European Cosplay Championships at May Expo!

The MCM Expo have announced that they will be hosting the Euro Cosplay Championships!  The event is basically the European Cup of cosplay and takes its cues from Japan's World Cosplay Summit competition, check out the press release below for more info.

"If you need proof that cosplay is taking off in the West, look no further than the stunning success enjoyed by the Euro Cosplay Championships in their inaugural year.

18 nations are already taking part in Euro Cosplay 2010 – Austria; Belgium; Czech Republic; Denmark; England; Finland; France; Germany; Hungary; Ireland; Italy; Netherlands; Poland; Portugal; Slovakia; Spain; Sweden and Switzerland – an incredible achievement in its first year, given that Japan’s World Cosplay Summit has 15 participating countries.

The UK’s own enthusiastic cosplay community will have two great opportunities to check out the best of Euro Cosplay 2010 – the Qualifiers held at the London MCM Expo on Saturday 29 May and the Grand Final to be held at the London MCM Expo later in October.  Given the high standard of cosplay we’ve seen over the years at the London MCM Expo, both competitions look like being events to remember!

Visit www.londonexpo.com/show_features/euro_cosplay.html to find out more about Euro Cosplay or check out www.londonexpo.com/show_features/cosplay__expo.html for general information about cosplaying at May’s London MCM Expo."

Asahi Anime Festival this Bank Holiday Weekend!

If you are an anime fan in Brighton area this Bank Holiday weekend, then you will find it hard to miss the Asahi Anime Festival as it will be a street festival! 

Held from 30th April - 2nd May, the Asahi Anime Festival is being organised by popular Japanese restaurant Moshi Moshi.  Following their successful Matsuri (Japanese summer festival) last year, they will host another free summer festival, this time themed to Japanese comics and animation.

The festival will feature a range of activities such as cosplay competitions, live music gigs, Japanese-style game shows, karaoke and a Gothic Lolita fashion show.  There will also be food, drink, a chance to win a Japan holiday and much more! 

To view the press release, which contains a full list of activities, details of location and more, click here.

Professor Layton Anime Coming to UK!

Manga Entertainment have announced the acquisition of the Professor Layton anime film!  Professor Layton & The Eternal Diva was the first anime film based on the hugely popular game franchise and Manga have slated it for a September release on DVD and Blu-Ray.  Interestingly the UK release may have a different title than the Japanese original, but the in-film puzzling remains intact.  More news when we get it!

Hetalia Manga Listed for Release

Tokyopop appear to have acquired the rights to Hidekaz Himaruya's Hetalia Axis Powers manga, if a listing for the first volume on Amazon.com is to be believed.  The fan-favourite comedy series represents the various countries involved in World War II as human characters, with the Axis powers of Italy, Germany and Japan leading a cast which includes England, America and France.  The series has been hugely popular with cosplayers and the acquisition would be a major coup for Tokyopop, the first volume is listed for release on 28th September in America, expect a UK release to follow.

Massive Naruto Box Set

You'd be forgiven for thinking the days of premium anime box sets in the UK were over following the launch of Beez's bargainous Anime Legends range, but it seems that Manga Entertainment have other ideas!  A post on their Twitter channel revealed that they are planning to release an Ultimate Naruto Unleashed Collection box set featuring all 220 episodes of the original series!  The 51-disc (!) box set would be by far the largest anime set ever released in the UK, and as you can see from the date this is a little too early to be an April Fool, so it looks like it will actually happen.  It's currently scheduled for release on 30th August and we can't wait to see what it looks like... and how much it will cost!

March News Roundup

• The UK's only outdoor anime convention, Tokonatsu, has been cancelled following the closure of their usual venue.  The event should return in 2011, read here for more info.

• Dates for Kitacon 3 were announced, the convention is due to be held from the 1st to the 3rd April 2011 in the Birmingham Hilton Metropolitan hotel.  Registrations are open now, click here for details.

• The Sci-Fi London film festival announced the lineup for their Anime Allnighter in May.  The films will include racing anime Redline and actioners Musashi, Bleach The Diamond Dust Rebellion and Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works.

• Beez announced that voice actor Yuri Lowenthal will be appearing at the MCM London Expo in May.  Yuri is the voice of Sasuke in Naruto and Simon in Gurren Lagann.

• Manga Entertainment began streaming Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood on their website and Youtube, click here to check it out!

• Manga also announced that Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood will be release on Blu-Ray, the first volume is out on the 23rd August.

• Manga also announced that they will release a 51-disc Ultimate Naruto Unleashed Collection box set on 30th August.  The set will contain all 220 episodes of the series!

• Manga Entertainment announced the acquisition of several new titles, including the live action film Higanjima and the anime films Eureka Seven and Musashi.

• Beez announced that Sword of the Stranger will be released on Blu-Ray on 26th April.

• Manga announced that Evangelion 1.01 will be bundled with the HMV exclusive Collectors Edition of Evangelion 1.11.

• DVD and Blu-Ray release dates were announced for Hayao Miyazaki's Ponyo, the CGI Astro Boy film and the award-winning anime Summer Wars.  Ponyo is out on 7th June, Astro Boy is out on 31st May and Summer Wars is out on 11th October.

• The first seven minutes of the forthcoming Gundam Unicorn were streamed by Bandai, click here to watch.

• The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Warner Brothers are actively seeking the rights to make a live-action adaptation of Tite Kubo's Bleach, with Peter Segal slated to produce.

• A live-action adaptation of Satoshi Kon's Paprika is in the works, the film is set to be directed by Troy helmer Wolfgang Petersen.

• FUNimation announced that they have licensed the hugely anticipated Black Butler.

• US distributor 4Kids announced that they would resume anime licensing following the disastrous sales of their card game Chaotix.  They also licensed the card game anime Tai Chi Chasers.

• Classic anime series Dirty Pair has been re-licensed for America.  The series will be released by Nozomi Entertainment.

• Manga publisher Digital Manga Publishing picked up the rights to classic yaoi titles Finder and Kizuna.

• Online retailer Gundam Mad held a sale, click here to visit their site.

• VIZ Media launched an anime streaming site where you could watch numerous major anime titles for free.  Unfortunately it's not available in the UK.  Click here to see what we're missing!

• Plans have been announced to build a life-size replica of the pirate ship the Merry Go from Eiichiro Oda's One Piece manga in his home city of Kumamoto.

• Release dates were announced for the Japanese Blu-Ray of Nausicäa of the Valley of the Wind.  The Blu-Ray is out there on 14th July, the same day that the latest Studio Ghibli film The Borrower Arrietty is released in Japanese cinemas.

Source: Various
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