You know, the anime business has been going through a bit of a slump in the past year. Don’t believe me? Just check out what’s been going on at the conventions. Nothing. Industry panels pretty much just talk about what the companies are about to release over the next couple of months. But for the most part, no one’s making any big news. AnimeOnDVD.com make this interesting chart showing just how many titles are NOT being licensed this year. It’s a shame, really.

But I guess that all the companies were just saving it all for two weekends ago at Anime Expo, because they let out some pretty big news. You can read all the details at Anime News Network, but here’s a couple of tidbits that really caught my attention. (^_^)

Mai-HiME licensed by Bandai

And it’s about fricking time! Mai-HiME was one of the best series to come out in Japan in the last year, and it has all the potential for doing great in the US as well. When I showed this series to my club last year, I told them that there had to be one company in particular that was to pick up this fantastic series. That kind of mech action had “Bandai” written all over it. So one of the things I told them leading up to our trip to Anime Boston was “get ready to hear Bandai announce that they got HiME!” Well, you could imagine my disappointed when the Bandai rep, Jerry Chu, told me that he had no licensing announcements to make this year.. I almost asked him, “What about HiME, Jerry? What about HiME?” But at Anime Expo, he finally announced that they have it, and now I can finally tell my club members, “Toldja so!” This is bound to be a release that no one should miss.

Evangelion to air on Adult Swim

Wow… I see some potential here. When I first saw Evangelion all those years ago, it showed me just what kind of a mind-fuck anime could have on the viewer. The whole philosophy and execution was so brilliant, there’s a reason why many consider it the best anime of all time. Because of Eva, I look at anime with the idea that there’s more then what’s on the surface. But will this show have the same effect on the Adult Swim market?

I think it will.

With the combination the off-center (yet witty) American cartoons that the network shows along with the serious anime action series, the Adult Swim viewer is also looking for something that is different and cool. I feel that while many might be turned off by the start of the series, once the philosophical parts kick in, it will be a hit. Expect to see more interest in the series through the internet and merchandise (not like there’s not enough of that already!). However, I think we will also see a repeat of the backlash towards the ending of the series as well, so I guess we all have to tell them to shut up and watch the movie.

Afro Samurai Live Action

I’ve talked before about how Samuel L. Jackson will play the title character of studio’s Gonzo’s Afro Samurai anime series, but the company has announced a video game, manga, and live-action version of the film will be made too. And to make it even better, Jackson’s staring in the movie!

Hmmm… I can see it now…

[Master prepares the Afro Samurai for his journey to Japan]

Master: And you know that they don’t have the Quarter Pounder with Cheese in Japan?
Samurai: They don’t have the Quarter Pounder with cheese?
Master: No man, they got the metric system. They wouldn’t know what the fuck a Quarter Pounder is.
Samurai: Then what do they have?
Master: They have all this Japanese stuff like a Teriyaki Chicken sandwich.
Samurai: Teriyaki Chicken sandwich… What about the Big Mac?
Master: Well, they have it. A Big Mac’s still a Big Mac, but they call it a “biggu makku”.
Samurai: “Biggu Makku”. Ha ha ha ha. What do they call a Whopper?
Master: I dunno, I didn’t go into Burger King.

VIZ licenses SaiKano OVA series

Before it’s even released in Japan. Well, I can’t really say I’m too disappointed. When I first picked up the manga about a year ago, I really thought it was one of the best series out there. But after reading more into it and watching the anime, it became too depressing for me to handle. It really is one of the most tragic stories there is. I’ve actually put off watching the last DVD of the TV series because I don’t want to see these characters suffer anymore, lol. But still, I do wanna find out how it all ends up. Maybe I should get around to finishing the last DVD…

G4 to air Colorful (o_O)!

In what has to be the strangest news I’ve heard recently, the video game network G4 will air the very weird and perverted series Colorful. Just what is Colorful? Well, the back of the DVD has this little poem written on it:

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
This show’s about panties.

That’s right, folks, this is a comedy series all about panties, panties, panties! And so, to think that it would ever be aired on US television, let alone a video game network, is beyond all reasoning to me! But then again, I guess the concept is pretty appealing to the video game nerd demographic… but still, something’s not right about that!

Psychic Academy Release Info

There is one series in my girlfriend’s manga collection that I always tease her by saying, “why are you the one collecting this and not me?” and that would be Psychic Academy. It’s a typical shounen romance series with magic and a lot of fanservice. However, I’ve become a really big fan of the artist’s most popular series called Futari Ecchi. Now Futari is pretty much the story of a newlywed couple of virgins and how they figure out what sex is and how to do it properly. I guess you could consider it the manga version of the radio show “Loveline”. The couple encounters many problems with love making, and they help each other out to fix it. It’s as sexual as any comic can get, but it’s too serious to be considered true hentai. I think it’s the most entertaining “sex guide” for young adults out there, and would probably be a big hit for our age group. Of course, it will be a cold day in hell before something like that ever hits the US bookstores, right?

But Psychic Academy is out over here, and it looks like it’s doing pretty well. Tokyopop is going to release the anime adaptation of the manga. The anime was originally aired on the internet, so each of the 24 episodes are under 10 minutes long. Tokyopop is releasing the show in 2 DVD volumes with subtitles only, and the first one is going to have a book included with it. At first they were planning to have the book be Psychic Academy vol. 1, which they realized was a mistake. Probably the only people who were going to buy the anime were already fans of the series and had the book already. So the company announced at Anime Expo that the series would include a newly licensed book by the same author, though they haven’t said which one yet.

It’s that other book that I’m excited about. Now, as wishful as I am, I know it’s still not going to be Futari Ecchi. But if you look at the artist’s other works, he really does seem to have some goodies. They all seem to be either shounen action series or adult ecchi series. While the new book will be of the former category, I’m still very interested in reading it. Also, that means that Tokyopop has expressed interest in the artist, and they love to be the exclusive licensers on the people they like. So maybe this is a sign that maybe they will take a chance on Futari down the road. What an impact that title would make on the industry…