Geneon’s US demise this past October left a bad taste in my mouth. I figured a monopoly was the worse that could happen, but also that other unsavory outcomes were possible. Some fans had the opinion Geneon’s tanking was no biggie, while others who’ve seen this sort of thing before took a “wait and see” approach to the episode.

As ADV started laying off employees, the bad taste in my mouth went from slightly sour to icky. When I read ADV was closing their wallet to anime clubs and shutting down Newtype, I think I became ill. And then when unofficial news surfaced about ADV’s discontinuation of titles, I had to rethink what I originally thought of the US anime landscape.

What would happen if little by little, anime in America, as we know it now, began to disappear? What if, instead of recent anime being released on DVD, any “new” anime was solely available on cable? And what if those titles were nothing but shows like Bleach and Naruto?

Sure, fansubs would gain new fans and a bigger audience, but wouldn’t anime crawl back under the rock it came from in terms of its popularity and mainstream appeal (I use “popular” in a relative context and a loose one at that)? What would happen to manga? Would manga keep the anime culture in America afloat? Or is this a minor setback, one we’ll bounce right back from?

These questions and more are the ones I ask myself and other anime fans whenever there’s some disturbances with the distribution companies. Some questions I toss out to get the dialog going but some I honestly want to know. The biggest, ultimate question, however, would be: What if anime in America were no more…Period.

No fansubs, no new Adult Swim, no video on demand, no YouTube, nothing. Zip. No more anime. Just the series and movies already in your and your buddies collections. All the cool new super awesome shows you hear are being released in Japan would be nothing more than wishful thinking in America.

Reruns would rule supreme (imagine Cowboy Bebop back on Cartoon Network in an endless loop- forever!) Fans would start to further pick apart old series, looking for some fresh nuance to keep discussions alive. Anime conventions would slowly devolve into burnt out shrines of anime past, with no new cosplays, no announcements, just a bunch of fans reliving the Golden Years. It’d be like a Star Wars convention…

And what would you do? Would you give up the medium? Or buy an $80 bootleg DVD of crappy anime from China and Europe? Would you still cosplay? What would your room look like with no new plushies to brighten it? How would you get your fix? What would you do if anime were no more in America?

Yeah, yeah, I know it sounds like I’m being all doom and gloom (it’s only a hypothetical discussion), but please comment below on what you’re anime disaster plan would be!

ADVFilms.com

February 5, 2008

• Devil may Cry Vol. #1 – 100 min
• Magikano Vol. #2 (also w/box) – 100 min

February 12, 2008

• Kanon Vol. #2 (also w/box) – 100 min
• Kurau: Phantom Memory Vol. #6 – 100 min
• Project Blue Earth SOS Vol. #1 – 90 min

February 19, 2008

• Moonlight Mile Vol. #1 – 100 min
• Tokyo Majin Vol. #2 (also w/box) – 100 min
• Welcome to the NHK Vol. #3 – 100 min

February 26, 2008

• Gurren Lagann Vol. #1 – 100 min
• Michel Complete Collection – 650 min
• Pumpkin Scissors Vol. #3 – 100 min
• Wallflower Vol. #2 (also w/box) – 100 min

AN Entertainment

• No releases this month

Bandai Entertainment

Bandai-Ent.com

February 5, 2008

• .hack//Roots Vol. #6 (also w/Special Edition/CD) – 100 min
• Clockwork Fighters Vol. #3 – 200 min
• Cowboy Bebop Remix Complete Collection – 650 min

February 19, 2008

• Zegapain Vol. #3 (of 6) – 100 min

Bandai Visual

BandaiVisual.co.jp

February 22, 2008

• Mobile Suit Gundam F91 – Blu-Ray (Japan only)
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack – Blu-Ray (Japan only)

Bandai Visual USA, Inc.

BandaiVisual.us

Bandai Visual USA was a casualty of Geneon’s and ADV’s decision not to go through with their sales and distribution agreement. Geneon had been distributing Bandai’s titles. Unfortunately, this means that currently their titles are not available through normal retail channels (brick and mortar stores and online stores). As a stopgap, Bandai is selling their releases through their own online service (dot-anime.us website) until they can arrange an alternate distribution scheme.

February 12, 2008

• Super Robot Wars: OG – Divine Wars Vol. #3 – 72 min

February 26, 2008

• Freedom Vol. #4 – HD-DVD – 30 min

BuenaVista Home Entertainment Japan

Movies.co.jp
No releases this month

Discotek

www.discotekmedia.com
No releases this month

FUNimation Entertainment, Ltd.

FUNimation.com

February 5, 2008

• Fullmetal Alchemist Box Set 3 – 400 min
• Fullmetal Alchemist Vol. #09 (Viridian Collection) – 100 min
• Fullmetal Alchemist Vol. #10 (Viridian Collection) – 100 min
• Negima Box Set – 650 min
• Negima Vol. #1 (Viridian Collection) – 100 min
• Negima Vol. #2 (Viridian Collection) – 100 min
• School Rumble Vol. #5 – 100 min

February 12, 2008

• Black Blood Brothers Vol. #1 (also w/box)
• Dragon Ball Movies Box Set (Movies 2-4) – 185 min
• Glass Fleet Vol. #4 – 100 min
• Speed Grapher Vol. #1 (Viridian Collection) – 100 min
• Speed Grapher Vol. #2 (Viridian Collection) – 100 min

February 19, 2008

• Dragon Ball Z Season 4 – 730 min
• One Piece Movie 08: Episode of Alabaster

February 26, 2008

• Galaxy Railways Complete Box Set (Viridian Collection) – 650 min
• Hell Girl Vol. #4 – 100 min
• Mushishi Vol. #6 – 100 min
• Shuffle Vol. #1

GDH K.K.

GDH K.K.

February 20, 2008

• Afro Samurai – HD-DVD (Japan only) – 112 min
• Afro Samurai – Blu-Ray (Japan only) – 112 min

Geneon Entertainment (USA), Inc.

