Anime Expo has announced that Japanese anime voice actress Megumi Han will be a guest at their next convention. Her credits include Hunter x Hunter, Digimon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Chihayafuru 2.
Anime Expo will be taking place July 4-7, 2013 in Los Angeles, California.
Otakon has announced that animators/character designers Shingo Adachi and Tetsuya Kawakami will be guests at their next convention. Adachi’s credits include the Megaman franchise, Wagnaria!!, and Shuffle! Kawakami’s credits include Sword Art Online, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and Oreimo.
Otakon will be taking place August 9-11, 2013 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland.
After the success of Space Battleship Yamato: The Movie, it was decided to produce a second theatrical film. Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato: In the Name of Love was meant to bring the Space Battleship Yamato franchise to an end; however, when the film was released to theaters in July 1978, fans made it clear that they were not satisfied with how the film ended and wanted more. Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato: In the Name of Love was re-written into a 26 episode series that changed how the story ended and added new plot elements.
In the film, the Yamato and her crew face the Comet Empire, a civilization from the Andromeda Galaxy that is intent on conquering Earth; this civilization is led by Zwordar the Great. The Comet Empire rescued Desslar, the leader of the Gamilas and the mortal enemy of the Yamato and her crew. Desslar is eager for revenge against the Yamato, in order to avenge the destruction of his home planet.
When the Yamato goes on a mission to try to stop the Comet Empire from destroying the Earth, the ship and her crew are aided by Teresa of Telezart. During the film, the Yamato and her crew must face off with both Desslar and the Comet Empire. While Zwordar’s plan is ultimately thwarted, a terrible price ends up being paid in order for this to happen.
There are several differences between Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato: In the Name of Love and the second Space Battleship Yamato series. In the film, Saito and the space marines are on board the ship when it takes off from Earth; however, two conflicting stories are given in the film as to why they’re there. In the first story, the doctor claims he enlisted the space marines to join, but later in the film, a high-ranking military officer claims he sent the space marines to accompany the crew of the Yamato. In the television series, the space marines are rescued when the planet they’re stationed on is attacked by the Comet Empire.
Also, in the television series, Teresa of Telezart is a flesh and blood woman who has telepathic powers, instead of the anti-matter woman that appears in the film version. Since she is an actual person in the television series, a romantic interest between Teresa and one of the crew members of the Yamato was added. Since I had seen the Star Blazers version of the second television series before seeing this film, I find the idea of Teresa being anti-matter hard to reconcile.
In many respects, Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato: In the Name of Love needs to be looked at as an “alternate timeline” story for the Yamato franchise. If a viewer doesn’t look at the film with that thought in mind, then everything that comes after this film would make absolutely no sense. Between the film version of the story and the story as it appears in the second series of Space Battleship Yamato, I personally prefer the second series. One of my personal favorite sections in the second series takes place on Telezart, and that portion of the story is completely missing from Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato: In the Name of Love.
This DVD release of Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato: In the Name of Love includes the original theatrical trailer, which runs for about three minutes and is subtitled. There is a promotional artwork gallery, where the viewer can choose to move forward and back and to view the artwork at their own pace.
You can also see scans of the original program book that was distributed at the theaters that screened Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato: In the Name Of Love; this feature has a similar navigation to the promotional artwork gallery. However, there are two extra buttons: “Detail” and “Text.” “Detail” allows you to take a closer look at the page of the program book, while “Text” accesses a readable translation of the page.
There is also a section labeled “The Making of Farewell to Yamato.” There are two text sections that are available in this section. The first is “The Yamato Story,” which tells the story of how the film came to be, the history of the film, and the audience reaction to the film. The other text section has cast and producer interviews.
Overall, this is a decent DVD release. It definitely needs to be in the collection of anyone who considers themselves a fan of Space Battleship Yamato or Star Blazers.
I wrote this review after watching a copy of the Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato: In the Name of Love DVD that my husband and I purchased.
Anime Expo has announced that anime director Kazuhiro Furuhashi will be a guest at their next convention. Furuhashi’s credits include Ranma 1/2, Le Chevalier d’Eon, Hunter x Hunter, and Mobile Suit Gundam UC.
Anime Expo will be taking place July 4-7, 2013 in Los Angeles.
Here are the new anime releases for May 21, 2013. If you see any errors or omissions in this list, please feel free to contact me and let me know.
Gaiking: The Movie Collection
Gunbuster 2: The Complete Series
Howl’s Moving Castle
K-ON! The Movie
K-ON! The Movie
Love <3 Love? Complete Collection [DVD]
Lupin the 3rd: Green Vs Red
My Neighbor Totoro
Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar, Part 1
Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar, Part 2
The 2013 J-POP Summit Festival has announced that it will launch the Japan Film Festival of San Francisco. This event will be taking place July 27-August 4, 2013.
The anime being screened during this festival includes:
FUNimation has announced the English dub cast for the Guilty Crown television anime series:
Austin Tindle is Shu Ouma
Micah Solusod is Gai Tsutsugami
John Swasey is Makoto Waltz Segai
Alexis Tipton is Inori Yuzuriha
Emily Neves is Ayase Shinomiya
Monica Rial is Tsugumi
David Trosko is Yahiro Samukawa
Corey Cleary-Stoner is Souta Tamadate
Charlie Campbell is Shuichiro Keido
Martha Harms is Haruka Ouma
Tia Ballard is Hare Menjou
Jarrod Greene is Argo Tsukishima
Joel McDonald is Daryl Yan
Caitlin Glass is Arisa Kuhouin
Leah Clark is Yu
J. Michael Tatum is Shibungi
Alexis Tipton is Mana Ouma
Apphia Yu is Kanon Kusama
Media Blasters has announced that the company has acquired the license for the Yami to Boshi Hon no Tabibito television anime series.
At this time, the company has not specified whether or not there will be an English dub for the series, or on what formats the series will be released on.
Viz Media announced during the company’s Anime Central panel that it has acquired the rights to the Accel World mini shorts, and will be dubbing the shorts with the same cast that was used for the television series.
The company also announced that it has become the master licensee for the K television anime series. The rights include domestic home video, television rights, online rights and distribution, and merchandising.
Viz Media’s Neon Alley service has announced that it will be premiering the English dub of Gintama: The Movie.
The film will debut on Neon Alley on June 2, 2013 at 8:00 p.m. EDT.
