April 2010
April 28, 2010 Update:
NEWS!!!
Anime Expo to Host AKB48 All-Girl Idol Group
AKB48 to perform at Nokia Theater in Los Angeles on July 1
Anime Expo has announced that the female idol group AKB48 will be performing at the July 1-4 convention in Los Angeles. Producer and songwriter Yasushi Akimoto founded AKB48 in 2005 as an idol group permanently stationed in Tokyo's Akihabara otaku shopping district. AKB48 will perform a concert at the Nokia Theater on July 1. The members will also hold attendee panels, meet-and-greet sessions, and autograph sessions during the convention.
The full members of AKB48 are split into A, K, and B teams — named after the three syllables of the "Akiba" nickname for Akihabara. 16 of the members performed in Paris for Japan Expo 2009, and another sub-group made the band's American debut at the New York Anime Festival last year.
AKB48 performed theme songs for the Deltora Quest and ICE anime projects. AKB48's most recent single, "Sakura no Shiori," sold 370,000 copies in its first week in February, and the group's second studio album, Kamikyokutachi, debuted at #1 on Oricon's weekly album chart. The Recording Industry Association of Japan recognized the group's bestselling status with a Special Award in The Japan Gold Disc Award 2010 competition.
The contemporary artist and occasional anime creator Takashi Murakami illustrated the jacket for AKB48's single "Namida Surprise!" last year. In return, AKB48 producer Yasushi Akimoto wrote the lyrics for the "First Love" tie-in song for Murakami's "Superflat First Love" anime short. Akimoto collaborated with manga artist Natsuo Kume on the AKB48 Sprout online manga about the members of Team B. AKB sang at the Kōhaku Uta Gassen television event on New Year's Eve 2007, and joined former Japanese Prime Minister Tarō Asō for cherry-blossom viewing last April.
4Kids to Rebrand TheCW4Kids Block on Saturdays
The American licensing company 4Kids Entertainment confirmed with its clients before its 2010-2011 season upfront presentation this month that it will be rebranding its Saturday morning programming block on affiliates of The CW network. Currently, TheCW4Kids block runs from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. 4Kids will tentatively rename the block as "Toonzai," as part of the larger effort that includes the addition of Dragon Ball Z Kai. 4Kids also indicated that it will retain Yu-Gi-Oh! and Sonic X in its lineup.
4Kids Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Alfred Kahn said in March that "4Kids needs to return to its roots as a licensing and merchandising company [that] specializes in bringing wonderful Japanese programming and merchandising to the rest of the world." Kahn added that the company will be producing very little animated series on its own because it is much more costly than bringing over a Japanese franchise, even with the costs of dubbing, and so the "overall risk reward ratio is much more favorable."
Kahn added he has worked closely with his partners in Japan over the past year and a half, and the company had signed an agreement for a "very important Japanese property." Kahn also said that his company updating TheCW4Kids block with a number of "substantial Japanese hits."
California's Fanime Hosts Rune Soldier's Mamoru Yokota
Convention to host Death Note anime director, Air/Kanon producer
FanimeCon has announced that it will host Rune Soldier Louie illustrator Mamoru Yokota at the May 28-31 convention in San Jose, California.
Yokota provided the illustrations for the Rune Soldier Louie light novels, and then later provided the character designs for the anime adaptation. Yokota also worked as a producer for both the Air movie and Toei Animation's Kanon television series, and also worked as an animation director for the Death Note television series.
Yokota has provided artwork for two video game adaptations of Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, as well as the Suzumiya Haruhi no Gekidou and Suzumiya Haruhi no Chokuretsu video games.
Yokota will appear at a FanimeCon panel restricted to mature audiences only. FanimeCon will also host Gainax studio co-founder and executive director Hiroyuki Yamaga, voice actress and singer Halko Momoi (Ai Yori Aoshi's Chika Minazuki, My Bride is a Mermaid's San Seto, Tales of the Abyss' Anise Tatlin), the J-rock band LM.C, and game creators Daisuke Ishiwatari and Toshimichi Mori.
CEO: Bang Zoom to Cease Anime Dubbing in 2011 Without Fan Support
President Eric P. Sherman cites fans watching fansubs, not buying DVDs
Eric P. Sherman, President and CEO of the anime dubbing company Bang Zoom! Entertainment, has posted an editorial on the AnimeTV blog on Saturday, urging fans to buy anime instead of watching it via fan-subbed videos. In the "Anime - R.I.P." editorial, Sherman wrote that if fans do not support anime by buying it legally, "I can guarantee you that this time next year, Bang Zoom won't be bringing you anymore English language versions of it."
Sherman added in his editorial, "If people don't resist the urge to get their fix illegally, the entire industry is about to fizzle out." Sherman cited the demises of Geneon Entertainment USA, Central Park Media, and ADV Films, as well as the January 2009 layoffs at Bandai Entertainment, as past examples. In a boldfaced statement in the editorial, Sherman wrote that "anime is going to die."
Sherman also wrote about the rise of streaming content online, but added that "so far, there are no successful ways to monetize online entertainment. Not so that creators can afford to produce and distribute quality content."
Source: Anime News Network
April 24-25, 2010 Update:
We have new titles just added to our selection and super sales that we know you will be interested in. We will start off with our new titles. These are hot series and we are the only ones selling these titles.
Blassreiter Concept Works
Add this to your Blassreiter collection and we guarantee that you won't be disappointed. This book has the character, vehicle, and logo concept designs from the series, and monochrome images. These sketches are so good that they can blow your mind!
Full Metal Daemon: MURAMASA Illustrations Set
This set comes with very unique images and all of them are concept designs of that PC game. This set comes with 2 books: Characters and Mecha Robots. Their unique sketches are so mesmerizing that it can make anyone desire to draw. If you love the game animation, then this book is perfect for you.
Now that the cool new titles are out of the way, let's see what kind of sales* we have cooked up. Let's check them out! Get them while you still can before they are all gone.
pixiv 2010 Girls Art Book Special Bundle Set
Granado Espada Plus Visual Chronicle Art Book
Metal Gear Solid 4 Master Art Works Guns of the Patriots Art Book
(*As a reminder, this offer is a LIMITED TIME ONLY and each with their own special price! Subject change without notice. For more information, e-mail us at info@animebooks.com.)
NEWS!!!
Tokyopop Adds Chibi Vampire: Airmail Manga
Short story collection based on Yuna Kagesaki's Chibi Vampire (Karin) manga
The North American manga publisher Tokyopop has announced on its Facebook account that it will publish Chibi Vampire: Airmail, a collection of short manga stories based on Yuna Kagesaki's Chibi Vampire (Karin) manga. The short stories ran in Fujimi Shobo's Monthly Dragon Age magazine in 2008 after the main Karin manga ended that same year. In addition to side stories about the main series' characters as well as stories about previously unseen European vampires, Chibi Vampire: Airmail includes manga strips about Kagesaki's visit to Sakura-Con in Seattle. The Chibi Vampire: Airmail volume will ship on August 31.
Tokyopop already published the original Chibi Vampire manga series. Comic Book Resources' Robot 6 blog reports that Tokyopop Marketing Director Marco Pavia declined to confirm the license of Hidekaz Himaruya's Hetalia: Axis Powers manga.
Code Geass Gaiden: Bōkoku no Akito Anime Announced
Escaflowne's Kazuki Akane directs side story set on European warfront
The Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Kiseki no Birthday event video release is announcing a new anime project called Code Geass Gaiden Bōkoku no Akito on Friday. The side story is set in the European warfront, where a unit made of boys and girls from Zone Eleven is sent into a military operation with a 5% chance of survival.
The new side story is set in a.t.b.2017. A Knightmare unit made of boys and girls from Zone Eleven are thrown into a military operation with a 5% chance of survival. They must rescue an allied unit left behind on the European warfront.
Live-Action Beck Film's 2nd Teaser Streamed
Film based on Harold Sakuishi's rock-and-roll manga to open in September
The official website for Yukihiko Tsutsumi's live-action film adaptation of Harold Sakuishi's Beck rock-and-roll manga has begun streaming a second 45-second teaser trailer on Friday. The film is slated to open on September 4.