GeneonAnimation.com

Until further notice there will be no more releases from Geneon USA. However, there is one release from the parent company:

Geneon Entertainment (Japan)

February 22, 2008

• Perfect Blue (also w/Limited Edition) – Blu-Ray (Japan only)

Illumitoon.com

Illumitoon.com

Until further notice there will be no more releases from Illumitoon.

ImaginAsian (distributed by Right Stuf!)

No releases this month

Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.

No releases this month

Manga Entertainment

Manga.com

No releases this month

Media Blasters

Media-Blasters.com

February 5, 2008

• Phoenix Vol. #3 – 100 min

February 19, 2008

• Girls High Collection – 300 min

February 26, 2008

• Simoun Vol. #2 – 125 min

Right Stuf International, Inc.

RightStuf.com

February 26, 2008

• Boys Be.. Box Set (Thinpak) – 325 min

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

SonyPictures.com

• No releases this month

Viz Media

Viz.com

February 12, 2008

• Naruto Box Set 06 (also w/special edition) – 325 min
• Pokemon Season 1 Box Set 3

“I could also read American comics, but I prefer the Japanese ones because they’re less clumsy.”

According to Tokyopop Germany managing director, Joachim Kaps, manga accounts for 70% of all comics sales in Germany. It has become so popular, that they (as well as another publisher, Carlsen Manga) are producing and exporting manga from Germany. One example is Gothic Sports by Anike Hage (Vol. 3’s cover is shown in this month’s manga releases article).

From a units sold standpoint, manga is even more popular in France. Readers there say they prefer the graphics of manga over western comics. They also believe that the stories told in manga address more relevant issues for teens.

Perhaps in reaction to the rising popularity of manga, French illustrator and author Albert Uderzo, best known for his Asterix series, published Asterix and the Falling Sky in 2005. This volume, while still set in 1st century B.C. Gaul (France), departs from the previous 32 volumes by introducing two sets of aliens from outer space. One is the evil Nagma (anagram of manga) who want to steal the Gaul’s druid potion so that they can conquer more planets. The comic also pokes fun at Americans. The other alien group is called the Tadsilweny (anagram for Walt Disney) and they want to confiscate the potion since they consider it a dangerous weapon.

The brief British reference said that Tokyopop UK had it sales double from $4 million in 2006 to $8 million in 2007. There was also mention of British experiments with publishing their own manga with adaptations of Shakespeare and the Bible.

The article mentioned one interesting point. Europe is “the largest consumer of manga outside Japan“. They referred to a report by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) which said that the combined manga sales in Germany and France “totaled $212.6 million last year” (which probably means 2006). The article did not have a link to the report, but a similar report is mentioned in a ComiPress article. That article states that Germany and France combined for a range of 20.6 billion yen ($188.6 million) to 23.6 billion yen ($216.1 million) while the US that year (2005) had sales of 20 billion yen ($183 million).

On a related note, according to an ANN article, the Japanese government has allocated 147 million yen (about $1.34 million) “to spread anime, manga, and other elements of Japanese popular culture in Eastern Europe“. The money will be used to pay for 30 teachers to go to Hungary and three other countries to teach Japanese and Japanese popular culture.

Business Week Article (via ANN): Europe’s Manga Mania

ComiPress Article: New Report from JETRO on the Manga Market in Germany
JETRO Report (Japanese) and pdf link

ANN Article: Japan Plans 147M Yen to Spread Anime, Manga in Europe

ANN Japanese Sources: Nikkan Sports, Asahi Shimbun

“The main character of the manga, a young man called Shizuku Kanzaki, discovers the beauty of wine after his father, a famous wine critic, dies and leaves an unusual will: a description of 12 wines he considers to be the best in the world, comparing them to Jesus Christ’s disciples.

The first person to find these “disciples” will inherit the father’s wine collection, a contest that pits Shizuku against his adoptive brother, Issey Tomine, who works as a sommelier.”

As wines have been introduced in the manga, readers have been going out to purchase them. According to Reuters, winemakers have noticed the Kami no Shizuku effect:

“The minute it was translated into Korean, we had calls from three importers,” said Basaline Granger Despagne, whose family has grown wine near France’s Dordogne river for 250 years. Their Chateau Mont Perat 2001 Bordeaux appears early on in the manga.

“When it was translated into Chinese, people called us from Taiwan saying, ‘I bought some Mont Perat and sold 50 cases in two days because of the manga’,” she said in a phone interview.

Umberto Cosmo, whose family produces Colli di Conegliano Rosso Contrada di Concenigo, was pleased to hear that his wine appeared in the manga. In a phone interview with Reuters, he said that sales jumped by 30% after the manga came out.

The Decanter.com article also comments about how the manga describes wine:

“The books are notable for their unconventional descriptions of the wines featured. For instance, Mont Perat is likened to a concert given by the rock group Queen, with the wine’s acidity taking the place of Freddie Mercury’s vocals.”

Mangaka Yuko Kibayashi, under a nom de plume, and with the help of her brother Shin plan to continue the series for another four to five years revealing the identity of the 12 “disciple” wines during the course of the series.

Kami no Shizuku is currently published in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. Not surprisingly, a French version is scheduled to be published in 2008 with the possibility of an Italian version to follow. Also, there are rumors of a live-action adaptation.

