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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

Working from Home on Tower of God - An Interview with the Voice Actors

Date: 2020 June 06 11:24 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Features

With parts of the world in lock down many have had to adapt to working from home. The American anime industry is no different. We've mentioned before how Crunchyroll Voice Actors Dub from Home and were curious to find out more about their working from home process. So thanks to the good folks at anime streaming service Crunchyroll we got in touch with the Tower of God's dub slate actors to ask them some questions about the show and working from home.

Read More... | Souce: Otaku News

Cloud Matsuri Reminder

Date: 2020 May 29 20:49 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

While lock down has impacted events for anime fans around the globe there is a good range of virtual events cropping up. Up this weekend is Cloud Matsuri. Set to run online from Saturday 30th to Sunday 31st May 2020, the event will play host to top Japanese industry figures along with UK based and US anime firms.

You can access all the streams for the event for free with details to do so via Cloud Matsuri's website.

Anime Limited Launches Screen Anime To Bring The Festival Experience Home

Date: 2020 May 18 20:18 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from anime distributors Anime Limited have just announced their latest venture Screen Anime. It's the first online anime film festival! Enjoy curated film & extras, refreshed monthly.

We're impressed with the opening line up which includes PROMARE, Penguin Highway, Patema Inverted and Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise, along with a to be confirmed TV show. They'll also have bonus content for each feature.

The streaming service will cost £3.98 monthly or £39.98 a year, with yearly subscribers getting a physical membership card that entitles them to further discounts from Anime Limited's shop.

We think they've nailed the pricing options as it'll cost more to rent the films separately or you could save money by paying up front. Screen Anime will be available in the UK and Ireland from Monday 25th May 2020. You can access it from your web browser, with apps for TVos, iOS Android & Amazon following over the coming months.

We're keen for apps so you can watch it directly on your TV with ease. However in our opinion we think the quality of the apps is what will make it and take it to the next level. Ideally you want as many options as possible to watch and enjoy anime. We hope Anime Limited are able to develop high quality apps to support Screen Anime quickly. They already have a excellent track record of acquiring top tier anime titles and always go the extra mile at events, often having something special up their sleeve such as a Japanese guest or exclusive item.

So head over to Screen Anime to register your interest.

Cloud Matsuri - A Virtual Convention

Date: 2020 May 15 12:31 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

It's the start of convention season, while events are inevitably being postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19 online events are becoming a sensible alternative and Anime Limited are stepping up with their buddies to launch Cloud Matsuri.

The virtual convention is set to run on Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st May 2020. The event is completely free.

The show will feature exclusive interviews and talks with special guest from the world of anime and more.

They're hinting that there will be more guests to announce, but the line up they're showing us at the moment is fantastic with Eunyoung Choi - CEO & Executive Producer, Science SARU (most recently responsible for the fabulous Keep Your Hands off Eizouken). Eiji Inomoto President & Founder, Studio Orange. The CG specialists created Land of the Lustrous and Beastars. Shuzo Shiota president of Polygon Pictures (who are involved in Knights of Sidonia and AJIN: Demi-Human to name a few). They'll also have Yasuhiro Kamimura CEO of GroundWorks Co., Ltd who will talk about his career to date and share stories with managing the Evangelion brand.

Drawing Kimono: Online Session with Kutsuwada Chie

Date: 2020 May 12 21:20 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

While events in the UK have had to be postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19, some event runners have switched to online sessions as an alternative. Japan House London will be running a Drawing Kimono: Online Session with Kutsuwada Chie. It's set to run on Friday 15th May 2020 at 14:00 to 15:00 UK time. Booking is required, but the event is free.

Kutsuwada Chie is a Brighton based Japanese artist who will show people attending the online session how to draw a male figure wearing a kimono.

Crunchyroll Voice Actors Dub from Home

Date: 2020 May 11 19:48 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from anime streaming service Crunchyroll have sent us news about their current dubbing process. Dedicated to bringing you anime under lockdown their current cast of voice actors are currently recording from home to ensure you'll still keep getting English dubbed versions.

They've now switched to a fully-remote workflow. We wonder if this will become the new normal for voice actors? Normally most anime voice actors in the US are based in industry hubs near LA, Texas and sometimes New York, but now will they be able search for new talent further afield?

