In an interview with NME.com Kaoru (guitarist for Dir En Grey) has claimed the upcoming album by Dir En Grey titled 'Dum Spiro Spero' (meaning 'While I breath, I hope' in Latin) will be "more savage" than any album previously released by them. He went on to say that the"record comes from a deeper world and is completely different from any of our past works,".
Bassists Toshiya also commented "We live in a world where we don’t know what is the truth and what we should believe in. I just wanted to put some hope into the music that we create" when questioned about the lyrical inspirations and content of the forthcoming 14 track album.
Other details that have been confirmed regarding the album is that the 14 tracks will include the bands previous 2 singles 'Lotus' and 'Hageshisa To, Kono Mune No Naka De Karamitsuita Shakunetsu No Yami' (that was featured in the a recent 'Saw' movie soundtrack) and forthcoming single 'Different Sense' which is set for release on June 3rd in Japan.
Of course perhaps the most important information for all, the release date. Mark this in your calendars as August 8th is the release date for 'Dum Spiro Spero'. And for those of you who are collectors out there, there will be a special edition that will include a bonus DVD. For thosw who may want something super special though, there will also be a 'Initial Limited Version' (aka a super limited edition version) of the album that will include the album itself along with a bonus audio CD, a DVD and a 2 LP vinyl version of the album! If you're interested in getting any of the special editions, be warned that they are generally Japanese exclusives. So you might want to visit a site like CD Japan where you can import them.
In a statement of the official website of Dir En Grey, the record company described the release as follows: "DIR EN GREY will release their 8th studio album "DUM SPIRO SPERO" 2 years and 9 months after "UROBOROS" which garnered overwhelming support as the strongest and the maddest record resonating across the globe. There are 14 tracks including "Hageshisa To, Kono Mune No Naka De Karamitsuita Shakunetsu No Yami", "LOTUS", "DIFFERENT SENSE" as single-cut tracks in this album. With the combination of world-noted engineers and the individuality of a Japanese born and bred band. After all, DIR EN GREY is the only artist that can surpass themselves."
Don't forget that Dir En Grey are coming back to the UK in August for a one off show at the Camden Koko! Head over to the official website of Dir En Grey for details!
Tecmo Koei Europe have announced that we can expect two Anime releated games being released by them this year.
First of all, the long running Gundam franchise will have it's third outing as part of the Dynasty Warriors series as 'Dynasty Warriors Gundam 3' is set for release on July 1st across Europe on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 consoles. The game is "set in the future, chaotic warfare has engulfed the universe. The world is ripe with strife as gigantic mecha called Mobile Suits march to war on land and in space. Featuring characters and mecha from over 30 years of Gundam anime and manga series, DYNASTY WARRIORS: GUNDAM 3 thrusts players into the galactic melee with over 50 playable and upgradable characters and over 70 playable and upgradeable Mobile Suits combed from the Gundam universe. New additions include Mobile Suits from Mobile Suit Gundam 00, Mobile Suit Gundam UC and many more. DYNASTY WARRIORS: GUNDAM 3 also features a number of gameplay additions to the series, including 3 brand new featured systems, including the Partner Strike, Emergency Dash and Recovery Gauge Systems, which will bring a new level of full-out tactical action to the series. The Partner Strike System will enable the player to summon partner characters to the battlefield to assist at crucial moments, affecting your character’s current melee engagement or possibly the overall battlefield conditions for your army. The Emergency Dash System will allow players to execute new cancel and evasion moves negating enemy attacks. This system will bring a new level to gameplay since powerful combos can be more easily parried. The new Recovery Gauge System enables players to recover armor during battle allowing players more flexibility in their tactics on the battlefield.
Additionally, DYNASTY WARRIORS: GUNDAM 3 brings a new strategy facet to gameplay. Battlefields now incorporate multiple facilities with various functions. Capturing these locations will change the battlefield conditions and turn the tide of the battle in your favor. Players will be also able to use a new Chain Explosion System to engulf their enemies in a maelstrom of fury! By initiating an explosion via certain attacks, players will be able to cause further carnage with their own chain of explosions. Skillful players can use this system to finish off entire squads of Mobile Suits in one blow, thus turning the tide of battle in their favor!"
