The final episode of the School Days anime, scheduled to air earlier today, was canceled at the last minute and did not air on the Aichi TV, Chiba TV, or TV Kanagawa networks. Reportedly, this hasty action is in relation to the murder of a 45 year old police sergeant, who was attacked with an axe by his 16 year old daughter. The final School Days episode was to depict a high school-aged girl committing brutal violence and was already undergoing censorship. No future broadcast schedules for this episode have yet been made.
12:55pm EDT |
A sequel to the extremely popular live action Detective Conan TV drama is now in production. The new special will be titled Kudo Shinichi no Fukkatsu! Kuro no Soshiki to no Taiketsu. Tomoka Kurokawa and Takanori Jinnai will both reprise their Ran and Kogoro Mori casting.
12:08pm EDT |
Kill Time Communication, the publishers of the Mugen Shôjo Dreamer Angels manga, are launching a new manga magazine in Japan on October 29, entitled Comic Valkyrie Hard.
The official website for MediaWorks’ new manga magazine, Dengeki Kuro Maoh, has been launched. The site is featuring previews of its newly serialized manga Moetan and Shakugan no SHANA.
11:37am EDT |
A promotional trailer for the upcoming Tsubasa: Tokyo Revelations OVA has been posted by the series’ official website as a free download. The first episode of the three-part OVA will be released in Japan with a premium limited edition of the Tsubasa -Reservoir Chronicle- vol. 21 manga (on sale November 16, 2007).
11:33am EDT |
Media Blaster’s Simoun anime series will premiere at the Yuricon 2007’s Yurisai event on September 29, 2007 in Newark New Jersey. Simoun was named as the “Best Yuri of 2006″ by Yuricon’s president during last year’s convention.
10:04am EDT |
Tohan has announced their list of the 10 best selling manga for this past week. Last week’s list can be found here for comparison.
Top 10 Japanese Manga for the week ending 9/19:
1. Nana, vol. 18
2. One Piece, vol. 47
3. Life, vol. 16
4. Ouran High School Host Club, vol. 11
5. Lucky☆Star, vol. 5
6. Ahiru no Sora, vol. 17
7. Fairy Tail, vol. 6
8. Fist of the Blue Sky, vol. 17
9. Hajime no Ippo, vol. 81
10. Tantei Gakuen Q Premium
9:59am EDT |
CMX has announced the licenses for two new manga, Dokkoida?! and Go West!, both by the mangaka Yagami Yu. Yagami is the creator of two other manga, Hikkatsu! (licensed by Go! Comi) and Those Who Hunt Elves (licensed by ADV Manga).
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
10:18pm EDT |
Check out our latest review of MÄR DVD #2. Come back in the next few days for our upcoming reviews including Hikaru no Go DVD #10, Naruto the Movie, and Ping Pong (live action).
9:59pm EDT |
Viz Pictures announced it has obtained the licenses for the live action Death Note film and its sequel, Death Note: The Last Name. Screenings of these two live action films will be screened at Fantastic Fest 2007 in Austin (September 20-27) and at the 2007 Vancouver Asian Film Festival (November 1-4). DVD releases are expected in summer 2008. Full press release with more information after the jump.
2:28pm EDT |
Blu-ray North American releases for the anime movies Paprika and Jin-Roh have been announced for November 27, 2007. The Paprika release with be priced at $38.96, with a standard DVD release at $26.96. The Jin-Roh Blu-ray release is slated for $79.99, with a standard DVD price of $19.98 (what a difference!)
2:23pm EDT |
The August sales number for graphic novels has been posted on ICv2. The statistics come primarily from comic stores surveyed by Diamond, so the manga numbers may in fact be higher than stated. Nineteen manga volumes made it into the top 100 list, including Fruits Basket volume #17 taking the third place and Fullmetal Alchemist volume #14 ranking in at number 12. The full list can be found here.
2:17pm EDT |
In promotion for the September 25 release of the first English Witchblade DVD, IGN is streaming the full first episode of the anime for free, available here.
2:14pm EDT |
An application for the establishment of an animation major has appeared from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. The university plans to offer this as a graduate and undergraduate program starting next April; if allowed, this would mark the first public higher education institution in Japan to offer such a curriculum.
2:08pm EDT |
Kenichirō Yoshizaki, a 27 year old used car dealer has been arrested in the Saitama prefecture of Tokyo for allegedly selling copyrighted DVD copies of Keroro Gunsō and Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team in 2006. He reportedly made a ¥9,500,000 profit (about US$82,500). Yoshizaki was arested on July 24 and stands trial today, September 18.
