Tuesday, February 28, 2012

The horror of the never-aired Sailor Moon live-action adaptation for North America

Yes...there really was going to be a live-action adaptation of Sailor Moon. Yes... it was going to be a TV series. Yes...it was tailored to American audiences, or so the people involved thought. Thankfully the project never actually made it to TV, but that doesn't mean we can't look at what might have been.

Get ready to cringe and gasp at this promo for the show before it was killed off. Trust me, it's worse than you can even imagine.

Monday, February 27, 2012

The Question 2/27: What anime did you check out this weekend?

I'm not going to lie...I came very close to watching anime this weekend. Unfortunately, things got very busy for me. We had friend and family obligations, I had work stuff to do, and on top of all that our cat is having some health issues that he can't seem to kick. Constantly worrying about something doesn't put you in the best situation for enjoying your free time...or even allowing for it.

I sure hope you guys had a better and more anime-fueled weekend than I did! Leave us a comment and share what you watched!

Friday, February 24, 2012

Is Bleach's TV run coming to an end?


It looks like a very popular, long-running anime series is going to see an end in the not-too-distant future. According to TV listings for TV Tokyo, Bleach is going to see its final episode air on March 27th. We don't have an official word from the companies involved with producing the show, but it certainly looks like things are coming to an end.

As usual with any big show, some fans are really upset with the news while others are saying the end is long overdue. If you're a longtime fan of the Bleach TV series, I'd love to hear what you have to say. Do you think the show overstayed its welcome or is it leaving us too soon?

Thursday, February 23, 2012

The ever-popular bathroom scenes

Fan-service is a huge part of anime. Even the most tasteful shows will throw in a tiny bit of fan-service here and there. It could be a slight upskirt shot, a belly shirt or a low-cut top. That's when things stay on the simple/cute side of fan-service. Then there's the complete opposite side where things get really steamy.

When it comes down to full-on fan service, I can't think of any other scene that is more prevalent than the bathroom scene. You can bet that at some point in one episode, all the girls will get together and take a bath. It happens in all sorts of series, as it appears this is the go-to place for sneaking in fan-service in a somewhat sensible, if not shameless way.

For example, please check out the scenes from High School of the Dead below. Do yourself a favor and mute the video.



That's a prime example of fan-service and bathroom scenes coming together in a big and not-so-subtle way. What other shows take fan-service to the next level with their bathroom scenes? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Is the U.S. anime industry dying?

A pretty insightful and passionate look at the anime industry in the U.S., and how fans are both helping/hurting the situation.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

How well did The Secret World of Arrietty do in its opening weekend?


The Secret World of Arrietty debuted in the United States this weekend. It's not often that we see a big-name anime film land in theaters around the U.S., so we have to make sure to pay close attention when one does! Just how well did The Secret World of Arrietty do?

Believe it or not, the film managed to pull in $6.4 million. That may seem like a rather low number when compared to other big-name films, but this figure beats out the opening weekend for Ponyo in the U.S. by nearly 3 million. Something about The Secret World of Arrietty must have really clicked with movie-goers in the states!

Let's hope the movie continues to pull in good numbers as we lead into this weekend. Anything to give Disney more confidence in anime would be a great thing for exposure!

Monday, February 20, 2012

The Question 2/20: What anime did you check out this weekend?

Another weekend, another missed chance of viewing anime. I actually did passively see some anime, but it wasn't with the intent of sitting down to view. A couple episodes of High School of the Dead were playing on the TV at a friend's party, and it definitely got a few comments from those that weren't expecting the amount of violence and sex that the show delivers!

Honestly, that's it for me. Didn't get a chance to view any more than that. I want to get out and see The Secret World of Arrietty while in theaters. I think I can pull that off, but I haven't had a chance to see when the best time would be. Hopefully some of you got a chance to check it out!

What anime did you manage to watch over the weekend?

Friday, February 17, 2012

Child psychologist blames anime for suicides

Over the past two weeks in Russia, 6 children have committed suicide. The true motives behind the suicides hasn't been found yet, but child psychologist Olga Makhovskaya has taken it upon herself to give an answer. Out of all things, she blames anime.

"Of course anime by itself cannot be the cause of teenage suicides. But it is a visual art that attracts many teenagers and that intensifies all their feelings. And death, the heroics of death that is typical of the Japanese culture a lot more than other cultures, often serves as a measure of friendship or loyalty. To jump down from a high-rise together holding each other's hand—it is specifically typical of girls' behavior," she added. "Heroic adventures of girls, stories of inseparable friendship between girls—these are all anime stories. It is a whole subculture that despite varying story lines and styles all romanticizes death. And one cannot exclude indirect influence. It also erases borderline between reality and virtual culture. Sometimes virtual culture due to its graphic imagery appears to be brighter and richer than real life."

