50% off everything at TERRATAG!

Yes!  The ultra-cool merchandise of TERRATAG has 50% off until 2nd February!  It applies to all listed prices, so includes t-shirts, prints, hoodies, bags and even canvases!

Click here to take advantage of this excellent sale! 

Alcon 2009 registrations are open!

Alcon - Animetion's favourite convention of 2008 - has now opened registrations for its 2009 event! 

Once again it is being held at De MontFort University in Leicester and will run from 4th - 6th September 2009.  Prices also remain reasonable - £25 for registration and on-site accommodation for just £21 a night.  Places are limited to 500 people. 

The full guest list is yet to be announced, but confirmed include:

Martin Billany - a.k.a. LittleKuriboh the creator of Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series! He will be presenting a Q&A panel on his cult creation and the series will be screened also. 

Akemi Solloway - popular lecturer on Japanese culture who will be presenting panels on traditional Japanese tea ceremony and kimonos.  Visit her website here. 

Other events include panels on AMV creation, Gundam model painting, Japanese cooking, yaoi, hentai, BJD (ball-jointed dolls), tips on podcasing by UKotaku and there will also be an Animetion panel! 

There will also be an artist alley, which will host an iron artist event, games room, charity auction, lots of parties and lots more!

For more information and to sign up to Alcon, click here.  To see what Animetion thought of last year's event, see our feature here. 

Tsubasa Press Release

Click here to read the press release for Revelation Films' forthcoming release of the final volume and collected edition of CLAMP's Tsubasa anime.  Tsubasa vol 6 and the Tsubasa Season One Box Set are out on 16th March.

Yatterman and Kamui Gaiden Trailers

Live action time, the official websites for two Japanese manga adaptations have posted trailers!  The first film is Kamui Gaiden, a ninja actioner based on Sanpei Shirato's manga of the same name, to see the trailer click here.  The other trailer is for the superb looking Yatterman from Audition director Takeshi Miike, to view the trailer click here, then select the middle button from the resulting screen (directly under the Yatterman logo).

Lupin III & Case Closed Crossover in the Works

Shonen Sunday magazine is due to announce that a crossover anime special is in the works that will bring together Monkey Punch's legendary thief Lupin the 3rd and Gosho Aoyama's genius detective Conan.  The plot of the special is unconfirmed, but the announcement promises a 'legendary match'.  We can't wait!

Mixed Awards News

Anime has missed out on a Best Animation Oscar nomination this year, with the three slots going to WALL-E, Bolt and Kung-Fu Panda.  Two anime films were in the running, Mamoru Oshii's The Sky Crawlers and Masahiro Ando's Sword of the Stranger, but anime's last hope is with Kunio Kato's La Maison en Petits Cubes, which up up for best animated short film.  Japan also has a film up for the Foreign Language Film Oscar - Departures.  However, one anime based film is up for an unwanted award as well.  The Wachowski's big budget flop Speed Racer has been (unfairly, in our opinion) nominated for a Razzie for Worst Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel.

Cowboy Bebop Movie Update

Producer Erwin Stoff has confirmed that the recently announced Cowboy Bebop movie will not be an origin story for the characters.  Instead it will introduce them in much the same way as the anime, with Spike & co already bounty hunters.  He also confirmed that original director Shinichiro Watanabe would be the first to read the script, and that he hoped for a multi-ethnic cast.

New Kill Bill Anime Completed By Production I.G.

Quentin Tarantino has confirmed that a new 7 minute anime sequence has been completed for a planned re-release of Kill Bill.  The new version will recombine the two parts into a single film with a intermission, and the new anime sequence is part of the O-Ren Ishii chapter.

GetBackers Manga Returns

Kodansha have announced that a new GetBackers short story is to appear in the next issue of Magazine Special on 20th February.  The series originally ended in 2007, weighing in at 39 collected volumes.

Strawberry Marshmallow Anime Promo Streamed

Fans of Tokyopop's manga series Strawberry Marshmallow will be interested to know that a promo for the latest anime series is being streamed online.  The official Japanese website for Strawberry Marshmallow: Encore is streaming the video here. 

