Category > Production
Every now and again at Otaku News, we like to interview voice actors, the very people who provide the voices for anime. At the May 2011 MCM London Expo we were lucky to catch up with Ben Diskin and Brian Beacock.
Read More... | Souce: Otaku News
London based anime fans looking for something to do at the beginning of August will be pleased to hear that there will be some free screenings at Canary Wharf.
Manga Entertainment UK and the folks at the Barbican have teamed up to show these titles.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time - Tuesday 2nd August 2011, 6.30pm, FREE
Review
Professor Layton and The Eternal Diva - Wednesday 3rd August 2011, 6.30pm, FREE
Review
Summer Wars - Thursday 4 August 2011, 6.30pm, FREE
Review
As they're free screenings we suggest you arrive early to avoid disappointment. If you're coming to Canary Wharf from Central London, we suggest you take the DLR from Bank or Tower Gateway. DLR Trains going to Lewisham will stop at Canary Wharf. The Jubilee Line also goes to Canary Wharf, but we advise you to take the DLR if you've got the choice.
Please note space is unreserved and sometimes limited. Portable furniture, glass bottles or glasses are not permitted.
Souce: My Canary Wharf
On Wednesday 6th July 2011 we went to the London Barbican sell out screenings of the latest Ghibli movie to make it over to the UK.
Arrietty is due for a wider cinema release in the UK on 29th July 2011.
Read More... | Souce: Otaku News
Category > Anime
We're going all nostalgic here at Otaku News and have decided to dig up some old articles from our archive that are not published on-line, either because they were originally for print or from websites that are now off-line.
Just because they're old doesn't mean they're not relevant to today's otaku.
We start with an article originally published in the AmeCon 2007 Conbook about why UK anime fans owe a debt of gratitude to their Australian counterparts. Please note that it was written for a UK anime audience in mind, Australian readers might find it interesting to know how important they are to the UK industry and how the UK industry helps Madman out.
Read More... | Souce: Otaku News
Category > Anime
Australian media company Siren Visual has licensed three series for streaming and DVD releases for this year.
Dennou Coil, Usagi Drop and Angel Beats will all get a DVD release either in September or further down the line.
Read More... | Souce: Siren Visual
US based readers who can receive Mnet will want to tune in July 5th 2011 at 9:30pm ET/PT to catch Culture Japan which stars expert otaku Danny Choo. Each week Danny will explore different aspects of Japanese pop culture.
You can also catch the show on Crunchy Roll.
Read More... | Souce: Mnet
The good folks from Sentai Filmworks have sent us details about their latest license. They've got the US rights to Mardock Scramble The First Compression. We've seen it, it's good.
It's due out on DVD in the US this September 2011, both English dubbed and subbed. They're also planning a Blu-ray release sometime in 2012.
Read More... | Souce: Sentai Filmworks
Category > Culture
As an avid follower of Japanese popular culture and a regular anime viewer, I am more than familiar with the style of dance routines that have become inseparable from so many titles and credits sequences. From classics such as Urusei Yatsura and more recently popularised by Kyoto Animation's iconic series Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu, shows have taken to inserting dances at any available opportunity to arrest a fan following with catchy tunes and infectious dance moves. The indigenous para para dance style steps are synonymous with series such as Super Gals! where character Kotobuki Ran regularly regales audiences through her hyper rhythmic routines.
Read More... | Souce: Otaku News
Category > Events
US readers who can make it to Anaheim, California should head over to AM2 on July 1 to 3 2011 get a chance to view a special Passport holders only screening of Mai Mai Miracle.
We've seen Mai Mai Miracle, and must say it is worth seeing, especially on the big screen. It's everything you'd expect from a high budget Madhouse production. It's one of those films screaming out for a Blu-ray release. It's a title making the effort to get out and watch. It's in instant classic.
Read More... | Souce: AM2
Category > Events
Everyone's getting ready for the London MCM Expo this weekend (Friday 27th to Sunday 29th May 2011) at the ExCel Centre in London.
The good folks at Manga Entertainment UK have sent us details of their plans at the London Expo. They've got two stands, a treasure hunt, plenty of bargain priced DVDs and Blu-rays.
