AnimeNation Anime News Blog

Toei Animation has announced its development of a 13 episode Flash animation television series based on the Ketsu-Inu web manga by artist LifeStyle Tsunoda. Haruki Kasugamori (Neko Rahmen) will write, direct, and animate the series of 150 second long shorts that star a dog-like creature with a face resembling a buttocks. The series will premiere on the AT-X network on April 1 before hitting mobile phones and online distribution.

Source: Anime News Network

Tokyopop will release the first volume of Kenji Sonishi’s 4-panel gag manga Neko Ramen this June. The popular comedy about a cat that runs a ramen noodle restaurant was adapted into an anime television series in 2007 and a live action feature film in 2008.

Source: ICv2

Self described “inner city African American youth” Dannez Hunter has filed a copyright infringement suit against Kill Bill film director Quentin Tarantino and his A Band Apart production company, and Kill Bill producers & distributors Bob and Harvey Weinstein, The Weinstein Company, Miramax, Disney, Carlos Goodman, Bloom Hergott, Visiona Romantica, and Lawrence Bender Productions. Hunter claims to have submitted a proposal for a movie entitled “Lotus” to Mr. Tarantino in May or June 1999. Hunter claims that Tarantino then “copied verbatim… every element” of the Lotus film proposal and adapted it into the character O-Ren Ishii in the Kill Bill volume 1 motion picture. Contrary to E! Online’s misreading of the lawsuit, the Lotus film treatment is not described as a proposal for an animated film.

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The Cofesta anime & cosplay festival will occur in this weekend at the Bienal de São Paulo pavilion in São Paulo, Brazil. Vocalist & voice actress Miki Maruyama (Shikabane Hime, Tales of the Abyss), vocalist Yoko Takahashi (Evangelion TV opening, Pumpkin Scissors opening), and pop duo Piyo Rabbie will attend as guests. Anime production studio TMS will host exclusive digital screenings of Saint Seiya: Lost Canvas and Lupin III anime. Numerous other anime, video game, manga, music, and related companies and exhibitors will be on hand.

Article provided by Papo de Budega

The homepage for the upcoming Mardock Scramble: The First Compression Ashuku anime feature film has updated with a pair of key visual images and character profile shots. However, the production studio or studios behind this production are still being kept secret.

Source: Moon Phase

Gainax has scheduled a May 26 release for the Gurren Lagann Parallel Works 2 DVD. Like the first Gurren Lagann Parallel Works music video collection released in 2008, Parallel Works 2 will consist of original anime music videos depicting Gurren Lagann characters in alternate worlds and situations.

Source: Anime News Network

Question:
How has One Piece fared as a series spanning over 400 episodes so far, in your opinion? In other words, what I’d like to know is how well the story has progressed, how consistent the animation has been, if there are pacing issues, things like that. I’ve gotten several adamant recommendations, but I’m unsure if it’s worth it to make the necessary investment in such a long show that, from what I’ve heard, is still nowhere near a conclusion.

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The homepage for next month’s Heroman anime television series has added a streaming trailer. The show about an American boy who discovers an action figure toy that turns into a bona fide guardian of the earth against invading aliens is a co-creation from anime studio BONES and American comic creator Stan Lee. The first episode will premiere on April 1st.

The theme song’s a bit cheesy, but the production values on the anime look great. The “Xam’d” vibe is a bit strong, though.

Source: Anime News Network

The homepage for the 18th Crayon Shin-chan motion picture, Crayon Shin-chan: Cho Jiku! Arashi wo Yobu Ora no Hanayome (Super Dimension! The Storm Called My Bride), has added a second 30 second teaser and the film’s first theatrical trailer. The movie will hit Japanese theaters on April 17.

The extent of the fun of the Crayon Shin-chan movies has varied. I’m excited to see that this one looks like it’ll be a lot of fun.

Source: Anime News Network

The homepage for the upcoming 14th Detective Conan motion picture, Detective Conan: The Lost Ship in The Sky, now hosts a streaming 30 second teaser and a 95 second trailer. The movie will hit Japanese theaters on April 17.

Source: Anime News Network

The Comic Journal has revealed word that Fantagraphics Books has plans to launch a line of English translated manga licensed from Japanese publisher Shogakukan. Moto Hagio’s short story collection A Drunken Dream and Other Stories (Kingin Sagan) and Takako Shimura’s Wandering Son (Horo Musuko) have been named for domestic release so far.

Viz Media has scheduled release dates for the debut volumes of three new manga series.

The first volume of Kyousuke Motomi’s shoujo romantic comedy Dengeki Daisy will go on sale July 6th.

The first volume of Asou Haro’s shounen supernatural adventure series Hyde & Closer (Juhou Kaikin!! Hyde & Closer) will go on sale July 13th.

The first volume of Gente, Natsume Ono’s sequel to Ristorante Paradiso, will premiere in America on July 20.

Article provided by Daniel Zelter

Media Blasters CEO John Sirabella has confirmed that at least 13 of the company’s employees have been temporarily or permanently laid off. “Recently, some of our larger vendors have slowed down quite a bit, so we have to take precautions,” Sirabella said. “We are hoping that if we start to see the orders flow back from these vendors, we can bring [the furloughed employees] back later.” The company had fewer than 50 employees before the layoffs and furloughs. The layoffs are not expected to impact the company’s product release schedule.

Source: Anime News Network

Following the completion of its tenth and final episode, the cast of the Super Smash Bros. Brawl video game parody web-series There Will Be Brawl will be celebrating in style, with cast members, fans, and media in attendance for the official wrap party. The cast and crew welcome everyone to attend a night of dancing, drinking, and photo ops at Club Good Hurt, located in eastern Venice, California. Live performances include The Megas, a band taking inspiration from Nintendo’s Mega Man series, and The Yuki Shundo Dance Crew, lead by the illustrious choreographer Yuki Shundo. Four of Los Angeles’ premier DJs will also be spinning to keep the crowd dancing, including Poison-K, Jinrei, DO NOT FEED THE DJ, and Amaya.

The wrap party will last from 9PM – 2AM on March 13th. Admission is limited to patrons age 21 & over. Cover charge is $10.

Question:
I was reading and laughing at the “Laws of Anime Physics,” but they brought up an interesting point – that Spike Spiegel was the first main character to die in an anime, and that a bunch of shows copied that story arc for a number of years. So I wanted to know, do you know any anime before Cowboy Bebop where the main character dies in the last episode?

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