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MangaPlaza - Online Digital US Manga Service

Date: 2022 March 01 20:18 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

We've got news from new online digital manga service MangaPlaza. The service offers nearly 50,000 manga Chapters from 2,000 titles including Attack on Titan, That Time I got Reincarnated as a Slime, Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku and Obey Me! The Comic!

The web based service is currently US only. It's yet to offer an offline reading mode.

The service costs $6.99 (USD) per month for $0.45 to $3.99 you can purchase chapters individually without a subscription. Most titles also have a free chapter.

MangaPlaza is created by NTT Solmare Corp., a subsidiary Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corporation.

Read More... | Souce: MangaPlaza

Cagaster and Crueler Than Dead Now Available on Azuki Manga

Date: 2022 February 26 19:13 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

We've received a press release from digital manga subscription service Azuki . They've just told us that they've added two new titles to their service. Cagaster is a story about a disease transforms its victims into cannibalistic insects and decimates human society. It follows bug hunter Kidow and his newfound friend Ilie who struggle to survive in this brutal new world. While Crueler Than Dead is about another virus which results in fast-paced and violent zombie action.

With Azuki it should be noted that their titles are available in English worldwide (apart from Japan). The first few chapters of most series are available for free with ads, and for $4.99 (USD) per month users can sign up for a Premium account and read the entire catalogue without ads. A 30-day free trial and a discounted annual plan are also available.

Read More... | Souce: Azuki

E-mail Based Manga Service from Mangasplaining

Date: 2022 January 31 21:19 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks at popular manga podcast Mangasplaining have just sent us details of their latest endeavour, titled MSX: Mangasplaining Extra its an e-mail based manga subscription. The substack news letter will be delivered to your inbox.

The first projects to be announced are Okinawa by Susumu Higa and These Days by Taiyo Matsumoto. Interestingly the press release credits everyone involved in each manga project, this isn't the standard (but we wish it was). Keen eyed readers will also notice that These Days is translated Michael Arias the director behind the anime version of Tekkonkinkreet (which is based of the manga by Taiyo Matsumoto), so it's clear that the translator is very familiar with the artists work!

Mangasplaining have partnered with Fantagraphics Books and UDON Entertainment as publishing partners, so it's going to be interesting to see what else they've got in the pipeline.

Subscription to the service costs $5(USD) a month or $50 (USD) a year on Substack . Pricing has been set to be sustainable so they can pay the licensors, creators, publishers, translators, and letterers who do this work. There's been a lot of discussion in manga fandom about fair wages for staff involved in production and the Mangasplaining people are making sure everyone involved in the process gets paid fairly.

We're excited about this project as the people behind Mangasplaining are more than just manga and anime fans, they're manga and anime fans who work in the industry. They've got a track record of successfully delivering various projects. We're wondering what this will grow into!

Read More... | Souce: Mangasplaining

Kotatsu Festival Online Events for January 2022

Date: 2022 January 06 20:35 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

The good folks at Kotatsu Festival have sent us some details of two upcoming events. The two online workshops aimed at beginners cover Japanese Calligraphy and a Japanese Manga Introductory Workshop.

Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival are hosting these workshops for free via Microsoft Teams. Although it is free prior registration is essential. So book early to avoid disappointment.

Japanese Calligraphy - Introductory Workshop for Beginners is run by Yukiko Ayres. It's set for Saturday 29th January 2022 from 11:00 to 12:00 GMT.

Japanese Manga Introductory Workshop for Beginners is run by Shangomola Edunjobi It's set for Sunday 30th January 2022 from 12:00 to 13:00 GMT.

Read More... | Souce: Kotatsu Festival

Crunchyroll Announces New Anime for 2022

Date: 2021 December 22 17:17 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from anime streaming service Crunchyroll have just revealed details of their new anime for 2022. They headline with Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2, along with anime style FreakAngels (inspired by the works of writer Warren Ellis and artist Paul Duffield), My Dress-Up Darling, Orient, and The Case Study Of Vanitas.

They'll also be continuing to stream Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc and Platinum End alongside new episodes of Blade Runner: Black Lotus and of course One Piece.

