Kite (OAV)
Alternative title
A Kite, Domination Nakite, Sexo Letal, Кайт - девочка убийца, カイト
Genre: Neo-noir, drama, girls with guns, action, drama, erotica, psychological
Themes: assassins, girls with guns, Police
Original video animation
Directed by: Yasuomi Umetsu
Studio: Green Bunny
Licensed by: ARMS, AnimeWorks (edited), Kitty Media (director's cut)
Released: 1998
Runtime: 45 Min (Cut), 60 Min (Uncut)
Episodes: 2
Related anime: Kite (live-action movie), Kite Liberator (OAV)
Ratings: Adults only! (Contains explicit sexual content)
Kite (カイト, Kaito), also known as A Kite, is a highly controversial Japanese anime OVA written and directed by Yasuomi Umetsu.
The original Japanese release ran for two 30 minute episodes. However, subsequent releases, including the first two releases in the United States, have edited the OVA into one hour-long "movie".
Plot Summary
Sawa is a school girl, an orphan, and an assassin. She is being controlled by a corrupt cop who gives her targets to kill, detailing to her the crimes these men have committed in order to justify their death. Some of his power over Sawa has to do with her deceased parents and the promise of revenge. When another orphan, a teenage boy called Oburi, is brought in to assist Sawa, the two teenage killers form a bond of sorts. As they heal each other's emotional wounds, they begin to dream of a life that would not be spent under the shadows of murder.
Ratings
USA: 16+ (General Release), 18+ (Director's Cut and Special Edition)
ratings issued by the distributor, Media Blasters
Japan: R-18
South Korea: 18+ (censored version)
Australia: 18+ (censored version)
Norway: 18+ (censored version)
France: 18+ (cut)
released as Domination NaKite
Germany: 18+ (uncut/uncensored)
New Zealand: R-16
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kite_(OAV)
Thursday, December 31, 1998
Wednesday, October 21, 1998
Love Hina (1998~)
Love Hina (1998~)
Alternative title:
ラブ ひな (Rabu Hina), 純情房東俏房客
Related anime: Love Hina Final (special), Love Hina X'mas Special - Silent Eve, Love Hina Spring Special - I wish Your Dream, Love Hina Again (OAV), Love Hina [anime comic] (manga)
Genre: Comedy, Harem, Romance
Themes: Bishoujo, fanservice, harem
Age rating: Teenagers (May contain bloody violence, bad language, nudity)
Manga
Written by: Ken Akamatsu
Published by: Kodansha
English publisher: Madman Entertainment, Tokyopop, Chuang Yi
Demographic: Shōnen
Magazine: Weekly Shōnen Magazine
Original run: October 21, 1998 – October 31, 2001
Volumes: 14
TV anime
Directed by: Yoshiaki Iwasaki
Written by: Shō Aikawa
Studio: Xebec
Licensed by: King Records, Madman Entertainment, Bandai Entertainment, Funimation Entertainment, MVM Films, Network TV Tokyo
Original run: April 19, 2000 – September 27, 2000
Episodes: 25
Original video animation: Love Hina – Christmas Special
Directed by: Yoshiaki Iwasaki
Produced by: TV Tokyo
Written by: Shō Aikawa
Music by: Star Child Records
Studio: Xebec
Released: December 25, 2000, December 3, 2002, December 3, 2003, November 7, 2005
Runtime: 44 minutes
Original video animation: Love Hina – Spring Special
Directed by: Yoshiaki Iwasaki
Produced by: TV Tokyo
Written by: Shō Aikawa
Music by: Star Child Records
Studio: Xebec
Released: April 1, 2001, March 18, 2003, February 11, 2004, May 16, 2005
Runtime: 45 minutes
Original video animation: Love Hina Again
Directed by: Yoshiaki Iwasaki
Written by: Shō Aikawa
Studio: Xebec
Released: January 26, 2002, September 2, 2003, August 31, 2005, January 8, 2008
Episodes: 3
Love Hina (ラブ ひな Rabu Hina?) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ken Akamatsu. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine by Kodansha from October 21, 1998 to October 31, 2001 and was published in 14 tankōbon volumes by Kodansha. The series tells the story of Keitaro Urashima and his attempts to find the girl with whom he made a childhood promise to enter the Tokyo University. The manga was licensed for an English language release in North America and the United Kingdom by Tokyopop, in Australia by Madman Entertainment, in Poland by Waneko and in Singapore by Chuang Yi. Two novelizations of Love Hina, written by two anime series screenwriters, were also released in Japan by Kodansha. Both novels were later released in North America and the United Kingdom by Tokyopop.
