The Anime Chronicle podcast returns with a healthy 50 minutes of anime based discussion brought to you by Jeremy Graves, Jimi Hart & (all the way from the USA) Hugo Jackson!
This weeks shows provides you with a variety of topics including Hugo's experiences with the streaming services Hulu and Roku America, subscriptions, thoughts on the new & upcoming releases of Kiddy Grade, Bleach: Series 8 Part 2 and Fairy Tail. Plus talk on fan service, Mardock Scramble and Beez Entertainment revealing they will have a presence at London Expo and more!
A fun show as always! Go give it a listen.
Remember to visit our new website AnimeChronicleUK.com for news, reviews and much more!
The Anime Chronicle Podcast has returned to bring nearly 100 minutes of anime talk!
[Be sure to head over to our new website AnimeChronicleUK.com for news, reviews, podcasts & more]
Join Jeremy Graves as he welcomes Andy Hanley & Seb Reid from UK-Anime to take you on a journey through a multitude of topics that include, but are not limited to, Dragon Ball Z finally getting a release in the UK, Blue Exorcist coming to the UK as a subtitle only release, the possibility of more Blu-Ray releases in the UK, news regarding London Expo including the there will be a world exclusive "sneak peak" of the English language version of Welcome To The Space Show, the lost world that is DVD art boxes many shows from the current streaming season and more!
It's a packed show of anime discussion for you and it's available right now!
NOTE - BE SURE TO VISIT OUR NEW WEBSITE www.AnimeChronicleUK.com
On edition of the Anime Chronicle podcast, Jeremy & Hugo welcome Andy Hanley of UK-Anime back to the program to explore the wonders that will be digital manga now that JManga.com have opened it's doors to customers on a worldwide scale. We explore pros, cons, worries and more!
There's also time to talk about what we've been watching including the likes of Lagrange, Fairy Tail & Arrietty and answer some questions from the Anime Chronicle community that covers such subject as the third Rebuild of Evangelion movie, dubs and more! A fun show as always and available to stream & download right now!
We're happy to announce that we have launched a brand new website! The site contain virtually of all of the content of this site and in time will house all other archived content (including older podcasts) too.
You can visit our new website that contains news, reviews, our podcasts and more at www.AnimeChronicleUK.com
The only content that will be posted on this site from this point forward will be our podcasts. Please bookmark our new website as your primary source for all thing Anime Chronicle related. Thank you to everyone for your continued support of the site and do let us know what you think of our new site too.
Japan Underground are back this weekend with a packed night of Japanese rock to melt your face off... okay maybe not that much - because that would be painful - but we can assure you it'll still be a great night had by all! Get all the info below and for more information on Japan Underground, visit their site HERE.
When: Saturday 3 March 2012. (from 7pm)
Tickets: £5 on the door.
Where:The Pipeline, 94 Middlesex Street, London, E1 7DA [map] (formally ‘The Puzzle’, on Google Maps)
Nearest Transport Links: Liverpool Street Station, Aldgate / Algate East Station, Shoreditch High Street Station.
Facebook Event Page: [click here] Last.fm Event Page: [click here]
We’re back and bringing two live acts for your pleasure! All for a mere £5 in the heart of the city of London! Headlining will be two piece Japanese rockers MUGEN HOSO, and they’ll be supported by a very special one-off reunion show from March of the Playwrite. Plus Japanese rock music DJed all night! So go invite your friends and rock out!
When you watch an anime that features weapons - be them guns or swords for example - occasionally there is one that looks so innovative you'd love to know how it would actually work in real life. Although not Anime, Star Trek is known for inspiring people to create handheld devices like the iphone and even sliding doors. With that in mind what would happen if a weapon like the Kabuto slingshot used by Usopp/Sogeking in One Piece was actually constructed for real use?
This is where Jorge Sprave of the Slingshot Channel on YouTube comes into the conversation as he created this very weapon and filmed a video demonstrating it's capabilities.
