AnimeNation Anime News Blog

In response to the recent Japanese court decision that the Macross property is owned by Big West, rather than Tatsunoko, American anime distributors apparently have little expectation of the ruling affecting the American market. AD Vision’s release of Robotech will apparently be unaffected by this legal decision. Manga Entertainment has likewise confirmed that they foresee the decision having no effect on the availability of their Macross Plus and Macross 2 releases. AnimEigo has been a bit more hesitant to make unqualified statements, but thinks it “unlikely” that the Japanese ruling will have any effect on the American Macross TV series DVD release.

Source: Anime News Service

According to Anime News Service, the Yoshitaka Amano original painting of Marvel Comics character Electra that was auctioned for charity at last weekend’s Megacon convention in Orlando, Florida, topped the auction results easily, selling for $5000- more than double the price paid for the next highest value artwork sold.

Contrary to previous reports of an April 27th release at 6800 yen, Famitsu Magazine has revealed that Final Fantasy XI will debut in Japan on May 16th at a retail price of 7800 yen. Also in a correction from the previously announced 500 yen per month online monthly fee, the correct monthly charge will actually be 1280 yen.

Source: Gaming Intelligence Agency

While the future of the Futurama television series looks bleak, the franchise may find new life elsewhere. Console video game studios SCi and UDS have obtained the rights to produce a Futurama game for the PS2, Xbox and Gamecube.

Source: GameSpot

Question:
Why has Saint Seiya not been imported to the US? The extreme popularity of Dragonball Z and the recent TV airing of Yuu Yuu Hakusho is evidence that there is a clear market in America for combat anime. The highly derivative Samurai Troopers/Ronin Warriors was also imported here with a TV airing. But the US seems to be the only country in the world that hasn’t done at least a video release of the show that effectively founded the genre in Japan. Is there a factor that I’m missing somewhere?

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The official Japanese homepage for the second Rurouni Kenshin OAV series has uploaded new 15 and 30 second TV commercials for the upcoming Japanese release of the concluding second OAV episode. Rurouni Kenshin fans should be extremely pleased with what they see in this brief footage.

Source: Anime News Service

Anime News Network has published an extremely revealing interview with Jason Demarco, Sr., writer/producer for Toonami, that explains the reasoning behind the editing seen in anime broadcast on the Cartoon Network and reveals that standards for editing anime on the Cartoon Network are actually getting more stringent “due largely to complaints from parents” rather than more relaxed.

Anime Tourist has published a lengthy interview with members of the dubbing staff and cast of Synch-Point’s upcoming release of FLCL.

In preparation for the re-release of an enhanced, re-mastered DVD release of the original Project A-ko movie, Central Park Media is now holding an A-ko themed fan interaction contest. Fans that submit winning photographs of themselves in Project A-ko themed costumes or A-ko fan art may have their photo or art included as a supplemental feature on the new DVD and win a free copy of the disc.

Visit the Central Park Media Project A-ko Contest page for full rules and submission guidelines.

Source: Anime on DVD

According to a new ruling in Japanese civil court by presiding judge Toshiaki Iimura, the Superdimensional Fortress Macross animation franchise is not the property of distribution company Tatsunoko Productions. The Macross title is actually the property of Big West and Studio Nue, the original creators of Macross. Since it was Tatsunoko that sold the English language translation and distribution rights for Macross to American company Harmony Gold, technically a sale which Tatsunoko had no right to make, Harmony Gold technically has no legal basis for their presumed authority over the Macross franchise in America, and no legal basis for their history of supervisory scrutiny over all things Macross released (or in some cases, not released) in America. Harmony Gold has been responsible for preventing the domestic release of Macross Plus valkyrie toys from Toycom, and was also behind demands that AnimEigo change the spelling of names in their subtitled release of the original Macross television series in America.

This new legal clarification and ongoing legal battle does not effect Harmony Gold’s ownership of Robotech and its inclusive Macross Saga, as Robotech is not really an import series and has no debate over ownership in Japan.

Source: Anime News Network

Madman Entertainment in Australia, an Asian cinema distributor that releases both American anime sub-licenses and original licenses, has announced that they have acquired the Australian distribution license to Hayao Miyazaki’s Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi. Although the film has screened at film festivals in France and Germany, this announcement is the first confirmed non-film festival license of the film outside of Asia.

Source: Anime News Service

According to Anime on DVD, Synch-Point has delayed the DVD release of I’m Gonna Be An Angel until an unspecified time in the future.

Sammy will release Initial D: Another Stage for GameBoy Advance in mid-April, an adventure game based on the popular anime series Initial D. The game features command based racing in which you have to use RPG style commands to control your car.

Source: The Magic Box

AD Vision has confirmed for Anime on DVD that Spriggan will be released to American DVD on April 23rd for $29.98. The DVD will be anamorphic widescreen with 5.1 English and Japanese audio and optional English subtitles. Bonus features will include a gallery of production sketch art and an English commentary audio track.

Wizard Comics’ Anime Invasion Magazine has published a complete list of the 10 Lupin III movies to be released in America by FUNimation. Apparently all of the films except “Dead or Alive” will be re-titled for US release.

Secret of the Twilight Gemini (Legend of the Twilight Gemini)
Voyage to Danger (Dark Order of Assassination)
Dragon of Doom (Burn! Zantetsuken)
Harimao’s Treasure (Search for Harimao’s Treasure)
Farewell to Nostradamus (Die! Nostradamus)
Dead or Alive
Crisis in Tokyo (Tokyo Crisis)
The Columbus Files (Fujiko’s Unlucky Days)
Missed by a Dollar ($1 Money Wars)
Island of Assassin (Walther P-38)

Source: Anime News Service

Korean gaming site Ruliweb has made available several short video trailers and commercials for Squaresoft’s Kingdom Hearts, Sakura Taisen 4 for the Dreamcast, Wild Arms Advance 3rd, and the upcoming PS2 version of Tekken 4.

Source: Madman’s Cafe