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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

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

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

Category > Anime

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I Hear the Sunspot: Limit Volume 3 Manga Release Details

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

Category > Anime

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

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

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

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

Crunchyroll Announces International Slate of Anime Dubs for Winter 2021

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

Category > Anime

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

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

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.

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!

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

Farming Life in Another World Manga Release Details

Date: 2020 September 27 13:34 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from One Peace Books have sent us details of their latest manga acquisition - Farming Life in Another World. The isekai manga is pitched as guy gets transported to fantasy world, but instead of fighting monsters and villains he sets up a farm and gets involved in agriculture. It forms part of that isekai sub-genre of getting transported to another world and doing normal things (we're thinking of The Hero and His Elf Bride Open a Pizza Parlour in Another World, amongst others). This is the manga adaptation of the popular light novel of the same name by Kinosuke Naito.

Farming Life in Another World comes out on Wednesday October 28th 2020 in print and digital. You can pre-order it from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

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

Yen Press Announces 13 New License Acquisitions

Date: 2020 August 18 19:41 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks at manga publishers Yen Press have just announced a fresh batch of licensing acquisitions. They've got the rights for 13 new titles in print and digital. Release dates are not yet detailed.

The releases include the following:

Cirque Du Freak: The Manga Omnibus Edition
Grim Reaper and Four Girlfriends Omnibus Edition
Interspecies Reviewers Comic Anthology: Darkness
The World's Finest Assasin Reincarnated Into Another World
Adachi and Shimamura
Dear NOMAN, Golden Japanesque - Yokohama Karentan -
Mama Akuma
Mint Chocolate
Sasaki and Miyano
The Dark History of the Reincarnated Villainess
The light novel and comic adaptation of the highly-anticipated, Solo Leveling.

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

The Sky is Blue with a Single Cloud Gekiga Manga Release Details

Date: 2020 July 15 20:09 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good people from Drawn & Quarterly have sent us details of their latest release The Sky is Blue with a Single Cloud by Kuniko Tsurita.

Available for the first time in English this book collects the best short stories from gekiga manga artist Kuniko Tsurita.

Tracking bohemian culture, the politics of late 60's and early 70's Tokyo, along with other experimental works and an early exploration of gender fluidity with gender ambiguous protagonists.

The manga is out from July 2020 (so it's out now).

You can order it from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk or any other bookseller using the ISBN: 978-1-77046-398-1.

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.

Yen Press Previews 13 New Manga Acquisitions For December 2020

Date: 2020 July 05 12:31 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

It's convention season and traditionally a time of big license announcements, but conventions aren't really running in the physical world, however Anime Expo Lite offered a virtual experience and the chance for companies to announce their up coming releases and acquisitions.

Yen Press have just announced 13 new manga acquisition, which include

A Witch's Love at the End of the World
Strawberry Fields Once Again
The Vampire & His Pleasant Companions
Slasher Maidens
Eniale & Dewiela
Mieruko-chan

Plus some new light novels:

The World's Finest Assassin
Reincarnated in a Different World as an Aristocrat
The Place Promised in Our Early Days
The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten
Unnamed Memory, King of the Labyrinth
Reign of the Seven Spellblades

We're very excited about Eniale & Dewiela from Kamome Shirahama who is also responsible for Witch Hat Atelier.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

Yen Press Announces 7 New Manga Series & Light Novel Acquisitions for August 2020

Date: 2020 March 06 20:23 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from Yen Press (the manga publishers who are owned by Kadokawa Corporation and Hachette Book Group) have just announced their August 2020 licensing acquisitions. They've got a mix of manga titles novels. Headlining the new releases is a novel adaption Makoto Shinkai's The Garden of Words (London based readers will be keen to see the up coming stage play too). They'll also be releasing the latest Konosuba light novel, with the very specific title of Konosuba: An Explosion on this Wonderful World! Bonus Story: We are the Megumin Bandits. It's bound to be popular with fans of the Megumin!

Fans of Natsume Ono will want to get hold of ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Department P.S., the spin off returns to the world of ACCA 13-Territory Inspection Department (which was was 6 volume manga also available from Yen Press).

Fans of dark magical girl stories will want to grab the Omnibus Edition of Puella Magi Madoka Magica. The collects the 3 volume manga into a single omnibus edition.

