After a 26-year hiatus and a copyright dispute, Space Battleship Yamato (also known as Star Blazers) is back! An all-new Yamato feature film, featuring old-school character designs and CGI spaceship graphics, is set to premiere on December 12th in Japanese theaters.
–Via ANN
K-On! has certainly produced it’s share of *ahem* unique fans. Among them is this talented bass player, who augments his killer riffs with a frilly pink dress. Moe moe?
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–Via Japanator
A stormtrooper named Danny Choo was recently spotted in Akihabara, along with BBC filming crews. Although the trooper attempted to join the girls from K-On! in a musical number, he was rejected once they discovered the only instrument he played was the “thermal detonator”. Nevertheless, the trooper seemed to enjoy his visit.
Tsumugi Kotobuki, Ritsu Tainaka and Azusa Nakano
K-On!’s recent trifecta of character albums for Tsumugi, Ritsu and Azusa, which were released on August 26th, have made history by all appearing in the top 10 Oricon singles charts. This is the first time that three character album releases from the same anime have appeared in the top 10 together, earning K-On! another spot in the record books. Azusa Nakano proved to be the most popular, selling 28,000 copies for a #3 spot on the charts. Ritsu Tainaka followed close behind, coming in at #5 with 26,000 sales. Finally, Tsumugi Kotobuki brought up the rear, with 25,000 sales and a #6 ranking.
This is, naturally, only the latest in K-On’s long line of retail successes. It seems there’s no end to K-On!’s popularity… at least, until Kyoani figures out a way to ruin it for everyone.
–Via ANN
Yes, this is actually a character from Ponyo.
Disney has confirmed that the Japanese Blu-Ray release of Ponyo, which is the first Studio Ghibli Blu-ray release ever, will include multiple subtitle tracks in eight languages. These languages are: Japanese, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Korean, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese. Additionally, the release will include audio tracks in seven languages: Japanese, French, Italian, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, and Cantonese Chinese. Oddly enough, English is the only language to receive subtitles, but no audio track. This likely has to do with Ghibli’s licensing agreement with Disney.
Since both Japan and the United States adhere to Region A Blu-ray coding, American fans who wish to watch Ponyo subtitled can now import the Blu-ray disc when it is released on December 8th. Unfortunately, our Australian and British friends will have to wait for a Region B release.
–Via ANN
The lovely ladies at AKB48 have graced us with another single entitled Iiwake Maybe. This new song is all about the healing power of… bicycle races? Yeah, I’m confused too. Regardless, a catchy tune and cute Japanese girls make for another winning music video from our favorite theater group. (Note: The song starts at around 1:55.)
Movie star Kirsten Dunst, most famous for her role as Mary Jane Watson in the Spider-Man film series, was spotted recently in Akihabara… and it appears that she’s gone local.
Apparently, she was starring in a video being filmed by McG, the director of Terminator Salvation. Although the nature of this project is unknown, it will be screened at an exhibition later this year in London.
More images of Kirsten’s crazy cosplay, as well as an opinion poll, can be found below.
This otaku couple, who (along with their children) are huge Gundam fans, were the lucky winners of a matrimony contest and got the chance to take their wedding vows in front of Odaiba’s life-sized RX-78-2 Gundam. Naturally, local Japanese TV news picked up on the story…
Famed mass murderer Jason Voorhees, most famous for his critically acclaimed Friday the 13th series of horror films, has apparently been wooed by K-On!’s unstoppable moe power. He is now using his considerable experience with chainsaws to create anime-themed chainsaw sculptures, including one of Mio Akiyama.
The hillbilly otaku community must be rejoicing. Perhaps midwestern microbreweries will start producing Mio beer next? Moe moe *burp*!
Dragon Ball Online, an MMORPG being developed by Japanese and South Korean software companies, now has a new trailer for DB fans to drool over. Unfortunately, it’s only available in low-quality thus far…