Latest news with #ProductionIG
Gizmodo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
The Spice Girls and Wu-Tang Clan Almost Had Their Own Anime
Now, here's a sentence no one expected to read in the year 2025: Once upon a time, we might have gotten to see the Spice Girls and the Wu-Tang Clan in anime form. In a recent interview with AnimEigo, Lawrence Guinness, a senior VP at Manga Entertainment, distributor of anime such as Perfect Blue and Street Fighter Alpha (and subsidiary of Island Records), revealed the company considered co-producing its own works. Two projects he mentioned would have starred the aforementioned bands, and the Spice Girls idea got far enough along that he had some production stills to show. Had it happened, it'd have been a film called Girl Power: The Anime, courtesy of Production I.G, the studio behind Ghost in the Shell. According to Guinness, Manga had 'very advanced talks' with the British pop group's management at the time this was pitched and would've hopefully appealed to fans of then-popular anime like Studio Ghibli. Even now, Guinness is confident teenage girls 'might've gone to the cinema to see this. In fact, I think you would've stood in a line for a long time to get in to see this. This was the vision. Look, if that's not girl power in action, I don't know what is.' As for the never-realized Wu-Tang project, a series that would have been called The Imperial Warrior, he claimed near everything was in place for the project, except some of the hip-hop group's members didn't sign off on it. His pitch to Island Records founder Chris Blackwell saw Wu-Tang 'challenging the forces of evil through their music and martial arts skills.' The soundtrack and designs for the characters (he mentioned RZA and Ghostface Killah specifically) were 'great,' said Guinness, and it would've been 'revolutionary. That was the project I was proudest of that never happened.' Over the decades, Japanese creators have been open about their love of western music, and artists like the late Prince and Aaliyah have inspired characters in Michiko & Hatchin and My Hero Academia. Making musicians or other celebrities into fictionalized versions of themselves for film and TV is another tale as old as time, and Guinness wanted these two projects to take off to both put Manga on the map and successfully 'synthesize anime with the best of western culture.' When it comes to Wu-Tang Clan, he's sort of gotten his wish, thanks to RZA's involvement in Afro Samurai and developer Brass Lion Entertainment's upcoming action game Wu-Tang: Rise of the Deceiver. As for the Spice Girls, it's a shame they never got their animated due—there are worse ways for a band to be memorialized than an anime movie with some original songs and cheesy action that still holds up years after the fact. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Forbes
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Hideaki Anno Joining Production I.G Is No Surprise If You Know Anime History
Hideaki Anno will join the board of directors at Production I.G this August. (Photo credit should ... More read TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP via Getty Images) In an interesting bit of news, Hideaki Anno will join the board of directors for Production I.G this August, but this also has some interesting history behind it. Firstly, there are recent anime productions like FLCL. That was co-produced by Gainax and Production I.G. Moreover, FLCL's director was Kazuya Tsurumaki, who co-wrote the recent Gundam GQuuuuuuX alongside Anno. Secondly, Production I.G was a spin-off from Tatsunoko Productions, specifically around the time of Zillion, which is a fun mecha anime from 1987 that's definitely worth a watch. Tatsunoko Production also co-produced the original Macross TV series and movie Do You Remember Love?, both of which Anno worked on the animation. In short, Anno goes a long way back with Production I.G, before it was even founded, so his addition to the company's board of directors makes a lot of sense. Some have also incorrectly assumed that since Gainax went bankrupt last year, Anno is moving into Production I.G to snap up more anime rights. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder This is very unlikely, as Khara got a good chunk of the anime rights from Gainax, with Trigger nabbing some of the others. So both companies clearly got what they wanted, and there doesn't appear to be any animosity over rights. As for what Anno's presence will bring to Production I.G, most likely it will be more projects and other similar anime-related work. Production I.G is a great studio, so I only see this addition of Anno to the company's board of directors as something massively positive for all concerned. So, it will also be interesting to see what new anime production comes out of this new appointment. Follow me on X, Facebook and YouTube. I also manage Mecha Damashii and am currently featured in the Giant Robots exhibition currently touring Japan.
Geek Tyrant
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
KAIHU NO. 8 Season 2 Drops New Trailer Ahead of Explosive Premiere — GeekTyrant
Toho Animation has released a new trailer for Kaiju No. 8 Season 2, and it's packed with everything fans have been waiting for. With the Summer 2025 anime season already stacked with returning heavyweights, this is the one that's shaping up to stomp through the competition. The new trailer teases an action-heavy return, featuring updated looks at the core cast, new characters entering the fray, and another collaboration with OneRepublic. Their new ending theme, 'Beautiful Colors,' plays over the trailer and sets a emotional tone for the mayhem ahead. Season 2 officially premieres in Japan on July 19th, and, just like Season 1, it'll stream internationally via Crunchyroll and X. The cast is expanding in big ways this season. New additions include: Koki Uchiyama as Gen Narumi, Hiroki Yasumoto as Eiji Hasegawa, Kana Hanazawa as Rin Shinonome, and Kotono Mitsuishi as Hikaru Shinomiya. The original creative team is back as well, and it includes directors Shigeyuki Miya and Tomomi Tamiya, Tetsuya Nishio handles character design, and Yuta Bando scores the series. Studio Khara continues to handle the kaiju designs alongside Production I.G., so expect more of the slick animation and intense creature action that helped Season 1 stand out. Crunchyroll teases the plot for Season 2 as follows: 'Thanks to Isao Shinomiya, Kafka Hibino avoids being turned into a weapon. As new recruits head to their posts, Kafka meets Gen Narumi, the strongest man in the Defense Force and leader of the First Division. 'Kafka embraces the power of Kaiju No. 8 to force Gen to recognize his strength. Meanwhile, Kaiju No. 9 lurks in the shadows as the greatest threat the Defense Force has faced awaits.' Creator Naoya Matsumoto is also preparing to release the final chapter of the Kaiju No. 8 manga just as the new season premieres, making this a milestone summer for the franchise. Between the anime and the manga's finale, fans are in for an all-out blowout. Season 2 premieres July 19th. The opening theme of the show is a haunting new track titled 'You Can't Run From Yourself' by Aurora.