Even Sonny Strait - the English language voice actor of Usopp in One Piece, has commented on the video saying "How amazing!... I am blown away by your inventiveness."
The thing that stands out to me the most about this is the destructive power of the Kabuto.The first time in the video he launched a ball from the slingshot, the sound it produced genuinely shocked & amazed me. A big question now would to be imagine what other slingshot based weapons - if any - could also be created by this very talented fellow.
When it comes to the world of print media it is on a big decline. With machines like the Kindle and applications on a variety of mobile devices the media that once required you to have to lug a book everywhere is now more compact than ever. Even comic books & graphic novels are following the same path and also making titles available on digital platforms. The likes of Marvel Comics & DC Comics - famous for bringing characters such as the X-Men and the Justice League to the world respectively - have begun making their content accessible and affordable to the digital consumer. An advent of similar ilk has been wanted by many & more than likely dreaded by others since avenues like these were created. It looks like the first big step toward a viable source for the UK market for reading digital manga has finally been achieved with JManga.
JManga first came into the public light in December of 2010 in the USA. It's goal to be a legal monetarily controlled source of translated manga from Japan that benefits both the publishers and readers. Today - Tuesday 28th February - marked a big step in the development of that platform as they announced "Jmanga.com is now global". This means that manga readers wanting to embark on this digital platform from outside the USA & Canada can access the features of the site.
We'll be following up on this news on our next podcast - set to be recorded later this week if all goes well - giving our thoughts on the advent of reading manga on a digital level as well. We will also discuss how the service works as it runs on a subscription fee utilising a points system to purchase manga - appearing to be similar to how Microsoft run their Xbox live service. In the meantime be sure to visit http://www.jmanga.com/ to see what will be on offer and be sure to let us know what you think of this news too.
Naruto is a series that has a lot of longevity to it. The manga of the series has been going since 1999 and has received praise the world over for the ninja universe it creates. Which is why it's a great pleasure to bring you our first review of a box set from the 'Shippuden' incarnation of Naruto.
To give a bit of background Naruto - as a franchise - is separated into two parts. The first known simply as 'Naruto' focuses on the rise of a young boy who is an outcast for reasons unbeknown to him but he is determined to win over the respect of his peers and other residents of the hidden village of the leaves, Konaha. However along the way there is a unique story that develops taking on twists and turns that make it one of the most engaging series I've been following. One of the big points of this story is that a tailed beast that attacked Konaha is sealed within Naruto - keep that information in mind as it does play an important part throughout the entire story. The climax of this first section of 'Naruto' comes when Naruto & his teammate but also rival Sasuke come to blows - a moment that was teased & destined to happen given the way the story played out. This results in Sasuke turning his back on his team & Konaha for the sake of fulfilling his eternal goal of destroying his brother Itachi. Keep reading →
It has been officially confirmed that the Bleach anime will be coming to a end in Japan with the final episode set to air on March 27th. Interestingly though the actual manga of the franchise is still very much in full force and continues further than the anime itself leaving to the possibility that there may be some form of specials, OVA or even movies to continue the story in animated form.
Bleach is being released in the United Kingdom on DVD by Manga Entertainment who are set to release the first volume of the of season eight in March. With their season seven boxset concluding with episode 151 there is certainly a lot more of the series hopefully in the pipeline for release on top of the upcoming third animated movie "Fade To Black".
However speaking of movies there is some other news that has come to light that is certain to get the internet talking. Warner Bros studios have apparently purchased the rights to develop a live action Bleach movie. It looks to be produced by Dan Mazeau - who has written the script for the upcoming Wrath Of The Titans movie - and could well have Peter Segal as producer or director also. Segal was involved in the recent Get Smart film.
We will certainly keep you up to date on any additional news relating to this movie. One can only help this ends up being a good live action anime movie. That being said anything has to better than Dragonball Evolution, right?
