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New blu ray editions for Neon Genesis Evangelion series announced for UK-US-AUS

Date: 2021 August 31 18:16 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

UK, US, Australian anime video labels reveal new details for multiple upcoming releases of seminal 90s mecha action TV series and its original films.

Read More... | Souce: Official Anime Limited EVA site

My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission Movie Release Details

Date: 2021 August 25 16:48 | Posted By:

Category > Anime > Film

The good folks from anime distributors Funimation have just sent us some exciting news about the new upcoming My Hero Academia movie. My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission will be arriving cinemas in North America, UK and Ireland on 29th October 2021, while fans in Australia and New Zealand will get the film on 28th October 2021.

The third movie in the franchise, this time around Midoriya, Todoroki and Bakugo crisis in My Hero Academia history, with only two hours to save the world! The action takes place while the trio are at their internship with the number one Pro Hero Endeavor Agency. The villains this time around want to eliminate all quirks!

You can catch the official trailer here.

We're currently enjoying the 5th season of the anime, which is available to watch on funimation.com and Crunchyroll.

Read More... | Souce: Funimation UK

Scotland Loves Animation 2021 Details

Date: 2021 August 25 15:24 | Posted By:

Category > Anime > Film

Scotland Loves Animation the fan favourite anime film festival is back for 2021. They're set to run at Glasgow from 1st to 3rd October 2021 and Edinburgh 11th to 17th October 2021.

Festival Highlights include Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko from Studio 4°C, Pompo the Cinephile a film about making films, Shirobako: The Movie which is an anime about making anime, along with Sing a Bit of Harmony which we mentioned yesterday, The Deer King, along with the original The End of Evangelion.

There's lots to see and as always there's a host of UK premieres with the odd European premiere too.

Souce: Scotland Loves Animation

Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train UK and Ireland Streaming Details

Date: 2021 August 24 21:45 | Posted By:

Category > Anime > Film

The good folks from anime company Funimation have just sent us details about Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train which will be streaming on Funimation in the UK & Ireland from Monday 30th August 2021.

The TV series caused a massive spike in the manga sales and a movie was the natural progression of the franchise. The movie did rather well in Japan, becoming highest-grossing film ever at the Japanese box office.

In this feature film Tanjiro and the other heroes (plus the annoying Zenitsu) go on an adventure to investigate the death and disappearances on a steam train. Action ensues.

Don't forget Viz will be releasing a complete box set of the original manga on Tuesday 5th October 2021.

Read More... | Souce: Funimation UK

Funimation Reveals Details For Sing A Bit of Harmony Movie

Date: 2021 August 24 16:51 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

The good folks from anime distributors Funimation UK have just revealed details of the co-production Sing A Bit of Harmony. The film is set for release in Japan on 29th October 2021, and will be coming soon to the UK and Ireland. The story focuses on a mysterious transfer student Shion who turns out to be an AI. Pandemonium ensues with the new classmate.

The film is written and direct by Yasuhiro Yoshiura, who is also known for the enjoyable Patema Inverted: Beginning of the Day and the excellent Time of EVE.

You can see the official trailer here.

Read More... | Souce: Funimation UK

BFI Japan 2021 Comes to Big Screens UK-wide

Date: 2021 August 18 20:47 | Posted By:

Category > Anime > Film

The good folks from the BFI have just sent us details of the upcoming Japan 2021 Cinema Season. Celebrating 100 Years of Japanese Cinema, coming to cinemas UK-wide from October to December 2021. The season will show case an amazing selection films from Japan.

The screenings mark a continuation of the Japan 2020 season from last year, which was more of a home screening event due to the UK's COVID-19 lockdown situation.

As well as the often imitated Akira Kurosawa re-release of Seven Samurai cinemas UK Wide, there'll be a major two part season of Japanese cinema at BFI Southbank from 18 October - 30 December 2021. Plus screenings and special events at cinemas UK-wide. Along with BFI Japan collection on BFI Player.

Read More... | Souce: BFI Japan 2021

Poster Giveaway for the Heartwarming Anime Josee, The Tiger and The Fish

Date: 2021 August 09 19:42 | Posted By:

Category > Anime > Film

From Wednesday 11th August 2021 Josee, the Tiger and the Fish hits cinemas around the UK and Ireland. To celebrate it's launch we've teamed up with the good people from Anime Limited to give away a limited edition one sheet poster. Want a chance to win it? Then read on.

Read More... | Souce: Otaku News

Sakugan Episode 1 Streaming Review

Date: 2021 August 04 19:45 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

New anime Sakugan is due to hit streaming service Crunchyroll in October 2021. If you want to catch episode 1 early , the world premiere of Sakugan will stream at Virtual Crunchyroll Expo.

The good folks at Crunchyroll gave us access to a screening copy of Sakugan to review. So read on if you want to know about the show!

