During this past weekend’s Katsucon convention, FUNimation formally announced its acquisition of domestic distribution rights to the 2010 Level E sci-fi/comedy television series and Sengoku Basara: The Last Party motion picture. Level E is a 13-episode adaptation of Yoshihiro Togashi’s 1995 manga about a self-centered alien prince who takes up residence with a rural Japanese high school boy. The Sengoku Basara movie continues the story from the two Sengoku Basara television series, already distributed in English by FUNimation.
FUNimation will release “Sengoku Basara ~ Samurai Kings: The Movie” this winter. FUNimation will begin digital distribution of the Level E series in March with a home video release to be determined.
Sentai Filmworks has acquired the domestic distribution rights to K-On!!, the 26-episode second TV series in the K-On anime franchise. (The first TV series is officially titled “K-On!” with one exclamation point; the second series title has two exclamation points.) The series will be released on DVD and BD later this year. Bang Zoom will produce an English dub, but there’s been no confirmation yet about whether the second series dub will retain the English voices from the first season.
Bandai Entertainment presently distributes the 14-episode first TV series on domestic DVD & BD.
The Japanese branch of Amazon now hosts a 3:45 trailer for this spring’s Space Battleship Yamato 2199 television series. The remake of the 1974 Uchuu Senkan Yamato television series will premiere as a 50 minute movie edit of its first two episodes on April 7.
I’m disappointed to see that the visual design of this new series may be better than the 2009 Yamato Resurrection movie but still isn’t as nice looking as the original ’74 anime, and the animation quality between the ’74 series and this new series look about the same.
To little surprise, the Love Live! School Idol Project anime idol singer group/multimedia franchise created by Sunrise, Lantis, and ASCII Media Works has announced that it will expand into a full length anime series in 2013. The fictional idol singer group has released four singles with accompanying anime music videos.
Sentai Filmworks has acquired the domestic distribution rights to the 2010 Fate/Stay night: Unlimited Blade Works motion picture. Sentai will distribute the film digitally and on DVD & Blu-ray later this year. The staff and primary cast of the 2005 Fate/stay night anime television series reunited for the film, which adapts an alternate play-through route from Type-Moon’s original 2004 visual novel game.
Geneon & FUNimation have distributed the Fate/stay night TV series on domestic DVD, although it’s out of print now. Sentai Filmworks presently distributes the Tsukihime anime TV series which is set within the same universe as Fate/stay night.
This feels like an odd acquisition because despite the movie being technically impressive, bloody, and action-oriented, it’s also nearly incomprehensible for anyone unfamiliar with the original game or, at least, the earlier TV anime.
Discotek has announced plans to release the 1982 Space Adventure Cobra motion picture on domestic bilingual DVD this August. The release will include, at least, the American dub produced by Carl Macek, and possibly the UK dub produced by Manga Video. Urban Vision released the film on American VHS in 1998. The movie was released on Blu-ray in Japan in August 2010. According to Discotek, “If the DVD does well enough there may be a blu ray but it will be awhile.”
The Shiba Inuko-san four-panel manga by creator Uzu will reportedly be getting a TV anime adaptation. The ongoing 2010 manga revolves around two school-girl friends, one of which secretly wonders if her friend is actually a dog rather than a human.
Not to say that this won’t be amusing, but it’s the same concept that appeared in Kayoe! Chuugaku and, before that, Sakigake!! Cromartie KouKou.
Beyblade Zero-G, the seventh anime series in the Beyblade franchise, will premiere in April. While the past three series, Metal Fight Beyblade, Metal Fight Beyblade Baku, and Metal Fight Beyblade 4D have maintained continuity and the “metal” theme, the Zero-G series will introduce a new continuity and protagonist and revolve around a “crystal” (translucent) theme.
Just a reminder that the 5:38 second episode of the Sekiei Ayakashi Mangatan web anime series is now streaming. This episode is both longer and more action-oriented that the first episode.
Weekly Shonen Sunday Magazine has released the first 7 minutes of the upcoming first Shijo Saikyo no Deshi Kenichi OAD. The full length episode will be bundled with limited edition copies of the 46th collected volume of Shun Matsuena’s original manga available on March 16. While the voice cast of the 2006 TV series, with the exception of the late Tomoko Kawakami & Hiroshi Arikawa, will reprise their roles in the OAD series, the OAD animation is now produced by Brains Base rather than TV anime studio TMS.
At least the animation quality looks markedly improved in this newer production compared to the very poorly animated TV series.
