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2011-05-27T10:44:00.001-07:00

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2011-05-27T08:14:00.001-07:00

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2011-05-13T23:12:00.001-07:00

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Gaia Online to judge the Masquerade at New York Comic Con/Anime Festival

2010-09-29T14:09:00.000-07:00

Halloween comes early this year! New York Comic Con’s annual Masquerade — a costume showcase that is part fashion show and part talent show — is happening Saturday, October 9th. Considered one of the top cosplay events of the year, entrants are sure to dazzle guests and judges alike. This will present an excellent opportunity to capture the top costumes and flair on exhibit at this year’s Con.

In a unique twist this year, virtual community Gaia Online will be a featured guest judge in the style of American Idol. For the first time ever at Comic Con the Gaia user base will be polled live via a web cast, and the results will have the weight of one judge on the panel. The entire Masquerade will be webcast live around the world on Gaiaonline.com with the option for members to vote for their favorites. Gaia staff members are also available at the event to explain costumes and characters if you are interested.

Gaia will be hosting a panel at Comic Con where fans will gather to learn about upcoming features, meet their Gaia mentors, dance and play games. The panel will be held Saturday, October 9th, 5:15pm — 6:15 pm in Panel Room 3 (1E13). Gaia Variety Hour will be held on Sunday, October 10th, 2:30pm — 3:30 pm in Panel Room 4 (1E14), where fans will enjoy fun, games, contests and random awesomeness. Please let me know if you’d like to attend Gaia’s panel so we can make sure to save space for you. We can also get you in touch with a Gaia user and costumed fans that would make for a great photo or video opp.

Gaia Online was created to satisfy a growing online anime fan community in 2003 – today it’s one of the most active social gaming communities, with more than 8 million unique visitors every month between the ages of 13 and 24. The site is consistently ranked in the top 5 for most time spent on any social media site (according to Hitwise). Gaia brings together the best of social media in an anime-based online community featuring comics, MMOG, social games and forums. Its users are artistic, often cosplay enthusiasts, and avid contributors to the site’s roleplaying, poetry and manga forums.

FUNimation Entertainment makes a deal with Shocker Toys.

2010-02-10T13:36:00.000-08:00

Flower Mound, TX – February 10, 2010 - FUNimation Entertainment today announced the signing of multi-year, national licensing agreements with toy manufacturer Shocker Toys LLP, now a toy licensee for several high-profile action-adventure anime properties including Soul Eater, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Dragon Ball Z and One Piece.

Shocker Toys has the rights to develop, manufacture, market and sell designer figures called “Mallows” based on characters from the four series. Mallows is a new toy line created by Shocker Toys and comprised of 5” marshmallow themed figures. The figures feature up to 10 points of movement and up to 7 interchangeable parts. Mallows are available themed or in blank, black or white, do-it-yourself versions.

Attendees of American International Toy Fair in New York City at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, February 14-17, can see like figures on display at the Shocker Toys booth (#4924) located in the new Action Figure aisle in the lower level of the Javits Center.

The company expects to begin production on the figures this year.

“We look forward to Shocker Toys bringing these series into the homes of fans and collectors in a fun, new way,” said Adam Zehner, Director of Licensing and Acquisitions at FUNimation Entertainment. “We can’t wait to see how our characters will be translated into the unique Mallow style.”

"We are very pleased to be working with Funimation to bring their great titles into a new Funimation series Mallow toy line for their dedicated fans,” said Geoff Beckett, CEO. "Our new Mallow collectibles will have great options for playing, trading or displaying and some new features that your other toys don’t have."

About Shocker Toys, LLP.
New Jersey based Shocker Toys, LLP current roster includes Indie Spotlight 6" scale independent comic book action figures, Who Wants to be a Superhero figures and 5" Mallows

For more product and licensing information visit the Company’s website: http://www.shockertoys.com

Anime Boston announces second round of guests

2010-02-08T00:42:00.000-08:00

BOSTON, Feb 1, 2010 – Anime Boston is pleased to announce its second round of guests. Voice actors Josh Grelle, Clarine Harp, Christopher Smith and J. Michael Tatum as well as artists Bob and Emily DeJesus will attend Anime Boston 2010, April 2-4th at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Mass.

A native Texan, Josh Grelle was raised on stage and in the art studios of Central Texas. He performed on stage at the Tin Building Theatre for over 15 years prior to starting work for ADV Films at the start of 2004. Since then he has worked for ADV Films (Seraphim) and FUNimation Entertainment on numerous projects.

Grelle is known for playing the outrageous Taishi in Comic Party: Revolution; Kyohei Takano in The Wallflower; Kenichi Shirahama in Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple; Ren Kannagi in Kaze No Stigma and Kyoushiro in Shattered Angels. He can also be seen as Chaos in Tsubasa Chronicles; Ox Ford in Soul Eater; G-6 and various villains in Gatchaman; Viscount Wolkins in Pumpkin Scissors; and Hammer in Xenosaga: The Animation. Josh was also recently involved in the much anticipated Halo: Legends project, playing the role of “Haka” in Production I.G.’s “The Duel”. Aside from theatre and the Anime Industry, Josh has also worked at Marvel Comics and other studios around the world.

Clarine Harp was first cast by FUNimation Entertainment in 2003 to give life to the character of Tweedledee in Kiddy Grade. Since then, Harp has been featured in a broad range of roles: Sei in Burst Angel, Sanae in Akira Kurosawa's Samurai 7, Ginza in Speed Grapher, Kaede in Negima, Miss Katz in Shin chan, Asagi in Witchblade and Laura in RIN ~Daughters of Mnemosyne~ .

Harp can also be heard in El Cazador de la Bruja, Claymore, Jyu-Oh-Sei, Trinity Blood, Beck, Romeo x Juliet, Kaze no Stigma, Yu Yu Hakusho, Spiral, Fullmetal Alchemist, Case Closed, Evangelion 1.0, Hell Girl, Bamboo Blade, Aquarion, Desert Punk, Origin - Spirits of the Past, Mushi-Shi, Suzuka, Ouran High School Host Club, Ghost Hunt, Peach Girl, Sgt. Frog, One Piece, Save Me! Lollipop, Baki the Grappler and The Galaxy Railways.

Out of the booth, Harp spends her time producing DVDs for FUNimation, tending to her horde of rabbits and proudly spreading the gospel of sock knitting. She is also the inspiration behind the character Aubrey, a regular cast member on the popular web comic, Something Positive.

Chris Smith indulges his inner child every time he goes to work. Since the age of six, mesmerized by Kimba the White Lion and Speed Racer, he’s dreamed of being the voice of cartoon characters. Starting as background characters in Robotech and Captain Harlock, Smith now voices Ishidate and Shuura in Naruto; Rose and Wonderwiess in Bleach; Kittan in Gurren Lagann; Puppetmaster in Solid State Society; Hanamoto in Honey and Clover; Beloqui in Flag and many more.

His voice has also appeared in video games such as Street Fighter 4, World of Warcraft, Command & Conquer, Mortal Kombat, Samurai Warriors, Final Fantasy: Dissidia, Tales of Symphonia 2, Starcraft 2, Vandal Hearts 2, Lunia and many more.

J. Michael Tatum was nurtured on anime classics from the tender age of Star Blazers to become a voice actor/writer/ADR Director for FUNimation. Cast by sheer fluke as the warmhearted yet tormented Rikichi in 2005’s Samurai 7, Tatum’s inexplicable luck held long enough to see his flag hoisted on a slew of dream roles, most notably Kyoya Otori in the hit English language dub of Ouran High School Host Club. Other characters Tatum has voiced include: Doumeki in XXXHolic, Jiro Mochizuki in Black Blood Brothers, Isaac Dian in Baccano! God Eneru in the One Piece, Komui Lee in D-Gray Man, Dororo in Sgt. Frog, the titular loveable savage of Heroic Age, Lawrence in Spice & Wolf, and Scar in Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

Reaching beyond voice acting, Tatum branched out to voice director and adaptive screenwriting in 2007. His directing credits to date include Aquarion, Jyu-oh-Sei, Romeo X Juliet, Big Windup, and Rin, while his writing credits include substantial work on both Ouran High School Host Club, Heroic Age and Blassreiter.

Emily DeJesus is a writer, editor, story creator and manager of Studio Capsule. Robert and Emily met at a convention called Anime Central and haven't been apart since that day. Emily has always enjoyed manga and anime, but never thought it could be her job. Emily has worked with Robert for over 7 years now. She helps write the web comic "How to Loathe Drawing in the Manga Style" and has just finished writing her first children's book. She enjoys the business side of working for Studio Capsule very much and is grateful that she has an opportunity to work in the manga/comics business.

Robert DeJesus is a writer, story creator, illustrator, storyboard artist and character designer for Studio Capsule. Robert is no stranger to the anime and manga community. An Indiana born, self-taught artist, who got his first art career break when he sent an eight page short story to comic publisher, Antarctic Press in February of 1990. He has drawn manga inspired art for well over 19 years and has been published nearly all over the world. He has worked for many companies like Playstation Magazine, Marvel, Hasbro, and recently with Harper Collins Publishing.

Previous guest announcements included voice actors Christopher Ayres, Greg Ayres and indstury guest Tom Wayland.

FUNimation Entertainment Announces U.S. Broadcast Debut of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

2010-02-05T14:22:00.000-08:00

Flower Mound, TX – February 5, 2010 – The Elric brothers are back! FUNimation® Entertainment announced today that the mega-hit “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood”, a fantasy action-adventure series, will debut on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim on Saturday, February 13. The series will air at 12:00 a.m. ET/PT each Saturday.

The blockbuster anime series “Fullmetal Alchemist” by the acclaimed Japanese studio Bones introduced Alphonse and Edward Elric and the followup film “Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa” ended the series but many fans wished to see the story continue.

“Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood” faithfully recreates the story first told in the classic manga by Hiromu Arakawa and featured in Square Enix’s Monthly Shonen Gangan magazine. Set in a fictional world where alchemy – the transmutation of raw materials into objects – is science and the way of life, the series follows the Elric brothers, Edward and Alphonse, on their perilous journey in search of the legendary Philosopher's Stone. They set forth in the hope that the magical artifact can restore their bodies after a failed attempt to revive their dead mother cost Edward's left leg and right arm, as well as Alphonse's entire body, leaving his soul affixed to a suit of armor. In “Brotherhood” the brothers will risk what remains to restore what was lost.

Acquired from Japanese producer and distributor Aniplex, the English-dubbed series is produced by Mike McFarland and directed by McFarland and Caitlin Glass. McFarland also directed “Fullmetal Alchemist.”

Reprising their roles from the first series are Vic Mignogna as Edward Elric, Caitlin Glass as Winry Rockbell, Travis Willingham as Roy Mustang, Laura Bailey as Lust, Sony Strait as Maes Hughes, and Mike McFarland as Jean Havoc.

Actor Maxey Whitehead is taking on the role of Alphonse Elric.

Originally Al in “Fullmetal Alchemist,” Aaron Dismuke will be featured in another role later in the series.

Episodic Descriptions for February airdates:

Episode 01 – Fullmetal Alchemist, premieres February 13

The Elric brothers adjust to military life and take part in a manhunt for the dangerous Isaac the Freezer, a former State Alchemist bent on bringing Fuhrer Bradley down.

Episode 02 – The First Day, premieres February 20

A glimpse into the past reveals the pain and desperation that drove the Elric boys to break alchemy’s greatest taboo – human transmutation – and their reasons for becoming dogs of the military.

Episode 03 – City of Heresy, premieres February 27

Science and faith collide when the Elrics confront Father Cornello. He claims to work miracles, but the brothers suspect he is abusing a Philosopher’s Stone to manipulate his flock.

Funimation Entertainment will release “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood” Part One on DVD and Blu-ray on May 25. For more information about Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, please visit www.fullmetalalchemist.com

FUNimation Entertainment Acquires Axis Powers Hetalia

2010-01-09T01:09:00.000-08:00

Flower Mound, Texas (January 08, 2010) - FUNimation® Entertainment today announced that it has acquired home entertainment, broadcast, merchandise, and digital rights to the 52 episode comedy anime series “Axis Powers Hetalia” from Media Factory, Inc.

Based on the popular web comic and manga series created by Hidekaz Himayura, the anime is directed by Bob Shirohata (“Gravitation” among others).

About Axis Powers Hetalia
The world is on the cusp of war and Italy, a pasta-loving energetic young soldier, is stuck in the middle of it! Join Italy and all of your favorite countries as they re-live the past. Cute, crass, colorful and funny, this series is world history like you’ve never seen it before!

For more information about the series, please visit http://www.funimation.com/hetalia.

FUNimation Entertainment will release the series on DVD in two parts starting in late 2010.

FUNimation Entertainment Acquires The Sacred Blacksmith

2010-01-09T01:08:00.001-08:00

Flower Mound, Texas (January 08, 2010) - FUNimation® Entertainment today announced that it has acquired home entertainment, broadcast, merchandise, and digital rights to the 12 episode action anime series “The Sacred Blacksmith” from Media Factory.

Based on the popular Japanese light novel series by Isao Miura, the anime is directed by super star director Masamitsu Hidaka (“Pokemon” series and movies, “Linebarrels of Iron”).

About The Sacred Blacksmith
Cecily Campbell is making her family proud. She is taking up the family business by becoming the newest Knight Guard of the Independent Trade City of Housman. The only problem is that she is not very good at her new job. Fortunately for her, Luke, the sacred blacksmith, is on her side. Luke has the power to forge powerful swords capable of defeating the demons that plague the land.

For more information about the series, please visit http://www.funimation.com/sacredblacksmith .

FUNimation Entertainment will release the entire series on DVD in one set in Fall 2010.

ANIPLEX'S SO-RA-NO-WO-TO COMING TO CRUNCHYROLL

2010-01-08T08:37:00.000-08:00

San Francisco, CA and Tokyo, Japan (January 8, 2009) ‹ Crunchyroll and Aniplex announced today the addition of SO-RA-NO-WO-TO to Crunchyroll's Winter 2010 Anime Lineup. Developed and animated in-house by Aniplex's subsidiary studio, A-1 Pictures, SO-RA-NO-WO-TO is directed by rising star Mamoru Kanbe and features voice-acting newcomer Juri Aikawa in the lead role of Kanata Sorami. More information can be found at http://www.crunchyroll.com/soranowoto.

For many years, Aniplex has had one of the keenest senses of what will be successful in the entire Japanese animation business, states Crunchyroll Vice President of Licensing, Rob Pereyda, with SO-RA-NO-WO-TO, we first congratulate them on their achievement and then look forward to its highly anticipated release on Crunchyroll.

With the commencement of Aniplex, A-1 Pictures, and TV Tokyo's ANIME-NO-CHIKARA (The Power of Anime) project aimed at cultivating original animation, we are pleased to present SO-RA-NO-WO-TO as its inaugural series, states Hideki Goto, Executive Vice President at Aniplex. We are excited that Crunchyroll can be a part of this historic event.

SO-RA-NO-WO-TO will be available in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland, in standard definition free of charge to all visitors of Crunchyroll's website and across the Crunchyroll network one week after airing in Japan. Crunchyroll's Anime Members and All-Access Members will receive early access to the program in 480P within one hour after its Japanese airing.

SO-RA-NO-WO-TO joins hundreds of other Japanese anime and Chinese and Korean live-action drama series in one of the largest English-subtitled streaming collections of officially-licensed East Asian content in the world.

All fans can enjoy all content on the site for free, but Crunchyroll Anime Members benefits include higher quality streams of all shows (in some cases at 720p High Definition Video) with no advertisement and early access to all simulcast shows as early as one (1) hour after its Japan Broadcast. Crunchyroll Anime Membership costs as little as $5 a month and goes directly towards supporting Japan Animation companies. More information, including a two week free trial membership can be found at http://www.crunchyroll.com/freetrial

STARCHILD AND CRUNCHYROLL ANNOUNCE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED HANAMARU KINDERGARTEN

2010-01-07T15:33:00.000-08:00

Seiji Mizushima's Adaptation of Yuto's Manga Series Coming to Crunchyroll starting January 10th

San Francisco, CA and Tokyo, Japan (January 7, 2009) ‹ Crunchyroll and StarChild announces today the addition of HANAMARU KINDERGARTEN to Crunchyroll's Winter 2010 Anime Lineup. Adapted from the hit manga series created by Yuto and published by Square Enix's YOUNG GANGAN, HANAMARU KINDERGARTEN comes to life via the legendary anime studio GAINAX and critically acclaimed anime director Seiji Mizushima. Voice talent includes a lead cast of of fan favorites Ayahi Takagi, Kei Shindou, and Mako in the roles of Hiiragi, Anzu and Koume. More information can be found at http://www.crunchyroll.com/hanamaru.

