Ahead of its release in a few days on September 1st, 2015, Nozomi Entertainment has now brought out a new clip for the show Sketchbook ~full color’s~. With this being prime festival season in Japan, the clip plays to that pretty well with a quick little hit that should make fans of the show grin and hopefully nudge a few others into checking it out more. The thirteen episode series is getting a complete DVD collection on that day priced at $39.99. It’ll contain the original Japanese language track with English subtitles, bring to life the series from Junichi Sato and Yoshimasa Hiraike that was animated by Hal Film Maker.

The release comes with some solid extras that include the Picture Dramas 1-6, Clean Openings and Closings, Promotional Video, Commercials and the Dandelion Waterwheel Music Video.

Plot concept: No matter where she goes, Sora takes her sketchbook along. The world is full of mysterious and beautiful things, after all, and Sora doesn’t want to miss a single one. The best way she knows to capture each moment is by drawing and sketching, watching and learning.

However, though Sora is full of wonder, she’s also incredibly shy. She doesn’t have many friends, except for her fellow classmates in the Art Club. But even though they all seem to be slightly crazy (the teacher included), each of them adds another bright color to Sora’s world.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4Tg8YMKgSk]

The final Tuesday release day of July is here and it’s once again a very solid mix of books overall to enjoy. D Comics continues to bring out a slew of collections with this day of the week and they’ve got great stuff from Fables to Batman: Gothic as well as the first Trinity of Sin release.

Marvel Comics goes for the back catalog again and hits up a bunch of great Amazing Spider-man books, including issue 252 where the black suit first appeared and made great changes to the spideyverse. They’ve also got another block of great Daredevil books from years past.

On the manga side, Viz Media is working through ongoing volumes of series like Hands off!, Metamo Kiss, Sgt. Frog and more. Check out the full slate below!

TUESDAY RELEASE
Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Four	13	DC Comics
Justice Society of America: A Celebration of 75 Years HC	DC Comics
America Vs. The Justice Society	DC Comics
Arkham Manor	DC Comics
Batman: Gothic Deluxe Edition	DC Comics
Batwoman Vol. 6: The Unknowns	DC Comics
Trinity of Sin Vol. 1: The Wages of Sin	DC Comics
Legends of the Dark Knight: Norm Breyfogle Vol 1 HC	DC Comics
Fables Vol. 22: Farewell	DC Comics
Vertigo Quartetly: CMYK (2014-)	DC Comics
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest	DC Comics
Amazing Spider-Man	241	Marvel
Amazing Spider-Man	242	Marvel
Amazing Spider-Man	243	Marvel
Amazing Spider-Man	244	Marvel
Amazing Spider-Man	245	Marvel
Amazing Spider-Man	246	Marvel
Amazing Spider-Man	247	Marvel
Amazing Spider-Man	249	Marvel
Amazing Spider-Man	250	Marvel
Amazing Spider-Man	251	Marvel
Amazing Spider-Man	252	Marvel
Amazing Spider-Man	253	Marvel
Amazing Spider-Man	254	Marvel
Amazing Spider-Man	255	Marvel
Amazing Spider-Man	256	Marvel
Amazing Spider-Man	257	Marvel
Amazing Spider-Man	258	Marvel
Daredevil	64	Marvel
Daredevil	65	Marvel
Daredevil	66	Marvel
Daredevil	67	Marvel
Daredevil	68	Marvel
Daredevil	69	Marvel
Daredevil	70	Marvel
Daredevil	71	Marvel
Daredevil	72	Marvel
Daredevil	73	Marvel
Daredevil	74	Marvel
Ultimate Spider-Man Infinite Comic	8	Marvel
Fresh Romance #3	Rosy Press
The Truth About Stacey (Bsc Graphix #2) (Full Color)	Scholastic
Cheeky Angel	6	Viz
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest	2	Viz
Hands Off!	8	Viz
Metamo Kiss	2	Viz
Sgt. Frog	14	Viz
Someday’s Dreamers: Spellbound	5	Viz
Welcome to the N.H.K.	3	Viz

JAM Project continues to roll out new music for a variety of projects over the years since their formation back in 2000, and even has a new single set for release in July. But right now, Lantis is bringing to life a new music video in full, clocking in at just under seven minutes, for Wings of the Legend, which was released back in December as part of the Super Robot Wars OG PS3 game release. The music video does have plenty of the standard fare that you get in such projects with lots of green screen material, big sweeping moments and an obligatory group of Caucasian kids wandering around.

