AnimeNation Anime News Blog

The Hollywood Reporter’s Risky Biz Blog reports that Atlas Entertainment has acquired the live action adaptation rights to Voltron now that Relativity Media’s option has expired. “Get Smart” and “The International” producers Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, and Steve Alexander, along with “Wanted” producer Jason Netter of Kickstart Entertainment, and Ted Koplar of World Event Productions – the American master licensor for the Voltron franchise – are all onboard as producers, although Atlas doesn’t have a production studio picked out yet to develop and shoot the movie.

As far as I’m concerned, this is still a case of “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Article provided by Daniel Zelter

FUNimation has revealed its acquisition of translation and distribution rights to the next four Detective Conan movies in the series’ franchise. FUNi already distributes Detective Conan movie 1: The Time Bombed Skyscraper and movie 2: The Fourteenth Target. The new license covers movies 3-6:

The Last Magician of the Century (1999)
Captured In Her Eyes (2000)
Count Down to Heaven (2001)
The Phantom of Baker Street (2002)

FUNimation will begin releasing these four movies individually this winter.

Bandai Entertainment President Ken Iyadomi has explained the rationale behind the sudden and unanticipated American commercial release of the Kannagi TV series. “North American anime companies have suffered unexpected heavy returns from general market retailers in recent years but if we can sell moderate quantities exclusively online where no sales returns exist, I believe we can acquire more anime for the US market to be released in this pattern,” he said. The first domestic DVD volume of Kannagi is available directly from Bandai, and one online retailer.

Source: ICv2

The current issue of CoroCoro Comic magazine has announced that the Gekijouban Doraemon: Nobita no Ningyo Taikaisen (Doraemon Movie: Nobita’s Great Merman Sea Battle) motion picture will open next March. The movie will be the franchise’s 30th theatrical feature.

The Doraemon anime franchise will celebrates its 30th anniversary on August 8-9 in Tokyo during the “30th Doraemon Daikanshasai” promotional event. However, technically the Doraemon anime franchise is now 36 years old. A 26 episode Doraemon TV anime premiered on April 1, 1973. The current, long running TV anime premiered on April 2, 1979 and broadcast 1,049 episodes before its primary five aging voice actors retired. The series took a three week broadcast hiatus before re-starting with new voice actors on April 15, 2005.

Source: Anime News Network

Official websites for a couple of upcoming anime have just gone online.

Fairy Tail
Seitokai no Ichizon
Kemono to Chat OVA
Zero no Tsuka… er, Baka to Test to Shokanju

And the Macross F homepage has updated to reflect the upcoming “Itsuwari no Utahime” movie.

Source: Moon Phase

Nico Nico Douga has announced that the first episode of the Ontama web anime series will premiere on August 7th.

Japanese music news site BARKS reports that the members of rock band X Japan will be the first real life celebrities to appear as playable characters in the online strategy game Character Wars (“Character Daisakusen”). X Japan co-founder, drummer, and pianist Yoshiki will debut as a playable character this Saturday. Vocalist TOSHI and the late guitarist HIDE will become available as game characters next month. Players gain permanent use of a character after purchasing the character for 2,000 yen. It’s unclear, presently, exactly how Yoshiki’s drum solos and piano playing will work into the game based on Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Source: Tokyograph

Question:
Does the fact that Inuyasha is getting more anime mean Rin-ne is already bombing in Japan?

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In lieu of an acquisition announcement, Bandai Entertainment has simply released the first DVD volume of the Kannagi ~Crazy Shrine Maidens~ anime television series today. The subtitled only release contains 7 episodes plus a non-credit opening and episode 7 non-credit ending. The second DVD volume, containing the second half of the 14 episode series, will be released on September 24.

Anime News Network is now streaming the series’ first two episodes, with two additional episodes added weekly until the entire series is available for free online viewing.

The August issue of Monthly Sunday GX magazine, which goes on sale in Japan on Saturday, will formally reveal that Madhouse’s third Black Lagoon anime will be an OVA series released next year. TV series director Sunao Katabuchi and character designer Masanori Shino will reteam for the new series.

Source: Anime News Network

Next week’s issue of Weekly Shonen Sunday magazine will formally announce that the Inuyasha Kanketsu-hen (Inuyasha Final Chapter) TV series will debut this fall. The staff and cast of the previous Inuyasha TV anime will reunite to work on this adaptation of manga volumes 36 to 56, concluding the Inuyasha story.

Source: Anime News Network

Viz Media has announced English translation plans for four new manga titles originally published in Shogakukan’s Ikki Magazine. Saturn Apartments, Kingyo Used Books, Afterschool Charisma, and Tokyo Flow Chart will join a selection of previously announced titles on Viz Signature & Ikki Magazine’s Sigikki.com website. Titles that prove popular will later be published in graphic novel format.

On July 23rd the SIGIKKI site will debut BOKURANO: OURS, by Mohiro Kitoh; DOROHEDORO, by Q Hayashida; SATURN APARTMENTS, by Hisae Iwaoka; and I’LL GIVE IT MY ALL…TOMORROW, by Shunju Aono. These titles will be quickly followed on July 30th with the opening chapters of KINGYO USED BOOKS, by Seimu Yoshizaki; HOUSE OF FIVE LEAVES, by Natsume Ono; AFTERSCHOOL CHARISMA, by Kumiko Suekane; and TOKYO FLOW CHART, by Eiji Miruno.

Starz Media’s Chiller television network has launched an “Ani-Monday” programming block that airs violence and horror themed anime from Starz Media owned licensing company Manga Entertainment. Tokko and Sword for Truth will premiere on the network next Monday.

Starz Media’s Syfy (formerly Sci Fi) television network currently broadcasts Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Second Season, Gurenn Lagann, and Rave Master, and will continue to air titles from Manga Entertainment’s catalog.

Source: Anime News Network

Nagoya TV’s official homepage for Sunrise Studio’s Battle Spirits anime television series has formally announced that the new TV series Battle Spirits: Shounen Gekiha Dan will premiere on September 13. This appears to be an entirely new series not carrying over any characters from the current Battle Spirits: Shounen Toppa Bashin series.

Source: Moon Phase

The Japanese Moon Phase fan site reports that publisher Takeshobo has confirmed the development of an anime OVA adaptation of Mizushina Takayuki’s 4-koma manga series Kemono to Chat, a story about a high school girl who has the ability to understand the language used between cats.

Update: ANN reports that the September issue of Takeshobo’s Manga Club Original magazine will formally announce the anime project this weekend.