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The Art of Osamu Tezuka wins a Harvey Award
Date: Wednesday September 1st 2010 [16:46] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Culture
Helen McCarthy's book The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga has won a prestigious Harvey Award for Best American Edition of Foreign Material. Congratulations Helen!
Manga Impact Book Details
Date: Monday August 30th 2010 [11:16] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Press Releases
The good folks at Phaidon have sent us the details of their up coming book Manga Impact.
The book has 500 colour illustrations, 300 illustrated entries, and contributions from anime and manga experts such as Jonathan Clements and Tsugata Nobuyuki.
The book is due out November 2010.
Pre Order From Amazon.co.uk
Pre Order From Amazon.com
Anime director Satoshi Kon passes away
Date: Thursday August 26th 2010 [12:53] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Anime > Film
Acclaimed anime director Satoshi Kon passed away 2 days ago on 24th August 2010. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer on 18th May 2010.
Satoshi Kon has directed several popular films which generally have a cerebral dream like element to them, where the imagination, dreams and reality all mix together. He directed the films Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, Paprika and the TV series Paranoia Agent. Satoshi Kon was working on a feature film called Yume-Miru Kikai, which is unofficially known as Dream Machine in English.
News of death spread like wild fire on the internet, with many anime fans expressing their sadness of his death.
Prominent food and bento blogger Makiko Itoh has translated Satoshi Kon's last words.
The New York Times also have a detailed obituary.
Anime expert Helen McCarthy points out that "at that age Miyazaki hadn't finished Totoro, Tezuka hadn't created Black Jack, Kurosawa hadn't made Yojimbo."
The Anime News Network have details from his wife.
The Guardian also has a good write up.
New Purikura Wallpaper
Date: Wednesday July 28th 2010 [16:23] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Websites
We've just put up some new wallpaper based on the Purikura post cards we gave out last year. As is tradition the artwork was created by the talented Wing Yun Man.
Ni no Kuni to get western release.
Date: Monday July 12th 2010 [17:13] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Gaming
Fans of video games and Studio Ghibli will be pleased to hear that Ni no Kuni the RPG made by Level-5 and Studio Ghibli will be getting a western release. The lovely people at Kotaku have more details. They cite Joystiq.
Vent, celebrating 10 years of UDON
Date: Tuesday July 6th 2010 [13:56] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Retail
The good folks at Udon Entertainment have sent us details of their 10 year anniversary art anthology - Vent. Due to hit the shelves on September 15th 2010 the art book premiers this summer at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con, along with an exclusive hardcover edition at the Udon booth.
Vent is available to pre-order from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. UK readers should note that Amazon.com currently have it cheaper than Amazon.co.uk even after taking shipping into account.
High School of the Dead hits North America
Date: Friday July 2nd 2010 [19:41] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Anime > DVD
Want zombies with your anime? The good folks at Sentai Filmworks and Anime Network are willing to provide you with infected flesh eating monsters! Sentai Filmworks have the license for High School of the Dead. and will be releasing it subbed and dubbed throughout North America.
The Anime Network will also be showing the first and second episode from Monday July 5th to subscribers in North America.
Idle Idol - The Japanese Mascot
Date: Wednesday June 23rd 2010 [15:11] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Culture
Fans of Japanese street furniture, retail space and the quirky side of things will want to check out the new book called Idle Idol: The Japanese mascot. The authors have sent details about this book, which collates the plastic mascots found outside shops, restaurants and other places trying to draw the attentions of passers by.
Crunchyroll to stream Bleach an hour after Japanese Broadcast
Date: Wednesday June 16th 2010 [16:40] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Anime
The good people of Crunchyroll have sent us details about their new Bleach Simulcasts. Starting today (Wednesday June 15th 2010), premium members will be able to watch Bleach one hour after it's been shown in Japan on TV TOKYO. Regular non-paying members of Crunchyroll will be able to watch it a week later.
Bleach will be available on Crunchyroll in following countries areas - United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.
