Highlander...the Anime?!

[bsu legato]

http://www.imagi.com.hk/movie/web/highb.htm

From Yoshiaki Kawajiri of Ninja Scroll fame, no less? The weird thing is that IMDB still shows that other Higlander film, "The Source," to be in production. I think we can say without a doubt that this franchise is THE textbook case of not quitting while you're ahead. At least this anime version can't suck any worse than Highlander: Endgame.

Or CAN it....?

[Renato]

Yes. There can be only one.... ...million different bloody incarnations of this. I still can't believe they made a whole animated series during the 90s.

[lord_breetai]

Yes.  There can be only one....  ...million different bloody incarnations of this.  I still can't believe they made a whole animated series during the 90s.

The Highlander animated series of the 90s was pretty bad...

but I've been looking forward to this anime for about a year now (and the GI Joe anime too), they were both announced about that long ago.

edit weird look at the cast members

Writer - David Abramowitz

David Abramowitz has worked in television for over two decades on episodic writing (“Murder, She Wrote,” “Cagney and Lacey”), movie-of-the-week screenplays (“Daughter of the Streets,” “Highlander: Archangel”), story editing (“MacGyver”), being showrunner (“The Lost World,” “Highlander”) and producing (“Jake and the Fatman,” “Buck James”). Abramowitz joined the “Highlander” series in its first season and took it in a new direction, which helped sustain the series through six seasons and a spin-off, “Highlander: The Raven.”

Animation Supervisor - Kevin Eastman

Kevin Eastman came to prominence when he and co-creator Peter Laird wrote and self-published the comic book “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” With toys, books, several animated television series and three successful live-action feature films, TMNT has generated over $4 billion in revenue. In 1991, Eastman acquired Heavy Metal Magazine. He increased circulation and created spinoffs, including the animated movie “Heavy Metal 2000” and the video game “Heavy Metal FAAK2.” Eastman is currently President of Metal Mammoth, Inc.

The Turtles guy is supervising the animation

Edited June 2, 2005 by lord_breetai

[Prime]

At least this anime version can't suck any worse than Highlander: Endgame.

Or CAN it....?

Now you've jinxed it!

[yellowlightman]

The completely unecessary sequels have gone to great lengths to kill whatever style and mood the original movie had, and there's no way an animated movie will improve on it.

So instead I'll just close my eyes and keep telling myself "There can be only one."

[That NOS Guy]

Now if I could only find the "Oh the humanity!" voice clip and keep on continuious repeat in this thread we'd be set.

[Duke Togo]

There can only be one!... three!... no wait, five!

Highlander is alot like Attack of the Clones for me... the first time I saw it, I thought it was really cool. Then, after a few viewings, I realized how truly bad it was (Phantom Menace was a vastly superior film to Clones, IMHO). I mean, Sean Connery as a Spanish Egpytion that's Scottish? Christopher Lambert makes Mark Hamill look like Laurence Olivier. If not for Clancy Brown, that movie would have been lost. And just what was that thing he was wearing on his head? And don't even get me started on the special effects. Hell, I think more people like the movie for the Queen soundtrack than anything.

All that said, I was completely sold on the television series, and watched it faithfully. They should have left it there, its the only part of that "franchise" (*snicker snort*) that works.

[Wes]

Yes. There can be only one.... ...million different bloody incarnations of this. I still can't believe they made a whole animated series during the 90s.

Kind of reminds me; I've been watching thru Season 5 of the show as kind of an extended marathon (yes I really liked the show and I bought all the DVDs), and Duncan was going against this immortal Steven Keane in kind of a reverse-good-guy/bad-guy twist, and in the extras they were going over one of the funnier bloopers in the series with Amanda(Elizabeth Gracen) and Methos(Peter Winfried):

Amanda: Look, if he(Duncan) goes up against Keane thinking he deserves to los he'll lose. He'll die, Methos.

Methos: ...We'd get our own show then!

I guess it only worked out for Elizabeth Gracen so far.

btw, more horror for you non-sequel types: Highlander 5: The Source is in pre-production. Good news is IMDB has Christopher Lambert in the cast(and that's it? )

Anyway, why can't some people ever enjoy sequels? Yes, they more often than not suck, but they can be enjoyable. I mean, for example, the 2 other movies in the SW OT, and the 2nd Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie gave us "Ninja Rap".

But I for the most part enjoyed all the Highander parts, except #3 was retarded beyond belief, and I haven't seen the Raven series. So I have some hope for this one, but one thing really bothers me:

n the new tale, the lone warrior Colin travels with the wise-cracking ghost Amergan through the ages

wtf

[Otaku-Smeghead]

Yes.  There can be only one....  ...million different bloody incarnations of this.  I still can't believe they made a whole animated series during the 90s.