Hiro Mizushima, the star of the manga-based Absolute Boyfriend, Hana Zakari no Kimitachi e: Ikemen Paradise, and Lovely Complex projects, plays the charismatic guitarist and band leader Ryusuke Minami, while Takeru Satoh (Princess Princess D, Kamen Rider Den-O, Rookies) plays the ordinary high school boy Koyuki. After a chance encounter between these two, Koyuki joins Minami's five-person rock band, Beck, on its rise to stardom.
Rounding out the band's roster are Kenta Kiritani (Crows Zero, Rookies) as the rapper Chiba, Aoi Nakamura (Shinigami no Ballad, Q.E.D., Koizora) as the drummer Yuji Sakurai, and Osamu Mukai (Honey and Clover, Nodame Cantabile, Monochrome Factor, Mei-chan no Shitsuji) as the bass guitarist Taira.
Source: Anime News Network
April 22, 2010 Update:
*HAPPY EARTH DAY, EVERYBODY!*
You know what this means. It is an entire day dedicated to Mother Earth. This means:
Don't leave the water running unattended
Reduce, Recycle, and Reuse
Don't over charge your appliances and close the TV when you are not watching.
Help plant a sapling. It makes you feel good inside.
She will do her part if we do ours.
NEWS!!!
U.S.'s Cartoon Network to Launch Beyblade: Metal Fusion
Bakugan, Pokémon anime to return in 2010-2011 season
America's Cartoon Network has announced during its Advertising Upfront presentation in New York City on Wednesday that it will debut the Beyblade: Metal Fusion anime series. As the newest anime series based on the Beyblade spinning top game and manga franchise, Beyblade: Metal Fusion premiered in Japan last April under the name Metal Fight Beyblade. The "Metal" in the new anime and toy line's name is a reference to the use of metal in the new tops, instead of just plastic as in the earlier incarnations.
The Canadian television production company Corus Entertainment is bringing the same series to Canada's YTV on May 15. The North American production company Nelvana Enterprises is co-producing the anime with Japan's d-rights. Takara-Tomy is producing the toys which Hasbro will sell worldwide except in the Middle East and Asia starting this spring. Nelvana, d-rights, Takara-Tomy, and Hasbro had partnered on all the previous Beyblade incarnations.
Corus describes the plot as the following:
Following the Let it Rip phenomena that took over the TV screens and playgrounds in 2002, Beyblade makes its much anticipated return with a brand new generation of characters who take on the battle between good and evil. Competing for dominance with their spinning Beyblade tops, the perilous organization of the Dark Nebula is vying for world domination. The only person standing in their way is teenager Gingka, who struggles to find his strength to honour Beyblade and save the world.
Takara-Tomy launched the original game franchise in 1999, and sponsored three anime series between 2001 and 2003: Bakuten Shoot Beyblade, Bakuten Shoot Beyblade 2002 (Beyblade V-Force), and Bakuten Shoot Beyblade G-Revolution. New Beyblade episodes have not aired in the United States since 2005. Viz Media released Takao Aoki's original Beyblade manga, and Takafumi Adachi launched his new Metal Fight Beyblade manga in Shogakukan's Coro-Coro Comic magazine in 2008.
Cartoon Network also confirmed that the Bakugan and Pokémon anime series will return during the 2010-2011 season.
Digimon: Xros Wars to Premiere in July
TV Asahi launches preview website
Update: TV Asahi has launched the preview website for Digimon: Xros Wars , the newest Digimon anime series, and has confirmed that the series will premiere in July.
Toei Animation has also opened a preview website.
Gurren Lagann iPhone App Lands in U.S., Eva Apps Planned
Rei reports weather; augumented-reality app puts EVA unit in real-life Tokyo-III
Not-So-Daily Links of the Day: The Japanese mobile content company Media Magic began offering an "iYoko" app, based on the popular Yoko character from the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann anime franchise, for the Apple iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad mobile devices on Wednesday. The app is available in the United States as well as in Japan.
One part of the app is a virtual, onscreen Yoko which reacts to touch and vibration by talking and changing expressions. Depending on where the user touches the screen and how often, "iYoko's" mood changes. The app also responds with different lines of dialogue, depending on the time of day, special events, and other factors. Another part of the app manages the addresses and phone numbers of contacts with 38 different Gurren Lagann character icons. Media Magic hints that the app has other features such as a mini-game where the player looks for the mascot character Boota hidden somewhere on Yoko.
Media Magic had previously announced that it will offer an "Evangelion Forecast with Rei" app in the near future. In this app for the iPhone 3G and 3GS, the Evangelion character Rei will give customized weather reports in Japan. The app will also give storm warnings, typhoon alerts, moon phases, and other updates. The app will require a monthly subscription.
The LAWSON convenience store chain will offer a different augmented-reality (AR) app which will give visitors a 360-degree, three-dimensional Evangelion unit against the real-life landscape of Japan's Hakone City. Visitors to the former Sengokuhara Junior High School in Hakone — the school and city that inspired the fictional First Municipal Middle School and New Tokyo-III setting of Evangelion — can download the app for the iPhone 3G/GS from LAWSON. When a user points the iPhone's camera at the right location in Hakone on the right days in April and May, a 80-meter-tall EVA-01 unit will appear onscreen against the landscape. Not coincidentally, the gymnasium in the same middle school will host advance screenings of the remastered Evangelion: 2.22 You Can Not Advance (Evangelion Shin Gekijōban: Ha) film on May and 9.
Media Magic is also selling the official Evangelion bicycles with the accompanying official EVA01 Spandex Bicycle Shorts. Another company, Bandai Namco Games, offered software that creates a live, real-time news program anchored by Evangelion character Misato on the Sony PlayStation 3 console in Japan. However, that service ended earlier this year.
Bandai Entertainment sells the Gurren Lagann television series and manga in North America, while Aniplex of America is selling the two Gurren Lagann movies through Bandai Entertainment. ADV Films released the original Evangelion television series, and FUNimation Entertainment released the first of the four new Evangelion films.
Source: Anime News Network
April 17, 2010 Update:
Another full filled day in Anaheim, California for the Wizard Comic-Con. Excited as usual for every event and more to come. Don't miss any moment of it. Come join us.
NEWS!!!
Weekly Shonen Jump Editors Discuss Unauthorized Copies
In open letter, editors say that Shueisha will deal severely with illegal uploads
In this year's 20th issue of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine on Monday, the editors are publishing an open letter about unauthorized online copies of manga. The editors say that unauthorized copying and uploading are against the wishes of the manga creators. They also emphasize that "the unauthorized online copies do harm to the manga culture, the manga creators' rights, and above all, the manga creators' spirits." They acknowledge that the amount of unauthorized copying has become so overwhelming that they are unable to deal with all of it.
The editors ask their readers to realize that all unauthorized copying and uploading is illegal. They add that manga creators and Shueisha will be dealing severely with unauthorized copies on the Internet, and the editors ask for the readers' support.
In another development, the raw-paradise.com website, which hosted scanned copies of manga magazines without permission, currently redirects to Shueisha's website.
Aniplex America Sells Gurren Lagann Movie DVDs in July
1st film on July 1, 2nd film on July 30; limited editions add Parallel Works videos
Aniplex of America has announced that it will release Gurren Lagann the Movie –Childhood's End- and Gurren Lagann the Movie –The Lights in the Sky Are Stars- on July 1 and July 30, respectively, in the United States and Canada.
Aniplex of America itself is releasing the DVDs, and is not licensing them to another company. However, Bandai Entertainment will offer them exclusively on its online store with discounts for early pre-orders. The first movie's DVDs will also be available at Anime Expo, which runs from July 1 to July 4 at Los Angeles. Aniplex of America's channel on the YouTube website is streaming trailers for both movies.
Both movies will come in limited and regular editions, and both editions will have 5.1-ch Japanese soundtracks with English subtitles. However, the limited edition for each movie will add a bonus disc, a 32-page reproduction of the movie program from Japanese theaters, and the same postcards that the Special Edition DVDs in Japan had. The first movie's limited edition will contain four of the eight music videos in Japan's Gurren Lagann Parallel Works collection, while the second movie's limited edition will contain the remaining four music videos.