The group released its last album back in November of 2012 with THE MONSTERS ~JAM Project Best Collection IX and has had two released singles since, including this one.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZj8iGYx-sw?rel=0]

Also check out the just added Maximizer video as well:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdW7FB_JeRM?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

We’ve had Nozomi Entertainment bringing some new life to the 1999 two part OVA series Gravitation: Lyrics of Love as it’s made its way to Hulu & YouTube. This comes through the digital distribution agreement they set up with Manga Entertainment’s parent company Starz Media. Now to raise awareness a bit more, they’ve added a couple of dub clips for the show to try and draw you into the fun. The two part series is standard OVA length material of just under thirty minutes and it’s presented in its original Japanese language with subtitles and unfortunately is not a show you can stream to your TV through Hulu Plus or other digital devices. But it is a piece of boys-love history that anime fans should be familiar with and check out.

Plot concept: In the follow-up to the Gravitation TV series, Yuki suddenly becomes cold and distant to Shuichi, and it seriously affects the young musician’s ability to create the lyrics for his latest album. Can the rest of the band get the two back together before it’s too late?

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C011vJoDz2o]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgCfkmefEQc]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tncrXqjjG2E]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtgdB8w5mKQ]

AnimeLab has set up their announcement that they’ll be bringing out the three simuldubs of the summer season on their service soon. The Australia based service is bringing on board the previous episodes that are out and new episodes are going live on Thursdays for the new series Gangsta, Prison School and Sky Wizards Academy. Further solidifying their relationship with FUNimation is that they recently brought on several of the past anime Broadcast Dub shows to the service with

• Absolute Duo
• Assassination Classroom
• Death Parade
• Maria the Virgin Witch
• PSYCHO-PASS Season 2
• The Rolling Girls

They also picked up the non-FUNimation series Sword Art Online II . Check out the previews of the new shows below!

Gangsta: In the city of Ergastulum, a shady ville filled with made men, petty thieves, prostitutes on the make, and cops on the take, there are some deeds too dirty for even its jaded inhabitants to touch. Enter the “Handymen,” Nic and Worick, who take care of the jobs no one else will handle. One day, a cop they know on the force requests their help in taking down a new gang muscling in on the territory of a top Mafia family. It seems like business (and mayhem) as usual, but the Handymen are about to find that this job is a lot more than they bargained for.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y85f_yFx5KY]

Prison School: Hachimitsu Academy, known for its strict academic standards and even stricter school code, is making a giant change this year. In the first time in school history, they are allowing boys to be admitted. As Fujino Kiyoshi starts his first day at Hachimitsu Academy he is shocked to find out that there are only 4 other guys in the entire school, making the ratio of girls to boys 200:1. And to their dismay, not one of the thousand girls will talk to them or even acknowledge them. But Kiyoshi and the guys are about to find out about the shadow student council that has been threatening the female students about interacting with male students.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aw7Atv1WYBQ]

Sky Wizards Academy: The story is set in a world where humanity, driven off the land by the threat of magical armored insects, now live in aerial floating cities. Thus wizards – aerial combat mages who fight the insects with magical powers – came into being.

Kanata Age is a young man who lives on the floating wizard academy city of “Misutogan.” He was once celebrated as the “Black Master Swordsman,” the elite ace of the S128 special team. However, he is now despised as the “traitor of the special team.” One day, he is assigned as the instructor of E601, a team that has suffered 10 consecutive defeats. E601 has three girls – Misora Whitale, Lecty Eisenach, and Rico Flamel – with one or two peculiar quirks.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf_VXl03XoM]

[Source: AnimeLab via WTK ]

The latest sales rankings out of Japan for anime on Blu-ray and DVD have arrived and this week brings in several first volumes of summer series, getting us underway with the trends. The top of the list is the first installment of Charlotte, which while doing well is certainly weaker compared to some previous series such as Angel Beats. But each series is its own beast. The finale for Kimiuso hit about as expected and is in line with past volumes. Overlord looks to underperform here, though we still suspect we’ll see a second season based on the huge impact the show has had on the novels.

