AnimeNation Anime News Blog

Pop vocalist and anime voice actress Nana Mizuki’s latest single, “Phantom Minds,” was Japan’s best selling song last week, moving 54,000 copies during its debut week of release. The hit marks the first time since the Oricon billboard chart began recording sales figures in 1968 that a song performed by an anime voice actor has hit #1 in weekly sales. Prior singles from voice actors to rank highly in weekly sales include Megumi Hayashibara’s 2002 hit “Northern Lights,” Maaya Sakamoto’s 2008 song “Triangler,” and Aya Hirano 2009 song “Super Driver,” all of which reached #3. “Phantom Minds” is the theme song of the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The MOVIE 1st feature film that opens in Japanese theaters this week. Mizuki provides the voice of the film’s co-starring character Fate Testarossa. Mizuki’s other roles have included Kururu in Bottle Fairies, Hinata in Naruto, Wrath in Fullmetal Alchemist, Oboro in Basilisk, and Silvette in Tegami Bachi.

Last June, Mizuki’s album Ultimate Diamond hit #1 on the weekly album sales charts, another first for a voice actor.

Source: Anime News Network

Actress Chiaki Kuriyama, possibly best known to Americans for her performance as Go Go Yubari in Kill Bill Volume 1, will make her professional singing debut as “CHiAKi KURiYAMA” with the Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn OVA series theme song “Ryusei no Namida.” The single will go on sale February 24 in a regular edition, a limited CD+DVD edition, and a limited “Gundam” edition. The first Gundam Unicorn OVA will hit DVD & Blu-ray on March 12.

Kuriyama made her anime voice acting debut in the 2008 film The Sky Crawlers, playing female pilot Midori Mitsuya.

Source: Tokyograph

On February 1st Japanese online game development studio Gonzo Rosso will formally change its name to “Rosso Index.” The studio, founded in 1963, was acquired by Gonzo Digimation Holdings (GDH) in 2005. GDH divested itself from Gonzo Rosso in March 2009. Index Holdings’s subsidiary Atlus purchased 54.6% of Gonzo Rosso in October 2009. Gonzo Rosso may be best known to Americans as the developer of the Tower of Druaga MMORPG.

Source: Anime News Network

Japan Airlines has filed for bankruptcy protection in one of the biggest corporate failures in Japanese history. Asia’s biggest airline reported last October that it faced 1.5 trillion yen ($16.5 billion USD) in debt, falling passenger traffic, and swelling pension costs. The airline has filed for for protection from creditors under the Corporate Rehabilitation Law – Japan’s version of Chapter 11 – and plans to institute a restructuring plan to cut inefficiency and expenses.

Source: Excite News

Article provided by Daniel Zelter

I love sites like this, they remind me of my trips to Tokyo. Tons of beautiful pictures, well organized, browsing here makes me wish I could go again today.

Media Blasters has revealed its acquisition of distribution rights to the 2008 risqué supernatural romantic comedy anime series Kanokon by way of an announcement that the first DVD volume will go on sale April 27th. The $29.99 bilingual DVD will contain the first 4 episodes of the 12 episode series.

Hulu has begun offering free streams of subtitled Kekkaishi episodes 1, 2, & 5. Viz announced its acquisition of the 52 episode supernatural adventure anime series in July 2009.

Source: Mania.com

The advertising obi on copies of the second collected volume of Namori’s bishoujo manga series Yuruyuri announces the development of an anime TV series based on the manga. The second volume of the Yuruyuri manga series officially goes on sale in Japan today. The comedy series, typified by gags based on imagined lesbian relationships, revolves around the daily life of four high school girls.

Source: Anime News Network

The Nikkei Newspaper reports that Sega Toys will begin distributing Zhu Zhu Pets artificial hamster toys in Japan this April. An original Japanese manga based on the franchise will premiere later this year. And Sega has plans to sponsor the production of an animated series for premiere in spring 2011. It’s not specified if the animated series will be produced in Japan or elsewhere. Sega is the master licensor for Missouri-based Cepia LLC.’s hit Zhu Zhu Pets toy line throughout Asia.

Source: Anime News Network

Daisuke Gouri (real name: Yoshio Nagahori), the voice actor best known to American anime fans as the voice of Dragon Ball Z character Mr. Satan, was found lying face-down, dead on a street in Nakano, Tokyo yesterday. Gouri reportedly had a bloody wrist and was found with a knife and a last will. Nakano police are investigating Gouri’s death as a possible suicide.

The 57 year old actor was well known for providing character voices including Robin Mask in Kinnikuman, Dozle Zabi and Bask Om in the Gundam franchise, Hiromi Yamazaki in Patlabor, and Heihachi Mishima in the Tekken video game series.

Source: Anime News Network

The homepage for the upcoming Insect Detective Yoshida Yoshimi (Konchu Tantei Yoshida Yoshimi) live action motion picture has added a streaming trailer. The nonsense gag comedy about a detective with an affinity for bugs whose partners include a dog with the intelligence of a third-grade human and a foul-mouthed parrot is based on the manga by Aozora-Daichi. The movie opens theatrically in Japan on April 3.

Source: Nippon Cinema

We wanted to pass along notice to and from our South Australian friends that the Angus & Robertson Edwardstown book store now carries a full selection of manga!

Question:
Who are the best female villains of anime? Off the top of my own noggin, I’d have to say Medusa of Soul Eater and Cassa from Black Blood Brothers. But I’d like to hear an expert’s opinion.

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Japan’s Bandai Visual has announced that the first bilingual Blu-ray volume of the Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn OVA series will be available exclusively through online retailer Amazon for its first two months of release. The Blu-ray release includes original Japanese dialogue plus selectable English dubbing and optional Japanese, English, French, Spanish, Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese subtitles. The 59 minute long first Blu-ray volume will retail at a $49.98 SRP beginning March 12.

It’s certainly surprising that Bandai Visual will be distributing this through Amazon instead of its own Bandai Entertainment American subsidiary.

Voice actor Isamu Tanonaka passed away due to a heart attack in his Tokyo home on Wednesday, January 13. He was 77. Tanonaka is best known as the voice of Medama Oyaji, the disembodied eyeball father character from Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro. Tanonaka was the only voice actor to ever portray the character, appearing in all five Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro TV series, all of the series’ animated movies and both live action movies. Tanonaka also played the Medama Oyaji prototype character in the Hakaba Kitaro anime series. Tanonaka’s other roles included regular appearances in anime including Dr. Slump, Mazinger Z, Cutey Honey, Digimon Adventure, and Persona -trinity soul-.

Source: Anime News Network