Updated: 12:52 PM PM 01/05/2012

I’ve just heard the awful announcement from Bandai Entertainment. The company has said that they will no longer localize and distribute anime and manga titles in North America.

Japanator reported today: “They will continue to sell and even re-order the titles they currently distribute until the respective licenses expire, but planned titles they have yet to release have been subsequently cancelled. This includes:

Anime:

• Gosick
• Nichijou
• Turn A Gundam

Manga:

• Code Geass: Renya
• Kannagi volume 4, 5 and 6
• Lucky Star: Boo Boo Kagaboo
• Mobile Suit Gundam 00I
• Nichijou
• Tales of the Abyss: Jade’s Secret Memories
• Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann volume 7

Novels:

• Code Geass R2″

This news is absolutely devastating for the anime and manga community, and apparently this decision was made several months ago in Japan. It seems as though Bandai has suffered some serious management problems over the years with U.S. distribution. Furthermore, it’s now being said in many articles around the web (and in a comment at the bottom of this one) that Bandai simply wasn’t making all the right decisions when it came to localization of their titles. Anime News Network published a fairly informative article in which Bandai representative Ken Iyadomi discusses some of the problems between licensing and distribution.

“…the broader reasons are quite clear from the outside. The physical anime business in North America has shrunk substantially over the last five years, and shows no sign of returning to its former glory. “A couple of times we were hit with huge returns, and the financial result was pretty bad,” Iyadomi admits. Still, he believes the division might have been able to keep going for a few more years, had the SBU allowed it.”

Iyadomi also went on to say, “The pricing range for our products kept dropping in Western countries, and people tended only to buy sets with very reasonable prices, which we understand is what fans want, but it lead us to a different strategy than what Japanese licensors wanted,” he remarked. “So we always had a problem [with licensors wanting something different than what consumers wanted].”

Kotaku writer Charlie Maib also makes an excellent point that speaks to another possible reason that may have greatly influenced Bandai’s decision (and it’s one I believe is affecting the anime industry as a whole, so I want to discuss it in depth). Piracy of anime in North America is simply out of control. Let’s be honest here – we all know people who regularly pirate anime and who probably haven’t bought a single title in years – and therein lies the problem… Nobody (very few of us, lets face it) is supporting the industry.

Maib writes: “‎Bandai Entertainment isn’t going out of business. They’re a pretty big company and have a market far beyond that of the United States; but their actions do serve as a red flag as to what’s on the horizon unless the fan community stops it’s selfish and destructive behavior. If we examine the actions of the last 20 years, and put our own selfish desires to the side we can see that the only thing fan translated anime, manga, and games serve to advance is our own desire of want. It does not help the industry, it does not call positive attention to our hobbies, and while it may attract a small number of new consumers, more often than not these new faces will continue to feed on free pirated content because that’s how they were turned on to it in the first place.”

Personally, I’m pretty sad about the news. Bandai has brought us some fantastic anime and manga over the years like the various Gundam series and Haruhi Suzumiya – but perhaps they have been too expensive compared to the other distributors out there. I remember paying somewhere around $130 for a Gundam Wing Complete DVD Collection back in 2005 (in retrospect, this was a bit pricey), and I had spent all semester saving up for it (while living on my own and paying for college by myself – but video games and anime were the purchases I occasionally splurged for. Everybody needs something, right?). Honestly, I like having an anime collection (it includes lots of VHS since I began collecting in the 90’s, but I’ve also added quite a few DVDs and Blu-rays over the years). Whenever it came up in conversation that someone had just downloaded a really rad series – I would try to get it through a legal streaming site or purchase it if I could (This is sometimes impossible, I know, but we can try at least.). Now that I really think about it, though, Bandai really was quite a bit more expensive than most of the other suppliers. It doesn’t give us the right to steal their work, but it’s also too bad they didn’t start seeking out cheaper ways to distribute materials in the US or focus on streaming content for some series like Funimation and Viz Media did.

When I spent my first semester living in Japan in 2006, it became apparent to me that very few people I met were pirating anime. For one, it was on broadcast television so I suppose you really didn’t need to, but also, it just seemed to be only the American students I knew who were going about pirating anime. Most of my Japanese friends seemed to gladly pay for anime the day it came out and were really excited to add something new to their collection. To be fair, I know there are plenty of people in countries other than America pirating anime, but this still forces me to ask the question, “Is piracy a cultural phenomenon that’s gone completely out of control in America?”

I certainly hope this isn’t a sign of things to come…if more Japanese companies choose to make these decisions, (and believe me, they definitely can) or continue to fall by the wayside like ADV Films, Geneon, etc., it will just continue to hurt all the hard work that’s been done to bring anime and manga to America over the past thirty years. Seriously, give Maib’s article a read and look at just how much effort it took to bring us to where we are today! And you know what? As much as I love watching anime in Japanese, I often love watching it in the English dub, too! There are tons of awesome voice actors here in America, along with tons of employees at Funimation and Viz Media who could just disappear from the anime scene if we let the import industry crash and burn here. (And there were employees at Bandai America who I assume are losing their jobs, too. Not cool!)

