Highschool of the Dead anime coming, manga to resume

[ilmaestro]

Is anyone else incredibly excited? HsotD is a fantastic zombie romp, especially if you like zombie fiction in general. I'm fairly pleased it's going to be getting an anime, but more pleased that the manga is *finally* going to be coming back.

ANN story (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-02-02/highschool-of-the-dead-manga-gets-anime-green-lit)

[pathos]

Is anyone else incredibly excited? HsotD is a fantastic zombie romp, especially if you like zombie fiction in general. I'm fairly pleased it's going to be getting an anime, but more pleased that the manga is *finally* going to be coming back.

ANN story (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-02-02/highschool-of-the-dead-manga-gets-anime-green-lit)

I'm all for the manga starting back up. And about time :P

Anime will (hopefully) be good too.

[Gatts]

Good news about the manga continuing, but they are kinda in a dead spot right now. I'm guessing that the anime will only go up to the Mall arc since trying to push it any further would be silly.

[Westlo]

I'm fairly pleased it's going to be getting an anime, but more pleased that the manga is *finally* going to be coming back.

Pretty much how I feel about it, really fun manga, it's fantastic that it's getting an anime (Madhouse please) but even better the manga is finally continuing after a long hiatus.

[ibby]

This is the best news for a long time to me. I can't wait for the manga to start again. I just hope that the anime gets a decent character designer, as we all know what happened to the Tenjo Tenge anime.

[Junker Woland]

It's definitely cool news on both fronts. Hopefully the anime will get a decent production and not just something slapped together to help sell tankoubons.

That said, I really wish a US company would license the HSotD manga...

[LordGeo]

Definately an anime to look forward to... And I demand that the character Kouta Hirano be voiced by the mangaka Kouta Hirano! It would only be proper.

[Gatts]

That said, I really wish a US company would license the HSotD manga...

It would be nice, but HSotD is a pretty simplistic manga. You can get most of the story just by looking at the artwork.

[Hakaisha]

That said, I really wish a US company would license the HSotD manga...

It would be nice, but HSotD is a pretty simplistic manga. You can get most of the story just by looking at the artwork.

True, I've only flipped through a couple volumes at a local shop and got a decent idea of what the story is about. I did really like the art and I can't imagine the story is any worse than a lot of stuff being released in the US. Granted, that is coming from a guy that can't read Japanese and is only basing his opinion on pretty pictures :sweat:

We need more zombie slasher manga in general. Zombie movies aren't very intellectual, but I still enjoy turning off my brain for a while :)

[Junker Woland]

That said, I really wish a US company would license the HSotD manga...

It would be nice, but HSotD is a pretty simplistic manga. You can get most of the story just by looking at the artwork.
The same could be said for many already localized series. So yeah, I still really wish a US company would license the manga.

[pathos]

That said, I really wish a US company would license the HSotD manga...

It would be nice, but HSotD is a pretty simplistic manga. You can get most of the story just by looking at the artwork.
The same could be said for many already localized series. So yeah, I still really wish a US company would license the manga.

Same

I didn't really have much hope for it while it was on hiatus. But, with it starting back up, perhaps there is a chance it might be some day.

[HitokiriShadow]

Nice news. I haven't actually read the manga (its a series I've been wanting to read for a while, but haven't gotten around to for various reasons, and being put on hiatus didn't help) but it looks pretty good from the few pages I saw and I've heard good things about it.

[Westlo]

I know a lot of people were hoping for Madhouse.. and so was I.. but even getting Madhouse is only half the battle.. considering they have many Korean teams... but Madhouse is confirmed.

Daisuke Sato/Shouji Sato's HIGHSCHOOL OF THE DEAD will be getting an anime adaption.

Staffs:
Director: Araki Testuro (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=21259) (Death Note, Kurozuka)
Series Composition: Kuroda Yousuke (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=515) (Gundam 00)
Character Designer: Tanaka Masayoshi (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=21266) (Toradora!)
Animation Production: MADHOUSE (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/company.php?id=392)

Source: MoonPhase (http://d.hatena.ne.jp/moonphase/20100206#p1)

Considering Araki Testuro the director of Death Note is behind this we should be getting one of the Madhosue A teams. The gore in Kurozaku and the gun porn in Black Lagoon which he both worked on bodes well for this adaption.

[Fencedude]

I know a lot of people were hoping for Madhouse.. and so was I.. but even getting Madhouse is only half the battle.. considering they have many Korean teams... but Madhouse is confirmed.

....

Considering Araki Testuro the director of Death Note is behind this we should be getting one of the Madhosue A teams. The gore in Kurozaku and the gun porn in Black Lagoon which he both worked on bodes well for this adaption.

Maybe its just me, but Madhouse never really seems to bring the A-team to shows I really am interested in seeing.

Though granted, I'm not all that excited for this, because I don't really like Zombie stories very much.

So maybe thats a good thing?

[Westlo]

I know a lot of people were hoping for Madhouse.. and so was I.. but even getting Madhouse is only half the battle.. considering they have many Korean teams... but Madhouse is confirmed.

....

