AnimeNation Anime News Blog

The United States Armed Forces in Japan have announced the release of an original four-part manga collaboration with the creators of the popular Magical Marine Pixel Mari-tan (Maho no Kaiheitai Pixel Mari-tan) franchise. The Our Alliance — A Lasting Partnership (Watashi-tachi no Doumei – Eizoku-teki Partnership) will commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan. The manga will be written and drawn by the artists behind Hobby Japan’s ongoing series of Pixel Mari-tan picture books and CDs that star cute little military girls that teach Japanese speakers how to speak English like a drill seargent (i.e. full of profanity). The Our Alliance manga series will star new characters Arai Anzu (“Alliance”) and Usa-kun (U.S.A.-kun), an American boy visiting Japan. The first chapter of the Our Alliance manga will be released to the public tomorrow.

Source: Anime News Network

Manga Action Magazine has announced that Mamora Goda’s award winning drama manga series Mori no Asagao will be adapted into a live action television series scheduled to premiere this October. The best selling 2004 manga series revolves around the secret friendship between a rookie prison guard and a death row felon. A live action feature film adaptation of the manga was announced in March 2009, but the production seems to have been put on indefinite hiatus.

Source: Anime News Network

To refresh your memory or introduce you to an interesting opening animation sequence, I offer the third opening of the 1988 Kiteretsu Daihyakka television series. The theme song is “Yumemiru Jikan” performed by Megumi Mori.

During last weekend’s Otakon convention, FUNimation formally announced its acquisition of the Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance, Summer Wars, and Ginmaku Hetalia Axis Powers: Paint it, White [Shiroku Nure!] motion pictures, and the Girls Bravo, Hetalia World Series, Strike Witches 2, Shukufuku no Campanella, and Okami-san to Shichinin no Nakama-tachi television series.

The license of the second Rebuild of Evangelion movie is for the extended “2.22″ home video cut of the 2009 film. The film is tentatively planned for a North American DVD, BD, and theatrical release.

Summer Wars will tentatively get a limited theatrical release later this year followed by a DVD & BD release next year.

The first Hetalia motion picture will hit domestic DVD next year.

Girls Bravo was previously distributed on North American DVD by Geneon.

The current Shukufuku no Campanella television series will be localized under the title “Blessing of the Campanella.”

The current Okami-san to Shichinin no Nakama-tachi (Wolf-san & Seven Companions) will be localized under the abreviated title “Okamisan.”

Hetalia World Series is the second web/cel-phone anime series in the ongoing Hetalia anime franchise.

Source: Anime News Network article one, article two, article three

During last weekend’s Otakon convention, Bandai Entertainment formally announced its acquisition of the Girl Who Leapt Through Space (Sora o Kakeru Shoujo) television series, My-Otome 0 ~S.ifr~ OVA series, and A Record of the Strange Tales of the Bakumatsu Era: Code Geass (Bakumatsu Ibun-roku Code Geass – Hangyaku no Lelouch) manga series.

“SoraKake,” loving known by its English speaking fans as “Soaring Cake Girl,” is Sunrise’s 26 episode sci-fi adventure from early 2009.

The 3 episode My-Otome 0 ~S.ifr~ OVA series from 2008 is a prequel to the 2005 My-Otome television series and the only remaining installment of the My Hime anime franchise yet to be officially released in America.

Artist Ganjii’s Bakumatsu Ibun-roku Code Geass manga is an alternate re-telling of the Code Geass story set during Japan’s Bakumatsu era (1853-1867).

Source: Anime News Network article one, article two

The homepage for the upcoming Hyakka Ryoran Samurai Girls television series has added a second streaming trailer. Click the top page’s third from the bottom navigation button to access the trailer.

The homepage for the Cardfight!! Vanguard collectible card game multimedia franchise has added a teaser trailer that includes brief 2D animation footage. A TV series based on the game is in development.

Source: Anime News Network

Anime studio P.A. Works (CANAAN, Angel Beats!) has formally revealed its currently in development 10th anniversary anime production, Hanasaku Iroha, a bishoujo anime about a teen girl from Tokyo who finds herself working at a hot spring resort in rural Japan.

Source: Anime News Network

The homepage for the MonHun Nikki Pokapoka Airu-mura PSP game has added a streaming trailer for its upcoming anime television series. The Monster Hunter anime will premiere on the Tokyo MX network on the 5th.

Source: Moon Phase

Adult anime distribution company L. has released a 93 second streaming trailer for the first of two Princess Lover erotic OVAs. The website and trailer are strictly for adult viewers only. The first Princess Lover OVA goes on sale in Japan on September 17th.

Ricotta’s 2008 adult PC game was adapted into a mainstream anime television series by studio GoHands in 2009. The adults-only OVA series is animated by Public Enemies.

Source: Moon Phase

Madhouse studio founder and chairman Masao Maruyama has revealed that “Ninja Scroll” director Yoshiaki Kawajiri is now developing a web anime about a cross-dressing swordsman who fights ninja. The “Ninja Ten Battles” anime is being created as a pilot for a possible feature film.

Source: Anime News Network

Japanese distributor Interfilm has revealed its planned development of a live action film based on Yasuhiro Nakanishi’s 1982 risqué comedy manga Oh! Toumei Ningen (Oh! Invisible Man). The original manga is about a high school boy living with an all-female family. When the boy suddenly turns invisible, he exploits his new condition.

Source: Anime News Network

Brazilian artist Felipe Marcantonio’s anime-inspired online comic series XDragoon celebrated its second anniversary yesterday. To commemorate the milestone, Marcantonio released a new, original animation short featuring original music composed and performed by Brazilian band Animadness.

Article provided by Papo de Budega

A Swedish translator of Japanese manga has been fined by Uppsala district court for possession of manga images depicting children engaged in sexual acts. The translator claimed that he had downloaded 51 offending images “in order to stay up to date with the latest developments in the Japanese comic genre.” The court found him unanimously guilty of possessing child pornography, although the presiding judge did tell the Upsala Nya Tidning newspaper, “There’s a clear conflict between freedom of speech on the one hand and general regulations regarding children’s rights on the other… It was however our view that the protective aspect weighed more heavily… The aim of the law… is not just to protect individual children but children in general.”

The translator’s lawyer has appealed the decision, stating, “It goes against all common sense. These are just drawings; no children have been harmed.” The presiding judge has said that he welcomes a second opinion from the appeals court due to the precedential nature of this case.

Source: The Local

Article provided by Douglas Evans

To refresh your memory or introduce you to an interesting opening animation sequence, I offer to start off your week with the iconic, hot-blooded opening of Gainax’s 1991 OVA series Honoo no Tenkousei (Blazing Transfer Student). The theme song is “Blazing Transfer Student” performed by Toshihiko Seki.