Happy New Year 2011!

Just a quick reminder that we are closed tomorrow (Friday 12/31) for New Years eve. We'll be back on Monday, so keep those orders coming - and don't forget to take advantage of our end of year sale!

We wish you and your family a very happy and prosperous 2011.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Happy Holidays from the Anime Corner Crew! - And Save 10% (BUMP)

Celebrate the holiday season and save 10% off any order for 'in stock' items. Spend your Christmas money between now and midnight January 3rd and save up to an additional 10% off any combination of IN STOCK items listed on the store! No minimum!

To save 10% off any IN STOCK order (No minimum order required) just use the following coupon during checkout:

NEWYEAR2011

The more you purchase the more you save, so be sure to take advantage of this great opportunity to load up on some of the Anime stuff you've had your eye on! US customers can combine this offer with our super saver shipping option to save even more on your favorite in stock Anime series, Manga, Figure, or Character Items!

Note: Valid for new orders of IN STOCK items only. Offer expires at midnight EST on January 3rd.

Media Blasters February Releases - Hopefully?

Media Blaster's new distributor for Anime Works has confirmed three new February releases for us today. Here's what they say is coming:

Ikki Tousen Dragon Destiny Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-12) - Feb 1st
Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit Collection #1 Boxed Set (Eps #1-13) (BLURAY) - Feb 22nd
Queen's Blade Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-12) - Feb 15th

I'm pretty sure Moribito is coming in two halves for the BD release, even though Allegro lists it as Part #1 (Eps #1-13), but list 650 minutes at the same time. No one there seems to know for sure.

So I hate to say this, but everything with Media Blasters has to be taken with a grain of salt right now. Sirabella is posting more information via his twitter account than he's giving out to his retailers, which is not cool, but I guess it makes him feel hip and up with the times. He really should spend a little more time talking to us too. As for our concerns, like where is the QB #3 single we were promised last week? Who knows. The last promise we got from them didn't happen.

Anyway, I'll post more info on their upcoming stuff as I'm able to confirm it.

Funimation Delays Rosario+Vampire

The hits just keep on coming. Funimation gave us yet another delay this afternoon, this time for the highly anticipated Rosario+Vampire sets.

Here are the changes:

Rosario+Vampire Complete DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-13) - Mar 29th to May 19th
Rosario+Vampire Capu2 Complete DVD Boxed Set (Eps #14-26) - Mar 29th to May 19th

Uggg. Don't blame me folks, I'm just the messenger.

Funimation Lowers the Price of Case Closed Movie 6

Funimation has reduced the MSRP on the Case Closed Movie #6 The Phantom of Baker Street DVD from $19.98 to $14.98:

Case Closed Movie #6 The Phantom of Baker Street DVD

We have lowered our regular price of the Case Closed movie from $14.98 to $10.98 and it's in stock and shipping at the new price today!

Customer Service Fun with Helen

I always look forward to post Christmas holiday customer service. People are always SOOOO nice after the holidays.

This week I've been exchanging e-mails with 'Helen' from hell, who wrote on Monday:

I purchase Now and Then Here and There complete collection 650 min. This is what your ad stipulats, however there is only 325 min. on the copy we recieved (3) dvd total, we could've purcased this from AMAZON. WE, my son and I feel we were misled into this purchase, Robert's Anime Corner Store really should no better, you state you don't sell BOOTLEGS but it's allright to mislead your customers, BAIT and SWITCH. We feel let down. Helen M.

WOW. To be sure, the listing on the site was incorrect at 650 minutes, probably because someone here used the template for a 26 episode series rather than a 13 ep series when the new listing was build for ADV's re-release last year. We fixed the listing right away. Sorry Helen, it happens.

So here is Helen, who has never bought from us before, cruising around the net looking at this title and seeing the same old thing from every site. Then she, unfortunately, comes across our site. Not only does she find the item listed cheaper than anywhere else she has previously looked, our version miraculously seems to contain twice the number of episodes ever produced - nevermind the part number and box art is exactly the same as what she saw everywhere else - so she decided to take the plunge and drop her $20 bucks over here at the corner.

The above e-mail is the first of several she sent, each one successively worse in tone and language in response to each explanation and apology I tried to send her. Where she is coming up with that stuff about 'bootlegs' (really?) and 'bait and switch' (not here sweetie) I have no idea. Not once in 7 e-mails does she ask for a refund or a return, or any other resolution, or responds to any remedy I offered to the problem, she just rants on and on about how we supposedly suck.

Yesterday I went ahead and issued her a full refund anyway, since it was clear it was the only way to resolve the issue. But is wasn't. After 3 more really ugly rant e-mails today, we went ahead and flagged her account and banned her from the store. She'll be maybe the 4th person we've ever done that to in 13 years. I archived her e-mails into our 'hall of shame', and I'm sure Amazon, Brand X, or whoever else will be happy to take care of her in the future.

I'm sorry Helen, sorry to see you go so soon. But seriously, happy holidays, and please - seek help.

More Funimation Delays

I told you that I thought Funi's February and March original release schedules were WAY to optimistic given the current economic environment, and it seems I was right because that schedule continues to come apart. Today we got word that four February releases have been jettisoned all the way up into the April schedule.

Here's the changes:

One Piece Season 3 Part 5 DVD Boxed Set (Uncut) - Feb 15 to Apr 19
Chobits Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Classic Anime) - Feb 22 to Apr 26
Chobits Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Classic Anime) (BLURAY) - Feb 22 to Apr 26
Dragon Ball Z Dragonbox DVD Set #5 - Feb 22 to Apr 26

Remember that Chobits had already been delayed once before (Feb 1 to Feb 22), so that makes a total delay (so far) of 3 months from it's original planned date. And these probably won't be the last. I think some of Funi's March releases will also ultimately end up as April or May or June releases too, and I hate to say it, but they probably should. While the other studios are still cutting back, Funi can't start dumping so much product on this market so fast - it simply can't absorb it and will only result in lower sales numbers for everything as too little fan money starts chasing too many releases.

