Speaking of which, anyone here familiar with the “Little Lulu” anime that Nippon Animation made?

Yeah, there really was a Lulu anime. It only lasted 6 months on Japanese TV.

What’s that thumping sound?

Oh, it’s just Marge spinning in her grave. Ignore that.

why is it everything that gets ‘revived’ or ‘updated’ these days HAS to be done so in glossy wannabe anime style?

Zekey: because, unfortunately most of the target audience can’t tell the difference between horrific, badly drawn wannabe manga styles, the real thing, or just something of any recognisable quality.

Saying that, (and i guess it’s up for debate as to what extent it borrows from a manga style) Scott Pilgrim is the exception to the rule. Probably because O’Malley can actually draw, as opposed to someone who can’t, but draws manga anyway, and makes money off it thanks to the collective ignorance of far too many kids.

A pseudo-Archie without the gratuitous panty shots Lulu was known for.

If Lulu wasn’t holding up that picture would you still know who she was supposed to be?

The show’s producers could at least have made some effort to have the teenage Lulu resemble the Marge version. The remake’s design looks absolutely nothing like it. In fact, all of the character designs are generic. And I’ll be the humor is similarly unrecognizable and bland. Which sucks. I read Lulu comics as a kid, and they cracked me up. Genuinely funny stuff with a believable kids’-eye point of view. Lulu deserves better than this bastardized “homage”.

Apparently, Little Lulu is better remembered in Brazil to even attempt a “revival” like this one…I doubt that kids in the US would even know the character.

That said, while a bit generic, the new Lulu has appealing designs that I think today’s kids would be more drawn to, and I doubt they’d care that it doesn’t look like an old 1950’s comic strip.

Considering how she and none of the characters look like they’re original counterparts, they could’ve made a completely new property.
It seems they’re just trying to attach a popular name in order for it to sell better.

I am still laffing at John’s comment! Truly! Let’s give Mickey a crew-cut ear-less top, then, for God’s sake!!

Uncle Wayne: “Let’s give Mickey a crew-cut ear-less top, then, for God’s sake!!”
They did that in 1931. The result was called Scrappy. (Kidding, kidding.)

I can easily imagine the Little Lulu characters drawn in other styles, just like there actually are many differing visual iterations of Mickey. But ditching the personalities for one-note sitcom types? That’s not Lulu anymore. The implication is that some exec’s generic mix of surfer, rocker, and fashion victim characters wasn’t original enough to sell on its own, so he/she superficially linked it to Lulu to put it over.

Is Little Itch now the Sabrina of their world?

With the Christopher Handley case (Which I’m suprised CB has ignored) I don’t think we’ll be seeing the anime and manga fad for much longer as we crack down on these no-good animators and their sick imports.

Take something unique and make it just like everything else. Pathetic.
The 1995 Little Lulu series (HBO?) used original John Stanley stories, which were great and as strong as they were when written.
I feel sorry for kids who are first exposed to the delights of Lulu through this new, shabby work.

What I’m about to say may have nothing to do with the actual animation or final character design… but the image in this post is poorly drawn! I really hope it doesn’t look as bad as this.

But is she still “wild as any Zulu, and just as hard to tame?”

Honestly, I’m not sure that teen-aged Lulu is that bad. What would the creator of Marvelman (who, admittedly, was ripping off Fawcett’s Captain Marvel) think of the Alan Moore revamp (later renamed Miracleman) from WARRIOR MAGAZINE?

Oh, god, no…
I know the Looney Tunes were destroyed by “Baby Looney Tunes,” Popeye was destroyed by a live-action adaptation, and Tom and Jerry were ruined by “Tom and Jerry the Movie,” but not Lulu…
There goes one of my favorite comic strips…
I know Lulu needs a revival, but this is not the kind of revival she needs. Tubby is called Tubby because he’s fat!
Nuts. Here we go again.
The article should be code for, “I’m sorry, Marge.”

Well, it seems that Little Lulu will soon be partying at raves and dropping Es.

> Yeah, there really was a Lulu anime. It only lasted 6 months on Japanese TV.

Still there was enough episodes to get distributed globally. The Japanese Little Lulu series was a hit in Latin America I believe. I’ve recently picked up some anime cels with matching backgrounds from several episodes of the show!

This however seems like a cash grab, let alone ape-ing the conventions of the manga ‘look’ so typical of “OEL’s” sold in the US by people who think all anime/manga is that way.

I wish Paramount would release a Little Lulu DVD boxset featuring every classic 1940’s Famous Studios’ Little Lulu cartoon. Unfortunately they’ve sublicensed the rights to the bozo’s at Lionsgate, instead of keeping it with Paramount Home Video. If only Criterion or Warner Home Video could obtain those 1940s classics.

