Alainmendez

You can now really let your friends know that you have "The Power to Revolutionize the World" as a set of Revolutionary Girl Utena stamps are now being offered at messenger app LINE for 200yen, $2 or 100 Line coins. The digital set features Utena Tenjou, Anthy Himemiya, Akio Ohtori, Juri Arisugawa, Touga Kiryuu, Miki Kaoru, Kyouichi Saionj and Chu-Chu as they appeared in the art of Chiho Saito, who illustrated the BePapas-written manga.

via Natalie

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Scott Green is editor and reporter for anime and manga at geek entertainment site Ain't It Cool News. Follow him on Twitter at @aicnanime.

Artist: Haepo Heidi

After having watched the famous bodybuilding documentary Pumping Iron (1977) featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno, I think that bodybuilding might not be such a bad premise for an anime or manga series.

The reason I came to this conclusion is that there is an important performative aspect to bodybuilding competitions, and I could see this being depicted in a manner similar to a series such as Ariyoshi Kyouko’s Swan, which is about ballet, or Miuchi Suzue’s acting-themed Glass Mask. The way that both the appearance of the body and the way that posing factors in as a way to highlight one’s strengths and obscure one’s weaknesses can provide ample material to dramatize matches and for an exposition-type character (e.g. Speedwagon in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Ryousuke in Initial D) to go into some extremely granular detail: “His arm is at 47 degrees instead of 44 degrees, causing it to look slightly bigger than it actually is!!!”

I think the real meat of a bodybuilding competition manga would be the freestyle pose-off, where bodybuilders try to make themselves look better and the other guys look worse by changing their poses in response to what the others are doing. There’s the psychology between the competitors and the psychology of how the judges are perceiving the interaction between them, and so it would perhaps be a nice way for a strategist type to psyche his opponents out. When Akagi with Muscles makes his opponent feel smaller, this could even be represented in the art by having a guy suddenly shrink down to half his actual size.

And if you want them to look freakishly muscular, just get Baki the Grappler artist Itagaki Keisuke to work his magic.

Extra points if this were a shoujo manga.

VIZ Media has announced an agreement that has made the anime and manga distributor the North American master merchandise licensee for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. The company VIZ Media will oversee the licensing and development of a comprehensive range of products based on the long running cult series. The first of these new products are scheduled to be released later this year.

They also announced that, following its recently complete digital release, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 1 - Phantom Blood, Vol. 1 will debut in print on February 24Th.

 
Released in print in English for the  first time,  Phantom Blood will be published under VIZ Media’s Shonen Jump Advanced imprint in a deluxe hardcover edition featuring color pages and fresh cover art. The series is rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens and will carry an MSRP of $19.99 U.S. / $22.99 CAN. Part 2 - Battle Tendency is scheduled to debut in the Fall 2015.

 
A digital version of JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE: PART 1 - PHANTOM BLOOD Vols. 1-3 is available now for $10.99 each (US/CAN) across all platforms serviced by VIZManga.com and the VIZ Manga App. The free VIZ Manga App continues to be the top application for reading digital manga and features a massive library of the most popular series in the world. The digital edition is be similarly available on digital storefronts for the Kindle, iBooks, GooglePlay, Kobo, ComiXology, and Nook.

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Scott Green is editor and reporter for anime and manga at geek entertainment site Ain't It Cool News. Follow him on Twitter at @aicnanime.

After polling 2,360 workers from around Japan, bookstore/media retailer Honya Club has announced their annual clerks picks list of manga for readers to try in the new year. Printed in the new issue of Nikkei Entertainment magazine, the list selects from manga that have published published five volume or less by the end of November 2014. 

