AnimeNation Anime News Blog

The NHK Educational network has announced that a Doubutsu Kankyou Kaigi ~ Animal Conference on the Environment anime television series will premiere on the 20th. The Animal Conference on the Environment multimedia project was launched in 1997 during the 3rd Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Kyoto, Japan. The project consists of 7 children’s picture books promoting environmental awareness, and short animation clips. The anime television series will consist of 20 five minute episodes, starting with five existing episodes joined by 15 new episodes.

Source: Moon Phase Diary

Hobby Japan has announced the launch of a “project” based on the Rokujouma no Shinryakuja light novel series by author “Takehaya” and illustrator “Paco.” The project announcement notably features an English language original anime teaser trailer.

Source: Moon Phase

A new report from the Tokyo-based Research Institute for Publications reveals that Japanese manga magazine and manga book sales dropped 6.6% in 2009, the largest single year decline in the history of Japanese manga publishing. Manga magazine sales, alone, dropped by 9.4% to 191.3 billion yen ($2.12 billion USD), dipping below 200 billion yen in annual sales for the first time in 18 years. Annual printed manga sales peaked at 586 billion yen in 1995. 2009 sales were down to 418.7 billion yen. The decline is blamed on the global economic recession and an absence of new smash hit manga series.

However, Japanese sales of manga distributed via cell phone has regularly experienced double digit annual growth since 2003 when commercial manga distribution via cell phone began. Furthermore, as of 2009 only 13.5% of Japan’s population was under the age of 15, down from a high of 35.4% in 1950.

Source: Anime News Network

The Asahi Newspaper reports that the current Japanese legislative majority Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) intends to delay voting on the adoption of a proposed ban on sexually provocative visual depictions of fictional characters that appear, in any respect, younger than 18 years of age. Anime translator Dan Kanemitsu has theorized that the DPJ may intend to delay a vote until the assembly’s next regular session begins in June.

The proposal has been widely criticized and opposed by the Japanese manga/anime industry which perceive it as a compromise of freedom of expression. The broad language of the proposed bill would certainly, if passed, impose a nearly mortal stranglehold on manga and anime in the styles and genres they currently and have traditionally existed in.

Personally, I’m surprised that this bill has even made it as far in serious legal consideration as it has. The DPJ’s rumored decision seems like a familiar and very Japanese action reminiscent of the three year “study” on the effects of lolicon art; put it off and quietly forget about it. I suspect that even Japanese politicians are smart enough to realize how harmful to the Japanese economy and social identity a ban like this would be.

Source: Anime News Network

On April 3, 2010 at 1:30 PM, the Freer and Sackler Galleries, in partnership with Otakorp, Inc. and the DC Anime Club, will host a cosplay contest as part of the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival Anime Marathon. The contest is open to individuals or groups. Each individual or group will be given a maximum of three minutes to perform before an audience in the 300-seat Meyer Auditorium in Washington, D.C. A panel of judges will present awards at the end of the event. All costumes and performances must be family-friendly.

To enter, send an email to fsgasiafilms@si.edu with your name, the number of people in your group (if applicable), and a brief description and picture of the character(s) you will be performing. The first 20 individuals or groups who respond will be accepted.

Question:
I aspire to work in the animation field. I’m still really young and naive and therefore have no idea where to start especially since I’m Canadian and in no way directly connected to Japan and their companies. So I was wondering, in the animation business, who has the most say in the plot and characters of the anime, the director or screenplay writer? I would like to write my own anime and would still like some say in other areas other then just the plot. If I were to start writing my own anime series, should I attempt to do so in novel form or like a script? I’m not really sure how to go about it. I know it is a very collaborative profession but would like to begin as soon as possible even if that means I’ll be doing most of the development myself. Any advice on how I should begin properly?

Read the rest of this entry »

Viz Media has formally launched its anime streaming site, Viz Anime. The site utilizes an embedded Hulu video player to offer over 400 free anime episodes with more being added weekly. The site also offers social networking tools, personal user profile pages, and user submitted episode ratings.

Source: Viz Media

I'm happy. Can't you tell?

Sentai Filmworks has announced plans to produce English dubs for the Clannad, Blue Drop, Ghost Hound, Legends of the Dark King: A Fist of the North Star Story, and Tears to Tiara anime series. The dubs will be produced by Seraphim Digital (formerly AD Vision’s Amusement Park Media). Sentai Filmworks will also offer an “upgrade” option for consumers that have already purchased any of these titles on presently available subtitled-only DVD.

The plan to dub these titles is described as a “limited program,” suggesting that these five titles may be exceptions rather than the beginning of a standard policy for Sentai Filmworks to release anime in bilingual editions.

Source: Anime News Network

Dark Horse Comics will release the first volume of the Neon Genesis Evangelion: Campus Apocalypse (Shin Seiki Evangelion: Gakuen Datenroku) manga series on August 11. The shoujo manga by artist Ming Ming re-imagines the robot anime as a haunted school story in which the cast of students battle mysterious creatures known as “Angels” after school. The four volume series was originally published in Japan from 2007-2009.

Source: ComicNewsi

Japanese publisher Kadokawa has announced, with a veiled announcement, word that an anime adaptation of author Kazuki Sakuraba’s mystery novel series Gosick is now in development. “Gosick,” the official Romanization of the franchise title, is an odd Romanization of the Japanese spelling of “gothic.” The novel series is set in 1924 in a fictional Alpine nation called “Sauville” and stars a schoolboy and a brilliant young girl detective. Sakuraba has published 6 Gosick novels and 3 short story collections since 2003. Tokyopop has published the first two novels in English.

Source: Anime News Network

Advertising obi found on freshly printed copies of Suu Minazuki’s Sora no Otoshimono manga reveal the production of a second “SoraOto” television series. The popular risqué romantic fantasy comedy series’ first television anime aired in Japan last fall.

Source: Anime News Network

The seventh Japanese DVD volume of the current Durarara!! television series will contain the shows’ 13th episode and a previously unreleased bonus episode. Limited edition copies of the DVD will also include a drama CD adapting a previously unadapted side story from author Ryohgo Narita’s seventh Durarara!! novel. The 7th Durarara!! DVD will go on sale in Japan on August 25.

And this should surprise no one.

Source: Anime News Network

The TV Asahi television network has announced that “Jotei Kaoruko,” a live action TV series adaptation of Ryo Kurashina’s manga, will premiere next month. Fashion model Mirei Kiritani will make her acting debut in the series playing Saya, a Ginza night club hostess searching for her long-lost mother. Jotei Kaoruko is a loose sequel to Kurashina’s “Jotei” manga, which was turned into a live action TV series in 2007.

Source: Tokyograph

The homepage for the Ikkitousen anime franchise has added a new trailer for next month’s Ikkitousen Xtreme Xecutor television series. The trailer features pantsu, violence, and the series’ opening theme song, “Stargazer,” performed by Yuka Masuda. The first episode of the fourth Ikkitousen television series will have an advance preview broadcast on Japanese television on March 26. The regular weekly broadcast will begin on April 11.

Source: Anime News Network

The homepage for next month’s Angel Beats! anime television series has released its 8th promotional video.

Really, isn’t this show increasingly looking like a greatest hits collection of tropes and characteristics from every popular recent bishoujo anime? School uniforms? Check. Guns (see Suzumiya Haruhi and Sora no Woto)? Check. Chains (see Sora no Otoshimono)? Check. Imouto? Check. Tsundere? Check. Girl band (see Suzumiya Haruhi, Manabi Strait, K-On)? Check. Sad girl in snow, er, confetti? Check. I’m not exactly complaining. I just hope this lives up to its tremendous advance billing.