Sunday, February 28, 2010

Upcoming BD's From Funimation

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

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

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

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

Friday, February 26, 2010

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

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

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

Samurai Harem

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

Eyeshield 21

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

Hell Girl Two Mirrors

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

Thursday, February 25, 2010

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lots more to come, so stay tuned!

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

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

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

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

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

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

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

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

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

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

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

Code Geass R2 #4 and Gundam 00 S2 #1 Bumped Back to April

Bandai sent us a notice this morning that they are bumping the dates (again) for two important upcoming releases. The release date for both Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 DVD Bundle #4 (Eps #20-25) and Gundam 00 Season 2, Vol #1 DVD (Eps #1-7) have been moved back a month from March 2nd to April 6th:

Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 DVD Bundle #4 (Eps #20-25) - Mar 2 to Apr 6
Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 DVD Bundle #4 (Eps #20-25) (Limited Edition) - Mar 2 to Apr 6
Gundam 00 Season 2, Vol #1 DVD (Eps #1-7) - Mar 2 to Apr 6
Gundam 00 Season 2, Vol #1 DVD Special Edition (Eps #1-7) - Mar 2 to Apr 6

All pre-orders will remain open for these items, and we've updated the store site to reflect the new dates. If you have an order in that is currently holding for either of these titles that you were expecting to ship soon (and now won't) just e-mail us if you want to make any changes.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Disney to Release Ghibli Back Catalog on BD this Year

Via ANN:

"Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (WDSHE) confirmed its plans to "convert [Studio Ghibli's] older works to Blu-ray in 2010" during the ceremony for the 2nd annual Digital Entertainment Group Japan Awards/Blu-ray Prizes on Thursday. WDSHE received the top award, the Grand Prix, for its release of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli's Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea. WDSHE also earned awards for its release of two Pixar films: Pete Docter and David Silverman's Monsters, Inc., and Andrew Stanton's WALL-E. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment will release Ponyo on Blu-ray and DVD in North America on March 2."

Well, it's about time! :-)

Game Company NIS Begins Licensing Anime for North America

NIS America, which is Nippon Ichi Software's American division has announced that it has started to license Anime for North American distribution. Their first licenses will include Toradora, Pandora Hearts, Persona 'trinity soul' & Wagaya no Oinarisama (Our Home's Fox Deity).

So, now we will have yet another bloody Japanese subsidiary (and a game company at that) trying to figure out the North American Anime market. Oh joy. -_^ I know a LOT of people will be happy that Toradora has been licensed, but I think it would have been better had these titles been released in the US through regular channels (like Funi or Section 23 or even MB). NIS has said they might package some of these with some extra's, something we're not getting from anyone else anymore. I just hope these new guys do it right.

Anyway, we don't have any sort of release details or dates yet, but we will certainly be carrying these whenever they are made available on DVD.

Press Release: Santa Ana, CA – NIS America is excited to announce today its plans to release Japanese anime titles to North America beginning mid 2010. As an entertainment publisher NIS America has focused on releasing video games; however, with the growing demand for Japanese pop culture, NIS America will provide quality anime contents along side with video games. Initially a selected number of titles will be released on a scheduled basis and will expand its offerings over time. Like its video game offerings, anime titles will be available with collector's items.

Toradora
Despite Ryuji Takasu's gentle personality, his eyes make him look like an intimidating delinquent. Class rearrangements on his second high school year put him together with his best friend, Yusaku Kitamura, and his hidden crush, Minori Kushieda. Along with these two comes Kushieda's best friend, Taiga Aisaka. Her delicate appearance contrasts with her brutal personality. Secretly in love with Kitamura, Taiga agrees to help Ryuji with his love interest as long as he helps her get closer to hers. It’s a new school year and Ryuuji Takasu discovers not only is he in the same class as his best friend, Yusaku Kitamura, but also Minori Kukshieda whom he's had an undisclosed crush on for quite some time. Along with Kitamura and Minori is Minori's best friend, the “Palmtop Tiger”, tiny Taiga Aisaka whom, despite her small stature, takes nothing from nobody. (When unflattering pictures of her in a bathing suit were circulated, “Of course, I made it rain blood in the photography club.”) Taiga is secretly in love with Kitamura and she and Ryuuji, despite an oil and water relationship, agree to mutually support each other in their quests for their heart’s desire.

