With the 25th Anniversary of My Neighbor Totoro fast approaching (on April 16th, 1988), Viz Media will be celebrating the occasion this Fall with the release of a My Neighbor Totoro novel and a special edition of the My Neighbor Totoro Picture Book. Fans will be thrilled to know that the novel was written by children’s book author Tsugiko Kubo and includes original watercolor illustrations by Miyazaki himself. The novel is of course a retelling of the classic story of Satsuki, Mei and their journeys with Totoro, but it will be a great new way to experience the magical tale. The companion, full color picture book features artwork taken directly from the film. Totoro lovers everywhere can pick up the novel for $17.99 USD and the special edition My Neighbor Totoro Picture Book for $19.99 USD on October 1st.

If you somehow have been living in a cave for the past 25 years and have missed the beloved film that is My Neighbor Totoro, I highly suggest you crawl out of said cave and watch it immediately in both the original Japanese and the newer English dub that was released by Disney.  Unfortunately, there’s no official trailer for the movie on Youtube anymore, but here’s a great fan version that gives you the same TL;DR of the film:

From the press release: “In the charming animation classic MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO, eleven-year-old Satsuki and her sassy little sister Mei have moved to the country to be closer to their ailing mother. While their father is working, the girls explore their sprawling old house and the forest and fields that surround it. Soon, Satsuki and Mei discover Totoro, a magical forest spirit who takes them on fantastic adventures through the trees and the clouds – and teaches them a lesson about trusting one another.

MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO was created by famed director Hayao Miyazaki and released as a feature film in 1988 by his Studio Ghibli, which also produced SPIRITED AWAY, PRINCESS MONONOKE, HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE and PONYO later on. TOTORO’s popularity soon became an international phenomenon and has spawned a vast array of adorable plush characters, toys, collectibles and other memorabilia.“

In an effort to engage Canadian fans, Toronto ComiCon organizers are banking heavily on Star Trek’s allure.

Building on the event’s inaugural success a year ago, the show brings together a lineup of guests and exhibitors from the worlds of TV and film, comics, horror and anime for two days at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, March 9-10. And the bridge crew from The Next Generation series will be the premier attraction at the second annual Toronto ComiCon (not to be confused with the longer running, much bigger and more popular four-day FanExpo Canada show held each August at the convention centre).

The cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation are slated to appear at Toronto ComiCon in March.

Scheduled to attend are Patrick Stewart (Capt. Jean-Luc Picard), Jonathan Frakes (Cmdr. William Riker), LeVar Burton (Lt. Cmdr. Geordi LaForge), Michael Dorn (Lt. Worf), Gates McFadden (Dr. Beverly Crusher), Marina Sirtis (Counselor Deanna Troi) and Brent Spiner (Lt. Cmdr. Data).

Other celebrity guests who are slated to appear are Sean Astin (The Lord of the Rings, The Goonies), Daniel Logan (Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones), Laura Vandervoort (Smallville, V) and Michael Hogan (Battlestar Galactica).

Of course, the lineups can – and often do – change as the celebrities’ schedules tend to be quite fluid.

The Toronto events tend to have a laid back, fan-friendly feel, with plenty of workshops (including access to some outstanding Canadian and North American authors) and seminars, as well as hundreds of exhibitors and comic artists, plus a celebrity autograph area.

A Star Wars photo session (the 501^st Canadian garrison is usually omnipresent at Toronto geekfests), as well as sketching duels and the opportunity to commission artists to create one of a kind drawings.

For Canadian comic aficionados, one of the key comic attractions this year will be the appearance by Kill Shakespeare’s creators. Toronto native Anthony Del Col and Connor McCreery have garnered attention among comic lovers across North America. The comic features epic battles between ol’ Billy’s iconic heroes and villains.

Del Col and McCreery have inked a follow-up series called Tide of Blood, which will be launching this year.

Robert Bailey, who is an official LucasFilm artist based in Alberta, is also scheduled to appear at the show, where yours truly hopes to follow up with him after my interview during last summer’s FanExpo Canada event in which he revealed he was commissioned by George Lucas to do an original oil painting featuring Ahsoka in a lightsaber duel with Darth Vader.

