New Slayers TV series in the works

From Anime News Network:

Page 24 of Fujimi Shobo's Dragon Magazine's April issue — which is officially on sale on February 29 but was previewed early — has announced that a new television anime project is in the works for Hajime Kanzaka's Slayers fantasy light novels. The official title and the cast has yet to be revealed. The official Hajime Kanzaka Fan Club has confirmed the news and added that the project will feature an anime-exclusive story, split across two cours (two seasons of three months). Director Takashi Watanabe will oversee J.C. Staff, the same studio that worked with him on all three previous Slayers television series. Kanzaka also created the Lost Universe novels, manga, and anime series.

The fan club could not confirm who will be in the project's cast or even if Lina, the popular character voiced by Megumi Hayashibara, will be featured in this project. The club's news report did say that more details will be revealed in Dragon Magazine and anime magazines. Central Park Media and FUNimation Entertainment both released the three previous Slayers television series in English in North America.

Kirarin Revolution, episodes 27 & 28

(きらりん☆レボリューション) 2006

Kirari (voiced by Koharu Kusumi of Morning Musume!) is a middle schooler who LOVES her food. So much so that it's scary! While girls her age swoon over idols, Kirari swoons over her dad's cooking, and couldn't care less about the life of a celebrity. But when she saves the pet turtle of Seiji of pop group SHIPS and falls in love, she decides to become an idol herself so that they can be together (or so she hopes).



Episode 27:

Because Kirari won the Hot award, she has been bombarded with phonecalls, faxes and emails from people who want to do business with her. The chairman relies on the director (who, you may remember, is a mouse) to make the decision on what to pick out first. After a strange message is left on a piece of toast (since, you know, mice can't talk), it is decided that Kirari will now appear on the talk show, Y Star. But one particular regular on the show, Haruno, is a blabbering chatterbox who won't let guests get in more than two words at a time. This is bad, since they air only the most interesting parts of the recording. An idol is expected to tell jokes and be entertaining, so if Kirari can't capture the attention of the audience, there will be trouble (as Kumoi-san says, "Variety shows are a competition between idols"). It certainly doesn't help that Haruno hails from the same company as Fubuki, and is set on ruining Kirari's publicity attempt. What will Kirari do?



Episode 28:

Mya-san has appeared in the local cat newspaper as a result of auditioning for an animal show. Jealous and yearning for stardom of his own, Naa-san decides he will be a famous somebody, too. When he hears about an audition that guarantees an instant debut (and doesn't have strict requirements - they say even cats and aliens can come!), he's very eager to try. Kirari is working on her first concert at the same time, and so doesn't have time herself to help, but wishes him luck. When Naa-san is more than a little crushed after his attempt fails (he's laughed out of the building before he can even do anything), Kirari has to show him just how much he means to her, and give him a risk-free moment to shine.

Haruno really wasn't very funny. Could be a Japanese thing, could be a Kirarin Revolution thing - it could even be the lousy subtitles. But she was more irritating than anything else. And the Naa-san episode was very sweet :3

Kirarin Revolution, episodes 25 & 26

From now on I will be doing episodes (for this show) two at a time, with a brief idea on what happened, along with my thoughts. In Japan they recently aired episode 97, and the fansubbers are ahead of me by over 25 episodes, so I can't take it slow anymore. I need to catch up!

(きらりん☆レボリューション) 2006

Kirari (voiced by Koharu Kusumi of Morning Musume!) is a middle schooler who LOVES her food. So much so that it's scary! While girls her age swoon over idols, Kirari swoons over her dad's cooking, and couldn't care less about the life of a celebrity. But when she saves the pet turtle of Seiji of pop group SHIPS and falls in love, she decides to become an idol herself so that they can be together (or so she hopes).



Episode 25:

Kirari has Hiroto's shirt from the other day, and comes to his home to return it. She runs into Hiroto, Seiji, and Hiroto's shrill brother as she reaches the door, so they get her to come inside. While Kirari half-heartedly listens to everyone talk about the latest kids collectable card fad involving fish, they hear about the newest and hottest male idol group, RHINOCEROS, on TV. Without thinking, Kirari blurts out that Hiroto is 100 times cooler than they are (and immediately tries to cover up the blunder). Very embarrassed (especially after Hiroto whispers to her that with talk like that, she'll never win Seiji over), she runs home practically in tears, believing she doesn't mean much to Hiroto, either. The day of the final round, Kirari still isn't done, so Seiji goes to buy pancakes to calm her nerves. Hiroto reminds her again to write about Seiji. He says that it may not be tomorrow or next week, but someday Seiji will like her. On the performance front, Fubuki is first, and she has RHINOCEROS as backup dancers. Hiroto is angered by this trick and tells Seiji (who has just arrived with the pancakes) they will go on with Kirari and even the odds. Kirari insists on doing it alone, however, and stops the idea. Still wanting to help, Hiroto pulls in a favor and has fireworks go off during her song. He seems upset that Kirari will probably like his partner even more now (he doesn't say it out loud - it's a thought). At the end, the winner is about to be announced.