And the Japanese Little Lulu looked nothing like what most westerners think off as “anime.”

That looks like the cruddy wannabe-anime stuff you would find on deviantArt

startend - I was thinking the same thing. The “geek” (?) girl on the far right is the worst…I can’t tell what she’s supposed to be doing (not to mention her scale to the others is awkward…is she supposed to be a “large” girl then?).

You know, it wouldn’t kill anyone to try and make an original franchise. You don’t have to slap an existing name on it…one that your target audience might not even get. That way you can say that, even if you failed, you really went for an original idea and it just didn’t work out. Not, “I tried to ride on the success of a previous popular title and STILL failed.” THAT’S why this is depressing.

(le sigh)

Connoisseurs know the original, and unfortunately, that’s just the way she stands now for most of the world. The Lulu comics are my favorites hands down.

I’m more surprised that the creators of this relaunch wouldn’t just give the characters new names, since nothing else is in any way similar.

It seems that Satan lives in Brazilian pens.

I wonder that they can transform into something?XD

The drawings looks awful and none of the characters is recognizable! It’s no surprise when people hate anime and manga when you constantly get stuff like that in your face!XP

Ugh, reminds me of this anime’d fanart of Peanuts I saw on DeviantArt. At least then it was just fanart, not something someone makes money off of.

Good lord those designs are awful. If you simply must do this, would it hurt to hire a good character designer?

…Can it still be called Manga if it’s from Brazil?

This is a copy of the most successful comics from Brazil, Monica’s gang , which recently became teenagers in Manga style.
Check out:

(Mônica kids)

http://www.monica.com.br/

(Mônica teen)

http://www.turmadamonicajovem.com.br/turmadamonicajovem/

In fact, Monica’s gang isn’t the most successful comics from Brazil. Joe Carioca comic book sells much more, even if it’s just reprints.

Dark Horse has been reprinting the original Little Lulu comic book stories in a very affordable softcover format for the past few years now, and I enjoy them tremendously. I urge those who cherish these characters in their original incarnation to support this series.

@Steffi-alien
Yeah, because they’re ignorant and possibly slow.

This looks like boring generic teen crap and I find the fact this is labeled as a “manga” incredibly stupid on several levels.

other Lulu Teen
http://www.papodebudega.com/2009/06/projeto-luluzinha-jovem-nao-e-novo.html

other Little Lulu Manga
http://jokbox.wordpress.com/tag/luluzinha-teen/

Little Lulu Anime
http://www.japanimation.it/la_piccola_lulu.html

> And the Japanese Little Lulu looked nothing like what most westerners think off as “anime.”

It is more the Leiji Matsumoto ‘potato-head’ look none the less (for those who’re familiar with his work would know what I mean). People today need to be educated on anime’s greatest legends! At last those characters and stories are pretty close to the way they were in the comics anyway, nothing like this where Tubby isn’t even the least bit portly.

it’s looks more “Lolita” that “Lulu”. But sadly, that’s what kids watch today, actually we also watched whatever was processed for us, so you only see your beloved characters of the childhood were crap 20 years later.

Right now, there’s HD Dragonball remake that supposdly sticks to the original comic books “manga” and gets rid of the filler, of course the filler it’s hundreds of hours that made the show last for so long.

Is Little Audrey next?

other Little Lulu Manga
http://jokbox.wordpress.com/tag/luluzinha-teen/

Okay, the second drawing on that page is a teen version of Lulu that I could accept. At least her hair is cute and reminiscent of the original’s. And Tubby is indeed Tubby. So, not bad. BTW, I wonder if any of these new versions feature anything about Lulu’s stories about Little Itch and the Little Scarecrow Boy?

Why must so many cartoonists these days want to conform to one style, this bland Japanese business. All these mud-puddle eyed teenaged characters (with some superpowers if intended for boys) are hard to differentiate. In the American tradition, we had hundreds of individual art styles and different stories to tell. It’s not just actual Japanese cartoons, (A pointy-shoed “teen” with huge blue spiky hair covering one eye risks the planet to stop a giant robot ghost!) it’s just that any originality is shackled by willing conformity to an alien style.

…they should anime Cathy next, all skinny, young, and carefree. They could have at least given her the bow.

I talked to this on my journal. What’s gonna be the next. Asterix? Tintin? Mafalda?

How bland the wannabe-anime-manga-kawaii-desu these days!

Sad as it is to see this, I feel it was always bound to happen.

And now, lookit.