Selections include

1. The Ancient Magus' Bride by Kore Yamazaki - set to be published in North America by Seven Seas

2. My Hero Academia - by Kohei Horikoshi - included in Viz's Weekly Shonen Jump

3. Mr. Nietzsche in the Convenience Store by Koma Matsu and Hashimoto

4. Tanaka is Always Languid by Nozomi Uda

4. Orange by Ichigo Takano - Read now on Crunchyroll Manga!

6. Re: Life by Sou Yayoi

7. Handa-kun by Satsuki Yoshino

8. Heroic Legend of Arslan by Hiromu Arakawa, based on novel by Yoshiki Tanaka -  on Crunchyroll and published by Kodansha

9. Kasane by Daruma Matsuura

10. Amaama to Inazuma by Gido Amagakure

11. Takadaike no Hitobito by Kozueko Morimoto

12. Hatarakanai Futari by Satoru Yoshida

13. Kiss Him, Not Me by Junko - available on Crunchyroll manga

14. Hinomaru-Zumou by Kawada

15. Dagashi Kashi by  Kotoyama

2014's list included

1. Sakamoto desu ga? by Nami Sano
2. Ajin by Gamon Sakurai
3. Food Wars - Shokugeki no Soma by Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki
4. The Seven Deadly Sins by Nakaba Suzuki
After the death of the king due to the Holy Knights, Princess Elizabeth calls together the legendary warriors, The Seven Deadly Sins.
5. One-Punch Man by ONE and Yuusuke Murata
6. Horimiya by HERO and Daisuke Hagiwara
7. Honey by Amu Meguro
8. Kuu Neru Futari Sumu Futari by Kinoko Higurashi
9. Hibi Chocho by Suu Morishita
10.Wakako Sake by Chie Shinkyu
11. Bungo Stray Dogs by Kafka Asagiri and Haruka 35
12. DAYS and Tsuyoshi Yasuda
13. Yugami-kun ni ha Tomodachi ga Inai by Jun Sakura
14. P and JK by Maki Miyoshi
15. Someday I will be Breakfasting at Tiffany's by Hirochi Maki

via Natalie

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Scott Green is editor and reporter for anime and manga at geek entertainment site Ain't It Cool News. Follow him on Twitter at @aicnanime.

Part of the allure of tabletop gaming is its physicality - being surrounded by friends and playing with tangible, physical tools. But that doesn't mean you can't use technology to make your gaming sessions a little easier, like this awesome projected map set up by Redditor Silverlight.

Read more...

Persona 5 director Katsura Hashino says one of the early questions in development was how a phantom thief might influence society.

Read Persona 5 Depicts How A Phantom Thief Might Influence Society on Siliconera!

Persona Team producer and director Katsura Hashino discusses the Persona 5 trailer and the characters we saw.

Read Persona 5 Producer Shares A Few Thoughts On The Trailer And Characters on Siliconera!

The official Twitter account for the Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches anime project, which is based on Miki Yoshikawa's supernatural/romantic comedy manga, has announced that all of the AR (after recording) works by the voice cast for the upcoming TV anime episodes are already finished, two months before its scheduled premiere in April. The account also posted an image of the cover of the AR script for the last 12th episode with autographs by the cast.

2月14日『山田くんと7人の魔女』のイベントはＴＶのアフレコ秘話とか飛び出すかもね。ＡＲ収録全話数終わったし！（柴Ｐ）会場は阿佐ヶ谷ロフトhttp://t.co/o96WiNvrLV　 #山田くんと７人の魔女　#やまじょ pic.twitter.com/C9iI9CtX9X

— アニメ『山田くんと７人の魔女』公式 (@yamajo_anime) February 3, 2015

The Liden Films-produced TV anime is scheduled to premiere on Tokyo MX, Yomiuri TV, TV Aichi,

TVQ Kyushu Housou, TV Hokkaido and TV Nishi Nippon in this April. 

