Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' Theater Run Announced, Teaser Trailer Released

FUNimation has announced that it's limited theatrical run for the latest Dragon Ball Z movie, 'Resurrection 'F'', will begin on August 4^th hand last through the 12^th. No theater locations or times have been announced at this time however, but we can probably expect to see them soon.

In addition to this announcement, a teaser trailer for the film's English version was released.

I, as well as fellow writer Alc, missed out on going to see the previous film in theaters here, but hopefully with this film getting a slightly longer run than Battle of Gods did, we'll be able to go see this one!

Persona 4: The Golden Licensed by Aniplex USA

Aniplex USA has announced that they will be releasing the anime adaptation of Persona 4: The Golden as two 6-episode Blu-ray volumes in sub only format, with the first set to come out on July 21^st. The volumes will also come with an original soundtrack CD, deluxe booklets, and a postcard set.

Sentai released the first Persona 4 anime, and for a variety of reasons, I really wish they had gotten this one as well. Sentai was able to get us a dub that got most of the original game cast back (and even some of the replacements soon became the new official cast members, and thus probably weren't their fault), and their sets, while pricey, weren't anywhere near the kind of pricing we can definitely expect to see from Aniplex, who excel at price gouging to an ungodly degree. Needless to say, this is far from stellar news from where I sit.

'The Boy and the Beast' Licensed by FUNimation

Coming as a surprise to probably no one, FUNimation has announced it's acquisition of Mamoru Hosoda's latest film, 'The Boy and the Beast'. The film is set to open on July 11 in Japan, with international theaters getting a limited release later this year and more to come in early 2016.

FUNimation has also previously released Hosoda's films 'Summer Wars' and 'Wolf Children', and seems likely to be the go to company for all of his work moving on. This is purely speculation, but it's also likely that Mike McFarland will be the director for this film's English dub, as he was for the previous two films.

Fairy Tail's Second Film Announced

Weekly Shonen Magazine in Japan has announced that a second film for Fairy Tail has been greenlit. No other information is available at this time, but as with most things, additional news is expected to leak out in earnest in the coming weeks.

Fairy Tail's first film was released in 2012, and while I haven't seen it yet (or any of the anime, despite owning a chunk of it), I am a huge fan of the manga, so I hope this movie turns out to be a good one.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure To Be Dubbed

Despite earlier information hinting that the release of Season One of 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure' would be sub-only, the listing has been updated via RightStuf to include a dub! This is very exciting news as this series is definitely one that could get some attention from outside the anime bubble, so this is a great additional way for it to do that, as well as maybe even ending up on Toonami in the future.

Mushishi: The Next Chapter film previewed in teaser

The Mainichi Shimbun paper's MAiDiGi service began streaming the teaser trailer for the Mushishi Zoku Shou:  Suzu no Shizuku film on Thursday. The same teaser trailer debuted on the anime's official website in April.

Sentai Filmworks Licenses My Love Story!! Shojo anime

North American anime licensing company Sentai Filmworks announced on Thursday that it acquired the ongoing My Love Story!! (Ore Monogatari!!) television anime series. It plans to release the anime "soon" through select digital outlets, with a home video release to follow.


Viz Media is publishing Kazune Kawahara and Aruko's original shojo romantic comedy manga in North America, and the publisher describes the story:

Takeo Gōda is a giant guy with a giant heart. Too bad the girls don't want him! (They want his good-looking best friend, Sunakawa.) Used to being on the sidelines, Takeo simply stands tall and accepts his fate. But one day when he saves a girl named Yamato from a harasser on the train, his (love!) life suddenly takes an incredible turn!

The anime's main cast includes:

• Takuya Eguchi as Takeo Gōda
• Megumi Han as Rinko Yamato
• Nobunaga Shimazaki as Makoto Sunakawa

 
Morio Asaka (Chihayafuru, Aoi Bungaku Series' No Longer Human, NANA, Card Captor Sakura) is directing the anime at the studio MADHOUSE (Parasyte, Hunter x Hunter, Summer Wars, Paprika).  Natsuko Takahashi (Brothers Conflict, Nobunaga Concerto, Akatsuki no Yona, Yokai Watch) is in charge of the series scripts, and Kunihiko Hamada (Chihayafuru, NANA, Monster, Summer Wars) is designing the characters.

Crunchyrollhas been streaming the anime since it premiered in Japan in April.

