Quote:

 

The North American anime distributor Funimation has issued a new statement in regards to the leak of One Piece episode 403:

As anime fans know, FUNimation Entertainment and Toei Animation had planned for the first ever online simulcast of the series ‘One Piece’ tonight at 9:00 pm CDT., just one hour after its premiere on Japan's Fuji Television. Unfortunately, in the last 24 hours we have determined that the FUNimation servers were compromised, even though we employ strict security standards. An unknown individual accessed and posted episode 403 online and as a direct result of this illegal act, all U.S. and Canadian fans will be deprived of access to this great anime series for the immediate future. We will make every effort to locate and prosecute the perpetrator(s) to the fullest extent of the law and will provide updates regarding this most serious matter.

Funimation has also replaced the original statement on its website — which less specifically stated that One Piece was not available due to technical issues — with the above statement.

At this time there is no further information as to if, or when, the One Piece simulcast will start.

Update: One Piece has also been removed from Hulu (Google Cache). Hulu was set to offer subtitled One Piece episodes seven days after the Japanese broadcast (Funimation's simulcast was to be delayed by only 1 hour). Hulu had acquired One Piece from Toei, not Funimation.

Update 2: One Piece has also been removed from Joost (cached). Although Joost has not removed it's One Piece page, the episodes have been removed and replaced with the message "Sorry, this channel is not available in your country."

Quote:

 

Sun Television, the broadcasting station in Japan's Hyōgo Prefecture that is Japan's first station to run The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya anime's "renewed airing" in 2009, has aired the first new anime episode in almost three years on early Friday morning. The 2009 airing has been running its episodes in the story's chonological order, and "Sasa no Ha Rhapsody" ("Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody") is the next story chronologically in Nagaru Tanigawa and Noizi Ito's original science-fiction comedy light novels. However, this episode was not animated during the anime's first airing in 2006.

Quote:

 

Yes, the final issue of Shojo Beat magazine will be the July 2009 issue which is on newsstands June 16th.

We are very proud of the past issues of Shojo Beat magazine and the efforts of the entire team. The magazine developed quite a fan base but unfortunately in today's difficult economic climate we felt the need to place our resources elsewhere at this time.

Of course all of our great shojo manga titles previously serialized in Shojo Beat magazine will still be published and available as graphic novels under the Shojo Beat imprint from Viz Media.

Each Shojo Beat Subscriber will be receiving a free copy of the August issue of Shonen Jump magazine with the pertinent information on what their subscription/refund options will be.

Subscribers and fans of shojo manga can get the latest information on all new Shojo Beat titles and news by visiting www.shojobeat.com.

Quote:

 

The Fox International production company is negotiating to adapt Ai Yazawa's Paradise Kiss fashion and romance manga into a Japanese-language, live-action film. The story centers around a high school student named Yukari who is discovered by "Paradise Kiss," a group of up-and-coming fashion school students. The students transform Yukari into a fashion model, and she discovers a new passion for a future career and potential romance in her personal life.

Fox International is working with Japan's IMJ production company to produce the film with a budget of US$3 million to US$4 million. The two studios plan to establish a traditional Japanese production committee of partner companies to market the film across several fields. Fox International is also producing a Japanese version of the 2004 sleeper hit film Sideways with lead actress Rinko Kikuchi (Babel, The Sky Crawlers). The publisher Shodensha sold 6 million copies of the original manga's five volumes since Yazawa serialized the story in the company's Zipper fashion magazine from 1999 to 2003. The manga has also been translated into 10 languages, including English.

Quote:

 

Australia's Arclight Films, Canada's Wizzfilms, the Infotainment China Media Company, and the United Kingdom's Latec International have agreed on Thursday to produce the proposed live-action film adaptation of the Bubblegum Crisis anime franchise. The defunct ARTMIC studio created the original 1987-1991 video anime series about four women who protect a cybernetic future Tokyo with powered armor. Japan's Anime International Company (AIC) had previously signed a basic agreement with Singapore's Cubix International PTE Ltd. (Zodiac: The Race Begins) for the adaptation on October 30. Benjamin Toh of Singapore's Axxis International is acting as executive producer.

The US$30-million project is planned for worldwide release by early 2012. The producers are negotiating for the director and cast, who will shoot the film in Australia. A spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter newspaper that the cast will "feature two male leads and a quartet of female action babes — two Caucasian and two Asian." Mokko Studio, a partner studio of Wizzfilms with Oscar-winning animation director Anthony LaMolinara (Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2), has agreed to do the post-production work in Canada. AIC and Cubix said in 2008 that they intend to consult with former ARTMIC staffers Shinji Aramaki (screenplay and mechanical design) and Kenichi Sonoda (character design) to maintain a connection with the world concepts of the original series.