Image of Kami no Shizuku, Vol. 1 from beNippon.com
Image of Château Mont-Pérat (2001) from snooth.com

Decanter.com article (via ANN): Manga comics ignite interest in wine

Reuters Story: FEATURE-Taste of heaven: Manga spreads ‘Drops of God’ in Asia

Pizza Hut has recently been using anime as one way to promote their pizzas. They had product placement within the series Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion and Darker than Black. They had a promotional campaign tied to the theatrical release of the Evangelion: 1.0 You Are [Not] Alone movie. Now, they have a similar campaign under way tied to the shōjo series Maria-sama ga Miteru. According to the series official website…hopefully, I have interpreted the Japanese translation (Babelfish) correctly…customers who buy a medium pizza will get a limited edition Maria-sama ga Miteru design pizza box, while supplies last. Additionally, Pizza Hut Club members will have access to a special computer wallpaper and mobile phone graphic. The campaign will run from January 7 thru February 13. All orders made online will be entered in a drawing where the prizes are a stamp sheet signed by the main cast (1), a script signed by the “Red Rose” cast (3), a script signed by the “Yellow Rose” cast (3), a script signed by the “White Rose” cast (3), and the Season 3 OVA fan disc – Vol. 1 (20). Entry to the drawing can also be made by mail. The entry deadline is February 19. Note: This campaign is for Japan only.

Images © Oyuki Konno/Shueisha, Yamayurikai 02

Maria-sama ga Miteru official website

ANN Article: MariMite Pizza Hut Japan Campaign, Fan Disk Announced
Japanese Source: Moon Phase

In 2006, Nissin Foods celebrated the 35th anniversary of the introduction of one of their most famous products, Cup Noodles, with a campaign called the Freedom Project. It included the usual print and TV ads as well as special 35th anniversary designs for their Cup Noodles. What made this campaign different is that Nissin commissioned the creation of a 6 part OVA called Freedom as its centerpiece. It was created by Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira), who also was the character and mecha designer. Of course, there was plenty of product placement throughout the series.

Last month, Nissin started airing two commercials for another of its products, Donbei Instant Noodles. For this campaign, they have characters from Mobile Suit Gundam sing the praises of Donbei. The “Mieru” commercial shows Amuro Ray delirious from hunger after a long battle and crying for joy when he sees floating bowls of Donbei Udon and Soba.

The other commercial features Zeon leader Gihren Zabi giving his “Sieg Zeon” speech, except he says “Juicy Udon” instead of “Sieg Zeon”.

Tohru Furuya and Banjou Ginga, the seiyū for Amuro and Gihren, reprised their Mobile Suit Gundam roles for the spots.

Nissin has posted both the “Mieru” commericial (in low, middle, or high quality) and the “Eat up, my countrymen” commercial (in low, middle, or high quality). You will need Windows Media Player for playback.

Freedom, Noodle and Gundam Images ©Nissin, Sunrise, Sotsu Agency, and Bandai Visual

ANN Article: Gundam Characters Hawk Instant Noodles in Japan
Japanese Source: Nikkei Trendy Net

Last November, Anime Anime (via ANN) reported that Japanese retailer kamikau.com was offering 20 different styles of tissue boxes with designs from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Each style costs 525 yen (about $4.79 US) and includes 100 2-ply white tissues. Each features artwork from the series on 5 sides. The set of 20 is offered at 10,500 yen (about $95.82 US)…so no discount. To protect the tissue box, kamikau sells a clear acrylic cover for 2100 yen (about $19.16 US). They also offer a customization service, so people can create their own style (using the images found in the 20 pre-made styles) for no extra charge.

Images © 2006 Nagaru Tanigawa/Noizi Ito/member of SOS and © 2006 Morizane – Shoji Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Anime Anime Article (Japanese): 涼宮ハルヒの憂鬱」のボックスティッシュ インターネットで限定販売

ANN Article: Not-So-Daily Link of the Day: Haruhi Tissue Boxes

In the past anime and manga have been used to promote beauty and personal hygiene products for women (The Rose of Versailles bath powder sets) and children (Shin-chan Eau de Toilette, Body Fresh Spray, and Cologne). Now, the hair product division of German-based company Schwarzkopf & Henkel (home care, personal care, and adhesives) will be introducing a new line of hair coloring products for men.

Pictured above and below are the current line of bleaching and darkening products.

According to ANN, “the new lineup will include more unusual colors: beige, ash, gray, blonde, khaki (greenish tint), and blood (reddish tint)”. The projected price for each color is 700 yen (about $6.43 US). The launch date is February 4, 2008.

The characters used for the 2007 line and those that will appear on the 2008 line come from the high school fighting manga Crows and its sequel Worst by Hiroshi Takahashi. Here is a synopsis of Worst from DMP:

“Worst is a high impact gang-related title that deals with teenage boys fighting their way through high school on order to gain respect. There is no room for deceit and underhanded tricks at the notorious High School ‘Suzuran.’ These young men follow a strict honor code when it comes to brawling, very reminiscent of the mafia in the early days. Traditionally called a ‘Yankee Manga’ (’Yankee’ having a different meaning and pronunciation than in English) typically involves delinquent young men and thugs like ‘Hana Tsukishima’ who is making his way through the ranks to rule over the rest at school.”

You will notice that the main character, Hana Tsukishima, doesn’t appear to have much hair and that he isn’t on any of the products above. Not to worry, Schwarzkopf & Henkel is using his image to sell their line of facial tissues.

On a related note, last October, a live-action prequel called Crows Zero directed by Takashi Miike opened in theaters around Japan and Korea. Schwarzkopf & Henkel used this as an opportunity for cross promotion. They gave away posters signed by Takahashi-san and the film’s star Shun Oguri (Hana Yori Dango).

Product Images: ©2007 Schwarzkopf & Henkel K.K. All Right Reserved
Character Images: © Hiroshi Takahashi (Monthly Shonen Champion) 2002-2007

ANN Story: Manga Used to Sell Hair Coloring Products…for Men

Japanese Source (which also shows a photo of the upcoming product line): Sankei Shimbun

Finally, one more piece about products for men. It seems the juggernaut of kawaii, Hello Kitty, has decided to enter the arena. Sanrio Co. will be rolling out a line of products aimed at young men including bags, watches, and T-shirts. The products will go on sale in Japan this month with later releases planned in other Asian nations as well as the US.