Voice actors Ben Diskin (voice of Sai in Naruto Shippuden and Syzal in Bleach) and Brian Beacock (voice of Walter Yumasaki in Durarara!!) will both be at a panel and QA at the London MCM Expo too.
Read More... | Souce: Manga Entertainment UK
Category > Anime
London anime fans have got a lot to look forward over at the Barbican. They'll be showing the latest Ghibli movie - Arrietty on Wednesday 6th July 2011 at 7pm which is the UK Premier and on Saturday 9th July 2011 at 11 am (all adults must be accompanied by a child to this screening).
On Thursday 7th July 2011 the Barbican will be showing -
Laputa: Castle in the Sky at 6pm. It'll be introduced by anime expert and Ghibli fan Helen McCarthy.
Trigun: Badlands Rumble will be shown at 8:45pm. Both films are part of the We Love Anime Tour.
More lovely Ghibli features can be seen at the Barbican throughout July -
Saturday 9th July 2011 - 2pm - Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
Sunday 10th July 2011 - 4pm - Princess Mononoke
Saturday 16th July 2011 - 11am - Laputa: Castle in the Sky (all adults must be accompanied by a child to this screening).
Saturday 23rd July 2011 - 11am Kiki's Delivery Service (all adults must be accompanied by a child to this screening).
Saturday 30th July 2011 - 2pm - My Neighbour Totoro
Sunday 31st July 2011 - 2pm - My Neighbours the Yamadas
Sunday 31st July 2011 - 2pm - Spirited Away
I've you've never seen any of these films before, or never seen a Ghibli feature on a proper cinema screen, then now's your chance. These movies are special and always deserve watching in the cinema.
The Barbican have a full listing of all the Ghibli features this July here.
As always with such features, we advise booking early to avoid disappointment.
Souce: Barbican
Category > Anime
The good folks at legitimate anime streaming service Anime On Demand have sent us details about there latest stream to hit the UK. [C] - Control - The Money and Soul of Possibility. The show will start streaming Thursday 21st April 2011 at 17:45 BST (British Summer Time), just one week after it's Japanese debut. Each week a new episode will be added to the site in the future.
Read More... | Souce: Anime on Demand
Category > Anime
Whilst creative accounting is nothing new in the entertainment industry anime fans will no doubt be interested to hear TV Tokyo and Nihon Ad systems have pulled the rights to Yu-Gi-Oh! from 4kids, after an audit found a number of irregularities.
Read More... | Souce: Hollywood Reporter
Category > Events
We've been impressed with the UK Zipangu Fest line up so far. But we believe that this latest screening is something special.
Londoners will be treated to Beyond Anime: CALF Animation, at 6pm, Sunday 3rd April 2011 at the ROXY Bar and Screen.
Apart from a rare chance to see an alternative side to anime, what makes the event so special is the ticket pricing. There is no set price for admission, you pay what you want with all proceeds going toward the Japan Society Tohoku Earthquake Relief Fund.
ROXY Bar and Screen
128-132 Borough High Street
London
SE1 1LB
Nearest Tubes Borough and London Bridge.
Read More... | Souce: Zipangu Fest
Category > Fandom
The great folks at UK convention AmeCon have sent us details of a volunteer role that needs filling. They're looking for a new Events Officer.
Apart from being able to pay something back to anime fandom, this is a great opportunity to participate in a large UK convention, see it's inner workings and meet others who are passionate about anime, manga and all other things otaku love.
Read More... | Souce: AmeCon
Category > Production
Last year, the second annual MCM London Expo returned to bring together a myriad of media and popular culture exhibitors and merchants. It is an exciting occasion for anime fans who attend to meet, mingle and fight their way through the melee of merchandisers and organisers.
Expo is an event that I attend on the front line behind the dealers' tables as an assistant for sales. I am predominantly positioned ready and waiting to serve customers who are on the hunt for anime, manga and figures from the store United Publications. It is an intense and demanding event and catering for the volume of visitors is often a challenge that affords little time to explore the wonders of the wider event. This time, however, I had to make the exception for a remarkable appearance amongst October's exhibitors.
