Peach-Pit's Shugo Chara Manga to End in Japan Next Month

Peach-Pit's Shugo Chara Manga to End in Japan Next Month (Updated)
posted on 2009-11-29 23:11 EST
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Magical girl story to end in next issue of Kodansha's Nakayoshi magazine

The January issue of Kodansha's Nakayoshi magazine is confirming on Tuesday that the Peach-Pit manga duo are ending their Shugo Chara! magical girl manga in the next issue on December 28.

Del Rey will publish the eighth of the 10 current volumes of the manga in North America in January. The Crunchyroll website has been streaming the television anime adaptation, and it has also been simulcasting its Shugo Chara!! Doki— sequel. ANN is hosting the videos as well.

[via 2channel]

Yu Yu Hakusho, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX End in Shonen Jump USA posted on 2009-11-28 11:27 EST Yu Yu Hakusho is last of inaugural titles; Yu-Gi-Oh! GX graphic nov

Yu Yu Hakusho, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX End in Shonen Jump USA

posted on 2009-11-28 11:27 EST

Yu Yu Hakusho is last of inaugural titles; Yu-Gi-Oh! GX graphic novels to continue

Yoshihiro Togashi's Yu Yu Hakusho supernatural action manga and Naoyuki Kageyama's Yu-Gi-Oh! GX action manga have ended in the January issue of Viz Media's American version of Shonen Jump magazine, which ships this month. Yu Yu Hakusho is the last of the original five manga titles from the very first issue of Viz's Shonen Jump to run its entire length. (The other titles in the inaugural issue in January 2003 were Dragon Ball Z, Sand Land, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and One Piece.) Yu Yu Hakusho is the only manga besides Sand Land to complete its entire run in Viz's Shonen Jump magazine.

While Yu-Gi-Oh! GX is ending its serialization run in Viz's Shonen Jump, it will still continue in graphic novel form. Viz will ship the fourth English volume in January, while the Japanese publisher Shueisha only just shipped the sixth Japanese volume this month. The February issue will be the first issue in Shonen Jump USA's seven-year run to not have a Yu-Gi-Oh!! manga.

In the same January issue of Shonen Jump, Viz has skipped ahead in the One Piece manga to publish the same chapters that Shueisha's Shonen Jump magazine in Japan has been running this year. The newest English chapters are about nine months behind the latest Japanese chapters. This move prepares the way for Viz's plans to publish volumes 24 through 53 of the One Piece graphic novels between January and June of 2010 — or five volumes per month. The 56th volume of the manga will ship in Japan on December 4. The February issue will start a preview of Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro's Toriko cuisine action manga.

Ikkitousen's New TV Anime, Xtreme Xecutor, Confirmed (Update 2)

posted on 2009-11-25 07:19 EST

Bachou Mouki (Aya Endo) makes anime debut; Vol. 0 DVD with card at Comike 77 next month

The January issue of Wani Books' Monthly Comic Gum magazine has confirmed that production on a new Ikkitousen television anime series, Ikkitousen XX, has been green-lit. It will be the fourth television series based on Yuji Shiozaki's Ikkitousen manga about girls in fighting tournaments. (The manga runs in Monthly Comic Gum.)

Geneon Entertainment once released the first Ikkitousen anime series in North America, and Funimation now has the license. Media Blasters announced at Anime Expo 2007 that it had licensed the second Ikkitousen anime series, Ikkitousen: Dragon Destiny. Media Blasters CEO John Sirabella has since revealed earlier this month that his company acquired the third series, Ikkitousen: Great Guardians, as well. Tokyopop released the original manga in North America under the name Battle Vixens.

Source: Hobby Search via 2channel

Update: The official website has launched. The "XX" of the title stands for "Xtreme Xecutor." The character Bachou Mouki (Aya Endo) — the loose analogue of the Ma Chao character from the Chinese legend Romance of the Three Kingdoms — will appear for the first time in the anime along with original characters not seen in the manga. The main cast from the previous anime series will return with the original voice actressess.

A Volume O DVD will be sold in advance with a special OS: Ikkitousen PR card from the Chaos trading card game at the Comic Market 77 event in Tokyo this December.

Koichi Ohata (Ikkitousen: Dragon Destiny, Burst Angel, You're Under Arrest: Full Throttle) is directing and supervising the series scripts. Rinshin (Ikkitousen: Great Guardians) is designing the characters along with chief animation director Junji Goto (School Days, School Days: Magical Heart Kokoro-chan). Yasuharu Takanashi is providing the music as he did for Ikkitousen: Dragon Destiny, Ikkitousen: Great Guardians, and Gantz. GENCO is producing the project, and TNK is in charge of the animation in collaboration with ARMS.

