The folks from Sentai Filmworks have sent us the details of the US DVD release of Nyan Koi! Complete Collection an anime title with plenty of cats and girls. The 12 episode set is subbed only. It's out today.
Can Junpei beat the curse and do 100 great favors for cats or will he be cursed and turned into a cat himself?! You'll have to watch it to find out.
You can order it from Amazon.com.
Read More... | Souce: Sentai Filmworks
The good folks from New People, Dark Horse Comics and NCM Fathom have sent us details about the world premiere of the live action version of GANTZ, which includes 325 US movie theaters. It's due to hit the big screen on Thursday, January 20th, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. CT / 6:00 p.m. MT / 8:30 p.m. PT.
For a complete list of movie theaters visit the Fathom Events Website.
Read More... | Souce: Fathom Events
Category > Events
NYC fans of Cosplay maid singing are in for a treat on November 20th 2010, as NHK World will be filming Reni's Maid Cafe show for their program Tokyo Fashion Express.
Reni's Maid Show and The Maid Cafe will be on Saturday November 20th on the 2nd Floor of Amber Asian Cuisine. 432 6th Avenue (9th & 10th Street) . There's a $12 door charge, or $10 if you're in cosplay (this does not include lunch).
We recently interviewed Reni at NYAF.
Read More... | Souce: Reni\'s Blog
Category > Anime
The good folks at Beez have sent us details of a a free preview of the first 14 minutes of episode 2 of Mobile Suit Gundam UC (Unicorn): The Second Coming of Char.
Gundam UC episode 2 is currently planned to be released November 12, 2010 on Blu-ray disc simultaneously in the US, Canada, and Taiwan.
It'll also get a PSN release too.
You can watch the first 14 minutes of Gundam Unicorn Episode 2 on the Bandai Channel.
Read More... | Souce: Bandai Channel
Category > Press Releases
Bandai Entertainment have sent us details fresh from NYAF including that Lucky Star Manga Volume 6 is out today. You can order it from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk.
The original Mobile Suit Gundam will be released as a two part DVD under the Anime Legend range.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is going to get a US blu-ray release, details and dates still to be confirmed.
Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society is coming to blu-ray.
K-ON! Season 1 will be released on DVD and blu-ray, and will be released over 4 parts. Additionally they'll be releasing a standard and special addition which features a CD (with tracks to be confirmed).
Gundam 00 movie: A wakening of the Trailblazer has also got a North AMerican release, again details and release dates to be confirmed.
Read More... | Souce: Bandai Entertainment
Category > Events
New York City based fans of maids, moe and cosplay will want to keep Sunday September 19th 2010 free for Reni's Maid Show and Cosplay Cafe. From 12 Midday to 3pm.
2nd Floor of Amber Asian Cuisine on 432 6th Avenue (9th & 10th Street) .
Please note that there's a $12 door charge, which does not include the cost of lunch.
Read More... | Souce: Reni\'s Blog
Category > Press Releases
The good folks at Phaidon have sent us the details of their up coming book Manga Impact.
The book has 500 colour illustrations, 300 illustrated entries, and contributions from anime and manga experts such as Jonathan Clements and Tsugata Nobuyuki.
The book is due out November 2010.
Pre Order From Amazon.co.uk
Pre Order From Amazon.com
Read More... | Souce: Phaidon
Category > Retail
The good folks at Udon Entertainment have sent us details of their 10 year anniversary art anthology - Vent. Due to hit the shelves on September 15th 2010 the art book premiers this summer at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con, along with an exclusive hardcover edition at the Udon booth.
Vent is available to pre-order from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. UK readers should note that Amazon.com currently have it cheaper than Amazon.co.uk even after taking shipping into account.
Read More... | Souce: Udon Entertainment
Want zombies with your anime? The good folks at Sentai Filmworks and Anime Network are willing to provide you with infected flesh eating monsters! Sentai Filmworks have the license for High School of the Dead. and will be releasing it subbed and dubbed throughout North America.