Bailey is the official artist for the Tuskegee Airmen, the famed all-African-American fighter pilot squadron, which Lucas featured in his movie Red Tails.
(You can hear my first interview with Bailey on the Star Wars Book Report podcast – episode 59, which is available via iTunes or at starwarsbookreport.com.)

As well, comic guests who are slated to appear include: Mike Zeck (Captain America, Marvel Secret Wars), Lee Weeks (Daredevil, The Hulk), Katie Cook (My Little Pony), Mike Del Mundo (Marvel cover artist), Marco Rudy (Swamp Thing) and Ty Templeton (Ultimate Spider-Man).

Tickets are available online now, with prices ranging from $20 for an all-access Sunday pass to $39 for a two-day pass. Childrens’ passes are available for $16 per day.

For information on the Next Generation cast photo-op sessions, autograph signings and VIP tickets, go to http://www.lightspeedfineart.com/toronto-comic-con-vip-tickets.

For a complete list of Toronto ComiCon guests, visit www.comicontoronto.com.

The Hollywood Reporter broke the news last night (amid all the JJ Abrams Star Wars foofaraw) that Warner Brothers has signed commercial director Nic Mathieu to the post of director for their long in development live-action conversion of Robotech.

Many names have been attached to the script, most excitingly Lawrence Kasdan, and Tobey Maguire is still set as a producer.

If this movie gets made, I’ll be able to die a happy man. Robotech is one of my favorite cartoon series’ from my childhood and it holds up in a way that people don’t seem to believe. It’s epic, it’s heartbreaking, it’s fantastic. And this could put Warner Brothers on the map with another massive geek franchise. It has the potential to beat the pants off of Transformers and be like a sci-fi Lord of the Rings for them.

From the Hollywood Reporter:

The project is a coup for Mathieu, a commercials director whose spots are known for their inventive CG effects but who has yet to make his feature debut.

But Warners already has shown it has plenty of faith in the burgeoning filmmaker: He is attached to direct The Wind, a David Keopp-written sci-fi project that the studio picked up in spring 2012 after being dazzled by his impressive presentation.

Mathieu also is attached to direct The Story of Your Life, an alien drama being produced by Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps.

There’s still no word on when the movie would happen, but it’s still exciting to hear and see it moving forward.

This is a trailer for an Argentinian Robotech Fan Film.

As a certified Robotech Nerd, I can’t begin to explain how good this looks. It makes me wish Hollywood had picked this up and ran with it, especially when they had Lawrence Kasdan working on the script.

Aside from the video, you can like these guys on Facebook and keep up with their film. I hope they add English subtitles.

Here’s the plot outline on their facebook page, as run through Google translate:

In 1999 an alien spacecraft fell on a South Pacific island and humanity was struck by the sign of a truly advanced technology, with an unimaginable firepower

The whole planet arms collaborated with a project based on what they had discovered. When they called “Technology Robotech”, should understand, manipulate and develop what was found on that ship.

In a remote town in South America, a group of scientists working against collaborating with the construction of the first multipurpose variable fighter plane called: Veritech VF1X.

In 2005, they are about to discover something very powerful … Human ambition to reach beyond any price would bring catastrophic consequences.

An event that would forever change the reality, a secret that would remain in the strictest of silence for years and only now released.

Here’s the link to their facebook page.

This week on Anime Update: Naruto, the 30th Anniversary of Macross, and two of my recent Anime Music Video finds.

First up: Tokyo Game Show hasn’t had too many big announcements this year, but anime fans will be psyched to see the following Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 trailer that premiered yesterday.

I’ve always liked how the Ultimate Ninja Storm series puts a nice spin on the fighting genre, and I think the graphic choices made by the developers are great because they really flesh out the cell-shaded style from the anime series. Bandai Namco games will be bringing the title over to the States (estimated release for Spring 2013) – again for both PS3 and Xbox 360.

