Anchor Bay Lists Redline as 'Upcoming Manga Release'

posted on 2010-07-19 18:29 EDT

Racing anime film from MADHOUSE, Animatrix's Koike, Trava's Ishii, SMAP's Kimura

The production company Anchor Bay Entertainment has revealed in a Monday media alert for its Comic-Con International plans that Redline is one of the "upcoming Manga releases" along with First Squad - The Moment Of Truth. Both Anchor Bay Entertainment and the anime distributor Manga Entertainment are currently subsidiaries of Starz Media.

Director Takeshi Koike (The Animatrix's "World Record"), writer Katsuhito Ishii (Piroppo, Trava), and the MADHOUSE anime studio created the Redline film about the deadliest car race in known space. Leading the cast are SMAP's Takuya Kimura (Howl's Moving Castle, live-action Space Battleship Yamato), Tadanobu Asano (Ichi the Killer, Tokyo Zombie), and Yuu Aoi (Honey and Clover, Tekkonkinkreet).

The film will open in Japan on October 9 after advance screenings at international film festivals. Three new trailers were launched late last week.

Bandai Ent. Adds Tales of the Abyss, Turn A Gundam

posted on 2010-07-22 22:25 EDT

The North American anime distributor Bandai Entertainment has announced at its Comic-Con International panel on Thursday that it acquired the license to the Tales of the Abyss and Turn A Gundam television anime series. Tales of the Abyss is a 26-episode anime adaptation of the popular Namco Bandai role-playing game of the same name. Turn A Gundam is the 1999 television anime series written and directed by Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino for Gundam's 20th anniversary. The series also features music by Yoko Kanno and mechanical designs by Blade Runner's Syd Mead.

New licenses!
July 27th, 2010

Anime:

Galaxy Express 999 movie

Adieu Galaxy Express 999 movie

Project AKO (Original movie)

Live action:

Princess Blade

Aquarian Age

R.O.D -The Complete- Blu-ray box set will be released this winter! Three OVA episodes and 26 TV episodes will be on 5 Blu-ray Discs. Both Japanese and English dub will be included. Stay tuned for detailed information!

LOL! That was our sly announcement/non-announcement today! We wondered how long it would take for all to catch on! (in no time at all)

FUNimation Acquires “Blessing of the Campanella”

Simulcast to begin in August, DVD release planned for 2011

Flower Mound, Texas (July 30, 2010) - FUNimation Entertainment, the leading distributor of Japanese animation in North America, announced today it will partner with Marvelous Entertainment for the online simulcast of the “Blessing of the Campanella” exclusively in the United States.

FUNimation has also acquired home entertainment, digital, broadcast and merchandise rights for the 12 episode fantasy anime series.

Known as “Shukufuku no Campanella” in its native Japan, “Blessing of the Campanella” is based on the popular Japanese visual novel of the same name. The series takes place in the magical city of Ert’Aria. As the residents prepare for a harvest festival, a young technician named Leicester Maycraft witnesses the crash of a mysterious shooting star. Upon further investigation, Leicester is surprised to find a young woman at the site of the crash. Now the young man must figure out who this mysterious girl is, and why she keeps calling him Father.

Animation for the series is done by studio AIC (“Strike Witches 2”, “Heaven’s Lost Property”). The series features as Nobuhiko Okamoto (“Air Gear”, “Sacred Blacksmith”) as Leicester Maycraft and is directed by Shinji Uchiro.

FUNimation Entertainment Acquires EVANGELION: 2.0 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE from NTV

Flower Mound, TX – July 30, 2010 – FUNimation® Entertainment today announced that it has acquired the home entertainment, broadcast, digital and merchandise rights to the animated sci-fi action film EVANGELION: 2.0 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE from NTV.

EVANGELION: 2.0 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE is the second of four films by Hideaki Anno and Studio Khara based on the 1990’s Gainax “Neon Genesis Evangelion” anime series, a long-running anime about teenagers defending the world from machines and mass destruction.

The film is produced by Toshimichi Otsuki and directed by Hideaki Anno, Masayuki, and Kazuya Tsurumaki from the screenplay written by Anno. The mechanical designer is Ikuto Yamashita.

