AnimeNation Anime News Blog

Question:
Is Aoi Hana likely to be released on American DVD? And how successful does it seem to be, relative to other yuri anime?

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Manga author Yoshitani has announced that an anime OVA adaptation of his autobiographical manga series Boku, Otaryman. (I, Otaku-salaryman) will debut in January. The bestselling 2007 & ongoing manga is Yoshitani’s personal story of being a 28-year-old bachelor systems engineer and otaku with no girlfriend.

Source: Anime News Network

Japanese animation studio dwarf and Domo-kun creator Tsuneo Goda have revealed their development of new Komaneko stop-motion animation. Komaneko no Christmas ~Maigo ni Natta Present~ (A Komaneko Christmas: The Lost Present) will open theatrically in Tokyo on November 7th, quickly followed by a December 2nd DVD release. The film’s official site is streaming a 60 second trailer.

Komaneko, made her first appearance in the short 2003 video “Komaneko Hajime no Ippo” (Komaneko: The First Step). That short was followed by several more, leading up to the short Koma Tori Eiga: Komaneko motion picture in 2006. Komaneko has also spun off character goods, picture books, and a Nintendo DS game.

Source: Anime News Network

Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki revealed yesterday that Ghibli’s next anime feature will be helmed by a director that has not previously directed a Ghibli film. Early production on the new movie is already underweigh. More details will be revealed publicly in December. Hayao Miyazaki & Isao Takahata have directed all of Studio Ghibli’s theatrical anime films since the studio’s 1985 foundation except 1995′s Whisper of the Heart – directed by Yoshifumi Kondo, 2002′s The Cat Returns – directed by Hiroyuki Morita, and 2006′s Ged Senki – directed by Goro Miyazaki.

Suzuki also stated that Hayao Miyazaki is actively developing a new film project that may see release in four years.

Source: Anime News Network

Canadian production company Corus Entertainment has announced that a third Bakugan television animation series titled Bakugan: Gundalian Invaders will premiere next year. Although not specified, presumably Japanese studio TMS Entertainment will provide the animation for the franchise’s third series. TMS Entertainment & Sega Toys created the original 2007 Bakugan Battle Brawlers anime series. Last year TMS was commissioned to animate a second series, Bakugan: New Vestroia, which airs in North America but is not officially distributed in Japan.

Source: Anime News Network

The latest trailer for director Mamoru Oshii’s latest live-action sci-fi action picture, Assault Girls, contains more firepower, explosions, monsters, mecha, and visual style than ought to be allowed in such a confined package. The movie hits Japanese theaters on December 19th.

Source: Anime News Network

Twitch has published new reviews of Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance, Ghost in the Shell 2.0, and Musashi: Dream of the Last Samurai.

The Hollywood Reporter reports that Hong Kong based Imagi Animation Studios may develop a sequel to its new Astro Boy feature if the movie proves popular.

Is this really any sort of surprise? How many successful movies these days don’t get a sequel?

Article provided by Daniel Zelter

Question:
Could the Japanese TV industry ever be like the American TV industry? As in airing original programming ever year (roughly 45 new shows premiere yearly on US TV). And since they’re not based on manga anymore, have the freedom to have as many 13 or 26 episode seasons as the networks commission? I mean, if you look at original anime like Bebop and Dennou Coil, one wonders if they could have lasted 7 seasons.

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For the benefit of the handful of people beside me that eagerly anticipate new episodes of Ontama, the fourth episode of the Nico Nico Douga exclusive anime series has just been released. Access to the episode is free, but does require registering on the NicoDou site.

At the present time, the first two episodes of this month’s new Yans! Gans! CG anime series are available through the series’ official, and English friendly, homepage.

Following the demise of Viz Media’s Shoujo Beat Magazine, a small group of enterprising fans led by Publisher/Editorial Director Garrett Boast have launched plans for ShojoBerry Magazine, a new English language outlet for translated Japanese shoujo manga. Boast states, “We are planning on doing a promotional issue in April 2010 for Tekkoshocon.”

Article provided by AnimeNews.biz

Anime News Network has translated a summary of Square-Enix producer Kouji Taguchi’s analysis of the anime business, which he presented to an audience earlier this week at the Japan International Contents Festival. Taguchi explains the process by which anime producers decide on anime productions; contemporary costs of TV anime production and broadcast; the impact of anime on manga sales; and reasons why manga sell better in Japan than overseas.

This is fascinating, revealing, and little heard insight into the way Japan’s anime industry thinks and works. Anyone with an interest in the anime business should read this.

FUNimation has released the first 3 minutes of the Soul Eater television series featuring the English dub voices of Soul Eater and Maka. The series will hit American DVD next year.

Yup. Good or bad, English voices still don’t sound natural in anime to me.

Source: Anime News Network

Japanese producer/distributor King Records has tapped Crunchyroll to handle online distribution of both seasons of the White Album anime television series to viewers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, the United Arab Emirates, and Brazil.

The drama (heavy on drama) about rivalries and relationship difficulties among rising pop stars in 1986 Japan is based on Leaf’s 1998 visual novel game. The anime series’ first season aired in Japan early this year. Its second season premiered in Japan last week.

The first episode of the Flash anime series Licca-chan to Maho no Kuni (Licca-chan and the Magical Kingdom) is now streaming on Tomy’s official Licca-chan homepage. Tomy’s Licca fashion doll was introduced in 1967 and has since become widely known as “Japan’s Barbie.” Licca-chan anime OVAs and TV series have appeared periodically since 1990. The latest Licca-chan anime is a Flash animation production from DLE, the studio better known for its Himitsu Kessha Taka no Tsume (Eagle Talon) Flash anime series.

Source: Anime News Network