We're most excited about Ranking of Kings, which will be streaming on Crunchyroll soon. Previously it was a Funimation exclusive but now it'll also be available on Crunchyroll.

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

Funimation Announces 20 New and Returning Shows for 2022

Date: 2021 December 20 19:57 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

We're still processing 2020 and the good folks at anime distributors Funimation are telling is it's almost 2022 and they've got 20 new and returning shows. They'll be showing Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 from 9th January 2020, while from the 8th they'll be showing My Dress Up Darling. They'll be more Demon Slayer too, as the Entertainment District Arc continues along with lots of other good shows.

But let's be honest the one everyone is talking about is Ranking of Kings, we won't say anything about it. Just head over to Funimation and watch it if you haven't already.

Read More... | Souce: Funimation

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Entertainment District Arc Now on Crunchyroll and Funimation

Date: 2021 December 05 15:45 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

Quick reminder for fans of the anime version of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba. The Entertainment District Arc has just started on streaming services Funimation and Crunchyroll.

This latest arc follows on from Mugen Train Arc and introduces new demon Daki.

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

Voidol2 Anime Style Voice Changing Software Release Details

Date: 2021 November 25 21:59 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from Japanese software firm Crimson Technology have sent us details about their English language launch of Voidol2. This is real time voice conversion software primarily aimed at streamers, v-tubers and people who have the need to change their voice in real time.

The software has many voice modes and can make you sound like an anime character or even a robot and everything else in between. It retails for 13,200 JPY (about $114 USD / £86 GBP), but is currently on offer for 8,800 JPY (about $76 USD / £57 GBP). It's available to download on Windows or Mac via Sendowl.

Read More... | Souce: Crimson Technology

Crunchyroll Announces Spy x Family

Date: 2021 November 22 20:43 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from anime streaming giants Crunchyroll have sent us details of their upcoming titles. The headline announcement is the release of Spy x Family, based on the manga of the same name it follows a master spy working in a cold war European-esque country. His newest mission requires him to build a family in order achieve his objective. This action comedy has been highly anticipated by fans of the manga (this includes us). Kazuhiro Furuhashi (Hunter x Hunter, Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn) on board as Director while Kazuaki Shimada (The Promised Neverland) serving as Character Designer.

Other titles lined up for 2022 include Dance Dance Danseur (it's about dancing if you didn't guess), Aoashi which is based on the football (soccer) manga, plus the second season of the spooky In/Spectre.

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 Airs on Crunchyroll

Date: 2021 November 19 19:53 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from anime streaming service Crunchyroll have sent us details about Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2. It'll stream from 9th January 2022, available subtitled in eight languages and in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. It'll also appear on Funimation and Hulu.

Keen eyed fans will notice that it's been marketed as "epic continuation" not the epic conclusion. So does this mean that there'll be another part of the final season? Only time will tell. Manga fans will have already had a chance to discover the ending as the final volume of the mega franchise was released in Japanese in June and in English last month.

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train Now on Crunchyroll

Date: 2021 October 05 20:07 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

Anime streaming super service Crunchyroll have just sent us details about their latest release. They've just put up Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train. The box office smash is now available to stream on Crunchyroll. Which means if you haven't already you can get on the hype train and see what all the fuss is about.

They've also sent us a reminder that they have the original series that leads up to the events of the movie.

Availability wise the series and film will be available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese in English-speaking countries; and in Spanish and Portuguese in Latin America -- both in subbed and dubbed. The series will also be available in French-, German- and Russian-speaking countries as well as the Nordics. The film will also be available in French- and Russian-speaking countries as well as the Nordics.

Don't forget Viz have just released the complete box set of the original manga which contains the whole story!

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

Poster Giveaway for the Heartwarming Anime Josee, The Tiger and The Fish

Date: 2021 August 09 19:42 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime > Film

From Wednesday 11th August 2021 Josee, the Tiger and the Fish hits cinemas around the UK and Ireland. To celebrate it's launch we've teamed up with the good people from Anime Limited to give away a limited edition one sheet poster. Want a chance to win it? Then read on.