I’ll miss you Bandai. Hopefully I’ll be seeing you around next time I’m in Japan, or maybe, (if we’re lucky) you’ll come back to stream your product on sites like Crunchyroll or Hulu?

Hey there fellow anime-watching robots – Happy New Year! I hope your 2012 is filled with lots of fun adventures and great anime! Without further ado, I present to you my must-see anime picks that aired (and/or released on Blu-ray/DVD) in North America in 2011. If you haven’t checked these out, you might want to give them a chance soon – many of them will be back with more episodes in 2012:

Baka and Test – Summon the Beast (Series) – This series tries to break the mold of high school drama by adding in some innovative twists – namely, the fact that the students summon their respective knowledge as little cute avatars that battle it out for top scores (and a better class rank). The show is a crazy blend of high school comedy and drama; rpg-esque, summoning-based video game themes; and mayhem. It’s a fun series and though it falls prey to many over-used anime conventions (boys + girls = nosebleeds abound), it’s a good watch and I really enjoyed the first and second seasons. The protagonist is hilarious to watch (as he fails and fails again) and his counterparts in class F are equally amusing in their own way. Watch as Class F tries to battle their way from the bottom to the top – and attempt to earn the best classroom in the school with a private snackbar, lounge, air conditioners and laptops.

Season one of Baka and Test released on DVD and Blu-ray in the US in early 2011, and season two is soon to follow. You can still catch episodes on several streaming sites around the internet including Funimation’s site and Hulu.

Bunny Drop (also called Usagi Drop) (Series) -based on the beautifully written manga by Yumi Unita, this heartfelt story really stood out amongst the other series of the year (you can read my review here). When Daikichi learns that his grandfather had an illegitimate child, Rin, he ends up being the only one in the family with the heart and will to take care of her (despite being a single Tokyo salaryman with no time and absolutely no knowledge of how to raise a kindergarten aged child). The series is grounded in true-to-life locations and characters that breathe life into this well crafted story. Even little things like Daikichi’s long daily commute on the trains and the Japanese system of “Emergency Daycare/Nursery School” are addressed with a remarkable amount of accuracy and straight-forwardness. The animation is stunning and I give this series my highest marks.

Season one was Simulcast by Crunchyroll and Anime News Network. You can probably still find Usagi Drop streaming somewhere on the net, and it should be releasing on DVD and Blu-ray soon. There’s also a live action film for those interested in seeing the story told in another medium.

Dragon Ball Z: Kai (Series) – the classic series returns with an entirely new edit and all new dubbing (for those of us watching the English version). Kai cuts out all the filler and focuses on the action of the series. As much as I love the original series, I found Kai to be really enjoyable and honestly refreshing since it allowed a whole new generation to enjoy the Dragon Ball universe in its most concise format. Also, I have to admit, it’s kind of nice to skip over some of the really unnecessary filler like Gohan wandering around the forest alone for two episodes (Was it really necessary to the story anyways? Probably not). Kai follows the manga much more closely, giving die hard fans of the original story a satisfying watch.

The entire run of Kai aired on Nickelodeon from May 24, 2010 to December 23, 2011, and can now be found on Broadcast TV, streaming online, and on Blu-ray and DVD.

Eden of the East ( Series and two movies: 2010/2011) and Eden of the East Movie 2: Paradise Lost (2011) –

Eden of the East was arguably the breakout series of 2010/2011, and it was definitely stood out to me as one of the more original series to come out in many years. It didn’t get a whole lot of hype before it came out, but became extremely popular after its release. The concept behind the show – that a rich, anonymous individual can force 12 people to become “saviors of the world” or die by his hand – makes it one of the best series to come out in many years. Some people call it a Bourne Identity rip-off, but I say look a little closer and you’ll really enjoy this series.

Eden of the East: Complete Collection just came out on Blu-ray and DVD on December 27th, 2011.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (Series/Re-imagining) – fans of the original manga should be sure to check this one out – it’s a re-telling of Fullmetal Alchemist with focus on telling Hiromu Arakawa’s story. Those who didn’t read the manga may not know that the first Fullmetal series had a lot of story added in that was quite different from the manga. I think everyone should give this series a chance because it’s just as excellent (if not more) than the first series. You can still find Brotherhood streaming around the net and it’s also available on Netflix Instant streaming.

