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!

Sword of the Stranger Blu-Ray Date

Play.Com has listed a Blu-Ray release for Beez's samurai epic Sword of the Stranger!  The film was a big budget production from the respected Studio Bones and was released here on DVD last year.  The Blu-Ray release is a welcome return to the medium for Beez, and you can get it on the 26th of April.

New Manga Licenses

Manga Entertainment have revealed that they will be releasing both the Musashi and the Eureka Seven film in the UK!  Eureka Seven: Good Night, Sleep Tight, Young Lovers is a feature length re-imagining of the series of the same name and was showcased at last October's Sci-Fi London Anime Allnighter, whilst Musashi is a samurai actioner that is slated to be shown at the next Sci-Fi London Anime Allnighter in May.  Both films should get a DVD and Blu-Ray release, but no dates have been announced as yet.

Black Butler Licensed in America

FUNimation have announced the acquisition of the hotly anticipated anime series Black Butler (aka. Kuroshitsuji).  The series is based on Yana Toboso's manga of the same name about the 12-year old Ciel and his demonic butler Sebastian Michaelis, there's no news of a US release date yet and it's unclear if FUNimation have also acquired European rights to the series.  More news when we get it.

Kitacon 2011 Details Announced

As this year's Kitacon draws to a close the committee have announced details of next year's event!  Kitacon 3 will be held from the 1st to the 3rd of April 2011, and will be moving from the Park Inn in Northampton to Birmingham's Hilton Metropolitan in order to accommodate an increased capacity of 800 people.

Registrations open tomorrow (!), and costs £45 per person.  Check out www.kitacon.org for further details.

Live-Action Paprika Adaptation in the Works

MTV's Splash Page has reported that Wolfgang Petersen, director of Neverending Story and Troy, is developing a live-action film adaptation of Satoshi Kon's anime film Paprika.  According to the report Petersen has already received a script treatment which will be developed into a full script if greenlit.  He states that the film is 'on the fast track', and although he intends to make some changes to make it more accessible to the mainstream a thinks it will be 'a very very interesting movie'.  Click here to read his comments in full.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Dates

Online retailers Play.Com and Amazon have listed the Blu-Ray and DVD releases of the first two volumes of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood!  Although Manga had admitted the Blu-Ray release was likely through their Twitter page earlier this month it's good to see it confirmed.  The first volume is set for release on 23rd August whilst the second is out on 15th November, each volume has an RRP of £34.99.

Japanese Nausicaa Blu-Ray Release Date Announced

Japanese retailer Neowing has listed a Blu-Ray release date of 14th July 2010 for Nausicäa of the Valley of the Wind.  This will be only the second Ghibli animated Blu-Ray release, the first being 2008's Ponyo, and the release date ties in nicely with Ghibli's next film The Borrower Arrietty, which hits Japanese cinemas the same day.  Expect a UK release either late this year or early next year.

4Kids Announce New License

Following their announcement that they would resume anime licensing, US distributor 4Kids have confirmed their first new anime acquisition.  The company has picked up the rights to the 39-episode children's series Tai Chi Chasers, and anime about a parallel universe in which two ancient races battle for supremacy through a children's card game.  So nothing like Yu-Gi-Oh! then.  Expect the series to come to a children's TV channel near you towards the end of next year.

Ponyo DVD & Blu-Ray Release Date!

Online retailers have revealed that Oscar-winning director Hayao Miyazaki's latest film Ponyo is set for a Blu-Ray and DVD release on 7th June!  The Blu-Ray release will also contain the DVD of the film, whilst the DVD only version will be available in both single and double disc editions.

Also listed on Amazon and Play.Com are Blu-Ray release dates for Manga's highly anticipated film Summer Wars (11th October) and Imagi's CG Astro Boy film (31st May). 

Anime Allnighter Bill Announced

Sci-Fi London have announced the provisional lineup for the Anime Allnighter at this May's Sci-Fi London Film Festival!  Interestingly the event is actually called the Manga Anime Allnighter this time, which is unsurprising considering they have provided pretty much all of the films for the last few events.  The lineup currently consists of racing anime Redline, samurai actioner Musashi and supernatural actioners Bleach The Movie: Diamond Dust Rebellion and Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works.  The running order is subject to change and the festival says that more announcements will come, normally the Allnighter screens five films so we've still got our fingers crossed for Evangelion 2.0 or Summer Wars!

Warner Bros Seeking Bleach Rights

US film studio Warner Brothers is looking to acquire the rights to make a live action film adaptation of Tite Kubo's popular manga series Bleach.  According to The Hollywood Reporter director Peter Segal (Get Smart, 50 First Dates) is in negotiations to to produce the film along with leading us anime/manga label VIZ Media.  Bleach won't be the first anime adaptation Warner Brothers have in the pipeline, they are also involved in the proposed live action adaptations of Akira, Ninja Scroll and Death Note.  Looks like Hollywood still hasn't been put off by the terrible performance of Speed Racer, Blood: The Last Vampire and Dragonball Evolution at the box office,  more news as and when we hear it.

Tokonatsu Cancelled

The organisers of the Tokonatsu anime convention have announced that the 2010 event has been cancelled.  Tokonatsu is the UK's only outdoor convention and is normally held at the Ampthill & Woburn District Scout Ground in Bedfordshire, unfortunately however a structural issue has forced the closure of the site and the convention has been unable to secure an alternative venue.  The convention intends to return in 2011 once the site is back up and running, in the meantime for further information please read the full post here.