Bandai Entertainment Adds The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya
Subbed screenings in San Francisco in May, theatrical run in Hawaii in June
The North American anime distributor Bandai Entertainment has announced that it has licensed The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya anime film from Kadokawa Pictures Inc. It will begin running English-subtitled screenings of the film at San Francisco's Viz Cinema on May 21, followed by a theatrical run in Hawaii in the middle of June. Bang Zoom! Entertainment is co-producing the English-language adaptation, and a DVD release will ship at a date to be announced later.
The first ever movie in the Haruhi Suzumiya franchise adapts the fourth volume from Nagaru Tanigawa and Noizi Ito's original light novel series about an eccentric, assertive girl who creates her own school club for her strange antics. The movie opened at the Japanese box office on February 6, and it earned the equivalent of US$7,479,561 after eight weekends at the end of March.
Little, Brown Young Readers is publishing the third Haruhi Suzumiya light novel volume in North America this July. Bandai Entertainment released the initial run of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya television anime series in North America, and it will also release the second season DVDs. Crunchyroll is streaming the first season now, and plans to stream the second season later this year.
Yen Press is publishing both Gaku Tsugano's main manga adaptation and Puyo's The Melancholy of Suzumiya-Haruhi-Chan (Suzumiya Haruhi-chan no Yūutsu) "official gag manga." Kadokawa Shoten Publishing even released an iPhone and iPod touch app based upon The Day of Sagittarius III game depicted within the light novels and anime.
Pokémon: Diamond & Pearl Anime to End, New Series Planned
Pokémon: D&P ends in fall; Pokémon: Black & White games already announced
The TV Tokyo broadcasting station has confirmed on Thursday that the Pokémon - Diamond and Pearl television anime series will end this fall, but preparations are being made for a new series to take its place. TV Tokyo plans to reveal more information about those preparations in future announcements. The Pokémon - Diamond and Pearl television series has been running on TV Tokyo since September of 2006.
The Nintendo game company has already revealed that it will ship a new series of Pokémon: Black and Pokémon: White games for the Nintendo DS consoles in Japan this fall.
The first Pokémon (Pocket Monsters) television anime series ran in Japan from 1997 to 2002, and it premiered in America in 1998. Cartoon Network's Boomerang spinoff television channel for "cartoon classics" began airing the first Pokémon series this month. The Pokemon Advance (Pocket Monsters: Advanced Generation) television sequel ran in Japan from 2002 to 2006, and it premiered in America in 2003. Pokémon - Diamond and Pearl premiered in America in 2007.
Anime Expo Hosts Eden of the East Directors, Producer
Director Kenji Kamiyama, animation director Satoru Nakamura, producer Tomohiko Ishii
Anime Expo has announced that it will host three main staff members of the Eden of The East television anime series and films — director Kenji Kamiyama, chief animation director Satoru Nakamura, and producer Tomohiko Ishii — as Guests of Honor during the July 1-4 convention in Los Angeles. Anime Expo will also host the American premiere of Funimation's release of the television series.
Before Eden of The East, Kamiyama and Nakamura had previously worked together on the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex television anime series. They continued to work together on the 2nd GIG sequel and the Solid State Society film follow-up.
Kamiyama wrote the screenplay for Mamoru Oshii and Hiroyuki Kitakubo's Blood: The Last Vampire film, and he had previously worked with Oshii and Hiroyuki Okiura as an animation director on the Jin-Roh - The Wolf Brigade film. Kamiyama also directed the Moribito - Guardian of the Spirit television series. Nakamura worked as an animation director on Angel Cop, Hyper Doll, and Library War. Ishii's producing credits include The Sky Crawlers, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, and Gedo Senki.
Source: Anime News Network
April 16, 2010 Update:
It is time! It is time for you to come check us out in Anaheim, California for the Wizard Comic-Con starting today! Join us and along with other merchants, well-known artists, and other surprises waiting in store for you. We are so exited that we just couldn't hold it in! COME AND JOIN US!!!
April 13, 2010 Update:
It is convention season time!!! We will be heading out on the popular conventions that there is around the United States. Our next stop is the Wizard Comic-Con being held in Anaheim, California at the Anaheim Convention Center right next to Disneyland. Come check out us if you are heading there.
NEWS!!!
Final Fantasy's Yoshitaka Amano Directs 1st Film, Zan
Gatchaman, Casshan designer launches his own studio for 3D anime film
Yoshitaka Amano, the artist famous for designing the characters in the Science Ninja Team Gatchaman anime franchise and the Final Fantasy game series, is directing his first anime film called Zan for worldwide release next year. To that end, he established his own production studio, Studio Deva Loka, which he is personally heading.
The story of the 3D film begins at the end of the 19th century, when a samurai named Zan is led to a world in an alternate dimension to battle evil. In addition to directing for the first time, Amano conceived the story and drafted the original art.
Last month, Amano hosted an unmanned exhibit space at Tokyo International Anime Fair 2010. The space only contained two white walls adorned with the name "ZAN," and a huge black feline statue twice as big as an average person. He displayed the statue, with a similar lack of explanation or context, at the Opéra de Paris (Palais Garnier) in France last fall. The statue depicts the steel beast named Panther that becomes Zan's partner in the film.
Amano coined the name "Studio Deva Loka" from a phrase that means "the place where gods assemble." The studio plans to announce more projects that it will produce after Zan. Amano has been displaying art as part of a Deva Loka exhibition in Berlin, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
Amano has been in the anime industry since he was 15, when he joined the veteran studio Tatsunoko Production. Among his first character design credits at Tatsunoko were Time Bokan, Hutch, the Honeybee, and Shinzo Ningen Casshan. After he became a freelancer, he contributed visual conceptual art to the first of many Final Fantasy games from Square (later Square Enix). He also created Yasai no Yousei - N.Y. Salad, a television anime about the secret nocturnal life of vegetables in a New York kitchen, and that series inspired a 3D film this spring.
NetComics to Remove Aurora Manga on April 14
Online distributor removes titles from Deux Press, Luv Luv Press imprints also
The online graphic novel distributor Netcomics.com announced on Wednesday that it will remove "all series from Aurora Publishing, including those under Deux Press and Luv Luv Press imprints," after midnight PDT on April 14. The listed phone numbers of Aurora Publishing, Inc., the American arm of Ohzora Publishing Co., are no longer in service in Torrance, California.
Animedia, Megami Mags to Bundle Black Rock Shooter
50-minute anime to also be streamed, bundled for free with Hobby Japan mag
The official website of the Black Rock Shooter anime project has announced on Friday that the anime will be bundled with Gakken Publishing's Monthly Megami Magazine and Monthly Animedia. The DVD of the anime will ship with the August issue of Megami Magazine on June 30, and then with the August issue of Animedia on July 10.
The website had already announced last month that the full 50-minute anime will be streamed for free to "everyone," although it did not specify if the stream will be available outside Japan. It will also be bundled on a bonus DVD with Hobby Japan magazine. In 2009, Hobby Japan, Animedia, and Megami Magazine listed monthly circulation numbers of 186,000, 96,225, and 63,475, respectively.
Chicago's C2E2 to Screen Both Gurren Lagann Films
Also at convention: Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone, Eureka Seven film
The first Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) will be hosting back-to-back screenings of the Gurren Lagann compilation movies, Gurren Lagann the Movie –Childhood's End- and Gurren Lagann The Movie 2: The Lights in the Sky are Stars. The expo will be held from April 16 to April 18 at the Lakeside Center at McCormick Place in Chicago. Reed Exhibitions, the company behind New York Comic Con and the New York Anime Festival, is holding C2E2.
Aniplex previously premiered the English-subbed first part of Gainax's theatrical remake of its Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann robot action anime series, Gurren Lagann the Movie –Childhood's End-, at Anime Expo in July 2009. The Viz Cinema theater in San Francisco then held the American premiere of the second film, Gurren Lagann The Movie 2: The Lights in the Sky are Stars, in November. Bandai Entertainment brought the original television series to North America on DVD, as well as on the Sci Fi Channel (through Manga Entertainment).
Aniplex America, who will also host a panel at the convention, launched a website earlier this month under the domain name gurrenlagannthemovieusa.com.
C2E2 will also screen Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone (Evangelion Shin Gekijōban: Jo) and Eureka Seven - good night, sleep tight, young lovers - during the convention.
