Source: DVD Animania
Here's a quick rundown on the latest news from Bandai Entertainment at this years Anime Expo.
Our booth exhibit will feature two high definition plasma monitors featuring not only our latest home video offerings on DVD, but a made for DVD preview of upcoming releases. Bandai America will be on head to demo its upcoming video game entries for the first time to the public. Want to check out those Gundam Wing action figures you've been hearing about, have no fear! Bandai America will be unveiling its new line of Gundam Wing action figures, as well as the Gundam Wing Endless Waltz Model kits, and the impressive Gundam Wing DX Transformable Action Figure (Its huge) Various Japanese guests from Japan will also be on hand to sign autographs, and who knows what else, at the Bandai booth.
In addition to our limited Escaflowne and Jubei-Chan the Ninja Girl T-shirt giveaways, there will be an abundance of giveaways, posters, stickers, and other little goodies to hand out. Be sure to stop by the booth and grab a Bandai bag, a free Don't Leave Me Alone Daisy animation cel used in the actual production will be inserted into each bag in order to commemerate its upcoming release on DVD later this year!!
Bandai Entertainment will be attending three panels this year: The Escaflowne the Movie Production Panel, Anime on DVD hosted by Megazone, and the Bandai Entertainment industry panel. If you going to Anime Expo, be sure to especially step by the Bandai Entertainment panel, you wouldn't want to miss out on the new Gundam Wing announcements, or the slew of new title acquistions, or even the new DVD announcements....hey, we'll even throw in a few T-shirts for the heck of it!
Stop by and say Hello!
Seattle, Washington, 2:15pm Pacific Time.
I just got off the phone with Mr. David Jessen, VP of Special Acquisitions, Buena Vista Home Entertainment. Due to a schedule change on his part, he will only be attending Anime Expo on Friday, and we have made arrangements to meet Friday morning at 10am for breakfast. This will coincide with AX 2000's Opening Ceremonies in Live Programming room 1, however.
To answer your most burning questions:
Q. Is the August 29th day-and-date release official?
A. Yes.
Q. What will be available on August 29th?
A. The English-dubbed DVD with a bonus French language track will be available for purchase. The English-dubbed VHS will be available for rental. The DVD will not carry a Japanese language track.
Q. Why will the English DVD not include a Japanese language track?
A. Because the Japanese office of BUENA VISTA (not Studio Ghibli) requested it. There has been no DVD release of Mononoke yet, and sales of a Region 1 version DVD could still threaten sales of a Region 2 version in Japan. DVD piracy and importation are significant enough problems, regardless of the benefits of region-encoding.
Q. Will an English DVD with Japanese language and subtitles be available after the Japanese DVD release of Mononoke?
A. No. However, *if there is sufficient interest*, when the VHS rental copies run out and have to be reprinted/remastered, he will request that two versions be made: the original VHS dub sell-through and a new VHS widescreen subtitled sell-through.
Q. How may fans let Disney know there is "sufficient interest" in a subtitled version of Mononoke on VHS?
A. Mr. Jessen and I will discuss this when we meet at AX 2000 on Friday. Meanwhile, please write to me with your vote, so that I can surprise him with your enthusiasm!
In an e-mail message sent DIRECTLY to me (michj@nausicaa.net), please provide the following information:
the words "I will buy subtitled Mononoke" in the subject line
your real name (no nicknames, please)
your city and state (or province and country for non-US residents)
the statement (or some reasonable variation)
"If it is made available, I fully intend to purchase at least ___ copy/ies of the film Princess Mononoke in the Japanese language with English subtitles, in widescreen (letterboxed) format, even if this means it will be more expensive than the English-only version."
(Fill in the blank ("___") with the number of copies you'd buy.)
OPTIONAL: add the statement
"I would prefer a DVD/VHS release with these features over the English-only releases currently scheduled for August 29, 2000."
(Erase the choice, DVD or VHS, that you don't want.)
Please note that I will print out all of these messages and present them to Mr. Jessen on Friday morning, June 30th, 2000, so get your mail to me ASAP!
Privacy warning: If you would prefer not to have your name, e-mail address, or other personal information given to Buena Vista Home Entertainment, please do not send me this piece of e-mail.
Hello everyone,
This post is in regard to the recent issue regarding the Princess Mononoke DVD.
I spoke with David Jessen on the evening of June 26th 2000, he is the liaison for Tokuma Shoten at Buena Vista Home Entertainment. He has just begun this position at the company, and was unaware of the negative feedback concerning the exclusion of a Japanese language track and english subtitles from the Princess Mononoke DVD. He would like to assess the interest into how many people would like to see a Japanese language track on the DVD.
