AnimeNation Anime News Blog

Video streaming website Crackle is now officially streaming the complete 2008 Ultraviolet: Code 044 and 2009 Viper’s Creed anime television series, both dubbed in English.

Ultraviolet: Code 044 was late director Osamu Dezaki’s spin-off of creator/director Kurt Wimmer’s 2006 live-action sci-fi action film Ultraviolet. Viper’s Creed is director Shinji Aramaki’s (Appleseed: Ex Machina, Halo Legends) post-apocalyptic motorcycle robot action series.

Source: Anime News Network

The homepage for the upcoming Mayochiki! anime television series has added a streaming teaser trailer. The adaptation of Hajime Asano’s light novel series revolves around a high school boy who discovers that his classmate’s butler is actually female. The romantic comedy will premiere in July.

Source: Anime News Network

The homepage for the K-On! anime franchise has added a teaser for the upcoming featue film. The trailer does include new footage, but seemingly none from the actual forthcoming movie. Reportedly the movie will not be a sequel to the second TV series but will instead be a supplemental story set when the girls are still in high school. The movie will open theatrically on December 3.

Source: Anime News Network

The Animate retail chain now hosts the first streaming trailer for the upcoming Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kira OVA series. The first episode of the four-episode series will be released on July 21st.

Source: Anime News Network

An announcement following last Friday’s television re-broadcast of the 1996 Lupin III: Dead or Alive motion picture revealed the development of a new Lupin III television series. While the most recent Lupin III anime was last year’s “The Last Job” TV special, the most recent weekly Lupin TV anime series ended in 1985.

Source: Moon Phase Diary

Japanese publisher Futabasha has announced plans for a movie adaptation of Naoyuki Ochiai’s 2007-2011 manga series Crime and Punishment: A Falsified Romance. Ochiai’s manga is an updated interpretation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s 1866 novel Crime and Punishment. Futabasha has not specificed whether the film will be animated or live action, straight-to-video or theatrical.

Source: Anime News Network

Writer and former WBA middleweight champion Shinji Takehara and illustrator Yusuke Ochiai’s 2007-2008 boxing manga story Thanatos: Mushikera no Kobushi is being adapted as a live-action feature film starring Hidenori Tokuyama (Kamen Rider Kabuto, GTO). Former professional boxers including Ishimatsu Guts, Koichi Wajima, and Leopard Tamakuma will make guest appearances in the film. The movie is scheduled for release this fall.

Source: Anime News Network

To refresh your memory or introduce you to an interesting opening animation sequence, I submit the memorable first opening sequence of the 1999 Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne TV series. The opening theme is “Piece of Love,” performed by Shazna.

Question:
How could a sugary-sweet and family-friendly show like Happiness have been made out of such a raunchy, disgusting and filthy hentai videogame series? It’d be like if Disney’s Hercules cartoon was based on a XXX porno game where Hercules bangs several different girls. This dichotomoy makes absolute zero sense to me. Can you please try to explain it?

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Bandai Entertainmnet has announced its acquisition of domestic distribution rights to last year’s robot anime television series Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto. The original series from studio Bones was written by Melody of Oblivion creator Yoji Enokido.

Nice to see Bandai still licensing. And nice to see this odd, off-kilter show get an American license, even if the show is ultimately just a bit unfulfilling.

Source: Anime News Network

Sentai Filmworks has announced its acquisition of domestic distribution rights to last year’s historical spy thriller television series Senko no Night Raid. Sentai will release episodes 0-13 plus two bonus episodes and a recap episode under the title “Night Raid 1931″ on DVD & Blu-ray this August.

Well, at least maybe this means we’ll eventually get Seikimatsu Occult Gakuen on disc. I would call “Night Raid” under developed, but that adjective implies that the show actually had at least a little bit of narrative and character development.

Source: Anime News Network

FUNimation today began streaming the current tsundereaction comedy television series Hidan no Aria ~ Aria the Scarlet Ammo. Presently, FUNimation’s confirmed license covers only streaming distribution.

Publisher/distributor Kadokawa Shoten has released a trailer for Madhouse’s forthcoming war/drama/romance anime film Toaru Hikushi e no Tsuioku (Flashbacks to a Certain Aerial Pilot). The adaptation of Koroku Inumura’s novel revolves around a pilot charged with flying 12,000 kilometers through enemy airspace to protect a future queen. The movie will hit Japanese theaters this fall.

It feels like this film has been in development for years.

Source: Anime News Network

Japanese publisher Media Factory has revealed word that Akinari Matsuno, author of the unfinished MM! light novel series, suddenly passed away April 18. Matsuno made his professional writing debut with the October 2005 sci-fi comedy novel Aoba-kun to Uchujin. He then launched the MM! novel series in February 2007. The tenth book in the series was released in September 2010. An MM! anime television series aired last fall.

Source: Anime News Network

Multimedia concept management company Micott & Basara filed for bankruptcy on April 21. At the end of March 2011, the company was 1.938 billion yen ($23.7 million USD) in debt. The company was founded in 1997, and is best known as the producer behind the 2004 Appleseed and 2007 Appleseed: Ex Machina anime motion pictures. Micott & Basara is also the producer behind the currently-in-development Appleseed XIII OVA series that was tentatively scheduled to premiere this June. Reportedly development of the Appleseed XIII producton may continue.

Source: Anime News Network