Read More... | Souce: Otaku News

Mamoru Hosoda's Belle gets a 14-minute Standing Ovation at Cannes

Date: 2021 July 21 20:14 | Posted By:

Category > Anime > Film

The good folks from anime distribution company Anime Limited have just sent us the latest update about Mamoru Hosoda's latest movie Belle. The film has just received a 14-minute standing ovation at Cannes. The coveted audience endorsement was the the seventh longest in the festival's history!

We haven't seen the movie yet, but we're excited about it, as Mamoru Hosoda has a track record of delivering great movies. Critics are making the right sounds about it too, with Telegraph film critic Robbie Collin saying "there is usually one film per Cannes that emotionally bulldozes me, and this year Belle was it." While Time Out's Phil de Semlyen described it as one of my favourite things at Cannes.

Read More... | Souce: Anime Limited

Josee, the Tiger and the Fish UK and Ireland Cinema Screening Details

Date: 2021 July 20 19:19 | Posted By:

Category > Anime > Film

The good folks from anime distributors Anime Limited have just sent us details of their latest cinematic outing. Josee, the Tiger and the Fish is due to hit cinemas around the UK and Ireland from Wednesday 11th August 2021.

Pitched as beautiful, emotional and uplifting (which is the kind of movies Anime Limited love in their catalogue), it follows the love story between Tsuneo who gets a job assisting Josee an artist in a wheelchair. Animated by Studio Bones, who are best known for hits like My Hero Academia, Fullmetal Alchemist and Eureka Seven, this film marks a change in pace and genre for the studio.

You can find a screening near you on the official UK website Joseefilm.co.uk.

Read More... | Souce: Josee, the Tiger and the Fish UK and Ireland Website

Mamoru Hosoda and Studio Chizu's latest film Belle Gets World Premiere at Cannes Film Festival 2021

Date: 2021 July 08 19:33 | Posted By:

Category > Anime > Film

The good folks from anime distribution company Anime Limited have sent us the latest details about Mamoru Hosoda and Studio Chizu's latest film Belle. We've been told it will get it's world premiere at the 74th Cannes Film Festival.

We've mentioned that Anime Limited have the rights to the movie for the UK and Ireland. We're really excited about this feature and are eager to see it!

Read More... | Souce: Anime Limited

Crunchyroll Summer 2021 Line Up

Date: 2021 June 29 19:08 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

The good folks from anime streaming service Crunchyroll have sent us details of their Summer 2021 line up. They've got a mix of new stuff along with continuing popular favourites. This season the very silly Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, returns in the form of Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid S. They've also got Season 2 of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, plus I'm Standing on a Million Lives Season 2.

For new stuff they've got SD Gundam World Heroes for all your international tiny Gundam needs. Along with the intriguing Peach Boy Riverside.

While other stuff still on going includes Tokyo Revengers (it's like Erased, but with more violence),
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Case Closed, One Piece and My Hero Academia (Season 5) (with more Hawks).

As always with Crunchyroll there's something for everyone. While there's a great selection of stuff, we just want more quirky shows like ODDTAXI. It's a show that caught us by surprise! If you haven't caught it yet, watch it!

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

Mamoru Hosoda and Studio Chizu's Belle Acquired by Anime Limited

Date: 2021 June 16 19:04 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

The good folks from Anime publishing company Anime Limited have just sent us details about their most recent acquisition - Belle, the latest film from Mamoru Hosoda and Studio Chizu. Previous works include the absolutely fanatic Mirai, Summer Wars, Wolf Children, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and The Boy and the Beast.

The movie follows familiar Hosoda themes of other worlds and cyber space with Suzu a 17 year old high school girl who enters the virtual world of U. There she becomes Belle, a world-famous singer. She soon meets with a mysterious creature. Together, they embark on a journey of adventures, challenges and love, in their quest to become who they truly are.

The movie has a top range of talent in production and we're very excited about this. We always enjoy a Mamoru Hosoda movie and we're certain this one will deliver!

Anime Limited have announced they've acquired all distribution rights to the film for the UK and Ireland. They'll have a cinema release, and no doubt a home video release in the not too distant future too.

Read More... | Souce: Anime Limited

Violet Evergarden: The Movie UK and Ireland Cinema Screening Details

Date: 2021 June 15 19:38 | Posted By:

Category > Anime > Film

The good folks from anime distribution company Anime Limited have just announced a special one day screening of Violet Evergarden: The Movie across the UK and Ireland. The feature film is due to hit cinemas on Thursday 1st July 2021 for a one day only screening. The film will be available in Japanese with English subtitles.

The movie follows on from the hugely successful series about Violet, a former child soldier turned "Auto Memory Doll" scribe, who travels around the Europeanesque world helping her clients write letters from their heart. During the her adventures Violet's clients learn about themselves and in turn so does Violet.

The series available on Netflix and blu-ray has extraordinarily lavish animation. The movie continues that tradition.

Anime Limited will also be releasing the film on blu-ray and are taking pre-orders now.

We're hugely excited about this film and can't wait to see it.

