Death Note Special 2
The Japanese broadcaster NTV has announced that it will air the Death Note Rewrite 2: L o Tsugu Mono (Death Note: Rewrite 2: L's Successors) special on August 22. Like the first special, this new compilation will summarize a part of the 2006-2007 television anime series. Specifically, it will recount the final half of the supernatural suspense story, including the investigators Near and Mello's confrontations with the vigilante Kira. For those who have not seen the first special (Death Note Rewrite: Genshi Suru Kami) last August or the television series, the genius detective character L and his assistant Watari will provide exposition of the story leading up the second special.
Live-Action Cowboy Bebop Film
The IFMagazine.com entertainment website reports that film producer Erwin Stoff (The Matrix, A Scanner Darkly) is developing a live-action adaptation of Sunrise's Cowboy Bebop multi-genre action anime series for Fox. Stoff told the website that the project is "in the really early stages" since the parties "just signed it the other day." Shinichiro Watanabe's original anime follows the motley crew of the spaceship Bebop as it travels throughout the solar system in search of the next job. Stoff promised "a real degree of faithfulness," and added, “When I met with them in Japan, one of the first things that I brought up was the experience that we had on A Scanner Darkly, and how hard we worked to remain faithful to Philip K. Dick, and that was our big concern here.”
Pikachurin??
Researchers led by Takahisa Furukawa, M.D. & Ph.D. of Japan's Osaka Bioscience Institute have named a protein that they discovered after the Pikachu character from Nintendo's Pokémon game and anime franchise. The "Pikachurin" protein plays a role in the efficient transmission of kinetic vision information from the eyes to the brain, so the researchers named the protein after the Pokémon character known for its fast moves. The researchers expect that the discovery will help advance the treatments for retinitis pigmentosa, a major hereditary cause of blindness.
Japanese Villages Dying
It’s not science fiction. UK newspaper The Times reports that 62,000 communities throughout Japan are in danger of becoming extinct because their populations are mostly or entirely elderly citizens. As a result of Japan’s low birth rate (a majority of contemporary Japanese women are uninterested in motherhood, and according to the 2007-2008 Durex Sexual Wellbeing Global Survey, Japan has the world’s lowest rate of sexual activity) and young Japanese citizens migrating to metropolitan areas, small towns and villages in rural Japan are literally dying because they have no young residents.
Sources:
Anime News Network
AnimeNation Blog
Okies, well the chat function on this site to me was a huge success. We all got to know each other a little more and we made some new friends and I now have a place of refuge, 
It was certainly nice to finally get to chat with everyone. Thanks Adam for this unique feature.
Now on to the news and there is TONS of it.
Third Black Lagoon Anime Project Confirmed
The wraparound jacket band on Gen Urobuchi's novel adaptation of Rei Hiroe's Black Lagoon adventure manga has confirmed that a third anime project has been green-lit for production. The story revolves around a typical Japanese businessman who gets caught up in the escapades of modern-day pirate mercenaries off the Asian shores. Geneon Entertainment released part of the Black Lagoon anime in North America, but Funimation has since agreed to take over distribution of the anime. Funimation has confirmed that it will reissue the first anime series and start the DVD release of the Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage series on August 19.
Source
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-07-16/third-black-lagoon-anime-project-confirmed
Simpsons Halloween Comic to Feature Death Note Parody
Nina Matsumoto, the Canadian artist whose Internet popularity jumped after she posted an anime-inspired drawing of The Simpsons cast, is drawing a Simpsons parody of the Death Note manga for this year's Halloween issue of Bongo Comics' The Simpsons comic series. She happened to have posted a combination of The Simpsons and Death Note (pictured at right) online in January of 2007. She is also drawing the Yōkaiden title for Del Rey and drew a Simpsons comic short that paid homage to anime in Bongo Comics' Free Comic Book Day issue this year.
Source
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-07-17/simpsons-halloween-comic-to-feature-death-note-parody
Gotham Knight Ranks as Last Week's #1 DVD, #2 Blu-ray
The Hollywood Reporter trade paper notes that the Japanese-animated Batman: Gotham Knight video was the #1 DVD in American sales for the week ending on July 13. #2 was the live-action Batman Begins film to which the Gotham Knight video serves as a loose continuation. Gotham Knight was also the #2 Blu-ray Disc release for the same week. It was only topped in the Blu-ray Disc rankings by Batman Begins.
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-07-17/gotham-knight-ranks-as-last-week-no.1-dvd-no.2-blu-ray
Right Stuf Streams Aria Anime Trailer
Nozomi Entertainment, the anime production arm of Right Stuf, Inc., has announced that it has posted its trailer for the Aria the Animation series. (In the linked page, point towards the "nav" icon on the lefthand side to reveal the Trailer menu option.) The anime adapts Kozue Amano's acclaimed future slice-of-life manga about Akari, a girl training to be a gondolier on a canal-linked planet. Director Junichi Sato (Princess Tutu, Kaleido Star, Sailor Moon/Sailor Moon R) and the studio Hal Film Maker (Boys Be..., Pretear, Slayers Premium, Sketchbook ~full color'S~) animated four different Aria projects. Both the Aria manga and anime storylines ended this past spring in Japan.
Right Stuf will ship the first box set of 13 episodes from Aria the Animation on September 30, and the set's DVDs will include Japanese audio and English subtitles. Tokyopop is publishing the 12 volumes of the manga after picking up the license from Mag Garden, who serialized the manga in Monthly Comic Blade magazine. ADV Manga had initially carried part of the manga, but discontinued it.
