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The gaunt, drawn face, long chin, spiky hair and intense, staring eyes
- all trademarks of American animator Peter Chung, whose Aeon Flux made
him a favorite of the 1990's. However, while Chung designed this character,
it wasn't created for American television. Rather, it's one of the characters
for the Alexander series, a retelling of the saga of Alexander the Great.
The story of the man who conquered the world and cried when he had no worlds
left to conquer will be shown this year on Japanese television. |
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Led by producer Masao Maruyama (pictured), the Madhouse production
studio in Japan has created a world somewhere the Middle East of Alexander's
time and the bleak cityscapes of Aeon Flux, all drawn to Chung's design.
This project also marks the return of Haruki Kadokawa to anime production
since his drug arrest several years ago. The preview shown at Anime Expo
was a striking, violent, vivid scenario of combat and intense emotions
- and it could be coming to the U.S. if Madhouse can make the proper deal. |
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But, even if Americans are ready for Chung's version of Alexander the
Great, are they ready for the super-cute stories of Card Captor Sakura?
And would they believe that both this kawaii girl and the desperate battles
of Alexander both came from Madhouse? Maruyama said it's a matter of giving
good people a chance to be creative. "You can make it (anime) cheap, you
can make it fast and you can make a lot of it. However, in that system
there's still some talented people. They need to make the work they love
- in an inhospitable environment." |
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Read a newspaper and you're left with the impression that the Japanese
economy is dragging down the rest of the world. Maruyama said the slump
is not holding back anime projects, but it is keeping them from being released
on videocassette. Rather, the projects are going to late-night Japanese
television - such as Trigun, a story that mixes the legends of the American
Western with a sort of retro-punk genre. Of course, Trigun is another Madhouse
production. |
