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FUNIMATION ENTERTAINMENT ACQUIRES

THE TREASURE HUNTER

Flower Mound, Texas (April 22,  2010) – FUNimation® Entertainment today announced it has acquired home entertainment, digital and merchandising rights to the live action film THE TREASURE HUNTER from Eleven Arts Entertainment.

Starring Jay Chou  (GREEN HORNET) and supermodel Lin Chi-ling, THE TREASURE HUNTER (also known as CI LING) is directed by Kevin Chu (KUNG FU DUNK).  The chinese blockbuster opened in Asia in late 2009 and set box office records its first week of release.

New Omnibus Releases Announced For BLEACH, FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST, KEKKAISHI And NARUTO

San Francisco, CA, April 21, 2011 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, kicks off the summer reading season with the release of new 3-in-1 omnibus editions for several best-loved manga (graphic novels) series. NARUTO and KEKKAISHI both launch on May 3^rd, and BLEACH and FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST go on sale June 7^th. Each of the new omnibus releases bundles 3 complete manga volumes into a handy summertime reading companion.

News provided by our friends at GeekChicDaily

In the Legend of Zelda games, you sliced and diced Gannon. In the God of War series, you gored Greek gods. And in your backyard, you dueled to the death with gladiators in a hand-built Thunderdome. (Note: your lawyers have advised you not to say much about that last experience due to pending litigation. And neighborhood zoning laws.)

Regardless, the most artful sword swinging you’ll ever do can be found in the iPad game Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP. Released in late March, the game has gone on to become one of the most critically beloved apps ever released for the device.

VIZ Media continues to expand its bestselling NARUTO anime franchise with the release of the latest NARUTO Shippuden Uncut DVD Set Volume 6 on April 26^th.  The 3-disc set contains episodes 66-77 of the original anime series in both subtitled and English dubbed options.  Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens, this box set will be available for the suggested retail price of $49.95 U.S./$71.99 Canada.

I did not attend Anime St. Louis last year, but did attend it in 2009, so I cannot directly compare it to last year. I was able to attend Saturday and Sunday this year and what I saw overall was a great con. While there were a few issues, Chairman Jeremy Johnson and the Anime St. Louis staff did a spectacular job this year.

At ANTIQUE BAKERY Site (antique.rightstuf.com)

Complete 12-episode ANTIQUE BAKERY anime series now available.

GRIMES, Iowa, April 20, 2011 – Anime producer and distributor Right Stuf, Inc. and its Nozomi Entertainment division are pleased to present “Top 10 Japanese Snacks,” a new piece by Shari Custer of Japanese Snack Reviews, at antique.rightstuf.com (http://antique.rightstuf.com) – the official site for the ANTIQUE BAKERY anime series, which is now available on DVD.

In this new article, Custer shares, via both commentary and photographs, a detailed list of which of the more than 700 different products that she’s sampled are her favorites.

Sports Action Drama Follows On And Off Court Adventures Of A Young Tennis Prodigy On A Quest For The Championship

VIZ Media has announced the launch of THE PRINCE OF TENNIS anime series available for Download-to-Rent/Download-to-Own from iTunes^® in the U.S. (www.iTunes.com) and Canada (www.iTunes.ca). Seasons 1-4 contain 50 episodes (dubbed) of the venerable sports drama that will be available in their entirety starting April 18^th. As a special promotion, THE PRINCE OF TENNIS Episode 1 will be available for free download from April 18^th to May 17^th.

“The Radius”

Eden of the East: King of Eden

Director: Kenji Kamiyama

Studio: Production I. G.

Writer: Kenji Kamiyama

U. S. Distributor: FUNimation

U.S. Release Date: April 26th, 2011

Format: DVD/ 82 minutes

Genre: Drama, Romance, Mystery

Age Rating: M for Mature

Overall Personal Rating: A-

Similar Titles: Eden of the East; Series

Now that you have saved Japan from a missile attack, you think to yourself , “Maybe I should become the King of Japan.” Right? Well, maybe not, maybe you have to leave that up to others to do that for you.

HOUSTON, April 19th, 2011 – Section23 Films is pleased to announce the release of CLANNAD: AFTER STORY. The complete collection which includes all 25 episodes and an all new English dub on 4 DVD’s, is available today.

Title:                 CLANNAD: AFTER STORY COMPLETE COLLECTION

Running Time:   625 min.

Age Rating:       TV PG

Language:         English & Japanese with English Subtitles

CAT:                 SF-CL600

UPC:                814131012500

Published by:    Sentai Filmworks

Distributed by:  Section23 Films

Street Date:      4/19/2011

Format:             DVD

SRP:                $69.98

“The Radius”:

Title: Ultimo Volume 4 (Karakuridoji Ultimo)

Artist/Author: Hiroyuki Takei

Original Concept by Stan Lee

Distributor: Viz Media/Shonen Jump

American release date: March 1, 2011

Format and length: Shonen manga, 200 pages

Publisher/Industry Age Rating: T for Teen

Overall Personal Rating: B

Other titles by the author to check out: Shaman King

One can only hope that the fate of the world rests with someone who has the ability to save it. While in mechanical form, pure good and evil battle to prove which is the more powerful, it is up to the human Yamoto to travel through out time to find the way to save the earth.