The Highlander animated series of the 90s was pretty bad...

but I've been looking forward to this anime for about a year now (and the GI Joe anime too), they were both announced about that long ago.

edit weird look at the cast members

Writer - David Abramowitz

David Abramowitz has worked in television for over two decades on episodic writing (“Murder, She Wrote,” “Cagney and Lacey”), movie-of-the-week screenplays (“Daughter of the Streets,” “Highlander: Archangel”), story editing (“MacGyver”), being showrunner (“The Lost World,” “Highlander”) and producing (“Jake and the Fatman,” “Buck James”). Abramowitz joined the “Highlander” series in its first season and took it in a new direction, which helped sustain the series through six seasons and a spin-off, “Highlander: The Raven.”

Animation Supervisor - Kevin Eastman

Kevin Eastman came to prominence when he and co-creator Peter Laird wrote and self-published the comic book “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” With toys, books, several animated television series and three successful live-action feature films, TMNT has generated over $4 billion in revenue. In 1991, Eastman acquired Heavy Metal Magazine. He increased circulation and created spinoffs, including the animated movie “Heavy Metal 2000” and the video game “Heavy Metal FAAK2.” Eastman is currently President of Metal Mammoth, Inc.

The Turtles guy is supervising the animation

That would be becsause of the French to Paraphrase Captsin Jack Sprrow.

The Animated Series was made by Gaumont TV Studios from France who also had a part in the TV Show Highlander

[lord_breetai]

What is with all you "the original movie is the best" people? I think a lot of that is just nostigla for the first incarnation you come across... The movie wasn't all that great.

It goes something like this (IMO)

Highlander TV series

Highlander the Raven

Highlander (original movie)

Highlander 4 Endgames

Highlander The animated series

Highlander 2

I havn't scene Highlander 3 so it's not in there...

but seriously the only reason I'd watch the Highlander movie is cause I like Chis Lambert in all of his cheezy glory ("Didn't have a clue you Mortals are so unpredictable")

[Duke Togo]

What is with all you "the original movie is the best" people? I think a lot of that is just nostigla for the first incarnation you come across... The movie wasn't all that great.

I think the original movie is fairly bad. Actually, they are all bad. I love the TV series.

[Max Jenius]

I thought the TV show was good and bad. I never really liked the fights, they were always pretty anticlimactic.

[Agent ONE]

I thought the movie was bad, I thought the rest of the movies were total crap, and I thought the TV show was pretty lame too.

[Wes]

I admit that the theatrical cut of the first Highlander movie isn't all that great. It's one of those cases where the director's cut really makes it something.

Even without the smoothness the director's cut provides, there's one great thing that makes the first movie unique from most movies in general: you really don't know if the hero, Connor MacLeod, is going to win, much less if he even wants to live. Like best portrayed in Queen's Who Wants to Live Forever? I mean honestly, in a non-angst way, who really wants to continue for an eternity knowing all the people you love won't take part in it? They tired to do that with the second, but they lost that about halfway into it. They didn't even try for the 3rd one, and the 4th, well, he in some ways gave up. Hey, what ever happened to Connor's adoptive son from the 3rd one anyway, when he went into exile? Guess the kid starved to death or something.

[glane21]

Christopher Lambert plays Connor McCloud in every movie he's in, whether it's a Highlander gig or not. Just like Michael Douglas, Vince Vaughn, and Stifler from American Pie always play the same character in any movie they 'act' in.

[Gaijin]

You forgot Dirk Benedict and Matthew Perry. No matter where they go, it's Starbuck and Chandler Bing in whatever you're watching!

[areaseven]

All this talk about typecasting and no one mentioned Adam West?

[yellowlightman]

All this talk about typecasting and no one mentioned Adam West?

That's because the only roles Adam West gets anymore is where he DOES play himself.

[Guest Bromgrev]

I must admit I like the movie less every time I see it (which is why I've stopped watching it). The TV series was pretty good in the middle, although the first season was a bit wooden and it all kind of fell apart towards the end ...

Well, I'll give the anime a chance. The whole Highlander idea has been kind of wasted so far, I'm still hoping someone will do it justice. I was sooo relieved when Buffy ended without anyone thinking of doing a Highlander crossover.

"What do you mean, you're the Watchers? We're the Watchers. Look, it says 'Watchers ' on the stationery!"

[treatment]

30-second preview is out!

http://www.legendaryheroes.com/c.309960/si...highlander.html

looks really BADASS!

[Wes]

30-second preview is out!

http://www.legendaryheroes.com/c.309960/si...highlander.html

looks really BADASS!

Nifty, hopefully they don't Neo him up or anything.

The Highlander website has got to be even cornier than the RT one.

[Hikuro]

That teaser wasn't bad at all. Atleast now we know what the animation style and detail will look like, not too mention we're introduced to a darker future than Highlander 2, or even the crappy animated series from way back.

