Thursday, May 08, 2008

Bandai Visual USA Reveals More Streaming Titles ::

Bandai Visual USA announced via their MySpace blog that they will be streaming Super Robot Wars: OG - Divine Wars Episode 1 and Galax Angel Rune Episode 1 in a few more weeks. That was about as specific as they got in the blost post.

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Gozer Games Releasing Anime Board Game :: This amuses my inner geek. It's been reported that Gozer Games will be demoing a new anime board game this summer called 'Collateral Damage' which will feature characters from 'Project A-Ko' and 'Dominion Tank Police'.

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Viz Media Teams with Hot Topic :: Viz Media has teamed up with Hot Topic to promote the upcoming screening of the live action Death Note. Fans can now get a free ticket to the May 20th screening of the film by visiting a participating Hot Topic store and purchasing a Death Note t shirt or Death Note DVD. The promotion appears to only be open to fans 17 or older though I have no idea how strictly that will be enforced around the country. As an additional bonus, participating Hot Topic stores will also offer a 10% discount on future Death Note merchandise purchases when you present your ticket stub.

Monday, May 05, 2008

Pre-Sale Updates ::

Right Stuf just put up a notice opening up pre-sales for the first volume of Gurren Lagann from Bandai including the special edition that has the extra audio CD and Shuffle Vol. 6 which includes the series art box. Gurren Lagann contains only the sub track and will street on 7/8/08. The special edition has an MSRP of 39.98. With Bandai including the audio CD as a buyer incentive for the sub only release, it does make me wonder what they are going to offer as bonuses when they release the dub version on DVD next year.

Shuffle Vol. 6 will street on 9/9/08 and also carries an MSRP of 39.98.

Monday, May 05, 2008

Funimation Confirms Afro Samurai ::

Just got word from Funimation regarding the notice that was sent to Canadian retailers about the impending release of Afro Samurai on Blu-ray. Funimation hs said that the date for the release is 8/26 and the Blu-ray release will hit store shelves in the US and Canada.

Still no word about the technical details but as soon as I get word from Funimation about it, I'll update here.

Friday, May 02, 2008

Bandai Reveals First Dates/Cities for Girl Who Leapt Through Time ::

Big news for those fans who have been waiting to hear the news about the theatrical screenings of Girl Who Leapt Through Time. Bandai has revealed the first cities and dates to be:

Los Angeles - ImagnAsian Center from June 13th - 19th. The film will be shown in it's subbed format.

New York City - ImaginAsian Theater from June 13th - 19th. The film will be shown in it's dubbed format.

Seattle - Landmark Varsity Theater from August 29th - September 4th. The film will be shown in it's subbed format.

This by no means a complete list as you'll remember at SakuraCon Bandai said they were aiming for 300 screens.

Friday, May 02, 2008

Afro Samurai on Blu-ray ::

TV Shows on DVD has reported that Funimation will be releasing Afro Samurai - Director's Cut on Blu-ray. The information comes from a mailer sent out to Canadian retailers who were told to watch for details of the upcoming release which will include price, extras and other information. The release date given to the Canadian retailers is 8/26/08 but as the original report points out, this might be entirely different in the US.

Thursday, May 01, 2008

Aria Licensed :: The countdown is over and Right Stuf and Nozomi Entertainment have announced that they have licensed season 1 of the hit series Aria. The series was directed by Junichi Sato (Sailor Moon) and originally began airing in Japan in 2005 with the third season completing earlier this year. The first season of 13 episodes will be released in a box set 9/30/08 with an MSRP of 49.99. Right Stuf has already begun taking pre-orders. No extras have been announced and it doesn't seem that an English dub track is planned. No word on the second or third season at this time yet either. Right Stuf has opened an official site for the series to post updates but so far the only things there is an image of one of the characters and a release date.

ETA: Right Stuf just emailed with confirmation that there is no dub track currently planned for the release. The email also stated "There’s more Aria on the way from Right Stuf and Nozomi."

