Old news
From September 2005 thru October 2005.
11/21/05 According to Ultimate Disney, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl's Moving Castle, and Whisper of the Heart will be released on domestic DVD on March 7, 2006.
Production I.G. has formally announced development of director Mamoru Oshii's next anime film, a movie titled "Tachigui: The Amazing Lives of the Fast Food Grifters" ("Tachiguishi Retsuden"). The film will be a unique view of contemporary Japanese history told relative to the rise and fall of people who steal fast food.
11/18/05 Howl's Moving Castle and Steamboy are both eligible for the next Oscar's in Best Animated Feature, and may also be considered for Best Picture, though honestly, I highly doubt that matters.
Last June Japanese media publishing company Groove Corporation instituted a lawsuit against American anime distribution company NuTech, claiming that NuTech had overstepped the limitations of its animation distribution contract with Groove, and had withheld payments due to Groove Corporation. Anime News Network reports that the Los Angeles Superior Court has recently made an initial ruling in favor of Groove Corporation, issuing a writ of attachment against Nutech for assets worth $292,000. The writ enables Groove Corporation to seize assets from NuTech in lieu of cash if NuTech ultimately looses the ongoing court battle and cannot or will not pay the amount due to the Japanese licensor.
According to Anime News Service, Akihiko Shioda will direct a live action film adaptation of Osamu Tezuka's samurai horror manga/anime Dororo. The Dororo movie will be produced by Toho, will star Kou Shibasaki and Shibasa Hao, and will feature action choreography by Ching Siu Tung. The film will be shot in New Zealand and is expected to hit Japanese theaters in 2007.
11/16/05 The December issue of Shueisha's Cobalt Magazine has officially announced a third series of Maria-sama ga Miteru anime series. Unlike the first two series, which were made for TV, the third anime series will be released directly to home video.
According to Moon Phase, an anime TV series adaptation of the Princess Soft dating simulation game Finalist will debut on the TV Tokyo network in April 2006.
A Paradise Kiss store, inspired by the manga and anime series created by Ai Yazawa, will open in the Odaiba VenusFort shopping plaza in Tokyo on November 19th and remain open until March 31, 2006.
Viz has sent out a press release announcing that Mattel has been granted the rights to produce American toys based on the Naruto manga and anime series.
In June 2002 Disney announced tentative plans to develop a Kingdom Hearts animation. Now Anime News Service reports that Kingdom Hearts II game director Tetsuya Nomura has mentioned in an unidentified magazine published outside of Japan that the Kingdom Hearts animation may be a theatrical film.
According to Anime News Service, American company Comic Book Movie, LLC. will partner with Japanese corporation Itochu in order to produce an American live action Cyborg 009 motion picture. The movie will be produced by Michael Uslan, producer for all of Batman movies since 1989. Ishimori Entertainment will be involved in selecting exactly what material from Shotaro Ishinomori's original Cyborg 009 manga will be used as source material for the American film.
Anime News Network has confirmed that Geneon has laid off 12 employees from its marketing and inventory/warehouse departments.
YTV skipped a controversial Stand Alone Complex episode without warning, in which the villain skinned people alive.
11/14/05 Computer not fixed, I am getting my dosage of internet from library computers.
Film producer Toshio Suzuki has announced that Studio Ghibli's next feature film will be directed by Hayao Miyazaki's son Goro Miyazaki. Goro Miyazaki is the former director of the Studio Ghibli Museum. Reportedly Hayao Miyazaki is "fiercely against the idea" of his son directing Ghibli's next film.
According to the 4K!ds website, Fox Net, and local Fox listings 4Kids TV is dropping Mew Mew Power and One Piece beginning this Saturday. There's no info on if/when the shows will return.
11/11/05 My computer has crashed AGAIN, updates may be somewhat sporadic until it is fixed.
11/10/05 Galaxy Anime reports that Square Enix has confirmed that the American DVD release of the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children movie DVD has been delayed from November 29, 2005 until January 10, 2006. This is because they hope to have a limited theatrical release.
Sakura Con has formally announced its first American Guest of Honor, voice actor Tony Oliver.
The Turner Classic Movies (TCM) TV network has announced the details of its scheduled broadcast of nine Studio Ghibli movies in January 2006. The TCM "Miyazaki Spotlight" will begin on January 5, 2006, Hayao Miyazaki's 65th birthday. Each of the films broadcast will feature an introduction by Pixar Studios' John Lasseter, director of the English language version of Spirited Away and a personal friend of Miyazaki. Eight of the nine films aired will air first in English, then later the same night in original Japanese language. Only Yesterday will be broadcast only in its original Japanese language.
In other Miyazaki news, a video interview with Hayao Miyazaki, from the Venice International Film Festival, in oinline at Shigesato Itoi's website.
4Kids Entertainment has revealed that its third quarter finances have continued to decline since last year.
Japanese television network NTV has officially announced that Daisuke Terasawa's "Kuitan" manga series will be the basis of a live action television series beginning this January. Kuitan is about a detective who habitually eats while solving mysteries, which sounds oh-so enticing.