Update 2: According to Neowing, the Ikkitousen: Xtreme Xecutor Volume 0 Mochiron Misechau Mushūsei Da yo! DVD will also be available in regular retail stores on January 22, and the television series itself will premiere in April.

Aya Hirano's Speed Star is #4 on Weekly Album Chart

posted on 2009-11-25 12:31 EST

Character voice's 2nd top-10 album sold 20,342 copies

Voice actress Aya Hirano's Speed Star album debuted at #4 on Oricon's weekly album ranking chart for the week of November 16-22. The two-CD set sold 20,342 copies. This is the second album in a row from Hirano to debut in the top 10; last year's Riot Girl sold 23,000 copies to land at #6. Speed Star's 13 tracks include The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya's new opening song "Super Driver" and Chiko, Heiress of the Phantom Thief's ending theme song "unnamed world."

The #1 album of the week was the limited first edition of B'z's Magic, which sold 340,630 copies. After debuting at #1 the week before, Arashi's My Girl album fell to #3 on the latest weekly singles chart with 42,302 more copies sold.

Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya Film Announced for 2010

Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya Film Announced for 2010

The final episode of the "renewed" airing of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya anime series ended on Friday with a teaser of The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (Suzumiya Haruhi no Shōshitsu) film. The film will open in Japanese theaters in the spring of 2010. More details will be provided on the anime franchise's official homepage at a later date. The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya is the title of the fourth volume in Nagaru Tanigawa and Noizi Ito's original Haruhi Suzumiya light novel series about an eccentric, assertive girl who creates her own school club for her strange antics. The main story in this volume has yet to be animated. The first indications of animation plans for this light novel volume came in December 18, 2007, when the anime's official website "disappeared" with a cryptic announcement of a new Haruhi Suzumiya project; December 18 is a reference to the pivotal date in the fourth volume.

Time of Eve Film's New Scenes Confirmed for 2010

Time of Eve Film's New Scenes Confirmed for 2010

The official website of Yasuhiro Yoshiura's Time of Eve net anime series has confirmed that the previously announced theatrical edition of the first season will open in Tokyo and Osaka next spring with new scenes. The theatrical edition will re-edit the story of the six episodes with new footage. Yoshiura and Studio Rikka — the creators of the Mizu no Kotoba and Pale Cocoon anime — developed this "non-hard science-fiction" story about everyday life in a future Japan populated by robots and life-like androids. The Crunchyroll website is streaming all six net episodes.

Kaichou wa maid-sama goes anime

Kaichou wa maid-sama goes anime

MASTER"S ANOUNCEMENT! The October issue of Monthly LaLa magazine that goes on sale next week will include the announcement of a TV anime adaptation of Hiro Fujiwara’s shoujo manga Kaichou wa Maid-sama! (Student Council President is a Maid!). The romantic comedy stars Misaki Ayuzawa, a strict, boy-hating girl who acts as her school’s student council president in hopes of taming the predominantly male student body and allowing the female students to feel safe and comfortable. Her reputation is jeopardized when fellow student Usui Takumi learns that Misaki works part-time at a maid cafe. The ongoing manga series premiered in 2005 and presently has 8 complied volumes. Tokyopop publishes the series in English under the abbreviated titled “Maid Sama!”

Warner Brothers Acquires Robotech Rights!

Warner Brothers Acquires Robotech Rights

The Hollywood Reporter mentions that after a lengthy negotiation, Warner Bros. Pictures has picked up the rights to bring anime classic "Robotech," which featured giant robots known as mechas, to the big screen. Spiderman actor Toby Maguire is producing through his Maguire Entertainment banner and is eyeing the lead role in what the studio plans on being a tentpole sci-fi franchise. "We are very excited to bring 'Robotech' to the big screen," Maguire said. "There is a rich mythology that will be a great foundation for a sophisticated, smart and entertaining film." Drew Crevello also is producing through his Supercool Hollywood BigTime Prods. Craig Zahler ("The Brigands of Rattleborge") has been tapped to write the screenplay. Frank Agrama of rights-holder Harmony Gold will exec produce; Jason Netter will serve in a producer capacity. Matthew Reilly brought the project to Warners and is overseeing. Daniel Shafer brought the project to Maguire and will shepherd for the company. Robotech is based on the Mosepada, Super Dimensional Fortress Macross and Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, anime franchises.

