The good folks from UK anime distributors Manga Entertainment UK have just sent us their release schedule for the autumn and winter of 2018. They've got a mix of good classic titles, include the fantastic Paprika, Cow Bebop: The Movie, Tokyo Godfathers (a perfect Christmas classic) along with some new movie collections and continuing some releases of popular long series. The line up is as follows -
September:
Digimon Tamers (17th September 2018) DVD
Paprika (24th September 2018) Pre-order on: Blu-ray or DVD
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (24th September 2018) Pre-order on: Blu-ray or DVD
Steamboy (24th September 2018) Pre-order on: Blu-ray or DVD
October:
Ghost in the Shell: Innocence (1st October 2018) Pre-order on: Blu-ray or DVD
Power Rangers: Ninja Steel Volume 2 (1st October 2018) Pre-order on: DVD
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie (8th October 2018) Pre-order on: Blu-ray or DVD
Tokyo Godfathers (15th October 2018) Pre-order on: Blu-ray or DVD
One Piece (Uncut) Collection 19 (22nd October 2018) Pre-order on: DVD
Pokémon Movie Collection 17-19:XY (22nd October 2018)
Digimon Frontier (29th October 2018) Pre-order on: DVD
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Complete Season 1-3 (29th October 2018)
November:
Naruto Shippuden Box 34 (19th November 2018) Pre-order on: DVD
December:
Digimon Adventure Tri Part 6 Future (3rd December 2018) 8) Pre-order on: Blu-ray or DVD
Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! Take On Me (10th December 2018) Pre-order on: Blu-ray or DVD
One Piece (Uncut) Collection 20 (17th December 2018) Pre-order on: DVD
Read More... | Souce: Manga Entertainment UK
UK anime fans waiting to get their hands on some current shonen action will be pleased to hear about the upcoming release of Black Clover Season One Part One. The good folks from Funimation Entertainment sent us the details of DVD and Blu-ray Combo pack due out on Monday 6th August 2018. Part one will contain the first 10 episodes of the show.
Based on the popular manga series by Yūki Tabata, Black Clover follows the adventures of Asta and Yuno both orphans in a world of magic. Yuno is handsome and accomplished, while Asta impulsive and lacks any kind of of magical ability. Both desire become Wizard King... and the adventure starts!
Read More... | Souce: Funimation Entertainment
Category > Manga
Manga Publishers Seven Seas Entertainment always have a nice habit of releasing interesting titles. This time around they've announced they have the license for LGBT+ Manga Shimanami Tasogare by Yuhki Kamatani. They've appropriately timed the press release to be out at at the same time as Pride Month.
The manga follows high schooler Tasuku Kaname who is the new kid in town and is also terrified that he's been outed as gay. By chance Tasuku meets a mysterious woman who leads him to a group of people dealing with issues similar to his own.
Seven Seas intend to release this title in single volume editions. Volume 1 will be released on May 7, 2019 for $12.99 USA / $15.99 CAN.
Read More... | Souce: Seven Seas Entertainment
Following on from the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Limited Edition Delux UK Blu-ray the good folks from Manga Entertainment UK have just announced that they're going to release the the title as a standard edition on DVD and Blu-ray.
It's due out on Monday 6th August 2018. We've noticed that the running time for every edition is 1337 minutes long. The elite number favoured by hackers. We're certain this is deliberate!
Read More... | Souce: Manga Entertainment UK
Category > Culture
The Embassy of Japan in the UK have have just announced the theme for their manga competition. Theme for this year is "home". The competition has been running each year for more than 10 years now. Just by entering you can learn a lot, but this is certainly a competition worth investing time in. This years first place winner will get a flight to Japan, while second prize will get a laptop and third place will a digital camera from Ricoh UK (like Daido Moriyama we're fans of their GR Series cameras).
The competition has 2 distinct categories the Yonkoma Manga for 11 to 13 year olds where they can submit a 4 panel manga. While the main Manga Jiman is open for anyone 14 and over expects a short story told across 6 to 8 pages.
