AnimeNation Anime News Blog

Bandai has scheduled release dates for a pair of American series debuts.

Dragon Drive DVD volume 1 will premier on May 11 as a $24.98 standard DVD and a $34.98 DVD with series box.

.hack//Legend of the Twilight DVD volume 1 will go on sale on May 25th in a $29.98 standard edition and $49.98 limited edition. Apparently the Japanese series title “.hack//Tasogare no Udewa Densetsu” (.hack//Legend of Twilight Bracelet) is being shortened to just “.hack//Legend of the Twilight” for its American release.

Source: Anime on DVD

Konami has officially announced plans to develop a new hero anime multimedia project titled “Get Ride! Amdriver.” The project will include an anime TV series produced by Studio Deen, a Gameboy Advance game, manga published in Coro Coro Comic Magazine, toys, and more.

Koga Ryouichi’s manga serial “Ninin ga Shinobuden ~ the Nonsense Kunoichi Fiction” (2 x 2 = Ninja Legend ~ the Nonsense Female Ninja Fiction) will be adapted into anime. The anime will be directed Hitoyuki Matsui, the director behind Ayatsuri Sakon and Sumeba Miyako no Cosmos-sou Suttoko Taisen Dokkoider, and produced by ufotable, the studio that produced the Dokkoider and Aoi Umi no Tristia anime.

Source: Natsume Goushin Ryu Dojo

Toei Animation now hosts full length movie trailers for the recently released St. Seiya Hades Chapter movie in streaming Real Media & Windows Media and the upcoming fifth One Piece motion picture in Real Media and Windows Media formats, and a 5:18 long Real Media and Windows Media trailer for the upcoming supernatural drama OAV series Interlude.

A number of other trailers are also available from the Toei Movie Room page.

The Yomiuri Newspaper has confirmed that Innocence (Ghost in the Shell 2) will screen theatrically in 10 major American cities this fall. The film will also see a limited European release later this year, through distribution by Dreamworks Pictures. The movie opens in Japanese theaters on March 6th.

Source: Natsume Goushin Ryu Dojo

Question:
What series started the whole cosmic battle anime genre like DBZ and S-cry-ed?

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Del Rey Books representative Dallas Middaugh has confirmed for ICv2 News that the forthcoming American release of Ken Akamatsu’s Maho Sensei Negima manga will contain approximately 10 panels in the first manga volume that have altered, with the artist’s knowledge, to eliminate graphic nudity. Del Rey’s publications of xxxHOLiC, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, and Gundam Seed will not contain any censoring.

Madhouse has officially announced that its anime TV series adaptation of the popular Tenjoh Tenge (known by fans as “TenTen”) manga will premier on Japanese television this April. The anime will be directed by Toshifumi Kawase, whose previous directing credits include children’s anime series Bakuten Shoot Beyblade and Dragon Drive.

Source: Rakuga Kidou

The official Japanese homepage for the Inuyasha: Juso no Kamen action RPG for the Playstation 2 now hosts three streaming Windows Media TV commercials for the game, which is scheduled for Japanese release on March 18th and may possibly be the Inuyasha game that will be released for the American PS2 later this year.

Source: The Magic Box

The Cartoon Network has announced a pair of major programming revisions scheduled to go into effect on April 17th. The present weekday afternoon Toonami programing will be replaced with a “Miguzi Block” that will air Teen Titans, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Totally Spies, and Code LYOKO. The displaced Toonami block will air on Saturdays from 7 to midnight and target teen and young adult audiences with series including Gundam Seed, Rave Master, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Yu Yu Hakusho, Transformers: Energon, Rurouni Kenshin, Justice League, and Megas XLR.

Source: ICv2 News

Metrocon, Tampa, Florida’s only anime convention, has revealed plans to hold a “Cat Girls versus School Girls” human chess match during the July 9-11 convention. Metrocon 2004 is now accepting applications for a variety of in-costume roles for participation in the event. Applications are due by Saturday, April 3rd and may be made at the Metrocon homepage.

Question:
In your opinion, would you recommend it to be wise for an American to live and work in Japan? I’m wondering because I would really like to, but I hear the racism presented towards Americans is just too much to bear.

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Creator Ken Akamatsu has reported, in his February 22nd website diary update, shock over the degree of censoring that will be imposed on the American release of his Maho Sensei Negima manga series. Akamatsu reports that nude butts will be covered by underwear, and exposed breasts will be covered by towels in the American version of “Negima! Magister Negi Magi,” to be released by Del Rey Books beginning this May.

Article provided by Orin_Quon

Viz, LLC has announced that its Rurouni Kenshin volume 3 graphic novel has sold over 8,500 copies since its January 24, 2004 release, and become the top selling comic/graphic novel in the country for two straight weeks. Even more significantly, the graphic novel has placed within Nielsen BookScan’s list of top 100 current best selling adult fiction titles, meaning that a translated Japanese manga is one of the 100 best selling fiction books in America right now.

Weekly Shonen Sunday Magazine has announced that the popular golf manga Dandoh!! will be adapted into anime.

The top article of the February 24th update on Moon Phase reports that Kojima Akira’s manga serial Mahoraba (no relation to either Mahoromatic or Maburaho) will be animated.

Source: Natsume Goushin Ryu Dojo

A 2:36 Real Media trailer for the upcoming Phantom the Animation OAV series is now available for download. The OAV series is based on the popular DVD-ROM adventure game Phantom of Inferno. The first of the 3 anime OAV episodes will be released to Japanese DVD on the 27th.

Source: Natsume Goushin Ryu Dojo