Read More... | Souce: Anime Limited

Discotek Media Announces New Licences for Q4 2021

Date: 2021 June 09 20:51 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

US anime label Discotek Media announced on Monday evening via Twitch they have licensed Shaman King, Super Dimension Century Orguss on blu-ray, Case Closed: The Darkest Nightmare, Lupin the Third: Part 5, Galaxy Cyclone Braiger on blu ray and Fatal Fury: The OVA Collection on blu-ray. They also gave updates for new releases coming from August 2021 onward.

Read More... | Souce: Discotek Media

Small Totoro Honnori Lamp Review

Date: 2021 June 01 18:13 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

At Otaku News HQ, we don't often buy that much merchandise any more, mainly due to space limitations. With so many great items out there, it's easy to get carried away and we've become very selective.

Just by luck when browsing Twitter something caught our eye. It was this brilliant little lamp.

Read More... | Souce: Otaku News

Screen Anime Online Screaming Service Ends its Run

Date: 2021 June 01 11:08 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

Normally by now we would have posted details of June's line up for Screen Anime, the streaming film festival. However now with cinemas opening back up and (hopefully) things getting slowly back to pre-COVID normality the curated streaming film festival has run it's course. The festival lasted for a year! Which is impressive by itself.

Anime Limited are still offering some movies streamed via Crunchyroll each month in the UK, Ireland and the US. While those who are still members of Screen Anime would have received a digital gift card for the AllTheAnime.com store via email, prorated based on the amount of time left in their subscription.

Anime Limited are also launching Anime (Un)Limited for £17.99 a year you'll get A 10% discount on all orders placed at the AllTheAnime.com store (which will have paid for itself fairly quickly if you buy a lot of anime). A free copy of their glossy high quality magazine, plus exclusive products and offers for members such as vinyl variants or other unique products.

Additionally tickets are now on sale for LUPIN III: THE FIRST, exclusively in Showcase Cinemas on Wednesday 2nd June 2021.

Read More... | Souce: Anime Limited

Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train UK Cinema Release Details

Date: 2021 May 19 16:59 | Posted By:

Category > Anime > Film

As things start to open up in the UK cinemas are warming back up too. Funimation UK are getting off to a good start this year by releasing Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train on 26th May 2021 across the UK and soon in Ireland too.

You can find a screening near you on the official UK website.

The TV series caused a massive spike in the manga sales and a movie was the natural progression of the franchise. The movie did rather well in Japan, becoming highest-grossing film ever at the Japanese box office.

In this feature film Tanjiro and the other heroes (plus the annoying Zenitsu) go on an adventure to investigate the death and disappearances on a steam train. Action ensues.

To be honest, we found the TV series incredibility enjoyable (despite the annoying Zenitsu). If you haven't already you can watch the series legally on Crunchyroll. We suggest you watch it before going to a screening (although chances are you've already seen the show so don't need to hear what we think about it). The show itself is a great mix of action, adventure, along with the importance of family and freeing your sister from being cursed to live as a demon.

Read More... | Souce: Demon Slayer Movie Offical UK Website

Screen Anime May 2021 Streaming Line Up

Date: 2021 April 26 20:00 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

Streaming curated film festival Screen Anime have just revealed their May 2021 line up.

Headlining this time around is Tokyo Ghoul S, the live action follow up to the original live action movie.

Billed as classic, they've also go some old school anime in the form Belladonna of Sadness.

Under the festival favourite banner we're offered Psychic School Wars, while under curated Screen Anime will be showing The Relative Worlds.

For their TV billing we've got part 2 of Eureka Seven.

This line up is set to run from 25th April 2021 until 25th May 2021. The subscription based service costs £3.98 a month or £39.98 per year. You can also gift a subscription for up to a year.

Read More... | Souce: Screen Anime

Crunchyroll Team up with Anime Limited to Bring Movie Night at Homes Series from 1 May 2021

Date: 2021 April 21 20:21 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

The good folks at anime streaming service Crunchyroll have teamed up with anime distributor Anime Limited (aka All The Anime) to bring Movie at Home to Crunchyroll. The season brings a new film each month to Crunchyroll from Anime Limited's portfolio. From the 1st of each month each film will be up on the service for a month to enjoy.

Some of the shows are restricted to the UK and Ireland, while others are UK, Ireland and the USA.

The showcase kicks off with Penguin Highway from 1st of May 2021. They've got some great stuff lined up. Including Patema Inverted, Promare, Giovanni's Island, the delightful Mai Mai Miracle and some Makoto Shinkai films running from January 2022 until April 2022. This a great way to catch a movie you wouldn't always have a chance to see.

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

Key Stateside Crunchyroll Talent Joins UK's Anime Limited in Expansion Move

Date: 2021 April 15 21:05 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

The good folks at anime distributors Anime Limited have just sent us details of their new hire and key leadership promotion.

The anime firm have announced that they've hired Miles Thomas as their new Chief Marketing Officer. Miles was previously at the anime streaming giants Crunchyroll for 8 years making waves as he expanded their social media network and setup the Editorial Programming department. He brings his industry and domain knowledge to an already strong firm.

Internally there's been a bit of a restructure with Jessica Poce having also been appointed Chief Operating Officer and Kerry Kasim has been promoted from her position as VP Marketing to the role of General Manager, UK and Ireland.