Meanwhile fans of the Barakamon! manga will be interested in the creator's latest offering Yoshi no Zuikara: The Frog in the Well Does Not Know the Ocean.

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

Interview with Eunyoung Choi, producer and co-founder at Science SARU about Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!

Date: 2020 January 17 07:03 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

We're currently really enjoying anime studio Science SARU's latest show Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!. It's a delightful series that really captures of the passion, joy and excitement of being anime fan. Not only that, but it enthusiastically explains what makes certain anime titles so great.

Along the for the imaginative ride it takes us on we were keen to find out more. The good folks at anime streaming service Crunchyroll helped us by sending us an interview with Eunyoung Choi who is producer and co-founder of Science SARU. They've even let us publish the interview ahead of their news letter.

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

Kiki's Delivery Service Original Book Release Details

Date: 2019 October 30 21:00 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Retail

The wait is finally over. The original book of Kiki's Delivery Service is getting a new English language release. It's due out in the US on Tuesday 7th July 2020 from Delacorte Books for Young Readers (an imprint of Penguin Random House).

Japanese translator Emily Balistrieri revealed the news on Twitter. She is responsible for the new translation of the book.

The novel by Eiko Kadono was the original source for Hayao Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli Film of the same name. Although Miyazaki's film adaptation has been hugely successful in the west, an English language version of the book has been out of print for some time. It was last released in 2003 and the old editions have gone for £70 and up. Now you'll be able to get a more affordable hardcover instead. The publishers have put a suggest reading age of 10 and up, so it's sure to be enjoyed by fans of the movie keen to read to the original source of inspiration.

As always you can pre-order the book from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Viz Media 2020 Release Announcements from New York Comic Con

Date: 2019 October 07 20:13 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

We've just been sent details of the release announcements from anime and manga publisher Viz Media. At New York Comic Con Viz revealed that they have the publishing rights for Star Wars: The Legends of Luke Skywalker: The Manga.

It's scheduled for release sometime in early 2020. The anthology will feature a collection of stories by renowned manga artists that include Akira Himekawa, Haruichi, Akira Fukaya, Takashi Kisaki and Subaru. Akira Himekawa is the Japanese duo best known for their work on the official The Legend of Zelda manga based on the smash hit Nintendo game series.

Viz have also got a ton of titles manga due out in the summer of 2020. Including Rumiko Takahashi's Maison Ikkoku. The much loved fan favourite has been eagerly anticipated for rerelease.

Mujirushi: The Sign of Dreams by another legendary manga artist Naoki Urasawa has also been highly anticipated. We were lucky enough to interview Naoki Urasawa when he was in London earlier this year.

We're also excited about action packed comedy Spy x Family by Tatsuya Endo. Along with Ping Pong by Taiyo Matsumoto, the mind behind Tekkonkinkreet and Sunny.

Seven Seas Licenses 5 New Yuri Titles for 2020

Date: 2019 September 21 19:59 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks at manga publishers Seven Seas Entertainment have just sent us details of their 5 new yuri license acquisitions. They've got 4 new manga titles and one light novel.

Goodbye, My Rose Garden is a period romance between a British noblewoman and her maid. Volume 1 of the manga is due out April 14, 2020.

Syrup is a yuri anthology collecting short manga about adult women in love. It's due out June 9, 2020.

Failed Princesses is a unlikely high school romance manga. Volume 1 will be released on May 12 2020.

Fragtime is a time-freezing yuri love story. The manga will be released on April 14, 2020.

Adachi and Shimamura is a fan-favorite yuri romance that will soon be adapted into an anime series Volume 1 of the light novel series will be released in print on June 2, 2020

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.

What's Michael? Fatcat Collection Volume 1 Cat Manga Release Details

Date: 2019 June 25 20:47 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

Fans of cat manga can rejoice as publisher Dark Horse are re-releasing the classic What's Michael? as a special fat cat collection.

The manga was originally released in English by Dark Horse in 1997 and has been out of print for a long time, with many fans thought a reprint of Makoto Kobayashi's manga in English unlikely. We're massive fans of the comic antics of this cat manga as it blends slice of life tales (or should that be tails?!) along with amusing fantasy incorporating cats. The light hearted title is due out in the US on January 29, 2020.

