New Yaoi Shipment In from DMP Posted!

We've just received in a huge new release and backlist shipment of Yaoi volumes from Digital Manga (DMP) (and a couple from BLU), and we've new finished getting them all up on the store site (in the adult section). Mixed in with the new volumes are some old backlists that had been out of stock for some time and thus previously very hard to find.

Here's what we've got, now in stock:

Boys Love Graphic Novel (Adult)
Blue Sheep Reverie , Vol #2, Graphic Novel (Adult)
Ciao Ciao Bambino Graphic Novel (Adult)
Cute Devil Graphic Novel (Adult)
Devil Inside Graphic Novel (Adult)
Electric Hands Graphic Novel (Adult)
Fevered Kiss [Novel] (Adult)
Great Place High School: Student Council , Vol #1, Graphic Novel (Adult)
Green Light [Novel] (Adult)
Kabuki , Vol #2, Red Graphic Novel (Adult)
Kurashina Sensei's Passion , Vol #1, Graphic Novel (Adult)
Kurashina Sensei's Passion , Vol #2, Graphic Novel (Adult)
La Satanica Graphic Novel (Adult)
Ludwig II , Vol #2, Graphic Novel (Adult)
Our Kingdom Arabian Nights , Vol #1 , Graphic Novel (Adult)
Selfish Demon King [Novel] (Adult)
Selfish Mr. Mermaid , Vol #2, Graphic Novel (Adult)
S Novel , Vol #3, Graphic Novel (Adult)
S Novel , Vol #4, Graphic Novel (Adult)
The Object of My Affection Graphic Novel (Adult)
Yellow Omnibus Edition #1 (Vol #1-2), Graphic Novel (Adult)
Yellow 2, Vol #1, Graphic Novel (60pgs) (Adult)
You Will Drown in Love , Vol #2, Graphic Novel (Adult)

Apple Now Acting the Role of Big Brother?

Hilarious!

From the Daily Show:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Appholes
http://www.thedailyshow.com/
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

AnimEigo Unable to Complete Yawara

AnimEigo has announced that they will not be able to complete Yawara. From ANN:

"Robert Woodhead, CEO of the North American anime distributor AnimEigo, has announced on his Twitter account on Thursday that "so far, we have not been able to secure a license to release the rest of Yawara." AnimEigo licensed the television anime adaptation of Naoki Urasawa's Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl manga in 2006. After giving away the first four-episode disc for free at Comic-Con International 2007, AnimEigo released the first 40-episode DVD set in 2008. "

Robert W. didn't cite a reason but is suspect it's financial. I said last year that the 1st Yawara box would probably be AnimEigo's last R1 Anime release, though they do continue to license and publish classic live action Samurai films.

I was hoping they would prove me wrong though. Most studios these days don't care a wink about things like linear notes and accurate honorifics like AnimEigo always did. Robert W.'s interests seem to have moved on to other things anyway (combat robots for example). ~sigh~

Vampire Knight DVD #1 - Now Available for Pre-Order!

Viz has finally announced the first DVD volume of Vampire Knight, which is scheduled for July 20th! This will be the first time the 'uncut' episodes have been made available in North America. We now have it up for pre-order on the store site here:

Vampire Knight, Vol #1 DVD (Eps #1-4)

Synopsis: Yuki's earliest memory is of a stormy night in winter, wherein she was attacked by a vampire... And then rescued by another. Now 10 years later, Yuki Cross, the adopted daughter of the headmaster of Cross Academy, has grown up and become a guardian of the vampire race, protecting her savior, Kaname, from discovery as he leads a group of vampires at the elite boarding school. But also at her side is Zero Kiryu, a childhood friend who’s hatred for the creatures that destroyed everything he held dear, is now determined never to trust them. This coexisting arrangement seems all well and good, but have the vampires truly renounced their murderous ways, or is there a darker truth behind their actions. Is Kaname's infatuation with Yuki the beginning of a forbidden romance, or is it something in her forgotten past that draws him to her. Because in this world of secrets, nothing is as it seems. And the price of misplaced trust may even be worse than death.

Funimation Reduces the Price of Several Boxed Sets!

