AnimeNation Anime News Blog

Crunchyroll has announced plans to begin international online distribution of the currently airing shoujo anime television series Yumeiro Pâtissière (Dream-Colored Pastry Chef) on November 8. Crunchyroll subscribers in the United States, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and the United Arab Emirates will have access to new weekly episodes within an hour of Japanese broadcast. Episodes will be accessible to viewers for free one week after Japanese broadcast.

The official website for Weiss Schwartz collectible card game has announced the development of a second season of the Weiss Survive anime television series based on the card game. Weiss Survive R will introduce a new fourth female character into the story. The recently concluded Weiss Survive anime television series consisted of 16 three minute episodes broadcast within the live action Card Gakuen television program.

The announcement also mentions plans for a collaboration with the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS and Fate/stay night anime series. Lyrical Nanoha characters already appear in the Weiss Schwartz card game.

I’m a little bit surprised by the announcement of a second season, but since the episodes are so short, I suppose, why not make more?

Source: Anime News Network

Anime News Network now hosts a transcript of a panel interview conducted with Suzuka manga creator Kouji Seo.

FUNimation has released another sample of its English dub of the Soul Eater TV series, this one revealing the English voices of characters Black Star & Tsubaki, played by Brittney Karbowski & Monica Rial, respectively. The first DVD collection will be released next year.

No offense intended to those who watch and enjoy English dubbed anime, but this sample is precisely why I’m glad that I don’t watch dubbed anime.

Source: Anime News Network

Funimation parent company Navarre has reported that Funimation sales were up during this year’s second quarter although total sales for Navarre’s publishing division, which includes Funimation, Encore, and BCI were down 26% compared to Q2 2008. More than half of the decline is attributed to the shutdown of the BCI subsidiary. Navarre earned a $2.3 million profit during Q2 2009, compared to a $44.5 million loss during the same period last year.

Source: Anime News Network

Question:
How we get serious and action-oriented anime shows like Ghost in the Shell and Death Note on TV for free and not lighthearted shows like Love Hina and Lucky Star, which we have to pay money for them?

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Sentai Filmworks has formally announced three new anime title acquisitions.

The English subtitled Hidamari Sketch Season 1 Collection will retail at $39.98 beginning January 12, 2010. The original 13 episode adaptation of Ume Aoki’s manga aired in Japan in 2007. The most recent Hidamari Sketch anime, the two episode Hidamari Sketch x365 Tokubetsuhen special, aired on Japanese television earlier this month.

Glass Mask Collection 1 will include the first 26 episodes of the 51 episode television series from 2005. The series is presently available online from Crunchyroll. The first subtitled DVD collection will retail at $49.98 beginning January 19, 2010.

The subtitled Neo Angelique Abyss Season 1 Collection will contain all 13 episodes of the 2008 television series and retail at $39.98 beginning January 26, 2010. Crunchyroll presently streams both seasons of Neo Angelique Abyss.

In addition to these three Sentai Filmworks titles, Section23 will also distribute 3 new live action releases from Switchblade Pictures.

Akiballion: Battlemaids of Akihabara will retail at $19.98 beginning January 5.

The Female Combatants Battle School & Demonic Heroine In Peril double-feature will retail at $19.98 beginning January 12.

The Birthday Mail & Kokurri-san double feature will retail at $19.98 beginning January 26.

The Mycom Journal reports that in anticipation of the upcoming Space Battleship Yamato: Rebirth Chapter motion picture, this December the Family Gekijou satellite TV network will broadcast a documentary titled “Uchu Senkan Yamato” (Space Battleship Yamato) that will explore the charm and historical significance of the original anime franchise that ran from 1974 to 1983. It’s not clarified if the documentary will be a single episode or a multi-episode series. The network will also broadcast the original three Yamato TV series, the 1977 first theatrical movie, and a widescreen version of 1983′s Final Yamato movie.

Following about a year and a half of production, the Yamato Rebirth movie has now completed production and will premiere at a special screening at the Tokyo International Forum on November 28 before opening in nationwide Japanese theaters on December 12. The new movie is co-scripted and directed by Final Yamato director Yoshinobu Nishizaki. Widely acknowledged Yamato series creator Leiji Matsumoto was not involved in the development of this new film.

Source: Anime News Network

Anime News Network has published a transcript of a panel interview with voice actor Shinichiro Miki (Lockon Stratos in Gundam OO, Takumi Fujiwara in Initial D).

Veteran voice actress Melodee M. Spevack, whose anime credits include roles in Monster, Bleach, Ergo Proxy, Cowboy Bebop, Last Exile, and many other series, is now playing alien Professor Hemela Strayteb in the upcoming online sci-fi series Frontier Guard. A video introduction to Spevack’s character is now available on YouTube.

Our Spanish speaking readers may want to check out María José Morteyrú’s fantasy & anime themed web radio program Guerreros Del Universo.

Question:
When will Tecmo’s Team Ninja make a current generation Azumi game? Tecmo has proven they can do ninja games with Ninja Gaiden that are popular among hardcore gaming crowd.

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The Mainchi Newspaper reports that the first four episodes of the current Aoi Bungaku Series anime television series will be re-edited into a theatrical feature for release on December 12. The feature film edit will include a small amount of original “navigation” footage created exclusively for the film version.

The first four episodes of the “Blue Literature Series” anime adapt author Osamu Dazai’s 1948 novel No Longer Human (Ningen Shikkaku).

Source: Anime News Network

Anime News Network now hosts an exclusive interview with Mobile Suit Gundam scenario writer Yousuke Kuroda and director Seiji Mizushima.

Anime News Network now hosts an exclusive interview with internationally respected manga scholar Fred Schodt.