Otaku News

Key Stateside Crunchyroll Talent Joins UK's Anime Limited in Expansion Move

Date: 2021 April 15 21:05 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks at anime distributors Anime Limited have just sent us details of their new hire and key leadership promotion.

The anime firm have announced that they've hired Miles Thomas as their new Chief Marketing Officer. Miles was previously at the anime streaming giants Crunchyroll for 8 years making waves as he expanded their social media network and setup the Editorial Programming department. He brings his industry and domain knowledge to an already strong firm.

Internally there's been a bit of a restructure with Jessica Poce having also been appointed Chief Operating Officer and Kerry Kasim has been promoted from her position as VP Marketing to the role of General Manager, UK and Ireland.

The details of the expansion plan aren't fully explained in the press release, they hint at expanding to other territories and verticals. Reading in-between the lines we're guessing they intend to expand their music offerings and maybe their streaming services, but we're just inferring this from their press release.

It's interesting to see the next stage in the anime industry as Manga Entertainment fades away as it gets absorbed into Funimation, which in turn also owns Crunchyroll.

Anime Limited has always had excellently presented releases. Their collectors and ultimate editions always contain a ton of extra content and are fantastically packaged (we're eager to get our hands on their upcoming release of Violet Evergarden). They've also always been good at cinema releases, bringing Your Name and Mirai to name a few to the big screens. Anime Limited have also gone the extra mile at events as they tend to bring guests from Japan to events like the MCM London Comic Con. We hope they continue with these core strengths as they expand and are interested to see what they've got planned.

Manga UK to rebrand as Funimation

Date: 2021 April 13 20:42 | Posted By: Eeeper

Category > Anime

Venerable UK anime brand to be retired in favour of new parent company's identity, social media idents to be moved over to existing Funimation UK addresses.

In an announcement on its official blog, Funimation confirmed that their UK home video division, Manga UK, will rebrand as Funimation. The fan-favourite UK anime label will start changing over to its parent labels identity, starting with their website and social media teams. The post also states that Blue Exorcist and its Kyoto Saga retcon would be available to UK and Irish viewers to celebrate. The change is expected to be completed by May 2021.

Crunchyroll Spring 2021 Line Up

Date: 2021 March 28 14:19 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from anime streaming service Crunchyroll have revealed their line up for Spring 2021.

It includes the return of old favourites such as the highly anticipated latest season of My Hero Academia, some new Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Digimon Adventure and of course One Piece. Along with the conclusion of Fruits Basket, titled Fruits Basket: The Final Season (hmmm, a bit like Attack on Titan there).

New seasons include To Your Eternity, which we're curious to see how the anime adaption will compare to the manga. The intriguing ODDTAXI, plus a whole crop of different titles such as Tokyo Revengers, Zombie Land Saga Revenge (Season 2), The Slime Diaries, JORAN THE PRINCESS OF SNOW AND BLOOD, Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro, Osamake: Romcom Where The Childhood Friend Won't Lose, Those Snow White Note.

Culture Gate to Japan Art Exhibition Opens Online and at Airports Across Japan

Date: 2021 March 27 11:11 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

We've just been sent some interesting details about the Culture Gate to Japan Art Exhibition. Set around the airports of Japan each exhibition focuses on a different aspect of Japanese art, history and culture relevant to each location. Kansai International Airport will be hosting a manga themed exhibition, which includes new works by artists including Yuki Urushibara (Mushishi), Machiko Satonaka, Yoshihiro Yamada, Yuichi Yokoyama and more.

But you can't get to Japan right now to enjoy this I hear you cry! Well the reason we're publishing this is the official Culture Gate website has lot of interactive content for you to enjoy from each exhibition online. So you don't have to go hopping around each airport of Japan to get exhibition experience.

We've been told "There are high-tech, contemporary artworks by 29 artists installed at eight locations across Japan. Each location's exhibition is inspired by the culture and history of the region of Japan it is located. From the mysterious soundscapes of Hokkaido's indigenous Ainu people to the vibrant history of Okinawa's ancient Ryukyu Kingdom, diverse cultures can be found throughout Japan. Through this project, artists and creators seek to reinterpret and convey the appeal of these rich cultural resources, each molded by the particular regional climate in which they developed. As the gateways to these unique regions, airports are the ideal location at which to exhibit these works, inviting visitors to discover new aspects of Japanese culture."