I've been a fan of the series ever since the first volume of the manga was released stateside so I'm very eager to see how it translates to an anime format.  I already know Episode 4 is a chapter from later on (Chapter 6 or 7 if I'm remembering correctly) but it's placement as Episode 4 doesn't hinder things in the slightest as far as character development goes.

Sentai's dubs however are very hit-and-miss with me so while I would have preferred FUNimation to acquire the rights to the series I'm just happy someone stateside has the anime for us fans to purchase!

Digimon Adventure Tri Website Lists Daisuke Motomiya

'This world has chosen the reality and the future which shouldn't have been chosen.' This line from the recently released Digimon Adventure Tri trailer has already lead to much speculation from fans that the film series might be retconning Digimon Adventure 02 – the immediate sequel to the original anime and often considered the black sheep of the franchise. This theory might already have been derailed however, as some poking around on the official Japanese website apparently can lead one to finding the name 'Daisuke' in it's coding. Daisuke – or as he was known outside of Japan, Davis – was the lead character of Digimon Adventure 02.

This obviously doesn't confirm anything 100% however. There's a chance this could amount to nothing, however, it's also possible it could amount to the character (and perhaps others from 02) being used in entirely different ways and still retcons 02 in some form or fashion. We'll keep you posted as more news becomes available!

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure 'Season 1' DVD Listing Unveiled

An Amazon listing has gone up for 'Season 1' of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, listing it for a July 28^th release, from Warner Home Video. ANN has confirmed through Viz Media – who are the master merchandise license-holder for the franchise – that they are not involved in this release, though they are releasing the original manga.

Not much else is known about this release as of now. 'Season 1' might not even mean the original anime series adapting Parts 1 and 2 of the manga, as a 'test dub' of a few 'Season 2' episodes which adapts Part 3 of the manga was released online last year. Hopefully this is a release of the first anime however, before they can move on to the later material at a later date.

Viz Licenses First Three Naruto Epilogue Novels

Coming as somewhat of a surprise, Viz Media has announced that they will be releasing the first three Naruto 'epilogue' novels in English starting this year. The epilogue novels tell character-specific stories that will help bridge the gap between the final two chapters of the manga, much as last year's film 'The Last' did.

The first three, of six total, novels that we're confirmed to get are 'Kakashi's Story', 'Shikamaru's Story', and 'Sakura's Story', and are planned to be released in November, February 2016, and May 2016 respectively. The following three books, which are entitled 'Konoha Hiden', 'Gaara Hiden', and 'Akatsuki Hiden' in Japan, are due to come out in May, June, and July of this year respectively, and will hopefully be licensed at a later date.

Viz also announced licensing the 'Uzumaki Naruto: Illustrations' book that will be released in November, as well as giving the 72^nd (and final) manga volume a February 4^th release date.

Digimon Adventure Tri Update News: Trailer, Movie, and Cast Announcement

News on the upcoming 'Digimon Adventure Tri' series has been coming out at a somewhat steady, somewhat slow, pace ever since it was first announced, but at the end of a recent streaming of the original series, Toei dropped some pretty big bombshells about it, as well as giving us a teaser trailer.

Digimon Adventure Tri, which was originally announced as a TV series, is now apparently a six-part film series instead, the first of which is titled 'Saikai' (or 'Reunion') and is due out on November 21^st. The series has also reunited the cast of the Digimon partners from the original series, but the DigiDestined/Chosen Children themselves have all been recast.

Taichi Yagami – Natsuki Hanae

Yamato Ishida – Yoshimasa Hosoya

Sora Takenouchi – Suzuko Mimori

Koushiro Izumi – Mutsumi Tamura

Mimi Tachikawa - Hitomi Yoshida

Jou Kido – Junya Ikeda

Takeru Takaishhi – Junya Enoki

Hikari Yagami – MAO

The series will be re-using the original series opening and closing, 'Butterfly' by Kouji Wada and 'I Wish' by AiM, as well as Ayumi Miyazaki's 'Brave Heart' being used as the insert song. Whether this means literally the same songs or re-makes of them by the original artists is yet to be known.

Overall, this is some big and rather shocking news. The anime was originally supposed to start this Spring as a TV series, but then it was delayed, and now seems to have shifted formats entirely. This, as well as the main cast upheaval, is a bit of a sign for worry, but the trailer definitely peaks my interest, and I'm still eager to see where this goes.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse: Resurrection 'F' Goku and Vegeta Outfits Now Available!

