What It's Like to Be In The Anime Business...

Ever wonder what a day in the life of an Anime retailer is like?

Well, sometimes things go really smooth.

And sometimes, things seem more like this:



HEH.

Medicom Evangelion Unit 01 Meter Tall Figure - Now In Stock!

If you are crazy for really expensive but super cool Anime items, we have managed to lay our hands on several of the Evangelion Movie 1.01: You Are Not Alone EVA Unit 01 1/80 Scale Vinyl Statue from Medicom.

This 1+ Meter Tall Eva Unit 01 statue comes in packaging the size of a small refrigerator, and is of very high quality. Once our shipment of these cleared customs and got loaded on the truck carrier to come to us, they were so big they could only fit 4 on each pallet!

They are now in our warehouse and ready to ship to you.

An Italian fan has one and posted lots of great pictures of the figure on his blog here.

And don't worry, if you guys don't buy them all I'm going to unpack a couple and put them in our lobby! :-)

Lots more new figures in stock this week here.

Media Blasters June 2010 Releases - Now Available for Pre-Order!

Media Blasters has sent out their June 2010 release schedule, and while it had a lot of titles coming out in their live action lines, there were only two releases in the Anime category:

Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit Premium Collection DVD Boxed Set
Samurai Deeper Kyo Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Lite Box) + XL T-Shirt

Since the Moribito boxed set is now officially on the schedule, we've put all the older singles and double packs on closeout. Get em while they last!

Funimation May Make Vampire Bund Available on DVD Unedited

In a follow up to my previous post regarding Funimation editing Dance in the Vampire Bund, Jackie Smith told ANN today that:

"based on the episodes we've seen," Funimation expects to be able to release the unedited version on DVD and Blu-ray, but Funimation has not yet seen the unaired episodes and will reserve final judgement until after it has considered those episodes. Explaining that Funimation has paid close attention to consumer feedback, Smith said that the company decided to take a closer look at the edited scenes and determined that the edited scenes, so far, will be acceptable for a DVD release in their unedited format.

Funi's official updated statement:

In the days since we announced the acquisition of the anime "Dance in the Vampire Bund," we have been following the varied responses from within the anime community to our decision to edit specific scenes from its streaming and later home entertainment release.

First, out of concern for our distribution partners and advertisers, we will continue to make minor edits to the episodes which are available via free streaming and television broadcast due to the readily accessible nature of these platforms. We will be careful to keep such edits to a minimum.

However, FUNimation is — as always — committed to bringing the best anime content to the United States in its unedited form on home video. Therefore, we are evaluating the release of the series in unedited and uncensored form for home video. Since only 7 episodes have broadcast in Japan, final determination must be reserved until all episodes can be reviewed to ensure compliance with current U.S. law.

We would like to thank everyone in the anime community for the feedback provided to us on this matter — your opinions count.

So they will continue to make minor edits in the episodes they are making available online (wise), but will release it later on DVD uncut if at all possible.

This does point out a weakness with trying to drop online streaming Anime releases into a 'paid for by advertising' model, which is really just the same model that applied to US TV broadcasts but in a different venue. When Anime is made available to the public for free and paid for by advertisements, the type and scope of the content will be dictated by the advertising partners that support the broadcasts or streams. With a home video release, it's the purchasers (you and me) who have more say in what is considered 'acceptable' content. Not to mention that your viewing is not interrupted by any stupid advertisements for car insurance, cel phone carriers, or other things you are not interested in. I've always been dubious of that whole model.

For a home video release of Vampire Bund, I had pointed to the current catalog of 'H' titles published by other Anime companies that we carry (and thus some of the 'lolicon-ish' content there of), and made the argument that whatever 'lolicon' concerns Funimation might have with Vampire Bund, I really don't think the material is troublesome for an uncut home video release as long as it's rated appropriately - i.e. for adults only. In fact, I felt a 17+ rating was appropriate for the title unedited and said we would be perfectly comfortable displaying an unedited version in our regular Anime catalog (as opposed to the adult section) with a 17+ age rating and perhaps a warning note about 'mature themes'.

Good news indeed. :-)

More Price Reductions from Funimation!

