Viz Media confirmed updates for its Shonen Jump manga magazine. A Dragonball Z Collector supplement will begin in October, this will include in-depth character profiles and unique information (including character fusion information and an illustrated hair guide). Bleach will begin serialization in November. December’s issue will feature the first chapter of Slam Dunk and a short “Naruto prototype” story before publishing Naruto Shippuden in January.

With all the new manga releases this week, I had plenty to choose from. The DVD releases are nothing to snuff at either, with a few large heavy-hitters.

Top DVD Release
Ranma 1/2 Season 2 [ Viz Media ] - This thinpack compilation gains my top DVD pick this week not because I like the series, but rather for the value and ability to bring old fans and new together.

Top Manga Release
Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny Volume #4 [ Del Rey ] - This overrated, then underrated series slowly approaches conclusion, will it be peace or destruction?

Top New Series
Gon Volume #1 [ CMX ] - Not quite a “new series,” but this simple manga deserves more than it has received. With a little patience, this wordless adventure provides a unique view on life and nature.

Bleach DVD #5 [ Viz Media ]
July 31, 2007 | $24.98 | 100 min.

Rukia the Soul Reaper knows she is on borrowed time, staying in the world of the living longer than allowed. Having transferred her powers to Ichigo, she is in big trouble when two enforcers from the Soul Society come after her. Now Ichigo will have to master his sword and learn to control his spiritual energy if he is to save her from execution!

Buy Now at Rightstuf for $22.48
Buy Now at AnimeNation for $22.48
Buy Now at Amazon for $16.99

Hikaru no Go DVD #9 [ Viz Media ]
July 31, 2007 | $24.98 | 100 min.

Hikaru, Waya and Isumi visit some Go salons to test themselves against a variety of opponents, but the competitive passions they stir up may be more than they can handle. At a local festival, Akira faces his own challenge in the form of a cranky city councilman, who he must let win! But Akira’s not ready to “lose” so easily…

Buy Now at Rightstuf for $22.48
Buy Now at Amazon for $16.99

Naruto DVD #14 [ Viz Media ]
July 31, 2007 | $19.98 | 100 min.

Sakura and Ino go to pay Sasuke a visit in the hospital, only to find he’s disappeared! And in the shadows a sinister plan is hatching that could affect the entire Hidden Leaf Village forever…

Buy Now at Rightstuf for $17.98
Buy Now at AnimeNation for $17.98
Buy Now at Amazon for $13.99

Ranma 1/2 Season 2 : Anything Goes Martial Arts Thinpak Collection [ Viz Media ]
July 31, 2007 | $49.98 | 450 min.

Get to know the infamous Golden Pair of the high school combat figure skating world; Mikado “Emperor” Sanzenin; Azusa Shiratori, the girl who gives anything “cute” a bad name (before taking it home); Sasuke, loyal ninja manservant to high school swordsman Tatewaki “Blue Thunder” Kuno; Cologne, the hundreds-of-years-old-leader of the same Chinese Amazon tribe that introduced the sassy Shampoo; Mousse, the nearsighted master of hidden weapons and all things avian; Happosai, lecherous master of both Ranma and Akane’s fathers; plus a host of others!

Buy Now at Rightstuf for $44.98
Buy Now at Amazon for $34.99

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With nearly 4 dozen manga releases, I sure did choose one hell of a week to start off this new “feature.” I figure tomorrow I’ll list my top suggestions for what to buy or what to stay clear of. If it doesn’t prove too tedious, I’ll start doing this with anime DVD releases as well.

Air Gear Volume #5 [ Del Rey ]
July 31, 2007 | $10.95 | 192 pages

Itsuki finally forms his own Air Treck team, but his roommate, legal guardian, and all-around hot babe, Rika, confiscates his Air Trecks and forbids him to ever skate again! Does she really just have Itsuki’s best interests at heart?

Buy Now at Rightstuf for $10.95
Buy Now at AnimeNation for $9.86
Buy Now at Amazon for $8.76

Boys Be… Volume #14 [ TOKYOPOP ]
July 31, 2007 | $9.99 | 196 pages

The boys are back and there’s gonna be trouble. What’s a teenager to do when sexy photos aren’t so sexy? What happens when you have a crush on a porn star instead of the hot girl who has a crush on you? Who said high school hazing was all bad? Boys will be boys, after all!

Buy Now at Rightstuf for $7.49
Buy Now at AnimeNation for $8.99
Buy Now at Amazon for $9.99

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny Volume #4 [ Del Rey ]
July 31, 2007 | $10.95 | 192 pages

Chairman Durandal has a vision for a new world - a place without war or strife, where no one questions his authority - and he’s determined to force peace upon the universe, regardless of the cost! But with the sinister Lord Djibril still on the loose, chaos reigns, and the universe is on the brink of total destruction. As the last battle approaches, the fate of all humankind hangs in the balance. It’s all here, in the explosive final volume!

Buy Now at Rightstuf for $10.95
Buy Now at AnimeNation for $9.86
Buy Now at Amazon for $8.76

Read the rest of this entry »

After last month’s confiscation of 6,000 (banned) Death Note comics, the Chinese police are at it again. Reportedly, they have taken legal action against large web site (dofor.cn) that allegedly hosted videos based on the manga. This entire ordeal has created one of the largest movements of Chinese authorities against an entertainment output, stating Death Note comics “contain elements of mystery, death and revenge, and are harmful to children’s psychological development.”

I personally find this as yet another social failure, parents should be the people intervening in what children are subjected to, not police and government officials.