Bandai USA To Lay Off Staff

Bandai USA have joined Tokyopop, FUNimation, Gonzo and ADV Films in announcing staff layoffs in light of the current global financial crisis.  Bandai USA are planning to restructure and reduce their permanent staff from the current level of 19.  They have not announced exactly how many jobs will be lost as yet, but they have said that they are likely to release less titles in the future than they have in the past.

Konami to Distribute New Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards

 Following on from their public dispute with US trading card distributor Upper Deck, Konami have now announced that they will be directly distributing the latest incarnations of the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game.  The Yu-Gi-Oh! Crimson Crisis Booster Packs and Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D Duelist Pack - Yusei were due to be distributed by Upper Deck, but Konami failed to deliver the stock after deciding to end their distribution deal.  Upper Deck are still legally challenging Konami's actions, but it looks now like the best they might get is a compensation settlement.

Schoolgirl Milky Crisis Press Release!

 Click here to read the press release for Titan Books' release of Schoolgirl Milky Crisis, which is due out on 24th February 2009.  The book collects the magazine columns of Jonathan Clements, who is probably the greatest commentator on the anime industry the West has produced.  This book looks like a must-read!

New Street Fighter Anime Trailer

 The Gametrailers website has posted an English language trailer for the forthcoming Street Fighter IV anime film.  The film was made by Studio 4°C and is due to be bundled with the special edition of the eagerly awaited PlayStation 3 and XBox 360 game, which is due out on 20th February.  To view the trailer, click here.

Nodame Cantabile Remains on Hold

 Tomoko Ninomiya, author and artist of the acclaimed manga Nodame Cantabile, has announced that series remains on hold.  Ninomiya had taken a break to have her baby, but since the birth she has suffered from numbness followed by painful swelling in her arms which has now been diagnosed as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.  The illness can have many causes and treatments very in effectiveness depending on the cause.  At present no indication has been given as to what treatment she will have, or when she may resume the series.

Nodame Cantabile has been a massive hit in Japan, the story follows a talented student musician who forms an unlikely relationship with a unconventionally talented but scatterbrained classmate.  So far the manga has spun off into two anime series, a live action series and two live action films are in the works.  The manga currently runs to 21 volumes, 16 of which are released in the US by Del Ray.

Desert Punk Clips!

 Those good people at MVM have sent us a host of Desert Punk clips fir your viewing pleasure!  The first volume of the series is out on 2nd Feb, so check out the below for a sin of what to expect, and don't forget to enter our competition!

Clip 1
Clip 2
Clip 3
Clip 4

Yu-Gi-Oh! Crimson Crisis Release in Doubt

 More bad news for fans of the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game today, as Upper Deck confirm that they will not be distributing the latest incarnation of the bestselling game.  Yu-Gi-Oh! Crimson Crisis was due to be released in February, but as with the Championship Packs that were cancelled a week or so ago, Konami have not delivered the product.  The ongoing dispute between the two companies appears to be worsening, and as always it's the fans who suffer.

Cowboy Bebop Live-Action Movie Confirmed

 Last month Keanu Reeves commented that he was interested in being involved in a mooted live-action version of seminal anime series Cowboy Bebop.  Now 20th Century Fox have confirmed the project has been greenlit, with Reeves pencilled in for the lead role of Spike Spiegel.  The script is reported to be based on the 'Red Eye' story from the start of the anime series, but before everyone cries out in horror it's worth noting that the original creators are involved.  Anime studio Sunrise and producer Masahiko Minami are acting as production consultants, whilst the producers are original series director Shinichiro Watanabe, original script supervisor Keiko Nobumoto and Sunrise president Kenji Uchida.

Peach-Pit Resume Work

 Manga creators Peach-Pit have resumed work on Rozen Maiden, Zombie Loan and Shugo Chara! after a one-month hiatus.  The creative duo had suspended the three manga series in December due to sudden illness and hospitalisation.