This title is a dream for Crunchyroll to have, states Crunchyroll Vice President of Licensing, Rob Pereyda, with one of the foremost anime studios in all of Japan in GAINAX and the hottest anime director in Seiji Mizushima, anime fans around the world are in for a real treat.

HANAMARU KINDERGARTEN will be available in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom in standard definition free of charge to all visitors of Crunchyroll's website and across the Crunchyroll network one week after airing in Japan. Crunchyroll's Anime Members and All-Access Members will receive early access to the program in 480P within one hour after its Japanese airing.

HANAMARU KINDERGARTEN joins hundreds of other Japanese anime and Chinese and Korean live-action drama series in one of the largest English-subtitled streaming collections of officially-licensed East Asian content in the world.

All fans can enjoy all content on the site for free, but Crunchyroll Anime Members benefits include higher quality streams of all shows (in some cases at 720p High Definition Video) with no advertisement and early access to all simulcast shows as early as one (1) hour after its Japan Broadcast. Crunchyroll Anime Membership costs as little as $5 a month and goes directly towards supporting Japan Animation companies. More information, including a two week free trial membership can be found at http://www.crunchyroll.com/freetrial.

FUNimation Entertainment Acquires Master of Martial Hearts

2010-01-07T13:06:00.000-08:00

Flower Mound, Texas (January 7, 2010) - FUNimation® Entertainment today announced that it has acquired home entertainment, merchandise, and digital rights to the five episode action anime series “Master of Martial Hearts” from Shochiku Co., Ltd.

Known as “Zettai Shougeki ~Platonic Heart~” in its native Japan, “Master of Martial Hearts” is based on the video game of the same name. The anime is directed by Yoshitaka Fujimoto (“Girl’s High”).

About Master of Martial Hearts

Schoolgirl Aya Iseshima is in over her head. Because of unfortunate circumstances, she finds herself as a registered fighter in a royal tournament. It is not all bad news though. The tournament’s grand prize is the sacred Platonic Heart, a jewel that grants one wish for the girl who possesses it. Now Aya must fight her way to the top to win her special wish.

For more information about the series, please visit http://www.funimation.com/martialhearts .

FUNimation Entertainment will release the entire series in one DVD set in Spring 2011.

About FUNimation Entertainment

FUNimation® Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation, is the leading company for Japanese animation in the United States. FUNimation is known for acquiring top-rated anime series from Japan and for being the market share leader for home video sales of anime in the United States. The company has a proven formula for launching and advancing brands, and manages a full spectrum of rights for most of its brands including broadcasting, licensing, production, internet, and home video sales and distribution.

FUNIMATION ENTERTAINMENT ACQUIRES “JYUSHIN ENBU HERO TALES” FROM MEDIA FACTORY

2010-01-07T13:04:00.000-08:00

Flower Mound, Texas (January 07, 2009) - FUNimation® Entertainment today announced that it has acquired home entertainment, broadcast, merchandise, and digital rights to the 26 episode action anime series “Jyushin Enbu Hero Tales” Media Factory, Inc.

“Jyushin Enbu Hero Tales” is directed by Osamu Sekita (“Mobile Suit Gundam”). The anime was originally released as a manga written and drawn by Hiromu Arakawa (“Fullmetal Alchemist” TV series) in 2007.

About Jyushin Enbu Hero Tales

Prophesied as the reincarnation of a powerful star, Taitou is unaware of the immense power he welds. After a mysterious man steals a legendary sword, the young man sets out on a journey to recover the weapon. Joined by his two friends, Taitou searches not only for the missing relic, but also for his true destiny.

For more information about the series, please visit http://www.funimation.com/herotales .

FUNimation Entertainment will release the series on DVD in half season sets in Fall 2010.

About FUNimation Entertainment

FUNimation® Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation, is the leading company for Japanese animation in the United States. FUNimation is known for acquiring top-rated anime series from Japan and for being the market share leader for home video sales of anime in the United States. The company has a proven formula for launching and advancing brands, and manages a full spectrum of rights for most of its brands including broadcasting, licensing, production, internet, and home video sales and distribution.

CRUNCHYROLL AND ANIPLEX BRING SOME DURARARA!! ACTION

2010-01-06T12:53:00.000-08:00

Baccano! Creator Ryohgo Narita's Next Big Hit Coming to Crunchyroll Starting January 8th

San Francisco, CA and Tokyo, Japan (January 6, 2009) ‹ Crunchyroll and Aniplex announced today the addition of DURARARA!! to Crunchyroll's Winter 2010 Anime Lineup. Based on characters created by Ryohgo Narita (Baccano!) and featuring original character designs by Suzuhito Yasuda (Kamisama Kazoku, Yozakura Quartet), DURARARA!! is animated by the perrenial hit-maker Brains Base. Series features the voice of Toshiyuki Toyonaga in the lead role of Mikado Ryugamine. More information can be found at http://www.crunchyroll.com/durarara.

DURARARA!! is the most anticipated new anime title of the winter season, states Crunchyroll Vice President of Licensing, Rob Pereyda, we are extremely honored that Aniplex is working with Crunchyroll to bring this superb series to anime fans.

DURARARA!! will be available in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland, in standard definition free of charge to all visitors of Crunchyroll's website and across the Crunchyroll network one week after airing in Japan. Crunchyroll's Anime Members and All-Access Members will receive early access to the program in 480P within one hour after its Japanese airing every Saturday JST.

DURARARA!! joins hundreds of other Japanese anime and Chinese and Korean live-action drama series in one of the largest English-subtitled streaming collections of officially-licensed East Asian content in the world.

The 2010 Roll-Out Riot, Day 3 - FUNimation Entertainment Acquires FLCL

2010-01-06T12:12:00.000-08:00

Flower Mound, Texas (January 6, 2010) - FUNimation® Entertainment today announced that it has acquired home entertainment and digital rights to the six OVA sci-fi comedy anime series “FLCL” from Production I.G.

“FLCL” is the hugely popular OVA series from powerhouse partners Production I.G. (“The Ghosts in the Shell,” “Tsubasa”), Gainax (“Evangelion” series), and Starchild (“The Slayers” movies). It is directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki.

ABOUT FLCL

Bored with his mundane middle school life, Naota longed for a change from his daily grind. However his life completely changes after a pink haired stranger on a Vespa runs him over. Weird things happen when he is around the mysterious girl known as Haruko. Now not only must Naota deal with regular teenage troubles, but also with this new enigmatic woman.

FUNimation Entertainment will release all six OVA’S on one DVD set and on Blu-ray disc in late 2010.

About FUNimation Entertainment

FUNimation Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation, is the leading company for Japanese animation in the United States. FUNimation is known for acquiring top-rated anime series from Japan and for being the market share leader for home video sales of anime in the United States. The company has a proven formula for launching and advancing brands, and manages a full spectrum of rights for most of its brands including broadcasting, licensing, production, internet, and home video sales and distribution.

FUNIMATION ENTERTAINMENT ACQUIRES “ROBOGEISHA” FROM T.O. ENTERTAINMENT

2010-01-05T12:30:00.001-08:00

Flower Mound, Texas (January 5, 2010) - FUNimation® Entertainment today announced that it has acquired home video, broadcast and digital rights to the live-action splatter comedy “RoboGeisha ” from T.O. Entertainment.

Produced by RoboGeisha Film Partners (T.O Entertainment, Inc., Pony Canyon, Inc., Movie Gate Co., Ltd., Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.), “RoboGeisha” was released in Japanese theatres in October 2009. Written and directed by Noboru Iguchi (“Machine Girl”), “RoboGeisha” stars Aya Kiguchi, Hitomi Hasegawa, Takumi Saito, Naoto Takenaka, Matsuo Suzuki, Etsuko Ikuta and Asami Kumakiri.

About RoboGeisha

Yoshie is the younger sister and attendant of a geisha . One day, the sisters are invited to a dinner party by a customer, the son of the president of Kageno Iron Corporation. They are kidnapped and then trained to be assassins by the company president. Yoshie, who shows promise as an assassin, then begins to doubt the motives of the group.

For more information about the series, please visit http://www.funimation.com/robogeisha

ABOUT T.O. ENTERTAINMENT
Since its inception in 2003, T.O. Entertainment has maintained a very internationally oriented focus, with branch offices located in South Korea, the United Kingdom, and Singapore. The company has introduced multiple anime series (“Straight Jacket”, “Polyphonica”, etc) and full-length films (“King Of Tokyo”, “EggMan”, “RoboGeisha”, etc) with the goal of introducing Japanese entertainment to the rest of the world.

FUNIMATION ENTERTAINMENT ACQUIRES “KAMUI GAIDEN” FROM SHOCHIKU

2010-01-05T12:28:00.000-08:00

Flower Mound, Texas (January 5, 2010) - FUNimation® Entertainment today announced that it has acquired home video, broadcast and theatrical rights to the live-action dramatic epic “Kamui ” from Shochiku Co., Ltd.

Produced by Shochiku Co. Ltd., Japan’s leading studio, “Kamui“ was released as “Kamui Gaiden” in September 2009 in Japan. An adaptation of Sanpei Shirato’s 1965 manga series of the same name, the movie is directed by Japanese Academy Award winner Yoichi Sai (“Chi to Hone”), written by Kankuro Kudo (“Ping Pong”) and stars Kenichi Matsuyama (“Detroit Metal City”, “Death Note”).

About Kamui Gaiden

It is 17th century Japan and Kamui is a Fugitive Ninja on the run. He despises the lethal laws of the Ninja where he must use his skills to kill others, and is in search for true freedom. However, he is now hunted by his fellow ninjas as they must eliminate him for his betrayal. In order to live, he must constantly fight for his life and distrust others. An incident brings him to a fisherman's family, where he finally starts to open up to other people. Meanwhile, those hunting him are setting their trap.

For more information about the series, please visit http://www.funimation.com/kamui.

About Shochiku
Founded in 1895, Shochiku has established itself as a leading entertainment firm. Shochiku produces, distributes, and exhibits motion pictures as well as TV programs and has also become a symbol of enduring tradition as the exclusive promoter of kabuki theater in Japan. Recent movie productions include "Departures", which was awarded for 81st Academy Award as Best Foreign Language Film. Shochiku's animation lineup includes "VEXILLE", "Summer Days with Coo", "Sketchbook", "Le Chevalier D'Eon", "Sengoku Basara" and more.

FUNimation Entertainment To Distribute Select Titles From Famed Shaw Brothers Film Library

2010-01-04T14:38:00.000-08:00

Flower Mound, TX – January 4, 2010 – FUNimation® Entertainment announced today that it now has U.S. home video distribution rights to 15 live action films from Celestial Filmed Entertainment, Inc.®’s expansive film collection featuring films by those known as “the Kung Fu masters”: the Shaw Brothers

Hong Kong-based Celestial Pictures has the world’s largest Chinese-language film collection including 760 films produced from the 1950s to the 1990s by the Shaw Brothers Studio founded by Sir Run Run Shaw and Runme Shaw in 1958.

Until Celestial Pictures began digitally restoring the films from their original negatives in 2002, few titles from the Shaw Brothers film archive had previously appeared since their original cinema release.

The Shaw films represent all genres, including kung fu, action, social satire, situation comedies, historical epics, horror and suspense, among others.

FUNimation will release “Sword of Swords”, “The Duel”, “The Lady Hermit” , “The 14 Amazons”, “Shaolin Hand Lock”, “Invincible Shaolin”, “Soul of the Sword”, “Life Gamble”, “Shaolin Rescuers”, “Shaolin Prince”, “Bastard Swordsman”, “Opium and The Kung Fu Master”, “The Supreme Swordsman”, “Return of Bastard Swordsman” and “Hong Kong Godfather”.

Watch the trailer to "The Hong Kong Connection" right here:

FUNimation Entertainment is bringing these films to DVD in 2010 and 2011.

About Celestial Pictures

In the year 2000, Celestial Pictures was established to acquire the Shaw Brothers film library. At present, Celestial Pictures is involved in the production of new movies and television programming (primarily in the Chinese, Korean, Indian and Bahasa languages). With its unique film library, distribution capability, and new productions, Celestial Pictures is already one of Asia's leading motion pictures studios. Celestial Pictures also manages the first global Chinese movie channel aimed at Chinese audiences and Chinese movie lovers across the globe. Other TV channels are also being developed.

About FUNimation Entertainment

FUNimation® Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation, is the leading company for Japanese animation in the United States. FUNimation is known for acquiring top-rated anime series from Japan and for being the market share leader for home video sales of anime in the United States. The company has a proven formula for launching and advancing brands, and manages a full spectrum of rights for most of its brands including broadcasting, licensing, production, internet, and home video sales and distribution.

APPLIYA ANNOUNCES A PARTNERSHIP WITH FUNIMATION ENTERTAINMENT TO BRING ANIME APPS TO THE iPHONE AND iPOD TOUCH

2010-01-04T09:58:00.000-08:00

Tokyo, Japan, January 1, 2009 - Appliya Inc., a leading Japanese iPhone app publisher, is proud to announce a partnership with FUNimation Entertainment to create iPhone and iPod Touch apps for anime fans across North America. The first app in the series is Fullmetal Alchemist: State Alchemy Exam, which is now available exclusively on the iTunes App Store.

The State Alchemy Exam app features 130 questions that quiz your knowledge of physics, chemistry, and the events and characters of the original Fullmetal Alchemist TV series—one of the world’s most popular anime. Being an anime expert won't be enough to master this challenge; you'll need good knowledge of the fundamentals of science to earn the prestigious title of Alchemy Sage.

Fullmetal Alchemist: State Alchemy Exam
Application for: iPhone, iPod Touch
Price: $1.99

App Features:

· Beautiful art taken directly from the series, including rarely seen concept art
· Each exam question has a time limit, so players will have to think fast
· 12 reward wallpapers specially designed for the iPhone and iPod Touch
· Unlock certificates to mark your progress, and earn the title of “State Alchemist”
· Social networking features that let you post your best scores and achievements to compete with other players for bragging rights, or share your progress with friends on Facebook or Twitter
· More questions will be added via updates to give players new challenges

FUNimation and Appliya are planning many more exciting app releases for anime fans, including a Fullmetal Alchemist action game, apps based on the hilarious antics of comedy anime Shin chan, and apps featuring the highly popular Afro Samurai anime series, which aired exclusively on North American cable network Spike TV, featured the voice of Samuel L. Jackson, and was ranked as the best-selling North American anime DVD of 2007.

CHU-BRA COMING TO CRUNCHYROLL COURTESY OF STARCHILD

2010-01-04T09:47:00.000-08:00

Adaptation of Yumi Nakata's Manga Series Coming to Crunchyroll Starting January 4th

San Francisco, CA and Tokyo, Japan (January 4, 2009) ‹ Crunchyroll and StarChild announced today the addition of CHU-BRA!! to Crunchyroll's Winter 2010 Anime Lineup. Adapted from the oft-talked about manga series created by Yumi Nakata and published in Futabasha's COMIC HIGH! and animated by ZEXCS, CHU-BRA!! features Minako Kotobuki, Minori Chihara, and Sayuri Yahagi in the lead roles of Yako, Nayu, and Haruka. More information can be found at http://www.crunchyroll.com/chubra.

CHU-BRA!! continues our long-lasting relationship with StarChild and looks to fit well into one of Crunchyroll's audience segments, the moe fan, said Rob Pereyda, Crunchyroll's Vice President of Licensing. We anticipate its success.

CHU-BRA!! will be available in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom in standard definition free of charge to all visitors of Crunchyroll's website and across the Crunchyroll network one week after airing in Japan. Crunchyroll's Anime Members and All-Access Members will receive early access to the program in 480P within one hour after its Japanese airing.

CHU-BRA!! joins hundreds of other Japanese anime and Chinese and Korean live-action drama series in one of the largest English-subtitled streaming collections of officially-licensed East Asian content in the world.

Sony's Chatmonchy to perform at SXSW 2010

2009-12-21T09:12:00.000-08:00

Successfully performing at the "Nippon Budokan" after their smash hit album "Seimeiryoku", Chatmonchy has already became one of the symbol of the Japanese rock scene.

And now, the band had just announced their appearance at the SXSW 2010, one of the biggest US music festival/showcase!

