Saturday, 4 July 2015

Kodansha Comics Adds Princess Jellyfish, Real Account, Magatsuki Manga

Published : July 04, 2015
Also: Noragami switches to monthly release; Fairy Tail gets omnibus release
Kodansha Comics announced at its panel at Anime Expo on Saturday that it will release Akiko Higashimura's Princess Jellyfish (Kuragehime) manga, Shizumu Watanabe and Okushō'sReal Account manga, and Hoshino Taguchi's Magatsuki manga.
Higashimura's Princess Jellyfish manga inspired a 2010 television anime series that Funimation released in North America.Kodansha Comics describes the story:
Tsukimi, who has loved jellyfish from a young age, resides in Amamizukan, a fangirl-only dorm. One evening at the local pet store, Tsukimi sees a lovely jellyfish in danger, but a beautiful woman comes to the rescue. They go back to Amamizukan together, but this "woman"... is actually a man!
Kodansha Comics will debut the series in February 2016, and the company will publish the manga in large-format 2-in-1 editions. The releases will include color pages and bonus special features. Kodansha Comics' associate director of publishing services Ben Applegate told ANN that the company has the license to the first 12 volumes of the series. The company will then evaluate the title after releasing those 12 volumes (in six 2-in-1 omnibus releases) and will decide whether to continue publishing the title based on sales.
Higashimura launched the manga in Kodansha's Kiss magazine in 2008, and Kodansha publishedthe 15th compiled volume in Japan in January. The manga also inspired a live-action film adaptation that opened in Japan in December 2014.
Manga creator Watanabe (Kono Kanojo wa Fiction desu.) and writer Okushō launched Real Account in Kodansha's Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine in the February 2014 issue, but the series thenswitched to Weekly Shōnen Magazine in this year's combined fourth and fifth issue. Kodansha is publishing the fifth compiled volume of the manga in Japan on July 17. Kodansha Comicsdescribes the story:
This tense thriller has a simple premise: “If you reach zero online followers, you die.” Ataru is one of millions of members on the social networking site Real Account. But one day, he and thousands of others wake up inside a virtual world. Here, if you lose the game, you die for real—taking all your followers with you. And if you run out of followers, it's also game over.
Kodansha Comics will debut the manga in March 2016.
Taguchi launched the Magatsuki love comedy manga inKodansha's Monthly Shōnen Sirius magazine in the April 2011 issue, and Kodansha will ship the 10th compiled volume in Japan in August. Kodansha Comicsdescribes the series as follows:
Magatsuki, from creator Hoshino Taguchi, follows 15-year-old Yasuke Arahabaki, who accidentally breaks a sacred mirror in his house's shrine. This accident releases Seoritsuhime, a goddess of misfortune, and triggers a curse that forces them to stay close together or die. To lift the curse, Yasuke must help Seoritsuhime achieve happiness – despite the bad luck she carries with her. It all gets more complicated when Yasuke's childhood friend and mutual crush, Akari Inamori, suddenly becomes the new owner of Yasuke's lost soul. How will Yasuke navigate his new intimacy with Akari and still fulfill his promise to Seoritsuhime?
Kodansha will debut the series in print in February 2016. Crunchyroll is publishing the manga digitally in English as new chapters come out in Japan.
Kodansha Comics also revealed that thanks to "excellent sales," Adachitoka's Noragami: Stray Godmanga will be switching to a monthly release starting in October 2015. The company will release the seventh volume in October, and new volumes will ship each month until the English release catch up to the Japanese release in mid-2016.
The company also revealed at the panel the artwork that will be used for some of the playing cards that it will bundle with the special edition of the 16th volume of Hajime Isayama's Attack on Titanmanga.
Update: Kodansha also revealed that it will release the Fairy Tail manga in an omnibus edition. The first volume, which includes the first five volumes of the series, is slated for September and will retail for US$39.99.
Magatsuki © Hoshino Taguchi/Kodansha, Ltd. All rights reserved.
Princess Jellyfish © Akiko Higashimura/Kodansha, Ltd. All rights reserved.
Real Account © Okushō/Shimizu Watanabe/Kodansha, Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Friday, 3 July 2015