High Quality Dragon Ball Movie Trailer Online

 The official website for the forthcoming live-action anime adaptation Dragon Ball Evolution has launched with a high quality quality trailer for your viewing pleasure.  Everyone seems to be waiting to hate it, but we think it looks like quite good fun - check out the trailer here.

Upper Deck / Konami Yu-Gi-Oh! Dispute Escalates

 US company Upper Deck's dispute with Konami has escalated this week with Upper Deck announcing that Konami had not sent them a consignment Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game Championship Packs.  These packs are special releases that are issued at tournaments and often contain rare cards that aren't available normally.  The loss of these packs is a blow for fans, and also for Upper Deck, who use the packs as a selling point for its Yu-Gi-Oh! Organised Play program.

The dispute was originally started when Konami announced that they had cancelled their distribution contract with Upper Deck so they could take over sole distribution of the hugely successful trading card franchise.  Upper Deck issued legal challenges to the decision, and so far Dutch and US courts have ruled in their favour, confirming Upper Deck's status as sole distributor of the game in Europe and overruling Konami's attempts to block their distribution of the cards in the US.  The latest development will no doubt result in further legal action, with Upper Deck insisting Konami have breached contractual obligations, whilst Konami assert the contract no longer exists.  Looks like this one isn't close to resolution...

12 Episode Sets For Clannad in the US

 ADV Films USA have announced that they will release Clannad and Princess Resurrection in 12 episode box sets rather than the 4-5 episode single volumes originally announced.  ADV have previously avoided doing half-series sets like this as they have always considered them too costly and risky to do.  However, other companies - such as Manga Entertainment and FUNimation - have had a lot of success with them over the last couple of years.  Although neither Clannad or Princess Resurrection have been announced for the UK as yet, they would probably follow the same release pattern here if they do.

Pioneer Stop Laserdisc Player Production

 Yes, we didn't know they still made them either, but apparently the last 3000 Laserdisc Players will be rolling off the production line shortly.  For those who never saw them, Laserdiscs were basically oversized CDs that were about the size of a vinyl LP.  They were the ancestor to the DVD and had many of their advantages, such as allowing multiple audio tracks, subtitles and extras.  Numerous anime titles came out on Laserdisc in Japan and the US, but the format never really took off in the UK.  The advent of DVD have made them increasingly irrelevant, but 27 years is a good innings - beats the Minidisc any day...

Kodansha End Relationship With Tokyopop Germany

 Tokyopop Germany have announced that leading Japanese publisher Kodansha has decided to end its publishing agreement with them, leaving the future of several major series up in the air.  Kodansha have not given a reason for their decision, which seems to have caught Tokyopop off guard.  Several unfinished series - including Cromartie High, Beck, School Rumble and Hell Girl - will now be on hiatus in Germany until Kodansha decide what to do with them.  At present it is unclear whether this will affect the UK or US, or whether it is related to Kodansha's announcement last year that they were planning to enter the US publishing market.  More news when we get it.

FUNimation Domination Continues

 Omnipresent US distributor FUNimation has announced a host of new acquisitions for 2009, including several previously released in America by other distributors.  Their forthcoming releases of Ergo Proxy, Gungrave, Slayers Revolution, Samurai Champloo and Black Lagoon will not really be of too much interest to the UK, where these series are already licensed by MVM.  However, the more interesting titles are the critically acclaimed former Geneon title Gankutsuou, and the first of the Rebuild of Evangelion movie cycle Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone.  Both of these titles are unlicensed in the UK, and we would not be surprised to see the likes of Manga Entertainment sniffing round the latter.  More news if and when we hear it.

Fuyucon Registration Open!

 Registrations for this October's Fuyucon have opened!  The convention is in its second year and is expected to be held in the Park Inn Hotel in Nottingham, details are thin on the ground at present but to see the available information and register, check out the Fuyucon website here.

Out on Monday!

 A new year, and MVM are straight back in with a new release, a box set and some new volumes!

Basilisk Complete Series Box Set (MVM)
Black Lagoon - Barrage Two vol 3 (MVM)
Daphne in the Brilliant Blue vol 3 (MVM)
Shakugan no Shana vol 5 (MVM)
Slayers vol 1 (MVM)

December News Roundup

• J-Rock band Dir En Gray are to tour the UK in January as part of the K! 2009 Tour, check out local listings for further details.