Considering Araki Testuro the director of Death Note is behind this we should be getting one of the Madhosue A teams. The gore in Kurozaku and the gun porn in Black Lagoon which he both worked on bodes well for this adaption.

Maybe its just me, but Madhouse never really seems to bring the A-team to shows I really am interested in seeing.

Though granted, I'm not all that excited for this, because I don't really like Zombie stories very much.

So maybe thats a good thing?

I'll be shocked, totally shocked if you don't like Highschool of the Dead, keep in mind I say that as long as its a faithful adaption of the manga.

[Junker Woland]

In general, I’m fine with Madhouse, but they’re definitely a company that falls into my “I’ll believe it when I see it” category.

I’m fairly indifferent concerning Araki Testuro as Director, but based on his previous stuff, I’m not sure about Tanaka Masayoshi on character designs. A big part of the manga’s appeal is Shouji Sato’s art, so they really need to get the look right. Now, part of me can see Masayoshi on the show, but I keep thinking of some funky shots from Toradora! and cringing.

Guess we’ll just have to wait and see…

[ilmaestro]

considering they have many Korean teams
You don't dislike Koei, by any chance? ^^;

[Westlo]

Character Designs are out.

http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/8106/1265477528088.jpg

Pretty close to the manga, Saeko ftw.

[ilmaestro]

Looking good indeed.

I may have to start buying Dragon Age for the continuation of the manga, don't want to have to wait several months for the next tank.

[Junker Woland]

Designs are looking pretty faithful, so just hopefully they'll stay consistent throughout the show.

[vegeta11]

my interest is peaked. It is good to see that a couple of series are picking back up. Plus, the addition of anime is also good.

[something]

I'm someone who really has no interest whatsoever in zombies, at least then they're played seriously as the icky rotting flesh type. So, how serious and gritty is this series? Normally I'd probably just watch it anyway if the character designs grabbed me, but these ones don't. Although they may work better for me when animated.

[ilmaestro]

So, how serious and gritty is this series?
Do you mean "The Wire" serious and gritty, or "Dawn of the Dead" serious and gritty?

[strangefour]

Zombies? Cute girls! But zombies.

So, how serious and gritty is this series?
Do you mean "The Wire" serious and gritty, or "Dawn of the Dead" serious and gritty?

What the heck is "The Wire"? I'm with something halfway. I don't really care about zombies at all (except Shaun of the Dead). But I do like the character designs. So I'm torn.

[Gatts]

What the heck is "The Wire"?

It's a TV Drama (http://www.hbo.com/the-wire/index.html) like Homicide, OZ, etc. It makes Baltimore look like it's a crappier place to live than it actually is.

[ilmaestro]

What the heck is "The Wire"?
D:

[Fencedude]

What the heck is "The Wire"?
D:

Is that one of those "American" TV shows I've heard rumors about?

[ilmaestro]

What the heck is "The Wire"?
D:

Is that one of those "American" TV shows I've heard rumors about?
Only in the same way that there was some football game played a few hours ago.

[Fencedude]

Only in the same way that there was some football game played a few hours ago.

I heard something about that. Not quite sure of the details though.

I take it it was important?

[William K]

What the heck is "The Wire"?
D:

Is that one of those "American" TV shows I've heard rumors about?
Only in the same way that there was some football game played a few hours ago.

Yeah, Chelsea beat Arsenal

[something]

So, how serious and gritty is this series?
Do you mean "The Wire" serious and gritty, or "Dawn of the Dead" serious and gritty?
You can't reference Western films or shows with me, I'll have no idea what you're talking about (by choice). =P I'm only very vaguely familiar with the DotD (it has zombies and I'm betting stuff explodes) and have never heard of The Wire at all.

Anyway, just in general - is this violent and bloody or played more lighthearted (insofar as zombies can be lighthearted)?

[ilmaestro]

Only in the same way that there was some football game played a few hours ago.

I heard something about that. Not quite sure of the details though.

I take it it was important?
:bigsmile:

But I think I've helped to take this off topic far enough.

The point being, when I hear "serious and gritty", I don't think of anything to do with Zombies, really, apart from maybe World War Z. So I was wondering if something did mean a very realistic "street level" drama, which The Wire falls into, and World War Z comes close to, or just simply serious in that it's not some outright slapstick or heavily comedy focused series.

It's a pretty standard Zombie romp - some comedy, some fanservice, some gore, lots of action, but done with a lot of style. Not Shaun of the Dead parody or anything, but it does go pretty OTT at times.

If you don't like Zombie stuff in general, I doubt it will hit home as well as it does for me, but there are some typical Japanese pop culture slants that are inserted into the characters that might still make it worth checking out.

edit: I see something's post above. Leaving aside my misgivings at people overlooking entertainment media based on its place of origin, HsotD doesn't in any way scrimp on the violence or bloodiness, no.

[Westlo]

I really couldn't give a shit about zombies, this manga is still awesome. Zombies are just cannon fodder for some awesome action and crazy moments between characters.

[ilmaestro]

If you don't care either way about zombies, I guess it wouldn't matter. I thought something was saying that he actively didn't like zombie stories, though.