Exclusive: Vampire Hunter D Has New Animated Series in the Works

Published : July 03, 2015
Japanese CGI studio Digital Frontier collaborates with Unified Pictures from U.S.
California-based production studio Unified Pictures told ANN that it is unveiling plans for a new CG-animated series based on Hideyuki Kikuchi's long-running Vampire Hunter D novel series at Anime Expo. The company is co-producing the series with Japanese CGI animation studio Digital Frontier (Resident Evil: Degeneration, Tekken: Blood Vengeance, Mighty No. 9).
Kikuchi himself, as well as Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlustdirector Yoshiaki Kawajiri, are also involved with the project.
Unified Pictures producer Scott McLean said the company is looking to bring the series to television. "I've been a fan ofVampire Hunter D since I was a teenager," McLean said. "I'm overjoyed at being able to be a part of creating a new chapter for a story I greatly admire."
Unified Pictures will share more details, such as plans for the show's format and story, at its panel at Anime Expo on Thursday, July 2. The company will also host a Q&A session at the convention on Saturday.
Anime Expo will be held from July 2-5 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Kikuchi began the novel series in 1983 and Asahi Shimbun Publications published the 29th volume (cover pictured in the ad above) in May. The story follows D, a half-human, half-vampire who hunts vampires in a desolate far future. Dark Horse Comics publishes Kikuchi's original novel series in North America, and Digital Manga Publishing releases the manga adaptation by Saiko Takaki.
The novel series previously inspired an original video anime in 1985 and the Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust film in 2000. The film was co-produced by Vampire Hunter D's American licensing company Urban Vision, and dubbed in English before it was dubbed in Japanese.
Sentai Filmworks announced in April that it had licensed the 1985 Vampire Hunter D anime, and will release it with a newEnglish dub in addition to the Japanese language track.Discotek Media announced in February that it had licensedVampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, and plans to release it this September without the Japanese dubtrack.
Canadian horror magazine Rue Morgue reported in 2010 that Kikuchi was working on a new anime series.
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Funimation Offers Unaired Free! Eternal Summer Episode

Published : July 03, 2015
Series also gets Premium Edition with art book, cards, towel, decals, discount on OVA  
North American anime distributor Funimation confirmed at its Anime Expo panel on Friday that it has the rights to the unaired Free! Eternal Summer episode. The company will release the original video anime episode next year, and it will offer a discount to those who buy the Premium Edition of the television series from Funimation.com by September 29.
The Premium Edition will come with the contents of the Free! Eternal Summer Limited Edition plus a full-color art book, seven art cards, a sports towel, an Iwatobi decal and a Samezuka decal, and a collector's box. The Premium Edition retails for US$119.98, and Funimation.com is selling the edition for US$89.98.
Those who order the Premium Edition from Funimation.com will also be entered into a raffle to win a 1/8-scale figure of Haruka Nanase.
The second season of Kyoto Animation's Free! - Iwatobi Swim Club anime is now streaming with the English dub on Funimation's website, and Funimation will release the Blu-ray Disc/DVD combo pack on September 29.
The dub cast features:
Jerry Jewell served as ADR director, J. Michael Tatum adapted the original scripts, and Alyssa Galindo and Kenneth Thompson served as ADR engineers for the dub.
The second season premiered last July, and both Funimation and Crunchyroll streamed the series with English subtitles as it aired in Japan. Discotek released the first season on DVD with English subtitles in May.
High Speed! -Free! Starting Days-, the film inspired by the High Speed! novel that also inspired the original Free! television anime, will open in Japan on December 5.
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Viz Announces Print Plans for Naruto: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring Manga