Hetalia: Axis Powers (2010) and Hetalia: World Series (2011) – What can I say – Hetalia is one of those shows that has to be seen to be believed. What started as little shorts for cell phone subscribers turned into one of the most inexplicably popular anime around the world. Called racist by some and idiotic by others, Hetalia is one of those shows you either love or hate – and I just can’t get enough of it. I first watched the show in Japanese and then gave the English dub a chance – to my surprise I found the English dub even more hilarious and far more funny considering the English voice actors were doing their best to portray stereotypical versions of their characters (accents and all). Keep in mind, folks, that this show is insensitive to everyone…so it’s not really discriminating, right? Check out this scene from the first season:

You can find both series streaming on Hulu and Funimation’s website. It’s also available on Blu-ray and DVD. If you’re attending any anime conventions this year, you’re bound to see hundreds of Hetalia cosplayers and lots of fun meet-ups / photo shoots. Which reminds me, I’ve got to get to sewing my Hungary dress for this year’s Anime Boston!

High School of the Dead – High School of the Dead is fun zombie mayhem mashed up with anime high school antics. (You can read my review here.) The story surrounds a group of high school students who manage to escape when a zombie apocalypse comes crashing through the gates of their Fujimi campus. I can only assume that the writers have included a lot of stereotypical, high-school-drama characters in hopes of making this show somewhat comical for anyone that’s watched a lot of teen drama anime. You’ve got a badass girl who was captain of her Kendo team, a military-fanboy otaku who manages to fashion himself a nail gun to fend off zombies, a fairly average guy and girl who are set up to be the “romantic couple” right from the start, and a wide array of other characters who seem almost too much like ones we’ve seen from other series. Overall, I’d say give this one a watch if you enjoy anything zombie related, but don’t expect it to follow ” Romero zombie cannon” …it breaks the “rules” and I’m okay with that. Definitely give it a watch if you feel like you’ve seen too many high-school anime and need to see some of your favorite (or least favorite) character types fight off zombies! That aspect of the show is just plain fun!

https://youtu.be/IDcQc5NG-Ho

You can find the series streaming on both Hulu and Funimation’s website. High School of the Dead is also available on Blu-ray and DVD.

Summer Wars (Film) – Summer Wars first premiered in Japan in 2009, and was an overnight success. Since its Japanese premier, it has won several awards including the coveted 2010 Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year. The film is directed by Mamoru Hosoda, who is well known from his prior award-winning film “The Girl Who Leapt through Time.” The film is awesome – definitely my favorite anime feature film of 2011. I picked it up on Blu-ray and was hooked in the first ten minutes.

The story centers around mathematical genius Kenji and his geeky friend Takashi, who spend their time working as the maintenance “code monkeys” for the OZ virtual realm. Their friend Natsuki comes into the story when she asks Kenji if he wants a job, and subsequently drags him off to her home in Ueda (near Nagano) to pretend to be her fiancé. Once there, Kenji solves a mega math problem on his cell phone that frames him as a criminal hacker who brings chaos to the virtual space known as OZ. You can read the rest of my review of Summer Wars here.

Summer Wars can be found on Blu-ray and DVD.

X-Men ( Series) – a fantastic series done by Madhouse Animation Studios and Marvel. Fans of X-Men and Anime alike seemed to really dig this series in 2011. I thought it was a great crossover and you can read my review here.

Press Release:

December 21, 2011

VIZ MEDIA WRAPS UP 2011 WITH A SECOND DIGITAL MANGA UPDATE FOR DECEMBER

Highlights Include New NARUTO and ONE PIECE Digital First Editions, Debut Of WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA Pre-Order & Gift Subscriptions, And An Extended Holiday Manga Sale Offering 20% Off All Titles

VIZ Media concludes the year with a second digital update for December for manga (graphic novels) titles available on VIZManga.com and for digital download on the VIZ MANGA App for the Apple iPad^®, iPhone^® and iPod^® touch.

Highlights for the newest update include the continuation of the SHONEN JUMP DIGITAL WARP, with NARUTO Vol. 57 and ONE PIECE Vol. 62 (both rated ‘T’ for Teens) debuting ahead of the print editions. The DIGITAL WARP is a ‘speed-up’ of selected popular titles to bring U.S. readers up-to-date with Japanese releases, and prepare for the January 2012 launch on VIZManga.com and the VIZ Manga App of WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA, North America’s only near-simultaneous digital manga magazine.

Fans can now pre-order a subscription or give a gift subscription to WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA at SJ.viz.com/preorder. Subscribers to WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA will receive a full year’s subscription (48 issues), an annual collector’s yearbook, and access to exclusive content, including creator interviews and videos. The first interview featuring NARUTO creator Masashi Kishimoto debuts the day WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA launches, on January 30^th.

Finally, don’t miss VIZ Media’s special holiday digital manga promotion, which continues through January 8^th 2012 and offers up to 20% off on ALL manga titles on VIZManga.com and the VIZ MANGA App. Catch up on best-loved or band new series with more than 500 volumes now available at a holiday discount. And look for plenty of new digital manga debuts coming soon in 2012!

Additional manga volumes launching during the second-half of December include:

Available now:

ARATA: THE LEGEND Vol. 8

CROSS GAME Vol. 4

HOUSE OF FIVE LEAVES Vol. 5

NARUTO Vol. 57 – debuting ahead of the print edition!