Toei Shopping 'Sailor Moon' Anime All 200 Episodes Available at MIPTV
Toei Animation is offering 200 refurbished episodes of the Sailor Moon Magical Girl anime at the MIPTV market that will be held next week in Cannes. MIPTV is a worldwide content market at which producers such as Toei offer their wares to representatives of TV networks and syndicators of electronic entertainment from more than 100 countries. In addition to the Sailor Moon episodes Toei is also offering the rights to the 243 episodes of the 1980s TV anime Dr. Slump, which is based on the manga series by Dragon Ball-creator Akira Toriyama.
The 200 episodes of Sailor Moon would presumably include all the Sailor Moon TV anime series including the original series (46 episodes), Sailor Moon R (43 episodes), Sailor Moon S (38 episodes), Sailor Moon Super S (39 episodes), and Sailor Moon Stars (34 episodes, the only episodes that have never been available in the U.S.).
X-Men: Misfits, Wolverine: Prodigal Son Cancelled
Creators told that 2nd volumes of Marvel/Del Rey projects will not be published
Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier have confirmed this weekend that their X-Men: Misfits graphic novel project with artist Anzu has been cancelled. Antony Johnston confirmed on Monday that his Wolverine: Prodigal Son graphic novel project with artist Wilson Tortosa has also been cancelled. Del Rey Manga published the first volumes of both projects in collaboration with Marvel Comics last year. In each project, the creators had intended to end the first volume's storyline in the second volume.
According to Johnston, "the simple truth is that not enough people bought them. Despite Wolverine being praised by readers and selected for two library YA lists, despite Misfits making it onto the New York Times bestseller list, and not least despite all the efforts of Del Rey themselves and our editors there, there just weren't enough readers to justify the costs. This is, sadly, more common than you might think in comics." Telgemeier adds that the creators did get paid for the second volumes, although the unfinished work for the second volumes cannot be released in any format without the licensors' permission.
Del Rey has not yet responded to ANN's request for comment.
Source: Anime News Network
April 9, 2010 Update:
Due to popular demands, we have the best selling titles back in the market. Once again, come check these titles out before they are all sold out!
pixiv Official Art Collection: pixiv girls collection Art Book
Junya Ishigaki Illustrations - Robo no Ishi
Along with these titles, we also have these new titles that we know you are itching to own. Come check out the New Arrival section under Books. We are sure you will find something that you might like.
NEWS!!!
Animate to Bring More Libre Manga to Kindle in April
You Asagiri's Golden Cain, Haruka Minami's Love a La Carte!, Nase Yamato's Pet on Duty
ANIMATE USA (the American arm of the ANIMATE retail chain for character goods) has announced that it will translate and release books from Japan's Libre Publishing Co., Ltd. on the Amazon Kindle e-book platform. ANIMATE USA has already released CJ Michalski's boys-love manga Delivery Cupid, and it plans to release three more titles from Libre's B-Boy boys-love imprint in April:
* You Asagiri's Golden Cain * Haruka Minami's Love a La Carte! * Nase Yamato's Pet on Duty
ANIMATE USA plans to continue releasing four or more titles every month. The Be Beautiful imprint of the defunct distributor Central Park Media once published Golden Cain and Love a La Carte! in North America, while Broccoli Books' Boysenberry Books imprint published Delivery Cupid and Pet on Duty. ANIMATE bought a stake in Broccoli Books' parent company Broccoli in January of 2008, about 12 months before Broccoli shut down its Broccoli International USA subsidiary.
Kindle Books can be read on Amazon's own Kindle devices (in three different versions), a free App for Apple's iPhone/iPod touch/iPad mobile devices and BlackBerry devices, and the free Kindle application for Windows and Mac OS X operating systems.
4th Naruto Shippūden Film Titled, Dated for July 31
The official websites for the Naruto anime films have relaunched with the title and date of the fourth Naruto Shippūden film (and 7th Naruto film overall): Naruto Shippūden: The Lost Tower on July 31. In this "dimension-crossing" adventure, the title ninja character Naruto will travel back in time and meet his father, the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze. Masahiko Murata is directing as he did for the last film (Naruto Shippūden: Hi no Ishi o Tsugumono). Junki Takegami, the television series script supervisor and the writer of the three previous films, wrote the screenplay.
J-Rock Bands The Pillows, VAMPS' U.S. Concerts Dated
The Pillows, the rock band known for its work on FLCL, BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad, and Moonlight Mile, will be hosting a short tour in California in May. The band will perform on May 21 at Slim's in San Francisco, and May 23 at the Glasshouse in Pomona. The Pillows will be touring with three other bands: Noodles, Monokuro, and Pop Chocolat. The Pillows previously performed at Anime Boston in 2008.
The J-rock duo VAMPS, made up of Oblivion Dust guitarist K.A.Z and L'Arc-en-Ciel vocalist Hyde, have announced dates and locations for their 2010 world tour. The tour includes three stops in the United States in October. The group will also play in France, Spain, China, and Chile.
* October 1 - Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA
* October 3 - The Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA
* October 9 - The Roseland Ballroom, New York, NY
VAMPS performance in New York coincides with the New York Anime Festival and New York Comic Con, but the announcement did not say whether or not the duo will be attending these events. The band also held an American tour in 2009.
UK Virtual Child Porn Ban Takes Effect on Tuesday
A piece of legislation known as the Coroners and Justice Act, which extends the law against possession of child pornography to include non‑photographic images, took effect in the United Kingdom on April 6. The legislation was originally proposed in the British Parliament in March 2009. The legislation then moved to the House of Lords in Parliament in the same month.
The act makes it illegal to possess non-real, non-photographic images that are pornographic, "grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise of an obscene character," as well as possessing an image that portrays a range of sexual acts "with or in the presence of a child."
Critics of the bill include the Comic Book Alliance which was co-founded by Leah Moore, the daughter of Watchmen graphic novel writer Alan Moore. The critics say that the bill would outlaw such works as Alan Moore's The Lost Girls comic.
Source: Anime News Network
April 5, 2010 Update:
NEWS!!!
New Jersey's AnimeNext to Host Stereopony Girl Band
Rock trio heard in Bleach, Gundam 00, Darker than BLACK, Yatterman
The AnimeNext convention has announced that it is hosting the Japanese all-girl rock band Stereopony at the June 18-20 event in Somerset, New Jersey.
The three members of the band had just made their debut on a major label in 2008, and the band's first album, A hydrangea blooms, shipped on last June. The band's debut single "Hitohira no Hanabira" became the ending theme for Bleach, and that led to the band's second single "Namida no Muko" becoming the opening theme of Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Second Season. Stereopony has since performed the "Smilife" ending theme for the Yatterman: Shin Yatter Mecha Daishūgō! Omocha no Kuni de Daikessen da Koron! film and the "Tsukiakari no Michishirube" opening theme for Darker Than Black: Ryūsei no Gemini.
This will be the band's first appearance at an American anime convention.
Source: Anime News Network
April 3, 2010 Update:
HAPPY EASTER EVERYBODY!!! WE WISH FOR A SAFE, WARM, AND HAPPY HOLIDAY TO ALL!!!
As a reminder, don't forget to check us out in Seattle for the Sakura-Con this weekend. Check us out at our booth #526 & #528! Remember to say "Hi!" to us when you are there.
NEWS!!!
Aniplex America Launches Gurren Lagann Movie Website
2 theatrical remakes originally premiered in Japan in 2008, 2009
Aniplex of America, Inc. has launched a website under the domain name gurrenlagannthemovieusa.com. At this time, Aniplex has no comment regarding the website.
Aniplex previously premiered the English-subbed first part of Gainax's theatrical remake of its Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann robot action anime series, Gurren Lagann the Movie –Childhood's End-, at Anime Expo in July 2009. The Viz Cinema theater in San Francisco then held the American premiere of the second film, Gurren Lagann The Movie 2: The Lights in the Sky are Stars, in November. Bandai Entertainment brought the original television series to North America on DVD, as well as on the Sci Fi Channel (through Manga Entertainment).
Japan to Fund 10 Billion Yen to Promote Content Abroad
Project hopes to boost overseas revenue of Japanese content to 2.5 trillion yen
The Nikkei.com website reported on Monday that the Japanese government is working with the private sector to set up a 10 billion yen (about US$110 million) fund to support the spread of Japanese anime, movies, and music abroad. The Innovation Network Corporation of Japan will provide the financing for the new fund, which will be used to secure ways to distribute content overseas.