To check out previous winning entries go here.
Read More... | Souce: The Embassy of Japan in the UK
Category > Manga
The good people from manga publishers Seven Seas Entertainment have just sent us a reminder of their latest release print release - My Solo Exchange Diary Volume 1. The manga is the sequel to the autobiographical manga My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness. We found the original manga to be essential reading and many other have agreed making the follow on true story of Nagata Kabi highly anticipated by fans.
As always you can buy My Solo Exchange Diary Volume 1 on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.
Volume 2 is slated for a February 2019 release and is already available for pre-order on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.
Of course if you want to start the original book is also available on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.
Read More... | Souce: Seven Seas Entertainment
Category > Anime
The good folks from MCM Comic Con have just sent us the details of their first London show of 2018. The MCM London Comic Con ran from Friday 25th to Sunday 27th May 2018. The event was well attended and had Full Metal Panic! Creator Shouji Gatou as Anime Guest of Honour.
The MCM Team also remind us that their next event will be in Manchester on Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th July at Manchester Central.
As always we've had the details up on the Otaku Calendar so you can keep track of these great events.
Read More... | Souce: MCM London Comic Con
The good folks from Eleven Arts have sent us details for the US and Canadian Theatrical release of Maquia: When The Promised Flower Blooms. The film will be released in the US and Canada on July 20th, 2018. Visit their site to find a screening near you.
As we've already mentioned Maquia hits UK cinemas from Wednesday 27th June 2018.
Read More... | Souce: Eleven Arts
Category > Anime
While the good folks from Anime Limited are getting ready for the MCM London Comic Con this weekend they've still found some time to tell us the UK cinema release date for Mamoru Hosoda's latest movie. Mirai is set to open nationwide around the UK on 2nd November 2018. That date is a while away so details will still be confirmed. They've put all the details up on their new official website www.miraifilm.co.uk.
Read More... | Souce: Anime Limited
Category > Anime
Anime fans in the UK looking for some card duelling cinema action will be pleased to hear that Manga Entertainment UK will be releasing Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie in select cinemas one night only. The digitally remastered 2004 film will be screened on Wednesday 13th June 2018.
So visit their Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie website to find a screening near you.
Read More... | Souce: Yu Gi Oh! The Movie UK Website
Category > Anime
The good folks from Funimation Entertainment have given us one copy of My Hero Academia Season 2 Part 2 to give away on DVD. The show hits the shelves on DVD and Blu-ray on Monday 11th June 2018. So read on to enter our competition!
Read More... | Souce: Otaku News
Category > Anime
The good people from Manga Entertainment UK have just announced their Summer 2018 release slate. There's pretty much something for everyone. If you're into shonen, they've got more Naruto, Dragon Ball Super and One Piece. They've got some moe fun in the form of Kinmoza where British Girl Alice lives with her best friend Shino in Japan. For fans of otaku comedy anime they've got not one, but two Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions movies. Thrown in for fun is the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable a movie from the very productive Takashi Miike.
Plus lots more:
Read More... | Souce: Manga Entertainment UK
Category > Anime
BBC Wiltshire isn't the first place you'd think of going to for anime coverage, but now and again it does pay off to check regional news. They've just published a video of a visit to Fosse Farmhouse, the B&B used as the location for anime Kinmoza.
We've covered details of Fosse Farmhouse winning Best B&B Story of the Year for it's Anime Connection and the original story of the location being used for Kinmoza.
Souce: BBC Wiltshire Facebook Page
The good folks from Anime Limited have just sent us a reminder about their soon to be released film Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms. It's due to hit the cinemas nationwide across the UK on Wednesday 27th June 2018. Anime Limited have sent us a look at the new poster and also a UK trailer.
Read More... | Souce: Anime Limited
Category > Anime
UK fans of Osamu Tezuka's less mainstream work will be interested to hear about Third Window Film's upcoming release of Animerama: A Thousand and One Nights / Cleopatra. This forms the world's first blu-ray and remastered release of Tezuka's more erotic movies from the late 60's and early 70's. The double disc set is due out on Monday 18th June 2018 and is rated BBFC 15.