The details of the expansion plan aren't fully explained in the press release, they hint at expanding to other territories and verticals. Reading in-between the lines we're guessing they intend to expand their music offerings and maybe their streaming services, but we're just inferring this from their press release.

It's interesting to see the next stage in the anime industry as Manga Entertainment fades away as it gets absorbed into Funimation, which in turn also owns Crunchyroll.

Anime Limited has always had excellently presented releases. Their collectors and ultimate editions always contain a ton of extra content and are fantastically packaged (we're eager to get our hands on their upcoming release of Violet Evergarden). They've also always been good at cinema releases, bringing Your Name and Mirai to name a few to the big screens. Anime Limited have also gone the extra mile at events as they tend to bring guests from Japan to events like the MCM London Comic Con. We hope they continue with these core strengths as they expand and are interested to see what they've got planned.

Read More... | Souce: Anime Limited

Manga UK to rebrand as Funimation

Date: 2021 April 13 20:42 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

Venerable UK anime brand to be retired in favour of new parent company's identity, social media idents to be moved over to existing Funimation UK addresses.

In an announcement on its official blog, Funimation confirmed that their UK home video division, Manga UK, will rebrand as Funimation. The fan-favourite UK anime label will start changing over to its parent labels identity, starting with their website and social media teams. The post also states that Blue Exorcist and its Kyoto Saga retcon would be available to UK and Irish viewers to celebrate. The change is expected to be completed by May 2021.

Read More... | Souce: Official Funimation blog

Crunchyroll Spring 2021 Line Up

Date: 2021 March 28 14:19 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

The good folks from anime streaming service Crunchyroll have revealed their line up for Spring 2021.

It includes the return of old favourites such as the highly anticipated latest season of My Hero Academia, some new Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Digimon Adventure and of course One Piece. Along with the conclusion of Fruits Basket, titled Fruits Basket: The Final Season (hmmm, a bit like Attack on Titan there).

New seasons include To Your Eternity, which we're curious to see how the anime adaption will compare to the manga. The intriguing ODDTAXI, plus a whole crop of different titles such as Tokyo Revengers, Zombie Land Saga Revenge (Season 2), The Slime Diaries, JORAN THE PRINCESS OF SNOW AND BLOOD, Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro, Osamake: Romcom Where The Childhood Friend Won't Lose, Those Snow White Note.

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

Culture Gate to Japan Art Exhibition Opens Online and at Airports Across Japan

Date: 2021 March 27 11:11 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

We've just been sent some interesting details about the Culture Gate to Japan Art Exhibition. Set around the airports of Japan each exhibition focuses on a different aspect of Japanese art, history and culture relevant to each location. Kansai International Airport will be hosting a manga themed exhibition, which includes new works by artists including Yuki Urushibara (Mushishi), Machiko Satonaka, Yoshihiro Yamada, Yuichi Yokoyama and more.

But you can't get to Japan right now to enjoy this I hear you cry! Well the reason we're publishing this is the official Culture Gate website has lot of interactive content for you to enjoy from each exhibition online. So you don't have to go hopping around each airport of Japan to get exhibition experience.

We've been told "There are high-tech, contemporary artworks by 29 artists installed at eight locations across Japan. Each location's exhibition is inspired by the culture and history of the region of Japan it is located. From the mysterious soundscapes of Hokkaido's indigenous Ainu people to the vibrant history of Okinawa's ancient Ryukyu Kingdom, diverse cultures can be found throughout Japan. Through this project, artists and creators seek to reinterpret and convey the appeal of these rich cultural resources, each molded by the particular regional climate in which they developed. As the gateways to these unique regions, airports are the ideal location at which to exhibit these works, inviting visitors to discover new aspects of Japanese culture."

Read More... | Souce: Culture Gate to Japan

Screen Anime April 2021 Streaming Line Up

Date: 2021 March 23 20:50 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

The good folks from Screen Anime the curated monthly streaming anime festival have sent us the details of their April 2021 showings. As always they've got a great line up.

For April they headline with Makoto Shinkai's Children Who Chase Lost Voices (also known as Journey to Agartha).

Then they've also got the Tiger &Bunny Movie - Tiger & Bunny: The Rising. Set in a world where superheroes get sponsorship from big name brands similar to sports personalties.

They've also got five short films from Production I.G, in the form of Pigtails & Other Short Films.

While for their curated offering, they have RE:Cyborg 009.

For their TV series offering this time around they'll be showing Eureka Seven Part 1.

The shows are available from from 25th March 2021 until 25th April 2021. The subscription based service costs £3.98 a month or £39.98 per year. You can also gift a subscription for up to a year.

Read More... | Souce: Screen Anime

Funimation App Launches on Nintendo Switch

Date: 2021 March 22 20:12 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

The good folks from anime company Funimation (who own Manga UK and Cruchyroll) have just sent us details about their Nintendo Switch App. The app is now available on Nintendo Switch in the UK and Ireland. They also plan to expand to other territories in the coming months.