The goal for the project is to boost the foreign revenue for Japanese content from 1 trillion yen (US$10.69 billion) — the level in 2008 — to 2.5 trillion yen (US$26.73 billion) by 2020. Heading the panel that is drawing up the strategy is Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, along with the Intellectual Property Policy Headquarters. This panel was expected to approve an outline of the plan on Tuesday.
In an initiative to also promote foreign studios shooting films in Japan, the government is also considering instituting tax breaks on costs for domestic production.
4Kids, Blockbuster Face NY Stock Exchange Delisting
Licensing company, video rental chain's capitalization falls below limit
The New York Stock Exchange warned the licensing company 4Kids and the video rental chain Blockbuster that they face delisting from the New York Stock Exchange because their market capitalization is below the exchange's minimum limit. 4Kids' most recently reported stockholders'equity was US$35.1 million, below US$50 million limit that the stock exchange requires over a 30-trading-day period. 4Kids said on Friday it intends to submit a plan within the required 45 days on how it plans to comply with the stock exchange's requirements for listing.
However, if 4Kids' average market capitalization falls below US$15 million over a 30-trading-day period, the stock exchange's delisting procedure would begin regardless of any plan 4Kids would submit. 4Kids also has to maintain an average closing price of US$1.00 for a share of its stock, and has six months to raise the stock price above US$1.00 after receiving another notice.
As of the close of business on Wednesday, 4Kids' stock stands at US$1.15 with a market capitalization of US$15.35 million.
The stock exchange requires Blockbuster to raise its market capitalization above US$75 million. As of the close of business on Wednesday, Blockbuster's market capitalization is US$52.94 million.
Source: Anime News Network
April 1, 2010 Update:
HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY!
A new month and a new look for this upcoming month. It is going to be a good one. We can feel it! Don't forget to enjoy your Easter Sunday! We saw the Easter Bunny hopping around the corner so he is not too far behind.
As a reminder, we are in Seattle, Washington for this upcoming Sakura-Con 2010! If you are around the area, pay a visit to our booth. There will be a lot of entertainment, speakers/guests, and a whole lot of surprises in store for you there. If you went last year and enjoyed it, come again for this year. We can assure you that it will be a blast!
IF YOU MISS OUT ON ANYTHING FOR THESE MONTHS, COME CHECK IT OUT UNDER THESE SECTIONS.
NEWS!!!
AKB48 to perform at Nokia Theater in Los Angeles on July 1
Anime Expo has announced that the female idol group AKB48 will be performing at the July 1-4 convention in Los Angeles. Producer and songwriter Yasushi Akimoto founded AKB48 in 2005 as an idol group permanently stationed in Tokyo's Akihabara otaku shopping district. AKB48 will perform a concert at the Nokia Theater on July 1. The members will also hold attendee panels, meet-and-greet sessions, and autograph sessions during the convention.
The full members of AKB48 are split into A, K, and B teams — named after the three syllables of the "Akiba" nickname for Akihabara. 16 of the members performed in Paris for Japan Expo 2009, and another sub-group made the band's American debut at the New York Anime Festival last year.
AKB48 performed theme songs for the Deltora Quest and ICE anime projects. AKB48's most recent single, "Sakura no Shiori," sold 370,000 copies in its first week in February, and the group's second studio album, Kamikyokutachi, debuted at #1 on Oricon's weekly album chart. The Recording Industry Association of Japan recognized the group's bestselling status with a Special Award in The Japan Gold Disc Award 2010 competition.
The contemporary artist and occasional anime creator Takashi Murakami illustrated the jacket for AKB48's single "Namida Surprise!" last year. In return, AKB48 producer Yasushi Akimoto wrote the lyrics for the "First Love" tie-in song for Murakami's "Superflat First Love" anime short. Akimoto collaborated with manga artist Natsuo Kume on the AKB48 Sprout online manga about the members of Team B. AKB sang at the Kōhaku Uta Gassen television event on New Year's Eve 2007, and joined former Japanese Prime Minister Tarō Asō for cherry-blossom viewing last April.
The American licensing company 4Kids Entertainment confirmed with its clients before its 2010-2011 season upfront presentation this month that it will be rebranding its Saturday morning programming block on affiliates of The CW network. Currently, TheCW4Kids block runs from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. 4Kids will tentatively rename the block as "Toonzai," as part of the larger effort that includes the addition of Dragon Ball Z Kai. 4Kids also indicated that it will retain Yu-Gi-Oh! and Sonic X in its lineup.
4Kids Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Alfred Kahn said in March that "4Kids needs to return to its roots as a licensing and merchandising company [that] specializes in bringing wonderful Japanese programming and merchandising to the rest of the world." Kahn added that the company will be producing very little animated series on its own because it is much more costly than bringing over a Japanese franchise, even with the costs of dubbing, and so the "overall risk reward ratio is much more favorable."
Kahn added he has worked closely with his partners in Japan over the past year and a half, and the company had signed an agreement for a "very important Japanese property." Kahn also said that his company updating TheCW4Kids block with a number of "substantial Japanese hits."
Convention to host Death Note anime director, Air/Kanon producer
FanimeCon has announced that it will host Rune Soldier Louie illustrator Mamoru Yokota at the May 28-31 convention in San Jose, California.
Yokota provided the illustrations for the Rune Soldier Louie light novels, and then later provided the character designs for the anime adaptation. Yokota also worked as a producer for both the Air movie and Toei Animation's Kanon television series, and also worked as an animation director for the Death Note television series.
Yokota has provided artwork for two video game adaptations of Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, as well as the Suzumiya Haruhi no Gekidou and Suzumiya Haruhi no Chokuretsu video games.
Yokota will appear at a FanimeCon panel restricted to mature audiences only. FanimeCon will also host Gainax studio co-founder and executive director Hiroyuki Yamaga, voice actress and singer Halko Momoi (Ai Yori Aoshi's Chika Minazuki, My Bride is a Mermaid's San Seto, Tales of the Abyss' Anise Tatlin), the J-rock band LM.C, and game creators Daisuke Ishiwatari and Toshimichi Mori.
President Eric P. Sherman cites fans watching fansubs, not buying DVDs
Eric P. Sherman, President and CEO of the anime dubbing company Bang Zoom! Entertainment, has posted an editorial on the AnimeTV blog on Saturday, urging fans to buy anime instead of watching it via fan-subbed videos. In the "Anime - R.I.P." editorial, Sherman wrote that if fans do not support anime by buying it legally, "I can guarantee you that this time next year, Bang Zoom won't be bringing you anymore English language versions of it."
Sherman added in his editorial, "If people don't resist the urge to get their fix illegally, the entire industry is about to fizzle out." Sherman cited the demises of Geneon Entertainment USA, Central Park Media, and ADV Films, as well as the January 2009 layoffs at Bandai Entertainment, as past examples. In a boldfaced statement in the editorial, Sherman wrote that "anime is going to die."
Sherman also wrote about the rise of streaming content online, but added that "so far, there are no successful ways to monetize online entertainment. Not so that creators can afford to produce and distribute quality content."
Source: Anime News Network
April 24-25, 2010 Update:
NEWS!!!
Short story collection based on Yuna Kagesaki's Chibi Vampire (Karin) manga
The North American manga publisher Tokyopop has announced on its Facebook account that it will publish Chibi Vampire: Airmail, a collection of short manga stories based on Yuna Kagesaki's Chibi Vampire (Karin) manga. The short stories ran in Fujimi Shobo's Monthly Dragon Age magazine in 2008 after the main Karin manga ended that same year. In addition to side stories about the main series' characters as well as stories about previously unseen European vampires, Chibi Vampire: Airmail includes manga strips about Kagesaki's visit to Sakura-Con in Seattle. The Chibi Vampire: Airmail volume will ship on August 31.
Tokyopop already published the original Chibi Vampire manga series. Comic Book Resources' Robot 6 blog reports that Tokyopop Marketing Director Marco Pavia declined to confirm the license of Hidekaz Himaruya's Hetalia: Axis Powers manga.
Escaflowne's Kazuki Akane directs side story set on European warfront
The Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Kiseki no Birthday event video release is announcing a new anime project called Code Geass Gaiden Bōkoku no Akito on Friday. The side story is set in the European warfront, where a unit made of boys and girls from Zone Eleven is sent into a military operation with a 5% chance of survival.