Screen Anime April 2021 Streaming Line Up

Date: 2021 March 23 20:50 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from Screen Anime the curated monthly streaming anime festival have sent us the details of their April 2021 showings. As always they've got a great line up.

For April they headline with Makoto Shinkai's Children Who Chase Lost Voices (also known as Journey to Agartha).

Then they've also got the Tiger &Bunny Movie - Tiger & Bunny: The Rising. Set in a world where superheroes get sponsorship from big name brands similar to sports personalties.

They've also got five short films from Production I.G, in the form of Pigtails & Other Short Films.

While for their curated offering, they have RE:Cyborg 009.

For their TV series offering this time around they'll be showing Eureka Seven Part 1.

The shows are available from from 25th March 2021 until 25th April 2021. The subscription based service costs £3.98 a month or £39.98 per year. You can also gift a subscription for up to a year.

Read More... | Souce: Screen Anime

Funimation App Launches on Nintendo Switch

Date: 2021 March 22 20:12 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from anime company Funimation (who own Manga UK and Cruchyroll) have just sent us details about their Nintendo Switch App. The app is now available on Nintendo Switch in the UK and Ireland. They also plan to expand to other territories in the coming months.

Hatsune Miku Home Ramen Kit

Date: 2021 March 14 11:29 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Cuisine

We've covered plenty about food for fans of Japan in the past before. With lockdown still underway in the UK people are always looking for something a bit different to eat at home. So some companies have been innovative and created DIY at home cooking kits. This elevates it from a regular takeaway it's an activity you can do at home. Ramen chain Shoryu Ramen with branches in London, Manchester and Oxford have just teamed up with Hatsune Miku to create Miku x Shoryu DIY kit. This limited edition ramen kit is dedicated to fans of everyone's favourite vocaloid.

You can order now for delivery between 16th March - 4th April 2021. Each pack is £44 and serves 2 people. There's a meat eater (which contains pork) or vegan option. Each pack also contains Matcha Detox mocktail for 2, along with 2 white chocolate turquoise cookies a plus Hatsune Miku x Shoryu tote bag.

Discotek Media Announce New Titles for Late 2021 and Beyond

Date: 2021 March 12 20:43 | Posted By: Eeeper

Category > Anime

US anime boutique label Discotek Media announced on Monday night via Twitch a number of new licence acquisitions and details on already announced titles. They also gave updates on the status of titles they are working on and the state of where they are.

I Hear the Sunspot: Limit Volume 3 Manga Release Details

Date: 2021 March 11 20:59 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good people from One Peace Books have just sent us the release details I Hear the Sunspot: Limit Volume 3. The final volume of the manga is due out on 13th April 2021. The publishers promise us that "The moving love story between two young men, the hard-of-hearing Kohei and the eternally-optimistic Taichi, reaches a tear-jerking finale".

They also tell us it's "Praised for its nuanced representation of disability, and named a best graphic novel for teens in 2019 and 2020 by the American Library Association's YALSA division, I Hear the Sunspot: Limit showcases the protagonists' immense emotional growth while continuing its thoughtful exploration of disability representation and issues."

One Peace Book always publish an interesting range of manga, and this one is certainly worth adding to your reading list.

You can pre-order the book from all the usual places including Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, US Bookshop.org, UK Bookshop.org.

Women Make Animation Online Event

Date: 2021 March 06 14:07 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

The good folks from the Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival have teamed up with Wales One World Festival to Celebrate International Women's Day. Together they'll be hosting free family friendly online event on 13th March 2021. The event will show case works by up and coming female directors. They'll be showing various family friendly short films on the Zoom Stream. The event is free to attend, but registration is required.

They'll also be running a free drawing workshop with the Japanese animator and illustrator Chie Arai.

Screen Anime March 2021 Streaming Line Up

Date: 2021 February 28 16:28 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from Screen Anime the curated monthly streaming anime festival have sent us the details of their March 2021 showings. As always they've got a great line up.

