AnimeNation Anime News Blog

During this past weekend’s Izumicon convention, Sentai Filmworks announced its acquisition of the 2007 Clannad anime film. The movie will be released in a bilingual edition domestically next March. Sentai also announced plans to produce an English dub for its current release of the Clannad After Story television series. The bilingual edition series will debut next April. Sentai will offer a trade-in program for consumers that own the current subtitled-only release and want the bilingual release.

Source: Anime News Network

Viz Media has acquired publication rights to Natsume Ono’s 2003 manga series La Quinta Camera ~5 Banme no Heya~. The manga revolves around several single male roommates living in Italy. Viz currently publishes Ono’s Gente, House of Five Leaves, Not Simple, and Ristorante Paradiso manga. Viz will release the manga’s first English language volume on July 19, 2011.

Viz has also acquired the rights to Oh! Great’s popular action manga Tenjho Tenge. The 22 volume series will be released domestically in 11 uncut volumes beginning June 21, 2011. CMX Manga previously released a censored edit of the series’ first 18 volumes in English.

Source: Anime News Network article one, article two

INPES, the French Institute for Preventive and Health Education, comissioned acclaimed Japanese animator Koji Morimoto to produce a short anti-smoking anime film. The result is Studio 4°C’s ten-minute film “Attraction.” The entire short is available for viewing online with Japanese or French spoken dialogue and optional English subtitles. Viewers that sign-in to a Facebook account can interact with the anime via webcam or mouse.

Source: Anime News Network

Bandai Visual has released a new trailer for the “super science-fiction romantic comedy” OVA Koi☆Sento. The production from Sunrise and creator/director Shuei Morita (Freedom) will hit Japanese home video on February 25.

The trailer for independent animation circle Thumbnail’s long in development anime film Iron Vendetta (Kotetsu no Vendetta) is now online. The project first went public in 2008. It took a tremendous leap forward in production values when Ankama Games stepped in to professionally produce the animation.

Source: Anime News Network

The homepage for next year’s Hourou Musuko television series now hosts a new streaming trailer. The adaptation of Takako Shimura’s (Aoi Hana) manga will premiere on the Fuji TV network’s Noitamina timeslot on January 13.

This looks quite promising. If we’re not getting a second season of Aoi Hana, this may be the next best thing.

Source: Anime News Network

The homepage for the Fullmetal Alchemist: Milos no Seinaru Hoshi (Sacred Star of Milos) motion picture has added a streaming teaser trailer. Kazuya Murata (Yaiba, Makeruna! Makendo) will direct the film spin-off from the 2009 Fullmetal Alchemist television series known in America as “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.” The movie will open next summer.

Source: Anime News Network

The homepage for next January’s Level E sci-fi comedy television series has launched with a streaming trailer. Anime footage begins at one minute in. The adaptation of Yoshihiro Togashi’s (Hunter X Hunter, Yu Yu Hakusho) is the story of an alien prince who shares an apartment on Earth with an ordinary high school freshman.

Source: Anime News Network

Broadcaster Animax is now streaming a teaser trailer for Madhouse’s upcoming Wolverine anime television series, based on the Marvel Comics character. The show will premiere on January 7.

Flash animator FROGMAN, creator of the popular Himitsu Kessha Taka no Tsume (Secret Society Eagle Talon) Flash gag comedy anime franchise, has announced his work on a Taka no Tsume spin-off movie titled Hybrid Deka. The film will star the supreme leader of the evil but inept Eagle Talon organization in a new role, a detective and defender of justice. FROGMAN will write, direct, animate, and voice the film almost entirely himself.

Source: Anime News Network

The production staff of the hit Gokusen live action TV drama is now set to film a live action TV series adaptation of Masato Fujisaki’s 2008 manga series Misaki Number One. The series will star 26-year-old actress Karina as a top club hostess who agrees to take a day job working as a teacher for a high school class of delinquents. The series will premiere on the NTV network in January.

Source: Anime News Network

To refresh your memory or introduce you to an interesting opening animation sequence, I offer the adorable opening of the 2006 Bincho-tan television series. The opening theme song is “Iroha,” performed by CooRie.

Question:
Do you know or have any clue about what happened to the Ironman anime? First we get to see a cool trailer pilot but then when the anime starts it is a totally different thing! It is not the same chara design and overall visual style. I saw the first two episodes but then I could not handle this crappy version so I’d stop. Did the first staff jump of the wagon or got kicked? I think this show would rocked if it was them producing it. And now with the upcoming Wolverine anime should one expect the same cold shower from Madhouse?

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The Hollywood Reporter asserts that director/producer Sam Raimi (Spider-Man, Evil Dead) and long-time producing partner Rob Tapert will executive produce a live action adaptation of the 2001 anime series Noir for the Starz television network. Stephen Lightfoot (Criminal Justice, House of Saddam) will write the series, as well as executive produce. While presently out of print on American DVD, the stylish action series from anime studio Bee Train will be re-released on American home video by FUNimation next year.

Love it or hate it, Noir is undeniably a stylish and influential anime, and one which seemingly lends itself very well to live action adaptation. Now whether or not this project ever actually happens is an entirely different matter.

Source: Anime News Network

At the Denshi Shoseki Comic Summit held in Akihabara, Tokyo, yesterday Shueisha Managing Director Kazuhiko Torishima formally announced the development of a digital manga distribution website tentatively titled “J Manga.” The site will provide North American readers with access to select digital manga from 37 Japanese publishers. A beta version site is expected launch later this fall. The fully operational site is planned for launch in March 2011.

The initial 37 publishers that will participate in the distribution are: Akaneshinsha, Akita Shoten, ASCII Media Works, Bunkasha Publishing, Enterbrain, East Press, France Shoin, Fujimi Shobo, Fusosha, Futabasha, Gakken, Gentosha, Hakusensha, Houbunsha, Ichijinsha, Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha, June-Net, Kadokawa Shoten, Kasakura Shuppansha, Kodansha, LEED Publishing, Libre Publishing, Magazine House, Media Factory, Nihonbungeisha, Oakla Publishing, Ohzora Publishing, Shinchosha, Shinshokan Publishing, Shodensha, Shogakukan-Shueisha, Shonen Gahosha, Tatsumi Publishing, Takeshobo, and Tokuma Shoten.

Source: Anime News Network