Funimation has reduced the price on several boxed sets! Here's the good news:

Negima Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Viridian Collection) - $39.98 to $29.98
School Rumble Awesomest Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-52) - $89.98 to $59.98
Witchblade Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (BLURAY) - $74.98 to $54.98
Yu Yu Hakusho Season 1 DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-28) - $34.98 to $29.98
Yu Yu Hakusho Season 2 DVD Boxed Set (Eps #29-56) - $34.98 to $29.98
Yu Yu Hakusho Season 3 DVD Boxed Set (Eps #57-84) - $34.98 to $29.98
Yu Yu Hakusho Season 4 DVD Boxed Set (Eps #85-112) - $34.98 to $29.98

We've reduced our regular low prices for all these items accordingly, and the sets are in stock and shipping at the new price as of today.

Eden of the East OP

Thanks to Sean for sending this over. We both really like this OP:




The awesome OP song is Falling Downby Oasis.

Funimation will be releasing Eden of the East (TV & Movies) on DVD and BD in early 2011.

Synopsis: On November 22, 2010 ten missiles strike Japan. However, this unprecedented terrorist act, later to be called as "Careless Monday," does not result in any apparent victims, and is soon forgotten by almost everyone. Then, 3 months later... Saki Morimi is a young woman currently in the United States of America on her graduation trip. But just when she is in front of the White House, Washington DC, she gets into trouble, and only the unexpected intervention of one of her fellow countrymen saves her. However, this man, who introduces himself as Akira Takizawa, is a complete mystery. He appears to have lost his memory. and he is stark naked, except for the gun he holds in one hand, and the mobile phone he's holding with the other hand. A phone that is charged with 8,200,000,000 yen in digital cash.

Bang Zoom Draws a Line in the Sand

Eric Sherman, the CEO of Bang Zoom studios (who I've have many excellent dealings with personally) has issued a subtle ultimatum to the fan community regarding the state of the Anime market and what will happen if folks continue to illegally download rather than buying shows on DVD:

From ANN:

"Eric P. Sherman, President and CEO of the anime dubbing company Bang Zoom! Entertainment, has posted an editorial on the AnimeTV blog on Saturday, urging fans to buy anime instead of watching it via fan-subbed videos. In the "Anime - R.I.P." editorial, Sherman wrote that if fans do not support anime by buying it legally, "I can guarantee you that this time next year, Bang Zoom won't be bringing you anymore English language versions of it."

Sherman added in his editorial, "If people don't resist the urge to get their fix illegally, the entire industry is about to fizzle out." Sherman cited the demises of Geneon Entertainment USA, Central Park Media, and ADV Films, as well as the January 2009 layoffs at Bandai Entertainment, as past examples. In a boldfaced statement in the editorial, Sherman wrote that "anime is going to die."

Sherman also wrote about the rise of streaming content online, but added that "so far, there are no successful ways to monetize online entertainment. Not so that creators can afford to produce and distribute quality content."

Eric is absolutely right. The whole theory that Anime could eventually be monetized online in any meaningful way has been dead on arrival from day one. It's just not possible. We've all been able to scrape by until now living alongside the downloaders, the fansubbers, the free streams, the bootleggers, etc. - but the market has deteriorated so far so fast over the past 18 months that the issue is finally coming to a head this year. The R1 industry is at the breaking point and the fan base, as a whole, by their actions, is very soon going to decide it's fate forever.

PS: Of course, anyone in the industry who speaks up even a peep against fansubs and torrents is going to immediately draw the ire of the ignorant. I've been reading over some of the rather humorous thread comments posted after Eric's article. People are saying things like:

"Heh, let the US anime industry die."

"Anime = Not gonna die. R1 Anime = gonna die. get it right"

"It's not the piracy, it’s the overpriced crap."

"Too bad you’re losing your job. But it’s better for the fans who will find other means to satisfy their needs..."

"ITT the bourgiousie trying to wrest back control of the means of production from the workers. One capitalist oppressor down!" (if only he could spell 'Bourgeoisie')

"Just like they say the fans "feel entitled to their entertainment" it seems that the middlemen feel entitled to their businesses"

"No, Mr. Sherman, Anime is dieing because people like YOU won’t change. Guess what existed before your company? Fansubbers. Guess what will exist after your company? Fansubbers."

Man, as a rule I stay out of those threads, but what a bunch of hypocritical nihilistic jackasses. That one guy clearly thinks he entitled to something, but I never have. And I don't even want to know what the other guy is doing late at night to 'satisfy his needs'. Uggg. Those folks are not even fit for the soylent vats... I'm just sayin...

Section 23's July 2010 Releases - Now Available for Pre-Order!