Chatmonchy are three girls from Japan who rock. Playing raw, energy-infused melodic rock music, Eriko (guitar and vocal), Akiko (bass), and Kumiko (drums) have been making a buzz all across Japan since their 2005 major label debut. Now, with their latest Oricon chart-topping album "Kokuhaku" (Confession), they're ready to infect North American fans with their catchy take on girl-rock power.

Chatmonchy-whose name means absolutely nothing!-burst onto the scene without any label backing in 2004, quickly catching the ear of Sony Music Japan. The next year, Sony's Ki/oon Records released their debut EP, "chatmonchy has come," and the band set off on their first nation-wide tour of Japan in 2006.

Inspiring fans with their feistiness and fire, Chatmonchy released their first full-length album, "Miminari" (Ear Ringing), in July of the same year. The album garnered a Top 10 spot on the national Oricon chart, and the girls were invited to perform at Japan's most important summer festivals, including Summer Sonic, Rock In Japan Festival and the Nano-Mugen Festival.

After the success of their summer festival dates, Eriko, Akiko, and Kumiko did a national tour in the Fall of 2006, then headed back to the studio to finish "Seimeiryoku" (Life Force), the album they had started writing the year before. The album, released in late 2007, hit #2 on the Oricon charts, and Chatmonchy played sold-out shows all around Japan -including a two-night solo concert at the Budokan in the Spring of 2008.

Following the first album, the rock-power girl trio released 4 singles that reached the Oricon Top 10, three that hit the Top 20, and 4 DVDs including music videos and passionate live performance footage. In addition, the single, "Dai Dai," was featured as the theme song on the anime series, "Bleach"- their first step toward connecting to a world-wide audience.

The next step, after adding another couple of DVDs to their catalogue on the home-front, is an attendance at the 2010 SXSW Music Conference. This will be Chatmonchy's first North American live performance, and the beginning of the next important chapter for these accomplished musicians-these three girls from Japan who rock.

Eriko Hashimoto: guitar and vocal

Akiko Fukuoka: bass

Kumiko Takahashi: drums

*And also check out their brand new Facebook & MySpace websites!

www.facebook.com/chatmonchy
www.myspace.com/chatmonchy

Kinokuniya To Send A Fan To Japan!

2009-12-10T09:53:00.000-08:00

Kinokuniya Bookstore (1073 Ave of the Americas) has got one heck of a holiday gift for you. From now until December 19th, Kinokuniya Bookstore and American Airlines are raffling off one trip from anywhere in the continental USA to Tokyo. How do you enter? Just visit Kinokuniya Bookstore in Bryant Park to sign up.

The winner will be revealed at 5 PM on the 19th as part of the Kinokuniya and Samurai Beat Radio "J-Pop Christmas." Beginning at 1 PM on the 19th, Samurai Beat Radio will be playing a selection of the top-rated J-Pop songs as picked by Tokyo FM. Fans will be able to vote for their favorites, with their picks broadcast on samuraibeatradio.com. And, as I just said, the J-Pop Christmas will come to a close with the drawing of the free trip to Tokyo as well as a number of other prizes.

And, when you hit up Kinokuniya, be sure to check out their Domo Christmas Tree. Oh yes, I said Domo Christmas Tree. Curious? Well, now you gotta go to Kinokuniya to get a glimpse for yourself!

FUNimation Hires Director of Original Entertainment

2009-11-23T11:50:00.001-08:00

Flower Mound, Texas - November 23, 2009 - FUNimation Entertainment has appointed animation industry executive Chris Moujaes to the position of Director of Original Entertainment.

Chris comes to FUNimation with extensive experience in developing international co-productions, managing overseas animation production teams and creating and marketing original entertainment properties. Most recently, Moujaes was with the Austin, Texas-based animation studio Boomstar Inc., where he was President and Chief Creative Officer.

Under FUNimation’s important new co-production initiative, Moujaes will focus his efforts on the acquisition and development of a slate of original anime titles based on major intellectual properties.

Moujaes is a native of Beaumont, Texas, and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor’s degree in Radio-Television-Film. He found his niche in animation and storytelling early on as an independent producer specializing in property development for AOL Kids and as President of branding agency, Spoonbend. Later, Moujaes co-founded Boomstar to negotiate international television co-productions and to provide animation services through Boomstar’s studio facilities in the United States and India.

Moujaes begins his role at FUNimation immediately.

FUNimation Entertainment Acquires Tetsuwan Birdy Decode

2009-11-23T11:49:00.002-08:00

Flower Mound, TX (November 21, 2009) – FUNimation® Entertainment today announced that it has acquired home entertainment, broadcast and digital rights to the 26 episode sci-fi action anime series “Testuwan Birdy Decode” from Aniplex.

Based on the manga and four episode OVA series, the anime is directed by Kazuki Akane (“Escaflowne: The Movie” and “Heat Guy J”) and animated by A-1 Pictures Inc. (“Big Windup!” among others).

FUNimation Entertainment Acquires Sekirei

2009-11-23T11:49:00.001-08:00

Flower Mound, TX (November 21, 2009) – FUNimation® Entertainment today announced that it has acquired home entertainment, broadcast and digital rights to the 12 episode action anime series “Sekirei” from Aniplex.

Based on the manga of the same name only available in Japan, the anime is directed by Keizou Kusakawa.

FUNimation Entertainment Acquires Full Metal Panic! and Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu

2009-11-23T11:48:00.000-08:00

Flower Mound, TX (November 21, 2009) – FUNimation® Entertainment today announced that it has acquired home entertainment, broadcast, digital and merchandise rights to the 24 episode sci-fi action anime series “Full Metal Panic!” and the 12 episode “Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu” sequel from Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.

“Full Metal Panic!” is based on a series of novels by Gatoh Shoji. The first season of the series covers the first 3 novels, while the sequel, “Fumoffu,” covers various of the short stories. FUNimation has previously releases the third season, Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid.

FUNimation to stream the first four episodes of Soul Eater

2009-11-12T10:00:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow at 11:00 am CST, FUNimation will stream the first four English track episodes of the anime series Soul Eater at http://www.funimation.com/video.

Here are the episode summaries for 1-4:

Episode 01 – Resonance of the Soul – Will Soul Eater Become a Death Scythe?

With 99 evil souls consumed, Soul just needs to defeat a witch to become a Death Scythe. He and Maka make their move against Blair – but a pointy hat doesn’t always mean witch!

Episode 02 – I Am the Star! The Big Man is Showing Up Here?

A mobster and his goons are gunning for a witch, and Black☆Star and Tsubaki want the souls of all involved. Their plan runs into trouble when the witch’s bodyguard draws his sword.

Episode 03 – The Perfect Boy – Death the Kid’s Magnificent Mission?

Death the Kid, Patty, and Liz travel to the desert to battle a witch who’s raising the dead. If a horde of mummies doesn’t stop them, Kid’s freaky symmetry obsession might.

Episode 04 – Engage the Witch Hunter! A Remedial Lesson in the Graveyard?

It’s a graveyard rumble when Maka, Soul, Black☆Star, and Tsubaki take on Sid. He used to be a respected teacher at the Academy, but now he’s a zombie – and he’s actively recruiting for the undead!

About Soul Eater

Unapologetically surreal and action-packed, Soul Eater is the tale of living weapons who team with human masters to hunt evil souls. Only after these dark forces are consumed can these partners hope to join the ranks of the famed Death Scythes.

Maka and her weapon, Soul, are among the new students at a university run by Death himself. As they learn the ways of collecting souls, this fresh class of reapers must work together to keep witches, werewolves, and zombies from unleashing evil upon the world.

FUNimation Entertainment will release the series in four half-season sets beginning in early 2010.

The Fan's POV: Zenkaikon 2009 - TL:DR Blog

2009-11-12T08:25:00.000-08:00

Here's the Reader's Digest version of Zenkaikon blog

-6.5 out of 10 Rating
-Needs to find a bigger space to hold the convention
-After the dust settles, Zenkaikon will be looking for a bigger space (couldn't tell us where yet)
-Zenkaikon believes that over 2000 attended the convention including press and staff (About 500% increase from their first convention)
-Staff didn't except the turnout to be this big.
-Saturday day badges were sold out by 12pm Saturday.
-Congoers purchased Sunday passes, when Saturday sold out.
-Plenty of events and panels were there, but none that interested me right away.
-Dealer's Room and Artist Alley need to combine to make an epic Dealer's Alley
-Musician's Artist Alley was an awesome idea
-WHERE THE HELL WAS EVERYTHING?
-Perfect place for a beginning cosplayer to perfect their craft.
-Parking was awesome and the fountain was pretty.
-Johnny Yong Bosch and Trina Nishimura were both Asian and awesome for giving us interviews.
-HOLY CRAP, CON FOOD WAS LOGICALLY PRICED! (Take that, Los Angeles Convention Center!)

Katsucon 16 announces US guests

2009-11-10T21:57:00.000-08:00

Katsucon is very pleased to be able to announce the following Domestic Guests for Katsucon 16:

Greg Ayres
Christopher Ayres
Steve Bennett
Michael Sinterniklaas
Steve Yun
Newton Ewell
Jo Chen
Robert V Aldrich
DJ ASU

The Fan's POV: Zenkaikon 2009

2009-11-10T17:36:00.000-08:00

There is a TL:DR section on the next blog

Hey guys, what up? It's Ernie Layug with "The Fan's POV", coming to you form the home of Bam Margera and about 30 minutes west of the city of Brotherly Love. It's Zenkaikon 2009 from the King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. Now, if we did a main show from there that would have been the opening line. However, we decided not to tape a main show. This was the first convention, where we could attend as a regular congoer, instead of a press person. So in other words, I attended a convention as a person who wanted to get in for free and not do anything. I went to the convention along with Jon Ingoglia and Krissy Lawlor, as Out-of-Time Productions. Jon Ingoglia talked about his convention experience (If you had strong feelings about the con, then I would recommend reading this one) and Convention Fans (The Good and The Bad Blog). We're gonna try to be fair and look at the good and the bad of the convention and provide our advice

First Impressions
My first impression of the convention was a "This-is-it?" type of reaction. I knew the convention was small, but I didn't realize that it was this small. The line outside was pretty long to begin with and had a decent amount of people in it. When you entered the hotel, there were even more people waiting to get their badges. Right away, I knew that this was going to be a very long day for everyone involved. We got our badges and decided to scout the area to see where everything is, we had a hard enough time trying to figure out where the panel rooms were and where the main events and dealers' room were located. We went up to the second floor, which was deserted but had sufficient room to move around in a comfortable matter. After seeing the second floor, we went back outside to see the line. It was about 9am and the line grew a little bit more.

The Registration Line
Upon entering the convention, Jon parked his car and we saw this one big line that we thought we had to stand in. If we were going to, we knew that it was going to be a long wait. However since we were press, we were able to pick up our badges at the "Special Needs" station. Actually when we went inside, I asked one of the staffers about where we can pick up our press. One of the security guards knew who we were and escort us to the station. Yes, someone has actually heard of us. Upon arrival to the registration area (which was a VERY small area), I noticed there were only FOUR (Yes, only 4) tables set up for registration pick up. To be fair, all the stations accommodated both pre-reg and at-the-door badges. However, each of the table had their own special needs, one table was strictly dealers' room and artist alley reg, another one was press, staff, and professional, then the other two were specific for pre-reg and at-the-door. Our badge pick up was pretty fast, but I can't really compare to that the others that were waiting 3 hours outside.

As far as the line outside goes, it was got bad at around 11am-ish where the line extended into the parking lot and around some cars. When we arrived at 9am, the line was one whole line that included both pre-reg and at-the-door. By 11am, the line was split into two. At one point, the lines blend itself together and become one line again. The line got so long that the hotel had to add barricades with caution tape to make sure the line didn't cross over into the hotel parking lot where no car could have gone through. As a sympathy factor for the cosplayers, Krissy and I took pictures of them knowing that most of them were not going to get in and that's exactly what happened. About half the line did not go to Zenkaikon on Day 1, but were able to purchase passes for Day 2. The line finally calmed down at around 3pm-ish.

I would recommend definitely a system where you send out badges for those who pre-reg before a certain date. I know for a couple of conventions that do this to help with controlling the line situation and not a lot of people would be waiting with a their pointer up the nose. If those people pre-reg after the mail date, then they wait on line for a little bit and had special admittance at 9am. Those who want to buy them at-the-door would have to wait til either 10am or 11am to purchase them, that way you can squeeze out the pre-reg before the rush of the "at-the-door" people come in.

Layout
If there was one HUGE downside to this convention, it was definitely the layout. The first floor had the bulk of the convention. The main room on the first floor was the restaurant area where you can relax and on both sides of the restaurant were hallways accessible to different areas of the convention. The main events, dealers' room and artist alley in one side and the other side had Panel rooms 1 and 2, along with video rooms and open gaming. Then, there was a second floor where they had Con Operations, the Guest Lounge, the Musician's Artist Alley and Otaku Lounge.

At first, it was difficult to find some rooms and no signage was present to point to where everything was located. During the Eyeshine Q & A panel, the band was trying to describe where the Musician's Artist Alley was (BTW, AWESOME IDEA) and had a very hard time describing it. In the end, they call it "the anus of the hotel". I wouldn't call it that, but as the day progressed on, I was able to figure out the layout and was able to find everything except the Artist Alley. Krissy told me later on that it was past the Dealers' Room.

Secondly, the hotel booked weddings on BOTH days of the convention. Before you start blaming the convention, we were told that the weddings were booked AFTER Zenkaikon booked the hotel for the convention. You would think that common sense would play into this situation, but the hotel was looking at the dollar signs and not the brain. Shame on you, hotel...shame on you. Due to the weddings, the hotel staff had to curtain off certain parts to stop congoers from interrupting the wedding. However, I heard that the bride took a picture with a Kingdom Hearts cosplay group. So there was some good that came out of that.

Overall, it was a lack of space to make everyone feel comfortable. There were other parts of the hotel that they were not using, such as the "Ice Nightclub", where they could have easily use for Main Events II, or place to just hang out and take pictures. Another thing is that they could have used the restaurant as a place where they can pick up registration badges, instead of that small area. There would have been more room for people to be comfortable in and the lines you can add another "Disney World" line inside there. That way, the hallways wouldn't have been crowded with pre-reg people and crowded with sex-crazed yaoi fans.

Panels
One of the essential parts of any convention is always panels. These informative discussions generally attract a con-goer to a convention learn more about that particular subject. Zenkaikon had some awesome FAN-run panels, such as Avatar: The Last Con Panel, Anime in China, and the Power Rangers panel. However, the really popular ones had overcrowding and I think broke the fire code a couple of times. I'm sure there were some fun panels, but not a lot of them really caught my eye. I know on Convention Fans, they really liked the panels and people were enjoying them. Actually, when panels were going on is when there was the most space. From our eyes, the panels were boring and overcrowded.

On the plus side, there was always a panel going on with no "set-up" time other than Main Events. There were no breaks in between panel rooms. I don't think there was a time where the room was just empty.

Dealers' Room and Artist Alley
People from all over the Philadelphia area had the chance to sell their crap and show off the talented skills with a pencil in the Dealers' Room and Artist Alley. Unfortunately, nothing there really attracted me to buy something in either room. The Dealers' Room was very small and didn't have enough variety. After one trip though the room, Jon, Krissy and I knew that we weren't going to buy anything there. However, we found a diamond in the rough. I would tell you what it is, but I don't want to spoil it just in case it's going to be a Christmas present.

The Artist Alley was a decent size and had some pretty good artwork. However, there wasn't enough variety for me to buy something there yet. On the plus side, the Artist Alley at Zenkaikon was A LOT better than the one at AnimeNEXT (meaning that IT DIDN'T BLOCKS THE HALLWAY CREATING TRAFFIC!).

The dealers' room and artist alley were in good areas, if they move the Main Events to the nightclub and rented out that entire space, then it would have been better to attract more people to the convention.

Main Events
I went to three main events, Opening Ceremonies, Whose Line Is It Anime?, and The Masquerade. They were all very entertaining and kept my attention. The opening ceremonies film was very interesting and hard to hear, although it seemed good. I'm hoping that Uncle Yo put it up on YouTube to be viewed. The other thing at the ceremonies that was interesting was the interactive cosplay contest, an idea originating from Anime Boston. This one is based off of "Where In The World is Carmen Sandiego?", where Carmen stole the money from the convention and we need to get back as much as possible. The con-goer with the most money received a grand prize, which I have no idea what it was. The idea was fun and the cosplayers entertained everyone to last possible second.

