Recently in anime news Category

Got this in the mail from VIZ Media. It's their latest DVD releases. Oh my poor wallet...

"The releases include DVD box sets and special editions containing limited edition collectible figurines.

DEATH NOTE Volume 6. Four episodes· Available August 26
The Yotsuba Group enlists an investigator to uncover L's identity, while Misa, who's been hired as their spokesperson, does some investigating of her own. When she discovers the identity of the owner of the Death Note, it's a race between the killer and the task force -- who will catch up to the other first? Time is of the essence, especially when the new Kira makes the trade for the Shinigami Eyes!

BLEACH Volume 11: THE RESCUE Four episodes. Available now
While trying to evade the pursuing Soul Reapers and rescue Rukia, Orihime and Uryu are confronted by the captain of Squad 12, the despicable Mayuri Kurotsuchi, who plans on using them as guinea pigs for his experiments! Meanwhile, Yoruichi has revealed her true form to the astonishment of Ichigo and the others, and must use all her tricks and skills to keep her fellow intruders from losing everything for which they've fought so hard.

BLEACH Volume 12: THE RESCUE · Four episodes. Available Sept. 23
Lieutenant Momo Hinamori recalls her days in training at the Soul Reaper Academy, where she first met Captain Sosuke Aizen. In the present, the letter Aizen left for her at his death scene leads Momo to believe she has identified his killer... While Ichigo and Renji train with Yoruichi to achieve bankai, Rukia recalls a bit of her own past in a dream that she believes will prepare her to face her execution--which has been moved up to the next day!

NARUTO UNCUT, Vol. 9 special edition box set. three DVDs. Available now
Naruto returns to the Hidden Leaf Village to find Sasuke, frustrated with Naruto's sudden growth, thirsting to fight to decide who the better ninja is once and for all. Kakashi stops the fight before the worst can happen, but soon Orochimaru's henchmen arrive in the village to lure Sasuke to Orochimaru with the promise of greater power, a promise Sasuke can't refuse. In order to retrieve Sasuke, newly appointed chunin Shikamaru forms a squad of genin, including Naruto, to pursue the terrifying Sound Ninja Four. Will they catch up before Orochimaru gets his hands on Sasuke? Let the chase begin. Special Edition Box Set comes with a Limited Edition Collectible: Summoning Creature - Manda.

NARUTO Volume 25: THE BOND OF SHINOBI. Four episodes. Available now
Naruto and Jiraiya head home with Tsunade and Shizune in tow, and the four stop at a hot spring resort for a little relaxation and an unexpected adventure. But at home again in Hidden Leaf Village, it's back to business. Tsunade's first task: heal the injured ninja. The others are successfully revived, but Tsunade has bad news for Rock Lee. While the village cheerfully prepares for Tsunade's inauguration as Fifth Hokage, Rock Lee must ponder the possibility that he will never fulfill his ninja dreams.

NARUTO Volume 26: THE RACE IS ON! Four episodes. Available now.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura are on the ultimate mission: discover what Kakashi looks like behind his mask! Then, Tsunade sends Squad Seven to the Land of Tea and the village of Degarashi, where every four years two rival families hold a race to decide who will rule the village for the next four years. Jirocho, who represents the Wasabi family, asks the teammates to protect their runner, Idate. But the task proves difficult when Idate, who has nothing but contempt for ninja, takes off running the wrong way!

NARUTO Volume 27: THE BATTLE BEGINS. Four episodes. Available Sept. 2.
Naruto has always thought of Sasuke as a friend, but when Sasuke awakens in the hospital to discover that Naruto has grown stronger, Naruto finds himself on the receiving end of Sasuke's fury. It's Chidori vs. Rasengan! Kakashi steps in to stop the battle, while in the shadows Orochimaru's Sound Ninja Four steal their way into the village with an offer for Sasuke he may not be able to refuse! Will the promise of greater power lure Sasuke away from everything he's known and everyone who cares about him - forever?!

NARUTO Volume 28: SOUND vs. LEAF. Four episodes. Available Sept. 30.
News of Sasuke's departure reaches the Fifth Hokage, who immediately gives new chunin Shikamaru his first mission as leader--bring back Sasuke! Shikamaru recruits some of his best friends for the job: Naruto, Choji, Neji and Kiba. With a chunin and four top genin on their heels, the sound Ninja Four race to get Sasuke over the border and into Orochimaru's hands. The Leaf ninja use all their wiles to ambush the Four, but find themselves trapped in a giant dome of earth that's sucking up every last drop of their chakra!.

INUYASHA SEASON 5. Deluxe Box Set. Five DVDs. Available Now.
Half-demon Inuyasha, modern-day schoolgirl Kagome and their companions face their deepest fears and worst nightmares as their quest to find the Sacred Jewel shards continues in this exciting fifth season box set. The deadly Band of Seven, a group of mercenaries executed for their crimes, have returned from the dead to wreak havoc, and Inuyasha is determined to stop them. But the battle leads them all to the sacred and mysterious Mount Hakurei, where a barrier not only renders demons, including Inuyasha, powerless, but also hides a terrible secret about their worst enemy--Naraku! The Deluxe Box Set includes 5 DVDs and also features a special "Sesshomaru Wall Scroll" and bonus Inuyasha footage.