Forbes
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘FLCL' Season 1 Blu-Ray Review: Surrealism With A Banging Soundtrack
Back in the early 2000s, something weird and wonderful happened. Gainax and Production I.G made FLCL. A genuinely mad anime that is still as fresh over two decades later. The story itself is almost irrelevant relative to how it is delivered. However, the broad strokes are that Naota lives in the supposedly boring city of Mabase. Until the day he is run over by Haruko Haruhara on a Vespa, and a robot emerges from a lump on his forehead. Haruko is an alien and is chasing something enormously powerful and equally mysterious, and Naota and the robot Canti clearly have something to do with it. I remember watching FLCL when it was first released over twenty years ago. I was still at university and was amazed at how strange and funny this anime was. It was also intended as the 'second wave' of Gainax, with it being created and directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki. Working his way up the ranks, Tsurumaki definitely made his mark with the original FLCL. This is because, in the many years since, we've had various follow-ons to the story, which are interesting, but I still feel the 'first season' is the best by far and really meant as something standalone. 'FLCL' is still as vibrant and fun as it was over two decades ago. What makes FLCL special is that it breaks up how anime is parsed. You have sections drawn as manga, or done in different styles, with some just genuinely surreal humor thrown in just for fun. To be honest, much of the 'zany' anime we have these days owes much of its structure and delivery to the original FLCL, and going back and watching this again only helped to remind me how far ahead of its time FLCL really was. As for this release, it's pretty barebones. The transfer is good, but not super pristine. I think this is because of the original masters being done digitally at a lower resolution, and the upscale is a bit off as a result. Don't get me wrong, this is way better than the DVD versions, and it's also handily all on one disc. The audio is great, though, and my lifelong love of The Pillows is still very much in effect after all these years. Even having seen them live in Nagoya decades ago, hearing their songs again in the anime that introduced the band to me in the first place is rather lovely. Overall, FLCL is a seminal anime that showed the shift that Gainax was taking, and in turn, where the follow-on studios, such as Khara and Trigger, would end up. It's hard to believe that this anime is over twenty years old, because it still seems so fresh and funny, FLCL Season 1 is available on Blu-ray from the Crunchyroll online store for $31.98. Disclosure: Crunchyroll sent me this Blu-ray for the purposes of this review. Follow me on X, Facebook and YouTube. I also manage Mecha Damashii and am currently featured in the Giant Robots exhibition currently touring Japan.
Mint
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
‘Kaiju No. 8' Season 2 trailer OUT: Fans celebrate Kafka's return and OneRepublic's latest track, say ‘we're so back'
The wait is almost over for fans of 'Kaiju No. 8', as the anime's official website has released a brand-new trailer for its second season. Titled "Ishi no Keishō" ('Succession of the Will'), the trailer teases the emotional stakes and explosive action that await when the show returns on July 19, 2025. While not heavy on plot reveals, the trailer confirms a major development: Kafka Hibino is back in action with the Defence Force following an internal investigation by senior officers. Viewers see Kafka reunited with his comrades, including Kikoru Shinomiya and Reno Ichikawa, as they continue their battle against monstrous kaiju threats. The trailer also places special emphasis on Kikoru and her relationship with her late mother, Hikari Shinomiya—a revered Defence Force hero whose shadow still looms large over her daughter's journey. This deeper character focus hints at a more emotional layer to the coming season, as Kikoru begins to inherit her mother's will while forging her own path. The trailer also features the series' latest musical collaboration with American pop rock band OneRepublic, who perform the second season's ending theme, 'Beautiful Colors'. This marks the third time the band has contributed to the franchise. Previously, they provided 'Nobody' as the ending theme for Season 1, and 'Invincible (from Kaiju No. 8)' for the Hoshina's Day Off special episode. The band's continued involvement reflects the show's unique appeal to both Japanese and global audiences, adding emotional resonance through internationally recognised music. Season 2 of 'Kaiju No. 8' continues under the direction of Shigeyuki Miya and Tomomi Kamiya, with animation by Production IG. The series composition is helmed by Ichiro Okouchi, known for his work on 'Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury', while veteran character designer Tetsuya Nishio ('Naruto') returns to define the look of the cast. Music is composed by Yuta Bando, whose past work includes Mamoru Hosoda's 'BELLE'. The anime is based on the popular manga by Naoya Matsumoto, which is published on Shonen Jump+ and remains one of the platform's biggest international hits. Fans were quick to take to social media following the trailer's release, celebrating everything from the high-intensity action sequences to the emotional depth. Comments ranged from 'We're soo back (sic)' to praise for OneRepublic's new track, which one fan called 'elite.' Another viewer noted the poignant moment when Kafka praises Kikoru—something she never received from her own father—suggesting that the season will not only deliver thrilling kaiju battles but also meaningful character growth. 'Kaiju No. 8' Season 2 premieres July 19, 2025, and will stream globally via Crunchyroll and other select platforms. With a combination of sharp animation, international musical flair, and heartfelt storytelling, the new season promises to carry forward the spirit of the first—and push it to new heights.