We’re also really glad to see that the debut of the second Mobile Suit Gundam Victory box set has done so well with just under 2,400 units moved. More Gundam, please!

Rank / This week’s sales by copies / Cumulative sales / Titles

Blu-ray
*1. 6,287 *6,287 Charlotte Vol.1 Limited Edition
*2. 5,595 *5,595 Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso Vol.8 Limited Edition
*3. 4,321 *4,321 The iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls Vol.5 Limited Edition
*4. 4,043 *4,043 Overlord Vol.1
*5. 3,427 *3,427 Kuroko no Basket 3rd Season Vol.6
*6. 2,984 *2,984 Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya 2wei Herz! Vol.1
*7. 2,802 *2,802 Hello!! Kiniro Mosaic Vol.4
*8. 2,392 *2,392 Mobile Suit Victory Gundam Blu-ray BOX Vol.2
*9. 2,278 *2,278 To LOVE-Ru Darkness 2nd Vol.1 Limited Edition
10. 2,239 *2,239 Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch R2 Blu-ray BOX Special Limited Edition
11. 2,207 *2,207 Saint Seiya: Soul of Gold Vol.3
12. 1,482 *1,482 Nagato Yuki-chan no Shoushitsu Vol.4
13. 1,465 *1,465 Nanatsu no Taizai Vol.9 Limited Edition
14. 1,308 *1,308 Gakkougurashi! Vol.1 Limited Edition
15. 1,078 *1,078 Gangsta. Vol.1 Special Limited Edition
16. 1,074 *9,825 Kekkai Sensen Vol.4
17. 1,057 *1,057 Arslan Senki Vol.3 Limited Edition
18. *,967 *4,972 Non Non Biyori Repeat Vol.1
19. *,915 **,915 Koufuku Graffiti Vol.6
(cut-off 915)


DVD
*1. 6,772 **6,772 One Piece Log Collection “Shirahoshi” (eps.536-554)
*2. 4,787 **4,787 Youkai Watch DVD-BOX Vol.3
*3. 3,250 **3,250 Kuroko no Basket 3rd Season Vol.6
*4. 1,522 **1,522 Funassyi no Funafunafuna Biyori Vol.2 “Nyaossyi to Asobanassyi” Limited Edition
*5. 1,455 **1,455 Funassyi no Funafunafuna Biyori Vol.3 “Guressyi to Shoubunassyi” Limited Edition
*6. 1,165 **1,165 Nanatsu no Taizai Vol.9 Limited Edition
*7. 1,119 **1,119 Charlotte Vol.1 Limited Edition
*8. 1,029 128,201 Youkai Watch Movie 1: Tanjou no Himitsu da Nyan! Special Price Edition
*9. 1,013 **3,698 Usavich Zero
10. *,936 ***,936 Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso Vol.8 Limited Edition
11. *,784 ***,784 Junjou Romantica 3 Vol.1 Limited Edition
12. *,779 ***,779 Gangsta. Vol.1 Special Limited Edition
13. *,683 **3,990 Haikyuu!! Movie 1: Owari to Hajimari
14. *,681 ***,681 Overlord Vol.1
15. *,661 ***,661 Ansatsu Kyoushitsu Vol.7 Limited Edition
16. *,624 ***,624 Arslan Senki Vol.3 Limited Edition
17. *,623 **3,809 Kekkai Sensen Vol.4
18. *,568 ***,568 Saint Seiya: Soul of Gold Vol.3
19. *,536 ***,536 To LOVE-Ru Darkness 2nd Vol.1 Limited Edition
20. *,523 ***,523 Owari no Seraph Vol.4 Limited Edition
21. *,517 **3,994 Diamond no Ace Inamisen-hen Vol.1 (eps.51-54)
22. *,450 ***,450 The iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls Vol.5 Limited Edition
23. *,367 *43,123 Tonari no Totoro
24. *,345 ***,345 Gakkougurashi! Vol.1 Limited Edition
(cut-off 345)

[Source: Oricon Youtaiju via MAL ]

The release of the seventh volume of the Overlord light novel series published by Kadokawa has also come with the news that the book will be getting an anime adaptation. Details aren’t released yet and will be coming from Kadokawa in the future. Te series comes from author Kugane Maruyama with illustrations by so-bin that’s published by Enterbrain. It began in the summer of 2012 and released its seventh volume at the end of August 2014. The series has had two drama CDs released with previous volumes.