Comic Yoshimoto Indefinitiely Suspends Publication

Comic Yoshimoto Indefinitiely Suspends Publication

Shinbunka reports entertainment agency Yoshimoto Kogyo's first of a kind manga effort Comic Yoshimoto will suspend publication indefinitely from the 7th issue to be released on September 18th. As we reported back on January 16th, the agency announced it was "making a raid on the manga field". On January 4th president Isao Yoshino gave a speach at the Swiss hotel Namhae Osaka where the new Comic Yoshimoto magazine was announced. 20-25 different serials all penned by professional mangaka were to be published therein. Plots were based around member celebrities of the agency such as former wrestler Razor Ramon (HG - Hard Gay) (inncidently Go Nagai (Cutey Honey) illustrated his serial). The circulation was a twice a month affair (released on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday) with a 320 Yen pricetag. 250,000 debut issues were printed and released on June 19. The sales network consisted of bookstores and convenience stores nationwide. Subsidiary Yoshimoto Books was formed in March established by existing publisher "Crocodilian Books". Isao Takenaka of PR mag Monthly Yoshimoto served as editor and chief. President Yoshino planned to have the company invest 500 million Yen on the project. The target demographic was men 20-40-years old. Although their official position is "no comment" at this time, declining sales are said to have contributed to the apparant end of the magazine. Although 250,000 #1 issues were printed up only around 30% of that number were actually sold upon release. Afterwards the circulation was scaled down to 135,000 per issue and towards the end Yoshimoto was only seeing sales of 10-20,000 copies per issue.

Hatsune Miku Virtual Idol Software Hits #1 On Amazon

9-10-07 (8:24AM EDT)---- Hatsune Miku Virtual Idol Software Hits #1 On Amazon

First reported here back on September 3rd Crypton Future Media is promoting its new Hatsune Miku virtual idol software that makes human singers obsolete. It allows musicians to inject the voice of their self styled 16-year-old pop idol into any melody and sing the lyrics to any song they choose. Voice actress Saki Fujita (Tokimeki Memorial) provided the model voice for the program. The soft ranked in 1st place in Amazon Japan's top software sales rankings as of September, 10th. The achievement is very unusual for DTM (Desktop Music) package. Retail stocks of the software are said to be extremely low and may be depleted in many shops by the end of this week.

New Kara no Kyoukai 7 Trailer

New Kara no Kyoukai 7 Trailer

November 12th, 2009 by John

The homepage for the Kara no Kyoukai movie series has added a 2:42 trailer for the seventh & final film’s December 9th Japanese DVD release. The trailer consists almost entirely of footage not seen in previous trailers.

Source: Moon Phase

The Wallflower Manga Gets January TV Drama Green-Lit

posted on 2009-11-12 18:39 EST

Yamato Nadeshiko Shichihenge already made into 2006-2007 TV anime

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This year's 18th issue of Kodansha' Bessatsu Friend magazine has announced on Friday that a television drama series based on Tomoko Hayakawa's The Wallflower (Yamato Nadeshiko Shichihenge) manga has been green-lit for a January premiere. The story follows four teenaged "pretty boys" who are invited to stay at a posh mansion, free of charge—provided they can transform the owner's standoffish, weird niece into a proper young lady. More details about the drama version will be published in future issues of Bessatsu Friend.

The manga has been running in Bessatsu Friend since 2000, and 24 compiled book volumes have been published so far. Del Rey will publish the 22nd volume in North America next January. The story has already been adapted into a 2006-2007 25-episode television anime series, which ADV Films

Bungaku Shoujo Teaser Streaming Now

Bungaku Shoujo Teaser Streaming Now

November 12th, 2009 by John

The homepage for Production I.G’s upcoming anime film Bungaku Shoujo (Literary Girl) now includes a 60 second streaming Flash teaser trailer. The adaptation of Mizuki Nomura’s light novel series is a lighthearted drama about the president of a high school literature club who is actually a supernatural creature that feeds on stories – she literally eats book pages – and a reclusive young author who knows her secret and writes stories just for her. The film will open theatrically during the Golden Week 2010 holiday season (late April into the first week of May).

Live-Action Bebop Producer Reveals 1212 Entertainment

posted on 2009-11-12 23:57 EST

Company to focus on remakes of manga, anime, Japanese games, French comics

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Joshua Long, an executive producer of Twentieth Century Fox's proposed live-action Cowboy Bebop film, has told the AnimeVice website that his newly renamed company, 1212 Entertainment, will be focusing on live-action adaptations of manga, anime, and game titles from Japan, as well as some French comics.

