There are a couple of freebies…though for one of them, at least, it’s up to you whether or not to take advantage of it:
First, the Gaia Online Community is offering another pair of streaming episodes. This time it’s for Moon Phase. You can access the first two episodes here.
The synopsis from RightStuf!:
“While a photographer is investigating a mysterious castle, he discovers a captivating young vampire girl who’s been trapped there for years. Unknowingly, he frees her – and ensnares them both in a struggle for love, power, and authority among the undead and other dark forces that combat them. The girl’s peaking vampire powers, alluring beauty and uncontrollable personality have no been unleashed upon the world.”
ANN Story:
Moon Phase Episodes, 5cm per Second Trailer Posted
You have probably read Rachel’s review of Glass Fleet. For all you masochists folks who are morbidly curious about Glass Fleet, you can watch two episodes (Episodes 2 & 3) at FUNimation’s official website. The synopsis from RightStuf!:
“In the dark reaches of time and space, an age of oppression smothered the masses…
Vetti Sforza, under the guise of creating an empire by and for the people, waged war against the Allied Nobility. One corrupt ruling class was destroyed, but in its place another would emerge, even more corrupt than before…
A second revolution stirs as the People’s Army rises up to begin their march toward freedom, led by the heroic Michel Volban. He in turn looks to the stars, and with the glint of glass against the galaxies hope arrives in the visage of a sleek battleship, one of unsurpassed strength and capabilities – one bearing the crest of the fallen royal family! Piloted by the enigmatic Cleo and his rogue crew of pirates, can this truly be the “hero” for who all have waited?”
The notice was on RightStuf!’s website titled “Free Glass Fleet Episodes Online!” dated October 2, 2007.
Now on to the sales:
With an eye toward Halloween, RightStuf! has called their new sale In For A Treat. Take 33% off the retail prices on ALL manga and books from Del Rey. This includes pre-orders. Note: items in the Weekly Specials, Bargain Bin, or Closeout are not eligible. The coupon code is treat and the sale ends on October 21, 2007 at 11:59 CDT.
AnimeNation has a new sale for DVDs from Nozomi Entertainment (the production wing of RightStuf!). You can take 40% off the price of titles like His & Her Circumstances, Kimba the White Lion, and The Third: Girl with the Blue Eye. The sale runs through the month of October.
DVDEmpire has a coupon for $20 off a purchase of $125. The coupon code is 1370218. It expires on October 16, 2007.
YesAsia.com has a bonus coupon program running. When you place an order of $50 (US) or more, you will receive a $5 (US) coupon good towards your next purchase. You will also receive a second $5 (US) coupon for their sister site YesStyle.com. Both coupons have no minimum purchase requirements and can be combined with other promotions. Coupons expire December 31, 2007. For full details, check their coupon page.
Finally, this last story doesn’t feature a freebie, though there are free manga samples. It isn’t a sale. In a sense, though, it offers something just as good.
Manganovel Corporation is an interesting new online manga service. It offers Japanese manga downloads plus translations (where available). The manga currently runs between $4 (US) and $5 (US). Here is the interesting part…the company wants the multi-lingual readers to also be the translators.
Using the company’s dedicated reader which has a built-in editor, users can create their own translation “layers”. These translations may then be uploaded to Manganovel who will then offer them to buyers of the manga. Translators may offer their translations for free or charge 2% of the manga’s price. If the latter option is chosen, the translator “gets 50% of the sale price as a royalty”…my guess is that means half of the 2%. There is also a discussion board for other readers to give feedback on the translations. Other languages offered include Portuguese, Korean, and Russian.
Parano sample in Japanese
Parano sample with English translation
Their website offers some free samples using a sample reader. Currently they are offering the first chapters of Parano, Vol. 1 by Izumi Bell, Idiwaru Usagi, Vol. 1 by Higomio, and Octon & Kanira, Vol. 1 by Akira Yamaguchi.
Manganovel Corporation was formed in June of 2006. Primary ownership is by Toshiba Corporation which owns 89% (and also provided the digital rights management technology) of Manganovel’s shares. The remaining 11% is owned by Fixstars Corporation (which provided the application and server software).
One caveat is that the dedicated reader requires Windows 2000 SP4, XP, or Vista.
ANN Story:
Toshiba, Manganovel Offer User-Translated Manga Online
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