Anime Tsubasa Resevoir Chronicles

[eleanor]

[color=darkslateblue] After a long while of forgetting about this manga series, I was bored so I looked up on some news and I found out that CLAMP decided to make an animated tv series. :3 I'm pretty happy, because I get to see Fai in animation. :D

Anyways, it's planned to be aired in April of 2005, although I have no idea how long it will be. I hope it's not one of those overly extended anime that have like 90 episodes, though. >_> [/color]

[Solo Tremaine]

[COLOR=#503F86]Now this is interesting, heh. I saw the manga only yesterday and thought it looked pretty interesting. If it ever manages to get over here, I think I'd happily watch this. Like a CLAMP character showcase, of sorts...

But yeah, anything even over about 50 episodes would be too long for my liking, unless it's really decent.[/COLOR]

[Dagger]

Well, Cardcaptor Sakura is seventy episodes long and doesn't seem to have suffered much for it. Of course, a fairly good portion of the show is episodic, and I don't know whether or not Tsubasa's story would lend itself to that kind of format.

What I find surprising is that Bee Train (best known for Noir, Madlax and .hack//SIGN) will be animating this show. To date, most big CLAMP productions--including Cardcaptor Sakura, Chobits and X TV--have been taken care of by Madhouse. Even more startling and perhaps alarming is the fact that Koichi Mashimo, who has directed all of Bee Train's major titles, is apparently slated to direct Tsubasa. It's not as though he totally lacks range (he also directed Irresponsible Captain Tylor and Sorcerer Hunters), but as far as I know he's never done anything even mildly CLAMP-esque. Meine Liebe is the only shoujo anime Mashimo has ever directed, and though it has its merits, I think CLAMP fans would be up in arms if Tsubasa turned out to be anything like it.

But regardless of what happens, if any Legal Drug or Tokyo Babylon characters appear (even if it's only for two seconds!), I'm totally there. ^_^

~Dagger~

[Guest naku]

i have read the 3 tsubasa volumes that are out right now and i really like them... they are really good. they are a mix of adventure, action, and romance... im glad they are making a show... thanks!

[animejunkee]

If it ever shows here it would totally become my fav. In fact sometimes I try to imagine who would be the voices of the characters if tsubasa became a show (I call it tsubasa for short so don't get mad at me for not saying the whole thing).

[Dagger]

[quote name='animejunkee']If it ever shows here it would totally become my fav. In fact sometimes I try to imagine who would be the voices of the characters if tsubasa became a show (I call it tsubasa for short so don't get mad at me for not saying the whole thing).[/quote]

Have you seen the Cardcaptor Sakura television series? I assume they'll try to hire the same seiyuu who appeared in CCS, and possibly other CLAMP anime like Chobits and X TV. This might hinge end up hinging on the significance of the characters' cameos. I imagine it would be more desirable to have vocal continuity for an important character than for one who just shows his face in a couple of random episodes.

Of course, they'll get new seiyuu for the characters who don't come from previous CLAMP series. On that note, it'd be cool if Mitsuki Saiga were in this. Fai looks like a very Mitsuki Saiga-ish character. >_>

~Dagger~

[XcXChezaXcX]

I've read all three volumes that are out so far, and I really like them. I can't wait to see it as a tv show. :p

[X/19Kamui99]

Ya, I've read all three books out so far, and I love it. :D Tsubusa is a really cool series. I am really excited about the show! :love:

[Dagger]

For those interested, I found a scan showing Sakura and Shaoran's new character designs.

[IMG]http://www.otakuboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=22202&stc=1[/IMG]

I'm not really sure what to make of it, honestly... because I've been watching Cardcaptor Sakura lately, seeing this is really jarring. And I can't help thinking that Sakura looks rather like Margaret from Madlax.

~Dagger~

[Solo Tremaine]

[COLOR=#503F86][quote name='Dagger IX1']I'm not really sure what to make of it, honestly... because I've been watching Cardcaptor Sakura lately, seeing this is really jarring. And I can't help thinking that Sakura looks rather like Margaret from Madlax.[/quote]I think they look okay, alhough personally I prefer Shaoran's look in the Tsubasa manga than anywhere else. I guess there's always going to be a kind of change when it changes to animation but I think he doesn't look as mature as he should. He always reminded me a little of Kaoru from Evangelion...