Japanese entertainment production company We've has officially announced that Studio Comet (Onegai My Melody, Peach Girl) will create a 52 episode long anime TV series titled "Soreyuke! Tetsuyuki Susumu."
11/8/05 ICv2 cites the results of a new professional study that predicts declines in American DVD sales over the next two years. ICv2 reports that an entertainment industry marketing shift away from catalog titles toward mainstream new releases may result in major American retail store chains reducing their support for niche market DVD lines including anime.
In diametrically opposed news; the Associated Press has published an article discussing the adoption of "manga" into American publishing. The article reports that several newspapers owned by the Universal Press Syndicate, including the Los Angeles Times, Denver Post, Vancouver Sun and Seattle Post-Intelligencer, will begin publishing TOKYOPOP's original American manga-style comics Van Von Hunter and Peach Fuzz in their Sunday comics sections in an attempt to attract a younger readership.
Japanese entertainment distributor VAP has officially unveiled "Sasami - Mahou Shoujo Club," a new revival of the Tenchi Muyo! spin-off Magical Girl Pretty Sammy. The TV series will be directed by Nobuhiro Takamoto (Tenchi In Tokyo, Wandaba Style) and animated by AIC.
Katsura Hoshino, manga-ka for D.Gray-man is reported to be seriously ill, therefore serialization of D.Gray-man will be placed on hiatus for at least two weeks.
11/7/05 Manga artist Madara Sai has announced on her personal webpage that her new ninja manga serial Kage Kara Mamoru! will debut as an anime television series on January 7, 2006.
Dark Horse has many new titles coming: Crying Freeman volume 1 will be released as a $14.95, 408 page softcover on March 8, 2006. The release will be the first time the Crying Freeman manga has been released in America in its original Japanese right-to-left format. The Harlequin Pink: Idol Dreams manga will retail at $9.95 beginning March 1, 2006. The Harlequin Violet: Holding On To Alex manga will retail at $9.95 beginning March 1, 2006. The Ju-On: Video Side manga written by Takashi Shimizu and adapted by Miki Rinno will retail at $9.95 beginning March 15, 2006. Toru Yamazaki's Octopus Girl volume 1 manga will retail at $12.95 beginning March 22, 2006. Kanako Inuki's first School Zone horror manga will retail at $12.95 beginning March 29, 2006. Tony Takezaki's Space Pinchy: The Pinch of the Illegal Brain Intrusion manga will be released as a 32 page comic retailing at $3.99 on February 22, 2006. The Yoshitaka Amano: Fairies hardcover illustration book will retail at $24.95 beginning February 8, 2006.
According to Tokyopop's website they have licensed the Love Hina novel series and will be releasing the first volume on April 11.
11/4/05 Tecmo has announced that the Monster Farm 5: Circus Caravan Playstation 2 game will include a bonus anime OAV. In America, "Monster Farm" is known as "Monster Rancher."
The Studio Ghibli Museum has officially revealed three new short anime movies that will screen exclusively at the museum beginning January 3, 2006. Nausicaa.net hosts an extended translation of the film titles and summaries.
The new action series IGPX, a co-production between Cartoon Network, acclaimed Japanese animation studio Production I.G, licensing partner Bandai Entertainment and renowned anime recording studio Bang Zoom! Entertainment, will make its series debut tomorrow, Saturday, November 5, at 10 p.m. (ET, PT).
Media Blasters has announced its acquisition of translation rights to the recent anime television series Loveless. The entire 12 episode series, including the Japanese DVD "Extra" short animation clips, will be released on 3 DVDs.
11/2/05 After succesful airings on Toon Disney's Big Picture Show, Jetix will bring Digimon Movies 5, 6, and 7 to ABC Family.
In a talk with Mamoru Oshii at the Tokyo International Film Festival, Toshio Suzuki of Studio Ghibli announced stated that Toho will announce Ghibli's next movie on December 13th. AlsoViz has announced Mattel as master toy licensee for the Zatch Bell property. Also, Mamoru Oshii announced that he is going to make a new feature-length anime. He said that it will be a very straightforward love story.
Viz has announced Mattel as master toy licensee for the Zatch Bell property.
Broccoli Books planning for a Juvenile Orion illustration book featuring the artwork of Sakurako Gokurakuin & others. This book was never made in Japan - it is a Broccoli Books original. Us folk should feel down right special.
At This weekend's London Expo new digital specialty station Rapture announced that it will begin airing Fullmetal Alchemist and Wolf's Rain on Tuesday and Thursday nights.
Sakichi Satô is directing a live-action horror-comedy movie based on a manga by Yûsaku Hanakuma. Toyko Zombie, based on the manga of the same name.
Rakuten Ichiba has revealed that a Blood: The Last Vampire Yarudora (interactive anime movie) game will be released in Japan on January 26, 2006. It's not clear if the PSP game will be a re-release of the two Blood: The Last Vampire Playstation 2 games from 2000 or a totally new game.