For March they headline with the live action adaptation of Tokyo Ghoul, along with the classic anime Mind Game, which marks the directorial debut of Masaaki Yuasa. For the festival favourite they'll be showing The Case of Hana & Alice and for the final feature Summer Days with Coo will be showing too.

For the TV Series subscribers will be treated to the popular sci-fi show Planetes.

This month we highly recommend Mind Game and Planetes, but everything they've got (as always) is worth your time.
The shows are available from from 25th February 2021 until 25th March 2021. The subscription based service costs £3.98 a month or £39.98 per year. You can also gift a subscription for up to a year.

Read More... | Souce: Screen Anime

Talk Series Announced - The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2021

Date: 2021 February 17 21:02 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from the Japan Foundation in the UK have sent us a reminder about their Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2021. As we've mentioned before in addition to the eighteen finest and most talked about recently released Japanese films, the programme will host 7 online talks where 8 Japanese directors in total will talk about their work and explore issues existing in Japanese society.

They've curated 18 Japanese titles under the theme of This is My Place - Carving out a sense of existence and belonging in Japanese Cinema.

You can sign up to watch the films and talks at home check out https://onlinecinema.jpf-film.org.uk.

As always we've they some really good titles.
The live action adaptation of Little Miss Period stands out. If you enjoyed the manga or are curious about personifications of that time of the month, then it's well worth catching!

For anime fans they'll be showing HELLO WORLD, a romantic story with a sci-fi twist.

The Original Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 comes to Crunchyroll

Date: 2021 January 25 21:39 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from streaming anime service Crunchyroll have just sent us news that they'll be streaming the original Gundam Series Mobile Suit Gundam 0079. This is the original 1979 anime that started it all!

Hugely influential, it's the start of the massive Gundam franchise, the show that spawned so many other shows and countless bits of merchandise (which was the point of the show).

Crunchyroll have both the sub and English dubbed versions available.

Screen Anime February 2021 Streaming Line Up

Date: 2021 January 23 14:39 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from Screen Anime the curated monthly streaming anime festival have sent us the details of their February 2021 showings. As always they've got a good line up.

Headlining this month is Mamoru Hosoda's Mirai. It's a charming movie about a small child with of course a Hosoda like twist. You can read our review of the Oscar nominated movie here.

They've also got the first ever anime feature film Momotaro: Sacred Sailors. the Japanese 1945 propaganda film was made using prisoners of war as the voice actors. It's interesting from a historical and academic standpoint and certainly worth watching.

If you're looking for a melancholy sci-fi romance type anime film then HAL is for you.

But if you want some old school anime with a very sweary 1990's dub, Sci-fi action extreme violence and exploding neck collars then the classic Cyber City Oedo 808 is for you.

For the TV show they've got the visually stunning Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo.

This is such a a great selection this month. It's available from 25th January 2021 until 25th February 2021. The subscription based service costs £3.98 a month or £39.98 per year. You can also gift a subscription for up to a year.

Read More... | Souce: Screen Anime

AmeChibi Rescheduled to October 2022

Date: 2021 January 23 13:55 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

As we've mentioned before popular fan run anime convention AmeCon's mini con AmeChibi was postponed from April 2021. The AmeCon committee have now announced AmeChibi will be running Friday 14th to Sunday 16th of October 2022.

All bookings for AmeChibi with the venue will be automatically transferred over (as long as it was made by the link sent in AmeChibi registrations email) and your membership for the event will automatically be transferred over too.

We think October 2022 is a realistic date to run, being more than a year in the future hopefully the COVID-19 situation in the UK would be under control and normality would have returned. The AmeCon committee are also being very clear about refunds and other logistics.

We do notice that that weekend is likely to be before MCM Comic Con London based on their previous runs, which means some fans will be able to have two full geek weekends!

Souce: AmeCon

The Japan Foundation UK Touring Film Programme 2021 Line-up Announcement

Date: 2021 January 16 20:10 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

We've just received details from the good folks at The Japan Foundation in the UK. They've just revealed the line up for The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2021. The yearly film festival has always been a great way of seeing a wide range of Japanese films. This year around for the first time ever the festival is going online. It's set to run from 19th February to 10th March 2021.