Published : July 03, 2015
Next Yu-Gi-Oh! card to Shonen Jump subscribers also revealed
Viz Media announced at its Shonen Jump panel at Anime Expo on Friday that it will release Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring (Naruto Gaiden: Nanadaime Hokage to Akairo no Hanatsuzuki) manga in print. The company plans to release the manga in winter 2016.
The manga will end in its 10th chapter in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine on Monday. Shueisha will publish the one compiled book volume of the series in Japan on August 4.
Naruto manga creator Masashi Kishimoto launched the manga in Weekly Shonen Jump on April 27. The manga was originally announced as a spinoff mini-series.
Viz Media is publishing the manga in English in its digital Weekly Shonen Jump magazine on the same day the chapters are published in Japan.
Viz Media additionally announced at the panel that the next Yu-Gi-Oh! card that subscribers to its Weekly Shonen Jump digital anthology will receive is Beast-Eyes Pendulum Dragon.
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Dimension W Manga by Darker Than Black/King of Thorn's Iwahara Gets Anime

Published : July 03, 2015
Funimation is part of committee for near-future sci-fi action anime
North American anime distributor Funimation announced at its Anime Expo panel on Friday that an anime is adapting the Dimension W manga by Darker than Black character designer and King of Thorn manga creator Yuji Iwahara. Funimation said that it is "part of the committee of the anime" and screened a preview video.
In the story, humanity harnessed a new inexhaustible energy from inventions called "Coils" in 2051. In 2072, a skilled recovery specialist named Kyōma Mabuchi encounters a mysterious, beautiful woman right in the middle of a certain job. It is a fateful encounter that opens the door to the new dimension "W."
Iwahara launched the "near-future science fiction action" manga series in Square Enix's Young Gangan magazine in 2011, and Square Enix is publishing the eighth compiled book volume in July.
Iwahara is best known for creating the original character designs for the Darker than Black television anime series and its Ryūsei no Gemini follow-up. Iwahara also drew the art for the Darker than Black: Shikkoku no Hana manga and created the King of Thorn manga that inspired the anime film of the same name in 2010.
Tokyopop published the King of Thorn manga in North America, while Funimation released theDarker than Black anime. Yen Press published Iwahara's Cat Paradise manga, and CMX Mangapublished Chikyu Misaki.
      
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Funimation to Stream Venus Project: Climax Anime

Published : July 03, 2015
Also acknowledges streaming of Chaos Dragon this summer
North American anime distributor Funimation announced at its Anime Expo panel on Friday that it will stream the Venus Project: Climax anime series as it airs in Japan. Funimationalso acknowledged that it will stream the Chaos Dragontelevision anime series, after its website briefly listed the anime.
Venus Project tells the story of idols living in Japan in the near future. In this world, data devices and video technology have been progressing to new heights, and people are abuzz about a new form of entertainment — Formula Venus. In Formula Venus or "F-V," the chosen top idols battle in live performances with their willpower, skills, and all their experience gained.
The television series will actually be six anime episodes and six live-action variety episodes, each 30 minutes long. The anime's story will be set in the same world as the Venus Project PS Vitagame's, but it will feature a new anime original protagonist, "an aspiring idol aiming to be Venus."
The anime will premiere on Tokyo MX on July 5 at 10:00 p.m
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New York Times Manga Best Seller List, June 21-27

Published : July 03, 2015
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Right Stuf/Nozomi Ent. Add Big Windup! Season 2, Tamayura: Hitose, Umi Monogatari Anime