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Right Stuf on Twitter ::

Fans of Right Stuf can now keep up to date with the latest updates from the company (just in time for their new license announcement tomorrow afternoon) by signing up to receive updates on the website, Twitter. By signing up for the websites, fans can receive updates regarding the company via text message or IMs sent to their computer desktop.

Or you can just go to the Right Stuf website and add their RSS newsfeed to your ticker.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

When They Cry Higurashi Season 3 ::

Normally I keep my news coverage to region 1 but since I have a deep love for this series (people will attest to being subjected to it), I feel compelled to report on this...

Earlier this week it was announced that a sequel live action film was already in production before the first live action film is even released into Japanese theaters (May 10th) but today it was announced that a third season will be released in an OVA.

Anime News Network reported today that in the June issue of Megami magazine (released today) it was revealed that the third season of Higurashi no Naku Koroni has the tenative title 'Higurashi no Naku Koroni Rei'. No schedule for release was mentioned, just that they hope to have some footage to preview at some point this year.

And the anticipation begins.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Viz ReDesigns Store :: Viz Media has redesigned their online store. To celebrate this, Viz is offering a special BLEACH or NARUTO Mystery Box, with any purchase over $25. Both series includes five different colorful 2½ inch collectable figures from the hit program, each offered separately and packaged in special mystery boxes. The store will be updated regularly with other new and exclusive items so be sure to check it out.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

DVD Review :: Tried to get this up a bit sooner but things happened to keep me from doing that. None the less, here are my thoughts on today's release of 'Champion Joe' (Ashita no Joe) from Tai Seng.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Preview of Victorian Romance Emma ::

Wow, this slow news day sure picked up all of a sudden...

Right Stuf has sent out a mailer announcing that the first episode of the upcoming period drama series 'Victorian Romance Emma' will be available for preview with the June issue of Otaku USA. Season 1 of the series will be released by Right Stuf on 6/24/08 with an MSRP of 49.99.

Monday, April 28, 2008

More Streaming Anime from Bandai Visual? ::

A very cryptic comment was placed on the dot-anime.us Store Manager blog tonight with the subject: "New Streaming Anime Being Planned"

"Of course I don't want to give too much away but I wonder what would happen if while I was participating in a surfing tournament in Malibu and then suddenly every one was being attacked by strange shaped robots. Would me and my fellow surfers surrender or fight to save our lives and, dude, Malibu too???

Well, I guess you'll have to wait just a few more weeks to see!"

Let the speculation begin!

Monday, April 28, 2008

New Interview ::

I've published a new interview onto the site with Voice Actor/ADR Director Brina Palencia from Funimation. In the interview she talks about Hell Girl, School Rumble, Illumitoon, her music and more. I apologize for the larger than usual font size in the article. I will fix it asap.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Anime Club Leaders :: If you run an anime club and are interested in promoting your club and be a guest contributor to this website at the same time, I'd like to hear from you.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Bandai Visual USA Confirmed Worldwide Blu ray ::

Anime News Network reported that Bandai Visual USA announced that they will be releasing a number of series simultaneously around the world this fall on Blu-ray format. The only title mentioned to be part of the intital release schedule was the sci-fi series 'Freedom'. Discs will be released with Japanese, English and other language subtitles. The move is aimed to eliminate the regional differences in release date and price in an effort to combat unauthorized distribution online.

Anyone else ever notice how clinical it sounds when you refer to it like that?

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Staff Openings ::

After thnking about this for quite a long time, I've finally decided that it's the right time to open the doors to guest writers on this website and bring on new staff members. This site has been open for almost three years and in all that time I've always done everything on this website by myself with the exception of lots of the technical items which can be credited to my site host (who by the way rocks, hi Alan).