Pandora Hearts
Oz Bezarius, heir to one of the duke houses, has just turned fifteen. His life is rich and carefree, darkened only by the constant absence of his father. At his coming-of-age ceremony, however, everything changes. For no reason that he can discern, he's cast into the prison known as the "Abyss", only to be saved by a "chain" known as Alice, the bloodstained black rabbit. It is unknown why was he cast into Abyss, how does Alice factor into it all, and what does the organization known as "Pandora" want with him.

Persona 'trinity soul'
The stage is Ayanagi City, a city near the Japan Sea. It is a futuristic city that was built to carry out the recovery from the calamity caused by the "Apathy Syndrome" ten years previous. High school student Shin Kanzato with his little brother Jun, meet with their elder brother Ryō, who is the chief of the Ayanagi City Police, again after ten years. At that time, a series of strange incidents happen in Ayanagi City such as the crew of a submarine that suddenly disappears while in their submarine, or a spiritless symptom which disturbs the world after ten years, or the case of the inside out corpse where a student took on a cruel appearance. Ryō tracks down the organization behind the string of incidents, and having become involved in the incidents, Shin awakens the "Persona".

Wagaya no Oinarisama (Our Home's Fox Deity)
Noboru and Toru are two brothers that have grown away from their family's secret. The fact that their family can use the Water ki and can ward off demons. But when a demon is after Toru's life, in order for the family to keep him safe they need to awaken the fox-spirit Kūgen. Kūgen will not help for the sake of the family but only for the sake of the children's late mother.



If you mess up these releases NIS, the fan base WILL come back to bite you...
Consider yourselves warned!

Two Figure Cancelations

We had suspected this for awhile, but we got the final word today from Atelier Sai that the two YUA figures that were originally due to ship in November have been formally canceled for export:

You're Under Arrest Miyuki Kobayakawa 1/8 Scale PVC Figure
You're Under Arrest Natsumi Tsujimoto 1/8 Scale PVC Figure

They would not tell us why (they never do) but there is speculation that since Section 23 licensed the Anime for US distribution Atelier was not able to obtain the proper licensing clearances authorizing these to be sold here in the US - and since we FOLLOW ALL the rules, we will not be able to sell these either. We will begin the process of canceling pre-orders for these today, and issuing any refunds if necessary.

Sorry folks, remember I'm just the messenger.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Better than an IPad

I only wish they had these when I was 14...

Via Ace of Spades:

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Funimation Reduces Price on Pumpkin Scissors Box by 58%!

Funimation repriced the Pumpkin Scissors Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Esp #1-24) today from $69.98 MSRP all the way down to only $29.98 MSRP.

We've reduced our regular low price accordingly down from $49.98 to just $21.98.

The sets are in stock and shipping at the new price as of today!

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Small Business Tax Increases

Time to stand on my tax soap box once again! :-)

Forget about what you are hearing about small business tax cuts in political talking points this year, our taxes have actually gone up substantially and it's only the middle of February.

So far we've received two (of many to come) new tax assessment rates for 2010, both big increases:

1) The first is on our building in the form of county real estate taxes. Frederick county has devised a devious plan to deal with falling commercial property values in our area - while the assessed value of our building fell by $22,000 this tax year, the county TRIPLED the assessed value of the parcel of land the building is built on (from $42,000 to $146,000 - which is ridiculous and probably based on commercial land sales from back in 2005/2006 when people were being crazy). This increased our property tax bill about $1,200 for the year. The total assessment is now way out of sink with actual property values, and I would estimate that the county is now valuing our warehouse at maybe $150,000 more than the actual market value. We're going to appeal the new assessment, but we've never gotten far with that in the past.