Long added that his company will have "a lot to announce soon." Long had previously revealed at this year's Anime Expo that he is pursuing live-action film projects based on the Kakurenbo supernatural horror anime and a Kazuo Koike work.

Long confirmed that the proposed live-action Cowboy Bebop film will remain a project under the 3 Arts Entertainment production company. Twentieth Century Fox, 3 Arts Entertainment, and the original anime studio Sunrise itself are collaborating on the project. Keanu Reeves (The Matrix, A Scanner Darkly, Johnny Mnemonic) is slated to star. Peter Craig signed on to write the screenplay, which producer Erwin Stoff said would not be an origin story. Stoff added that Shinichiro Watanabe, the director of Sunrise's original Cowboy Bebop science-fiction anime series, would be the first person to read a completed script.

Shueisha to Launch Digital Manga Distribution in December

Shueisha to Launch Digital Manga Distribution in December

November 12th, 2009 by John

Japanese anime news website animeanime.biz reports that next month Japanese publisher Shueisha will launch an initiative to distribute English translated manga to mobile phones in 28 countries. The effort will launch with a sample version of English translated Dragon Ball manga available for free through the Windows Marketplace for Mobile site to downloaders in regions including Japan, the United States, Europe, and India. 20-30 manga titles will eventually be available for free while the service transitions into a premium service by spring 2010.

Source: Anime News Network

Kiss×sis Manga Gets TV Anime Green-Lit for Next Spring

posted on 2009-11-13 04:09 EST

Bow Ditama's "forbidden" romance already inspired 3 original anime DVDs

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A television anime adaptation of Bow Ditama's Kiss×sis romance manga has been green-lit for next spring. The story follows the "forbidden" love between a boy and his two stepsisters. The manga has already inspired three original anime DVD volumes that are bundled with the limited first editions of the third, fourth, and fifth manga volumes. (The fifth manga volume will ship in Japan on November 20.)

The manga has been running in Kodansha's Weekly Young Magazine since 2004, although it will move into the sibling publication Monthly Young Magazine in its debut issue on December 9. The new magazine was previously a bimonthly magazine called Bessatsu Young Magazine. In addition to creating Kiss×sis, Ditama created the Fight Ippatsu! Jūden-chan!! manga and anime, the Kibun Kibun manga and anime, and the art in the Mahoromatic manga.

How Common is Sex in Anime?

How Common is Sex in Anime?

Question:
I have seen some anime like the old school and some new ones one like Dragon Ball, Macross, Robotech, Bleach, One Piece, Bubblegum Crisis, D-Gray Man just to name a few. Then one of my friends recommended me to watch Speed Grapher and Gantz. To my impression when I first saw them I thought it would be one of those action drama stuff but then in the following episodes it showed some sex scenes. I was “what the!?” So my two questions are: what kind of category do they fit in and are those the only two that have ever been showed that?

Answer:
Although its prevalence has varied through the years, nudity has been commonplace in anime since the early 1970s. Sexuality and reference to sex in anime goes back even farther, to very early modern anime like 1963’s Sennin Buraku, Japan’s fourth TV anime series (following Otogi Manga Calendar, Tetsuwan Atom, and Ginga Shonentai). The depiction of full sexual intercourse in TV anime, however, is a relatively recent development and still a rather uncommon one. Home video anime has been depicting graphic sex since 1984, but graphic sex in TV anime has remained largely taboo because TV anime is accessible to a much larger and diverse audience.

In 1995 the Shin Seiki Evangelion television series included a sequence in which sex occurred off screen, but viewers could hear the act in progress. Partly because that clear suggestion of sex, at the time, pushed the envelope of what was considered appropriate for TV broadcast anime, and because Evangelion was broadcast during prime-time hours when young children would be watching the show, the scene caused great controversy and, according to legend, nearly got the show pulled from broadcast. Gainax, the studio that animated Evangelion, almost pushed the envelope farther in its next production, 1998’s Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou. While the show broadcast on Japanese television was chaste, the home video version of episode 18 tastefully depicted sex through a series of eight still frames. Gainax did, in fact, put sex on screen in TV anime in 1999. The Oruchuban Ebichu segment of its Anime Ai no Awa Awa Hour television anime anthology included comical scenes of graphic intercourse.