The Anime Network will also be showing the first and second episode from Monday July 5th to subscribers in North America.
Read More... | Souce: Sentai Filmworks
Category > Manga
Multi-National Manga Anti-Piracy Coalition Formed
We've received some very interesting details from VIZ Media about the formation of a Multi-National Manga Anti-Piracy Coalition.It seems that the industry has grown tired of Scanlations - manga scanned into a digital format and distributed without the copyright holders consent. The coalition include the 36 members of Japan's Digital Comic Association, Square Enix, VIZ Media, TOKYOPOP and Yen Press.
Originally scanlations were manga translated by fans into their native language from Japanese. This can be seen as the manga equivalent of anime fansubs. Some scanlation sites branched out to scans of manga that was already official translated and licensed outside of Japan.
This has cost the manga publishing industry significant amounts of money, not just in lost book sales, but lost opportunities in the relatively new market of eBooks and mobile devices.
The coalition intend to target scanlation sites and aggregators of scanlation sites. They've drawn up a list of 30 sites to targeted for action. First they will ask the sites to cease distributing scanlations. If the sites fail to cease distributing further action will be taken depending on the jurisdiction of each site. Actions include legal injunctions against the sites, reporting the sites to governmental anti-piracy units of law enforcement, including the US Justice Department, local law enforcement agencies and the FBI.
Fans curious about piracy in the anime and manga industry should read the Pirate Anime FAQ.
This is not the first time the anime and manga industry has attempted to stop piracy in the industry, but this is the biggest and most coordinated international effort so far. With many companies in the industry forced to make cut backs, closing down offices, laying off staff, we wonder if this is the start of a new approach? Will more companies pursue legal options? Are fansubbers next?
Read More... | Souce: VIZ Media
Category > Events
Baltimore based fans of Japanese Cosplay singers will be pleased to hear that Reni Mimura will be performing in Club Orpheus on Saturday June 26th 2010 at 9pm. This is part of the Pop Show Japan.
Read More... | Souce: Reni\'s Blog
Category > Anime
US Anime fans can now watch Vampire Knight on-line as it premiers on VizAnime.com. This streamed anime title is only available to people inside the US.
Read More... | Souce: Viz Anime
The good folks at Bandai Entertainment have sent details of the up coming US screenings of the new Haruhi Movie - The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya.
An English subtitled version of the film will be shown at the Viz Cinema in San Francisco from May 21st. The film will then be shown in Hawaii by Consolidated Theaters in mid-June.
Bandai also intend to release the film on DVD in the near future.
Read More... | Souce: Bandai Entertainment
Category > Anime
The good folks at Crunchyroll have sent us details of their latest streaming deal. They've started to show The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Fans looking for aliens, time travelers, and ESPers will be most pleased to hear that they intend to stream the second series later this year too. Crunchyroll's licence covers the Americas, the British Isles, Scandinavia, the Middle East and Africa.
Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll
Category > Anime
Watching anime on-line is all the rage these days, with services like Crunchyroll leading the way. Viz Media have launched their own anime streaming service on VizAnime.com. Currently the site uses Hulu.com as a backend (which means that readers outside the US can't watch it).
They've got some great titles on there divided into 3 brands - Shonen Jump, Shojo Beat and Shonen Sunday. Highlights include Bleach, Death Note and Naruto, Honey and Clover and Nana. They've got something for everyone on there.
Read More... | Souce: Viz Anime
We've been sent the details about the Clannad English Dub from Sentai Filmworks. Up until now they've only been producing subtitle only titles. We don't have a release date yet. They also plan an upgrade offer for those who purchased the original subtitle only DVD. Sentai Filmworks intend to release Blue Drop, Ghost Hound, Legends of the Dark King - A Fist of the North Star Story and Tears to Tiara.
Read More... | Souce: Sentai Filmworks
Category > Events
Fans of Akiba culture in NY should head over to Top Tunes Karaoke Bar on January 24th 2010 where Japanese Copsplay Singer Reni will perform anime songs and J-Pop.
