Topic: The *Real* new series: "Blade of the Immortal"

[Fellini 8.5]

Picking through this morning's news and rumours, I saw this on AnimeSuki:

The latest issue of the seinen manga magazine Afternoon announces the anime adaptation of Blade of the Immortal manga. (an anime adaptation was mentioned in this post)

Staff:

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Director: Mashimo Kouichi
Series Composition: Kawasaki Hiroyuki
Character Design: Yamashita Yoshimitsu
Weapon Design: Koezuka Seiji
Color Design: Kojima Makiko
Art Director: Umino Yoshimi
Photography Director: Igarashi Shinichi
Music: Ootani Kou
Music Production: Pony Canyon
Music Director: Nakano Toru
Production: BeeTrain

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Cast:

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Manji: Seki Tomokazu
Asanorin: Satou Rina
Anotsu Kagehisa: Nojima Hirofumi
Magatsu Taito: Nakai Kazuya
Kuroi Sabato: Ebara Masashi
Shizuma Eikuu: Konishi Katsuyuki
Kawakami Araya: Namikawa Daisuke
Otonotachibana Makie: Noto Mamiko
Hyakurin: Toyoguchi Megumi
Giichi: Morikawa Toshiyuki
Shira: Miki Shinichirou
Machi: Sakamoto Maya

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Source:
http://www.earlbox3.sakura.ne.jp/ph/080322b.jpg
http://www.earlbox3.sakura.ne.jp/ph/080322c.jpg

Wiki entry for the manga:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade_of_the_Immortal

Well, that's a surprise!  The announcement that there'd be an anime for it was made late last year, and there's already an AnimeSuki thread full of speculation (and, predictably, all the Bee Train haterz are complaining):
http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=60059&page=3

ANN has more (sorta... and lots of haterz in their comments as well )

From a quick read, it sounds like a very violent and depressing manga series with an army of very rabid fanboys who will endlessly complain about any deviation from it.

And no Yuki Kajiura.

From the look of the staff, Murder Princess was a warmup for this.

So, farewell Mirai Nikki, hello Blade of the Immortal, I guess...

[Koveras]

Well, I dunno what I liked less: Mirai Nikki or this one. Shounen battle royale vs. samurai feudal Japan? The only theme I dislike more is shoujo school life drama... But let's wait for what Mashimo is gonna make of it.

[MartAnimE]

 I'm surprised at the title's popularity! After Bee Train "ruined" tsubasa chronicle for Clamp fans someone dared choose it for another popular manga anime adaptation... Let's see how this goes now, but really great news there's a new Bee Train series coming up soon  after all! It's a pity there's no Yuki Kajiura for the music though.

[Limelda Jorg]

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG I just entered in ANN to check something and I found out this!!!! Jeez I'm sooooo happy, I love this manga and better they don't screw up as they did with Tsubasa!!! But Tomokazu Seki will be Manji *____*. And Maaya Sakamoto is among the seiyuus too!!!!!! OMG, so exiting!!!

*fan girl mode on*

[Teufel]

Well, hells yeah for a Bee Train series to look forward to this summer. We better get more than one series this year though. *shakes fist threateningly*

I'm kind of mixed on this one. A swordsman who incurs the wrath of a greater being and is cursed with immortality was actually a story idea I was mulling over a couple months ago so I'm interested in seeing it play out 'cause I never got it to go anywhere. But even with that and the undeniable coolness factor of samurai and katanas I find the idea of the plot of the main character having to kill a thousand guys meandering and a little boring. Or rather potentially so, no reason it can't be good, but eh, not something that shouts "greatness!" at me. Neither did Mirai Nikki, but that had a potentially fun, insane vibe going for it and I was warming up to the idea of Bee Train tackling it... 

So, yes, my interest in this project is mostly just because I worship at the altar of Koichi Mashimo and Bee Train. If they weren't involved I'm not sure I'd even check this out. Although Rina Satou was wonderful in Bamboo Blade and Night Wizard so it's also got that going for it.

Boy, those posters on AnimeSuki and ANN sure do hate Bee Train. Gotta wonder if Koichi Mashimo ran over their dogs on his drive over to steal their tooth fairy money when they were kids.

And finally, this begs the question of if Ms. Kajiura isn't going to be composing for this project, what's she doing to occupy her time? I need my Kajiura fix as much as I need my Bee Train fix after alll. 

[Limelda Jorg]

Well I think that is a fair play, posters in ANN and animesuki hate Mashimo and Beetrain and here Mashimo and Beetrain worshippers hate Samurai and Feudal Japan stories XD.

I'm in the middle of the battleground XD. Because I don't hate Mashimo or Beetrain but I don't worship them either. I just happened that I like two series they made and nothing more.
I'm just a great fan of Blade of the Inmortal that IMHO is a masterpiece in story and art. And maybe those posters in those forums are very harsh, but I think that is normal they are afraid of this project, because Blade of Inmortal always was seen as something very difficult to be adapted into anime because its artwork and narrative style. And yes, it seemed a series more for MadHouse or Bones, which animation quality work is far better. But I'll be waiting till July to see what happens and crossing my fingers to not find out another Tsubasa.