Interview with Daisuke Ishiwatari and Toshimichi Mori the creators of the Guilty Gear and BlazBlue series
Date: Sunday June 13th 2010 [13:46] | Posted By: Dallas Marshall
Category: > Gaming
On the memorial day weekend at Fanimecon, a bay area anime convention in San Jose California, I had the privilege of sitting down with both Daisuke Ishiwatari and Toshimichi Mori of ARC System Works. The studio that brought you the Guilty Gear series and BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger and the soon to be released BlazBlue:Continuum Shift.
News in manga format
Date: Friday June 11th 2010 [8:58] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Current Affairs
Wired have an interesting article about news in manga format. The website newsmanga.com has current affairs explained in manga. The site employs more than 100 manga artists to cover breaking stories, updating 10 or 15 times a day. The site is in Japanese, but the Wired article has some translated and mirrored examples when you wave the mouse over the image.
Multi-National Manga Anti-Piracy Coalition Formed
Date: Tuesday June 8th 2010 [16:47] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Manga
Multi-National Manga Anti-Piracy Coalition Formed
We've received some very interesting details from VIZ Media about the formation of a Multi-National Manga Anti-Piracy Coalition.It seems that the industry has grown tired of Scanlations - manga scanned into a digital format and distributed without the copyright holders consent. The coalition include the 36 members of Japan's Digital Comic Association, Square Enix, VIZ Media, TOKYOPOP and Yen Press.
Originally scanlations were manga translated by fans into their native language from Japanese. This can be seen as the manga equivalent of anime fansubs. Some scanlation sites branched out to scans of manga that was already official translated and licensed outside of Japan.
This has cost the manga publishing industry significant amounts of money, not just in lost book sales, but lost opportunities in the relatively new market of eBooks and mobile devices.
The coalition intend to target scanlation sites and aggregators of scanlation sites. They've drawn up a list of 30 sites to targeted for action. First they will ask the sites to cease distributing scanlations. If the sites fail to cease distributing further action will be taken depending on the jurisdiction of each site. Actions include legal injunctions against the sites, reporting the sites to governmental anti-piracy units of law enforcement, including the US Justice Department, local law enforcement agencies and the FBI.
Fans curious about piracy in the anime and manga industry should read the Pirate Anime FAQ.
This is not the first time the anime and manga industry has attempted to stop piracy in the industry, but this is the biggest and most coordinated international effort so far. With many companies in the industry forced to make cut backs, closing down offices, laying off staff, we wonder if this is the start of a new approach? Will more companies pursue legal options? Are fansubbers next?
Video Games Live 2010 PBS Special Broadcast, DVD/Blu-ray and CD Details
Date: Friday June 4th 2010 [17:19] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Gaming
US fans of video games and the great music behind it rejoice. The nice folks at Videos Games Live have sent us details about the PBS Special DVD/Blu-ray and CD. The Bay Area will also receive a sneak peak on June 7th. The 90 minute Video Games Live special will be broadcast nationally across the USA. It premieres on July 31 and will air throughout August 2010 on PBS stations, so check your local listings.
Japanese Cosplay Singer Reni to perform in Baltimore
Date: Wednesday June 2nd 2010 [16:29] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Events
Baltimore based fans of Japanese Cosplay singers will be pleased to hear that Reni Mimura will be performing in Club Orpheus on Saturday June 26th 2010 at 9pm. This is part of the Pop Show Japan.
Where not to mug someone - Outside ninja school
Date: Sunday May 23rd 2010 [11:49] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Freaky Things
BBC News have an amusing story about some muggers in Sydney, Australia who picked a victim outside of a ninja school. Three thieves were assaulting a German medical exchange student down an alley, when they were spotted by a pupil at the school. Instructed by their ninja master to take action the ninjas in training ran outside clad in black ninja gear and frightened the muggers. Two of the criminals were caught by the police, a third one got away.
The article doesn't mention what kind of ninjas they were and if they were wailing on their guitars, training for a fight with the local pirates, or doing chakra training.
Telling Tales - Sweatdrop Studios Anthology
Date: Friday May 21st 2010 [17:19] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Manga
The good folks from Sweatdrop Studios have sent us the details of their new anthology - Telling Tales. The collection of fables, fairy tales and other ripping yarns is bound to be of interest. The book is priced at £6.99 and is due to launch at the May London MCM Expo 2010.