Latest PV

Main voice cast:

Ryu Yamada: Ryota Ousaka

Urara Shiraishi: Saori Hayami

Toranosuke Miyamura: Toshiki Masuda

Miyabi Ito: Maaya Uchida

Kentaro Tsubaki: Toshiharu Sasaki

Nene Odagiri: Eri Kitamura

Ushio Igarashi: Daisuke Ono

Meiko Ohtsuka: Yui Makino

Maria Sarushima: Yuki Takao

Noa Takigawa: Yuuki Aoi

Rika Saionji: Masumi Tazawa

Shinichi Tamaki: Shinnosuke Tachibana

Haruma Yamazaki: Jun Fukuyama

Mikoto Asuka: Kana Hanazawa

Hideaki Tsurukawa: Tomokazu Sugita

Mitsuru Kameda: Yuuki Ono

Main staff:

Director: Seiki Takuno (Love Live!, Buddy Complex episode director)

Assistant director: Fumiaki Usui

Series composition/script: Michiko Yokote (Love Stage!!, Girl Friend BETA)

Character design/chief animation director: Eriko Iida (Horizon on the Middle of Nowhere II, Love Live!

          episode animation director)

Sound director: Yota Tsuruoka

Music: Masaru Yokoyama (Nobunaga the Fool, Lord Marksman and Vanadis)

Anime production Liden Films (Miss Monochrome: The Animation, Terraformars)

Production: 2014 "Yamajo" Production committee

Anime key visual

Source: "Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches" anime official Twitter

© Miki Yoshikawa, Kodansha/2014 "Yamajo" Production committee

Unlike Good Smile Company, Vertex does not give you a 3x3 grid of colored squares and ask you to divine the figure being teased. This one's clearly Yukari Takeba from Persona 3. I'd recognize that pink cardigan and bow anywhere!

I honestly wasn't thrilled about their Mitsuru Kirijou figure, which had a nice sculpt but was horrific to assemble. With a simpler setup, this one might turn out very well though. The only thing I know for sure is that her skirt will be incredibly short. Watch out for this one at WonFes!

[ via Vertex Blog ]

animetoday:

Pre-order Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin Volume 1 Collector’s Edition today!

To check out all the amazing extras visit: http://www.rightstuf.com/i/bcxa0981

They are here! Preorders for the first Gundam THE ORIGIN OVA are here!! And look at all them extras! Oooh!

In each scenario, Edea will talk to two Asterisk Holders and listen to their dispute. Depending on which one you side with, you'll get access to one's Job and one's story.

Read Bravely Second Will Have You Decide Between Jobs And Story on Siliconera!

Following the Discotek title news, even bigger news from the licensor as it has entered into a partnership with Crunchyroll to release select titles from its library on home video starting later this year. These releases will be sub-only and DVD-only. Below is the official announcement followed by the slate of titles

Crunchyroll Inc. and Discotek Media will be working together to bring some of your favorite anime series to home video this year. The initial titles will be Free! -Iwatobi Swim Club, Recently My Sister is Unusual, Galilei Donna, Arpeggio of Blue Steel, and Strike the Blood. All series will be available subtitled on DVD later this year. Further details will be announced at a later date.

Discotek on the possibility of an English dub for Free! S1: "There may be an English dubbed version released in the future after this subtitled edition is out. No details yet on the possible dubbed version or who will release it yet."

Humberto Saabedra is the Owner of AnimeNews.biz, Editor-in-Chief of PhoneNews.com and a part-time recording engineer. He can also be found musing on things (and Nico Robin) at @AnimeNewsdotbiz

Licensor Discotek Media previously teased that it would announce some new titles last month annd it did not disappoint, announcing 9 new titles and a new crowdfunding idea.

Night Warriors: Darkstalkers Revenge OVA Complete Series Japanese language with English subtitles/English dub	Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust DVD/BD Further details TBA
Night On The Galactic Railroad DVD planned this year, later on Blu Ray. Japanese with English subtitles and English dub	Street Fighter II: The Movie Release Details TBA
Street Fighter USA Network Series	Robot Carnival Japanese language with English subtitles and English dub.
Earl and Fairy Earl and Fairy Complete series Japanese language, English subtitles	Shining Tears X Wind Japanese language, English subtitles
HiScool SeHa Girls

Discotek also announced that it was considering a new crowdfunding idea for titles that would be difficult to make money on as standard releases with a model similar to the AnimeSols initiative:

Humberto Saabedra is the Owner of AnimeNews.biz, Editor-in-Chief of PhoneNews.com and a part-time recording engineer. He can also be found musing on things (and Nico Robin) at @AnimeNewsdotbiz

Watch Atlus' Persona livestream here.