The 2004 Gantz TV series is noteworthy for again pushing the envelope. The Gantz ~The First Stage~ TV series aired on the terrestrial Fuji TV network. It included nudity and violence, but no graphic sex. The amount and intensity of violence and sexuality present in the Gantz story forced the second half of the series, Gantz ~The Second Stage~, off of the Fuji TV network, onto the Animax premium satellite TV network which had more freedom to air provocative content. The second episode of the “Second Stage” included a brazen sex scene, establishing a new, but little used, standard for acceptable content in broadcast Japanese television anime. Unlike Oruchuban Ebichu, which depicted its sex humorously with very stylized art design, the sex scene in Gantz episode 15 is shockingly realistic and primal.

Typically on-screen sexual intercourse has been limited to appearances only in anime TV series broadcast late at night and intended for adult viewers. One memorable exception is the March 2004 broadcast of the second Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Special Edition which included three non-graphic but obvious shots of sex not included in the original broadcast episode 15. However, anime TV series that have clearly and unmistakably depicted the act of sex on screen, including Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien, Blue Gender, Berserk, Saishuu Heiki Kanojo, School Days, Nana, Shigurui, Kaiba, Bokura Ga Ita, and Aoi Bungaku Series to name a few, have all been anime broadcast at midnight or later. These shows run the gamut of genres, including sci-fi, action, shoujo romance, fantasy, and historical drama. Shows like Gantz and Speed Grapher, which include graphic sex, aren’t defined by their graphic sex. Even a show like School Days that includes a lot of sex, is still foremost a drama. American fans unused to “adult” content within animation may instinctively presume that shows which include graphic sex are representative of some special, distinguished genre differentiated from “normal” anime, but that’s not really the case. By their nature, late night anime for mature viewers may sometimes be more provocative than mainstream anime for children and adolescents, but anime should be approached the same way Americans approach typical American live action television programming. American viewers aren’t shocked by the inclusion of sex in mid-day soap operas or prime-time legal dramas targeted at mature viewers. Anime that includes obvious sex, above and beyond nudity and mere reference to sex, should be considered in the same way Americans accept sex in mainstream American TV programs. The sex is included as a natural and integral part of the story or to establish an atmosphere. Mainstream anime doesn’t include sex just to be exploitive or hyper-sexualized. That’s the realm of home video erotic anime. Mainstream anime sometimes includes graphic sex because sex is a normal aspect of human life, and anime strives to illustrate human stories.

New Saiyuki Anime Confirmed

New Saiyuki Anime Confirmed

November 2nd, 2009 by John

Following several weeks of speculation and rumor, Gensomaden Saiyuki manga creator Kazuya Minekura formally confirmed at this past weekend’s Saiyuki Festa’09 -Saiyuki Series Dai-Genga-Ten- promotional event that her Saiyuki Gaiden manga will be adapted into an anime OVA format. The Saiyuki Gaiden manga, which relays Goku’s origin, 500 years before the events of Gensomaden Saiyuki, was serialized periodically from 1999 until ending this past June.

Source: Anime News Network

Suzumiya Haruhi Movie in February

Suzumiya Haruhi Movie in February

November 2nd, 2009 by John

The Japanese Cinecitta movie news website reports that the Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoshitsu) movie will hit Japanese theaters on February 6, 2010.

Source: Kyou mo Yarareyaku blog

Weiss Survive Second Series Announced

Weiss Survive Second Series Announced

October 30th, 2009 by John

The official website for Weiss Schwartz collectible card game has announced the development of a second season of the Weiss Survive anime television series based on the card game. Weiss Survive R will introduce a new fourth female character into the story. The recently concluded Weiss Survive anime television series consisted of 16 three minute episodes broadcast within the live action Card Gakuen television program.

The announcement also mentions plans for a collaboration with the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS and Fate/stay night anime series. Lyrical Nanoha characters already appear in the Weiss Schwartz card game.

I’m a little bit surprised by the announcement of a second season, but since the episodes are so short, I suppose, why not make more?

Source: Anime News Network

Precure All Stars 2 Trailer Online

Precure All Stars 2 Trailer Online

November 2nd, 2009 by John

Toei Animation has announced its eighth Pretty Cure motion picture. Precure All Stars DX2: Kibō no Hikari— Rainbow Angel o Mamore! (Precure All Stars DX2: Light of Hope— Protect the Rainbow Angel!) will open on March 20. The first Precure All Stars movie, which included the casts of all six Pretty Cure TV series, hit Japanese theaters this past March. The seventh Pretty Cure movie, the first Fresh Precure film, just opened in Japanese theaters this past weekend. The Precure All Stars homepage is now streaming a 25 second teaser for the new movie.

