The Big Rundown Dept.

Some tidbits from this week's AICN Anime column:

Bloody Disgusting is reporting director Takashi Shimizu (The Grudge franchise, The Shock Labyrinth 3D) will be producing a feature film adaptation of Satoshi Kon's TV series Paranoia Agent.

Paranoia Agent is about as good as this sort of thing gets, so sign me right up — I'm a little iffy about Shimizu on board but at least they got someone with major credits to their name.

... About.com:manga on Tokyopop's movie plans, including vampire manga Lament Of The Lamb - on which Stu Levy says "The plan is now to have it directed by myself and a great Japanese director, Takahiko Akiyama, who directed a film called Hinokio.

Lamb was created by Kurogane artist and author Kei Toume, who has a lot of work not translated into English yet. If they can preserve some of the melancholy, elegiac spirit that Toume put onto the page ...

... Masahiro Minami, producer on Studio BONES’ chambara epic Sword of the Stranger, and alumnus of Sunrise Studio, will be serving as a “creative manager” in the upcoming 20th Century Fox adaptation of Cowboy Bebop. 

Another adaptation I can't see anything good coming from, if only because it's such a huge, risky job. I know that sounds paradoxical, but maybe it would have been better for them to pick something more modest first and cut their teeth on that before attempting something this ... well, colossal in fan's minds.

... Masaki Segawa (Basilisk) will adapt another Futaro Yamada ninja novel, named Kunoichi Kôkihei, starting in Gekkan Young Magazine # 02 (On Sale January 9).

You don't need to convince me to check this one out.

.... Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira creator) and Shinji Kimura's (veteran anime background artist, Genius Party: Deathic 5) picture book Hipira: The Little Vampire (Hipira-kun) will be adapted into a televised anime miniseries. The anime will run for five consecutive days within the BS Fuyu Yasumi Anime Tokusen program on the NHK BS2 satellite/cable channel.

Friends of mine at AnimeFest surprised me with a signed copy of Hipira (thank you, Janice!), and so seeing this one come to life is a real left-field delight.