AnimeNation Anime News Blog

Japanese pop group Morning Musume is now sponsoring an “Original Promotion Video Contest” for its song “3,2,1 BREAKIN’ OUT.” Participants can download the song and 82 “green screen” video clips of the group to be combined with original video material and editing. Submissions are due by June 19th. The winner will be announced during this July’s Anime Expo convention. The winner will receive a 390,000 yen cash prize ($4,000) and an exclusive video message from Morning Musume, and the video will be included in a future release from Japanese record publisher UP-FRONT WORKS.

Source: Tokyograph

Article provided by Daniel Zelter

Question:
What [do] American anime fans, especially fanzine fans, expect from doujinshi? How popular is doujinshi and how is it consumed in the U.S.? How do American anime/manga fans legally acquire adult-oriented doujinshi? How often is Japanese doujinshi translated to English and distributed in the U.S.?

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Yaoi anime producer PrimeTime has released a new trailer for its upcoming Hyakujitsu no Bara (Maiden Rose) OVA, an adaptation of the manga series by Fusanosuke Inariya. The first 30 minute long OVA about a romance between two handsome soldiers will go on sale in Japan on the 29th at the ridiculously high price of 9,975 yen.

The Hyakujitsu no Bara manga series was licensed for English translation by DramaQueen in 2007 but has not been published.

PrimeTime has previously released the Ikoku Irokoi Romantan OVA based on the manga by Ayano Yamane, the Seitokaicho ni Chukoku OVA adaptation of Kaori Monchi’s manga, and the Kirepapa OVA series adaptation of Ryo Takagi’s manga.

Source: Anime News Network

Comix Wave Films has launched a webpage and trailer for the Japanese TV broadcast of “Watashi no Coffee Samurai ~Jihanki Teki na Kareshi~” (My Coffee Samurai ~My Boyfriend is a Vending Machine~). The Korean animated short romance/action/fantasy by artist Chang Hyung Yun will air on the Animax network on the 31st, evidently in Korean with Japanese subtitles.

Source: Moon Phase

Samuel Goldwyn Films sent us a copy of its eye-catching teaser one-sheet for this summer’s live action Blood: The Last Vampire motion picture.

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Continuing its “Kadokawa Tuesdays” programming line, Crunchyroll has announced the English translated online premier of an additional 7 live action feature films from Kadokawa Pictures:

• The Beast to Die
• Early Spring Story
• Girl of Time
• Kekkon Annai Mystery
• Sailor Suit & Machine Gun
• Story of the Detective
• Tragedy of W

All 7 films are available online now to viewers in the U.S., Canada, American Samoa, United States Minor Outlying Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam and Virgin Islands.

Korean news agency Yonhap reports that the 2007 Korean live action television series The Legend (Tae Wang Sa Shin Gi) will be adapted into a Korean-Japanese co-produced 26 episode animated television series. The historical fantasy about the establishment of the Korean nation has been a major success in Korea and a big hit in Japan, where it’s had not only a successful television broadcast, but also a stage musical adaptation earlier this year and an ongoing manga adaptation from Riyoko Ikeda (Rose of Versailles). The $3 million project will be financed by the producer of the original television series, GNG Entertainment, along with Korea’s Mix Film and Japanese based video-on-demand distributor Neo. Production on the animated series is expected to be completed by early 2010.

Source: Anime News Network

Digital Manga Publishing’s online manga rental service eManga has redesigned its homepage. The site now offers free previews of titles from Digital Manga’s entire catalog, and has implemented a new Adobe Flash player customized to make online manga reading more fluid and adjustable to personal preferences.

During a public speaking appearance in the Netherlands on April 25th, actor James Marsters, who played Piccolo Daimaoh in the live action Dragonball: Evolution motion picture, shared some of his candid thoughts about the film.

Source: Dragonball – The Movie fan page

Article provided by Daniel Zelter

The Teikoku Databank financial research firm reports that Japanese toy and figure manufacturing company Jun Planning ceased Japanese and American distribution operations and began bankruptcy filing procedures on April 30. The company’s website is now offline as well. The 26 year old company that produced figures and character goods for popular anime including Death Note, Black Lagoon, Hayate no Gotoku, and Kuroshitsuji is reportedly 3.2 billion yen (about US $33 million) in debt as a result of massive decreases in consumer spending.

Source: Anime News Network

Question:
You’ve seen Haruhi anime right? Can you explain the ending, cause I don’t understand it?

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An official Japanese website has launched to announce an August 22 theatrical premiere for the Gekijouban Yatterman: Shin Yattermecha Osu gou! Omocha no Kuni de Dai Ketsudan da Koron anime feature film. Tatsunoko’s Yatterman television series and first motion picture premiered in 1977. The currently ongoing second television series premiered in January 2008.

This past March, a live action Yatterman movie held the top spot at the Japanese box office for four straight weeks.

Source: Anime News Network

The official homepage for the first Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha motion picture is now open. The site features the Tokyo Anime Fair promotional trailer first released last December.

Source: Moon Phase

Weekly Shonen Jump Magazine has revealed that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda is personally assisting in the development of the 10th One Piece theatrical film, One Piece: Strong World. Oda has composed the film’s original story and has already submitted 120 design drawings depicting his vision for the film, with more to come. Original manga creators rarely participate to such a extent in the development of anime based on their ideas. Shonen Jump reports that Oda wants this year’s film to be noticeably different from prior films in the franchise. The movie will be directed by Munehisa Sakai, one of the directors for the One Piece television series. The film is scheduled for Japanese theatrical opening on December 12.

The film’s official site includes links to two streaming trailers, but they’re seem to be either down or limited to Japanese IPs.

Source: Anime News Network

The Japanese parliament is currently debating the expenditure of 11.7 billion yen (US $118 million) on the construction of a national manga & anime museum to be located in Tokyo’s Odaiba district. The museum is expected to attract 600,000 annual visitors and contribute to prime minister Taro Aso’s plan to leverage Japan’s creative “soft power” to stimulate economic growth.

Democratic Party of Japan politician Yukio Hatoyama, who opposes Aso’s Liberal Democratic Party, has publicly criticized the museum development, calling it “a national manga café,” and arguing that, “Such an enormous waste is very foolish.” Hatoyama has publicly implied that the project a personal pet project for Aso, who is an acknowledged manga fan.

Source: Anime News Network