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Mamoru Hosoda's Belle UK and Ireland Cinema Release Details

Date: 2022 January 13 20:47 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks at anime company Anime Limited have just revealed the UK cinema release date of Mamoru Hosoda's latest movie Belle. Audiences across the United Kingdom and Ireland will be able to enjoy the movie in cinemas nationwide from Friday 4th February 2022.

We've been waiting for this news since Belle was first announced and we've been tracking it's progress as it hit various film festivals where everyone has been rightly impressed with it. Hosoda's latest cinematic offering can be interpreted as a reimagining of Beauty and the Beast, but brought into a slightly futuristic setting. It tells the tale of Suzu your average rural Japanese school girl in the virtual world of "U" where she becomes a singing sensation Belle.

The movie will be available both subbed and dubbed. Interestingly for the dub they're rerecorded all the songs in English, with the supervision of the original Japanese musical team.

You can find a screening near you and book tickets via www.bellefilm.co.uk.

To be honest, there are lots of reviews of this movie*. Don't read any of them, you don't need to. Just go out and enjoy this film. It's absolute perfection. If you like any of Mamoru Hosoda's previous films you'll really love this one. If you haven't seen any of his other works, this is a great introduction.

*That being said our review will be up soon too, so please do read that.

Read More... | Souce: Anime Limited

Crunchyroll Announces New Anime for 2022

Date: 2021 December 22 17:17 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from anime streaming service Crunchyroll have just revealed details of their new anime for 2022. They headline with Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2, along with anime style FreakAngels (inspired by the works of writer Warren Ellis and artist Paul Duffield), My Dress-Up Darling, Orient, and The Case Study Of Vanitas.

They'll also be continuing to stream Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc and Platinum End alongside new episodes of Blade Runner: Black Lotus and of course One Piece.

We're most excited about Ranking of Kings, which will be streaming on Crunchyroll soon. Previously it was a Funimation exclusive but now it'll also be available on Crunchyroll.

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

Funimation Announces 20 New and Returning Shows for 2022

Date: 2021 December 20 19:57 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

We're still processing 2020 and the good folks at anime distributors Funimation are telling is it's almost 2022 and they've got 20 new and returning shows. They'll be showing Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 from 9th January 2020, while from the 8th they'll be showing My Dress Up Darling. They'll be more Demon Slayer too, as the Entertainment District Arc continues along with lots of other good shows.

But let's be honest the one everyone is talking about is Ranking of Kings, we won't say anything about it. Just head over to Funimation and watch it if you haven't already.

Read More... | Souce: Funimation

Mamoru Hosoda's Belle English Language Dub Cast Announced

Date: 2021 December 16 20:49 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime > Film

The good folks from anime company Anime Limited have just sent us details of the dub cast for Belle. The English language dub features the voice talents of Chace Crawford (The Boys, Gossip Girl), Manny Jacinto (Nine Perfect Strangers, The Good Place), and Hunter Schafer (Euphoria). In her first lead role Kylie McNeill is cast as Suzu and her digital alter-ego Belle.

Not only have they got a variety of voice talent for the dub they've who also recorded English-language versions of the film's soundtrack under the supervision from the film's original music team including Taisei Iwasaki, Takayuki Chiyo, and Ludvig Forssell. As singing is a key part of the movie this makes sense. It's great to see that the dub production team are going to these lengths.

Mamoru Hosoda's latest cinematic outing tells the story of country girl Belle, who becomes an online singing sensation in the virtual world of "U". It's a reinterpretation of Beauty and the Beast, with it's own modern digital take. We've been lucky enough to see it, and can only describe it as "perfection".

Read More... | Souce: Anime Limited

The Dragon Ball Symphonic Adventure in London 2022

Date: 2021 December 07 21:17 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

UK based fans of Dragon Ball Z are in for a treat! The Dragon Ball Symphonic Adventure is coming to The SSE Arena, Wembley in London on Sunday 7th August 2022.

This one-of-a-kind concert experience combines scenes and sounds of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z together with live vocals and a live orchestra to create an immersive multimedia event for fans. With special guests the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Tickets are due to go on sale on at 10am on Friday 10th December 2021 on www.gigsandtours.com and www.ticketmaster.co.uk.

Read More... | Souce: S.J.M Concerts / GigsAndTours.com

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Entertainment District Arc Now on Crunchyroll and Funimation

Date: 2021 December 05 15:45 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

Quick reminder for fans of the anime version of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba. The Entertainment District Arc has just started on streaming services Funimation and Crunchyroll.

This latest arc follows on from Mugen Train Arc and introduces new demon Daki.

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

An Anime Steeped in History: Princess Mononoke

Date: 2021 November 27 13:40 | Posted By: Franki Webb

Category > Anime

In a change to our regular scheduled news, we bring you an academic article titled Steeped in History: Princess Mononoke. It delves into historical context of the much loved Studio Ghibli film focusing on how social class, race and religion are depicted. It also looks into the archaeological record, and written sources to understand how the film conveys these aspects while maintaining its fantasy element and pro-environmental message.