It's been known for a while now that the third DLC pack for Xenoverse, when it finally comes out, will contain playable characters from the new film. However, an unannounced bonus pack was just released yesterday, containing even more Resurrection 'F' goodness!

The pack, which is free to players who previously purchased the Season Pass (unsure on if it's free for everyone or not) contains two outfits and one accessory for our customizable characters.

• Whis Symbol Gi
• Whis Symbol Armor
• Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan Goku Wig

The Gi and Armor are the outfits that Goku and Vegeta wear in the new movie, after Whis 'autographs' them, and the wig gives the playable characters Goku's SSGSS hair. The items are deposited right into your inventory, so you don't even have to spend any in-game zeni on them to use them.

We're still waiting on the release of DLC Pack 3, which contains SSGSS Goku and Vegeta, as well as Golden Frieza and Jaco, as playable characters among other bonuses, but it should be released any day now.

New Series 'Dragon Ball Super' Announced, Airing in July

Hold onto your hats people, this is not a drill! In news that came out of nowhere, it has been announced that a new Dragon Ball series, the first 'new' one in 18 years, will begin airing in Japan in July! The series, titled 'Dragon Ball Super', will take place 'after the defeat of Majin Buu, when the Earth is peaceful again'. Original creator Akira Toriyama is credited as coming up with the original story and character concepts for the series.

Some additional notes should be added to this however. 1) For clarity's sake, 'Dragon Ball Kai' began airing in 2009, so we've had a series on TV since the end of GT in 1997, but by Kai's very nature I can see why it's not considered “new”. 2) While the announcement lists it as taking place after Majin Buu, that doesn't mean it will actually be after the end of the manga, as both of the two recent films as well as the Jump Special Animation Tour special before them, also take place after that arc but during the 'ten year' time skip prior to the final chapters. This series could very well be in that same area of time. 3) It doesn't pay to be cynical, but it's worth pointing out that GT was originally touted as having Toriyama's involvement as well, but in the end his involvement was very minimal. While it's unlikely that that's true this time as well due to Toriyama's increased interest in the franchise as of late, it's still something to keep in mind.

Needless to say, this is news that I never thought I'd actually read or have the pleasure of reporting on. Dragon Ball Z was arguably my first anime series, is still one of my favorites, and the Dragon Ball franchise as a whole is among my absolute favorite things. To think we're getting another new series...I'm a little numb with excitement!

New 'Muppets' Show To Be More...Adult?

Entertainment Weekly has reported that the upcoming revival series based on Jim Henson's Muppets characters is going to be a little 'different' than what fans might expect. The pilot, and entire concept of the series, is reportedly going to explore the 'personal lives' of the characters in a mockumentary style, reminiscent of Arrested Development and The Office, in a more 'adult' manner.

While the concept of exploring the characters sounds interesting, I have to admit, I'm a little concerned about the mockumentary style. If it's anything like it sounds to me, with characters constantly just talking to the cameras, then I'm not really a fan of that style of film based on examples of it I've seen before. As a big Muppets fan though, I'm still excited to check the series out when it finally airs.

1985 Vampire Hunter D Film to Receive New Dub

In news that nobody would have seen coming, Sentai has announced that the original Vampire Hunter D film will be receiving a new dub. The re-release is set to be available on DVD and Bluray on August 25, and it's unknown as of now if the original Streamline dub will also be on the new release as a bonus track.

There's not much else to report on as of now, but we'll try to keep you posted as more news becomes available.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse DLC Pack 3 Detailed

Further details on the third DLC pack for Dragon Ball Xenoverse have come to light! The pack which will mostly focus on the new film, 'Resurrection 'F'', will definitely contain the following.

• 4 new playable characters (Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan Goku, Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan Vegeta, Golden Frieza, and Jaco the Galactic Patrolman)
• 5 Parallel Quests
• 2 new Masters (Jaco and '???')
• 8 Master Quests
• 14 Moves
• 1 Accessory
• 7 Z-Souls

The second mystery mentor is rumored to be Old Kai, which could hint at playable characters getting the 'Ultimate' transformation. It's also unsure if some of the other Japanese DLC for the film's promotion, such as Tagoma's scouter and Goku and Vegeta's new movie outfits for custom characters, will also be included. Most interesting of all is the fact that there doesn't seem to be any story missions from the film.

The pack currently has no official date announced, but is rumored to be by the end of the month, likely on the 28^th.