The extras bundled with the film make it even more temping including Audio commentaries for both films by Helen McCarthy (anime expert and author of The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga), plus a new hour long interview with director Eiichi Yamamoto.
You can pre-order the collectors edition on blu-ray and DVD from Amazon.co.uk
Read More... | Souce: Third Window Films
Category > Anime
UK Anime distributors Anime Limited have just revealed the release date for Night is Short, Walk on Girl. The movie is directed by Masaaki Yuasa who also directed The Tatami Galaxy, Lu Over the Wall and Devilman Crybaby.
The Night is Short, Walk on Girl is based on the story written by Tomihiko Morimi, who also wrote The Eccentric Family, The Tatami Galaxy and Penguin Highway.
The story revolves around a night out drinking and the crazy adventures that it entails.
The Night is Short, Walk on Girl is due out in the UK on Monday 25th June 2018 on DVD, Blu-ray and Collectiors Edition Blu-ray set.
We interviewed Masaaki Yuasa when the movie hit UK cinema screens and also ask him about his other latest release Lu Over the Wall.
Souce: Anime Limited
Category > Events
It's May! Which means it's almost time for the MCM London Comic Con. The huge UK geek event is set to run from Friday 25th to Sunday 27th May 2018 at the Excel Centre in London.
As always they've got lots of interesting guests. For anime fans they'll have Full Metal Panic! creator Shouji Gatou. As well as creating the original light novels that became the fan favourite anime show Gatou is an anime screen writer having just scripted Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory, his screen writing credits include Lucky Star, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Amagi Brilliant Park.
He'll be at the comic con to sign autographs along with taking part in Q&A sessions following screenings of the first episode of Invisible Victory.
Read More... | Souce: MCM London Comic Con
UK Anime fans looking to own My Hero Academia Season 2, Part 2 on DVD or Blu-ray will be pleased to hear that Funimation Entertainment have announced that it'll hit the UK on Monday 11th June 2018.
Extras on the Blu-ray include:
- San Diego Comic-Con: IGN Interview
- Inside the Episodes
- Textless opening & closing songs
Don't forget you can always watch My Hero Academia on Crunchyroll for free (with ads) or pay a subscription to watch new episodes first (and remove ads).
Read More... | Souce: Funimation Entertainment
Category > Anime
Anime is always a way of escaping reality, but it's always fun discovering when anime meets reality. We revealed Fosse Farmhouse was used as the real world location for anime Kinmoza. The Cotswold Bed and Breakfast featured as main character Alice's house.
The story behind Fosse Farm was found to be so interesting by the Bed and Breakfast industry it was awarded AA B&B Story of the Year 2018-19 as part of the Bed and Breakfast Awards.
The panel were impressed by B&B owner Caron's cross cultural adventures promoting British Culture in Japan.
Of course you can buy Kinmoza! Season 1 on Blu-ray from Amazon.co.uk in the UK or Amazon.com for the US.
Season Two - titled Hello! Kinmoza! is available to pre-order from Amazon.co.uk in the UK or buy now from Amazon.com in the US.
You can also get the original manga from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com.
Don't forget to read our feature about Fosse Farm and Kinmoza.
Read More... | Souce: AA B&B Awards
Anime fans in the UK looking for something to watch on the cinema on Friday 4th May 2018 (yes, Star Wars day), will want to head to a cinema near them to catch a screening of Mary and the Witch's Flower. Produced by Studio Ponoc, founded by Studio Ghibli veterans Yonebayashi and Yoshiaki Nishimura the film is clearly made in the Ghibli mould. The film is adapted from The Little Broomstick by Mary Stewart.
As always we've highlighted this on The Otaku Calendar, so you can keep up to date with screenings and release dates. It even shows in your Google / iOS Calendars if you like too via iCal Feed.