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

BFI Japan 2020 Over 100 Years of Japanese Cinema

Date: 2020 May 05 20:04 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

UK readers will be very interested to hear that the BFI have just announced a fantastic new season called BFI Japan 2020.

Starting with Akira Kurosawa and other classics in May, they'll then run different themes every month until October with some J-Horror (just in time for Halloween). We you know you'll want to watch some anime too, which is why they'll be showing anime in July, this will include films from Hayao Miyazaki, Mamoru Hosoda and the late great Satoshi Kon, plus some other top tier titles too.

There is pretty is much something for everyone during this fantastic season. Currently catering for the audience at lockdown at home they aim to bring cinema to you via their BFI Player and BFI YouTube.

When the cinemas reopen (which the BFI anticipates will be late 2020 or early 2021) the BFI will also re-release the Akira Kurosawa classic Seven Samurai, along with monthly seasons at the BFI Southbank in London.

Additionally the BFI will be releasing some DVDs and Blu-ray features too including Ozu's Tokyo Story, The Flavour of Green Tea Over Rice, Toshio Matsumoto's Funeral Parade of Roses, along with a Takeshi Kitano Blu-ray boxset featuring Sonatine, Violent Cop and Boiling Point.

Evangelion, Gunpla and other Anime and Manga T-Shirts at Uniqlo

Date: 2020 April 21 19:39 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Retail

Fans of anime franchise based t-shirts will want to head over to the Uniqlo website to grab the latest Evangelion and Gunpla 40th Anniversary designs.

The Japanese clothes company always has some great t-shirts in their UT Graphic Print range. They intend to release some designs that appeal to all kinds of manga and anime fans including their Manga UT line, which includes Osomatsu-kun, GeGeGe no Kitaro and The Genius Bakabo.

They'll also have Manga UT Ribon 65th Anniversary which includes Chibi Maruko Chan, Tokimeki Tonight, Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai, Gokinjo Monogatari and Marmalade Boy.

If you like something from Young Jump then Uniqlo have you covered with Manga UT Weekly Young Jump 40TH Anniversary. They'll have tees from Golden Kamuy, Tokyo Ghoul and Kingdom.

While if you want something more tokusatsu to wear then you'll be excited about the upcoming Ultraman t-shirt range.

Genki Gear April 2020 Sale

Date: 2020 April 17 19:58 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from geek t-shirt company Genki Gear have just sent us a reminder that they've got a sale on. They've got t-shirts from £4 on offer along with their usual geeky designs. You maybe familiar with their designs as they often have a popular stall at events like MCM Comic Con and Hyper Japan.

Genki Gear also have Tokidoki and BT21 Official Merch too! We're particularly partial to their £10 t-shirt range too.

The geeky clothes company are also reassuring us that they're being extra diligent with all deliveries being made with safety in mind

Souce: Genki Gear

Mangamo The New Mobile Manga Subscription Service

Date: 2020 April 16 19:47 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

We've just been sent the details of a new mobile manga subscription service. Mangamo promises more titles than any other legal mobile manga service.

It's currently on iOS Devices (iPhone and iPad) with subscriptions costing $4.99 USD a month. The Tokyo based company has partnered with 11 publishers to bring the wide range of titles, including Attack on Titan, Battle Angel Alita, Somali and the Forest Spirit, along with Fire Force and many more titles. A full list of current titles can be found here. They also promise regular updates to the titles available.

Mangamo is available on the Apple App Store globally with the exception of Japan, China and Korea. Currently all titles are in English.

As this is a legal service you can be certain that the money goes back to the original creators helping fund the manga industry itself.

Crunchyroll Announces Crunchyroll Originals

Date: 2020 February 27 21:38 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from anime streaming service Crunchyroll have sent us some exciting details about their latest venture - Crunchyroll Originals. We're told the shows, produced with respected publishers including Kodansha, animation studios such as MAPPA, and from Crunchyroll Studios, represent Crunchyroll's continued commitment to delight fans and expand the global anime community through fresh stories and unique perspectives from a global slate of creators.

