September 2009 Archives

..is almost here, but in the meantime, here are some pictures of the finished article courtesy of AkibaBlog:
http://blog.livedoor.jp/geek/archives/50888728.html

Also, according to Yukari Higa's latest two blog entries, there are bonus extras of some sort available if you buy from Toranoana, Gamers or WonderGOO:
http://mekapen.blog116.fc2.com/blog-entry-150.html
http://mekapen.blog116.fc2.com/blog-entry-151.html

Exactly what is unclear, but it is academic anyway as not being in Japan I've had to order copies from Amazon and Yes Asia :(

Amazon have uploaded the manga cover art. Thanks to their zooming applet it is just about possible to make out the character profiles on the cover:

Ascoeur
GTO associate ES Member
Rank: C-
Birth: SC0363 10 Aug
Age: 16
Sign: Leo
Blood Type: O
SP-ability: Push-pull
Item: Comb
Shorts colour: White

Q-feuille
GTO associate ES Member
Rank: C-
Birth: SC0363 21 Sep
Age: 16
Sign: Gemini
Blood type: A
SP-ability: Parfum
Item: Choco Bon Bomb
Shorts colour: Black

..for "shorts", read "panties".

News about the blu-ray releases has been added to the official site along with full details on the TV and movie boxes.

The series is on 4 dual-layer discs, 6 episodes per disc, with the extras on a separate single-layer disc. They will be split between a triple-disc and a double-disc case together in a box.

Video is encoded in 1080i MPEG-4 AVC, except some of the extras which are 480i MPEG-2.
It actually does have subtitles, but unfortunately only Japanese.

The three movies are each on dual-layer discs in a triple-disc case with the extras on a single-layer disc in a separate case. Again encoded in 1080i MPEG-4 with some 480i extras.

Now here is the good news - while the movies don't in fact include an English dub (since none exists), they will have English subtitles.

[edit]
There are also pages for the sets in the movie and original series sections of the site. Same information, but including for completeness:
http://www.kiddygrade.com/movie/blu-ray.html
http://www.kiddygrade.com/1/information_blu-ray.html
[/edit]

http://www.kiddygirl-and.com/ has been updated to confirm the air date for the first episode as the 15th of October 2009.
There is also a finalised logo, which is rather like a blinged out version of the first series logo.
The main staff and cast are also now confirmed along with airtimes for various stations and the name of the OP, "Baby Universe Day" (See translations below as I get them - I'm in work so will take a while).
The database has also been updated with new colour images of the cast and some settings.
The artwork for the first volume of the manga is revealed here.

It will also be streaming on Youtube from the 22/10.

Cast
Ascoeur (アスクール asukuuru): Aya Uchida [French, "Aceheart"]
Q-Feuille (ク・フィーユ ku fiiyu): Aya Gouda [French, "Q-Leaf"]
Hiver (イヴェール iveeru): Kaori Mizuhashi [French, "Winter"]
Sommer (ゾマ zoma): Itsuki Takizawa [German, "Summer"]
Éclair (エクレール ekureeru): Ryoko Nagata [French, "Flash"]
Lumière (リュミエール ryumieeru): Aya Hirano [French, "Light"]
Tweedledee (トゥイードゥルディ tuiidurudi): Natsuko Kuwatani [from the works of Lewis Carol]
Tweedledum (トゥイードゥルダム tuiidurudamu): Jun Fukuyama [from the works of Lewis Carol]
Un-ou (アンオウ anou): Akira Ishida [from Ungyou, the Buddhist guardian deity]
A-ou (エイオウ eiou): Tetsu Inada [from Agyou, the Buddhist guardian deity]
Trixie (トリクシー torikushii): Yuki Matsuoka [Short form of Beatrix (from Latin), could mean "voyager" or "blessed"]
Troisienne (トロワジェイン torowajein): Yukana [French: feminine form of troisième, meaning "third"]
Letuchaia (リトゥーシャ rituusha): Hiromi Konno (Russian, "Bat")
Pauk (パウーク pauuku): Megumi Matsumoto [(Russian, "Spider"]
Saphir (サフィル safiru): Kaoru Mizuhara [French, "Sapphire"]
Rubis (リュビス ryubis): Fuuko Saito [French, "Ruby"]
Torch (トーチ toochi): Kazuya Nakai
Shade (シェイド sheido): Nobuo Tobita
Mi nourose (ミ・ヌゥルーズ mi nuruuzu): Minoru Shiraishi
Alisa (アリサ arisa): Mai Aizawa [Spanish, "Noble"]
Belle (ベル beru): Chika Horikawa [Italian, "Beauty"]

Staff
Original work: gímik
Planning: Takeshi Yasuda [Kiddy Grade etc]
Director: Keiji Gotoh
Series organization: Hidefumi Kimura
Character design: Megumi Kadonosono
Producer: Takeshi Yasuda
Animation Producer: Fumio Kaneko [Sketchbook ~full color's~]
Art Director: Toshiyuki Tokuda [Minami-ke]
Director of Photography: Atsushi Iwasaki (Shugo Chara)
Background art: Youhei Kodama / Hiroki Matsumoto [Shikabane Hime]
Colour design: Eri Suzuki [Gigantic Formula etc]
Music: Noriyasu Agematsu (Elements Garden) [Ga-Rei]
Sound Director: Jun'ichi Satou [Gaatekeepers etc]
Music selection: Yasuno Sato [Pretear]
Editor: Kentarou Tsubone [Aria]
Sound effects: Hiromune Kurahashi [D.N.Angel]
Recording mixer: Soushi Shiihara [Gankutsuo]
Sound Production Manager: Yoshimi Sugiyama（Rakuonsha）[Shangri-la]
Music Producer: Shigeru Saitou（Lantis）[Haruhi 2009]
Recording Studio: Studio Gong [Shuffle!]
Sound Production: Rakuonsha [Shuffle!]
Music Production: Lantis [Shuffle!, Gigantic Formula]
Production: Satelight [Macross F]
Production Assistance: Kadokawa Mediaworks / Kadokawa Shoten
Production： GTO
© 2009 gímik / Satelight / Kadokawa Shoten／GTO