Anyway, we'll find out over the next few weeks if anything else gets rescheduled.

Holiday Wishes

All of us here at the Anime Corner wish all of you a very happy holiday,
a wonderful and meaningful time with family and friends,
and a 2011 full of blessings, fulfillment and happiness.

How To Wrap A Cat For Christmas

We Never Get a Break Do We? [UPDATED]

Well, we were all set and caught up and ready to break for Christmas today, and then a truck showed up around 3pm with 3 pallets of new import figures. This shipment wasn't supposed to get here for another week, but I guess they expedited it out to us so they could get it off their books before year end - but dumping so much new stuff on us the day before Christmas Eve is really not cool. Yeah, they do it every year, but still...

Anyway, we're cutting off holiday shipping now since the UPS and FedEx trucks have now come and gone. We've done everything we could to get everyones stuff to them on time. We're all pretty tired, but still I think we'll probably work late into the night to try to get this shipment sorted out so we can take tomorrow off.

Now I better get some dinner ordered for everyone. Welcome to the Anime business! :-)

UPDATE (9 Hours Later): Post complete - I think it was worth it! That's it for us, Merry Christmas everyone, have a great holiday weekend and we'll see you on Monday!

Christmas Gifts

Hey, the crew over at Funimation sent me a box of their famous El Fenix's hot sauce and margarita mix for Christmas.

Those devils, how did they know I needed that?! -_^

Thanks Guys! But we'll finish shipping Christmas orders before we indulge... :-)

SAVE AT LEAST 20% OFF ALL IN STOCK FIGURES & TOYS THRU DEC 23rd!

Cash in with Holiday savings of at least 20% off our ENTIRE INVENTORY of In Stock Anime Figures and Toys! We've got more than 800 items IN STOCK to choose from, but the sale is valid only through midnight Dec 23rd - so don't miss out!

NO COUPON CODE NECESSARY

Be sure to take advantage of this great opportunity to load up on some of those Anime figurines you've had your eye on! US customers can combine this offer with our super saver shipping option to save even more scratch!

Note: Valid for new orders of IN STOCK figures & toys only.
Offer expires at midnight EST on December 23rd, so get your orders in ASAP!

Condomania

In Japan, 'Condomania' is not about a speculative bubble in lower cost housing...


HEH. Hat tip to Sean for sending!

Solstice Lunar Eclipse - Begins at 1:33AM (EST)

Off topic, but if you're up, don't forget the step outside tonight to see the Solstice Lunar Eclipse. It's the first solstice eclipse in 456 years, and will be the only one that happens in our life times.

Per Nasa: The eclipse begins on Tuesday morning, Dec. 21st, at 1:33 am EST (Monday, Dec. 20th, at 10:33 pm PST). At that time, Earth's shadow will appear as a dark-red bite at the edge of the lunar disk. It takes about an hour for the "bite" to expand and swallow the entire Moon. Totality commences at 02:41 am EST (11:41 pm PST) and lasts for 72 minutes.

Just remember to dress warm!

Slight SNAFU With Postal Tracking for Holiday Shipments

I just want to make everyone aware of a problem with postal tracking that isn't really a problem, but has been a cause of concern for folks that are getting nervous about the shipping of their holiday orders.

The postal folks at our local sort center here in Winchester, VA are so busy (or so under staffed) this year that some of our parcels are coming off our truck and going right into local sort and loaded into outgoing trailers without getting scanned. Since the post office really only offers 'delivery confirmation' anyway instead of real tracking, it's OK for them to skip this step to save time when they have to, but it does mean that some of our tracking numbers for priority mail and standard mail shipments will come up as 'invalid' online even though we've shipped them out. I expect this to continue through next week, so don't be too concerned if you get a shipping confirmation from us and the postal tracker shows 'invalid' for a couple of days.

Don't worry, we really did ship it (every shipment here goes on the truck the day the tracking number is generated), it's on the way, and it will pop up in the Postal Service's tracking system the first time it gets scanned somewhere in route - or when it gets delivered, which ever comes first.

Inside a Japanese Brothel

Pictures of some of the various fetish rooms in a Japanese brothel.

Come on, you know you want to look...

Is There Anything They Can't Do?

Japanese Water Fountain:

Customer Comment

A recent comment from one of our customers that ties into that little Amazon post I made awhile back:

To whom it may concern,

I recently purchased the 2008 Naruto manga box set from your store on amazon, and I just wanted to write to let you know how impressed I am by the care and professionalism displayed by your business. I was very pleased with the speed at which my order was processed and delivered; and just as your description read, the set was in mint condition still with original shrink wrap around it. Even before I opened it it was clear just from the way it was packed that great care was taken to insure my order was properly protected. But what really made the difference to me (as simple a thing as it may be) was the fragile handle with care sticker on the box. Something I'm sure wouldn't be there if I had received this same package from amazon directly. It's small things like that that matter to me, and distinguish the difference between a vendor who is simply going through the motions to make a profit, and one who genuinely cares about their customers. So on summation I say thank you for your consummate professionalism. It was truly a pleasure doing business with you and I will most definitely look to do business with your store again in the future.

Sincerely,
Dean D.

Thank you very much Dean, and Happy Holidays to you and your family!

RACS HOLIDAY SEASON SALE - EXTENDED!!

By popular demand, we're celebrating the final shopping days of this years holiday season with great savings - now for 3 additional days! So you can continue to save up to an additional 10% off any combination of IN STOCK items listed on the store - now through Monday, December 20th!

To save 5% off any IN STOCK order (no minimum) just use the following coupon during checkout:

HOLIDAYSEASON-SAVE5

To save 10% off any IN STOCK order over $250 just use the following coupon during checkout:

HOLIDAYSEASON-SAVE10

The more you purchase the more you save, so be sure to take advantage of this great opportunity to load up on gifts for your favorite Otaku or even some of the Anime stuff you've been wanting! US customers can combine this offer with our super saver shipping option to save even more scratch on your favorite in stock Anime series, Manga, Figure, or Character Items!