Read More... | Souce: Otaku News

Sakugan Episode 1 Streaming Review

Date: 2021 August 04 19:45 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

New anime Sakugan is due to hit streaming service Crunchyroll in October 2021. If you want to catch episode 1 early , the world premiere of Sakugan will stream at Virtual Crunchyroll Expo.

The good folks at Crunchyroll gave us access to a screening copy of Sakugan to review. So read on if you want to know about the show!

Read More... | Souce: Otaku News

Look Back - A One Shot Manga from the Creator of Chainsaw Man

Date: 2021 July 19 19:13 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

Out of nowhere Tatsuki Fujimoto the creator of Chainsaw Man has just released a special one-shot manga. Titled Look Back, the standalone manga tells the story of Fujino, a fourth grader who draws a manga strip for the school newspaper. Her art makes her the star of the class, but one day she's told that Kyomoto, a student who refuses to come to school, would also like to submit a manga for the paper.

The story is free to read legally in English from Viz Media via their Shonen Jump line. You can also read it (again in English) officially at Manga Plus by Shueisha. Or if you want to read the original Japanese version you can catch it on Shonen Jump Plus. If you do look at the Japanese version and compare it against the English translation look at the fantastic lettering work by Snir Aharon alongside Amanda Haley's translation.

It's a story about manga and it's creation, there are nods to Fujimoto's other works and perhaps other aspects of his life. Unlike Chainsaw Man it does not feature huge amounts of intense violence. The story is just over 140 pages, and you'll probably want to enjoy it in a single sitting. We really did enjoy it. It's a gripping story. We really do hope we can buy this in print one day.

Souce: Viz Media

Crunchyroll Summer 2021 Line Up

Date: 2021 June 29 19:08 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from anime streaming service Crunchyroll have sent us details of their Summer 2021 line up. They've got a mix of new stuff along with continuing popular favourites. This season the very silly Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, returns in the form of Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid S. They've also got Season 2 of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, plus I'm Standing on a Million Lives Season 2.

For new stuff they've got SD Gundam World Heroes for all your international tiny Gundam needs. Along with the intriguing Peach Boy Riverside.

While other stuff still on going includes Tokyo Revengers (it's like Erased, but with more violence),
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Case Closed, One Piece and My Hero Academia (Season 5) (with more Hawks).

As always with Crunchyroll there's something for everyone. While there's a great selection of stuff, we just want more quirky shows like ODDTAXI. It's a show that caught us by surprise! If you haven't caught it yet, watch it!

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

Azuki The New Digital Manga Service

Date: 2021 June 18 20:28 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

It's just been announced that from Monday 28th June 2021, a new legal digital manga service will be launched. Azuki, named after the red bean often used in sweet treats promises to be a new digital manga cafe. It'll be launched on Web, iOS, and Android.

The service will deliver hundreds of manga after they hit stores in Japan It will offer content for both free and subscription users. With free users able to access select chapters with ads, while pay monthly subscribers can pay $4.99 (USD) to read the catalogue without any ads.

The service will be available worldwide in English (excluding Japan). They've currently got a publishing partnership with Kodansha USA Publishing. Titles currently include Attack on Titan, Tokyo Revengers, Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, Chi's Sweet Home, Fairy Tail, Flying Witch, Gleipnir and many more.

At 5 dollars a month, the service pays for itself after reading the first volume. It promises high quality content and it's great to be able to officially support manga publishers this way. We're looking forward to trying out the service in a few weeks.

It's interesting how official manga subscription services are getting more competition. Viz Media has it's own Shonen Jump Manga & Comics app for $1.99 (USD) a month, which is a must if you want some Chainsaw Man or My Hero Academia. While similar competitor Mangamo has a similar partnership with Kodansha and also charges $4.99 (USD) a month.

While anime streaming service Crunchyroll also has it's own official manga service.

Read More... | Souce: Azuki

Screen Anime May 2021 Streaming Line Up

Date: 2021 April 26 20:00 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

Streaming curated film festival Screen Anime have just revealed their May 2021 line up.

