AnimeNation Anime News Blog

Media Blasters has informed retailers that due to “licensing issues,” the American release of Riki-Oh the Animation, originally scheduled for April 11th, has been delayed indefinitely.

FUNimation has acquired the home video, master toy, and merchandising rights to Gonzo’s forthcoming 5 episode anime series Afro Samurai. The series will premier on Spike TV in America this November before its Japanese release. FUNimation plans to begin releasing the series on American DVD early in 2007.

Source: ICv2

Media Blasters has reportedly confirmed its possession of translation and distribution rights to the 30 minute long Bible Black Only adult anime OAV.

Source: Anime on DVD

Corus Entertainment has announced that Case Closed will premier on Canada’s YTV television network on Friday, April 7 at 10:30 p.m.

Fan site Zannen Canada reports that YTV will begin broadcasting Naruto at 8 p.m. followed by Zatch Bell at 8:30 p.m. this Friday. Fullmetal Alchemist will begin airing at 10 p.m. this Friday.

Question:
Anime News Network recently broke the news that 4kids will be releasing Pretty Cure on TV. You are a fan of the show. From your columns with Pretty Cure as a topic, I had actually become quite excited at the thought of it being brought over eventually. Not like this, though. 4kids has earned its bad reputation with the extremely poor quality work they do with dub casting, editing, not releasing the shows onto some form of video or releasing only english language, edited videos, and so forth. Really, we all know what will happen, but I was hoping you might put your two cents in about this.

(more…)

Anime News Network has published its positive review of AN Entertainment’s new DVD release Haré+Guu volume 1.

At this past weekend’s Orlando Megacon, FUNimation announced its acquisition of distribution rights to the Full Metal Alchemist motion picture. The movie will be released on American DVD on October 3rd, simultaneous with the release of the final TV series DVD.

Source: Anime on DVD

At this past weekend’s New York Comic Con, Viz Media announced its acquisition of translation rights to the manga series Law of Ueki (by Tsubasa Fukuchi), Drifting Classroom (by Umezu Kazuo), and Busou Renkin (by Watsuki Nobuhiro). Viz has also acquired translation rights to the Naruto and Rurouni Kenshin novels.

Viz announced its acquisition of translation rights to Inuyasha movie 4. The film will be released on American DVD on August 1st.

Viz also announced that the first DVD boxed set of uncut, Japanese language Naruto episodes will be released on July 4th, and announced that its DVD release of “Full Moon” (Full Moon wo Sagashite) will include song lyric subtitles.

Source: Anime on DVD

At this past weekend’s New York Comic Con, 4Kids Entertainment announced its acquisition of North American distribution rights to the Pretty Cure (”Futari wa Precure”) anime TV series. The show will tentatively debut on American television this September.

Source: Anime on DVD

At this past weekend’s New York Comic Con, AD Vision announced its acquisition of distribution rights to the Gainax produced Kono Minikuku mo Utsukushii Sekai (”This Ugly and Beautiful World”) anime TV series and the three episode Area 88 OAV series that was previously distributed in America by Central Park Media.

Source: Anime on DVD

At this past weekend’s New York Comic Con, Dark Horse Comics announced its acquisition of translation rights to the manga series:

Shin Lone Wolf & Cub, by Koike Kazuo & Mori Hideki
Mail, by Yamazaki Housui
Kurosagi Corpse Delivery, by Yamazaki Housui
Translucent, by Okamoto Kazuhiro
Who Fighter, by Takizawa Seihou

Dark Horse announced plans to release an English translated version of the Samurai Champloo Roman Album anime guide book.

Dark Horse announced plans to partner with Japanese publisher Asuka Shinsha to distribute the quarterly SS Magazine, a Japanese manga magazine that concentrates on works from an international selection of artists.

Source: Anime on DVD

At this past weekend’s New York Comic Con, Central Park Media’s Be Beautiful division announced its acquisition of translation rights to the Embracing Love (”Haru wo Daiteita”) yaoi anime OAV and the yaoi manga titles:

Casino Lily, by Niita Youka
Renai a la Carte, by Minami Haruka
Hanairo Virgin Soil, by Minami Haruka

At this past weekend’s New York Comic Con, TOKYOPOP confirmed its acquisition of translation rights to the following manga titles:

Ichigo Marshmallow
Trinity Blood
Genju no Seiza
Satisfaction Guaranteed (Yorozuya Tokaido Honpo)
Ura Peach Girl
Erementar Gerad
Grenadier
Otogi Zoshi
Voices of a Distant Star
Petite Cossette

TOKYOPOP announced their acquisition of the Welcome to the NHK, My Hime, and Bus Gamer manga series and the Recast, Queens, and Peppermint Korean comic series.

And TOKYOPOP announced plans to distribute the yaoi manga Black Knight (by Tsurugi Kai), Junjo Romantica (by Nakamura Shungiku), and Gerard et Jacques (by Yoshinaga Fumi), which are licensed and translated by Blu Manga.

Source: Anime on DVD

At this past weekend’s New York Comic Con, DC Comics’ CMX has acquired distribution rights to the Recipe for Gertrude, Empty Empire, Omakue Desu and Emma manga series.

Source: Newsarama

The March issue of Anime Insider magazine reports that AD Vision has acquired the translation rights to the Little Snow Fairy Sugar manga series.

Source: Anime on DVD