Note: Valid for new orders of IN STOCK items only.
Coupon codes expire at midnight EST on December 20th so get your orders in ASAP!

Have Yourself An Elvish Christmas!

Long time RACS customer Janet, aka Ðrusilla, sends us Christmas wishes with Elvish pictures!

She writes:

"Hey guys! For all your hard work and dedication, I just wanted to wish you all a safe and happy holiday and put a smile on your face! I've attached some pictures of me dressed as an elf, which I've been wearing to work this season (I work in a grocery store).Can you believe I've actually had grown adults ask me if my ears are real?? XD Hilarious! Happy Holidays to all of you, and I look forward to getting more of my anime goodness from you in the New Year! -Janet"

I believe it - those excellent ears certainly get my attention! :-)

Thank you so much Janet! Keep up the good work, and Happy Holidays to you and your family!

PS: Janet got her ears here, and the ultra cool contact lenses here.

Evangelion 2.0 You Can [Not] Advance US Theatrical Schedule

Cinema Asia Releasing, Eleven Arts and Funimation have announced the release schedule of the second of the Evangelion film series in the U.S. Evangelion: 2.0 You Can [Not] Advance opens on January 21, 2010 while there are a few exceptions.

Some theaters will also show the first chapter, Evangelion: 1.0 You Are [Not] Alone, prior to the release of the second feature.

The current confirmed schedule includes:

2011/1/19 1 day TX, Austin Alamo Lake Creek
2011/1/21 2 days AK, Anchorage Bear Tooth Theatre
2011/1/21 1 week AZ, Phoenix, Tempe Valley Art Theatre
2011/1/21 1 week CA, San Francisco New People
2011/1/21 1 week CO, Denver Denver Film Center/Colfax
2011/1/21 2 days FL, Tampa Bay Clearwater Cinema Café
2011/1/21 1 week GA, Atlanta Plaza Atlanta
2011/1/21 1 week HI, Maui Maui Mall Megaplex Cinemas 12
2011/1/21 3 days IN, Indianapolis Georgetown 14 Cinemas
2011/1/21 1 week MO, Kansas City Screenland Crossroads
2011/1/21 1 week NC, Greensboro Carousel Luxury Cinemas
2011/1/21 2 days NM, Albuquerque The Guild Cinema
2011/1/21 1 week NY, New York Big Cinemas Manhattan
2011/1/21 1 week TX, Dallas/Fort Worth Southlake 14
2011/1/21 1 week WA, Seattle Grand Illusion Cinema
2011/1/28 1 week CA, Los Angeles Downtown Independent
2011/1/28 1 week OR, Portland Living Room Theatre
2011/2/8 4 days HI, Honolulu Doris Duke Theatre
2011/3/18 2 days OK, Oklahoma City Oklahoma City Museum of Art

A few more theaters will be added shortly, and Canadian release locations will be announced in January. The film will be released on DVD and BD in March.

Funimation Lowers the Price on the Trinity Blood BD & Love and Honor

Funimation has reduced the MSRP on both the Trinity Blood BD set and the Love and Honor Live Action film.

Trinity Blood Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (BLURAY) - From $69.98 to $49.98
Love and Honor DVD (Live Action) - From $24.98 to $14.98

We have lowered our regular price of the Trinity Blood BD to just $34.98, and the Love and Honor movie to just $10.98. Both are in stock and shipping today at the new price!

Queens Blade 3 Could Arrive Next Week... Maybe

As Allegro continues to get ramped up as Media Blasters new distributor to retailers, we've been working with them to try to get ETA's on come of these long time backordered MB titles. I was told today that old catalog inventory continues to arrive in their warehouse daily from Media Blasters, and will probably continue to do so for several weeks, so they are filling backorders as inventory becomes available.

Anyway, I was told today (by Mr. Anonymous) that Queens Blade 3 'might' be arriving at Allegro's warehouse shortly and 'might' even be arriving here as early as next week. Now, I take these Media Blasters things with a grain of salt these day, but maybe - just maybe, we might be shipping QB 3 before Christmas. Stay tuned...

Every Anime OP Ever Made in Four Minutes

Well, almost...


Derek Lieu clearly has too much spare time on his hands...

Bandai Announces February 2011 Releases

Bandai has given us their spectacular February 2011 release schedule, and we now have it available on the store site for pre-order.

Ready - well, hold onto your hats, because here's what's coming:

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Anime Legends)

Hope you were sitting down.

In addition to the one new release, they have also bumped the release of My-Otome 0 ~S.fir~ DVD from January 4th back to January 18th.

That's all for now.

Funimation Discontinues Several former Geneon Titles

Funimation just sent over a grocery list of discontinued items, all former Geneon licenses. The following have been discontinued as of December 10th and are now limited to stock on hand:

Black Lagoon Season 1 & 2 Complete DVD Boxed Set GN-08318
Ergo Proxy Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Re-Release) GN-08662
Gungrave Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Thin-Pak) GN-08653
Hellsing Ultimate (All regular and LE volumes)
Kamichu Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Thin-Pak) GN-08441
Karin (Chibi Vampire) Complete DVD Boxed Set GN-08741
Kyo Kara Maoh Season 1 Complete DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-39) GN-08665
Kyo Kara Maoh!, Season 2, Complete DVD Boxed Set (Eps #40-78) GN-08664
Law of Ueki Complete Series Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-51) GN-08301
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-13) GN-08697
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A DVD Boxed Set (Thin-Pak) (Eps #1-13) GN-08557
Paradise Kiss Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set GN-08692
Rozen Maiden + Traumend Season 1 & 2 Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set GN-08744
Shana (Shakugan no Shana) Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Thin-Pak) FN-08355
Tales of Phantasia DVD GN-08551
The Familiar of Zero DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-13) (S.A.V.E. Edition) GN-08695
Story of Saiunkoku Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Thin-Pak) GN-08693
When They Cry: Higurashi, Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set GN-08743

Some of these will probably be brought back later under Funi's new 'Classics' label, but will likely end up being sold out and unavailable for an extended period of time between when these sell out and any are re-issued.