Source
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-07-16/right-stuf-streams-aria-anime-trailer
Tsubasa Manga to Bundle New Anime DVD Next February
Kodansha has launched a website that announced that, in addition to the XXXHOLiC original animation DVD that was revealed on Tuesday, the 26th volume of CLAMP's Tsubasa manga will include a Tsubasa anime DVD. As previously reported, the new joint anime project will feature CLAMP's writer Nanase Ohkawa (now listed as Ageha Ohkawa outside anime), directors Shunsuke Tada (Tsubasa Tokyo Revelations) and Tsutomu Mizushima (XXXHOLiC, xxxHOLiC: Kei, xxxHOLiC the Movie: A Midsummer Night's Dream), and the animators at Production I.G. The website reports that Mizushima will direct the project's XXXHOLiC half, which will run about 25 minutes long when it ships on January 16. The Tsubasa half will ship in February.
The Tsubasa manga tells a parallel-world fantasy adventure with alternate versions of characters from many of CLAMP's other creations. The manga is known in particular for its crossovers with XXXHOLiC. Tsubasa has already been adapted into Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE The Movie: Princess of the Birdcage Kingdom and the Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE television series. Kodansha also published CLAMP's Tsubasa manga with the bundled three-DVD Tsubasa Tokyo Revelations anime between last November and this past March. Del Rey will ship the 18th volume of Tsubasa in North America next
Source
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-07-17/tsubasa-manga-to-bundle-new-anime-dvd-next-february
ADV Voice Actor Mike Kleinhenz Passes Away
ADV Films' dialogue director Kyle Jones has confirmed on the AnimeOnDVD forums that veteran voice actor Mike Kleinhenz died on July 11 of a heart attack. He was 56. Kleinhenz played Kalinin in all four versions of the Full Metal Panic! anime. He also played The Raven in Princess Tutu, Friday Monday in Madlax, Kabapu in Excel Saga, and dozens of other roles.
Source
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-07-17/adv-voice-actor-mike-kleinhenz-passes-away
ADV Films to Reissue Battle Angel Anime on DVD
The AnimeNation retail website reports that ADV Films will reissue the Battle Angel video series on DVD in North America. This anime adaptation of Yukito Kishiro's Battle Angel Alita (GUNNM) science fiction action manga was first released in 1999. The DVD reissue will be limited to 10,000 copies.
When ADV Films co-founder Matt Greenfield was asked about Battle Angel's future availability at Nan Desu Kan 2003 and other conventions, he indicated that the property was tied up with James Cameron's purchase of the live action movie rights. The Hollywood Reporter trade paper reported this past May that Cameron wants to work on a biographical picture called The Dive, and not on Battle Angel, after his current Avatar film. Cameron has not publicly discussed his Battle Angel plans since June of 2006.
Source
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-07-18/adv-films-to-reissue-battle-angel-anime-on-dvd
Haruhi CD Stays on Japanese Singles Chart for 100th Week
The Oricon marketing survey group has published the latest weekly top-200 chart for Japanese CD singles, and the Suzumiya Haruhi no Tsumeawase CD has appeared on the chart for a record 100th week. It is the first CD single sung by voice actors or actresses to have stayed on the chart so long. The CD contains Aya Hirano's "God knows…" and "Lost my music" songs as well as Yuko Goto's "Koi no Mikuru Densetsu" from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya comedy anime series. After it was released on June 21, 2006, the single ranked as high as #5 on the weekly chart, #15 on the monthly chart, and #106 on the yearly chart. On the most recent chart, it jumped from #185 to #167, and has now sold 136,000 copies since its debut.
"Hare Hare Yukai," the single made famous by the ending animation's dance routine in the anime, also rose from #166 to #156 in the latest weekly chart. It has sold 123,000 copies since its May 22, 2006 debut, and has appeared on the weekly top-200 singles chart 86 times.
Source
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-07-17/haruhi-cd-stays-on-japanese-singles-chart-for-100th-week
Sony announced this morning that tonight the PlayStation 3 will be offering downloads of television shows and movies from Sony, Lionsgate, Disney, Paramount, Turner, Funimation, and more. Here's how the pricing will break down:
* Standard and Hi Def TV shows will run you $1.99.
* Movie rentals will cost from $2.99 to $5.99
* It will cost up to $14.99 to own a movie for good.
Apparently it will take about an hour to download a movie (depending on your connection, of course.) in standard definition. You can stream, movies and shows though, at least in standard def. As for high def downloading.
Source
http://e3.g4tv.com/e32008/blog/post/687074/PlayStation_Movie_Rentals_Live_Tonight.html
Thank you Xaos for the news.
The North American distributor ADV Films has corrected its update last week to its out-of-print title list. ADV Films added Best Student Council to the out-of-print list, but the company now reports that this was an mistake. Best Student Council volumes 1-6 are still available as single DVDs. In addition, ADV Films will ship the Best Student Council Complete Collection on November 11. Single DVDs and most box sets of Robotech still remain on ADV Films' out-of-print title list, but the Robotech Protoculture Collection with 85 episodes is still available.
ADV Films has not changed the out-of-print status of 5 Centimeters Per Second or Innocent Venus, the other two titles listed in last week's update.
Source
ANN
In my rather futile, less-than-through effort to see where the AniPulse gang are recruiting reporters, I stumbled across this little snippet.
Mythwear, an anime apparel company, is offically closing down. This news comes from a message posted on their website from the founder, Jean-Binh Valente. Partly due to his own failing health and another being the bankruptcy of the Musicland group of companies that owed them a substantial amount of money, they are now gone for good. After the company's webiste went down in late 2007, distributor Right Stuf declared they would no longer carry Mythwear products. Nozomi Entertainment (the anime licensing division of Right Stuf) has also expressed interest in withdrawing merchandising rights from Mythwear.
Shows such as Fullmetal Alchemist, Gravitation, Hellsing and Di Gi Charat have merchandise under the Mythwear name.
