@War Killer: Oh, I'm sure we'll get them out here, it's just a matter of when.
See, Japan's interest in American superhero comics hasn't really been too strong in Japan-- there was a tokusatsu (think Power Rangers) Spider-Man tv show back in the day, but for the most part manga creators are more interested in American comics than any mainstream audiences in Japan.
The shift has been because of the big Hollywood movies-- the Batman flicks, Iron Man, Spider-Man, X-Men. Your average Japanese person may not even be aware that all of them are based on comic books in the first place! But they certainly went to see the movies, which have done rather well there.
So: Stan Lee, who always wants to try something different (especially if it involves putting his name on something, bless him), starts working on original materials with Japanese partners: with Ultimo he's working with the popular mangaka of a series called Shaman King, Hiroyuki Takei, who is popular enough in Japan to really sell the story, and Stan's popular enough in the US to draw interest. Heroman, he's working with Studio BONES, which created the incredibly popular Fullmetal Alchemist anime (both of them), and many others I could name, but that's probably the one with the most recognition here :) Same thing: BONES gives it legitimacy in Japan and Stan gives it legitimacy here.
Marvel is doing the same thing, effectively, and I'll be honest: I wouldn't be surprised if they're banking on hitting the American market with those anime at some point. But they're definitely hoping to break into the Japanese market.
Even Disney started its own company for producing materials directly for Japan, rather than simply dubbing over the latest movie-turned-TV-cartoon series in Japanese. They created a CG animation called Fireball, which I gather has done reasonably well, if not amazing.
Admittedly, I'm biased, but even as the anime and manga industry is plagued by every problem imaginable, Japan has one of the strongest chances at challenging the US's monopoly on global entertainment of any country out there right now, and the fact that these big names are starting to work directly there is a sign of it. I don't know if they'll succeed, but it'll definitely be interesting to watch!
DISCLOSURE: I once worked as a freelancer for Wizard's Anime Insider magazine (up until its demise, actually), and I have a good number of friends-- including the one who broke me into the industry full-time --who have worked at Wizard. Most of them were laid off, and very few of them have any fond feelings for the parent company, as I understand it. :\
I'm torn between actually wanting to leave an insighftul or at least encouraging comment, and just wanting to say something about how much I like unclothed men.
@.Mistress Redhead.: Hmm, hard to say yes OR no to that. It definitely still shows up in our wiki, but it's pretty rare for it to appear in the news or even forums...though we're all still a bunch of perverts overall, I'm afraid! ^_^
Thanks for the bit of Vice love, folks! And to those of you who haven't been, or haven't been back in a while, I hope you'll give us a(nother) shot...well, if you like a bit of anime and/or manga, anyway. Even I wouldn't subject us to a *complete* non-fan ;)
Anyway, my point was that our community has gotten a lot more active of late, and is incredibly different from our launch. So I hope you guys come by and check it out! ^_^
" I like these kind of comparisons. I did notice Gia catching herself before she commented on the coasts. I think she realized quickly who was in front of her. lol
Why do you think I said it!? ;) I play! Though I do love my beautiful, and more importantly, temperate coast. I'm a wuss, I can only handle snow if i'm skiing it, which is why I went to Portland instead of Boston for college. (Well, part of it.) ;)
@Suigetsu: Well, Marvel is working on several anime with studios in Japan, including Iron Man and Wolverine. We were told there were four properties in the works, so it's entirely plausible that Deadpool would be one of them.
Sadly, virtually all of my X-Men canon comes from the '90s TV cartoon, not the comic books. (Since I hadn't watched the third flick, I'd barely even HEARD of Kitty Pryde when Del Rey announced that they were doing a Pryde-centered manga!) As such, I don't have much familiarity or fondness for Deadpool personally, so I can't really say whether I'd be more excited for a Deadpool anime than, say, a Kitty Pryde anime.
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