Read More... | Souce: Otaku News
The good folks at Sentai Filmworks have sent us details of the new US DVD release of You're Under Arrest: Fast & Furious Complete Collection, which goes on sale today (February 1st 2011). The 26 episode set is subtitled only, and is available from Amazon.com.
Read More... | Souce: Sentai Filmworks
Category > Retail
Evangelion Fans can rejoice! Manga Entertainment UK have announced that the second new movie is now available for pre-order. The DVD and Blu-ray of Evangelion 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance will hit UK shelves on 30th May 2011.
American readers can get the DVD or Blu-ray from March 29th 2011 from the good folks at Funimation.
UK readers can pre-order the title from Amazon.co.uk -
Pre-order the Blu-ray from Amazon.co.uk for £16.09
Pre-order the DVD from Amazon.co.uk for £13.99
Alternatively you can pre-order from HMV.com, which is apparently the cheapest.
Pre-order the Blu-ray from HMV.com for £14.99
Pre-order DVD from HMV.com for £10.99
US readers can pre-order from Amazon.com
Pre-order the Blu-ray from Amazon.com for $22.99
Pre-order the DVD from Amazon.com for $12.99
Souce: Manga Entertainment UK
Category > Retail
The lovely people at UNIQLO have sent us details of their up coming line of t-shirts. They've had an excellent range of gaming and classic anime t-shirts in the past and this season they've teamed up with Manga Entertainment UK to release Naruto t-shirts in the UK. They've got 32 styles based on the series, priced at £12.99 you can buy them soon from UNIQLO stores or from their website.
Read More... | Souce: UNIQLO
Category > Retail
UK readers might be disappointed or unsurprised to hear that HMV will be closing 60 of their stores across the country as their sales and shares slump as reported by BBC News, The Guardian and other news sources. HMV have been scaling back recently closing their flagship Shibuya store in Tokyo in 2010.
Early estimates suggest that they will close 40 HMV stores, and 20 Waterstones stores across the country.
Anime fans may be interested to know that HMV account for 30% of Manga Entertainment UK's business.
Souce: BBC News
Christmas hasn't even arrived yet and the folks at Manga Entertainment UK have sent us the details of the Summer Wars release due out on 28th March 2011 in the UK and February 15th 2011 in the US.
The Summer Wars Trailer is up on Apple's Website.
The UK release is available on DVD and Blu-ray along with a double pack with The Girl Who Leapt Through Time as it's by the same director Mamoru Hosoda.
Having seen Summer Wars at the BFI Southbank earlier this year, we can confirm that it's an excellent title, and well worth adding to your collection.
UK Release - 28th March 2011
Pre-order Summer Wars / The Girl Who Leapt Through Time Blu-Ray Double Pack from Amazon.co.uk
Pre-order Summer Wars DVD from Amazon.co.uk
Pre-order Summer Wars Blu-Ray from Amazon.co.uk
US Release - February 15th 2011
Pre-order Summer Wars Blu-Ray from Amazon.com
Pre-order Summer Wars DVD from Amazon.com
Souce: Manga Entertainment UK
Manga Entertainment UK have sent us some sad news about the release of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood on Blu-ray. Due to the poor sales of Part 1 and 2 on Blu-ray they will discontinue the series on the format. Part 3 onwards will still be released on DVD.
This due to the high cost of producing Blu-rays and the low sales they've had of the format.
At least Manga Entertainment have sent a press release, other companies just silently pull titles.
Read More... | Souce: Manga Entertainment UK
UK based anime fans who can receive Film 4 will want to tune in today (Sunday 21st November 2010) at 3:05pm to enjoy the Miyazaki classic My Neighbour Totoro.
Film 4 can be seen on the following channels:
Freeview - 15
Freesat - 300
Sky - 315
Virgin - 428
Virgin (HD) - 429
If you've missed it, don't forget Film 4 + 1, so you can catch it at 4:05pm on the following channels -
Freesat - 301
Sky - 316
Virgin - 430
Failing that you can always buy Totoro on DVD from Amazon.co.uk for £7.
