Rainy Day Report: 6/23 - 7/6/14

This is the Rainy Day Report for July 7th, 2014, covering your weather from June 23rd to July 6th. Here at the Rainy Day Report, we look back to make the most accurate forecast. This report, we can say with certainty that there is a 50% chance of a detective series reaching American shores in the coming months, along with a cold front closing around Los Angeles, with Japan expecting a warm front from the United States. Read on for more information on your coming weather.

Audition to get American remake

Cult favorite horror film, Audition, is getting a Hollywood remake. Audition was a movie based on a novel where a lonely man tries to find a new girlfriend seven years after the death of his wife, eventually falling for a ballerina and becoming involved in a brutally gory affair. The film was directed by Takashi Mike, who is also notable for directing the live action Ichi the Killer movie. The western remake will be directed by Richard Gray, who's resume doesn't have any real entries of note. It's hard to say if this remake will be a welcome new version ala The Ring, or will fall into the large pile of forgotten remakes of Asian horror films. Judging by the director's lack of solid credentials, probably the latter.

New Kindaichi series getting crowdfunding on Anime Sols for a western release

Kindaichi Case Files, a long running mystery manga, recently received a new anime this year, under the awkward title of The Files of Young Kindaichi Returns. The series has been well received by western audiences, despite not being a particularly major hit, and Anime Sols is trying to bring the series over here in DVD format. The plan is to release the series in both the states and Canada through fan funding. The series is currently airing on Crunchyroll if you're interested. I've watched a good chunk of it already, and I can attest that it's a fun time and surprisingly clever.

Harmony Gold kickstarting Robotech miniseries

Robotech, an anime series that was three different shows shoved together in order to create something interesting for western markets, may be making a return. Harmony Gold, the company behind Robotech, has started a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for a miniseries titled Robotech Academy, planning to use the funding raised to build a pilot episode. The goal is $500,000, and thirty-two days remain on the campaign to raise the funds. As of writing, it appears they will barely make their funding, assuming the usual last hours burst of support occurs. It should also be noted that Harmony Gold has been a subject of criticism among some fans; their copyright has made it nearly impossible for proper releases of the Macross series to reach the west, as the series is one part of what eventually became Robotech. The series is an equally impressive franchise with films and games, including the critically acclaimed Do You Remember Love? A new Robotech miniseries finding success could mean even more issues with trying to license Macross in the west.

Ninja Slayer director revealed as Akira Amemiya of Inferno Cop fame

Studio Trigger's most anticipated next project finally has a director. Akira Amemiya, the director of the infamous Inferno Cop web series and a few of the slapstick heavy episodes of Kill la Kill, will also be directing for Ninja Slayer. This particular project has a strange history, starting as an American graphic novel by some guys who really loved 90s comics and anime, then getting translated into a light novel, and now finally getting an animated adaptation. The series follows a low level office worker as he takes revenge on an villainous ninja clan, gifted with the powers of a dead ninja possessing him. It's hard to say how this series will end up, but it's safe to assume that Akira Amemiya's love of purposefully terrible animation for comedic effect will make an appearance here.

Ubukata takes over for Urobuchi in writing Psycho-Pass' second season

Psycho-Pass, the highly acclaimed sci-fi thriller from late 2012, will be going through a writer change for the new season. Gen Urobuchi, of Madoka Magica fame, will not be returning as script writer for the second season, so Tow Ubukata will be taking over. Ubukata is most known for Mardock Scramble, Fafner, and Le Chevalier d'Eon, all strong shows in their own right. His familiarity with dark subject matter and emotionally unstable characters makes him seem like a solid replacement for Urobuchi, but only time will tell.

Matsuri Hino starting new manga series titled Shuriken to Pleats

Shojo manga artist Matsuri Hino, creator of Vampire Knight, has a new series premiering in the September issue of LaLa magazine. Titled Shuriken to Pleats, the series follows a young girl named Mikage, a schoolgirl ninja who serves another man. Little else is known about the series. Hino has received a great deal of negative feedback for her most famous series, the aforementioned Vampire Knight, which is commonly compared to the loathed Twilight series among western fans. Her work has been well received otherwise, so guessing the quality of this new series is a difficult task. All that can be said for sure is that it will have some sort of shojo romance, as all her works seem to have.

