New Player in the US Market

NIS America, a subsidiary of Nippon Ichi Software,Inc., has decided to enter the U.S. anime market. Mostly known for their games such as Disgea, Ar tonelico and Cross Edge, NIS America has licensed and plans a mid-year release for Toradora!, Persona - trinity soul -, Pandora Hearts, and Our Home’s Fox Deity (Japanese title Wagaya no Oinarisama).

1st OP


Pandora Hearts PV
Persona - trinity soul - OP
Wagaya no Oinarisama OP

Now the big question: Why? NIS, Inc, just reported a 97.5% drop in operating profits for the first nine months of the fiscal year. Ouch. Is this a good idea considering the market? I guess time will tell.
(via Anime News Network and Kotaku)

Airbender Trailer & Akira News

This is based off the Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon. I have to admit to not seeing any of the original, but the live action theatrical trailer doesn't look too bad. Heavy on the action and special effects, but it has to be better than Dragonball Evolution.

And a live action Akira isn't off the table. New York Magazine's Vulture Blog reports that the The Hughes Bros. (Menace to Society II, Dead Presidents, Book of Eli) are talking with Warner Bros. about using the script by the same writing duo that brought you Iron Man. Instead of trying to cram six manga worth of story into two hours of movie, two movies would be made.

Plain and simple, I just don't expect great things from Hollywood anymore. This is no different.

More Yamato

Patrick Macias hooks us up

THIS!!!

And this, too.

Toy tycoon buys Madoff's $8.9m flat

Alfred Kahn, chief exec for 4Kids Entertainment, just dropped $8.9 mil for Bernie Madoff's old digs.

I have to do this,

KAAAAAAAHHHHHNNNN!!!!

GunBuster Pachinko Machine

Alarm bells come too late for Sony Pictures | The Media Wonk

Alarm bells come too late for Sony Pictures | The Media Wonk

Sony starts layoffs. Blu Ray ain't selling like they expected. DVD sales are down while DVD rentals are up:

# Now one year later, looking at the cold hard facts of 2009, retail spending on sell-through DVDs and Blu-Ray discs dropped by -18% while rental of these products actually increased by 4%. As a result, the sell-through of physical discs declined from 63% of the market to 57%.

# This massive change in behavior continues to have negative implications for studio profitability as every home video executive would rather book the $16 of profit contribution per transaction from selling a disc vs. the $3.50 to $1.40 per disc profit contribution from rental.

And it comes home...

Michiko to Hatchin

Surat had mentioned that this show hadn't been picked up yet. Something about it being viewed as non-commercial or something. I'd watched six or seven fansubs and I had liked it. So I watched them again to see what was so non-commercial about it.

The opening is very Lupin the 3rd. But the main character Michiko is more Fujiko then Lupin. Michiko is not a girl. She's not moe or tsundere. No, she's a woman. Lemme repeat that because it needs to be stressed. She's a woman. Not a fantasy girl, not fan service, and pretty much the exact opposite of every female you find in the current crop of anime.

And I bet that's why it's considered non-commercial.

And the funny thing is, if I could compare it to any other show I say this was a lot like Cowboy Bebop. In fact I will. This is Cowboy Bebop without the science fiction and the bounty hunting. It's damn good. And it says something about how fucked up the anime market is and the fans that market is pandering to. Yeah, no giant robots or high school romances or harems and panty shots or any of that bullshit. And the scene could really use a strong dose of this right now. Something that cuts through the stagnant genre bullshit.

But hey, what do I know?

Go back you your comfort zone.

Other Stuff Pt.2

More internet walkabouts and this is the crap I step in. I will share.

Revoltech Hokuto no Ken figs. New? Old? Not crap, but I didn't know if these were from Wonder Festival 2010 (Winter). Just found them and posted here.

Giant Robo needs you. ??????

Star Wars crap. I laughed.


see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Star Wars mixed with Bob Ross. I already feel the hangover coming on.



Moe + mecha = K-On!Gundam

via Japanator

It's titled "Close Call Rally Old Man", but I'd call it "Old Man Craps Pants and Runs".

Was there a football game on TV today????

Best Buy stops selling Anime?

I read something about Best Buy closing down the anime section. But now I can't find the link. Can anybody tell me if it's true?