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Cel Shaded
Jason Yadao
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HIFF books anime films
After some time in the San Francisco Bay area, your intrepid columnist has returned, refreshed and reinvigorated. Thanks again to Wilma J. for her two columns on anime music; look on starbulletin.com if you missed any of them.
On with the news ... The Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival has released the schedule for its 25th-anniversary event, running from Oct. 20 to 30. As usual, there are several films of interest to anime fans, although this year's offerings are decidedly more "old school" than in recent years.
The festival's "Toei Retrospective" category is featuring two classics. 1979's "Galaxy Express 999," screening Oct. 23, is one piece of manga author Leiji Matsumoto's sprawling "Leijiverse." It chronicles the voyages of the young Tetsuo and the enigmatic Maetel on a universe-crossing train.
"White Snake Enchantress," also showing Oct. 23, was originally released in the United States in 1961 as "Panda and the Magic Serpent" -- the first Japanese animation screened for American audiences.
A pair of live-action adaptations of anime properties are also bowing at the festival. Perhaps the more eagerly anticipated of the two is the "Initial D" film, screening Oct. 28, 29 and 30, based on Shuichi Shigeno's tale of a tofu delivery boy who finds street-racing fame on the roads of Mount Akina.
People who like seeing giant robots battle it out might prefer "Tetsujin 28," being shown Oct. 22 and 23, which is based on the series commonly known in America as "Gigantor."
For more details on ticket prices and show times, visit www.hiff.org ...
In 'D&Q' Sunday
Rumiko Takahashi has become known as "the creator of 'Inu-Yasha'" in recent years, but she's worked on other great series as well. Starting in Sunday's Star-Bulletin, Wilma and I kick off a monthly look at those series. First up: "Urusei Yatsura."
Cel Shaded, a look at the world of Japanese anime and manga, appears every Monday. E-mail Jason S. Yadao at
jyadao@starbulletin.com