Whose Line Is It Anime? All I have to say to that is I never thought that I would ever hear Lord Zedd say the world "blowjob". It's a disturbing thought right now, it gives me the willies just thinking aboot it. It was a fun time and the people were great.

The staple to any anime convention is the masquerade, which the room filled up very fast. I only stayed for one skit, which was a friend of mine. Her skit was the second one and the first one was actually pretty good. The first one featured a collection of dance tunes to which delighted the audience and got them into a frenzy. The second skit was a Metal Gear Solid skit, where there was a fight on board a moving truck (or so I assume). The skits I saw were mostly beginner skits and it seemed that this masquerade was for cosplayers to master the craft of the masquerade skit.

Cosplayers
At Zenkaikon, there were not many cosplayers I wanted to take pictures of. Since the average age of the convention was around 15 or 16, the cosplayers were those of American popluarity and not really underground anime series. However they were pretty good, and it looked like work was put into it. I'm sure that going to an upcoming convention like Zenkaikon and AnimeNEXT, cosplayers are able to see what others are doing and see what secrets they can use to improve their cosplay. Also, it seems like the perfect convention for the casual cosplayer. I think I had the best cosplay, I was a New York Yankees fan (Note: This happens just two days after the New York Yankees BEAT the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series). I got a couple of dirty looks and some people disliked the "cosplay". Overall, successful troll of Philadelphia was successful.

Ratings
On our rating system, I would rate this convention a 6.5 out of 10. I know that some others wouldn't have been as nice as I am about it. The big problem was the lack of space, it was very hard to move around and to get from place-to-place. The good thing about it was meeting Johnny Yong Bosch and Trina Nishimura, along with the idea of the "Musician's Artist Alley". Overall, there was nothing spectacular about this convention. As far as coming back, if the space was right and bigger, I might. It's a strong possibility that we may for the day, but we have to see what the future holds.

The next convention we will be at is Katsucon 16 from Washington D.C. from February 12th to the 14th. Our coverage begins February 11th.

Zenkaikon 2009 in Pictures

CRUNCHYROLL AND KING RECORDS BRING WHITE ALBUM TO THE WORLD STAGE

2009-10-09T12:11:00.000-07:00

San Francisco, CA and Tokyo, Japan (October 9, 2009) — Crunchyroll and King Records announced today the addition of WHITE ALBUM to Crunchyroll's Fall 2009 Anime Lineup. Adapted from the visual novel game developed by Aquaplus and animated by Seven Arcs, WHITE ALBUM features voice actress-singer superstars Nana Mizuki and Aya Hirano in the lead roles of Rina Ogata and Yuki Morikawa, respectively. More information can be found at http://www.crunchyroll.com/whitealbum.

“Crunchyroll fans love superstar voice actresses like Nana Mizuki and Aya Hirano and they will love WHITE ALBUM,” said Vince Shortino, President of Crunchyroll's Japan office. “This is an amazing story and will be a real treat for everyone.”

“We are excited about bringing this very special title to Crunchyroll,” said Jun Nakanishi, chief sales person at King Records. “We hope that anime fans in the real world will be as touched by the character's singing as much as the fans in the show itself.”

WHITE ALBUM will be available in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, the United Arab Emirates, and Brazil in 480P to Crunchyroll's Anime Members every Wednesday at 12:30PM PST and free of charge to all visitors of Crunchyroll's website and across the Crunchyroll network one (1) week later.

The Fan's POV - The Aftershow: NYAF 2009 - World Cyber Games - Episode 35

2009-10-09T11:16:00.001-07:00

The Fan's POV - The Aftershow: NYAF 2009 - Kyle Hebert - Episode 33

2009-10-08T13:31:00.001-07:00

The Fan's POV - The Aftershow: New York Anime Festival 2009 in Pictures - Episode 34

2009-10-08T13:26:00.001-07:00

CRUNCHYROLL AND MARVELOUS ENTERTAINMENT VISIT RED NIGHT IN 11 EYES

2009-10-06T15:29:00.000-07:00

San Francisco, CA and Tokyo, Japan (October 6, 2009) ‹ Crunchyroll and Marvelous Entertainment announces today the addition of 11 EYES to Crunchyroll's Fall 2009 Anime Lineup. Adapted from Lass's Japanese visual novel game of the same name, 11 EYES is animated by Dogakobo and features Daisuke Ono, of video game and anime voice-acting fame, in the lead role of Kakeru Satsuki. More information can be found at http://www.crunchyroll.com/11eyes.

³11 EYES will be a fast-paced adventure into alternative world of romance, action, and fantasy,² said Vince Shortino, President of Crunchyroll's Japan office. ³This will be a real treat for fans of 'late-night' anime.²

11 EYES will be available worldwide outside of Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and French-speaking Europe in standard definition free of charge to all visitors of Crunchyroll's website and across the Crunchyroll network one week after airing in Japan. Crunchyroll's Anime Members will receive early access to the program.

All fans can enjoy all content on the site for free, but Crunchyroll Anime Members benefits include higher quality streams of all shows (in some cases at 720p High Definition Video) with no advertisement and early access to all simulcast shows as early as one (1) hour after its Japan Broadcast. Crunchyroll Anime Membership costs as little as $5 a month and goes directly towards supporting Japan Animation companies. More information, including a two week free trial membership can be found at http://www.crunchyroll.com/freetrial.

Gina talks about her first New York Anime Festival

2009-10-04T08:05:00.000-07:00

Gina Giannetti talks about her first time at the New York Anime Festival. What we did and her first time being part of the press.

So, this year was my first time at New York Anime Festival. I didn’t even intend to go to a convention this year, but it was close to home and I was able to fit it into my budget, so I decided to go, and I’m glad that I did.

First of all, it was run a lot smoother than I expected; everything that I wanted to go to was in close proximity of itself, so I was able to enjoy the con without tiring myself out too much. The staff was knowledgeable and really friendly, probably more so than any other con I’ve gone to.

This was also the first time that I had gone to a convention as a member of the press, which was exciting. I had access to the press room, where I was able to take breathers, eat lunch, leave behind heavy objects, and charge camera batteries. I interviewed Kyle Hebert in the press room as well.

Ah, interviewing Kyle Hebert. That was probably the most memorable part of the con. I greatly admire Kyle’s work, so being able to sit down with him and ask him questions was a joy. Even through some technical difficulties and a bit of an information mix-up (just so you know, Kyle has a DAUGHTER, not a son) he was gracious and patient. He even chilled and chatted with Yan and I as he ate his lunch. Kyle was definitely a cool guy. I also got to check out his panel, where he pulled people out of the audience, gave them some lines to voice act, and then helped them improve their performance. That was really interesting to see.

I really loved the other panels that I went to as well. My favorite was the FUNimation industry panel; the people running it were funny and their acquisitions and previews were really exciting to see. I also got to check out Anime Press Your Luck which was run by our friends over at Disorganization XIII and was pretty enjoyable from what I saw of it. I also went with Jon and Ray to a panel about the differences between American and Japanese video games, which was really interesting.

I also went with the rest of the crew to see Cencoroll, which premiered at NYAF. It was visually stunning, although the plot was rather underdeveloped. It was only 30 minutes long, and I think it really needed more than that to give the story some punch so the viewers could get attached to the characters and understand what was going on better. Overall, I enjoyed it.

I also got to meet a lot of voice actors that I had been wanting to meet for quite some time, namely Rachael Lillis and Veronica Taylor. I’m a big fan of their performances in the video game Valkyrie Profile. Funnily enough, those parts were apparently quick and simple ones, since neither of them had ever seen what the characters they played looked like. It was interesting to see their reactions to seeing those characters for the first time, especially when Rachael gushed over how pretty her character Princess Jelanda was.

I also got to participate in OOTP’s ritual of going out for a big dinner on Saturday night, like we do at every convention. We went to Bubba Gump’s Shrimp in Times Square, which was a lot of fun. We told the waiter it was Jon’s birthday when it really wasn’t, but Jon is a trooper and went along with it anyway. It resulted in quite a bit of laughs.

So all in all, I loved going to NYAF this year. It was the first time I’ve worked a convention with Out-Of-Time, and I really liked the experience. Good friends, good panels, and good times were had.

NYAF 2009 Masquerade from the eyes of 1st Timer Leigh Goody

2009-10-03T23:54:00.000-07:00

Out-of-Time Photographer Leigh Goody was on hand during the 2009 edition of the New York Anime Festival Masquerade. It was her first time watching the masquerade and she enjoyed. This was her account of the event.

The New York Anime Festival Masquerade was an event to remember;

Several outstanding skits; lots of inventive costumes, and of course, the chance to see the winners of last years’ World Cosplay Summit. (Who by the way, were amazing!)

Having always been a fan of dressing up for the sake of dressing up, I was lucky enough to attend the masquerade this year. It was two firsts for me; my first NYAF, and my first Masquerade, and I must say, I’m hooked for life.

New York Anime Festival is everything that could be expected from the largest anime convention in the greatest city in New York, and the Masquerade was no less fitting, as it was the main event for Saturday night, the main night of the con itself. Even the judges got into the spirit of things, and their costumes were not lacking either. (My favorite judge dressed the part of Matel from Galaxy Express 999, and she did a fantastic job)

Starting with Uncle Yo, who got the audience phenomenally hyped up, was the opening act: a small performance by Reni, the “Cosplay Entertainer” who sang three of the songs from her new album, all of which were very up-beat and cheerful, very catchy, and with which she tried to teach Uncle Yo and the audience the Para Para dance that accompanied her song, so we could all dance along with her.

There were a lot of memorable skits, and most people will remember Bumblebee from Transformers for a good long while. Along with getting several mentions from judges, he was clearly the single favorite costume during the evening; the sheer amount of effort put into this one costume nearly stunned the auditorium, when described by the cosplayer.

The Bride Of The Water God was another skit that left the auditorium with a hanging jaw; it had no spoken dialog, and one rather simple prop (a doorway into ‘the other world’ ) but with the choice of song used for the mood of the piece and the emotion the actors used, it was stunning. Even Uncle Yo was speechless, and that’s hard to do.

Speaking of Uncle Yo, his “Otaku Anthem” drew a standing ovation when he and his co-M.C. sang it for the “Opening Ceremonies” of the Masquerade. As well as entertaining us during the deliberation period at the end of the show, with his presentation on How To Survive A Giant Robot Attack So It Doesn’t Kill You Dead. And since both Bumblebee, and a handmade Gundam were in attendance, this piece drew many appreciative laughs.

One of my personal favorite skits was very controversial, depending on your position of Naruto’s lead antagonist Sasuke Uchiha. It was a skit entitled “EMOtion” and I happen to think it was very cleverly used to satire the character.

There was also an instance everyone knows all to well; when you simply can’t get a song out of your head. Or hand, as the case may be, in Vampire Hunter Interrupted, wh erein the demon possessing “Vampire Hunter D”s Alucard’s hand will not be silenced when “Manah Manah” is stuck in his head. Ruining D’s persuasion of a girl, and even going so far as to get the song stuck in HER head.

Overall there is no denying the talent that flooded the stage; but with out a single doubt, I can guarantee that if you ask every person at the show Saturday night, what their favorite skit was, all of them would say: “L’s Day Off”.

“L’s Day Off” was the undisputed darling of the show this year and due in no small part to the skill of the Cosplayer portraying him. (L, that is). The piece is set to music from Carmen, and there is no dialog; the magic is how intensely the actor portrayed his character, and the beauty is that all of his actions were timed to a specific emphasis of the song. (very similar to that very famous Bugs Bunny cartoon “The Rabbit Of Seville” )

The only actions of the character was the putting together of a very large ice cream sundae, and his finale was literally diving into it head first, with a spectacular splash of whipped cream.

We should all be so lucky as to have Uncle Yo lick ice cream off our cheeks.

Those were my highlights of the 2009 New York Anime Festival, and I look forward to 2010!

I-CON SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION RETURNS TO STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY IN STONY BROOK, NEW YORK

2009-10-03T23:48:00.000-07:00

I-CON 29 WILL BE HELD MARCH 26-28, 2010

Stony Brook, NY, October 4, 2009: Icon Science Fiction, Inc. announced today that its annual festival celebrating literacy, science, and entertainment education will return to the campus of Stony Brook University. Every year, I-CON brings together major figures from the worlds of film and television, literature and publishing, science and technology, comics, gaming, and anime for a three-day festival to promote literacy and education. Members of the general public are invited to participate in discussions and seminars about topics ranging from space exploration to film production.

In 2010, I-CON will return to its original home, Stony Brook University, after being held at Suffolk County Community College in 2009.

“I-CON has always been a Stony Brook event,” said Icon Science Fiction President Jeff Nagel. “Last year, we couldn't hold it there because of construction, but we're all excited to return to the place where I-CON began.”

I-CON Event Chair John Hudson said, “We want to be very clear that we had a great experience working with Suffolk Country Community College. We very seriously considered holding the convention there again. The deciding factor was that Stony Brook offered us much more function space, which lets us hold a larger convention without needing two separate facilities.”

The goal of I-CON is to promote literacy, along with public knowledge of science, technology, and the arts. Past guests have included actors such as Sean Astin and George Takei, movie-makers including the great Ray Harryhausen, eminent scientists like Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson and Dr. Michio Kaku, as well as authors including the late Arthur Clarke and best-seller Charlaine Harris.

For more information, visit www.iconsf.org.

"There are bigger shows, and there are more specialized events, but there is nothing like I-CON," says Hudson. "We combine a huge vendor area with all different types of programming, whether you like Magic: The Gathering, science fiction novels, martial arts, dancing, or Star Wars. There's something for everyone at I-CON."

About Icon Science Fiction, Inc.: Icon Science Fiction, Inc. is a membership-based 501 (c) (3) educational charity which promotes literacy and education. Each year, Icon (with no hyphen) holds an event called I-CON (with a hyphen) to carry out this mission. Icon is a wholly volunteer-run and volunteer-managed organization, with no paid staff. 100% of any monies received by Icon are devoted to its corporate goals.

ALL ABOARD FOR BISHONEN! CRUNCHYROLL AND ANIPLEX ANNOUNCE MIRACLE TRAIN-WELCOME TO THE OEDO LINE-

2009-10-02T15:06:00.000-07:00

San Francisco, CA and Tokyo, Japan (October 2, 2009) — Crunchyroll and Aniplex announced today the addition of MIRACLE TRAIN-Welcome to the Oedo Line- to Crunchyroll's Fall 2009 Anime Lineup. Created by the “Miracle Train Committee” under the direction of Aniplex, MIRACLE TRAIN-Welcome to the Oedo Line- is animated by Yumeta Company, the same studio as the bishonen blockbuster LA CORDA D’ORO anime adaptation. MIRACLE TRAIN-Welcome to the Oedo Line- features voice actor superstars KENN, Tomokazu Sugita, Ryotaro Okiayu, Daisuke Ono, Yuki Kaji, and Masakazu Morita in the lead roles. More information can be found at http://www.crunchyroll.com/miracletrain.

MIRACLE TRAIN-Welcome to the Oedo Line- joins over 20 other titles to form Crunchyroll's Fall 2009 Anime Lineup. Find out what else will be simulcasting at http://www.crunchyroll.com/lineup today.

“MIRACLE TRAIN-Welcome to the Oedo Line- is all about the bishonen,” said Rob Pereyda, Crunchyroll's Vice President of Licensing. “The Japanese motif of the 'beautiful young man' is a powerful, growingly popular movement in anime fandom overseas, and will attract a strong audience .”

“Crunchyroll has been exciting for us,” said Hideki Goto, Executive Vice President at Aniplex. “It has been the perfect medium for us to reach fans of this kind of core genre title, and we look forward to continued success.”

MIRACLE TRAIN-Welcome to the Oedo Line- will be available in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and the United Arab Emirates in standard definition free of charge to all visitors of Crunchyroll's website and across the Crunchyroll network one week after airing in Japan. Crunchyroll's Anime Members will receive early access to the program in 480P within one hour after its Japanese airing, starting October 4th.

MIRACLE TRAIN-Welcome to the Oedo Line- joins over 20 other titles to form Crunchyroll's Fall 2009 Anime Lineup. Find out what else will be simulcasting at http://www.crunchyroll.com/lineup today.