He is very enthusiastic in hearing feedback from Miyazaki fans, constructive feedback can be sent to him at his office address which is:
David Jessen
c/o Buena Vista Home Entertainment
350 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-4691
He would like to know how many people out there would like to see a Princess Mononoke DVD release with a Japanese language track and english subtitles. Mr. Jessen is very enthusiastic about receiving feedback since he has just begun the position, so please give it to him. Any feedback or suggestions about the future releases of Hayao Miyazaki's films can be sent to him.
The future of seeing Miyazaki's films on DVD with a Japanese audio track and english subtitles count on your feedback. Please take a moment of your time to type up a polite letter, put in an envelope, and send in your thoughts about how you want to see Miyazaki's films.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
John Andersen
URBAN VISION ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES INFORMATIONAL PANEL AT ANIME EXPO 2000
Sunday, July 2, 2000 - Urban Vision will host an hour-long informational panel at Anime Expo, starting at 11:00am and ending approximately at noon. The panel will consist of information on Urban Vision's latest releases and upcoming projects. Urban Vision will also be having a booth at Expo - look near the entrance at booth 805.
At both the panel and the booth, Urban Vision will be handing out flyers, posters, and other promotional goodies, as well as answering any questions at all times. We look forward to meeting with colleagues and fans and being available for questions and comments.
Capcom's Rockman Battle & Fighters for Neo Geo Pocket will be a from-arcade port of Rockman The Power Battle and Rockman 2: Power Fighters. A special feature - Character File will allow exchange of a character via link cable upon defeating it. Release in Japan is set for on July 6th at a retail price of 4800 yen.
Sega Enterprises announced plans that it will run a trial-test of an Integrated Circuit "Smart" card-based payment option in arcades inTokyo in July.
SNK's The King of Fighters: Battle De Paradise for Neo Geo Pocket. will featur characters from King Of Fighters '99 and new characters (Seth, Venessa).
The first info was from Norman Wilner, it's been checked against BVHE's retailers-only site. The pertinent info:
* DVD available August 29, 2000
* Rental VHS delayed till August 29, 2000
* UPC 717951007414; BVHE stock # 19300
* Suggested retail price US$34.99
* Bonus: French language
* Spec: 5.1 Surround; 1.85:1; enhanced for 16x9 TV
* Materials: track; featurette; trailer
No mention of a Japanese audio track, hopefully just an oversight.
Square will release a 4 CD Final Fantasy original sound track compilation album in Japan on August 30th which will include 110 songs taken from games throughout the entire FF game series. Special additions are two versions of the Final Fantasy IX theme "Melodies of Life". 4 CD's, lyrics and Yoshitaka Amano illustrations will be provided, retail price will be 3689 Yen.
Square / Digicube will release a CD single featuring the FF IX theme "Melodies Of Life" in Japan in August to be available at a retail price of 1300 Yen.
Konami will establish an Asian division in Shanghai, China to open it's doors on Oct. 1st. The Asian division will initially maintain a staff of 80 with plans to expand to 200 next year.
Capcom has announced a delay in the release of the arcade version of Capcom V.S. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000, from August 3 to some unspecified date near the end of August. The Dreamcast version of the game is set for release in Japan in September.
Stone Bridge Press will be at the ANIME EXPO 2000 at the Disneyland Hotel, June 30th through July 3rd. Stop by our booth, lucky number 711, and take a look at our popular titles about anime, manga, and more!
"Anime Trivia Quizbook: From Easy to Otaku Obscure: Episode 1" by Ryan Omega
"The Anime Companion: What's Japanese in Japanese Animation" by GIlles Poitras
"Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation" by Helen McCarthy
"The Four Immigrants Manga: A Japanese Experience in San Francisco,
1904-1922" by Henry (Yoshitaka) Kiyama, translated by Frederik L. Schodt
"Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga" by Frederik L. Schodt
"Kanji Pict-o-Graphix: Over 1,000 Kanji and Kana Mnemonics" by Michael Rowley
For more information visit www.shoujocon.com
Source: Fanboy Entertainment
"..the color proofs for Dark Angel: Phoenix Resurrection #1 have been approved and the book is being printed as we speak. Finally! It ships this Friday and goes on sale the week of July 4th. It will ship with two covers, both by Kia Asamiya himself, divided in a 50/50 split. The first cover is of Dark and Kyo in the desert which you have probably seen as it is in all the ads. To help build up hype for the release of the book, I have now posted the art for the variant cover to Dark Angel: Phoenix Resurrection #1 up on the Fanboy site. Be sure to visit http://www.fanboyinc.com/kyocover.jpg to check it out.