“The Radius”:

Title: Maoh: Juvenile Remix Volume 5

Author: Megumi Osuga (Original Story by Kotaro Isaka)

Distributor: Viz Media/Shonen Sunday

American Release Date: May 10, 2011

Format: Traditional Manga

Genre: Supernatural, Apocolyptic, Action, Shonen

Publisher Age Rating: T+ (Older Teen)

Personal Review Grade:  A

Similar Series: WaqWaq

Things aren’t just going wrong in Nekota City, they’re completely enveloped into chaos.  Ando must make an ultimatum before he’s destroyed, either by the people of Nekota City, or by what could possibly be side effects of his special ability.

Special Event Celebrates The Creator Of RISTORANTE PARADISO And HOUSE OF FIVE LEAVES; Raffle Contest To Award Grand Prize Original Artwork

San Francisco, CA, April 18, 2011– VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, together with Japanese licensor Ohta Shuppan, welcomes renowned manga (graphic novel) artist Natsume Ono for a personal appearance and special event celebrating her work, hosted by the Kinokuniya Bookstores of America Company (Kinokuniya Bookstore) in New York City on Tuesday, May 10^th starting at 7:00pm.

TAKE A DELICIOUS CULINARY JOURNEY THROUGH JAPAN IN THE DOCUMENTARY EATRIP NEW ON DVD FROM NEW PEOPLE ENTERTAINMENT

New Film Release Explores The Ways That Food Unites Humanity And Explores The Interpersonal Relationships People Forge Through Eating

San Francisco, CA – April 14, 2011 – NEW PEOPLE Entertainment, a film division of NEW PEOPLE, Inc. that focuses on the licensing and distribution of Japanese films and media, has announced the release of the culinary documentary Eatrip on DVD on May 24^th. The film takes audiences on an intriguing journey throughout Japan and features interviews with interesting personalities from a variety of walks of life to look at how life can be led richly through the daily ritual of eating. Eatrip will carry an MSRP of $24.92 U.S. / $35.99 CAN.

Episodes 1-5 Will Stream For FREE With New Episodes Available Every Friday!

VIZ Media has announced the launch of the shojo-inspired anime series FULL MOON today on VIZAnime.com, the company’s premiere website for anime, as well as through the streaming content provider HULU (www.Hulu.com).

VIZAnime and HULU will stream episodes 1-5 (subtitled) of the series for FREE. Two new FULL MOON episodes will be uploaded and also available to stream for FREE each Friday!

“The Radius”

Rocket Girls: The Last Planet

Author: Housuke Nojiri

U. S. Distributor: Viz Media

U. S. Release Date: March 15th, 2011

Format: Paper Back / 250 pages

Genre: Sci Fi

Age Rating: All Ages

Overall Personal Rating: B

Similar Titles: Rocket Girls, The Next Continent and even The Lord of Sands of Time.

Days of the large national space programs are winding down. The Solomon Space Association (SSA) has already proven that it can get manned orbiters up cheaply and efficiently.  Now comes the real test, can the teenage girls that they have trained really go into space and prove themselves as astronauts to the rest of the world?

Tokyopop has announced that it will close its Los Angeles-based North American publishing operations as of May 31st. The company’s film, TV, and European operations, including its Hamburg, Germany-based publishing and international rights sales will continue.

We’ll report on what that means for the company’s publishing schedule in the U.S. as information becomes available.

Priest, a big budget movie based on the manhwa series by Hyung Min-woo (published by Tokyopop) opens on May 13th (see “A Second Trailer for Priest”).

News brought to you by our friends at ICv2

Hasbro saw its Boys toys segment grow 25% in Q1 2011, behind Beyblade and early shipments of toys tied to Thor and Transformers: Dark of the Moon.  And while Captain America: The First Avenger is also expected to be a contributor to the segment in 2011, X-Men: First Class is being largely ignored.

Join the Community Today!

FLOWER MOUND, TEXAS – April 14, 2011 – FUNimation® Entertainment has announced that the beta testing phase for its anime-focused social media and video hub, located at beta.FUNimation.com<http://www.funimation.com/>, is now open to the public.

FUNimation.com is an online video community designed specifically with the anime fan in mind. Currently found at beta.funimation.com, on the expanded site fans will find the largest selection of streaming, on-demand, premium anime programming as well as simulcasts for series currently airing in Japan. The site has also integrated more than 200 individual brand sites, each with its own look, content, message board, videos and more. New features offer tools for the user to interact with friends and forge relationships with other fans who share their passion.  Whether it’s posting on message boards, inviting friends, or uploading fan art or cosplay photos, FUNimation.com is the online destination for anime fans.

“The Radius”:

Title: Oresama Teacher

Artist/Author: Izumi Tsubaki

Distributor: Viz Media

American release date: May 3, 2011

Genre, Format: Shojo manga

Publisher/Industry Age Rating: T for Teen

Overall Personal Rating: B+

Title by the same artist: The Magic Touch

Struggling with who you are and who you want to be can become complicated, especially when you begin to feel differently about the people around you. And how will they feel about you?

Synopsis:

Acclaimed Film By Director Katsuhito Ishii Offers A Gentle Cinematic Portrait Tackling Universal Themes Of Time, People And The Fabric Of Family Relationships

San Francisco, CA, April 11, 2011 –NEW PEOPLE, the nation’s only entertainment complex dedicated to Japanese popular culture, has announced a second film screening event to raise additional funds for Japanese earthquake and tsunami relief. THE TASTE OF TEA, director Katsuhito Ishii’s critically acclaimed and award-winning film about Japanese family life, will screen at NEW PEOPLE on Sunday April 17^th at 3:30pm. Suggested donations are $10.00 or more per person. NEW PEOPLE is located in the heart of San Francisco’s Japantown at 1746 Post St.