There will be some minor modifications to the look of Hello Kitty for men. According to Sanrio (via the Associated Press), the shape of the head will feature:

“…a more rugged, cool look to appeal to men in their teens and 20s. For example, a picture of the cat on a $36 black T-shirt has the words, ‘hello kitty,’ instead of the usual dots for the eyes and nose.”

While this will be the first time Sanrio has developed Hello Kitty items specifically for men, they did have a trial run of sorts last fall. They collaborated on a “limited edition” of men’s clothing with designers in Tokyo’s Harajuku section. This was noted in the Hello Kitty World blog.

As to why Sanrio decided to enter the men’s fashion market, spokesperson Kazuo Tohmatsu said:

“We think Hello Kitty is accepted by young men as a design statement in fashion.” He added, “Young men these days grew up with character goods. That generation feels no embarrassment about wearing Hello Kitty.”

Photos of Products: © Associated Press/AP Photo/Koji Sasahara
Images of Hello Kitty: © 1976-2008 Sanrio Co., Ltd.

Associated Press Story (via The Miami Herald): Hello Kitty targets hip young (tom)cats

ANN Story: Hello Kitty Takes on Men for Next Conquest

Viz Discontinues MAR Anime Series

MRA Troubles

Viz Media has discontinued DVD releases for the MAR anime series after volume 4. This was originally reported by AnimeOnDVD and later picked up by ANN. When ANN questioned Viz Media, their public relations department gave them the following answer:

“As in the case with all entertainment companies, we are constantly evaluating the titles we release and how they are released, and at this present time these titles are under evaluation. We do however still have the license to produce these titles, and they are still available for viewing on Toonami Jetstream.”

However, only half the episodes have been dubbed and it is uncertain if Viz will have the remainder dubbed.

The other title referred to in the reply is the strategy game series Hikaru no Go. ANN has reported that some retailers have said that the series would no longer be released on single DVDs, which means there is still a chance that Hikaru no Go will be released exclusively in a boxed set. Viz has released some titles in this manner including The Prince of Tennis and Buso Renkin.

ANN Story: Viz Responds to Questions about MAR, Hikaru no Go DVDs

Here are a couple more pieces of bad news, but at least they have a silver lining:

Bandai Makes Up For Defective Disks

Earlier this month retailers Right Stuf and Robert’s Anime Corner Store reported issues with some releases from Bandai Entertainment. The affected titles are Gundam Seed Destiny Vol. 12 regular and special editions, Eureka Seven Vol. 11, Flag Vol. 2, and My-Otome Vol. 4. On January 9, Bandai Entertainment issued a press release which confirmed the defective discs. It described the problem as “a result of a duplicator’s error which created playability issues on some DVD consoles and personal computers“. The titles have been recalled from stores and replacements will be shipped when they become available. For customers who already purchased defective discs, the press release states:

“A special link on the www.bandai-ent.com site will be active beginning 1/17/08. Customers who purchased the above mentioned titles and are experiencing difficulties should click on the link and follow instructions for the replacement program. This link is only for replacement discs of the above listed titles.”

ANN Story: Bandai Entertainments Confirms Recall on 4 DVDs

Image of the January 2008 issue of Newtype USA is from the Newtype USA site.

Newtype USA Ceases Publication; PiQ To Take It’s Place (!)

Also earlier this month, ADV contacted retailers to let them know that Newtype USA would be ceasing publication after the February issue. ADV had licensed Newtype USA from Kadokawa Shoten who publishes the original Japanese Newtype magazine. The first issue was the November 2002 issue (not counting the “0″ issue released at Anime Expo 2002). ADV is planning to replace Newtype USA with a new magazine called PiQ. In an email sent to subscribers who were concerned about the status of their subscriptions, ADV wrote:

“We will be launching a new magazine that will be on sale in mid-March. Titled PiQ, the magazine will cover anime, manga, video games and other aspects of pop culture of keen interests to you. All existing subscribers will have their remaining issues fulfilled at a two-to-one ratio, meaning you will get double the number of magazines delivered straight to your doorstep! We hope you stick with us and give the new magazine a shot. We’re sure you’ll love it!“

As to why they are ceasing publication of Newtype USA, the email ADV sent to retailers mentioned (according to AnimeOnDVD.com, January 10 listing) “the changes…relate to licensing needs that go back to Japan.” Additionally, AOD noted that this decision was also “likely the result of the changing landscape in the US market“. AOD pointed out, “Anyone who has a copy of the magazine can tell easily where a good chunk of their advertising came from when you notice just how much Geneon Entertainment pushed their goods there“.

ANN Stories: Newtype USA to Cease Publication; A.D. Vision to replace Newtype USA with PiQ in March

Okay, let’s move on to some better news…first up a freebie of sorts:

Sci Fi Channel Doubles Anime Programming Blocks

More Anime on Sci Fi

Good news for US audiences…the Sci Fi Channel will be doubling their anime blocks. In addition to their Ani-Monday block (11pm – 1am ET), Sci Fi will start a 2-hour block on Tuesday nights in the same time slot. Okay so that amounts to just another 2 hours per week.

Still, this is a promising development. If Sci Fi is planning to try to compete with the first two hours of Adult Swim’s weeknight block, then they will eventually strip their anime programming Monday thru Friday.

The new block…yet to be named, though Ani-Tuesday doesn’t have the same ring as Ani-Monday…will start in February.

Just Another Ani-Monday

Here is what will be shown on Ani-Monday in February:

• Feb. 4 – Ninja Scroll
• Feb. 11 – Tactics/Noein
• Feb. 18 – Tactics/Noein
• Feb. 25 – Tactics/Noein

Here is what will be shown during the Tuesday block in February:

• Feb. 5 – R.O.D. (Read or Die)
• Feb. 12 – Appleseed
• Feb. 19 – Kai Doh Maru
  
• Feb. 12 – X

It looks like Mondays will primarily be used to show series and Tuesdays will primarily be used for movies.