They've got some original anime content that you can watch now, including In/Spectre, which mixes monsters and mystery.

Interestedly they've also sourced some great content from other parts of the world. UK based fans may already be familiar with with the excellent FreakAngels graphic novels from Warren Ellis & Paul Duffield.

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

Studio Ghibli Movies Hit Netflix

Date: 2020 January 20 20:51 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

Streaming service Netflix have just announced that they'll be adding Studio Ghibli films to their list of movies. Fans from Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America will be able to enjoy films. The films will be subtitled in 28 languages, and dubbed in up to 20 languages.

Studio Ghibli are renowned for creating high quality masterpiece movies. Hugely influential Studio Ghibli is the only Japanese anime studio to have won an Oscar with Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away.

The movies release to Netflix will be spread across 3 months, on 1st February 2020, 1st March 2020 and 1st April 2020.

Totoro, Kiki and Porco Rosso will all be in the first wave movies. Up until now Studio Ghibli have been reluctant to allow their titles available for streaming.

All these movies are fantastic in their own right and we can't say in stronger words go out and watch them. With the exception of Tales from Earthsea which was a trouble production, skip that one.

The US, Canada and Japan are noticeably absent from the list of countries the films will be available from. We suspect another company has streaming rights to these countries.

Jonathan Ross on Anime, Manga and Japanese Toys

Date: 2019 November 06 21:54 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Press Releases

The geek event that was MCM Comic Con London October 2019 has ended. One of of the anime highlights was Jonathan Ross introducing two anime shows for Crunchyroll.

During the event, he revealed that he got mistaken for a cosplayer at San Diego Comic-con. He also admitted he enjoyed anime with yokai eating, erm certain parts of people (we'll leave the rest to your imagination).

The good folks from anime streaming service Crunchyroll interviewed Jonathan Ross and he shared his love of anime and Japanese toy lines.

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

Carole & Tuesday Now on Netflix

Date: 2019 August 31 14:01 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

If you like your anime with a musical twist, you can't go wrong to catch Carole & Tuesday on Netflix. From Bones and Shinichiro Watanabe it charts the story of two girls brought together by chance to make music. Watanabe is the supervising director for this show, while Motonobu Hori is also directing.

Music is a constant recurring theme for Watanabe, with the sound track dominating he shows such as Cowboy Bebop, while he's also been responsible for Kids on the Slope anime about two boys coming of age and exploring jazz together.

The 12 episode Carole & Tuesday is out now on Netflix dubbed into English, French, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, Castilian Spanish. It's available subbed in many languages too, including English. So yes, you can watch it in the original Japanese and one of 28 different languages.

Catch it now!

The studio are also lunching a fanart contest. First prize is 100,000 Japanese Yen Prize money!

The Benza - A Comedy about a Quest for a Toilet Seat

Date: 2019 August 15 19:06 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

Not all quests are epic. Which is why we've been sent details about Chris and Kyle, two Americans who share an apartment in Tokyo. One day their toilet seat broke, which leads onto their adventures to find a suitable replacement. The trouble starts when they realise they don't know the Japanese word for toilet seat! Want to know more? Then you can find out by watching The Benza a 6 series comedy on Amazon Prime currently streaming in the US, UK, Germany and Japan.

Made on a budget of 2,000,000 yen (about 18,840 USD) the show explores what it's like to go hunting for a toilet seat in Japan.

AmeCon returns in August 2020 with AmeChibi

Date: 2019 August 06 20:36 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

UK anime fans looking for a nice little convention to attend in the summer of 2020 are in luck. The good folks at AmeCon have announced that they'll be running AmeChibi at Northampton Park Inn on Friday 7th to Sunday 9th August 2020. It's called AmeChibi as it's smaller than their usual university campus events, running in a hotel instead. This means it'll have a different more cosy atmosphere than the larger events.

Registration for AmeChibi 2020 will open on Tuesday 1st October 2019. Pricing details have yet to be revealed.

The last smaller format AmeChibli was held in 2015 and registration sold out in 6 hours. So we advise you to book early on Tuesday 1st October 2019 if you're keen to go.