Read More... | Souce: Mary and the Witch's Flower Film Website
Category > Anime
UK Anime distributor Anime Limited always pick up interesting titles. This time around they've just announced they've acquired the rights for Penguin Highway. Based on the novel by Tomihiko Morimi who has a habit of writing quirky and wonderful stories that get adapted into anime such as The Eccentric Family, Night is Short, Walk on Girl, The Tatami Galaxy. The film is directed by upcoming director Hiroyasu Ishida.
As always it's early days yet, but Anime Limited will release the film in 2019.
Read More... | Souce: Anime Limited
The good folks from Anime Distributors Anime Limited have sent us details about Mamoru Hosoda's latest film Mirai which will receive it's World Premiere at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival in May as part of Directors' Fortnight. Significantly this is the first Japanese animation to ever to receive a world premiere on the Croisette.
The film will receive a UK cinema release later in 2018 via Anime Limited and their cinema partners National Amusements.
We've covered Anime Limited's acquisition of Mirai before.
Read More... | Souce: Anime Limited
Category > Press Releases
Readers heading to London will be interested to hear about Japan House. The new venue is set to open on Kensington High Street in 2018. It forms the London hub of an international project to spread the word about how awesome Japan is.
"JAPAN HOUSE is a project which aims to nurture a deeper understanding and appreciation of Japan in the international community, by creating a number of hubs from which to showcase and communicate Japan as a country of countless charms, able to enrich the rest of the world."
"Each hub features an exhibition space, a multi-purpose space with theater facilities, a retail space, food and drink, books, online connectivity, and a cafe space".
To find out more visit their website and sign up to their mailing list, follow them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to find out more.
Read More... | Souce: Japan House
Category > Anime
The good folks at Anime Limited have just revealed that they have the rights to Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory for the UK and Ireland. It's not secret that the company are all massive fans of the mecha show having already released the first three seasons (Full Metal Panic, Full Metal Panic: Fumoffu? and Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid).
Anime Limited have the streaming and home video rights so will release in the future (they hint it'll be 2019 as it's still early days yet).
The show is out now on streaming service Crunchyroll.
Read More... | Souce: Anime Limited
The good folks from Manga Entertainment UK have just sent us the release details for the Pokémon Movie Collection: Diamond & Pearl. It's due out on Monday 21st May 2018, as always you can pre-order the DVD set from Amazon.co.uk.
Read More... | Souce: Manga Entertainment UK
Category > Anime
The good folks at Manga Entertainment UK have sent us details of the up coming release of Ghost In the Shell: Stand Alone Complex on Blu-ray. The limited edition set comes with the whole of the Stand Alone Complex Series, that's Season 1, 2nd Gig (that's season 2), The Laughing Man OVA, Individual Eleven OVA and Solid State Society (the TV movie).
The blu-ray set is limited to 1,000 copies and is out on Monday 4th June 2018.
It also comes with a ton of extras Interviews with Kenji Kamiyama (director), Yoko Kanno (composer), voice actors, writers, mecha designers, animation directors and more. Bundled in is an 140 page in depth book.
Ghost In the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is in our opinion the definitive version of the franchise, while the movie is amazing and ground breaking, SAC feels closer to the original manga, capturing the humour and spirit. You've got Tachikoma's too, you can never get enough robot spider tanks running around. That and well, Yoko Kanno's amazing score for the series. The show also gave anime fandom the iconic Laughing Man Logo. We interviewed the graphic designer behind this logo a while ago.
The set is available for pre-order from Zavvi, currently it's £99 for the whole thing on blu-ray.
Read More... | Souce: Manga Entertainment UK
Category > Anime
After 14 years you may have noticed we've had a bit of an update here at Otaku News. Our website now has a new look and feel! This is version 2 of Otaku News.
As part of the update URLs for existing articles and reviews have changed, but they'll be automatically redirected so if you've bookmarked them, or mentioned them on a forum, cited them on a paper or whatever you'll be fine to keep the existing link.
The Pirate Anime FAQ address has also changed to https://www.otakunews.com/pirate-anime-faq.
Our RSS Feeds are still available too and existing links still work.
Meanwhile the links we used to have down the side have been trimmed away, as a lot of the anime and manga companies we linked to don't exist any more!