CRUNCHYROLL AND YOMIURI TELECASTING CORPORATION REVEAL A SECRET

2009-10-02T15:04:00.002-07:00

San Francisco, CA and Tokyo, Japan (October 2, 2009) -- Crunchyroll and Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation (YTV) announced today the addition of NOGIZAKA HARUKA NO HIMITSU 2 ~Purezza~ to Crunchyroll's Fall 2009 Anime Lineup. Adapted from the hit light novel series published by ASCII MEDIA WORKS Inc. by Yusaku Igarashi and animated by diomedea inc. formerly known as Studio Barcelona, NOGIZAKA HARUKA NO HIMITSU 2 ~Purezza~ features singer and actress Mamiko Noto in the titular lead role. More information can be found at http://www.crunchyroll.com/nogizaka.

"NOGIZAKA HARUKA NO HIMITSU 2 ~Purezza~ caters to the core fan," said Rob Pereyda, Crunchyroll's Vice President of Licensing. "What is interesting is that it is about a girl who is afraid of being caught as being a mega anime fan and deals with these topics as an anime itself."

NOGIZAKA HARUKA NO HIMITSU 2 ~Purezza~ will be available in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand in standard definition free of charge to all visitors of Crunchyroll's website and across the Crunchyroll network one week after airing in Japan. Crunchyroll's Anime Members will receive early access to the program in 480P within two hour after its Japanese airing, starting October 5th. In addition to the sequel, the first series will be available on Crunchyroll as well.

NOGIZAKA HARUKA NO HIMITSU 2 ~Purezza~ joins over 20 other titles to form Crunchyroll's Fall 2009 Anime Lineup. Find out what else will be simulcasting at http://www.crunchyroll.com/lineup today.

All fans can enjoy all content on the site for free, but Crunchyroll Anime Members benefits include higher quality streams of all shows (in some cases at 720p High Definition Video) with no advertisement and early access to all simulcast shows as early as one (1) hour after its Japan Broadcast. Crunchyroll Anime Membership costs as little as $5 a month and goes directly towards supporting Japan Animation companies. More information, including a two week free trial membership can be found at http://www.crunchyroll.com/freetrial.

CHAT WITH BECCA THIS SATURDAY ON OMGPOP.com

2009-10-02T15:04:00.001-07:00

A self-described “rock chick” who was singing before she learned to walk, Portland, OR, native Becca’s gets set to conquer the states with the release of her debut EP Kickin & Scr eamin out now, expect her debut album Alive!! in 2010, both distributed by Sony’s RED.

Have some questions for Becca? Chat with her live this Saturday, October 3rd at 11 pm EST/ 8 pm PST at OMGPOP.com, everything will take place in the Becca chat room here at “Chat with me in Becca.”

Becca’s single “I’m ALIVE!” from her brand new U.S. debut EP, is already making a splash on OMGPOP.com’s Hit Machine20with over 125,000 plays, a new multiplayer music game a leading online social multiplayer gaming site. In the tradition of playing along with your favorite tracks, Hit Machine brings the console music gaming concept online, multiplayer, and free. With the ability to play live against six other people competing at multiple difficulties, it makes music gaming truly a social experience accessible from any computer anytime.

Play with Becca here: http://www.omgpop.com/#/arcade/gamelobby/hitmachine

Hear her new EP here: http://redmusic.com/reports/becca.html

www.beccaofficial.com
www.myspace.com/beccachanofficial

ROCKIN¹ ANDROID¹S SOARS HIGH WITH RELEASE OF NEWEST TITLE FLYING RED

2009-09-29T23:33:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES September 29, 2009- Indie game studio, Rockin Android, challenges you to refine your hand-eye coordination with multiple challenging stages packed with hostile action, blow away enemies in stunning bold and colorful 2D graphics, relive the old days with classic aerial shooter tactics and collect flying coins with its newest title releasing today FLYING RED BARREL-Diary of a Little Aviator (Rated 13+), available for download on Gamersgate.com and Direct2Drive.com for only $9.99. More information can be found at www.rockinandroid.com

Created by the team that brings you SUGURI, FLYING RED BARREL-Diary of a Little Aviator allows players to take to the dangerous skies and earn your wings by deftly maneuvering the little red barrel airship while shooting down hostile fighter aircrafts. Big, bold, colorful graphics and rocket missiles aplenty will keep player eyes busy and their fingers glued to the fire button.

The OFFICIAL FLYING RED BARREL-Diary of a Little Aviator game trailer can be
found at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AQigCTyr14&feature=player_profilepage

CRUNCHYROLL AND STARCHILD CRYIN' FOR SOME ACTION

2009-09-29T16:12:00.000-07:00

San Francisco, CA and Tokyo, Japan ‹ Crunchyroll and Starchild announced today the addition of ASURA CRYIN' 2 to Crunchyroll's Fall 2009 Anime Lineup. Adapted from the light novel series published in Dengeki Bunko by Gakuto Mikumo and animated by Seven Arcs, ASURA CRYIN' 2 features the famed video game and anime voice actor Miyu Irino in the lead role of Tomoharu Natsume. More information can be found at http://www.crunchyroll.com/asuracryin.

ASURA CRYIN' is all about action, said Vince Shortino, President of Crunchyroll's Japan office. Our offbeat and artistic titles are great, but sometimes the fans just want some good old-fashioned, fast-pasted action.

ASURA CRYIN' 2 will be available in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland, in standard definition free of charge to all visitors of Crunchyroll's website and across the Crunchyroll network one week after airing in Japan. Crunchyroll's Anime Members will receive early access to the program in 480P within one hour after its Japanese airing, starting October 1st.

ASURA CRYIN' 2 joins over 20 other titles to form Crunchyroll's Fall 2009 Anime Lineup. Find out what else will be simulcasting at http://www.crunchyroll.com/lineup today.

BECCA’S U.S. DEBUT EP KICKIN’ & SCREAMIN’ OUT TODAY ON SIN (SONY INDEPENDENT NETWORK) AVAILABLE AT ALL DIGITAL OUTLETS

2009-09-29T16:11:00.000-07:00

“She combines upbeat, kick-your-ass music with poignant lyrics to create an album that truly leaves you energized…the stage presence of Joan Jett and Suzy Quattro all rolled into one 20 year old young woman with a bit of a chip on her shoulder and a edge that we’ve not seen since those two artists hit rock in the late 70s” – Young Poor And Angry.com, September 2009

Hailing from Portland, OR and now based out of Los Angeles Becca has already made a mark on the international music charts and she is gearing up to do the same in the U.S. with her EP debut Kickin’ & Screamin’, out today at all digital outlets and her full length CD ALIVE!! coming in 2010, both releases on SIN - Sony Independent Network.

“It’s beautiful and has a sweet edge to it that gives it great playability.

She has everything a pop/rock songstress should have” – Rock On Request.com, September 2009

Becca’s proven equally adept at belting out full-throttle, female empowering rockers like “Kickin & Screamin” and “I’m ALIVE!,” her vow to live life to the fullest in the wake of the premature death of a friend. Though she’s equally prone to vent or switch the sexual tables as in “Guilty Pleasure” as well as croon big arena-sized power ballads such as “Lose You Now.” The 20-year-old brings a wisdom far beyond her years.

“This is something I’ve always dreamed of doing,” says Becca, who first picked up the guitar at 10 and by 14 was writing with fellow Oregonian Meredith Brooks, known for her multi-platinum hit “Bitch”. “It all happened when my family friend recorded a song I was singing in the school choir and handed over to Meredith” Becca says.

After a few years of writing music and pounding the pavement of the Los Angeles rock scene, playing clubs like The Roxy, Troubadour, Key Club and The Knitting Factory, word started to spread about this young rocker. In early 2008, she was offered a record deal by Sony Music and by June 2008, she released her first EP in Japan. Since then, she has performed at the famous Summersonic Festival and Yokohama Stadium, released a second EP, and her first full album that debut at #2 on the international charts, now at ripe age of 20 years old Becca is eager to tackle the American market.

2009-09-28T17:32:00.000-07:00

San Francisco, CA and Tokyo, Japan (September 28, 2009) ‹ Crunchyroll and Pony Canyon announced today the addition of NAKED WOLVES to Crunchyroll's Fall 2009 Anime Lineup. NAKED WOLVES is a series of flash animated shorts that chronicles the journey of a sumo wrestler as he searches the globe for 48 secret sumo techniques so that one day he can defeat his childhood friend and rival for the title of Yokozuna. More information can be found at http://www.crunchyroll.com/library/Naked_Wolves.

NAKED WOLVES adds depth and variety to our Fall 2009 Anime Lineup, states Vince Shortino, President of Crunchyroll's Tokyo office, not only does the program highlight both Japanese and world culture in an extremely entertaining manner, but the lively and comedic story lines will just plain crack anyone up.

In looking for the kind of global exposure that NAKED WOLVES so delightfully invites, we sought none other than the most popular anime community in the world. Š Crunchyroll,² said Hideyuki Saida, Deputy General Manager at Pony Canyon. ³We hope that with its truly global audience, the show will be a success of sumo proportions.

NAKED WOLVES will be available worldwide (outside of Japan) in standard definition free of charge to all visitors of Crunchyroll's website and across the Crunchyroll network one week after streaming on Fuji TV On Demand. Crunchyroll's Anime Members will receive early access to the program in DVD quality 480P within one hour of it becoming available on Fuji TV On Demand, starting September 28th.

CRUNCHYROLL ANNOUNCES FALL 2009 SIMULCAST LINE UP

2009-09-25T22:00:00.002-07:00

San Francisco, CA and Tokyo, Japan (September 25, 2009) ‹ The number one online destination for Anime and Asian Entertainment, Crunchyroll.com, continues its online dominance of bringing legally streaming Anime to the online community. Crunchyroll today announces continued simulcast of their most popular fan-favorite titles, with additional new titles to be revealed within the next two weeks. More information can be found at www.crunchyroll.com/lineup .

Simulcasts titles continuing for the Fall 2009 season include:

· BEAST PLAYER ERIN
· GINTAMA
· HANASAKERU SEISHONEN
· MAINICHI KAASAN
· NARUTO SHIPPUDEN
· REBORN!
· SHUGO CHARA

We've got some amazing new Anime titles coming this fall to join our existing slate of fantastic continuing titles! I think Anime fans everywhere will be be quite happy, it¹ll be our biggest lineup to date.² states Crunchyroll CEO Kun Gao, ³Crunchyroll continues to strive in bringing the best Anime titles to our fans the same day as Japan TV broadcast and will continue to work hard to bring more new and exciting titles to the online community. Stay tuned as we will be announcing more new fall simulcast titles for our fans to enjoy starting next week!²

All fans can enjoy all content on the site for free, but Crunchyroll Anime Members benefits include higher quality streams of all shows (in some cases at 720p High Definition Video) with no advertisement and early access to all simulcast shows as early as one (1) hour after its Japan Broadcast. Crunchyroll Anime Membership costs as little as $5 a month and goes directly towards supporting Japan Animation companies. More information, including a two week free trial membership can be found at http://www.crunchyroll.com/freetrial

FUNIMATION ENTERTAINMENT ACQUIRES “INITIAL D” FIRST THROUGH FOURTH STAGES

2009-09-25T22:00:00.001-07:00

Flower Mound, TX (September 25, 2009) – FUNimation® Entertainment today announced that it has acquired home entertainment, broadcast, digital, and merchandise rights to “Initial D First Stage,” Initial D Second Stage, “Initial D Extra Stage”, “Initial D Third Stage” and “Initial D Fourth Stage” from Kodansha..

These stages will feature a new English dub cast and will remain uncut and use the original music.

FUNIMATION ENTERTAINMENT ACQUIRES “X”

2009-09-25T21:59:00.001-07:00

Flower Mound, TX (September 25, 2009) – FUNimation® Entertainment today announced that it has acquired home entertainment rights to the 24 episode apocalyptic drama anime series “X” (TV) from D-Rights Inc.

Based on the CLAMP manga series, the anime is directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri (“Ninja Scroll” among others)”) and animated by Madhouse (“Aquarion”, “Beck”, “Black Lagoon”, “Gungrave”).

ABOUT X

It’s 1999 and the end of the world is fast approaching. Fifteen year old Kamui Shiro, a powerful psychic, has returned to Toyko after a 6 year absence to protect his childhood friends, Fuuma and Kotori. As all prepare for Armageddon, it is Kamui’s destiny to decide the fate of the world and mankind, whether he wants the role or not.

FUNimation Entertainment will release the first of the series on DVD in 2010.

FUNimation Entertainment has announced the English track directors and cast of the megahit anime series “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood”.

2009-09-25T21:58:00.000-07:00

“Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood” is produced by the acclaimed Japanese studio Bones and set in a fictional world where alchemy – the transmutation of raw materials into objects – is science and the way of life. The series follows the Elric brothers Edward and Alphonse on their perilous journey in search of the legendary Philosopher's Stone. They set forth in the hope that the magical artifact can restore their bodies after a failed attempt to revive their dead mother cost Edward's left leg and right arm; as well as Alphonse's entire body, leaving his soul affixed to a suit of armor.

Line Producer: Mike McFarland

ADR Directors: Mike McFarland and Caitlin Glass

Reprising their roles from the first series:

Edward Elric - Vic Mignogna
Winry Rockbell - Caitlin Glass
Roy Mustang - Travis Willingham
Lust - Laura Bailey
Envy - Wendy Powell
Gluttony - Chris Cason
Maes Hughes - Sonny Strait
Fuhrer King Bradley - Ed Blaylock
Riza Hawkeye - Colleen Clinkenbeard
Jean Havoc - Mike McFarland

New Cast Members:
Alphonse Elric - Maxey Whitehead (Antonio from Romeo x Juliet, Czeslaw
Meyer from Baccano)
Scar - J Michael Tatum (Eneru from One Piece, Isaac from Baccano)
Isaac McDougal - Bryan Massey (Ladd from Baccano, Nino from Gunslinger
Girl: Il Teatrino)

Aaron Dismuke will be featured in another role later in the series.

FUNimation Entertainment will release “Fullmetal Alchemist:Brotherhood” on DVD beginning in Spring 2010.

SHOCHIKU’S ENDEARING ANIME SKETCHBOOK TO STREAM CRUNCHYROLL

2009-09-17T11:50:00.000-07:00

San Francisco, CA (August 17, 2009) — Japan’s leading movie studio Shochiku brings the delightful and poignant anime SKETCHBOOK to Crunchyroll anime members and fans in North America starting September 17th at 6pm PDT. Moreinformation can be found at www.crunchyroll.com

SKETCHBOOK was originally created by Totan Kobako and is directed by Yoshimasa Hiraike, written by Mari Okada with character designs by Isao Sugimoto,. SKETCHBOOK is a tale of rediscovering beauty in the rustic and one young girl’s desire to seize the moments of life through her sketches.

This title will be available to all Crunchyroll fans and members residing in the U.S., American Samoa, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands, and Canada.

Title Synopsis:

SKETCHBOOK
A high school girl, Sora Kajiwara, joins the art club. Sora carries around a sketchbook to wherever she goes, in order to capture cherished moments. She asks herself, "If I really wanted to remember the moments in everyday life, and to seize every moment of all the events that happen, why not use a camera or video camera?" However, it just isn't the same. What's not shot, what's not spoken, what's not heard, but what is left in her drawings; which flourishes and blooms inside her heart.

Those who are a bit tired of the busy everyday life will enjoy rediscovering the beauty of ordinary things such as animals, plants, and the changing colors and scenery of the sky.

Sunday is Eureka Seven Day

2009-09-17T11:47:00.000-07:00

NYAF is just a week away. You can feel it, can't you? We've got three days of awesomeness in the Javits Center, a pre-party the night before at Dave & Buster's including a cake by Charm City Cakes, and -- leading it all off -- Eureka Seven Day is September 20 at Kinokuniya Bookstore in NYC.

Celebrate NYAF early this Sunday at Kinokuniya and get a glimpse of Bandai Entertainment's Eureka Seven motion picture, showing for one night only in theaters on September 24. This Sunday will be a lot of fun and the best way to get in the mood for the New York Anime Festival. Oh, and beyond our general giveaways, did I mention there'll be free Eureka Seven T-Shirts for the first 500 fans?

Other than the Eureka Seven Day reminder, the big news this week is that AKB48 Webster Hall concert tickets are now available at nyanimefestival.com. These tickets are free and will be given out via an online lottery, so all you need to see AKB48 is a little bit of luck. Ganbatte!

Anything else? Oh, yeah, we announced our 2010 dates. Next year, NYAF will take place October 8-10 in the Jacob Javits Center, the same dates as New York Comic Con. The two shows will be co-located with separate panels and guests but a shared show floor -- and one ticket will get you into both. It's a big move and a bold move, but it's a good move and something that'll take NYAF to the next level. Count on more details once this year's New York Anime Festival is complete.