Souce: AmeCon

AmeCon - Live Stream for Next AmeCon Event Details

Date: 2019 August 01 18:47 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

UK based anime fans looking for a convention to go to will be pleased to hear that AmeCon will be announcing details of their next event. On Saturday 3rd August 2019 they'll have a livestream at 8:30pm along with a Q&A.

From what we can gather, they'll be announcing when and where the next AmeCon will be, along with when it opens for registration.

To be the first to find out tune in on either Facebook or YouTube.

You can also submit questions to them in advance via Facebook or @AmeCon on Twitter.

AmeCon is one of the UK's largest Japanese animation, comics and culture conventions. It's run by fans for fans.

Souce: AmeCon

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Give-Away with Crunchyroll

Date: 2019 June 04 21:29 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

We've teamed up with the good folks from on-line streaming service Crunchyroll to offer some Jojo's Bizarre Adventure goodies and 1 month premium subscription to the streaming service for our UK readers. Read on if you're interested.

Read More... | Souce: Otaku News

One-Punch Man Season 2 Now Streaming on Crunchyroll

Date: 2019 April 10 20:19 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from anime streaming service Crunchyroll have just sent us a reminder that One-Punch Man Season 2 is now out for streaming for viewers in the UK. Helpfully they've also got a A Super Serious Look Back! episode helping you recap season 1 so you can then jump straight into season 2.

The anime based on the successful manga follows the adventures of Saitama a guy who became a hero for fun. His intense training regime made him bald, but also made him ridiculously strong! So much so he can defeat any opponent in one punch. As a result Saitama is incredibly bored. The whole series parodies the super hero genre so well, with heroes and villains that seem a bit familiar but also hilarious.

Tidying Up with Marie Kondo on Netflix in 2019

Date: 2018 December 21 21:09 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime > TV

We're already excited about Netflix showing Evangelion next year, but we've now got another reason to be excited for 2019. Tidying Up with Marie Kondo is a new Netflix Original show and will be released globally from Tuesday 1st January 2019. The 8 episode series will focus on people who are at a cross road in their lives and need a bit of Marie Kondo's tidying magic to help them get by.

Marie Kondo, who is also known as Kon Mari is a Japanese tidying expert. Her best selling books include The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying, Spark Joy: An Illustrated Guide to the Japanese Art of Tidying, plus a manga The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up: A Magical Story, which is ideal for those who prefer a manga version of something!

By de-cluttering your life you can make it better. She's coined the phrase Spark Joy and her philosophy is about more that just getting rid of junk. In a commercial age where it's all about buying more stuff, Marie Kondo is more about keeping things that have utility and bring you joy. In the past she's had a special on NHK World where she visited people and helped them out, we expect this new series to have a similar format.

If you're curious to know more about her work the NY Times have an interesting article.

You can order her books from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

Neon Genesis Evangelion to stream on Netflix Worldwide from Spring 2019

Date: 2018 November 27 21:58 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

Streaming Service Netflix have just revealed that they will be showing anime Neon Genesis Evangelion worldwide starting from Spring 2019. Announced on their NXOnNetflix Twitter feed as a teaser trailer of the show.

The original Neon Genesis Evangelion TV Series is generally regarded as one of the greatest anime TV shows of it's era. In the mid 1990's it lit the flames for a new wave of anime that still carries on to this day. Without the anime boom it caused the anime industry itself would be very different. Australian Anime Distributors Madman Entertainment owed their early success to Neon Genesis Evangelion. For many it was the watershed title that helped them discover anime.

Written and directed by the otaku's otaku Hideaki Anno the multi-layered story blends a bleak future mixed with giant robots, nostalgia for 1960's adventure, along with Christian symbolism and nods to Tokusatsu, Thunderbirds, along with a special blend of whiny teenage angst and reasons to hate your father. You'll never listen to Ode to Joy the same way again.

The hugely influential show, spawned some movies, plus the rebuild series of new movies retelling the story with a different take, various manga spin offs, plus an endless stream of merchandise.

Souce: Offical NXOnNetflix Twitter

An Interview with Gray Haddock of Rooster Teeth About New Show gen:Lock

Date: 2018 September 19 21:15 | Posted By: Lee

Category > Anime

Gray Haddock is the Head of Animation at Rooster Teeth and is the writer and director of the highly anticipated new mecha anime series gen:LOCK due for release in January 2019. While at RTX London 2018 we were lucky enough to catch up with Gray for an exclusive interview and a chance to chat to him about the show!