Read More... | Souce: Reni\'s Blog
Category > Events
Fans of Akiba culture in NY should head over to Top Tunes Karaoke Bar on December 6th 2009 where Japanese Copsplay Singer Reni will perform anime songs and J-Pop.
Read More... | Souce: Reni\'s Blog
Category > Retail
The good folks from YesAnime.com have sent us some details about a new range of Cospa t-shirts made in collaboration with renowned otaku Danny Choo.
The t-shirt designs can be seen on Danny's website, and US readers can get them along with other great cospa t-shirts from YesAnime.com.
We only wish that Cospa had a UK stockist. Still you can always get TerraTag or Genki Gear t-shirts if you want to support UK anime inspired designs.
We must admit we're a bit jealous of Danny, we wish Cospa would make t-shirts with our mascot Miyuki. Still you can always download wallpaper of her instead.
Read More... | Souce: YesAnime.com
Category > Fandom
Otaku Dating sites seem to be all the rage at the moment. So we've discovered another dating site for anime fans MaiOtaku. They're pitching themselves as the OKCupid for anime lovers.
Read More... | Souce: MaiOtaku
Category > Fandom
There are tons of dating sites on the internet. Lots are even specialist dating sites by interest. So it should come as no surprise that the clever folks at Fan Crush have set up a dating site for otaku - Otaku Crush.
Read More... | Souce: Otaku Crush
Category > Anime
US based Anime company ADV have closed. A detailed write up can be found on Anime News Network.
Apart from the asset transfers to other companies registered in Texas (where ADV was based), the details are still coming to light.
Below we've included the press release from ADV along with the press release from Section23 Films.
Read More... | Souce: ADV Films
Category > Events
Fans of Akiba culture in NY should head over to Top Tunes Karaoke Bar on September 6th 2009 where Japanese Copsplay Singer Reni will perform anime songs and J-Pop.
Read More... | Souce: Reni
Category > Cuisine
Fans of Japanese cooking at home should note that Harumi's new book is due for released in September 2009.
It hits the UK on 7th September 2009, while US readers will have to wait a few more days until September 22nd.
Pre Order from Amazon UK
Pre Order from Amazon US
The book covers a wide variety of basic typically Japanese recipes. Harumi thinks you'll be able to create fantastic meals using the simple flavours. The best selling author has sold over 20 million of her books and magazine world wide.
Update: Harumi will be signing books in London at Selfridges Oxford Street on Friday 18th September 2009 from 1.30pm (she will be in the basement book store).
Read More... | Souce: Conran Octopus
Category > Events
US fans of J-Rock will be pleased to hear about VAMPS upcoming US tour this July and August 2009.
VAMPS is a group formed by HYDE from L'Arc-en-Ciel and K.A.Z from Oblivion Dust.
Don't forget to check out the official VAMPS website for more details.
Read More... | Souce: VAMPS
An episode of One Piece (Episode #403) intended for simulcast in America and Japan is leaked online. Funimation Entertainment announces that, for the foreseeable future, no episodes of One Piece will be available on their website for streaming.
Read More... | Souce: Anime News Network
A live action version of Blood the Last Vampire is due to hit the cinemas soon! Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group, have acquired the rights for screenings in the US. For more details check out the official website. There's no release date yet, but it'll be hitting the screens this summer!
Read More... | Souce: Blood the Last Vampire Movie Website
Category > Anime
Anime fans will want to check out RightStuf's latest podcast. It features an interview with anime expert Helen McCarthy who promotes her book 500 Essential Anime Movies. In the podcast she explains how she narrowed down her choices in the book to just 500 shows. Along with how anime production and writing about anime has changed over the years.
Souce: RightStuf Anime Today Podcast
The good people from Viz Picture have sent us details of the US DVD release of the live action feature film version of Death Note. Which is due to hit the shelves on September 16th 2008.
Read More... | Souce: Viz Pictures
Category > Fandom
Our US based readers who like the idea of appearing on TV should consider this request from MTV who are keen to do a True Life episode on Fanboys.