Souce: Film 4
Anime fans who can get to Leeds from 18th to 21st November 2010 are in a for a real treat. Thought Bubble and Leeds International Film Festival have some great anime features to enjoy. Including some European Premieres such as Mardock Scramble: The First Compression (review here), Gintama The Movie, along with some great anime titles you should see if you haven't already. -
Mardock Scramble: The First Compression
Gintama The Movie
One Piece: Strong World
Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance
Redline
Interstella 5555: The 5tory Of The 5ecret 5tar 5ystem
Normally at this stage we'd cherry pick a title or two for suggestion as to what to watch, but they're all good, Interstella 5555 is always worth watching one more time too. ^_-
There's also some live action adventures with - Zebraman 2: Attack on Zebra City.
The Thought Bubble Festival are offering £20 passes for a day, or Individual tickets for £6.50/£5.00.
Read More... | Souce: Thought Bubble
Category > Anime
The good folks at Beez have sent us details of a a free preview of the first 14 minutes of episode 2 of Mobile Suit Gundam UC (Unicorn): The Second Coming of Char.
Gundam UC episode 2 is currently planned to be released November 12, 2010 on Blu-ray disc simultaneously in the US, Canada, and Taiwan.
It'll also get a PSN release too.
You can watch the first 14 minutes of Gundam Unicorn Episode 2 on the Bandai Channel.
Read More... | Souce: Bandai Channel
Category > Anime
Reni Mimura, a cosplayer and singer living in New York, was performing at this years New York Anime Festival. Despite her busy schedule, she found the time to sit down and chat with us for a brief time about her reasons for taking her work to New York, what she thinks of her fans and which she prefers: cosplay or singing!
Read More... | Souce: Otaku News
Category > Anime
A quick reminder for UK anime fans, the Studio Ghibli classic Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind will be released on blu-ray on Monday 18th October 2010. This is one of those rare instances when UK anime fans get a release before the US.
UK readers can pre-order Nausicaa on blu-ray from Amazon.co.uk.
US readers who can't wait will want to consider the Japanese release which also has English subtitles and is region free.
Update: A reader has noticed that The Digital Fix are running a Nausicaa blu-ray competition.
Souce: Optimum Releasing
Category > Press Releases
Bandai Entertainment have sent us details fresh from NYAF including that Lucky Star Manga Volume 6 is out today. You can order it from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk.
The original Mobile Suit Gundam will be released as a two part DVD under the Anime Legend range.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is going to get a US blu-ray release, details and dates still to be confirmed.
Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society is coming to blu-ray.
K-ON! Season 1 will be released on DVD and blu-ray, and will be released over 4 parts. Additionally they'll be releasing a standard and special addition which features a CD (with tracks to be confirmed).
Gundam 00 movie: A wakening of the Trailblazer has also got a North AMerican release, again details and release dates to be confirmed.
Read More... | Souce: Bandai Entertainment
London based anime fans are in for a special treat thanks to the good folks at The Embassy of Japan. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time will be screened on Wednesday 10th November 2010 at The Embassy of Japan (101-104 Piccadilly, London W1J 7JT). The screening will begin at 6:30pm, doors open at 5:45pm. There will be no admittance after 7pm. Admission is free, but prior registration is essential.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a real delight to watch, if you haven't seen it already it's worth making the effort of going to see it. As always with popular events we suggest booking early to avoid disappointment.
Souce: The Embassy of Japan
As is tradition in October Sci-Fi-London will be screening a great selection of anime as part of their Oktoberfest. The festival starts on Thursday 14th October and ends early in the morning of Sunday 17th October 2010 (this is because of their great Saturday all nighters).
Friday 15th at 7:30pm they'll be screening Technotise: Edit & I, which is billed as Serbia's first animated feature film crossing Ghost in the Shell with Waltz with Bashir.
On Saturday 16th October at 3pm they'll be screening Time Traveller: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, the live action take of the Sci-Fi novel that inspired an anime feature film version along with a TV drama, manga and other feature films.