All of the reviewing on this website will continue to be done by me but I am opening the door to writers and aspiring writers to start sending me your writing samples. I'm accepting ideas and suggestons for different article writers and the best ideas will be given a trial run on the website with the readers eventually deciding who gets picked to stay on as regular staff. I'm looking for people who are interested in contributing weeky to the website so please be prepared to submit regular updates.

So if you want to write for this website, send me your ideas and a sample article/submission. All submissions should be 800-1200 words and preferably previously unpublished. Spelling and grammar counts! All positions are non paying at the moment with some form of compensation to be decided upon later. If you're an aspiring witer, this is a great chance to get some exposure.

Send all submissions to otakureview@gmail.com

Friday, April 25, 2008

Vexille Screening in Washington DC ::

A screening of the upcoming release from Funimation, 'Vexille' will be taking place Thursday, May 29th at 6:30pm in Washington D.C. The screening is being held jointly by the DC Anime Club and the Japan Information and Culture Center, Embassy of Japan. It takes place at Japan Information and Culture Center Embassy of Japan. More information about the event can be found at the official DC Anime Club website or the Japan Information and Cutlure Center Website.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Right Stuf Counting Down to New License :: Right Stuf is counting down to yet another new license annoucement this year at their 'Coming Soon' site. The countdown will last until May 1st, 3pm EDT/ 12pm PDT at which point the new license will be revealed. You may remember Right Stuf revealing their license of 'Maria Watches Over Us' in March via this method.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Code Geass Clips ::

IGN has posted two exclusive clips from the upcoming series 'Code Geass'. The series follows a young rebel named Lelouch living in a world where Japan has been conquered by The Holy Empire of Britiannia. It will premiere on Adult Swim, Saturday April 26th at 1:30am.

At Sakura-Con it was announced that a streaming version would be available on Adultswim.com the Friday before the Saturday airing.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Bleach: Memories of Nobody Theater Page Opens ::

Fathom Events has opened the official event page for the upcoming nationwide screening of 'Bleach: Memories of Nobody' presented by Viz Media. The event takes place on June 11th and 12th at theaters across the country with tickets going on sale to the general public on May 9th.

Also a reminder that tickets for the nationwide live action Death Note screening went on sale yesterday.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Shuffle! Gets Ender Box :: Funimation announced today via Anime on DVD that they will releasing a collector's art box along with the release of Shuffle! Vol. 7.

Monday, April 21, 2008

DVD Review :: I was actually really shocked with how much I liked this one but you can judge for yourself. I've posted my thoughts on last month's highly anticipated release of Appleseed Ex Machina.

Monday, April 21, 2008

NYCC Tops 60K! :: Just a quick note this morning with ICv2 reporting that New York Comic Con reached 64,000 attendees over the weekend!

Monday, April 21, 2008

Ironic Progress Made on Piracy ::

I file this story under ironic and feel justified in doing so. Anime on DVD posted a press release today from the Animation Co-Op Defense League (ACDL), a consortium of Adult Animation Distributors & Studio’s. In the press release, the ACDL says that they have already taken major strides in combating anime piracy online taking down "10,738 infringers, including: 5006 Movie file-sharing links, 2123 Picture file-sharing links and 3609 Blog posts."

“Last year we collectively decided to group our resources; to band together and take the offensive against anyone and everyone throughout the world stealing our content”, said ACDL Director and Adult Source Media President, Wendy Crawford.

Now if only the mainstream anime market could get together for something like this.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Funimation Blu-ray :: Funimation has sent out a mailer revealing that in September they will be releasing 'Robotech: Shadow Chronicles' on Blu-ray with 20 minutes of extra footage that wasn't shown on the original DVD release. Also listed as extras are: ' “Birth of a Sequel: The Making of The Shadow Chronicles.”, never-before-seen deleted scenes with directors commentary, outtakes, animatics and more.' The new special edition release will street on 9/2/08 with an MSRP of 39.98.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