Read More... | Souce: MTV True Life
Category > Events
We've got some exciting news for American anime fans who can get to the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con International, where Tite Kubo the creator of Bleach will be making an appearance from July 25th.
Read More... | Souce: Viz
We've been sent a press release from the nice folks at Viz about the US DVD release of the live action NANA film, based on the popular shojo manga. The manga has a proved very popular with fans, and it's good to see the DVD of the movie hitting shelves on April 8th 2008.
Although we haven't seen this film yet, we must admit the casting for Nana Osaki is excellent.
While Viz seem to be releasing some great live action titles on DVD at the moment. We do wish they would release the live action Train Man TV series.
Read More... | Souce: Viz
Category > Press Releases
We've received a press release from PiQ LLC, the magazine which is essentially the replacement for NewType USA. The magazine is due out from March 14th 2008. Issue 1 will feature articles about Appleseed: Ex Machina, Code Geass and xxxHOLiC.
Read More... | Souce: PiQ
Category > Manga
The good folk at Viz have sent us the details for their new manga releases for the first quarter of 2008. They include:
Sand Chronicles
High School Debut
Ral Ω Grad
Monkey High
Honey and Clover
Switch
Plus they’ll be launching Library Editions of popular titles, these hard cover versions will be the first volumes of successful manga series including Bleach, Death Note, Fullmetal Alchemist, Inuyasha, Naruto and Ranma ½, and are intended to be a bit more rugged to withstand long term library use.
Read More... | Souce: Viz
Category > Manga
The folks at Viz Media have sent us details about a special Yuu Watase Absolute Boyfriend cover for the September 2007 issue of Shojo Beat Magazine.
Read More... | Souce: Shojo Beat
Following on from our story about the US Naruto Screenings, we've obtained the list of theaters that will screen Naruto The Movie: Ninja Clash in The Land of Snow. Which will be for one night only on June 6th, 2007. Our North American Naruto loving readers better book soon to avoid disappointment.
Read More... | Souce: Offical Naruto Movie Website
Category > Art
The nice people at Abrams have sent us details of a new book they're publishing Hokusai, the artist who created one of the most famous bits of Japanese artwork, often called Tsunami by Hokusai or The Under the wave off Kanagawa. The book is printed excellent quality paper. At £15.95 it's superb value for money especially considering it's all in colour. It's due out 30th April 2007. We only wish the book was bigger so that they could print the artwork larger, but I guess we've been spoiled by looking at anime artbooks all these years. The book has some great examples of Japanese culture in the period and come highly recommend by the Otaku News crew.
Read More... | Souce: Abrams Books
Category > Art
The good folks at Abrams have sent us details of a new book they're publishing about the groundbreaking artist Hokusai. The book contains lots of lovely selection artwork from Hokusai and is a great example of the variety of work he did. The book is well worth £10, for curiosity or academic interests. It hits the shops on 30th April 2007.
Read More... | Souce: Abrams Books
The good folks from Viz Media US have sent us their DVD release schedule for titles up until August. If you like Inuyasha, Bleach or Naruto on DVD, then check these release dates.
Read More... | Souce: Viz Media
Category > Anime
We've just got an e-mail from the pioneering folks at Genoen who'd like to let us know that they've posted up the latest Geneon Spot audio podcast, featuring an interview with Taliesin Jaffe (the ADR director of R.O.D -The TV-, Hellsing, Hellsing Ultimate, BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad, etc.), who talks about script adaptation work and the realities of being an anime voice actor.
Souce: Geneon Spot audio podcast
Category > Events
For a special event of the closing night ceremony of Video Games Live, Nintendo composer Koji Kondo will be making an appearance at the event and is set to perform one of his favourite melodies from his career with Nintendo. Tickets for the March 9th event are priced from $38.50 to $65, and are now available at LiveNation.com.
Read More... | Souce: Video Games Live
Category > Manga
Capcom fans will pleased to hear about Udon Entertainment's new artbooks, one for Megaman Zero and another on Street Fighter.