[Gatts]

The zombies are secondary to the characters in HSotD. Most of the time is spent on character interactions with brief moments of Zombie slaying when moving from one location to the next. It's not a "mow em all down" flick like Zombieland or DotD. It's more along the lines of "Book of Eli" and "I am Legend".

For anime examples, it focuses more on what characters will do in their given situation ala "Ima Soko ni Iru Boku", "Bokurano", or "Mugen no Ryvius" than it focuses on the Zombie of the Day ala "Bleach", "Naruto", or "Pretty Cure".

Now I'm not making a direct comparison to any of those listed series. The three drama examples are much more dramatic than what you will find in HSotD. The three MotD examples follow a much more standard formula. It is still mainly a shonen action adventure, not a character drama, but it doesn't exclusively adhere to standard shonen tropes. I chose these extreme examples for contrast.

For examples closer to genre and actual pacing, I'll offer up Elfen Lied for the level of violence and frequency of battle. Remember most of Elfen Lied wasn't about the merciless slaughter of innocence, but when it happened, they didn't hold back. Another example would be Narutaru for how unstable some of the characters are mentally... not that the characters in Elfen Lied were sane, but the situations that lead up to the mental instability are much closer to Narutaru.

BTW, I can't blame anyone for not knowing what The Wire is. I didn't know about it until about two years ago when everyone at work was surprised that someone who lived in Baltimore had never heard of the Wire. I watched about five episodes before I decided it wasn't for me.

[Fencedude]

For examples closer to genre and actual pacing, I'll offer up Elfen Lied for the level of violence and frequency of battle. Remember most of Elfen Lied wasn't about the merciless slaughter of innocence, but when it happened, they didn't hold back.

I was actually going to ask if Elfen Lied was a good comparison.

Remember waaaaaay back in the day when images of the Elfen Lied manga and news of the upcoming anime first showed up here, and I was one of those people getting freaked out?

Yeah, I loved the damn show. So I'm not going to prejudge this too much.

[Gatts]

Remember waaaaaay back in the day when images of the Elfen Lied manga and news of the upcoming anime first showed up here, and I was one of those people getting freaked out?

Oh I remember. I was the person attempting to convince everyone to give it a chance back then. :P

[something]

For examples closer to genre and actual pacing, I'll offer up Elfen Lied for the level of violence and frequency of battle.
It'll probably be too much for me, then. I'm sure I'll give it a episode, as I do most shows, but the gore in that was past my tolerance, at least at the time I tried it (not that I've gotten any more into it in the meantime). Though it's also all about how it's depicted and who is on the receiving end. I'd say Baccano is about as much gore as I'll take, and even then it was in a very stylized show. Even that would have been too much if handled differently.

Well no way to know until I see it.

[Fencedude]

For examples closer to genre and actual pacing, I'll offer up Elfen Lied for the level of violence and frequency of battle.
It'll probably be too much for me, then. I'm sure I'll give it a episode, as I do most shows, but the gore in that was past my tolerance, at least at the time I tried it (not that I've gotten any more into it in the meantime). Though it's also all about how it's depicted and who is on the receiving end. I'd say Baccano is about as much gore as I'll take, and even then it was in a very stylized show. Even that would have been too much if handled differently.

Well no way to know until I see it.

Baccano is really way more gory than Elfen Lied

[strangefour]

For examples closer to genre and actual pacing, I'll offer up Elfen Lied for the level of violence and frequency of battle.
It'll probably be too much for me, then. I'm sure I'll give it a episode, as I do most shows, but the gore in that was past my tolerance, at least at the time I tried it (not that I've gotten any more into it in the meantime). Though it's also all about how it's depicted and who is on the receiving end. I'd say Baccano is about as much gore as I'll take, and even then it was in a very stylized show. Even that would have been too much if handled differently.

Well no way to know until I see it.

Baccano is really way more gory than Elfen Lied

Ooh, I liked Elfen Lied a lot. Especially since I'm no fan of gore either and I just got it as a random cheap buy. The character dynamics in between the ultra violence were the real meat of the story. And the gore in Baccano felt kind of removed and nearly Evil Dead like in it's excessiveness. Plus it had a funtastic story.

something, as an example of stylized gore you really should have sited the rainbow hues of blood fountains in Bakemonogatari.

So yeah, I think I might like High School of the Dead. At the very least I will give it an extended chance (aka atleast 4 episodes).

[Westlo]

This looks pretty fucking awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S28sNADmU1M

Saeko ftw.

[LelouchLamperouge]

This looks pretty fucking awesome.


Pretty much says it all.

[Gatts]

Looks like they are going fully bi-polar on Kouta from that short clip. I do have to wonder about how they are going to do the violence though. Up close splatter or at they going to do distance shots and sudden cutaways. It wasn't really apparent from the teaser trailer.

[Junker Woland]

Nice clip.

Hopefully the show will keep-up a similar quality of animation throughout its run.

[strangefour]

Ooh nice opening. Actiony, fan servicey, and character filled. Not sure about the barely hearable song. And all the zombies seem to be ex-high school boys. But very promising.