Anime Review Roundup
It's (Not) Grim Up North: Part 1
There was another anime gathering this weekend just past, Amecon at Keele University. It was another chance for the great and the good to get together and celebrate the best of this particular entertainment medium. And as usual, some of the industry bigwigs gathered to meet and greet the fans, as well as make a few announcements. UK Anime.Net has the rundown on the Industry Panel that took place, which had MVM and Beez attending.
It was also the chance for Beez to get a few licence announcements out into the aether. And anime fans have the following to look forward to…
The Girl Who Leapt Through Space
Lucky Star
Sora no woto
Outlaw Star
Outlaw Star was more a confirmation than an announcement, as Beez are bringing the vintage series, along with the Big O straight to their Anime Legends line, while the announcement of Lucky Star probably engendered a 'What took you so long?' from most eager anticipating anime fans. The Girl Who Leapt Through Space and Soranowoto will be news to most people though. Click the link to read more information, as well as learn more about the forthcoming Durarara!! release.
Note that MVM also mentioned that the licence on Chobits has expired, so if you are looking to complete your fembot collections, it's now or never (although Funimation now have the rights in the US, so expect a Blu-ray upscale from them eventually).
It's (Not) Grim Up North: Part 2
Scotland Loves Anime! No really it does, and if you are north of the border come October time, you'll be able to take advantage of a rather cushy looking film festival, complete with the sort of exclusives and premieres that will cause much salivation.
Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee will be the venues for films like Trigun: Badlands Rumble, One Piece Strong World, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, Evangelion 2.0, Summer Wars, Redline, Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva, and Cowboy Bebop the Movie.
Go to Otaku News for more on venues, booking details and dates and times.
Crunchyroll Releasing DVDs?
It appears a new player is dipping its toe into the world of permanent media when it comes to anime. Till now, Crunchyroll has been best known as the bad boy turned good, the portal for legal anime streaming, bringing anime legitimately to fans with just the aid of a broadband connection and a device to view it on.
But last week, following a rather pointed question in a Premium Member survey, Cruchyroll announced that they will be distributing Makoto Shinkai's 5 Centimeters Per Second in the US… on DVD. Previously, and briefly released by ADV, Crunchyroll obtained the streaming licence for its Shinkai Days, both this year and last, and also commissioned a new dub for the film. Now that new dub will be heard on the bright and shiny disc format. Crunchyroll will be producing, and Bandai will be distributing…
Given the number of shows that Crunchyroll stream that have not been picked up for US distribution, this could conceivably herald the arrival of a major new player in the anime DVD market, and I for one would love to see shows like Natsu no Arashi and Hyakko on DVD. More news on ANN.
It's a quiet week for anime releases this week, so I took the opportunity to delve into the back catalogue, looking at a couple of titles which I missed the first time around. Of course I did watch and review The Girl Who Leapt Through Time when it was released, but a cut down DVD screener did much to diminish my appreciation of the film, reducing it in my estimation from the 'Best thing since sliced bread' to the 'Second best thing since sliced bread'. This winter just past, Manga released the two-disc special edition. Previously it was just an HMV exclusive, and I got to re-watch the film in DVD clarity and with a Japanese soundtrack. I then also got to look at some extra features. I could grow to enjoy this reviewing lark. See what I thought of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time: 2-Disc Collector's Edition by clicking the link.
It was back to the future world of Cold War espionage and cybernetic secret agents next, as I embraced 009-1: Volume 3 to my heart. It's short, it's sweet, and it may not have enough room to adequately develop its ideas, but this retro-futuristic spy-thriller gets a conclusion worthy of any James Bond movie. Besides, it has as its protagonist a female spy with machine gun boobies. You can't go wrong with a combination like that. Click on the review to read more.
Manga Entertainment released The Girl Who Leapt Through Time: 2-Disc Collector's Edition at the start of this year, while ADV released 009-1: Volume 3 in the US back in 2007, when they still existed.
There was another anime gathering this weekend just past, Amecon at Keele University. It was another chance for the great and the good to get together and celebrate the best of this particular entertainment medium. And as usual, some of the industry bigwigs gathered to meet and greet the fans, as well as make a few announcements. UK Anime.Net has the rundown on the Industry Panel that took place, which had MVM and Beez attending.
It was also the chance for Beez to get a few licence announcements out into the aether. And anime fans have the following to look forward to…
The Girl Who Leapt Through Space
Lucky Star
Sora no woto
Outlaw Star
Outlaw Star was more a confirmation than an announcement, as Beez are bringing the vintage series, along with the Big O straight to their Anime Legends line, while the announcement of Lucky Star probably engendered a 'What took you so long?' from most eager anticipating anime fans. The Girl Who Leapt Through Space and Soranowoto will be news to most people though. Click the link to read more information, as well as learn more about the forthcoming Durarara!! release.
Note that MVM also mentioned that the licence on Chobits has expired, so if you are looking to complete your fembot collections, it's now or never (although Funimation now have the rights in the US, so expect a Blu-ray upscale from them eventually).
It's (Not) Grim Up North: Part 2
Scotland Loves Anime! No really it does, and if you are north of the border come October time, you'll be able to take advantage of a rather cushy looking film festival, complete with the sort of exclusives and premieres that will cause much salivation.
Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee will be the venues for films like Trigun: Badlands Rumble, One Piece Strong World, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, Evangelion 2.0, Summer Wars, Redline, Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva, and Cowboy Bebop the Movie.
Go to Otaku News for more on venues, booking details and dates and times.
Crunchyroll Releasing DVDs?
It appears a new player is dipping its toe into the world of permanent media when it comes to anime. Till now, Crunchyroll has been best known as the bad boy turned good, the portal for legal anime streaming, bringing anime legitimately to fans with just the aid of a broadband connection and a device to view it on.
But last week, following a rather pointed question in a Premium Member survey, Cruchyroll announced that they will be distributing Makoto Shinkai's 5 Centimeters Per Second in the US… on DVD. Previously, and briefly released by ADV, Crunchyroll obtained the streaming licence for its Shinkai Days, both this year and last, and also commissioned a new dub for the film. Now that new dub will be heard on the bright and shiny disc format. Crunchyroll will be producing, and Bandai will be distributing…
Given the number of shows that Crunchyroll stream that have not been picked up for US distribution, this could conceivably herald the arrival of a major new player in the anime DVD market, and I for one would love to see shows like Natsu no Arashi and Hyakko on DVD. More news on ANN.
Manga Entertainment released The Girl Who Leapt Through Time: 2-Disc Collector's Edition at the start of this year, while ADV released 009-1: Volume 3 in the US back in 2007, when they still existed.
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