Headlining this time around is Tokyo Ghoul S, the live action follow up to the original live action movie.

Billed as classic, they've also go some old school anime in the form Belladonna of Sadness.

Under the festival favourite banner we're offered Psychic School Wars, while under curated Screen Anime will be showing The Relative Worlds.

For their TV billing we've got part 2 of Eureka Seven.

This line up is set to run from 25th April 2021 until 25th May 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

Crunchyroll Team up with Anime Limited to Bring Movie Night at Homes Series from 1 May 2021

Date: 2021 April 21 20:21 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks at anime streaming service Crunchyroll have teamed up with anime distributor Anime Limited (aka All The Anime) to bring Movie at Home to Crunchyroll. The season brings a new film each month to Crunchyroll from Anime Limited's portfolio. From the 1st of each month each film will be up on the service for a month to enjoy.

Some of the shows are restricted to the UK and Ireland, while others are UK, Ireland and the USA.

The showcase kicks off with Penguin Highway from 1st of May 2021. They've got some great stuff lined up. Including Patema Inverted, Promare, Giovanni's Island, the delightful Mai Mai Miracle and some Makoto Shinkai films running from January 2022 until April 2022. This a great way to catch a movie you wouldn't always have a chance to see.

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

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.

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

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."

Read More... | Souce: Culture Gate to Japan

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.

Read More... | Souce: Funimation

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.

Read More... | Souce: Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival

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.

Read More... | Souce: The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2021

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.

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

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

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.

Read More... | Souce: The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2021

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

Sony Buys Crunchyroll for $1.175 Billion USD

Date: 2020 December 10 21:14 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The news is out! Streaming anime platform Crunchyroll have just been bought by Sony for $1.175 billion (USD). In their corporate structure Sony will put Crunchyroll as part of the Funimation Global Group.

This means Sony now own a substantial amount of the English speaking distribution companies, in the UK they own Manga Entertainment UK along with Funimation UK and in Australia they own Madman Anime Group (which was a part of Madman Entertainment) and in the US they own Funimation.

Crunchyroll's General Manager Joanne Waage says:

"We are excited to embark on this new journey. Crunchyroll has built a world-class brand with a passionate fan-base of over 3M subscribers, 50M social followers and 90M registered users. These amazing fans have helped to propel anime into a global phenomenon,

"Combining the strength of the Crunchyroll brand and the expertise of our global team with Funimation is an exciting prospect and a win for the incredible art form of anime."

Lots of people are publishing their own opinion on this acquisition. At Otaku News our own opinion on this is neutral to negative. We've been hearing whispers of this deal for at least a month. Funimation now have a large chunk of the English speaking anime distribution market and a monopoly of anime streaming services. Worldwide their competition includes Netflix which have been releasing some truly excellent and innovate anime recently. Also consider Amazon Video who do have some good titles such as Vinland Saga but is limited and discovery of decent anime on the Amazon platform is difficult at best.

Additionally less competition generally means less innovation and a lower likelihood of beating their rivals offerings. So those nagging issues with video play back on certain versions of certain players might not be prioritised to fix any more. The question remains what will happen now that Funimation has two streaming platforms with their own Funimation offering and Crunchyroll. Will they be merged under one brand? Will they be kept separate and the technology consolidated? When such technology platforms get merged, it isn't always the best platform that wins, there could be other internal considerations that don't always present as a good result to end users.

Will all the Funimation titles be ported across to Crunchyroll now or vis-versa? Will some titles where the streaming rights are owned by other companies be pulled from Crunchyroll now they're owned by a rival? What will happen to staff with duplicated roles in both companies? At this stage it's all speculation and we'll have to wait and see how it turns out.

Read More... | Souce: AT&T

Screen Anime December 2020 Streaming Line Up

Date: 2020 December 02 20:57 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from anime streaming festival Screen Anime have just announced their line up for this month. It includes a mix of the late great Satoshi Kon's films in the form of the joyful Millennium Actress, along with the psychological thriller Perfect Blue. Plus some Fate/Stay Night Heaven's Feel II Lost Butterfly, then for those who like a bit of action we've got Psycho-Pass movie Sinners of the System. For the series screening they've got the madcap Anonymous Noise.

