Shinichiro Watanabe's Space Dandy

Deci

Deci

Avatar by supereva01 @ DA
So the man responsible for Macross Plus, Cowboy Bebop, and Samurai Champloo is finally doing a news series called Space Dandy.

I personally haven't been able to get into an anime series really since I first watched Berserk aside Watanabe and Miyazaki. They are the only anime directors I can consistently revisit and still enjoy all these years later.

Here's the teaser: http://youtu.be/o480GrsQGmo

As with his other stuff, it doesn't necessarily look like something I'd enjoy, honestly it looks ridiculous... but if it's like his other works once I watch it I'm sure it'll be added into my collection of great anime. So I thought I'd share the news!

To be released in 2014.

edit : (I was wrong about Yoko Kanno's involvement. It is not confirmed yet, I think, but widely speculated. :( )
 
Rhombaad

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
Deci said:
So the man responsible for Macross Plus, Cowboy Bebop, and Samurai Champloo is finally doing a news series called Space Dandy.

I personally haven't been able to get into an anime series really since I first watched Berserk aside Watanabe and Miyazaki. They are the only anime directors I can consistently revisit and still enjoy all these years later.

Here's the teaser: http://youtu.be/o480GrsQGmo

As with his other stuff, it doesn't necessarily look like something I'd enjoy, honestly it looks ridiculous... but if it's like his other works once I watch it I'm sure it'll be added into my collection of great anime. So I thought I'd share the news!
Click to expand...

Yikes. Hopefully, it ends up being more like Cowboy Bebop and less like Samurai Champloo. As you said, it looks ridiculous. I barely made it through the trailer.
 
Rendarg

Rendarg

Wow, love it, can't wait for it. Bebop and Champloo both belong to my favorites. Looks like a mix from both, and then they added Kamina from Gurren Lagann as main character. Mashup of all my top anime :ubik:

Did Watanabe do anything else after Samurai Champloo? I remember i watched a really nice short film from him on some artist compilation project, Genius Party, back in 2008, but can't think of anything else in the last years

here, found it again, "Baby Blue" from Genius Party
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ0CGWrOLmU
 
Deci

Deci

Avatar by supereva01 @ DA
Rhombaad said:
Yikes. Hopefully, it ends up being more like Cowboy Bebop and less like Samurai Champloo. As you said, it looks ridiculous. I barely made it through the trailer.
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A lot of the people making up the central key figures from the Cowboy Bebop team specifically are back for this one. And it is in space, however one of the tags I've seen for it is, "Not to be taken seriously!" While Bebop had a lot of serious moments though, it was pretty goofy too.

Personally I loved Champloo as much as Bebop though, but to each his own.
 
IncantatioN

IncantatioN

Interview with Shinichiro - http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interview/2013-09-03/interview-shinichiro-wantanabe

I've always found his past work to be fun laced with a good soundtrack. Will check this out when it comes out.
 
Deci

Deci

Avatar by supereva01 @ DA
IncantatioN said:
Interview with Shinichiro - http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interview/2013-09-03/interview-shinichiro-wantanabe

I've always found his past work to be fun laced with a good soundtrack. Will check this out when it comes out.
Click to expand...

Thanks IncantatioN!

Portion of interest:

"In Space Dandy, I'm trying to challenge myself and do stuff I haven't done before. Firstly, this is a pure comedy series. Before, I would make shows that were relatively not-so-comedic. There would be funny episodes here and there, but it wouldn't be all silliness. This time, it is all comedy. I feel that current animation trends are a bit toned down. Things could be bigger and more extravagant in anime. That's what I'd like to express. I feel like I want to make anime that destroys the norms, something that would be strong even if it is unconventional. I want to do things that other people haven't done before, and not get trapped up in those "this has to be done this way" sorts of ideas. I'm always wanting to try new stuff. At the same time, I want Space Dandy to be something you can still have fun with and just enjoy as a comedy. Every week the main characters will go to different stars, but from star to star, entirely different themes will be explored, and that means we will completely change over the style of everything each time. There will be different art styles, different moods, different directing styles, all completely unique for each episode. At the same time, there will be aliens from other planets every week, but every planet has different designers, so there will be lots of varied designs in one place onscreen."

With the amazing talent he's got on board this makes me even more interested. I suppose we'll see, though.
 
Rendarg

Rendarg

Well this is a bit of a downer for me. I mean, of course comedy is important, who doesn't remember the legendary baseball match from Samurai Champloo versus the US Navy, or "Mushroom Hunting" in Cowboy Bebop.
But 100%-All-Comedy, well its nice for some episodes, but for me it tends to get boring pretty fast. I stopped watching K-ON for that reason, it was nice but... when i realize it doesnt matter if i watch the first episode, or a middle episode, or the last, or the whole thing in totally chaotic order, well, then it doesnt really catch my interest. I guess for the same reason i always avoided Azumanga Daioh and Lucky Star and what was that other thing called, Haruhi Suzumya something. Ok you can't compare this high school stuff with the works of Watanabe, but if it follows the same pattern, just comedy without a deep plot, then it's just not enough for me to keep watching


And yes, i know the irony of what i just said, because in some way you could say the same about samurai champloo and cowboyb bebop, you could (almost) watch the whole thing in totally different order, because most episodes have their own cohesive plot. But both anime have this fine red line that follows the whole thing, and sometimes shows up in certain "main story" episodes like when you first meet Vicious in the church and you learn more about Spike's past on Mars. Hm, and it would work even less for samurai champloo, because there you can see the relationship of the three characters growing with each episode during their travels and you learn more and more about their past (just like Team Guts in some way^^). Thats something you just don't have in full-comedy shows
 
S

Skullgrin140

This has my full attention, the premise is exciting if anything else. Plus with Watanabe's style I'm interested to see how this will stand against his previous works, the dub of Space Dandy I'm very unsure of but I imagine it will grow on me overtime.
 
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