Published : July 03, 2015
Also: A Town Where You Live, Pita Ten anime
Anime retailer and distributor Right Stuf, Inc. and producerNozomi Entertainment announced at their panel at Anime Expo on Friday that they will release the following titles: Tamayura - Hitotose, Umi Monogatari, Big Windup! Season 2 (Ookiku Furikabutte ~Natsu no Taikai-hen~), Pita Ten, and A Town Where You Live.
Nozomi Entertainment will release the Tamayura - Hitotose 12-episode television anime series, as well as the special 5.5 episode and the four episode Tamayura video anime series. The company will release the set in fall 2015 with Japanese audio, English subtitles, and on-screen translations.
Nozomi describes the series as follows: "The series focuses on a young girl who takes up her late father's old camera, determined to capture memories that will bring joy and happiness to others for a lifetime."
The Tamayura anime project with an original concept by Junichi Sato (Aria the Animation, Kaleido Star) premiered in 2010 with a series of original video animation (OVA) volumes. Sato then directed the Tamayura - Hitotose television series at TYO Animations in 2011. A second season titled Tamayura - More Aggressive aired in 2013. The second film in the four-part Tamayura: Sotsugyō Shashin (Tamayura: Graduation Photos) movie series will open in Japan on August 29.
Sato also directed the 2009 Umi Monogatari ~Anata ga Ite Kureta Koto~ television anime series, with Hal Film Makerhandling the animation. The show originally aired in 2009. Nozomi describes the series as follows: "the series tells the story of two girls who live in the sea whose lives are forever changed when a mysterious ring falls into their underwater home." The series stars Kana Asumi as Marin, Minako Kotobukias Kanon, and Yui Horie as Urin.
Nozomi will release the 13-episode series in fall 2015 with Japanese audio, English subtitles, and on-screen translations.
Nozomi Entertainment's Big Windup! Season 2 release will ship in 2016 with with Japanese audio, English subtitles, and on-screen translations. The 13-episode sequel series adapting Asa Higuchi's baseball manga originally aired in 2010.
The series centers on Ren Mihashi, a losing pitcher who quit his middle-school baseball team after his teammates harassed him — they think he only became a pitcher because his grandfather ran the school. In high school, Ren is forced to become a pitcher again, but he and his new team eventually recapture the spirit of the game. Tsutomu Mizushima (Big Windup!, Girls und Panzer, Another) directed the series at A-1 Pictures.
Funimation released the first 26-episode television anime series on DVD in North America in 2009, but the company said in 2010 that it would not license the second season of the series.
Nozomi will ship the 26-episode Pita Ten television anime series in 2016 with Japanese audio, English subtitles, and on-screen translations. The series originally aired in 2002, and it adapts Koge Donbo's manga of the same name. Tokyopopreleased the eight-volume manga series in North America between 2004-2008.
Nozomi describes the series as follows: "the 26-episode anime centers on the adventures of a boy who lost his mother that encounters a young angel-in-training." Toshifumi Kawase(Tenjho Tenge, Beyblade) and Yuzo Sato (Magical Warfare) directed the series at MADHOUSE.
GONZO's anime adaptationof Kouji Seo's A Town Where You Live (Kimi no Iru Machi) manga premiered in July 2013. Shigeyasu Yamauchi(Casshern Sins, Dream Eater Merry) directed the anime, andReiko Yoshida (K-ON!, Bakuman.) was in charge of the scripts.Terumi Nishii (Penguindrum) designed the characters, whileKeiichi Oku composed the music.
The series starred Yoshimasa Hosoya (Katanagatari) andMegumi Nakajima (Macross Frontier) as Haruto Kirishima and Yuzuki Eba. The series "tells the story of a boy who moves to Tokyo to be closer to his girlfriend, only to find that his long-distance relationship is more complex than he thought."
The 12-episode television anime series will ship in 2016 with Japanese audio, English subtitles, and on-screen translations.
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Right Stuf/Sunrise to Release Original Gundam TV Anime on Blu-ray Disc

