The Geneon Animation panel at Anime Expo 2007 was podcast live from the Long Beach Convention Center.
GeneonSpot.com is a fansite that will be relaunched later this year. One of the features of the site will be exclusive fan club merchandise. The first item announced was the Hellsing Ultimate Fossil-Brand Pocket Watch. This will be limited to 666 pieces!
Digital Distribution of Anime
Digital distribution was a big topic of the con. Geneon refers to this as ‘unpackaged media’. There are currently three partners that they’ve teamed up with for digital content:
HD Content
Currently, Geneon is broadcasting Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira, which has been remastered in High Definition via XBox 360 Live. Other titles available via HD include GunXSword and Lupin.
Kid’s Properties
Geneon is focusing on a few more kid-friendly anime series than usual this year. One of their ‘kid’ titles is Chop Socky Chooks, which was created by Aardman Animation, who created Wallace and Grommet. Another one is ‘Del Tora Quest‘.
Programming Blocks
Geneon anime series can be seen on television via Anime On Fuse TV and ImaginAsian TV.
New Anime Titles
- Shonen Onmyouji – A retelling of the onmyouji story featuring the grandson
- Saiunkoku – A 39-episode series set in ancient China debuts on August 28, 2007
- Hellsing Ultimate Volume 3 – October, 2007 release
- The Familar of Zero – features a ‘youth pop appeal’. The tailer was interesting in that it introduced ‘the famous Gandalf’ or something like that
New Anime Title Announcements
What would a big anime con be without a few brand-new anime title announcements? At Anime Expo this year, they announced a few different series.
- Shakugan no Shana OVA – Yoshida vs. Shana, otherwise known as the ‘hot springs’ episode. Lots of fan service expected
- Guardian of the Sacred Spirit – otherwise known as ‘Seirei No Moribito’, this comes from Production I.G.
- Lyrical Nanoha and Lyrical Nanoha A’s – both seasons on DVD
For the ‘wrap-up’, Geneon gave an overview of the various types of DVD packing options they currently offer. Surveys were passed around asking which types of packages people prefer. The ‘Baily Box’ was one of the standout ones for me – it features a clear side box so you can show off the cover of your favorite DVD volume! There was also a giveaway for ‘Princess Raccoon‘, which is a live action film.
Overall it was an informative panel and it’s always fun to see everyone’s reactions to the new titles!
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