Updating the code that runs the website wasn't originally a priority. We've always focused on content. When we first launched in 2004 the website looked up-to-date, then as time went on, the website was good enough, until it drifted into being, erm, well a bit vintage. 14 years is aeons in internet time and a lot has changed on the internet since then! So we've updated the code. It's now more mobile and tablet friendly. Hopefully as time goes on, we'll also add new features a lot quicker than before!
Please do get in touch and tell us what you think. Don't forget you can also find us on Twitter via @otaku_news.
Also we're always looking for new contributors, so if you're interested in contributing then please do get in touch.
Read More... | Souce: Otaku News
Category > Anime
Anime fans in the UK looking for a cinema screening in June will be excited to hear about Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms. Anime Limited will be bringing the feature film to the UK on Wednesday 27th June 2018 for a nation wide cineam screening.
The film marks Mari Okada's directorial debut. The story in a fantasy land of Iolph where it's people are known for youthful longevity and peaceful lives weaving tapestry. Invaders want the to learn the secrets of their long life and Maquia's life it turned upside down as a result, she embarks on and adventure with Aliel, an orphaned baby boy.
The film is from P.A. Works who are renowned for high quality animation and also the slightly quirky (such as the thoroughly enjoyable The Eccentric Family). You may know their other works Shirobako or A Lull in the Sea.
As always we've already put the details up on the Otaku Calendar to help you keep track of up coming events.
We'll provide further details as and when they're available.
Read More... | Souce: Anime Limited
Category > Anime
The good folks from Funimation Entertainment have given us one copy of My Hero Academia Season 2 Part 1 to give away on DVD. The show hits the shelves on DVD and Blu-ray on Monday 2nd April 2018. So read on to enter our competition!
Read More... | Souce: Otaku News
The good folks from Funimation Entertainment have sent us details of their up coming release of My Hero Academia Season 2 - Part 1. The fan favourite is due out on DVD and blu-ray on Monday 2nd April 2018.
Read More... | Souce: Funimation Entertainment
Category > Cuisine
London foodies in Dalston will be familiar with Jidori the yakitori restaurant. We've just heard they've opened a second branch in Covent Garden. So if you're out in the West End and fancy some high quality yakitori you should have over to 15 Catherine Street, WC2B 5JZ. Why not give their negima a try?!
They also have a karaoke room for private parties!
Read More... | Souce: Jidori
Category > Anime
Netflix have just announced that they'll be showing A Silent Voice. The emotional roller-coaster of a movie adapted from the manga by Yoshitoki Oima it tells the tale of Shoya a boy who bullied Shoko a new deaf girl in his class. As the story unfolds, Shoya realises the error of his ways and seeks out Shoko to apologise and redeem himself a few years later.
We've reviewed the film from it's original theatrical run. If you don't have Netflix you can always get the movie on DVD or blu-ray too.
A Silent Voice is from Kyoto Animation who are renowned for the quality of their output. Their current series Violet Evergarden is currently showing in Netflix in the UK and is proving very popular.
Read More... | Souce: Netflix UK
Anime fans in the UK looking to get some cinematic anime action will want to keep Wednesday 21st March 2018 free. For one day there'll be a special screening of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion I - Initiation.
The film forms a retelling of the series opening acts and it a great way to get into the series or remind yourself of the series. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion I - Initiation is the first part of a planned trilogy.
The good folks at Anime Limited are releasing the film around the UK. To find a screening near you head over to http://codegeassfilm.co.uk/.
Read More... | Souce: Code Geass Film Website
Category > Anime
The good folks from UK anime company Anime Limited have just revealed that they will be bringing Mirai to UK Cinemas during 2018. Mirai is the latest film from Mamoru Hosoda the director behind The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, Wolf Children, along with The Boy and the Beast. The film has yet to be released in Japan. It's early days yet and all the details still need to be confirmed, but Anime Limited intend to release it in UK cinemas sometime during the final quarter of 2018.