2) The second increase is a BIG one. CNN recently ran an article about how businesses are getting walloped by unemployment tax increases.

"Companies in at least 35 states will have to fork over more in unemployment insurance taxes this year, according to the National Association of State Workforce Agencies.

The median increase will be 27.5%. And employers in places such as Hawaii and Florida could see levies skyrocket more than ten-fold.

Many of these hikes happened automatically as prolonged joblessness triggered state laws governing their unemployment insurance systems. But at least seven states voted to raise their taxable wage bases, the level of income subject to unemployment tax. And another 10 are looking at upping the wage bases or tax rates.

The states are scrambling to restore their unemployment insurance trust funds, which cover claims.

State trust funds have been decimated by the Great Recession, forcing a record 26 states to borrow a total of more than $30 billion from the federal government. The numbers are expected to grow to 40 states borrowing $90 billion by 2012, said George Wentworth, policy analyst at the National Employment Law Project.

"States are going to be facing higher unemployment tax rates for some period of time," Wentworth said."


Well, we got hit by that one this year too. In late December we got a letter for the state of Virgina letting us know that our unemployment tax rate, which we pay as part of OUR payroll tax contribution for every employee, was going up about 2.5x.

The letter stated that the states unemployment fun is running dry, and a substantial increase was needed to maintain the health of the fund. Most people probably think the Federal Government pays for most of those benefits, but the majority actually come out of state unemployment pools funded by businesses through a payroll tax, and when the Feds do mandate unemployment benefit extensions they are actually authorizing Federal loans to the state pools that have to be paid back in the future.

So this increase translated into a $6,800 annual increase in our state unemployment tax contribution this year. Even more problematic is that the state front loads this tax assessment every year, meaning instead of paying equal installments of the tax throughout the year, they front load the entire amount across the first 4 months of annual payrolls, so we have to fully fund this tax in our payrolls between January and April. We run two payrolls a month, so for the first 8 payrolls this year we have to pay an extra $850 each time in additional unemployment taxes. Imagine if the Fed estimated your total annual withholding tax, and then took it all out of your paycheck over just 4 months. Ouch.

Anyway, I totally understand that things are tough and a lot of folks are out of work and need these extended benefits, but just remember who's really paying those bills...

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Funimation's May 2010 Releases - Now Available for Pre-Order!

Funimation has sent out their May 2010 schedule and we've got it posted to the site! Dragonball Z Kai and FMA Brotherhood included!

Here's what's now available for pre-order:

Air TV Series Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (S.A.V.E. Version)
Air Gear Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-25 + Spec Ep) (Viridian Collection)
CLAMP Movie Double Feature: Tsubasa Chronicles and xxxHOLic DVD (BLURAY)
Dragonball Z Kai Season 1 Part 1 DVD Boxed Set
Dragonball Z Kai Season 1 Part 1 DVD Boxed Set (BLURAY)
Dragon Ball Season 4 DVD Boxed Set (Uncut)
Dragon Ball Z Dragonbox DVD Set #3
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Part 1 DVD Boxed Set
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Part 1 DVD Boxed Set (BLURAY)
Initial D Third Stage, the Movie DVD
Initial D Fourth Stage, DVD Collection Part #1 Boxed Set
Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple Season #1 Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-26)
Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple Season #2 Part #2 DVD Boxed Set (Eps #40-52)
One Piece Season 2 Part 7 DVD Boxed Set (Uncut)
Rozen Maiden + Traumend Season 1 & 2 Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set
Shin-Chan (Crayon Shinchan) Season 1 DVD Collection (Eps #1-26)
Shin-Chan (Crayon Shinchan) Season 2 DVD Collection (Eps #27-51)
Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE Season 2 (Eps #27-52) Complete DVD Box Set (BLURAY)
Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE S 1&2+ Movie Complete Collection (Eps #1-52 + Movie) DVD Box Set (BLURAY)
Vandread Ultimate Edition Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (26 Eps + OVAs)
Xenosaga Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-12) (Viridian Collection)
XXXHolic TV Series Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Viridian Collection)