Jurassic World Global Trailer Released

We're still playing catch up from a lot of real-world work as of late, so bear with us – and first up is something that has me very excited, another new trailer for 'Jurassic World'!

Jurassic World, set to hit theaters on June 12, is the first new film for the franchise since 2001's Jurassic Park III. The story takes place twenty-two years after the events of the original film (matching the real-world passage of time) on Isla Nublar, were Hammond's dream of a fully functioning dinosaur park has finally come true. Attendance numbers are dropping however, and in an attempt to boost those numbers, the staff have created a new 'hybrid' dinosaur, the 'Indominus Rex'. The creature quickly proves to be too much to control, and Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), the park's Velociraptor trainer, is enlisted to help track down the renegade dinosaur.

The film, also starring Bryce Dallas Howard and Vincent D'Onofrio, is one of my most anticipated movies of the year. I've been a huge Jurassic Park fan ever since I was a kid, so to have a chance to re-live that kind of feeling all over again is going to be great!

New Lupin the 3rd Series Composed by Yuji Ohno Confirmed!

The new 'Lupin III' TV series that was originally announced for Spring in Japan has unfortunately been delayed until the fall – but it's not all bad news however. The 'original' composer, Yuji Ohno, has been enlisted to do the series score! Ohno released a comment on his involvement with the series, stating “"Lupin is returning center stage! This is what 'Lupin Sound' should be! Please look forward to that kind of music." While Ohno didn't score the original 'green jacket' series, he did score the second and third TV series (often affectionately referred to by fans as the 'red jacket' and 'pink jacket' series), as well as all of the yearly TV specials for the franchise.

There has been no word as of yet as to the cast of the franchise, but it is likely that everyone from the recent series and specials will be returning. The only one in question (and keep in mind this is highly, highly speculative) is Jigen's original seiyuu, Kiyoshi Kobayashi. Kobayashi has been playing the character since the 70's, and the recent 'Daisuke Jigen's Gravestone' film seems like the ideal place for him to step down if he so wishes. We at the Fandom Writer certainly hope he's still involved though.

009 Re:Cyborg English Cast & Release Date Announced

After licensing it a few years ago, FUNimation has finally announced the English release date and cast for the 2012 film '009 Re:Cyborg'. The DVD/Blu-ray combo will be released on July 28^th, with a limited edition set to include a 44 page interview and information booklet. The English cast is as follows.

Joe Shimamura/009 – Jason Griffith

Ivan Whisky/001 – Stephanie Sheh

Jet Link/002 – Marc Diraison

Francoise Arnoul/003 – Erin Fitzgerald

Albert Heinrich/004 – Dave B. Mitchell

Geronimo Jr./005 – Patrick Seitz

Chang Changku/006 – Michael Sorich

Great Britain/007 – John White

Pyunma/008 – Marcus Griffin

Dr. Isaac Gilmore – George C. Cole

Samual Klein – Kevin T. Collins

Void – Greg Abbey

Navy Man – Sean Schemmel

FUNimation is collaborating with Michael Sinterniklaas's N.Y.A.V. Post studio for the dub, which is why it has a mixture of LA and NY based voice actors rather than FUNimation's in-house crew. Sinterniklaas is also set to direct alongside Anthony Tortorici.

I only vaguely remember the early 2000's anime series of Cyborg 009 from Toonami, but I liked it well enough to be quite interested in how this film turns out.

J-Stars Victory Vs.+ Receives Western Release Date!

It's been known for a while that Western audiences were finally going to get to play J-Stars Victory Vs. at long last, but we didn't know exactly when...until now.

Bandai Namco has just announced that the US will receive the game for PS3, PS4, and (digitally on) Vita on June 30^th! The UK will see a release four days prior to this on the 26^th.

J-Stars Victory Vs. is the latest in a 'series' of games from Japan that mashes up characters from various Shonen Jump titles such as Dragon Ball, Naruto, Bleach, Yu Yu Hakusho, One Piece, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, and many many more. The game allows you to duke it out in various locales from the included series, as well as play a story mode in a world that's a mash-up of these series as well. Unique to the non-Japanese release of the game however (hence the '+') will be some gameplay tweaks to balance the characters better, as well as an 'Arcade' mode to add further replay value.

Europe (and the US if they order from GameStop) will have the option to pre-order and receive a 'compendium' which will have character art and brief blurbs about the various titles included.

I am super excited for this game, being a big fan of a lot of the titles included as well as Shonen Jump in general. Time to pre-order!