Keep your eyes on www.nyanimefestival.com, www.mediumatlarge.net, and www.twitter.com/ny_anime_fest, as NYAF's just around the corner! And if you need any help while you're at the con, text us at 36263 and enter keyword "NYAF" into your message. (For example: NYAF Where is the ANA Theater?)

CRUNCHYROLL AND TEZUKA PRODUCTIONS CONTINUE THE SAGA OF THE AWARD WINNING BLACK JACK ANIME WITH EPISODES 14-28

2009-09-15T13:34:00.000-07:00

San Francisco, CA (September 15, 2009) —Crunchyroll and Tezuka Productions hold a winning hand as they collaborate to bring Osamu Tezuka’s award winning original 70’s manga/anime classic BLACK JACK episodes 14-28 to Crunchyroll Anime Members and fans worldwide starting today, September 15, 2009 at noon PST. More information can be found at www.crunchyroll.com .

BLACK JACK was directed by Makoto Tezuka (Osamu Tezuka’s son) and is considered one of the top three most famous manga titles by the world famous manga-ka and anime producer that won the 1st Kodansha Manga Award for the shonen category in 1977.

"With the continued partnership with Tezuka Productions, fans are in for a real treat with episodes 14-28 of Osamu Tezuka's BLACK JACK,” states Rob Pereyda, Crunchyroll Senior Director.

Crunchyroll already streams the initial BLACK JACK episodes (1-13) of this series.

This title will be subbed and available in the following territories U.S. and its respective territories, Canada, & The United Kingdom.

BLACK JACK (episodes 14-28)
Black Jack is an "unregistered" doctor with a clouded, mysterious past. He works with his little assistant Pinoko (who has a massive crush on the doctor), dealing with medical cases not very well known, which can be strange, dangerous, or not known at all. But he is a genius, and can save almost any of his patients' life (as long as they have the money for it, that is), and is known to many around the world, especially to those of medicine and science. He's a man of science himself, and does not believe much until he has seen it, yet it is many times he is surprised by love and nature often overpowering the science he bases his life in.

Fairytale Fights™ Bloodfest Coming to New York Anime Festival

2009-09-14T13:08:00.001-07:00

New York —September 14, 2009 -- Playlogic Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq OTC: PLGC.OB), an independent worldwide publisher of entertainment software, announced today its hack n’ slash title Fairytale Fights™ will be playable at the New York Anime Festival in New York City , September 25-27, 2009. At the Playlogic booth (#504) visitors will be able to get hands on with Fairytale Fights before its release next month where they can test out new fantasy levels, gruesome killing abilities, brutal weapons and more.

In addition, attendees of the show can visit the Playlogic booth to enter daily for a chance to win a $100 gift card to a variety of gaming retailers. The drawing will take place at the Playlogic booth everyday of the show at 4:00pm. One gift card worth $100 will be given away on a daily basis.

Fairytale Fights is a truly twisted hack n’ slash platform adventure where players assume the role of a much-loved fairytale character whose glory days have long since passed. Using the Unreal Engine 3 like never before, Fairytale Fights takes popular characters and tales from the pantheon of well known fairytales and turns them on their heads as players must fight their way through hordes of bloodthirsty enemies on a quest to restore their own personal honor and re-establish peace in the land of fairytales.

Inspired by twisted cartoons like Happy Tree Friends and Itchy and Scratchy, and featuring a wildly colorful and distinct art style, players can cooperatively complete quests in the single-player storyline or compete in chaotic multiplayer battles with up to 4 players.

Key Features include:

· Volumetric Liquid System - Developed by Playlogic Game Factory, the Volumetric Liquid System allows multiple liquids to blend together. Deep Red Blood will drench the lush surroundings (and the players!), as you slice up the enemies not once, not twice, but multiple times in a frenzied attack! Slide through the pools of blood, creating a blood stained platform in seconds (hell you can even write your name!)

· Real-Time Dynamic Slicing Technology (codenamed Salami Violence) – For the first time ever assume full control over how and when to slice and dice your enemies in real time as you drench the lush surrounding in a sea of limbs and blood!

· Based on the Unreal Engine 3 - Fairytale Fights is based on the Unreal Engine 3, utilising the engine like never before!

· Multiplayer Mayhem! – Fight with friends and foes both on and offline with drop in drop out gameplay. Fight your friends and family for the best weapons and collectables in story mode, or play till the death in one of our many PVP battle grounds

· Depth of Gameplay – Fairytale Fights isn’t just a hack and slash platform adventure. Featuring a wealth of content spread across more than 20 spectacular playable areas built from the remains books and fairytale memorabilia.

· Huge Arsenal of Weapons! - Featuring over 140 weapons, (each with multiple uses), eliminate foes in multiple ways from slicing and dicing, to freezing, or fire! Burn skin from their bones with Acid Attacks or shove them into oncoming trains!

· Multiple Difficulties – Fairytale Fights features 3 difficulty levels, with multiple enemies. Increase the enemy count to increase the gore factor!

· Accessibility – Fairytale Fights is one of the most accessible Platform Adventure games ever offering a mix of visceral bloody violence & adventure with fantastic platforming elements for the more discerning gamer!

Fairytale Fights will launch in North America on October 27, 2009 for Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. Fairytale Fights will be available for PC in 2010.

Fairytale Fights is rated “M” for Mature by the ESRB.

For more information about Playlogic and to sign up to get all the latest breaking news regarding Fairytale Fights please register at www.fairytalefights.com. For the latest trailers, screenshots and other assets please visit www.reverbinc.com/playlogic.

BECCA’S US DEBUT EP KICKIN & SCREAMIN TO STREET 9/29-JOINS FORCES WITH OMGPOP.com FOR ROCKNROLL GAMING

2009-09-14T12:54:00.001-07:00

A self-described “rock chick” who was singing before she learned to walk, Portland, OR, native Becca’s gets set to conquer the states with the release of her debut EP Kickin & Screamin, out in September 29 to be followed by her debut album Alive!! in 2010, both distributed by Sony’s RED.

Hear the EP here:
http://redmusic.com/reports/becca.html

This 20-year-old shows a maturity far beyond her years on songs like “I’m ALIVE!,” her vow to live life to the fullest in the wake of the premature death of a friend. Songs examining personal relationships, such as “Guilty Pleasure,” and “Lose You Now” show a young woman wise beyond her years.

Signing with Sony Music Japan in 2008, Becca released her first album, and began her journey. Two of the album’s songs, “Guilty Pleasure” and “Falling Down,” were used as the beginning and end themes to a hit anime series, Ultraviolet: Code 044, which also featured Becca’s voice as the show’s title character. She’s also performed at the country’s largest outdoor concerts, Summer Sonic Festival, in Osaka and Tokyo, and has managed to attract an impressive following with her explosive live show.

At 14, a mutual acquaintance introduced Becca to Meredith Brooks, who was looking for a young female rocker to work with and encouraged her to send a demo. The veteran performer took Becca under her wing and the two hit it off almost immediately, co-writing a number of songs including “I’m ALIVE!” and “Guilty Pleasure.”

Becca’s single “I’m ALIVE!” is already making a splash on OMGPOP.com’s Hit Machine, a new multiplayer music game a leading online social multiplayer gaming site. In the tradition of playing along with your favorite tracks, Hit Machine brings the console music gaming concept online, multiplayer, and free. With the ability to play live against six other people competing at multiple difficulties, it makes music gaming truly a social experience accessible from any computer anytime. This week OMGPOP.com was named as the only gaming site on Time Magazine’s 50 best websites of 2009.

Look for Becca’s EP to be followed by her debut album in 2010—Becca is ready to tackle the American market.

MARVELOUS ENTERTAINMENT AND CRUNCHYROLL TO STREAM FIRST FOUR SUBBED EPISODES OF KOIHIME MUSOU

2009-09-14T12:50:00.000-07:00

San Francisco, CA (September 12, 2009) -- Enter the world of the Han Dynasty as up and coming Japanese Anime distribution company, Marvelous Entertainment Inc., and the number one (1) online destination for Anime and Asian Entertainment, Crunchyroll, are set to stream the action packed/comedic/fantasy fan-favorite KOIHIME MUSOU (episodes 1-4; subbed) to Crunchyroll Anime Members and fans worldwide. More information can be found at www.crunchyroll.com .

Inspired by the classic Chinese novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", KOIHIME MUSOU was originally launched as an adult visual novel and PC strategy game and grew in such popularity that it branched off into a Playstation(R) 2 game title as well as into a series of manga books as well as the highly popular and well received Anime.

"We're very excited to be able to work with Marvelous again and have the opportunity to showcase another fantastic title like KOIHIME MUSOU," states Crunchyroll Brand Manager Mr. Keith Kawamura, "Marvelous produces so many amazing shows, like SCHOOL DAYS, HAPPINESS and KONO AOZORA WO YAKUSOKU NI, we obviously can't wait to launch it."

This title will be available in subbed formats and available in all territories, except the following: Japan, France, Belgium, China, Luxembourg, Andorra, Monaco, Taiwan and Hong Kong

BECCA announced her first voice acting on English version of a hit anime series, Ultraviolet: Code 044!!

2009-09-08T19:50:00.002-07:00

Two of the album's songs, "Guilty Pleasure" and "Falling Down," were used as the opening and ending themes to a hit anime series, Ultraviolet: Code 044, which also featured Becca's voice as the show's title character, 044. She announced this at OTAKON 2009 and performed live her voice acting a little at her pannel. This anime series will be also coming out in US soon so you will be witnessing totally new side of Becca!

BECCA'S US DEBUT EP TO STREET ON SEPTEMBER 29, FULL CD COMING IN EARLY 201

2009-09-08T19:50:00.001-07:00

Signing with Sony Music Japan in 2008, a self-described "rock chick" who was singing before she learned to walk, Portland, OR, native Becca's gets set to conquer the states with the release of her five-song EP "Kickin' & Screamin'" out in September 29th (Tue) to be followed by her debut album ALIVE!! in 2010, both distributed by Sony's RED.

This EP includes her smash hit debut single "I'm ALIVE!" and Japanese hit-anime series BLACK BUTLER's opening theme "Guilty Pleasure" and more!.

Artist: BECCA
EP Title: Kickin' & Screamin'
Release Date: 09/29/09' (Digital Release)
Label: SMJI/RED/SIN

-Song List-

1. I'm ALIVE!
2. Guilty Pleasure
3. Kickin' & Screamin'
4. Lose You Now
(+ Bonus Video)

Fan Crush Network Launches the Premiere and First Internet Dating Network Dedicated to Uniting Anime Fans

2009-09-08T15:06:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles — September 8, 2009 — The Fan Crush Network (www.fancrushnetwork.com ) has launched the beta version of its premiere Anime genre-themed online dating network dedicated to uniting fans with similar interests worldwide … OTAKU CRUSH. For more information, please visit: www.otakucrush.com .

“OTAKU CRUSH is an exciting on-line dating site that connects anime and manga fans and is a great online source of news, reviews and interviews,” states OTAKU CRUSH representative Austin Brown, “Why waste time with other dating sites when you can find someone to share a NARUTO DVD marathon with. It truly is a site for the fans by the fans.”

Current OTAKU CRUSH members and fans such as Evan Okada, states “OTAKU CRUSH is a totally “rad” site! I can keep in touch with all my friends and make new friends, and possible dates, along the way! Membership is free. You can’t beat a deal like this!”

With membership numbers increasing daily, it is clear that anime and manga fans are eager to connect with other fans “who speak the same language”. Current interviews include an exclusive interview with one of the Anime Industry’s favorite American Voice Actor Kyle Hebert (who was a recent recipient of a coveted SPJA Industry Award for the category of Best Voice Actor-English), Kari Wahlgren and Brina Palencia. OTKAU CRUSH also allows members to browse profiles by interests including directors, writers and artists. Other features include a “who’s online” feature, instant messaging, mail, and a very user-friendly interface.

THE SOCIETY FOR THE PROMOTION OF JAPANESE ANIMATION ANNOUNCES NEW PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

2009-09-08T10:49:00.000-07:00

Anaheim, California (September 8, 2009) — The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) announces Mr. Michael Lattanzio as President and Chief Executive Officer for the organization that oversees the nation’s largest Anime and Manga convention Anime Expo®. More information can be found on the website www.spja.org .

Mr. Lattanzio is a dynamic and innovative executive who has held leadership roles with top caliber companies such as Universal Studios, Inc, Universal Studios Japan, NBC Universal, and Westfield, LLC. He has earned a BS degree in Business Management and has also attained an MBA in Executive Management. “I look forward to working with an energetic Board of Directors, a talented managerial team, passionate staff and volunteer members, and all affiliated Anime and Manga entities. I plan to build on past successes and lead this extraordinary organization to new heights. The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation has certainly made a name for itself attracting millions of Anime and Manga enthusiasts. We will continue to deliver at the highest level, globalize our brands, establish new partnerships, and be recognized
by the Anime and Manga population as the leader in our industry,” states Mr. Lattanzio.

As Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Lattanzio will oversee the strategic vision of the SPJA, day-to-day operations, and the development of Anime Expo®-the nation’s largest Anime/Manga convention that serves to foster trade, commerce and the interests of the general public and animation/comics industry.

NYAF 09 Japanese Martial Arts commercial

2009-09-06T18:22:00.001-07:00

You should definitely go to this, if you don't do it for me (which is more then likely you won't). Then go for the children.

2009-09-01T15:20:00.001-07:00

Tweeted from NY_Anime_Fest: The #NYAF Masquerade has a lot of entries from NY and as faraway Florida!

Looks like everyone wants to win a trip to Japan!

The List - Episode 03 - Best Anime Not In America...Yet

2009-08-05T13:42:00.001-07:00

Otakon 2009 - Day 1 Update

2009-07-18T04:33:00.001-07:00

Anime Expo 2009 - Top 5 Moments

2009-07-16T05:58:00.001-07:00

Hey guys, what up? It's Ernie on the bus on his way to Baltimore, Maryland for Otakon 2009. I said in the video that I was gonna make a blog on my top 5 choices and this is that blog, aren't you excited? cause i'm not. So, here are the top 5 and why they were my choices.

#5 - Anime-Walking
This was a video made by Dancing Queen from HowAGirlFigures.com (I should get paid for pimping them out as much as I do). She went around Disney Land in California and asked people about anime and what's a trap? I loved this video cause it was very original and creative. It made me want to do something like that on the East Coast. If that's alright with DancingQueen. I'm sure that she'll sue me if I do it. Well, "The Fan's POV" does plan on going to Disney World in the Summer of 2010, so it's possible. We might do that and then get kicked out for it. I thought it was funny when the guy who knew nothing about anime had to pause on the second question on whether it is a guy or a girl. I'm sure that he will be watching anime now to study up on his gender-confused characers. It was awesome and that's why it was number 5 on my list

#4 - Meeting Kel Mitchell
Alright, here's what happened. I was scoping the dealer's room to see what booth I can interview for the Dealer's Room report for "The Road to Otakon". I scored interviews with FUNimation Entertainment, Imagi Studios (who were promoting the new Astro Boy movie), TOMY USA Studios, and Atlus Studios. So, I found this other booth with all these people there to which sparked my curiousity. I went there and I was immediately noticed cause of my camera. There was a hypeman named Jay hyping up someone that I couldn't here. Then, when they were talking to the camera I realized at that point that it was Kel Mitchell singing "I'm A Dude", except it was rap version. It was alright, but still it was Kel Mitchell! That got me excited and I couldn't believe that he was at an anime convention. Also, according to Kel Mitchell, Touch Marker is the best anime marker there is. It was interesting and something I never thought see coming. However, Mad Mike from Pimp My Ride was suppose to be there too, but I didn't see. Kel Mitchell was awesome and gave away Orange Soda Boy Glasses. Those glasses alone were the reason why meeting Kel Mitchell was #4 on my list.

#3 - The Voice
During Battle of the Bands, they had the host (who was one-half of Team USA 2008 for the World Cosplay Summit) entertain the crowd. They found a way to entertain the crowd with a stagehand playing a sinister character called "The Voice", which was extremely epic. At one point, the host was charmed by The Voice. However, the voice wanted to do naughty things to the host and with what she was wearing I don't blame him. Anywho, my favorite line was "Do you like coffee? *pause* Do you like coffee from the hills of Colombia?". That brought me back to old days of early 90s television and watching 80s game shows on the USA network. I couldn't stop laughing, along with a guy who with a blog from San Jose. The coffee line was a good reasong why "The Voice" made #3 on my list.