Address:
JAPAN EXPO 2000
EPITA
14 & 16, rue Voltaire
94270 LE KREMLIN-BICETRE
FRANCE
Not appearing in Toys R' Us in the forseeable future, this webpage lists details and photos of a 1/3rd scale (7 meter tall) model based on the MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam from the Zeta Gundam TV series which originally aired in Japan in 1985. The giant Gundam is located near Okayama Japan, was built over 7 years and is constructed of iron frame material with hydraulic cylindars in the legs and and arms, the red cockpit core in the chest area is also able to open and close. The scale Gundam to the right is probably not outfitted for real world modern-day mobile warfare (let alone space combat) but as reported in the past, science is progressing in development of real mobile suits and exoskeletal armor. The following links lead to sites with more information on real life applications of mobile suit-style technology:
http://www.springwalker.com/
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Chamber/8190/mospec06.html
http://www.natick.army.mil/warrior/96/mar/research.htm
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/army/docs/astmp98/ge.htm
http://www.earleshouse.com/mps.html
We've just gotten in confirmation from Bandai that the upcoming Jubei-Chan DVD's will contain a Dolby Digital 5.1 track. The newly mixed English language track will be in full glorious 5.1 while the original Japanese language track will be presented in its original form.
The premiere of "Pokemon The Movie 2000" will be at the Mann's Village Theatre in Westwood, California at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 15. Remember, "Pokemon The Movie 2000" opens nationwide on July 21!
On Sunday, July 16, the WB Network will broadcast a 30-minute special, The Power of One: "Pokemon The Movie 2000." The special airs at 7:00 p.m., so check your local listings and tune in!
Source: Anihabara
MANGA ON DIGITAL TV
If you have Sky Digital TV you may want to check out U Direct films who will be showing a number of Manga films in the months of July and August, they are a pay per view station on channel 800 on Sky Digital. The titles they have lined up are some of Manga's best ever anime, so check them out if you can JULY . . . . Battle Angel Alita, Junk Boy, Ultimate Teacher, Angel Cop series, Appleseed, Wicked City, Armageddon, Ghost, Golgo 13 and Streetfighter 2. AUGUST . . . . Monster City, Goku 1 & 2, Tokyo Revelation, Zeguy, Devilman 1 & 2 and both Godzilla titles. Check out there website for screening times at www.udirect.co.uk
NEW TITLES COMING SOON
Evangelion The Movies will be released by Manga Video but no date has been fixed yet and yes we will use the same voice actors as in the ADV series... The Fist of the North Star series stopped at episode 7 but Manga are now going to release the rest of the series up to Volume 12..... Ninja Scroll jets its DVD release off the ground very soon and will feature extras from Theatrical trailers to sub and dub versions.... Watch Cannel 4 soon as they are about to show all of the Fist of the North Star series on there 4Later slot. At this stage we do no when they plan to show the series but we will let you know as soon as we hear..... Rayearth is released in July, this is one of three OVAs from the original Japanese TV series and will no doubt be an instant hit will all anime/manga fans. The two remaining episodes will be released in August and September....
DVD... VHS... DVD... VHS... DVD... VHS... UPDATE
Here are the latest release dates for Manga Entertainment's new DVD's. Perfect Blue 10th July, Ninja Scroll 14th August, Streetfighter Alpha & The Guyver 1-6 9th October, "X" The Movie 13th November, Patlabor 1&2 December/January 2001 Now for VHS releases . . . . . . . . . Rayearth 1 10th July, "X" The Movie Streetfigher Alpha & Rayearth 2 14th August, Rayearth 3 & Evangelion The Movies 11th September . . . . . . .........
The new OAV eX-D (Ex-Driver) created by Kosuke Fujishima, features anime planning, story plot and character designs all by the creator. The story occurs in the future where all cars run on electricity and are controlled by AI. These futuristic cars are not all safe, running wild on occasion. In order to keep the resulting accidents to a minimun, drivers who can handle old-style, gasoline powered cars, called "eX-D", are needed. Teenage girls - Lisa Sakakino and Lorna Endo are central "eX-Ds". Sounds used for cars in the anime are said to be taken from an actual car owned by Fujishima-sensei.
Vol. 1 of the OAV is on sale in Japan on July 25th.
Source: Fanboy Entertainment
Fox Kids ran a promo for "Fox Anime Fridays". The schedule is as follows according to www.clicktv.com ...
3:00 PM - Digimon: Digital Monsters
3:30 PM - Flint, The Time Detective
4:00 PM - Monster Rancher
4:30 PM - Digimon: Digital Monsters
ANIMETHON 7 - JULY 15-16, 2000
Place: Grant MacEwan Community College - 10700 104 Ave., Edmonton,
Alberta
Time: 9am - 9 pm Saturday, 9am - 6pm Sunday
Admission: FREE, with a donation to the Food Bank!