Second this week: (Via ANN) Can you believe we’re already coming up on the 30th Anniversary of Macross? Well, next month a new Macross film – Macross FB7: Ore no Uta no Kike! will be released in Japanese theaters. Set in 2059, the story follows the 25th New Macross class long-distance fleet as they journey through the galaxy to find a new home. Set nearly five decades after the Space War I conflict (from the first Macross series), they’ve got another war on their hands and you know what that means – Mechs + Space Battle = I’m 100% in for this movie. Give the trailer a watch and keep your fingers crossed that it gets picked up for US distribution:

Lastly: since it’s been so long, I wanted to leave you with two of my recent Anime Music Video finds:

First up is an action-packed, kick-ass video featuring The Legend of Korra (light spoilers) set to “Finale” by Madeon:

Second is a stunning and heartfelt video for The Place Promised in our Early Days (SPOILERS!) set to “He Films the Clouds Pt2” by Maybeshewill:

We love Star Wars here at Big Shiny Robot, and it’s no secret that many of us bots also enjoy classic anime such as Robotech, Gundam Wing, and other series that defined the genre of sci fi / mecha anime. Well, Otaking77077 has done something truly impressive and brought Star Wars and Anime together with incredible success in this anime-style Star Wars video.

The detailing and coloring are full of depth, and the animation is really brought to life through an awesome interpretation of the heavily stylized sci fi anime of the 1980’s and 90’s. What I like most about this, though, is that the style has been modernized with a bit of polish. Originally there was no audio, but Youtube user SuperMulciber has added the track “Sleigh Bells” to match the fast-paced action (I like the video both with and without the track). Honestly, I really hope this short becomes a full length feature!

Geek Girls note – I think it’s awesome that the animator has included this ultra-badass Tie Bomber Pilot:

Otaking77077, we salute you.

(source: i09)

Joining the ranks of other Marvel anime series is Blade, bringing us the story of half-vampire Eric Brooks, otherwise known as—you guessed it—Blade.

The Blade Anime unsurprisingly brought to mind the first Blade movie starring Wesley Snipes, since that is my only connection to the character prior to watching this series.  So with nothing other than that to compare it to, I have to say this was entertaining, though I did not enjoy it quite as much as I liked the Wolverine series.  I thought it moved a bit more slowly, and I’ve just always liked Wolverine more than most Marvel characters.

A brief synopsis is that Blade seeks revenge on Deacon Frost, the murderer of his mother while she was still pregnant with him.  Much of Blade’s history is told through flashbacks, and we see his mother’s brutal death, his subsequent birth, and the loving relationship between him and his aunt.  But tragedy follows wherever he turns, and his only solace is to hunt the creatures of the night.

His battles against the vampires are dazzling to watch.  He uses special sword techniques that throw them off balance long enough for him to strike, and his speed and agility are remarkable.  The vampire blood that flows through his veins provides him with preternatural skills, but he is immune to the devastating effects of sunlight, unlike his fanged brethren.

As with the Wolverine Anime DVD, this series also has three featurettes included in the two-disc  set:

The Marvel Anime Universe: Blade Re-Awakened, which explores the process that went into developing this new take on the vampire-hunter.

Blade: The Vampire-Slayer, comparing Marvel’s Blade with traditional vampire stories

Special Talk Session: Marvel Anime’s Blade and Wolverine, an interview with series creators.

If you’re a fan of Blade, then you just may love this series.  I can only go so far to say I liked it, but it was worth watching once, at least.

Marvel’s Wolverine Anime is now available on DVD, and the twelve episodes are jam-packed with fast-paced action sequences and incredible animation.

The Wolverine Anime focuses on everyone’s favorite mutant with an adamantium skeleton, and the series never fails to remind us that Logan is virtually indestructible.  Bullet holes?  What bullet holes?  Sword slash?  Never happened.

The story of the anime is based on the comics plotline that began in 1979 and included three titles: X-Man, Uncanny X-Men, and Wolverine.  Wolverine’s love Mariko Yashida is taken away by her father and forced into betrothal with his business associate Hideko.  Wolverine valiantly attempts to save her, even jumping in midair as a hail of bullets tear apart his flesh.  But, as I mentioned, such injuries are mere scratches to the clawed one, though even he couldn’t defy the coordinated assault.