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

Eyeshield 21 Collection #2 DVD Boxed Set (Eps #14-26)
Golgo 13 TV Series Collection #1 DVD Box (Eps #1-12)
Hell Girl Two Mirrors (Season 2) Collection #2 (Eps #14-26)
Legends of the Dark Kings (A Fist of the North Star Story) DVD (Bilingual)
Legends of the Dark Kings (A Fist of the North Star Story) DVD (Bilingual) (BLURAY)

In addition to the second half of Eyeshield 21 and Hell Girl II, we're also getting a re-issue of Legends of the Dark Kings, and this time it will be dubbed (bilingual) and will also be coming in both standard and BD formats. We will also be getting the first half of the Golgo 13 TV series, also dubbed (bilingual), so it looks like Section 23 is finally starting to come through on their promise to give us more English Language releases. That's good to see!

Golgo 13 TV Series
His targets never see it coming and he's never caught. If there is a witness to the kill, that poor SOB winds up dead too. People say he's a ghost. A machine. A monster. He's Golgo 13, the most feared assassin in the world, the professional's professional, the killer of killers. And now he's back with 13 targeted missions that will keep you glued to the screen (and away from the windows). Load up for high-powered, bullet-riddled action with Golgo 13!

Funimation July 2010 Releases - Now Available for Pre-Order!

Funimation has sent out their July 2010 release schedule and we've got it posted to the store site. Here's what's coming:

009-1 Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (S.A.V.E. Edition)
Air the Movie DVD (S.A.V.E. Edition)
Black Cat Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Viridian Collection)
D.Gray-man Season #1 Complete DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-26)
Dragon Ball Season 5 DVD Boxed Set (Uncut)
Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Christo Complete DVD Boxed Set (S.A.V.E. Edition)
Love Hina Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-25) (Viridian Collection)
Magikano Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-13) (S.A.V.E. Edition)
Mushishi Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Thin-Pak) (Viridian Collection) (Re-Price)
My Bride is a Mermaid Season 1 Part 1 DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-13)
One Piece Season 3 Part 1 DVD Boxed Set (Eps #142-153) (Uncut)
Rin: Daughter of Mnemosyne DVD Complete Series DVD Boxed Set (Eps 1-6) (BLURAY)
Romeo X Juliet Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-24)
Rumbling Hearts Complete DVD Boxed Set (S.A.V.E. Edition)
Shuffle Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-24) (Viridian Collection)
Soul Eater Collection, Part 4 DVD Box (Eps #40-52)

The schedule is mostly, almost entirely in fact, re-issues and S.A.V.E. editions. The only new title for the entire month is My Bride is a Mermaid Season 1 Part 1 DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-13), which I'll drop in a sysopsis of below.

My Bride is a Mermaid
A young boy gets saved from drowning by a mermaid but, according to mermaid law, if a human sees a mermaid's true form, both have to be killed. The only solution to the problem is for him to marry her. A young boy gets saved from drowning by a mermaid but, according to mermaid law, if a human sees a mermaid's true form, either the human must be killed or the mermaid must be killed. The only solution to the problem is for him to marry her.

Yen Plus Magazine Ending With July 2010 Issue

Not yet two years young, Yen Plus Magazine will join the ranks of so many other Anime and Manga print anthologies that have gone the way of the Dodo bird - the July 2010 issue will be the last print edition and Yen Press is moving the magazine online. Yen Press will be making content changes [to the new online edition] will announced at a later date.

Yen Plus has said they will issue subscribers refunds for any outstanding issues on their subscriptions beyond the July 2010 issue.

We had really liked the magazine, and had been stocking back issues for fans all the way back to the first issue in August 2008. We will no longer be restocking back issues, and all issues will now be limited to whatever stock we have left on hand and will be removed from the store site once they sell out.

We'll Miss You Carl...

A Sad Day. From ICv2:

"Carl Macek, who is credited with helping to start the anime boom here in North America when he put together the Robotech syndicated series from three different mecha anime in the mid 1980s, has died from a heart attack at the age of 59. The news of Macek’s untimely death was reported by animation historian Jerry Beck on his blog. Macek and Beck were partners in Streamline Pictures, which they formed in 1988.

While Robotech was crucial in spreading interest in anime to a wide audience and somewhat controversial (especially to purists) in the way that it manipulated pre-existing anime series, Streamline Pictures released a host of brilliant anime productions on VHS tape that established the reputation of Japanese animation in North America. The high quality Streamline releases helped to create a devoted fan base for challenging adult animated stories that targeted a mature audience with sophisticated, often science fiction-themed sagas such as Akira, Robot Carnival, Lensman, Doomed Megalopolis, Twilight of the Cockroaches, Wicked City, and Crying Freeman. Streamline also released Miyazaki’s brilliant Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro, and Carl supervised the original English dub track of My Neighbor Totoro. Streamline was purchased by the financially shaky Orion Pictures in 1996 and disappeared with the demise of its parent company.