Available December 22^nd:

INUYASHA (VIZBIG) Vol. 7 – exclusive to the VIZ Manga App for iPad!

KEKKAISHI Vol. 20

MAOH: JUVENILE REMIX Vol. 8

OISHINBO Vol. 6

ONE PIECE Vol. 62 – debuting ahead of the print edition!

VIZ Media’s multiple digital manga platforms allow for universal access to read manga from an iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and now, on VIZManga.com for desktop/laptop computers as well as Android-powered devices with built-in web browsers. With one account, registered users may access their purchases across even more devices than ever.

The free VIZ Manga App continues to be the top app for reading manga and features a rapidly growing library of the most popular manga series in the world. Over 45 series and 500+ volumes are currently available, with new additions and free Chapter 1 previews added weekly.

For more information, please visit VIZManga.com or www.VIZ.com/apps.

For more information on WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA and exclusive subscriber offers, please visit SJAlpha.com.

Today on Anime Update: we’ve got some awesome new releases from Funimation, news about the next film from The Girl Who Lept Through Time director Mamoru Hosoda, and more fun videos to share from our Japanese youtube searches!

First up on this week’s update: Funimation has some great new releases out today on DVD and Blu-ray – the biggest of which includes the release of the highly anticipated Dragon Ball Z – Level 1.2.

“Fear the sinister Saiyan onslaught! Celebrate the heroic return of Goku! And prepare for an epic showdown with Vegeta! For the first time ever, Dragon Ball Z is available in HD on Blu-ray! This amazing collection presents episodes eighteen through thirty-four of DBZ in unparalleled picture quality. A team of experts worked around the clock to put the greatest anime in history on the cutting edge of modern technology. This spectacular Blu-ray version of Dragon Ball Z is restored from film – frame by frame – with steps taken to ensure a pristine picture free from any imperfections. The classic 4:3 format is captured in true 1080p HD featuring the original color and epic special features! You may think you’ve seen all there is to see in the Dragon Ball Z universe, but you’re wrong. Take home this seventeen episode collection today, and fire your next Kamehameha Wave in the brilliance of Blu-ray!”

After the huge success of Level 1.1 (you can read my review of 1.1 here), I’m personally looking forward to picking up 1.2 so that I can continue watching through the (original) episodes in all their high-definition, ultra-restored glory! Seriously, the episodes look and sound amazing, and I highly recommend this release to any Dragon Ball Z fans out there (especially if you didn’t purchase the DVDs and are looking to upgrade from VHS like I was!).

Also out today from Funimation is the Yu Yu Hakusho: Eizou Hakusho OVA on DVD.

“The pulse-pounding action of Yu Yu Hakusho continues with a must-see OVA collection that’s never been released in the United States. Catch up with your favorite characters, feast your eyes on brand new animation sequences, and get the lowdown on this Shonen classic from the actors themselves. No hardcore fan would be caught dead without a copy of this one-of-a-kind collection featuring a highlight reel of the greatest fights scenes in the history of the series – and a horrifying journey into the nightmares that keep these brawlers up at night. You’ve been calling yourself a fan of Yu Yu Hakusho for years, and now it’s time to prove it. Pick up your copy of the OVA collection today! If you’ve got the guts for it.”

Next up on this week’s update:

Summer Wars and The Girl Who Lept Through Time director Mamoru Hosoda will be bringing us the film Ōkami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki (The Wolf Children Ame and Yuki) next summer in Japan – July 2012. Both The Girl Who lept Through Time and Summer Wars received critical acclaim in Japan and were extremely well received overseas – so it will just be a matter of time before a North American distribution company scoops this release up for distribution sometime later in 2012 (or early 2013). The story itself is told over a period of 13 years – a tale of love, loss, and life for a family of “half-wolves.” The Japanese website and teaser image can be found here.

Finally on this week’s update:

I’m happy to bring you another video from the depths of my Youtube history. – A Happy Holidays / Japanese Christmas commercial from Segata Sanshiro! (Author’s Note – Segata Sanshiro’s name is somewhat of a word pun and in the commercial when he says “Sega Saturn – SHIRO!” it means “You MUST play Sega Saturn!”)

Don’t know who Segata Sanshiro is? He’s a video game legend! You absolutely need to watch this next video and learn more!

The Daily Show pretty much made my day by providing us with the below footage of Herman Cain. Upon announcing that he was suspending his run for president, Cain quoted Pokemon the Movie 2000:

“I believe these words…came from the Pokemon movie…Life can be a challenge. Life can seem impossible. It’s never easy when there’s so much on the line.” – Herman Cain quoting Pokemon the Movie 2000.

Now, I am really not all that into American politics, but I’m pretty sure this is about the geekiest reference ever made in a political resignation speech. I’m pleased that this will undoubtedly explode across the internet to become a fantastic meme. I’ve already spotted a few around the internet titled “Fear the Shellder of Knowledge.”