Digital Manga Publishing Pick Up More Yaoi

Manga publisher Digital Manga Publishing (aka. DMP) have announced that they have picked up the rights to two leading yaoi titles.  The two series, Finder by Ayano Yamane and Kizuna by Kazuma Kodaka, were previously licensed by the Be Beautiful Manga imprint of the now-defunct distributor Central Park Media and have been out of print for some time.  The license announcement should please fans of Kizuna in particular, as only the first 8 volumes of the series were originally released in English.  DMP's releases will feature new translations and first volumes of both are out in September.

Dirty Pair Re-Licensed in America

US anime distributor Nozomi Entertainment have picked up the license for the sci-fi anime series Dirty Pair.  The series follows a pair of intergalactic criminal investigators who are notorious for the collateral damage they cause, and was the precursor to the video specials and series Dirty Pair Flash previously released by ADV Films.  No news of a UK release, but you never know...

VIZ Launch Streaming Site, We Can't Watch It

Major US anime and manga label VIZ Media have launched a new anime streaming site for their hugely popular franchises.  The site streams several leading series for free, including Naruto, Bleach, Death Note, Nana, Honey & Clover, Inu-Yasha, Prince of Tennis and Kekkaishi, but sadly none of these are available to UK viewers.  It goes to show how far we are lagging behind our American cousins when it comes to legal streaming.  Here's hoping Manga's own streaming service can bring us up to speed.  In the meantime click here to see what we're missing!

4Kids to Resume Anime Licensing

US cartoon distributor 4Kids have announced that they will be returning to anime licensing and distribution and have licensed an as-yet unnamed Japanese series.  They are also participating in a new Yu-Gi-Oh! 3D film.  The company, notorious for heavy-handed editing to series such as One Piece and Yu-Gi-Oh!, has recently scaled back its operations after taking a huge financial loss from the development of the Chaotix trading card game.  CEO Al Khan promised a return to the highly successful anime licensing business model the company previously operated, a remarkable about-turn coming just three years after he stated that TV anime was 'tired' and that manga was 'dying in Japan'.

Gundam Mad sale on model kits

UK based retailer Gundam Mad, who sell imported model kits of the ever-popular mech series, have let us know that they have temporarily reduced the prices of their most popular kits until Friday 19th March.  The following kits have been reduced, the name of each kit is a hyperlink to the Gundam Mad website:

1/100 Cherudim Gundam - Was £29.99 now £24.99
1/100 Regen Duel Gundam - Was £30.99 now £24.99
1/100 Gundam Exia - Was £27.99 now £22.99

Remember sale ends this Friday so act quick if you want a bargain!

Yuri Lowenthal at MCM London Expo

Beez have announced that leading US voice actor Yuri Lowenthal will be appearing both days at this May's MCM London Expo!  Yuri has appeared in numerous anime roles, but is probably best known for playing Sasuke Uchiha in Naruto, Simon in Gurren Lagann and Suzaku Kururugi in Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion.  The MCM London Expo takes place on 29th and 30th May 2010.

Manga to Release Higanjima

Manga Entertainment have announced that they will be releasing the J-Horror film Higanjima on DVD and Blu-Ray in the summer.  The film is based on the manga by Koji Matsumoto and follows a group of friends searching a mysterious island for a missing boy, only to find it inhabited by vampires and monsters.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Streaming

Manga Entertainment have begun streaming Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood on their website and through Youtube.  The series, which is a new adaptation of the long-running Fullmetal Alchemist manga, will be streamed at a rate of five episodes a week until the UK has caught up to Japan, after which each episode will be streamed one week after its Japanese airing.  The first five episodes will be available until 19th March, click here to check it out!

Manga have also revealed in a response to a Twitter post that the series should be released in the UK on Blu-Ray, with the first part out on 23rd August.

Kumamoto Prefecture Consider Building the Merry Go!

A plan to build a replica of the Strawhat Pirate ship the Merry Go has moved closer to reality after being discussed positively in a meeting of the Kumamoto Prefectural Assembly in Japan!  The ship, which appears in the leading anime and manga franchise One Piece, would be erected in Kumamoto City's Karashima Park in honour of series creator Eiichiro Oda, who was born in the city.  The governor of Kumamoto reportedly approves of the plan and wants to actively pursue ways of making it a reality.

If it goes ahead the ship would be the latest in a line of gigantic monuments erected in honour of popular anime franchises.  A life-sized statue of the original manga giant robot Tetsujin 28 was erected in Kobe last Autumn as a monument to the city's re-emergence after 1995's devastating Great Hanshin Earthquake.  A life-sized statue of the RX-78 mobile suit from the original Mobile Suit Gundam anime series was also erected as a temporary installation in Tokyo's Odaiba district to mark the series' 30th anniversary.

Start of Gundam Unicorn Streamed

Beez are currently streaming the first 7 minutes of the brand new Gundam Unicorn for free and in English on a special dedicated website!  Check it out here.

Beez have also revealed that it will be released on Blu-Ray in the UK, more details when we get them!

Eva 1.01 to be Bundled with 1.11 in HMV

Manga Entertainment have revealed that the theatrical edit of Neon Genesis Evangelion 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone, which is numbered as version 1.01, is to be bundled with the HMV-exclusive Collectors Edition release of the film.  This will be the only way of getting the theatrical edit in the UK, the standard UK release will be the extended 1.11 version.  Confused yet..?

Japanese Arts Festival this weekend!

Free event the Japanese Arts Festival is being held in Richmond Adult Community College, London this weekend.  This event offers a wide range to see and do, including cosplay events, artists, guests, retailers and several Japanese cultural stage performances.  There will also be photography sessions, cosplay workshops and chances to win prizes!

To find out more view the press release here.