Read More... | Souce: Otaku News

Voidol2 Anime Style Voice Changing Software Release Details

Date: 2021 November 25 21:59 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from Japanese software firm Crimson Technology have sent us details about their English language launch of Voidol2. This is real time voice conversion software primarily aimed at streamers, v-tubers and people who have the need to change their voice in real time.

The software has many voice modes and can make you sound like an anime character or even a robot and everything else in between. It retails for 13,200 JPY (about $114 USD / £86 GBP), but is currently on offer for 8,800 JPY (about $76 USD / £57 GBP). It's available to download on Windows or Mac via Sendowl.

Read More... | Souce: Crimson Technology

Crunchyroll Announces Spy x Family

Date: 2021 November 22 20:43 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from anime streaming giants Crunchyroll have sent us details of their upcoming titles. The headline announcement is the release of Spy x Family, based on the manga of the same name it follows a master spy working in a cold war European-esque country. His newest mission requires him to build a family in order achieve his objective. This action comedy has been highly anticipated by fans of the manga (this includes us). Kazuhiro Furuhashi (Hunter x Hunter, Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn) on board as Director while Kazuaki Shimada (The Promised Neverland) serving as Character Designer.

Other titles lined up for 2022 include Dance Dance Danseur (it's about dancing if you didn't guess), Aoashi which is based on the football (soccer) manga, plus the second season of the spooky In/Spectre.

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 Airs on Crunchyroll

Date: 2021 November 19 19:53 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from anime streaming service Crunchyroll have sent us details about Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2. It'll stream from 9th January 2022, available subtitled in eight languages and in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. It'll also appear on Funimation and Hulu.

Keen eyed fans will notice that it's been marketed as "epic continuation" not the epic conclusion. So does this mean that there'll be another part of the final season? Only time will tell. Manga fans will have already had a chance to discover the ending as the final volume of the mega franchise was released in Japanese in June and in English last month.

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

We Love Anime Touring Festival 2021

Date: 2021 November 18 20:54 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

Anime fans across the UK are in for a cinematic treat with the We Love Anime 2021 Touring Festival.

Set to run at the Showroom Cinema, Sheffield between Friday 19th November - Sunday 21st November 2021, then We Love Anime will be at selected Picturehouse and Showcase Cinemas between Saturday 4th - Sunday 5th December 2021.

The spin of from the celebrated Scotland Loves Anime festival, has many great titles for all different tastes. You're bound to find something you like!

For fans in Sheffield Showroom Cinema has joined together with other local independents to host free Japanese-themed events to run alongside the film programme. On Saturday 20th November 2021, Treehouse Board Game Café will be joining the venue to host an afternoon of Japan-themed games from 12pm until 3pm. On Sunday 21 November, internationally renowned graffiti artist Trik 09 will teach the fundamentals of drawing anime characters between 11am to 12pm.

Read More... | Souce: We Love Anime

Neon Genesis Evangelion UK Blu-ray Release Details

Date: 2021 November 16 22:07 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from anime distribution powerhouse Anime Limited have just sent us a reminder that Neon Genesis Evangelion will be available on blu-ray in the UK from Monday 6th December 2021. The groundbreaking landmark series caused an anime boom when it was first released and has been hugely influential ever since. The complete blu-ray set includes the complete original series along with the original two movies.

Anime Limited are releasing the complete set in various different editions to cater for all types of fans, from a standard edition for those who just want the content, a collectors edition for those who want some nice extra stuff and finally an Ultimate Edition that has tons of extra content. You can read about the different editions here.

Read More... | Souce: Anime Limited

Belle Cinema Screening + Director Q&A in Central London

Date: 2021 November 05 21:16 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

For anime fans wanting to catch Mamoru Hosoda's latest cinematic masterpiece Belle, you might want to head over to Central London. As on Saturday 27th November 2021 at 3pm they'll be a special screening of the film, where afterwards the director himself will be there for a 30 minute Q&A session! This is a rare and exciting chance to ask the director about the movie.

The screening will take at place at the Picture House Central in Piccadilly Circus (you can't get more Central in London than that).

Recently the movie received a 14-minute standing ovation at Cannes.

The screening was made possible by the good people at anime company Anime Limited and The Japan Foundation.

Souce: Picturehouse Central

My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission Movie Review

Date: 2021 October 30 13:05 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime > Film

The latest My Hero Academia movie has just hit cinemas around the world. We've just seen this third instalment of the franchise. So read on to read our review.

Read More... | Souce: Otaku News

My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission Cinema Release Details

Date: 2021 October 11 19:51 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime > Film

The good folks from anime mega firm Funimation have sent us the release details for the latest My Hero Academia Movie. Titled My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission, Deku and his classmates have only two hours to save the world! While off internship with the number one Pro Hero Endeavor Agency, Deku and his new friend Rody find themselves wanted nationwide for a crime they didn't commit. Can Deku and his friends stop Humarise's global plans of eliminating all Quirks?

The story promises lots of action from Izuku Midoriya, Shoto Todoroki, and Katsuki Bakugo.