A twenty-four episode anime adaptation of the manga series, produced by Xebec, aired in Japan from April 19, 2000 to September 27, 2000. It was followed by a bonus DVD episode, Christmas and Spring television specials, and a three episode original video animation (OVA) entitled Love Hina Again. The anime series, special, and OVA were licensed for release in North America by Bandai Entertainment. In July 2007, the license was acquired by Funimation Entertainment, who released a boxset of the television series in February 2009. The series is also licensed in Australia by Madman Entertainment and in the United Kingdom by MVM Films.
The series has proved extremely popular around the world, both commercially and critically. In Japan, the manga sold over 6 million copies; over 1 million anime DVDs were also sold. The English release of the manga has been reprinted many times. Both anime and manga have received numerous industry awards in Japan and North America, as well as praise from critics.
Plot Summary of Love Hina (TV)
Keitaro Urashima is determined to be accepted into Tokyo University, the hardest Japanese University of all to get into, because of a promise he made to a girl when he was young... a girl whose name he can't even remember. After failing to get into Tokyo U twice, he is kicked out by his parents and goes to live with his Grandmother at her hotel, but it seems it has been turned into an all girls boarding house. What's more, much to his surprise and to the tenants disgust, Keitaro is made manager of the boarding house.
In 2006, Shinkūkan produced a four-episode original video adaptation (OVA) directed by Makoto Sokuza. The OVAs contain a special audio track in which the female characters' voices are replaced by members of the idol unit Sweet Kiss and were released in two versions: original and special edit. Xebec produced a thirteen episode anime adaptation directed by Tsuyoshi Nagasawa, unrelated to the OVAs. It first began airing on TV Tokyo between October 5, 2008 and December 28, 2008. Kodansha has announced that Xebec will be adapting an OVA version of the anime in 2009, directed by Tsuyoshi Nagasawa, featuring the same cast as the anime.
Alternative title:
ラブ ひな (Rabu Hina), 純情房東俏房客
Related anime: Love Hina Final (special), Love Hina X'mas Special - Silent Eve, Love Hina Spring Special - I wish Your Dream, Love Hina Again (OAV), Love Hina [anime comic] (manga)
Genre: Comedy, Harem, Romance
Themes: Bishoujo, fanservice, harem
Age rating: Teenagers (May contain bloody violence, bad language, nudity)
Manga
Written by: Ken Akamatsu
Published by: Kodansha
English publisher: Madman Entertainment, Tokyopop, Chuang Yi
Demographic: Shōnen
Magazine: Weekly Shōnen Magazine
Original run: October 21, 1998 – October 31, 2001
Volumes: 14
TV anime
Directed by: Yoshiaki Iwasaki
Written by: Shō Aikawa
Studio: Xebec
Licensed by: King Records, Madman Entertainment, Bandai Entertainment, Funimation Entertainment, MVM Films, Network TV Tokyo
Original run: April 19, 2000 – September 27, 2000
Episodes: 25
Original video animation: Love Hina – Christmas Special
Directed by: Yoshiaki Iwasaki
Produced by: TV Tokyo
Written by: Shō Aikawa
Music by: Star Child Records
Studio: Xebec
Released: December 25, 2000, December 3, 2002, December 3, 2003, November 7, 2005
Runtime: 44 minutes
Original video animation: Love Hina – Spring Special
Directed by: Yoshiaki Iwasaki
Produced by: TV Tokyo
Written by: Shō Aikawa
Music by: Star Child Records
Studio: Xebec
Released: April 1, 2001, March 18, 2003, February 11, 2004, May 16, 2005
Runtime: 45 minutes
Original video animation: Love Hina Again
Directed by: Yoshiaki Iwasaki
Written by: Shō Aikawa
Studio: Xebec
Released: January 26, 2002, September 2, 2003, August 31, 2005, January 8, 2008
Episodes: 3
Love Hina (ラブ ひな Rabu Hina?) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ken Akamatsu. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine by Kodansha from October 21, 1998 to October 31, 2001 and was published in 14 tankōbon volumes by Kodansha. The series tells the story of Keitaro Urashima and his attempts to find the girl with whom he made a childhood promise to enter the Tokyo University. The manga was licensed for an English language release in North America and the United Kingdom by Tokyopop, in Australia by Madman Entertainment, in Poland by Waneko and in Singapore by Chuang Yi. Two novelizations of Love Hina, written by two anime series screenwriters, were also released in Japan by Kodansha. Both novels were later released in North America and the United Kingdom by Tokyopop.
