ago. Since, Brian has tendered his questionable yet earnest anime journalist talents to places such as Anime Jump and Anime Insider, and maintains a weekly column on AnimeNewsNetwork. “The Click,” an attempt to catalog but mostly joke about new anime episodes airing throughout the week on North American television. Outside anime, Brian spends his time working his silly day job at a silly bookstore, drawing silly cartoons, filming silly things with his equally silly friends, riding his silly motorcycle, and feeding his silly cat. The only fight he has ever been in was the first grade, where he -at tempted to retrieve his stolen bicycle from the thief in question by slugging him in the back. This hurt his wrist, which caused much laughter from the bully, who then proceeded to call him a “weenie” before shoving him away. Brian is a devout pacifist.

Sample file CARL KIMLINGER MIYAKO MATSUDA ISTVAN PUSZTAI

Carl lives in the Aside from view- I s t v a n P u s z t a i Willamette Valley, ing anime series & started contribut- Oregon, where he live-action movies ing to Protoculture graduated from (as well as travel Addicts since issue TV programs!), college with a #88, although hav- Miyako’s greatest Bachelor’s in an- ing only recently pleasure is garden- thropology. An discovered his pas- ing. Since Canada’s avid film fan, he sion for Japanese watched anime winter is almost 6 months long, she was quite eager this spring—almost itching and culture’s greatest art form – anime and manga. for years, only becoming obsessed when impatient—to clean up the garden and plant Ever since then, he involved himself in related introduced to His and Her Circumstances. lots of vegetables, herbs & flowers (several projects such as ANN’s website and logo Living proof of the human tendency to ap- varieties of tomatoes, swiss chard, parsley, redesign in 2006. His first “real” exposure preciate what they lack, his tastes in anime mint, basil, morning glory, four-o’clock, to anime and manga was Bleach and Dragon run strongly towards intricate emotional nasturtium, cosmos, etc.) in her backyard. Ball and his favourite works include movies dramas and gentle humor. For about a year Having no time or money to travel for the directed by Makoto Shinkai, Hayao Miyazaki now he has been reviewing anime for the moment, looking at those plants give her and Mamoru Oshii and graphic Anime News Network, and relishes trashing great pleasure. Since she became a Canadian novels by Tsugumi Ohba. He has an almost bad shows more than he probably should. citizen in 2003, she’s trying to learn more His hobbies outside of anime include nature about local vegetation & plants. On Labor full-time job in Montreal, part-time studies and appreciation and beating inanimate objects Day, she visited a picturesque lavender field responsibilities elsewhere which are keeping with baseball bats. in the Eastern Townships. him quite busy lately.

 PROTOCULTURE ADDICTS #93 NEWS aNIme & maNGa NeWS

Convention Wrap-Up:

It was a controversial year for the nation’s largest Day two of the convention also hosted the second keynote speech, this time anime convention, Anime Expo. Held this year in Long focusing on the manga market; the speech itself was cancelled, although a panel Beach, California, for 4 days over the July 4th weekend, discussion with prominent manga industry players was offered. the convention held record attendance, and was host Day Three began with the third keynote speech, “The Future of Anime”, to a number of landmark events, some of which were which began with a presentation on the industry’s future prospects by Funima- better received than others. tion Senior VP of Marketing and New Media, Debra Kennedy, who pointed out The convention’s first day, June 29th, opened up the show floor to con- that certain research shows 69% of people between the age of 16 and 29 watch vention goers at noon, with the opening ceremonies taking place at 10am. The anime on a regular basis, with Funimation’s own research showing that 40% of convention’s first industry-and-press-only keynote speech and panel discussion the videos uploaded to YouTube are anime-related; this is all put into stark relief – a new development designed to bolster AX’s image as a trade show – fea- with the revelation that DVD sales are down across the board. tured a speech by Keizo Tsuchiya, the CEO of JETRO, which is the Japanese The day’s first industry panel was Funimation Entertainment, who an- government’s agency for promoting trade between Japan and other nations. nounced Darker than BLACK, Jyo Oh Sei, the XXXHoLiC TV series, and the Tsuchiya’s presentation pegged the US Anime industry as being worth $4.35 second seasons of both Tsubasa and Negima!. Geneon – whose catalog is now billion dollars, with the manga industry worth $200 million. being controlled by ADV – announced the OVA sequel to , The first industry panel of the day was , who announced a DVD as well as two thirteen-episode seasons of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha. On the release for their popular Death Note series; followed manga side, Dark Horse announced three Blood+ manga series, the Blood+ Viz’s act with a handful of new license announcements, including Dance in the novels, Ghost Talker’s Daydream (the anime of which has been released in Vampire Bund, In God’s , a graphic novel version of Wicked City, and a America by Geneon), The Color of Rage by Kazuo Koike, Bride of the Water host of new OEL manga. Seven Seas was followed by USA, who God, a manhwa, A Wind Named Amnesia, Invader Summer and lastly but not announced their license of the all-CG Gundam side story Mobile Suit Gundam leastly, , the hyperviolent action series. MS IGLOO. Later in the day, controversy struck again when AX The highlight of the first day of the convention guest and famous Japanese pop singer Halko Momoi was a premiere concert by S.K.I.N., a J-rock supergroup posted on her Japanese blog that she was being mis- featuring Japanese heartthrob , along with treated by AX staff and that she may cancel her scheduled and , two famous guitarists, and , found- performance. The fan uproar was deafening; the next day, ing member of -Japan, on drums. The concert began Momoi posted a retraction, saying that AX had met her 2.5 hours late, with a throng of screaming fans filling needs and that the concert would go as planned. up the Long Beach Arena. S.K.I.N. is warmly received Sample file The fourth day of the show, typically the lightest by the weary crowd; the concert lasted 45 minutes in day, was host to the fourth and final keynote speech, this total, with the band playing 4 songs and, according to Anime News Network time on how emerging technologies can help deliver anime and manga content, music correspondent Jonathan Mays, most of the show consisted of the band hosted by Jeremy Ross, ’s Director of New Product Development. Fol- screaming their own name. lowing the keynote was Tokyopop’s industry panel, where no new announcements Day two was comprised mainly of big industry panels; ADV films an- were made. announced their new co-production, Strait nounced at the top of the panel schedule their license of the fantasy shojo Jacket, which was described as “Leon meets Blade Runner, but steampunk”. series Kyoshiro and the Eternal Sky, the new Gainax giant robot anime Tengen The OVA will be directed by Shinji Ushiro. closed out the show’s Toppa Gurren-Lagann, and , based on the hit action game series industry panels by announcing a whopping seven new licenses: Strawberry Panic, from Capcom. ADV co-founder also strongly hinted at the Kujibiki Unbalance, OVA, : Dragon Destiny, Otome wa Boku possibility of the company licensing 2006, with a mention that certain ni Koishiteru, Angel’s Feather and a new Kite OVA titled Liberator. The studio will characters in the series Air had been cast specifically with their cameos in also be re-releasing Golden Boy and the OVA version of Angel . Kanon in mind. At the convention’s Digital Manga was up next, announcing a new manga license: com- closing ceremonies, con- edy-drama series Family Complex by Mikiyo Tsuda, and an artbook titled troversy struck yet again Flamboyant by illustrator Hakua Ugetsu. Not to be outdone, when con management CMX, DC Comics’ manga imprint, announced A.I. Revolution, Angel’s Coffin, announced that Anime A Wise Man Sleeps, CY-Believers, and Kamisama Kazoku. Right Stuf Inter- Expo 2008 will take place national followed by announcing a new box set of , a comedy at the Conven- formerly released by ADV Films, and both seasons of Victorian Romance tion Center, a venue largely , to be released in Super Gals! Season 2 style in separate box sets. considered to be inferior Bandai Entertainment announced both Gundam Seed Destiny Special Edi- to the show’s previous Orange County locations – Anaheim and Long Beach tion sets, along with re-releases of AIKa and the new AIKa prequel series. – due to a lack of nearby hotel space.

