Funimation / Media Blasters Date Changes & Cancelations

A few date changes and cancelations to share with everyone:

Funimation Date Changes:

Fairy Tail Collection #4 DVD/BD Combo Set (Eps #37-48) - 2-28 to 3-20
Heaven's Lost Property Season 2 Complete Collection DVD Box (Limited) - 3-20 to 4-17

Funimation Cancelations:

Dragon Ball Z Level 2.1 (Eps #35-51) (BLURAY) - Canceled
Dragon Ball Z Level 2.2 (Eps #52-68) (BLURAY) - Canceled

Funimation Discontinued (Now Out of Print):

Dragonball Z Kai Season 1 Part 1 DVD Boxed Set - Discontinued
Dragonball Z Kai Season 1 Part 2 DVD Boxed Set - Discontinued
Dragonball Z Kai Season 1 Part 3 DVD Boxed Set - Discontinued
Dragonball Z Kai Season 1 Part 4 DVD Boxed Set - Discontinued
Dragonball Z Kai Season 1 Part 1 BLURAY Boxed Set - Discontinued
Dragonball Z Kai Season 1 Part 2 BLURAY Boxed Set - Discontinued
Dragonball Z Kai Season 1 Part 3 BLURAY Boxed Set - Discontinued
Dragonball Z Kai Season 1 Part 4 BLURAY Boxed Set - Discontinued
Nerima Daikon Brothers Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (S.A.V.E. Edition) - Discontinued
Kodocha DVD Collectors Boxed Set #1 (Eps #1-24) (S.A.V.E. Edition) - Discontinued
Kodocha DVD Collectors Boxed Set #2 (Eps #25-51) (S.A.V.E. Edition) - Discontinued
Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles Movie DVD - Discontinued
Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles Movie Special Edition DVD - Discontinued
Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles Movie Special Edition DVD (BluRay) - Discontinued

Media Blasters Cancelations:

Bakuman (Second Draft) DVD Collection #2 (Eps #8-13) - Canceled, New Date TBA
Ikki Tousen Great Guardians Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set(Eps #1-12) - Canceled, New Date TBA

Funimation's April 2012 Releases - Now Available for Pre-Order!

Funimation has sent over their April 2012 release schedule, and we now have it all up on the store site for pre-order. Here's what's coming:

Black Butler Season 1 Complete Collection DVD/BD Combo Set (Eps #1-24) - Apr 3
Black Butler Season 2 Complete Collection DVD/BD Combo Set (Eps #25-42) - Apr 3
Okami-san and Her Seven Companions DVD/BD Combo Set (Eps #1-12) (Limited) - Apr 3
Oh! Edo Rocket Complete Collection DVD (Eps #1-26) - Apr 10
Sekirei Complete Collection DVD/BD Combo Set (Eps #1-12) - Apr 10
Legend of the Legendary Heroes Part #1 DVD/BD Combo Set (Eps #1-13) (Limited) - Apr 17
Legend of the Legendary Heroes Part #2 DVD/BD Combo Set (Eps #14-25) - Apr 17
Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE OVA Collection DVD (S.A.V.E. Edition) - Apr 17
Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE OVA Collection BLURAY (S.A.V.E. Edition) - Apr 17
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Collection #1 DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-33) - Apr 24
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Collection #1 BLURAY Boxed Set (Eps #1-33) - Apr 24
Fullmetal Alchemist: the Sacred Star of Milos DVD - Apr 24
Fullmetal Alchemist: the Sacred Star of Milos BLURAY - Apr 24
Jyu-Oh-Sei (Planet of the Beast King) Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (S.A.V.E. Edition) - Apr 24

Just Hanging Out

A little something fun to help you start your day today:

HEH. :-) Hat tip to Sean for sending.

Section 23 April 2012 Releases - Now Available for Pre-Order!