A twenty-four episode anime adaptation of the manga series, produced by Xebec, aired in Japan from April 19, 2000 to September 27, 2000. It was followed by a bonus DVD episode, Christmas and Spring television specials, and a three episode original video animation (OVA) entitled Love Hina Again. The anime series, special, and OVA were licensed for release in North America by Bandai Entertainment. In July 2007, the license was acquired by Funimation Entertainment, who released a boxset of the television series in February 2009. The series is also licensed in Australia by Madman Entertainment and in the United Kingdom by MVM Films.
The series has proved extremely popular around the world, both commercially and critically. In Japan, the manga sold over 6 million copies; over 1 million anime DVDs were also sold. The English release of the manga has been reprinted many times. Both anime and manga have received numerous industry awards in Japan and North America, as well as praise from critics.
Plot Summary of Love Hina (TV)
Keitaro Urashima is determined to be accepted into Tokyo University, the hardest Japanese University of all to get into, because of a promise he made to a girl when he was young... a girl whose name he can't even remember. After failing to get into Tokyo U twice, he is kicked out by his parents and goes to live with his Grandmother at her hotel, but it seems it has been turned into an all girls boarding house. What's more, much to his surprise and to the tenants disgust, Keitaro is made manager of the boarding house.
In 2006, Shinkūkan produced a four-episode original video adaptation (OVA) directed by Makoto Sokuza. The OVAs contain a special audio track in which the female characters' voices are replaced by members of the idol unit Sweet Kiss and were released in two versions: original and special edit. Xebec produced a thirteen episode anime adaptation directed by Tsuyoshi Nagasawa, unrelated to the OVAs. It first began airing on TV Tokyo between October 5, 2008 and December 28, 2008. Kodansha has announced that Xebec will be adapting an OVA version of the anime in 2009, directed by Tsuyoshi Nagasawa, featuring the same cast as the anime.
Friday, October 2, 1998
AntZ (1988)
AntZ (1988)
Alternative Names (異名):
AntZ, 개미
Directed by: Eric Darnell, Tim Johnson
Studio: DreamWorks Animation, Pacific Data Images
Distributed by: DreamWorks Pictures, Pacific Data Images
MPAA: Rated PG for mild language and menacing action
Release date(s): October 2, 1998
Alternative Names (異名):
AntZ, 개미
Directed by: Eric Darnell, Tim Johnson
Studio: DreamWorks Animation, Pacific Data Images
Distributed by: DreamWorks Pictures, Pacific Data Images
MPAA: Rated PG for mild language and menacing action
Release date(s): October 2, 1998
Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou (彼氏彼女の事情, 1998)
Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou (彼氏彼女の事情, 1998)
Alternative Titles (異題):
Tales at North Hills High, 그 남자 그 여자, 그 남자 그 여자의 사정, Kare Kano, His and Her Circumstances, 彼氏彼女の事情, Kareshi Kanojo no Jijō
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Shoujo, Slice of Life
Manga
Written by: Masami Tsuda
Published by: Hakusensha
English publisher: Tokyopop
Demographic: Shōjo
Magazine: LaLa
Original run: February 1996 – June 2005
Volumes: 21
TV anime: His and Her Circumstances
Directed by: Hideaki Anno, Kazuya Tsurumaki
Studio: Gainax, J.C.Staff
Licensed by: Right Stuf International
Network: TV Tokyo
English network: Anime Selects, FUNimation Channel
Original run: October 2, 1998 – March 23, 1999
Episodes: 26
Ratings: 15+
Yukino Miyazawa, the Queen of Vanity, is the 'perfect student' - smart, pretty, athletic and has an overall nice personality. What everyone in her school didn't know was that behind the perfect facade lies a different person. She is always the best in anything - but an obstacle comes her way. The obstacle's name is Souichirou Arima. Souichirou Arima is chosen as the representative of the freshmen, not Miyazawa. Thus, she strives hard to defeat him in all aspects. But a day comes when her most-hated enemy comes to find out her secret. From treating Arima as an enemy, friendship blossoms. Soon love comes. Kare Kano is a story that revolves all around the pangs and beauty of first love.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kare_Kano