Funimation reduced the MSRP today on three Anime DVD's boxed sets:

Blade of the Phantom Master DVD - $19.98 to 9.98 MSRP
Murder Princess DVD Collection Boxed Set - $29.98 to $19.98 MSRP
Strain: Strategic Armored Infantry DVD Boxed Set - $49.98 to $29.98 MSRP

We've reduced our regular low price accordingly for each item. The sets are all in stock and shipping at the new price as of today!

Media Blasters DVD Delays and Schedule Changes

Media Blasters sent over a pretty big list of schedule changes yesterday, about a page and a half's worth. Sorry I didn't post on it yesterday, but it was a lot to go through. Dates have been changes for their releases across all four of their labels (Anime Works, Kitty, Tokyo Shock, and Exploitation Digital), however, these are the delays that effected us directly:

Otogi Zoshi DVD Collection of Ages Complete DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-26) - Mar 30 to Apr 20
Gao-Gai-Gar Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set #2 (Eps #26-49) (Lite Box) - Mar 9 to Apr 27
Tekkaman Blade Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-49) - Apr 6 to May 4
Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-Chan DVD (Special Edition) - Apr 20 to May 18 (now Dubbed)
Queen's Blade: Wandering Warrior, Vol #1, A Single Step DVD (Eps #1-4) - Mar 30 to May 18 (Ouch!)
Queen's Blade: Wandering Warrior, Vol #2, The Beaten Path DVD (Eps #5-8) - May 25 to TBA
Kanokon: The Girl Who Cried Wolf, Vol #1, Sexy Like a Fox DVD - Apr 27 to May 25
Ikki Tousen Dragon Destiny, Vol #3, Sousou's Ambition (Eps #9-12) - Apr 20 to Jun 29 (Double Ouch!)
Ikki Tousen Dragon Destiny Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-12) - May 25 to TBA
Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei , Vol #1 DVD (Eps #1-6) - May 25 to TBA

And one release was actually advanced a bit on the schedule:

Rurouni Kenshin TV Series Complete 3 Season Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-95) - May 25 to Apr 27

Of note is that in exchange for the delay, the special edition release of Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-Chan will now get a dub, which is very cool. Also, a few titles like Queens Blade vol #2, the Dragon Destiny boxed set, and Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei are now showing TBA - this does not mean that they have been canceled, only that they got pushed right out of the current scheduling window and the new dates will be forthcoming (probably late summer / early fall).

While we do not have them available for pre-order currently (but will be carrying them all), several Kitty titles were also rescheduled and I thought I might as well list them here too:

Wordsworth Outer Story DVD (Adult) - Feb 16 to Apr 13
World of Wordsworth Collection (Adult) - Feb 16 to Apr 13
Inma Seiden DVD (Adult) - Feb 16 to Jun 1
Learning the Hard Way DVD (Adult) - Apr 20 to TBA
Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Overfiend (Re-Release) (Adult) - May 18 to TBA
Fleshdance DVD (Adult) - Mar 23 to TBA
Oh my Sex Goddess (Adult) - Mar 30 to TBA

Also, the dates for the Manga publications Drawn to Him TP (Yaoi), Fujoshi Rumi 4 TP, Because of Love (Yaoi), and Wintertime Love (Yaoi) have also been put on TBA status. The Gay's Anatomy TP (Yaoi) has been bumped from Apr 28 to May 26.

A final word. These changes come on the heals of Media Blasters announcement that they have had to lay off 13 people (about 25% of their total staff). Lots of people are emailing in wondering if they should be worried about buying any MB title that is not yet completely released? The answer is no. I work with the folks at Media Blasters everyday, and just want to assure everyone that (this time) these changes and layoffs are not indicative of Media Blasters being in poor health as a company. Quite the contrary, they are still shipping us product right on time and keeping good inventories of their back catalog, and I have seen no evidence what so ever that they are in any sort financial distress. In fact, I would gauge MB as one of the stronger US Anime studios. The problem is that the economy, regardless of what the pundits are telling us, still sucks. Period. So everyone is having to make 'adjustments' in their businesses to accommodate the current environment, and for every US Anime company like Media Blasters who's adjustments get publicized, there are plenty of others going on that you haven't heard about. John Sirabella runs a good ship and there is no need to worry about MB's future at this point. As long as you guys keep buying their stuff, they will be around to deliver lots of Anime titles that the other studios won't publish.

