Latest News on Anime is posted up here. It will be posted by our anime reporters. And sometimes even me!!. If you would like to join Anime Planet's reporter's group or would like some different job. Feel free to e-mail me

Sincerely, Kofman

 

Endless Waltz on YTV - 07:05

YTV has posted its September schedule, which can be seen on their site. An interesting addition is that the Gundam Wing Endless Waltz movie edition will be shown from 7:00-9:00 pm September 11th. Source: rec.arts.anime.misc

 

Encore Action Channel Anime Schedule Extended - 07:04

Starz Encore`s Action channel has been broadcasting anime every day since August 1st. The anime broadcasts were originally scheduled to culminate with an all day blowout on Labour Day. The action Channel has now announced the anime schedule will continue until then end of November. No announcement has yet been made regarding what their plans are for anime beyond November.

 

New AICN-Asia - 07:03

Ain’t It Cool News has posted its new AICN-Asia column. The most interesting part of the article concerns John Woo’s new feature, Windtalkers, which is now shooting in Kualoa Ranch, Hawaii. The film, reportedly in it`s last seven weeks of shooting, stars Nicolas Cage, Adam Beach (Smoke Signals) and Christian Slater. Woo told Star-Bulletin News that this film is no MI2, and the action scenes in Windtalkers will be more realistic and in a documentary-type style.

 

Bid For Power Update - 07:01

The Dragon Ball Z Quake 3 mod, Bid for Power, looks like its starting to shape into something interesting. New in game shots of the Goku model have been posted and are looking good. Evan more than before than before, the project looks like something to follow. Source: PlanetNamek.com

 

More Kubricks Released - 06:59

The two latest sets of Medicom`s way cool Kubrick figures have arrived. A second set based on the Devilman anime, and a set based on the classic giant robot series Mazinger Z make up these latest offerings. Like the previously released Devilman and Neon Genesis Evangelion sets, each boxed set contains three 2.5" inch, fully-poseable and modular action figures. More sets, based on properties such as Tetsujin 28, Blair Witch Project and others, are due soon. We currently have both the Devilman and Mazinger Z sets in stock. Source: Toy Mania

 

Trendmasters Update - 06:57

According to Figures.com, Trendmasters is now back on track for a holiday release of Card Captors products. Figures.com hopes to soon have images of the products, which will include dolls, playsets, and a card game. It has been previously reported that Trendmasters was awarded the master toy license for Cartoon Network. This would include The Power Puff Girls, Dexter`s Laboratory, and Cow & Chicken. Power Puff Girls toys have been out for a while now, and although Dexter`s Laboratory toys have been released, they`re from another company. Trendmasters reports that their Dexter`s Laboratory toys, along with other Cartoon Network toys based on Yogi Bear, Cow and Chicken, and Johnny Bravo, are now in production for 2001 release. Trendmasters has also confirmed that they still have the rights to Voltron.

 

Thursday, August 31st

AD Vision News and Rumors - 07:14

According to an unconfirmed post on Anime on DVD’s forum, AD Vision will not employ digital overlays (replacing the Japanese text with English text) in its forthcoming Evangelion DVD releases, but will continue to digitally alter the text heavy Nadesico. The decision seems to come in response to widespread fan dissatisfaction with the first volume of Neon Genesis Evangelion on DVD. There is currently still no release date scheduled for the second volume of Evangelion on DVD. Only days after announcing it, AD Vision has canceled the dubbed Cutey Honey collection VHS tape citing that a VHS release is unnecessary given that a DVD version will be available soon. Source: Anime on DVD

 

Utena Q & A Summary - 07:13

Anime News Network has an interesting summary of the question and answer sessions with Kunihiko Ikuhara and Chiho Saito, the creative forces behind Revolutionary Girl Utena, from CNAnime. Fans of Utena, Sailor Moon, or those interesting in the creative process behind anime and manga will definitely want to read this summary.

 

Manga at World Con - 07:12

Manga Entertainment is sponsoring Worldcon`s first anime screening room and presenting 50 films from its catalog to thousands of attendees. Manga is the only anime company attending the convention with a booth in the dealers` room to showcase their titles and highlight their fall line-up. Worldcon, the traveling 58th annual World Science Fiction Convention is at Chicago`s Hyatt Regency Hotel this Labor Day weekend (August 31- September 4). Source: Anime on DVD

 