Read More... | Souce: Funimation

I Hear the Sunspot: Limit Volume 3 Manga Release Details

Date: 2021 March 11 20:59 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

The good people from One Peace Books have just sent us the release details I Hear the Sunspot: Limit Volume 3. The final volume of the manga is due out on 13th April 2021. The publishers promise us that "The moving love story between two young men, the hard-of-hearing Kohei and the eternally-optimistic Taichi, reaches a tear-jerking finale".

They also tell us it's "Praised for its nuanced representation of disability, and named a best graphic novel for teens in 2019 and 2020 by the American Library Association's YALSA division, I Hear the Sunspot: Limit showcases the protagonists' immense emotional growth while continuing its thoughtful exploration of disability representation and issues."

One Peace Book always publish an interesting range of manga, and this one is certainly worth adding to your reading list.

You can pre-order the book from all the usual places including Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, US Bookshop.org, UK Bookshop.org.

Read More... | Souce: One Peace Books

Discotek Media Announce New Titles for Late 2021 and Beyond

Date: 2021 March 12 20:43 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

US anime boutique label Discotek Media announced on Monday night via Twitch a number of new licence acquisitions and details on already announced titles. They also gave updates on the status of titles they are working on and the state of where they are.

Read More... | Souce: Discotek Media

Women Make Animation Online Event

Date: 2021 March 06 14:07 | Posted By:

Category > Events

The good folks from the Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival have teamed up with Wales One World Festival to Celebrate International Women's Day. Together they'll be hosting free family friendly online event on 13th March 2021. The event will show case works by up and coming female directors. They'll be showing various family friendly short films on the Zoom Stream. The event is free to attend, but registration is required.

They'll also be running a free drawing workshop with the Japanese animator and illustrator Chie Arai.

Read More... | Souce: Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival

Screen Anime March 2021 Streaming Line Up

Date: 2021 February 28 16:28 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

The good folks from Screen Anime the curated monthly streaming anime festival have sent us the details of their March 2021 showings. As always they've got a great line up.

For March they headline with the live action adaptation of Tokyo Ghoul, along with the classic anime Mind Game, which marks the directorial debut of Masaaki Yuasa. For the festival favourite they'll be showing The Case of Hana & Alice and for the final feature Summer Days with Coo will be showing too.

For the TV Series subscribers will be treated to the popular sci-fi show Planetes.

This month we highly recommend Mind Game and Planetes, but everything they've got (as always) is worth your time.
The shows are available from from 25th February 2021 until 25th March 2021. The subscription based service costs £3.98 a month or £39.98 per year. You can also gift a subscription for up to a year.

Read More... | Souce: Screen Anime

Talk Series Announced - The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2021

Date: 2021 February 17 21:02 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

The good folks from the Japan Foundation in the UK have sent us a reminder about their Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2021. As we've mentioned before in addition to the eighteen finest and most talked about recently released Japanese films, the programme will host 7 online talks where 8 Japanese directors in total will talk about their work and explore issues existing in Japanese society.

They've curated 18 Japanese titles under the theme of This is My Place - Carving out a sense of existence and belonging in Japanese Cinema.

You can sign up to watch the films and talks at home check out https://onlinecinema.jpf-film.org.uk.

As always we've they some really good titles.
The live action adaptation of Little Miss Period stands out. If you enjoyed the manga or are curious about personifications of that time of the month, then it's well worth catching!

For anime fans they'll be showing HELLO WORLD, a romantic story with a sci-fi twist.

Read More... | Souce: The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2021

The Original Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 comes to Crunchyroll

Date: 2021 January 25 21:39 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

The good folks from streaming anime service Crunchyroll have just sent us news that they'll be streaming the original Gundam Series Mobile Suit Gundam 0079. This is the original 1979 anime that started it all!

Hugely influential, it's the start of the massive Gundam franchise, the show that spawned so many other shows and countless bits of merchandise (which was the point of the show).

Crunchyroll have both the sub and English dubbed versions available.

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

Screen Anime February 2021 Streaming Line Up

Date: 2021 January 23 14:39 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

The good folks from Screen Anime the curated monthly streaming anime festival have sent us the details of their February 2021 showings. As always they've got a good line up.

Headlining this month is Mamoru Hosoda's Mirai. It's a charming movie about a small child with of course a Hosoda like twist. You can read our review of the Oscar nominated movie here.

They've also got the first ever anime feature film Momotaro: Sacred Sailors. the Japanese 1945 propaganda film was made using prisoners of war as the voice actors. It's interesting from a historical and academic standpoint and certainly worth watching.

If you're looking for a melancholy sci-fi romance type anime film then HAL is for you.

But if you want some old school anime with a very sweary 1990's dub, Sci-fi action extreme violence and exploding neck collars then the classic Cyber City Oedo 808 is for you.

For the TV show they've got the visually stunning Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo.

This is such a a great selection this month. It's available from 25th January 2021 until 25th February 2021. The subscription based service costs £3.98 a month or £39.98 per year. You can also gift a subscription for up to a year.