We first mentioned the film in May 2017 when the details around the film were first announced.
Mamoru Hosoda are much loved by anime fans. With his productions being of consistently high quality in terms of animation and storytelling. It's probably safe to say, if Mirai is going to be anything like his other features, it's going to be good!
You can already his most recent film The Boy and the Beast on DVD and Blu-ray from Amazon.co.uk.
Manga Entertainment UK have also released a premium Hosoda Collection of his other movies
Read More... | Souce: Anime Limited
Category > Retail
The good people from geeky t-shirt company Genki Gear have just dropped us a line to tell us about their new year sale. Readers can get an additional 15% off using the code happysale in the basket on their website.
Read More... | Souce: Genki Gear
The good folks from Manga Entertainment UK have just sent us their release schedule for Q2 of 2018. They've got a mix of classic shonen action and some new stuff including BLAME!.
April 2018:
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Season 1
Occultic Nine Volume 1
Dragon Ball Z The TV Specials Double Feature: The History Of Trunks/Bardock The Father Of Goku
Ushio & Tora Complete Series Collection DVD
Naruto Shippuden Complete Series 8 Box Set
Pokemon The Movie 20: I Choose You! Blu-ray Steelbook
May 2018:
Power Ranger Dino Super Charge: Vol 2 Extinction
Naruto Shippuden Box 32
Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga Volume 2
BLAME!
Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal Season 3
Read More... | Souce: Manga Entertainment UK
The good folks from Manga Entertainment UK have sent us details of their latest acquisition. BLAME! the CG animated film based on the popular manga of the same name. Originally released as a Netflix exclusive the movie will hit DVD and Blu-ray on Monday 28th May 2018. Manga UK will be partnering with Dybex to distribute the film in the UK, Ireland, France and Benelux.
You can pre-order the DVD and Blu-ray from Amazon.co.uk now.
Read More... | Souce: Manga Entertainment UK
Category > Culture
London based readers looking to get some theatrical culture into themselves will want to head to the Barbican from Thursday 8th to Sunday 11th February 2018 to catch Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui / Bunkamura Theatre Cocoon: Pluto.
The play is based on Naoki Urasawa's manga Pluto, which itself is based on Tezuka's Astroboy. The play combines elements of manga, traditional Japanese Bunraku puppetry, elaborate design and media projection.
It's only running at the Barbican for a few days, so if you're interested we suggest you book now to avoid disappointment.
Read More... | Souce: Barbican
UK Anime fans looking to watch something on the big screen this February will want to find a cinema near them screening Attack On Titan: The Roar of Awakening. The film which is a recap of season 2 will be screened around the UK and Ireland on Wednesday 21st February 2018. The film hits cinemas thanks to the good folks at Anime Limited. To find a screening near you visit Anime Limited's Cinema Screening page.
The film itself is really intended for fans of Attack on Titan as it's a big screen directors cut of season 2 of the show. It's not a stand alone movie. It's great if you've seen season one and want to see the best bits of season 2 or if you just want to enjoy some Titan action on the big screen.
If you can't catch the film on the big screen, you can always get the Blu-ray or DVD of season 2 on Monday 26th February 2018.
Read More... | Souce: Anime Limited
Glasgow based anime fans looking for a premiere film screening will want to go to the Glasgow Film Festival on Sunday 4th March 2018 to catch Maquia: When The Promised Flower Blooms. This is the International Premiere. It'll be coming to cinemas nationwide in March 2018 thanks to the good folks at Anime Limited.
The fantasy anime marks Mari Okada’s directorial debut you may be familiar with her other work she wrote The Anthem of the Heart and the screenplay for Nagi-Asu: A Lull in the Sea. The Anime is produced by P.A. Works who created one of the Otaku News Team's favourite anime series The Eccentric Family.
Read More... | Souce: Anime Limited
UK fans of the Tokyo Ghoul franchise will be interested to hear the news we've been sent from Anime Limited. On Wednesday 31st January 2018 the live action movie of Tokyo Ghoul will be hit select cinema screens. To find out if there's a screening near you visit http://alltheanime.com/cinema.