Read More... | Souce: Otaku News

toco toco interview Yoshitoshi ABe

Date: 2018 June 04 21:00 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Websites

I am falling, I am fading, I have lost it all. Well we haven't really, but we've got that theme song from Serial Experiments Lain in our heads thanks to the folks from the team behind toco toco - a short documentary series showcasing Japanese creators and the places that inspire them. They've just told us that their latest video interviews Yoshitoshi ABe, illustrator, mangaka and character designer of various animation series like Serial Experiments Lain, NieA_7 or Haibane Renmei. While practising photography in Tokyo parks, his latest hobby, he recalls his 25-years drawing career.

You can watch the interview free (and legally) on toco toco's YouTube Channel.

Souce: toco toco

BBC Wiltshire Covers Fosse Farmhouse The UK Location Used for anime Kinmoza

Date: 2018 May 17 20:17 | Posted By: Joe

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

Anime Ltd Acquires Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory rights for Streaming and Home Video in the UK and Ireland

Date: 2018 April 13 19:49 | Posted By: Joe

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.

United Publications Spring Clearance Sale 2018

Date: 2018 April 09 18:38 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from anime and manga retailer United Publications have sent us details of their spring clearance sale for 2018.

Managing Director Martin Dudman tells us - "Chance to try new series or help fill gaps in your collection.
Spring Clearance Books, DVD & Figures, limited quantity first come first served.
All orders will be posted ASAP and can not be held waiting on other items"

United Publications are a retailer you may have met before on the UK convention scene, as they regularly have stalls at London Comic Con and fan run conventions around the country.

Souce: United Publications

Otaku News - Out with the old and in with the new!

Date: 2018 March 24 19:55 | Posted By: Joe

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

Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale Now on Netflix

Date: 2018 February 15 17:09 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

UK based anime fans with streaming service Netflix will want to check out Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale. It follows on from the TV series where Kirito and Asuna get involved with the latest augmented reality game Ordinal Scale. Mild peril ensues. We posted a review when hit the cinemas last year.

Souce: Netflix UK

Violet Evergarden on Netflix UK from 11th January 2018

Date: 2018 January 03 16:41 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime > TV

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.

Evangelion Ring Watch Details

Date: 2017 December 23 08:28 | Posted By: Joe

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

Your Name DVD Competition

Date: 2017 October 18 16:13 | Posted By: Joe

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

Netflix Announce New Death Note Live Action Series

Date: 2017 March 22 17:32 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime > TV

Fans of killer note books will want to write down the date Friday 25th August 2017, as that's when Netflix will release their live action adaptation of the cult manga title Death Note.

Light Yagami becomes Light Turner (Nat Wolff), L is still L (Lakeith Stanfield), Misa Amane "Misa-Misa" becomes Mia Sutton (Margaret Qualley), Ryuk is still called Ryuk and will be voiced by Willem Dafoe. We want to know, will Mia Sutton dress like Misa Misa? Will this version's L walk around barefoot and drink tea? The teaser trailer hints that it's big budget and the action has moved from Tokyo to Seattle in this adaptation. We also get a tease of Ryuk only seeing his eyes shortly after spying a bright red apple. It ends with the tag line - Shall we begin?

The show is a Netflix Original, so we expect it'll be made available to all Netflix subscribers in any territory.

Some fans are quick to point out that it's not Japanese! Why isn't it Japanese? Well there is already a Japanese Drama Series along with 3 live action Death Note Movies, you can buy them all at bargain prices from Amazon.co.uk (less than £20 for all 3 on DVD) -

- Death Note Live Action Movie
- Death Note 2: The Last Name
- Death Note: L Change The World

Netflix subscribers can watch the whole anime series on the service.

You can also get the complete original manga in a jumbo box set from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com. Alternately they're available to buy separately, or the even more gothic Black Edition from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com.