Plot concept: The series follows a salary man who remains online when the service for an MMORPG ends. In doing so, he becomes a powerful skeletal wizard. In his new form, he begins attracting followers and conquering the digital world that remains.

[Source: Crunchyroll ]

While details are not yet available, the official Twitter feed for the Japanese production of Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE! has revealed this morning that a second season is now officially in the works. It’s expected that the same team will return for the next installment and that we’ll likely see it sometime in early 2016. The first season was simulcast in North America by FUNimation Entertainment while Pony Canyon is bringing out the series for release here tomorrow .

The first season of the series was directed by Shinji Takamatsu while Chizuru Miyawaki assisted and they worked off of the series composition done by Michiko Yokote. Masakazu Ishikawa handled the character designs and the series was produced at studio Diomedea.

Defense Club:
Kazutomi Yamamoto as Yumoto Hakone
Yuichiro Umehara as En Yufuin
Kotaro Nishiyama as Atsushi Kinugawa
Yusuke Shirai as Io Naruko
Toshiki Masuda as Ryu Zao
Mugihito as Womba

Conquest Club:
Hiroshi Kamiya as Kinshiro Kusatsu
Jun Fukuyama as Ibushi Arima
Takuma Terashima as Akoya Gero
Hiroki Yasumoto as Zunda

美男高校地球防衛部LOVE！第2期制作決定！！！！！ #boueibu pic.twitter.com/SAW3QGCqjx

— 美男高校地球防衛部LOVE！ 公式 (@boueibu) August 9, 2015

Plot concept: Binan is a city somewhere in Japan. The “Earth Defense Club” at Binan High School was a club that did absolutely nothing. When club members Atsushi Kinugawa and En Yufuin were chilling out while soaking in the hot tub at the bathhouse Kurotamayu, a pink beast (Wombat) suddenly appeared out of thin air. “I want to save this planet… can you please lend me your strength?” The two feel the mood has been ruined by Wombat, who talks to them in Japanese about how he wants to save Earth with the power of love. Just then, the son of the bathouse owner Yumoto Hakone shows up, and as soon as he sees Wombat, he chases it, screaming “Let me fluff you up!”

The next day, Kinugawa and Yufuin are caught by Wombat once again at school along with the other club members Io Naruko and Ryu Zaou. Bracelets clasp onto the wrists of these four, along with Yumoto Hakone, who bumped into them after chasing after Wombat, with a command that they must save the Earth. “It’s about love-making!” they hear as a bright light emanating from the bracelet envelops their entire bodies. The five transform into the “Battle Lovers,” the heirs to the throne of love…

With the release for the first half of Captain Earth set recently for June 16th, 2015, Sentai Filmworks has now done a few minor tweaks and updated the cover artwork frot he first set. The show is getting both a DVD and Blu-ray release, but it’ll be in Japanese only with English subtitles. For Blu-ray fans, we’re getting two discs for this so it has more room to do what it needs in the encoding department, so it should look pretty great. The release is priced at $49.99 and $59.98 for DVD and Blu-ray and the only on disc extras are the clean opening and closing sequences.

Plot concept: When Daichi Manatsu sees a mysterious rainbow appearing near the Tanegashima Space Center, he immediately recognizes it as being similar to an apparition that formed when his father was killed in a mysterious accident years earlier. Traveling to Tanegashima, Daichi quickly finds himself involved with the machinations of Globe, a secret agency created to defend mankind from extraterrestrial forces. And while it might seem like a big job for a mere teenager, it turns out that the skills Daichi has honed on video games, combined with a special weapon called the Livlaster, make Daichi ideally suited for operating the Earth Engine Impacter, a giant robot that may be Mankind’s best hope against aliens whose goal is to completely drain our world’s lifeforce energy. Fortunately, Daichi won’t be on his own, as he’s quickly joined by a group of equally dedicated young people who all have their own skills and abilities to contribute to the battle. The war for our planet has begun, and the fate of Humanity will rest on a handful of teens as Daichi takes command of the Earth Engine and assumes the mantle of CAPTAIN EARTH!