Kodansha Will Begin Rolling Out New Manga Next Summer

With the departure of Del Rey from the manga scene this month, many of us have been wondering what will become of all of Del Rey's series that are being left in publishing limbo. Most of Del Rey's licenses came from Kodansha, and Kodansha US will begin publishing some of these licenses directly next year.

Kodansha will begin to shipping the following titles in May 2011 under the new Kodansha Comics imprint:

Kodansha Comics imprint launches:

Phoenix Wright—Ace Attorney (new series) Volume 1 in June, Volume 2 in August
Monster Hunter Orage Volume 1 in June, Volume 2 in August
Rave Master Omnibus in May
Deltora Quest in July
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Until the Full Moon in July (this one formerly belonged to Brocolli)
Mardock Scramble in August
Animal Land in August
Gon in August (formerly from CMX)
Bloody Monday in August
Cage of Eden in August
Negima Omnibus (Vol #1-3) in June

Continuing series picking up from where Del Rey left off will be:

Air Gear Volume 18 in June, Volume 19 in August
Arisa Volume 2 in May, Arisa Volume 3 in July
Fairy Tale Volume 13 in May, Volume 14 in July
I Am Here! Volume 2 in July
Negima Volume 29 in May, Volume 30 in July
Negima!? Neo in June
Ninja Girls Volume 5 in May, Volume 6 in July
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Volume 9 in June, Volume 10 in August
Shugo Chara! Volume 10 in May, Volume 11 in July
The Wallflower Volume 25 in June

Of course, all backissues of the above series should be considered OOP as of this month, so if you need any volumes for any former Del Rey licenses (say like any Negima 1-28 or Ninja Girls 1-4) you should buy them as soon as you can before the existing inventory starts to dry up.

Surprisingly, Del Rey will continue to publish the Clamp titles Tsubasa and xxxHolic under its own label, so they are not 'completely' exiting that market like we thought. Always good to keep your foot in the door...

Wagnaria!! (Working!!) Premium Boxed Set Now Available for Pre-Order!

The upcoming Wagnaria!! (Working!!) Premium Edition Boxed Set coming from NIS America is Now Available for Pre-Order!

Details:

Synopsis: The family restaurant “Wagnaria” stands by itself in Hokkaido. One day Sota Takanashi, who loves all things small, meets tiny little Popura, who offers him a job working part time at the restaurant. Attracted to her petite stature, Sota accepts her offer. To his surprise, the restaurant is filled with eccentric characters. Get ready to dish up some wacky comedy together with Sota and his coworkers!

This 2-disc premium edition includes a 32-page Hardcover Artbook filled with character introduction and relationships charts, illustrations, background and character rough sketches, and four-frame comic! Premium Showcase Package.


Street date for the new set is March 22, 2011.

Tron Legacy - I'm All About This!

I remember watching the first Tron movie when I was 13, and it blew me away. Back then home computers were new (I was the proud owner of an Apple IIe at the time), no internet, no cel phones, working on DOS was a bitch, and Load Runner was the best video game ever produced. At the time the Tron movie was so far ahead of the curve of things to come. People that have issues with the first movie, like those that criticize ground breaking shows like Evangelion, just don't seem to get it. In 1982 Tron represented the pinnacle of movie making, not just for the technical aspects of it's production, but about what it represented. It was one of those rare moments when you were actually looking at something new, something that no one has every thought of before.

All that said, when they announced a Tron sequel, I was pretty skeptical, but it looks like they have done everything right - especially getting Daft Punk to do the soundtrack. I'm going to go see it at the theater next weekend, and frankly, it looks pretty awesome!





UPDATE (12/19): Saw at the theater this evening. In 3D. My thoughts?

First, I wonder what 3D really adds to the movie experience that offsets the annoyance of wearing the glasses. When they invent 3D movies that look like that without the glasses, I'll feel like they have created something more than a visual trick to get me to pay $5 bucks more for a movie ticket. Given the choice I'd skip it, so I don't see a 3D TV in my future anytime soon.

Now, the movie. I thought it was great (and that means you probably won't like it). Every review I read said it was light on plot. That is definitely correct. Did they recycle about 100 ideas from other sci-fi flicks? Absolutely. I doubt folks that aren't cultish fans of the first movie like me will get as much out of it, but for those of us who are happy to relive the visual experiences from the first movie against the backdrop of what is possible digitally in 2010, it certainly delivers. The music is great. If Disney had decided to make the movie a 100 minute music video for Daft Punk, I would have been fine with that. Visually it's just stunning. I'm starting to think that digital technology has come far enough where really anything is possible. Was there the sort of existential discussion that appeals to computer geeks like in the first movie? Does it make you think? Not really. But it at least lives up to what Tron is supposed to be - both movies take the limits of existing movie making technology and use it to develop a story in an environment where anything is possible. There are a lot worse ways to waste $15 bucks. And it will become a great pizza and bear movie once it hits home video.

Now I just need someone to invent a Quorra app that I can download - she can utilize all the free memory on my digital device anytime...

It Takes an Irishman to Tell it Like it Is (PNSFW)

What does an Irishman think of the current global ecomonic situation?

Well, I'm glad you asked, because this is what he thinks:

What We DON'T Do to Your Packages...

Sometimes all that high tech, high volume package moving equipment can work against you. Ships fast? Yes. Ships well? hmmmm... Here is a parcel at Amazon, and a great example of what WON'T happen to your package here at RACS:


Just imagine if that one had your Anime figurine order inside...uggg.

Section 23 March 2011 Releases - Now Available for Pre-Order!