The setting is Tokyo 3, an outpost in a future world devastated by the "Second Impact." Attacked by shape-shifting mecha-behemoths known as “Angels”, what's left of Earth is defended by giant "Eva" robots piloted by high school students. Selected for duty by NERV, a top-secret military organization, the children are linked to their Evas by a design feature that channels the spirits of deceased family members into the machine's circuitry. The lead pilot is Shinji (voiced by Ogata), the troubled son of emotionally distant NERV scientist Gendou Ikari. Rebelling against his predestined path, Shinji is brought back into the fold by teacher-mother figure Misato Katsuragi (Mitsuishi) and fellow pilot Rei (Hayashibara).

EVANGELION: 2.0 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE. opened as the #1 film at Japan the week of its debut in October 2009.

FUNimation Entertainment will release the film on DVD and Blu-ray in 2011.

Girls Bravo, Episode 1 (Sub) listed @ YouTube. | FUNi Banner

via Twitter

FUNimation Entertainment to Acquires Hetalia World Series
and the Movie HETALIA AXIS POWERS: PAINT IT, WHITE

Flower Mound, TX - July 30, 2010 – Flower Mound Texas, FUNimation Entertainment, the leading distributor of Japanese anime in North America, announced today it has reached an agreement with Japanese production studio Media Factory, Inc. for the online simulcast and home entertainment release of the comedy series “Hetalia World Series” in the United States.

Starting in August, FUNimation Entertainment will premiere the newest episode of “Hetalia World Series” shortly after its initial digital download premiere in Japan. The anime will be available with its original Japanese dialogue with English subtitles through FUNimation.com and FUNimation streaming partners. A date and time for its U.S. debut will be coming soon.

“Hetalia World Series” continues the off-beat tradition of its predecessor, “Axis Powers Hetalia”, following Italy, Germany, and now joined more prominently by Prussia on their escapades re-interpreting the past. Colorful, cute, and crass; this is world history as you have never seen it before.

Created by Hidekaz Himaruya, Hetalia World Series reunites the voice cast “Axis Powers Hetalia”. The anime stars Daisuke Namikawa, as Italy, Hiroki Yasumoto voicing Germany, and new addition Atsushi Kousaka as Prussia. The series is produced by Studio Deen (“Fruits Basket”, “Vampire Knight”).


FUNimation has also acquired to first animated feature-length adaptation of the series “Axis Powers Hetalia.” The film is called HETALIA AXIS POWERS: PAINT IT, WHITE and is the first appearance of the character Iceland. The nations must ward off aliens and save mankind as we know it from extinction and the draining of color throughout the world.

FUNimation will release the movie on DVD in 2011.

For more information about the series, please visit http://www.funimation.com/hetalia.

The FUNimation.com video portal will also soon be the online simulcast home for the fairy-tale-ish parody, “Okamisan”, exclusively in the U.S. on behalf of Media Factory, Inc.

FUNimation Entertainment’s rights also include home entertainment, digital, broadcast and merchandise for the 13 episode series with plans to release the title on DVD in 2011.

Known as “Ōkami-san to Shichinin no Nakama-tach” in its native Japan, the series is animated by Japanese animation studio J.C Staff and directed by Yoshiaki Iwasaki (“Love Hina”, “The Familiar of Zero”). The show features an all star cast including veteran voice actress Shizuka Itou (“xxxHOLiC”, “Blassreiter”) and actress Kanae Itou (“Queen’s Blade”, “Tetsuwan Birdy Decode”).

Based on the light novels released by ASCII in Japan, the anime follows tomboy Ookami Ryouko and her spunky best friend, Akai Ringo. Both work for a special club at their high school that specializes in solving students’ problems, no matter how dangerous. The anime is well known for parodying famous children’s stories including Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood.

FUNimation Entertainment has been tapped for the online simulcast of the 13 episode World War II adventure anime “Strike Witches 2”. Through an agreement with Kadokawa Pictures, Inc. fans can catch new episodes, in addition to already aired episodes of the series through the FUNimation video portal at www.funimation.com/video.

In addition to the simulcast, FUNimation has been awarded home entertainment, digital, broadcast and merchandise rights for the series.