As referenced in a previous article, a quartet of heavy metal veterans have ventured over to Japan to embark on a new musical project where they recreate anime themes into power metal (or as it's sometimes referred to - speed metal) songs while at the same time translating all lyrics into English known as Animetal USA.
They were unveiled to the Japanese public back in October receiving critical acclaim for their eleven song debut record "Animetal USA" (that included the themes from Dragon Ball, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Saint Seiya & Gatchaman) that was released exclusively in Japan by Sony and were even the opening band at the annual Loud Park Festival in their first live performance together. Since then there hasn't really been much word on what is next for the band - aside from confirmation that a second album is in the works and some press coverage to keep them in the limelight. One of their recent appearances includes a performance of "Uchuusenkan Yamato" the opening theme to the series Space Battleship Yamato (also known as Stars Blazers in many territories) that can be viewed by clicking HERE. (It even has the complete lyrics as English subtitles too!)
Anime reminds me somewhat of my trips around an American grocery store. Everything is designed to leap out at you with as many colours and flavours as possible, and all sitting packed shoulder-to-shoulder with things very similar, sometimes only distinguished by the different brand, even while housing content that is exactly the same in all but name. I feel like that a lot when I'm trying to fish through for decent anime titles.
That's where Fruits Basket is somewhat of a dream. Anyone who's been a fan of anime in the UK for enough years will probably know the series well enough, being as it is a hugely popular franchise and one that's greatly admired both on screen and in its original manga format. It might even be fair enough to say it's one of the 'grandfathers' of anime releases in the UK, almost certainly so for Funimation as one of their signature franchises from many moons ago. But what makes it so different? Has it stood up well against the newer, cleaner, sharper, higher-budget series that have broken down our doors and ravaged our TVs with amazing visuals in recent years? Keep reading →
Here is a very impromptu edition of the Anime Chronicle for you. Originally when we taped this it was intended to be a segment inserted into the confines of the next podcast but given we ended up going for nearly an hour decided to release this as a podcast of its own instead!
Join Jeremy Graves & Jimi Hart as they take you on a whimsical journey through Tekken Blood Vengeance (*Spoilers* included), following on from the text review by Jimi that can be read HERE, as they discuss the plot, the CGI, how 4 seconds of music can enrage someone and more! Plus there's time another tale of GinTama based uncontrollable laughter, a preview of what's to come on future episodes and more!
It's nearly an hour of discussion and it's available now!
When I was about 13, I remember the grueling task of saving all the pocket money I had earned washing cars and cutting the grass (we had to work for the pocket money back then!) and, whilst bursting with excitement, being taken on a small trip to my local Wooly's to peruse the games they had on offer and, if I was very good, a possible MaccyD's! Thanks, Mum!
At this time, PS1 had dominated the game stands, but with new and old games still reaching £20 a pop it was a high price for entertainment, although back then the iBlackHTGalaxyPad hadn't even been conceived, and this was the height of tech at the time. Keep reading →
Imagine if you will, a man standing on a small bridge in a dojo in what can best described as alternative reality of Japan known as Great Japan. A time where the Tokugawa Shogunate, the era of feudal Japan that prohibited contact with the rest of the world among many other things, is still in power when suddenly a bright ball of light appears in the sky. The light descending towards this perplexed man, who we later find out is the main male protagonist of the series, is made even more confused moments later when he discovers a naked unconscious lady inside this ball of light who addresses him as 'big brother' (as in biological brother, not a term of affection), & then kisses him. This is the opening scene of Samurai Girls, the latest release by Kaze in the UK. Keep reading →
Manga Entertainment have confirmed via twitter that the UK will be seeing Blu-Ray releases of the Naruto Shippuuden "Bonds" movie, the Bleach "Fade To Black" movie, the original Fullmetal Alchemist movie (previously released by Revelation Films on DVD) "The Conqueror of Shamballa" and the upcoming Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood movie "The Sacred Star of Milos" this year.
