Out Tomorrow

  A better week for releases this time, with the Manga's releases joined by a few from Beez, although the recent destruction of their storage facility in the London Riots could lead to some slippage, so take their dates with a pinch of salt.

Bleach Complete Series 6 Box Set (Manga)
Bleach Series 7 Part 1 (Manga)
Gundam 00 Season 1 Anime Legends (Beez)
The Girl Who Leapt Through Space vol 2 (Beez)
TO: 2001 Nights (Manga)
TO: 2001 Nights Blu-Ray (Manga)

Shaman King to Return

  Japanese manga periodical Jump X has revealed that it will be publishing a new Shaman King story in its November issue.  The story will be written and drawn by Shaman King creator Hiroyuki Takei and takes the form of a 44 page prequel story about lead character Yoh Asakura.  The new manga is apparently a precursor to an unspecified 'big project' due to commence in Spring.

Lineup Change for Scotland Loves Animation

  Scottish animated film festival Scotland Loves Animation has announced that the Madhouse anime film Recollection of a Certain Airship Pilot has been dropped from its lineup, citing circumstances outside of their and Japanese distributor TMS Entertainment's control.  However, the festival has had some better news too - announcing that Armoured Trooper Votoms: Pailsen Files will be shown at the Edinburgh leg of the festival.

The film is a prequel to the 1980's giant robot anime Armoured Trooper Votoms, and follows an experimental military unit sent on seemingly impossible missions.  The screening will also be accompanied by a Q&A with director and Votoms creator Ryousuke Takahashi and producer Shunsuke Oiji.  For further details check out the Scotland Loves Animation website.

Manga To Release Darker Than Black Sequel

  Manga have revealed that they have licensed Darker Than Black: Gemini of the Meteor, the 12-episode follow up to the already available Darker Than Black.  The new anime follows on from the events of the first series and follows Hei and Yin as they try to evade the Syndicate.  Manga are set to release the series on both Blu-Ray and DVD on 26th December.

Out Today

  Only a couple of releases today, but worth noting is the Blu-Ray release of the Daft Punk anime film Interstella 5555.  This kind of slipped under our radar but it's a welcome release of a truly unique anime film.

Birdy The Mighty Decode Part 2 (Manga)
Interstella 5555 Blu-Ray (EMI)
The Sacred Blacksmith Complete Collection (Manga)

Beckii Cruel Returns to Expo

  After performing at May's MCM London Expo, internet dancer turned pop star Beckii Cruel is to return to the event to perform her new single.  Beckii will appear both days and perform her single You Can't Kiss Me, as well as a medley of the internet dance routines that made her famous.  The event is due to take place at the ExCel Centre in London's docklands from the 28th to the 30th October.

Anime Allnighter Lineup Announced

  The Sci-Fi London Film Festival has announced details of their 'Oktoberfest', including the films which will be shown at the Anime Allnighter.  This time the Anime Allnighter is moving from its traditional home in the Apollo West End cinema to the Odeon Cinema in Camden Town, but the lineup of films is pretty strong to make up for the less central location.

The films being shown are Trigun: Badlands Rumble, Eden of the East: Paradise Lost, Welcome to the Space Show, Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade and Tekken: Blood Vengeance.  We are especially pleased to see the Trigun film on the lineup as well as the superbly animated Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, a film which very rarely gets a cinema screening.

The Anime Allnighter is due to be held on Saturday 8th October from 11.30pm, finishing approximately 9am on the following Sunday morning.  Tickets cost £32, for more information visit the Oktoberfest Website.

Kanon X Kanon to Play London Gig

  Japanese music duo Kanon X Kanon are set to play a rare UK gig this November at the O2 Academy in Islington, London!  Kanon X Kanon is a side project of An Cafe bassist Kanon and singer and cellist Kanon Wakeshima, who returns to he UK after her appearance at this year's Hyper Japan event in Kensington.  The duo are best known for performing the theme tune for the anime series Shiki, whilst Kanon Wakeshima also performed the end themes for both Vampire Knight and Vampire Knight Guilty as a solo artist.

The gig is due to take place on Friday 14th November with tickets priced at £24 each, check out the venue listings here for more info.

AmeCon 2012 Registration to Open This Month

  AmeCon, one of the UK's biggest anime conventions, has announced that it will open registrations for next year's event on 25th September.  The event will be held from the 10th to the 12th of August 2012 at Keele University in Staffordshire, with tickets costing £47.50 for the full weekend.  Despite having 1350 places, AmeCon registration usually fills up quickly so keep an eye on their website for further updates.

First Anime Guest Announced for Expo

  The MCM London Expo has announced their first anime guest will be leading US voice actor Vic Mignogna.  Mignogna is a highly prolific actor best known for is roles as Edward Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Zero Kiryu in Vampire Knight, as well as roles in Dragonball Kai and Bleach.  More Expo news as and when we get it.

Out Tomorrow

 Another quiet release day for anime tomorrow, with just two titles hitting the shelves:

Beyblade Metal Fusion vol 1 & 2 (Abbey Home Media)
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Part 5 (Manga)

MVM License Welcome to the NHK

  MVM have been a bit quiet of late when it comes to anime releases, focusing instead on their growing roster of live-action Asian cinema.  However, staying true to their promise at the MCM London Expo that some more anime was on the way, MVM have now revealed that they have licensed Welcome to the NHK.  The series was previously licensed in the UK by ADV Films, but only one DVD volume was released here before the company collapsed.  The story focuses on a paranoid teenager who has become a 'hikikomori', someone who shuts themselves in their room in fear of a massive conspiracy, and the girl who is trying to 'rescue' him.  The blackly comic series was quite acclaimed, and it's great to see that MVM have rescued it from limbo.  The series is slated for a January 2012 release, here's hoping MVM get some more of ADV's back catalogue titles!

Live Action Golgo 13 Rights Snapped Up

  Davis Film, the production company behind the live-action Resident Evil, Silent Hill and Crying Freeman films, has announced that it has acquired the film rights to Golgo 13.  Takao Saito's manga series focuses on the titular top assassin and his various missions and battles, clocking up a whopping 43 years of serialisation in the process.  During this time it has had various spin-offs, dedicated magazines and anime projects, as well as two previous live-action films - the second of which, starring the legendary Shinichi 'Sonny' Chiba, is available in the UK on DVD.

No news has been announced of any concrete plans for a new film, but the license news is a good indicator that one could be on the way!

Optimum Becoming StudioCanal

  The UK distributor Optimum Releasing has announced that it has changed its name to StudioCanal, effective from this month.  StudioCanal is the name of Optimum's French parent company and the change is being made to unite themselves and their British and German subsidiaries under a single European brand.