Wolf Children Tweet Along

From 7.30pm tonight Manga Entertainment will be holding a 'Tweet Along' for their recent release Wolf Children.  To participate all you need to do is to start watching the film at 7.30pm and send messages via twitter about it using the hashtag #wolfchildren.  Check out Manga's Twitter feed for more details!

Gold Pollen and Other Stories: Alternative Manga Coming Soon

Thursday 12th December sees the release of Gold Pollen and other stories, a collection of tales by Seiichi Hayashi aimed at an older audience.  Originally published in Japan between the late 60s and early 70s, the stories cover topics such as Japanese right-wing nationalism and the influence of American culture on the youth of the post-war period.  The manga combines the classic Japanese style with pop art, creating a unique look. 

This is the first volume in a series which explores manga the mid-60s to the mid-80s and, judging by the the effort of the colour reprinting and inclusion of essays on Hayashi, this volume should leave the reader desiring more. 

Anime Ltd Announce Gurren Lagann & Patema Inverted

Anime Ltd have announced the acquisition of the hit Studio Gainax mecha series Gurren Lagann and the intriguing fantasy adventure film Patema Inverted, with the former due for a Spring 2014 release and the latter to receive a limited cinema run in advance of a Blu-Ray and DVD release.  Gurren Lagann has been released in the UK before by Beez Entertainment, but has been unavailable since the company closed down a couple of years back.  However, Anime Ltd will be bringing the series to both Blu-Ray and DVD and have confirmed that the Blu-Ray release (which will be in two parts) will include both the two Gurren Lagann spin off films Childhood's End and The Lights in the Sky Are Stars and the OVA collections Gurren Lagann Parallel Works and Parallel Works 2.

Patema Inverted was confirmed for a UK release after a screening at the Scotland Loves Anime film festival, but the publisher was not revealed at the time.  Check out the trailers above for a glimpse of both titles!

Manga Reveal Q1 2014 Releases

Manga Entertainment have revealed their release schedule for the first three months of 2014, confirming dates for major titles like Dragon Ball GT and Evangelion 3.33: You Can (Not) Redo as well as recent licenses Eureka Seven AO and Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic.  Check out our release schedule for full details.

Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail Delayed

Manga Entertainment have revealed that the forthcoming release of Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail has been delayed until the 2nd December on both Blu-Ray and DVD.  No reason has been given for the delay as yet, but Manga are distributing the OVA collection on behalf of Kazé so it could be their decision to reschedule the title.

Hyper Japan Shop to Open in Camden

Hyper Japan, one of the biggest UK events focusing on Japanese culture, has revealed that it will be opening a shop in Camden's Stables Market.  The shop will sell a mix of imported Japanese goods and items from UK designers inspired by Japan, such as Genki Gear t-shirts.  Alongside the goods for sale the shop aims to be a meeting place for fans of Japanese culture, with seating available for people to read magazines bought in the shop and hang around with other customers.  The shop's opening date has yet to be revealed, but it will be at Stall 713 and will be open Wednesdays to Sundays between 11am and 6.30pm.  Keep an eye n the Hyper Japan website, Facebook and Twitter for more information.

Nom-Con Returns!

It's been quite a depressing time of late when it comes to conventions.  Fans in England have had to put up a double whammy of Ayacon running for the last time this year and Amecon being cancelled for 2014, but over the Irish Sea things are looking a bit more positive with the news that Irish convention Nom-Con will return next year!  As before the event will be held in Dublin's Ballsbridge Hotel, and will run from the 1st to the 3rd of August 2014.  Registrations have yet to open, but keep an eye on their website for further information.

Anime Ltd License Samurai Flamenco

After being somewhat left out at the MCM London Comic Con license-wise, Anime Limited have thrown their hat into the ring with the confirmation that they have licensed Samurai Flamenco.  The series is one of two currently streaming for free on Wakanim.co.uk, and follows a man who becomes a superhero without resorting to superpowers or technology.

Comic Con License News

Some quite decent license announcements were made at last weekend's MCM London Comic Con, with Manga Entertainment picking up four big titles whilst MVM announced no less than eleven!  Click on any of the titles below to view trailers.

