AnimeNation Anime News Blog

Question:
Is anime becoming too mainstream? It is widely aggreed upon that anime is still an alternative form of entertainment and that people who watch anime exclusively, or at least the majority of the time, are a very small minority. So perhaps I should phrase the question, “What if anime becomes too mainstream?” But anyway, the fact is that many of us are fans of anime because it is unique and something that the majority is not accustomed to. Anime becoming mainstream invalidates being a fan because it is more like the norm; one can no longer be called a fan. What then?

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Digital Manga has opened a petition seeking to determine consumer interest in purchasing officially licensed English translations of the Japanese “boys love” novel Only the Ring Finger Knows.

Source:

Japanese producer/distributor Avex Mode has opened its official website for the upcoming anime television series Ueki no Housoku. The series will premier on April 4th.

Source: Moon Phase

Yesterday ICv2 News reported that Steamboy earned an estimated $3,846 per theater during its opening weekend in American theatrical release. According to Box Office Mojo, the film earned only $3,490 per screen, making its debut weekend gross significantly less than the earlier estimated low gross: $136,148 rather than the earlier estimated $149,994.

Source:

4Kids Entertainment has issued an official press statement, in PDF format, announcing that the animated series G.I. Joe Sigma Six will premier on Saturday Mornings on the Fox network beginning this September. According to Anime News Network, Sigma Six is the G.I. Joe series animated by Japan’s Gonzo Studios.

Question:
If there are so many Vampire Hunter D novels, why are there only two movies about him.

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TOKYOPOP will release the first English translated volume of Tsutomu Nihei’s cyberpunk manga series Blame! on September 9th. New volumes will be released every three months.

Source: Newsarama

Media Blasters’ adult anime line, Kitty Media, has announced that the 60 minute long “Legend of the Wolf Woman” DVD will be released on July 26th and retail at $29.95.

Source: Anime on DVD

The American anime industry has been represented in nominations for the second annual Canadian Entertainment Network Awards.

AnimEigo’s DVD release of Lady Snowblood is nominated for Best Independent Distributor Movie DVD Release

The nominees for best anime DVD are:
Evangelion: Platinum volume one (ADV Films)
Lady Death: The Motion Picture (ADV Films)
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex volume one (Sony Wonder/SMV)
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Volume two Special Edition (Sony Wonder/SMV)
Tokyo Godfathers (Sony Pictures Home Ent.)

Winners will be announced on April 26, 2005.

Source: CEN Official Press Release hosted by Google

During its opening weekend, playing in 39 theaters nationwide, Steamboy earned only an estimated $149,994.

Steamboy is the most expensive anime film ever made, and the American version features an all star English dub cast including Anna Paquin, Alfred Molina, and Patrick Stewart.

Source: ICv2 News

Japanese television network TBS has announced that the Ichigo Marshmallow anime TV series will premier this July.

Source: Moon Phase

Keiichi.net Radio, “the internet’s number one home for the best in anime and J-pop music,” has announced the second annual “Crown of Anime Tournament” and the first “New Star Tournament” to recognize anime recently released in the United States. The Crown of Anime and New Star Tournaments feature anime shows and movies competing in head-to-head competition. The internet public will vote, round by round, to determine what anime titles continue on in each tournament, until one series remains. Anime title nominations will be accepted at the official Crown of Anime/New Star Tournament web site, from March 23rd through March 29th.

The Florida based Wasabi Anime fan club has announced that it will perform a one-time presentation of the “Wasabi Animusical - an amalgamation of anime, manga, video games, ‘cosplay,’ music videos, dancing, comedy, and Broadway show tunes.” The performance features over 56 costumes, 22 anime, 19 performers, and 10 songs. The show will be presented at 8PM on Friday, April 15th at the JACON Japanese animation and culture convention held in Orlando, Florida.

Question:
After having been introduced to the works of Type-Moon through the anime adaptation of their breakout title Tsukihime, I soon found myself a die-hard fan of their work as a whole, including their latest release, Fate/Stay-Night. Given the immense success of Tsukihime (and the apparently strong following of Fate itself), what would you say are the chances of a Fate/Stay-Night anime following in Tsukihime’s footsteps? Though I personally highly anticipate such a prospect, do you yourself think it would really even be worth it based on Shingetsutan Tsukihime’s mixed reviews?

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The official Starchild Japanese website for the upcoming Futakoi Alternative anime TV series now hosts a five minute long trailer.

Source: Moon Phase