Alternative Titles (異題):
Tales at North Hills High, 그 남자 그 여자, 그 남자 그 여자의 사정, Kare Kano, His and Her Circumstances, 彼氏彼女の事情, Kareshi Kanojo no Jijō
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Shoujo, Slice of Life
Manga
Written by: Masami Tsuda
Published by: Hakusensha
English publisher: Tokyopop
Demographic: Shōjo
Magazine: LaLa
Original run: February 1996 – June 2005
Volumes: 21
TV anime: His and Her Circumstances
Directed by: Hideaki Anno, Kazuya Tsurumaki
Studio: Gainax, J.C.Staff
Licensed by: Right Stuf International
Network: TV Tokyo
English network: Anime Selects, FUNimation Channel
Original run: October 2, 1998 – March 23, 1999
Episodes: 26
Ratings: 15+
Yukino Miyazawa, the Queen of Vanity, is the 'perfect student' - smart, pretty, athletic and has an overall nice personality. What everyone in her school didn't know was that behind the perfect facade lies a different person. She is always the best in anything - but an obstacle comes her way. The obstacle's name is Souichirou Arima. Souichirou Arima is chosen as the representative of the freshmen, not Miyazawa. Thus, she strives hard to defeat him in all aspects. But a day comes when her most-hated enemy comes to find out her secret. From treating Arima as an enemy, friendship blossoms. Soon love comes. Kare Kano is a story that revolves all around the pangs and beauty of first love.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kare_Kano
Friday, September 18, 1998
Rush Hour (1998)
Rush Hour (1998)
Rush Hour is a 1998 action comedy film and the first installment in the Rush Hour film series. Directed by Brett Ratner and starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, Rush Hour was a major success and became the 7th top grossing film of 1998, with a gross of over $140 million dollars at the U.S. box office.
Plot
On the last day of British rule in Hong Kong, Detective Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) of the Hong Kong police leads a raid at a shipping bar wharf, hoping to arrest the mysterious crime lord Juntao. He finds only Sang (Ken Leung), Juntao's right hand man, who manages to escape. However, Lee successfully recovers numerous Chinese cultural treasures stolen by Juntao, which he presents as a farewell victory to his departing superiors: Chinese Consul Solon Han (Tzi Ma) and British Commander Thomas Griffin (Tom Wilkinson).
Shortly after Han arrives in the United States to take up his new diplomatic post in Los Angeles, his daughter, Soo Yung, is kidnapped on her way to her first day of school. The leader of the kidnappers is none other than Sang. Shortly after this incident, the FBI inform Consul Han, who calls in Lee to assist in the case.
The FBI, afraid that the injury or death of Lee would result in negative attention, pawn him off on the LAPD Captain Diel, who gives the assignment to Detective James Carter (Chris Tucker), an overconfident, average looking, and arrogant police officer with aspirations of joining the FBI. Captain Diel gives him a choice: keep Lee away from the investigation or face two months suspension without pay. Carter reluctantly agrees, secretly intending to solve the case himself.
Carter meets Lee at the Los Angeles International Airport and then proceeds to take him on a sightseeing tour of Los Angeles, simultaneously keeping Lee away from the embassy and contacting several of his underworld informants about the kidnapping. Lee finally escapes Carter and makes his way to the Chinese Consulate, where an anxious Han and a group of FBI agents are awaiting news about his daughter. While being reprimanded by Agent-in-charge Warren Russ (Mark Rolston), Carter manages to accidentally involve himself in a phone conversation with the kidnappers, where he poorly arranges a ransom drop.
