Last month, Bandai Entertainment closed its online store and only has a select few anime series for sale. Today it was announced that Bandai would stop releasing any new anime series on DVD or Blu-ray. Bandai Entertainment announced they will be changing their focus from releasing series to licensing all their rights to other companies for them to release. Bandai Entertainment will now be moving into digital distribution. With it, quite a few jobs will be lost and the anime community will lose one of its biggest anime release companies that helped bring over animes to the West, like Suzumiya Haruhi, K-on, Gurren Laggan, and Gundam series, which is only a very small portion of the library of available series. Current and earlier released series will be available via distributors for an unknown amount of time.

Any current mangas being released by Bandai will also be affected, and Bandai has already confirmed that a few titles have already been canceled:

Code Geass: Renya
Gurren Lagann volume 7 and beyond
Kannagi volumes 4-6
Lucky Star Boo Boo Kagaboo
Mobile Suit Gundam 00I
Tales of the Abyss: Jade’s Secret Memories
It’s a pretty sad day indeed. Voice actresses Cristina Vee and Stephanie Sheh have posted their sadness with this news and how this will affect the anime industry as a whole in the coming future. This will affect North America, so anime fans should really push and support their favorite series to existing anime companies like Viz, NIS America, Aniplex USA so that future releases are possible.

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o get you geared up for the Friday, January 13th, premiere of the Blade anime series at 11:00 pm, G4TV has posted the first ever TV spot for the long awaited toon. As per usual we have it for you right here.

Blade was directed by Mitsuyuki Masuhara (Chi's Sweet Home, Kobato) and written by Kenta Fukasaku (Battle Royale). Tetsuya Takahashi (Appleseed, Resident Evil: Degeneration, previous Marvel anime series) handles the music.

"Harold Perrineau voices Eric Brooks, the supernatural Daywalker known as Blade, making his animated series debut with more action, terrifying villains, and bloodthirsty monsters than you've ever seen before. Following in the steps of other hit Marvel anime series, Blade offers viewers 12 half-hour weekly episodes destined to leave you wanting more, exclusively on G4."

Synopsis
Blade's mother was bitten by a vampire while pregnant, imbuing her unborn son with vampire strength and a thirst for blood, but without the vulnerability to sunlight. A master of weaponry with a desire to avenge the death of his mother, Blade finds himself in Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Cambodia in an effort to take down the evil villain, Deacon Frost. With vampire hunter Makoto at his side, they will stop at nothing to destroy Existence, a vampire organization with roots deeply embedded in Asia.

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Crunchyroll isn’t the only one that will be showing Moretsu Pirates as Sentai Filmworks has announced their pickup of the series for home video rights, DVD and Blu-ray, to come sometime in 2012. But they’ll be doing simulcast distribution as well through their Anime Network partners starting on January 7th at the same time that we saw Crunchyroll will be doing it.

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Welcome to Capsule Computers’ weekly anime segment, Anime Say! Each week I will be diving into some of the biggest anime related topic of the week and having my say on anything that matters in the anime world.

To top it off each episode will conclude with a recommendation from your’s truly of an anime or manga that you should check out. This week, I go through my top 5 anime series of 2011. Did your favourite series make the cut? You can check out this week’s Anime Say! below.

Got any questions for Anime Say? Send all your queries to anime@capsulecomputers.com and I will do my best to answer anything you can throw at me. What do you think of the seventh episode of Anime Say? Let us know in the shoutbox and comments section.

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Code of Princess, that beautiful side-scrolling 3DS beat-em-up from the developers of Guardian Heroes and the artist of Street Fighter III is arriving in Japan this coming spring. But before the game even begins, you'll be treated to a short opening movie that sets the stage for Solange and her comrades-in-arms.

If this were the '90s, I'd be hoping for a 2-3 episode OAV with excellent animation and truly horrendous writing in the vein of Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer or Variable Geo. Anybody else hoping this game makes it Stateside?

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Instead of with family, couples in Japan celebrate Christmas together as one of their most important nights of the year, right alongside Valentine's Day. Here are some of the ways that anime/manga/game fans and professionals have been celebrating Christmas this year:

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My career in anime cultural diplomacy started in 2007 when I was asked by the Foreign Ministry to give a lecture to diplomats prior to their overseas postings. The lecture covered the anime industry and its goals.

One of the diplomats in attendance asked me to give the same lecture in Europe, and I traveled to Italy and the Czech Republic. "Do you like Japanese anime?" I asked my audiences, only to get a reply of, "We all grew up with Japanese anime." They seemed to be saying, "No need to ask that question." That was the launch of my anime cultural diplomacy.

In the four years since, the private sector's attitude on anime and manga as cultural diplomacy has drastically changed. When I first began anime diplomacy, I had the active support of many diplomats, but as a whole, my strategy was seen as unorthodox.

The promotion of pop culture and traditional culture is not paradoxical. In many cases, Japanese anime or manga can work to draw the attention of young people overseas toward Japanese society and traditional culture. I have had to explain this idea over and over in my columns, lectures and meetings.

As a result, the growing interest among young people overseas toward Japanese pop culture highlighted the importance of anime, manga and fashion in cultural diplomacy.