Website: http://www.anime-alberta.org/animethon/
ANIMETHON 7 IS COMING!
The Animethon Society is pleased to announce the return of Western Canada's largest anime festival, ANIMETHON 7. On July 15-16, Animethon will again hit the scene with eight projector-equipped viewing rooms (including two theatres), showing the latest and greatest anime on the big screen. That's over 180 hours or anime! This year, we're featuring a whole mess of new anime, including:
-Revolutionary Girl Utena Movie
-You're Under Arrest Movie
-Excel Saga
-CardCaptors (Card Captor Sakura)
-Nadesico the Movie
And a whole lot more!
DEALERS & DISPLAYS
This just in: Animethon will have the biggest dealer's room in its seven-year history! This year, dealers will be present from Edmonton, Calgary and even Ottawa! Many dealers are getting in shipments specifically for Animethon 7, so the hottest anime and manga merchandise are bound to be found here. In addition, a special screen will be there to showcase the latest releases of our official anime company sponsors, including AnimeVillage, Animeigo, Viz, Urban Vision, and more!
And the Animethon Display Room returns as well! Here, anime fans get to how off their collections of rare and valuable anime stuff. Models and garage kits will be on display, as will rare collections of manga, laserdiscs, stuffed toys - you name it. Fanart galleries will be there, as well as the popular Artist's Wall, where artists are invited to literally graffiti the wall. As if that weren't enough, we've got karaoke this year too! If you think you've got some anime stuff or fanart you'd like to display, drop us a line and we'll try to find you some space!
PANELS
Not only are we just showing anime and hosting dealers, but as usual we're holding lots of panels and discussions, featuring anime and manga experts from across the province. Among them:
- The hilarious Anime Rant returns for its fourth year, where four fans
take on the anime issues of the day in a no-holds barred rant session!
- The successful Anime Improv Dubbing show returns as well, where teams
of fans improvise their own dubs for anime clips based on suggestions
from the audience.
- Once more, those interested in the Japanese language can sign up to
learn the basics with our resident language experts in the Japanese
language panel.
- Our first fanfic panel will feature writers and readers of fanfic from
across Alberta - including the winner of an Anime North fanfic prize!
- And you won't want to miss the new game show, "Who Wants To Be An
Otaku?", based on the popular TV show. Test your anime knowledge, and
win prizes!
COSPLAY
You heard it right! Animethon will be hosting the first organized cosplay event in Alberta. Enthusiastic fans will dress up as their favorite anime characters in a masquerade and presentation. Sound bizarre? You ain't seen nothing yet! We'll have cosplay from around the province, contests and prizes. If you're interested in showing up in costume and being part of the Animethon cosplay, let us know!
ADMISSION
That's the best part - Animethon is FREE! Just bring a non-perishable food item to donate to the Edmonton Food Bank, at the Registration Desk, and you're in. While you're at it, buy the Animethon Guidebook, which features articles, manga, and the full schedule and show descriptions! Also pick up one of the exclusive Animethon 7 T-shirts.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Animethon routinely brings in over two thousand people each year from all over the province; we've also had visitors from Vancouver, Victoria, Toronto, Montreal, and even the United Kingdom over the years! If you're looking for a place to stay, Animethon has found two hotels where visitors have stayed before. Both are within walking distance of Grant MacEwan:
The Edmonton Grand Hotel: http://www.grandhotel.ab.ca/
10266 - 103 St. Phone: 1-888-422-6365
[Note: This is about the cheapest price in the area.]
The Edmonton House Suite Hotel:
http://www.edmontonhouse.com/resources/edmhse/edmhsehome.html
10205 - 100 Ave. Phone: 1-800-661-6562
Unfortunately, Animethon cannot officially recommend either hotel.
INTERNET & CONTACTS
The Animethon website, featuring maps, schedules, and lots of info, can be found at the website below. Web space provided by Anime Alberta!
http://www.anime-alberta.org/animethon/
If you're looking to contact the Animethon Society about anything, try the addresses listed below:
Scheduling, Advertising and Website: dross@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca
Volunteering: ihorner@telusplanet.net
Dealer Inquiries: wstone@ualberta.ca
Cosplay and Display Room: mnguyen@hotmail.com
Everything Else: baka@ualberta.ca
Whew! It's a long post, but we had to tell you about all the exciting stuff that'll be going down at Animethon 7 next month. We'll see you there!
Sincerely,
The Animethon Society
All Stories, Graphics And Material © Anime News Service Unless Otherwise Cited
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