AnimeNation Anime News Blog

Question:
In today’s world fansubs are quite common for licensed and sadly unlicensed shows. But worst of all, often times this ventures off into outright piracy and bootlegging. Perhaps the most notorious offender is the American fansite narutofan.com. On the site “Tazmo” offers a subscription service in which he sells online downloads of hundreds of licensed and unlicensed shows, especially Naruto. Because it’s the number one Naruto American anime site he’s able to attract millions of viewers, many of whom buy into his download service. It’s been rumored that he’s earned at least several hundred thousand or maybe even more than a million off of selling bootlegs of other people’s work. I can understand tolerance of fansubs or even free downloads of unlicensed anime, but why on earth would an American anime company seem to tolerate and condone such a major pirate like Tazmo? Viz has shut down illegal download sites before, so why do they seem so unconcerned about Narutofan’s pirate activities?

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Crunchyroll has begun streaming the 2008 Koihime Muso bishoujo historical action/comedy anime series. The adaptation of BaseSon’s adult PC game Koihime Muso: Doki—Otome Darake no Sangokushi Engi is an adaptation of the Chinese Romance of the Three Kingdoms story starring cute, buxom young women. The original anime TV series was successful enough to earn an OVA and an upcoming second TV series. The show will be available with English subtitles to Crunchyroll viewers worldwide except Japan, France, Belgium, China, Luxembourg, Andorra, Monaco, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

The Happy Science (Kofuku no Kagaku) religious organization has released a full trailer, TV commercial, and music video for its latest anime feature film The Rebirth of Buddha (Buddha Saitan). Group TAC is animating the film adaptation of Kofuku no Kagaku founder Ryuho Okawa’s book that predicts the revival of Buddha on the eve of the world’s destruction. Group TAC also animated Happy Science’s Laws of the Sun, Golden Laws, and Laws of Eternity anime movies. Besides the 65 second trailer, a 32 second commercial and a 48 second sample of Woo Sung Min preforming the movie’s theme song “Satori ni Challenge” are also available on YouTube. The movie will premiere on October 17th.

WTF? UFOs? Really? On a trivial side note, one of Kyoto Animation’s first productions was the Shiawasette-naani Akaruku Ikirukoto OVA, produced for Kofuku no Kagaku

Source: Nippon Cinema

A new streaming “Special Movie” on the official Fight Ippatsu! Jyuden-chan homepage has announced that the recently concluded 12 episode television series will be re-released in a “complete edition” including a previously unreleased episode. The video includes non-graphic nudity (and original animation footage). It’s accessible by selecting the “movie” section of the website (the third navigation button from the left).

An uncensored version of the show concluded its Japanese broadcast on the AT-X network last week. A censored version is available online from Crunchyroll. The same censored version will air on Japanese terrestrial television networks beginning next month.

Can’t say I’m surprised to see an announcement about a DVD bonus episode – if that’s precisely what this is, but I’m still anticipating an eventual second series announcement.

Source: Anime News Network

Viz has revealed that the 9th and final volume of its VIZBIG reissue of the Rurouni Kenshin manga will include an additional full color short story never previously available in English. The manga will go on sale March 16, 2010.

Article provided by Daniel Zelter

Gunslinger Girl – Distance Between Two: Brother and Sister (Season 2: Episode 1) is now available for free permanent download on the PlayStation Network. The offer is good through Thursday, September 17.

The recently launched Otaku Crush on-line dating networking site for anime/manga fans isn’t the only site of its kind. The fan created and run MaiOtaku opened in June and has grown quickly in its dual effort to bring together otaku and compete against “corporate dating websites… trying to take gobs of money out of the hands of anime fans.” Users can signup for free, create a profile, and answer questions about their favorite anime to get matched with other users. Examiner has profiled the promising new site.

Variety reports that Japanese DVD distributor Visionare has introduced its first anime DVD offering pay-per-view access. Consumers can now purchase Ashita no Joe DVDs from Visionare for 525 yen ($5.83) each, then unlock the ability to watch individual episodes on the discs for a period of one week for 105 yen ($1.12) per episode. The DVDs are targeted at Japanese consumers who only periodically watch DVDs and want to own inexpensive permanent, non-rental DVDs.

Article provided by Daniel Zelter

Japanese model company Tamiya has announced the October 24 release of its first Hatsune Miku itasha RC car. “Itasha” is the Japanese term for painting designs and images on automobiles, particularly anime and game characters. The initial model car will require assembly. An RTR (Ready To Run) version will be available by the end of the year.

Article provided by Francesco Fondi

Question:
In respect to the original CARDCAPTOR SAKURA, aside from the shounen-ai elements, which were minimized as far as possible in the English Language adaptation – either by omitting some episodes or possibly some level of editing – one of the more noticeable elements which carries the story along is the growth and development of the “relationship polygon” which involves many of the principal characters. What are some other examples of “relationship polygons” to be found in other anime?

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Nico Nico Douga has just released the third episode of its exclusive anime series Ontama. Access to NicoDou video content is free, but does require registration.

Viz Media has announced that the Disney XD cable network will broadcast weekly English dubbed episodes of Naruto Shippuden beginning in October. The series made its American debut via online streaming last January. The first bilingual Naruto Shippuden DVD will hit retail on the 29th.

Japanese publisher Shueisha has revealed the news that a 12 episode anime TV series titled Aoi Bungaku (Blue Book) will premiere on October 10 at 1:20am. The series will consist of adaptations of four modern classics of Japanese literature: Osamu Dazai’s No Longer Human (Ningen Shikkaku) & Run, Melos! (Hashire, Melos!), Natsume Soseki’s Kokoro, and Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s Hell Screen (Jigoku Hen).

Manga illustrator Takeshi Obata (Death Note, Bakuman) will participate in the creation of the No Longer Human & Kokoro segments. No Longer Human is Dazai’s semi-autobiographical 1948 novel about a young man whose life declines into despair. Kokoro is a 1914 novel detailing the friendship between a young man and his mentor during early 1900s. Obata provided the cover art and interior illustrations for recent Japanese reprintings of both novels.

Prince of Tennis manga creator Takeshi Konomi will participate in the latest anime adaptation of Run, Melos! Osamu Dazai’s adaptation of an ancient Greek legend was originally published in 1940 and was adapted into anime TV special in 1981 and an anime feature film in 1992. Konomi has drawn the cover and illustrations for a recent Japanese reprinting of the short story.

Bleach manga creator Tite Kubo will contribute to the anime adaptation of the 1918 short story Hell Screen, writer Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s tale of the violent creation of a screen painting of hell.

On a related note, a live action film adaptation of No Longer Human will hit Japanese theaters next year.

Source: Anime News Network

I’m not sure exactly when this got announced, but the NHK television network has revealed that its educational channel’s 50th anniversary production will be a 40 episode puppet anime adaptation of The Three Musketeers titled Renzoku Ningyo Katsugeki: Shin Sanjushi (Action Series Puppets: New Three Musketeers). The series will feature a screenplay by comedian, playwright, and director Koki Mitani (Warai no Daigaku, The Uchoten Hotel). The show will premiere on October 12.

Source: Moon Phase

Director Kentaro Moriya is now in Guam shooting a live action film adaptation of Yukio Okada’s manga story Motel. Toma Ikuta (Akihabara@Deep) and Kumiko Asou (Casshern) co-star in the story about a group of unrelated people whose lives converge while staying at a motel named “Seaside” despite being located in the mountains. The manga serial was compiled and published as a single book in January 2008. The live action feature, titled Seaside Motel, will premiere next year.

Source: Tokyograph