Monday, September 17, 2007
4:21pm EDT |
Top Anime DVD This Week
Dragonball Z Season 3 DVD Box Set
Whatever problems you may or may not have with this widescreen format, these Dragonball Z “season” box sets are extremely affordable. Own this great series on what will most likely be the last Dragonball DVD release (but get those checkbooks ready for those Blu-Ray releases down the road!)
Buy now from Rightstuf for only $44.98
Buy now from AnimeNation for only $44.98
Top Manga This Week
Phoenix Volume 11
The great Osamu Tezuka considered this manga his “life’s work” and you should too! Don’t miss this enlightening series, now available from Viz Media.
Buy now from Rightstuf for only $12.74
Buy now from AnimeNation for only $15.29
4:07pm EDT |
Black Lagoon DVD #3 [ Geneon ]
September 18, 2007 | $29.98 | 100 min.
Dirty jobs are a part of life for the Black Lagoon, but things seem to be getting worse by the minute. Their latest problem is a maid from Columbia. She’s a killing machine out to rescue Garcia from the clutches of the Black Lagoon and will kill anyone who gets in her way. As if that wasn’t enough, international terrorists make their move and set the scene for a showdown with the Hong Kong Triad, the C.I.A. and the Black Lagoon smack dab in the middle! Can Rock count on his new family to pull him out of a pinch or will he be left to rot?
Dragon Ball Z Season 3 Uncut DVD Box Set [ FUNimation ]
September 18, 2007 | $49.98 | 830 min.
The battle to decide the fate of the universe begins! On the distant Planet Namek, the seven magic Dragon Balls have been brought together and the dragon Porunga summoned. Now, Goku and the Z-fighters are all that stand between the evil Frieza and his wish for immortality!
Having survived their encounters with Frieza’s dreaded minions, Goku and his friends are now left to contend with the ruthless tyrant himself. Despite their recent victories, however, the Z-fighters are ill prepared to face the terrifying reality of Frieza’s power. To defeat this seemingly invincible foe and restore peace to the universe, there is but one hope - a Super Saiyan must emerge!
Fullmetal Alchemist DVD Box Set 1 [ FUNimation ]
September 18, 2007 | $49.98 | 400 min.
As children, brothers Edward and Alphonse used the clandestine science of Alchemy to try the unthinkable: resurrect their dead mother. They failed, unleashing an alchemic reaction that ripped their bodies apart.
Four years later, Ed and Al are combing the country for a rumored stone that could amplify their alchemy and bring their bodies back to normal. And it appears they may have found it - in a strangely prosperous desert village.
4:06pm EDT |
MÄR Volume #15 [ VIZ Media ]
September 18, 2007 | $7.99 | 192 pages
Ginta and Team Mar have one final mission: to save Snow from the clutches of evil Queen Diana. The stakes get even higher when Diana announces her ultimate goal: the domination of Ginta’s world after she takes over Mar Heaven. And Ginta is devastated when the identity of the Chess King is revealed - an opponent Ginta never imagined he would have to fight!
Phoenix Volume #11 [ VIZ Media ]
September 18, 2007 | $16.99
Wolf-faced warrior Harima fights on behalf of the once-deified Ku tribe, who are perceived as demonic after the introduction of Buddhism to Japan. This conflict is mirrored in the 21st century, where Harima’s counterpart, Bando Suguri, fights against a Phoenix-worshipping group.
Sun is the longest chapter in the Phoenix series, and its structure is threefold. Harima’s story in 7th century Japan interweaves with that taking place in the 21st century, while another tale of a spiritual battle bridges both past and future.
3:36pm EDT |
Adult Swim has updated their October schedule to include 3 new currently unknown series, at least one of which is assumed to be an anime. The schedule can be found here; it would come to no surprise (to me) if Death Note just happened to take one of these time slots. Cowboy Bebop will also be returning tonight (September 17) at 1:00 am ET and will air every Monday through Friday into October until all 26 episodes finish.
3:29pm EDT |
The Sitges 2007 cinema festival will be screening Brave Story, Tales from Earthsea, Tekkonkinkreet, and Vexille as part of its long animation programming. Franz Kafka’s A Country Doctor, Lost Utopia, and Wolfie the Pianist will be in the short anime category. The live action films Dororo and Mushishi will also be screened at the event. Sitges 2007 will be held in Sitges (just outside Barcelona, Spain) from October 4th to the 14th.