Manga also confirmed that the previously alluded Blu-Ray release of the first and second Bleach movies, via Kaze UK, will still happen. "[Kaze UK] will be re-releasing Bleach Movie 1 and 2 as well as Fade To Black on Blu-ray on the same day! We [are] distributing them."
In DVD news, when quizzed about the possibility of releasing the second season of Sengoku Basara in the UK they responded with "Season 2 on DVD. Yes, I believe we will." You can add that to the list of title we can expect to hit these shores in the future.
We are delighted to bring our first podcast of the new year featuring a plethora of topics on the world of anime.
Join Jeremy Graves, Hugo Jackson & Jimi Hart for discussion on topics such as Beez Entertainment closing its doors, anime being released on Blu-Ray in the UK, the presence of the anime market in US retailers, the relaunch of Anime On Demand, various streaming title from last season including Hunter x Hunter & UnGo, reviews of Samurai Girls (which creates lots of boob jokes, hence the title of this episode) and Welcome To NHK and more!
It ia 90 minutes of anime talk to kick off the new year with and it's available for your listening pleasure now!
[NOTE - This podcast was recorded on Sunday 15th January 2012]
Crunchyroll have announced they are now offering full HD quality streaming on a number of their anime and J-Drama simulcasts from today.
Previously the highest quality streaming was 720p and this is no doubt very welcoming news to many users. Naruto Shippuuden, Bleach, Nisemonogatari, Hunter x Hunter & The Prince Of Tennis II are among the twenty programs you'll be able to watch in 1080p from today.
You can see a comparison of the two picture qualities below. (Click on the pictures to enlarge them.) Keep reading →
This past Wednesday, 4th January, the biggest professional wrestling event in Japan at the 55,000 seater Tokyo Dome entitled 'Wrestle Kingdom VI' took place. Featuring some of best wrestlers from all over the globe this was truly one of grandest stages in wrestling and biggest event on the Japanese wrestling calendar. What has this got to do with anime you ask? A very well known anime character made an appearance to accompany four wrestlers to ringside during that very show.
Mighty Astro, who we know better as Astro Boy, was present at the Tokyo Dome with classic footage of him flying was displayed on two giant screens (see below) before making his way down to the ring while accompanying his team that included legendary Japanese wrestler Tiger Mask, a persona that was based on the popular manga serialisation of the same name during the late 60's and a 105 episode anime series in the early 70's. Keep reading →
Yes everyone you read that right. Jerome Mazandarani of Manga Entertainment UK has issued a statement apologising and explaining why they have had to cancel it's intended Blu-Ray releases of K-On! and (the previously delayed) Disappearance Of Haruhi Suzumiya. This statement comes after it was brought to light earlier today (Friday 6th January) that the K-On! collection would now only be receiving a DVD release and the The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya would no longer be receiving UK Blu-Ray release at all.
The latter was originally meant to be a simultaneous release with the DVD version back in November but due to "major problems with production" it was pushed back to February.
You can read the the full statement posted on twitter by Jerome Mazandarani below - Keep reading →
So winter has come which means that the winter streaming anime season is fast approaching and Crunchyroll have begun revealing their lineup kick off the new year. Below are the titles that will be available to the UK.
-Mourestu Pirates The first title in the lineup is Mouretsu Pirates that follows Marika Katou. "A freshman in high school who lives on the planet ‘Umi no Akehoshi’ somewhere in space. One day, she is told that her father, who she thought was dead, was actually alive until just a while ago, and was the captain of the space pirate ship Bentenmaru. And she also finds out that they need her, his heir, to be captain so that they can keep flying! Marika begins a new life as a high school girl, and as captain of the pirate ship Bentenmaru!"
You can watch a promotional trailer for this series below
This series begins airing this coming Saturday (7th January) at 5pm UK time.
