AnimeNation Anime News Blog

ICv2 reports that Toei will solicit broadcast & distribution rights for all 200 Sailor Moon TV episodes to international licensors at next week’s MIPTV industry trade convention held in Cannes, France. Toei has been described as unwilling to consider international distribution of the show over the past several years. It’s unclear whether Toei is now willing to possibly allow renewed American distribution for the series; however, the possibility seems open. Toei has previously allowed American distribution of the first 166 Sailor Moon episodes, but the Sailor Stars season, the franchise’s final 34 episodes, have never been officially released in America.

Question:
I know there are many animes and mangas with cat girls, but it doesn’t seem to be many with cat boys or dog boys. I know of shugo chara and Inuyasha. But i want to know if there are others that feature characters with this characteristics, and also want to know why are so many with cat girls?

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The homepage for the upcoming Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin (End of the Century Occult Academy) television series has added two streaming trailers. The show is scheduled to premiere in July.

After what feels like forever, the homepage of the upcoming Toei Robot Girls anime series has added a streaming teaser trailer. It’s not much, but it’s better than nothing. The upcoming anime depicts the vintage giant robots Gaiking (1976), Ga Keen (1976), and Baratack (1977) as cute girls.

Source: Moon Phase

The homepage for this summer’s anime feature film Colorful is now streaming its teaser trailer. The film is an adaptation of Eto Mori’s 1998 lighthearted fantasy novel about a spirit given a second chance at life by being placed in the body of a suicidal 14 year-old boy. Keiichi Hara (Kappa no Coo to Natsuyasumi) directs.

Source: Moon Phase

Crunchyroll has acquired limited distribution rights to the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya franchise. Episodes of the anime TV series have already begun appearing on the Crunchyroll site. The spin-off Melancholy of Haruhi-chan Suzumiya and Nyoron Churuya-san anime series originally distributed on YouTube will also soon be available through Crunchyroll.

Crunchyroll also states that it will “handle download sales and print-on-demand merchandise for the title.”

The 28 episode Suzumiya Haruhi television series is presently licensed for American DVD release by Bandai Entertainment. The original novels and manga adaptations are presently published in America by Yen Press & parent company Hachette Books.

Is this a sign of discontent or lacking confidence in Bandai Entertainment from Japanese master licensor Kadokawa Pictures, or just a sign of Kadokawa’s effort to expand the franchise’s market presence?

GameSpot Japan reports that CyberConnect2′s upcoming Nintendo DS action RPG tentatively titled Solarobo will get an original anime opening sequence animated by Madhouse, featuring character designs by Nobuteru Yuki (X, Escaflowne). Solarobo is a spiritual, if not literal, sequel to CyberConnect2′s 1998 Playstation action game Tail Concerto.

Source: Anime News Network

The latest issue of Dengeki Bunko Magazine contains an announcement that Hitoma Iruma’s award winning psychological horror novel series Usotsuki Mii-kun to Kowareta Maa-chan (Lying Mii-kun and Broken Maa-chan) will be adapted into a live action feature film. Nine novels have been published since June 2007. The novel series is narrated by Mii-kun, an unreliable narrator who lives with and has a mysterious connection to Misono Mayu, “Maa-chan,” a schoolgirl who was kidnapped and forced to kill her parents eight years ago who has now become a psychologically unbalanced kidnapper herself.

Source: Anime News Network

Question:
Has the Riki-Oh anime ever put out on DVD in the US by Media Blasters?

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Crunchyroll has announced plans to begin simulcasting the current Shin Koihime Muso ~Otome Tairan~ anime television series. New episodes will be available to Crunchyroll subscribers one hour after Japanese broadcast, and available for all viewers one week after Japanese broadcast. The current season premiered on Japanese television last week. Crunchyroll hasn’t clarified when it will begin streaming the show.

Seven Seas has announced its acquisition of Masayuki Takano’s Blood Alone and Yu Aida’s Gunslinger Girl manga series. The Blood Alone vampire drama manga series formerly published in English by Infinity Studios will have its first three volumes released in a single $15.99 omnibus edition in May 2011 followed by individual releases of the following volumes. The first six volumes of the Gunslinger Girl action series will be published in two omnibus volumes starting in February of 2011. Both volumes will retail at $15.99 each. Volumes 7 onward will be released individually. Both series will receive new English translations.

Personally, I’m thrilled to hear that English speaking readers will finally get more Blood Alone. I really, really enjoyed the first four volumes that Infinity published.

PIXELS by PATRICK JEAN.

Bandai Entertainment has announced that the Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam movie trilogy will hit American DVD on June 22. Z-Gundam movie 1: Heirs to the Stars, movie 2: Lovers, and movie 3: Love is the Pulse of the Stars were originally released in Japan from 2004-2006. The films summarize the 1985 television series by mixing animation from the ’85 TV series with new animation created exclusively for the movie trilogy. All three films will hit subtitled DVD at $24.98 each and as a $64.98 complete collection.

Meanwhile, Bandai Entertainment has also informed retailers that the second volume of Kurokami on DVD and Blu-ray has been delayed from release on May 4 to release on June 8.

The homepage for next month’s Gurren Lagann Parallel Works 2 OVA now hosts a streaming trailer. The music video collection will consist of 7 original shorts inspired by the Gurren Lagann anime series. The DVD will go on sale in Japan on May 26th.

Source: Anime News Network

The Moon Phase diary reports the unconfirmed news that animation studio BONES (Ouran High School Host Club, Fullmetal Alchemist) will be the one to produce the adaptation of Kazuki Sakuraba’s mystery novel series Gosick (“Gothic”).