RANMA SEASON 7: RANMA FOREVER. Five DVDs. Available now.
It's not easy being teenage martial artist Ranma Saotome, but it's even worse when your martial-artist father Genma takes you from home at an early age to go on a decade-long training mission. He doesn't speak a word of Chinese, and yet he insists upon bringing you to the cursed training ground known as Jusenkyo, where falling into one of the many springs there instantly turns you into whoever - or whatever - drowned there last. And then, the two of you have this little accident...

From now on, a splash of cold water will turn your father into a giant panda, while you... well, you turn into a red-haired (and problematically well-built) female version of yourself. Hot water will reverse the effect, but only until the next time. What's a half-guy, half-girl to do?"

Here's another excuse for the anime-obsessed to spend oodles of cash. Rent? What's that?

VIZ Media announced episodes of "Naruto" uncut, "Bleach" and "Death Note" are now available from the iTunes Store (www.iTunes.com) This translates to Season I of "Naruto", two story arcs of "Bleach" and all 37 episodes of "Death Note."

A swarm of anime and manga fans are expected to show up this week at the Los Angeles Convention Center which is the site of Anime Expo 2008.

The expo runs from July 3 to 6. It's the annual event where geeks like myself can indulge their hankering for anything anime-related. And yes, I have left with a lighter wallet the past two years I've attended.

Cosplayers or the fans who like to dress up as a character from a show, manga and even a video game are a common sight in the convention. But if you're going to take pictures of them, it's only polite to ask first. Most are willing to pose for a shot so it's usually no big deal.

If you really, really want a bumper sticker that proclaims your undying love to "Sailor Moon" or have always dreamed of looking like a shinigami from "Bleach", chances are you will find said items at this event. Just don't go into a buying frenzy.

I'm taking a pass this year since I'm saving money for an overseas trip. Yeah, I know. It wasn't an easy decision to make.

Here are some shots from last year's convention. These are folks channeling the "D. Gray-man" cast and a teen dressed like some Goth Lolita. I don't know which character she's supposed to be though.

For more information on the event, go to www.anime-expo.org.

Saturday night found me at the local moviehouse scarfing down popcorn and preparing to watch "Kung Fu Panda" when a promo for the June 11 and 12 showing of the "Bleach" movie flashed on the screen. I wanted to cheer but no one else seemed to recognize Ichigo and the gang. Too bad.

"Memories of Nobody" will be shown in 300 movie theatres on only those two dates which fall mid-week by the way. I'm proud to be an anime geek but I still have to collect a paycheck to pay for my anime and manga addictions. Unfortunately, I don't have any rich relatives who lovingly fund my hobbies. Sigh and double sigh.

I doubt if I can make it to the showings. Work ya know. I just might have to wait for the DVD to come out.

On a side note, I really liked "Kung Fu Panda." It's funny, there's a decent plot, the animals all look furry and cute and Jack Black is good as Po the Panda. I can't believe I just said that since I'm not a fan of the guy. But give credit where credit is due as my old man often says.

Yeah I'm not just an anime junkie. I'm into all types of animation. I've been a cartoon fan since I was a little brat and even dreamed of a career in animation once. But I digress...

So VIZ Media announced the new Pokemon movie is out on DVD today. Never been a fan of Ash and the gang although I do find Pikachu very cute and own a giant version of the yellow furball. It's a denizen of my room along with a stuffed version of Kon from "Bleach."

But I digress.

"PokÈmon: The Rise of Darkrai" will hit store shelves today. Price is $19.98.

The PokÈmon television series airs seven days a week on Cartoon Network and episodes can be viewed online on Toonami JetstreamT.

Here's a synopsis of the movie from the VIZ release: "While touring Alamos Town - home of the Space-Time Tower - with the beautiful Alice, Ash and his friends discover that the town's special garden has been decimated. Baron Alberto, a dashing but arrogant fellow, immediately blames the destruction on Darkrai.

As if it just overheard the accusation, Darkrai appears and confronts our heroes! Who is Darkrai? Is it a friend... or an enemy in disguise? And as a battle between Legendary PokÈmon Dialga and Palkia rages directly above Alamos Town, and threatens to tear a hole in the space-time continuum, will Ash and his friends survive this showdown and learn Darkrai's true nature?"

VIZ Media has partnered with Hot Topic Inc. to promote the release of the live-action movie version of "Death Note." Folks who buy the "Death Note" T-shirt or DVD in select Hot Topic stores will get a free ticket to the movie.

The movie will be shown in 300 cities at 7:30 p.m., May 20 and 21. The film based on the manga was released in Japan in 2006 and follows the manga's story line closely, as far I know.

Ya want info on the event, head on down to deathnotefilms.com. If you're curious about the manga itself, go to www.shonenjump.com.

Attention "Bleach" fans. (I'm referring to the anime show and manga not the liquid bleach here folks.)

Ahem. Back to the news.

The Bleach movie called "Memories of Nobody" will be shown in 300 movie theaters on June 11 and 12. You can start buying tickets May 9 from the theaters or at www.FathomEvents.com But subscribers to SHONEN JUMP e-mail newsletter can buy advance tickets from May 2 to 8, according to the folks at VIZ Media.

Here's a synopsis of the movie from the VIZ Media press release: "Unidentified beings known
as “Blanks” start popping up. They are soon followed by a Soul Reaper named Senna who makes them disappear. Puzzled by these unknown beings and the even more mysterious girl, Ichigo and Rukia set out to learn more, but uncover an evil plot when a menacing clan tries to kidnap Senna.

Banished from Soul Society long ago, the clan’s leader has sent the World of the Living and Soul Society on a collision course, and Senna seems to be the key to his diabolical plot for
revenge."

Cue suspense music.