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Welcome to our News archive for November 2004 - to see this month's news please click on the button below.
 


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29th November 2004

Guess Yu's Back?

It appears that MVM are to resurrect Yu Yu Hakusho next year!!  Some may remember that two volumes of the epic Yu Yu Hakusho series were released by MVM on DVD last year, but the English dub only releases didn't prove too popular with fans.  However, MVM plan to set the record straight by releasing the series (including reissuing the currently available volumes) in a dual language format, and even plan on releasing an artbox with volume 1 in a similar fashion to their previous Sailor Moon boxes.  Yu Yu Hakusho has seen something of a revival in the US following the manga serialisation in Shonen Jump! and television screenings of the anime and here's hoping that MVM have the same success here.

Source:  AnimeOnDVD
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29th November 2004

Out Today!

Dead Leaves (Manga Entertainment) Cert: 15

Considering how many times it has been delayed we thought we'd wait till we saw this on the shelves before reporting it!  Dead Leaves is Manga Entertainment's last big trump card of 2004 - an mind-melting assault of colour and hyper-violence which couples Tank Girl style visuals with true anime insanity!  We have yet to see it but it certainly looks like one of the most interesting titles of the year so far.

Source:  Forbidden Planet, Manga Entertainment
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28th November 2004

Monsters Sync

Continuing with our Howl's Moving Castle news, the producer of said masterpiece announced in a press conference that the English dub will be handled by Pete Docter, the director of Monsters Inc.  John Lasseter, who was behind the recent Ghibli English dubs, was the first choice but will be unable to as he is working on another project.  

Source: Nausicaa.net
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28th November 2004

Howl Does He Do it?

Miyazaki's latest masterpiece Howl's Moving Castle has broken the Japanese box office record for a weekend opening.   Howl opened on 20th November and earned 1,400 million yen (just over £7.2 million) within two days and it's unlikely to stop there and could beat the record set by Miyazaki's previous smash Spirited Away.  

Source: Nausicaa.net
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25th November 2004

IMAF Competition Deadline Extended

Further to our earlier article dated 1st November 2004, IMAF have confirmed that they have extended the deadline for their competition for Best Short Animation, Best Storyboard and Best Character to 31st December 2004.  For further information on entering please see the earlier article previously mentioned or visit www.imaf.co.uk

Source: IMAF Committee
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21st November 2004

Out Tomorrow!

Cardcaptors vol 2 (Episodes 7-12) (Contender Video) Cert: U
Hello Kitty Bumper Pack (Mosaic Movies) Cert: U
Hello Kitty and Friends Collectors Edition Boxset (Mosaic Movies) Cert: U

With the delays to the Beez titles detailed below, this week is now wholly devoted to kids anime!  First up is Cardcaptors vol 2 from Contender Video, which itself has been delayed on several occasions, and after that it is a double helping of saccharine sweetness from the most successful Englishwoman of them all in Hello Kitty!  The Hello Kitty Bumper Pack gathers together another batch of episodes for the Sanrio mascot, whereas the Hello Kitty & Friends boxset collects all six of Kitty's fairytale adventures (including spins on Heidi and Snow White).

Source:  Amazon, Play.Com, Anime-On-Line
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20th November 2004

Hard Beez For Anime Fans

Those eagerly awaiting the final two Gundam Wing boxsets are being forced to wait yet again as their release date drifts back for about the third time.  The DVDs are now due out at the start of December along with two other Beez releases originally slated for the end of this month - Escaflowne The Collection Boxset 2 and the eagerly awaited Cowboy Bebop vol 1.  On top of this it also appears that Manga Entertainment's release of Dead Leaves has also quietly slipped back, with many sites now listing it as coming out on Monday 29th November.  Here's hoping that these will be the last slippages for these titles.

Source:  Play.Com, Anime-On-Line
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17th November 2004

MVM Are 14!!!

Tomorrow (Thursday 18th November) is UK anime distributor MVM's 14th anniversary!!  This year has really been a massive one for MVM who have established themselves as ADV Films' main rivals in the UK market through a series of shrewd sublicensing deals and partnerships, and the future certainly looks rosy!  As a celebration of their birthday, MVM are offering 10% off all of stock (excluding DVDs) on their retail website www.anime-on-line.com for the duration of Thursday!!!!  We strongly suggest you don't miss out on this opportunity to get a discount on everything from artbooks to cuddly toys, so make sure you log on to their site tomorrow!!

Source: MVM
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13th November 2004

Out Monday:

Dead Leaves (Manga Entertainment) Cert: 15
Escaflowne Boxset 1 (Beez) Cert: PG
Final Fantasy Unlimited Phase 5 (ADV Films) Cert: U
Gundam Wing Boxset 4 (Beez) Cert: PG
Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi vol 1 (ADV Films) Cert: 15
Mazinkaiser Vol 2 - A Fire Blast From the Past! (ADV Films) Cert: 12
Neon Genesis Evangelion Perfect Collection (ADV Films) Cert: 12
New Cutey Honey Collection 2 (ADV Films) Cert: 15
Rune Soldier vol 3 - A True Champion (ADV Films) Cert: PG
Slayers Excellent (ADV Films) Cert: 12