[MartAnimE]

Well I think that is a fair play, posters in ANN and animesuki hate Mashimo and Beetrain and here Mashimo and Beetrain worshippers hate Samurai and Feudal Japan stories XD.

 Hey, not necessarilly... I actually think Samurai and Feudal Japan stories have some cool potential! Definitely don't hate them! And I definitely don't think Bee Train ruined Tsubasa Chronicles, but then again, I never read the manga...

[Koveras]

But even with that and the undeniable coolness factor of samurai and katanas I find the idea of the plot of the main character having to kill a thousand guys meandering and a little boring. Or rather potentially so, no reason it can't be good, but eh, not something that shouts "greatness!" at me. Neither did Mirai Nikki,

That's exactly how I felt, too, though by now, I've become non-responsible for the alleged coolness of katanas... TV Tropes ruined my life, indeed.

Although Rina Satou was wonderful in Bamboo Blade and Night Wizard so it's also got that going for it

My only exposure to her voice was Haruka-neesama in Minami-ke who is amazing of her own right. %)

Boy, those posters on AnimeSuki and ANN sure do hate Bee Train. Gotta wonder if Koichi Mashimo ran over their dogs on his drive over to steal their tooth fairy money when they were kids.

Meh, I stopped reading comments on Bee Train's work anywhere except this site a long time ago. Keeps my adrenaline level in check. I just hope those fanboys don't relocate their activity to here without considerably tuning down their I-hate-Bee-Train message in advance.

here Mashimo and Beetrain worshippers hate Samurai and Feudal Japan stories XD.

Hey, I'm not actively hating them, just consider them so used up, it's difficult to come up with something interesting nowadays.

[MartAnimE]

 Someone at animesuki posted the official japanese site aswell as this scan.

 Geez, reading through that thread is really unsettling for any Bee Train Fan... ^^;

[GhostFriendly]

Yes, yes, yippee, yeah!

Just hope they don't screw it up...but as you all might have noticed, I'm an accomodating fellow. Hope they stick to the manga as far as it's useful, as in FMA.

Teufel, the thousand man plot is really a non-issue, mainly it's a revenge theme, much more tightly plotted than most period pieces.

[hayama]

I know little about this actual series, but Kou Ootani is actually up there on my list of favorite anime composers so that's already gotten my attention. His soundtrack to the video game Shadow of the Colossus was, simply put, stunning. Here's the prologue to the game. Honestly, despite my love for Kajiura-sama, I think that Ootani would handle this kind of soundtrack better than she. I'm not sure if this is the direction I want Bee Train to head in post-girls with guns, but it'll at least be an interesting departure from their typical work (hopefully it won't face the same wrath from the common fan as Tsubasa did).

[Limelda Jorg]

Hey, I'm not actively hating them, just consider them so used up, it's difficult to come up with something interesting nowadays.

I don't think that is a so used genre, mechas and other genres are more cliche than Samurai. And after all is about Japan's history and folcklore, is normal to find animes and mangas with these topics and if you found out that their history and legends are cliche, well I think that western culture is more cliche and boring than anything XD.

And about Tsubasa, well as a standard anime could be fine but as an adaptation of Clamp's manga is awful.

[Matrim]

Yay, Bee Train working on a high profile project! Big chance for Bee Train to become even more notorious and for us, the fans, to feel even more like elitists.

No, Yuki Kajiura but the composer of Ayakashi Ayashi and Haibane Renmei's music is not a bad alternative at all, I guess. That said I would have loved to witness a collaboration of Mashimo and Toshihiko Sahashi.

Don't you love the anime studios haters? I mean, two series by the same studio often have nothnig whatsoever in common (even in terms of people involved), yet there are always some smartasses who lump everything produced by a studio in one category due to having watched and disliked one or two of their works.

Tomokazu Seki is one of the very best seiyuu, we also have Friday Monday's seiyuu, Toyoguchi Megumi (Layla Ashley), Mamiko Noto, etc. Nice!

I guess I might as well read the manga since all the fanboys in the AnimeSuki thread will spoil me anyway. The funniest scenario would be if I find the anime much better than the manga, that sure will make all the Bee Train haters on AS jump on me...

[Koveras]

I don't think that is a so used genre, mechas and other genres are more cliche than Samurai. And after all is about Japan's history and folcklore, is normal to find animes and mangas with these topics and if you found out that their history and legends are cliche, well I think that western culture is more cliche and boring than anything XD.

Mechas are no fun to me, either. I tolerate them, however, if there are other, truly fun points in the story. While not necessarily cliched, I believe samurai shows are over-hyped by now. I understand that Japanese folklore is bound to be reflected in Japanese animation but I'm not watching anime for insight into Japanese culture (that's why I never attempted to learn Japanese, btw) but because its quality is generally higher and accessibility is generally greater than most other shows I hear about.

PS: Yay, 2222th post!

[kavi]

Hmm...I must say, this is probably the only "samurai" manga I've ever actually liked...every Mashimo anime I've seen had a boring, run of the mill sales pitch and was absolutely fantastic