Category Archives: News

New Negima Feature in 2011

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Ken Akamatsu’s wildly successful shonen/fantasy/action/romance/harem/comedy manga Negima is set to receive an “anime feature”, tentatively set to be released in 2011. Based on earlier comments by Kodansha producer Yoichi Ishomoto, some are speculating that a Negima theatrical adaptation is in the works. This is only conjecture, however, as details are still scarce.

Akamatsu is, naturally, no stranger to adaptations of his works. Negima alone has thus far spawned two TV anime series, four OVA sets, a live-action series, a spin-off manga and a musical. However, thus far, these adaptation have all been disappointments, and by many accounts failed to live up to the original manga. Hopefully, this new project can reverse that trend.

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Haruhi-chan, Churya-san and K-On! Win Kobe Awards

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This year’s Kobe Awards winners have been announced, and three Kyoani series were among the honored. The internet series Haurhi-chan, along with its sister series Nyoron Churuya-san, won the Network Award, given to series with outstanding interactive content. Hatsune Miku, Second Life and Final Fantasy XI have all received this award in past years. K-On! took home the Theme Song Award for its popular ending theme, “Don’t say ‘lazy'”, joining previous winners such as “Triangler” from Macross Frontier, “Motteke! Sailor Fuku” from Lucky Star, and “Hare Hare Yukai” from Haruhi’s first season.

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Christmas Will Come Early For Hirasawa Yui Fans

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Alter has finally come to the party for K-ON! fans by finally posting release date and sale price information on its up and coming Hirasawa Yui figure. She’ll be out this December, retailing for 6,800 Yen, making this an easy Christmas present for some…

Let me first say that I am not a fan of K-ON!; the series left me unsatisfied and to be honest I was bored at episode 5. However, my love of figures allows me to appreciate that this new release from Alter ranks about an 8.0 on Chris’ figure epic awesomeness scale…

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Negima: Another World

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The second trailer for Magical Teacher Negima: Another World, a four-episode direct-to-dvd OVA, was recently revealed. Like last year’s Negima: The White Wing, this release will be an exceedingly faithful adaptation of the Magic World arc of the manga. However, whereas The White Wing focused on the fanservice-oriented chapters,  Another World looks a good deal more action packed. Personally, I’m looking forwards to seeing Fate Averruncus fight…

Although the animation isn’t anything to write home about, it’s nice to see a Ken Akamatsu work finally getting a halfway decent anime adaptation.

The series will be released on a DVD included with the 27th volume of the Negima manga, which hits Japanese bookshelves on September 17th.

–Via ANN

Another Record for K-On!

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Tsumugi Kotobuki, Ritsu Tainaka and Azusa Nakano

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

Ponyo Blu-Ray Will Include English Subs

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Yes, this is actually a character from Ponyo.

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

Iiwake Maybe

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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.)

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She’s Turning Japanese

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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.

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