It's such a delicate topic to discuss. I feel that these events are so fresh that we shouldn't be labeling anything until a thorough investigation takes place. With that said, I cannot believe this psychologist is blaming anime. There's absolutely no connection to anime here. We don't even know if the kids watched anime, or what they watched if they did!

Music, movies, TV shows, video games and now anime. Every generation finds a scapegoat to explain away things they just don't understand. Let's just hope this anime blame is an isolated incident.

Link

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Pokemon Black and White: Anime Season 15 Promo Trailer

15 years of the Pokemon anime and it's still going strong! Check out this minute preview of the upcoming Pokemon anime season!

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Madhouse's Iron Man, X-Men series seeing DVD release

- coming from Marvel and Sony Entertainment
- due out on April 24th
- two-disc sets
- feature all 13 episodes
- DVD sets will be English only
- no mention of Blu-ray
- $14 a piece

Link

Monday, February 13, 2012

The Question 2/13: What anime did you check out this weekend?

I have been in such an anime lull lately. Work has been really stressful, my person life is extra busy and taxes were weighing down hard on me. I'm very thankful to have taxes squared away now, but there's still some business stuff that has to be taken care of.

While that's being worked on, I don't have much free time to do anything. That goes for both playing games and watching anime. I have my titles laid out and ready to watch. I just need to find the time to do so!

Did you manage to check out any anime this weekend? Share the fun times you had with me...if only so I can live vicariously!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Arakawa Under the Bridge x Bridge is now shipping


We are super happy to announce that Arakawa Under the Bridge x Bridge is now shipping to select online retailers across North America!

About Arakawa Under the Bridge x Bridge:
Just when you thought things couldn't get any weirder by the banks of the mighty Arakawa, they go ahead and get weirder by a whole lot. Rec, Nino, and the rest of the riverside residents return, and with the addition of another batch of nutty citizens the insanity gets turned up to eleven...thousand. Now Rec has to deal with a sci-fi loving comic nerd who's convinced he's a captain in the Earth Defense Force, and the less said about the Amazon woman living upstream with her demonic "female" Amazon followers, the better. On top of that, Rec struggles with the pressing issues of romantic expression, media obsession, weight loss, weight gain, beach parties, haunted houses, interplanetary travel, and the ever-present threat of global thermonuclear war!

Monday, February 6, 2012

The Question 2/6: What anime did you check out this weekend?

I am guessing that some of you were spending your weekend enjoying other activities, such as watching the Super Bowl. I don't know why, but a lot of people are surprised to hear that I'm not into sports! I guess a big, bearded guy just screams the sterotype of sports viewer!

The only 'sport' I'm into is WWE, but that's for another blog altogether! While I didn't watch the Super Bowl, I also didn't have time to watch anime. It was a friend's birthday, and we spent much of the weekend celebrating. You have to make sure you make your friends feel loved on their 30th!

While I was working and partying, did you watch any anime? Leave a comment and let us know.

Friday, February 3, 2012

NIS America announces Occult Academy Complete Series Premium Edition


NIS America is excited to announce today that the horror comedy Occult Academy Complete Series Premium Edition will be available in North America this May!

About Occult Academy:

In the year 2012, the world is a wasteland invaded by aliens. Time travelers like Fumiaki Uchida are sent back to the year 1999 in order to destroy the "Nostradamus Key" to prevent the apocalypse. In 1999, Maya Kumashiro, the daughter of the former principal of Waldstein Academy (AKA Occult Academy), returns to the academy to replace her father. Despising her father’s obsession with the occult, Maya is hell-bent on running the school into the ground out of spite. Her plan is interrupted when she meets Fumiaki and learns of the forthcoming destruction of the world. They form a pact to look for the key.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Is Netflix giving anime more recognition in North America?

Anime has had a following in the states for a long time now. Plenty of people know about the world of anime, but even with those fans out there, the result is a rather niche market. Due to budgets and knowledge of anime's existence, it's quite hard for localization houses in the states to bring attention to the masses.

Of course, the digital age has helped to bring in a much easier way to check out anime. Getting anime on demand or digitally through a computer/tablet puts an entire world of anime at your fingertips. While that's been a great thing for anime recognition, it still doesn't put anime right infront of those that don't know of it.

That's where Netflix comes in. While some may scoff at the anime that Netflix offers, there's no denying that it does supply quite a sizable library. The real big deal here is how it puts that anime content infront of eyes that would normally never see a single thing about anime.

If you're scrolling through the categories of movies and TV shows on Netflix, you will definitely come across the anime category. People unaware of anime may scroll past that category a hundred times over without notice, but that one day something could catch their eye. That's all it takes is once glance to get someone interested.

Just how big is Netflix's impact on spreading the word on anime? Is this a quiet revolution that we haven't been paying enough attention to? While anime fans continue to enjoy content, are new fans being made daily? Is this a rise in anime fan population that we aren't properly addressing?

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

North American anime release schedule

Wondering what's going to see release in the next few months here in North America? Check out a handy release date guide below!


Check out the rundown for subsequent months here