Correction: Cain actually quotes Pokemon the Movie 2000, and not Pokemon: the First Movie – thanks 90’s Kid!

The geek girls here at Big Shiny Robot decided to get together and start a podcast, and we’re happy to present our very first two-part test episodes to see what you think! Consider it a preview of things to come in 2012 – the Big Shiny Girlcast will release once per month and include four of your favorite Big Shiny Robot geek girl writers – Bizarrobot (Erin), Miss Mecha (Jessie), Scarlett RoBotica (Kelly), and Wonderbot (Carly).

In the podcast, we’ll be bringing you geek news and chatting about video games, comics, movies, anime, sci fi, tech and more! And, of course, we’ll feature some geek girl news that you might not be getting from your other podcasts.

Since these are test episodes, please bear with us as we had a few audio issues in Part Two and are still working out how we want to run each episode. Part One features Miss Mecha and Scarlett RoBotica chatting about Miyazaki’s next film, Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Black Friday and our review of The Muppets. Part Two features all four of us chatting about conventions, the fail-tastic Wonder Woman Pilot, and TONS more! (Part one was recorded on Sunday, November 27th. Part two was recorded in September.)

To get the episode, you can subscribe to “Big Shiny Robot’s Big Shiny Podcast”  iTunes feed and download the episode “Big Shiny Girlcast – December 11” for free. Most importantly from all this, we’d like you to let us know what you think! Listen to both parts and let us know what you think works and what you think doesn’t work so great. We had a blast recording these and hope you like em!

Please leave constructive comments or criticism right underneath this post. Thanks for listening!

This week on Anime Update: a Live Action Rurouni Kenshin (sometimes still referred to as “Samurai X” under the now defunct ADV Films) pic!

Anime Streaming site Crunchyroll posted this fantastic teaser pic to their site today:

Here we see Kenshin portrayed by Japanese drama star Takeru Sato of Kamen Rider Den-O fame.

Rurouni Kenshin, the story of the wandering samurai, was written by Nobuhiro Watsuki and ran in Japan’s Weekly Shonen Jump from 1994 – 1999. The anime aired in Japan from ’96 to ’98 and was brought to Cartoon Network’s Toonami block shortly after.

The live action adaptation, which was first announced by Warner Bros. Japan in June, is scheduled to release on August 25th, 2012. Apparently the main goal of this release is to make the film an international success and feature a spin-off series shortly after the film’s release. No word yet on who is going to distribute the film in North America or when we’ll be seeing a translation.

For those of you that haven’t watched Rurouni Kenshin yet, you can rent the disks on Netflix in English. Here’s a video clip of the first Japanese opening that aired:

If you’re looking for the full casting list, you can find a neat side-by-side look at the whole bunch here.

Press Release: 11/15/2011

Animate The Holidays With New PROFESSOR LAYTON, BLEACH, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN, POKÉMON, VAMPIRE KNIGHT And More!

San Francisco, CA, November 15, 2011 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, offers fans and holiday shoppers a variety of new anime releases for some of the company’s hottest properties.

Holiday wish lists and shopping guides won’t be complete without BLEACH THE MOVIE: FADE TO BLACK (also offered in Blu-ray edition), NARUTO SHIPPUDEN THE MOVIE: BONDS (Blu-ray also available), and VAMPIRE KNIGHT GUILTY: THE COMPLETE SERIES, as well as the newest episodic DVD releases for each of these popular series.

Kids and the young at heart can also look forward to VIZ Media’s launch of PROFESSOR LAYTON AND THE ETERNAL DIVA, based on the popular video game, as well as the new POKÉMON – ZOROARK: MASTER OF ILLUSIONS feature film and the latest Pokemon DP Galactic Battles Gift Set.

BLEACH THE MOVIE: FADE TO BLACK · Rated “T” for Teens ·

© Tite Kubo/Shueisha, TV TOKYO, Dentsu, Pierrot © BMP 2008

MSRP: $19.98 for DVD (U.S. / CAN) & $24.98 for Blu-ray (U.S / CAN) · Available Now!

A strange disturbance in the World of the Living sends Ichigo and Kon to the Soul Society, where the Seireitei has been devastated by an explosion of reishi and Rukia is missing. Stranger still, none of the Soul Reapers remember Ichigo, and they think he’s the one responsible for the destruction. Now on the run, Ichigo is forced into a lonely battle in order to find Rukia and stop the real culprits!

BLEACH UNCUT DVD BOX SET, Vol. 11 · Rated “T” for Teens ·

MSRP: $49.95 U.S. / CAN · Available December 13^th

Ichigo and Rukia take responsibility for looking after Rurichiyo, a girl of noble birth who one day appears in the World of the Living. She and her two bodyguards transfer into Ichigo’s class at school, and Rukia decides to show her how to have fun. But the fun stops when first Rurichiyo disappears and then a group of assassins arrives and challenges Ichigo and friends to a fight!