OP
Lyrics: Aki Hata [K-G.2 Pilot ED, Haruhi OP/ED, Nijuu Mensou ED]
Composition: Katsuhiko Kurosu [Nijuu Mensou ED]
Arrangement: Kaoru Ookubo [Minami-ke OP]

[added=200909112305]
Via 2ch, 2 ED singles have been solicited and are listed on Getchu:
TVアニメ キディ・ガーランド ED主題歌 Ver.1 (LACM-4672)
TVアニメ キディ・ガーランド ED主題歌 Ver.2 (LACM-4675)
Both due out on the 9th of December for ¥1,200.

Also on AmiAmi: 1 | 2

Not live yet, but the CDjapan and Neowing links are going to be
CDJapan: 1 | 2
Neowing: 1 | 2

Amazon: 1 | 2

Lantis page to watch: http://lantis.jp/new-release/library.php?y=2009&m=12

[/edit]

Links:
Moon Phase Zakki

According to a post by Japanese blogger Nanami they contacted someone at Television Saitama who informed them that Kiddy GiRL-and would be airing on the 15th of October and is to be 24 episodes long. It also seems to imply that it will be taking Haruhi's timeslot.

Links:
Kiddy GiRL-AND =キディ・ガーランド= part3 (2ch)

My copy of the 24th issue of Keiji Gotoh's Gocky Club doujin released at Comiket 76 arrived today, complete with her ecchiness Ruri-Ruri on the cover, a Panchira shot of Eclair and some Kiddy GiRL-and artwork.

According to the Chara-ani store Kadokawa are re-releasing Kiddy Grade (yet again) as a Bluray box set, with another set for the movies.

TV series: http://www.chara-ani.com/details.asp?prdid=B09900827
Due out on the 27th of November priced at ￥37,800
Comes in a box illustrated by Megumi Kadonosono with a new 16-page story "Word Layer" (ワードレイヤー)
Comes with all the original extras (TV spots, NC OP&ED, copyright warnings etc) along with the pilot and "Sound Layer" - would be nice if this was the complete set of audio novels from the CDs but it is probably just the extra ones included with the DVD box sets.
Includes the original LPCM stereo Japanese track and the English dub in LPCM 5.1

Movies: http://www.chara-ani.com/details.asp?prdid=B09900828
Due out Christmas Day (25/12) priced at ￥22,050
Also in a Kadonosono-illustrated box. Again includes all the original extras and also the K-G.2 pilot. Same audio options as the series.

[edit=200909082305]added link section[/edit]

[edit=200909091625]
Now listed on Amazon Japan:
Series: http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASIN/B002OEM1T8
Movies: http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASIN/B002OEM1TI

The series apparently comes on 5 discs and the movies, surprisingly since they have less than half the collective runtime, on 4.
For the series it also indicates subtitles, but not what language. Since English subs exist for the series and not the movies there is hope therefore that this includes the subs as well as the dub.
[/edit]

[edit=a few minutes later]
Up on CD Japan and Neowing also so we now have the product codes:

Series:
http://www.neowing.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=KAXA-1400
http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=KAXA-1400

Blu-ray box set release from anime series "Kiddy Grade." Includes four DVDs, five bonus DVDs, original illustration box and short story (16-page). Bonus DVD features setting guide, illustration gallery, TV spots, creditless intro & outro, audio commentary and more.

Movies:
http://www.neowing.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=KAXA-1500
http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=KAXA-1500

Blu-ray box set release from theatrical feature of anime series "Kiddy Grade" including three DVDs, four bonus DVDs, original illustration box. Bonus DVDs feature illustration gallery, press conference footage, interview, trailer, TV spot, audio commentary and more.

[edit=later, now I'm not rushing to catch the bus]
CDJ messed up their translation making the same error twice; it is actually 4 discs for the series plus a fi[b]fth[/b] bonus disc and 3 discs for the movies plus a four[b]th[/b] disc for the extras.
[/edit]

Links:
Sep.8/2009 Anime News: Kiddy Grade BD (Can you Moe?)
「キディ・グレイド」のTV&劇場版がBlu-ray BOX化 (AV Watch)
KIDDY GRADE BLU-RAY BOX SETS ANNOUNCED (activeAnime HD)

October's Comp Ace arrived today. As well as the preview of the anime character designs I mentioned previously it includes chapter 6 of the manga, Touch and Go (たっち・and・ごー), which is also the name of the cafe. The thing that I've rushed online to blog about however is two new characters, a pair of female G-Class ES-Members who arrive with a "ざゃっざゃ～ん" which is hopefully ringing alarm bells for other people as well..
Their names are Trixie (トリクシー), who has short dark hair and ample assets, and Troisienne (トロワジェイン) who has long light-coloured hair (latter romanization sourced from 2ch and subject to further research).
I will return once I've got some snapshots online and have have had another look at the text.

---

Pictures are now up.

OK, we have definite confirmation that the series is starting this Autumn season (今秋TVアニメスタート):

- actually, it says much the same thing on those colour pictures that were posted on that wiki days ago - I guess I should learn the Kanji for the seasons ^^;

「ざゃっざゃ～ん!」:

Ascoeur's comb turns into a sword:

Torowajein can stop a giant mecha in it's tracks:

Now, working with what images I have to hand:

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Can't believe I missed this earlier but there's another familiar catchphrase here, 「女の子はエレガントに」:

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Links:
Moonphase