With regards to Sakura, I think she looks nice. Certainly different to her original look in CCS but I don't think it's a bad change. She looks to have lost some of her innocence from the manga, though. I hope that won't be the case when it's actually shown.[/COLOR]

[Dagger]

NHK's official Tsubasa site is up. It can be found [url=http://www3.nhk.or.jp/anime/tsubasa/][u]here[/u][/url].

The splash page artwork is absolutely gorgeous. I feel somewhat obligated to eat my words regarding the character designs, because (at least in that one shot) Sakura and Shaoran look so much more familiar than in the magazine. It's pretty comforting. I still think they're much too skinny, (especially Sakura--look at those arms!) but that's not really a big deal.

It's been confirmed that Yuki Kajiura (Mai-Hime, Madlax, Aquarian Age, etc.) will be doing Tsubasa's music. Her soundtracks are good, but after a while they all tend to blend together. Some of the choral chants from Noir, .hack//SIGN, Madlax and Aquarian Age sound exactly the same. There's more variation to be found in Mai-Hime, so I hope Tsubasa will also turn out to be a little different from her previous work.

EDIT: The opposite page of the previous scan features Fai and Kurogane, but the only image of it I could find is extremely low-quality. Fai and Kuro fans, let me know if you'd still like me to attach it.

~Dagger~

[eleanor]

[color=darkslateblue] *jumps on Dagger* [b]Please[/b] post it! Fai is my favorite character. Aside from Touya and Yuki, but they're barely in the manga. ;_; [/color]

[i] I still think they're much too skinny, (especially Sakura--look at those arms!) but that's not really a big deal. [/i]

[color=darkslateblue]*snerks* Yes, because anime artists have been known to draw sexy, well-rounded people. ^_~ But yeah, I totally agree with you. I mean...I know anime characters are unrealistic, but Shaoran's waistline is sort of scaring me. Although I should be shutting up now because that's how I draw anime guys... ._.[/color]

[Dagger]

Alright, I uploaded the picture. Told ya it was very low-quality. ^_^;;

Haha, it's not even Shaoran's waist that weirds me out (he's just--er... pretty and slender, right?)--it's the contrast between Sakura's big huge sleeves and her peculiarly long, emaciated-looking arms. Maybe she'll look better in motion. Still, I'm inclined to think that Cardcaptor Sakura's Sakura is more proportionate, or something.

I also ran across a translated list of Tsubasa's seiyuu, but I need to track it down again. I'll try to post that later.

~Dagger~

[Kwai]

[size=1][color=navy]Eh, I'm on volume 8 of Tsubasa atm. Volume 9 comes out sometime in February ^^.

As for the anime, I'm a bit skeptical. NHK has not been doing too well recently in terms of company regulation and their line-up of programs (that and they charge $30 per month... rip off), so I can't help but be worried on the quality of the anime they are capable of producing at this point. I'm also turned off by that link you put up Dagger. It says educational TV on the upper-left hand corner. That doesn't bode too well :/[/size][/color]

[Nony]

Holy cow! This is the kind of info I've been dreamin' about! Now I know when the anime comes! Thank you!

Heh, the animation looks very nice, too. Not very different from the manga at all, which is good. Of course, that's only based off of a few pictures, but still.

[Dagger]

Wai!! I was just lucky enough to snag & view a brief Tsubasa promo (I've also attached some screencaps to this post). While I'm very disappointed that it appears to be 4:3 rather than widescreen--although I guess the preview may have been cropped or something--the animation actually looks pretty nice. Unfortunately the quality isn't that great, so the caps may not do justice to how the characters looked in motion.

~Dagger~

[moonofdarkness]

three? aren't there four books out right now? my friend has volume 4 and she let me read it. she got it like three months ago.

i can't wait for the anime! but knowing here, it'll take a long time before it airs... *tear*

[Riesz]

Wow, thats really great news! I really love the manga, and its fun seeing all our favourite CLAMP characters come back in a new series. Its so entertaining.

I hope someone subs it... I'd really love to watch it. :) And hear the voices~

[Dagger]

Tsubasa's website now features a streaming [url=http://www3.nhk.or.jp/anime/tsubasa/yokoku.html][u]trailer[/u][/url] for episode 1 (which is different from the promo I mentioned in my previous post).

I don't like Sakura's voice at all, and Yuko's character design is depressingly simplistic--it appears as though it were sort of forced into the anime's style, and the way she looks really doesn't do justice to the Xxxholic manga's artwork. But other than that, I'm still pretty happy with what I've seen so far.