Screen Anime have also launched their apps for for iOS, Android, tvOS, and Amazon Fire TV.

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

Mangamo Releases Android App

Date: 2020 November 26 20:58 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from manga subscription service Mangamo. They've just released their app on Android, so you can grab it from the Google Play Store. The app is already available iOS (iPhone and iPad) on the Apple App Store.

The app itself has a great collection of top tier manga titles including Attack On Titan, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Fire Force, In/Spectre and Fairy Tail. A subscription costs $4.99 USD a month and is a great way to read manga officially. The service is offering a 30-day free trial for new Android users and is also available globally for iOS and offering a 30-day free trial for new iOS users. So you can try before you buy.

Sony have also just invested in Mangamo via the Sony Innovation Fund. Sony have a large interest in the anime industry already owning 95% of Funimation, in turn also own Manga Entertainment in the UK and Madman Anime Group via Aniplex. So it looks like Sony is also expanding into manga distribution!

Read More... | Souce: Mangamo

Crunchyroll Announces Autumn 2020 Dub Slate

Date: 2020 November 14 15:12 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from anime streaming service Crunchyroll have just announced their dub line ups for autumn 2020.

It includes the dub of Jujutsu Kaisen, I'm Standing on a Million Lives, Tonikawa: Over the Moon For You and Noblesse

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

Manga Jiman 2020 Competition Reminder

Date: 2020 October 22 20:50 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

UK based artists will be very interested to hear about the Manga Jiman competition. The theme this time around is technology. The long running competition lets you submit a short manga entry for the chance to win some amazing prizes, in the past they've included laptops and flights to Japan. The competition is organised by the Embassy for Japan in the UK.

The competition closes on 16th November 2020. So get drawing!

Read More... | Souce: Manga Jiman

Scotland Loves Anime Festival 2020 Details and Call to Crowdfunding

Date: 2020 October 17 18:18 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

With the ongoing trend of everything moving online due to the constraints of COVID-19, the Scotland Loves Anime Film Festival have teamed up with Screen Anime to bring the 2020 festival online. The collaboration is an obvious choice as the founder of the Scotland Loves Anime is also the CEO and founder of Anime Limited, which runs Screen Anime.

The online festivities will run from 25th October until 25th November 2020. Additionally to help the ailing cinemas industry. Screen Anime will also be supporting the festival's crowdfunding efforts, donating two-thirds of all proceeds made during the festival to its usual hosts, the Edinburgh Filmhouse and Glasgow Film Theatre cinemas.

You can help support their funding efforts by visiting their Crowdfunder page, you can receive some nice goodies for supporting the festival too.

Highlights for the festival include a lot of the lovely Lupin III (try saying that twice as fast), along with some Love Live!, breaking the letter L convention they'll also be showing some upside Patema Inverted, some Penguin Highway, plus Weathering With You with an exclusive optional commentary track featuring Dr. Jonathan Clements. We haven't heard the commentary track, but if it's anything like his other commentaries it will be well worth listening to in order to gain extra insight into the movie and anime production in general.

Plus they'll have the Production I.G. Short Film Collection, and some work in progress features around The Tiger and the Fish and Inu-oh.

Read More... | Souce: Scotland Loves Anime Festival 2020

Spirits of Action: Japanese Manga and Sports Online Talk

Date: 2020 October 14 19:41 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

With COVID-19 still placing restriction on events the good people at Japan Foundation London have got a great range of talks and workshops appearing online soon.

One talk we're excited about is the Spirits of Action: Japanese Manga and Sports . Yoshimura Kazuma will discuss the position of 'sports manga' in Japanese culture and how its contents have evolved to reflect the time. After the presentation anime and manga expert Rayna Denison will join in the conversation.

The online event is set to run at 12:00pm (BST) on Wednesday 28th October 2020. The event is free to attend virtually but places are limited and registration is essential.