Crunchyroll and Anime Limited Team Up to Stream Dragon Dentist

Date: 2017 February 18 15:04 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from Anime Limited have just announced that they're partnering with anime streaming service Crunchyroll to bring Studio Khara’s new title Dragon Dentist to the UK, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark.

The first part of the two part Dragon Dentist will be available on Crunchyroll on Saturday 18th February at 21:45 UTC / GMT.

It was originally part of the Japan Animator Expo.

The title is by Hideaki Anno's Studio Khara, it's best know for doing Rebuild of Evangelion movies. Just so you know, this story focuses on a dentist for dragons, rather than a dragon that is a dentist.

Ronia the Robber's Daughter Release Details

Date: 2017 January 26 17:22 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

Ghibli fans looking to enjoy something for the family at home, will want to tune into Ronia the Robber’s Daughter. It's a 26 part CGI cel-shaded anime is directed by Goro Miyazaki (Hayao Miyazaki's son) it's adapted from the story by Astrid Lindgren, who also wrote Pippi Longstocking, a title Hayao Miyazaki was considering adapting in the past. The show will be dubbed into English and features the narration by Gillian Anderson.

The Guardian has a nice write up of the series.

It's available to watch on Amazon Prime Video from Friday 27th January 2017. If you haven't got it already, you can always try a free trial via Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com.

Talking to toco toco tv

Date: 2017 January 25 16:12 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Features

We've interviewed a lot of interesting people in the anime industry over the years and were delighted when we discovered the mini-documentary show toco toco tv. The series available on YouTube has a simple and effective format they talk to various Japanese creators and introduce places they like in Japan while telling the viewer about their work.

The show is aired on the French TV channel Nolife since 2011 and YouTube (with English and French subtitles) since 2015.

Being intrigued about the show we wanted to know more, so decided to interview Anne Ferrero the show's director.

Read More... | Souce: Otaku News

An Interview with Lindsay Jones and Barbara Dunkelman of RWBY

Date: 2016 November 11 17:00 | Posted By: Lee

Category > Features

Lindsay Jones and Barbara Dunkelman voice Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long in the popular anime RWBY. The fourth season of the show has just been launched and we were lucky enough to catch up with them at the MCM London Comic Con for an exclusive interview and the chance to chat to them about the show, what we can expect from Volume 4 and the life of a voice actor and all round community figure at Rooster Teeth. RWBY Volume 4 can be seen on Rooster Teeth with new episodes being released every Saturday.

Read More... | Souce: Otaku News

Fakku Publishing and Toshio Maeda Running Kickstarter to publish Legend of the Overfiend in English

Date: 2016 June 22 16:02 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Freaky Things

Sitting on a train travelling home, a man wearing a trench coat walked past me, I couldn't see his face, it was covered by the brim of his hat, I could see he had a moustache. I thought this was strange attire for the middle of June. I didn't know who he was, but he clearly knew me. Just as the train pulled into the next station he passed me a plain brown envelope and left the train before I could process what happened.

I waited until I got home until opening the envelope, just in case, as it's not everyday mustachioed stranger delivers a letter on public transport. The letter was from on-line retailer United Publications, they wanted to tell us that they've started stocking books for *ahem* mature readers from publisher Fakku. The letter said Fakku are company driven by fans, something United Publications are keen to support.

Not wanting to stop, the letter carried on.

"We know you've met renowned hentai master Toshio Maeda, but are you aware of the Kickstarter to get his most famous work Legend of the Overfiend published in English?"

We weren't aware of this Kickstarter, but now we are. Thank you, kind trenchcoated stranger.

The Kickstarter is due to end on Wednesday 20th July 2016. As of the time of writing $32,919 has been pledged towards the $47,000 (USD) target.

Souce: Fakku Kickstarter

When Marnie Was There UK Screening Details

Date: 2016 June 07 17:11 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime > Film

UK anime fans will want to check cinema listings for the latest (and sadly last) Studio Ghibli Film to hit the big screen. When Marnie Was There is due for a cinema release from Friday 10th June 2016. Some cinemas will show it on a day early on Thursday 9th June 2016. Cinemas have already declared that they'll be showing both the subtitled version and the English dubbed version, so check the screening, to make sure it's the one you want.