After their arrival at the agreed drop point, Lee tries to warn the FBI that something is amiss, but is ignored until a bomb inside the building is detonated, killing several agents. Spotting Sang nearby, Lee and Carter give chase, but Sang escapes, dropping a strange detonator in the process. After showing it to Carter's colleague, LAPD bomb expert Tania Johnson (Elizabeth Peña), they learn that Juntao was behind the kidnapping. Following a lead to a restaurant in Chinatown, Carter is captured after going in alone, though he sees a surveillance video of Juntao carrying Soo-Yung into a van. Lee arrives and rescues Carter, and they are met outside by the FBI, led by Russ, who blames them for ruining the ransom exchange. Sang phones the consul, angrily telling him that the ransom has been increased from $50 million to $70 million, and threatens to kill Soo-Yung if anything else goes wrong. Disgraced and guilt-ridden, Lee and Carter are ordered off the investigation, and Lee is informed that he will be sent back to Hong Kong. Carter refuses to drop the case and confronts Lee on his plane to enlist his help, and the two men decide to save Soo-Yung together.
The final confrontation comes at the opening of a Chinese art exhibition at the Los Angeles Convention Center, which Han and Griffin are overseeing, while the ransom is being delivered. Carter, Lee, and Johnson enter disguised as guests. After Carter recognizes Griffin from Chinatown, he creates a scene by alerting the spectators about a bomb threat in the building and tells them to evacuate. In the confusion, Lee sees Sang handing Griffin a detonator identical to the one he and Carter had previously recovered, deducing that Griffin is Juntao. Griffin/Juntao then threatens to detonate a bomb vest attached to Soo Yung if the delivery is interrupted. During the stand-off, however, Carter and Johnson rescue Soo Yung and bring the bomb vest within range to kill everyone inside the exhibition. In the ensuing gunfight, Carter kills Sang and Johnson defuses the bomb attached to Soo Yung. As Griffin attempts to escape with the ransom money, Lee pursues him up several sets of maintenance ladders. During the pursuit, Lee and Griffin fall over a railing, but while Griffin falls to his death, Lee is rescued by Carter.
Han and Soo Yung are reunited, and Han sends Carter and Lee on vacation together to Hong Kong. Before Carter leaves, Agents Russ and Whitney offer him a position in the FBI, which he refuses. The film ends with Lee and Carter enjoying their flight to Hong Kong.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rush_Hour_(film)
1998 films | American films | 1990s action films | Action comedy films | Martial arts films | Buddy films | Police detective films | Films directed by Brett Ratner | American action comedy films | New Line Cinema films | Films shot anamorphically | Films set in Los Angeles, California | Films set in Hong Kong
| Directed by | Brett Ratner |
| Produced by | Roger Birnbaum, Jonathan Glickman, Arthur M. Sarkissian |
| Written by | Screenplay: Jim Kouf and Ross LaManna Story: Ross LaManna |
| Starring | Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Tom Wilkinson, Philip Baker Hall, Mark Rolston, Tzi Ma, Rex Linn, Ken Leung, Chris Penn, Elizabeth Peña, Clifton Powell, Julia Hsu |
| Music by | Lalo Schifrin |
| Cinematography | Adam Greenberg |
| Editing by | Mark Helfrich |
| Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
| Release date(s) | September 18, 1998 |
| Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English, Cantonese, Mandarin |
| Budget | $33 million |
| Gross revenue | $255,300,000 |
| Followed by | Rush Hour 2 (2001) |
Rush Hour is a 1998 action comedy film and the first installment in the Rush Hour film series. Directed by Brett Ratner and starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, Rush Hour was a major success and became the 7th top grossing film of 1998, with a gross of over $140 million dollars at the U.S. box office.
