AnimeNation Blog

FUNimation has formally revealed its acquisition of translation and distribution rights to the 13 episode 2006 sci-fi mecha action anime television series Soukou no Strain, and Shigurui, the adult oriented 12 episode samurai action/drama television series broadcast in Japan last year.

Strain, animated by Studio Fantasia (Stratos 4, Crystal Blaze), will be released domestically in March 2009 as a complete series set under the title “Strain: Strategic Armored Infantry.”

Details regarding the American DVD release of Madhouse’s gruesome and explicit samurai drama, to be titled, “Shigurui: Death Frenzy” for its American release, will be forthcoming.

Wow! Shigurui is a surprising license for FUNimation because it will be their most adult oriented title by a long margin. Baki the Grappler is pretty brutal, but it’s got nothing on the gory violence, explicit sexuality, and grim tone of Shigurui.

Source: Anime on DVD

Although there’s presently only a placeholder image on it, the official homepage for the upcoming Hakushaku to Yosei (Count and The Fairy) anime television series is now open.

Source: Moon Phase

Otaku USA magazine editor Patrick Macias has published an interview with veteran comic book creator Stan Lee regarding Lee’s new involvement with Japanese manga and anime creators.

Source: Anime News Network

An official Japanese website has launched to announce a July debut of a live action television series adaptation of Yukie Nasu’s 1987 shoujo manga Here is Greenwood (Koko wa Greenwood). The manga was adapted into a respected six episode anime OVA series in 1991.

I’m somewhat surprised to see this 20 year old manga getting revived, but it does seem like ideal source material for a live action TV drama series.

Source: Anime News Network

FUNimation has revealed that the third of its five new anime title acquisitions is the Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino series that recently concluded its Japanese television broadcast. FUNimation will release the entire 13 episode series as a single DVD collection next year.

While the “Il Teatrino” series is a sequel to the original 2003 Gunslinger Girl TV series, the first series was animated by Madhouse. The second series is animated by Artland (Eyeshield 21, Umisho, Mushishi).

Source: Anime on DVD

Super Techno Arts has informed us that due to an unspecified “issue” in Japan, the American distribution of the Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures anime series has been ceased and the Super Techno Arts website taken down.

FUNimation has revealed its second of five new anime licenses to be announced this week: KenIchi The Mightiest Disciple (Shijo Saikyo no Deshi Kenichi). FUNimation has reportedly acquired domestic distribution rights to the first 26 episodes of the 50 episode martial arts comedy broadcast in Japan in 2006. The series will be released domestically beginning in January 2009 as two 13 episode collections.

Source: Anime on DVD

ImaginAsian Entertainment has formally explained to Anime News Network that TitleMatch Entertainment, the company retained to manufacture ImaginAsian’s DVD-on-demand releases of the Cat’s Eye, Orguss and Nobody’s Boy - Remi anime television series, has suddenly ceased producing DVDs for ImaginAsian. The ImaginAsian TV network continues to broadcast these three series, and ImaginAsian is currently searching for a new manufacturer to handle its DVD production.

FUNimation has announced its acquisition of domestic distribution rights to the 2006 shoujo anime series Mamotte! Lollipop. The 13 episode series will be released as a bilingual DVD boxed set in December under the translated titled “Save Me! Lollipop.”

According to ICv2, the Mamotte! Lollipop license is the first of five new acquisitions that FUNimation will announce this week.

Bandai Visual now offers the first episode of the Super Robot Wars OG Divine Wars anime series for free online viewing. The episode is only accessible with Windows Media Player version 10 or 11.

Super Robot Wars Original Generation ~Divine Wars~ DVD volume 8 is scheduled for release on July 8th.

French fan site Dragon Ball le Film now hosts a photo taken from this week’s issue of Weekly Shonen Jump magazine revealing actor Justin Chatwin in his role as Son Goku, the protagonist of director James Wong’s American live action theatrical adaptation of Akira Toriyama’s popular Dragon Ball manga.

The live action Dragon Ball movie is tentatively scheduled to open theatrically in Japan in March 2009, followed by an April 3, 2009 debut in America.

Toei Animation has revealed plans to customize its upcoming Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro: Nihon Bakuretsu!! anime film for the six regions of Japan that will screen the film. Among the variations planned are a costume that cat-girl character Neko Musume wears that will reflect the characteristics of the screening region. For example, screenings in the northern Hokkaido/Tohoku area will include Neko Musume dressed as a “yukinko” snow fairy. Screenings in Kinki/Kyoto area will include Neko Musume as a maiko (apprentice geisha). Screenings in southern Kyushu/Okinawa region will depict Neko Musume costumed as a “shisa” lion-dog. Ideas for the Kanto/Koshinetsu, Chubu/Hokuriku, and Chugoku/Shikoku regions are still being discussed. While the overall plot of the film will remain constant among all six versions of the film, several minutes of animation are expected to change for each version.

The idea was proposed by the film’s production staff to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the “Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro” anime. Fuji TV’s current Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro television series will take part in the campaign beginning in September when different spirits from all over Japan will face off against spirits from other countries in the anime TV show. Through a voting process on the show’s website, fans will be able to decide which spirits make an appearance, and the whole ensemble will unite for the first time in the movie, which opens in December.

The Moegaku 5 anime television series earlier this year utilized a similar tactic by airing the same weekly episode with a co-star of a different nationality in each daily episode.

Source: Tokyograph

The official Japanese homepage for the 2007 Nodame Cantible anime television series has announced that a second series, titled “Nodame Cantible: Pari Hen” (Nodame Cantible: Paris Chapter), will premier as a new installment of Fuji Television’s late night “Noitamina” time-slot beginning in October.

Source: Anime News Network

Radical Publishing, the North American publisher of artist Yoshitaka Amano’s book Mateki: The Magic Flute, has revealed that Amano has plans to direct an anime adaptation of “Mateki,” itself an adaptation of Mozart’s opera, The Magic Flute.

Amano has previously worked on anime productions including the 1972 Kashi no Ki Mock television series and the 2007 Tori no Uta OVA. His art has been used in numerous anime, including Vampire Hunter D, 1001 Nights, Yasai no Yousei, and Machikado no Meruhen.

Source: Anime News Network

Last week, Namco Bandai Holdings publicly released its most recent financial assessment for the fiscal year that ended in March 2008. The company posted sales of 460.473 billion yen (roughly $4.5 billion dollars) and 164.072 billion yen (nearly $1.6 billion dollars) in gross profits. Perhaps more interesting to anime fans is the ranking of Namco Bandai’s most profitable franchises:

The Gundam franchise earned 50.9 billion yen in sales.
The Pretty Cure franchise earned 18.8 billion yen in sales.
The Dragon Ball franchise earned 5.5 billion yen in sales.
The Pocket Monster franchise earned 4.5 billion yen in sales.
The Evangelion franchise earned 1.9 billion in sales.

Source: Anime News Network