• A partial cast list has been reported for Hayao Miyazaki's latest film Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, the English dub is set to feature Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Cate Blanchett, Liam Neeson, Lily Tomlin, Betty White, Frankie Jonas, Noah Cyrys and Cloris Leachman.

• American voice actress Maddie Blaustein has died aged 48.  Maddie is best known for her roles as Meowth in the English dub of Pokémon and Solomon Moto in Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters and Capsule Monsters, but appeared in dozens of other series including Sonic X and Hi no Tori.

• The Shonen Jump website Jumpland has added the first chapter of the football manga Meister for free and in English!  The manga has yet to be released in the UK and joins a list of free manga chapters including the immensely odd versions of Death Note with Bobobo bo Bo-bobo creator Yoshio Sawai providing the art, and the version of Bobobo bo Bo-bobo drawn by Death Note artist Takeshi Obata.  We're not making this up.

• Keanu Reeves has expressed interest in taking on the lead role in 20th Century Fox's proposed Cowboy Bebop film.  Reeves is a self-confessed anime fan and said that a story outline based loosely on the Red Eye story from the start of the Cowboy Bebop anime series was in the works.  The film has yet to go into production.

• A brand new Street Fighter anime film has been produced by Studio 4°C and will be released in the UK as part of the collectors edition of Street Fighter IV which is due out on the 20th February for XBox 360 and PlayStation 3.

• IGN have posted the official trailer for the live-action Dragon Ball movie, which can be viewed by clicking here.  Also announced was that J-Pop star Ayumi Hamasaki would perform the film's theme song.

• Universal Studios and Stuber Productions have signed a deal to bring the Japanese toy and anime franchise Bakugan to the big screen!  The franchise follows a kid called Dan and his friends who discover a card game that summons warriors from another dimension.  Believe it or not it's not Yu-Gi-Oh!, it just sounds very, very similar.

• Studio Bones have confirmed that they are working on a second season of Fullmetal Alchemist.  It's due to debut on Japanese TV in April.

• CLAMP manga series Kobato is to made into an anime, few details are announced but it's due to hit Japanese screens in Autumn.

• Studio Ghibli are planning two new anime films, one will be directed by Isao Takahata and the other Goro Miyazaki.

• Bandai have streamed 12 episodes of their Saigo! Tamagotchi anime shorts on YouTube for free.  The shorts are in Japanese with English subtitles and are viewable in the UK. Click here to bring them up, and ensure you click on the triangular button in the corner of the video window and click the 'CC' button to turn on the subtitles.

• US trading card game company Upper Deck has entered into a war of words with Konami after the latter issued a press release claiming that they had taken over distribution and customer support for the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game.  Upper Deck assert that they still retain the right to distribute the game and are sole and exclusive distributor for Europe.  They have threatened legal action if Konami do not withdraw their claim.

• There was more doom and gloom for those linked to the anime and manga industry in the run up to Christmas with the news the Tokyopop made 8 staff redundant in the US and 4Kids are to lay off 15% of their workforce.

• FUNimation continue to conquer the anime world, picking up numerous titles dropped by ADV and Geneon earlier this year.  Amongst their latest acquisitions are Last Exile, Vandread, Ikki Tousen and Gad Guard.

• Manga authors are continuing to drop like flies in Japan, with the news that Peach Pit have put three titles - Zombie Loan, Rozen Maiden and Shugo Chara! - on hiatus due to illness.  Meanwhile Eri Takenashi, creator of the hugely popular but as yet untranslated manga Kannagi, has also been forced to put the series on hold due to hospitalisation.

• Major Japanese publisher Kadokawa are to produce a spinoff from their Newtype anime magazine called Nyantype.  The new magazine will be similar to the existing magazine Megami and will focus on sexy female characters from anime and include pin-up posters and serialised manga.  It is due to launch in Japan at the end of April 2009, and will be 170 pages long.