Plot
On the last day of British rule in Hong Kong, Detective Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) of the Hong Kong police leads a raid at a shipping bar wharf, hoping to arrest the mysterious crime lord Juntao. He finds only Sang (Ken Leung), Juntao's right hand man, who manages to escape. However, Lee successfully recovers numerous Chinese cultural treasures stolen by Juntao, which he presents as a farewell victory to his departing superiors: Chinese Consul Solon Han (Tzi Ma) and British Commander Thomas Griffin (Tom Wilkinson).
Shortly after Han arrives in the United States to take up his new diplomatic post in Los Angeles, his daughter, Soo Yung, is kidnapped on her way to her first day of school. The leader of the kidnappers is none other than Sang. Shortly after this incident, the FBI inform Consul Han, who calls in Lee to assist in the case.
The FBI, afraid that the injury or death of Lee would result in negative attention, pawn him off on the LAPD Captain Diel, who gives the assignment to Detective James Carter (Chris Tucker), an overconfident, average looking, and arrogant police officer with aspirations of joining the FBI. Captain Diel gives him a choice: keep Lee away from the investigation or face two months suspension without pay. Carter reluctantly agrees, secretly intending to solve the case himself.
Carter meets Lee at the Los Angeles International Airport and then proceeds to take him on a sightseeing tour of Los Angeles, simultaneously keeping Lee away from the embassy and contacting several of his underworld informants about the kidnapping. Lee finally escapes Carter and makes his way to the Chinese Consulate, where an anxious Han and a group of FBI agents are awaiting news about his daughter. While being reprimanded by Agent-in-charge Warren Russ (Mark Rolston), Carter manages to accidentally involve himself in a phone conversation with the kidnappers, where he poorly arranges a ransom drop.
After their arrival at the agreed drop point, Lee tries to warn the FBI that something is amiss, but is ignored until a bomb inside the building is detonated, killing several agents. Spotting Sang nearby, Lee and Carter give chase, but Sang escapes, dropping a strange detonator in the process. After showing it to Carter's colleague, LAPD bomb expert Tania Johnson (Elizabeth Peña), they learn that Juntao was behind the kidnapping. Following a lead to a restaurant in Chinatown, Carter is captured after going in alone, though he sees a surveillance video of Juntao carrying Soo-Yung into a van. Lee arrives and rescues Carter, and they are met outside by the FBI, led by Russ, who blames them for ruining the ransom exchange. Sang phones the consul, angrily telling him that the ransom has been increased from $50 million to $70 million, and threatens to kill Soo-Yung if anything else goes wrong. Disgraced and guilt-ridden, Lee and Carter are ordered off the investigation, and Lee is informed that he will be sent back to Hong Kong. Carter refuses to drop the case and confronts Lee on his plane to enlist his help, and the two men decide to save Soo-Yung together.
The final confrontation comes at the opening of a Chinese art exhibition at the Los Angeles Convention Center, which Han and Griffin are overseeing, while the ransom is being delivered. Carter, Lee, and Johnson enter disguised as guests. After Carter recognizes Griffin from Chinatown, he creates a scene by alerting the spectators about a bomb threat in the building and tells them to evacuate. In the confusion, Lee sees Sang handing Griffin a detonator identical to the one he and Carter had previously recovered, deducing that Griffin is Juntao. Griffin/Juntao then threatens to detonate a bomb vest attached to Soo Yung if the delivery is interrupted. During the stand-off, however, Carter and Johnson rescue Soo Yung and bring the bomb vest within range to kill everyone inside the exhibition. In the ensuing gunfight, Carter kills Sang and Johnson defuses the bomb attached to Soo Yung. As Griffin attempts to escape with the ransom money, Lee pursues him up several sets of maintenance ladders. During the pursuit, Lee and Griffin fall over a railing, but while Griffin falls to his death, Lee is rescued by Carter.
Han and Soo Yung are reunited, and Han sends Carter and Lee on vacation together to Hong Kong. Before Carter leaves, Agents Russ and Whitney offer him a position in the FBI, which he refuses. The film ends with Lee and Carter enjoying their flight to Hong Kong.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rush_Hour_(film)
1998 films | American films | 1990s action films | Action comedy films | Martial arts films | Buddy films | Police detective films | Films directed by Brett Ratner | American action comedy films | New Line Cinema films | Films shot anamorphically | Films set in Los Angeles, California | Films set in Hong Kong
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