Galaxy Anime has updated with video game preview video clips of Death by Degrees, Tekken 5, Xenosaga 2, Shining Force Neo, and Sword of Destiny. Galaxy Anime also now hosts an exclusive interview with Laura Civiello, G4TechTV’s Vice President of Acquisitions and Development.
Question:
How about Oh My Goddess! the TV series, John? As you know, it is the first time that it is brought onto TV screen since it started in ‘88.
According to estimates from comic industry market watch company ICv2, English translated manga saw a 40-50% sales increase in mainstream American bookstores in 2004. The American manga publishing industry is now estimated to be valued at $110 to $140 million, up from $90 to $110 million in 2003. However, 2004’s manga growth rate is a sharp decrease from the tremendous 100% growth in 2003. Likewise, the domestic anime market remained steady or shrunk in 2004. While anime was a $550 million market in 2003, 2004 estimates place its value at $500 million up to $550 million. The decrease is blamed on slowing mainstream anime sales and declines in the mainstream popularity of Dragon Ball home video.
The best selling manga of fourth quarter 2004 were:
1. Rurouni Kenshin
2. Fruits Basket
3. Naruto
4. Inuyasha
5. .Hack
6. Tsubasa
7. Trigun
8. D.N.Angel
9. Hellsing
10. Negima
The best selling anime franchises of fourth quarter 2004 were:
1. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
2. Dragon Ball Z & Dragon Ball GT
3. Inuyasha
4. Yu-Gi-Oh!
5. Initial D
6. Neon Genesis Evangelion
7. Yu Yu Hakusho
8. Gungrave
9. Hayao Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli
10. Wolf’s Rain
Source: ICv2 News
Viz LLC has officially announced that it will merge with ShoPro Entertainment this spring, forming a new American distribution company for Japanese comics and animation. Viz LLC is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha. ShoPro Entertainment is a subsidiary of Shogakukan.
Anime News Network hosts the entire official press announcement.
As of January 20th, 15 of the 31 nationwide theaters carrying the Appleseed movie ceased screening the film. Considering its poor box office results, the film is unlikely to receive a wider American theatrical release.
Source: Anime News Network
The 2005 Sakura Con has announced that Ikue Ohtani and Hiroshi Nagahama will attend the convention as guests of honor. Voice actress Ikue Ohtani has played roles including Pikachu in Pokemon, Yukina Shiratori in Nadesico, Merle in Escaflowne, and Chopper in One Piece. Artist Hiroshi Nagahama has worked on anime including Fruits Basket and Utena.
Sakura Con will be held in Seattle, Washington on April 8th to April 10.
Article provided by Dessa
Ain’t It Cool News now hosts an exclusive interview with Ring director Hideo Nakata.
Question:
Why is it that when there is romance in an anime situation, one [character] is always melodramatic while the other one is baffled? Typically the girl (what a shame) is the most emotional and would cry or get upset over the smallest things that the baffled one, usually the guy, would do. And how come in anime that it’s obvious that the two are attracted to one another, yet they still continue to be just friends? Do script writers really believe we are that dense?
According to the latest issue of industry trade publication Home Media Retailing Magazine, the Nielsen VideoScan ratings report that 1.4% of the variety of home video genres released in America in 2004 was anime. American independent film distribution, which includes, but is not limited to, the entire American anime home video industry, earned 1.84 billion dollars in 2004. Warner Bros. was the highest grossing American video distributor of 2004, earning 4.79 billion.
FUNimation has announced plans to re-release the Dragon Ball Z movie 1: Dead Zone on May 31 at a $24.98 retail price.
Source: Anime on DVD
According to Moon Phase, the first episode of the second Stratos 4 OAV series, Stratos 4 Advance: Code 201 Wave Off, will air on the Japanese Kids Station television network on March 5th.
Japanese software company Alegria Corporation has announced a new addition to its “IncrediMail WOW” line, “Shin Seiki Evangelion Tsushin Keikaku” (Neon Genesis Evangelion Mail Project). The E-mail program provides an Evangelion theme enhanced by animated gifs and audio samples. The Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP software is available from the official site for a free 5 day trial. (After five days, the program defaults to a regular, non-Evangelion themed, e-mail program.) The full program retails for 3,990 yen directly from the manufacturer’s website.
Source: PC Watch
Sony Pictures Classics has informed AnimeNation that Stephen Chow’s international hit action comedy film Kung Fu Hustle will officially debut in America with five screening throughout the currently ongoing Sundance Film Festival, then open in New York and Las Angeles on March 18th. Director/star Stephen Chow’s previous film, Shaolin Soccer, is an anime convention screening favorite.
Question:
Assuming you don’t know spoken Japanese well, why would any foreigner (non-Japanese person) want to see anime not translated into their primary tongue?
Adult Swim anime programming director Kim Manning revealed several details about the Cartoon Network’s forthcoming plans for anime.
The Cartoon Network has licened all 167 episodes of Inuyasha for American broadcast. No broadcast scheduled has been revealed yet.
In response to poor ratings, the Cartoon Network will not acquire new episodes of “Case Closed.” The network will continue to air the 50 episodes it owns broadcast rights to.
The Cartoon Network has no plans to co-produce a third season of The Big O.
The Cartoon Network has allowed its broadcast rights to Outlaw Star to expire.
The Cartoon Network presently has no plans to seek American broadcast rights to Naruto, the Fullmetal Alchemist movie, or Robotech. That doesn’t rule out any possibilities for the future.
Source: Anime News Network
