This is an update to an article I wrote earlier about a campaign to protect the Fuchi no Mori forest started by director Hayao Miyazaki, local residents, and other volunteers. At the end of the article, I wrote that the local government would be purchasing the land.
On October 9, 2007, Miyazaki-sama and a group of supporters presented the city of Higashimurayama with approximately 73 million yen (about $622,000 US) to preserve the patch of trees (actually adjoining the forest) which had been scheduled to be developed into a housing complex. Over a third of the amount (25 million yen) came from donations made by the general public.
If the city gives final approval to the reacquisition plan, then the deal could be finished by November.
ANN Story:
Miyazaki’s Group Raises 73 Million Yen to Save Forest
Japanese Source:
Jiji Tsūshin
Radio Ghibli Debuts
On a different note, but still related to Miyazaki-sama, Radio Ghibli (working title) made its debut on October 7. It was broadcast on the 38 stations of Tokyo FM and was hosted by Studio Ghibli president Toshio Suzuki. He and his guests, (Yaeko ?) Nagami of Disney and (Hirozumi ?) Takakusaki of Dentsu talked about what the permanent title for the show should be.
Suzuki-sama also told some stories during the broadcast. One was about the early days of Studio Ghibli, before the studio had its name. The staff proposed several names including “Musashino-Kobo” or Musashino-ya” (for the western suburb of Tokyo where the studio was based). Miyazaki-sama then suggested Ghibli for the hot Sahara wind and the Italian fighter plane (AMX Ghibli co-developed with Brazil). Isao Takahata questioned the pronunciation wondering if it should be pronounced “giburi” rather than “jiburi”, but Miyazaki-sama insisted that the “ji-” sound was correct and that is how the studio’s name is pronounced today…though the Italian pronunciation is with the “gi-” sound.
Another story was about Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke). Miyazaki-sama wanted to change the name to Ashitaka Sekki (Legend of Ashitaka). He said that since the story had been changed from one about a girl who marries a “mononoke” (Japanese spirit) to one about Ashitka’s adventure, the title should be changed as well. Suzuki-sama, who preferred Mononoke, gave an ambiguous reply, then made and released a trailer for the movie using Mononoke. Miyazaki-sama grudgingly accepted the title since it had already been announced to Japan.
The second show, which aired on October 14, revealed Suzuki-sama’s proposal for the radio show’s name…Ghibli Asemanire (Sweating on Ghibli). It has a double meaning. First, it is a reference to working hard. Second, it refers to the book, Sakuga Asemamire, which is about animator Yasuo ÅŒtsuka (Miyazaki-sama’s mentor and colleague).
The guests for this show were Takaaki Fujioka (Music Director at Sony Music Entertainment) and Naoya Fujimaki (Hakuhodo Advertising Agency representative who handles Studio Ghibli advertising). They also make up an amateur singing duo called, appropriately enough, Fujimaki Fujioka. They along with 8 year old Nozomi Ohashi will be singing the theme for the upcoming Ghibli feature, Gake no ue no Ponyo (å´–ã®ä¸Šã®ãƒãƒ‹ãƒ§ (Ponyo on a Cliff). The song, by veteran Ghibli composer Joe Hisaishi, was previewed on the show.
If you can understand Japanese, both shows are available for download as mp3 files. Here are show 1 and show 2. However, the song preview is not part of the download due to copyright restrictions.