Metropolis Interviews Helen McCarthy
Date: Friday May 14th 2010 [14:34] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Manga
Tokyo based English Language Magazine Metropolis have just published an interview with Helen McCarthy. She talks about her Book The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga and it's recent Eisner Award Nomination.
Vampire Knight Anime Online at VIZAnime.com
Date: Saturday May 8th 2010 [9:27] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Anime
US Anime fans can now watch Vampire Knight on-line as it premiers on VizAnime.com. This streamed anime title is only available to people inside the US.
Japanese Maid Reni to perform at PJ mini Pop in NYC
Date: Friday May 7th 2010 [18:31] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Events
NY based fans of Japanese Cosplay Singing Maids will want to head over to the anime and Japanese Cultural event PJ "mini" Pop to see Reni Mimura . The event is set to run on Sunday May 23rd 2010 from 12:00 until 6:00pm at the The Dwyer Cultural Center in South Harlem.
Tokyo Bento Shopping Guide
Date: Sunday May 2nd 2010 [14:59] | Posted By: Helephant
Category: > Retail
Bento, beautiful and healthy lunchboxes, is an otaku passion that keeps niggling at the edges of mainstream consciousness. The New York Times ran an article on it recently, some of the most amazing photos made the Flickr blog last week and there has been an explosion of books (US, UK) about the topic.
The Art of Osamu Tezuka nominated for 2010 Eisner Awards
Date: Sunday April 18th 2010 [14:13] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Manga
The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga by Helen McCarthy has been nominated for the prestigious 210 Eisner Awards. The book is up for Best Comics-Related Book, it competes against the following titles -
- Alan Moore: Comics as Performance, Fiction as Scalpel, by Annalisa Di Liddo (University Press of Mississippi)
- The Art of Harvey Kurtzman: The Mad Genius of Comics, by Denis Kitchen and Paul Buhle (Abrams ComicArts)
- Manga Kamishibai: The Art of Japanese Paper Theater, by Eric P. Nash (Abrams ComicArts)
- Will Eisner and PS Magazine, by Paul E. Fitzgerald (Fitzworld.US)
The Otaku News crew congratulate Helen McCarthy and the team behind the book for the nomination and wish them the best of luck in winning the award.
Haruhi Movie US Screening Details
Date: Thursday April 15th 2010 [15:50] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Anime > Film
The good folks at Bandai Entertainment have sent details of the up coming US screenings of the new Haruhi Movie - The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya.
An English subtitled version of the film will be shown at the Viz Cinema in San Francisco from May 21st. The film will then be shown in Hawaii by Consolidated Theaters in mid-June.
Bandai also intend to release the film on DVD in the near future.
Crunchyroll streams Haruhi
Date: Friday April 9th 2010 [19:44] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Anime
The good folks at Crunchyroll have sent us details of their latest streaming deal. They've started to show The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Fans looking for aliens, time travelers, and ESPers will be most pleased to hear that they intend to stream the second series later this year too. Crunchyroll's licence covers the Americas, the British Isles, Scandinavia, the Middle East and Africa.
Shoes made from kimono fabric
Date: Friday April 9th 2010 [3:40] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Art
UK based Hetty Rose designs and makes bespoke shoes using vintage kimono fabric from Japan. Her most popular market is weddings. They're perfect for the bride looking for something unique and colourful. We're wondering if they'll be popular with the fashionable otaku girls out there? It's interesting to see what kind of twists designers are doing with traditional Japanese fabrics, mixing the old and the new.
Viz Cinema launched Eatrip a movie about Japanese food
Date: Sunday April 4th 2010 [6:10] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Anime > Film
Fans of Japanese cuisine and film in San Francisco will want to head over to the U.S. Premiere of Eatrip on Saturday April 10th 2010.
"Eatrip explores the interpersonal relationships that food nurtures. This documentary includes interviews with actor Tadanobu Asano, singer UA, tea master Sen Souoku, and many others. It takes you on a journey throughout Japan to look at how life can be led optimally through the daily ritual of eating. To eat is indeed to live. Life is just an "eating trip" (eatrip)."