Macek returned to animation production in the late 1990s acting as a consultant for the Heavy Metal 2000 animated film, and writing the anime adaptation of Brian Pulido’s Lady Death for ADV. At the time of his death Macek was helping to create the English dub version of the Bleach anime series for Viz Media."

You youngsters may not realize how big a deal Carl Macek was to the R1 Anime industry, but his work in the 70's and 80's was very much THE reason why it exists today at all. My entire 13 year 2nd career in the Anime Industry running an Anime company was made possible by his work, and I am deeply saddened by his loss.

You left us way too soon Carl, and I will miss you terribly. You were the man.

Funimation Officially Discontinues Sonic X DVD's

Not like it's been replicated in quite a while, but Funi has finally send out a notice officially putting their Sonic X and Code Lyoko DVD's to bed.

DVD's for both series are now discontinued, and while we have been sold out of Code Lyoko for some time, we do still have a few Sonic X DVD's left in stock.

They will be limited to stock on hand and the Sonic X page will be taken down off the site once they are sold out.

Bandai Picks Up 'The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya' Movie

Bandai announced today that they have picked up the North American distribution rights for the 'The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya' movie from Kadokawa Pictures.

The film is based on the fourth light novel in Haruhi Suzumiya series written by Nagaru Tanigawa. The story takes place after the conclusion of TV season 2 and tells the story of Haruhi’s sudden disappearance and her friend Kyon’s attempt to untangle the mystery of why she has vanished.

Bang Zoom will be dubbing the film for Bandai's DVD release, which will will be coming out later this year.

Synopsis: It is mid-december, and SOS Brigade chief Haruhi Suzumiya announces that the Brigade is going to hold a Christmas party in their clubroom, with Japanese hotpot for dinner. The brigade members Kyon, Yuki Nagato, Mikuru Asahina and Itsuki Koizumi start preparing everything for the party, such as costumes and decorations. But a couple of days later, Kyon arrives at school only to find that Haruhi is missing. Not only that, but Mikuru claims she has never known Kyon before, Koizumi is also missing, and Yuki has become the sole member of the literature club. The SOS Brigade seems to have never existed, nor has Haruhi Suzumiya. No one in the school has ever heard about her… except for Kyon.

No E-Newsletter This Week

Sorry folks, no e-newsletter this week. I'll be back next Friday with all of your favorite Anime news and RACS updates.

This is one of the slowest periods (mid to late April) of the 1st half if you're an Anime retailer, so Jamie and I are taking a last minute quickie mini-vacation to the beach for a couple of days (don't worry, the folks at the warehouse are still expeditiously filling orders each day while we're gone).

In fact, we're already there. :-) You folks that have been around for a long time probably already know that we're into horses (and Anime, and motorcycles), so here's a little excerpt of what Jamie and I did today after I finished answering your e-mails from my laptop...





YES, it IS incredible fun to ride on the beach!

The greatest thing about going to the beach in April is that it's almost totally deserted, even though today it was sunny and 72. And Yes, I'm am wearing my yellow RACS shirt that has Noemi on the back. As usual, no one we ran into could figure out what 'A - N - I - M - E' was, though one guy thought it might have something to do with Japan. We always have to be soooo patient with the non-believers... -_^

HEH.

Have a great weekend everyone! :-)

Happy Tax Day!

Don't forget, today is tax day and the Government wants their cut. You either need to get your returns postmarked today or get your extensions filed. If you file extensions but owe money, the VIC will begin running today.

If it took you a long time to do your returns this year, you're not alone. We're an S-Corp so our returns are about 2 inches thick. That's why I'm glad we get so much for our money...

Toei Shopping Out Sailor Moon

ICv2 Reported This Morning:

"Toei Animation is offering 200 refurbished episodes of the Sailor Moon Magical Girl anime at the MIPTV market that will be held next week in Cannes. MIPTV is a worldwide content market at which producers such as Toei offer their wares to representatives of TV networks and syndicators of electronic entertainment from more than 100 countries. In addition to the Sailor Moon episodes Toei is also offering the rights to the 243 episodes of the 1980s TV anime Dr. Slump, which is based on the manga series by Dragon Ball-creator Akira Toriyama.

