AnimeNation Anime News Blog

The Managing Director of Los Angeles-based comic publisher Studio 407 has informed Comic Book Resources that Studio 407 is presently negotiating for translation and distribution rights to an undisclosed manga title by Atsushi Kaneko. The first 2 (of 6) volumes of Kaneko’s Bambi and her Pink Gun manga series have been released in America by Digital Manga (which discontinued the title due to poor sales).

As one of the few American consumers that actually bought both volumes of Bambi and Her Pink Gun, I’d be thrilled to see the series completed in America! Good luck, Studio 407.

Toei Animation has opened its official webpage for the upcoming cel-phone anime series Keihin Kazoku. The Flash anime series from studio Kaeruotoko Shokai will broadcast its first episode to subscribers of the Softbank cel-phone network on the 14th.

Source: Moon Phase Diary

The first episode of Production I.G’s Flash anime series Abunai Sisters, based on real life Japanese celebrities The Kano Sisters, is now available on the official Abunai Sister homepage. The episode is also available from the Kano Sisters’ homepage and Anime News Network. Make sure your sense of humor and a taste for kitschy, campy, vampy exploitation are intact.

The limited edition Abunai Sisters DVD is available for international reservation until the 29th. The current price for the DVD with an assortment of bonus premiums stands at 35,700 yen ($401 US).

The Sharp Electronics exhibition at last week’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas featured a short promotional Shuriken Shoujo ~ Shuriken Sisters promotional anime created by Gainax. The short anime advertises the T-Mobile Sidekick mobile phone that has a screen that spins out like a “shuriken” (ninja throwing star).

Gainax also created a Shuriken Sisters promotional short for the 2007 CES show.

Source: Anime News Network

Reportedly the Chinese online fantasy game Kou Dai Xi Yuu will be getting an animated series. The game and its Chinese produced animation have no official relationship to the Japanese produced Xbox 360 fantasy RPG Blue Dragon nor Blue Dragon’s character designer, Akira Toriyama. The similarity, however, is suspiciously striking.

Source: Canned Dogs

Fans of Japanese anime creator Makoto Shinkai are gathering worldwide in cyberspace February 27-28 for Global Shinkai Day 2009. The unofficial English-language fansite Cherry Blossoms Falling is hosting the event with discussion and contests, calling upon fans from every part of the globe to show their appreciation and support for the works of this highly-acclaimed director. A chat widget will be available on the main page for fan discussions. Contests will held for inspired fan-made works in art, film and essay. No subscription is necessary to participate. Participants who own copies of the four anime by Mr. Shinkai (She and Her Cat, Voices of a Distant Star, The Place Promised in Our Early Days, and 5 Centimeters Per Second) are encouraged to watch these in chronological order during some portion of the 24-hour period beginning at 8 pm EST. A proposed schedule is posted on the site.

The unofficial Chinese-language fansite will also be participating, showcasing fan-made short films inspired by Mr. Shinkai’s works. The unofficial Japanese-language fansite Makoto Shinkai Fan Web is also lending its support through news and information.

Question:
John, wondering if you could recommend me or direct me to a place listing mecha anime of the 2000s. It occurs me to that I’ve pretty much exhausted all of the Sunrise 80s titles save Ideon, Xabungle, Bismark, and Liger. In the 90s elementary school kid Sunrise shows ruled the Earth. But I’m not well-versed on what robot shows have come out in the past decade. I’m willing to watch 90s and 00s super robot shows (like Daiguard and Gurren Lagann) because they have a playful sense of humor absent in the deadly-serious but cheesy Mazinger Z/Getter Robo-inspired programs of the 70s.

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Crunchyroll will begin offering episodes of Toei’s classic 1978 Galaxy Express 999 and Space Pirate Captain Harlock television series today. Episodes will be available for free and paid subscription streaming, and available for download-to-own at $1.99 per episode.

The official homepage for the upcoming Pandora Hearts television series now hosts the series’ trailer that was first released at last month’s 75th Comic Market convention.

Source: Saishin Anime Jouhou

The official web page for this summer’s Denpa Teki na Kanojo OVA now hosts a streaming trailer. The 40 minute long OVA will be released with limited edition copies of Kurenai manga volume 3 on May 1st. Author Kentaro Katayama’s Denpa Teki na Kanojo novels share continuity and characters with his Kurenai novel series.

Source: Anime News Network

The official homepage for the upcoming Hatsukoi Limited anime television series now hosts the series’ Jump Festa 2009 promotional trailer. To view the trailer, click the button second from the bottom on the right side of the website’s main page. The slice of school life drama based on the manga by Mizuki Kawashita (Ichigo 100%) will premiere this spring.

Source: Anime News Network

An anonymous report on Japan’s 2 Channel message board reports that next week’s issue of Weekly Shonen Sunday Magazine will formally announce the spring premiere of an anime TV series adaptation of Mitsuru Adachi’s baseball manga series Cross Game. The Cross Game manga premiered in 2005. 13 collected volumes have been published so far. Adachi’s H2, Hiatari Ryoko, Miyuki, Nine, Slow Step, and Touch manga series have previously been adapted into anime. The H2, Nine, and Touch stories also revolve around baseball.

Source: Anime News Network

Hong Kong Based Imagi International has opened a website to feature its prototype work on a Tetsujin 28 full CG animation. Imagi and Japanese animation company Hikari Productions have not announced any plans to actually develop a new Tetsujin 28 animation work. Apparently this original footage was produced a year or more ago but never previously released for public viewing.

Mitsuteru Yokoyama’s 1956 Tetsujin 28 manga has been adapted several times including TV anime series in 1963, 1980, 1992, and 2004, a 2005 live action feature film, a 2007 anime feature film, and a 2009 stage play.

Tetsujin 28 may be an old franchise, but this trailer does an impressive job of making the action feel very contemporary and exciting.

Source: Astro Boy World

Japanese television network NTV has launched its official homepage for the upcoming Examurai Sengoku anime television series.

Source: Moon Phase

The DC Anime Club and Japan Information and Culture Center (JICC), Embassy of Japan will present “The World of Anime Fandom” lecture on Friday, January 16, 2009 at 6:30 pm at the Japan Information and Culture Center in Washington, DC. This event celebrates of the one year anniversary of the monthly anime screening series held at the JICC. This event will also feature the new DC Anime Club dancers who will perform, in hand made costumes, a dance routine based on popular anime films. Event attendees who come in costume will receive a prize.