Funimation Clarifies Status of Negima, Romeo × Juliet
Negima OVAs' license confirmed; Romeo X Juliet still unlicensed for N. America
The North American distributor Funimation has clarified with ANN the licensing status of Mahou Sensei Negima! OVA Haru (pictured at right), Mahou Sensei Negima! OVA Natsu, and Romeo × Juliet anime titles. The company has confirmed that it does have the North American rights to both of the Negima videos. These videos recount side stories with the magic students of Mahora Academy's Class 2-A. Funimation also confirmed that the Romeo × Juliet television re-imagining from the Gonzo anime studio still "has not yet been licensed to a local distributor in North America." The issues regarding these titles' licensing were raised in an earlier ANN news piece. Funimation reaffirmed that Gonzo asked Funimation to monitor and take action against unauthorized distribution of Gonzo's titles as part of their longstanding relationship.
Vampire Knight Anime's Promo Video Posted Online
The official Japanese website for the Vampire Knight anime series has posted a pre-broadcast promotional video on March 22. The video showcases the character designs, but no actual animation footage. The anime adapts Matsuri Hino's original manga about Cross Academy, a school where the student body is divided into the "regular" Day Class and the "elite" Night Class. Yuki Cross, the adopted daughter of the headmaster, is one of the few people in the entire school who knows that the Night Class students are vampires. Viz Media has been publishing the manga in North America since last year, and the anime premieres in Japan's TV Tokyo broadcasting station on April 7.
Click here to watch the promo video.
Fullmetal Alchemist Manga: Over 30 Million Served
The promotional sleeve wrapper on the 19th volume of Hiromu Arakawa's Fullmetal Alchemist manga announced that the series has sold over 30 million copies in Japan. Arakawa began drawing the "dark fantasy" manga in Square Enix's Monthly Shonen Gangan magazine in 2001, and Viz Media has been publishing the manga in North America.
Front cover of Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 19
