Monday, November 19, 2007
An Incredible Find!
Would you believe... Not only an original Kimba production cel, but the original background that goes with it? Click on the picture below!
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Kimba Shopping!
The Kimba Shop is growing exponentially!
We've got Christmas ornaments, vinyl figure sets, plush toys, ready-to-frame artwork, and even original 1960s Kimba production cels! Lots more, too!
And as always there's the entire Kimba series on DVD, the Lost Kimba episode on DVD, and the ENTIRE, UNCUT Leo the Lion series on DVD.
Fast shipping to wherever you live, too!
We've got Christmas ornaments, vinyl figure sets, plush toys, ready-to-frame artwork, and even original 1960s Kimba production cels! Lots more, too!
And as always there's the entire Kimba series on DVD, the Lost Kimba episode on DVD, and the ENTIRE, UNCUT Leo the Lion series on DVD.
Fast shipping to wherever you live, too!
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Genuine Kimba Toys!
Something new has been added: Genuine vintage Kimba toys! I intend to constantly add new items you can buy. These are the real thing, discovered and brought over from Japan. All are on hand when they are listed, ready to be shipped by fast Priority Mail. Each description will be generously illustrated, so that you know exactly what each item is. These will almost always be one-of-a-kind items, and the list will be updated every day.
Do You Want the Kimba Manga to be Published in English?
On September 4, 2007, Publishers Weekly Comics Week published an interview with Ioannis Mentzas, Editorial Director/Executive Vice President of Vertical, Inc., publisher of many Tezuka works. As part of that interview, the possibility of publishing Jungle Emperor in English was discussed:
PWCW: Any interest from Vertical in licensing Kimba the Lion [a classic manga and anime work by Tezuka]?
IM: We’re interested, but the depiction of black people in Kimba is problematic. If everyone can for a moment put their sensitivity aside then we can do it. Otherwise people may be offended by the stereotypical drawing of Africans. A disclaimer might not be enough. And the author no longer being alive, it can’t be redrawn. If people promise to be understanding, we will publish it.
Of course, we would first have to talk to Tezuka Productions, too. They might have their reservations. I know for a fact that they are very careful about Kimba. They got into trouble in Japan in the early 1990s when certain groups said that it should be taken off the shelves—and it was. So they added a disclaimer and now you can buy it, but you don’t see it that much in bookstores.
The thing is, MW was part of a line I had in mind from the beginning. When we did Buddha and it was successful, we were confident that we would be able to do more Tezuka works. I had a lineup in mind; MW is the second to last, next is Dororo. After that, I’ll take requests.
Since he said he'll take requests, and since his email address is available on the Vertical, Inc. web site, it should be ok for me to publish it here: mentzas@vertical-inc.com
PWCW: Any interest from Vertical in licensing Kimba the Lion [a classic manga and anime work by Tezuka]?
IM: We’re interested, but the depiction of black people in Kimba is problematic. If everyone can for a moment put their sensitivity aside then we can do it. Otherwise people may be offended by the stereotypical drawing of Africans. A disclaimer might not be enough. And the author no longer being alive, it can’t be redrawn. If people promise to be understanding, we will publish it.
Of course, we would first have to talk to Tezuka Productions, too. They might have their reservations. I know for a fact that they are very careful about Kimba. They got into trouble in Japan in the early 1990s when certain groups said that it should be taken off the shelves—and it was. So they added a disclaimer and now you can buy it, but you don’t see it that much in bookstores.
The thing is, MW was part of a line I had in mind from the beginning. When we did Buddha and it was successful, we were confident that we would be able to do more Tezuka works. I had a lineup in mind; MW is the second to last, next is Dororo. After that, I’ll take requests.
Since he said he'll take requests, and since his email address is available on the Vertical, Inc. web site, it should be ok for me to publish it here: mentzas@vertical-inc.com
Saturday, September 22, 2007
More DVDs!
We now have available the Kimba DVD "mini set"--Episodes 1 through 26 of the real, original Kimba series in all its digitally restored beauty. Click here.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
More Kimba Stuff!
New additions to the White Lion Shop:
The original 1967 "Jungle Emperor Hit Parade" album digitally remasterd on CD! This is the hard-to-find Japanese CD from Columbia Music Entertainment. Factory-sealed, imported from Japan. 15 original songs written by the great Isao Tomita for the original Kimba The White Lion TV series in beautiful stereo recordings that sound like they were recorded yesterday. One of my favorite CDs of all time.
The "Sunday Comics" books all in color! When the TV show became a hit, new manga stories were published which are not a part of any Jungle Emperor manga books. These are short original stories that create new adventures for Kimba and have previously been published under the banner "Sunday Comics". Each book is imported from Japan and is in Japanese; and each contains 96 pages, all in color.
The original 1967 "Jungle Emperor Hit Parade" album digitally remasterd on CD! This is the hard-to-find Japanese CD from Columbia Music Entertainment. Factory-sealed, imported from Japan. 15 original songs written by the great Isao Tomita for the original Kimba The White Lion TV series in beautiful stereo recordings that sound like they were recorded yesterday. One of my favorite CDs of all time.