Read More... | Souce: Screen Anime

AmeChibi Rescheduled to October 2022

Date: 2021 January 23 13:55 | Posted By:

Category > Events

As we've mentioned before popular fan run anime convention AmeCon's mini con AmeChibi was postponed from April 2021. The AmeCon committee have now announced AmeChibi will be running Friday 14th to Sunday 16th of October 2022.

All bookings for AmeChibi with the venue will be automatically transferred over (as long as it was made by the link sent in AmeChibi registrations email) and your membership for the event will automatically be transferred over too.

We think October 2022 is a realistic date to run, being more than a year in the future hopefully the COVID-19 situation in the UK would be under control and normality would have returned. The AmeCon committee are also being very clear about refunds and other logistics.

We do notice that that weekend is likely to be before MCM Comic Con London based on their previous runs, which means some fans will be able to have two full geek weekends!

Souce: AmeCon

The Japan Foundation UK Touring Film Programme 2021 Line-up Announcement

Date: 2021 January 16 20:10 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

We've just received details from the good folks at The Japan Foundation in the UK. They've just revealed the line up for The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2021. The yearly film festival has always been a great way of seeing a wide range of Japanese films. This year around for the first time ever the festival is going online. It's set to run from 19th February to 10th March 2021.

Screening dates will be announced on Friday January 22nd 2021.

They've curated 18 Japanese titles under the theme of This is My Place - Carving out a sense of existence and belonging in Japanese Cinema.

Anime wise they'll be showing HELLO WORLD, a romantic story with a sci-fi twist.

They've also got the live action adaptation of Little Miss Period. The movie is based on the manga about personified visitations of that time of the month.

As always they've got a lot of good stuff showing and we're spoilt for choice. This time around you'll be able to watch it from the comfort of your own home.

Read More... | Souce: The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2021

Crunchyroll Announces International Slate of Anime Dubs for Winter 2021

Date: 2021 January 06 20:02 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

For those anime fans out there that enjoy a dub, you'll be pleased to hear that anime streaming service Crunchyroll have revealed their anime dub line ups for some of the top shows of the latest seasons of Dr Stone, Jujutsu Kaisen and Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World.

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

Screen Anime January 2021 Streaming Line Up

Date: 2020 December 26 13:31 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

The good folks from Screen Anime the curated monthly streaming anime festival have sent us the details of their January 2021 showings. As always they've got a good line up.

This time around brings us the magnificent Miss Hokusai the story of Hokusai's daughter. The Place Promised in Our Early Days which marks Makoto Shinkai's feature film debut. You may have seen his other works Your Name and Weathering with You.

If you fancy a dark story with a fairy tale feel, then Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade is for you. From Mamoru Oshii the director of the original 1995 Ghost in the Shell feature film.

If you're after something a bit off beat then the Genius Party Beyond anthology is for you.

While last, but no means least if you're after something really off beat, fast paced and enjoyable then the TV series offering of The Tatami Galaxy is for you. It's from director Masaaki Yuasa who also did Night is Short, Walk on Girl and Lu over the Wall.

This is such a a great selection this month. It's available now until 25th January 2021. The subscription based service costs £3.32 a month or £33.32 per year. You can also gift a subscription for up to a year.

Read More... | Souce: Screen Anime

Discotek Media Teases New Releases for 2021

Date: 2020 December 23 12:51 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

After showing off their releases for the start of 2021, Discotek have announced the next batch of titles for 2021. Unlike their earlier announcement, these titles have no release dates or preorder link details.

The list includes older titles, OVA's, newer shows and standalone movies. They also gave an update on their future release of Project A-Ko on blu-ray.

Titles announced are:

  • Arion
  • Bananya 2
  • Black Rock Shooter
  • City Hunter 2
  • Fighting General Daimos
  • Grimms Fairy Tales
  • Kenichi The Mightiest Disciple
  • Kodocha
  • Laserion
  • Lupin The 3rd: The Columbus Files
  • Lupin The 3rd: The Return of Pycal
  • Lupin The 3rd: Part 3
  • Mahoraba
  • Medabots Season 3
  • Memories

Read More... | Souce: Discotek Media

An Interview with Sara Linsley Manga Letterer

Date: 2020 December 14 20:51 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

Localising manga is more than just buying the rights and getting it translated, there's also sorts of factors to consider to bring it to market. While people often consider the translation there's another part of the localisation process to consider, the letterer! All the words you read on the page aren't just magically put into place, there's actually a lot of art and craft to lettering a manga page. So we thought we'd catch up with a manga letterer to find out more about the process.

Sara Linsley is a software developer and comic book letterer living in NYC, she has done lettering for manga including Sweat and Soap, Spoof on Titan, LDK and Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches. Recently she's also just released a font of her own intended for manga use! We thought we'd catch up with Sara over e-mail to find out how letterer can make or break a good localisation.

