AnimeNation Anime News Blog

Apparently both Bandai Visual and Toei of Japan are beginning to take steps to distribute their Japanese created and owned anime titles to international customers directly instead of distributing through locally established translating companies.

Toei of Japan has announced plans to establish a branch office in Paris, France, in order to directly distribute anime to Europe and Eurasia, Russia, the Middle East, and Africa.

Nikkei.net News has reported that Japan’s Bandai Visual will open an American office in California this month. Bandai Visual USA will conduct research on the American market for its Japanese parent company, reportedly regarding the production of new anime titles. Bandai Visual USA will also retail anime DVDs.

Source: Anime on DVD and Anime News Network

FUNimation has scheduled the American DVD release of several new titles:

Dragon Ball Z: Broly Second Coming [DBZ movie 10] – $24.98 – available April 5
Dragon Ball Z: Sayain Showdown (Vegeta Saga 1) – $24.98 – available April 12
Lupin The 3rd: Island Of Assassins [Lupin the 3rd: Walther P-38] – $29.98 – available April 26
Burst Angel volume 1 [Bakuretsu Tenshi] – $29.98 or $34.98 with series box – Available May 10
Gunslinger Girl volume 1 – $29.98 or $39.98 with series box – Available May 17

Source: Anime on DVD

TOKYOPOP has formally revealed its acquisition of translation rights to Harold Sakuishi’s manga series Beck. The first volume will be released domestically on July 12.

Source: Anime on DVD

The official French website for Hayao Miyazaki’s film Howl no Ugoku Shiro (Howl’s Moving Castle) now hosts a Quicktime trailer for the film in three different resolutions in the “Film-Annonce” section.

Source: Jagged Team

Three anime films were recognized at the 59th Annual Mainichi Film Awards, sponsored by the Mainichi Newspaper and the Sports Nippon Newspaper. Studio 4C’s film Mind Game was awarded the Noburoh Ohfuji Award for technical excellence in a commercial animation. Director Makoto Shinkai’s The Place Promised In Our Early Days was awarded the prestigious Noburoh Ohfuji Award for technical excellence in an independantly produced animation. This is the second major award for Mind Game. Last year the film was awarded the media art grand prize by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs. Other films that have won the Noburoh Ohfuji Award include Night on the Galactic Railroad, Millennium Actress and Memories.

Hayao Miyazaki’s film Howl’s Moving Castle was voted best film of the competition, live action or animation, by the competition’s general audience. Howl recieved 1,731 out of the 7,464 votes cast.

Source: Anime! Anime!

DVD Vision Japan has published 8 new reviews:

Initial D DVD volume 8
Ronin Warriors: New Adventures
Lingeries (adult anime)
Bullet Ballet (full release version)
hyde: Roentgen Stories (music video)
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories (game review)
Alien Hominid (game review)
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (game review)

Denkyu has published pre-release reviews of three AD Vision anime series debuts. The reviews may contain mild spoilers.

Gantz volume 1
Divergence Eve volume 1
Gravion Zwei volume 1

Tomy has announced development of “Naruto: Saikyo Ninja Daikesshu 3 for DS,” a side-scrolling Naruto game for the Nintendo DS. The Magic Box hosts several screenshots of the upcoming Japanese game.

Gamewatch now hosts screenshots of Square Enix’s latest MMORPG in development, Fantasy Earth.

Question:
Are there any other features which could be described as containing “an anime within an anime” – based on recollection, the only one I know of is Martian Successor Nadesico and Gekiganger 3?

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According to Galaxy Anime, Adult Swim and Geneon have confirmed that the Samurai Champloo and Paranoia Agent anime television series will air on the Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim program this summer.

The official Japanese website for the Air motion picture now hosts a third short streaming Windows Media format TV commercial for the upcoming film.

Source: Rakuga Kidou

The Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, California, has scheduled an advanced one-time only screening of the English dubbed print of Steamboy for 7:30 PM on Monday, February 7.

Source: Anime News Network

Media Blasters has announced plans to release a pair of SD plush dolls of Gutts from Berserk and Kyo from Samurai Deeper Kyo on March 15th. The dolls will retail at $14.99 each.

Source: Jagged Team

Question:
If you can remember all the trends found in anime in the last 10-15 years, what trends do you find good or bad in your opinion? For example, is the trend towards “streamlined” or computer-assisted animation a good trend? What about something about “harem,” “yaoi,” “bishoujo” or “maid” anime?

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AD Vision has announced several new releases and re-releases that are not part of the “Essential Anime” line:

Original Dirty Pair OAV Collection – $44.98 – available March 1
Kaleido Star: New Wings volume 1 (episodes 27-31) – $29.98 – available March 1
Arc the Lad volume 1 (re-release) – $19.98 – available March 1
Getter Robo volume 1 (re-release) – $17.98 – available March 1
Samurai Shodown (re-release) – $14.98 – available March 1
Eden’s Bowy volume 1 (re-release) – $19.98 – available March 8
Neo Ranga volume 1 (re-release) – $19.98 – available March 8
Steam Detectives volume 1 (re-release) – $19.98 – available March 15
Zone of the Enders TV series volume 1 (re-release) – $19.98 – available March 22
Wild Arms volume 1 (re-release) – $17.98 – available March 29