Saturday night from 10:30pm is when the fun starts for Studio Ghibli fans, with an all-nighter with the following features -
Spirited Away
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
The Cat Returns
Howl's Moving Castle
At the same time at 10:30pm there is an anime all-nighter as an alternative, screening 2 Ghibli features plus Eden of the East -
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
The Cat Returns
Eden of the East
As always with great events we suggest you book early to avoid disappointment.
Souce: Sci-Fi-London Oktoberfest 2010
We've mentioned it before, but it's always worth being reminded about from Tuesday 19th October to Sunday 19th December 2010 the Barbican in London will be running an Aspects of Japanese Cinema season. It's also worth noting that the screening of Kenji Mizoguchi’s The Water Magician is accompanied, for the first time in the UK, with traditional benshi narration and live music on a koto.
Benshi narration is the traditional form of Japanese silent film story-telling: the performer, or benshi, stands beside the screen and reads the intertitles as well as voicing the characters and commenting on the action.
The koto is the traditional 13-stringed zither of Japan whose shape has been likened to a crouching dragon. The history of the instrument spans at least twelve centuries during which time its form has changed little. It is made from the wood of the paulownia tree (or ‘Royal Empress tree’) and generally plucked with plectra worn on the right hand.
For those interested in the season, we suggest you look at our previous post, about the highlights (which is pretty much the whole season)!
Read More... | Souce: Barbican
Category > Retail
Anime expert and industry insider Jonathan Clements has just posted details on his blog about Schoolgirl Milky Crisis being released on Kindle.
It's available to buy from Amazon.com in the US and Amazon.co.uk in the UK.
Souce: Schoolgirl Milky Crisis Blog
Studio Ghibli fans will be very excited to to hear about the Japanese Blu-ray release of Laputa, the Castle in the Sky. The high definition 1080p release is due out on 22nd December 2010. Like the Japanese blu-ray release of Nausicaa, it should be region free, meaning it'll play on any blu-ray player, including the PS3. It will have English subtitles, but it does not appear to have an English dub track.
Details as follows:
English Japanese French Cantonese Mandarin Korean
Audio -
Japanese: DTS HD 2.0 Surround
Cantonese: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
French: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
German: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Korean: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Mandarin: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
It retails for 6800 Japanese Yen, which is about 82 US Dollars or 52 Pounds (GBP / UK).
JBox/JList,Otaku.com and CDJapan are currently taking pre-orders for Castle in the Sky on Blu-ray.
Souce: Disney Japan
Category > Gaming
We've been sent the details about the UK release of Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes, the popular action fighting game featuring historical figures kicking the backsides of whole armies. We've covered cosplayers who like to dress in Sengoku period clothes before.
The Capcom game is due out on Wii and PS3 on 15th October 2010, with Manga Entertainment due to release the anime version on DVD on 8th November 2010. As the in game Date Masamune would say "Let's party"!
Read More... | Souce: Capcom
The good folks at Scotland Loves Animation has sent us the details of their guests for the film festival. Anime expert Jonathan Clements will be appearing at both weekends, while anime director Satoshi Nishimura and anime producer Shigeru Kitayama will be attending the Glasgow weekend only.
Read More... | Souce: Scotland Loves Animation
Category > Anime
Anime Expert Jonathan Clements has written an obituary on Satoshi Kon for Sci-Fi and fantasy magazine Salon Futura along with one for British Film Institute's Sight and Sound Magazine.
Souce: Jonathan Clements\' Blog
Category > Press Releases
The good folks at Phaidon have sent us the details of their up coming book Manga Impact.
The book has 500 colour illustrations, 300 illustrated entries, and contributions from anime and manga experts such as Jonathan Clements and Tsugata Nobuyuki.
The book is due out November 2010.
Pre Order From Amazon.co.uk
Pre Order From Amazon.com
Read More... | Souce: Phaidon
Category > Events
London's Barbican has always been a great place to visit for fans of Japanese cinema with their monthly Japanimation screenings, but some fans may want to move into the arts centre from October to December as they'll be shown a whole host of Japanese films, anime and even a cosplay event! There's so much good stuff to see!