To add to this, it's also been revealed that attendees of the London Expo this weekend will be able to see the game first hand as Tecmo Koei Europe will have the game on show in some capacity at the convention! So be sure to visit the Tecmo booth at the expo for a preview of what to expect!
Also set release exclusively on Playstation 3 in September is Bleach: Soul Resurreccion. Here's the info direct from Tecmo Koei -
""There are numerous anime-based video games, but many fall short in gameplay," says Jack Niida, Producer at NIS America. "Bleach: Soul Resurreccion faithfully represents the anime series with its beautiful cel-shaded graphics and combines it with amazing gameplay. The game style is simple enough for action game beginners, yet has enough features to satisfy hardcore players. The game follows the battle against the evil Arrancars, but there are times when you will be able to play as the enemy. This is especially exciting if you follow the manga closely, since you can be characters in the manga that are normally forgotten after being defeated." "BLEACH is one of the most popular anime and manga properties to ever be released in North America, and the new Bleach: Soul Resurreccion video game incorporates many familiar characters and storylines from the series," says Pascal Bonnet, EMEA Dirctor for Licencing at Viz Media Europe. "We look forward to the success of this new release and to working closely with NIS America as they add an exciting new dimension to this celebrated property."
GAME INFORMATION Based on the popular manga/anime series, Bleach: Soul Resurreccion depicts the battle between the Soul Reapers and the army of evil Arrancars that threaten the peace of the world.
Bleach: Soul Resurreccion gives players the sensation of single-handedly destroying an army of monsters and evil spirits with lightning-fast swordfighting action. Gamers can re-live the experiences of various characters from the anime by closely following the original story. The environments are faithfully reproduced with beautiful cel-shaded 3D models that will satisfy even the most devoted fans. Bleach: Soul Resurreccion will give gamers an unparalleled anime action game experience.
GAME FEATURES - 21 playable characters from the hit anime/manga BLEACH. - Massive free-roaming action/adventure game with beautiful anime-inspired cel-shaded graphics. - Various game modes, including: Story Mode, Mission Mode, and more. - Customizable character leveling system: unlock status enhancements and add special abilities through a customized "character map" for each playable character."
There is no word on if this game will be appearing at the London Expo, but certainly expect there to be more updates on this through the Temco Koei website.
As we spoke about on our most recent edition (Episode 24) of The Anime Chronicle Podcast, two voice actors have been confirmed to attend the London MCM Expo this weekend at the Excel Centre in London.
First of all we have Brian Beacock whose credits include roles in Durarara, Bleach and numerous video games.
We also have Brian Diskin who has one of the main protagonists of Naruto Shippuuden 'Sai' (pictured right) along with various anime credits including roles in Dragon Ball, Bleach and Blue Dragon.
Both men will be appearing on both Saturday and Sunday of the Expo, and will be available for free signings (times to be confirmed).
Today (Saturday 7th May) I had the pleasure of attending the UK premiere of the new ‘Yu Gi Oh – Bonds Beyond Time’ movie. The event was held by Manga Entertainment in preparation for their release of the movie on both DVD and Blu-Ray in July. This is a very unique title especially come the release of the Blu-Ray version, because it is the first Anime to be created for viewing in 3D. The concept of 3D viewing as a whole is still very early into its life cycle and with Anime now venturing into this field it could well be a make a break film with a view to future developments in this field.
For those who are perhaps less familiar with the franchise as a whole, ‘Yu Gi Oh’ is a Manga and Anime series that has a primary focus of a card game named Dual Monsters. (The game has similarities to the Pokemon Trading Card Game and Top Trumps.) During the three incarnations of the anime series (‘Yu Gu Oh’, ‘Yu Gi Oh – GX’ and ‘Yu Gi Oh – 5D’s’) the core premise of the card game remains while being unique at the same time, so as to not literally give a retelling of the same story but just in a different setting.
The opening of the film itself was actually very helpful to establish this fact. One of the big selling points of the movie is that it features the three main protagonists Yugi (from ‘Yu Gi Oh), Jaden (from ‘Yu Gi Oh – GX’) and Yusei (from ‘Yu Gi Oh – 5D’s) at some point coming together to battle side by side (and I can assure, this does indeed happen). The start of the film was actually a ten to fifteen minute short film highlighting each universe of the franchise and what some of the key character elements were, which (according to a representative of Manga UK) was created specifically for the western version of the film as there was nothing of the sort included in the original Japanese version.