Read More... | Souce: Anime Limited
UK Anime fans eagerly awaiting to get their hands on the home video release of Attack on Titan Season 2 won't have to wait much longer. The good folks at Funimation Entertainment have sent us details for the UK release on DVD and blu-ray. The hugely popular series will hit UK shelves on Monday 26th February 2018.
The DVD and blu-ray releases are packed with extras including episode commentaries, interviews with original creator Hajime Isayama, plus interviews with staff at Anime Expo 2017.
As always you can pre-order the DVD and Blu-ray from Amazon.co.uk.
Read More... | Souce: Funimation Entertainment
Category > Fandom
If you think your collection of anime merchandise is big then you might want to think again. Is it big enough to get a Guinness World Record? We've just heard from Sofia Pichihua a keen CardCaptor Sakura fan from Peru, who has the world's largest collection of CardCaptor Sakura merchandise with 1,086 items. Sofia writes for the Otaku Press blog (that's a name we like).
There are other collectors out there. Masao Gunji in Yotsukaido, Japan has the world's largest collection of Hello Kitty memorabilia with 5,169 items.
Can anyone else out there beat this? Do you have a large collection of anime merchandise that's worthy of a Guinness World Record?
Read More... | Souce: The Guinness Book of World Records
UK Anime fans looking to get into the latest anime from Kyo Ani, the studio behind A Silent Voice and K-On will want to get onto Netflix from Thursday 11th January 2018 as the streaming service will be showing a new series Violet Evergarden. The fantasy series follows the story of Violet Evergarden, known as "the weapon" she's recovering from the recent war and has to find her place in the new post war world. It's based on a series of light novels written by Kana Akatsuki.
We were lucky enough to see the first episode at the MCM London Comic Con in October 2017 thanks to an official screening run by Anime Limited.
The production values are lavish. The first episode was like watching a feature film. We've also heard it described as opulent and wouldn't disagree with this description. It's like someone has just given Kyo Ani a truck full of money and said "Take this huge truck full of money and use it to make anime". Although this is the first episode, we'll be very curious to see if the production values remain throughout.
Read More... | Souce: Netflix UK
Category > Retail
The good folks from on-line anime shop Tokyo Otaku Mode have sent us details of a new Evangelion product available for pre-order that will be of interest to the fan who has everything.
We've covered the world of Evangelion merchandise before with the Transformers Mode Eva (which promptly sold out), along with an article covering all the stuff available, plus a follow up article (our favourite bit of merchandise is still an AT Field Umbrella).
With such a wide variety of Eva themed goods, the merchandise department khara must be looking for something a bit different to sell. So a tie in with character-based jewellery firm U-TREASURE seems like a good choice. They'll be releasing a "ring watch". It's a ring with a watch face on the setting. There's lot of interesting details such as the bezel featuring the Eva Pilot's synchro rates, and the jewel matching the patterns of the AT Field. What strikes us is the choice for the base of the ring. They've decided to use the pilots torso as the base, yes, you've read that right. Not their face, or some sort of montage, or some other Eva iconography like the Lance of Longinus or some nifty design featuring the angels or something along those lines, but a ring with the torsos of the pilots in their plug suits.
You can chose between two designs one with a red jewel, with Rei's torso in her 00 suit and 09 suit, or another design with a blue jewel featuring Shinji and Kaworu.
The ring watch will retail for ¥53,000 JPY which is about $468 USD / €394 EUR / £350 GBP (at the time of publishing). Both designs will be limited to 100 units each with serial numbers.
Pre-orders open from 10:00 am (JST) on December 22, 2017
Pre-orders period ends at 11:59 pm (JST) on January 31, 2018
Read More... | Souce: Tokyo Otaku Mode
UK based fans of Japanese cinema looking for something to watch next year will be interested in The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme. It's set to run from 2nd February to 28th March 2018 around the UK. The theme for this season is (Un)true Colours - Secrets and Lies in Japanese Cinema.