Read More... | Souce: Otaku News

Sony Buys Crunchyroll for $1.175 Billion USD

Date: 2020 December 10 21:14 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

The news is out! Streaming anime platform Crunchyroll have just been bought by Sony for $1.175 billion (USD). In their corporate structure Sony will put Crunchyroll as part of the Funimation Global Group.

This means Sony now own a substantial amount of the English speaking distribution companies, in the UK they own Manga Entertainment UK along with Funimation UK and in Australia they own Madman Anime Group (which was a part of Madman Entertainment) and in the US they own Funimation.

Crunchyroll's General Manager Joanne Waage says:

"We are excited to embark on this new journey. Crunchyroll has built a world-class brand with a passionate fan-base of over 3M subscribers, 50M social followers and 90M registered users. These amazing fans have helped to propel anime into a global phenomenon,

"Combining the strength of the Crunchyroll brand and the expertise of our global team with Funimation is an exciting prospect and a win for the incredible art form of anime."

Lots of people are publishing their own opinion on this acquisition. At Otaku News our own opinion on this is neutral to negative. We've been hearing whispers of this deal for at least a month. Funimation now have a large chunk of the English speaking anime distribution market and a monopoly of anime streaming services. Worldwide their competition includes Netflix which have been releasing some truly excellent and innovate anime recently. Also consider Amazon Video who do have some good titles such as Vinland Saga but is limited and discovery of decent anime on the Amazon platform is difficult at best.

Additionally less competition generally means less innovation and a lower likelihood of beating their rivals offerings. So those nagging issues with video play back on certain versions of certain players might not be prioritised to fix any more. The question remains what will happen now that Funimation has two streaming platforms with their own Funimation offering and Crunchyroll. Will they be merged under one brand? Will they be kept separate and the technology consolidated? When such technology platforms get merged, it isn't always the best platform that wins, there could be other internal considerations that don't always present as a good result to end users.

Will all the Funimation titles be ported across to Crunchyroll now or vis-versa? Will some titles where the streaming rights are owned by other companies be pulled from Crunchyroll now they're owned by a rival? What will happen to staff with duplicated roles in both companies? At this stage it's all speculation and we'll have to wait and see how it turns out.

Read More... | Souce: AT&T

Screen Anime December 2020 Streaming Line Up

Date: 2020 December 02 20:57 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

The good folks from anime streaming festival Screen Anime have just announced their line up for this month. It includes a mix of the late great Satoshi Kon's films in the form of the joyful Millennium Actress, along with the psychological thriller Perfect Blue. Plus some Fate/Stay Night Heaven's Feel II Lost Butterfly, then for those who like a bit of action we've got Psycho-Pass movie Sinners of the System. For the series screening they've got the madcap Anonymous Noise.

Screen Anime have also launched their apps for for iOS, Android, tvOS, and Amazon Fire TV.

The subscription based service costs £3.32 a month or £33.32 per year. You can also gift a subscription for up to a year.

Read More... | Souce: Screen Anime

Mangamo Releases Android App

Date: 2020 November 26 20:58 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

The good folks from manga subscription service Mangamo. They've just released their app on Android, so you can grab it from the Google Play Store. The app is already available iOS (iPhone and iPad) on the Apple App Store.

The app itself has a great collection of top tier manga titles including Attack On Titan, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Fire Force, In/Spectre and Fairy Tail. A subscription costs $4.99 USD a month and is a great way to read manga officially. The service is offering a 30-day free trial for new Android users and is also available globally for iOS and offering a 30-day free trial for new iOS users. So you can try before you buy.

Sony have also just invested in Mangamo via the Sony Innovation Fund. Sony have a large interest in the anime industry already owning 95% of Funimation, in turn also own Manga Entertainment in the UK and Madman Anime Group via Aniplex. So it looks like Sony is also expanding into manga distribution!

Read More... | Souce: Mangamo

Anime Limited Announces 2021 release dates and Xmas Sale details

Date: 2020 November 21 23:23 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

UK anime label Anime Limited followed up on their earlier announcement of new titles with release dates and news of their yearly Christmas sales. They also teased further releases for 2021.

Read More... | Souce: Anime Limited at Cloud Matsuri

Crunchyroll Announces Autumn 2020 Dub Slate

Date: 2020 November 14 15:12 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

The good folks from anime streaming service Crunchyroll have just announced their dub line ups for autumn 2020.

It includes the dub of Jujutsu Kaisen, I'm Standing on a Million Lives, Tonikawa: Over the Moon For You and Noblesse

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

AmeCon Postponed from April 2021

Date: 2020 November 09 20:32 | Posted By:

Category > Events

With COVID-19 still limiting what you can do across the UK, the fan favourite anime convention AmeCon rescheduled their AmeChibi to April 2021. They've now revealed that the April 2021 event has been postponed. The committee are being transparent and clear that it's unfeasible to run the event as it stands in April 2021. They're currently figuring out all the details with the venue about their options and will let everyone know what will happen next in due time.

It should be noted that AmeChibi hasn't been cancelled (as incorrectly reported elsewhere), but postponed until a future date. At the moment there is too much uncertainty so they cannot commit to a date.