Directed by Kazuhiro Takamura (“Strike Witches”, “Cardcaptor Sakura”), animation for “Strike Witches 2” is done by studio AIC (“Shuffle”, “Heaven’s Lost Property”). The anime continues the adventures of the Strike Witches, the group of young woman fighting to liberate war torn Europe from deadly aliens. With jet pack boots and supernatural powers, it is up to them to take on the powerful Neuroi before they take over the earth and enslave humanity.

FUNimation Entertainment previously released the first series, “Strike Witches”, on DVD in North America earlier this year and will release “Strike Witches 2” on DVD in 2011.

FUNimation Entertainment Acquires Japanese Academy Award Winner SUMMER WARS from NTV

An Anime Family Saves the World in this Film Festival Favorite

Flower Mound, TX – July 30, 2010 – FUNimation® Entertainment today announced that it has acquired the home entertainment, theatrical, broadcast and merchandise rights to the animated sci-fi action film SUMMER WARS from NTV.

Released in August 2009 in Japan by Warner Brothers, SUMMER WARS is produced by Madhouse and directed by Mamoru Hosoda. SUMMER WARS is the second full-length film that Hosoda has made as a freelance director. The first, THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THROUGH TIME, an animated movie in which the teenage heroine discovers that she can travel to the past, received rave reviews from critics and audiences worldwide.

SUMMER WARS reunites many who worked on that film, including scriptwriter Satoko Okudera and character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto.

The SUMMER WARS story begins with Kenji, a timid math prodigy who seems better suited for virtual worlds than his more intimidating high school. When class cutie Natsuki asks Kenji to accompany her on a family trip to celebrate her great-grandmother’s 90th birthday, he instantly agrees, not realizing she intends to present him to her family as her fiance - a ruse that forces Kenji, who hides behind an avatar online, to role-play in the real world as well.

The plot thickens after Kenji solves a math riddle that inadvertently brings a worldwide social networking site to its knees and throws the real world into confusion. Suddenly, this large family in rural Japan must work together to stave off a world crisis.

SUMMER WARS has screened at film festivals worldwide, including the Sitges International Film Festival of Catalonia, the Berlin International Film Festival, the Sydney Film Festival, Locarno Film Festival, the Hawaii International Film Festival, and the New York International Children’s Festival and was nominated for an award at the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Hosoda’s previous offering, THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THROUGH TIME, won the Special Distinction for Feature Films in 2007.

SUMMER WARS also won the prize for Best Animated Film at the 33rd Japanese Academy Awards earlier this year and made an impressive $18.3 million at the Japanese box office.

FUNimation Entertainment will release the film theatrically in 2010 and on DVD and Blu-ray in 2011.

Bandai Ent. Adds My-Otome 0~S.ifr~, Sora Kake Girl

posted on 2010-07-31 22:28 EDT

K-ON! gets dub; My-Otome prequel, The Girl Who Leapt Through Space licensed

The North American anime distributor Bandai Entertainment has announced at its Otakon panel on Saturday that it licensed two series from the anime studio Sunrise: My-Otome 0~S.ifr~ and The Girl Who Leapt Through Space (Sora o Kakeru Shōjo/Sora Kake Girl). Bandai Entertainment also revealed that Bang Zoom! Entertainment will dub the previously licensed K-ON! anime series into English...

22:18:36 <bay|Ota|BEI> we're going to be doing an english language version
22:18:44 <bay|Ota|BEI> we're also PLANNING to do simul dvd and bluray

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SENTAI FILMWORKS ANNOUNCES GHOST SWEEPER MIKAMI TV LICENSE

HOUSTON, Aug 04, 2010—Sentai Filmworks today announced its acquisition of the classic hit anime series, GHOST SWEEPER MIKAMI. Based the on the acclaimed manga by Takashi Shiina, which ran for 8 continuous years in the weekly publication Shonen Sunday, GHOST SWEEPER MIKAMI‘s 45 episodes deftly mix comedy and horror as they detail the madness that ensues when Japan’s overpopulation issues finally begin to impact the resident spirit population and the ghosts have nowhere left to go except to encroach on the land of the living.