The film programme also includes the anime Sword of the Stranger, which is really worth catching on a nice big cinema screen. If not you can always get it on blu-ray.
There's a great selection of films likely to suit anyone's tastes including Sing My Life a fantasy tale about a 73 year-old grandmother who is magically transformed back to her 20 year old self, so she can pursue her dreams of becoming a singer and make up for her regrets.
While if you fancy something a bit more violent there's also The Mole Song: Undercover Agent Reiji a Yakuza story from director Takashi Miike.
Film screenings like this frequently sell out, so we advise booking early to avoid disappointment.
Read More... | Souce: The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme
UK readers looking for some violent samurai action based on a great manga will want to look around cinemas near them on 8th December 2017 as that's when Blade of the Immortal hits screens around the UK. The film is directed by Takashi Miike, you may have heard of many of his other films like Ichi the Killer and The Happiness of the Katakuris.
The Blade of the Immortal movie is based on the manga with same name, it follows the adventures of Manji who is cursed with immortality until he can kill 1,000 evil men. The film covers the first 2 story arcs of the manga.
To find a screening near you visit BladeOfTheImmortal.co.uk.
Read More... | Souce: BladeOfTheImmortal.co.uk
UK anime fans eager to own Studio Ghibli's TV show Ronja The Robber's Daughter, will be pleased to hear that it's getting a home video release on Monday 4th December 2017. It's available for pre-order on Blu-ray and DVD from the good folks at Studio Canal.
London based fans with children can also visit the BFI on Sunday 19th November 2017 for a special screening event showing the first 4 episodes of the series. Tickets for this event are selling out quickly, so book while you can if you want to go.
Read More... | Souce: Studio Canal
Category > Press Releases
It's almost time for the MCM London Comic Con! It hits this weekend from Friday 27th October to Sunday 29th October 2017 at London's Excel Centre. Traditionally we post news about what's happening at the event, but this time we're going to post something about the MCM Comic Con itself. MCM Comic Con have been acquired by ReedPOP, the world’s largest producer of pop culture events.
ReedPop are boutique group within Reed Exhibitions, part of RELX Group who are behind events such as New York Comic Con. The press release states that its impact will begin to be seen and felt on all 2018 events. What this impact means exactly remains to be seen.
Forbes have an interesting analysis of the acquisition and the article quotes "Right now we are still in the discovery stage of really getting to know the MCM team and their shows so I don't want to make any assumptions [about operational changes]," said Lance Fensterman, Global Head of ReedPOP.
From a business perspective, if you're looking to gain new markets internationally it makes sense to buy an existing established business. If you're looking to set up a Comic Con in the UK why compete with the biggest when you can become the biggest by buying it? It also means you'll get an established team of event runners. You can observe what they do well and fold it into your other operations too.
Having attended MCM events for years now, we've noticed how they will refine and tweak things to make them better for attendees. Last London Comic Con in May 2017 they had to change the whole entry process and include bag and security checks following the tragic attack in Manchester. They did this at very short notice, we believe they made it work well and whoever was working behind the scenes to make this happen did a stunning job.
MCM London Comic had a over 130,000 people attending the event in May 2017 alone. We must admit we're curious what ReedPop will do to the event.
Read More... | Souce: ReedPOP
UK Anime fans looking for a cinematic treat in November will be pleased to hear about Anime Limited's latest offering of Fireworks. Pitched as a coming of age story with a hint of sci-fi from the director of Nisekoi and Monogatari. It hits cinemas around the UK on Wednesday 15th November 2017.
To find a screening near you visit fireworksmovie.co.uk.
As always we've put the details up on the Otaku Calendar.
Read More... | Souce: Anime Limited
Category > Anime
UK anime fans keen to get their own copy of the smash hit anime Your Name will want to set the date of Monday 6th November 2017 for the DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray Steelbook and Thursday 23rd November 2017 for the Deluxe Edition exclusively to Anime Ltd and Zavvi.
We've teamed up with the good folks from Anime Limited to give one lucky reader a copy of the film on DVD.
Read More... | Souce: Otaku News