Read More... | Souce: Udon Entertainment
We've just been sent some interesting news from Viz Pictures in the US, who will be screening a Taste of Tea across New York, Chicago, Seattle and Portland. It's a live action flick, from the writer/director Katsuhito Ishii, who directed Shark Skin Man & Peach Hip Girl, Party Seven and the animated section of Kill Bill Volume 1.
US readers can catch the screenings at the following venues:
New York
General opening: February 16-22, 2007
The ImaginAsian
239 East 59th St., New York 10022
http://www.theimaginasian.com
Chicago
General opening: March 2-8, 2007
FACETS CINEMATHEQUE
1517 West Fullerton Avenue, Chicago, IL 60614
http://www.facets.org/asticat
Seattle
March 16-22, 2007
GRAND ILLUSION CINEMA
1403 NE 50th St., Seattle, WA 98105
http://www.grandillusioncinema.org
Portland
April 6-12, 2007
The Hollywood Theatre
4122 N.E. Sandy Blvd., Portland, OR 97212
http://www.hollywoodtheatre.org
Read More... | Souce: Viz Pictures
Category > Websites
The nice folks at Geneon Entertainment have sent us news that they've launched a website for Hellsing Ultimate, the OAV incarnation of the fan favourite anime series. The website contains some details about the series, it's creator, DVD release dates, along with a host of downloads like desktop wallpaper and chat icons.
Read More... | Souce: Hellsing Ultimate Website
Category > Manga
The nice people from Viz Media have sent us a press release detailing the conclusion of the long running fan favourite manga Ranma 1/2. Volume 36 of the manga ends the series with a letter to North American fans from Rumiko Takahashi, the author of Ranma 1/2 and another huge favourite Inu Yasha. The final volume is due out in North American on November 14th. So now's your chance to say goodbye to everyone's favourite gender changing comedy martial arts manga!
Read More... | Souce: Viz Media
Category > Manga
Seven Seas Entertainment will be launching a new publishing imprint for its library of manga titles. Called Strawberry, this new imprint will focus on yuri, or girl-on-girl, flavored romantic titles. The first titles of the new line are expected to be released sometime in 2007.
Read More... | Souce: ICv2
Category > Manga
The folks from VIZ Media have sent us details about Naruto winning the 2006 Quill Award for best graphic novel, apparently this is the first time a manga title has one the category. The Quill awards are unlike normal awards as they are more consumer orientated, so in other words it looks at sales figures rather than panellists decisions.
Read More... | Souce: VIZ Media
Category > Manga
Tokyopop teams up with the Los Angeles Public Library to launch manga summer reading program.
Read More... | Souce: Tokyopop
Category > Manga
Manga publisher Viz Media brought some news that fans of the Rurouni Kenshin manga series would not want to hear. Viz has announced that this widely popular series will end after its 28th volume is released on July 5.
Fans do not need to be sad though, for Viz has also announced that there will be a Rurouni Kenshin fiction novel. This is the first of its kind and will be unleashed to the masses on October 17. The novel is called Voyage To The Moon World and is written by Kaoru Shizuka, it is Shonen Jump's first fictional novel release, and will retail for $9.99. Voyage To The Moon World features Kenshin Himura in a brand new adventure. Viz will also release a new manga series, Buso Renkin from the creator of Rurouni Kenshin, Nobuhiro Watsuki on August 1. And not only that, Mr. Watsuki himself will be a guest at Comic-Con International in San Diego this July!
The final volumes of the series have been greatly anticipated by fans, as they have not been animated before.
Read More... | Souce: Akadot
Category > Anime
VIZ announces launch of new Shojo Beat video line for titles of related genre.
Read More... | Souce: VIZ Media
We've just been sent the press release from JAST USA, about a rather novel PC game for a certain type of anime fan. Yep, we're talking Yaoi (or boys love). Appropriately for this kind of game, Enzai - Falsely Accused, the action takes place in a prison ^_- (our resident expert Spike's going to love this).
Read More... | Souce: JAST USA