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN UNCUT DVD BOX SET, Vol. 8 · Rated “T+” for Older Teens · MSRP: $49.95 U.S. / $43.24 CAN ·

Available Now!

Naruto’s new jutsuRasen Shuriken is unbelievably powerful—but because of the risks to the user, Tsunade forbids Naruto to use it! When Jiraiya returns to the village, Naruto seeks his guidance, and the two head off to a hot springs resort to work on a solution. Meanwhile, Kakashi leads a team in search of Orochimaru’s hideout, and when Naruto hears about it, he begs to join them. Set includes special “Kakashi Chronicles” story, featuring a young Kakashi on one of his early missions!

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN THE MOVIE: BONDS · Rated “T+” for Older Teens · MSRP: $19.98 for DVD (U.S. / CAN) & $24.98 for Blu-ray (U.S / CAN)· Available Now!

A group of mysterious flying ninja have arrived from overseas to launch a sudden attack against the Hidden Leaf Village, leaving behind a wake of destruction. The group is revealed to be the “Sky Ninja” from the Land of Sky, a nation thought to have been destroyed by the Hidden Leaf Village long ago. To save their village, Naruto and his friends set out to stop this new threat. During the course of the mission, Naruto crosses paths with Sasuke, his friend who has parted ways from the Leaf Village.

POKEMON – ZOROARK: MASTER OF ILLUSIONS · Rated “A” for All Ages ·

© 2011 Pokémon. © 1997-2010 Nintendo, Creatures, GAME FREAK, TV Tokyo, ShoPro, JR Kikaku. © PIKACHU PROJECT 2010.  Pokémon properties are trademarks of Nintendo.

MSRP: $19.88 U.S. / CAN · Available Now!

As Ash and his friends journey to Crown City to join the crowds watching the Pokémon Baccer World Cup, mysterious forces are in motion that could bring untold misfortune to them all! What secrets does Zorua, a Pokémon they befriend along the way, hide? Why is the powerful Zoroark rampaging through the city, and what does the appearance of the Legendary Pokémon Raikou, Entei, and Suicune mean? What has brought Celebi back to the city at this precise moment in time for the first time in 20 years? And what will happen when the paths of all of them come together in one time and place?

POKEMON DP GALACTIC BATTLES GIFT SET, Vol. 4 · Rated “A” for All Ages · MSRP: $24.97 U.S. / $24.98 CAN · Available November 22^nd

When it comes to Pokémon, the more, the merrier:  two new friends have joined Ash, Dawn, and Brock on their Sinnoh journey! Together, they’ll chase a rogue Gible and face off in a tag battle. Before long, however, things take a turn for the worse as Team Galactic and Pokémon Hunter J return with a vengeance. Now Team Galactic is poised to achieve its ultimate goal: summoning the Legendary Dialga and Palkia in order to destroy the world! Are Ash and his friends ready to face the biggest Galactic battle of all? Set contains PokÉmon DP Galactic Battles Vols. 7-8!

VAMPIRE KNIGHT GUILTY: THE COMPLETE SERIES · Rated “T+” for Older Teens · MSRP: $49.95 U.S. / $43.24 CAN · Available Now!

Zero is accused of Shizuka Hio’s murder and becomes the target of the Senate. When Kaname refuses to attest to Zero’s innocence, Yuki’s loyalties are torn between the two. Then Yuki meets a mysterious little boy whose seemingly innocent kiss on the cheek draws her deeper into the world of vampires. Zero, seeing Yuki struggle to recall her past, tries to help. Do the archives of the Hunter’s Society headquarters hold the key that will unlock Yuki’s memories? Set contains episodes 1-13, original & uncut!

For more information on VIZ Media anime titles, please visit: www.VIZ.com.

The new Space Battleship Yamato 2199 trailer is here, Viz Media has debuted two Naruto volumes ahead of the print counterparts, and we’ve got another great video to share from Japan – Danny Choo has just shared Episode One from season two of his television series Culture Japan and you can watch it right at the bottom of this post.

First up this week:

It’s been confirmed that we’ll see the re-make Space Battleship Yamato 2199 come to Japan on April 12th, 2012, and I couldn’t be more excited!  At Anime Expo 2011 it was announced that this series will be the animated re-telling of the “Journey to Iscandar” storyline.  The project will initially launch in theaters as a fifty minute feature consisting of episodes one and two – and the rest of the series will soon follow on broadcast television in Japan. Yoshinobu Nishizaki’s adopted son Shoji Nishizaki is leading the project, and the trailer for the series was just launched yesterday on the new Yamato 2199 website:

-s

I don’t know about you, but I’m really excited about this series! I really hope we’ll get North American distribution soon after the release of the series in Japan this spring, but it’s hard to say with this title as only some of the Yamato properties have come to North America since 1974.

