CPM acquires Jun Awazu’s “Negadon”

Filed under: Press Releases — S. @ 2:20 pm
For Immediate Release:

CENTRAL PARK MEDIA ACQUIRES JUN AWAZU’S NEGADON FOR NORTH AMERICAN RELEASE
Astounding Retro Style Computer Graphics Animation is an Homage to Classic Japanese Monster Movies

New York, NY (January 20, 2006) –  Leading anime distributor Central Park Media Corporation (CPM), in cooperation with CoMix Wave of Japan, is proud to announce CPM’s acquisition of Jun Awazu’s animation masterpiece, Negadon: The Monster from Mars, for exclusive North American distribution.

The anime film was directed by Jun Awazu from his original script and rendered in staggeringly realistic, film noir computer graphic style, similar to recent blockbuster hits such as Sky Captain & the World of Tomorrow.  Negadon pays homage to a wide variety of 1950’s and 60’s Japanese monster movies such as Godzilla, Mothra, and other classics which first brought global attention to Japan’s then-emerging post-war feature film industry.  These early special effects monster movies paved the way for the eventual success of the Japanese animation industry, which took a leadership position throughout the world in the 1990’s.

“We are ecstatic to be able to handle Mr. Awazu’s work in North America,” commented Central Park Media’s Vice President of Business Affairs Masumi Homma O’Donnell.  “His clarity of story-telling, the unique and dramatic art design, and the overall excitement of the film are what make this an anime masterpiece.”

The world’s first completely computer generated monster movie, Negadon was in production for over three years and required the invention of special rendering algorithms to reproduce a 1950’s style film look.

Released in Japan theatrically in October 2005, Negadon has won the Outstanding Production Award at the 20th Digital Contents Grand Prix and has been named a Jury Recommended Work at the 2005 Japan Media Arts Festival.

Negadon will be released theatrically this spring and on home video this summer. Central Park Media will make further announcements at New York Comic-Con at the end of February.

About “Negadon:  The Monster from Mars” (Wakusei Daikaiju Negadon)
Original story written and directed by Jun Awazu (Daikaichou Magara Shurai, Magara Gekimetsu Daikessen), with music by Shingo Terasawa and animation modeling by Makoto Miyahara.  Kenjiro Kato served as SFX Supervisor.  Worldwide distribution is by CoMix Wave.

 

Negadon: The Monster From Mars
©Jun Awazu/CoMix Wave.

Story Synopsis
In the year 2025, the world population explodes to over 10 billion.  In search for a new place to live, mankind initiates the space exploration project entitled “The Mars Terraforming Project.”  Step by step, mankind successfully transforms Mars into a habitable planet.

But when a Japanese freight spaceship returning from Mars crashes on the streets of Tokyo unleashing a giant and vicious monster from underneath the surface of Mars, only Dr. Narasaki and his long-abandoned robot Miroku can save Earth and mankind.

About Jun Awazu
Jun Awazu was born in 1974 in the Aichi Prefecture of Japan.  After completing his Master’s Degree in Japanese-style painting at the Aichi Prefecture Art University, Awazu studied 3D CG designing at the Department of Digital Creations at the Trident School of Computing.  He worked for two years at a production company as a CG designer and VFX artist, which he left in March 2003, to start his own company and the production of “Negadon.”

Mr. Awazu’s previous works include:

  • “Daikaichou Magara Shurai” (Magara: The Giant Monster):  Winner at the Arts Student CG Contest 2000
  • “Magara Gekimetsu Daikessen” (Magara: The Final Showdown):  Second prize winner in the original story category of the CG & Animation Film Festival 2001

About Central Park Media
Central Park Media is a 15-year-old Manhattan-based independent video and book publisher focused on Japanese and Korean animation and graphic novels.  Central Park Media has been a leading supplier of anime in the United States since 1990, and a major publisher of manga since 1994.  The company currently manufactures and distributes animated video programming under several label names, including U.S. Manga Corps, Be Beautiful, Software Sculptors and Central Park Media, as well as live-action Asian feature films under its Asia Pulp Cinema label. 

With exclusive rights to hundreds of graphic novels, the company has become a leading North American publisher of Japanese manga and Korean manhwa.  Among CPM’s fan-favorite graphic novel titles are Lee Hyun Se’s Nambul (the best-selling manhwa in Korean publishing history), and Kia Asamiya’s Dark Angel.  Under its Be Beautiful imprint, the company also publishes popular yaoi manga such as the best-selling Kizuna: Bonds of Love (the best-selling yaoi title in Japanese publishing history).  Visit www.centralparkmedia.com, www.cpmpress.com and www.bebeautifulmanga.com for more information.

For high resolution, downloadable artwork and information, please visit CPM’s electronic press kit at www.centralparkmedia.com/cpmdb/presskit.cfm

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