I’ll definitely be looking forward to this because the first Precure All Stars Deluxe movie was really good. I wonder if this film will ignore the first one and introduce all of the girls to each other (again) or if this film will open with all of the girls already familiar with each other.

Source: Anime News Network

New Sekirei PV Online

New Sekirei PV Online

November 4th, 2009 by John

The homepage for the Sekirei anime franchise has added a five minute long anime promotional video promoting the November 4 release of the “Yakusoku I’m with You / SURVIVE BABY SURVIVE!” CD single. The video summarizes the first Sekirei TV series. A second series, Sekirei ~Pure Engagement~ is in development now.

Source: Moon Phase

Tekken Movie!?

First Look at Tekken Movie

November 5th, 2009 by John

ComingSoon has secured a first look at the sales flyer for Crystal Sky Pictures’ planned film adaptation of Namco’s Tekken fighting game franchise. The film, first announced in 2007, is set to be directed by Dwight Little (Anacondas, Murder at 1600) from a script by Alan McElroy (Spawn, The Marine).

This art is certainly better than the baffling teaser poster image hosted on Crystal Sky’s homepage. What is that? That teaser poster looks like some sort of bloody farm equipment. This is Tekken, not Children of the Corn.

Article provided by Daniel Zelter

The World is Upside Down!(Shocking!)

The World is Upside Down!

November 6th, 2009 by John

When the Japanese otaku matchmaking service Otakuma conducted a poll of users’ favorite anime between April and August of this year, the results revealed a surprising trend. Among Japanese otaku, men appear to prefer moé anime, to little surprise. However, four out of the top five shows female otaku like most are giant robot anime. The era of the Gunonna and mekajo dawns!

Males:
01. K-On!
02. Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu
03. Lucky Star
04. Gundam (all series)
05. Saki
06. Shin Seiki Evangelion
07. Maho Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha
08. Hetalia
09. CLANNAD
10. Toradora!

Females:
01. Gundam (all series)
02. K-On!
03. Code Geass
04. Macross Frontier
05. Shin Seiki Evangelion / Toradora! (tie)
06. Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu
07. Lucky Star
08. CLANNAD
09. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
10. Minami-ke

Goldran DVD Trailer Online

Goldran DVD Trailer Online

November 10th, 2009 by John

The official homepage for the 1995 Ogon Yusha Goldran robot anime television series is now streaming a 75 second trailer for its upcoming DVD boxed set. The Ogon Yusha Goldran Memorial Box will contain all 48 episodes on 8 DVDs, non-credit openings 1 & 2, non-credit ending, a gallery of Goldran promotional materials, and the episode 1 preview. The set will retail at 33,600 yen beginning December 22.

Sharp eyed observers may notice that the Memorial Box promotional image above was illustrated by Masami Obari.

Continuing R2 Shangri-la DVD Singles Canceled

Continuing R2 Shangri-la DVD Singles Canceled

November 10th, 2009 by John

Gonzo’s 24 episode Shangri-la anime television series broadcast earlier this year was scheduled to be released on Japanese DVD on 12 individual DVDs retailing at 6090 yen each. Japanese retailers Neowing and Sofmap now report that the monthly release of individual DVD volumes 7-12 has been canceled in lieu of a single DVD collection available March 26 that will contain the second half of the TV series. The Shangri-la DVD Collector’s Edition will retail at 36,750. The cost of six individual DVDs would have totaled 36,540 yen.

It’s very curious if this change in release format is a response to poor consumer support for the show, a response to declines in Japanese DVD sales overall, an attempt to generate a quick lump sum cash infusion for the financially struggling Gonzo studio, or something else entirely.

Source: Anime News Network

Ladies versus Butlers! Special to Air Next Month

Ladies versus Butlers! Special to Air Next Month

November 10th, 2009 by John

The AT-X satellite TV network has scheduled an hour long Ladies versus Butlers! (Ledi x Bato) special for broadcast on December 29, about a week before the TV series’ official premiere. The special will include a preview broadcast of the series’ first episode and, tentatively, discussion of the episode with the series’ voice actors.

Bandai Reschedules Kurokami

Bandai Reschedules Kurokami

November 10th, 2009 by John

Bandai’s overdue and long awaited DVD release of the Kurokami TV series has been rescheduled for release on February 9, 2010. Originally scheduled for a June 2009 release as a 200 minute double disc DVD release retailing at $39.98, the series will now premiere in two revised release formats.

