TAF 2007: TAF Attendance Figures Announced

Anime! Anime! has announced the final attendance numbers for the Tokyo International Anime Fair (TAF), which took place from March 22nd through the 25th at the Tokyo Big Sight Convention Center.

The total number of people who attended TAF is 107,713 people, up 8.8% from last year. 942 of the people at TAF came from overseas, most of whom were also in attendance on the event's two designated "business days." Although the number of Japanese companies attending the festival far exceeded the numbers of foreign companies in attendance, the increase in foreign attendance underscores the continued growth of the international Anime market.

Next year's TAF has been scheduled for March 27th through March 30th. The event will again be held at Tokyo Big Sight, which is also the site of some of the largest comic conventions in Japan.

Tokko: Volume 1

Anime fans have had more than their fair share of demons, scantily clad heroines and brooding protagonists over the years, but can the latest series from Manga Entertainment squeeze any more mileage out of this winning formula?

‘Tokko: Volume 1’ serves up the first four episodes of a thirteen part series, and focuses on Ranmaru, a recent graduate of the Special Mobile Investigations Troops First Division training academy (otherwise known as Tokko), and his first few days on the job. A survivor of a massacre at the Machida apartments, he is every bit the wide-eyed rookie, seeking vengeance for the murder of his parents.

First on the scene of a series of gruesome murders Ranmaru quickly realises that something far more deadly than a deranged psychopath is on the loose – human-faced-maggot spewing zombies, multi-limbed demons and a scientist with more than a couple of eyes too many are just a few of the horrors our hero must confront. It’s a good job then that the mysterious Tokko division are on hand. Wielding swords instead of pistols, Tokko are the explanation for the severed limbs and an enigma that Ranmaru must unravel,

This is by no means an anime masterpiece, yet these opening chapters are never the less fairly enjoyable. Borrowing liberally from films such as ‘Urotsukidoji’, ‘Wicked City’, ‘Men in Black’ and ‘The Matrix’, it wears its’ influences on its sleeve. This combination of elements does bear fruit, with the production often achieving a genuine sense of unease (a creaking sound-scope of digitalised static lending a perfect atmosphere to the on-screen gore). The plot is not stunningly original, but it does generally succeed in retaining the viewer’s interest despite occasionally losing momentum.

‘Tokko’ does suffer from moments of ‘comedy’ that will most probably leave everyone but die-hard anime fans scratching their heads. Largely revolving around suggestions of an incestuous relationship between Ranmaru and his sister, Saya, these light-hearted interludes do function as a respite from the melodrama, dismemberment and foghorn voiced police chiefs nevertheless.

‘Tokko’ clearly revels in the absurd, yet there are moments of real drama, with Ranmaru’s flashbacks handled with particular finesse. It is solidly scripted, well animated and, although the characters rarely move far beyond anime stereotypes, the plot (though often absurd) unfolds at a satisfying pace. It does little to lift itself above the competition in a very crowded genre, but is worth a look nonetheless.

Legends of Corocoro 10 Comic Series Debuts in May

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the popular manga magazine "Corocoro Comic", the magazine has announced that they are launching a special, 10 volume series called "Legends of Corocoro" (Corocoro no Densetsu). Each volume represents a two year period when the original Corocoro Comic was published (1978-1979, for example), with each volume featuring the most popular comics from certain series from that time period.

The special releases are aimed at a much older audience than "Corocoro Comic", which has long been viewed as one of Japan's most popular manga magazines for younger children. Corocoro publisher Shougakukan is publishing the volumes by year so that adult readers can find a volume that corresponds to their childhood and read some of the stories that they read when they were young.

Shougakukan expects the "Legends" series to be a success, partially due to a strong showing at the World Hobby Fair that took place in Chiba last month.