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2011-11-06

Downloads Update - Late, Late Edition

I've been working late tonight updating the Downloads page.  Yawwn!  The following anime links are now available:

1) Shonen Sarutobe Sasuke (Toei, 1959) - English subtitles are finally available, nice!  The English audio ("Magic Boy") is also available.

2) Saiyuki (Toei, 1960) - The video is taken from the German DVD release, with the US dubbed soundtrack ("Alakazam the Great").  We're still waiting for proper English subtitles from the original Japanese release.

3) Anju to Zushio Maru (Toei, 1961) - Toei's fourth animated feature, this is the US dubbed release, "The Littlest Warrior."  Picture is cropped to 4:3 ratio, and the running time is 13 minutes shorter than the Japanese release.

4) Arabian Night: The Adventures of Sinbad (Toei, 1962) - Toei's fifth animated feature is now available in Japanese with English subtitles.  I haven't seen this one yet, so I'm looking forward to watching it.

5) Farewell, Beloved Lupin (Telecom, 1980) - The finale to Lupin III: Series Two, directed by Hayao Miyazaki.  This is a fantastic episode, featuring Sumi Shimamoto as Miyazaki's Heroine in Blue, and the first appearance of the "Superman Robot," which appears in Castle in the Sky and the Ghibli Museum.  Japanese audio with English subtitles.

Tenguri, Boy of the Plains Available on Downloads


 Tenguri, Boy of the Plains (Sougen no Ko Tenguri), the 1977 short film directed by Yasuo Otsuka, with key animation by Hayao Miyazaki and Yoshifumi Kondo, is now available at the Downloads page.  This 22-minute film was produced by Snow Brand Dairy Products, and it's essentially a commercial for Japan's dairy industry.  That said, this is Yasuo Otsuka's only directorial work, and the quality is very high.  Its style and presentation owe a lot to Heidi, and it's an enjoyable little romp.

No doubt Tenguri will score you some cred points among your fellow anime and Ghibli fans.  Big thanks to AnimeCouncil for translating this film in between their bigger projects.

The Anime Production Line

Have you ever wanted to learn about the various elements of Japanese anime production?  Are you scratching your head over terms like settrei, e-konte, and image board?  Ben Ettinger, anime scholar par excellence, explains everything in fine detail at his Anipages blog.  Enjoy.

Ettinger has really been on a tear lately.  I have always credited him as the resident scholar on all things anime, especially its long and storied history.  Be sure to bookmark his site and visit often.

2011-11-05

Don Rickles Roasts John Lasseter



As you may have heard, Pixar's John Lasseter was recently honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  The ceremony was met with the press, the fans, and many of Lasseter-san's friends and coworkers.  And, best of all, Don Rickles was present to roast the man of the hour.  Fantastic!

On a side note, I showed my brother some Don Rickles routines from the Dean Martin Roasts, so that's probably what my wedding reception next year (June/July 2012, hopefully) will look like.

2011-11-02

Panda Kopanda Gets a Video Game, Sorta


We can always count on the videogames industry for innovation and original ideas.  Right?  Here's a shameless ripoff of Carnival Games (Nintendo Wii) for Sony's failed Move platform.  And starring the Papa Panda from Panda Kopanda, heh.

Speaking of which, the North American rights to Isao Takahata's two Panda Kopanda films have long since expired. Will any distributors pick up the rights and bring back the DVD?  These were great movies, and not just in that "I am Totoro's grandfather" sense.

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