Screendaily.com describes the project as "the first co-production between the six nations." By lining up partners from Australia, Canada, and China, the producers may be able to partly bankroll the film with funds from the respective governments and release the film in China. Axxis says that 70% of the project's funds have been committed.

Quote:

 

Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group has acquired all North American rights to East Wing Holdings Corp. and SAJ's live-action film adaptation of Production I.G's Blood: The Last Vampire anime film. Samuel Goldwyn Films will release film in American theaters this summer. South Korea's Jeon Ji-hyun (under her English name, Gianna Jun) plays the main character Saya, a 16-year-old sword-wielding girl hunting down supernatural creatures. Japanese actress Koyuki plays her opponent Onigen. Sony has already launched the official North American website for the film with a trailer.

Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell films, Mobile Police Patlabor, Avalon) conceived the anime's original story, which Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Eden of The East, Moribito - Guardian of the Spirit) turned into a screenplay for director Hiroyuki Kitakubo ( JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Robot Carnival's "A Tale of Two Robots," Roujin Z). Hong Kong's Ronny Yu adapted Kamiyama's script for live-action, and Chris Nahon directed the new version.

Quote:

 

The American film studio Warner Brothers has acquired the rights to adapt Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata's Death Note supernatural suspense manga series into a live-action film. In the manga, a teenager finds a notebook with which he can put people to death by writing their names. He begins a self-anointed crusade against the criminals of the world, and a cat-and-mouse game begins with the authorities and one idiosyncratic genius detective. In the proposed film version, the main character is described as a college student.

Vertigo Entertainment (no relation to DC Comics' Vertigo imprint or the United Kingdom's Vertigo Films) revealed last year that it was developing a remake with screenwriters Vlas and Charles Parlapanides. The two brothers remain attached to the project. Vertigo's Roy Lee (The Lake House, Shutter) and Doug Davison (Dark Water, The Lake House), Lin Pictures' Dan Lin (This Side of the Truth, Sherlock Holmes), and Brian Witten (executive producer of Final Destination, 2009's Friday the 13th) are also attached as producers. The manga has already been adapted into three live-action films and one television anime series in Japan.

Vertigo Entertainment has developed or is developing remakes of Ju-on (The Grudge), Dark Water, Nankyoku Monogatari (Eight Below), Siworae (The Lake House), Infernal Affairs (The Departed), Gin gwai (The Eye), Shutter, My Sassy Girl, Jungdok (Possession), Sigaw (The Echo), and Janghwa, Hongryeon (The Uninvited). The Parlapanides brothers were writers and executive producers of Undercover, an update of the 21 Jump Street television series which was under development for The CW network. They also wrote the War of the Gods film (in pre-production) for Relativity Media and Live Bet for Universal Pictures.

Quote:

 

The Crain's New York Business news source reports that the anime and manga distributor Central Park Media (CPM) filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and has closed its doors as of Monday. According to Crain's, the company owes US$1.2 million to creditors. The company has not been active in releasing new titles in the past 12 months.

CPM and its Software Sculptors, U.S. Manga Corps, and Anime 18 labels were once the North American homes of such prominent works as Grave of the Fireflies, Utena, Mobile Police Patlabor, Record of Lodoss War, Slayers, Night on the Galactic Railroad, Project A-Ko, Dominion Tank Police, Descendants of Darkness, Demon City Shinjuku, Urotsukidoji, and La Blue Girl. It later branched out into the book publishing field by releasing Comic Party, Record of Lodoss War, Slayers, Embracing Love, Kizuna, and other titles under the CPM Manga and Be Beautiful Manga imprints. It sponsored the Big Apple Anime Fest earlier this decade.

Companies that file for bankruptcy under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code in the United States will face liquidation — unlike Chapter 11 and 13 bankruptcies which still allow companies to restructure and continue to operate.

Quote:

 

The Mandalay Pictures production studio has licensed the film rights to Shoji Gatoh's Full Metal Panic! high school action comedy light novels. The story centers around a brusque young sergeant named Sousuke Sagara who must protect an assertive high school girl named Chidori Kaname by masquerading (somewhat unsuccessfully) as a high school student himself. Actor Zac Efron (High School Musical, Hairspray, 17 Again) is reportedly discussing the project.

Quote:

 

Kenji Uchida, the president of the Sunrise anime studio, told attendees of a Tokyo International Anime Fair (TAF) 2009 symposium that actor Keanu Reeves' enthusiasm for its Cowboy Bebop anime was the deciding factor in the recent live-action film deal. Uchida said Reeves (The Matrix, A Scanner Darkly, Johnny Mnemonic) himself visited Japan twice to express his interest in adapting the stylized science-fiction anime, and added that if Reeves had not done so, the deal might not have been made. Uchida further noted that the difficult negotiations with the 20th Century Fox film studio continued for two years until agreeable contract terms were drafted. He emphasized that the contract allows Sunrise to assert quality control by stating, "If the script is terrible, the live-action film adaptation will not be approved."