AnimeNation Anime News Blog

Singer & songwriter Eri Kawai (age unknown) passed away on Monday, August 4th at 11:40 a.m. Kawai died after being hospitalized for treatment of an unspecified terminal illness. Kawai released her first album, “Wazu Wasu Boken,” on May 17, 1996. She may be heard as a vocalist in anime productions including Utawarerumono, Aria, D.Gray-man, Steel Angel Kurumi 2shiki, Inuyasha, Mushiking, and Romeo x Juliet.

Source: Anime News Network

Imagi International creative director Felix Ip has released three additional screenshots from the early teaser trailer for Imagi’s eventually forthcoming Gatchaman CG animation movie. The shots represent early, work-in-progress concepts.

Source: Twitch

This week’s issue of Shuukan Young Magazine reportedly includes an announcement of development of a live action feature film adaptation of Hiroyuki Murata’s 1989 risquÉ comedy manga series Kogyoaika Volleyboys. The million selling 50 volume series about a trio of high school losers that start a volleyball team in an effort to become popular was adapted into a live action video movie in 1992, an anime OVA in 1997, and a 3 episode live action video series in 2006.

Source: Anime News Network & Tokyograph

Question:
Do you think Funimation will license more Galaxy Railways anime? There is a second season and OVA. And they now have Moonlight Mile. Could they acquire the second season as well?

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The first 2:30 episode of the Toei & Disney co-produced full CG anime television series RoboDz is now available for free viewing from the series’ official homepage. The second episode will be released online on August 25th.

Source: Anime News Network

Valery Korneev, editor of the Russian anime magazine Aniguide, has begun to release selected pieces of production and promotional art from the long-in-development anime production First Squad, a co-production between Canadian animation development company Molot Entertainment and Japanese animation house Studio 4°C. The First Squad animation has been in development since 2004. In 2005, Studio 4°C’s animator Daisuke Nakayama directed a short First Squad anime music video set to music from Russian rap group Legalize. The video is available on the First Squad homepage.

Source: Anime News Network

Japanese publisher Kodansha has announced that the Kiss x Sis (”Kiss Sis”) anime announced in June will be a single OAD released with the limited edition version third volume of Ditama Bow’s Kiss x Sis manga on December 22.

Source: Moon Phase Diary

During an August 4th conference call with investors, Navarre CEO Cary L. Deacon revealed that Afro Samurai generated $4.5 million at wholesale, about $9 million retail, for FUNimation. FUNimation also expects its distribution of former Geneon & AD Vision titles to earn $15 to $20 million in sales, or $7 to $10 million at wholesale cost. Navarre expects FUNimation’s sales to increase by a double digit percentage in the forthcoming financial year.

Source: ICv2

D3Publisher has formally announced that Oneechanbara VorteX, the fifth installment of the popular Oneechanbara horror action video game franchise and the only version of the game designed for the Xbox 360, will be coming to America under the title “Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad.”

D3Publisher will also be releasing Oneechanbara Revolution, the sixth iteration of the game for the Wii, in America as “Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers.”

These games may not be great, but they are fun. Having played the first 4 games on the PS, I’m personally very eager for the American release of the 360 version.

Source: Kotaku

Question:
Why hasn’t there been a live action adaptation of Gunslinger Girl since it seems the most realistic to begin with?

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The Japan based Association of Japanese Animations (AJA) has reported that global anime sales in 2007 reached nearly 239.7 billion yen (about US $2.26 billion), a decline of 7.4% from 2006’s 258.7 billion yen (US $2.41 billion) earning. The 2007 decrease is the first decline in total international anime revenue since the AJA began tracking worldwide sales revenue in 2002. The biggest drop came from television anime, which earned 16% less in 2007 than it did in 2006. However, theatrical anime production, video production, licensing fees, video distribution, merchandising, and overseas sales all experienced sales declines compared to the previous year.

According to the AJA, video producers are being affected by a steady increase in number of anime titles produced with lowered profits per title. The number of TV anime productions made in Japan each year has been steadily increasing annually.

Source: Anime News Network

Fujio Akatsuka, one of the giants of the manga industry, passed away of pneumonia in a Tokyo hospital on Saturday, August 2, at 4:55 p.m. He was 72. Akatsuka made his professional creative debut with Arashi o Koete in 1956, and published his first hit, the Osomatsu-kun gag manga, in 1962. Akatsuka went on to create popular comedies including Moretsu Atarou, Tensai Bakabon, and Hennako-chan, along with the Himitsu no Akko-chan magical girl manga. The Japan Cartoonists Association recognized Akatsuka with the Literary Giant Award in 1997.

Akatsuka’s Moretsu Ataro was adapted into anime TV series in 1969 and 1990. Tensai Bakabon was adapted into anime TV series in 1971, 1975, 1990, and 1999. Osomatsu-kun was animated for television in 1966 & 1988. Himitsu no Akko-chan had three anime TV series adaptations in 1969, 1988, and 1998. Hennako-chan premiered as a web anime series in April 2008.

Source: Anime News Network

Brazilians Jessica Moreira Rocha Campos and Gabriel Niemietz Braz, costumed as Jo and the mecha unit Jango from the Bakuretsu Tenshi (Burst Angel) anime series, were selected as the grand prize winners of the 2008 World Cosplay Summit held in Nagoya, Japan this past weekend. Fourteen international teams, including two representing Japan and five representing the United States, participated.

Article provided by Papo de Budega

Bandai Visual has announced that the Ghost in the Shell 2.0 movie, a remastered, revised version of the 1995 motion picture, will hit Japanese DVD and Blu-ray on December 19th.

The film will be released on a standard definition Japanese language only DVD, Japanese language only 1080p Blu-ray disc, and as part of a 4 disc boxed set that includes the 2.0 movie, the original 1995 version movie with selectable English dialogue in 1080p Blu-ray, a bonus features disc, and an audio CD.

Source: AV Watch

Question:
It seems like there’s a lot more live action anime adaptions than there used to be. I know Masion Ikkoku had a live action adaption in the 90s, but now it seems a lot of shows are having live action movies. Half the latest news announcements on AN are about new live action anime related things. Is it so they can reach a more adult audiance or something?

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