For more a more detailed look at each show, go to GhibliWorld News and look for the articles titled:
7th of October, 1ST BROADCAST RADIO GHIBLI + DOWNLOAD
Here is a link to Toshio Suzuki’s blog (part of the Tokyo FM website…Japanese only)
Image of Toshio Suzuki: © Tokyo FM Broadcasting Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Slam Dunk Scholarship
Manga-ka Takehiko Inoue was the main organizer behind the Slam Dunk Scholarship program which was established back in November of 2006. The scholarship will be funded by Shueisha Publishing. The recipient will attend South Kent School, a college preparatory school in Connecticut. Inoue-san said in a 2006 interview:
“I ended up creating the Slam Dunk Scholarship, to promote basketball in Japan…South Kent School is ideal for a Japanese student to study English and prepare for college. If the player attracts the eyes of a scout, he might have a chance at receiving a college sports scholarship and play in the NCAA. All I can offer is an opportunity; the students need to do the rest by themselves.â€
Their first recipient was announced earlier this month. His name is Narito Namizato, an 18-year old from Okinawa. His last hurdle was the admissions interview (held October 7 - 11)…the results of the interview and evaluation are still pending.
Namizato-san is 1.78 meters tall (a little over 5′ 8″)…which is slightly taller than his countryman Yuta Tabuse (1.73 meters) who was briefly a member of the Phoenix Suns NBA team before moving to the NBA Development League. Namizato-san was one of 64 kids who were invited to the Adidas Basketball Experience Camp in New Orleans in August 2007. Of his experience at the camp, he said:
“Being the smallest guy in the camp, coaches taught me to be confident in my skills and to attack the rim by learning how to play with big guys without changing my game.”
Slam Dunk Image: © Inoue Takehiko, I.T. Planning, Inc./Shueisha Inc.
Namizato Image: © FIBA
ANN Stories:
South Kent School Gets ‘Slam Dunked’
First Slam Dunk Basketball Scholarship Awarded
FIBA Namizato Story:
Japan’s Namizato dreams of hitting the big time
Takehiko Inoue at Kinokuniya Store
Here is another piece of Takehiko Inoue news. If you’re in New York City on November 19, you may want to visit the new 24,000 sq. ft. flagship Kinokuniya store (1073 Sixth Avenue - aka Avenue of the Americas). Viz Media will be hosting Inoue-san as a special guest that day. He will create an exclusive mural on a wall on the second floor which has been reserved for him. That floor will be dedicated to manga.
ANN Story:
Slam Dunk, Vagabond’s Inoue to Visit NYC in November
Death Note News
Here is some news about Death Note…good and not so good. First, the good:
Volume 1 of the Death Note manga has been nominated for the 2008 Evergreen Young Adult Book Award. The Award is sponsored by the Washington State Young Adult Review Group (WASHYARG). From the group’s website history page, WASHYARG is a review group:
“…consisting of young adults’ librarians from the state of Washington (who) began the award in an effort to give teens in the state a voice in deciding the best literature aimed at their age group.”
The nominating and voting process:
“Each year, from suggestions made by school librarians and by teens themselves, from lists of awards such the American Library Association’s Best Books for Young Adults, the Evergreen Award Nominating Committee selects ten titles that represent a mix of teen-appealing titles.”
“The nominated titles are returned to the young people of Washington State to read and to vote on and a Nominee Ballot is published by WASHYARG for their use.”
“The deadline to vote on the nominees is March 15th of each year. After the ballots are counted, the winner is announced.Readers may vote on their favorite title by returning a ballot to their closest library, or mailing it in by this deadline.”
The full list of this year’s nominees may be found here. If you’re a middle school or high school student from Washington state, you may find more information about voting here.
ANN Story:
Librarians Nominate Death Note for Book Award
Good news for anime fans in North America. In the US, Death Note will start airing as part of Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim block on October 20 at midnight ET. In Canada, Death Note will start airing on YTV October 26 at 10pm ET.
ANN Stories:
Death Note Confirmed to Air on Adult Swim October 20
Death Note Confirmed to Air on Canada’s YTV October 26
The not-so-good news includes an article in the Taipei Times. Pingtung County (Taiwan) Government officials have instructed elementary school teachers to watch for “any negative influences on students who immerse themselves in reading Death Note“. One manga store owner has said Death Note is popular with students ranging from fifth graders to senior high school students. In addition to asking teachers to look out for negative influences, the government officials also asked the teachers “to strengthen talks on appreciation of life”. Not everyone believes the manga is bad, though. According to the article, Hsu Wen-bin, executive-general of the Publication Appraisal Foundation, did not think Death Note was bad for students and said that it would be best if parents “provide answers that children might have while reading the manga”.
