PROTOCULTURE ADDICTS #96 CONTENTS 56 20 Issue #96 ( May / June 2008 ) SPOTLIGHT 14 BLOOD+ With the release of the series on DVD, we revisit this tale of modern vampires ❙ by Bamboo Dong 18 GENIUS PARTY Modest musings on a Genius Party PREVIEW ANIME WORLD ❙ by Brian Hanson 37 Manga:Sample Dororo, file Vol. 1 63 How NOT to run a Convention 20 xxxHOLiC ❙ by Trisha L. Sebastian Spirits in the material world ANIME STORIES 69 Anime Beat & J-Pop Treat ❙ by Jason Green • m-flo: Cosmicolor 40 ANGEL HEART ❙ by Rachael Carothers ❙ by Miyako Matsuda ANIME VOICES 70 Fantasia 2007 (Part 3) 42 CLUSTER EDGE • Memories of Matsuko ❙ by Miyako Matsuda 4 Letter From The Editors ❙ by Miyako Matsuda 5 Page 5 Editorial 46 DENNOU COIL 71 Montreal World Film Festival ❙ by M Matsuda & CJ Pelletier 6 Contributors’ Spotlight • Event Report 98 Letters 50 iDOL MASTER XENOGLOSSIA • Sakuran ❙ by Miyako Matsuda ❙ by M Matsuda & CJ Pelletier NEWS 52 MOYASHIMON ❙ by M Matsuda & CJ Pelletier REVIEWS 7 Anime & Manga News 56 OOKIKU FURIKABUTTE 75 Live-Action 92 Anime Releases ❙ by M Matsuda & CJ Pelletier 77 Book 94 Related Products Releases 60 REC 77 Manga ❙ by Miyako Matsuda 95 Manga Releases 83 Anime xxxHOLiC © CLAMP • KODANSHA / Ayakashi Workshop. Ookiku Furikabutte © Asa Higushi • Kodansha / “Oofuri” Production Committee. 3 LETTER FROM THE EDITORS ANIME NEWS NETWORK’S In order to write for Protoculture Addicts, I have seen many anime shows over the プPROTOCULTURE ロトカル チャ ー ADDICTS years, and I can really say that the health of the Japanese anime industry is not that bad. I don’t think we have to worry as long as they can still produce some really great shows. Issue #96 (May / June 2008) A good example is Dennou Coil, which is without hesitation the best anime TV series I E d i t o r i a l S t a f f saw in 2007. This unusual science fiction story was directed by the emerging star Mitsuo ANIME VOICES Iso, who really succeeded in gathering together all the elements that make a great series: Publisher Christopher Macdonald [CM] cute characters (a bunch of twelve year-old kids), the right mix of comedy and drama, and ( [email protected] ) intriguing mysteries that make sure you watch the next episode! I’ve enjoyed immensely Editor-in-chief / Production Manager both the fictitious world created by Director Iso, and the storytelling that emphasizes real- Claude J. Pelletier [CJP] istic human relationships. Although this juvenile cyberpunk story takes place in the future, ( [email protected] ) in 2026, its world has a very old, nostalgic look similar to Japan in the 60s and 70s—the Managing Editor characters are not wearing silly futuristic costumes and they act like ordinary kids. It was Zac Bertschy [ZB] certainly delightful and refreshing to discover such a true gem and I hope it will soon be picked up for distribution in North America, so the fans here can also enjoy it! Associate Editor Bamboo Dong [BD] Miyako Matsuda Contributing Editor / Translator ( Miyako Matsuda [MM] We always do our best here at Protoculture to introduce our readers to anime titles Assistant Editor that are out of the ordinary. They might not be popular, they might not necessarily be recent Valérie Cools [VC] or they might never be translated in English, but they always have something that makes Advertising them interesting in our eyes and something that we want to share. In this issue, we bring Jerry Chu ( [email protected] ) you seven of those “anime stories”: Angel Heart is an “alternate sequel” to Tsukasa Hojo’s Interns classic City Hunter; Cluster Edge is a nicely designed Gundam-esque tale of adolescent Natalie Khor, Steven Thach, Gary Thompson boys discovering the harsh reality of the adult world; Dennou Coil is an intriguing juvenile cyberpunk tale; Idolmaster Xenoglossia is the typical giant mecha series, but with a feminine C o n t r i b u t i n g W r i t e r s twist; Moyashimon is a tale of agriculture that educates us about the life of germs; Ookiku Rachael Carothers [RC], Jason Green [JG], Brian Furikabutte is a baseball anime filled with teenage angst; andREC offers an amusing insight Hanson, Carl Kimlinger [CK], Theron Martin [TM], Carlo Santos [CS], Trisha L. Sebastian into the voice-acting business! Besides Dennou Coil, two of those titles particularlySample stand out for theirfile excellence. L a y o u t Moyashimon is a funny and educative mini-series that tells the college adventures of Ta- Claude J. Pelletier dayasu Sawaki—who has the unique ability to see and communicate with germs—as he Istvan Pusztai (cover, 14-24) meets Professor Itsuki and the people hanging around his lab at the Agricultural