The 200 episodes of Sailor Moon would presumably include all the Sailor Moon TV anime series including the original series (46 episodes), Sailor Moon R (43 episodes), Sailor Moon S (38 episodes), Sailor Moon Super S (39 episodes), and Sailor Moon Stars (34 episodes, the only episodes that have never been available in the U.S.)."

You know it's a slow news day when someone has to report what someone is 'thinking' about doing, rather than what they actually did (i.e. Sailor Moon has been acquired by XXX...). Still, the news is welcome none the less. SM has been off the R1 market since 2006 precisely because Toei wanted ridiculous money for the licence renewals, and maybe they are finally coming around to the thought that something is better than nothing. Lets hope they can make a deal and get SM re-released here in the US!

Funimation Reduces the Price of Galaxy Railways by 25%!

Funimation reduced the price today on the Galaxy Railways Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Viridian Collection) from $39.98 MSRP to $29.98 MSRP!

We've reduced our regular low price accordingly, and the sets are in stock and shipping at the new price today.

Bandai's June Releases - Now Available for Pre-Order!

Bandai has sent out their June 2010 release schedule and we've got it posted to the store site. It's a Gundam extravaganza! Here's what's coming:

Gundam 00 Season 2, Vol #2 DVD (Eps #8-13)
Gundam 00 Season 2, Vol #2 DVD Special Edition (Eps #8-13)
Mobile Suit Gundam Zeta Movie #1: Heirs to the Stars DVD
Mobile Suit Gundam Zeta Movie #2: Lovers DVD
Mobile Suit Gundam Zeta Movie #3: Love is the Pulse of the Stars DVD
Mobile Suit Gundam Zeta Movie Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Movie #1-3)

Plus, we have a couple of obligatory schedule changes:

Kurokami The Animation Part #2 DVD (Eps #7-12) - May 4 to Jun 8
Kurokami The Animation Part #2 DVD (BLURAY) (Eps #5-8) - May 4 to Jun 8

Omnibus Editions: A Sign of the Times

In a sign of the times, Del Rey has recently canceled a handful of upcoming manga volumes in favor of Omnibus editions that allow them to incorporate more material together in a lower priced package. Instead of Wallflower 22 and 23, we will now get a Wallflower Omnibus 22-24. Orange Planet 3 has now been replaced with the Orange Planet Omnibus 3-5, and the first volume of Wild@Heart will now be the Wild at Heart Omnibus 1-3.

We've updated the store site to reflect these changes.

The downside of this is that, for finicky collectors that like their manga shelves to be 'just so', the new volumes will be fatter and won't match the old ones they already have. The upside is that instead of paying $10.98 MSRP per volume, we get three volumes for just $21.98 MSRP. Nothing wrong with that!

Update: Seven Seas has announced that it has licensed Yu Aida's Gunslinger Girl action manga and Masayuki Takano's Blood Alone vampire manga. The publisher will release the first six volumes of Gunslinger Girl in two omnibus volumes starting in February of 2011, and then release single volumes starting with volume 7. There are currently 12 volumes in Japan. The first three volumes of Blood Alone will be compiled in one omnibus volume in May of 2011, followed by single volumes for the remaining volumes. There are six volumes in Japan currently. Seven Seas also announced that it will release Strawberry Panic! The Complete Manga Collection, which will contain "both volumes of the manga, plus two all-new previously unreleased chapters," and the first Venus Versus Virus Omnibus book (with three collected volumes) this October. The three-volume Hayate X Blade Omnibus 1 and three-volume Inukami! Omnibus 1 will follow in November.

Amy Forsyth Leaves Us at Only 33

From ANN:

"Prolific anime and manga translator Amy Forsyth passed away on Monday in Houston, Texas. She was 33. Forsyth was born in Cape May Court House, New Jersey and graduated from Middle Township High School and Trenton State College. She translated many anime titles for ADV Films such as Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid, Full Metal Panic! Fumoffu, Le Chevalier D'Eon, Gatchaman, Pumpkin Scissors, Venus Versus Virus, Comic Party: Revolution, and 009-1. She also worked on ADV Manga's Azumanga Daioh, Yotsuba! , Chrono Crusade, Gunslinger Girl, Full Metal Panic! , Full Metal Panic: Overload! , Peacemaker Kurogane, Gunparade March, and other titles. She worked with Tokyopop on such titles as Kare Kano, as well as with Yen Press on Soul Eater."