New Interview & Album Review :: Before SakuraCon, I had the chance to conduct an interview with the bassist of the Portland, Oregon based Asian synth pop band The Slants, Simon Young. The interview was meant to be posted to another outlet but due to issues never was. So I'm posting it here for readers to enjoy as well as a review of their album, 'Slanted Eyes, Slanted Hearts'.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Bandai Gets GitS2 :: Anime on DVD is reporting that Bandai has acquired the distribution rights to 'Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence'. Bandai has revealed that the release is not only going to get a new dub track which will match the previous features and TV series but it will also be seeing a blu ray release to go along with the DVD release. No release date has been revealed though they hinted at sometime in 2008.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Viz Media @ NYCC :: Anime on DVD reported on Viz Media @ NYCC earlier: Not much was revealed at the panel besides Hunter x Hunter getting a box set release similar to Buso Reskin. Also asked at the panel was the status of Mar, Prince of Tennis and Hikaru no Go which were said to just be "on a break."

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Anime Expo Hosts World Premiere ::

Anime News Network is reporting that Anime Expo will be hosting the world premiere of the new mech series 'Linebarrels of Iron' (Japanese title: Kurogne no Linebarrels) based on the manga by Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi. The anime's director Masamitsu Hidaka will be a special guest at Anime Expo and present the series to fans there for the first time in the world.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Bandai @ NYCC ::

Here are the updates from Bandai at New York Comic Con today via Anime on DVD:

~ Code Geass will be released in two box sets. The first season will released as a part one box set with nine episodes on two DVDs. It will have a limited edition release (74.99 MSRP) as well as a standard release (39.99). The limited edition release will contain the first manga volume, original C soundtrack and the Sound Episode CD.

The release for season one part two will have episodes 10 through 17 on two DVDs, the set will also contain episode II CD and Geass manga. A third set will be released containing episodes 18 through 25 on two DVDs and contain the Original Soundtrack II, Sound Episode III and Geass manga.

~ Bandai also announced the licenses of: Gundam 00 and Gurren Laagan

~ Bandai plans to rush to get the entire series out in subbed only format during July, August and September. A re-release will occur in the first quarter of 2009 that will contain a dub track.

~ Ghost Slayers Ayashi Vol. 1 will retail at 64.98 with a street date of 9/2/08. The First volume will contain the first two episodes on two DVDs and includes a limited edition box with 16 page guidebook with manga. A bundle release will retail at 39.98 and single volume release at 24.98.

Updated: Giapet has noted that the release will first be available at Anime Expo before it's official release in late July.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Bleach Movie Screenings ::

Fathom Events and Viz Media are teaming up once again to air a new movie in theaters across the country. It has been announced that on June 11th and 12th at 7:30pm there wil be screenings around the country of 'Bleach the Movie: Memories of Nobody'. Like the 'Death Note' premiere in May, 'Bleachthe Movie' will also be shown with exclusive footage which will take fans into the character creation process along with an interview with the director.

Tickets go on sale to subscribers of the Shonen Jump newsletter May 2nd - 8th with sales opening to the general public on May 9th. A full theater list has not been published yet but one would imagine that it's going to be similar to the theater list for the Death Notes movies which screen in late May around the country.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Funimation @ NYCC ::

Giapet has some notes up regarding the Funimation panel at NYCC today. The panel didn't reveal anything new but it is being reported that the reason why One Piece isn't airing on Cartoon Network at the moment is due to issues between the network and Toei but has nothing to do with Funimation. They do hope it gets back on the air soon (naturally).