University. C o v e r Ookiku Furikabutte is an intriguing sports anime characterized by its unusual designs. It is xxxHOLiC © CLAMP • KODANSHA / Ayakashi set around the Nishiura High School baseball team and, as we follow their climb to success, Workshop. Cover art provided by FUNimation. the series explores friendship and teenage emotions (the aforementioned angst!). Of course, this issue offers much more—in fact, all you need to have a better under- S p e c i a l T h a n k s standing of anime and manga. We briefly shine the spotlight on two popular series that Bob Brown, Kevin J. Carney, Evelyn Dubocq, Susan Hale, Jessica Hatakeda, Lance Heiskell, Erik are finally getting their DVD releases:Blood+ and xxxHOLiC. We also introduce you to the Jansen, Catherine Kim, Shawne Kleckner, Bill Lai, latest studio 4˚C production, Genius Party, a compilation of short experimental animation Osamu Maseba, Robert Napton, Chris Oarr, Alison Roberts, Tamara Shumate, Eddie Stemkowski, and showcasing the creative power of their studio. Richard Tong. And there’s more! This issue treats you with the manga preview of a classic manga, Osamu Tezuka’s Dororo, which is the heroic tale of a samurai and his young thief companion How To Reach Us on a quest of self-discovery. We also offer an article that discusses some of the problems P.O. Box 143, Station B that have plagued anime conventions lately, giving a few advices on “How NOT to run an Montreal, QC, Canada, H3B 3J5 anime convention.” And finally, as usual, we distill for you the essential news and provide P.O. Box 507 plenty of reviews (of CDs, live-action movies, books, manga and anime DVDs) to guide Champlain, NY 12919-0507, USA you in your purchasing indulgence. www.protoculture-mag.com Please enjoy! Letters & Comments: [email protected] Claude J Pelletier 4 PROTOCULTURE ADDICTS #96 ANIME VOICES S U B S C R I P T I O N “PAGE FIVE” EDITORIAL Six (6) issues: $30 US/Can (in Canada add $1.50 GST; in Quebec add $3.86 GST & PST) or $45 US Recently, I’ve been going through all my Blue Planet and Planet Earth discs again. There’s overseas. For First Class / Air Mail subscription something endlessly appealing to me about staring at chubby harp seal pups rolling around on add $10 in the USA and $35 overseas. Send check or money-order to one of the addresses above. an ice floe, and I’m pretty sure I’ve watched some of these episodes at least five or six times. Payment by credit cards & PayPal available from It makes me think that David Attenborough really ought to narrate a documentary series the web site: www.protoculture.ca/PA/PASub.htm. about anime fans. I’ve often thought that my life would be so much more exciting if it were For inquiries email to [email protected]. narrated by Morgan Freeman or Attenborough, and surely, it must be the case for every subject D I S T R I B U T I O N matter. Without a doubt, BBC could definitely find enough fascinating things in the world of In Canada: Cosmix ((514) 744-9494), Disticor anime fandom to generate a 13-episode series, and I dare say that it would make a good holiday ((800) 668-7724), Marché Clandestin (www. DVD purchase. mcanime.com), Middleman Media ((416) 203-2926), Sci-Fi Anime (www.sci-fi-anime.ca), Here’s what I propose: Snap! ((416) 588-4006). In U.S.A.: AAA Anime The first episode would be an overview of anime fandom. It would feature a moving sound- (www.aaaanime.com), Anime Nation (www.ani- track composed by Britain’s finest, and would provide just enough sneak peeks at upcoming menation.com), Diamond (www.diamondcom- ics.com), Disticor ((800) 668-7724), Kinokuniya video footage to keep people coming back for more. It would, of course, differentiate between (NY: (212) 765-7766, SF: (415) 567-7625), several populations of fans and carefully document their feeding habits. During the year, anime Made In Japan (www.madeinjapan.us), Nikaku fans largely like to feast off sushi and other delectable items of Asian origin. However, it’s worth Animart (www.nikaku.com), Right Stuf (www. rightstuf.com), Robert’s Anime Corner Store noting that adolescents generally prefer packaged ramen, due to its high nutritional content, (www.animecornerstore.com). In England: and its wide availability year-round. (At this point, Attenborough would make an exception for Esdevium (011 44 125226116). In Australia: Converge (www.convergestore.com). For more college events in which “free food” is served. During these times, adolescents usually go and information: www.protoculture.ca/PA/PADis.htm stock up on their food reserves, because it’s never certain when the next meal will come.) or email to [email protected].