Movie buffs will be delighted to with the great range of movies.
There's so much to recommend here, we suggest you take a look at the full listing.
Shojo fans will be interested see the live action version of Nana on Thursday 21st October 2010 at 6pm.
Cosplayers will want to keep Saturday 6th November on 11.00pm – Kamikaze Girls screening and cosplay event.
Fans of cheesy movies will want to keep an eye on the 18 rated RoboGeisha showing at 7:30pm as part of the Halloween Shlockfest on Friday 29th October.
Beat Takeshi fans have a lot to look forward to on Sunday 14th and Monday 15th November 2010. They'll be showing Hana bi, Brother, Dolls and Zatoichi.
Those who enjoy classic Japanese cinema will enjoy the Akira Kurosawa season too.
Anime fans aren't left out either with a CLAMP themed screening of XxxHOLiC The Movie: A Midsummer Night's Dream and Tsubasa The Movie: The Princess in the Birdcage Kingdom – Tuesday 19th October 2010. As always resident expert and author Helen McCarthy will be on hand to introduce the movies.
As always with popular events we suggest booking early to avoid disappointment.
Read More... | Souce: Barbican
Scottish anime fans will have a great selection of anime screenings to look forward to with the Scotland Loves Anime October 2010 Festival. Set to run in Glasgow on Friday, October 8th to Sunday, October 10th and Edinburgh Friday, October 15th to Sunday, October 17th as well as part of the DCA Discovery Film Festival in Dundee October 22nd-26th.
They've got a great line up films some classics and some new
GLASGOW - Glasgow Film Theatre:
Trigun: Badlands Rumble (UK premiere, HDCAM)
One Piece Strong World (UK premiere, HDCAM)
Summer Wars (Scottish premiere, Digital Cinema Print)
Redline (Scottish premiere, HDCAM)
Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva (Scottish premiere, Digital Cinema Print)
Cowboy Bebop the Movie (Special screening, 35mm)
EDINBURGH - Filmhouse Cinema:
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (UK premiere, 35mm)
Evangelion 2.0 (Special screening, Digital Betacam)
Summer Wars (Digital Cinema Print)
Trigun: Badlands Rumble (HDCAM)
One Piece Strong World (HDCAM)
Redline (HDCAM)
Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva (Digital Cinema Print)
Dundee - DCA:
Summer Wars (Digital Cinema Print)
They're all worth watching, but if you haven't seen them already we highly recommend Summer Wars, the Cowboy Bebop Movie and Evangelion 2.0. As always with popular events, we suggest booking as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
Read More... | Souce: Scotland Loves Anime
Want zombies with your anime? The good folks at Sentai Filmworks and Anime Network are willing to provide you with infected flesh eating monsters! Sentai Filmworks have the license for High School of the Dead. and will be releasing it subbed and dubbed throughout North America.
The Anime Network will also be showing the first and second episode from Monday July 5th to subscribers in North America.
Read More... | Souce: Sentai Filmworks
Fans of futuristic technology and anime who can get to London will want to head over to the BFI Southbank on Sunday 11th July 2010 for their special lecture on the world saturated with technology. Called The Anime Machine: An Illustrated Lecture by Thomas Lamarre it's set to start at 6pm. You can also get a joint ticket for a screening of Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence.
Fans of more tradional Japanese cinema will want to consider the BFI Southbank season of Akira Kurosawa and His Influence.
As always we advise booking in advance for such events to avoid disappointment.
Souce: BFI Southbank
Category > Anime
The good people of Crunchyroll have sent us details about their new Bleach Simulcasts. Starting today (Wednesday June 15th 2010), premium members will be able to watch Bleach one hour after it's been shown in Japan on TV TOKYO. Regular non-paying members of Crunchyroll will be able to watch it a week later.
Bleach will be available on Crunchyroll in following countries areas - United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.
Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll
Category > Manga
Multi-National Manga Anti-Piracy Coalition Formed
We've received some very interesting details from VIZ Media about the formation of a Multi-National Manga Anti-Piracy Coalition.It seems that the industry has grown tired of Scanlations - manga scanned into a digital format and distributed without the copyright holders consent. The coalition include the 36 members of Japan's Digital Comic Association, Square Enix, VIZ Media, TOKYOPOP and Yen Press.