Read More... | Souce: Japan Foundation London

Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival 2020 Details

Date: 2020 September 24 20:36 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

While many events have had to be cancelled this year due to the current COVID-19 crisis a lot of events have been able to shift online. As a result it means there are some great festivals and talks you can go to while staying comfy at home while not having to travel. So the good folks at the Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival will be celebrating their 10th anniversary with short film screenings and events on their YouTube channel and via Zoom.

We've been told there will be 3 Zoom meetings and 4 short film programmes featuring award winning film makers and emerging talents from various universities across Japan.

All films are in Japanese with English subtitles and everything is free to view. Some events do require booking. Content wise the stream is declared safe for children, the equivalent of a U rating in UK cinema. So will be appropriate for all ages.

The Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival has always had a great line-up, so now you just need to keep a weekend free to appropriate some truly lovely animation!

Everything is set to run on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th October 2020.
Check out their festival programme for more details and remember that streaming times are in the UK times.

Read More... | Souce: Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival 2020

Screen Anime October 2020 Streaming Line Up

Date: 2020 September 23 19:42 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks at online anime film festival channel Screen Anime have revealed their October 2020 line up.

As always they've got a bit of something for everyone, movie wise they've got the premiere of Birthday Wonderland from Keiichi Hara (Miss Hokusai), Fate/Stay Night Heaven's Feel 1: Presage Flower (a little something for Fate/Stay fans). They've also got the classic Makoto Shinkai film 5 Centimeters Per Second, this is the Your Name director's earlier film and has a good dose of Shinkai melancholy.

For something a bit different they've got the eclectic Genius Party, which contains an anthology of 7 short films from some of the most celebrated directors in anime including Shinichiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop, Carole & Tuesday) and Masaaki Yuasa (Ride Your Wave).

Series wise they'll be showing Bartender, an 11 episode TV series, about a hidden bar in Ginza and it's great bartender who knows just the tipple you'll need.

Screen Anime is available in the UK & Ireland for £3.98 a month or £39.98 for a year. Members can take advantage of benefits including discounts at Anime Limited's online store and more. Currently the service can be access via your web browser, with apps promised for for TVos, iOS, Android & Amazon soon.

Read More... | Souce: Screen Anime

Animex 2020 - International Festival of Animation, VFX & Games

Date: 2020 September 17 20:48 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

With COVID-19 still limiting peoples movements online virtual events have been proving popular. Animex The International Festival of Animation, VFX & Games has moved on-line and is set to run from Monday 21st September to Friday 2nd October 2020. The event is free to virtually attend this year so book now to grab a place.

The event is packed with workshops, screenings, Portfolio Reviews, Talks, exhibitions and much more.

Founded 20 years ago by Teesside University the festival aimed at creating a world-class inclusive festival that would draw some of the games and animation industries' brightest lights and future stars together to share their knowledge with the next generation.

This is event will be of interest to those who want to get into the animation industry, regardless of if you want to work in VFX, video games, animation or something else! Or for those who are curious to see the inner workings of a creative industry.

Read More... | Souce: Animex - International Festival of Animation, VFX & Games

Mangamo Announce New Titles at Virtual Crunchyroll Expo 2020

Date: 2020 September 05 21:17 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

As part of the Virtual Crunchyroll Expo this weekend online manga App Mangamo have just announced some interesting titles on their service. Deathdeus: Hero of the Dead and My Evil Stepbrother Make their English Debuts, along with Erementar Gerade and it's sequel.

The concept for Deathdeus sounds interesting and the busty main character has clearly been targeted towards a certain demographic!

Read More... | Souce: Mangamo

Burn The Witch to Stream on Crunchyroll in October 2020

Date: 2020 August 24 18:49 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from anime streaming service Crunchyroll have sent us details of a new title released in October 2020. Burn the Witch is based on the manga by Tite Kubo, who is best known for Bleach. This anime is set in the same universe, but this time around in London! Not normal London, Reverse London, a special hidden side of city where dragons roam. The story focuses on the adventures of witch duo Noel Niihashi and Ninny Spangcole who are protection agents for Wing Bind (WB) an organisation for dragon conservation and management.

