Updates - November 16th, 2008

Schedule Updates, Delays & Cancelations

Even though the holiday season lock-in period is pretty much past, I still have a couple of schedule updates to report. First, Nozomi has bumped up the Maria Watches Over Us, Season 2 Box by two weeks to Dec 9th. It's very tough on them considering they publish something like 3-4 new items a year, so it's understandable when they get a little behind... -_^ Our contacts at Media Blasters verified this week that the MIA Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit Art Box is still running behind schedule but they should finally be shipping it to retailers today or Monday at the latest. Hopefully that will put it in our warehouse around the middle of next week.

Finally, the Lucky Star, Vol #4 DVD Limited Edition arrived this week from Bandai, and thankfully before the official street date this time, but there is still a caveat in that due to a replicator error (or some bone head at Bandai mis-ordering) the first production run of these was only 50% of what it was supposed to be, so Bandai has only sent retailers half of their order for it so far. Fortunately we ordered a lot and had plenty to fill pre-orders yesterday with some left over, but because supplies will be tight I expect our remaining stock to run out quickly. Bandai should be letting us know when we can expect the rest in, but I doubt it will be before the first or second week of December. This time of year they like to keep us on our toes... :-)

2008 Holiday Delivery Schedule Posted

As we do every year, our famous holiday delivery schedule has now been updated for the 2008 holiday shopping season. Be sure to check it out because it lays out the real deal for shipping date cut-offs that you'll need to know when doing your Holiday Anime gift shopping here at the Anime Corner Store. :-)

Just for Fun - Better Get Your Hello Kitty Assault Rifle Now!

Gun Otaku can be just as, um, 'involved' in their hobby as Anime fans, but when you put the two together all sorts of wacky things start to emerge. Now that the election is over, and gun sales here in the United States are going through the roof, the time is growing short to put together your new California legal Hello Kitty assault weapon:

Notice the California legal pistol grip, a relic in CA left over from the Clinton 'assault weapon' ban. Of course, a semi auto is not really an 'assault weapon' per say, but we won't argue semantics here. The bottom line is that when you take the 'evil black gun' look and change it to this, you have a weapon so cute an cuddly even Nancy Pelosi couldn't resist! You can find out more about it over at Rifle Gear.

Industry Consolidation Continues - Even in Japan

There are two headline stories this week that continue to follow the ebb and flow of the Anime Industry in a slowing world economy.

First, studio Gonzo (Japan) has announced that they will be combining their existing four production divisions into one and cutting 2009 production by 50% from 8 shows down to 4. No specific cuts were mentioned, but Gonzo has a number of anime series currently in production (or planned) including Linebarrels of Iron and Rosario & Vampire Capu2, The Tower of Druaga, Slap Up Party, Shangri-La, and Alive. My opinion is that this move should allow Gonzo to better focus their creative talent and (hopefully) produce better shows, and honestly having the Japanese studios move back to a 'quality over quantity' business model will be a good thing for all of us long term.

Second, it was revealed this week that Geneon is getting passed around again, as no one seems to be able to figure how to make money with it. Dentsu (who needed to raise cash anyway) has sold 80% of Geneon to Universal Pictures International, which will be merging it with their Universal Pictures Japan division. The deal is done, but the actual transfer won't occur until February. I have seen this before when 'non Anime' companies end up owning part or all of an Anime division, and the company ends up getting passed around like a hot potato until it finds someone who knows what to do with it. Manga Video in the US has that history, being sold or transferred a total of 5 times in the past 7 or 8 years. UPIE has not made it's plans for Geneon public (except that the 'Geneon' brand name will be going away), and while their UPJ division focuses mainly on Japanese releases, it's difficult to say how this will effect the future of Geneon licenses here in the US. After a much welcome and successful run of Geneon re-releases recently by Funimation, we have all been hoping that they would go back to the trough for another round next year. Now that they have a new company to deal with, that scenario is less certain and we'll just have to wait (as always) to see what happens.

Our Condolences

Emru Townsend, who was a top contributor to Protoculture Addicts magazine, passed away in Montreal on Tuesday night after a short bought with leukemia. Townsend's other writing credits included PC World, Animation World, and Sci-Fi Entertainment. He was also the founder and editor of the online animation magazine Frames Per Second. After being diagnosed, Emru blogged about his experience living with cancer on HealEmru.com. We have always supported PA magazine, and it has always been one of my favorite Anime and Manga reads primarily because of the solid and unbiased contributions of writers such as Emru. Our condolences go out to his family and friends. He will be sorely missed.

