AnimeNation Anime News Blog

China Lion Film Distribution Inc. has signed an exclusive distribution deal with the AMC theater chain that will see up to 15 Chinese langauge films per year released theatrically simultaneously in China, the United States, and Toronto and Ottawa, Canada. The partnership will begin with the current Chinese blockbuster Aftershock. The film, currently playing in Chinese theaters, will get a limited North American theatrical release on October 29. Future releases will hit theaters day-and-date simultaneously.

To refresh your memory or introduce you to an interesting opening animation sequence, I offer the kinetic second opening of last year’s Basquash! TV series. The theme song is “Boku ga Boku no Mama” performed by The Spin.

Question:
After reading the latest preview to some show, which included a line saying “revolves around an exceptional student attending an elite school for geniuses,” I can’t help but to think that nowadays anime has become inspirational and elitist, even discriminatory, if you ask me. I think anime in the 70s to 80s was more including and positive, and it wasn’t afraid to show all kind of characters, from all social and intellectual conditions. Do you agree to this argument? Where are the poor, ugly or stupid in contemporary anime?

(more…)

Hokkaido-based independent animation studio Picograph has released a new “short” trailer for its long in development sci-fi racing anime short film Tailenders. Tailenders has been in development since at least 2008. It’s scheduled for Japanese home video release on January 28, 2011.

Source: Rakugakidou

The first trailer for the upcoming cute boy(s) in skirts anime Mayoelle Otokonoko has been added to YouTube.

I can’t distinguish which of the characters are boys. All of them? Just one?

Source: Moon Phase

Manga creator Shintaro Miyawaki passed away due to a heart attack on October 9 at 9:33 p.m. in Niiza, Saitama, Japan. He was 67. Miyawaki may be best known as the creator of the 13 volume erotic satire manga series The Rapeman. The 1985 to 1992 manga series was adapted into a two episode anime OVA series in 1994 and nine live action films released from 1993 to 1996.

Source: Anime News Network

To refresh your memory or introduce you to an interesting opening animation sequence, I offer the stylish opening of 1983′s Kiko Soseiki Mospeada TV series. The theme song is “Ushinawareta Yume wo Motomete” sung by ANDY.

Question:
Is South Park considered loli and ecchi? A lot of people are embarrassed to admit they watch shows like Mitsudomoe because people might label them as pedos. But South Park is more graphically sexual than a lot of so called loli anime shows. The South Park kids are in 3rd grade. Both shows are simply comedies, aren’t they?

(more…)

Crunchyroll has announced plans to host streams of the Tantei Opera Milky Holmes, Demonbane, Macademi Wasshoi!, Lucky Star, and Cosplay Complex anime series. The former three titles have never previously been officially distributed in America.

Bandai Entertainment has confirmed its acquisition of distribution rights to the Mobile Suit Gundam 00: A wakening of the Trailblazer motion picture; plans to re-release the original 1979 Mobile Suit Gundam television series in a bilingual edition; and plans for a domestic DVD release of the Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn OVA series.

The Gundam 00 movie is a new acquisition never previously released in America. Bandai Entertainment has previously released 42 episodes of the 43 episode Mobile Suit Gundam television series on English dubbed American DVD. Those 42 episodes will be released in a new edition that includes, for the first time in America, their original Japanese audio track. Bandai has released the first Gundam Unicorn OVA on domestic Blu-ray, but a standard DVD release is a new announcement.

Source: Anime News Network

Dark Horse has announced three new high profile print acquisitions: Yasuhiro Nightow’s Bloodline Battlefront (Kekkai Sensen), Kouta Hirano’s Drifters, and Yoshitaka Amano’s Shinjuku Azul.

Bloodline Battlefront is Trigun creator Yasuhiro Nightow’s periodically ongoing post-apocalyptic horror action manga which currently has one compiled volume in Japan.

Drifters is Hellsing creator Kouta Hirano’s current samurai action manga story, which has one compiled volume in Japan presently.

Shinjuku Azul is the second of three “Shinjuku” novels by American writer Mink (Christopher Morrison) featuring illustrations by Yoshitaka Amano. Dark Horse published the first “Shinjuku” novel last April.

Source: Anime News Network

Vertical has confirmed its acquisition of translation rights to Osamu Tezuka’s Book of Human Insects (Ningen Konchuki) and Usamaru Furuya’s No Longer Human (Ningen Shikkaku) manga, along with Akira Arai’s novel A Man of Mercy. The Book of Human Insects will be released as a single 364-page volume next July. The first volume of Usamaru Furuya’s 3-volume No Longer Human is due in September of 2011.

Source: ICv2 & Anime News Network

Warner Bros. Pictures Japan has launced a website and teaser trailer for its anime film adaptation of author Natsuhiko Kyogoku’s novel Tofu Kozo Sugoroku-dochu Furidashi. The “tofu kozo” (tofu boy) is a traditional Japanese ghost that tricks passing travelers into eating poisoned tofu. Moryo no Hako and Kosetsu Hyaku Monogatari author Natsuhiko Kyogoku’s version of the character is an adventure tale in which the spirit boy searches for the meaning of his existance. The anime film will premiere early next April in traditional 2D and stereoscopic 3D.

Source: Anime News Network

Kachidoki Studio has announced its development of a “Shiawase Haitatsu Taneko” anime. The “seed cat” (tane-neko) answers people’s wishes and delivers happiness. The anime will premiere next year.

Source: Anime News Network

21 years after the premiere of cult director Shinya Tsukamoto’s 1989 film Tetsuo, Tsukamoto has agreed to allow artist Akira Fukaya, who worked on the original Tetsuo film as a make-up and costume artist, to create a manga adaptation. The cyberpunk concept of a man transforming into a machine appeared in Tsukamoto’s Tetsuo film, its 1992 re-make/sequel Tetsuo II: Body Hammer, and an upcoming third film, Tetsuo: The Bullet Man. The Tetsuo manga will be published in Monthly Comic Beam magazine at an unspecified future date.

Source: Tokyograph