~Dagger~

[ladyarianrod]

Eh. The trailer was ok, but the manga is much more impressive in terms of character design and atmosphere. I love the manga, but I think that this anime is starting up [I]way[/I] too soon.

I'll download the fansubs if they're released, though. The show looks promising simply because the manga is amazing.

[Minako]

Wheet Whoo! I'm psyched for the anime to come out! I'll have to wait until the DVD comes out to see it though. :animecry:

I love Tsubasa (shortened title)! It's art work and character designs are just beautiful! (I've only read 1-3 and I'm itching to get #4! but they don't sell them in my city! *tear*) It's such a wonderful story, but you can tell that the ending will be heart-wrenchingly sad because [SPOILER] even though Syaoran will do anything to get Sakura's feathers back, in the end, she will never remember him. I remember in book 2 when Sakura woke up and she asked Syaoran, "Who are you?" I was so heart-broken when he went outside and stood in the rain... Probably to hide his tears. :( [/SPOILER]

The Anime seems to be really close to the manga (which I'm happy about!) and I'm very much looking forward to seeing it.

[The Drizzle]

[COLOR=DarkGreen]Woo! ^_^
im glad that they are making an anime, i'd definetly be intersted. I like some other CLAMP works (X, anyone?) and this one has, like, EVERYONE in it. i like seeing the my favorite characters in different situations and such, its very interesting. I AM wierded out by sakuras freakishly skinny and long arms, but i can deal with that. at least she doesnt have boobs popping out and jiggling all over the place and whatnot. once i get a faster connection ill get the fansubs (if there are any, for that matter). the manga is simply amazing and the anime looks very promising. wouldnt be surprised if it didnt even get to here, though ;o;

its kinda wierd that i like tsubasa, and most CLAMP stuff for that matter, cuz i usually dont like the girly, emotional, love story stuff...but i actualy enjoyed reading stuff like chobits and tsubasa (even though it might be a more action oriented manga)

im just sad now cuz im broke and i want the new volumes but im only up to vol.2... :animecry:[/COLOR]

[Dagger]

It [i]is[/i] widescreen! *cheers*

Anyway, I loved the first episode. Some of the character artwork looks kind of off, but for the most part it's tolerable--and it's compensated for by the fact that the backgrounds, the animation and the color palette are quite impressive. But the most stunning element of the series so far is definitely the music (by which I mean the background music, as the OP & ED are pretty generic). This is shaping up to be the best Yuki Kajiura soundtrack I've heard yet--it even outshines the music from .hack//SIGN.

Admittedly, it is kind of weird to watch a CLAMP anime get the Bee Train treatment, but for some reason I think that plus the music really complements the exotic setting. At this point my only complaint is that I dislike pretty much all of the seiyuu--Touya's seiyuu is the only one who sounds passable, in my opinion.

So far I've greatly preferred all of the CLAMP anime I've seen to their respective manga. Tsubasa isn't going to be any exception.

~Dagger~

[Roxie Faye]

[color=#9933ff]Gah. How did you watch the first episode? Am I missing something/being stupid? >_>;

If you've seen it, how is that elongated-ness thing? I've seen some other screencaps from an xxxholic site: [url]http://www.kimihiro.net/images/index.php?spgmGal=tsubasa_chronicle_anime/screencaps[/url] and it's driving me crazy.

I mean, just look at how TALL Yuko is. I want to scream at how tall Maru and Moro are. They pratically mutilated Watanuki's legs. But this is about Tsubasa - not xxxholic. Sakura looks like she's drawn normally, and Syaoraon looks a little bit tall, but not bad.

It's also interesting that I've never even read Tsubasa (I want to though - badly). Mergh. That's sad. (The guy with the blond hair looks really cute. ;_; )[/color]

[ChemAngel]

I've been keeping up with the series for a while now. It is now by its 7th episode...and is now in the middle of the 2nd book.

I wonder if they plan to do an XXXholic to compliment this anime as well (though it would be behind tsubasa).

The soundtrack to this anime is amazing, I can't help but humm to some of the tunes. The ending theme song is one of my favorites. It has a tragedy yet lulluby sound to it. :animesmil and the idea that at the end of the ending theme you have shaoran and sakura hugging is a nice thing as well (i didn't think that deemed spoilers since it IS the ending theme of the 1st episode).

My only gripe is that they seem to be stalling alot in progressing the anime...making up for time by giving alot of recaps. I am expecting a recap episode soon (which will greatly upset me...to say the least)