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Mar 11 – Site Update - Posted By Hisaishi
Anime News of the Week (3/4 - 3/10)
FUNimation Cracks Down on Unlicensed Merch
Anime distributor FUNimation has filed suit against convention head Miller Isaiah Timmons regarding counterfeit merchandise sold at Denver convention Animeland Wasabi. Timmons has been in trouble before, receiving infringement notices from Florida convention WasabiCon in 2011 and 2012 for name similarities. FUNimation is currently collecting eyewitness accounts from con goers who attended from 2011 to 2013. Link
This Tail Has a Happy Ending
Last week, we told you that the Fairy Tail anime would be ending later this month. In response, creator Hiro Mashima commented in the latest manga volume that the show will return as re-runs in April. He also promised "good news" some day and ended his comment in English: "Anime is not the end. Don't stop believing." Link
Wolf Children Snatches Academy Prize
Mamoru Hosoda’s highly acclaimed film Wolf Children has won the Japan Academy Award for Best Animated Film. Its competition included the latest One Piece and Neon Genesis Evangelion films. This is Hosoda’s third win in the category, previously honored for Summer Wars and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. Actor Hiroshi Abe also took home the Best Actor prize for his role as Lucius from the manga adapted film Thermae Romae. Link
You’re Invited to Toonami’s Birthday Party
Get ready to feel old. On Saturday, Toonami turns 16, which signals big changes around the corner. Voice actor Steve Blum confirmed at Momocon the return of One Piece at year’s end and the network premiere of Evangelion 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone next Saturday. In addition, the fifth incarnation of TOM, a redesign of the Absolution cruiser, the return of Sara, and an online comic series are all slated to see the light. Link
Wired.com's From Up On Poppy Hill Exclusive
Wired.com has earned the rights to premiere a clip from Studio Ghibli's newest film From Up On Poppy Hill. The scene depicts sisters Umi and Sora as they go in search of the school's newspaper editor in a ramshackle building called the Latin Club. The films premieres stateside March 15. Link
Miss Japan 2013 is Aspiring Manga Artist
Several magazines interviewed Yukimi Matsuo, the winner of the Miss Japan contest. Interesting facts: (1) Her dream job is to create four-panel manga. (2) Her motivation was a lack of physicality and lackluster grades in school. (3) Her relatives would always compliment her illustrations, causing her to focus and hone her skills. (4) Her role models are voice actresses Ai Yazawa and Moyoco Anno. (5) Her ideal boyfriend is Leorio Paladinight from Hunter x Hunter.
The Sands of the Apocalypse Beckon Once More
Desert Punk, which last saw the light of day in 2010, is back with new manga chapters. Masatoshi Usune’s manga first premiered in 1997, and has gone on hiatus on several different occasions. The manga tells a post-apocalyptic story in which the Kanto region has been reduced to a desert. Link
Time to Capture the Checkered Flag
Racing manga, Initial D, will come to an end at an unnamed date. The manga first premiered in 1995 and follows Takumi Fujiwara, a high school student with a natural talent for driving, which leads him to take part in illegal races in the circuit of Japan’s highways. The manga has led to a franchise including several anime and OVAs, a highly praised live action film, and a line of video games. Link
The Man Who Gave Miku a Voice
Many people don’t know the name Eiji Hirasawa, even though he first put words into the mouth of Hatsune Miku. Hirasawa, normally a magazine writer, was hired to write a demo song in 2007 after writing an article regarding the MEIKO program. The song was “Hoshi no kakera.” In a recent interview, he looks back on how he wrote the song and the surreal honor that comes as being Miku’s first songwriter.
RIP Toren Smith
Famed anime translator Toren V. Smith has passed away. Smith had a hand behind the American anime scene since 1986 when he first organized a con room at California’s BayCon. Claims to fame include translating The Legend of Kamui, one of the first English manga; founding Studio Proteus, which translated Akira, Astro Boy, Ghost in the Shell, and Lone Wolf and Cub; hand translating roughly 23,000 pages of manga; and co-founding AnimeCon, renamed Anime Expo, with Gainax co-founder Toshio Okada. Link
Anime Releases
- Bodacious Space Pirates - Collection 2 DVD/Blu-Ray (English)
- Pokémon Black and White Season 3 DVD (English)
- Ruroni Kenshin: New Kyoto Arc DVD/Blu-Ray (English)
- Shakugan no Shana Season II - Part 1 DVD (UK Release)
- Natsume's Book of Friends - Season 3 Premium Edition (Japanese)
Manga Releases
- Alice in the Country of Clover Volume 4
- Bakuman Volume 18
- Barrage Volume 1
- Battle Angel Alita: Last Order Omnibus Volume 1
- Demon Love Spell Volume 2
- Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden Volume 11
- Mayo Chiki! Volume 2
- One Piece Volume 66
- Oresama Teacher Volume 13
- Paradise Kiss - Part 3 Volume 3
- Pokémon the Movie: Kyurem vs. The Sword of Justice
- Psyren Volume 9
- Rosario + Vampire Season II Volume 11
- Skip Beat! Omnibus Volume 4
- Strobe Edge Volume 3
- The Story of Saiunkoku Volume 9
- Trigun: Multiple Bullets
- Vampire Knight Volume 16
