Spring is almost over and now its time for summer. Summer brings to anime series so here is the Summer 2008 Anime Preview. (Some of these do not have synopsizes yet but the ones that do I have marked with an *).
Ikkitousen Great Guardians-Starts airing on 6-11-2008.
*Telepathy Shōjo Ran-Starts Airing on 6-21-2008.
Zero no Tsukaima: Princesses no Rondo-Starts airing 7-2008.
Sekrei-Starts airing 7-2008.
Ryoko's Case Files-Starts airing 7-2008.
Mahō Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto: Natsu no Sora-Starts airing 7-2008.
Koihime†Musō-Starts airing 7-2008.
Ultraviolet: Code 044-Starts airing on 7-01-2008.
Slayers Revolution-Starts airing on 7-02-2008.
Strike Witches-Starts airing on 7-03-2008.
Hidamari Sketch × 365-Starts airing on 7-03-2008.
Antique Bakery-Starts airing on 7-03-2008.
Birdy the Mighty Decode-Starts airing on 7-05-2008.
*Natsume Yūjin-Chō-Starts airing on 7-07-2008.
Mission-E-Starts airing on 7-10-2008.
*Blade of the Immortal-Starts airing on 7-13-2008.
School Rumble Sangakki-OAV-Starts on 7-17-2008.
Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea-Movie-Starts showing in Japanese theaters on 7-19-2008.
Mahō Sensei Negima! ~Shiroki Tsubasa Ala Alba-OAV-Starts 8-2008.
Well that is all of this preview, I am also sorry if I missed some series (I know I missed a couple).
Enjoy ![](http://www.theotaku.com/global/images/icons/male-smile.gif)
It's been hinted at, but now it's finally for-sure: Tite Kubo is coming to Comic-Con.
Viz first made hints for the event using a banner campaign (i.e.: "Kubo is coming" along with the signature red, white and blue stripe scheme). Kubo will make opening statements at a theatrical screening of Bleach the Movie: Memories of a Nobody on July 25th in San Deigo and the next day will be at two, 100-limit autograph sessions and a Comic Con panel.
Source
Anime News Network
*slow news week MAX*
At its Anime Central industry panel on Saturday evening, FUNimation Entertainment announced its acquisition of Romeo X Juliet, Gonzo's 24-episode science-fiction take on the William Shakespeare play. It will be released in two half-season boxes, with the first due out sometime in the spring of 2009. Funimation also confirmed that the release date for Ouran High School Host Club will be revealed during a special event on May 30.
At the same time as the panel was taking place, the Funimation.com website was updated with a splash page for another new license: D.Gray-man, which is also on track for a 2009 release.
![](http://media-worlds.theotaku.com/742-511878-20080520092310.jpg)
D.Gray Man
Source
ANN
From what I have seen on the anime sites, Funimation has only acquired the first 51 episodes of D.Gray Man. On the fansubber end of the story, Shinsen-subs completely dropped it.
As for Romeo x Juliet, I hope its real this time.
A Belarusian chocolate waffle called "Yulechka" from the company MINSKHLEBPROM has been found with an eerily familiar mascot for anime fans.
![](http://media-worlds.theotaku.com/742-9926-20080520084759.jpg)
Nicknames like "Haruhinov," "Haruhichov," "Haruhikov Dekovitch," and "Haruhinikov Uchūjinsky" have already appeared online in Japan, probably in a fit of retaliation.
Sources
Anime News Network
New Akiba for the image (not linking 'cause it's a scary place)
Funimation is licensing anime like mad. Their next adoption comes in the form of the anime named Soukou No Strain. The 13-episode military robot anime series will ship in English in March of 2009.
Director Tetsuya Watanabe (Rumbling Hearts, Zone of the Enders) and Studio Fantasia (Rumbling Hearts, Stratos 4) animated this series which aired in Japan from November of 2006 to February of 2007. The series loosely adapts Frances Hogson Burnett's A Little Princess novel about a rich daughter named Sarah Crewe who suddenly loses her father and her family fortune and must work as a common servant. The anime resets the plot in space in the distant future. It centers around a 16-year-old girl named Sarah Werec who loses her military status when her brother seemingly becomes a traitor to her government. Sarah struggles back up the ranks as a common pilot in hopes of confronting her brother.
Source
ANN
Clannad Malware Creator Gets Two Years in Prison
On Friday, the Kyoto District Court found Masato Nakatsuji guilty of hiding a malicious program within Clannad anime images on the Winny file-sharing network and sentenced him to two years in prison along with a three-year suspended sentence. Since there is no law in Japan against the creation of malware ("Trojan horses," viruses, and other malicious computer software), the 24-year-old former Osaka Electro-Communication University graduate student was actually charged with violating Clannad's copyrights and defaming another student. Nakatsuji admitted that he had also distributed his program with pictures of the other student to mislead the authorities.
Two years was the length of prison time for which the prosecutors had asked, while the defense has asked for a suspended sentence only. This was the first criminal prosecution of an alleged malware creator in Japan.
A 39-year-old man named Shōji Sakai was arrested on the same day in January as Nakatsuji was. Unlike Nakatsuji though, Sakai was not involved with the creation of the malware. Instead, Sakai was charged with uploading about 5,700 episodes from about 230 titles, including Idolmaster Xenoglossia, Mobile Suit Gundam 00, and Kimikiss pure rouge, and sentenced to one year in prison (with a three-year suspended sentence) in April.
Source
ANN
I just had to throw this one in also
A Major Blow to 4Kids
4Kids Entertainment, the American licensing company whose current anime properties include Yu-Gi-Oh! and Dinosaur King, announced its financial results for the quarter ending March 31, 2008. During the first three months of the year, 4Kids posted revenues of US$15.0 million, but a net loss of US$6.4 million.
According to 4Kids Chairman and CEO Alfred R. Kahn, much of the loss was caused by expenses surrounding the launch of 4Kids' Chaotic trading card game. The market for auction rate securities, of which 4Kids maintains a portfolio, also declined. The third reason Kahn cited was the "decreased licensing revenues from some of our more established properties.”
Source
ANN
4Kids isn't dead yet? *beats them with a baseball bat*