 ADV To Take Over Geneon Distribution, Marketing and Sales Late in August, a leaked ADV co-founder and Pres- letter sent to retailers by ident concurred. ADV Films appeared on “This alliance makes both ICV2.com, announcing that companies stronger. Anime as beginning October , the an entertainment category is in NEWS company would be taking over all distribution, sales and competition with every other marketing duties for Geneon’s entire catalog of titles. While form of entertainment, and our no statements were from either company, the announce- partnership with Geneon gives ment sparked immediate and widespread speculation from us the scale to help widen the the internet fan community. It wasn’t until nearly a week later anime market in North America.” – the following Wednesday – when an official press release Ledford continued, “As we look ahead to an increasingly came out, stating that the new arrangement was a “strategic digital future, scale matters. In bringing anime to new media partnership”. platforms, ADV Films and Geneon can only benefit from the In the release, ADV offered a few details about the nature added clout this alliance brings.” of the deal; Geneon’s current publishing obligations will con- While few other details regarding the arrangement have tinue without incident, and ADV will be working with retailers been released, the full scope of Geneon’s continued involve- to make sure the transition runs smoothly. ment in the R1 anime industry remains shrouded in mystery. Excerpted from the release: Little is known about exactly what Geneon will still be chiefly “This is a great alliance.” said Geneon President and CEO responsible for in the handling of their own titles; likely this Eiji Orii. “The efficiencies we’ll achieve ultimately will mean information will be revealed as the October transition date more anime for the fans to enjoy.” approaches.

Funimation Reduces Staff Despite Positive Sales to, “the release of , and strong sell-through of Z season sets.” SampleSales file of Afro Samu- rai helped Funimation garner a 60% net sales growth in the first quarter Funimation decreased its staff by 10% in late July, a move that of 2008, in comparison followed shortly thereafter the closing of their new website ven- to the first quarter of last ture, Anime Online. The layoffs were carried out “to ensure that year. While the company we continue to provide the highest quality products for anime expects the second quar- fans while maximizing the company’s profitability,” according ter to be less dramatic, to a Funimation spokesperson. they have high hopes for the third and fourth quarter, which will The anime distributor is owned by Navarre Corporation, who coincide with the release of twelve new anime series. recently announced the results from the first quarter of the New methods of digital distribution have helped Funimation’s 2008 fiscal year. Net sales were $137 million, which is a 3.7% sales as well; fans can download different series on iTunes, as increase from the same quarter of last year. The company at- well as Total Vid and Xbox Live Marketplace. 75% of all digital tributed part of their growth to their publishing segment, which sales for this quarter were attributed to iTunes; there are 11 includes Funimation, Encore, and BCI; combined, they had a series currently available, including , , net income of $29.6 million, which is an increase of 13.8%. and . The company expects this number to grow to 15 Notably, their press release referenced much of their success or 16 by the end of the calendar year.