No Newsletter Last Week

Sorry folks, there was no regular Friday e-newsletter for March 5th. Jamie and I were out of town for several days and due to the circumstances of the trip (family funeral for Jamie's cousin) I just didn't have time to put it together.

The e-newsletter will resume at the regular time this coming Friday - same Bat time, same Bat station. :-)

If you are not currently subscribed to my 'almost' weekly free e-newsletter, then you should be asking yourself why? :-) In addition to the beautiful Anime and cosplay girls, there is actually some real news in there as well the occasional 'newsletter only' store coupon or sale! Have you been missing all this? You can sign up right here.

Funimation to Edit Dance in the Vampire Bund

Funi announced on Friday that they will be slightly editing both the streaming and home video releases of Dance in the Vampire Bund due to some "controversial elements which, when taken out of context, could be objectionable to some audiences". Here's the entire statement:

FUNimation Entertainment is known for releasing the titles we license in their original, uncut form, as their creators intended. However, after viewing the unedited as well as the Japanese broadcast edit of the series Dance in the Vampire Bund, we have determined the series contains controversial elements which, when taken out of context, could be objectionable to some audiences.

With this in mind and with approval of the licensor, we will edit select scenes from the series in streaming and home entertainment release. These are scenes which are inappropriate for U.S. viewing and are not essential to the storyline.

Dance in the Vampire Bund is a complex and dark drama cited by press and fans as one of the best anime series out of Japan this season. Its strong story is what brought the series to our attention and why we are bringing it to the U.S.

Now, anyone who has seen it knows what we're talking about here (i.e lots of half-naked Lolicon Vampires), though the question that begs an answer is why Funi decided to edit Vampire Bund, but will still be releasing Strike Witches uncut? Granted, Strike Witches is a 'pantsu' fetish show, and Vampire Bund is all 'lolicon', but from the point of view of an outsider I don't think there is much in Vampire Bund that could be taken 'out of context' that Strike Witches is not also guilty of. Perhaps we are finally seeing some indirect fallout from the Handley case, which is still fresh in everyone's mind (especially those of us in the industry), and the producers at Funi want to play it safe for now. I know that a lot of you are going to complain (I'm not happy about it either), but given the current environment Funi really probably has to do this, and frankly should have probably edited Strike Witches too as I wrote last year (not that I want them to, I'm just being pragmatic). For the past couple of years the industry in Japan, for better or worse, has pretty much kept itself afloat by making more and more lolicon and hard fetish type Anime series, and as those shows finally start to filter their way over here the studios will have to tread carefully in order to ensure the material doesn't get anyone sued (or worse yet, indicted). Don't forget, other countries (like Canada) have actually proposed or passed laws calling out 'lolicon' themes specifically as child pornography, and Canada in particular falls within the boundary of Funi's R1 license and release target.

There is a VERY LONG discussion thread regarding this over here at ANN.

Funimation Picks Up Two New Licenses!

FUNimation has picked up the rights to two anime series from Media Factory: Baka to Test to Shokanju (Baka and Test Summon the Beasts), and Dance in the Vampire Bund.

These are series currently being released in Japan, and Funi will be streaming these episodes each week (subtitled only) shortly after each one is released in Japan, and it will be several months before these titles are available on DVD or BD in English.

Baka and Test Summon the Beasts (Baka to Test to Shōkanjū)
Advanced placement into a school of higher grade proof-reading is determined by the results of the Promotion Test strictly for class type. Ranging from A class with the best facilities anyone can offer all the way down to F Class which is composed of low dining tables, rotten tatami mats and other worn out facilities. Students can change classes by competing using the Examination Summons Battle system or ESB. Students summon characters with their equivalent test mark scores and use them to compete with other classes.

Dance in the Vampire Bund
Mina Tepes, the Princess of the ancient covenant & ruler of all vampires, wants her race to stop hiding from the humans. Using her vast wealth, she has paid off Japan's entire national debt &, by doing so, gained the right to create an own district off Japan's coast that is to become the future heaven to vampires worldwide. But when she finally attempts to make public the existence of vampires to the world some politicians, terrorists & rival factions are plotting to assassinate Mina before she has a chance to get Japan's & International recognition for the Vampire Bund. Now she must rely on her strengh, cruelty and those closest to her, while trying to make a normal life.