The anime is based on Joan G. Robinson's novel, but the location has been changed from Norfolk (in the UK), to Sapporo. It's directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, who also directed Arrietty.

For details of a screening near you, check out the Studio Ghibli Forever Website.

As always with events like this, we can't stress enough, book early to avoid disappointment.

Souce: Studio Ghibli Forever

Tezuka and Toriyama Artwork Auction Sale Results

Date: 2016 June 01 17:03 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

We've already mentioned the Sotheby's auction that contained artwork from Osamu Tezuka and Akira Toriyama. What we haven't covered is how much each item went for.

The prices listed below are the hammer price with the buyer's premium.

The Tezuka artwork went mostly within the estimated prices.

Lot 231 was estimated to sell for 8,000 to 10,000 EUR. It went for 8,750.

Lot 232 was estimated to sell for 3,000 to 4,000 EUR. It went for 3,625.

Lot 233 was estimated to sell for 2,000 to 3,000 EUR. It went for 1,750.

Lot 234 was estimated to sell for 2,500 to 3,000 EUR. It went for 2,750.1

Akira Toriyama's drawing was Lot 235 with an estimated sale price of 2,000 to 3,000 EUR. It sold for 15,000. That's 5 times the original estimated price.

Souce: Sotheby\'s

Sotheby's to Auction Tezuka and Toriyama Artwork

Date: 2016 May 05 15:37 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

Manga fans with cash to splash will want to head over to famous auctioneers Sotheby's for their bandes dessinées auction (drawn strips). The collection of sequential art is mainly European and American artists. However manga fans are in for a treat with manga master Osamu Tezuka artwork for sale with prices ranging from 2,000 to 10,000 EUR. They've also got an original Akira Toriyama drawing too, which is estimated to sell from 2,000 to 3,000 EUR.

The auction will take place on Saturday 14th May 2016 at 2pm in Paris. You can bid on-line, but note that first-time bidders must pre-register 24 hours in advance of the sale in order to be approved by Sotheby's.

Thanks to Deb Aoki for the tip off on this story.

United Publications May Madness Sale

Date: 2016 May 02 10:43 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Retail

The good folks at United Publications have just sent us details of their latest special sale.

Their May madness sale has up to 60% off on selected books, DVD and figures, so it's the perfect chance for you to fill in the gaps in your collection. The sale will end on Tuesday 31st May 2016, while stocks last.

Souce: United Publications

Viewster To End Omakase Subscription Box Service

Date: 2016 March 21 16:40 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Retail

We've covered on-line streaming service Viewster and their Omakase Subscription merchandise box service before.

Last week Viewster announced that the Hatsune Miku Box will be the last. Viewster will continue to offer streaming anime, and it seems that this decision has not impacted their streaming service. Any subscribers to the service will get 2 months hi-definiton streaming, then the service will not renew the regular credit card charge. Viewster will still be offering anime streaming services, but will no longer be offering a premium merchandise box.

Ozarin: An Overdue Holiday - Japan 2016

Date: 2016 March 20 09:32 | Posted By: Bryoz

Category > Websites

I'm taking a long overdue holiday in Japan! I'll be posting my adventures between March 21st - April 16th 2016. You can read my itinerary and how to follow my journey here.

Lone Wolf and Cub Motion Comic Project Kickstarter Details

Date: 2016 February 25 16:03 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

We've just been sent details of a new Kickstarter called Samurai Lone Wolf. It aims to turn the classic manga Lone Wolf Cub into a motion comic.

What's a motion comic? According to the Kick stater it's "...a term for a next generation of comics that takes realism of the medium to a new level, using digital processing techniques to enrich the original artwork by adding movement to the drawings that were inked by the hand of the artists themselves."

Basically it's moving manga. They intend to take the original artwork and animate it slightly. So characters lips will move. Characters arm movements will animated in key panels and so on.

Lone Wolf and Cub has won plenty of awards including an Eisner Award (Best U.S. Edition of Foreign Material / Best Archival Collection/Project). It's been adapted into movies and a TV show in Japan. It's also known as Shogun Assassin in some places. The manga itself is hugely influential and held in high regard. We just wonder is there any demand for a motion comic? Part of the joy of reading manga is letting your imagination fill in the gaps. You can read it at your own speed, you can spend ages admiring the line work or speed through pages as you please. The goal has been set to $300,000 USD. We think this crowdfunding attempt is ambitious. So far $1,140 has been pledged with 29 days left, so there's plenty of time for it to reach it's goal.

