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As always the MCM London Expo is the biggest event in the anime and manga calendar, but this time there was even more for anime fans to enjoy.
As usual anime, manga and merchandise retailers had a very strong
presence at the Expo, with the surviving big three anime
distributors Manga Entertainment, MVM and Beez
all in attendance. As usual they were joined by manga
distributors VIZ Media and Tokyopop, plus a myriad of
independent retailers including figure specialists
Neon Martian,
model kit importers
Gundam Nation
and anime and manga sellers
United
Publications and Sheffield Space Centre.
Manga-inspired artists and clothing companies such as
Genki Gear,
Terratag, Khaos Komics and
Team Giblets
were also on hand with new designs to tempt you from your money.
As always there were many bargains to be had around the hall, with
anime fans once again treated to Beez's cut-price deals on
their entire catalogue and a further clearout of stock from Manga
Entertainment which saw DVDs being sold for as little as £1 and
some Blu-Rays down to a fiver. Also setting up shop at the
Manga Entertainment stall were Kaze, a European
distributor who have teamed up with Manga for a number of
recent licenses including
Professor Layton
and the Eternal Diva, which featured prominently in their area.
Kaze brought a decent amount of merchandise and clothing with
them for their titles, including some rare
Death Note and
Professor Layton figures, art books and t-shirts. |
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Once again the re-established Anime Industry Panel threw up some decent licensing news, with the announcement that Manga had picked up the highly anticipated K-On!, a light-hearted comedy drama series about the trials and tribulations of a school band. Also upcoming from Manga is the film The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, and the 2nd series of the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - a series Manga were not looking to pick up but had to in order to secure the rights to the film. The 2nd series of Haruhi was not particularly well received on its Japanese release, but Manga have also picked up the excellent Melancholy of Haruhi-Chan |
and Nyoron! Churuya-San series of anime shorts which they intend to bundle with it. Their other big license was sci-fi anime Birdy The Mighty: Decode, and they also re-affirmed the previously announced licences of racing anime Redline, comedy series Hetalia Axis Powers and the second Naruto Shippuden film. MVM announced the acquisition of the Gonzo-animated fantasy series Tower of Druaga and revealed that they had renewed the licences of a number of their older releases, including Trigun and Samurai Champloo. Beez announced two new titles, in the form of historical actioner House of Five Leaves and college-based comedy drama The Tatami Galaxy, but were unable to confirm if the second volume of Gundam Unicorn would be released on Blu-Ray due to the cost of certification. It will still be available from the PlayStation Network and the Beez website. One final bit of sad news from Beez is that their UK rep Andrew Partridge would be leaving the company and joining European distributor Kaze, where it seems he will be involved in online distribution and bringing their licenses to the UK. Andrew has done a lot for Beez's image in the UK so it's a shame to see him leave, although it will be interesting to see what Kaze's strategy for the UK will be now they've hired an experienced UK rep.
Elsewhere there was more than ever for the anime and manga
community to enjoy, with the return of the Japan Ex area and
numerous fan-run meets and photoshoots taking place outside as part of
the Expo Fringe. The Sweatdrop Studios Comics
Village and Manga Alley returned once more, providing weary
attendees a place to sit down and draw, and the Comic Village
stage area hosted a number of panels and demonstrations across the
weekend. Voice Actors Michael Sinterniklaas, Roger Craig Smith and
Stephanie Sheh were on hand for signing sessions and panels, whilst
anime and manga pundit and author Helen McCarthy hosted a talk about her
work and her research. Elsewhere you could try your hand at
Japanese crafts like Origami or play pre-release versions of forthcoming
computer games, including the latest Dragon Ball and One Piece
games for the Nintendo Wii. There were the usual card game
playing areas and the DDR:UK section brought a number of Japanese
rhythm-action arcade games for everyone to play. However, the big
change for this year was the Totally Cosplay area, which sat to
the right of the main Expo stage. |
Although small, the area included its own stage and themed backdrops for photoshoots, as well as changing rooms and a costume repair desk with various craft tools and materials for fixing any costume problems. Through the day there were various panels and workshops - some planned, some impromptu - and there were always plenty of cosplayers hanging around exchanging tips and showing off their costumes, which gave the area a really good community feel. The Totally Cosplay Stage hosted a small masquerade and interviews with the Euro Cosplay judges and entrants, which provided an interesting glimpse into cosplaying in other countries. Many of the |
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