If there’s a show from last year that we love to talk about, it’s Steins; Gate! While there isn’t too much going on at the moment, fans of the show that enjoy the idea of some fun casual cosplay of the series will be happy to know that Cospa has come to their aid by bringing out Suzuha’s track jacket for wear. It’s not going to be cheap casual though as the outfit will run you for about 13,650 yen, or $175 or so, when it hits in late April of this year. The outfit is pretty straightforward but captures much of what made it what Suzuha did with it. You can get your preorder in here .

[Source: Crunchyroll ]

It’s a busy week for new anime releases, a few re-releases and a quirk or two thrown into the mix. On the quirky side, the anime produced Batman: Gotham Knights is seeing a priced-down double billing release with Justice League: New Frontier, which is quite awesome even if it only scratches the surface of the original work. We’ve also got the first dub only Digimon – Digital Monsters Season 1 collection hitting. Media Blasters hits their backlog again with the GaoGaiGar complete collection and Sentai Filmworks brings out a complete Maid-Sama! release. Even NIS America gets into the game with the regular edition of Occult Academy, which is Blu-ray only like the premium edition.

While re-releases are abound, we’ve also got some new stuff filtering in, such as Deadman Wonderland, Heaven’s Memo Pad, Naruto Shippuden and the first two Natsume’s Book of Friends seasons. Lots of new stuff to dig into and some older titles worth visiting if you missed them the first time around. What’s going to be in your cart?

1. Batman: Gotham Knight / Justice League: The New Frontier (Double Feature) (Blu-ray)
2. Deadman Wonderland: Complete Collection (LE) [ Review ]
3. Digimon – Digital Monsters: Season 1 Collection
4. GaoGaiGar – King of Braves: Complete Collection (Seasons 1 & 2)
5. Heaven’s Memo Pad: Complete Collection (Blu-ray) [ Review ]
6. Heaven’s Memo Pad: Complete Collection (DVD)
7. Maid Sama!: Complete Collection
8. Naruto Shippuden Boxset 12
9. Natsume’s Book of Friends: Seasons 1 & 2 Premium Edition
10. Occult Academy: Complete Series Standard Edition (Blu-ray) [ LE Review ]

Add another hentai title from the past getting a new lease on life in 2014 as Angel Blade will be released on Apri 1st, 2014 in a complete collection. The show is one that has a solid pedigree behind it with Masami Obari having created it while working with familiar adult animation studio Digital Works. The show includes the original three episode series on two discs for the total of 120 minute run time with extras including the series recap, art gallery, sketch gallery and storyboards. The release is priced at $14.99 for the bilingual presentation.

Plot concept: Angel Blade: The amazingly voluptuous super heroine! No criminal has ever withstood her incredible sexiness. But now, the jiggling juggernaut of justice is targeted by a twisted criminal who wants her ultimate domination. Only one thing is certain, our topless heroine will need all her cunning and physical prowess to bring her enemies to heel!

We’re just a few weeks away from the debut of Fairy Tail: Part 14 [Blu-ray] on December 2nd, 2014, but FUNimation debuted the set’s episodes streaming today and they’ve also got a new dub clip out for it. Clocking in at just over two minutes, it works to introduce a number of the new characters to this arc as it shows off the guild at hand and some of the weirdness that’s to follow.

Click here to watch ! - Choose ‘Season 6’ on the episode menu bar to go directly to episode #154.

Plot concept: The Grand Magic Games is a yearly competition that pits guild against guild in a weeklong battle for the honor of being called the most powerful wizards in the Fiore Kingdom. Fairy Tail may have come in last place for the past seven tournaments, but now that all their strongest members are back in action – and leveled-up – they’re determined to take the number one spot and rebuild their reputation!

Winning the games won’t be easy, though, as Natsu and his selected teammates are forced to navigate enchanted labyrinths, battle wizard saints, and go head-to-head with a host of familiar faces. But with more than one guild targeting Fairy Tail before the competition even begins, the guildmates will be lucky if they even make it out of the opening ceremonies alive.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_WA5GM92KI?rel=0]

The anime adaptation of the High☆Speed! has done some good character promos as of late and now it’s shifting gears to the bigger picture itself. The latest is an updated site that includes the new key visual poster to the right, giving us a good look at the cast and supporting characters, as well as a new full-length trailer to show off the work.