The new side story is set in a.t.b.2017. A Knightmare unit made of boys and girls from Zone Eleven are thrown into a military operation with a 5% chance of survival. They must rescue an allied unit left behind on the European warfront.
Film based on Harold Sakuishi's rock-and-roll manga to open in September
The official website for Yukihiko Tsutsumi's live-action film adaptation of Harold Sakuishi's Beck rock-and-roll manga has begun streaming a second 45-second teaser trailer on Friday. The film is slated to open on September 4.
Hiro Mizushima, the star of the manga-based Absolute Boyfriend, Hana Zakari no Kimitachi e: Ikemen Paradise, and Lovely Complex projects, plays the charismatic guitarist and band leader Ryusuke Minami, while Takeru Satoh (Princess Princess D, Kamen Rider Den-O, Rookies) plays the ordinary high school boy Koyuki. After a chance encounter between these two, Koyuki joins Minami's five-person rock band, Beck, on its rise to stardom.
Rounding out the band's roster are Kenta Kiritani (Crows Zero, Rookies) as the rapper Chiba, Aoi Nakamura (Shinigami no Ballad, Q.E.D., Koizora) as the drummer Yuji Sakurai, and Osamu Mukai (Honey and Clover, Nodame Cantabile, Monochrome Factor, Mei-chan no Shitsuji) as the bass guitarist Taira.
Source: Anime News Network
April 22, 2010 Update:
You know what this means. It is an entire day dedicated to Mother Earth. This means:
Don't leave the water running unattended
Reduce, Recycle, and Reuse
Don't over charge your appliances and close the TV when you are not watching.
Help plant a sapling. It makes you feel good inside.
She will do her part if we do ours.
NEWS!!!
Bakugan, Pokémon anime to return in 2010-2011 season
America's Cartoon Network has announced during its Advertising Upfront presentation in New York City on Wednesday that it will debut the Beyblade: Metal Fusion anime series. As the newest anime series based on the Beyblade spinning top game and manga franchise, Beyblade: Metal Fusion premiered in Japan last April under the name Metal Fight Beyblade. The "Metal" in the new anime and toy line's name is a reference to the use of metal in the new tops, instead of just plastic as in the earlier incarnations.
The Canadian television production company Corus Entertainment is bringing the same series to Canada's YTV on May 15. The North American production company Nelvana Enterprises is co-producing the anime with Japan's d-rights. Takara-Tomy is producing the toys which Hasbro will sell worldwide except in the Middle East and Asia starting this spring. Nelvana, d-rights, Takara-Tomy, and Hasbro had partnered on all the previous Beyblade incarnations.
Corus describes the plot as the following:
Takara-Tomy launched the original game franchise in 1999, and sponsored three anime series between 2001 and 2003: Bakuten Shoot Beyblade, Bakuten Shoot Beyblade 2002 (Beyblade V-Force), and Bakuten Shoot Beyblade G-Revolution. New Beyblade episodes have not aired in the United States since 2005. Viz Media released Takao Aoki's original Beyblade manga, and Takafumi Adachi launched his new Metal Fight Beyblade manga in Shogakukan's Coro-Coro Comic magazine in 2008.
Cartoon Network also confirmed that the Bakugan and Pokémon anime series will return during the 2010-2011 season.
TV Asahi launches preview website
Update: TV Asahi has launched the preview website for Digimon: Xros Wars , the newest Digimon anime series, and has confirmed that the series will premiere in July.
Toei Animation has also opened a preview website.
Rei reports weather; augumented-reality app puts EVA unit in real-life Tokyo-III
Not-So-Daily Links of the Day: The Japanese mobile content company Media Magic began offering an "iYoko" app, based on the popular Yoko character from the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann anime franchise, for the Apple iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad mobile devices on Wednesday. The app is available in the United States as well as in Japan.
One part of the app is a virtual, onscreen Yoko which reacts to touch and vibration by talking and changing expressions. Depending on where the user touches the screen and how often, "iYoko's" mood changes. The app also responds with different lines of dialogue, depending on the time of day, special events, and other factors. Another part of the app manages the addresses and phone numbers of contacts with 38 different Gurren Lagann character icons. Media Magic hints that the app has other features such as a mini-game where the player looks for the mascot character Boota hidden somewhere on Yoko.
Media Magic had previously announced that it will offer an "Evangelion Forecast with Rei" app in the near future. In this app for the iPhone 3G and 3GS, the Evangelion character Rei will give customized weather reports in Japan. The app will also give storm warnings, typhoon alerts, moon phases, and other updates. The app will require a monthly subscription.
The LAWSON convenience store chain will offer a different augmented-reality (AR) app which will give visitors a 360-degree, three-dimensional Evangelion unit against the real-life landscape of Japan's Hakone City. Visitors to the former Sengokuhara Junior High School in Hakone — the school and city that inspired the fictional First Municipal Middle School and New Tokyo-III setting of Evangelion — can download the app for the iPhone 3G/GS from LAWSON. When a user points the iPhone's camera at the right location in Hakone on the right days in April and May, a 80-meter-tall EVA-01 unit will appear onscreen against the landscape. Not coincidentally, the gymnasium in the same middle school will host advance screenings of the remastered Evangelion: 2.22 You Can Not Advance (Evangelion Shin Gekijōban: Ha) film on May and 9.
Media Magic is also selling the official Evangelion bicycles with the accompanying official EVA01 Spandex Bicycle Shorts. Another company, Bandai Namco Games, offered software that creates a live, real-time news program anchored by Evangelion character Misato on the Sony PlayStation 3 console in Japan. However, that service ended earlier this year.
Bandai Entertainment sells the Gurren Lagann television series and manga in North America, while Aniplex of America is selling the two Gurren Lagann movies through Bandai Entertainment. ADV Films released the original Evangelion television series, and FUNimation Entertainment released the first of the four new Evangelion films.
Source: Anime News Network
April 17, 2010 Update:
NEWS!!!
In open letter, editors say that Shueisha will deal severely with illegal uploads
In this year's 20th issue of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine on Monday, the editors are publishing an open letter about unauthorized online copies of manga. The editors say that unauthorized copying and uploading are against the wishes of the manga creators. They also emphasize that "the unauthorized online copies do harm to the manga culture, the manga creators' rights, and above all, the manga creators' spirits." They acknowledge that the amount of unauthorized copying has become so overwhelming that they are unable to deal with all of it.
The editors ask their readers to realize that all unauthorized copying and uploading is illegal. They add that manga creators and Shueisha will be dealing severely with unauthorized copies on the Internet, and the editors ask for the readers' support.
In another development, the raw-paradise.com website, which hosted scanned copies of manga magazines without permission, currently redirects to Shueisha's website.
1st film on July 1, 2nd film on July 30; limited editions add Parallel Works videos
Aniplex of America has announced that it will release Gurren Lagann the Movie –Childhood's End- and Gurren Lagann the Movie –The Lights in the Sky Are Stars- on July 1 and July 30, respectively, in the United States and Canada.
Aniplex of America itself is releasing the DVDs, and is not licensing them to another company. However, Bandai Entertainment will offer them exclusively on its online store with discounts for early pre-orders. The first movie's DVDs will also be available at Anime Expo, which runs from July 1 to July 4 at Los Angeles. Aniplex of America's channel on the YouTube website is streaming trailers for both movies.
Both movies will come in limited and regular editions, and both editions will have 5.1-ch Japanese soundtracks with English subtitles. However, the limited edition for each movie will add a bonus disc, a 32-page reproduction of the movie program from Japanese theaters, and the same postcards that the Special Edition DVDs in Japan had. The first movie's limited edition will contain four of the eight music videos in Japan's Gurren Lagann Parallel Works collection, while the second movie's limited edition will contain the remaining four music videos.
Subbed screenings in San Francisco in May, theatrical run in Hawaii in June
The North American anime distributor Bandai Entertainment has announced that it has licensed The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya anime film from Kadokawa Pictures Inc. It will begin running English-subtitled screenings of the film at San Francisco's Viz Cinema on May 21, followed by a theatrical run in Hawaii in the middle of June. Bang Zoom! Entertainment is co-producing the English-language adaptation, and a DVD release will ship at a date to be announced later.
