Manifest 2007 Full Report
Manifest 2007 - Anime Industry Panel
by Jon Hayward,
Presented Dean Prenc, Dan Chlebowczyk and Sylvester Ip
Quoted from Dean Prenc;
Unfortunately the disc that was prepared with the presentation did not have anything burnt to it. So while they tried to organise something Dean answered several questions. These are contained at the end of this report. Dan eventually ran in with a copy of the new Anime Sampler and a brief rundown of what's coming out over the next few months.
It must also be noted that in response to the many title requests Dean stated that Madman is headed over to Japan in a couple of weeks. They intend to talk about licensing on several titles while they are in Japan with the respective companies, but did not mention any specific ones.
Monthly Rundown
October Releases
Beck Mongolian Chop Squad.Important release but no plans for the soundtracks to be released locally.
Mushishi.
Due in October. A arty series which should appeal to fans of the x-files.
Hellsing Ultimate V2.
Madman staff were amused when they figured out the rough estimate for the internal item number, MMB666. They will also be repackaging Hellsing Ultimate V1 and V1 of the Manga for $30 (link). Volume 3 will be out next year. Estimated finish date for release here of Hellsing Ultimate is 2011, there are four episodes out in Japan now.
Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society.
Two disc special edition with slipcase.
October Boxes.
Ah My Goddess!November Releases
Highlander: The Search for Vengeance.Big release by the creator of Ninja Scroll. Oddly it only received a M rating. It is also receiving a one day only cinema screening.
School Rumble.
Limited Edition is limited to 1000 units. It comes with a metal tin shaped like a school locker and every volume in the first run of School Rumble V1 comes with a magnet sheet for you to decorate the locker with. The Limited Edition with Tin will cost $39.95 and regular V1 will cost $29.95.
Air Gear.
Already airing on pay tv as part of the Madman Adult Swim block. Volume 1 will be released in November.
Naruto the Movie – Ninja clash in the land of Snow. Special one day only screenings on the 14th of October with special guests Liam O'Brien in Sydney and Stephanie Sheh in Melbourne. No screening currently planned for Tasmania as all cinemas require HDD technology to screen the movie.
Wings of Honnamise. Gainax's first production. Madman has not released it until now as the previous masters were not good enough quality. The new release is from a High Definition Master.
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Volume 2. Quick reminder of the redemption scheme, you receive vouchers in V1 & Box, V2, V3 and V4. Send in the four vouchers and a $10 money order and you will be sent a double disc subbed edition of the series set in broadcast order. The cost covers postage only.
Transformers: The Headmasters. New cover art by Guido Guidi. Contains not only the infamous Star TV Dub (which by Dean's opinion, was done by two guys on a Sunday afternoon and is hilarious) but two subtitle tracks. The pack's official subtitles will be a revised “second draft” subtitle track with all the correct Japanese names but also the Chris McFeely subtitle track. Also included will be a synopsis booklet explaining the names of the Japanese transformers compared with the traditional American names, and toy galleries of the featured transformers from Seibertron and Transformers @ the Moon. Madman will follow up with Super-God Masterforce and Victory in three month periods (approx March and July respectively).
November Boxes
Kyoh Kara Maoh!Robotech: Protoculture Collection.
28 disc collection for $150, excellent value.
Samurai 7 Collection.
Manga
September
World Embryo.First time in the west, from the creator of Chrno Crusade. No schedule currently for further volumes.
Fruits Basket V22.
Second last volume. We're trying to bring the creator, Natsuki Takaya out to Australia. We also want to release more of her work.
Hellsing Manga V1.
One volume every two months.
A quick aside from Dean, some Angus and Robinson stores are trialling a range of Madman Manga. Purchase your manga from them if you want to see more. They are also bringing on a Manga Brand Manager from the United States, she'll be starting in October and dedicated to building the Madman Manga line. Dean also goes onto state how hard they are working on the Manga line and if you're paying any more than $15.95 a volume you're paying too much for your manga.
Manga Upcoming
Millenium Snow.From Bisco Hatori, the author of Ouran High Host Club.
Trigun Manga.
Double sized volumes. Currently does not include the Trigun Maximum series.
Eastern Eye
Aachi & Ssipak.Death Note.
Movies 1 & 2 will be released as a slipcase double pack in February. It will retail for $39.95. It will also be screened as a double bill at the end of October at Melbourne Central and in Sydney at the Chatswood and Fox Studios.
Madman does not have the rights to the L spinoff movie, but they are interested.
Reel Asia Information
Dean went on to discuss reel anime for 2008. They're looking at trying to screen four movies and they are trying to obtain the rights. More news on this in October. Dean didn't want to let slip what Madman are looking at getting.
New Acquisitions
All of the following titles will be released in November.- Innocent Venus
- Utawarerumono Collection
- Witchblade
- Space Adventure Cobra Movie, with the Yello soundtrack.
New Collections
- Godannar Collection.
- Tenchi Muyo Ryo-Ohki Collection.
- This Ugly yet Beautiful World Collection.
Questions and Answers
Q: Will you be releasing Shonen Jump Manga titles at any stage.
A: We can't say too much but we have been making progress over the past two years.
Q: Will you be releasing MAR.
A: No Plans.
Q: Code Geass?
A: Important release if it happens, we're looking into it.
Q: Disgaea?
A: You should know by Feburary if it's happening, if it is released it will be in Fat Pack format.
Q: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann?
A: We like the series, we're all mecha fans. We shall see.
Q: Gaogaigar?
A: No.
Q: Since you are getting the Hellsing Manga, is there any chance of the Bezerk Manga.
A: No Chance.
Q: Airgear Manga?
A: Not a chance, it's distributed locally by Random House under the Tanoshimi label.
Q: Any chance of seeing The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya on Pay Tv?
A: SBS is unpredictable, dealing with them can cause headaches. ABC2 is currently screening Ergo Proxy and will probably follow with another series after it is finished. Running the anime block for Adult Swim is a lot of work. But if Madman has it's way, Death Note and Haruhi will be on TV in 2008.
Q: Kyo Kara Maoh! Season 2?
A: We're thinking about it.
Q: Are you helping with the new Funimation One Piece Dub?
A: No, that's complicated, but we basically don't have any say in the production of the dub. We just receive the finished product from the Japanese / American licensors. We are keen on releasing it, and they are keen on us continuing to release it. However we cannot confirm anything at this point in time.
Q: Any chance of seeing some other Gundam series released?
A: Sly likes it, we're happy to have it but we need a better idea of what people would like to see. There is always the possibility.
Q: Saiyuki Gunlock?
A: No plans currently.
Q: Empty Boxes, there has been some rumours on the forums about their return.
A: Dan took the lead on this one. He was involved with the change in warehouse earlier this year and there is a production issues involved in being able to sell just the boxes. At this stage there would be several changes that would need to be made to enable this but they don't have the time. So for the moment there is still no chance of seeing the empty boxes return to sale.
Q: Black Lagoon
A: Tokyo Night Train have the rights.
Q: Descendents of Darkness.
A: No.
Q: Eastern Eye, any plans for some JDorama?
A: No plans at this time.
End note: Thanks to Sylvester Ip and StorminNorman for corrections.
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