Hi, Rodrigo from Brazil here. I just did found this comic today too… I got it, and I’m still gathering courage to read it. After the “Monica Manga” (the original comic produced here), I feel another piece of childhood being raped as well… I do like anime/manga (I strongly disagree with the “bland anime format” opinion) mind you, but some titles should stay within their original format. It’s like picking classics like Akira or Sailor Moon, and trying to make American/European styled comic books. (and don’t remind me of the live actions)

@ Andrew L.
>Honestly, I’m not sure that teen-aged Lulu is that bad. What would the creator of Marvelman (who, admittedly, was ripping off Fawcett’s Captain Marvel) think of the Alan Moore revamp (later renamed Miracleman) from WARRIOR MAGAZINE?

From what I read, Mick Anglo actually likes Moore´s version of Marvelman, and expressed that publicly before.

As for teen Lulu, I had the opportunity to read the actual comic today. And, yes, it´s pretty bland, as expected. I´s not awful… at least, it´s not worst than the average Archie comic. But is hardly as funny and unique as the idiossincratric “child Lulu” stories. Also, the art and plot are pretty inferior to their rival comic, “Monica´s Gang”.

Hopefully, it will be over soon, and we all will be able to pretend it was just a bad dream…

i am Brazilian and I spent today by banking the newspaper and saw the mess they made with Lulu was very bad, very bad right!
also I think a lack of respect to fans of the cartum lulu here in Brazil has a lot of people criticizing this new series of Lulu, and you can be sure that will not last very soon not just be that God wants

(sorry for bad english).

RONALDO!

Well. I really think that these stuffs are good - people usually try to give more valor to these kind of stuff that the real valor this thing have. When any caracter was created aways had two sides, the art and creative potencial involved - and also the potencial market that the creation was destinated for. Believe me, in the Brazilian Case about “Turma da Mônica” - I think it is fantastic - it is groing with the public - the regular Turma da Mônica - Never came out of our lives - it is classic and it will aways be a classic - The young Version of it - Well, we can’t say that is a classic - but give it a chance - it is not made for “classic” fans - it is a new thing based on it. and I had a chance to take a look on those comic books - Think about TV cartoons - do you think that young guys will like the original X-men? or X-men evolution? - Spider-man and his amazing friends, or 2008 spectacular spider-man? - Think about it - cause When I saw these changes - I liked - and I am a Huge fan of all those caracters, but I do not see cartoons anymore - at least I have a very limited time to do that, I do not buy comic books in a regular basis, But when my kids wanna something about those enterteinement industry I can garantee you that is not a 50th year old Barbie - or an old toys of spider-man - or buy some DVD about old cartoon.

What origin of Dr octopus you like most? the cinema or comic book?
What about spider-man Origin?
What about fantastic 4 galactus version?
Watchmen movie was clearly a Graphic Novel faithfull version, and did not make the huge success of the comic book - at least about what I read about in specialized publications.

Just try to see under this perspective.

:-)

Just one word: TERRIBLE!

Who will be the next one to be “manga-wannabe-revived”? Charlie Brown/Peanuts?

Sad that this “next gen” is killing such classics of my childhood…

(Sorry for the poor English)
It is ridiculous. Monica and her friends became teenagers, and now it’s Little Lulu. I know that “Turma da Mônica Jovem (Young Monica´s Gang, litterally)” is a huge success, but there is no reason for Lulu Teen. Nobody is going to buy it. If they think that they will get the same that Monica Teen got, they’re really, really stupid. Monica’s gang is really more popular than Little Lulu (in Brazil, for sure), and the kids of today don’t even know who is Little Lulu.

I am surprise all comments are so negative. I used to love Luluzinha as a child and could not find any to buy for my children in Brazil so I imported them from the states to London where we live. But they were not the same, but still they were OK and the children love them. And when I got back home and found out about Monica Teen and Lulu Teen I quite enjoyed it. And my children did it too. As there is no new prints of Luluzinha I am happy to see the teenager version as it will make more people search for the original ones.

You know what’s more irritating? The Brazilian angry mob coming here just because of this article. http://www.omelete.com.br/quad/100020233/Blogs_dos_EUA_criticam_Luluzinha_Teen.aspx
By the way, I’m Brazilian, and I’m pretty ashamed.

For the sake of curiosity, take a look at this:

Little Lulu Teen vol 01-04:
http://www.easy-share.com/1905754504/luluteen01.cbz
http://www.easy-share.com/1907763747/Luluzinha.Teen_02.rar
http://www.easy-share.com/1907953931/Luluzinha.Teen_03_www.banca-de-revista.com.rar
http://www.easy-share.com/1907965914/Luluzinha.Teen_04_www.banca-de-revista.com.rar

p.s.: rename the CBZ file extension to ZIP and it will be fine.