You can pre-order it from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

We've also been told that translator Zack Davisson is involved in this project and will write introductions for each volume. Zack is not only a manga translator, but a cat fan so it an appropriate choice for this series.

Why is the cat called Michael? Well Michael is used in Japanese as causal slang for cat, kind of like moggy.

Funimation Acquires UK Anime Distributor Manga Entertainment Limited

Date: 2019 May 29 21:00 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Press Releases

The good folks from anime distributors Manga Entertainment UK have just sent us some interesting news. They've been acquired by anime distributor Funimation. The details of the acquisition have not been revealed.

It's not exactly clear at this stage what will happen to Manga Entertainment UK in the long term. They're strong anime brand in the UK releasing popular shonen titles including Dragon Ball Z, Bleach and Naruto. They frequently have a big presence at events like MCM Comic Con London. They've always been around in one form or another on the UK anime scene. Clearly the executives at Funimation have a plan for Manga Entertainment UK, but at this stage it's not clear what it'll be. Will they slowly be rebranded and absorbed into Funimation? Or will they remain a subsidiary? Only time will tell.

Seven Seas Entertainment April 2019 Release Announcements

Date: 2019 April 21 19:52 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from manga publisher Seven Seas Entertainment have just sent us a load of details about their recent license acquisitions. They've got pretty much something for everyone, including Haruka Takachiho and Hisao Tamaki's Dirty Pair Manga Omnibus which is a manga retelling of the first Dirty Pair Light Novel.

We're very curious about the very interesting sounding My Father Is a Unicorn which tells the tale of Issei who's Mum has remarried to a shape shifting unicorn (as one does), so now Issei's step dad is a unicorn and hilarity ensues. We've not been as excited about a title like this since Seven Seas licensed My Girlfriend is a T-Rex (which you can also buy on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

Seven Seas Entertainment March 2019 Release Announcements

Date: 2019 March 19 21:45 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

Manga Publisher Seven Seas Entertainment have just announced 3 new license acquisitions that'll arrive in shops in the final months of 2019. They've got Dance in the Vampire Bund: A.S.O. Volume 1 which will hit shelves on October 8th 2019. ASO stands for Age of Scarlet Order and continues the adventures of Mina and Akira. They'll also be re-releasing the original Dance in the Vampire Bund manga volumes in digital format in 2019.

If you fancy some fashionable cooking manga with a twist then Gal Gohan could be the title for you. Volume 1 will be out on December 10th 2019 on print and digital.

Finally they'll also be releasing the Kickstater hit ROADQUEEN: Eternal Roadtrip. The manga-style Girls' Love/yuri graphic novel about motorcycles and romance will be released in print and digital on October 8th 2019.

I Want to Eat Your Pancreas Light Novel and Manga Release Reminder

Date: 2019 February 07 21:46 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

Manga publisher Seven Seas Entertainment have just sent a reminder about I Want to Eat Your Pancreas. The movie hits cinemas around the US soon. They're keen to remind us that they've recently released the original light novel and it's manga adaptation in print and digital platforms. The weepy romantic story has a legion of fans and we're eager to see it too.

As always you can buy the original light novel from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com. The manga is also available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

If you want to keep track of other release dates we suggest you check our out sister site the Otaku Calendar, which lists events and release dates of interest to anime and manga fans.

Seven Seas Entertainment New Year 2019 Release Details

Date: 2019 January 15 21:46 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

A new year marks a new load of releases from manga publisher Seven Seas Entertainment. They've sent us a ton of press releases telling us all about them. Rather than spread them across a dozen pages, here's the full list:

There's pretty much something for everyone on this list. We're most excited about The Wize Wize Beasts of the Wizarding Wizdoms by Nagabe as we're really enjoying reading The Girl From the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún. Plus Neon Genesis Evangelion: ANIMA light novel, as it's always interesting to see other takes on the huge franchise.

Dragon Half Omnibuses 1-3 (Complete Series) Now Available

Date: 2018 December 29 20:01 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from manga publisher Seven Seas Entertainment have sent us a little reminder about their release of the Dragon Half Omnibuses. As of this week, they've released the third and final volume of the series for print and digital. This completes the manga adventures of half dragon girl Mink. The anime is well known in certain circles of anime fandom. It's held dear by a generation of fans who were captivated by it's ridiculous version of Beethoven's Symphony No. 7, 4th movement as ending song My Omelette, along with a wacky story overall.