Originally scanlations were manga translated by fans into their native language from Japanese. This can be seen as the manga equivalent of anime fansubs. Some scanlation sites branched out to scans of manga that was already official translated and licensed outside of Japan.
This has cost the manga publishing industry significant amounts of money, not just in lost book sales, but lost opportunities in the relatively new market of eBooks and mobile devices.
The coalition intend to target scanlation sites and aggregators of scanlation sites. They've drawn up a list of 30 sites to targeted for action. First they will ask the sites to cease distributing scanlations. If the sites fail to cease distributing further action will be taken depending on the jurisdiction of each site. Actions include legal injunctions against the sites, reporting the sites to governmental anti-piracy units of law enforcement, including the US Justice Department, local law enforcement agencies and the FBI.
Fans curious about piracy in the anime and manga industry should read the Pirate Anime FAQ.
This is not the first time the anime and manga industry has attempted to stop piracy in the industry, but this is the biggest and most coordinated international effort so far. With many companies in the industry forced to make cut backs, closing down offices, laying off staff, we wonder if this is the start of a new approach? Will more companies pursue legal options? Are fansubbers next?
Read More... | Souce: VIZ Media
The good folks from Manga Entertainment UK have sent us details about the up coming DVD release of Naruto Shippuden Box Set 1. The box set contains the first 13 episodes of the adventures of a more mature Naruto.
It's due out on Monday 14th June 2010. You can pre-order it from Amazon.co.uk.
Read More... | Souce: Manga Entertainment UK
The good folks from Manga Entertainment UK have sent us details about the up coming DVD release of Soul Eater. Part one contains the first 13 episodes of the series. It's due out on Monday 28th June 2010.
You can pre-order Soul Eater Part One from Amazon.co.uk.
Read More... | Souce: Manga Entertainment UK
Category > Retail
We've received details from Manga Entertainment UK about the great bargains they'll be offering over the weekend of 29th and 30th of May 2010 at the London MCM Expo. They'll have 50% off most DVDs including boxsets and Blu-ray titles, along with a £1 manga shop.
You'll also be able to pick up Sky Crawlers on DVD and Blu-ray a bit earlier too.
Read More... | Souce: Manga Entertainment UK
Category > Events
London based anime fans will want to head over to the Barbican on Tuesday 20th July 2010 at 8:30pm for their screening of Mobile Suit Z Gundam: A New Translation - Heirs to the Stars. Resident anime expert Helen McCarthy will be introducing the film. As always, we advise that you book early to avoid disappointment.
Read More... | Souce: Barbican
Category > Anime
US Anime fans can now watch Vampire Knight on-line as it premiers on VizAnime.com. This streamed anime title is only available to people inside the US.
Read More... | Souce: Viz Anime
Category > Events
NY based fans of Japanese Cosplay Singing Maids will want to head over to the anime and Japanese Cultural event PJ "mini" Pop to see Reni Mimura . The event is set to run on Sunday May 23rd 2010 from 12:00 until 6:00pm at the The Dwyer Cultural Center in South Harlem.
Read More... | Souce: Reni\'s Blog
The good folks at the London Barbican have sent us details for their anime line up in May and June 2010. On Tuesday 25th of May anime expert Helen McCarthy will introduce an action packed double bill of Summer Wars at 6:15pm and Dante's Inferno at 8:45pm.
Then on Tuesday 15th June at 8:30pm the Barbican will screen King of Thorn (which is also introduced by Helen McCarthy). As always with popular events we suggest you book early to avoid disappointment.
Read More... | Souce: Barbican
The good folks at Bandai Entertainment have sent details of the up coming US screenings of the new Haruhi Movie - The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya.
An English subtitled version of the film will be shown at the Viz Cinema in San Francisco from May 21st. The film will then be shown in Hawaii by Consolidated Theaters in mid-June.
Bandai also intend to release the film on DVD in the near future.
Read More... | Souce: Bandai Entertainment