The first ever movie in the Haruhi Suzumiya franchise adapts the fourth volume from Nagaru Tanigawa and Noizi Ito's original light novel series about an eccentric, assertive girl who creates her own school club for her strange antics. The movie opened at the Japanese box office on February 6, and it earned the equivalent of US$7,479,561 after eight weekends at the end of March.
Little, Brown Young Readers is publishing the third Haruhi Suzumiya light novel volume in North America this July. Bandai Entertainment released the initial run of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya television anime series in North America, and it will also release the second season DVDs. Crunchyroll is streaming the first season now, and plans to stream the second season later this year.
Yen Press is publishing both Gaku Tsugano's main manga adaptation and Puyo's The Melancholy of Suzumiya-Haruhi-Chan (Suzumiya Haruhi-chan no Yūutsu) "official gag manga." Kadokawa Shoten Publishing even released an iPhone and iPod touch app based upon The Day of Sagittarius III game depicted within the light novels and anime.
Pokémon: D&P ends in fall; Pokémon: Black & White games already announced
The TV Tokyo broadcasting station has confirmed on Thursday that the Pokémon - Diamond and Pearl television anime series will end this fall, but preparations are being made for a new series to take its place. TV Tokyo plans to reveal more information about those preparations in future announcements. The Pokémon - Diamond and Pearl television series has been running on TV Tokyo since September of 2006.
The Nintendo game company has already revealed that it will ship a new series of Pokémon: Black and Pokémon: White games for the Nintendo DS consoles in Japan this fall.
The first Pokémon (Pocket Monsters) television anime series ran in Japan from 1997 to 2002, and it premiered in America in 1998. Cartoon Network's Boomerang spinoff television channel for "cartoon classics" began airing the first Pokémon series this month. The Pokemon Advance (Pocket Monsters: Advanced Generation) television sequel ran in Japan from 2002 to 2006, and it premiered in America in 2003. Pokémon - Diamond and Pearl premiered in America in 2007.
Director Kenji Kamiyama, animation director Satoru Nakamura, producer Tomohiko Ishii
Anime Expo has announced that it will host three main staff members of the Eden of The East television anime series and films — director Kenji Kamiyama, chief animation director Satoru Nakamura, and producer Tomohiko Ishii — as Guests of Honor during the July 1-4 convention in Los Angeles. Anime Expo will also host the American premiere of Funimation's release of the television series.
Before Eden of The East, Kamiyama and Nakamura had previously worked together on the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex television anime series. They continued to work together on the 2nd GIG sequel and the Solid State Society film follow-up.
Kamiyama wrote the screenplay for Mamoru Oshii and Hiroyuki Kitakubo's Blood: The Last Vampire film, and he had previously worked with Oshii and Hiroyuki Okiura as an animation director on the Jin-Roh - The Wolf Brigade film. Kamiyama also directed the Moribito - Guardian of the Spirit television series. Nakamura worked as an animation director on Angel Cop, Hyper Doll, and Library War. Ishii's producing credits include The Sky Crawlers, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, and Gedo Senki.
Source: Anime News Network
April 16, 2010 Update:
April 13, 2010 Update:
NEWS!!!
Gatchaman, Casshan designer launches his own studio for 3D anime film
Yoshitaka Amano, the artist famous for designing the characters in the Science Ninja Team Gatchaman anime franchise and the Final Fantasy game series, is directing his first anime film called Zan for worldwide release next year. To that end, he established his own production studio, Studio Deva Loka, which he is personally heading.
The story of the 3D film begins at the end of the 19th century, when a samurai named Zan is led to a world in an alternate dimension to battle evil. In addition to directing for the first time, Amano conceived the story and drafted the original art.
Last month, Amano hosted an unmanned exhibit space at Tokyo International Anime Fair 2010. The space only contained two white walls adorned with the name "ZAN," and a huge black feline statue twice as big as an average person. He displayed the statue, with a similar lack of explanation or context, at the Opéra de Paris (Palais Garnier) in France last fall. The statue depicts the steel beast named Panther that becomes Zan's partner in the film.
Amano coined the name "Studio Deva Loka" from a phrase that means "the place where gods assemble." The studio plans to announce more projects that it will produce after Zan. Amano has been displaying art as part of a Deva Loka exhibition in Berlin, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
Amano has been in the anime industry since he was 15, when he joined the veteran studio Tatsunoko Production. Among his first character design credits at Tatsunoko were Time Bokan, Hutch, the Honeybee, and Shinzo Ningen Casshan. After he became a freelancer, he contributed visual conceptual art to the first of many Final Fantasy games from Square (later Square Enix). He also created Yasai no Yousei - N.Y. Salad, a television anime about the secret nocturnal life of vegetables in a New York kitchen, and that series inspired a 3D film this spring.
Online distributor removes titles from Deux Press, Luv Luv Press imprints also
The online graphic novel distributor Netcomics.com announced on Wednesday that it will remove "all series from Aurora Publishing, including those under Deux Press and Luv Luv Press imprints," after midnight PDT on April 14. The listed phone numbers of Aurora Publishing, Inc., the American arm of Ohzora Publishing Co., are no longer in service in Torrance, California.
50-minute anime to also be streamed, bundled for free with Hobby Japan mag
The official website of the Black Rock Shooter anime project has announced on Friday that the anime will be bundled with Gakken Publishing's Monthly Megami Magazine and Monthly Animedia. The DVD of the anime will ship with the August issue of Megami Magazine on June 30, and then with the August issue of Animedia on July 10.
The website had already announced last month that the full 50-minute anime will be streamed for free to "everyone," although it did not specify if the stream will be available outside Japan. It will also be bundled on a bonus DVD with Hobby Japan magazine. In 2009, Hobby Japan, Animedia, and Megami Magazine listed monthly circulation numbers of 186,000, 96,225, and 63,475, respectively.
Also at convention: Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone, Eureka Seven film
The first Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) will be hosting back-to-back screenings of the Gurren Lagann compilation movies, Gurren Lagann the Movie –Childhood's End- and Gurren Lagann The Movie 2: The Lights in the Sky are Stars. The expo will be held from April 16 to April 18 at the Lakeside Center at McCormick Place in Chicago. Reed Exhibitions, the company behind New York Comic Con and the New York Anime Festival, is holding C2E2.
Aniplex previously premiered the English-subbed first part of Gainax's theatrical remake of its Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann robot action anime series, Gurren Lagann the Movie –Childhood's End-, at Anime Expo in July 2009. The Viz Cinema theater in San Francisco then held the American premiere of the second film, Gurren Lagann The Movie 2: The Lights in the Sky are Stars, in November. Bandai Entertainment brought the original television series to North America on DVD, as well as on the Sci Fi Channel (through Manga Entertainment).
Aniplex America, who will also host a panel at the convention, launched a website earlier this month under the domain name gurrenlagannthemovieusa.com.
C2E2 will also screen Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone (Evangelion Shin Gekijōban: Jo) and Eureka Seven - good night, sleep tight, young lovers - during the convention.
Toei Animation is offering 200 refurbished episodes of the Sailor Moon Magical Girl anime at the MIPTV market that will be held next week in Cannes. MIPTV is a worldwide content market at which producers such as Toei offer their wares to representatives of TV networks and syndicators of electronic entertainment from more than 100 countries. In addition to the Sailor Moon episodes Toei is also offering the rights to the 243 episodes of the 1980s TV anime Dr. Slump, which is based on the manga series by Dragon Ball-creator Akira Toriyama.
The 200 episodes of Sailor Moon would presumably include all the Sailor Moon TV anime series including the original series (46 episodes), Sailor Moon R (43 episodes), Sailor Moon S (38 episodes), Sailor Moon Super S (39 episodes), and Sailor Moon Stars (34 episodes, the only episodes that have never been available in the U.S.).
Creators told that 2nd volumes of Marvel/Del Rey projects will not be published
Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier have confirmed this weekend that their X-Men: Misfits graphic novel project with artist Anzu has been cancelled. Antony Johnston confirmed on Monday that his Wolverine: Prodigal Son graphic novel project with artist Wilson Tortosa has also been cancelled. Del Rey Manga published the first volumes of both projects in collaboration with Marvel Comics last year. In each project, the creators had intended to end the first volume's storyline in the second volume.