The first DVD volume will be a single bilingual DVD containing episodes 1-6 and non-credit OP/ED retailing at $29.98.

The first Blu-ray volume will contain English dubbed episodes 1-4 and non-credit OP/ED retailing at $24.98.

Yes, you read that correctly. The Blu-ray release is dub only.

Kaito Reinya Anime Announced

Kaito Reinya Anime Announced

November 11th, 2009 by John

The KDDI telecommunications company has announced the development of an anime adaptation of the Kaito Reinya nonsense comedy manga franchise. The 4-koma manga about Reinya, a girl who works by wearing an advertising signboard for the convenience store next to a police station by day, and works as a cat burgler by night (her name is a pun on “Reina” and “nyaa,” the Japanese sound of a cat’s meow), chased by bumbling police is the same traditional story concept used in anime including Kaito St. Tail and Cat’s Eye. The Reinya character is based on real life Morning Musume member Reina Tanaka, who will provide Reinya’s voice in the 12 episode anime serial.

Black Cat, Jubei-chan, and Oh! Edo Rocket animation director Takahiro Yoshimatsu will serve as chief director for the Kaito Reinya anime. The show will premiere on the KBC network in Japan’s Kyushu region on January 9th before becoming available on the KDDI’s mobile phone video service.

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun's Opening Theme Lands at #3

posted on 2009-11-10 11:22 EST

Anime's "only my railgun" song by fripSide sells 26,000 CDs in debut week

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The CD single for "only my railgun," fripSide's opening theme song for the To Aru Kagaku no Railgun television anime series, debuted at #3 on Oricon's CD single ranking chart for the November 2-8 week. It sold 26,000 copies in its first week as fripSide's first top-10 single. Producer Satoshi Yaginuma formed fripSide in 2002 and Yoshino Nanjou (CANAAN) had only just been hired as the group's new vocalist earlier this year. The group had previously sung the Koihime†Musō anime's opening theme "flower of bravery," which landed at #26 in July last year.

Director Tatsuyuki Nagai (IDOLM@STER: XENOGLOSSIA, Toradora!) and J.C. Staff are adapting Motoi Fuyukawa's To Aru Kagaku no Railgun (A Certain Scientific Railgun) manga for Japanese television. The To Aru Kagaku no Railgun manga is itself a spinoff from Kazuma Kamachi's To Aru Majutsu no Index (A Certain Magical Index) light novels that are set in Academy City, a city where about 80% of its 230,000 citizens are students. The spinoff deals with the adventures of Mikoto Misaka, one of the Level 5 psychics in the original light novels. The anime premiered on October 2.

Production I.G's Bungaku Shoujo Film Teaser Streamed

posted on 2009-11-11 19:15 EST

Mizuki Nomura's school comedy about high school author, "literary" yōkai

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The official website for Shunsuke Tada and Production I.G's anime film adaptation of Mizuki Nomura's "Bungaku Shōjo" ("A literary girl") light novel series has begun streaming a one-minute teaser trailer on Wednesday. (In the linked page, skip the Flash opening animation and then select the "Trailer" option from the top left menu.)

The "mysterious school comedy" centers on the unusual members of a high school literary club. Tōko Amano, a high school senior who calls herself the "literary girl" as the club president, is actually a supernatural creature (yōkai) that devours stories — she tears pages from books to munch on them. Her club subordinate is Konoha Inoue, a second-year high school boy who writes stories every day for Amano to eat. He once wrote an award-winning novel, but he wrote it under the penname Miu Inoue so readers thought the author was a mysterious 14-year-old bishōjo novelist. The stress from the novel's fame and its movie and television drama plans turned Inoue in an introverted recluse.

The film will open in Japan during next year's Golden Week, the string of holidays that stretches from late April to early May.

Hunter X Hunter Manga to Reportedly Return on January 4

posted on 2009-11-11 13:16 EST

Latest run for Yoshihiro Togashi, an artist well-known for his long breaks

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The next issue of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine will reportedly announce that Yoshihiro Togashi will restart his Hunter X Hunter shōnen action manga in next year's combined 5th/6th issue on January 4. Togashi is well-known for halting and restarting his manga for months at a time. Togashi published his last run of the manga from October 6, 2008 to December, 2008. During that same period, Shueisha published the 26th compiled book volume of the manga.