Read Check Out Atlus’ Massive Persona Stream Here on Siliconera!

The second trailer for the third Persona 3 movie, releasing on the fourth day of the fourth month.

Read See More Of Persona 3 the Movie # 3: Falling Down In A New Trailer on Siliconera!

It has been confirmed that a TV anime adaptation of Cucuri's mystery game app for Android/iOS, Vampire Holmes, is in the works for an April 2015 premiere. The game started servie on November 13, 2014. While no details has been revealed, the company has launched the official Twitter for the franchise to release the latest information including the voice cast and on-air dates. The first chapter of the game is now available for free.

The game features a character named Holmes in London, but against his name, he is a private detective

who dose not reason, or not even explain mysteries. However, he always solves the cases requested. He

secretly undertakes a mission from the Metropolitan Police of London to search vampires.

Source: "Vampire Holmes" official website via Animate. TV

© Cucuri

As reported, Pat Metheny Group's "Last Train Home" is featured as the ED song for the ongoing TV anime JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders - Battle in Egypt. The song was originally included in the jazz fusion band's 1987 album "Still Life (Talking)," which won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance in the following year.

In addition to the digital single of the song released on January 17, the JoJo anime visual will be also featured on the Japanese edition CD jacket of the band's upcoming first best album "Essential Collection -Last Train Home." The 12-song best album containing their hit songs such as "Last Train Home," "Have You Heard" and "Here To Stay" will be released in Japan on March 4. A B2-size poster featuring the TV anime key visual will be given to the purchasers till the stock lasts.

The best album "Essential Collection -Last Train Home" CD jacket

"Last Train Home" digital single image

Pat Metheny

via: BARKS

© Araki Hirohiko & LUCKY LAND COMMUNICATIONS/Shueisha, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure SC Production Committee

After a March 2009 crossover TV special, anime/manga's top criminal and crime solver met up in a 2013 Lupin The 3rd VS Detective Conan anime movie. This feature, which broke the box office record for Conan movies, is now streaming on Hulu courtesy of TMS Ent. 

Let's settle this once and for all! Finally the time has come for the best showdown of our two heroes, Lupin and Conan! A big diamond has been stolen by the Magic Kid and he has managed to run off with it even under extremely tight security.

 via @wtk

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Scott Green is editor and reporter for anime and manga at geek entertainment site Ain't It Cool News. Follow him on Twitter at @aicnanime.

A demo for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Shooters is on display at Taipei Game Show, but you don't have to travel to Taiwan to try the game out. There's a PS4 demo available on Japan's PlayStation Store.

Read You Can Try JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Shooters Right Now on Siliconera!

The 1.0.2 version for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U just went live in Japan.

Read Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Update Adds 15 New 8-Player Stages on Siliconera!

The Yamada-kun to Nana-nin no Majo/Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches anime franchise, which is based on Miki Yoshikawa's supernatural/romantic comedy manga, today launched its official YouTube channel and posted a 30-second teaser for the upcoming Liden Films-produced spring 2015 TV anime.

The song featured in the video is a new version of "ding!ging!dong!" performed by voice actress unit Choujyou Gensho Kenkyu-bu (Supernatural Studies Club), formed by Saori Hayami (Urara Shiraishi), Maaya Uchida (Miyabi Ito), and Eri Kitamura (Nene Odagiri). The original version was performed by a Nico Nico singer Erushi and used as the image song for the two-part OAD.

