Futureshock: What's coming in 2005!

By otaku_kei
29th Jan 05

2004 was a great year for the UK anime scene. Need Proof? OK then: with record breaking attendance at a UK con. A plethora of titles being released. The growth of anime and manga recognition here in the UK and abroad (just check out what Spirited Aways' Oscar did for good press. More distribution companies cutting themselves a slice of the market and the welcome return of Manga Entertainment who pretty much kick started the anime movement in the UK. Unfortunately though it wasn't all good in 2004: anime finally bowed out of TV scheduling apart from the interminable reruns of Dragonball & Pokemon, and the manga reading scene came under fire from that paragon of public decency the Daily Mail.

So what does 2005 hold for us all? Lets take a quick browse through the best, and the rest!

Where to begin? MVM have a fabulous line up for the first 6 months of 2005, once again proving that this is the company that is bringing diversity to the UK scene!

Full Metal Alchemist
Ed & Al Elric, two brothers, two alchemists searching for a way to put right the horrific damage inflicted upon their bodies when they tried to resurrect their dead mother. The only way to put right this failure in human transmutation – the Philosophers Stone. Studio BONES fan favorite will be hitting our shores in May.

Chobits
Meet Chii, possibly the cutest robot in the history of anime. CLAMP's famous anime title will finally make its way over here in February 2005, and then we can join them as Chi and her human owner Motosuwa Hideki try to discover why her memory has been wiped and who she truly is.

Trigun
The planet Gunsmoke, a violent world where might makes right. The most notorious of brigands on this desolate planet is Vash the Stampede, known as a travelling catastrophe that has destroyed entire towns, but without ever taking a human life. This is his story. Coming to a shelving space near you February 2005.

But that's not it for new titles coming from MVM, we've got the super -cute continuing tale of Bellandy & Skuld in Adventures of a Mini-Goddess, the crime family noir tale Gungrave, the breath-taking and heart-wrenching Haibane Renmei. The vampire anime Tsukihime and the disturbing Technolyze will also be making their way across the pond from MVM. And alongside all of these are the ongoing series of Love Hina and Kiddy Grade! Is your wallet hurting yet? Because it doesn't stop there…

Well the company that brought us Evangelion, Nadesico and Noir are not going to roll over and give MVM the crown of best anime label around and have lined up some great titles for 2005.

Chrono Crusade
Based upon the manga of the same name this title follows a young nun Rosette and her bonded demon partner Chrono as they travel the world exorcising demons from the surface of he Earth. But as in all things, not all is as it seems… what happens when these two scratch the surface? ADV have pencilled in a release date of March 2004 for this title.

Get Backers
The Get Backers, if you've misplaced an item, any item they will get it back for you. No matter what the obstacles or to what lengths they will have to go to they have a 100% success rate and they don't want to break that winning streak! Great animation and a top-notch soundtrack, this title is already in shops now so don't take my word for it go and get it!

Gad Guard
More mecha anime, I hear you cry? Well ADV deliver once again. Gads, a material that reacts to the feelings and emotions of those who first handle it. One-day Hijiki stumbles across this elusive material and from it springs a giant robot. With more of these mecha appearing in his town Hijiki sets out to find where they are coming from. Already in stores.

And what would be the anime scene without another release of Neon Genesis Evangelion! The Platinum edition features 5.1 Dolby soundtracks and a re-mastered print of the series. We also will see the Rahxephon movie, as well as the completion of some fantastic series such as Last Exile and Kino's Journey.

GITS: Stand Alone Complex
After a 5 month long hiatus in release for this title we will finally be getting the rest of the series scheduled in for release over the course of 2005.
Once again we follow the Major and her colleagues at Public Security Section 9 as they try to track down cyber-criminals and terrorists everywhere. With the Laughing Man story arc coming up this series is due to heat up. Volume 2 will be hitting stores late February 2005.

Cowboy Bebop
All of you fanboyz can breath a big sigh of relief, it is finally here. 5 years late, but its here. Spike, Jet, Faye, Ed and Ein all aboard the good spaceship Bebop, follow this story of their journey on the journey as they try to track down criminals all in an attempt to make their fortune. Probably just as famous for its jazz-influenced score as anything else this is already on release, so go ad see what all the fuss is about.

And alongside such prominent titles which are sure to appear in almost everyone's shopping baskets this year we will be getting the Astroboy series, some classic anime in the form of Dominion Tank Police, as well as a bit of hentai with La Blue Girl Returns. Whatever floats your boat people, I won't judge.

WELL with such a fantastic DVD lineup for this year you'd think you'd be satisfied wouldn't you? Well it doesn't stop there, as the UK will be getting its fair share of anime on TV channels and on cinema screens in 2005! First up coming to the Toonami channel both Rave Masters and One Piece will be making there way to the box soon. But more importantly for all you Ghibli fans out there late 2005, most probably September/October time Howl's Moving Castle will be making it's way to our screens thanks to those nice people at Optimum Asia. Also for any of you who can get tickets to the London International Sci-fi Film Festival, or its nationwide tour then you may get the chance to catch Katsuhiro Otomo's latest epic: Steamboy. Also at the film festival, the anime all-nighter showing the Rahxephon movie, Parasite Dolls, Lady Death and Sky Blue (aka. Wonderful Days). Check out www.sci-fi-london.com for more details.

ALSO on the cards for all you anime fans are of course the conventions this year. With both Ayacon & Minamicon taking place this year. After the success of Amecon last summer a lot of people are hopeful for further growth for these events.

OF course the UK is also now blessed with its own monthly anime/manga magazine – Neo! Lets hope that this mag continues to go from strength to strength over the next 12 months.

All in all 2005 is shaping up to be a great year for the UK anime scene. I hope that some of what is on offer has whet your appetite to see just how good this year is going to be, and feel free to stick around on the forum to let us all know how your year has gone.

-- otaku_kei 29th Jan 05