Section 23 has sent over their April 2012 release schedule this week, and we now have it all up on the store site for pre-order. Here's what's coming:

Motto To Love Ru (Season 2) Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-12) - Apr 3
Polyphonica Crimson S (Season 2) Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-12) - Apr 3
Infinite Stratos Complete Collection DVD (Eps #-1-13) - Apr 10
Infinite Stratos Complete Collection BLURAY (Eps #-1-13) - Apr 10
Someday's Dreamers Complete Collection DVD (Eps #1-12) - Apr 17
Golgo 13 TV Series Collection #3 DVD Box (Eps #25-36) - Apr 24

NIS Announces Kimi Ni Todoke Premium Edition #2 + 6 Standard Editions

NIS announced the 2nd season Kimi Ni Todoke premium edition today for April 10th:

Kimi ni Todoke Premium Edition DVD/BD Combo Collection #2 (Eps #13-24)

They also announced six new standard edition releases, all scheduled to street in less than three weeks on Jan 24th:

Persona ~ Trinity Soul ~ Collection #1 Standard Edition DVD (Eps #1-13)
Persona ~ Trinity Soul ~ Collection #2 Standard Edition DVD (Eps #14-26)
Pandora Hearts Standard Edition DVD Set #1 (Eps #1-12)
Pandora Hearts Standard Edition DVD Set #2 (Eps #13-24)
Our Home's Fox Deity (Wagaya no Oinarisama) Standard Edition DVD Set #1 (Eps #1-12)
Our Home's Fox Deity (Wagaya no Oinarisama) Standard Edition DVD Set #2 (Eps #13-24)

Bandai Adds Last Minute K-On (S1) Boxed Set

In a surprise announcement tonight, Bandai added a K-On Season 1 Anime Legends set to their final February release schedule:

K-On! (Season 1) Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-14)

Clearly they are looking around trying to figure out what to do with all the unsold singles the majors have recently returned to them, and February will be their last opportunity to release any series repackaged as sets. It's just too bad it's going to be DVD only. And what better than a last minute $40 legends pack to make all the folks that paid 3x as much for the singles last year feel better about themselves. ~Oy~

The End of an Era - Bandai Finally Calls it Quits

The folks at Bandai apparently have made their 2012 new years resolution never to publish anymore Anime. I think they waited to make this announcement until today thinking we'd all probably be too hung over to notice.

Hot off the wire:

Bandai Entertainment, the subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings (USA) that handles anime and manga in North America, will stop offering new DVD, Blu-ray Disc, and manga releases next month. It will continue to distribute in its existing catalog lineup, but it will no longer produce and distribute new releases as of this February.

Instead, Bandai Entertainment will focus on licensing rights to other companies, particularly in digital distribution, broadcast, and merchandising. The company will be restructured as a result, and most of its contractors and three of its five fulltime staff members will be laid off.

The following releases have been cancelled:

Anime DVD/Blu-ray Disc

Gosick
Nichijō
Turn A Gundam

Manga

Code Geass: Renya (Code Geass: Shikkoku no Renya)
Gurren Lagann volume 7
Kannagi volumes 4-6
Lucky Star Boo Boo Kagaboo (spinoff by Eretto)
Mobile Suit Gundam 00I
Tales of the Abyss: Jade's Secret Memories volumes 1 and 2

Releases in Bandai Entertainment's current catalog will still be available after February, and Bandai Entertainment plans to produce new stock on these existing releases, if needed, until their respective licenses expire.

Bandai Entertainment closed its own online store in December, but other retailers can still order and carry Bandai Entertainment's current releases as before.

Star Driver, Tales of the Abyss, The Girl Who Leapt Through Space and Mobile Suit Gundam (the new release of 0079 with Japanese audio) will all be completed thanks to the timing of the closures. I was just saying in the last newsletter that the best we could probably hope for in 2012 was for Bandai to continue to hang on long enough to get the second season of K-On out. Oh well, so much for that. Hopefully Sentai or Funi will end up with it eventually. Gundam Unicorn won't be completed either. This also means that Turn A Gundam, My Ordinary Life (Nichijo) and Gosick, will not be released.

All I can say is that it's no surprise, and it's been a long time coming. ~sigh~

UPDATE: Ken Iyadomi's sobering explaination here.