#2 - Screaming Battle before Battle of the Bands.
Anime Expo has their own camera crew for the convention called AXBackstage, which is almost like "The Fan's POV", except they are more well-known then ourselves. Before the battle of the bands, they were trying to size up the crowd and have them scream for the camera. I thought they did a good job and I wanted to get in on the action. So, I started filming the crowd and they started to scream. As you can see from the video, I started up a screaming match between two sections of the Main Events. Afterwards, the people I was chilling with said "That was awesome". I knew at that point that I couldn't do it anywhere else, cause I would have gotten kicked out of the event and I didn't want to go through that whole drama again (Note: Look for The Journey: Ep 10, where I get in trouble for doing "Free Pocky"). The epic battle was exactly that...epic. That alone was why #2 on my list was the Screaming Battle before Battle of the Bands.

#1 - Meeting the Power Rangers
I love POWER RANGERS as a kid and still do to this day. (The older episodes are better in my opinion). When Krissy told me that the Power Rangers were having a panel at AX, I knew that I had to cover it and interview them. I covered the first hour and tried to get interviews with them during their autograph session. At first I wanted Walter E. Jones, but since he was in high demand I couldn't do it. I tried Steve Cardenas, but he was just as busy, in fact all of them were busy. So, I waited til the next day to get an interview with them, which is exactly what happened. I got interviews with the ones that I wanted to, the only exception was Patricia Ja Lee cause she wasn't comfortable which is completely understandable. As a side note, Barbara Goodson, who voiced Rita Replusa is mad short, I had to lower the legs of my tripod in order to reach eye level with her. However to make up for it, she did the voice of Rita Replusa during the introduction, which made it #1 on my list of top 5 moments from Anime Expo.

So, there you go that's my list and i'm sticking to it. What were your top 5 moments?

The Fan's POV : Anime Expo 2009 - Day 4 Announcements

2009-07-06T11:45:00.001-07:00

CrunchyRoll has their industry panel on the last day of Anime Expo 2009. Here is a list of the announcements they had their panel.

-Three different premium subscription plans that enable the user to view an episode about 30 minutes to 1 hour after the Japanese broadcast. Also, they can be viewed in 720p High Definition and no video advertisements to obscure.
-Naruto Shippuden to be post up Thursdays at 4:30am
-Shugo Chara to be post up Fridays at 7:30pm
-Gin Tama to be post up Thursdays at 2:30am
-Shangri-La to be post up Sundays at 6pm
-REBORN! to be post up Fridays at 7:30pm
-Hayate no Gotaku to be post up Sundays at 10am
-Saki The Player to be post up Sundays at 10:30am
-Chi's Sweet Home - Chi's New Address to be post up Sundays at 10:30am
-Mom's Life to be post up Wednesdays at 3:30am
-CrunchyRoll has announced new series and films in their catalog
-"Pepping Life" from CoMix Wave Films
-"Dark Cat", "Great Hunt", and "Japanese Tourism Channel" from Fanworks
-"Pieces of Love" and "Diary of Tortov Roddle" from Robot
-"Glass Maiden (Crystal Blaze)" and "Catman" from Fuji Creative Corporation
-"School Days", "Kono Aozora wo Yakusoku ni" and "Happiness" from MMV
-"Sherlock Hound" and "Galaxy High School" from TMS Entertainment
-Aoihana to be post up Wednesdays at 12pm
-Yoku Wakaru Gendai Maho to be post up soon
-Kanamemo to be post up Sunday 10am
-Time of Eve, Episode 5 was posted on July 2nd at 6pm
-Charger Girl to be post up soon.

Anime Expo 2009 - Day 4 Update

2009-07-06T11:31:00.001-07:00

Anime Expo 2009 - Day 3 Update

2009-07-05T08:25:00.001-07:00

Day 3 Announcements

2009-07-05T01:04:00.000-07:00

Here are the full list of announcements made from FUNimation during their Industry Panel.

-Video Portal is not perfect, so they are working out all the kinks.
-AX 2009 Full Metal Alchemist PIn made available only at Anime Expo with the purchase of Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood
-Kaze No Stigma: The Complete Series - Part 1 to be release on July 7th
-Full Metal Alchemist OVA to be release on August 4th
-Big Wind Up: The Complete Series to be release on August 18th
-Gunslinger Girl IL Teatrino: Episodes 1 through 13 to be release on August 18th
-Sgt. Frog: Season 1 - Part 1, which is episodes 1 through 13 to be release on September 22nd and to premiere at Otakon 2009
-Evangelion 1.0 - You are (not) alone to be in selected theaters this summer
-Evangelion 1.01 DVD to be release in the Fall 2009
-Evangelion 1.11 DVD & Blu-Ray to be release in Spring 2010
-Afro Samuri shirt art was premiered in conjunction with Jinx, release date is set for Early September
-Sho-Dojo is being release soon, a MySpace for Otaku. Preview at Anime Expo 2009.
-Sands of Destruction DVD & Nintendo DS Game to be release in Spring 2010 and previews are available at San Diego Comic Con
-Slayers Revolution voice actor cast announced
-ADR Director = Mike Sinterniklaas
-Lina = Lisa Ortiz
-Gourry = Eric Stuart
-Amelia = Veronica Taylor
-Zelgadis = Crispin Freeman
-Xellos = Mike Sinterniklaas
-Dragonball Season 1, which is episodes 1 through 31 to be release on September 18th
-Sengoku Basara has been acquired by FUNimation, no details are set.

The Fan's POV : Anime Expo 2009 - Day 2 Announcements

2009-07-03T23:18:00.000-07:00

The second day of Anime Expo 2009 was filled with announcements from some of the major American anime companies, here's the complete list of what was announced.

BANDAI ANIME

-YouTube Channel featuring Kurokami, Code Geass: Lelouche of the Rebellion, and Gundam 00
-Sword of the Stranger available in DVD and Blu-Ray
-Kurokami will be release on DVD soon
-Code Geass Season 2 to be release on DVD in August featuring episode 1 through 7. Limited Edition includes 2 Volumes of the Manga
-Gundam 00 Season 1 Part 1 to be release on DVD on July 21st. Limited Edition to include the first two volumes of the manga.
-Lucky Star OVA to be release in the first week of August with Japanese audio and English subtitles.
-Hayate: Season 1 Part 1 to be release on July 21st with Japanese audio and English subtitles.
-.hack//G.U. movie to be release in August
-True Tears: Anime Legends - The complete 2 disc series to be release in July
-Sola: Anime Legends - The complete 13 episode and 2 OVA series will be release in August
-Eureka Seven: The Movie to be release in over 300 movie theaters nationwide on September 24. Tickets go on sale August 21st.
-Eureka Seven: The Series is now streaming on Anime News Network website

BANDAI MANGA
-Code Geass Light Novels to be release in August
-Code Geass' side story magna series "Suzaku of the Counterattack" Volumes 1 & 2 to be release
-Code Geass' side story magna series "Nightmare of Nunnally" Volume & 2 to be release in September
-Gurren Lagaan manga to be release in July
-The Girl Who Leapt through Time manga to be release in July
-Lucky Star manga Volume 2 to be release in Septemeber
-Eureka Seven manga Volumes 1 through 3 to be release in September
-Witchblade Takeru: The Complete Manga Collection to be release in November

VIZ MEDIA - Shonen Jump
-One Piece manga Volume 23 to be released in December 2009 and then 30 volumes will be release in the span of 6 months starting on January 2010.
-Naruto Volume 45 to be release on July 7th and Volume 46 to be release on October 6th
-Bleach Volume 28 to be release on September 1st and Volume 29 to be release on December 5th
-Waq-Waq Volume 1 to be release on August 8th
-Tegami Bachi Volume 1 to be release on September 1st
-Yu-Gi-Oh (R) Volume 1 to be release on October 6th
-Rosario + Vampire Season 2: Volume 1 to be release April 6th, 2010
-Bleach Movie 2: Diamond Dust Rebellion to premiere in August 2009 at San Francisco
-Death Note Relight Anime Volume 2 to be release on October 27th
-L Change The World to be release on August 18th
-Hunter/Hunter to be release on December 1st
-Naruto Shippuden: The English Dub to be release on November 1st
-Naruto Shippuden: Volume 1 to be release on September 29th
-Kakashi Chronicles to be release in November 2009

-Gestalt Volume 1 to released
-InuYasha Volume 38 to be released on July 14th following the English reading format and then it will be a monthly manga series

VIZ MEDIA - Shojo Beat
-NaNa Anime DVD Set to be release on September 8th
-Honey & Clover Anime DVD Set to be release on September 22nd
-Boys over Flowers: Jewelry Box to be release on October 13th
-Beast Master Volume 1 to be release on November 3rd
-The Gentlemen's Alliance Volume 1 to be release on November 17th
-Butterflies, Flowers Volume 1 to be release on December 1st
-Natsume's Book of Friends Volume 1 to be release on January 5th
-Crown of Love Volume 1 to be release on February 2nd
-Cactus's Secret Volume 1 to be release on March 2nd
-Stepping on Roses Volume 1 to be release on April 6th
-Flower in a Storm Volume 1 to be release on May 5th

VIZ MEDIA - Viz Signature
-Pluto: Urasawa X Tezuka Volume 4 to be release on July 21st
-20th Century Boys to be release on August 18th
-Real Volume 5 to be release on July 21st
-Detriot Metal City Volume 1 to come with a special prize...TATTOOS
-Oishinbo A la Carte: Fish, Sushi, & Sashimi Volume 1 to be release on July 21st
-Ooku: The Inner Chambers Volume 1 to be release on August 18th
-What a Wonderful World Volume 1 & 2 to be release on October 20th
-GoGo Monster Volume 1 to be release on November 17th
-Jomungand Volume 1 to be release on November 10th
-All My Darling Daughters to be release on January 19th
-not simple to be release for January 19th
-BioMega Volume 1 on February 9th

-Children of the Sea to be release on July 21st on line

Anime Expo 2009 - Day 1 Update

2009-07-03T06:37:00.001-07:00

Anime Expo 2009 - Preview (Day 0)

2009-07-01T20:38:00.001-07:00

Ernie Layug reports from Los Angeles, California to give you a preview of what is going on during Anime Expo 2009. Daily Updates will be uploaded everyday and the full show on Monday.

The Fan's POV: E3 2009!

2009-06-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

We have a special announcement for you guys! This Monday, we'll be presenting a special "The Fan's POV" show for you guys!

Want to know what it's about? Curious? Well, wonder no more!

This Monday, Out of Time Productions will be bringing you "The Fan's POV: E3 2009"! You'll get to see the team discuss their highlights and thoughts from this year's E3!! So stay tuned for it, you won't want to miss it!

The Fan's POV - A Taste of Chicago

2009-05-27T21:49:00.001-07:00

hey what up? This is Ernie Layug from "The Fan's POV" and this is a blog that should have been written this past wednesday, but i'm lazy and I forgot to type it up. So, three days later i'm typing up this up now.

May 5th, I arrived to Chicago's Midway on my Southwest airplane at 745am Central Standard Time. I remember going to the baggage claim and seeing that my bags were one of the last to arrive, that was bad. However, I have a good excuse for being late to the claim. I had to take a number one. Anyways, I went to get my rental car and all of a sudden i'm taking a survey of where I work and where am I located. It took over 10 minutes later than it should have, but I got my car on the second floor of the airport. The funny thing is that I was on the South Side of Chicago, where the White Sox reign king, as opposed to the North Side, where the Cubs rule, and I was wearing a shirt that said "Wrigley Field" (where the Cubs play). I was in the elevator with someone and they told me that I was in the wrong part of town. I told him that no one would be saying that as soon as I crossover Madison St. I had a Cubs game later that day.

So, I got into my rental car and i took FOREVER to get to my hotel. Mostly because it was during rush hour and I had to go into the heart of Chicago, in order to check into my hotel in Rosemont. This is where I thank god that my GPS works on my phone. It was a little difficult, but it was able to get me to my destination. When I arrived at my hotel, my first thought was to check in and get ready to head out to the ball game. However, my room wasn't ready yet. Therefore I was stuck looking for the train station. It took me a while, but I got it and on my way I went to see the Chicago Cubs take on the San Francisco Giants. The end result is that they lost the game. Later on that night, I went back to my hotel, checked in and went back to the city to see the Buckingham fountain. It was beautiful and it was where I shot the opening scene to "A Taste of Chicago". I was listening to "Better Days" by Goo Goo Dolls, which is a great up-lifting song and watching it with the fountain was amazing. I suggest you try it one day.

I had to make it fast, cause this was suppose to be up two weeks ago. Anyways, the next day arrives after a good night. I woke up from my hotel room to a packed day of sightseeing and being an annoying New York tourist. The city isn't as packed as it should be for over 6 million people in one area. I ended up going to the top of the tallest building in North America, "The Sears Tower". They said it would take a minute and it did. The view is absoutely gorgeous. You have to go there, whenever you are in Chicago. Before you go up, you have your picture taken. I think people will get a kick out of it when they see it. Afterwards, I went across the river to eat at the original Pizzera Uno's. I was totally excepting it to be packed, however it was a calm day. I'm thinking that it's early spring and not alot of people were ready to go out for a walk, just yet.

After that, I went to the Navy Pier. It's sort of tourist-style area, it reminds me of the Santa Monica Pier. It has a park with a ferris wheel, which I had to go on. My friend Chris is afraid of ferris wheel and I don't blame him. However, I got to the top and wanted to see the view, which was great also. Six dollars, well spent. After that, I headed to Millenmium Park and The Art Institute to finish up filming and then head over to US Cellular Field for a White Sox game. Unfortunately, the game got rained out and scheduled for another day, to which I can not be there for. So, I have to sell my ticket.

Anyways, that was my adventure in Chi-Town. I wanted to visit more, I just did not have the time to do so. Definitely have to take another trip out there with the next year or two.

Anime Central 2009 - The Blog

2009-05-13T03:56:00.001-07:00

Hey guys, what up? This is Ernie Layug from "The Fan's POV" and typing in our blog for our Mother's Day Weekend that we spent in "The Second City". Well, it was an amazing time, other than when I got pissed, but i'm not gonna go emo and tell you about it. I would rather tell you the good things about ACen and then the GREAT things aboot ACen. So, let's begin.

The good things about ACen was the registration line was the quickest I have ever been through for a big con, the soap bubble, meeting all the different cosplayers, and having a great time not bumping into people with my camera. The pre-reg line was definitely something that other cons should look at. It was the smoothest (if that's a word) line I have ever been through. There were some mistakes like when they forgot to put up the different letters for will-call tickets, but even though that line went by fast. I was talking to somebody on the line and told me that people waited over 8 hours last year to pick up their badge. Are you kidding me? You must really love this convention if you waited in line for 8 hours to pick up your badge or demanded your money back. I'm hoping that Anime Boston learns from this from what I heard last year, this should be reported.

The Soap Bubble was a rave basically. I was kind of disappointed, but it was more a joking disappointed that soap bubbles didn't fall down from the ceiling to wash everyone. I wanted to see that, this way I can say that I went to a "Spring Break" type party. The hijinks on the line before was even before cause it looked like everyone was bored and when I came along the lines with a camera and asking everyone to make some noise, they were excited. Even the last people on line there were excited. It was great. Afterwards, I went to Denny's to eat and then I have to drive back pass the convention center to get back to my hotel. When I got to the convention center and saw the line, it was still outside and this was 45 minutes after I left. The Soap Bubble was the place to be at Saturday Night and the shit.

When I met all the different cosplayers there, it was a breath of fresh air cause it was good to meet a whole new crop of cosplayers. When you report on conventions throughout the East Coast, you have a tendency to see the same people over and over. This way you may not get alot of interviews, this time I did get a good amount. I'm hoping to get those interviews up on May 21st during "The Aftershow". This is where our staff choose the best interviews from the weekend and i'll play them. In all reality, it would probably be just me picking them all. You'll find my interview in there, but they were definitely some of the female ones. Just to be a guy for a moment, some of the female cosplayers were HOT, wearing little clothing, and LEGAL! Anyways, the interviews will be posted up soon and then everyone will know the QUESTION OF THE CON. Trust me, you will all love it. Here's the hint, Illinois is the number one state to have this. With the cosplayers, there was one thing I notice. THEY WERE CALM! There wasn't alot of running alot and causing chaos that i'm use to at a convention. Unless a convention is usually like that, and i'm around the craziness alot.