Mink has a crush on dreamy idol Dick Saucer (this is not a typo), who happens to be a dragon slaying knight, which happens to be a problem when you're a half dragon girl. Hilarity ensues.

As always you can order the books from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

Real World Players Roberto Carlos, Morientes, and Guti Added to Captain Tsubasa: Dream Team

Date: 2018 December 16 20:13 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Gaming

The folks at KLab Games have sent us some details about their latest mobile game Captain Tsubasa: Dream Team. Apparently you can now play as real world players Roberto Carlos, Morientes and Guti.

The game is based on the hugely popular franchise Captain Tsubasa.

Nozomi Launch Kickstarter to dub Emma A Victorian Romance Anime TV Series Season 1

Date: 2018 September 21 19:21 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks at US anime distributors Nozomi Entertainment have launched a Kickstarter to dub Emma A Victorian Romance Anime TV Series Season 1. The anime series is based of Kaoru Mori's much loved manga by the same name. It follows the Victorian tale of Emma a maid who falls in love with William a well to do gentleman. The original manga is lavish and very well researched, this naturally transitioned into the anime.

The Laws Of The Universe-Part I US Cinema Release Details

Date: 2018 August 29 19:37 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime > Film

US anime distributor Eleven Arts have sent us details of their latest acquisition The Laws Of The Universe-Part I, the sequel to The Laws Of The Universe-Part 0. The film will get a simultaneous world premiere with Japan on October 12th, 2018. The film will have an English dub.

Cutie Honey: The Classic Collection Manga Release Reminder

Date: 2018 August 24 22:08 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from manga publisher Seven Seas Entertainment have sent us a friendly reminder about Cutie Honey: The Classic Collection. The hard cover book captures Go Nagai's original 1973 story in print and is out on Tuesday August 28th 2018.

You can pre-order the manga from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

Shimanami Tasogare Manga North American Release Details

Date: 2018 June 30 19:48 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

Manga Publishers Seven Seas Entertainment always have a nice habit of releasing interesting titles. This time around they've announced they have the license for LGBT+ Manga Shimanami Tasogare by Yuhki Kamatani. They've appropriately timed the press release to be out at at the same time as Pride Month.
The manga follows high schooler Tasuku Kaname who is the new kid in town and is also terrified that he's been outed as gay. By chance Tasuku meets a mysterious woman who leads him to a group of people dealing with issues similar to his own.

Seven Seas intend to release this title in single volume editions. Volume 1 will be released on May 7, 2019 for $12.99 USA / $15.99 CAN.

My Solo Exchange Diary Volume 1 (sequel to My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness) Out Now

Date: 2018 June 11 20:42 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good people from manga publishers Seven Seas Entertainment have just sent us a reminder of their latest release print release - My Solo Exchange Diary Volume 1. The manga is the sequel to the autobiographical manga My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness. We found the original manga to be essential reading and many other have agreed making the follow on true story of Nagata Kabi highly anticipated by fans.

As always you can buy My Solo Exchange Diary Volume 1 on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Volume 2 is slated for a February 2019 release and is already available for pre-order on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Of course if you want to start the original book is also available on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Maquia: When The Promised Flower Blooms US and Canadian Cinema Details

Date: 2018 May 31 20:58 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime > Film

The good folks from Eleven Arts have sent us details for the US and Canadian Theatrical release of Maquia: When The Promised Flower Blooms. The film will be released in the US and Canada on July 20th, 2018. Visit their site to find a screening near you.

As we've already mentioned Maquia hits UK cinemas from Wednesday 27th June 2018.

ReedPOP Acquires UK MCM Comic Con

Date: 2017 October 23 17:14 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Press Releases

It's almost time for the MCM London Comic Con! It hits this weekend from Friday 27th October to Sunday 29th October 2017 at London's Excel Centre. Traditionally we post news about what's happening at the event, but this time we're going to post something about the MCM Comic Con itself. MCM Comic Con have been acquired by ReedPOP, the worldâ€™s largest producer of pop culture events.

