Ugh ugh ugh...

This was posted on the BOTP Mailing List...

http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/01/25/i...-shutting-down/

This is *not* a good sign...

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Yikes! That's not good to hear

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"They say the Titanic sank because it hit an iceberg, but that must have been Galactor's fault too."

Hi all!

You know, I may be in the minority here, but I have to admit that I'm rather ambivalent about whether the Imagi Gatchaman movie is made or not.

Don't get me wrong, I certainly don't want to see the studio go under. I'd hate for all those people to lose their jobs. It's just that, from what little we've heard regarding their Gatchaman effort, I'm not overly excited about the project. Basically, what it comes down to is that I suspect that what they're likely to produce will bear more resemblance to the Gatchaman OAVs than the Gatchaman TV series.

I can see why this would happen. The OAVs are a lot easier to take the time to watch than a 105 episode series. People who aren't intimately familiar with the TV series think that they're a good shorthand for what the series was all about. They're also pretty and flashy, and for a lot of people, that's more imporant than story depth and characters.

Why do I think this? Well, some of it has to do with what few concept images we've seen from the movie, which all look OAV inspired.



Do these uniforms look more like the TV series or the OAVs to you?




OAV God Phoenix anyone?

There's also comments made by people involved with the film, such as never-officially-announced-as-Director Jun Falkenstein's "You already have the characters looking like they do in the actual show, why do more of the same?" and the lack of understanding of what fans think of the OAVs that led Imagi Creative Director Felix Ip to have to ask "Tell me more about what u like and don't like in 94 version redesign." Hey, at least he asked.

Add to this the fact that the film has been pushed back to at least two years beyond its original release date of "late 2008," and gone through a complete change in production staff, and it really doesn't make me confident that Imagi will do a good job with the property.

Hey, maybe I'll be wrong and they'll pull it off. Felix Ip seems to think so, when he said recently, "there's great breakthrough in both story and design, very cool." (Perhaps that "great breakthrough" is that they finally bothered to watch the TV series...)

Okay, I'll certainly follow the production if it ever really gets under way, and when and if the film ever comes out, I'll certainly go see it. But, honestly, I won't be shedding any tears if this film never comes to pass.

James

Hopefully a studio more in touch with the series buys the rights to produce it... I have to admit I've had the same fears as Tats. If they're going to produce it then take the time to watch the original. Why can't these studios learn from the remake flops of the past...

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Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up- Pablo Picasso.

Thank you, James! That certainly is more hopeful. And it's good to see that they're still shopping Gatchaman around and looking toward the future. And if Astroboy is successful, then that will just increase the potential for Gatchaman...

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not so much Holly wood.....

But Ive got friends really into making fan films, which yours truely has been in. I could ask them to shift from Star Wars to Gatchaman

Thanks for the information James. I must confess with the economy the way it is the Gatchaman movie looks doubtful. Perhaps they could co-produce with another studio to get it made. I would really like to see it made as it could be a movie that would be fun for both parents and kids.

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Old age is a high price to pay for maturity.

Hi all!

Another update, from yesterday evening.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117999...egoryId=19&cs=1

James