Ar Nosurge will release in the west

Tecmo Koei have revealed that the newest Gust JRPG will be coming to American shores. Titled Ar Nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Song, the game follows two pairs of main characters trying to save humanity and find a home for the race, set in a sci-fi setting where music has a direct connection to magic. The game will also feature item crafting and a relationship system for improving performance in battle. The game shares some DNA with Ar Tonelico, a series of PS2 JRPGs that has similar themes based around music, but received more attention for the innuendo heavy script and surprisingly strong mechanics, with some reviewers calling it the best game they would never want to be seen playing.

Bandai Namco EU will bring over Digimon Cyber Sleuth if petition succeeds

Internet petitions rarely lead to anything, but a few IP holders have used them to gauge interest in their works. Take Bandai Namco EU, who have recently decided to think about bringing over the next Digimon game, set for a 2015 release in Japan, if a petition can reach fifty thousand signatures. Petitions have also opened for the American branch of the publisher, also aiming for a previous game in the series. The petition is less than nine thousand signatures away from meeting the 50k goal.

NIS America localizing three more games for the Vita and PS3

NIS America has revealed three previously Japanese exclusive titles coming to the Vita for American and European audiences. The three titles are htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary (digital only on Vita), The Awakened Fate Ultimatum (PS3), and Criminal Girls: Invite Only (Vita). #NiQ is a puzzle game that has you control two faeries to guide a young girl to safety. Ultimatum is a sequel to The Guide Fate Paradox, a JRPG about a young man caught in a war between heaven and hell. Criminal Girls remains the most controversial, a JRPG about a group of trouble making young women trying to climb out of hell and redeem themselves to get reincarnated. The original game contained "punishment" games for keeping the girls in line, but this feature will be censored and mostly removed for western release, leaving the dungeon crawling as the focus. This version is also an enchanted port, with new art assists and playable characters.

MPD-Psycho manga has one volume left till end

Psychological mystery manga MPD-Psycho is reaching the end of its run. Created by Eiji Ohtsuka (writer) and Shou Tajima (artist), the series followed the story of a detective with multiple personalities, reaching twenty volumes and ending on the 21st. Dark Horse has released the series in America since 2006, with ten volumes brought over so far. Ohtsuka has also been working on the dark comedy manga The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, which has also received translated volume treatment from Dark Horse.

Miss Monochrome's Poker Face has released on iTunes US

Miss Monochrome, one of Japan's many Vocaloid take-offs, has grown rather popular as of recent, and her single Poker Face has just released in the US via iTunes. The character received a series of popular shorts last year that were, if I may break the journalistic writing style for a moment, surprisingly funny with a dry sense of humor and timing. The songs made from the character are catchy stuff, and Poker Face, playing in the last short to close the series, is particularly fun as these songs go. The character has become somewhat popular, appearing in a few mobile games, inspiring a manga series, and getting solid sales on the first CD release.

New Anime
World Trigger | Gakkou Garashi | Girl Friend BETA | Assassination Classroom (+ L-A Movie) | Unlimited Fafnir | Akatsuki no Yona Shojo | Sample of the Common People

New Seasons
Knights of Sidonia | Mushi-shi | Kuroko's Basketball

New Movies
Apreggio of Blue Steel | Love Live! | Beyond the Boundary

New Games
Demon Gaze 2 | Afro Samurai sequel | Yakuza sequel

Streaming Releases
Hyakko (YT, Hulu) | Love Lab (Hulu) | From the New World 2nd half (AN) | Super Robot Wars OG OVAs (CR) | Mayo Chiki (AN) | Akia R-16 Virgin Mission (Hulu) | Lagrange- The Flower of Rin-ne (Hulu) | Aika (Hulu) | Inuyasha: The Final Act (Hulu) | Tiger & Bunny (Hulu)

Manga Releases
Batmanga | Terra Formars | Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi | Tony Takezaki's NGE | Oh My Goddess! Omnibus | Meteor Prince and Vampire Knight: Life | Dream Fossil