OzAnime Continental

New Anime Movies Announced (18/7/01)

"According to AniHabara; several new theatrical anime movies have been announced for Japanese release this winter, including Inuyasha, Sakura Taisen, Tottoko Hamutaro, Di Gi Charat, and Slayers Premium.

Inuyasha will be based on the popular current TV series adaptation of the Rumiko Takahashi manga of a half dog demon boy from Japan’s Era of Warring States, and a modern school girl. It is expect to be released in January 2002. Viz announced that they had acquired the rights to the Inu Yasha television series at recent anime expo.

Sakura Taisen will be an original story set in Tokyo during the same time period as the Sakura Taisen 3 game occurs in Paris. The Sakura Taisen (Wars) series is a steam-tech alternate history series about physically endowed girls who pilot mecha based on a series of video game RPGs.

Di Gi Charat will get its own first theatrical feature this winter. The short Di Gi Charat movie will be part of a triple feature with Slayers Premium and the Sakura Taisen movie. The Di Gi Charat Summer Vacation Special will air on August 2nd and 3rd on TBS. DigiCharat was a hyper-pacing series of anime shorts based on the gear haired cat-girl suit wearing mascot of the Gamer’s store chain.

Tottoko Hamutaro will get it's first theatrical film this winter. Hamutaro is a popular children's program about the lives of pet hamsters when their owners are away.

Slayers Premium will be an original 30 minute long film featuring the Slayers TV series cast including not only Lina but also Goury, Zelgadis and Amelia in their first theatrical appearances. The story involves the gang visiting a town cursed with fried octopus that makes whoever eat it able to speak only octopus language. The protagonist of the Slayers series is Lina Inverse, a young and destructive sorceress with a love of food and money. Her partners are an air headed swordsman, Goury, a sullen, stone complexioned chimera swordman/shaman, Zelgadis, and an energetic, and overzealous protector of justice, Amelia. The previous Slayers movies has featured Lina’s busty, and mentally dense sick-kick Naga the White Serpent. Slayers Premium will be double-billed with the Sakura Taisen and Di Gi Charat movies. The Slayers TV series, movie, and OAVs tend to bounce between light, humorous events (tracking down dragons to eat, magic karaoke, traveling with aged people who think they are Power Ranger-esque knights) and more dramatic, action drive stories with occasionally humor moments (fighting off demonic lords). The movie sounds like it will be an entry in the former category. "

Atlantis Show Cancelled (18/7/01)

"Plans for a 39-episode animated series based on the Disney movie Atlantis have been sunk by a fearful executives according to one insider, who wishes to be known as Kevorkian. Over half-the episodes written and recorded and a handful shipped overseas for animation. Kevorkian told Comics2Film that, like the movie, the series would feature "extremely cool monster designs by [Hellboy creator] Mike Mignola." "The execs cite many reasons -- movie not performing, ABC didn't want it because it didn't fit into their 'baby show demographic', Toon Disney thought it was too scary," Kevorkian said. "When actually, it had the potential to be the coolest show ever produced by Walt Disney TV animation." "

New Anime (18/7/01)

" Real Bout High School will also become an anime series as previously announced. Character designs will be by Keiji Goto (Gatekeepers) and it will be produced by Gonzo (Blue Sub No.6, Vandread, Gatekeepers). It will be released for cable broadcast first.

The popular action/horror manga Hellsing, which premiered in 1998, is scheduled to become a late night TV anime series produced by Gonzo Studios, to premier on October 13th. A limited edition 20 minute long preview DVD will go on sale in Japan on October 3rd at a retail price of 3500 yen. "

Blue Gender Press Release (18/7/01)

"The latest press release has come out from Funimation, talking about their now set October 16th release of Blue Gender Vol. #1. The bilingual disc, whose price wasn't listed, will contain three episodes. You can get a feel for the show at their specially made site, www.bluegender.com. "

Cheap Stuff from Right Stuf (18/7/01)