Those were the good things and now the GREAT THINGS, the masquerade hijinks, the fashion show, and dealer's room. The Masquerade hijinks were great cause everything that went wrong was the best part. The greatest part was when the audio broke down and everyone starting singing the rickroll. The people who were on stage for the skit itself were dancing and then they started dancing to "Just Dance" by our resident White Asian Steven's favorite white singer LADY GAGA. It was a good time, another part that I liked was the beginning when the MCs kept on getting the name of the event wrong. It's so overused, but still gets the job done. I found this hilarious and distrubing, a guy with a bikini top was dancing like he was trying to get a dollar out of me. Let me tell you that this guy moved his hips just as well as some of the girls that I know. He almost did, I got my wallet out to give him a dollar and then I realized that I was straight. So, the masquerade hijinks are always better than the actual masquerade.

The fashion show was awesome because it was cool to finally see what the difference is between all the styles. I didn't know that there were different style of Lolita, until this convention. It would to see that there are guy models to show how can guys wear these styles too. However, I would have to have a fashion sense and God knows I don't have one. So, that is out of the question. What I usually do is incorporate what I see and try to make my own style. I might take some Steam Punk and then make it my own fashion style and call it "The Philippines' best export". Who knows? Anything is possible in the anime world. If I can get laid during a convention, then anything is up for grabs.

The Dealer's Room was AWESOME. There were vendors there that I have recognize and new ones that I am aboot to discover. The oddest part of the Dealer's room was the car show. Personally, I don't think an anime convention is the best place to have a car show. It's very out of place, but then again so am I. That's a different story for a different day. I didn't buy anything from the dealer's room, but i did get alot of memories from there.

So, there was my favorite parts of Anime Central 2009. I'm sure that there are more, but i'm forgetting them at the moment. I'll talk to you all later

2009-05-06T11:04:00.001-07:00

Hey guys, what up? I'm coming to you from the original Pizzeria Uno in Chicago and the food is great! I definitely recommend it to everyone.

I-Con 28 Coverage Is Here!

2009-04-06T08:44:00.001-07:00

It's that time of the year again! Join Ernie Layug and the rest of Out of Time Productions for complete floor coverage of I-Con 28, freshly relocated for the first time to Suffolk Community College in Brentwood, New York!

Check out the three-day coverage and lots of other Fan's POV goodness at the Official Out Of Time Productions Website!

Castle Point Anime Convention 2009 Coverage!

2009-04-03T11:38:00.001-07:00

The Fan's POV strikes again!

Out of Time Productions explores the up-and-coming Castle Point Anime Convention on Hoboken, New Jersey! See the one-day anime convention from start to finish with lots of interviews and reviews along the way! Ernie Layug, Jon Ingoglia, and Matthew Kramer will be your guides!

Check out all the action at the official Out Of Time Productions web site!

The Fan's POV - Castle Point Anime Convention and I-Con 28

2009-03-18T01:31:00.000-07:00

"The Fan's POV" and Out-of-Time Productions will be at it again, going to conventions and covering them from a fan's point of view. On March 29th, "The Fan's POV" will be covering the second annual Castle Point Anime Convention from Hoboken, New Jersey. Since the convention is only one day, we will not have any daily updates. However, we will have a post-con wrap-up show hosted by Ernie Layug. The show will be posted on March 30th, 2009.

5 days after final fangirl has left Castle Point Anime Convention, "The Fan's POV" will be venturing in its own backyard as it celebrate the 28th annual I-Con science fiction fandom convention from Brentwood, New York. Host Ernie Layug will be providing daily updates from the convention floor, along with interviews and footage from the convention. On April 6th, we will have a post-con wrap-up show, hosted by Ernie Layug.

There will be a highlights report of both conventions on April 7th, along with the series finale and bloopers of "Whodunit - A Murder Amongst Friends".

THE FAN’S POV WILL PREMIERE ITS SECOND SEASON FROM NEW YORK COMIC CON 2009 AND KATSUCON 15

2009-01-22T18:57:00.000-08:00

Out-of-Time Productions flagship show, The Fan’s POV, will be premiering its second season from New York Comic Con 2009 and the Mid-Atlantic anime convention Katsucon 15. The YouTube series will be having daily updates from both conventions with a 30 post-convention wrap-up show and various reports throughout the week afterwards.

The coverage begins on Friday February 6th at New York Comic Con 2009 with a daily report with Ernie Layug, and throughout the entire weekend. On Monday February 9th, Ernie Layug will host a post-con wrap up show with convention goers and analysts to discuss the convention and the highlights of the weekend. On Tuesday February 10th, Ernie Layug will report from the convention floor at New York Comic Con 2009 to report on the latest news and biggest highlights from the Dealer’s Room. February 11th will showcase the various convention goers and their costumes as they dress up as their favorite characters with interviews and convention feedback. February 12th will be the first live web show for “The Fan’s POV”, with the live aftershow on Stickam. This 30-minute show will feature live interaction with Ernie Layug on New York Comic Con 2009 and features a preview for Katsucon 15.

“The Fan’s POV” will have its second convention on Valentine’s Day Weekend with the 15th annual Katsucon anime fandom convention from Virginia. February 13th through 15th, Ernie Layug will have daily reports from the convention floor. On February 16th, Ernie Layug will have a post-con wrap-up show from Katsucon with interviews from convention-goers and guests alike.

The show can be seen on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/OutOfTimeProductions and the Stickam Live Aftershow can be viewed at http://www.stickam.com/ootp. The entire 30 minute post show can be viewed on http://www.out-of-timeproductions.com/

Top 108 of 2008

2008-12-24T22:24:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, this post is in my opinion the best songs of 2008. We will have a video featuring all 108 videos and songs of 2008. The following is a list of the Top 108 of 2008. In 2007, Timbaland topped the countdown with his pop dance hit "The Way I Are", after producing 2006 #1 hit Nelly Furtado's "Promiscuous". In 2005, we rocked out to the original American Idol Kelly Clarkson with "Behind These Hazel Eyes". In 2004, Usher made the ultimate comeback with the Lil' Jon produced "Yeah". What song tops the countdown this year? Scroll down and find out.

108 - "Light On" by David Cook

107 - "Circus" by Britney Spears

106 - "Run The Show" bt Kat DeLuna featuring Busta Rhymes

105 - "Bottle It Up" by Sara Bareilles

104 - "In The Ayer" by Flo Rida featuring Will.I.Am

103 - "All Nightmare Long" by Metallica

102 - "Angel" by Natasha Bedingfield

101 - "Roll On" by Kid Rock

100 - "Fly On The Wall" by Miley Cryus

099 - "What About Now" by Daughtry

098 - "Decode" by Paramore

097 - "It's A New Day" by Will.I.Am

096 - "Homecoming" by Kanye West featuring Chris Martin

095 - "Crush" by David Archuleta

094 - "Cookie Jar" by Gym Class Heroes featuring The-Dream

093 - "You Found Me" by The Fray

092 - "I Hate This Part" by The Pussycat Dolls

091 - "Shawty Get Loose" by Lil' Mama featuring Chris Brown & T-Pain

090 - "Spotlight" by Jennifer Hudson

089 - "Gives You Hell" by The All-American Rejects

088 - "The Birdwalk" by Soulja Boy Tell'em

087 - "Realize" by Colbie Calliat

086 - "Sober" by P!nk

085 - "Right Now (Na Na Na)" by Akon

084 - "Rehab" by Rihanna

083 - "Better In Time" by Leona Lewis

082 - "Miss Independent" by Ne-Yo

081 - "American Boy" by Estelle featuring Kanye West

080 - "Nine In The Afternoon" by PANIC! at the Disco

079 - "Superstar" by Lupe Fiasco featuring Matt Santos

078 - "Official Girl" by Cassie featuring Lil' Wayne

077 - "My Life" by The Game featuring Lil' Wayne

076 - "Sexy Can I" by Ray J featuring Yung Berg

075 - "When You Look Me In The Eyes" by Jonas Brothers

074 - "If I Never See You Again" by Maroon 5 featuring Rihanna

073 - "Dope Boyz" by The Game featuring Travis Barker

072 - "Teenage Love Affair" by Alicia Keyes

071 - "Body On Me" by Nelly featuring Ashanti & Akon

070 - "Bad Girl" by Danity Kane featuring Missy Elliot

069 - "About A Girl" by The Academy Is...

068 - "Summertime" by New Kids On The Block

067 - "Bye Bye" by Mariah Carey

066 - "Check Yes Juliet (Run Baby Run)" by We The Kings

065 - "Got Me Going" by Day 26

064 - "Can't Believe It" by T-Pain featuring Lil' Wayne

063 - "Feedback" by Janet Jackson

062 - "Believe" by The Bravery

061 - "Keeps Gettin' Better" by Christina Aguilera

060 - "Let It Rock" by Kevin Rudolf featuring Lil' Wayne

059 - "Your Love Is A Lie" by Simple Plan

058 - "I Don't Care" by Fallout Boy

057 - "One Step At A Time" by Jordin Sparks

056 - "Leavin'" by Jesse McCartney

055 - "The World Should Revolve Around Me" by Little Jackie

054 - "Single Ladies (Put Your Ring On It)" by Beyonce

053 - "Get Up" by 50 Cent

052 - "Love Story" by Taylor Swift

051 - "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga featuring Colby O'Donis

050 - "Green Light" bt John Legend featuring Andre 3000 of Outkast

049 - "What Them Girls Like" by Ludacris featuring Chris Brown & Sean Garrett

048 - "A Milli" by Lil' Wayne

047 - "Live Your Life" by T.I. featuring Rihanna

046 - "Pain" by Three Days Grace

045 - "Pocketful of Sunshine" By Natasha Bedingfield

044 - "Feels Like Tonight" by Daughtry

043 - "Womanizer" by Britney Spears

042 - "Disturbia" by Rihanna

041 - "See You Again" by Miley Cryus

040 - "Mercy" by Duffy

039 - "Last Name" by Carrie Underwood

038 - "Damaged" by Danity Kane

037 - "Burning Up" by Jonas Brothers

036 - "Rock N Rock Train" by AC/DC

035 - "That's What You Get" by Paramore

034 - "When I Grow Up" by The Pussycat Dolls

033 - "If I Were A Boy" by Beyonce

032 - "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" by Michael Jackson featuring Akon

031 - "Hot N Cold" by Katy Perry

030 - "Heartless" by Kanye West

029 - "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz

028 - "In Love With A Girl" by Gavin Degraw

027 - "Shut Up and Let Me Go" by The Ting Tings

026 - "Beat It" by Fallout Boy featuring John Mayer

025 - "Closer" by Ne-Yo

024 - "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay

023 - "Lollipop" by Lil' Wayne featuring Static Major

022 - "All Summer Long" By Kid Rock

021 - "No Air" by Jordin Sparks featuring Chris Brown

020 - "Shake It" by Metro Station

019 - "Whatever You Like" By T.I.

018 - "Piece of Me" by Britney Spears

017 - "Don't Stop The Music" by Rihanna

016 - "Touch My Body" by Mariah Carey

015 - "Love In This Club" by Usher featuring Young Jeezy

014 - "Our Song" by Taylor Swift

013 - "The Time of My Life" by David Cook

012 - "Forever" by Chris Brown

011 - "What Hurts The Most" by Cascada

010 - "The Day That Never Comes" by Metallica

009 - "I Kissed A Girl" by Katy Perry

008 - "7 Things" by Miley Cryus

007 - "With You" by Chris Brown

006 - "Low" Flo Rida featuring T-Pain

005 - "4 Minutes" by Madonna featuring Justin Timberlake and Timbaland

004 - "So What" by P!nk

003 - "Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis

002 - "Take A Bow" by Rihanna

001 - "Got Money" by Lil' Wayne featuring T-Pain

The official retirement of "Free Pocky" Otakon 2007-Otakon 2008

2008-12-10T12:34:00.000-08:00

Alright, i've decided to make a formal retirement of "Free Pocky", due to the fact that I almost got kicked out of a convention and figured that would ruin Out-of-Time Productions. Other than the fact, also that everything I have worked with Out-of-Time would be tarnished and would basically go down the drain.

The segment started as an idea from a friend that I met at Otakon 2007. He told me about what he did with it and i tried it out. The skit was alright, except for the fact that I stood still. It sounded like he was disappointed in the fact, which in the end makes me even more disappointed cause I let someone down. So, I tried to "redeem" myself by doing the same skit at the New York Anime Festival 2007. I waited 'til the last day to do it that way, if I get kicked out it's on the last day of con. So I did it and was proud of myself cause I actually ran and people chased me. It felt so good that I actually did it a second time, which was even better. LoL

I ended up doing the skit at Katsucon and AnimeNEXT. However, they were done differently. At Katsucon, I just stood up at the cosplay masquerade and asked who wanted free pocky. It was easy. At AnimeNEXT, a bunch of us figured that we should try to give it away in a crowd. Then we went overboard, asking people for stupid stunts. I look back on it now and it was a bit over the line. However being the dumbass that I am, I did it again at Otakon 2008. However, this one was planned pretty well. I had two cameras following me, with Jon on top of the balcony with one camera and Krissy was on the floor with me with the other.

The skit started off fine with the usual introduction, then the screaming of "Free Pocky". However, it ended badly. An official from Otakon came up to me and wanted to see my ID. This point I figured that I knew I was in trouble. So, I had to show my ID and then she asked me to go with her. I had to stay in front of her the entire time, but that's what you get for doing the stupid things that we do here. Anyways, she escorted me to the office. This is where it gets tricky, I had to sit down and wait, while the official made an "official" account of what happened. To make a long story short cause this blog got me bored, I got off with a warning. I'll describe the scene at some point, but I'll definitely let you know more about it.

The Aftershow - Ep01

2008-12-05T07:52:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, it's the first episode of a new series based on all the interviews that I have conducted throughout the conventions that I have been to. From the I-Con 26, which is the first convention that I have ever covered, to MangaNEXT 2008, where we were last at. The interviews will have my questions that I have asked. The first one was with the Gryffin-whores, a Harry Potter influenced duo that mixes sex appeal with the look of girl next door. Plus also, they were involved with Out-of-Time Productions and pretty much they will get views from our viewers on YouTube. The second interview was conducted from myself and Mark at the New York Anime Festival 2008 in September. It features "Project Aiko", which is a robot based around the maid from the maid cafe. It was created in Canada and can express feelings. It can also react to different situations including feel. If you rub this robot the wrong way, then it will know and give you the business.

The Fan's POV - The After Show

2008-11-17T01:32:00.000-08:00

"The Fan's POV" is back with more interviews and features than ever before with the premiere of "The Fan's POV - The After Show". This weekly series will feature interviews from the different conventions that we have attended in the past two years. Also, missed segments that didn't make it to the YouTube channel and now have a platform to expose it on. Ernie Layug will host the series to provide a backstory to the interview and give an update on what they are up to now.

The show will premiere on YouTube on Thursday December 4th, then moved to DailyMotion for its timeslot on Thursdays.

The Fan's POV - 2009 Convention Schedule

2008-11-09T13:36:00.000-08:00

Out-of-Time Productions' premiere convention report show "The Fan's POV" has set their schedule for 2009. We will premiere our second season in our own backyard of New York City with New York Comic Con in February. Ray Reilly, Mark Szarek, and Ernie Layug will be reporting from the convention. In 2009, "The Fan's POV" will be visiting 6 new conventions throughout the USA, including travelling cross-country to the biggest anime convention in the country, Anime Expo. Our coverage will end at the MangaNEXT in New Jersey.

Feb 6-8 - New York Comic Con 2009 (New York, NY)
Feb 13-15 - Katsucon 15 (Virginia City, VA)
Mar 29 - Castle Point Anime Convention (Hoboken, NJ)
Apr 3-5 - I-Con 28 (Brentwood, NY)
May 8-10 - Anime Central 2009 (Rosemont, IL)
May 22-24 - Anime Boston 2009 (Boston, MA)
Jun 12-14 - AnimeNEXT 2009 (Somerset, NJ)
Jul 2-5 - Anime Expo 2009 (Los Angeles, CA)
Jul 10-12 - Jampcon (Chattanooga, TN)
Jul 13-15 - MLB All-Star Weekend (St. Louis, MO)
Jul 17-19 - Otakon 2009 (Baltimore, MD)
Jul 31-Aug 2 - Connecticon 2009 (Hartford, CT)
Sept 27-29 - New York Anime Festival 2009 (New York, NY)
Oct 30-Nov 1 - MangaNEXT 2008 (Somerset, NJ)

(NOTE: Schedule is subject to change)