Manga's big four were Evangelion 3.33: You Can (Not) Redo (due March 2014), Dragon Ball GT (Box Set 1 January 2014, Box Set 2 March 2014), Naruto Shippuden The Movie 4: The Lost Tower (February 2014) and Psycho-Pass (due 'hopefully' Spring 2014).  They also picked up the live action comedy film HK: Forbidden Super Hero, also known as Hentai Kamen.  The film follows the exploits of a pervert superhero and looked utterly bizarre!

MVM announced the acquisition of Girls Und Panzer, Senko no Night Raid, Infinite Stratos, Dusk Maiden of Amnesia, Btooom!, Campione!, Hakuoki (series 1-3 and OVAs), Familiar of Zero (Series 1-3) and From the New World, as well as Ikki Tousen: Great Guardians and Ikki Tousen Xtreme Xecutor.  All of these titles are set for release in 2014.

Perfect Blue Blu-Ray Delayed

Anime Limited have announced that their forthcoming Blu-Ray Collectors Edition release of the classic anime thriller Perfect Blue has been delayed until 18th November.  The delay is the second to affect the Perfect Blue release, and Anime Limited have revealed that the latest delay is due to issues with the packaging.  However, the DVD release date of 28th October is unchanged.

Patema Inverted Licensed for UK

The anime fantasy film Patema Inverted - winner of the Judges and Audience awards at this year's Scotland Loves Anime film festival - has been licensed for UK release.  The license was announced in a Q&A session following a screening of this film at the festival, but it has yet to be revealed who licensed it and when it may be released.

The film is a modern fantasy which follows a curious girl who lives in an underground world of tunnels and shafts, whose exploring causes her to fall into our world.  It looks as imaginative as you can expect from Time of Eve creator Yasuhiro Yoshiura, check out the Japanese trailer above!

Manga to Give Away K-On! Oyster Card Holders at MCM London Comic Con!

Manga Entertainment have uploaded a 'Journey to Comic Con' video flyer to their Youtube channel, featuring their reps Jerome, Andrew and Jeremy!  It's bizarre to say the least, but it does reveal that the company will be giving away free K-ON! The Movie Oyster Card Holders with purchases!  Oyster Cards can be charged with cash and be used to pay for journeys at slightly reduced prices on the public transport in London, including the London Underground, buses and Docklands Light Railway.  The holders are a UK exclusive and there will be limited numbers available so if you want one get to the Manga stall early!

Animax to Launch in the UK!

We're getting spoiled for choice when it comes to digital anime platforms in the UK, following hot on the heels of the revelation that Wakanim is coming to the UK, Sony Entertainment have announced that they will be bringing their anime channel Animax to the UK as a subscription-based, on-demand service!  Due to launch this Autumn, the channel will first hit our shores on its own website before a roll out to other devices.  Animax is already available in 17 countries worldwide, including Japan, the USA, Germany and Spain.

Few details have been revealed concerning the cost of the service, the date it will launch or the devices it will eventually be available on, but it has been revealed that an exclusive licensing deal with VIZ Media will see the likes of Death Note, Bleach, Vampire Night and Black Lagoon receive the UK premieres on the channel.  More details will no doubt be revealed at the MCM London Comic Con on 25th-27th October, where Animax are set to have a booth showing off the channel and offering competitions and activities.  More news when we get it.

MCM London Comic Con Guest News

It looks like the MCM London Comic Con is going all out anime-wise this year!  Alongside the usual UK anime distributors and game companies the event is set to feature numerous visitors from Japan and America, with the anime guest of honour being named as George Weda, Katsuhiko Kitada, Tetsuya Nakatake and Ryotaro Makihara from Studio WIT - the animators behind the hugely popular Attack on Titan and Hal.  Also confirmed are US voice actors Yuri Lowenthal, Tara Platt, Richard Epcar and Ellyn Stern, whilst Namco Bandai bring 'Tales of' producer Hideo Baba, Hiroshi Matsuyama (producer of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle), Kunio Hashimoto (producer of Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z) and Ryo Mito (producer of Saint Seiya: Brave Soldiers).

