Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine: Animania

Gundamania

Get ready to triple-fist all the Gundam you can consume over the last few months of 2004. On November 9, Bandai releases the entire catalog of Universal Century movies as a single $70 package—that’s about 10 hours of Gundam in one box, enough for you to catch up on the history of the series. Mobile Suit Gundam F91, which chronicles a war that takes place decades after the original series, arrives November 23. Finally, on November 30, the big one hits: the limited-edition box of Zeta Gundam, which packs all 50-odd episodes of the series into one hefty package. Zeta may be scarce after the initial run sells out, so grab one while you can to enjoy Mobile Suit action in its purest form.

Yo, Joe!

It’s not on its way to North America yet, but a new Viewtiful Joe animated series should be on Japanese airwaves as you read this, having hit TV Tokyo on October 12. The show—chronicling the adventures of the superdeformed sentai hero against the evil forces that threaten the alternate world of Movie Land—is set for an unusually long run of 52 episodes, but the cult popularity of the videogame in this country means we’ll probably see it here one of these days. Expect to see news about the show in the next month or so.

Peace Sells, Who’s Buying?

For another look at the bloody upheavals that gave birth to Rurouni Kenshin and plenty of other 19th-century samurai stories, check out the ADV Films release of Peacemaker—volume one of the 26-episode TV series hits October 12. Subtitled Another Story of Shinsengumi, the series chronicles a 15-year-old trainee swordsman’s youth as a questionably willing defender of order in the tumultuous period preceding the Meiji Restoration, which took place in the 1860s.

Lemme Hear Ya Howl

The latest film from Spirited Away director Hayao Miyazaki made quite the splash at the Venice Film Festival. Howl’s Moving Castle, the story of a young girl exploring a mysterious wizard’s fortress, drew a massive standing ovation and the Golden Osella award for best cinematography (an odd bit of recognition for an animated film, but no matter). Some observers even predicted it would walk away with the Golden Lion, given to the best film of the festival, but Howl’s creators should no doubt be content with the buzz they netted in advance of its spring release in American theaters. Fans can also look forward to snagging more of Miyazaki’s films on DVD once Howl’s Moving Castle hits the silver screen Stateside.

Created a Monster

More and more American publishers are gambling on massive manga series—the latest is Naoki Urasawa’s Monster, coming this December from Viz. The gripping, labyrinthine story of a Japanese brain surgeon caught up in post–Cold War intrigue and serial murder in Germany, Monster runs a hefty 18 volumes in its Japanese edition. A faithful animated adaptation is currently running on Japanese TV, so perhaps we’ll see that released in America soon as well.

Salute the Frog!

One of the year’s best sleeper titles is available from Tokyopop in the form of Keroro Gunsou, or Sergeant Frog, Mine Yoshizaki’s tale of amphibian alien invaders forced to survive domestic life in modern-day Tokyo. The eponymous Sergeant is one of the most charming character designs of the modern age (that’s him at the top of this page, and he appears to have brought along a few of his friends), and he’s backed up by a brilliant supporting cast of bewildered humans and borderline-insane subordinates. Four volumes are available now, with a fifth due in November, and the hilarious TV adaptation (currently up to 20-odd episodes in Japan) is a prime candidate for an American release.