Geek of Oz

One of the first releases from Australia's newest anime company, Hanabee, is Dream Eater Merry. Based upon a manga series of the same name it is a psychological thrill ride that impresses in so many ways although would have benefited from more straightforward storytelling. "Sometimes daydreaming can get you into trouble, but what do you do when it’s OTHER people’s dreams that you have to watch out for? For the last ten years Yumeji Fujiwara’s life has been getting progressively stranger, beginning with the sudden ability to predict what kind of dreams other people will have! Then, his own dreams take a bizarre turn in which he’s being pursued by armies of cats. Now, the weird-o-meter has just maxed out: Not only has Yumeji learned that the leader of the dream cats needs Yumeji’s body to access the Real World, but a beautiful girl suddenly drops on top of him and announces that she’s a Dream Demon who needs to return to HER world! The fabric that separates reality and fa...

At last months SMASH Eric Cherry, the president of Hanabee - Australia's newest anime company and his trusty sidekick Zi Yi Xie held Hanabee's very first industry panel where they announced the release of Toradora, Dream Eater Merry and Red vs Blue season 10. Since then they have been bus working on future acquisitions and hinting at their next release.  Today I had the chance to chat with Eric about his upcoming releases, his feeling for the Aussie anime industry and where he plans to take Hanabee.

At todays Sydney Manga and Anime Show (SMASH!), Hanabee gave the crowd a quick run down of what's to come from Australia's newest anime company. Company President Eric Cherry and Brand Manager Zi Yi Xie took turns in giving a glimpse into where they want the company to go while supporting and encouraging participation from the fans.