The "Sunday Comics" books all in color! When the TV show became a hit, new manga stories were published which are not a part of any Jungle Emperor manga books. These are short original stories that create new adventures for Kimba and have previously been published under the banner "Sunday Comics". Each book is imported from Japan and is in Japanese; and each contains 96 pages, all in color.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Thank you.
I would like to thank everyone who wrote in support of my page about Christian the Lion. I am truly grateful and actually surprised by how many people appreciate his story.
As a result, I have resolved to make the full story as available as possible, given that the book has been out of print for about 30 years. I will continue to track down good, solid, clean used books and make them available here.
My next project is to find the best possible version of the documentary film about Christian that will play properly on U.S. DVD players.
As a result, I have resolved to make the full story as available as possible, given that the book has been out of print for about 30 years. I will continue to track down good, solid, clean used books and make them available here.
My next project is to find the best possible version of the documentary film about Christian that will play properly on U.S. DVD players.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Should Christian the Lion be BANNED?
I received this letter today... The orginal letter is in italics, my response is in bold.
No offense... but I stumbled across your webpage at http://www.kimbawlion.com/christian.htm and I can only say one thing. Not only are you wrong... but dangerously so.
Speaking as one who has spent a great deal of time with lions, helped rehabilitate a Siberian tiger, and studied a great deal of the literature written by responsible individuals, I know I am not wrong.
Ever see the documentary "Grizzly Man" about Timothy Treadwell? Timothy thought he was "bridging the gap" between man and the grizzly bears. He was killed by one. An individual they interviewed in the documentary, Dr Sven Haakanson Jr. who is curator of the Native Alutiiq museum (and a natice himself said the following: "If you look at it from my culture, Timothy Treadwell crossed a boundary that we have lived with for 7,000 years. It's an unspoken boundary, an unknown boundary. But when we know we've crossed it, we pay the price."
I have seen that movie. It is one of the most disgusting examples of dishonest filmmaking I can think of. The movie exists for one reason only: to portray Timothy Treadwell as deranged. Werner Herzog uses every trick in the book to manipulate the audience. The movie is not about Treadwell; it is about Herzog's personal agenda. You can't learn anything about Treadwell from that film. The film also does not present one bit of what Treadwell learned studying grizzlies. It does not mention the organization he founded that is dedicated to preserving bears and their habitat. The film promotes one of the most deadly ideas in our society: that no one can relate to an animal one-to-one.
Your website talks about bridging people with animals is just plain dangerous for BOTH humans and animals. People every year mistakingly think about how cute and docile certain wild animals are only to find out the hard way they were wrong. The animal who ends up attacking a human ends up getting killed for it. Right? That is what happened to the bear who attacked Timothy Treadwell.
Some people are incredibly stupid, and there is nothing anyone can do about that. True, individual animals that are accosted by stupid people usually do wind up being killed. But the idea that we CANNOT interact PROPERLY with animals is what leads to hundreds and thousands of animals being killed and the extinction of entire species.
Do everyone a favor and take down your webpage that states: "A bridge existed, and it withstood the separation and the learning of a new way to live. Christian was another lion of two worlds."
I AM trying to do everyone a favor and teach them that when they look into the eyes of an animal, there is a thinking, feeling being looking back at them. Only by promoting this truth can we stop the continual and widespread destruction of thousands of animals.
Werner Herzog told his film audience that when he looks into the eyes of a grizzly bear, he sees nothing. THAT is the wrong message... so very, very false and so deadly to all animals everywhere.
You are teaching the wrong lesson. The lesson is that: "animals are very dangerous and can be very unpredicatable. Treat they with respect keep your distance".
People are FAR more unpredictable and dangerous than animals. Would you prefer a page telling everyone to keep their distance from other people?
Please... for the sake of animals and for the sake of human life... take the webpage down.
The page stays... for the sake of all animals and for the education of those who wish to be educated. http://www.kimbawlion.com/christian.htm
No offense... but I stumbled across your webpage at http://www.kimbawlion.com/christian.htm and I can only say one thing. Not only are you wrong... but dangerously so.
Speaking as one who has spent a great deal of time with lions, helped rehabilitate a Siberian tiger, and studied a great deal of the literature written by responsible individuals, I know I am not wrong.
Ever see the documentary "Grizzly Man" about Timothy Treadwell? Timothy thought he was "bridging the gap" between man and the grizzly bears. He was killed by one. An individual they interviewed in the documentary, Dr Sven Haakanson Jr. who is curator of the Native Alutiiq museum (and a natice himself said the following: "If you look at it from my culture, Timothy Treadwell crossed a boundary that we have lived with for 7,000 years. It's an unspoken boundary, an unknown boundary. But when we know we've crossed it, we pay the price."