Starz Edge Adjusts Anime Block Schedule

In another bit of TV related news, the cable premium channel Starz Edge, is moving its Animidnight block to Mondays at midnight (i.e., Tuesday morning). Here is the upcoming schedule:

• Jan. 28 – Desert Punk, Episodes 21 & 22
• Feb. 4 – Desert Punk, Episodes 23 & 24
• Feb. 11 – Hellsing Ultimate, Episodes 1 & 2
• Feb. 18 – Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex Solid State Society
• Feb. 26 – Black Lagoon, Episodes 1 & 2

Two points of interest…first the parent company of Starz Edge is Starz, LLC. Starz, LLC also owns Manga Entertainment which supplies the majority of Sci Fi’s Ani-Monday offerings. With this move, Animidnight will be aired at the same time as Ani-Monday and Sci Fi’s Tuesday anime block.

Second, Starz Edge was originally going to air Hellsing Ultimate, Episodes 3 & 4 on February 18. However, Geneon USA (not dead yet) has told ANN that “episode 4 will not be ready with an English-language track next month“. Another issue was the fact that episode 4 is not scheduled to be released in Japan by Geneon Entertainment (Geneon USA’s parent company) until February 22. It will be interesting to see when and if an English dub of episode 4 will be available for broadcast…and if it will ever make it to DVD.

ANN Stories: America’s Sci Fi Channel Adds Anime on Tuesdays; Hellsing Ultimate 4 Unavailable for Starz Edge Next Month

Now on to the sales…

Big Anime Sale at Amazon.com

Amazon.com is having a sale they call the Big Anime Sale. You can save up to 50% on a select list of over 225 DVDs. No end date is listed for the sale.

AnimeNation’s New Year’s Sale

AnimeNation’s current sale is called their New Year’s Sale and it is essentially a continuation of their Overstock Sale.

You can save up to 60% on a select list of items. There is no end date listed for the sale.

RightStuf! Savings On Viz Media Products

RightStuf! has a new sale called Take Note: Savings That Rule. You can save on products from Viz Media.

You can take 33% off the retail prices of all books and graphic novels. You can take 40% off the retail prices of all DVDs. This includes pre-orders. The coupon code is takenote and it expires on January 20 at 11:59 pm CST.

Borders Bookstores Coupon

Borders is offering a printable coupon for 20% off one item when purchased at a Borders store. Read the fine print for the exclusions. The coupon expires on January 21, 2008.

Save 20% At Borders

ADVFilms.com

January 1, 2008

• Jinki: Extend Complete Collection – 325 min
• Kanon Vol. #1 – 100 min
• Martian Successor Nadesico Perfect Collection (Thinpak) – 650 min

January 8, 2008

• Ah! My Goddess: Flights of Fancy Vol. #5 – 100 min
• Ghost Stories Complete Collection – 550 min

January 15, 2008

• Get Backers Complete Series Collection (Thinpak) – 1225 min
• Venus Versus Virus Vol. #2 (also w/box) – 100 min
• Xenosaga Vol. #3 – 100 min

January 22, 2008

• Comic Party Revolution Box Set (Thinpak) – 325 min
• Red Garden Vol. #3 – 100 min

AN Entertainment

• No releases this month

Bandai Entertainment

Bandai-Ent.com

January 8, 2008

• Di Gi Charat Nyo! Vol. #05 – 100 min
• Eureka Seven Vol. #11 – 100 min
• Flag Vol. #2 – 75 min
• Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Collection 1 (Anime Legends Edition) – 625 min
• Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny Vol. #12 (also w/special edition) – 100 min
• My-Otome Vol. #4 – 100 min

Bandai Visual

BandaiVisual.co.jp

January 25, 2008

• Cowboy Bebop: Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door – Blu-Ray (Japan only)
• Escaflowne the Movie – Blu-Ray (Japan only)
• Yukikaze Box Set – Blu-Ray (Japan only)

Bandai Visual USA, Inc.

BandaiVisual.us

Bandai Visual USA was a casualty of Geneon’s and ADV’s decision not to go through with their sales and distribution agreement. Geneon had been distributing Bandai’s titles. Unfortunately, this means that currently their titles are not available through normal retail channels (brick and mortar stores and online stores). As a stopgap, Bandai is selling their releases through their own online service (dot-anime.us website) until they can arrange an alternate distribution scheme.

January 8, 2008

• Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO Vol. #2 – 85 min
• Super Robot Wars: OG – Divine Wars Vol. #2 – 72 min

BuenaVista Home Entertainment Japan

Movies.co.jp
No releases this month

Discotek

www.discotekmedia.com
No releases this month

FUNimation Entertainment, Ltd.

FUNimation.com

January 8, 2008

• Glass Fleet Vol. #3 – 100 min
• Suzuka Vol. #6 – 100 min
• Trinity Blood Vol. #5 (Viridian Collection) – 100 min
• Trinity Blood Vol. #6 (Viridian Collection) – 100 min
• Tsubasa Vol. #6 – 100 min

January 15, 2008

• Fullmetal Alchemist Box Set 3 – 400 min
• Hell Girl Vol. #3 – 100 min
• Mushishi Vol. #5 – 100 min

January 22, 2008

• Basilisk Vol. #5 (Viridian Collection) – 100 min
• Basilisk Vol. #6 (Viridian Collection) – 100 min
• Fullmetal Alchemist Vol. #07 (Viridian Collection) – 100 min
• Fullmetal Alchemist Vol. #08 (Viridian Collection) – 100 min
• Kiddy Grade Box Set (Viridian Collection) – 400 min

January 29, 2008

• Beck Vol. #6 – 100 min
• Ragnarok Vol. #2
• Witchblade Vol. #4 – 100 min

Geneon Entertainment (USA), Inc.

GeneonAnimation.com

Until further notice there will be no more releases from Geneon.

Illumitoon.com

Illumitoon.com

Until further notice there will be no more releases from Illumitoon.

