AnimeNation Anime News Blog

Question:
Do modern Gundam shows owe anything to the success of Evangelion?

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In its financial report for the fiscal year that ended in March 2009, the Navarre Corporation revealed that its publishing division sales, which includes FUNimation, were down 12.4% for the year, and down 25% for the fourth quarter. However, about half of the fourth quarter decline was due to the closure of the the BCI subsidiary distributor. Navarre lost $88.4 in the 2008-2009 fiscal year, some of which was related to Funimation.

Navarre CEO Cary Deacon said of FUNimation’s market dominance, “At retail, we tend to own the space very strongly,” and “We are the place to go for licensing anime out of Japan.” FUNimation’s anime sales are no longer heavily concentrated around Dragon Ball, but the company has renewed its license for another five years. Deacon also said that FUNimation’s video streaming “has had significant impact on views and sales on the digital side.”

After implementing new security measures, FUNimation resumed streaming the Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood television series yesterday, the same day that FUNimation accidentally temporarily delivered public accessibility to Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~ episode 10 hours earlier than its scheduled release.

Source: ICv2 article 1, article 2 & Anime News Network article 1, article 2

Thai newspaper The Nation reports that actor David Carradine, best known to anime fans as a co-star in Kill Bill, was found dead in his Bangkok hotel room this morning. A maid for the Park Nai Lert Hotel discovered Mr. Carradine’s body in a closet at 10 a.m. Thursday morning. Preliminary police investigation found that Carradine had hanged himself with a cord taken from the room’s drapes. Police found no signs of assault. The 72-year-old actor had been in Bangkok shooting his part in the new film Stretch.

Source: Wise Kwai’s Thai Film Journal

Question:
Someone was able to enter Funimation’s website and download episode 403 of One Piece and later spread it as a bittorrent. Funimation’s recent press release about the issue states that fans will be “deprived” of One Piece for the “immediate future.” What worries me is the talk of contract breaching and how this will effect the relationship that Funimation has with Toei and the possible end to the One Piece anime franchise in America if Toei decides to repeal its contract with Funimation. When someone pulls a boneheaded stunt like this, it ruins it for everyone. Yet if Toei decides to repeal their contract with Funimation, it may be a bad decision to them since most of their anime rarely become big hits in America. What is John’s opinion on this matter.

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ADV Nation reports that ADV Films will re-release Darkside Blues on August 18th at a $14.98 retail price. The 1994 sci-fi gothic horror anime film is an adaptation of a manga by author Hideyuki Kikuchi and illustrator Yuuho Ashibe. This marks AD Vision’s fifth acquisition of a title formerly distributed in America by Central Park Media.

Japanese film distributor Shochiku has released the first trailer for Madhouse’s anime film Mai Mai Miracle (Mai Mai Shinko to Sennen no Maho). The whimsical children’s adventure is an adaptation of the best selling novel by Nobuko Takagi. The film is directed by Sunao Katabuchi, who recently helmed the Black Lagoon anime for Madhouse, and has previously directed family friendly anime including the Meiken Lassie television series and Princess Arete motion picture. Mai Mai Miracle is scheduled for Japanese theatrical release in November.

Source: Nippon Cinema

Reportedly the issue of Young Gangan magazine scheduled to go on sale in Japan on Friday will formally announce that Oh! Edo Rocket & Gundam OO director Seiji Mizushima will next be directing an anime adaptation of Yuto’s slice-of-life comedy manga Hanamaru Kindergarten (Hanamaru Yochien). Gainax (Evangelion, Gurren Lagann) will animate.

I am almost disturbingly giddy over this announcement.

Source: Anime News Network

Reportedly the issue of Young Gangan magazine scheduled to go on sale in Japan on Friday will formally announce that anime studio BONES is at work on a second Darker Than Black television series. An unconfirmed report of plans for a second series surfaced last summer.

Source: Anime News Network

The Gonzo anime production company has revealed its financial report for the fiscal year that ended in March 2009. The company earned 6.332 billion yen (US $65.7 million), which was slightly higher than its anticipated 6.1 billion yen income. But losses for the year were also higher than expected. Gonzo reported an actual loss of 3.401 billion yen (US $35.3 million) attributed to declining DVD sales and the weakening American market for anime. Gonzo’s auditor, BA Tokyo & Co., reported that Gonzo faces insolvency due to its losses.

During the 2008-2009 fiscal year, Gonzo sold its Gonzo Rosso PC game development subsidiary, cut its planned anime production by half, cut staff, and condensed its animation business from two offices to one.

In 2005 Gonzo reported that only 8.2% of the company’s revenue came from American sales. Presumably that percentage has increased in recent years for it to have such an impact on the company in 2009.

Source: Anime News Network

The Canned Dogs blog reports unconfirmed details of the new restrictions determined by Japan’s private Ethics Organization of Computer Software (EOCS) ratings board, which are scheduled to go into affect this week.

Suggestive words such as “Choukyo” (training) and “dorei” (slave) may not be used in game titles or packaging.

CG involving sexual violation cannot exceed 20% of a game’s content

Anything promoting criminal behavior is prohibited

Any depictions of rape, confinement, stalking, or domestic violence that reward the offender are prohibited

The new restrictions take effect on the 5th. Games already reviewed and rated by the EOCS are exempt from the new restrictions.

The official website for the dual XXXHOLiC Shunmuki and Tsubasa Shunraiki OVA series has added a selection of screenshots for the upcoming second XXXHOLiC Shunmuki episode. Some of the stills could be considered spoilers.

Samuel Goldwyn Films has released its list of the Landmark theaters that will premiere the live action Blood: The Last Vampire movie in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Texas, Washington, and Washington D.C. on July 10th.

Hopefully the film will be getting a bigger American theatrical roll-out than just 9 theaters.

Article provided by Daniel Zelter

Japanese television network NTV will debut a live action television series adaptation of Naoki Serizawa’s action comedy manga series Saru Lock next month. The drama will star Hayato Ichihara (Rookies, Onmyoji II, Wild Life) as Yataro “Saru” Sarumaru, a teen boy especially skilled at picking locks. Ichihara’s co-star from the Rookies movie, Sousuke Takaoka, will play Saru’s childhood friend, the police officer Yamada.

NTV has also announced plans to develop a live action Saru Lock motion picture for release next spring.

Source: Anime News Network

Japanese production and distribution company Asmik Ace Entertainement has announced that Juon (The Grudge) creator/director Takashi Shimizu has begun filming Japan’s first live action digital 3D film, a horror flick titled “The Shock Labyrinth.” The film’s original story revolving around an exploration of a haunted hospital is original but inspired by the “Senritsu Meikyu” (Shock Labyrinth) horror attraction at the Fuji-Q High Land amusement park. Producer Masayuki Tanishima says that the film, “is not going to be a slasher, or a typical J-horror. We are making a shocker.”

The Samurai Sentai Shinkenger movie opening this August will technically be Japan’s first live action digital 3D movie, but since it’s only 20 minutes long, Shock Labyrinth will be Japan’s first feature length live action digital 3D movie.

Source: Twitch & Tokyograph

Question:
What are your thoughts on a manga collector facing 15 years in jail because some of his comics included sexual images of children?

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