Rocketfuel’s Weblog

The best manga around that doesn’t involve big eyes, big boobs, and rated PG-13 action.

The May issue (on sale on March 25) of Kodansha’s Monthly Afternoon magazine will confirm that a television anime version of Hiroaki Samura’s Blade of the Immortal manga will premiere this summer in Japan. Tomokazu Seki (Escaflowne’s Van, Gungrave’s Beyond the Grave) will voice the main character Manji — a rōnin swordsman condemned to immortality unless he kills a thousand evil men for all the good men he killed. Rina Satou (Negima!’s Negi, Bamboo Blade’s Satori) will play Manji’s fellow traveler Rin. Hirofumi Nojima (Kagehisa Anotsu), Kazuya Nakai (Taito Magatsu), Masashi Ebara (Sabato Kurui), Katsuyuki Konishi (Eikū Shizuma), Daisuke Namikawa (Araya Kawakami), Mamiko Noto (Makie), Megumi Toyoguchi (Hyakurin), Toshiyuki Morikawa (Giichi), Shinichiro Miki (Shira), and Maaya Sakamoto (Machi) complete the cast.

Koichi Mashimo will direct the animators on Bee Train as he did for the .hack// franchise and Noir. Hiroyuki Kawasaki (The Irresponsible Captain Tylor, Sorcerer Hunters) will oversee the scripts, and Yoshimitsu Yamashita (Murder Princess, Samurai Champloo animation director) will design the characters. Kō Ōtani (Ayakashi Ayashi, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing) will compose the music.

Dark Horse Comics publishes the manga in North America.

Source: Earl.Box

……I hope they choose hip hop beats in the music….like in Samurai Champloo and Afro Samurai.

The Wachoski brothers are doing what the producers of Dragon Ball the movie should be doing. They are making a film that actually looks and feel like an anime. While it’s true that DB is still being worked on…and there’s no footage to really judge, but there is this….

The post production better be really good….well, at least they are using the actual Dragon Ball uniforms.

Chow rolls to Fox for ‘Dragonball’

By Leslie Simmons

Dec 19, 2007

Chow Yun-Fat is the latest to join 20th Century Fox’s live-action adaptation of “Dragonball.”

Chow will play Master Roshi. He rounds out a cast that includes Justin Chatwin, James Marsters, Emmy Rossum and Jamie Chung. Chow is repped by CAA.

“Dragonball” is shooting in Mexico City and Los Angeles.

The film, directed by James Wong, follows Goku (Chatwin), a warrior alien who protects the Earth from an endless stream of rogues bent on dominating the universe and controlling mystical objects known as Dragon Balls. Stephen Chow is producing.

Master Roshi is Goku’s mentor, helping him achieve the highest state of fighting and spiritual powers.

Alright, producers of Dragon Ball, Stephen Chow included…

The casting doesn’t even make sense but if you’re going to cast a Chinese actor to play a character named “Roshi,” you might as well cast James Hong from Big Trouble in Little China.

It’s all about Manziger Z and his ROCKET PUNCH!

I want!

stops pretending and gets real……real funny that is especially since Jaime Chung will be playing as Chi Chi.

Jamie Chung has joined Justin Chatwin and James Marsters in Fox’s “Dragonball,” the live-action adaptation of the popular Japanese comic.

James Wong is directing the science fiction action-adventure, which centers on an adult humanoid alien named Goku (Chatwin) who, after discovering he was sent to Earth to destroy the population, tries to fulfill the wish of his dying grandfather and collect all seven of the world’s mystical Dragon Balls to keep them out of the hands of the evil aliens.

Chung will play Chi Chi, the love interest of Goku when he’s growing up. (more)

I don’t think it’s funny that Jamie Chung is playing Chi Chi. I liked her persona on the Real World and she needs to do what she needs to to make a living in the entertainment world. I just find it funny in a sad way that Goku is a white dude…and normally, I could care less about stuff like that but for crying out loud, it’s a Japanese manga. I know someone might say…”yeah, but Goku is from outerspace….” True, but it’s a Japanese manga…

So basically, the Hollywood stereotype continues. Caucasian hero, Asian love interest…..and if Piccolo was an Asian guy underneath ugly green make-up, the trinity of Asian stereotypes in Hollywood would be complete.

Anyways, go get’em Jamie.

…starts filming in Mexico? It could be worth the price of popcorn, a coke, and a big screen if they use the same CG action used in the last Matrix movie where Neo fought Agent Smith.

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Mexican newspaper El Norte reports that 20th Century Fox will film 85% of the Dragon Ball Z movie in Durango, Mexico under the direction of James Wong.

The production, expected to film in 2008, plans to use the Mexiquillo Forest, Marley Ranch, Hacienda la Providencia, La Joya Ranch, Laguna Seca de Santiaguillo and a forum from a Convention Center in the Culture Institute.

“Durango meets the needs in hotels, personnel, services like transportation, equipment, stunts, restaurants. This movie will provide the city with 750 jobs and an important flow of money,” said Susana Elósegui Cross (Turism & Cinematography Director of Durango).

The sets will be constructed this month and shooting will begin in January and last through March. However, the movie cannot filmed completely in Durango, so they will move to Estado De México for some shots at Nevado de Toluca (an important volcano).

Durango was chosen by Ariel Shaw, the special FX director.

Dragon Ball Z is about a young boy called Goku. He faces Evil Vegeta, who tries to destroy the hero to prove that Goku is not the legendary warrior many believe he is.

source: comingsoon.net

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it coud be good since Ariel Shaw has worked on 300, Freddy vs Jason, and Final Destination……. but I doubt it.

But on a more promising note, Takeshi Keneshiro will be starring in the Movie adaption of Onimusha the Capcom horror fantasy game. Directing the film will be Christopher Gans who brought us the freak show film Silent Hill.

The game already has a good storyline and if he does it no justice, especially with all the CG reference he has, he should just quit film making all together.