Upcoming BD's From Funimation

Following up on my article 'Where are all the BD Releases', Funimation does have plans for a quite a few BD's coming up this year that are not yet on the 'official' schedule (which is what we post pre-order's from and only covers releases scheduled over the next 90 days or so).

Funi's recent pack-in marketing material (the little books they put in with their DVD's) list series like Guyver, RIN Daughters of Mnemosyne , Black Cat, and Desert Punk that will be coming on BD early this summer. Other titles (including some new releases) like Afro Samurai (Murder Sessions), Black Blood Brothers, Casshern Sins , Eden of The East, Full Metal Panic and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood are also planned for BD release later this year. And from what I'm hearing, there will be lots more.

Hopefully some of the other studios will jump on this bandwagon soon as well.

I'd also like to dispel this stuff going around about 'all' of Funi's BD's being upscaled. That is completely untrue. The deal is that Funi has only upscaled in the absence of original HD source material. Their BD's will be produced from original High Def source material as long as it's available, just like the recent Eva 1.11 BD - which looks incredible by the way. Unfortunately there is a large amount of Anime in everyone's back catalog that was not produced in HD, and those releases will either have to be upscaled or not released at all on BD, and given the choice I'll take an upscale over 'not at all'. I think their upscales, for what they are, look pretty darned good. :-)

Section 23 May 2010 Releases - Now Available for Pre-Order!

Section 23 has sent out their May 2010 release schedule and we've got it posted to the site! Here's what's coming:

Appleseed the Movie DVD (BLURAY)
Eyeshield 21 Collection #1 DVD Boxed Set(Eps #1-13)
Hell Girl Two Mirrors (Season 2) Collection #1 (Eps #1-13)
Samurai Harem Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set(Eps #1-12)
You're Under Arrest Full Throttle Collection#2 (Eps #13-24)

Samurai Harem

His Skill with a Sword is Magnificent but… His SOCIAL Skills Still Need a LOT of Work! After many long years perfecting the art of fighting, 17 year old Yoichi Karasuma is sent down from the remote mountains where he has been raised thinking that he’s going to study some new martial arts techniques… but what he’s really going to learn about are some slightly more practical things, like electrical appliances, modern clothing and, most especially, how NOT to make girls to want to kill you! Unfortunately, that last lesson is one Yoichi may not survive, as his new Dojo is infested with the infernal creatures in the form of the Ikaruga sisters, and they don’t really seem to understand how “proper” girls are “supposed” to behave! Will Yoichi’s bushido blade be struck down by the fearsome charms of Ibuki, Ayame, Chihaya and Kagome? Or will the equally lethal girls from the rival Tsubame school be his undoing?

Eyeshield 21

Welcome To The Gridiron Of The Damned! Huge hulking bodies throw themselves at each other, while a tiny lithe body runs between them for the goal! No, it’s not a game of Football, it’s Sena Kobayakawa trying to evade the monstrous Ha-Ha brothers down the halls of Deimon High School! But wait! Sena’s incredible skills at not getting caught have been spotted by the devilish (possibly actually demonic) captain of the school’s embryonic American style football team, and when Sena asks to be the teams manager, he gets thrust onto the field as a running back instead! But there are two BIG catches – first, to keep the identity of their new “star” player an absolute secret, Yoichi makes Sena wear an opaque visor on his helmet and gives him the alias of “Eyeshield 21.” And the second catch? Well, in order to hit his fastest “speed of light” running mode, Sena usually has to be absolutely terrified... not that THAT will be a problem with the monstrous players that he’ll soon find himself running from! The insanity hits the streets when the feet meet the cleats in EYESHIELD 21 – Collection 1!!

Hell Girl Two Mirrors

They call her Jigoku Tsushin - the Hell Girl. For endless years Ai Enma has served as the embodiment of revenge itself. If you desire to send another’s soul to eternal torment, contact her via the internet and she’ll come from her land of endless sunset to deliver your revenge… at the cost of sending your own soul, of course, but it’s a price a surprising number of people are willing to pay. But things are changing with the Hell Girl. Once seemingly implacable and pitiless, glints of emotion now show through the cracks forming in her emotionless façade. And now there is a new girl with infernal connections who seems to be turning up with alarming regularity. Things are about to heat up in the damnation game in the first brimstone-blazing collection of HELL GIRL – TWO MIRRORS!

