About Masamune Shirow

Ghost in the Shell by Shirow “It found a voice, now it needs a body.”

Masamune Shirow (士郎 正宗) swept the world off its feet with Ghost in the Shell (攻殻機動隊). Some manga and anime fans may only know Masamune Shirow because of Ghost in the Shell, but what else do we know about him? This week, Asgard talks about Masamune Shirow, the man behind the world’s best known cyberpunk-themed anime and manga.

Born on November 23, 1961 in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, Masamune Shirow developed his talent from his father who was also an artist. Keep Reading

By SchoolGirlBlogger, ago

Dublin To Screen Evangelion 2.0 and Eva 2.0 in March

evangelion 2.0Dublin’s Irish Film Institute is to show Evangelion 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance and Summer Wars (Eva 2.0). The two-day festival in March will feature Evangelion 2.0 on 20 March, and Summer Wars on 21 March.

Evangelion 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance is the second film in the remake of the Neon Genesis Evangelion TV anime series. A group of 14-year-olds with giant biomechanical units protect Earth from mysterious Angels. It originally opened June 2009 in Japan. Keep Reading

By Guest Blogger, ago

59 Foot Gundam Statue To Take Over Shizuoka

gundam robot shizuokaTo celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Gundam anime franchise, a 59 foot Gundam robot is being placed in Shizuoka city (Japan). Officials estimate nearly 1 million people will visit.

The full size will be situated next to Higashi-Shizuoka Station in Shizuoka’s Aoki ward, and should be up by July 2010.

It originally stood in Tokyo bay on the island of Odaiba last Summer, where it attracted over 4 million visitors, nearly three times the expected amount. Keep Reading

By Guest Blogger, ago

Fans Endure 25 Days To See Rie Kugimiya

shakugan no shanaTaiwan. Fans of Rie Kugimiya have been lining up in the Taipei streets since 3rd January. Some have endured more than 25 days of cold nights, to see Rie at her scheduled appearance at the 2010 International Book Exhibition and to try and secure one of just 89 remaining signed ceramic plates.

Fans almost brought down the server when 50 autographed plates were made available to pre-order online. Over 80,000 order attempts were made with the 50 sold within 30 seconds of opening. Keep Reading

By Guest Blogger, ago

Devil Comic Previewed (Madhouse)

The new Devil comic from Torajirou Kishi (Maka-Maka, Colorful) will be available 3 February 2010. (But sneak over to Comic Book Resources for a preview).

Devil sees American publisher Dark Horse Comics collaborate with Japanese animation studio Madhouse. It will be a full color comic produced exclusively for publication in the USA.

Set in Tokyo, this science-fiction police drama sees the incurable disease Devil’s Possession rapidly infect the population. People are turned into into bloodsucking superhumans known as “Devils”. Keep Reading

By Guest Blogger, ago