Section 23 has sent over their March 2011 release schedule and we've now got them posted to the store site for pre-order.

Here's what's coming:

Akane Iro ni Somaru Saka Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-12)
Clannad the Movie (Theatrical Feature) DVD
Ghost Sweeper Mikami TV Series Collection #3 (Eps #24-34)
Guin Saga Collection 1 DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-13)
Guin Saga Collection 1 DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-13) (BLURAY)
Shin Koihime Muso Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-12)

Notables: The Clannad Movie and Guin Saga will be getting a dub, and Guin Saga will be published in both DVD and BD formats - and will be priced accordingly! The Akane Iro ni Somaru Saka & Shin Koihime Muso releases will both include their respective OVA episodes. And, the sequel to Shin Koihime†Musō (Shin Koihime†Musō Otome Tairan) is planned for release in May.

Akane Iro ni Somaru Saka
Junichi Nagase was a real delinquent in middle school, one nasty enough that he earned the nickame "Geno Killer," and it's by this less than flattering epithet that Yuuhi Katagiri first comes to know him when he rescues her from two thugs one evening. Needless to say, both are stunned when not only does Yuuhi find herself transferred into the same high school class as "the Killer," but that shock grows into outright stupefaction when Yuuhi shows up at Junichi's house with the mind-blowing announcement that she's supposed to move in with him! It seems that they're engaged, and since this is the first that Junichi and his younger sister Minato have first heard of the arranged marriage set up by their parents, it's an idea that's going to take a little getting used to. Get ready for ties that bind and gag as bad boy and good girl collide cohabitationally while the entire school gets to watch! Truth IS stranger than fiction in Akane iro ni Somaru Saka!



Clannad Theatrical Feature
Plagued by a seemingly endless stream of haunting dreams, Tomoya drifts through life with an almost overwhelming sense of anger and emptiness. Then, one fateful day, he meets the mysterious and beautiful Nagisa, and his world begins to change. While helping Nagisa revive the defunct Drama Club at their high school, Tomoya discovers that she has the same dreams. Their story starts beneath the cherry blossoms, but where will fate lead them? Discover a stunning new vision of one of anime's classic love stories in Clannad Theatrical.



Guin Saga
He awakens in the dark forest of a mythical land with some type of leopard mask that he cannot remove. The only thing he remembers is his name - Guin - and that he is a warrior of unimaginable power. And when the two twins of Parros, innocent victims of a civil war arrive, Guin knows what he must do. But the journey to save the children means much more than just slaughtering a few hundred well-trained Mongoul soldiers. Victory means he must battle magical desert tribes, assemble forces that have fought each other for hundreds of hears, and divine a mysterious plan that he is central to. Prepare for a sweeping anime epic of mystery and magic! Of violent clashes and dark double-crosses. Ready yourself for the battle with GUIN SAGA.



Shin Koihime Muso
What do you do once you've made your epic journey and accomplished the legendary quest you set out for yourself. Well, you could hang around the village looking important, but when Kan'u and Chouhi's rescue a mysterious girl, they find that a more enjoyable option may be a brand new quest! Especially when it turns out that this new girl is Ryuubi, and the Ryuubi that Kan'u and her sword-sisters faced previously was an imposter who stole this Ryuubi's name and heirloom sword! Meanwhile, the three Chou sisters have gotten their hands on a magical book of spells that's just a little more dangerous than they think. Get ready for an inspired new journey in search of magical arts and artifacts as the ancient Chinese epic Romance Of The Three Kingdoms puts on an all new, all-female front in Shin Koihime†Muso!

Gantz Live Action Movie Coming to US Theaters!

Just FYI, the new Gantz live action movie is going to playing at theaters in January:

NEW PEOPLE and NCM Fathom are bringing the world premiere of GANTZ to movie theaters nationwide for a one night live event on Thursday, January 20th at 8:00 pm ET/ 7:00 pm CT/ 6:00 pm MT/ 8:30 pm PT (tape delayed).This live-action feature, based upon the popular Japanese manga and anime series, is the ultimate survival game. It will be English over-dubbed exclusively for this big screen event.

Following the feature, the two stars, Kazunari Ninomiya and Kenichi Matsuyama will participate in an exclusive live interview that can only be seen at this event.

Showing is for one night only on January 20th. Here is a full list of participating Theaters!

Zen Wisdom

Ten Thoughts to Ponder:

10: Life is sexually transmitted.

9: Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

8: Men have two emotions: Hungry and Horny. If you see him without an erection, make him a sandwich.

7: Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day. Teach a person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks - they'll bother me instead.

6: Some people are like a Slinky - not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you shove them down the stairs.

5: Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals, dying of nothing.

4: All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.

3: Why does a slight tax increase cost you $800.00, and a substantial tax cut saves you $30.00?

2: In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.

And The Number 1 Thought:

1: Life is like a jar of Jalapeno peppers - what you do today might burn your ass tomorrow.

PS: Don't worry too much about old age - it doesn't last long.

HEH. Hat tip to Jerry for sending.

Angry German Kid Watches K-ON

Hey, I know how he feels...



This explains some of those e-mails that I get... LOL!

Funimation Pushes the Date on Chobits

Funi continues to reschedule their February releases today. This time they have bumped back Chobits about three weeks:

Chobits Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-24) (Classic Anime) - Feb 1 to Feb 22
Chobits Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-24) (Classic Anime) (BLURAY) - Feb 1 to Feb 22

That's it for now!

Store Outage - Resolved!

Just a quick FYI to everyone who had trouble getting on the store Saturday afternoon. And no, it was not network overload - I wish!

We use Yahoo's servers in Houston (with a backup in San Diego) to host the primary store site, and they experienced a pretty nasty DoS (denial of service) attack across their whole infrastructure today. Our store is one of the big ones and sits across a distributed network so I'm not exactly sure how long it was down for any one DNS, but it looks like the attack caused the RACS store to be at least intermittently down for about 3 hours between around 12:50 pm and 4:02 pm PST (that was around 3 to 6 PM here).