ImaginAsian (distributed by Right Stuf!)

No releases this month

Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.

January 29, 2008

• The Third: The Girl With The Blue Eye Vol. #4 – 100 min

Manga Entertainment

Manga.com

January 22, 2008

• Noein Complete Box Set – 635 min
• Tokko Complete Box Set – 320 min

Media Blasters

Media-Blasters.com

January 8, 2008

• Ramen Fighter Miki Vol. #3 – 100 min

January 22, 2008

• Angel Sanctuary – 90 min

January 29, 2008

• Step Up Love Story Vol. #2 – 60 min

Right Stuf International, Inc.

RightStuf.com

• No releases this month

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

SonyPictures.com

• No releases this month

Viz Media

Viz.com

January 8, 2008

• Naruto Vol. #19 – 100 min

January 15, 2008

• Bleach Vol. #08 – 100 min
• Hikaru no Go Vol. #12 – 100 min
• Prince of Tennis Box Set 04 – 275 min

January 29, 2008

• Death Note Vol. #3 (also w/Deluxe Edition w/Figure) – 100 min
• Naruto Vol. #20 – 100 min
• Ranma 1/2 Season 5 Set: Martial Mayhem – 450 min

Also of Note from Japan:

Imagica

January 23, 2008

• Utawarerumono Box Set – Blu-Ray (Japan only) – 598 + 117 min

However, ICv2 has finally presented a free version of their compiled findings at the first annual ICv2 Conference on Anime and Manga: Inside the Otaku Generation. It was held on Dec. 6 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. This was the day before the start of the first New York Anime Festival. ICv2 CEO, Milton Griepp, presented a white paper which discussed “the latest North American trends in anime and manga, with a look ahead to 2008.”

The actual text of the paper has not yet been released, but here are some highlights as collected by ANN:

Manga sales in the US:

• 2002 – $60 million
• 2003 – $100 million
• 2004 – $135 million
• 2005 – $175 million
• 2006 – $200 million

Anime sales in the US (does not include revenues from theater box offices or TV broadcast):

• 2002 – $500 million
• 2003 – $550 million
• 2004 – $500 million
• 2005 – $450 million
• 2006 – $400 million

Mr. Griepp did mention that the anime market for both theatrical releases and broadcast TV looked healthy.

Manga releases in the US:

• 2005 – 1088 volumes
• 2006 – 1208 volumes
• 2007 – 1468 volumes (projected)
• 2008 – 1731 volumes (projected)

The paper did mention that while the volumes released has been increasing, available shelf space at the retailer shops has not been keeping pace. ICv2 speculates that this may cause some manga to be distributed by direct sales rather than through bookstores.

Anime releases (DVDs) in the US:

• 2001 – 439
• 2002 – 562
• 2003 – 727
• 2004 – 733
• 2005 – 756
• 2006 – 617
• 2007 – 500+ (projected)

Mr. Griepp concluded with a look towards 2008. Though the manga market is still expanding, the main issue for manga in the US is if it can continue to expand to other demographics. He noted that some publishers were trying to attract adult customers. As for anime, here is an excerpt from ANN’s article:

“In his [Mr. Griepp's] words, anime is now facing a ‘best and worst of times’ kind of situation. Market penetration is excellent, and there are more licensed products being sold for different properties than ever before, but the market for DVD sales is steadily declining. This decline is driven by a contradiction, as fans demand the kind of season-set pricing that is now commonplace for American television series, but the inherent costs of licensing, producing, and dubbing anime make this difficult. How to compete with online downloads of fansubs remains a major question for the industry, and declining sales across the home entertainment market mean that American anime companies often cannot afford to engage in experiments that may not be successful. Griepp also criticized Japanese anime production companies for continuing to insist on pricing many licenses without taking into account the actual potential of these series in the current U.S. environment.”

So, at least for the short term, manga’s future in the US looks bright. Anime, on the other hand, is a mixed bag. The TV and theater sectors are healthy, but DVD sales are looking a little grim.

ANN Story: ICv2 Conference on Anime and Manga – ICv2 White Paper

If you are interested in reading more, Mr. Griepp was interviewed by Publishers Weekly Comics Week shortly before the conference. He talked about the conference and discussed some of the issues that he would later present in the paper. Here is an excerpt where he answers the question, “Where do you see the anime DVD market in the short run?“:

“There’s a great future but the old model for DVD sales—single episodes on a $30 DVD released every three months—is breaking down. These days you can’t wait that long to release the episodes, and the price is just too high. There’s a shift to DVDs offering a full-season collection, which lowers the per episode cost. The market is in transition, split between the two models, but it will eventually go straight to a season DVD collection.

There will be more legal anime material on the Web, which will help cut into the illegal download traffic. And anime companies are differentiating the content and the extras they sell on DVD, so that may help evolve that business model. The bottom line is that digital delivery is becoming more important than ever, from video on demand to streaming video and downloads, and how that affects DVD sales is an open question. What is the impact of digital delivery on the sale of physical products? We’ll be looking at all of this at the conference.“

Picture of Milton Griepp from Publishers Weekly.

PWCW Story: Inside the Otaku Marketplace

On the Geneon front, there is a small bit of good news. In the rush to release Fate/Stay Night, Volume 6 Limited Edition before the November 6 cutoff deadline, quality control suffered a bit. Some of the Saber Clocks, which were part of the extras, were defective. Fortunately, though, everyone whose order came with a defective clock is eligible for a $10 gift certificate to RightStuf.com courtesy of Geneon.

Here is the link to the actual pdf form. The deadline is December 31, 2007.

Geneon Update

There has been one recent interesting tidbit in the Geneon situation. Navarre CEO Kerry Deacon held a conference call to talk about his company’s recent quarterly earnings report. Navarre is the parent company of FUNimation. Part of the call dealt with the impact of Geneon’s recent withdrawal on its FUNimation division.