Published : July 03, 2015
Also: Zeta Gundam, Gundam ZZ, Victory Gundam, After War Gundam X, Turn A Gundam film collection
Anime retailer and distributor Right Stuf, Inc. announced at its panel at Anime Expo on Friday that it and Sunrise will release the originalMobile Suit Gundam television anime series on DVD and Blu-ray Disc this fall. The companies also revealed that they will release Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ, Mobile Suit Victory Gundam, After War Gundam X, and the Turn A Gundam movie collection (Turn A Gundam: Earth Light and Turn A Gundam: Moonlight Butterfly) in North America.
Right Stuf and Sunrise will release the original Mobile Suit Gundamtelevision anime series on DVD and Blu-ray Disc, and the release will mark the first time the series is getting a Blu-ray Disc release in North America. The first 21 episodes will ship in fall 2015 with English and Japanese audio, English subtitles, and on-screen translations.
The first Mobile Suit Gundam series premiered in Japan in 1979. Bandai Entertainment released the series on DVD in North America.
Right Stuf and Sunrise then plan to release Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ,Mobile Suit Victory Gundam, After War Gundam X, and the Turn A Gundam movie collection "in the coming months."
The two companies announced a partnership in October 2014 to release the Gundam franchise in North America. Sunrise previously worked with Right Stuf to release the Gundam Unicorn original video anime in the United States.
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Right Stuf/Nozomi Ent. to Release Revolutionary Girl Utena on Blu-ray Disc

Published : July 03, 2015
Release will be 1st BD release from Nozomi Entertainment
Anime retailer and distributor Right Stuf, Inc. and producerNozomi Entertainment announced at their panel at Anime Expo on Friday that they will release the Revolutionary Girl Utenatelevision anime series on Blu-ray Disc.
The release will be Nozomi Entertainment's first Blu-ray Disc release. The release also marks the first time Revolutionary Girl Utena is getting a high-definition release in North America. Nozomi will release the series in 2016.
Right Stuf had previously released the series on three DVD sets in North America in 2011. Central Park Media had released the series on VHS and DVD between 1998-2004.
The 39-episode series had originally aired in 1997. Kunihiko Ikuhara (Sailor Moon series director, Penguindrum) directed the series at J.C. Staff. The series starred Tomoko Kawakamias Utena Tenjou and Yuriko Fuchizaki as Anthy Himemiya.
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Thursday, 2 July 2015

Exclusive: Vampire Hunter D Has New Animated Series in the Works

Published : July 02, 2015
Japanese CGI studio Digital Frontier collaborates with Unified Pictures from U.S.
California-based production studio Unified Pictures told ANN that it is unveiling plans for a new CG-animated series based on Hideyuki Kikuchi's long-running Vampire Hunter D novel series at Anime Expo. The company is co-producing the series with Japanese CGI animation studio Digital Frontier (Resident Evil: Degeneration, Tekken: Blood Vengeance, Mighty No. 9).
Kikuchi himself, as well as Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlustdirector Yoshiaki Kawajiri, are also involved with the project.
Unified Pictures producer Scott McLean said the company is looking to bring the series to television. "I've been a fan ofVampire Hunter D since I was a teenager," McLean said. "I'm overjoyed at being able to be a part of creating a new chapter for a story I greatly admire."
Unified Pictures will share more details, such as plans for the show's format and story, at its panel at Anime Expo on Thursday, July 2. The company will also host a Q&A session at the convention on Saturday.
Anime Expo will be held from July 2-5 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Kikuchi began the novel series in 1983 and Asahi Shimbun Publications published the 29th volume (cover pictured in the ad above) in May. The story follows D, a half-human, half-vampire who hunts vampires in a desolate far future. Dark Horse Comics publishes Kikuchi's original novel series in North America, and Digital Manga Publishing releases the manga adaptation by Saiko Takaki.
The novel series previously inspired an original video anime in 1985 and the Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust film in 2000. The film was co-produced by Vampire Hunter D's American licensing company Urban Vision, and dubbed in English before it was dubbed in Japanese.
Sentai Filmworks announced in April that it had licensed the 1985 Vampire Hunter D anime, and will release it with a newEnglish dub in addition to the Japanese language track.Discotek Media announced in February that it had licensedVampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, and plans to release it this September without the Japanese dubtrack.
Canadian horror magazine Rue Morgue reported in 2010 that Kikuchi was working on a new anime series.
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