Elsewhere caard game specialists Chimera will be hosting a special area dedicated to the trading card games of Japanese company Bushiroad - Weiß Schwarz, Chaos and Victory Spark.  All three feature decks based on a wide variety of recognised anime franchises - Weiß Schwarz alone boasts 40 different anime and game licences ranging from Sword Art Online to The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - united by each game's own system.  The games throw up the bizarre possibility of battles between an Evangelion and Hatsune Miku, so should be a challenge for Konami's ever-popular Yu-Gi-Oh! booth!

A full preview feature will be going live this weekend, so keep your eyes open for it!

Cat Returns to be Screened on Film 4

Digital film channel Film4 have mentioned on Facebook that they will be screening the 2002 Studio Ghibli film The Cat Returns on Sunday 20th October at 2.45pm, and again at 2.25am on Tuesday 22nd October.  The first screening will be in English, whilst the late night showing will be in Japanese with English subtitles. 

For those who haven't seen The Cat Returns, take the time to do so.  It's a little lightweight but it's a fun, charming adventure story which is great all-round family entertainment.  Check out our review here.

New Digital Anime Service for the UK!

Anime Limited have announced a linkup with French digital media service Wakanim which will see their digital anime platform launched in the UK.  The site will simulcast the latest anime series for free (supported by adverts), but unlike subscription-based streaming websites such as Crunchyroll viewers will have the option of paying to rent or own each episode instead of paying to view the latest streams.  Rental will cost 69p per episode for 30 days and buying will cost £1.25 per episode, but unlike many paid downloads there's no Digital Rights Management (DRM), enabling you to view it on any device.

The first two series announced for the service are fantasy action series Kill la Kill and superhero series Samurai Flamenco, both of which will be streamed via Anime Ltd's website until the official Wakanim site is up and running later this month.  Kill la Kill is available to watch now, and Samurai Flamenco will be available from 10th October.

Leeds Anime Day Lineup Announced

The organisers of the Fanomenon Anime Day 2013 have announced the full lineup of films to be shown at the event, which will be held in the Leeds Town Hall on Sunday 17th November.  This year's lineup is particularly strong, with Makoto Shinkai's romantic drama Garden of Words, sci-fi fantasy Paterna Inverted, the latest parts of both the Evangelion and Steins;Gate franchises and the anime classic Akira all being shown.  Tickets for the event cost £25 (available here) and timings of the screenings are below:

11am - Garden of Words
1pm - Paterna Inverted
3pm - Steins;Gate: Fuka no Ryoiki no Deja Vu
5pm - Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo
7.30pm - Akira

Live Action Rurouni Kenshin in Cinemas

Warner Brothers have given the live action Rurouni Kenshin film a (very) limited cinema release, showing it in just 6 cinemas nationwide.  The film is based on Nobuhiro Watsuki's popular manga series about a wandering samurai in post-restoration Japan trying to atone for the sins of his past.  It has been made into an anime series and several anime films and OVAs in the past, but this is the first time it has been given a live-action outing.  It is showing in the following cinemas at the time of writing, so get in quick if you want to see it:

Cineworld Shaftesbury Avenue, London
Cineworld Enfield, London
Cineworld Cardiff
Cineworld Milton Keynes
Cineworld Sheffield
Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow

Anime Ltd License Garden of Words

Anime Ltd have been pretty busy since their launch earlier this year, picking up a number of intriguing titles and hinting at big plans for the future.  Following hot on the heels of their Blu-Ray release of Cowboy Bebop the company have acquired both the musical comedy Nerima Daikon Brothers and former Beez release Durarara!!, and now they have picked up the latest film from celebrated director Makoto Shinkai.  Garden of Words is Shinkai's latest film, it tells the story of an aspiring designer who encounters a mysterious woman in a park while skipping school, and the relationship that forms between them.  It was only released in Japan earlier this year, and is set too debut in the UK at the Scotland Loves Anime film festival before coming to DVD and Blu-Ray.  No release date has been confirmed as yet, but this is one we'll be keeping a close eye on.