Posted without comment except to wish her family and friends our sincerest condolences.

Sorry Folks, PayPal No Longer Accepted at RACS

Just a heads up everyone, we're discontinuing PayPal as a payment method on the store site as of today.

We've been having a quite a few issues with PayPal in recent weeks, and unfortunately I no longer feel comfortable accepting PayPal as a payment method on the store site. I know a lot of people are going to write in and ask why, so let me list a few of the many trouble areas we've had with them:

1) Paypal has the highest processing fees of any merchant service.
2) Paypal has terrible customer service when there is a transaction issue.
3) PayPal's API integration with our web store has been buggy and they do not support it well.
4) PayPal hates Anime. They seem to think all Anime = porn.
5) PayPal makes us capture funds for all orders upfront at the time of the transaction, which cause a great deal of issues if are like us and deal with a large volume of pre-orders.
6) PayPal does not have a good mechanism for handling split shipments or future order changes that require additional shipping and handling charges.
7) Under PayPal's user agreement, they can do anything they like anytime, including restricting access to your funds in your PayPal account for any reason. PayPal balances and transactions are not subject to banking regulations, so users have little recourse when an issue arises.
8) PayPal's commercial account terms of service holds us responsible for all fraudulent transactions even if the user is verified with no real avenue of recourse for disputes.

I could go on and on, but the last one is the by far the most troubling on our end, and has caused the most issues recently.

Right now only about 6% of our customers currently choose to use PayPal as a payment method to place orders, so most of you will no be effected by this anyway. If you do have a PayPal account, we can still accept PayPal's debit card, but (at least for the time being) we will no longer accept direct PayPal payments for new orders. As always we continue to accept a ALL major credit and debit cards (including e-cards), and mailed in payments via personal check or money order.

Everyone that has a PayPal account should get a PayPal debit card anyway. Click here for more. It's issued by MasterCard and allows you to use your PP balance anywhere that accepts credit cards, even if they don't take PP directly. And since it's issued through the banking system, PP debit transactions are bound by the same fraud protection rules and fees as everyone else.

I hope this does not cause anyone too much inconvenience, and we want to thank you all very much for your continued business!

Funimation to Re-Release Chobits / Gets Higashi no Eden & Others

Funimation announced at their panel at Anime Boston that they have obtained the rights to Higashi no Eden (Eden of the East) TV & Films and also the second season of Spice and Wolf, plus they will be re-releasing Chobits which has been off the market since Geneon went under in 2007.

Scheduling for Spice and Wolf II has not yet been determined. Chobits and the Eden of The East films are slated for BD and DVD releases in 2011.

Eden of the East TV Series
On November 22, 2010 ten missiles strike Japan. However, this unprecedented terrorist act, later to be called as "Careless Monday," does not result in any apparent victims, and is soon forgotten by almost everyone. Then, 3 months later... Saki Morimi is a young woman currently in the United States of America on her graduation trip. But just when she is in front of the White House, Washington DC, she gets into trouble, and only the unexpected intervention of one of her fellow countrymen saves her. However, this man, who introduces himself as Akira Takizawa, is a complete mystery. He appears to have lost his memory. and he is stark naked, except for the gun he holds in one hand, and the mobile phone he's holding with the other hand. A phone that is charged with 8,200,000,000 yen in digital cash.

Eden of The East Films
The story continues where it left off from the Eden of the East TV series, and brings Morimi Saki back to the USA in order to find Takizawa Akira. The other Selecao however are actively moving to take part in the game, and a few in particular are making dangerous moves in order to eliminate Takizawa or move towards their picture of a better Japan.

Spice and Wolf II
Continuing where the first series left off, it follows Kraft Lawrence a experienced traveling merchant and his sharp tongued wolf god companion Holo on their journey to return to Holo's home to the north called Yoitsu. A tender relationship has blossomed between the characters, as they make deals, travel between cities, encounter religious fanatics or vice versa and mostly just do what a traveling merchant has to do to get by.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter Everyone!

Nozomi Pushes Rental Magica Box #2 Back to April 27th

Nozomi just sent us over a notice letting us know that they have, unfortunately, had to push the release date of the Rental Magica DVD Collection #2 (Eps #13-24) back three weeks to April 27th.

It was originally scheduled to ship April 6th. Nozomi cited the cause as 'manufacturing and transportation delays related to the book included with the set.'

We've updated the release date on the store site. If anyone has an order in that is holding for Rental Magica #2 and wants to change that order, just drop us an e-mail.