So as one would expect, Wolverine wanders around Tokyo with a chip on his shoulder.  He’s never been the happiest of characters, but he’s forced to cross swords with his former girlfriend’s father and endures a murder attempt from her fiancé, all the while wearing a cool red leather jacket.  His fists are constantly clenched, adamantium claws ready to snikt snikt at the least provocation.

During his journey, he comes across an unexpected ally that’s a mix between Trinity of the Matrix and a Tron character.  She has her own agenda, desiring to avenge the death of her mother and destroy Mariko’s father.  And an appearance by enemy Omega Red further complicates matters.

I loved the episodes.  The battles with samurai swords were epic, and I could tell that a lot of hard work went into this series.  I’ve read a lot of criticism about the series, but honestly, I don’t understand it.

Director Hiroshi Aoyama encourages the skeptical to watch:  “Logan in my show is not exactly the same Logan you see in the original comics. However, the storyline and characters are based on an existing comic. The younger Logan battles his enemies and problems in both Tokyo and Madripoor. He fights off all enemies that stand in his way. Even if you find Logan’s look “too different,” give it a try. Logan is still the Logan you know. Wolverine’s got the Wolverine spirit. Watching him evolve across the series will be very fun. His healing factor and adamantium skeleton are just awesome!”

I love the X-Men and particularly Wolverine, but I’m not a hardcore comic book fan.  So perhaps I didn’t watch it with the same critical eye as others.  I just thought it was pure fun.  And if you like anime and sword fights and Wolverine, maybe this is for you.  But if you’re going to watch it and analyze every frame because Wolverine’s hair doesn’t look like it does in the comic books, then this may not be up your alley.

Also included are three featurettes: The Marvel Anime Universe: Wolverine Reborn, providing insights into the process for creating the series.

The Ferocious Anti-Hero: Wolverine Defined explores the hero’s character

 Wolverine Meets X-Men contains an interview with the creators of the Marvel anime Wolverine and X-Men.

We’ve missed you! I’m happy to say that we’re back with July’s episode to fulfill your Geek Girl podcast needs! This month we chat about Comic Con, Sailor Moon, Firefly, Man of Steel, Marvel and Disney, the OUYA, and our favorite females in the Star Wars Universe.

Download via Big Shiny Robot’s Big Shiny Podcast iTunes feed or Listen here now! Bonus: Darcy does a Christopher Walken impersonation while explaining Sailor Moon and the end of this episode features one of us singing “Yub Nub.” See if you can guess who it is!

Want to Ask the Girlcast? Send us a Tweet @BSRGirlcast or chat with us on our Facebook page!

PS: Some of you know that we did record an episode that was supposed to be  the original “Issue #7.” There were technical problems with that episode and we will need to release it later as a bonus episode since it took so long to resolve the issues (that episode would have been waaaayyy out of date). Sorry about that!

Suidobashi, a company based in Japan, has finally made my anime-driven dreams come true with their announcement that they are close to completing fully operational mech suits. They drive, they have replica “weapons,” and, most importantly, they make you feel like a Gundam pilot!

This isn’t the first time we’re hearing about these, but it is the first time their amazing video has dropped in English for us to get psyched!

Even the safety video is cool!

Okay, so who has a million dollars I can borrow to get a Wing Zero made? Baldass bot threw me this idea for what could potentially be the world’s greatest Kickstarter pitch: “I need a giant mech. If you contribute one hundred dollars, I’ll send you a signed photo of me in the mech. For $500, I’ll take your picture in the mech. For $10,000 I will personally use this giant mech to destroy something valuable owned by your worst enemy. Contributions of $100,000 or more can be negotiated for more violent crimes that I’m not allowed to openly discuss.”

If you’re wondering, I’ll be building mine based on the Wing Zero model from Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz.

New to anime with mech suits and Gundams? Allow me to make some recommendations – Anything with Gundam in the title (except Seed, stay away from that garbage), The Macross Plus OAV, any of the Evangelion incarnations…I could go on, but I think one of the most fun and cool mech series out there is Full Metal Panic: Three series total = awesome fights, good plot, and a fantastic comedy/nonsense series sandwiched in the middle called Full Metal Panic Fummoffu.

https://youtu.be/UA3YJBX6h-Y