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Cel Shaded
Jason Yadao
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Cleaning out the news bag
Quite a bit of news to catch up on after the holiday gift guide theme of the past two weeks; here are some of the buzzlets around the anime and manga industry:
» "Robotech" sequel closer: Kevin McKeever, Robotech.com operations coordinator, e-mailed me earlier this month with a short update on "Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles," a new production that takes place after the "New Generation" story arc of the original series. The project, currently in post-production, is scheduled for "soon in 2006," with show producer Harmony Gold in talks with several possible distributors.
» DVD production problems: If you had difficulty locating a copy of the wacky Gainax comedy "FLCL" over the holiday season, perhaps this could explain things: A Dec. 12 post by "Shizuki" at publisher Synch-Point's online blog noted that their DVD replicator suddenly went out of business, leaving them scrambling to find a new manufacturer for those discs as well as the upcoming second volume of "Leave it to Piyoko!" A one-to-two-month delay is expected.
» "Lunar" publisher gone: Working Designs president Victor Ireland also announced on Dec. 12 that his company was closing up shop. The video game publisher was most known for its translation work on niche Japanese games, most notably "Lunar: Silver Star Story" and "Magic Knight Rayearth."
Anime activities
Oahu Anime Explorer is kicking off the new year with two club activities within a week. On Jan. 8, the group will host a booth and anime screenings at the New Year's Festival at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii, 2454 S. Beretania St., from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The group follows that up with its regular monthly meeting on Jan. 14 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at HMC Academy, 555 N. King St. For more details and a list of what will be screened at the Jan. 14 meeting, visit www.oahuanimeexplorer.com.
Cel Shaded, a look at the world of Japanese anime and manga, appears every Monday. E-mail Jason S. Yadao at
jyadao@starbulletin.com