Admittedly I’ve only ever seen the original series featuring Yugi as the protagonist, but I was aware the franchise had expanded following the conclusion of ‘Yu Gi Oh’. The ten minute feature did a great job of providing a novice to the latter incarnations (like me) enough insight to comfortably watch the main feature without having feeling lost or out of my depth. I’d assume that for all parents in attendance, that a small film like that was also a great aid for them to gain basic knowledge of what they could expect.
The film itself has a strong focus on Yusei from “5D’s” which I found to be an interesting approach given this film was to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the franchise as a whole. So I was expecting that Yugi would come back into prominence and be the lead, but given the way the plot develops (without trying to give too much away,) it does makes sense that Yusei be the protagonist that drives the story because of his beliefs that are established both during the ten minute introduction and at the start of the main feature. Ultimately the film made for very enjoyable viewing. With it being so long since I last properly indulged in the original series, it was great to see characters I gained a certain attachment to once again and see them still be at the same status or higher than I last remembered. Speaking of characters it’s interesting to note that while we are introduced to the main cast of “5D’s” and “GX”, there was a considerable lack of cameos from many of the original cast members. Although any appearance by them would have been short lived given how the story progresses by the time Yugi becomes involved, it would have been nice to have seen the original cast back together but this time on the big screen.
Now onto the information that I’m sure many are interested to know the most, how does the 3D look?
From my perspective, overall it looked very good. The use of 3D didn’t feel forced, in the sense that something came across as being or looking 3D for the sake of it and it blended very well throughout the main feature. There were odd moments where some very fast moving action sequences made it hard for my eyes to track exactly what was happening (and in one instance which monster was on screen) but that could well have been my eyes alone that had this issue. Watching Anime on the big screen in 3D is something that I’ve wanted to experience since the 3D boom began in this country. The fact the first franchise to have been given the 3D treatment was one based on a card game was perhaps one of the best decisions that could have been made. Yes the film was commissioned to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the ‘Yu Gi Oh’ brand as oppose to being made for 3D viewing, but the fact that the main core element of the franchise is a card game that features monsters battling each other already provides more than enough logical reasons to render this world in a 3D environment. The character designs were very good and blended into 3D well. The voice acting was well directed and included moments of dialogue that appealed to both younger and older fans. Overall this film gave a very good representation of what the franchise is about and in my opinion could act as a perfect starting place for any person not already familiar with it. Yes there will be quite a few references that will pass them by, but as a standalone story it works very as a way to sample to all three incarnations. As previously mentioned, I’d never seen any of “GX” and “5D’s” prior to today, and intend to find out more about each franchise and how they both developed.
I would also like to make note of the attendees of this screening. It was great to see so many families who came along to the premiere and have a great time with their children who at the same time were not doubt enjoying popcorn while watching some of their favourite characters battling on the big screen. Hopefully this could be a sign of things to come in the future. I'm sure more events like this would become very popular and kicking things off with 'Yu Gi Oh' was a great idea!
This film is being screened in Picture House cinemas across the country over the next few weeks. If you get an opportunity to see the film, I strongly suggest you do. The running time total was about an hour (including the ten minute introduction). The DVD and Blu-Ray (the latter of which will include the 3D version of the film) are then set for release on July 25th.
After an unexpected delay, Anime On Demand are now happy to present the first episode of the series 'Deadman Wonderland'.
This was one of the three series that Anime On Demand recently announced that they had acquired for streaming as part of their service to UK viewers. (The other two being 'Nichijou' and 'Steins;Gate', the latter according to our friends at UK-Anime is set to debut on the website this weekend!)
You can watch 'Deadman Wonderland' episode 1 right now here.
Another programming note, episode 3 of "[C] – Control – The Money and Soul of Possibility" is available for streaming as is the fifth instalment of 'Tiger & Bunny'.
We'll keep you up to date on any further programming notes for Anime on Demand when they become available.
On our next podcast, set to be recorded today (Friday 6th May) we'll be previewing the titles that will be available to view on Anime On Demand including Deadman Wonderland! So be sure to listen to that when available!
Bassists Toshiya also commented "We live in a world where we don’t know what is the truth and what we should believe in. I just wanted to put some hope into the music that we create" when questioned about the lyrical inspirations and content of the forthcoming 14 track album.