"The Right Stuf site updated their "changed items" section this morning with a slew of price changes. For those wanting to complete their DVD collection, you can now get ADV's first DVD title Tekken for the sweet low low low low low price of 6.67$. And a practice that I know several people take advantage of, TRSI has lowered prices on a large number of ADV and CPM VHS releases for shows that are coming out later this year or in progress, such as Blue Seed and Sohryuden as well as others that are likely to come next year. Spending 6$ to check it out on tape could save some funds in the end. "

NOTE: US prices

Vandread: 2nd Stage coming soon! (12/7/01)

Here is some information regarding the 2nd season of Vandread:

"The crew of the Nirvana find out that the "karitori" (the guys who harvest you) are approaching their home planets, Tarark and Mejele. In order to save them, they being their trip home. Along the way, through a series of events, they end up traveling with a girl from Earth, named Misty. From her, they learn that the conditions on Earth are far worse then they had expected. Hibiki and the others realize that the real battle still lies ahead.

Through out the intensive battles, the Vandreads finally become their true form !? Can they save their homelands...and what happens to Hibiki and Dita? ! Second stage is about to begin ! !"

Source: http://www.vandread.com/

Serial Experiments Lain to be released in Australia (4/7/01)

This news came to me via Anime-Talk Mailing list. Apparently, Madman Entertainment has got the rights to Serial Experiments Lain so expect the anime to be coming out in the near future in Australia!

Viz X/1999 News (3/7/01)

"Due to protracted licensing problems, Viz has decided to remove X/1999 from the lineup of its monthly manga-anthology magazine Animerica Extra. "Without a contract, we can't publish, and we still have no idea when we'll have a signed contract in-hand," said Animerica Extra's editor Bill Flanagan. "I don't want to cancel it, but we have to coordinate each issue with quite a few different freelance translators, letterers, rewriters and others. We can't leave everybody up in the air forever." So the search is on for another format that will best serve the manga series. "We all love CLAMP's work," comments X/1999 editor Julie Davis, "We've brought it back twice before, and the minute we have a contract, we'll find a way to continue the X/1999 series again…but for now we have to wait until it's legal to publish." "

Source: http://www.animenewsservice.com

Vampire Hunter D (3/7/01)

"The latest couple of bits have come out from Urban Vision regarding the upcoming Vampire Hunter D movie. In one move that will save me dozens and dozens of confused emails, they're retitling the movie to Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, so as to avoid confusion with its earlier incarnation. This is definitely better than Vampire Hunter D 2001 or some other such silliness. Check out the press release for more info as well as Anime Expo bits on it."

Media Blasters Announcements (2/7/01)

"Making our lives a hell of a lot more interesting, Media Blasters has let loose with their October announcements, which include titles that have not been announced as being acquired yet, as well as dates for titles they've had for a little while now. I swear, I never thought I'd see Weiss Kreuz licensed here in the US, and at five episodes a disc as well. "

For the whole press release, please go here

X OVA (1/7/01)

" There will be an X OVA, in addition to the TV series! The OVA, to be released on Aug 25, will be a prologue (I'm guessing that it'll be attempting to explain parts of Tokyo Babylon and some of the side-stories).

Kawajiri Yoshiaki (of Ninja Scroll fame) will be directing. There's an interview with him in the May Asuka.

X Movie DVD (Region 2) is now on sale in Japan. "

New Gainax (1/7/01)

"Kenji Tsurata of Spirit of Wonder fame has done character designs for a new Gainax anime. He will also be illustrating the manga version of the anime for Kodansha's AFTERNOON. You can see some of the designs at www.gainax.co.jp. (Japanese only.)

Gainax is expanding their operations and getting more and more into multi-media endeavors. One of their other new projects will be a new manga series in Shonen Ace A from Kadokawa.

There are also new Mahoromatic (sp?) designs up on their site. "

Final Fantasy Watch Information (1/7/01)

"Seiko will be selling the Final Fantasy The Movie Wristwatch in US and Canada sometimes this summer, for MRSP $299 Canadian and $199 US. Similar to the Japanese edition, the watch will be supplied in limited quantity, and each one will have a serial number. "