Anime Zen Blog

Coming soon from Geneon Entertainment is a Japanese animated program about the son of a King, the underworld, and what it means to journey alongside a group of eccentrics for the sake of self-discovery and sovereignty. The anime Disgaea, more popular in its previously created video-game medium, hopes to bring animation fans a little bit of fantasy and storytelling diversity as the winter months kick off. The first DVD volume of Disgaea, entitled “The Netherworld Prince,” is currently scheduled for a December release date after having been originally announced for western release at this year’s Anime Expo Convention [related A.I. news: “Complete 2006 Anime Expo Con Report“]. 

Disgaea is the story of the son of the king of the Netherworld. Or at least, who once was the king of the Netherworld… for you see; the king died, and since prince is still quite young things have been rather in disarray in the Netherworld for some time. Given the king-less state of the region, many individuals are hoping to achieve the position of King, hoping to claim the throne for their own selfish purposes without regard for the true lineage of the crown. And so, the prince of the Netherworld, eager for his rightful place on the throne, seeks to take control along with a few trusted, and eccentric friends. Along to help him is his vassal; Etna with her Prinny squad, and Flonne, an angel-in-training originally sent to assassinate the king only to find that he has already died.

A fantasy adventure with comedy to boot, Disgaea is distributed by Geneon Entertainment. The first DVD volume, “The Netherworld Prince,” is currently scheduled for release on December 19th, 2006 for $29.98 January 9th 2007 for $29.98. One of the few anime projects that initially stemmed from a video-gaming franchise, Disgaea seeks to please multiple audiences despite being a production rather small in scale. Combining the skill of angels, warriors, vassals and others into a brave and knowledgeable troupe, the prince of the Netherworld journeys to battle for his crown over heaven and earth.

About Geneon Entertainment: A leading supplier of Japanese animation in North America. Geneon Entertainment (USA) Inc. (www.Geneon-Ent.com) is a full-service producer and distributor of entertainment content including film, music, animation and television shows on DVD and CD. Continually introducing new and classic anime and live-action programming, as well as anime CD soundtracks, the company also serves as a creative partner to many of Japan’s top anime production companies.

Additionally, Geneon Entertainment distributes critically acclaimed musical performances on DVD and CD from renowned artists. Headquartered in Long Beach, California, Geneon Entertainment¹s parent company is Tokyo-based advertising giant Dentsu, Inc.

October 18th, 2006 7:20 PM by Aaron H. Bynum

Recent comic-to-animation or comic-to-film media adaptations have come with high or moderate success, and the new animated movie Hellboy: Sword of Storms looks to capitalize on the current wave of popularity. Scheduled to air on Cartoon Network’s action and adventure weekend programming block TOONAMI, Hellboy: Sword of Storms has been on the minds of a good number of animation fans since the television network announced its programming agenda at the 2006 Television Critics Association [related A.I. news: “CN Announces Second Half 2006“]. This will be the debut of the “Hellboy” animated movie.

In the final days of World War II, a demon was summoned from the fiery depths of Hell to perpetuate warring dispositions. The Allies soon rescued this child of darkness, and dubbed him “Hellboy.” He was raised to serve the cause of good versus evil.

From the mind of Michael Mignola comes a new animated feature that continues the comic book and motion picture saga, Hellboy: Sword of Storms. The movie will air Saturday, October 28th 2006, at 9:30pm (ET, PT) during the TOONAMI programming block.

Meanwhile; when a university professor opens a forbidden scroll, he is possessed by the twin demons of thunder and lightning whom seek to return to the world to wake their brothers, the dragons. Hellboy, along with a folklore expert and a psychic, travels to Japan to investigate.

There, Hellboy finds the sword of storms, the only weapon that can defeat the demons, and he is transported to a world where he encounters several creatures of Japanese folklore. He learns that the sword is the only weapon that can defeat the demons, but also comes to know that this sword also holds magic that will return them to Earth.

Enthusiasts of Hellboy (2004; Box Office: $59+ million) should perhaps be the most interested in this animated film production, seeing as a great deal of the actors from the film will be lending their voices to select animated roles. Contributing actors/actresses include Ron Perlman (”Hellboy”), Selma Blair (”Liz Sherman”) and Doug Jones (”Abe Sapien”). Regarding the production crew of Hellboy: Sword of Storms; Mike Mignola co-wrote the story, Phil Weinstein and Tad Stones directed the feature, while Guillermo del Toro and Mike Mignola are its creative producers. Hellboy: Sword of Stormsis produced by Film Roman, a Starz Media Company and is distributed worldwide for television and on DVD/video by Starz Media, LLC. Starz Media, LLC has licensed all animation rights to the Hellboy franchise from Revolution Studios.