Mr. Deacon said, "Generally we believe it could be positive to our position in the marketplace, both from a sales and a content acquisition basis." He specifically mentioned that Geneon had some "very strong content such as Sailor Moon, Van Helsing, and Black Lagoon, whose futures are unknown."

However, the above comments should be tempered by the fact that the main reason for the conference call was to discuss Navarre’s most recent quarterly earning’s report. That report had some bad news. The net sales of its publishing segment (which includes FUNimation) was down 22%…sales of $27 million which was down from $34.7 million from the same period last year). The report noted that most of this drop was due to FUNimation. There were a couple of mitigating factors which should make this report sound less dire. First, FUNimation’s product schedule is weighted towards the first and fourth quarters, so light sales during the second quarter is expected. Second, it was reported that FUNimation did meet sales and profit expectations for the quarter.

ICv2 Article: Geneon’s Fall a Positive for FUNimation?
ANN Story: Funimation’s Sales, Profit Meet Lowered Expectations

Bandai Namco Holdings Restructures

In other business related news, Bandai Namco Holdings (the holding company for the Namco Bandai Group) will be restructuring. They will transfer the home and arcade game business of Banpresto to Bandai Namco Games…both companies are subsidiaries of Bandai Namco. They will also move two of Banpresto’s subsidiaries, PleasureCast Co., Ltd. and Hanayashiki Co., Ltd. (both involved with the operation of amusement parks), to become subsidiaries of Namco Ltd. Banpresto will then concentrate on developing prizes for game center and arcade game machines.

Of more interest to anime fans will be Bandai Namco’s takeover bids of two other subsidiaries, Bandai Networks Co., Ltd. (mobile communications) and Bandai Visual Co., Ltd. (film production and distribution). Currently, Bandai Namco owns 62% of Bandai Visual shares and 70% of Bandai Networks shares. The plan is to buy shares through December 10 and conduct stock swaps for shares it cannot buy. The estimated cost of these takeover bids is 19.1 billion yen (about $173.7 million US). Why the takeover bids? According to an Anime Anime article:

"…the planned TOB [take over bids] of Bandai Visual and Bandai Networks aims at promoting the quick management decision-making for realizing the Group’s mid and long-term strategies. Officials of Bandai Namco HD say that, by holding 100% share of the two companies, the Group will be able to further generate synergies and maximize corporate values."

Until the takeover bid is complete, there should be little effect on Bandai Visual USA which is a subsidiary of Bandai Visual. Bandai Entertainment should remain unaffected since it is a separate subsidiary of Bandai Namco.

VarietyAsiaOnline Article: Bandai takes over subsidiaries
Anime Anime Article (via Katana Xtreme translation): Bandai Namco reorganizes business operations through TOB of Bandai V and Bandai Networks

Now on to some manga news.

Manga News

Classic Hollywood Movies Adapted As Manga

A new Japanese venture enterprise (with investors like Optrom, Inc., OGGI, Contents Bank Corp., and Glovic Co. Inc.), Manga Bank, has recently inaugurated a series of DVD/manga sets which adapt classic Hollywood movies into manga. The first four offerings in this series are Casablanca (1942), Charade (1963), Stagecoach (1939), and Wuthering Heights (1939).

Each 128-page manga will be based on the movie script and will be sold in a set with a DVD of the original movie. The movies will be subbed in Japanese. The sets will sell for 1,380 yen (excluding tax) which is about $12.71 (US). Mangaka Kenshi Hirokane (Human Crossing and Division Chief Kosaku Shima) is supervising the artists who are adapting the movies to manga.

Manga Bank is taking advantage of the fact that the copyrights for these films have expired in Japan. It should be noted, however, that all but Charade are still copyrighted in the US, so these sets may not make it to the States or will be sold at a higher price to compensate for paying the rights holders their fee. As to why they are taking this approach with public domain material, according to an Anime Anime article (via a Katana Xtreme translation) , Manga Bank says:

"There are plenty of bargain DVDs of public domain software, but too many rivals without copyright protection made the competition very severe. MANGA BANK’s project would aim to differentiate their products by adding the value of cartoon on those DVD."

ANN Story: Casablanca, Other Hollywood Movies Adapted into Manga
Japanese Source: AV Watch (includes pictures of DVD and manga)
Anime Anime Article (via a Katana Xtreme translation): Movies with expired copyright to be cartooned

Manganovel’s Online Manga Service

In an earlier sales article, I had mentioned a new online manga service called Manganovel. This service allows consumers to purchase manga at prices close to those found in Japan and East Asia mainly by removing the middleman (in this case this means the translators and editors). Readers may upload their own translations via Manganovel’s MangaReader software. As the Executive Director of Manganovel, Kunimatsu Atsushi says, "Every user is a translator”.

Publishers Weekly has an article which describes Manganovel’s (brief) history and methodology. It also has a short history of manga distribution especially in the digital medium.

The article mentions that the service is still Windows only. The manga is kept on a private server in Japan and the user access the material via the MangaReader software.

While there are no stated plans of expanding to the Mac OS, Kunimatsu-san does mention that plans are in the works for PDA and cellphone access. He specifically mentioned the iPhone and iPod Touch. According to the article, he said that "While most cellphones would require manga to be reformatted for smaller screens, the iPhone’s large screen and unique interface is ideal for MangaNovel’s service."

ANN Story: MangaNovel’s User-Translated Manga Service Expands
Publishers Weekly Comic Week Article: MangaNovel Offers Digital Access, User Translations

Manga on Apple iPhone

Speaking of the iPhone, I had written in an earlier news article that software developer Voice Bank had demonstrated software which can convert manga for Apple iPhone screens at the Red Herring 2007 “Insight Japan” conference, in Kyoto.

On November 17, Voice Bank showed their prototype software (which can also display manga on the new iPod Touch) at the International Comic Artist Conference in Hong Kong. They, along with the Digital Manga Association, also announced the creation of the Digital Manga Project which will be the delivery service for providing manga for the iPhone/iPod. According to their press release, the service "enables users to view Manga on their iPhone/iPod touch by Safari".