ReedPop are boutique group within Reed Exhibitions, part of RELX Group who are behind events such as New York Comic Con. The press release states that its impact will begin to be seen and felt on all 2018 events. What this impact means exactly remains to be seen.

Forbes have an interesting analysis of the acquisition and the article quotes "Right now we are still in the discovery stage of really getting to know the MCM team and their shows so I don't want to make any assumptions [about operational changes]," said Lance Fensterman, Global Head of ReedPOP.

From a business perspective, if you're looking to gain new markets internationally it makes sense to buy an existing established business. If you're looking to set up a Comic Con in the UK why compete with the biggest when you can become the biggest by buying it? It also means you'll get an established team of event runners. You can observe what they do well and fold it into your other operations too.

Having attended MCM events for years now, we've noticed how they will refine and tweak things to make them better for attendees. Last London Comic Con in May 2017 they had to change the whole entry process and include bag and security checks following the tragic attack in Manchester. They did this at very short notice, we believe they made it work well and whoever was working behind the scenes to make this happen did a stunning job.

MCM London Comic had a over 130,000 people attending the event in May 2017 alone. We must admit we're curious what ReedPop will do to the event.

Takarabune Art Show by Junko Mizuno December 2016

Date: 2016 December 08 15:45 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

Readers in LA who are fans of renowned creepy-kawaii manga artist Junko Mizuno will want to head over to Gallery Nucleus on Saturday December 17th, 2016 for the opening reception of her new exhibition. Junko Mizuno's second Japan-themed art show will run from December 17th, 2016 to January 8, 2017.

Admission to the opening reception is free, booking is required. As always with popular events, we advise booking early to avoid disappointment.

For those looking to find out more we interviewed Junko Mizuno last time she was in London.

Crunchyroll and Funimation announce content partnership

Date: 2016 September 08 15:47 | Posted By: Eeeper

Category > Anime

Funimation and Crunchyroll have signalled a major change to their platforms as they announce plans to cross-share content. The deal will make major changes for US, Canadian, UK and Ireland customers of both platforms.

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

Sherlock Manga Release Details Update

Date: 2016 March 26 15:21 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

We've already published details about Titan Comic's up-coming release of the Sherlock Manga. As news is spreading we wanted to know more details about the actual release. So we go it touch with Titan Comics editor Andrew James to talk about the release.

Asian Kung-Fu Generation on NHK World Saturday 16th March 2016

Date: 2016 March 03 15:34 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Culture

Fans of Japanese music will want to tune into NHK World this weekend to watch Entertainment Nippon's coverage Asian Kung-Fu Generation.

The band has been running for 20 years, you may know their music from the hugely popular anime show Erased. Entertainment Nippon is due to air Saturday 5th March 2016 at 4:10, 11:10, 16:10 and 22:10 (UTC).

NHK World is a free to air station, and is broadcast dubbed into English or with English subtitles.

NHK World is available in the UK on the following
Sky Channel 507
Freestat Channel 209
Virgin Media Channel 625

They offer free live streaming if you don't have a service able to watch it.

It's also widely available around the world, so could be available in your region.

Sherlock Manga US and UK Release Details

Date: 2016 February 19 16:02 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

Fans of a certain Baker Street Detective will be very pleased to hear that comic publisher Titan have announced that they'll be publishing the Sherlock Manga in the UK and US. Comic Book Resources revealed that Titan Comics announced at ComicsPro retailer summit that Sherlock: A Study in Pink will debut in June 2016.

The officially licensed Sherlock manga was published by Kadokawa Comics in Japan in 2012 in Young Ace magazine. It was published as a tankobon (standalone book) in Japanese in 2013. The manga closely follows the original BBC Sherlock episode featuring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman.

As of yet, it's not clear if Titan will be publishing the manga in it's original Japanese right to left format or if they'll flip it.

Souce: Comic Book Resources

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.

Omakase featuring Naruto Shippuden

Date: 2015 December 19 05:06 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

Streaming company Viewster have sent us details of their latest Omakase goodie box. This time around the box is filled with Naruto Shippuden goodies, and also includes a $40 coupon to US Anime convention AX 2016.

For those curious we reviewed the first Omakase Box, which featured Kill la Kill goodies.

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