Anyway, their engineers at the NOC center in Houston did a great job and have now resolved the issue and we are back up and running.

Apologies to anyone who could not get on the store, or was trying to place on order during that short window on Saturday.

PS: And yes, it's 1:58am and yes I am just finishing up my day. Thanks for asking. :-)

UPDATE: Looks like the DoS attack that took down Yahoo's e-comm servers was related to Operation Payback. I wonder if these people actually know who they are hurting when they do this stuff.

Business: Competing for a Future

Man, I'm am right there with this guy. Even though our businesses are so different, everything he says is right on target, especially what he says about 2009, how his income taxes are structured, and about 'privilege', because we've been there too. WOW.

Funimation Lowers the Price of Case Closed Movie 5 / Pushes Feb Titles

Funimation has reduced the MSRP on the Case Closed Movie #5 Countdown to Heaven DVD from $19.98 to $14.98:

Case Closed Movie #5 Countdown to Heaven DVD

We have lowered our regular price of the Case Closed movie from $14.98 to $10.98 and it's in stock and shipping at the new price today!

Funi has also rescheduled a few February releases by a week or two. Here are the changes:

Sgt Frog (Keroro Gunso) Season 1 Complete DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-26) - Feb 8 to Feb 15
FLCL (Fooly Cooly) Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Classic) - Feb 8 to Feb 22
FLCL (Fooly Cooly) Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (BLURAY) (Classic) - Feb 8 to Feb 22

Slammed!

Hey there, just checking in.

After a rather typical and routine Thanksgiving weekend, including Black Friday, we got SLAMMED starting around Sunday afternoon. Order volume increased somewhere around 300% between Sunday evening, and this morning, and continues to increase - right on schedule.

We are ready of course, and orders are being processed quickly and efficiently in our warehouse. I'm just glad we worked over the holiday weekend, otherwise we'd be behind today.

Just a couple of quick reminders for between now and Dec 17th:

1) We'll be working processing orders 7 days a week through Dec 17th. Plenty of time to sleep later.

2) 'Super Saver' or free ship orders will get the LOWEST fill priority in our warehouse through Dec 23rd. This is typical of what we do during the holidays and allows us to better balance our daily fulfillment load - that's why we offer a free shipping option. So during this period don't get mad at us if your Super Saver order doesn't fill for 2-4 business days after you place it. Air Freight, Pri Mail, and Ground orders will fill first since those folks are paying for shipping, and I think that's only fair.

3) We will attempt as many 100% fills as possible during this period, so we reserve the option to hold a ticket for a day or two if it means mating it up with incoming inventory that will allow us to ship you 100% of your order all together, but we won't hold tickets any longer than that. This year the big problem child will be the thing with Media Blasters moving their distribution right in the middle of the holidays is going to cause plenty of shortages on their stuff (as you well know), and we won't be holding tickets for any backordered MB items, even if you request it. I doubt they will get their operations back up and running 100% until January anyway. Everything else should go pretty smoothly.

4) I'm going to try to answer every e-mail that comes the same day, so some of my answers may be short and to the point - expect it. Inquiries regarding orders will take priority over 'can you get this?' or 'when is this coming out?' e-mails.

BTW - our Cyber Monday sales items are still up, and will be until we have time to take them down today. Take advantage!

That's it for now, keep those orders coming and we'll do the rest! :-)

RACS BLACK FRIDAY SPECIALS - LAST DAY! (BUMP)

Cash in with savings up to 50% off MSRP on some of our best selling Anime DVD's, BluRay's, Figures, and Manga with our Black Friday 2010 Holiday Specials!

These prices will be good through midnight on Cyber Monday (Nov 29th), but only while our existing supplies last so don't miss out - get your orders in today!

WTF?

A clear case of Yui over indulgence...


Still, not quite as creepy as the obligatory 2D sleep over:


OMG! (Hat tip to Sean for sending!)

The Guild - Do You Wanna Date My Avatar

Brilliant!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Just wanted to post a reminder that we will be closed for business tomorrow, Thursday, November 25th for the Thanksgiving holiday, but we will be back at it on Friday filling and shipping all of your holiday orders and answering e-mails. Most of the other online Anime stores will be closed on Friday, so if there is anything you need we can take care of it for you.

While you are giving thanks this holiday season, and taking advantage of all the big box mover excess inventory giveaways, try to take a moment and think about all the small business people in America trying to hang on to their dreams during this resession. It's been another tough year, but we still have each other, and that's a lot to give thanks for. Stay safe this weekend, and enjoy your Anime!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! :-)

Customer Comment

Comment sent in yesterday by Chris in regards to our fix to his Birdy set problem:

"Thanks Bob!

I'll be looking forward to getting the fixed version so we can continue watching Birdy the Mighty.

For what its worth what distinguishes a Great Company from an average company is not whether they encounter problems, but in how they handle and resolve problems as they arise.

I submitted my problem and you provided me with the solution in the same day and to me thats more than outstanding! So should the subject ever come up whether your company is so-so or a Great One you have my highest endorsement and future business.

Hope everyone at RAC has a wonderful Holiday spent with family and friends.

Thanks!
Chris P."

Thank YOU Chris! :-)

GET FREE 2 DAY SHIPPING THROUGH NOV 24TH!

With the holidays closing in, we know that time is of the essence for the delivery of your Anime orders. So from now until Wednesday, November 24th you can get free 2nd Day air shipping of any order over $100 of IN STOCK items listed on the store!

To get free 2nd Day air shipping on any IN STOCK order over $100, just select our FedEx 2nd Day Air shipping option and use the following coupon during checkout:

FASTSHIPFREE

As with all special shipping offers, this offer has a few restrictions:

1) Applies only to US customers shipping to a Street address within the continental US.
2) Applies only to orders in which your IN STOCK total = $100 or more.
3) Can only be used in conjunction with our FedEx 2nd Day Air shipping option.

