Casshern

[Trip]

Just found this link on penny arcade:

http://www.apple.co.jp/quicktime/trailers/casshern_large.html

Looks like it should be a good film, shame I can't find any info on if/when it'll be released

[Baka-chan]

the movie does look pretty sweet, wish i knew what was goin on, heheh

[r3n]

eugh why does every movie trailer have to be using quicktime. i refuse to install apple mac software on my PC!

screwed my PC last time i installed it.

[lionheart1012000]

hm...looks cool, but i dont know myself whats goin on either.

[Vagabond]

here (http://www.themoviebox.net/movies/2004/0-9ABC/Casshern/main-page.html#MovieInfo) is some info about the movie.

I guess it is based on an anime...

[bitwar]

It is based on an anime series which is currently available in the US from ADV as "Casshan: Robot Hunter." Why the title change? I don't know. It's been done before changing an "a" towards the end of a title to an "er" (ie: "Kikaida" changed to "Kikaider"), but this is the first time I've seen the Japanese title with an "er." It's especially odd since there is no "er" sound in Japanese. Any non-vowel sound (as I understand it) is always followed by a vowel with the exception of "n." Casshan (which I guess would actually be properly spelled out as "Kashan" using typical Japanese-to-English) sounds more Japanese really. Maybe it's based off a non-Japanese word or term, or maybe they were trying to be "Western culture" again, because it's cool (or something like that). But anyways.

I first heard about this movie in the most recent Newtype USA issue. The director said that there has never been a serious Japanese live-action super hero movie before (they've always been Super Sentai-ish, even Hakaida and Zeriram), and that's part of why he started working on this movie. It looks severely kick ass and I hope Columbia/Tristar or ADV or someone like that picks it up for US release.

[Xollence]

whats wrong with quicktime? Reminds me a lot of Final Fantasy 7.

[Poiple Weezard]

I'd rather not ADV be the ones to pick this up, mainly because I'd like it to have a chance at a US theatrical release. Of course I'm still waiting for Shaolin Soccer (who's special effects are getting more and more outdated) so I don't know what the likelihood of that would be.

[KakashiSensei]

I dont know if its true or not but I believe this is based on an 80's anime movie called Cassan Robot Hunter. they look soo similar in Idea and name. Check it out.

[Poiple Weezard]

Bitwar just said that a couple posts up. According to animenfo.com, its not an 80's release though, its from 1993.

[KakashiSensei]

yeah i didnt see that post till after i posted that. I thought the anime was late 80's early 90's as the animation wasnt to great.
But the movie does look cool

[Raven]

Now if they make the NGE live action movie in that style rather than power rangers style, I'll be happy.

[Vagabond]

Since were on the topic of anime's to live acttion movies.....
I heard a looong time ago that live action Akira, Ninja Scroll movies were in the works.

[bitwar]

ADV released "The Princess Blade" to American theaters. Granted it was a very limited release, but that's about all Japanese cinema gets over here. Even Shaolin Soccer is only in NY, LA, and San Fransisco. And I bet Disney butchered it. I'll be happy as all heck if they didn't (it'd be a first). And it's getting older because, wll... it was originally supposed to come out in US theaters like 2 years ago. They've also refused to release Zu Warriors, and have once again delayed Hero (for which I heard that they are changing the ending!). Anyways (holding back my "Disney=evil" rant), I'm hoping for ADV because I know they won't edit the hell out of it. And there's a chance of it going to the US theaters, even if it's only NY and LA. Other than that, Tokyo Shock is pretty good for DVD releases. And I believe I offered Columbia/Tristar as another possibility (the most preferable choice).

I doubt that they'll treat Evangelion like a Super Sentai (Power Rangers) movie. The series is too serious, and I really doubt that they'll piss off the fans who are the majority of their viewers like that. I have faith in Weta Workshop and whoever helms the Eva movie to turn out something at least in the spirit of the series many of us know and love.

As far as other anime-to-Hollywood live-action movies are concerned, there have been many that have been considered, and none that have been made. The DBZ movie is dead to my knowlege, and there have been rumors of James Cameron doing Battle Angel Alita, someone else getting Lupin III, Astro Boy, and probably more that I can't remember. Oh, Cowboy Bebop. I might have heard Akira mentioned once, but I never heard Ninja Scroll. Right now the most likely ones to actually get made are Evangelion and Battle Angel Alita, Eva being the most likely since I've barely heard bupkiss about BAA. The trouble is making the transition to live action (which isn't too hard nowadays), keeping the current fanbase happy, and making it widely marketable in the US (which usually pisses off the current fanbase). I've also heard about a possible American live-action Lone Wolf and Cub, but that's manga and not anime. I think that once Eva is released, and if it does well, more anime will get the live-action treatment in the US. A movie like Casshern may also help show that there's potential there. Hopefully the quality of the anime will be kept, or even surpassed by such projects.