Category Archives: Anime

Blade of the Immortal anime licensed

Anime News Network is reporting that the Blade of the Immortal anime which aired this past season in Japan, has been licenced by Media Blasters. The series, which was produced by Bee Train (The .hack franchise, as well as in-between work on Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, and Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex) focuses on Manji, a ronin samurai cursed with immortality until he kills 1000 evil men to make up for the good men he killed. We have previously reviewed the first installment of the series, but I cannot for the life of me find the review.

Meda Blasters is planning to do a dub for the series, but they have yet to announce the studio to do the dub.

Weekend Review – Patlabor The Movie 2

This weekend’s review, takes us out of the Patlabor TV continuity, and back to the OVA continuity, with a sequel to the first movie, set several years later, and also puts the franchise back in the hands of Oshii, who brought this movie out before Ghost In The Shell, but after the creation of his (in)famous Jin-Roh franchise, and his first live-action film, which was also in the Jin-Roh series. Can he bring the funny back, or will we start seeing some of the humor-less tone of his later works? Continue reading →

Possible English re-release of Ghost in the Shell, Akira Manga

Anime News Network is reporting that the first volume of the Akira and Ghost in the Shell manga are currently up for pre-order on Amazon.com. Making the fact that both of these manga are coming back into print slightly more notable is that the titles are not being published by Dark Horse Comics, their previous licensor, but by Kodansha Comics. Kodansha is the Japanese rightsholder for both of these titles, and published the original manga for both titles in Young Magazine.

Dark Horse is the licensor of several other Kodansha titles, including You’re Under Arrest, Oh! My Goddess, Gunsmith Cats, and Blade of the Immortal.

Four Central Park Media Titles Rescued

Well, the first four of Central Park Media’s prior titles have been saved from near oblivion. AnimeVice reports that ADV has grabbed the licenses for Grave of the Fireflies, Now and Then Here and There, World of Narue, and MD Geist (the main character of MD Geist was the “mascot” for CPM’s “US Manga Corps” line. The status of  other series such as Dominion Tank Police, Patlabor, Armored Trooper Votoms, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Project A-Ko, and Record of Lodoss War are still up in the air. Continue reading →

Central Park Media files for Bankruptcy

Anime News Network reports that Central Park Media, licensors of Mobile Police Patlabor, Grave of the Fireflies, Record of Lodoss War, Project A-Ko, Armored Trooper Votoms, and many other shows and films has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Unlike Chapter 11 and 13 bankruptcy – Chapter 7 means that all of CPM/US Manga Corps assets will be liquidated, including their entire back catalog of licences that they still hold.

Continue reading →