I have seen that movie. It is one of the most disgusting examples of dishonest filmmaking I can think of. The movie exists for one reason only: to portray Timothy Treadwell as deranged. Werner Herzog uses every trick in the book to manipulate the audience. The movie is not about Treadwell; it is about Herzog's personal agenda. You can't learn anything about Treadwell from that film. The film also does not present one bit of what Treadwell learned studying grizzlies. It does not mention the organization he founded that is dedicated to preserving bears and their habitat. The film promotes one of the most deadly ideas in our society: that no one can relate to an animal one-to-one.
Your website talks about bridging people with animals is just plain dangerous for BOTH humans and animals. People every year mistakingly think about how cute and docile certain wild animals are only to find out the hard way they were wrong. The animal who ends up attacking a human ends up getting killed for it. Right? That is what happened to the bear who attacked Timothy Treadwell.
Some people are incredibly stupid, and there is nothing anyone can do about that. True, individual animals that are accosted by stupid people usually do wind up being killed. But the idea that we CANNOT interact PROPERLY with animals is what leads to hundreds and thousands of animals being killed and the extinction of entire species.
Do everyone a favor and take down your webpage that states: "A bridge existed, and it withstood the separation and the learning of a new way to live. Christian was another lion of two worlds."
I AM trying to do everyone a favor and teach them that when they look into the eyes of an animal, there is a thinking, feeling being looking back at them. Only by promoting this truth can we stop the continual and widespread destruction of thousands of animals.
Werner Herzog told his film audience that when he looks into the eyes of a grizzly bear, he sees nothing. THAT is the wrong message... so very, very false and so deadly to all animals everywhere.
You are teaching the wrong lesson. The lesson is that: "animals are very dangerous and can be very unpredicatable. Treat they with respect keep your distance".
People are FAR more unpredictable and dangerous than animals. Would you prefer a page telling everyone to keep their distance from other people?
Please... for the sake of animals and for the sake of human life... take the webpage down.
The page stays... for the sake of all animals and for the education of those who wish to be educated. http://www.kimbawlion.com/christian.htm
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Se habla Español.
New: A DVD with 3 "Kimba El León Blanco" episodes from the 1960s. These Spanish Kimba shows were produced by the same company that produced Kimba The White Lion originally for the US. They have top-notch voice acting (one of the actors sounds to me like one of the English actors; maybe he was multi-lingual) and all the original music by Isao Tomita. All are complete, with nothing cut out, just like when they were first shown. Plus they have a very cool Spanish theme, sung to the tune of the classic English Kimba theme. These films are very rare, and it's great to have them available again.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Wikipedia
One of my favorite comic strips of recent months was the Fox Trot by Bill Amend that showed Jason building a web page for a school project. Prominent on the page was a blank box labeled "News". When asked why it was blank, he replied, "This is Web 2.0. If you want news, you write the news and then you can read it."
I see a huge correspondence between that bit of twisted logic and Wikipedia. Wikipedia sounded like a great idea: tap into all the expertise in the world by allowing anyone to write anything on any subject. The one thing missing from that idea, however, is a basic fact of human nature: people don't know what they don't know. I've found repeatedly that on just about any subject the Wikipedia article will be anywhere from biased to wildly inaccurate, as can be proved by doing some serious research elsewhere.
I was enthusiastic about Wikipedia myself, a while back, and shared some of my carefully researched information on some of its pages. Repeatedly, however, other people have proven to be, how shall I say, not as diligent in making sure their additions are of high quality. Some are outright vandals.
As of tonight, the page on Wikipedia closest to my heart has been made into such a mess that I don't even want to try to straighten it out. Why should I? Wikipedia is the butt of jokes more and more often and it's time I woke up to what it really is: a giant public restroom wall with delusions of grandeur. There are better ways to serve people on the internet than trying to make Wikipedia into something it cannot be.
What's more, with a site run by one responsible person, you can actually ask a question and get a reasonable answer. I think that's a pretty good service right there.
And I'd like to ask a question of you: how would you like to see me make my site better?
I see a huge correspondence between that bit of twisted logic and Wikipedia. Wikipedia sounded like a great idea: tap into all the expertise in the world by allowing anyone to write anything on any subject. The one thing missing from that idea, however, is a basic fact of human nature: people don't know what they don't know. I've found repeatedly that on just about any subject the Wikipedia article will be anywhere from biased to wildly inaccurate, as can be proved by doing some serious research elsewhere.
I was enthusiastic about Wikipedia myself, a while back, and shared some of my carefully researched information on some of its pages. Repeatedly, however, other people have proven to be, how shall I say, not as diligent in making sure their additions are of high quality. Some are outright vandals.
As of tonight, the page on Wikipedia closest to my heart has been made into such a mess that I don't even want to try to straighten it out. Why should I? Wikipedia is the butt of jokes more and more often and it's time I woke up to what it really is: a giant public restroom wall with delusions of grandeur. There are better ways to serve people on the internet than trying to make Wikipedia into something it cannot be.
What's more, with a site run by one responsible person, you can actually ask a question and get a reasonable answer. I think that's a pretty good service right there.
And I'd like to ask a question of you: how would you like to see me make my site better?
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