If you’ve got a ghost in your neighborhood, and your neighborhood is in Japan, you’d better put in a call to Ghost Sweeper Mikami, where disposing of things that most people don’t even believe exist is their stock in trade. Demon in the woodwork, hopping vampire in the pantry? Don’t worry! No case is too big or too small, since the lovely but avaricious Reiko Mikami will take any case that pays and her loyal but perverted sidekick Tadao will do anything that might let him sneak a peek at Reiko’s magnificent physique. How unfortunate for him that Reiko basically sees him as cannon-fodder, something that’s quite useful when your day to day business involves exorcising oni, yurei, yokai and anything else you might find in The Illustrated Bag of One Hundred Random Ghosts. It’s supernatural sleuthing where the bad guys aren’t wearing masks and the unexplained is both expected and usually lethal in GHOST SWEEPER MIKAMI!


About Sentai Filmworks:

Sentai Filmworks is one of the fastest-growing anime companies in North America, including hit series like Clannad, Gintama, Eyeshield 21 and hit movies like Appleseed. Sentai Filmworks programs can be found on home video distributed by Ingram Entertainment, Baker & Taylor, Section23Films, The Right Stuff and other good and fine distributors. Digital product offerings may be found at iTunes, Netflix, Amazon, Zune Marketplace, Anime Network, Playstation Network and YouTube.

Surprise announcement!

We acquired the anime Ga-Rei-Zero from Kadokawa. The complete series of 12 episodes will be released on DVD and Blu-ray early 2011.

Crunchyroll Adds Shinkai's 5 Centimeters per Second DVD
posted on 2010-08-13 20:36 EDT

1st DVD from streaming site; Bandai Ent. to distribute & Viz Cinema to screen film

Kun Gao, CEO of the Crunchyroll media-distribution website, has announced on this week's ANNCast podcast episode that his company licensed the North American DVD rights to Makoto Shinkai's 5 Centimeters Per Second film. This will be the first DVD release licensed by Crunchyroll. Crunchyroll hopes to ship the new DVD with Bang Zoom! Entertainment's recent English dub in late September or early October.

Byousoku 5 Centimeter - a chain of short stories about their distance. is the second full-length film from the auteur director and writer Makoto Shinkai (Voices of a Distant Star, The Place Promised in Our Early Days, She and Her Cat). The film is split into three individual segments, and it premiered in Japan in 2007. Shinkai is already working on his next anime feature film with most of his 5 Centimeters Per Second staff, and he posted initial imageboard art from the upcoming project in December.

Crunchyroll is handling the production, promotion, and financing of the new DVD release for 5 Centimeters Per Second, while Bandai Entertainment helping to manufacture, package, and distribute the DVD. The Viz Cinema theater in San Francisco's "New People" cultural entertainment center will screen the film on September 14. Crunchyroll had streamed the film along with other Shinkai works to mark Global Shinkai Day on February 28 last year and this year. ADV Films had licensed the film and released a DVD with the company's own dub in 2008.

FUNimation Entertainment Acquires Disgaea

Flower Mound, TX (September 1, 2010) – FUNimation® Entertainment today announced that it has acquired home entertainment, broadcast and digital rights for the fantasy adventure series “Disgaea” from d-rights.

The 12-episode series is directed by Kiyotaka Isako (“Love Hina” and “Utawarerumono”) and based on the popular Disgaea role-playing games developed by Nippon Ichi Software.


About Disgaea

The Netherworld is in chaos since the death of its Overlord. His demon son sets out to claim the throne, accompanied in his adventures by an angel-assassin trainee, and his demon underling who controls an army of minions. Along the way they’ll meet a variety of friends and foes including curvy scientists, healers, samurai and more. When three major powers –demons, angels, and humans—vie for control, obtaining and maintaining the title of Overlord won’t be easy.

FUNimation will release the complete series on DVD in early 2011.

