ADV Awaits Restoration of Power after Hurricane Ike
ADV Films Senior Vice-President of Sales Mike Bailiff has updated the Paradox Entertainment Group on his anime distribution company's progress after Hurricane Ike swept through Texas. ADV's Houston headquarters is still without power, but the staffers plan to go back to work on Monday. Hurricane Ike made landfall just southeast of Houston last Saturday, and much of the Houston/Galveston metropolitan area has remained without electricity since then.
Manga Back on USA Today Booklist
After a rare four-week period during which no manga had been included on the USA Today newspaper's list of the top 150 bestselling books, the list marked its second week with three Japanese graphic novel titles.
Over the seven days from September 8 to September 14, volume 31 of Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto (Viz Media) ranked at #34, down from its opening week's #24 position. This volume had the best-ever debut for a manga. Matsuri Hino's Vampire Knight, also published by Viz, remains a relatively rare shōjo bestseller. Its volume 5, coming five months after the preceding book in the series, held the #133 spot. In the previous week, it had been in the #100 position. The last of latest chart's three best-selling manga was volume 19 of Ken Akamatsu's Negima (Del Rey). It registered at #142 in its debut week.
Iwakaze Capital's Takeover of Gonzo Parent Proceeds
Japanese investment company Iwakaze Capital KK finalized its bid to become the majority owner of GDH, the parent company of the Gonzo anime production studio. Last week, Iwakaze made a significant investment in GDH by buying 1.9 billion yen (about US$18 million) in newly-issued shares. It is also increasing its stake in GDH to a controlling interest by paying 8,000 yen (US$74.65) per share to purchase 13,189 shares, or 15% of the current outstanding total. The acquisition is expected to be complete by October 10.
Manga Entertainment Anime Hosted on Jaman VOD Service
Manga Entertainment has signed an agreement to distribute many of its anime films and episodes digitally through Jaman, an online service which focuses in foreign and independent works. Manga's Ghost in the Shell, Black Jack The Movie, Read or Die, Kai Doh Maru, Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, and episodes of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Noein, and Robotech are all already available for high-definition download at Jaman.com. The titles are priced at US$2.99 per movie or US$1.99 per episode. Additional anime from Manga's catalog are being added to the service. Once downloaded, files can be watched for seven days with the proprietary Jaman Player software, and new users who register on the site will get two free rentals.
