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Aug 05 – Site Update - Posted By Hisaishi
Anime News of the Week (7/29 - 8/4)
Doraemon Makes Landfall
For the first time in history, this fall, the Doraemon manga will be available in English. For forty-six years, Doraemon has stood as an icon of Japan, becoming one of the nation’s most beloved characters. This is a full-color, digital-only release. No paperback plans yet. Link
The Word of Destruction Sets World Record
During a recent airing on NTV and Niconico, viewers of Hayao Miyazaki’s Castle in the Sky pummeled the world record for most tweets per second. At the film’s climax, Twitter users from around the globe tweeted the word "balse," achieving a peak of 143,199 tweets per second. "Balse" is a spell that the main characters yell to conclude the film. Japanese New Year’s celebrants, with a peak of 33,388 TPS, held the previous record. Link
The Doctor Is In
Thanks to the crowdfunding efforts of the website Anime Sols, there will be a physical re-release of the 2005 anime incarnation of Osamu Tezuka's medical drama manga Black Jack. Coincidentally, this year marks the 40th anniversary of the original manga. The 61 episode series joins Osamu Kobayashi's Creamy Mami, which will also enjoy a physical re-release thanks to Anime Sols. Link
The Masters At Work
Help Kazuo Koike (Lone Wolf and Cub), Yoshitaka Amano (Vampire Hunter D), and Masao Maruyama (Trigun) create an original story in Wikia's collaborative event. Link
Girls und Panzer English Trailer Streamed
Distributor Sentai Filmworks uploaded the English trailer for 2012’s anime Girls und Panzer. Directed by Tsutomu Mizushima (Genshiken, xxxHolic, Big Windup!), the anime follows Miho Nishizumi, a master in the sport of tank warfare who is forced to join the tanker team at her new school despite a disgraced past. No English cast has been released.
Blue Exorcist: The Movie English Trailer Streamed
Aniplex began streaming the trailer for Blue Exorcist: The Movie. The original cast returns to do battle with an adolescent demon that seeks to eliminate the memories of sadness that all humans experience. The movie arrives in theaters August 17.
Little Witch Academia 2 Stretch Goal Met
Kickstarter met the goal set by Studio Trigger to fund the second episode of Little Witch Acdemia, originally created for Anime Mirai 2013. The stretch goal bought fans audio commentary and a line art book, along with 35 minutes of film. At the time of writing, the project has earned $537,908, making it the most expensive crowdsourced anime of all time. Link
Anime Mirai 2012 Wins Korean Animation Award
In other Anime Mirai news, while the world still buzzes from Anime Mirai 2013, the previous installment has won the Grand Prize at the 17th Seoul International Cartoon & Animation Festival. The collective work of Answer Studio, Shirogumi, Production I.G., and Telecom Animation Film, it is the second project in the series and the first to win the Grand Prize award. LInk
Kickheart Captures First Title
In other award news, Masaaki Yuasa’s and Production I.G.’s Kickheart won its first international award, the Original Design Award, at NYC’s Animation Block Party. The festival hosts animation throughout the world from professional to student levels. The Best in Show Award went to Kris Genijn’s History of Pets of The Netherlands. Link
Toonami (Can) Air Viewing
On August 31, programming block Toonami will air Evangelion 2.22: You (Can) Not Advance. In addition, they promised “a little goodie” during the viewing. Alongside this announcement is the promised return of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which is to replace Eureka 7 after the series finale. Link
Ninja of the Leaf Seen in Rice
For 1,300 years, the Mimasaka region of Japan has been one of the staples of rice production for the world. It's also the birthplace of Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto. So it's fitting that the town celebrated its anniversary with some Naruto-related rice art. Link
RIP Tohru Hirayama
Producer Tohru Hirayama, formerly of Toei Animation, passed away from heart failure on Wednesday. He was 84 at the time. Hirayama is best known for his work in the sentai genre, specifically with the Kamen Rider franchise through 1971-1980. In 1975, he served as the original creator of Kamen Rider Stronger and Kamen Rider Stronger: The Movie. LInk
Anime Releases
* Due to a scheduling error, the anime that were listed for Anime News of the Week of 7/15-7/21 are meant for this week. The titles for this week are listed here. The releases for the week of 7/15 - 7/21 are as followed:
- Naruto Shippūden Box 15 DVD (English)
- Patlabor: The Mobile Police TV Series - Collection 1 DVD/Blu-Ray (English)
- Special A - Complete Collection DVD (English)
- Steins;Gate Part 1 DVD/Blu-Ray (UK Release)
- Chihayafuru Part 1 DVD (Japanese)
- Lovely Complex - The Complete Series (Japanese)
Manga Releases
- Alice the 101st Volume 13
- Fairy Tail Volume 28
- Highschool of the Dead - Full Color Edition [Omnibus] Volume 2
- Kingdom Hearts II Volume 1
- Moon and Blood Volume 4
- The Twin Knights [Special Re-Release] Volume 1
- Ze Volume 7