The site refresh we had back in July revealed that Tatsuhisa Suzuki will be coming back to play Makoto again in the film. Nobunaga Shimazaki was previously announced as returning to the property to play Haruka again. Supporting cast includes Toshiyuki Toyonaga as Asahi Shiina, Kouki Uchiyama as Ikuya Kirishima, Kenji Nojima as Natsuya Kirishima and Satoshi Hino as Nao Serizawa.

The theatrical anime adaptation is being released as High☆Speed!: Free! Starting Days, which is set to land on December 5th, 2015. The light novel comes from Kouji Ohji with illustrations by Futoshi Nishiya and served as the original inspiration for the anime series, but the differences are that the anime upped the characters to high school level while the novel had them in junior high. The theatrical anime adaptation is expected to serve as a prequel to the TV series and breathe a little more life into the property for fans.

The original novel was written by Kouji Ohji back in 2011 and it received formal publishing in 2013 and 2014 via Kyoto Animation, who also produced the anime series. A manga adaptation of this project is also underway with Shiori Teshirogi set to illustrate it. The film is directed by Yasuhiro Takemoto based on the composition by Masahiro Yokotani and screenplay from Maiko Nishioka.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gel17M2S4Mc]

Plot concept: Haruka Nanase feels something special when he touches water. The medley relay was the last competition he was able to participate in during elementary school. Haruka, along with Makoto Tachibana, Nagisa Hazuki, and Rin Matsuoka, saw something they’d never seen before. In spring, with the cherry blossoms in full bloom. Haruka moves on to Iwatobi Middle School with Makoto and starts a new life. Both enter the swim team, and plan to compete in the medley relay together with Asahi Shiina and Ikuya Kirishima.

All four students have different objectives and ways of thinking, and different baggage they’re carrying, and so their practice for the relay hasn’t been going well. What is required to make a team? What does Haruka, whose heart is trapped in the medley relay of the past, think during this new event? High Speed! -Free! Starting Days- depicts these boys trying to find the answer, and discovering new ideas about swimming. The boys’ sparkling youth, and the future they’ve bet on swimming, begins.

Bandai Visual provided a pretty solid digest video a couple of weeks ago for the fall series Concrete Revolutio and now the folks at Daisuki have brought it out themselves with English subtitled captions. A little more awareness of non-Japanese based viewers is something that the Japanese side really has to start accomodating more and while this is a delayed piece it’s welcome to actually get it.

The new series is being directed by Seiji Mizushima and is based on the story by Shou Aikawa with Yoshiyuki Ito handling the character designs and serving as the animation director. Bones is handling the animation. The cast includes Kaito Ishikawa as Jirō Hitoyoshi, Sumire Uesaka as Kikko Hoshino, Aki Toyosaki as Emi Kino, Eriko Nakamura as Fuurouta, Tokuyoshi Kawashima as Hyōma Yoshimura, Tetsuo Kanao as Daishi Akita and Kenichi Suzumura as Raito Shiba.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AGqfCEm1U8]

Plot concept: The stage is set in “another Japan” as a banquet of diverse superhumans unfolds…

In an imaginary “age of gods” about 20 years after the war, Japan has grown and developed by leaps and bounds. What if all the superhumans ever written about in fictional stories existed at the same time? Superhumans who came into existence through different circumstances, and who are special in different ways — Titans from outer space, lifeforms from a mystical world, phantoms and goblins from ancient times, cyborgs created by scientists, relics that rose out of the ruins of ancient civilizations, and the list goes on. One segment of these superhumans makes no secret of their existence and has gained popularity in society. Others cloak their identities and fight in secrecy.

There are enemies of superhumans as well, organizations that operate in the shadows. The Japanese government has taken many measures to secure peace and order. One is the establishment of an organization under the Ministry of Health and Welfare — the Overpopulation Research Laboratory, a.k.a. the Superhuman Bureau. Their mission is to identify and approach suerhumans, then oversee and safeguard them. One member of the Superhuman Bureau, Jiro Hitoyoshi, is protagonist of this series.