More 2009 DVD Release Schedules Have Been Posted

Quite a few studio updates coming our way this week, and we've added all of the following items to the store for pre-order. Check it out:

Bandai Entertainment Jan 2009:

Ghost in the Shell 2 Innocence DVD (Bilingual Version)
Ghost in the Shell 2 Innocence DVD Limited Steel Case Edition (Bilingual Version)
Ghost in the Shell 2 Innocence DVD (BLURAY) (Bilingual Version)
Gundam SEED Destiny TV Movie #4 DVD
Gundam Seed Destiny DVD Collection #1 Boxed Set (Anime Legends)
Gurren Lagann, Part #2 DVD Bundle (Eps #10-18) (Bilingual Version)
Gurren Lagann, Part #2 DVD Bundle w/ Limited Art Box (Eps #10-18) (Bilingual Version)
Lucky Star, Vol #5 DVD
Lucky Star, Vol #5 DVD Limited Edition

ADV Films Jan 2009:

Eden's Bowy Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Re-Issue)
Kiba Season 1 DVD Collection Boxed Set (Eps #1-26)
Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Re-Issue)
Mahoromatic: Automatic Maiden Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Economy Box)
Martian Successor Nadesico the Prince of Darkness Movie DVD
Megaman DVD Collection Boxed Set #1
Megazone 23 DVD Complete Collection (Re-Issue)
Panyo Panyo Di Gi Charat Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set
Saint Seiya (Knights of the Zodiac) Complete Collection DVD Box Set #1 (Eps #1-30)
Tsukihime Lunar Legend, Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Economy Box)
Wedding Peach Season 2 DVD Complete Collection (Eps #28-54) (Brick Pack)

Media Blasters Feb 2009:

Doujin Work , Vol #1, Pencil & Paper DVD + Manga Vol #1
Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit DVD #3
Nighthead Genesis , Vol #3 DVD

Nozomi Feb 2009:

Maria Watches Over Us OVA Collection DVD Boxed Set

Bandai had originally wanted to get the GiTs Innocence re-release out before the holidays, but it had to be rescheduled. I don't have all the details as of yet, but I can tell you the dub is brand new, though at least the BluRay edition will have both the new Dub and the original British dub that was not previously available here in Region 1. ADV's January remains largely a collection of re-issues, all of these being alpha packs as ADV is no longer producing thin-paks because they are more expensive. The Alpha packs give them the opportunity to recycle all the old single DVD's that they are swimming in, while requiring little more new production overhead other than a box cover sheet to be produced. For all we know John Ledford and Matt Greenfield could be toiling away in their basements right now next to huge stacks of out of date single DVD's making up these new alpha boxes one by one. -_^ Hey, they gotta pay the rent too - ya know?! There are a couple of bright spots though - the Nadesico movie will be coming back, Kiba will finally be made available on DVD (and wisely so as a season box), and the former Geneon titles Mahoromatic and Tsukihime will be getting economy box re-releases, though I have no details at this time as to what they will look like but I'm assuming they will also be simple alpha packs like the rest.

Just In and Hot off The Truck!

Yet another huge batch of Friday afternoon early arrivals has just hit the dock and are being unloaded now - this time from Funimation! Here's what we've got so far:

Ah! My Goddess TV Season 2 Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set
Case Closed Season #3 DVD Box Set (Eps #53-78) (Uncut & Unedited)
Darker Than Black, Vol #1 DVD
Darker Than Black, Vol #1 DVD w Art Box
Karin, Vol #6 DVD
Pumpkin Scissors Season 1 Part #1 DVD Boxed Set (Esp #1-12)
Pumpkin Scissors Season 1 Part #2 DVD Boxed Set (Esp #13-24)
Sasami: Magical Girl Club Season #2 DVD Boxed Set (Esp #14-26)
Shonen Onmyoji , Vol #4 DVD

We'll update these on the site a little later, but we will be able to include these in new orders shipping out today!

COUPON CORNER - PRE HOLIDAY OFFER EXTENDED!

From now until Thursday, November 20th you can save up to an additional 5% off our already low prices on every product on the store. Coupon can be applied to any items on the store, including pre-order and sale items. The more you order, the more you can save!

US customers can also combine this offer with our super saver shipping option to save even more!

To save 5% off ANY ORDER, just use the following coupon code during checkout:

HOLIDAY08TAKE5

Coupon code is valid ONLY for NEW orders and is only good through Thursday, November 20th so don't wait!

New Arrivals in Stock this Week

The new Anime goodness kept on coming this week including 15 new DVD releases, 30+ new manga, and 8 new PVC figures - all in stock and ready to ship! We also have another nice batch of character merchandise in, so be sure to check it out, and just a reminder - our stock on the 2009 calendars is starting to get pretty low and a couple have already sold out, so get em while you can! Be sure to check below for the complete story on all the new stuff, and don't forget to check our updates page over the weekend for the very latest as we're not quite done yet! :-)

Have a great week, and enjoy your anime!