Souce: AmeCon

Discotek Media Announce 2021 Titles

Date: 2020 November 08 14:20 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

Hot on the heels of Anime Limited's own solicitations for 2021, US anime label Discotek Media has announced its latest batch of releases. These include their second 4K UHD release and an SD on BD release.

The line up is as follows:

  • Lupin The 3rd: The Castle Of Cagliostro (4K UHD)
  • Kiss X Sis
  • Hajime no Ippo The Fighting!
  • Genocyber
  • The Legend of Black Heaven
  • Symphogear G Season 2

Read More... | Souce: Discotek Media

Anime Limited Showcases Upcoming Release as of November 2020

Date: 2020 November 05 20:16 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

UK anime company Anime Limited have hosted a live stream livestream to announce details for their upcoming 2021 titles. They used the stream to promote their annual 12 Days of Christmas sales period. Set to run from the 1st to the 12th of December 2020.

They've also revealed some new titles coming soon (hopefully December, but it's tentative).

Read More... | Souce: Anime Limited

Liz and the Blue Bird at The Leeds International Film Festival 2020

Date: 2020 October 25 18:52 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

Update: Due to COVID restrictions The Leeds International Film Festival 2020 have had to move online for the whole event.

The Leeds International Film Festival always offers some interesting movies. In 2006 they ran the UK Premiere of Paprika by the late great Satoshi Kon. They've just launched the LIFF 2020 programme.

Anime fans will be interested in Liz and the Blue Bird from Naoko Yamada (A Silent Voice) and Kyoto Animation. It is set to play at City Varieties Music Hall on at 10:00 am on Saturday 7th November and 1:45pm on Sunday 8th November 2020. At this stage it's not clear if it'll be a subbed or dubbed screening. The film is a must for fans of the Sound! Euphonium Series (which you can pre-order from Anime Limited).

We're also waiting for the festival to reveal more details around it's screening of The Message - Onoe Caponoe as part of it's music video competition. The music video is from creative duo TOCHKA. You can catch the part animated video here.

Some of the festival will be taking place in the real world, while other bits will be online via the Leeds Film Player.

Thanks to Jordan Scott for sending us details of the festival.

Souce: The Leeds International Film Festival 2020

Scotland Loves Anime Festival 2020 Details and Call to Crowdfunding

Date: 2020 October 17 18:18 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

With the ongoing trend of everything moving online due to the constraints of COVID-19, the Scotland Loves Anime Film Festival have teamed up with Screen Anime to bring the 2020 festival online. The collaboration is an obvious choice as the founder of the Scotland Loves Anime is also the CEO and founder of Anime Limited, which runs Screen Anime.

The online festivities will run from 25th October until 25th November 2020. Additionally to help the ailing cinemas industry. Screen Anime will also be supporting the festival's crowdfunding efforts, donating two-thirds of all proceeds made during the festival to its usual hosts, the Edinburgh Filmhouse and Glasgow Film Theatre cinemas.

You can help support their funding efforts by visiting their Crowdfunder page, you can receive some nice goodies for supporting the festival too.

Highlights for the festival include a lot of the lovely Lupin III (try saying that twice as fast), along with some Love Live!, breaking the letter L convention they'll also be showing some upside Patema Inverted, some Penguin Highway, plus Weathering With You with an exclusive optional commentary track featuring Dr. Jonathan Clements. We haven't heard the commentary track, but if it's anything like his other commentaries it will be well worth listening to in order to gain extra insight into the movie and anime production in general.

Plus they'll have the Production I.G. Short Film Collection, and some work in progress features around The Tiger and the Fish and Inu-oh.

Read More... | Souce: Scotland Loves Anime Festival 2020

Akira 4K Blu-ray UK Release Details

Date: 2020 October 16 21:36 | Posted By:

Category > Anime

The good folks at Manga Entertainment UK have just announced a Akira 4K Limited Blu-ray Release. This release follows on from the recent cinematic outing of the movie in the UK and Ireland.

The luxury set includes the newly remastered 4K version of Akira on 4K UHD Blu-ray, 2 standard blu-rays plus a 40 page booklet.

The release is due out on Monday 30th November 2020. It's set to retail for £59.99.

You can pre-order Akira 4K from Zavvi.com for £49.99 or from Amazon.co.uk for £44.99.

Read More... | Souce: Manga Entertainment UK

Spirits of Action: Japanese Manga and Sports Online Talk

Date: 2020 October 14 19:41 | Posted By:

Category > Events

With COVID-19 still placing restriction on events the good people at Japan Foundation London have got a great range of talks and workshops appearing online soon.

One talk we're excited about is the Spirits of Action: Japanese Manga and Sports . Yoshimura Kazuma will discuss the position of 'sports manga' in Japanese culture and how its contents have evolved to reflect the time. After the presentation anime and manga expert Rayna Denison will join in the conversation.

The online event is set to run at 12:00pm (BST) on Wednesday 28th October 2020. The event is free to attend virtually but places are limited and registration is essential.

Read More... | Souce: Japan Foundation London

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