Mid-November proves an impressive time for anime releases, with three of the big four UK anime distributors choosing Monday 15th to unleash some big titles.  Manga Entertainment make their last big release of the year on Monday with the highly anticipated Dead Leaves, whilst Beez unleash the first of their Escaflowne Boxsets (one of our Recommended Titles for this month) alongside (hopefully) the fourth of their Gundam Wing Boxsets.  However, Monday the 15th is ADV Films' day, with no less than seven titles being released including the 8 disc Neon Genesis Evangelion Perfect Collection boxset (our other Recommended Title for the month).  Alongside this they release computer game series tie-in Final Fantasy Unlimited, the retro styled Go Nagai duo of New Cutey Honey Collection 2 and Mazinkaiser vol 2, and a hefty chunk of swords and sorcery comedy in the shape of Slayers Excellent and Rune Soldier vol 3.  Meanwhile the surreal and parody laden Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi finally makes its UK debut to round off an exciting day for anime fans!

Source:  ADV Films, Manga Entertainment, Anime-On-Line
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13th November 2004

Cat's Entertainment

Optimum Releasing, the company who brought Spirited Away and Grave of the Fireflies to the UK, may be bringing us more Ghibli goodness before the year's out.  According to their website an unconfirmed December release is pencilled in for The Cat Returns, the first film Studio Ghibli released following the immensely successful Spirited Away.  The film is so titled as it features feline characters from one of Ghibli's earlier films, but in an ironic twist it is being released here before the film the characters first appear in - Whisper of the Heart.  We hope that the film will receive similar cinema treatment to Spirited Away, but considering its lower profile a DVD release may be on the cards instead.  There is also no news on whether Ghiblis Episode 2 - an animated short that was shown with the film as a double bill in the cinema in Japan, and was included on the DVD there - will be included in the UK release, but we'll keep our ears to the ground for news on this one...

Source:  www.optimumreleasing.com
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11th November 2004

A Neo Beginning

For the first time since the sad demise of Manga Max, the UK is set to get a new magazine dedicated to Japanese culture!!!  The magazine is called Neo and launches on the 25th November, with its first issue promising to cover the latest anime and manga releases as well as live action film, J-Pop and computer games.  We at Animetion UK wish the magazine all the best for the future and we'll certainly be keeping an eye open for it in our local WH Smith.  For information and subscriptions check out their site at www.neomag.co.uk.

Source:  www.mvm-films.com
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7th November 2004

Innocence Lost?

Mamoru Oshii may have the opportunity to emulate Hayao Miyazaki's 2003 Oscar success as Innocence: Ghost in the Shell 2 has been declared as one of eleven films eligible to compete for the Best Animated Feature Oscar at the 2004 Academy Awards.  Nominees are announced on 27th January 2005, but with only three nominations allowed for the category it is more than likely that Oshii's philosophical epic will be overlooked in favour of higher profile US releases.  Other eligible films include box office smash Shrek 2, highly anticipated Pixar animation The Incredibles, high profile CGI film Shark Tale and Tom Hanks vehicle The Polar Express, so we would advise against getting your hopes up.

Source:  www.oscars.org
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1st November 2004

Out Today!

Kiddy Grade vol 4 (MVM) Cert: 12
Love Hina vol 3 (MVM) Cert: PG
Ninja Scroll vol 3 (MVM) Cert: 15
Sailor Moon vol 1 (MVM) Cert: U
Sailor Moon vol 2 (MVM) Cert: U
Sailor Moon vol 3 (MVM) Cert: U
Sailor Moon vol 4 (MVM) Cert: PG
Sailor Moon vol 5 (MVM) Cert: U
Sailor Moon vol 6 (MVM) Cert: U
Sailor Moon vol 7 (MVM) Cert: PG
Tenchi the Movie: Tenchi Forever (MVM) Cert: PG

MVM round off the year in style with the latest volumes of some of their most successful titles.  The granddaddy of 'harem' comedies Tenchi Muyo! returns with another enjoyable feature length instalment, in which Ryoko and Ayeka search for Tenchi after he mysteriously disappears, whilst a more recent offering in the genre - Love Hina - comes back for a third volume.  Following last month's boxset release, the first seven volumes of the enjoyable fantasy series Sailor Moon are reissued individually at the bargain price of £5.99 a piece.  Fans of more serious anime are in for a treat too, as sci-fi actioner Kiddy Grade takes a dramatic turn in its fourth volume, and the third and final volume of the acclaimed Ninja Scroll TV series rounds off an exciting start to November!

Source:  MVM
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1st November 2004

IMAF to London...

We thought we'd keep this on here as it's still relevant, especially to those who want to enter...

In a surprise bit of news it seems that 2004 is the inaugural year of the International Manga and Anime Festival (IMAF)!!  The festival is set to be held in the London County Hall in Westminster, London from December 16th to the 19th and will feature, amongst other things, anime showings, manga art displays and interestingly a competition offering quite meaty prizes for those of an artistic nature.  The competition has three categories - Best Short Animation, Best Storyboard and Best Character, and with a prize fund of $75,000 (around £41,600!) it is definitely not one to miss!

Check out the Press Release for more information.  Closing date for entries is on 30th November, so get scribbling!!

Source:  IMAF Committee
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