This offer not valid for shipments going to APO/FPO, PO box, or any other addresses that we cannot use FedEx Air service to deliver to. Also not valid for shipments to AK, HI, or PR. Orders placed choosing FedEx Air service are usually shipped next business day.

Note: Valid for new orders of IN STOCK items only. Coupon code expires at midnight EST on November 24th so get your orders in ASAP!

Rules of Anime

1. Music foreshadows plot.
2. The less you care about sex, the more opportunities you'll get.
3. (Inversely, the harder you try, the less you'll get.)
4. When you die, make a long speech, and don't finish the last sentence.
5. Snow means love.
6. The best teams come in fives.
7. In space, you can hear everything.
8. There's always room for flashbacks!
9. When in China, listen to your tour guide.
10. The good guy always has the BLUE glow.
11. Speak quietly, pilot a big mech.
12. Believe in goddesses.
13. Teachers have excellent aim with small objects.
14. Vengeance with a mallet is the sweetest revenge of all.
15. Honor is sexy; villainy is irresistible.
16. Women are attracted to losers; men are attracted to ANYTHING.
17. The coolest weapon is still the sword.
18. The hero is never really mad until they hurt his girlfriend.
19. Female androids are sexy; male androids are….male androids.
20. The green-haired alien girl will always betray her people for the man she loves.
21. School uniforms are cool only when the collar is open.
22. A show without sexual tension isn't worth watching.
23. Love knows no race, species, or logic.
24. If it's homemade but tastes bad, grin and bury it (discreetly).
25. Never trust a huge corporation.
26. Romance never comes simpler than in a triangle.
27. Never fall for the girl who names her mech with a French name.
28. Never fall in love with a psychic.
29. You can never have too much hair.
30. Sweating is a sure sign of stress.
31. Daydreaming leads to accidents.
32. Everyone wants to conquer Japan.
33. The cute, fuzzy creature isn't what it seems.
34. Cherry blossoms mean nostalgia.
35. Always take gravity into account.
36. Settings and faces are self-generating.
37. Losing your temper can be therapeutic.
38. There's nothing sexier than high heels on a mech.
39. You can never have too many subplots.
40. If she sings, she's doomed.
41. You always remember the sad endings.
42. Double suicide is romantic.
43. Outrageous vehicles only make the hero cooler.
44. Nothing delays romance like unruly neighbors.
45. Fancy ice cream is for girls only.
46. The most virtuous character will die.
47. Hot water has innumerable benefits.
48. No matter how much blood is lost, no one can die by a nosebleed.
49. The girl with the curly hair is always the seductress.
50. If a sister falls in love with her brother, somewhere down the line you will discover that they're not blood related.
51. The guy in the baseball cap is always more powerful than he seems.
52. All demons/monsters have enormous genitalia.
53. All young children can pilot mecha, you just need to give them a few days.
54. It is possible to incorporate martial arts into any aspect of life.
55. All high school kids in Japan have parents that are away on extended business trips.
56. The oldest sister is the nice one, the youngest sister is the brash one.
57. You can do anything to the human body as long as you hit the right pressure point.
58. Consuming enormous amounts of alcohol daily will never have ill effects.
59. All major villains either want to take over the world or blow it up.
60. When someone paints up their face, they mean business.
61. Everyone in Japan has excellent singing voices.
62. No matter how many times you rebuild, Tokyo keeps getting destroyed in a massive fireball.
63. The martial arts expert is always defenseless against a slap from the girl who loves him.
64. TAKAHASHI'S LAW 1: Food is a powerful motivator.
65. When women are sent out to fight the bad guys, there's always a hunk busily watching over them, often in secret.
66. The longer it takes to say what your punch is called, the less effective it is.
67. "Baka" does not mean a student going for his baccalaureate degree.
68. The more possessive a woman gets, the less likely she will end up with the man of her dreams.
69. TAKAHASHI'S LAW 2: The two-foot-tall old geezer is someone to be feared.
70. The fate of the planet rests in the hands of the seemingly normal high school student.
71. The heroine must shred her clothes while transforming into something to fight the bad guys.
72. True evil can never be destroyed, only banished to some nether realm where it awakes after a few hundred years.
73. TAKAHASHI'S LAW 3: When being hit on the head, it's the most natural thing in the world to tuck your third and fourth fingers in while keeping the others extended.
74. Even the bravest souls can be made weak and helpless by the sight of a cute little puppy or kitten.
75. Never love a Gundam pilot : you're just destined for disappointment (or a funeral).
76. All persons under the age of 50 can do a ten foot vertical jump from a standing position.
77. Never trust a guy with shiny teeth.
78. ESP causes more trouble than it solves.
79. The vampire isn't always the bad guy.
80. Nice things can come out of video stores that appear from nowhere.
81. Idiot captains win battles against impossible odds.
82. Order takeout at every opportunity–you might get lucky with a wrong number.
83. The police are never anywhere there is a large amount of property damage.
84. All high school principals in Japan are clinically insane.
85. All people with esper powers give off multicolored auras.
86. Just about any outer space villain has his sights set on destroying the Earth.
87. No other planet in the universe will be able to stop said villain except the Earth.
88. Any character can make a leap of 300 ft or more if given a good running start.
89. A samurai sword can cut through anything.
90. All characters over the age of 60 shrink in height in direct proportion to their age.
91. When uncovering a fabulous treasure, the thing will be large enough to completely destroy any surrounding structures.
92. TAKAHASHI'S LAW #4: An anti-climax is a good climax.
93. Anime villians have the best deaths.
94. Any love interest will always be possesed by a demon.
95. Mallets can be stored anywhere on anybody.
96. If the anime has the word "idol" in the title, then you know that it has to be good.
97. Takada Yumi really does sing that bad, and people still buy her CDs.
98. If you make enough porno movies, eventually you can get famous enough to star in commercials. "Iijima Ai desu! 'Manga manga no mori mori!!'"
99. There is no such thing as a public anime showing without heckling.
100. You can spot how popular a show is by looking at the number of H doujinshi it has.
101. If the lyrics to the song are printed on the screen, then you're watching a show that's not for your age group.
102. The sexiest girls are drawn by artists whose last names start with "U".
103. The English words in Jpop songs are put there only because they sound good, since they don't make any sense with the rest of the lyrics.
104. The hero always loses the first fight with a new enemy.
105. The guys with two earrings are from the Negaverse.
106. Don't trust the guys with two earrings.
107. Any truly evil person who changes sides for the woman he loves will die in that episode.
108. You CAN do it, but only when it's funny or REALLY important.
109. You can never have too many carrots.
110. Hair comes in every shade of the rainbow – and we do mean pink, purple, blue, green.