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

More Funi Reprices and Schedule Changes

Funimation sent over a notice this morning of yet more price changes plus one new cancelation. Here's what we've got:

Kyo Kara Maoh Season 1 Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #1-39) - $79.98 to $49.98 MSRP
Kyo Kara Maoh!, Season 2, Complete Collection DVD Boxed Set (Eps #40-78) - $79.98 to $49.98 MSRP

We've repriced both sets on the site accordingly down to $36.98 each. In addition to these price changes, Funi has also canceled one release to be rescheduled at a later date:

D.Gray-man Season #1 Part #2 DVD Boxed Set (Eps #14-26) (BLURAY) - CANCELED

Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Another Weather Alert!

OK, this is getting ridiculous. I have another weather alert to post today, as the National Weather Service is expecting another 10-20" of snow to fall on us today, overnight, and into tomorrow, with the storm moving in around noon today. The weather Gods say that we are only 9.4" from breaking the all time record set back in 1898 for Washington DC area snowfall (which I think was 54" total for the season), so this one should blow right through that record and it's only mid-February. This all on top of the 3 feet we just got over the weekend. I know you folks in places like Minnesota and upstate New York get this sort of snow every year, but this is just crazy snow for us. I think we got like 9" total inches all last year. Trust me, most Virginia's just freak out when something like this happens - it defiantly shows in the way they drive!

Anyway, it's supposed to start snowing around noon, so we're most likely going to work like crazy on orders up until around 1pm and then head out before things get too bad. Most likely we'll be closed again tomorrow as it's supposed to keep snowing until 6 or 7pm tomorrow night, and then we'll be back in Thursday after we dig out, though normal service might not resume until Friday. It all just depends on how bad the storm ends up being.

Just a heads up everyone. We'll do the absolute best we can, so keep those orders coming and we'll get them out to you as soon as humanly possible!

UPDATE #1: They have now reduced the snow forecast to just over a foot, and it looks like the heaviest is coming in over night and into tomorrow. Still enough to shut us down tomorrow, but not the major disaster that 20" would be, so the machine should be back up and humming first thing Thursday morning.

UPDATE #2: Jim Kosek in Baltimore freaking out over the weather here this past weekend:




UPDATE #3 (2/10 2PM): Well, we got hammered again. About 12" so far and 2-3" more expected before it moves out this evening. Looks like the worst is directly to our East were they have Blizzard conditions with 40mph winds and 4' drifts. Dulles airport is closed, and my sister (who works for UPS in Chantilly) says they closed the sorting facility there for the first time in 26 years and told everyone to stay home. Both FedEx and UPS send out bulletins this morning saying that all pickups and deliveries have been suspended today, and that no freight is moving in or out of the area because all the airports are closed. That retirement community in Del Boca Vista is looking better and better! -_^ We're off to shovel yet once again.

UPDATE #4 (2/10 5:15PM): We just finished shoveling - again. Winds are gusting 30-40mph and whatever we clear out is just filling back in with snow drifts, so this is what I'm thinking of the snow:



On second thought, I think I like this one better: -_^

Monday, February 08, 2010

Funimation Licenses Dragon Ball Z 'Kai'

Funimation's parent Navarre Corp announced last week during their shareholder conference call that Funi has licensed Dragon Ball Z Kai. Certainly no surprises there. DBZ Kai is not a new series and consists entirely of remastered material from the original DBZ series

Dragon Ball Z Kai is basically a hi-def, streamlined version of the DBZ series. Toei has been showing DBZ Kai episodes in Japan since last April. For DBZ Kai, Toei remastered the original DBZ footage in high definition, updated the opening and ending sequences, and re-recorded the vocal tracks using the original cast members. The footage was re-edited to conform more closely with the narrative flow of the DBZ manga. Some story arcs were completely eliminated and the 291 original episodes of DBZ have been reduced to around 100 eps for the Dragon Ball Z Kai version.

