So another long week has come to a close just in time for another long one to begin. The new anime season is upon us which means I’m going to be scrambling for the next week or so. I’m not going to be covering every new series coming out this season but I will do my best to get my initial episode 1 thoughts down for as many as possible despite not even having the season preview finished. For those who haven’t been keeping track, my thoughts for Asura Cryin 2 and Letter Bee have already been posted. Book of Bantorra, Kampfer, Sora no Otoshimono will be coming in the near future as well. But enough about the new season, time to catch up on what I missed this week!

New Info on Upcoming Angel Beats! : Canned Dogs translated an article from Dengeki G’s magazine which has

You remind me of the babe...

revealed new information for the upcoming Angel Beats. Originally created by Visual Arts/Key (who you might remember from the ultra moe series Air, Kanon and Clannad), the animation for the series is going to be put together by PA Works (CANAAN, true tears) with Kishi Seiji sitting in the director chair. In the interview, producer Toba Hirofumi talks about how the comedy in the series is going to be a big emphasis which is why Seiji was chosen. The most interesting part of the interview was when Hirofumi talks about Hirata Katsuzou as art director because he was able to do intense action and moe. No word so far on when the series will actually premiere but it sounds like it’s going to be ready for the spring 2010 season or maybe earlier.

Full NYAF Keynote Speech: Just in case some of you have already forgotten, last weekend was New York Anime Festival. The big special guest for the event was the original creator of Gundam who gave a big speech and answered questions from fans. Anime Vice has the entire thing on their site split into two parts.

Al Azir Demonbane Profile: JAST USA has posted the second in their series of Demonbane profile to their English site. Serving as the female lead, Azir is also the original Necronomicon and helps Kurou as a weapon against their enemies.  Speaking of JAST USA, it was also announced that their new racing themed game Moero Downhill Night (NSFW) will be shipping later this week. I just got my review copy a couple of nights ago and I’m already finding it to be an interesting gaming experience (the 3D animations don’t hurt either).

Crayon Shin chan Continuing: TV Asahi announced this week that after consulting with Shinei Animation and the family of Yoshito Usui that the series will continue to be created without Usui. Hopefully they are able to find someone who can keep the spirit of the series as close to the original as possible.

Love Plus Sells 100,000 Copies: I’ve written about this game a couple of times in the past but I had no guess that it would do this well! 45,000 copies were sold in its first week alone leading the wives and girlfriends of otaku to complain. Love Plus: For when you don’t feel like paying bail for chikan charges.

Kyoto Animation Wants YOUR Anime Ideas: Kyoto Animation has opened a brand new contest on their official site. The idea is fairly simple; send them your novel, manga or scenario ideas by January 15^th. The ideas will then be reviewed by KyoAni staff and the winner will have their idea turned into an anime along with 300,000¥ ($3,400) with one honorable mentioning getting 100,000¥ (about $1,000). There are no limits to age, genre, location or professional/amateur status so get crackin! I do believe that your submission has a much greater chance of winning if it’s written in Japanese though. Perhaps KyoAni has learned their lesson from Endless Eight and have decided to not let their staff make creative decisions for awhile.

Bleach: The Diamond Dust Rebellion Television Premiere: Adult Swim will premiere the second Bleach movie at midnight on December 5^th. If you missed it in theaters and then again on DVD, here’s your next chance.

Discotek Licenses Fist of the North Star and Lupin: Vintage anime distributor Discotek announced that they will be releasing the 152 episode Fist of the North Star TV series in 2010 along with the first Lupin movie, First Contact. The Fist of the North Star series will be released in 4 box sets.

18 Meter Tall Gigantor Statue Open: Kobe has pulled the barriers around their Gigantor statue off and revealed the giant statue in a ceremony. The statue will remain a permanent fixture in the area and serve as a tribute to both the creator of the series and the victims of the Kobe earthquake.

LAME

Gymnastics Equipment Training for Olympics: I make fun of series that like to turn inanimate objects into characters often. Ignoring the usually horrible artwork, it’s just something that I can never take in the least bit seriously no matter which audience its aimed for. That’s why the new children’s series about gym equipment that comes to life when no one is watching to train for the Olympics in order to teach the basics of gymnastics is this week’s lame idea! The series is titled Taiiku Soko and will premiere October 5^th in Japan around noon (so it’s actually probably aired by the time you read this). I pray this doesn’t catch on enough to become a franchise or trend.

STUFF YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOU NEEDED UNTIL NOW

 The Absolute Zone: A new shirt from J-List which celebrates that wonderful gap between a woman’s stockings and the end of her skirt. It’s amazing what you never realize what’s important in the world until you see it on someone else’s t-shirt.

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