Latest PV

Main voice cast:

Ryu Yamada: Ryota Ousaka

Urara Shiraishi: Saori Hayami

Toranosuke Miyamura: Toshiki Masuda

Miyabi Ito: Maaya Uchida

Kentaro Tsubaki: Toshiharu Sasaki

Nene Odagiri: Eri Kitamura

Ushio Igarashi: Daisuke Ono

Meiko Ohtsuka: Yui Makino

Maria Sarushima: Yuki Takao

Noa Takigawa: Yuuki Aoi

Rika Saionji: Masumi Tazawa

Shinichi Tamaki: Shinnosuke Tachibana

Haruma Yamazaki: Jun Fukuyama

Mikoto Asuka: Kana Hanazawa

Hideaki Tsurukawa: Tomokazu Sugita

Mitsuru Kameda: Yuuki Ono

Main staff:

Director: Seiki Takuno (Love Live!, Buddy Complex episode director)

Assistant director: Fumiaki Usui

Series composition/script: Michiko Yokote (Love Stage!!, Girl Friend BETA)

Character design/chief animation director: Eriko Iida (Horizon on the Middle of Nowhere II, Love Live!

          episode animation director)

Sound director: Yota Tsuruoka

Music: Masaru Yokoyama (Nobunaga the Fool, Lord Marksman and Vanadis)

Anime production Liden Films (Miss Monochrome: The Animation, Terraformars)

Production: 2014 "Yamajo" Production committee

Anime key visual

Source: "Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches" anime official website

© Miki Yoshikawa, Kodansha/2014 "Yamajo" Production committee

Dark Horse Comics officially has the conclusion of one of the North America's longest-running manga series solicited with Blade of the Immortal Volume 31: Final Curtain officially planned for April 14. Beyond that, Amazon has the penultimate, 36th volume of Gantz listed for August, and the end of the region's longest-running series, Oh My Goddess!, coming with volume 48 in October.

 

Blade of the Immortal Volume 31: Final Curtain TPB

by Hiroaki Samura

A fiery, furious showdown!

The harrowing, bone-crunching finale! Disgraced Edo officer Habaki faces the devious Anotsu in a decisive showdown, while Manji, Rin, and only a few others witness the end of an era. Rin’s quest concludes with a violent bang—then things get weirder! Hiroaki Samura’s final volume overflows with heartbreak and bloodshed!

* The final volume in Samura’s long-running manga series!

Gantz Volume 36

 by Hiroya Oku

The mind-blowing Gantz epic nears its stunning conclusion! The tide of the alien war has turned in humanity's favor, and victory may be at hand. Gantz warriors aboard the orbiting alien mothership expect a desperate battle against the last alien defenders, but they couldn't expect to be given the answers to all their questions by the aliens themselves!

Hiroya Oku's Gantz is adult manga at its most challenging: violent, bizarre, erotic, and created with stunning craft and fierce imagination.

Oh My Goddess! Volume 48

by Kosuke Fujishima

Dark Horse also announced an omnibus of the acclaimed Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service.

Book One Omnibus collects the first two volumes of Eiji Otsuka and Housui Yamazaki’s story following five recently graduated university students that specialize in the deceased—and your body is their business! The quintet uses their special skills of channeling, dowsing, ESP, and more to help the dead move on to their next reincarnations.

The first in a series of omnibus editions for The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, this book features 640 pages for only $19.99. Each volume comes shrink-wrapped and carries an 18+ advisory.

via @ZERUDAH

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Scott Green is editor and reporter for anime and manga at geek entertainment site Ain't It Cool News. Follow him on Twitter at @aicnanime.

Fire Emblem: Awakening continues it's merchandising tie-in's with this deformed version of the game's protagonist, Chrom. This little guy is prepared to marry whoever you decide to have him chat up for hours on end. Part of the Nendoroid competition market, it's as close to a figure of Falchion's master we've seen in a while. Maybe we'll see the most popular characters of the game each in completely different lines (figma Lucina, Max Factory Tharja...).

The armor and sword (Falchion, sword of the immortals/heroes/beach bums) have a great sculpt, and focused detail, especially packed into the small form factor. The Chara-Forme line doesn't go for exact representation (if so, you wouldn't see feet on him...am I right?); but for an aim-for-the-cute toy, this has a surprising amount of character retention. That serious business face says it all for the alternate-Exalted Lord. He stands around 4 inches tall, and empty is claiming a May 2015 release. MSRP of ¥3,800, and you can start planning which abilities his children will have (hint, they'll be super-deformed). 