Screening dates will be announced on Friday January 22nd 2021.

They've curated 18 Japanese titles under the theme of This is My Place - Carving out a sense of existence and belonging in Japanese Cinema.

Anime wise they'll be showing HELLO WORLD, a romantic story with a sci-fi twist.

They've also got the live action adaptation of Little Miss Period. The movie is based on the manga about personified visitations of that time of the month.

As always they've got a lot of good stuff showing and we're spoilt for choice. This time around you'll be able to watch it from the comfort of your own home.

MCM Comic Con Set to Return to London and Birmingham with Physical Events in 2021

Date: 2021 January 09 19:43 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

The good folks from geeky event MCM Comic Con have sent us details for their plans for 2021. They intend to continue with some virtual Metaverse events in the spring and summer and then MCM Comic Con London is set to return on Friday 24th to Sunday 24th October2021. MCM Comic Con Birmingham is set for Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th November 2021. We're told that due to COVID-19, these will be the only physical MCM events taking place in 2021.

They'll release the show format and health and safety measures in the coming months.

At it's peak pre-COVID-19 MCM Comic Con London attracted over 136,000 attendees over the 3 days and a combined total of over 489,600 attendees spread across all their events in a single year. In COVID-19 time the 10 months to October 2021 is a long way away, it's not certain when normal events can resume. Other events by other organisers in London have started advertising various events in London for September 2021. So it seems there is some consensus with other organisers in other industries.

We're reassured that in the past MCM Events have always considered safety a priority. On the MCM Comic Con after the Manchester Arena attack in May 2017, MCM had to drastically increase security of the event at short notice and this required a lot logistics in order to keep attendees safe. In 2020 MCM cancelled it's events due to COVID-19. At this stage we're uncertain how safe it will be to run an event in October 2021 or what kind of restrictions and limitations any events will have. We are certain though that MCM will make the event safe or postpone it depending on the situation in October and November 2021.

Crunchyroll Announces International Slate of Anime Dubs for Winter 2021

Date: 2021 January 06 20:02 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

For those anime fans out there that enjoy a dub, you'll be pleased to hear that anime streaming service Crunchyroll have revealed their anime dub line ups for some of the top shows of the latest seasons of Dr Stone, Jujutsu Kaisen and Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World.

McDonalds UK are selling Katsu Curry Chicken McNuggets

Date: 2020 December 31 19:44 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Cuisine

We've just discovered as of 30th December 2020, McDonalds UK are selling Katsu Curry Chicken McNuggets.

The fast food outlet describes them as "100% chicken breast meat in a bold Katsu Curry crispy breadcrumb coating served with a sweet curry dip, ready to dive in!"

The Japanese inspired nuggets are being marketed on social media with the hashtag #KatsuAtMcDonalds.

They're available in packs of 6, 9 or 20 and prices seem to vary depending on location and delivery app used. We've seen them priced around £3.89 for 6, £4.39 for 9 and £5.89 for 20.

Souce: McDonalds UK

Screen Anime January 2021 Streaming Line Up

Date: 2020 December 26 13:31 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from Screen Anime the curated monthly streaming anime festival have sent us the details of their January 2021 showings. As always they've got a good line up.

This time around brings us the magnificent Miss Hokusai the story of Hokusai's daughter. The Place Promised in Our Early Days which marks Makoto Shinkai's feature film debut. You may have seen his other works Your Name and Weathering with You.

If you fancy a dark story with a fairy tale feel, then Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade is for you. From Mamoru Oshii the director of the original 1995 Ghost in the Shell feature film.

If you're after something a bit off beat then the Genius Party Beyond anthology is for you.

While last, but no means least if you're after something really off beat, fast paced and enjoyable then the TV series offering of The Tatami Galaxy is for you. It's from director Masaaki Yuasa who also did Night is Short, Walk on Girl and Lu over the Wall.

This is such a a great selection this month. It's available now until 25th January 2021. The subscription based service costs £3.32 a month or £33.32 per year. You can also gift a subscription for up to a year.

Read More... | Souce: Screen Anime

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