Taken from a recent Hobbyfanatics forum post. Feel free to add if you like. :-)

Customer Comment

From Frank today:

"I want to thank you and your staff for delivering exceptional and personalized customer service, it's always a pleasure doing business with you folks and I'm especially happy that I receive my orders within two business days. It pays to live close to your warehouse. Most importantly, I love the fact that you have a flat rate for UPS deliveries. There's quite a few times that I can find a number of items whose unit price is cheaper than your prices, but when factoring in S&H, I end up saving some bucks. You can put this into your customer comments if you like. Thank you."

Thanks Frank! VERY much appreciated!

NIS America Licenses Working!! (Wagnaria) Anime

NIS America has announced that they have licensed the Working!! anime series. They are going to release the entire 13-episode series in an English-subtitled DVD set under the title 'Wagnaria!!' next March. The set will include hardcover art book and a collector's case.

In the anime and Karino Takatsu's original four-panel manga that inspired it, a high school freshman named Sōta Takanashi (Jun Fukuyama) works part-time among a restaurant's high-spirited, eccentric, yet cool staffers.

We'll have it up for pre-order soon!

K-ON! School Anime Pilgrimage

From Moe Passion: Part 1 and Part 2

VERY cool!

Funimation Announces February / March 2011 Releases

Funimation has given us BOTH their February AND March 2011 release schedules together, and we now have them both posted and available on the store site for pre-order.

Make sure you're sitting down before reading further...

Here's what's coming:

Funimation February 2011

Chobits Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-24) (Classic Anime)
Chobits Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-24) (Classic Anime) (BLURAY)
Chrome Shelled Regios Part 1 DVD Collection (Eps #1-12)
Chrome Shelled Regios Part 2 DVD Collection (Eps #13-24)
Chrono Crusade Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set
Dragon Ball Z Dragonbox DVD Set #5 (Eps #169-199)
Dragon Ball Movie 4-Pack DVD (Remastered)
Ga-Rei Zero Complete Colelction DVD (Eps #1-12)
Ga-Rei Zero Complete Colelction DVD (Eps #1-12) (BLURAY)
Gungrave Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Classic Collection)
Initial D Second Stage DVD Boxed Set (Eps #27-39)
One Piece Season 3 Part 5 DVD Boxed Set (Eps #192-201) (Uncut)
Sgt Frog (Keroro Gunso) Season 1 Complete DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-26)
Summer Wars Movie DVD
Summer Wars Movie DVD (BLURAY)

Funimation March 2011

Black Butler Season 1 Part 2 DVD Collection (Eps #13-24)
D.Gray-man Season #2 Complete DVD Boxed Set (Eps #27-52)
Darker Than Black Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps # 1-26) (Classics Collection)
Dragonball Z Kai Season 1 Part 4 DVD Boxed Set (Eps #40-52)
Dragonball Z Kai Season 1 Part 4 DVD Boxed Set (Eps #40-52) (BLURAY)
Eden of the East Movie 1: King of Eden DVD
Eden of the East Movie 1: King of Eden DVD (BLURAY)
El Cazador de la Bruja TV Series Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-26)
Excel Saga Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Thin-Pak)
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Part 4 DVD Boxed Set (Eps #40-52)
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Part 4 DVD Boxed Set (Eps #40-52) (BLURAY)
Gunslinger Girl Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set + OVA (Classics Collection)
Hero Tales (Jyûshin Enbu) Part #1 DVD Collection (Eps #1-13)
Hero Tales (Jyûshin Enbu) Part #2 DVD Collection (Eps #14-26)
Heroic Age Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-26) (BLURAY) (S.A.V.E. Edition)
Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple Season #2 Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #27-50)
Linebarrels of Iron Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-24)
Neon Genesis Evangelion 2.22 You Can [Not] Advance Movie DVD
Neon Genesis Evangelion 2.22 You Can [Not] Advance Movie DVD (BLURAY)
Rideback Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #-1-13)
Rin: Daughter of Mnemosyne DVD Complete Series DVD Boxed Set (Eps 1-6) (Viridian Collection)
Rosario+Vampire Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-13)
Rosario+Vampire Capu2 (Season 2) Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #14-26)
Samurai Champloo Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-26) (Classics Collection)
Samurai Champloo Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-26) (BLURAY) (Classics Collection)
Sgt Frog (Keroro Gunso) Season 2 Complete DVD Boxed Set (Eps #27-51)
Shigurui: Death Frenzy Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-12) (Classics Collection)
Shigurui: Death Frenzy Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-12) (Classics Collection) (BLURAY)
Soul Eater Collection Season 1 Complete DVD Box (Eps #1-26)
Soul Eater Collection Season 1 Complete DVD Box (Eps #1-26) (BLURAY)
Speedgrapher Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (S.A.V.E. Edition)
XXXHolic TV Series Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (S.A.V.E. Edition)
Yu Yu Hakusho Season 1 DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-28) (BLURAY) (Classic Collection)

Take a deep breath and read it again if you have to. It's OK, I about fell out of my chair too... -_^

Comments coming shortly. Sleep first.