Upcoming Figure Update - More Figures Now Available for Pre-Order!

We've posted 12 more upcoming figures today! Here's what we've got for you:

Creator's Labo #023: Blassreiter Amanda Werner Non Scale PVC Figure
Demon Bane: Al Azif Takuya Inoue 'Adult' 1/7 Scale PVC Figure
Evangelion 2.0: Makinami Mari Illustrious 1/6 Scale PVC Figure
Hyakka Ryouran: Senhime 1/8 Scale PVC Figure
Ikki Tousen: Great Guardian Kanu Tiger Stripe Bikini 1/8 Scale PVC Figure
Ikki Tousen: Great Guardian Ryomo Shimei Tiger Stripe Bikini 1/8 Scale PVC Figure
King of Fighters: Vanessa 1/6 Scale PVC Figure
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Teana Lanster actsta Non Scale Action Figure
Queen's Blade: Tomoe Warrior Shrine Maiden Non Scale PVC Figure
Tayutama Kiss my Deity: Ameri Kawai 1/8 Scale PVC Figure
To Heart 2: Tamaki Kosaka 1/6 Scale PVC Figure
To Heart 2: Ilfa 1/8 Scale PVC Figure

Upcoming Figure Update - New Figures Now Available for Pre-Order!

The paperwork stack is getting too deep, so we're going to be spending some time over the next couple of weeks getting all these 3rd and 4th quarter Anime figures we've got on order posted for pre-order. We've got at least 65 or 70 to get up on the site, so we started tonight with these 15 in no particular order:

Creator's Collection: Girl S (Strawberry) 1/7 Scale PVC Figure
Fate/Stay Night: Saber ~Triumphant Excalibur~ 1/7 Scale PVC Figure
Kanokon: Chizuru Minamoto 1/4 Scale PVC Figure
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Subaru Nakajima Barrier Jacket Figma Action Figure
Please Teacher: Mizuho Kazami 1/4 Scale PVC Figure
Queen's Blade: Menas 'Zero Version' 1/7 Scale PVC Figure
Queen's Blade: Claudette Lord of Thundercloud 1/8 Scale PVC Figure
Saki: Yuki Kataoka 1/8 Scale PVC Figure
Sengoku Rance: Senhime 1/5 Scale PVC Figure
Shin Koihime Musou: Sousou (Karin) 1/8 Scale PVC Figure
Strike Witches: Sanya V. Litvyak 1/8 Scale PVC Figure [Alter]
Strike Witches: Miyafuji Yoshika Mobip Action Figure
Sumaga Oki: Kiki Demonized SIF Ex PVC Figure
To Heart 2 Kusugawa Sasara Sukumizu Maid Action Figure (Figutto)
Vocaloid: Rin Kagamine ~Nuclear Fusion~ 1/8 Scale PVC Figure

Lots more to come, so stay tuned!

Aria The Origination (Season 3) + Arietta OVA Bumped Back Two Weeks

Nozomi (you know, brand X... ) just sent us over a notice letting us know that they have had to push the release date of the Aria The Origination (Season 3) + Arietta OVA DVD Collection back two weeks to March 16th. It was originally scheduled to ship March 2nd, but Shawne cited manufacturing delays:

"We know ARIA fans have been waiting patiently for the series’ concluding OVA and third season, and we look forward to bringing it to you, albeit slightly later than we originally intended."

He's getting good at schmoozing in his old age. -_^

We've updated the release date on the store site. If anyone has an order in that is holding for Aria Season 3 and wants to change that order, just drop us an e-mail.

Bandai May 2010 Releases - Now Available for Pre-Order!

Bandai has sent out their May 2010 release schedule and we've got it posted to the site! Here's what's coming:

Gundam 0079 Movie DVD Boxed Set (All 3 Movies!)
Hayate the Combat Butler DVD Bundle #5 (2 Disks) (Eps #27-32)
Kurokami The Animation Part #2 DVD (Eps #7-12)
Kurokami The Animation Part #2 DVD (BLURAY) (Eps #5-8)