This phenomena is symbolized in J-Fest, which I've organized with the Japanese Embassy in Moscow since 2009. I've never seen such a huge embassy-led cultural event like J-Fest draw the attention of so many young people overseas.

The event introduces contemporary Japanese culture. The content comprises of material people saw through the Internet or other media and want to know more about. It also includes things that are expected to become big hits: anime not released on DVDs; Harajuku-kei Gothic and Lolita fashion; visual-kei and pop idol music; as well as songs used in anime. Surprisingly, these themes are popular overseas--from Russia to the United States and Latin America.

At the first J-Fest event, many people lined up for more than five hours in freezing temperatures just to watch Evangelion 2.22: You Can (Not) Advance, while girls cheered for Harajuku-kei fashion shows. I was so overwhelmed by young Russians' love for Japan that I was almost in tears on stage as I was giving lectures or emceeing events.

"Please come back to Russia!" an audience member yelled. "I sure will," I replied. That was a sincere promise between me and the Russian youth. The third J-Fest attracted 13,000 people, more than four times the number that attended the first event.

Japanese expats in Moscow and the embassy teamed up to organize the event. As an organizer of the first event, I understand the work required to create a successful event and I also understand the importance of holding the event.

Japanese diplomats in Russia must have recognized their role to encourage Russian youth's enthusiasm for Japan. Those people--who will take the lead in the next generation--will create a positive future for both Japan and Russia.

During J-Fest, I was busy rushing from stage to stage in my h.NAOTO outfit, passing staff who were also rushing around talking on headsets. This chaotic scene can probably be compared to Japan's lean days when sweating diplomats were busy in and outside Japan.

I want to thank the thousands of young people whom I met overseas for the last four years, including Japanese embassy officials in Moscow and Russian staff, as well as those who participated in J-Fest, for their support. The event has become an invaluable asset for Japan and Russia.

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The live-action “Blade” franchise is probably dead in the water, sadly. Even before Wesley Snipes went to prison on counts of tax evasion, no one was clamoring for a fourth film, not after the way “Blade: Trinity” was such a mess (also, wow, that movie came out in 2004).

Fortunately, fans who can’t get enough of the vampire hunter will find some respite in the anime adaptation, officially announced yesterday by Marvel. “Blade” will be aired on G4, with the premiere episode coming on Friday, January 13th, followed by at least three more months of episodes.

Blade himself will be voiced by Harold Perrineau of “Lost” and “Matrix” fame, with the direction and writing headed by veterans of the anime industry. From Marvel’s official description, it’ll be a pretty clearly familiar story, but with a more global take than the Snipes films:

Blade's mother was bitten by a vampire while pregnant, imbuing her unborn son with vampire strength and a thirst for blood, but without the vulnerability to sunlight. A master of weaponry with a desire to avenge the death of his mother, Blade finds himself in Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Cambodia in an effort to take down the evil villain, Deacon Frost. With vampire hunter Makoto at his side, they will stop at nothing to destroy Existence, a vampire organization with roots deeply embedded in Asia.

You can look at the stills to see the look they’re giving Blade: one part Samuel L. Jackson, one part Mike Tyson. Sounds about right.

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Marvel has issued a press release revealing the air date for the final Marvel anime show, centering on Blade. In addition, two new screenshots and a banner for the series have been released. Off the heels of the Anime shows for Iron Man, Wolverine and X-Men, Marvel is prepping a final anime series, this time centering on Blade. Dreamgirls' Harold Perrineau will voice the Daywalker in his animated series debut, which is set to begin airing January 13th on G4. Below is a portion of the press release that Marvel issued announcing the news, which includes a couple of new screenshots as well as plot info for the series.

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Thrilled anime and manga fans go to the anime club period 8 on Tuesday in room 371 to relieve stress and to talk about something they are passionate about. After talk of disbanding due to no available rooms, members are excited to go to meetings every week. President Alisa Grant ’12 is also pleased that they were able to find a room. “It is fun talking to other people about something I love,” said Kate Wong ’13. “It is my favorite hobby, and it relieves stress.”
   
The members have their own reasons for joining the club. Some members are glad to find friends who share the same interest that they have. “I love anime, it’s addicting and I’m pretty sure a lot of other people in our school are addicted too,” said Heidy Rong ’13.
   
Every week someone in the club brings a DVD of an anime or anime movie, such as My Neighbor Totoro, and the whole club watches the DVD. It is not mandatory to watch the movie so members are free to talk among themselves about other anime or manga.  There are also groups formed to discuss specific anime series. Heidy ’13 is in the “Naruto” group. “My main goals are to show new animes and to let them (members) know of anime/Japanese culture related events in the area,” said Alisa ’12.
   
In the future the anime club plans to go to conventions or festivals about anything that relates to anime/Japanese culture. There is a yearly trip to Anime Boston, which is an anime convention. “The trip has been happening since I was a freshman, most likely even longer, so I would say it’s a bit of a tradition.” Alice said.
   
Members also look forward to the Cherry Blossom Festival at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens and the SpringFest, which is a free anime convention, held at NYU Polytechnic University. With around 25 members, the anime club consists of many juniors and sophomores who are free period eight and are fanatical about anime. “Anime club is amazing and fun,” said Vice President Danny Fan ‘14.

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