The superheroes of Marvel Entertainment have been turned into toys, cartoons and, perhaps most profitably, live action films like “Iron Man” and the “Spider-Man” series. NY Times now reports that they are being adapted again — this time specifically for the Japanese market.
Marvel is teaming up with Madhouse, a renowned Japanese animation studio, to develop new versions of its characters for four anime series that will premiere in spring 2010 in Japan.
Rather than simply importing American characters and concepts, said Simon Philips, president of Marvel International, the goal is to create “something that is part of the fabric of society.” This means reimagining the back stories and redesigning the look of Marvel’s stable of characters to reflect Japanese culture. “It will create an entire parallel universe for Marvel,” he said.
Madhouse was founded in 1972 and its talent pool includes Yoshiaki Kawajiri, the director of “Vampire Hunter D;” Santa Inoue, who created the “Tokyo Tribes” manga series; and Satoshi Kon, the director of “Paprika,” a critically acclaimed animated film about a therapeutic device that allows patients’ dreams to be experienced.
The parent company of Madhouse is Index, a content provider for mobile phones, which is another area Marvel is interested in pursuing. The anime series will be adapted into comics and will be available for downloading on cellphones, Philips said, a popular way teenagers in Japan tap into media.
source:Â worstpreviews.com
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