Originally released in North America by Media Blasters, Bandai has added their twenty-six episode series Simoun to Hulu this week. The show was released in North America on DVD originally in Japanese language with English subtitles only, so there’s no dub for the run. It originally ran in Japan back in the spring and summer of 2006 as produced by Bandai Visual and Studio Deen and was directed by Junji Nishimura based on scripts by Mari Okada and character designs and animation direction by Asako Nishida.

Hulu Plus members can watch this show on their TV and mobile devices.

Plot concept: On this planet, the peaceful theocracy of Simulacrum is guarded by magical flying machines called “Simoun”, which can only be piloted by young girls who haven’t chosen a sex yet. The Simoun can activate a magical power known as “Ri Maajon” that can destroy large numbers of enemies at once. When the industrialized nation of Argentum decides that it needs to invade Simulacrum to acquire the secret of the Simoun, war breaks out, drawing the Simoun “Sibyllae” (priestesses who fly the Simoun) into a lopsided battle. Because the war is raging, the Sibyllae are granted an exemption from choosing a permanent sex for as long as they’re willing to keep flying. The war goes on, and even Simulacrum’s elite Simoun squadron, led by Neviril, has to face many losses. Among the new pilots recruited, is Aaer, a determined young Sibylla with a mysterious past…

While we got a look at the original Miss Hokusai theatrical poster awhile ago and the second one yesterday, the roll out for the film has entered the next phase as the first trailer for the feature film has arrived. The film is set to hit theaters in Japan on May 9th, 2015 and Anime Limited has picked up the rights for it already with planned theatrical screenings in the UK and Ireland in October and November of this year, and a home video release to follow some time afterward.

The film is based on the manga by Hinako Sugiura, who passed away in 2005. The feature is directed by Keiichi Hara based on the screenplay by Miho Maruo and is animated by Production I.G.

Plot concept: The time: 1814.

The place: Edo, now known as Tokyo.

One of the highest populated cities in the world, teeming with peasants, samurai, townsmen, merchants, nobles, artists, courtesans, and perhaps even supernatural things.

A much accomplished artist of his time and now in his mid-fifties, Tetsuzo can boast clients from all over Japan, and tirelessly works in the garbage-loaded chaos of his house-atelier. He spends his days creating astounding pieces of art, from a giant-size Bodhidharma portrayed on a 180 square meter-wide sheet of paper, to a pair of sparrows painted on a tiny rice grain. Short-tempered, utterly sarcastic, with no passion for sake or money, he would charge a fortune for any job he is not willing to undertake.

Third of Tetsuzo’s four daughters and born out of his second marriage, outspoken 23-year-old O-Ei has inherited her father’s talent and stubbornness, and very often she would paint instead of him, though uncredited. Her art is so powerful that sometimes leads to trouble. “We’re father and daughter; with two brushes and four chopsticks, I guess we can always manage, one way or another.”

Decades later, Europe was going to discover the immense talent of Tetsuzo. He was to become best known by one of his many names: Katsushika Hokusai. He would mesmerize Renoir and van Gogh, Monet and Klimt, Edmond de Goncourt and Debussy.

However, very few today are even aware of the woman who assisted him all her life, and greatly contributed to his art while remaining uncredited. This is the untold story of O-Ei, Master Hokusai’s daughter: a lively portrayal of a free-spirited woman overshadowed by her larger-than-life father, unfolding through the changing seasons.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otsXD8pkW4A?rel=0&showinfo=0]

Hanabee has picked up a new series as part of the summer 2015 season for its streaming side of the business with the acquisition of Castle Town Dandelion. The Australian based distributor will be bringing out new episodes every Wednesday on their site here with the first two episodes already live.

FUNimation has picked up the North American distribution rights for this series.

The show is directed by Noriaki Akitaya with animation production being handled by Production IMS. Reiko Yoshida is handling the series composition and Shinpei Kobayashi is on board as both the character designer and the chief animation director.

The main cast now includes Kana Hanazawa as Akane Sakurada, Ai Kayano as Aoi Sakurada, Ryohei Kimura as Shū Sakurada, Kaori Ishihara as Kanade Sakurada, Ayumu Murase as Haruka Sakurada, Eriko Matsui as Misaki Sakurada, Yui Ogura as Hikari Sakurada, Aina Suzuki as Shiori Sakurada, Shiori Katsuta as Teru Sakurada, Yuka Aisaka as Hana Sato, Saori Hayami as Karen Ayugase, M.A.O. as An Shirogane and Sachika Kisawa as Sachiko Yonezawa.