According to Johnston, "the simple truth is that not enough people bought them. Despite Wolverine being praised by readers and selected for two library YA lists, despite Misfits making it onto the New York Times bestseller list, and not least despite all the efforts of Del Rey themselves and our editors there, there just weren't enough readers to justify the costs. This is, sadly, more common than you might think in comics." Telgemeier adds that the creators did get paid for the second volumes, although the unfinished work for the second volumes cannot be released in any format without the licensors' permission.
Del Rey has not yet responded to ANN's request for comment.
Source: Anime News Network
April 9, 2010 Update:
NEWS!!!
You Asagiri's Golden Cain, Haruka Minami's Love a La Carte!, Nase Yamato's Pet on Duty
ANIMATE USA (the American arm of the ANIMATE retail chain for character goods) has announced that it will translate and release books from Japan's Libre Publishing Co., Ltd. on the Amazon Kindle e-book platform. ANIMATE USA has already released CJ Michalski's boys-love manga Delivery Cupid, and it plans to release three more titles from Libre's B-Boy boys-love imprint in April:
* You Asagiri's Golden Cain * Haruka Minami's Love a La Carte! * Nase Yamato's Pet on Duty
ANIMATE USA plans to continue releasing four or more titles every month. The Be Beautiful imprint of the defunct distributor Central Park Media once published Golden Cain and Love a La Carte! in North America, while Broccoli Books' Boysenberry Books imprint published Delivery Cupid and Pet on Duty. ANIMATE bought a stake in Broccoli Books' parent company Broccoli in January of 2008, about 12 months before Broccoli shut down its Broccoli International USA subsidiary.
Kindle Books can be read on Amazon's own Kindle devices (in three different versions), a free App for Apple's iPhone/iPod touch/iPad mobile devices and BlackBerry devices, and the free Kindle application for Windows and Mac OS X operating systems.
The official websites for the Naruto anime films have relaunched with the title and date of the fourth Naruto Shippūden film (and 7th Naruto film overall): Naruto Shippūden: The Lost Tower on July 31. In this "dimension-crossing" adventure, the title ninja character Naruto will travel back in time and meet his father, the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze. Masahiko Murata is directing as he did for the last film (Naruto Shippūden: Hi no Ishi o Tsugumono). Junki Takegami, the television series script supervisor and the writer of the three previous films, wrote the screenplay.
The Pillows, the rock band known for its work on FLCL, BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad, and Moonlight Mile, will be hosting a short tour in California in May. The band will perform on May 21 at Slim's in San Francisco, and May 23 at the Glasshouse in Pomona. The Pillows will be touring with three other bands: Noodles, Monokuro, and Pop Chocolat. The Pillows previously performed at Anime Boston in 2008.
The J-rock duo VAMPS, made up of Oblivion Dust guitarist K.A.Z and L'Arc-en-Ciel vocalist Hyde, have announced dates and locations for their 2010 world tour. The tour includes three stops in the United States in October. The group will also play in France, Spain, China, and Chile.
* October 1 - Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA
* October 3 - The Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA
* October 9 - The Roseland Ballroom, New York, NY
VAMPS performance in New York coincides with the New York Anime Festival and New York Comic Con, but the announcement did not say whether or not the duo will be attending these events. The band also held an American tour in 2009.
A piece of legislation known as the Coroners and Justice Act, which extends the law against possession of child pornography to include non‑photographic images, took effect in the United Kingdom on April 6. The legislation was originally proposed in the British Parliament in March 2009. The legislation then moved to the House of Lords in Parliament in the same month.
The act makes it illegal to possess non-real, non-photographic images that are pornographic, "grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise of an obscene character," as well as possessing an image that portrays a range of sexual acts "with or in the presence of a child."
Critics of the bill include the Comic Book Alliance which was co-founded by Leah Moore, the daughter of Watchmen graphic novel writer Alan Moore. The critics say that the bill would outlaw such works as Alan Moore's The Lost Girls comic.
Source: Anime News Network
April 5, 2010 Update:
NEWS!!!
Rock trio heard in Bleach, Gundam 00, Darker than BLACK, Yatterman
The AnimeNext convention has announced that it is hosting the Japanese all-girl rock band Stereopony at the June 18-20 event in Somerset, New Jersey.
The three members of the band had just made their debut on a major label in 2008, and the band's first album, A hydrangea blooms, shipped on last June. The band's debut single "Hitohira no Hanabira" became the ending theme for Bleach, and that led to the band's second single "Namida no Muko" becoming the opening theme of Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Second Season. Stereopony has since performed the "Smilife" ending theme for the Yatterman: Shin Yatter Mecha Daishūgō! Omocha no Kuni de Daikessen da Koron! film and the "Tsukiakari no Michishirube" opening theme for Darker Than Black: Ryūsei no Gemini.
This will be the band's first appearance at an American anime convention.
Source: Anime News Network
April 3, 2010 Update:
As a reminder, don't forget to check us out in Seattle for the Sakura-Con this weekend. Check us out at our booth #526 & #528! Remember to say "Hi!" to us when you are there.
NEWS!!!
2 theatrical remakes originally premiered in Japan in 2008, 2009
Aniplex of America, Inc. has launched a website under the domain name gurrenlagannthemovieusa.com. At this time, Aniplex has no comment regarding the website.
Aniplex previously premiered the English-subbed first part of Gainax's theatrical remake of its Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann robot action anime series, Gurren Lagann the Movie –Childhood's End-, at Anime Expo in July 2009. The Viz Cinema theater in San Francisco then held the American premiere of the second film, Gurren Lagann The Movie 2: The Lights in the Sky are Stars, in November. Bandai Entertainment brought the original television series to North America on DVD, as well as on the Sci Fi Channel (through Manga Entertainment).
Project hopes to boost overseas revenue of Japanese content to 2.5 trillion yen
The Nikkei.com website reported on Monday that the Japanese government is working with the private sector to set up a 10 billion yen (about US$110 million) fund to support the spread of Japanese anime, movies, and music abroad. The Innovation Network Corporation of Japan will provide the financing for the new fund, which will be used to secure ways to distribute content overseas.
The goal for the project is to boost the foreign revenue for Japanese content from 1 trillion yen (US$10.69 billion) — the level in 2008 — to 2.5 trillion yen (US$26.73 billion) by 2020. Heading the panel that is drawing up the strategy is Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, along with the Intellectual Property Policy Headquarters. This panel was expected to approve an outline of the plan on Tuesday.
In an initiative to also promote foreign studios shooting films in Japan, the government is also considering instituting tax breaks on costs for domestic production.
Licensing company, video rental chain's capitalization falls below limit
The New York Stock Exchange warned the licensing company 4Kids and the video rental chain Blockbuster that they face delisting from the New York Stock Exchange because their market capitalization is below the exchange's minimum limit. 4Kids' most recently reported stockholders'equity was US$35.1 million, below US$50 million limit that the stock exchange requires over a 30-trading-day period. 4Kids said on Friday it intends to submit a plan within the required 45 days on how it plans to comply with the stock exchange's requirements for listing.
However, if 4Kids' average market capitalization falls below US$15 million over a 30-trading-day period, the stock exchange's delisting procedure would begin regardless of any plan 4Kids would submit. 4Kids also has to maintain an average closing price of US$1.00 for a share of its stock, and has six months to raise the stock price above US$1.00 after receiving another notice.
As of the close of business on Wednesday, 4Kids' stock stands at US$1.15 with a market capitalization of US$15.35 million.
The stock exchange requires Blockbuster to raise its market capitalization above US$75 million. As of the close of business on Wednesday, Blockbuster's market capitalization is US$52.94 million.
Source: Anime News Network
April 1, 2010 Update:
A new month and a new look for this upcoming month. It is going to be a good one. We can feel it! Don't forget to enjoy your Easter Sunday! We saw the Easter Bunny hopping around the corner so he is not too far behind.
As a reminder, we are in Seattle, Washington for this upcoming Sakura-Con 2010! If you are around the area, pay a visit to our booth. There will be a lot of entertainment, speakers/guests, and a whole lot of surprises in store for you there. If you went last year and enjoyed it, come again for this year. We can assure you that it will be a blast!
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