The trailer shows scenes from London, that are all around Westminster. We've got the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Bridge, and other Thames landmarks making prominent appearances, City of London Dragon Crests, a shot that looks like Shad Thames. We really love playing a game of spot the locations with stuff like this! Some artistic liberties seem to have been taken, does that looks like a US style fire hydrant in the trailer (blink and you'll miss it)? But then again Reverse London could indeed have American style fire hydrants as they've also got an Emergency Dragon Blockade System (this is one of the unwritten rules of London, you don't talk about the Emergency Dragon Blockade System, it's just known, like standing on the right and walking on the left on the escalator...).

If you big action and shonen then it looks the Burn The Witch anime will hit the spot. It'll hit Crunchyroll early October 2020.

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

Jujutsu Kaisen Exclusively on Crunchyroll this Autumn 2020

Date: 2020 August 12 19:53 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good people from streaming service Crunchyroll have just sent us details of their up coming anime release. Jujutsu Kaisen will stream from October 2020 exclusively on the streaming platform. The show is a dark fantasy horror focusing on a world where Curses can run rampant.

The series is based on the manga by Gege Akutami and is currently being released by Viz in English. You can buy it from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk if you want to get ahead and see what to expect!

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

Crunchyroll Announces Removal of Sentai Filmworks Titles from Streaming Service

Date: 2020 July 31 21:33 | Posted By: Eeeper

Category > Anime

Crunchyroll's rights to a number of Sentai Filmworks titles have expired, site gives users 24-hours to catch up on series before they leave the service.

Crunchyroll announced on July 31st that over 70 titles, which currently are licensed through Sentai Filmworks, will leave the service on August the 1st 2020. This leaves users less than 24 hours to watch these hours if they don't already subscribe to Sentai's streaming partner site, HIDIVE. Online, users have been vocal in their displeasure of the lack of notice given to them by Crunchyroll. While most of the titles affected are available on HIDIVE for UK and Irish viewers, some are not by virtue of licensing rights.

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

Crunchyroll Hits 3 Million Subscribers

Date: 2020 July 28 20:47 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from anime streaming service Crunchyroll have sent us the details of them passing a landmark number. They now have over 3 million subscribers, and over 70 million registered users.

To put this in perspective, when Crunchyroll started in 2006, it took about 10 years for them to hit 1 million subscribers, then it took them 2 years after that to break over 2 million subscribers. These are users who pay to use Crunchyroll and get to avoid ads along with seeing anime ahead of regular registered users.

The press release includes an interesting infographic detailing the growth of the service. It's always interesting to see actual numbers too.

On average subscribers watch 100 minutes of content a day (which works out about 4 25 minute episodes). This is about 35 billion minutes viewed over the past year.

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

Screen Anime July and August 2020 Line Up

Date: 2020 July 23 20:35 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from streaming anime film festival Screen Anime have just revealed their July/August 2020 screening line up. This round is set to run from 25th July 2020, it includes two features from the amazing studio Science SARU, including a premiere of Ride Your Wave, keeping on with the watery theme they'll also be showing Lu Over the Wall.

Then to keep it a bit fun and sentimental they'll also be showing the charming Mai Mai Miracle, we discovered the film at it's Barbican Screening in London in 2009 and were immediately fans.

Then they'll be polishing that off with some mecha action with Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution Anemone.

For their TV series offering, they'll be continuing the agricultural adventures of Hachiken with series two of Silver Spoon. Where we're introduced to more farming life and some extra horse riding too. Oh, plus a puppy. Anime is always better with puppies!

You can sign up to Screen Anime for £3.98 a month or £39.98 a year.

It's available in the UK and Ireland via your web browser, with apps for TVos, iOS, Android and Amazon to follow over the coming months.

You can read our review of Lu Over the Wall here.