ANN Story:
Taiwanese County Warns of Death Note, Others Defend It
Taiwan Source:
The Liberty Times
While Taiwan has had bumpy relations with its larger neighbor, the People’s Republic of China, it appears there is some agreement with respect to Death Note. There have been attempts to ban the manga since 2005, where some schools in the city of Shenyang banned the manga and some special stationary…it seems some students were creating their own “Death Notes”. More recently, Beijing has been banning horror stories near schools…including local adaptations of Death Note.
ANN Stories:
Death Note Stirs Controversy in China
Beijing Bans Horror Stories Based on Death Note
Source for Beijing Story:
Reuters (Beijing bans scary stories to protect young)
Then there is this rather grisly story. In late September, a man’s torso was found in Belgium’s Duden Park. Also found were two human thighs. On both sets of body parts, there were notes with the message “Watashi wa Kira dess” on them. “Dess” is probably a misspelling of desu, so the message translates to “I am Kira (killer)”.
ANN Story:
Notes near Body Parts in Belgium Linked to Death Note
Belgian Source:
La Dernière Heure (Forest : le tueur aux mangas)
Clannad bread vending machine
Eva had its coffee promotion with UCC. Code Geass had its Pizza Hut tie-in…actually Eva also had a Pizza Hut promo.
Now, for a limited time with limited distribution, you can get canned bread promoting the new Clannad TV series. The bread is being sold at a vending machine at Tokyo’s Akihabara station on platform 6 (for Sobu line trains bound for Chiba) until the end of October.
The bread is made by Pan Akimoto…they originally developed the bread as an emergency food after the 1995 Kobe earthquake. Each can costs 350 yen (about $3 US) and comes in 7 flavors…chocolate, strawberry, green tea, butter, raisin, blueberry, and milk. The cans show the different bishoujo characters of the series.
I wonder if GAINAX is planning a canned bread promotion for Eva…
Vending Machine image from TokyoTimes article Tokyo Tinned Treats II.
Can image: © Mainichi Shimbun, Pan Akimoto
ANN Story:
Clannad “Canned Bread” Promotion Launched
Japanese Source:
Mainichi Shimbun
Gunbuster T-Shirt Design Contest
Now for some non-Eva GAINAX news. Actually, Rachel has already written about this, so I’ll be brief. GAINAX, dot-anime.us, and Broccoli Gear are holding a Gunbuster T-Shirt design contest. Broccoli Gear (Broccoli International’s apparel division) will be creating a new Gunbuster T-shirt. They have decided to look outside the company for design ideas by holding a contest. The winner will be selected by the GAINAX staff and will receive 5 T-shirts with their winning design.
You can find the full set of rules and guidelines here. The deadline is November 5, 2007.
Finally, just a reminder that because of the failure of the proposed ADV-Geneon agreement, dot-anime.us is currently the sole vendor for Bandai Visual USA products.
Yaoi-Con News
Here is a bit of news for anyone who will be attending Yaoi-Con 2007 near San Francisco, California. Digital Manga Publishing has announced that one of their employees, Ben, has volunteered (with some badgering encouragement by 801 Media’s Tomo-chan and 801-chan) to be auctioned off at the annual BishÅnen Auction (October 27). The winning bidder will get Ben for the rest of the day plus the Dream Shoppe Wa-Lolita outfit in a floral pattern (right, an example from the Dream Shoppe website…might not be the actual pattern) worn by Ben and a $100 gift certificate for Pop Japan Travel’s upcoming Fujoshi Paradise Tour.
ANN Story:
DMP Employee Volunteered for Yaoi-Con BishÅnen Auction