FUNimation Now announces new launch date, adds countries

Date: 2016 February 22 14:52 | Posted By: Eeeper

Category > Anime

US anime label FUNimation announces delay to UK launch date and adds Republic of Ireland to its territories list.

Omakase Announces Limited Edition Hatsune Miku Subscription Box

Date: 2016 February 03 15:35 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Retail

We've just got news from the good folks at Viewster about their latest Omakase goody box. The concept is simple, every two months they release a new themed box with merchandise from that series / theme. Along with a box of stuff, you also get access to Viewster's high definition ad-free streaming service. They'll ship to the United States, Canada and the UK.

The next box which is due out in March will feature Vocaloid Hatsune Miku and include exclusive Piapro Character Items. The box will retail for $29 USD (plus shipping and handling, which does vary where it's sent).

Previous themes have included Naruto and Kill La Kill.

MCM Event List for 2016

Date: 2016 January 30 14:25 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

As 2016 has just started it's time to plan ahead for those geek events. We've got a list of the MCM Comic Cons for 2016.

The MCM Event Calendar kicks off on 13th February with the MCM Midlands Comic Con. There's plenty more to follow throughout the year. The events always have something good to offer for anime fans too and often feature a guest or two from the anime and manga industry. The schedule is as follows:

13 February: MCM Midlands Comic Con
12-13 March: MCM Liverpool Comic Con
19-20 March: MCM Birmingham Comic Con
27-29 May: MCM London Comic Con
25-26 June: MCM Belfast Comic Con
2-3 July: MCM Ireland Comic Con (Dublin)
30-31 July: MCM Manchester Comic Con
23-24 September: MCM Scotland Comic Con (Glasgow)
28-30 October: MCM London Comic Con
19-20 November: MCM Birmingham Comic Con

The folks at MCM have also sent us details of two new events in Germany and Brussels. MCM Hannover Comic Con coming to Hannover Messe on 4-5 June 2016 and MCM Belgium Comic Con taking place at Brussels Expo on 11-12 June.

Also don't forget Comic Con Copenhagen 24-25 September 2016 and Comic Con Stockholm on 4-6 November 2016,

As always we've also updated the Otaku Calendar with details of these events.

Naruto Storm 4 and EDF Deals at Rice Digital

Date: 2016 January 18 16:56 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Gaming

The nice people over at Rice Digital have sent details of a 10% discount they're offering on Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 and Earth Defense Force 4.1 – The Shadow of New Despair.

Use the discount code STORM10 for Naruto and EDF10 for Earth Defense Force. The offer ends Monday 25th January 2016.

The company offer free UK shipping and will also ship worldwide. Personally, we're interested in the Steins;Gate stuff they've got on sale.

Libra of the Vampire Princess: Visual Novel English Release Kickstarter Details

Date: 2016 January 18 15:23 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Gaming

Do you like visual novels? Do you want one translated into English? Well the good folks from MiKandi Japan have sent us details of their latest Kickstarter to bring and English language adaptation of visual novel game Libra of the Vampire Princess. They've already hit their Kickstarter goal, but are keen to add some stretch goals too. It looks very moe. We're told a few or our readers like this sort of thing.

At the time of writing they have just over a day left to meet this goals. So go take a look if you're interested.

Viewster Omakase Kill la Kill Box Review

Date: 2015 November 24 17:19 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Features

The good folks from streaming anime company Viewster have just sent us a complementary Omakase box to review. The service itself is an interesting one. You pay $29 USD (plus shipping and handling, which we're told is $19 USD to the UK, brining it up to $48 USD) for a 2 months on-line access to Viewsters HD ad-free anime streaming service, plus they'll send you a box full of goodies. Currently the service is available in the US, Canada and the UK. For UK based readers the customs charges are already factored into the shipping and handling costs, so the price you pay to ship is the price you'll pay to receive the anime goodies.

Read More... | Souce: Otaku News

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