[Pre-Order Hobby Search | J-List | AmiAmi | Big In Japan | HLJ]

Okay. Let’s try this one more time, because I’m obviously not getting my point across. I don’t support neonazis. I don’t support any group whose ideas I disagree with, and I disagree with Nazism more profoundly than I disagree with any other group. They killed my family.

I’ve linked here, many times, to http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2008/12/why-defend-freedom-of-icky-speech.html — it’s a long blog essay on why I think the First Amendment is important, and why I’ve given a lot of my time and a lot of money over the last quarter of a century to defending freedom of speech. It comes down to the statement that:

The Law is a blunt instrument. It’s not a scalpel. It’s a club. If there is something you consider indefensible, and there is something you consider defensible, and the same laws can take them both out, you are going to find yourself defending the indefensible.

I’m not quite sure what you are using “support” to mean, here. Yes, I think they have to right to be alive, to think wrong, evil things, to not be imprisoned simply for their beliefs. If this is supporting them, then I support every group in the world, including many who would, if they achieved power, want me killed or imprisoned.

I believe people have the right to think and say the wrong things. (And I believe that marching peacefully is a form of speech.) I believe our remedy for that should be to argue with them or to ignore them or to march against them. We have the right and the ability to mock them, to vilify them, to speak out against them, to expose them or to cut them out of our lives.

I believe that you, whoever you are, as a human being, have the absolute right to think things that I find offensive, stupid, preposterous or dangerous, and that you have the right to speak, write, or distribute these things, and that I do not have the right to kill you, maim you, hurt you, or take away your liberty or property because I find your ideas threatening or insulting or downright disgusting. You might will think some of my ideas are pretty vile too.

I believe that if you give the state powers to limit free speech, there is no guarantee that you will find yourself on the right side of what speech is permitted. That laws used to clamp down on one set of political groups, religions or ideologies can also be used against others, ones you identify with, like and really do support. 

From where I stand, it’s the Nazis that burn the books, that burn the people. We’re better than that.

Launched last year, AnimeJapan was a new convention that combined the effort of the two existing business conventions, the Tokyo International Anime Fair (TAF) and Anime Contents Expo (ACE), with distance from the Tokyo government and the controversy around its Youth Healthy Development Ordinance. It returns to Tokyo Big Sight March 21-22 and a new visual brings together anime heroes dating back to the first televised series, with current favorites and even new ones.

Because the event brought together TAF and ACE, AnimeJapan bring together anime series for special goods. Last year, this included Madoka Magica x Rascal and Attack on Titan x Monogatari, and Girls und Panzer x KanColle x Strike Witches.

This year includes the likes of Fate/stay night x God Eater and Uta no Prince Sama x Monthly Girl Nozaki-kun. There's also a cosplay competition with KanColle and Kuroko's Basketball.

【AJプレゼン中継】オフィシャルグッズは伝統工芸とアニメのコラボグッズを販売！作品コラボ企画として「Fate/stay night」×「GOD EATER」や「うたのプリンスさまっ♪」×「月刊少女野崎くん」も #animejapan pic.twitter.com/cEFVpA8FWS

— AnimeJapan 2015 (@animejapan_aj) January 23, 2015

【AJプレゼン中継】2015はコスプレも充実！写真が撮影できる「艦これ」や「黒子のバスケ」の公式シチュエーションスペースや、コスプレを会場で楽しむことができるコスプレチャレンジ施策も！ #animejapan pic.twitter.com/dfEEbLNQRq

— AnimeJapan 2015 (@animejapan_aj) January 23, 2015

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Scott Green is editor and reporter for anime and manga at geek entertainment site Ain't It Cool News. Follow him on Twitter at @aicnanime.

MangaGamer have put up a survey asking fans what visual novels they’d like to see localized by the company.

Read Tell MangaGamer What Visual Novels You’d Like To See Localized on Siliconera!