Read More... | Souce: Screen Anime

New Sci-Fi Manga Japan Sinks 2020 Launches on Mangamo App

Date: 2020 July 09 20:30 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from Manga App Mangamo have just sent us details of their latest manga addition. The subscription service has just added the manga of Japan Sinks 2020. It's a reimagining of the Netflix anime which has just been released today, which in turn is based on the best-selling novel written by Sakyo Komatsu in 1973. The anime is from Science Saru, who did the fantastic Keep Your Hands off Eizouken, Lu Over The Wall, Devil Man Cry Baby, and so much more.

Read More... | Souce: Mangamo

The Real World Locations from Sing 'Yesterday' For Me

Date: 2020 July 04 12:57 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

Anime streaming service Crunchyroll have just sent us details of a great article they've put up exploring the real world locations used in the anime Sing 'Yesterday' For Me. It's always interesting to see how detailed and close to real world locations certain anime titles are.

We must admit we've got a soft spot for title, it's a bit of a slow burner gentle slice of life romance. You can catch it now on Crunchyroll.

We've also run similar articles before, including that time we discovered the actual house used in Kinmoza. Kinmoza is currently available to watch on Crunchyroll too.

Souce: Crunchyroll

Manga Jiman 2020 Online Launch Event

Date: 2020 June 30 19:58 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

UK based aspiring artists will want to watch the online launch event for the latest Manga Jiman Competition.
The details for the competition will be streamed at 7pm on Wednesday 1st July 2020. Previous winners Katja Hammond, Shangomola Edunjobi and Tori Jones will join the stream for a chat as well.

The manga competition is run by the Embassy of Japan in the UK. The competition often marks rising stars in the UK industry and is a great place to showcase talent.

The live stream is free and you can register here.

You can see more details about the previous 2019 Competition here.

The Embassy have also just posted some fun quizzes on Japan, so give it a go if you want to test your Japanese knowledge!

Souce: Embassy of Japan in the UK

Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival 2020 Special Online Screening Event

Date: 2020 June 24 20:09 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

With social distancing still in place across the UK virtual events are proving to be a popular alternative. Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival have just sent us details of their 2020 offerings, which include a free online screening event on Saturday 25th July 2020 at 11am and 6pm (UK time).

They've got a line-up of fun films that range from stop motion to 2D and it's all for free. All people have to do is go to the Kotatsu Festival YouTube channel at either 11am or 6pm to watch the films.

Animators include current names like Miho Yata and Arisa Wakami and veteran animator Fusako Yusaki. So why not tune in on Saturday morning or evening to enjoy some insight into animation?

Read More... | Souce: Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival 2020

Screen Anime Bring Weathering With You and Your Name To Their Monthly Online Film Festival

Date: 2020 June 15 20:19 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks at anime company Anime Limited have just sent us details of the latest line up on their online film festival Screen Anime.

The curated anime experience changes it's screenings one a month. This time around from the 25th June to 25th July 2020 they'll be showing Makoto Shinkai's fantastic Weathering With You, along with his super smash hit Your Name. So you can have a double bill of these amazing movies. If you want something a bit different and emotional they'll also be showing Anthem of the Heart. They'll be showing summer romance movie (with a time travelling twist) Fireworks too.

Plus for their TV line up Screen Anime have Silver Spoon. From the manga creator of Fullmetal Alchemist, this story goes in a completely different direction as it takes us to agricultural college with city boy Hachiken. This sweet slice of life show is a gentle comedy. You'll learn about Japanese agricultural practices and farming life in general.

The service is available for £3.98 a month or £39.98 a year.

Read More... | Souce: Screen Anime

Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 2 and Rent-A-Girlfriend on Crunchyroll

Date: 2020 June 13 10:03 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks at anime streaming service Crunchyroll have sent us news about Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 2 along with with OVA dub premiere of Rent-A-Girlfriend.

The OVA for Ascendance of a Bookworm (episodes 14.5 part 1 and part 2) will launch on Crunchyroll on Saturday, 13th June 2020, and episode 15 will launch on Saturday 20th June 2020.

Meanwhile Rent-A-Girlfriend will start on Crunchyroll as part of the summer season.
As we've covered before Crunchyroll are also keen to share that their whole dub cast have been working from home recently.

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

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