Thursday, February 04, 2010

Weather Alert!

We have been monitoring the huge snowstorm headed towards Virgina from the midwest for a couple of days now. So far initial reports have been revised several times from a couple of inches, to 6, to 12 last night, and now the national weather service has upgraded the storm again to a major storm warning predicting that we may have 16-24 inches of snow here in north western Virgina between Friday and Saturday. The Governor has even declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm.

Early indications were that the snow was not going to move in until late Friday afternoon, so up till now we've been planning to be open and filling orders Friday so we could get as many out as possible ahead of the storm, and then break mid-afternoon so everyone could get home before the stow starts. Now the forecast has changed and the snow may start moving in around mid-morning (9 or 10am). We're going to play this by ear, but if the heavy snow is going to begin mid-morning tomorrow, for safety reasons I'll most likely close the warehouse for the day and tell everyone to stay home.

So this is a heads up that tomorrow will be iffy for us and if you have an order you want to place before the weekend please try to get it in by 2pm (EST) today. That way we can get it processed and out the door prior to the big storm moving in. Otherwise there is a good chance we won't be able to get to it until Monday.

UPDATE #1 (7:00am, Feb 5th): The forecast has only gotten worse overnight for our area (20-24inches+ now) and the storm is almost on us, so we're closing up the warehouse today. All orders placed today and over the weekend will be processed on Monday after we've dug out. For everyone in our area, you've got a few more hour to stock up. Make sure you have plenty of food and water, and a way to heat the house if the utilities go out. Stay warm, stay safe.... and go Colts! :-)

UPDATE #2 (2:30pm, Feb 5th): It's been snowing since around 10am and we've got about 4 inches so far, but the real heavy stuff hasn't moved in yet. National Weather Service has upped the prediction again, now saying 20-30 inches, and 30+ inches in some areas. They say after dark we could start seeing a couple inches an hour through tomorrow morning. Might be the biggest winter storm around here in 30 years. It's enough snow to get me thinking about things that I don't usually think about, like our current warehouse was built in 2003 and the roof has never been tested against more than maybe 18 inches of snow at a time. Oh well, there is nothing I can do about it anyway. Guess we'll be finding a few things out over the next 48 hours. :-) Frankly, a little more AGW would be more than welcome right now.

UPDATE #3 (6:20 pm, Feb 6th): Well the snow finally stopped about half and hour ago. We've been working in shifts since about 7am this morning clearing the driveway and making a way to get the cars out, then clearing again after a few more inches fell. Phones, Cable, and Internet here at the house have been out since last night until a few minutes ago (phones and DSL anyway), and the electricity went off for a short time as well. So how much did we get? Looks like around 30-32" total. The berms of snow we make on each side of of the driveway digging out are taller than me in some places, and even though we've dug out and the guys in the development have plowed the street I doubt we can get out yet as the state road is still a foot deep in snow since the last low came though. I'm just glad it happened over the weekend, because of it has hit mid-week we would have been shut down for 2 or 3 days. I'll try to post some pictures later tonight.

UPDATE #4: A hard days work.








UPDATE #5 (8:00 pm, Feb 7th): Spent the day both digging out and posting some of the updates (new manga here and new figures here) that were delayed by the snow. We have a second batch of figures inbound but who knows when they will get through the snow to deliver them to us. We'll be open for business bright and early tomorrow and since they are calling for more snow to come in Tuesday and Wednesday our plan is to get as many orders filled as possible, so that's all we're going to work on tomorrow and then we'll see what happens. Anyway, a lot of work to do. Don't worry though, we'll get it done - it's what we do. :-)

Oh, and GO COLTS! UPDATE: Oh well....