Anime News
The Anime Network Removed from Comcast; Funimation Gains More Market Share
By Keiichi Morisato
I felt that it was about time I address this personally.
Funimation is a great company with some great titles but they’re starting to act like Microsoft by trying to monopolize a certain market. Recently, it was announced that the Anime Network would no longer be offered from Comcast and that the cable giant would be replacing The Anime Network with anime titles offered by Funimation through their catalog of licensed anime.
This is bad news for the anime industry in North America. With very few anime companies licensing and distributing anime in the United States, they are effectively eliminating various anime distributors with only Bandai Entertainment, USA, being the final major licensor of anime. Bandai Entertainment, USA, is associated with Bandai Visual, Japan and operates and distributes anime in North America.
While we applaud Funimation for their efforts in expanding the number of anime titles available for anime fans in the United States, we cannot support a monopoly of the industry where anime prices can be controlled by one company. They currently control a majority of anime in the United States as well as replacing an anime network that previously enjoyed a decent life on a cable network.
Anime News Site for Europe
By Keiichi Morisato
While most of the reporting that we do here is basically on North American anime licenses and releases, for those of you who are in the United Kingdom, if you’re not aware of it, there is a fan-based anime website that reports on anime releases and licenses for distribution in Europe. Just point your web browser to Anime News U.K. Decent website that deserves a look.
New Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Streaming on YouTube
By Keiichi Morisato
Recently, news has been coming forth about a newly produced anime episode from the hit series, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. This new episode, “Sasa no Ha Rhapsody” (“Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody”), was the first episode that did not air during the original 2006 run. Kadokawa has been streaming each episode in Japanese one week after its broadcast since last month.
You can catch the new episode here: Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Episode 08 (See Video)
New Urusei Yatsura Special Eyes Special Exhibition in Japan, December 23rd
By Keiichi Morisato
Apparently, the long-delayed new Urusei Yatsura special will see a special exhibition later this month in Japan. Check out the fresh details from the Anime News Network.
2009′s combined issue #2/3 of Shogakukan’s Weekly Shonen Sunday magazine has confirmed on Wednesday that the long-delayed new Urusei Yatsura anime special will premiere at the “It’s a Rumic World” exhibition on December 23 in Sendai, Japan. This will be the first anime spinoff from Rumiko Takahashi’s 1978-1987 slapstick comedy manga in 17 years, and it will be exclusively shown at this traveling display of Takahashi’s artwork. The exhibition began this past summer in Tokyo with brand-new Inuyasha and Ranma ½ anime specials, but the Urusei Yatsura special was not finished in time.
Voice actress Fumi Hirano reprises her role as Lum, an alien princess who came to invade Earth, but ends up “marrying” a lecherous Japanese boy in a comedy of errors. Hirano played the same role in 195 television episodes, one television special, six theatrical films, and 11 animated videos from 1981 to 1991. Hirano and Toshio Furukawa (Lum’s accidental mate Ataru) also voiced their roles in a separate opening animation clip for the ongoing exhibition; that crossover clip included the main characters from Urusei Yatsura, Ranma ½, and Inuyasha.
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