-Natsume Yujin-cho Shi Series four of Natsume Yujin-cho Shi comes to Crunchyroll. "Takashi Natsume has been able to see youkai, Japanese spirits, his whole life. He inherited a book of youkai names from his grandmother, Reiko. These names give their owner power over the youkai, so he and his self-proclaimed bodyguard "Nyanko-sensei" spend their days returning them to their original owners. As Natsume finally finds a place where he feels welcome, he meets and says goodbye to new Youkai...."
This series has begun streaming and new episodes will be added to the site every Monday at 6pm UK time. You can also watch all the previous episodes at Crunchyroll too.
-The Prince Of Tennis IIMiddle school students fought fiercely against one another in a national tournament. Now, 50 chosen representatives return to fight against high schoolers! The stage is the U-17 (Under Seventeen) Japanese Representative Training Camp. Middle school students have been invited for the first time to a camp known to produce the best Japanese tennis players.
National champions from Seigaku, Hyotei, Rikkai, Shitenhoji...With all the rivals from the national tournament attending, everyone eagerly awaits their reunion. At first, the middle schoolers do not expect much from their high school opponents. However, the training camp is not so easy!
Athletes with skills incomparable to those they previously faced and their mysterious coach appear before them. Faced with numerous demanding challenges, can the middle schoolers survive in this meritocratic training camp? The new chapter of "Prince of Tennis" begins here!
The curtain rises on a new stage--
You can watch a promotional video for Prince Of Tennis II HERE.
Prince Of Tennis II begins today (Wednesday 4th January) at 6.30pm UK time and a new episode will air every Wednesday at the same time.
-NisemonogatariIn Bakemonogatari, the story centers on Koyomi Araragi, a third year high school student who has recently survived a vampire attack, and finds himself mixed up with all kinds of apparitions: gods, ghosts, myths, and spirits. However, in Nisemonogatari, we pick up right where we left off and follow Koyomi as the psychological twists delve deeper and deeper…
This series airs every Saturday (starting 7th January) at 5.30pm UK time.
-Recorded & Randsell
On the surface it seems as if Atsushi is an adult, but really he's just an elementary student! However, he is paired with a second-year high school student Atsumi, whose height is just the opposite of his. These two together create an unusual relationship and will undoubtedly instigate some comedic antics in this slice of life comedy!
This series begin this Thursday (5th January) and airs every Thursday at 5.30pm UK time.
Although at the time of posting this news is still unconfirmed, our friends over at UK-Anime have made it known a French website has revealed Beez Entertainment is closing its doors. This news comes following (though not linked given the apparent timeline of events) Bandai Visual, a US anime distributor, ceasing all operations resulting in the discontinuation of it's manga, DVD & Blu-Ray licenses a few days ago. Licenses of which had an effect to the UK market. Keep reading →
It's been said quite a lot by the most of the western anime community that Japan get so many unique items of merchandise that will likely never see a release in the western world. Well for those of you who are fans of the series One Piece and are into gaming on the Playstation 3 prepare to feel that way again with the announcement of themed special edition PS3 console in conjunction with the One Piece Kaizoku Musou (which translate as Pirate Warriors) video game in March. Keep reading →
Welcome To NHK makes it's way to UK shores next month on DVD thanks to MVM Entertainment and a trailer has been released ahead of the January 9th street date. If you've got a few minutes spare you can watch the trailer below (which is sure to get you thinking about paranoia and possibly conspiracies.)
A group we introduced you to a few months ago 'Animetal USA' who perform power metal style covers of anime themes have announced they are preparing to record their follow up to their debut self titled album but with a twist. They are taking suggestions from fans worldwide for song they should include on the album. You can submit as many suggestions as you want but the only criteria being it must be an anime opening or ending theme song.
The deadline to submit suggestions is December 21st. There are also signed posters up for grabs and the possibility of having your name credited on the next album if your suggestion is included in the final product.