Forthcoming Dreamcast Releases - 07:12

The newest Dream Information pamphlet included with every Dreamcast game released out of Japan contains tremendous news for SNK fanatics. Cool Cool Toon is not the company`s final Dreamcast release. The pamphlet reveals that Last Blade 2, one of the last Neo Geo titles created, will be released on the Japanese Dreamcast in November. Rurouni Kenshin fans may want to look into this game. No concrete details are available yet, but a Superdimensional Fortress Macross game is due to hit the Dreamcast in Japan this December. The Japanese Ah! My Goddess arcade quiz game has been slated for a Dreamcast port by the end of the year. IGN Dreamcast

 

Video Game News - 07:11

The rhythm/dancing game Oja Majo Doremi #: Magic Dance Carnival is due out on the 21st with a retail price of 3800 yen. Welcome to Pia Carrot 2.2 will come out for the Gameboy Color this November. Oddly enough, this restaurant management/dating simulation game started out as a hentai PC game series, became a hentai OAV series, and is now breaking into the mainstream, non-adult market. Jibak-kun: Twelve World Story, based on the manga and anime TV series, will get a Gameboy Color RPG this December. Jibak-kun is an odd take on the Pokemon genre in which your character must hunt and destroy evil, rampaging Pokemon-style monsters.

Wednesday, August 30th

ADV Collections in November - 06:34

ADV has sent out a press release on their November releases. The most interesting November releases are new dub VHS collections of ADV series, similar to the Gunsmith Cats: Bullet Proof release. Episodes 1-3 of Golden Boy, the complete Burn Up W series, and episodes 1-4 of New Cutey Honey will all be released on single VHS tapes. Burn Up W will be out on the 14th for $14.98. Cutey Honey will also come out on the 14th and retail for $19.98, and Golden Boy will retail for $19.98 on the 28th.

 

Aya Brea Look-Alike Contest - 06:34

FirstLook.com has announced that, in anticipation of Squaresoft’s upcoming Parasite Eve II for the PlayStation, the company will launch an Aya Brea look-alike contest. Those who enter could win one of many cool prizes, including a $500 shopping spree, a copy of Parasite Eve II or a round-trip ticket and hotel accommodations for two, to a private Parasite Eve II launch party in Los Angeles. For those who don`t happen to resemble a gun toting, psychic super-model, the site also has a downloadable trailer for the game.

 

A Look at Street Fighter Figures 2 - 06:32

ReSaurus Toys has posted images of its second series of Street Fighter figures. Figures include Remy, Sagat, Chun-Li, Charlie (Nash), Necro and Akuma (Gouki). Each of these great looking figures will come in both first and second player colors.

 

Portable Classic RPGs - 06:31

Bandai has announced a color version of their extremely popular Wonderswan hand-held game system. Scheduled for release in Japan in December with a retail price of 7000 yen, one of the upgraded system`s first titles will be a port of Square`s original Final Fantasy game. Those who grew up in the 80’s may remember the classic Nintendo RPG Dragon Warrior, with character design by Akira Toriyama of Dragon Ball fame, and maybe the domestic television showing of the Dragon Warrior anime series. 14 years after the original release that introduced thousands of NES owners to RPGs, the re-release of Dragon Warrior I and II for Game Boy Color is almost at hand. Due out September 21, the cart features both of the first two games and should retail for about $29.99. On a side note, the recent release of the long, long, long awaited Dragon Quest 7 (Dragon Warrior 7) is on track to dwarf sales of Final Fantasy 9. (The half decade delay between Dragon Quest 6 and 7 certainly accounts for a significant portion of the game`s popularity over the current installment of the annual Final Fantasy series.) There have even been two reports of people being mugged in the streets for their just-purchased copies of the sold-out game. Source: Gaming Intelligence Agency

 

Meowth, That’s Rights - 06:30

IGNcube was able to film the interactive Meowth Party Gamecube demo at the Nintendo Spaceworld press conference on Thursday. The demo has has Meowth singing "Nyasu no Party," ("Nyasu`s Party-" Meowth`s Japanese name is Nyasu, the Japanese word for "moew") with other dancing Pokemon. It`s very amusing, and if you have never heard Meowth’s Japanese voice, it`s not to be missed.

 

McFarlane on Ben Stein - 06:29

Todd McFarlane, creator of Spawn and head of Todd McFarlane Productions will be appearing on Comedy Central`s "Turn Ben Stein On" this Thursday night at 10:30 PM. "Super Powers of the Individual" will be the topic discussed on the talk show. McFarlane’s toy division will soon be releasing a line of anime based action figures. Source: Raving Toy Maniac

Monday, August 21st 

Site Update: No Visits What ta hell! Posted by Kofman

According to my tracker from tripod. I have gotten only 9 hits yesterday when we at one time rose an average of 100 something. Well I'm going to bring everyone back cause I'm adding pics to the fan art section! Yep finally! All I did was take a little break from the internet and what happened my hits dropped and I still don't understand why my poll only has 5 votes!!!!! Anyway check out the club and many other places that I'm working on and remember the site is huge, and I'm not always posting news up but their happening!