The original work, which began in 2012, has two volumes to its name so far. The show marks another Manga Time Kirara property making the leap these days. Originally creator Ayumu Kasuga recently served as the original character designer for Ore, Twintails ni Narimasu. They’ve got a few manga properties to their name as well beyond this series.

Plot concept: The everyday lives of the nine super-powered siblings of the royal family are monitored by more than 200 surveillance cameras and broadcast nationwide. The people of the nation who are watching the broadcast will have the ability to elect the next monarch. The story focuses on Akane, the third-oldest sister who can manipulate gravity. She is shy and desperately does not want to be caught on camera.

[Source: Castle Town Dandelion ]

As we get ready for the first home video release for Sora no Method this week, Bandai Visual has brought out a new promotional spot for the show. Most of the time these are quick 15 second blurbs just to catch your attention and remind you, but they’ve gone a bit further here with a thirty second spot that ends up getting you to watch more of it as it brings back memories of the show.

The series is getting a seven volume release that begins on January 28th, 2015 with two episodes per disc and presuming one on the final one. The Blu-ray releases are all that are being solicited with the first six volumes priced at 7,560 yen each while the final one is at 4,320 yen.

The first volume is listing a few bonus to it, from the premium event ticket material that makes up many releases to a new side story booklet that will run 28 pages. A design works booklet at 8 pages is included as well as an illustration card. On disc extras include an audio commentary for the first two episodes.

Celestial Method is directed by Masayuki Sakoi, who worked on the Needless series as director as well as Princess Resurrection and several other shows over the years, going back to Strawberry Panic. The show has an original concept and script by Naoki Hisaya, who worked on the two Kanon releases as well as the original creator for Sola, which gives a few clues as to what kind of show this will be like. Character designs will be handled by QP:flapper while the adaptation of them is done by Yukie Akitani, who is also serving as the chief animation director.

The series stars Natsukawa Shiina as Nonoka Komiya, Inori Minase as Noel, Haruka Yoshimura as Shiiba Koharu, Kaito Ishikawa as Souta Mizusaka and Aki Toyosaki as Yuzuki Mizusaka.

Sentai Filmworks has licensed the series for North American distribution.

Plot concept: The story revolves around a group of girls whose wish becomes realized with a miracle, changing the landscape of a town.

Sora no Method – Celestial Method Japanese Volume 1

Sora no Method – Celestial Method Japanese Volume 2 Packaging

Sora no Method – Celestial Method Japanese Volume 2

Sora no Method Japanese Volume 3 Cover

Sora no Method Japanese Volume 3 Japanese Packaging

[Source: Sora no Method ]

With theatrical plans in the wings for Aniplex USA and their recent acquisition of the theatrical feature Anohana The Movie, they’ve debuted a new promotional trailer that’s subtitled to help showcase the film. The movie is getting a subtitled only theatrical release with dates to be revealed late and thoes tht attend will get the “Letters from Menma” replica while supplies last at participating locations.

“I am very happy to be able to bring such a beautiful film to the fans in the U.S.,” said Hideki Goto, President of Aniplex of America, when the acquisition was announced,“so many people in Japan, not just anime fans, have loved this movie and cried because they were so moved. This movie succeeds in making its viewers remember something from their childhood and feel nostalgic. I think fans in the U.S. will need to bring a box of tissues with them when they come to the screenings.”

Plot concept: She suddenly appeared before us one day… 6 of us…friends…we were always together. During those days, I believed that I can do anything. I believed that I wasn’t afraid of anything. But, then it happened. I just said it without really thinking about it. I didn’t mean to hurt her. I’ll just tell her sorry tomorrow, that’s what I thought.
But… That “tomorrow” never came.
So, time passed by and then one summer day, a miracle happened.

Because of an accident during their childhood, 6 friends’ hearts were closed shut, and they grew apart from one another.
One summer day, their friend who passed away in the accident appears before them.
But, she cannot remember the reason why she came back.
The friends meet once more to figure out just what her “reason” was.
Time that stood still begins to slowly move once more…
Why did she come back?

It was one summer miracle she wished for…
You can meet her if you’re facing forward.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaZcfR5aEuI?rel=0]