Episode 26:

It will be a half hour before voting is cut off, so everyone goes to do their own thing, and come back when the results are ready. Fubuki chases away the time at a window, thinking about her past as a model - she just can't lose to a brat like Kirari. Kirari, meanwhile, is near SHIPS, watching the TV, but can't bear to see the colored bar chart counting the votes, and leaves. She spots Fubuki, and is about to talk to her (she thinks, since they are both idols, they should get along and be friends) SHIPS comes up and tells her that they put in their votes. Fubuki shows them that both of her pets have been helping, too - but so has Naa-san, so she can't brag about how smart they are. "Nojo's Hot Idol Award" of that year goes to Kirari, and Fubuki seems hurt and confused. She's always been #1 at everything she does, so this is quite an ego blow. Kirari gives Fubuki the "royal robe," saying that she loses to Fubuki in a lot of ways, but has her own good qualities - so they are both #1 idols. After the show, Kirari is quickly bombarded with reporters. But Hiroto saves the day, runs off with her, and slips her a work memo for the next day - without so much as a congratulations on her hard-earned accomplishment. The work memo turns out to be a surprise celebration party, and even Fubuki is there, though she's only minimally friendly. While there they also find out that Mya-san is related to Nayan and Naa-san (and that Fubuki and Kirari met the day they were all adopted). Oh, and Kirari and Hiroto get a few moments alone outside, but things quickly get awkward when Kirari falls on top of him, and Arashi makes an appearance, accusing Hiroto of trying to make a move.

Because I'm an idiot, I keep calling that RHINOCEROS group, the HIPPOS XD I guess it's better that way - it's funnier, at least. Lots more Hiroto/Kirari fluff.

New Tonde Buurin cels

Coming soon to CELS OF SUGAR, a lot of Tonde Buurin cels. I have never seen this show, but cheap sets of cels and sketches have been popping up, so I can't resist. I may sell a few of the less cool ones, though.

Jim Henson's Return to Labyrinth, volume 1

This is the official "sequel" series to the beloved cult classic, The Labyrinth.

Toby is now a teenager, but he's hardly normal. His whole life, unusual things have been happening to him - whatever he wishes for, he gets, but the results do him no favors (and can even make things worse). When Toby finds out that the eccentric Jareth is behind it, he isn't happy, and so the irritated Goblin King seems to back off, leaving Toby to handle life on his own. But things don't stay chaos-free for long, because a goblin steals Toby's homework, and the angry teen decides to follow him through a hole in his closet, leading to the Labyrinth. What he finds there is nothing he could've predicted (or ever understood). And since Jareth has claimed him as a successor to the throne, things can only become less ordinary and more dangerous.

-I really should not have come into this with high expectations - after all, nothing can match up to the wonderful film. I was disappointed, to put it lightly. I never expected perfection, I just wanted it to be handled better.
-Sarah is almost not even in the book - she's barely a background character. And considering the imaginative young beauty became such a bland and depressing schoolteacher, she really should've taken Jareth up on that offer so many years ago.
-The artwork is awkward, blocky and ill-suiting (don't let the cover fool you!), so distracting at times I couldn't pay attention to the story. Like they gave someone a "How to Draw Manga" book and ran with it.
-There are too many characters to digest, on top of a lot of cameo appearances from the movie's original characters. I couldn't keep track. It seems we also have a Cinderella-like character named Moppet, whom Toby will no doubt rescue from the evil clutches of Mayor Spittledrum. I think she's pretty much a human wearing a goblin mask. We'll see.
-The way Jareth talks to and interacts with Toby creeps me out. He's more like a low level pedophile now, as compared to his father-like tendencies from when Toby was a toddler. And he doesn't mention or in any way acknowledge Sarah's very existence! Considering the man was in LOVE with her, I just don't see how he could so casually forget, especially since he's been interacting with her little brother.

If the next volume is better, I can forgive them for this dismal beginning. Any hardcore fans should probably stay away, unless you're the type that simply has to have anything related to The Labyrinth. Or, if you don't really care one way or another, and need some light reading - by all means, check it out.

Kirarin Revolution, episode 24

(きらりん☆レボリューション) 2006

Kirari (voiced by Koharu Kusumi of Morning Musume!) is a middle schooler who LOVES her food. So much so that it's scary! While girls her age swoon over idols, Kirari swoons over her dad's cooking, and couldn't care less about the life of a celebrity. But when she saves the pet turtle of Seiji of pop group SHIPS and falls in love, she decides to become an idol herself so that they can be together (or so she hopes).