The movie hits cinema screens in both sub and dubbed versions in United States and Canada, United Kingdom and Ireland Australia, New Zealand and Sweden all on October 29th 2021, South Africa October 28th 2021. While
Denmark, Norway, and Iceland from November 11th 2021.

Read on to find out about the exclusive to Showcase is a limited edition My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission Vol. W Specialty Manga Booklet.

Read More... | Souce: Funimation UK

Funimation UK Announces December 2021 Home Video Releases

Date: 2021 October 09 20:15 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime > DVD

The good folks from anime mega company Funimation UK have just sent us details about their December 2021 release line up. They've got a lot good stuff there, but we're most excited about Nichijou - My Ordinary Life as it's such a fun, silly and under rated series. They'll be releasing it on Limited Edition blu-ray with an artbook and some art cards, along with a separate standard edition blu-ray.

Other limited edition releases include Code Geass: Akito The Exiled - OVA Series and Death Parade - The Complete Series. For those looking for standard edition blu-ray releases they'll be releasing Assassination Classroom: The Complete Series, Code Geass: Akito The Exiled - OVA Series, Fire Force Season 1 (the complete first series), Death Parade - The Complete Series, RoboTech - Part 2 (The Masters), along with some The Rising of the Shield Hero - Season 1 (The complete 1st series), Akudama Drive The Complete Series.

Plus the standard edition of the new 4K Blu-ray release of Akira.

Read More... | Souce: Funimation UK

Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train Now on Crunchyroll

Date: 2021 October 05 20:07 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

Anime streaming super service Crunchyroll have just sent us details about their latest release. They've just put up Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train. The box office smash is now available to stream on Crunchyroll. Which means if you haven't already you can get on the hype train and see what all the fuss is about.

They've also sent us a reminder that they have the original series that leads up to the events of the movie.

Availability wise the series and film will be available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese in English-speaking countries; and in Spanish and Portuguese in Latin America -- both in subbed and dubbed. The series will also be available in French-, German- and Russian-speaking countries as well as the Nordics. The film will also be available in French- and Russian-speaking countries as well as the Nordics.

Don't forget Viz have just released the complete box set of the original manga which contains the whole story!

Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll

Anime Limited Announce Future Boy Conan UK Release on Blu-ray and 4K UHD Blu-ray

Date: 2021 September 28 21:02 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

Anime distributors Anime Limited have just announced that they have the UK rights to Future Boy Conan. The hugely significant and influential show has not had an official English language until now. GKIDS have the US distribution rights and will release it sometime late this year. While Anime Limited intend to release the series early 2022.

The series is significant as it marks Hayao Miyazaki's directorial debut, the legendary director went to co-found Studio Ghibli and make ground breaking titles such as My Neighbour Totoro and Spirited Away.

Anime Limited also mention Keep Your Hands Off, Eizouken's tribute to the show, with characters watching it and it inspiring their love of anime.

Anime Limited will release the title together on Blu-ray and 4K UHD Blu-ray, split across two collectors edition releases. They'll include a 132-page book written by Jonathan Clements (co-author of the Anime Encyclopedia and tons of other stuff) and Andrew Osmond (who wrote the BFI Film Classics: Spirited Away book, along with lots of other stuff).

The 4K Release will be the first anywhere in the world, but we think it's worth it just for the book and a chance to finally get Future Boy Conan officially in the UK is something we've been eagerly waiting for. This title is a must watch for any Ghibli fan.

Read More... | Souce: Anime Limited

Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival 2021 Details

Date: 2021 September 08 20:09 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Events

The good folks from the Kotatsu Festival have just sent us details for their upcoming 2021 event. Set to run in Cardiff - Chapter from Saturday 25th to Sunday 26th September 2021 and Aberystwyth Arts Centre from Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd October 2021. As always the Japanese animation festival has a great selection of films including The Deer King, Ride Your Wave, On-Gaku along with Studio Ghibli's first 3D CGI offering Earwig and the Witch.

Not to be outdone by the big titles, they'll also be showcasing the talents of independent animators including
cut-out animation called In Full Bloom and a hand-drawn fresh depiction of affection between two girls in The Mark of Emi.

They'll also be a few workshops and some free online events are also being planned.

As always with events like this we suggest booking early to avoid disappointment.

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

Funimation adds 30+ anime series to service for UK/ROI viewers

Date: 2021 August 31 21:00 | Posted By: Eeeper

Category > Anime

Funimation announces UK section of their streaming service will add over thirty series to the platform from 31 August 2021.

Read More... | Souce: Funimation Blog

My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission Movie Release Details

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

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: Joe

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: Joe

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: Joe

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: Joe

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: Joe

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: Joe

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: Joe

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: Joe

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: Joe

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: Joe

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: Joe

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: Joe

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

Small Totoro Honnori Lamp Review

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

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: Joe

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: Joe

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: Joe

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: Joe

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: Joe

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: Eeeper

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: Joe

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

Screen Anime April 2021 Streaming Line Up

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

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: Joe

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: Joe

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

Women Make Animation Online Event

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

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: Joe

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: Joe

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: Joe

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: Joe

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: Joe

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: Joe

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

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