Next up this week:

Press Release: November 7, 2011

VIZ MEDIA DEBUTS TWO LATEST NARUTO VOLUMES AHEAD OF PRINT COUNTERPARTS ONVIZMANGA.COM AND THE VIZ MANGA APP FOR iPAD, iPHONE AND iPOD TOUCH

November Digital Manga Update Also Sees Debut of
Natsume Ono’s RISTORANTE PARADISO And GENTE,
As Well As Updates to 17 Popular Series

VIZ Media continues to lead the digital manga (graphic novel) revolution with a variety of new titles just announced for November that are available to read online on VIZManga.com and also for digital download on the VIZ MANGA App for the Apple iPad™, iPhone™ and iPod™ touch.

Among the notable new releases will be the two latest editions of NARUTO – Volumes 54 and 55 – which will be made available on VIZ Media’s digital platforms several months in advance of their print counterparts. This is part of the SHONEN JUMP DIGITAL WARP, a speed-up of selection titles to bring North American readers up-to-date with Japanese releases to prepare fans for the debut of the digital WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA in January 2012.

NARUTO Vol. 54 · Rated ‘T’ for Teens · Available Today!

Viaduct to Peace: Naruto and his team engage in an intense battle with the Akatsuki organization as both sides seek the power to determine the future of their land. Internecine fighting weakens the Akatsuki, but will their dark forces sideline Naruto?! Print edition debuts on January 3^rd, 2012.

NARUTO Vol. 55 · Rated ‘T’ for Teens · Available November 21^st

The Great War Begins: Evil masterminds Kabuto and Madara instigate a skirmish with Naruto and friends on Turtle Island. The Allied Shinobi Forces prepare to attack, but are they ready for Kabuto’s horde of reanimated dead ninja?! Print edition debuts on March 6^th, 2012.

November also sees the debut of two titles from the critically acclaimed Natsume Ono. RISTORANTE PARADISO weaves a story around the lives of the staff of a restaurant in Rome, and in the follow-up manga, GENTE, continues to follow the character’s romances, heartaches, hopes and dreams.

RISTORANTE PARADISO · Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens · Available Now!

At the age of 21, Nicoletta travels to Rome to find her mother, Olga, who abandoned her long ago. Nicoletta finds her at Casetta dell’Orso, a charming little restaurant owned by Olga’s husband. The staff of bespectacled gentlemen welcomes Nicoletta warmly, but Olga’s reception is not so pleasant. Olga has never told her husband that she ever had children–and he must never know.

GENTE Vol. 1 · Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens · Available November 14^th

Buona sera! Welcome to Casetta dell’Orso, a quaint little restaurant in the heart of Rome. The food’s delicious, but the handsome staff of bespectacled gentlemen is the real draw. Follow these dashing men home and witness their romances, heartaches, hopes and dreams in this delightfully whimsical continuation of Natsume Ono’s beloved RISTORANTE PARADISO.

Additions to 17 popular VIZ Media series are scheduled for November, with over 30 new manga volumes scheduled to make their digital debut. Updates include the rock-and-roll romantic drama of AI ORE and the courtly royal intrigue of THE STORY OF SAIUNKOKU, as well as the supernatural adventure of BLEACH, the ongoing high seas pirate fun of ONE PIECE, and the kinetic sci-fi action depicted in new weekly chapters of NEON GENESIS EVANGELION.

New VIZ Media manga volumes launching include:

November 7^th:

BLEACH Vol. 32

DENGEKI DAISY Vol. 6

NARUTO Vol. 54

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION Chapter 14

OISHINBO Vol. 4

ONE PIECE Vols. 54 & Vol. 55

OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB Vol. 12

RISTORANTE PARADISO Vol. 1

November 14^th:

AI ORE Vol. 3

BLACK BIRD Vol. 11

BLEACH Vol. 33

CLAYMORE Vol. 19

D. GRAY-MAN Vol. 21

FUSHIGI YUGI: GENBU KAIDEN Vol. 8

GENTE Vol. 1

KEKKAISHI Vol. 17

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION Chapter 15

ONE PIECE Vol. 56

RUROUNI KENSHIN Vol. 26

November 21^st:

BLEACH Vol. 34

GENTE Vol. 2

NARUTO Vol. 55

ONE PIECE Vol. 57

NATSUME’S BOOK OF FRIENDS Vol. 9

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION Chapter 16

SATURN APARTMENTS Vol. 4

THE STORY OF SAIUNKOKU Vol. 5

November 28^th:

BLEACH Vol. 35

GENTE Vol. 3 – Final Volume!

INUYASHA VIZ Big Vol. 6 – Exclusive to the VIZ Manga App for iPad!

KEKKAISHI Vol. 18

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION Chapter 17

ONE PIECE Vol. 58

RUROUNI KENSHIN Vol. 27

VIZ Media’s digital manga platform allows for universal access for fans for reading manga from their iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and now, VIZManga.com for desktop/laptop computers and Android-powered devices with built-in web browsers. With one account, registered users are able to view their purchases across even more devices than ever.