All that's left now is the third round, and it might be the most difficult of all. Kabata-san (that blonde, pink wearing weirdo) has composed music, and the girls must each write lyrics to go with it, then perform their work for the final judgement. Fubuki cleverly asked if there was anything else they could do besides what was already required, which you know is a set-up for some kind of unfair "fluff" to make her look more flashy. When the wordless melody is sent to Kirari's company, there is little time to celebrate her second round victory (though she did get in eating some sweets). Upon hearing it for the first time, the only kind of thing Kirari can come up with involves ice cream flavors. And if she's serious about winning, that won't do at all. Kumoi-san and the others tell her that she has to pick a subject that everyone can relate to - and that's love. With that in mind, that night she sits at the little table in her room, and tries to think of something, anything, that involves that emotion. Of course, referring to Seiji for inspiration causes her to squee and blush. She thinks about when she first met him and Hiroto, but it soon becomes all about Hiroto, how he's helped her along and how gentle and kind he is. When Kirari realizes what she's doing, she freaks out.

The next day, Kirari relaxes on a bench in public. She seems to think a small pink visor will disguise her from being recognized, and it backfires at rocket-like speed. Trying to get away from the fan mob, she stops to rest for a few seconds and is grabbed by a mysterious hand. This hand belongs to Hiroto, and like usual he calls her an idiot. They make a getaway on a bus going who knows where, and after taking a breather realize they are still holding hands. Shortly after, Kirari spots the sea, and they decide to get off and really look. Because of where they are, it's decided that it's safe to take off their coverups. Hiroto asks how the lyric writing is going, and she says she's having difficulty because she doesn't really get romance (how quickly she forgets the TWO OTHER TIMES she learned what love was!). But doesn't she like Seiji? She should use those feelings to write the song. Kirari doesn't know how to answer that, and is so distracted they both don't notice when her visor flies away. So when a group of girls come walking towards them, Kirari will be spotted for sure, and that will cause big trouble (especially if Hiroto and Kirari are spotted ALONE, and in a romantic setting, to boot!). Thinking fast, Hiroto pulls Kirari to him in an rather intimate embrace, telling her to stay still until the girls leave. She knows it was meant to shield her face, but the idol can't stop her heart from beating so fast, and tries to reason that anyone's heart would beat this way under such a circumstance. Anyway, she likes Seiji (so stubborn). Then she has one of her freakouts, spins away from Hiroto and lands in the ocean.



Now soaking wet, Hiroto takes her to a nearby house so she can wash off the sticky ocean water. She's angry about it, and reasons that she also can't like Hiroto because of all the trouble he causes for her. But then Hiroto does something super sweet and gets himself all wet too, so she won't be alone. They can't very well walk around like that or get home that way, though, so Hiroto takes them into town into a clothing store. Hiroto buys something for himself, and Kirari tries on various outfits until they find the "right" one. When they DO find the right one, a green and blue dress, Hiroto blushes and says it's fitting (and he also pays for it, along with something for Naa-san). With all of this going on, Kirari just can't lie to herself anymore. She has feelings for Hiroto, and there's not much she can do about it. But the SHIPS member thinks it's high time she confessed to Seiji - after all, he's why she became an idol. And since she's worked so hard to get where she is, Hiroto himself confesses that he's getting very close to accepting her. Kirari just responds with the excuse that she's still not very good, and doesn't think Seiji cares much. Well then, he'll just have to help her - don't know what Seiji is thinking. Kirari decides to hide her new feelings deep in her heart - she'll probably never reveal this to Hiroto, but maybe someday.

At the end of the episode, Kirari is still trying to start her lyrics. She thought love was supposed to be wonderful - instead, it's hard and it's painful. Perhaps she can use the song as a way to confess to Hiroto, without any danger of either boys finding out. We also see Fubuki and her manager. The creepy woman tells Fubuki she can't lose to Kirari and then reveals two mysterious male figures. Who are they and how are they a benefit and sure win?

This whole episode had me going "D'awwww!" - the Kirari/Hiroto pairing is just so cute. Even though I just KNOW they will get together (how could you not? It's following the standard formula pretty closely), I wish they'd hurry up already.

Seiko Matsuda

Seiko Matsuda has become my newest favorite artist from the 80s, though most people outside Japan don't have a clue who she is. Seiko debuted in 1980 at the age of 18, and during the course of her career has had 24 consecutive #1 hits. Some call her the Madonna of Japan. While most idols last only 2 years or so, Seiko is still performing today, and is believed to be one of the most influential artists in Jpop history.

I can't say I want to know about the songs she made after 1989, and she does have some scandals/controversy to her name, but I choose to focus on the music. It's all so cute - even her later, more mature ballads are likable.

1980-1988 Medley Sampling of her works from the 80s.
Seiko Fan Web Site Japanese fansite, also has an English version.
Official Site English version available.