Images of the Digital Manga Project on the iPod are from Voice Bank posted with their press release.

ANN Story: Manga Prototype Viewer for iPhone/iPod Touch Displayed
Voice Bank Press Release (via ANN): Voice Bank has Started Delivering MANGA for iPhone/iPod touch Users, as ‘Digital Manga Project’ with Digital Manga Association of Japan

As to why there seems to be an interest in developing online manga services, according to ANN, the Japanese research firm, Impress R&D reported that Japan spent about 10.6 billion yen (approx. $97.4 million US) on electronic comics or manga in 2006. The breakdown was about 2.4 billion yen (approx. $22 million US) via personal computers and about 8.2 billion yen (approx. $75.4 million US) via mobile devices like phones.

In comparison, the breakdown for 2005 was 1.1 billion yen (approx. $10.1 million US) via personal computers and 2.3 billion yen (approx. $21.2 million US) via mobile devices. This means that Japan spent 3.4 billion yen (approx. $31.3 million US) in 2005 on electronic comics. So sales jumped by over a factor of two in 2006.

ANN Story: Report: Japan Spent 11 Billion Yen on E-Manga in 2006
Impress R&D Report (Japanese): 電子書籍の市場規模は182億円、対前年度比約2倍に拡大 うち電子コミックの市場規模は106億円

Culture Day In Japan

Finally…November 3 was a national holiday in Japan…and it has been since the Meiji Restoration. It was originally celebrated as The Emperor’s Birthday. After Emperor Meiji passed away in 1912, the day then became known as Culture Day. The purpose of the holiday is to promote culture, the arts, and academics.

With this day in mind, the survey firm Oricon had sent out a questionnaire to 2000 people asking which cultural figure represents Japan. The number two selection turned out to be director Hayao Miyazaki (My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away). He was a rather distant second, however. He had received 56 votes.

The number one selection was Takeshi Kitano (aka Beat Takeshi) with 350 votes. He is somewhat of a renaissance man. He is a comedian, actor, presenter, author, poet, painter, (briefly a) video game designer, film editor and film director. Some of his films include Violent Cop, A Scene at the Sea, Sonitine, and Zatōichi. He was also in the North American film Johnny Mnemonic. He is probably best known to the Japanese public for his work on television.

Indeed, it is possible that he is best known to international audiences as host of the 1980s game show Takeshi’s Castle. According to TBS’s website, the show is described as:

"The world’s funniest, and perhaps most difficult, games challenge 120 participants in each program. Games include scaling walls, dodging boulders and leaping across a booby-trapped pond. There’s no script, just lots of laughs as contestants try to catch a football in knee-deep mud or pole-vault across a river."

In the US, the show has been repackaged and heavily edited. It started airing in 2003 on TNN (later known as Spike TV). The US version of the show is known as MXC (originally Most Extreme Elimination Challenge). Takeshi-san’s character (Count "Beat" Takeshi) is known as Vic Romano on MXC.

According to the ANN Story, the 2000 voters were "…evenly divided between five age groups (middle/high schoolers, vocational school/college students, workers in their 20s, workers in their 30s, and workers in their 40s) and both genders."

Image of Takeshi Kitano taken by Rita Molnár at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival

Image of Takeshi’s Castle 1986 cast: © Tokyo Broadcasting System

ANN Story: Poll: Miyazaki is #2 in Representing Japan’s Culture
Japanese Source: Oricon Poll Results

I knew the Geneon/ADV deal was bad medicine when it was first announced in September. When Geneon laid off some employees a short time after the announcement, I wasn’t surprised, nor was I too taken aback by the two anime distribution companies’ decision not to merge.

When it was announced that Geneon was no longer distributing DVDs, it was a confirmation of that initial bad feeling I had. I had no idea what was going on behind Geneon’s closed doors to lead up to this series of events, but like a divorce or break-up that seems to come outta nowhere, this sad event probably was some time in the making.

When I asked Mochi about the Geneon issue the other day, here’s what our top news contributor had to say:

Mochi

As for Geneon, they are definitely out of the DVD business. However, it really depends on what Dentsu wants to do with Geneon USA. They will be posting a loss for the first half of this fiscal year (Oct. 2007 – Mar. 2008) due to downsizing their Geneon USA operation. Since they preferred to take a loss means that Geneon USA was probably operating at a loss with little chance of turning a profit for the foreseeable future. If they decide that it’s not worth staying in the North American market, then they will probably close shop once they have fulfilled all (or most) of their outstanding obligations. If they want to continue in North America, then they may turn to the Kadokawa model.

Kadokawa Pictures USA is essentially a licensing company. They license productions (both animated and live action) and sub-contract other companies to dub, distribute, and market. For example; they licensed The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, then contracted Bang Zoom! Entertainment for dubbing and Bandai Entertainment for distribution and marketing. Similarly,with Full Metal Panic! TSR, they contracted ADV for dubbing and FUNimation for distribution and marketing. As you can see, Kadokawa is not tied to one company for these functions and they don’t have to do this in-house either. This gives them flexibility to work out a deal with a decent chance for profit without the overhead of an in-house staff.

Speculaton by AnimeOnDVD.com and Robert’s Anime Corner Store seems to see this as a likely scenario for Geneon- unfortunate for former staff- but things can be cold in the world of business. If they decide to go this route, then Geneon can contract other companies to dub, distribute, and market the licenses which they still hold…otherwise these licenses will be in limbo for a while.

Rachel

Well, now that Geneon is down and Bandai is in a sorry state as well, it looks like we fans may feel the ripple effects before too long. One of the major impacts Geneon’s absence will have is the lack of Hellsing OVAs. Who’s going to distribute them now? Who else is going to feel the effects of this giant’s take down? Are any of you going to feel the pain or does this not impact at you all?