AnimeNation Anime News Blog

Vocalist Nana Mizuki’s seventh and latest album, Ultimate Diamond, sold 74,000 copies during its first week of release last week, making it the first pop album by a seiyuu (voice actress) to top Japan’s weekly album sales charts since Oricon began tracking record sales in January 1968.

Mizuki’s very successful singing career has been supplemented by a prolific career as an anime voice actress, playing characters including Misaki Kirihara in Darker Than Black, Oboro in Basilisk, Fate Testarossa in Lyrical Nanoha, and Hinata Hyuuga in Naruto

Source: Anime News Network

Japanese hobby/collectible chain retailer Yellow Submarine has revealed the development of an anime TV series adaptation of Natsumi Matsumoto’s shoujo manga Yumeiro Patissiere (Dream-Colored Pastry Chef). The manga, which premiered in September 2008, tells the story of 14 year old Ichigo Amano, a clumsy girl who dreams of becoming a pastry chef. She draws closer to fulfilling her dream when she enrolls in the St. Mary Academy culinary school and meets a tiny “spirit of sweets.” The anime is tentatively scheduled to premiere in October.

Source: Anime News Network

Last week, Canadian animation studio & distributor Nelvana Enterprises announced plans to begin North American television broadcast of the current Japanese Metal Fight Beyblade television series in the fall of 2010. Nelvana is a co-producer of the 51 episode show that’s airing on Japanese television now. “Beyblade: Metal Fusion,” as it will be known in North America, retains the trademark Beyblade concept of kids battling with toy spinning tops, but does not make any references to the previous three Beyblade anime series aired in Japan from 2001 to 2003.

Source: Anime News Network

Anime News Network has conducted an exclusive interview with FUNimation CEO Gen Fukunaga regarding the “leaks” of numerous anime episodes from FUNimation’s streaming service. Fukunaga admits, “We know that human error and flaws in our internal processes are ultimately to blame” and promises that, “We are enhancing our security and will be applying the newest technology to protect our files.”

ICv2 now hosts an exclusive interview with Tokyopop’s Chief Operating Officer John Parker. Parker states that current Tokyopop sales are meeting expectations, and the bleak outlook of the past year is starting to brighten.

Japanese publisher Wani Magazine has confirmed that manga artist SABE passed away on January 28 at age 41. The death was not reported publicly until nearly six-months later at the request of SABE’s family. Wani Magazine is now compiling a memorial publication of manga work from the late artist. American readers may be most familiar with SABE’s “There Goes Suzume Robo” manga series which was published in the Robot Super Color Comic anthology series.

Source: Anime News Network

Question:
Almost a year ago it was announced that a third anime series for Black Lagoon was greenlit for production, but since then there has been no new information. Do you have any information as to when maybe an air date will be announced. You don’t think it was cancelled do you?

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Documentary film makers Bharath Murthy & Alka Singh are now at work on “The Fragile Heart of Moé,” a documentary film about Japanese doujinshi and manga creators. Murthy has added a lengthy exerpt of the film – an English subtitled interview with shoujo manga creator Eriko Takase – to his own website, and provided a 20 minute video interview with horror manga artist Junji Ito to the Same Hat! Same Hat! blog.

Source: Ain’t It Cool News

The official homepage for the upcoming Sea Story (Umi Monogatari ~Anata ga Ite Kureta Koto~) television series has added promotional video 2. The series is scheduled to premiere on the 24th.

Source: Anime News Network

The official homepage for the Akikan! television series has added a streaming trailer for its inevitable “hot springs” OVA. The 25 minute long “Akikan!/Can Ippatsu!!? Onsen Panic” episode will be released in limited edition copies of the ninth volume of Riku Ranjo and Hiro Suzuhira’s Akikan! novel series on October 23.

Source: Anime News Network

Frank Marshall, one of the producers for the North American release of Ponyo, has announced that the film, “will be opening on 800 screens in August, by far the biggest opening for a Miyazaki film.” Specifically, the movie will open nationwide on August 14th.

In 2003, after its Oscar win, Disney briefly expanded the American theatrical distribution of Spirited Away to over 700 screens nationwide.

Source: Anime News Network

Aniplex has announced plans to premiere the English subtitled version of “Gurren Lagann the Movie –Childhood’s End-,” the first of two planned Gurren Lagann movies, at next month’s Anime Expo convention. The film’s director and character designer, Hiroyuki Imaishi and Atsushi Nishigori, are both scheduled to attend the convention as guests.

The official Japanese Pocket Monster homepage has announced that a Pokemon 3D Adventure double feature will open theatrically on October 14th. The 11 minute long Mew wo Sagase! (Find Mew!) film was originally released in 2005. The 2009 re-release will include a new, alternate ending. The 14 minute long Pikachu no Kaitei Daiboken (Pikachu’s Great Underwater Adventure) movie had a very limited theatrical release in 2006. This fall, both films will screen in 23 theaters across Japan.

Source: Anime News Network

A Japanese hiring ad has issued a call for extras to appear in a live action television series based on Katsutoshi Kawai’s lighthearted school drama manga Tomehane! Suzuri Koko Shodobu. The acclaimed manga series stars Yukari Oe, a high school girl who returns to Japan from Canada to discover that her school’s calligraphy club is in danger of being abolished due to lack of members. The manga series premiered in 2007, and its fifth collected volume is scheduled for Japanese release on the 30th.

Source: Anime News Network

Anyone that knows me remotely well knows of my undying love for the original Highlander movie from 1986. I’m still eternally grateful to my father for indulging my petulant demands and taking me to a theater to see the picture during its original release. I’m not an especially big fan of its various sequels and television series. Now comes an advance script review of the remake. Oh Lord, the changes within are abominable! They’re so bad that I want my money back, and they haven’t even made the film yet!

Actually, on second thought, the proposed changes all seem like they’d be perfectly appropriate in a parody of the original Highlander, but I don’t suspect that the re-boot is intended to be one big self-referential joke.