I'll reserve myjudgement though when I see more evidence but as a Highlander fan myself, I say this could be the only good thing for the franchise.

[lord_breetai]

Christopher Lambert plays Connor McCloud in every movie he's in, whether it's a Highlander gig or not.  Just like Michael Douglas, Vince Vaughn, and Stifler from American Pie always play the same character in any movie they 'act' in.

Raiden and Beowulf are Connor? Well Raiden was immortal and Beowulf did have a sword...

Anyways the trailer looks pretty sweet. Quinten MacLeod eat your heart out!

Edited June 13, 2005 by lord_breetai

[yellowlightman]

Kind of confused as to why they decided to set it in the future.

Not to mention, ANOTHER MacLeod? Honestly, for something that's supposed to be so rare, a particular clan in Scotland sure does get a lot of immortals born into it.

[Zentrandude]

The trailer looks cool but I don't get why they didn't show him fight another immortal. Doesn't seem right just showing him taking out the droids in one swoop, it doesn't show much the sword fighting would be good bit like kill bill series just the master sword lady owning billions of cannon fodders with a simple swing.

edit: I need to watch the first movie again or one of them Thought his family/clan got wiped out.

Edited June 13, 2005 by Zentrandude

[Noriko Takaya]

What is with all you "the original movie is the best" people? I think a lot of that is just nostigla for the first incarnation you come across... The movie wasn't all that great.

I didn't like the Highlander movies, but did like the television series. When the Director's Cut of Highlander came out, it moved the film up a notch in my book, but it still sucks. With that said, Highlander is also like a train wreck. When you come across it on television, sometimes you just have to watch it to realize how bad it is.

[areaseven]

From SciFi.com:

Imagi Readies New Anime

Thomas Gray, producer and head of Imagi Animation Studios, told SCI FI Wire that the new Hong Kong-based computer-animation studio has an intriguing lineup of projects in production for the near future, including the new TMNT (for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). "I came to love and admire so much the Hong Kong work ethic. It's just second to none," Gray said about the animators in a group interview at the recent Comic-Con International in San Diego. "You can go anywhere on this planet, and you can't do like Hong Kong people can do. That combination, coming with the talent from the U.S. side, is very potent. People are astounded what we are making the [TMNT] movie for and getting this quality. Imagi is only about two years out of the box, and Turtles is coming from the studio, and [TMNT director] Kevin Munroe just signed up to do Gatchaman for us."

Munroe talked about Gatchaman: "It's going to be huge, but it's so early on. Growing up, [Gatchaman] was the granddaddy of all team anime shows and the most sophisticated one out of all of them. The idea with Gatchaman, which was Battle of the Planets ... in the Western version, but we are going back to the Gatchaman model."

Gray added: "We have 2-D projects coming out of Japan. We are doing Highlander: Vengeance with Yoshiaki Kawajiri [Vampire Hunter D]." The producer confirmed that the anime film is based on the popular live-action film series about sword-battling immortals, starring Christopher Lambert. "It was experimental, because it's going right to the DVD market," Gray said. "Anchor Bay picked it up, and it's turning out great. It was our attempt to take a Japanese anime process, if you will, and try to put it in a Western storytelling concept, where you have a beginning, middle and end. With Miyazaki [Howl's Moving Castle], ... no one can understand what is going on. It's brilliant, but that's why it's not playing universally in the West. So we took conventional storytelling and gave it to a conventional anime director, and it's going to be interesting." Highlander: Vengeance will be released on DVD in 2007.

[Wes]

It seems like everything I want is comming out in 2007...

[Hikuro]

Ya know last week i was thinking to myself "What's going on with the new highlander movie?".....07 is such a long ways away.

[Keith]

Western storytelling concept, where you have a beginning, middle and end. With Miyazaki [Howl's Moving Castle], ... no one can understand what is going on. It's brilliant, but that's why it's not playing universally in the West.

Hmm, I always thought the western storytelling concept was to do completely unstrung together episode of the week shows for as long as possible until they won't make money anymore, while the Japanese took a more direct beginning, middle, & end stance. I'm glad this guy corrected me

[yellowlightman]

let it die

let it die

please please please let highlander die

Edited August 11, 2006 by yellowlightman

[Hikuro]

Well I want to wait till this comes out on DVD next year to chant let it die or not....

[Wes]

let it die

let it die

please please please let highlander die

424250[/snapback]

But it wouldn't be immortal then duh!

[Skullsixx]

as long as people keep buying... isn't that how we actually got stuck with Beverly Hills Cop III and Rocky Balboa?

[Vermillion21]

let it die

let it die

please please please let highlander die

424250[/snapback]

But it wouldn't be immortal then duh!

424320[/snapback]

Ha ha ha .... good one mate!