In an attempt to squeeze the market dry, Viz will be re-releasing a few of their longest-running manga titles, Dragonball, Dragonball Z, and Rurouni Kenshin in 3-volume long omnibus collections. I would insert a joke here about how Inuyasha may also see an omnibus release format if Rumiko Takahashi learns how to write an ending, but it’s not even funny anymore.

Update: This new Viz line has been dubbed “Viz Big” and will begin publishing Kenshin in January 2008, Dragonball and Dragonball Z in May 2008.

Unsurprisingly, Viz announced yesterday that they do currently hold the licenses to the anime versions of Nana and Honey and Clover.

The comics sections of this week’s New York Magazine is dedicated to Osamu Tezuka’s 1970’s Appollo’s Song, featuring the first sixteen pages. This is quite an honor for the legendary mangaka, and hopefully it will fuel sales for the full graphic novel.

Following the news a few days ago, FUNimation has confirmed they will be releasing Dragon Ball Z Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan and Dragon Ball Z Broly: Second Coming on the Blu-Ray format. Stating the movies have been transferred directly from the original 35mm film with enhanced 5.1 Surround Sound. My assumptions also look to be correct, as FUNimation has also stated they will be expanding they’re high-definition releases with their most popular titles.

Shortly after the close of Anime Online, FUNimation has layed off an additional 10% (speculated) of its staff. No word on whether this developed within the company itself, or if it’s a result of corporate restructuring from Navarre, whom acquired Funimation in 2005.

I’ve written a review on Hunter X Hunter, one of my new favorites. I’ve gotten a bit rusty, so don’t belittle me too much if you don’t like the writing style. If for nothing else, check out the screenshots: Hunter X Hunter Review

Navarre/Funimation’s AnimeOnline.com beta test has closed down indicating “technical issues”. Although they promise a relaunch, ANN reports editors Dale North and Gia Manry stated they were looking for employment elsewhere. I found Anime Online’s navigation and content system rather annoying with a myspace-esque feeling and their member forum was rather small, but they offered extremely unique news and articles that will be missed.

Two of the highest rated anime of 2006 have been licensed in America. Funimation has licensed Ouran High School Host Club, I expect they’re hoping for another Fruits Basket hit. The much anticipated Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion has been licensed by Bandai Entertainment with a confirmed television syndication in 2008.

And lastly, the Dragon Ball Z DVD confusion may soon be reaching the next step. Anime distributor AAA Anime has listed a Blu-Ray version of the Dragonball Z Movie: Broly Double Feature DVD with a release date of November 13, 2007 and MSRP $34.98. It is unknown what stance Funimation will be taking for high-def DVDs, but it is certain Dragon Ball Z will be seeing another version in the future. Wonder if they’ll ever completely release the series in a single format without stopping, “revamping,” and re-re-releasing.

Yeah, nothing like Western governments at all! Ha, big laugh.

Two years of governmental and bureaucratic bullshit in Japan, with officials publicly announcing their idiocy by grouping Shoujo and Hentai-esque manga together has finally led to real action. On June 8th the Osaka police department conducted a “sweep” of 70 stores in search of shoujo manga that have been deemed harmful and reportedly will “stimulate considerable sexual emotions in youths” in children under 18. Despite these manga being shrink wrapped, the covers alone will viciously rage through teenagers, forcing them to do unbearable acts such as holding hands, or even KISSING!!

Thanks goes out to the Osaka Police Department for their productive work in shielding our young from these atrocities.

On July 18th, Thailand’s police force raided Bangkok’s best known maid cafe, arresting two managers and confiscating over 200 volumes of “obscene” japanese-imported manga. Thailand’s police explained that this was spurred on from parental complaints whose children frequented the cafe. No word on what genre or series were deemed inappropriate, however it was obviously too difficult for these parents to explain to their kids the difference between right and wrong. Way to go, another failure in modern families.

With all this ruckus abound in Eastern Asia over mature manga, what are the chances parents and authorities in the US will figure out what their kids are really reading? Unbeknownst to most, the fastest-growing Japanese-imported entertainment is non other than Yaoi manga. Despite it all being shrink-wrapped, large book-stores across America have absolutely no idea what they’re putting on their shelves next to Naruto and Fruits Basket. The employees obviously don’t know. What parent would knowingly buy their 13 year old daughter a book filled with unbelievably boring mansex? These books are just playful children comics right?

I’m not faulting the publishers in any way. They are currently not regulated to shrink wrap the majority of 18+ manga, but they do! Publishers are going out of their way to protect these kids; I fear what will happen to them when one overbearing mother finds her daughter’s hidden “porn” stash and sparks a campaign against the industry.

Five months here, a year there, time just seems to be flying! I can’t believe it’s already been 8 months since our last news update. Go us. There aren’t many people left to apologize to, so I think the best action to take is to just continue forward. This may be the last update for a few months, or it could be a string of many. Who knows what life will throw at us (see: Half Life 2: DM, Team Fortress Classic, and being downright lazy).

Nevertheless! My “plea” for user-submitted information and reviews caught they eye of one gracious (and anonymous) member. He has submitted four new anime reviews which are now online and…you know, ready to be read. No catchy tagline, sorry; just read them!

Slam Dunk
Street Fighter II V
Tekken: The Movie
Yu Yu Hakusho

I honestly don’t know where to take Anime Corporation, but I’ll keep it up for now in hopes I’ll miraculously gain motivation to update regularly. Again if you want to help out, the best way is to post on our forums or write reviews and articles for the site.