Still no word on any of the Geneon titles but apparently the reason why it's taking so long to get anything licensed is due to intense fighting for licenses.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Funimation on YouTube; Sale Annoucement :: Funimation sent out a mailer today announcing their own channel on YouTube. The mailer mentions that fans will be able to see the latest trailers, interviews and other exclusives. Also announced in the mailer is a new sale with box sets being marked down 25%.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Vexille Premiere in Boston :: Funimation has posted details regarding the premiere of the upcoming release, Vexille, at the Independent Film Festival of Boston. The OVA will air twice at the festival on Friday April 25th at 11:00 PM and again Monday April 28th 9:30 AM. The screenings will take place at Somerville Theater located in Somerville. To purchase tickets, visit the IFF Boston homepage.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

DVD Review ::

New review today is of the March release of Tweeny Witches Vol. 1: Arusu in Wonderland from Media Blasters.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Live Action Death Note ::

Viz Media just sent out a mailer revealing that the live action 'Death Note' movie will be screened in theaters nationwide for two nights only later this month. In the mailer, Viz tells fans that subscribers of the Shonen Jump newsletter will have their chance to buy tickets from Friday April 18th to Monday April 21st. Tickets for the general public will begin on April 21st and can be purchased either at participating theaters or through the Fathom Events website. 

Update: The exact dates for the showings will be May 20th and 21st at 7:30pm. Also included with the screenings will be a special 20 minute interview with the original director Kaneko. The movie will be airing on 300+ screens around the country with the full list available here.
  

Monday, April 14, 2008

Live Action 3D 'Ghost in the Shell' In Development ::

Variety has a story posted to their website revealing that DreamWorks has acquired the rights to turn 'Ghost in the Shell' into a 3D Live Action film. Details are sketchy at the moment but a few names have been revealed to be involved including Avi and Ari Arad along with Steven Paul are signed on to produce the feature and Jamie Moss has been signed to write the script.

In kind of an unusual note, Avi and Ari Arad originally brought the project to DreamWorks but it didn't get signed until Steven Spielberg took a personal interest in the project. Spielberg s quoted in the article as saying " 'Ghost in the Shell' is one of my favorite stories. It's a genre that has arrived, and we enthusiastically welcome it to DreamWorks."

Monday, April 14, 2008

Gainax Visits Fanime :: Giapet has broken the story that fifteen representitives from Gainax will be visiting Fanime. No names have been announced yet but it was revealed that most of them revolve around Gurren Laagen in one form or another.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Congratulations to Jessica Boone :: Congratulations to ADV voice actor Jessica Boone on her wedding today. Many years of happiness to you and your family!

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Update from Viz Media ::

I had a chance to talk with Viz Media and they have clarified what happened at SakuraCon regarding their panel. I have included the update in my SakuraCon 2008 rundown but it was essentially a misprint.

Friday, April 11, 2008

DVD Review :: It's kind of long but I managed to get a review finished before the weekend so here are my thoughts on Aquarion Season 1 Box Set from Funimation. Have a good weekend everyone!

Friday, April 11, 2008

Anime Today :: The 'Anime Today' podcast featuring an interview me recapping SakuraCon 08 is available now for fans to listen to. To download the podcast, visit the official 'Anime Today' website.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Ero Games on Release Calendar :: An error on the release calendar was pointed out to me last night. From now on, all ero games listed on the release calendar will be listed at the bottom with other items that do not have a firm release date. I apologize if dates previously listed caused confusion for readers.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

2008 Ero Game Preview ::

With two games already released (Snow Sakura and Lightning Warrior Raidy) and four more on the way, I thought it was about time for me to sit down and write out a preview for ero game fans. The preview covers five games from Lightning Warrior Raidy all the way up to Cat Girl Alliance and can be found here.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Raidy Website Opens :: JAST USA has opened the official Lightning Warrior Raidy website which contains screenshots, information about the story, controls and game system. You can check it out here.

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

New York Anime Festival Date Change :: A new press release was sent out today announcing that after further discussion with the Jacob Javits Center, the New York Anime Festival has been changed from September 12-14th to September 26-28th.

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Lightning Warrior Raidy Ships Early :: G-Collections has released Lightning Warrior Raidy a couple of weeks early and has begun shipping the new game. 'Lightning Warrior Raidy' is a fantasy game with the heroine working her way through a labyrinth. Fans who didn't pre-order can buy their copies from Right Stuf and J-List.