The free VIZ Manga App continues to be the top app for reading manga on iOS devices and features a rapidly growing library of the most popular manga series in the world, currently offering over 45 series and nearly 500 volumes, with new additions and free Chapter 1 previews added weekly.

For more information, please visit VIZManga.com or www.VIZ.com/apps.

Finally this week: I bring you another video for our Videos from Japan collection – Danny Choo has just shared Episode One from season two of his television series Culture Japan. For those of you who haven’t checked the series out yet, it’s definitely worth a watch for anyone hoping to learn more about Japan and Japanese culture (including fun tech. and geeky stuff). Some of you may have seen him on youtube as the Tokyo Stormtrooper, but he’s much more than that – he is a Japanese cultural expert and self-made, geek-culture powerhouse! This particular episode is a somber one – as it covers the recent earthquake and tsunami, but I highly encourage you to watch and learn a bit about Japan’s struggle to recovery.

Dragon Ball Z: Level 1.1 hits stores this Tuesday, November 8th. Since this is the first time the original Dragon Ball Z is launching on Blu-ray, Funimation painstakingly restored the series frame by frame (and the results are stunning). Check out my review of Level 1.1 here.

Episodes: Level 1.1 contains episodes 1 – 17 of the original edit of the series (please note that this includes the original edit only, not the Kai version that has already been released on Blu-ray). Given all the audio options you can watch through the episodes at least three different ways. This release does not include the Next Episode previews, but honestly I prefer my anime without these previews so this choice was fine with me.

Audio: You can opt to watch in English or Japanese. If you watched the series on Cartoon Network, then I highly suggest going back and watching it in English again (Let’s face it, Dragon Ball Z’s awesome voice actors are the ones that took dubbing in North America to the next level!). Your options are:

DOLBY TRUE HD: English Dialogue with Japanese Music 5.1

DOLBY TRUE HD: U.S. English Broadcast Version 2.0

Original Japanese Mono: (With or without English subtitles.)

If you want, you can change the audio and subtitles at any time during the episode and check out the differences between the Japanese and English versions. It’s really neat for fans like me who enjoy both the Japanese and English versions of the series! My recommendation: put the English Dialogue with Japanese Music 5.1 on your surround sound system and blast it so your neighbors can hear every epic “Kamehameha!” as if you were with our heroes on the battlefield (they’ll love you for it, I promise.).

Picture: Clear, crisp, and beautifully restored. You can see the grain detail in the color and that’s exactly how it’s supposed to look (if you don’t believe me, try pulling out any anime VHS you’ve got sitting in your closet, this remastered version is so much sharper!). The transfer of 16mm film to 1080p HD has not only preserved the original, director-approved color and classic 4:3 aspect ratio – it has also created a picture that looks much better than when we first saw the series on television in the 1990’s (for anyone who’s curious, Dragon Ball Z first aired in Japan on April 26th, 1989).

For me, it was great to watch this in the classic 4:3 aspect ratio – and it looks fine on today’s HD Televisions (I still have my tube TV for classic console gaming, so I actually tested this theory by playing the disks on both units with my PS3). Your HD TV will automatically letterbox to the proper size and it looks great.

The Bonus/Disk Features include:

The Marathon Feature: Watch all the episodes on each disk seamlessly with just one click! This connects all the episodes together so you can power through each of the two disks. Personally, I recommend this feature be viewed with a group of friends and your favorite beverages and snacks. I had a blast watching disk one in Marathon Mode – I hadn’t sat down and watched the original series from the beginning since it was on Cartoon Network, so this was a pretty epic occasion for me! You still might want to click through each intro/ outro sequence – but this is easily done on a PS3 (or your Blu-Ray player of choice). During Marathon Playback, you can summon up a small menu bar in the left corner of the screen and switch between episodes, audio, and subtitles at any time without having to return to the main menu.

Textless Openings and Closings – a great way to enjoy the art and editing in the intro and outro.

The Remastering Featurette is a neat way to see the painstaking process that these episodes had to undergo in order to be restored to HD quality. The side-by-side comparison of un-restored and re-mastered footage is pretty amazing! Check out this short clip from the Featurette:

Given the to-be-continued style that the Featurette ends in on the blu-ray, it looks like we’ll get a peek at more behind the scenes goodies with each upcoming Level.

Character Profile Card: Each release comes with a collectible character profile card. Level 1.1 comes packaged with Vegeta, and it’s printed with Chris Sabat’s signature and profile as well. It’s a very cool collector’s bonus!

All in all, this set is going to be a must-have for anime collectors out there who will enjoy seeing the series beautifully remastered to HD. I definitely recommend it to fans of the series and to those who need to watch it for the first time – set the disk to Marathon Mode and enjoy!

For more Dragon Ball Z goodness, check out Big Shiny Robot’s recent NYCC 2011 Interview with Chris Sabat, Justin Cook and Sean Schemmel about the Blu-ray, Kai, and more! You can also check out the trailer for the upcoming 1.1 Blu-Ray release on Funimation’s website.