Source: Anime Blood Shed 2 

Kenshin Audio Problem Update Posted by Kofman

According to a post on Anime on DVD’s forum by John Sirabella of Media Blasters, a new batch of Rurouni Kenshin TV volume one DVD are currently replicating that should have the Japanese audio issue resolved. "...if we cannot help you via tech support, call us and we can exchange it with one of our new batches. It has not been crazy with complaints though. As for the Kenshin #2 DVD, trust me it is being tested with many different audio configs."

Source: Anime on DVD  

Dragon Ball Z DVD Dates Posted by Kofman

Here are some dates for FUNimation’s upcoming releases of Dragon Ball Z TV episodes on DVD. Dragonball Z: Trunks Vol. 1 is due on September 5th and Trunks Vol. 2 will be out on the 19th. Dragonball Z: Androids Vol. 1 premiers on October 31st, Androids Vol. 2 on November 7th, Androids Vol. 3 on November 28th, and Androids Vol. 4 on December 5th. As FUNimation has previously announced, they will release the TV DVDs out of story-chronology order to get the shorter "sagas" out on DVD faster.

Source: Anime on DVD  

Digimon on DVD Posted by Kofman

20th Century Fox has announced plans to release Digimon on DVD this November following the theatrical release of the first Digimon movie on Oct 6th. The DVDs will contain the first 13 episodes of the TV series plus bloopers. 

Escaflowne Reports Posted by Kofman

For a peak at what at least one mainstream media critic thinks of Escaflowne, check the Houston Chronicle`s report on Fox’s new lineup.

For a good report on the changes made in the series check out cryptochrome’s Escaflowne reports. 

Another Look At Robotech 3000 Posted by Kofman

A new image of the upcoming Robotech 3000 has been added to the official site. It`s only a face shot, but it is an indication of what the upcoming show’s character design will look like. 

Square to show English Final Fantasy IX in September Posted by Kofman

Square recently confirmed that the English version of Final Fantasy IX would be on display for the first time this September 9th. The game will be shown at the London leg of the Square Millennium world tour. The day has some series significance as September 9th is the same day that Final Fantasy VII and VIII were released in the US.

While popular in Japan, Japanese sales of Final Fantasy IX are on track to sell fewer than 3 million copies, the least of any PlayStation Final Fantasy. [Two AnimeNation employees have already finished the game and consider it one of the very best of the 9 games.]

Source: Gaming Intelligence Agency  

Hidden Characters in Capcom VS SNK Posted by Kofman

Hidden characters have been confirmed for what will probably be the most talked about 2D fighting game of recent years, Capcom vs SNK. Images of what can be termed "hidden characters" for Capcom vs SNK have been released on a Japanese web site. The three images come from the DreamCast version training mode. Five characters- unknown if default or hidden characters in the Dreamcast version and unknown if they are in the arcade version at all, are present in the images: Morrigan, Nakoruru, Evil Ryu, Gouki (Akuma), and Riot of Blood Iori. It`s uncertain if these five are the only hidden characters in the game, or if there are additional characters in the roster. The inclusion of Vampire Hunter/Dark Stalker’s Morrigan seems to be the first diversion from the game`s previously known Capcom roster of entirely Street Fighter characters.

Source: Madman`s Cafe  

Media Blasters Site Redone Posted by Kofman

After being offline for a short while, Media Blasters has redesigned their homepage. Currently there is no content to the site, just a new design, but it is an indication of what the long ignored site will feature. Apparently the Kaiju Productions and Kitty labels will no longer be a part of the main Media Blasters web-site. Presumably, following the leads of CPM and ADV, Media Blasters will likely give Kitty its own separate web-site in order to distance its main corporate image from adult material. 

Upcoming Kid’s WB Schedule Posted by Kofman

The Kid’s WB schedule for September 4th until November, when X-Men Evolution premieres, will be:

Fridays
Pokemon - 7:00 AM
Histeria! - 7:30 AM
Detention - 3:00 PM
Cardcaptors - 3:30 PM (new episodes)
Pokemon - 4:00 PM (new episodes)
Generation O! - 4:30 PM (new series)

Saturdays
Men In Black - 8:00 AM
Pokemon - 8:30 AM
Jackie Chan Adventures - 9:00 AM
The Zeta Project - 9:30 AM
Pokemon - 10:00 AM
Static Shock! - 10:30 AM
Batman Beyond - 11:00 AM
Max Steel - 11:30 AM

Source: Toon Zone

News managed by Kofman, and future staff members