AnimeNation Anime News Blog

Bandai Entertainment has issued a formal announcement advising fans not to fansub or illegally download unlicensed copies of any Bandai Entertainment anime titles, including forthcoming releases such as the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex ~ Solid State Society OVA. In the statement, Bandai states its plans to bring legal action against groups and individuals that illegally obtain or distribute anime owned by Bandai Entertainment.

Source: Anime on DVD

At last weekend’s CharaHobby exhibition held in Tokyo, Ashi Productions revealed plans to produce a revival of the 1985 robot anime series Super Beastial Machine God Dancougar (Choujuu Kishin Dancougar). Original Dancougar mecha designer Masami Obari will direct the tentatively titled “Shin Dancougar” (New Dancougar) next year.

Source: Anime News Service

Anime News Network has published an exclusive interview with J-pop vocalist Nana Kitade.

The DC Anime Club, an organization whose purpose is to educate the Washington, DC community about East Asian culture through the art form known as anime, will showcase the art of its members at the DC Anime Art Show, September 6-25, 2006 in Gallery A-6 of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library. The art show will include sketch drawings, fan made T-shirts,Cosplay Props and more. From 12 to 5 pm on Saturday, September 9th, members of the DC Anime Club and other attendees will cosplay. There will also be anime screenings, and video gaming with special guest artist Steve Bennet. This program is free and open to the public.

The DC Anime Club will partner with Asian Pacific American Film, Inc. to host an anime music video contest at the George Washington University in Washington, DC, on October 1st.

Peru’s America TV network has secured broadcast rights to 52 episodes each of Naruto and Zatch Bell. Brazil’s TV Globo network has secured broadcast rights to 52 episodes of Zatch Bell. And Televideo Services has picked up 52 episodes each of Zatch Bell and Naruto for broadcast in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Honduras.

Article provided by Sandra Monte

Question:
How can a no-budget (not even low-budget) young American boy keep up with current volumes of my favorite manga? Also, where can I find fans like myself who share the same love for anime/manga?

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ICv2 has published a lengthy interview with DC Comics CEO Paul Levitz. Levitz discusses the CMX manga line in part 3 of the interview, and the future of manga style original art in America in part 4 of the interview.

The official Armored Core homepage now hosts a 1:42 streaming Windows Media teaser trailer for the Armored Core: Fort Tower Song OVA series.

Source: Rakuga Kidou

Seven Seas has announced that its first translated volume of Kasimashi ~Girl Meets Girl~ manga will retail at $10.99 beginning December 15th.

Del Rey will release its Train Man (Densha Otoko) manga on November 7th. The first volumes of Kitchen Princess and Mushishi will hit stores on January 30, 2007.

Source: Anime on DVD

JapanAnime has scheduled release dates for a number of new adult anime DVDs. Each disc is 30 minutes long and will retail at $24.99.

Insatiable volume 1 will be available on September 26th.
Dark Future will be available on October 24th.
Dark Chapel will be available on December 12th.
No Way Out will be available on December 19th.

Source: Anime on DVD

MSN Japan reports that Japan’s Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transportation is inviting foreign tourists to an international “Manga Summit” in 2008 in Kyoto. They are also promoting a series of tours of Tokyo’s Akihabara and other famous anime sites.

Source: Anime News Network

Question:
From the original Mobile Suit Gundam in the late 70′s to Fafner, Eureka Seven and Gundam Seed Destiny in 2006, and Heaven only knows what’s to come, exactly what is it about giant robots (and the usually angst ridden teenagers who pilot them) that anime fans haven’t been able to get enough of for almost thirty years?

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The first episode of Production IG’s upcoming historical fantasy action/horror anime series Chevalier is now available for free online viewing. The DRM encoded streaming episode is available from six different hosts: @nifty, Biglobe, Goo, Hit Pops, Flet’s, and OCN.

Source: Moon Phase

The official Code Geass homepage now links to a full trailer for the upcoming mecha anime television series.

Source: Moon Phase

Reportedly Atsushi Suzumi’s moe supernatural action manga series Venus Versus Virus will be adapted into an anime television series directed by Shinichiro Kimura (Hand Maid May, Cosplay Complex, Burn Up Excess) and animated by Studio Hibari (Happy Lesson, Saber Marionette J).

Source: Anime News Service & Moon Phase