Not coincidentally, Viz Media will publish the 26th volume of the manga in North America in January

Kobato's 1st DVD to Include New Mini Flash Anime (Updated)

posted on 2009-11-09 12:06 EST

Limited edition to have 2 TV episodes, "Hajimete no Kobato. #1" short, name tag

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The official Japanese website for the television anime adaptation of CLAMP's Kobato. manga has announced that the first limited-edition DVD volume will include a new mini Flash anime. In the manga and anime's story, Kobato is a young girl who "cures" other people's pain and fills a mysterious bottle with feelings of suffering from their hearts. The Flash anime is titled "Hajimete no Kobato. #1"

Besides the Flash anime, the limited edition of the first DVD volume will include the first two television episodes, a CLAMP-illustrated box for the first half of the series, a name tag in the shape of Kobato's signature dove icon, a DVD jacket illustrated by character designer Hiromi Kato, a special case with a picture label, eight pages of liner notes, and a mail-in offer form. The regular DVD edition will just have the two television episodes, Kato's DVD jacket, the liner notes, and the mail-in offer form, although the contents of both editions are subject to change.

Yen Press announced at Comic-Con International in July that it licensed the original manga for North America.

Source: Saishin Anime Jōhō

Images © CLAMP, Kadokawa Shoten/Kobato. o Mamoru Kai

Update: More background information on the manga added.

Ladies versus Butlers! Special to Run in December

posted on 2009-11-09 22:32 EST

The AT-X channel has tentatively scheduled a Ladies versus Butlers! (Redi x Bato) special program on December 29, about one week before the official anime series premiere in January. The special will feature a special advance screening of the first anime episode. AT-X hints that the remainder of the hour timeslot will be devoted to a roundtable discussion between the voice cast members.

Tsukasa Kōzuki's romantic comedy light novels revolve around Akiharu Hino (Kazuyuki Okitsu), an ordinary high school student who unfortunately looks like a juvenile delinquent. He enrolls into an academy that was once a school for upper-class ladies, and he is placed in the school's newly established servant training department. The students there are raised to be either maids or butlers, and Akiharu finds himself in the middle of the bickering cliques.

Media Blasters Adds Queen's Blade, Ikkitousen Great Guardians (Updated)

posted on 2009-11-05 12:11 EST

Both anime to be dubbed; 2 Queen's Blade seasons released before summer
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Media Blasters CEO John Sirabella has revealed on the Anime on DVD forums on Thursday that his company has acquired the Queen's Blade and Ikkitousen: Great Guardians anime series for North America. He also added that each of the anime will "get a dub," and that both Queen's Blade seasons are scheduled for release before next summer.

Queen's Blade began as Hobby Japan's Japanese game spinoff from Flying Buffalo's Lost Worlds combat picture book games. The television anime adaptation's first season, Queen's Blade -Rurō no Senshi-, aired in Japan from April to June of this year. The second season, Queen's Blade: Gyokuza no Tsugumono (literally, Queen's Blade: Inheritor of the Throne, or Queen's Blade and the evil eye), was announced immediately after the last episode of the first season. The second season premiered this past September, and it is still airing.

kkitousen: Great Guardians is the third television series based on Yuji Shiozaki's Ikkitousen manga about girls in fighting tournaments. The 13 episodes ran from June to September of last year. Geneon Entertainment once released the first Ikkitousen anime series in North America, and Funimation now has the license. Media Blasters announced at Anime Expo 2007 that it had licensed the second Ikkitousen anime series, Ikkitousen: Dragon Destiny. Tokyopop released the original manga in North America under the name Battle Vixens.

[Via jlskun, Ain't It Cool News]

Images © Hobby Japan/Queen's Blade Partners
© 2008 Yuji Shiozaki, Wani Books/Ikkitousen GG Partners

Update: More background information added.

BLACK ROCK SHOOTER

Black★Rock Shooter" (often abbreviated to just "B★RS")

Black★Rock Shooter was a collaboration between ryo, who created the music, and huke, who created the video and character. The song is about losing something precious, then later gaining hope to move on.

The video appears to feature Miku clad in a black outfit wielding weapons, but it is not. Most people believe that the character, which later gained the name Black★Rock Shooter because of the song, is a fanmade version of Miku. She is actually an original character of huke's. ryo had thought she beared a striking resemblance to Miku, and asked huke if he could make a song about her using vocals by Miku. After the song's success, huke revealed other characters that are related to Black★Rock Shooter, one of which is Dead Master, who is the arch-nemesis of the main character.

VIDEOS:





TRAILER OF PILOT ANIME



Miku is the one who sung Black Rock Shooter, but she isn't BRS, cause BRS is a original character base only on Miku Hatsune(that's why some people thought she and miku is the same)....