In the meantime, watch the first episode featuring the English voice track now live on www.funimation.com/video

http://twitter.com/MangaUK/status/25446357175

http://twitter.com/MangaUK/status/25402128855

11:30:25 <bay|NYAF|Bandai> Mobile Suit Gundam
11:31:46 <bay|NYAF|Bandai> japanese track with english subtitle will be available
11:31:59 <bay|NYAF|Bandai> Anime legend parts 1 and 2
11:32:04 <bay|NYAF|Bandai> 2 part anime legends release of the 42 ep series
11:32:12 <bay|NYAF|Bandai> first time on dvd with english audio and jap audio/english subtitles
11:32:14 <bay|NYAF|Bandai> coming in 2011

11:33:01 <bay|NYAF|Bandai> Gundam Unicorn licensed for DVD by bandai ent
11:33:06 <bay|NYAF|Bandai> 2 eps per dvd for a total 3 part release
11:33:09 <bay|NYAF|Bandai> $29.98 per vol
11:33:15 <bay|NYAF|Bandai> specs and release date tbd

11:34:07 <bay|NYAF|Bandai> k-on will be relased in spring of 2011
11:34:10 <bay|NYAF|Bandai> dvd and bluray 4 part release
11:34:14 <bay|NYAF|Bandai> regular and limited edition for each release
11:34:39 <bay|NYAF|Bandai> standard srp 29.98, le standard def with cd 39.98, blu-ray 34.98, le blu-ray with cd 44.98
11:34:42 <bay|NYAF|Bandai> tracks tbd on cd

11:36:26 <bay|NYAF|Bandai> Haruhi movie
11:36:30 <bay|NYAF|Bandai> release date spring 2011
11:36:34 <bay|NYAF|Bandai> final specs to be announced

11:38:03 <bay|NYAF|Bandai> we're announcing right now, a new blu-ray...
11:38:14 <bay|NYAF|Bandai> one that has been much asked for... it happens to be a film called tokikake
11:38:19 <bay|NYAF|Bandai> (girl who leapt through time)
11:38:33 <bay|NYAF|Bandai> specs and details tba

11:39:28 <bay|NYAF|Bandai> Gundam 00 the movie
11:39:36 <bay|NYAF|Bandai> will be released with japanese audio and english dub
11:39:38 <bay|NYAF|Bandai> spec and release date tbd

12:40:44 <bay|NYAF|FUNi> summer wars
12:40:49 <bay|NYAF|FUNi> theatrical release december 2010
12:40:53 <bay|NYAF|FUNi> dvd and bluray spring 2011

12:55:37 <bay|NYAF|FUNi> Q: EoTE movies? A; movie 1 spring next year, movie 2 later in the year

12:55:44 <bay|NYAF|FUNi> Q: FLCL update? A: Other than it's coming, no.. wait....
12:55:50 <bay|NYAF|FUNi> spring next year

Cat Sh*t One's U.S. DVD/BD Planned for December
posted on 2010-10-26 06:00 EDT

On YouTube in U.S. next month; other areas planned; stereoscopic 3D version completed

The production company IDA Entertainment has announced at Tokyo's TIFFCOM industry event on Tuesday that it plans to release the Cat Shit One video anime on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in the United States this December. IDA plans to independently distribute this computer-animated title through the online retailer Amazon. The company emphasized its intent to handle international distribution for this video on its own, "which unfortunately means we are currently not interested in collaborating with other television, Internet distribution, DVD, or Blu-ray distribution related companies."

The previously announced stream of the English dub is set to begin in the United States on the website YouTube in November. Will Prescott and Tom Flynn are credited with the English dubbed voices of the characters Packy and Botasky, respectively. (IDA had already announced that it will include the English dub on the Japanese DVD and Blu-ray releases in early December.)...

FUNimation Entertainment Acquires Heaven’s Lost Property Forte

Streaming Begins Friday, October 29

Flower Mound, TX (October 27, 2010) – FUNimation® Entertainment today announced that it has acquired the home entertainment, broadcast, digital and merchandise rights to the second season of the romantic comedy “Heaven’s Lost Property” (“Sora no Otoshimono: Forte”) from Kadokawa.

In addition, the first four episodes of Heaven’s Lost Property Forte will be posted www.funimation.com/video starting Friday, October 29 at 11:30 a.m. CST. Each week a new episode will be added to the site..

Director Hisashi Saito (“Bamboo Blade”) returns to direct the 12-episode second season.

FUNimation Entertainment will release the series on DVD in 2011.