Japanese Maid Reni to perform at the Washington Sakura Matsuri
Date: Sunday April 4th 2010 [5:06] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Events
Fans of Japanese culture in Washington DC will want to head over to the Washington Sakura Matsuri on Saturday April 10th 2010. If you didn't need a reason to go already, everyone's favorite New York based Japanese Maid Reni will be there to give two performances.
Therapeutic ringtones for mobile phones
Date: Tuesday March 23rd 2010 [10:35] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Freaky Things
The Times have an interesting article covering a new fad for Therapeutic ringtones in Japan. With hefty claims such as improving your skin tone with the power of alpha-waves the ring tones have a lot to live up to. The different melodies are designed to ease a range of various day-to-day issues. There's one for hang overs, one for going to sleep, another for staying awake and so on. These are the latest creation from Matsumi Suzuki and the Japan Ringing Tone Laboratory. The ringtone providers are currently excited about their new range of ringtones that promise to relieve hay fever, however no research has been conducted in this area.
Viz Media Streams Anime On-line
Date: Tuesday March 16th 2010 [15:09] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Anime
Watching anime on-line is all the rage these days, with services like Crunchyroll leading the way. Viz Media have launched their own anime streaming service on VizAnime.com. Currently the site uses Hulu.com as a backend (which means that readers outside the US can't watch it).
They've got some great titles on there divided into 3 brands - Shonen Jump, Shojo Beat and Shonen Sunday. Highlights include Bleach, Death Note and Naruto, Honey and Clover and Nana. They've got something for everyone on there.
Clannad English Dub US details
Date: Tuesday March 16th 2010 [14:31] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Anime > DVD
We've been sent the details about the Clannad English Dub from Sentai Filmworks. Up until now they've only been producing subtitle only titles. We don't have a release date yet. They also plan an upgrade offer for those who purchased the original subtitle only DVD. Sentai Filmworks intend to release Blue Drop, Ghost Hound, Legends of the Dark King - A Fist of the North Star Story and Tears to Tiara.
Read More... | Source: Sentai Filmworks
Preview the first 7 minutes of Gundam Unicorn
Date: Tuesday March 2nd 2010 [15:20] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Anime > DVD
The good folks from Beez have sent us details about the upcoming release of Gundam Unicorn on Friday 12th 2010 on Blu-ray disc. The release will be worldwide simultaneously in the 7 territorial areas of Japan, US, Canada, UK, France, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
You can view the first 7 minutes of the OAV on the Beez Website.
Bandai Entertainment launches new manga website
Date: Tuesday February 16th 2010 [21:31] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Manga
The good folks at Bandai Entertainment have sent us details about their new manga website.
BBC News on Beckii Cruel
Date: Wednesday February 10th 2010 [7:24] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Fandom
BBC News have an interesting article about Beckii Cruel a girl who dances to anime theme music and J-Pop on YouTube. Internet sensation then followed and she even got to fly out to Akihabara to perform. She releases her debut album on Wednesday. DVDs are also available.
Her father said:
"So far it's been a tremendous adventure, not many teenage girls get to travel across the globe and have this sort of exposure".
What's also nice to note is responsible parenting (instead of paranoia about the internet):
"We've brought our children up with the internet, they've always had access to it."
"Rebecca is well aware of the online dangers, she's been well advised and has told us when there have been problems."
Rebecca got into anime fandom when she picked up a copy of Fruits Basket.
Original Laughing Man Creator Dies
Date: Thursday January 28th 2010 [17:14] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Culture
Author JD Salinger dies, aged 91. Anime fans who have seen Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex, will be aware of the Laughing Man. The Japanese producers of the series created the antagonist after being inspired by a short story by JD Salinger, which was called The Laughing Man.
The logo used in Ghost In the Shell : Stand Alone Complex also references Catcher in the Rye, his best known work.
DVD Horror Stories
Date: Sunday January 24th 2010 [15:51] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Anime > DVD
For a change, here's a little horror story that will make some anime fans cringe and check their collection, and others not even blink.
Japanese Maid Show January 24th 2010 in NYC
Date: Sunday January 24th 2010 [9:34] | Posted By: Joe
Category: > Events
Fans of Akiba culture in NY should head over to Top Tunes Karaoke Bar on January 24th 2010 where Japanese Copsplay Singer Reni will perform anime songs and J-Pop.
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