Beginning Monday, the 28th, Anime News Service staff will be in Japan. Primarily, we'll be live on the floor of the TAF, Japan's largest and most important animation industry event, touching base with contents industry partners and gathering media and information to bring to you. Likewise we have been extended access to several prominent anime studios where we will be touring, interviewing senior staff and fleshing out some of the most exciting anime projects in the pipes for 2005 and beyond. Site updates will be rather irregular and not follow their usual routine during this period.
FUNimation announced at last weekend's Kamikazecon convention that most of the English language cast from Pioneer's original dub of the Tenchi Muyo OAVs will be employed to dub FUNimation's American release of Tenchi Muyo OAV series 3.
AD Vision announced that, as a response to reduced mainstream retail support for certain titles, some AD Vision anime series will become available for purchase exclusively from AD Vision directly. Titles scheduled for discount priced, "web exclusive" sales include Princess Tutu, Petite Princess Yucie, and Wedding Peach.
The official website for the upcoming Comic Party: Revolution TV series is now online.
According to Anime Blogzine, Madhouse will be the production studio working on the Paradise Kiss TV series. Osamu Kobayashi will direct and Nobuteru Yuki will provide character designs.
Earlier this week, Japanese toy giant Bandai announced consolidated pretax profit for the period of March, 2005 saw a decrease in profits by 8%. Inactive toy sales in the American market were cited as reason. According to the company, their new character related goods sales were not spirited and mentioned a bit of a lull in the toy retail industry there.
The management for Puffy AmyYumi has announced a domnestic Japanese concert tour will be held following the group's North America tour which starts on the west coast USA in April. A 4 city nationwide schedule will begin being executed on June 24 at Shibuya-AX. About a year has passed since the group's last live performance in Japan.
The newest issue of EW has a profile on the development process behind Steamboy, and talks to Katsuhiro Otomo, Patrick Stewart, and Carl Horn. The article also hints that Otomo might return to his manga roots. Finally, the magazine itself gave Steamboy a B-.
Production I.G.'s Mitsuhisa Ishikawa was on hand for the BRIDGESTONE INDY JAPAN 300mile in Roppongi Hills event held on Wednesday. There, details on the coming Oval X Over animation were unveiled. The work is being produced to coincide with the 4th Round Indy Japan 300 race at Motegi April 30th. A few Japanese drivers in the series were hand including Kosuke Matsuura. Director Hiroyuki Imaishi and chara designer Imai Tunz appeared on the stage and talked about their goals in their respective production efforts. The theme song for the series was announced as "Over Top", to be performed by Maki Oguro. A single bearing the theme will be released just in advance of the race on April 27th. Maki Oguro is scheduled to sing at the opening ceremony before the INDY JAPAN 300.
Coinciding with the Hokuto No Ken animation revival project being carried out by North Stars Pictures, Namco announced in Tokyo on Wednesday a new arcade game that will be based on the new Movie and OVA series storyline. The gaming giant confirmed their business arrangement with NSP, mentioning the game genre has yet to be decided, but the resulting product will be in Japanese arcades in the spring of 2006.