Do take into account that their debut CD featured the following songs:
Space Battleship Yamato (Space Battleship Yamato)
Gatachaman no Uta (Science Ninja Team Gatchaman)
Mazinger Medley (Mazinger)
Makafushigi Advanture (Dragon Ball)
Zankokuna Tenshi no Thesis (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
Ai o Tormidose (Fist Of The North Star)
Ganbare Dokaben (Dokaben | "Mr. Baseball" in English)
Pegasus Fatasy (Saint Seiya)
Ike! Tiger Mask (Tiger Mask)
Kinnikuman GO FIGHT! (Kinnikuman | "Ultimate Muscle" in English)
Yuke Yuke Hyuuma (Kyojin no Hoshi | "Star of Giants" in English)
You can purchase their debut album from CD-Japan HERE.
If you want to make suggestions of themes that you feel could work really well with a power metal makeover CLICK HERE and you'll be taken to the submission page where all terms and conditions are listed too.
Here are a few video clips demonstrating what they are like when performing live and a brief interview from Japanese television (that maintains the orignal English audio of the band members) hosted by ex-Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman.
The Anime Chronicle Podcast returns with Jeremy Graves welcoming good friend of the show Andy Hanley from UK-Anime.net to talk a variety of topics surrounding the world of anime in a very impromptu edition of the program. Topics discussed but not limited to include Redline on Blu-Ray, Version 2.0 of Anime On Aemand that's due to launch any day now, the craziness of Mirrai Nikki (Future Diary), how Persona 4 The Animation has developed, concerts, K-ON! and more!
It's just over an hour of light hearted anime chatter and it's available for you listening pleasure right now! Oh a random note, apologies for the (potential) howling cat in the background at random intervals.
The good people over at Manga Entertainment UK have just released a video interview conducted at the recent MCM London Expo with Vic Mignoga, the voice of Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. "Filmed during his recent trip to London, it covers his career from Streetfighter II, to Gasaraki, to Nadesico and beyond. What's it like to be a voice actor? How can you connect with an audience using nothing but your voice? And how did he get back into character for the second series, Brotherhood...?"
This coming weekend (3rd & 4th of December) and we'll be attending so we wanted to make sure we let you all know about the event.
The two day event takes place at the Rocket Complex on Holloway Road in London. It's an over 18's event and has the entry cost of just £10 and with that fee you get A LOT of gaming goodness! There lots of tournaments (some free, some require paid registration), a wide variety of guests from the world of gaming (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS), Q&A sessions and above all all else great fun for all who attend. There are so many events going that it's difficult to list them all here but London Gaming con have devised a list of 10 reason for each day why you should attend. Here are those two lists for you.
Following two previous volumes showing the creation of the Light Music Club and how difficult it can be to prepare for a performance and, in some cases, actually playing an instrument, we arrive at the third slice of cake (a small in joke there) in a quartet of releases for this series.
This time a new student has joined the Light Music Club as Asuza quickly finds out that despite having good intentions in joining the club it isn't exactly what she expected. This cross road becomes apparent very early on and is the main focus in the first episode on this DVD release by Manga Entertainment. Keep reading →
Crunchyroll have announced that as part of the traditional post-Thanksgiving sales weekend that begins today with 'Black Friday' they are having a special offer on an annual All-Access membership.
The offer sees 50% off the marked price reducing it to $49.99 (about £33). This membership gives you access to the entire catalogue of anime available to the UK in up to 720p definition along with other features including premium access to new episodes of series rather than having to wait a week until it's released to non-paying subscribers.
If you've been on the fence about subscribing to Crunchyroll this is the perfect offer to get you going. You get 360 days worth of Anime for one great price and if you're a current paying subscriber you have this purchase simply topped up onto your existing membership after following a few steps.
For complete information on this offer (including how the top up on your current subscription will occur) CLICK HERE.
We’re back and bringing two live acts for your pleasure! All for a mere £5 in the heart of the city of London! Headlining will be two piece Japanese rockers MUGEN HOSO, and they’ll be supported by a very special one-off reunion show from March of the Playwrite. Plus Japanese rock music DJed all night! So go invite your friends and rock out!
