We have pondered and pondered, here at Animekon (actually, mostly, when we were extremely wasted in some pub, being made fun of because we were staring at little girls), about the would-be duel between the Suzumiya Haruhi dance, and the Lucky Star dance. If that is not a thing to ponder upon, then my name is Hazuki. Which is not, sadly.

Lately, the official site of this lovely anime series is streaming some sort of commercial, promoting the following Lucky Star OVA. We are certainly awaiting this with trembling hands, and hankies prepared. Along side the trailer, you can also see them little dudettes in some fancy Nanoha-like costumes, exactly what every magical girl fanatic needs.

...and yet again, great games seem to be restricted to consoles, at least until some smart ass decides to port it, pirate it, or release an emulator. According to Dogz in Ze Can, the lolis at Sega are making a Hatsune Miku game, entitled Project Diva, for the PSP. You know, that little shiny thing from Sony, that can play Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII.

As any Miku game that we can imagine (except for those naughty things that are already rambling in my mind), this one will involve music and will be a rhythm game, with a related story mode. Unlocking missions, winning stuff, and doing various other things, will allow you to buy stuff and decorate Miku's room, a nice and cozy place where this awesome little girl will be able to run around and scream real loud. Either while being molested, either while doing things to herself.

I am not really found of characters that get to BUY superpowers. Sure, it is an old Internet meme, but guys like Batman or Iron Man seem to me like casual simpletons, blessed by a certain sadistic God with tons and tons of spendola. And what do you do when you have spendola and are not sane enough to just stay in house, play some MMO and drink your life to death? You get bored. And buy superpowers. And try to imitate a cool dude from The Justice League. And since you have that kind of money, you actually buy your damn way into The Justice League-kun.

The last deal in the acquisitions of superpowers business was made between Madhouse, your all favorite Paprika and Gay Note creators, and Marvel Comics. The reason? Iron Man. The same thing that was (incredibly successful) brought to the big screen lately. I, for one, despised the movie, for several reasons, the main one being the fact that a Marvel movie is dependent on action. And this one had none, just some blah blah bullshit and an egocentric Downey Jr. But that is not the issue here.

The Sports Nippon newspaper published a “versus” image fight, between the American version, and the soon-to-be adapted into an anime Japanese version. The spring of 2010 will set the tables. We'll just have to bring the bento. And the chopsticks. And the lolis, since this show will certainly miss them by a mile.

- Production I.G appears to be working on a "3D movie project", as well as a family-oriented modern fantasy film, which might turn out to be one and the same project. All in all, according to a financial report issued by the studio's parent company back in July, Production I.G (GitS 2: Innocence, The Sky Crawlers etc.) currently has 4 theatrical works planned for the future.

- Speaking of Production I.G, one of their upcoming OAD (original anime DVD) projects - namely the xxxHOLiC OAD bundled with the 14th xxxHOLiC manga volume - has been delayed until until February 17, 2009.

- And a similar fate befell the upcoming Tsubasa OAD, originally panned for release in February along with the 26th manga volume, but now pushed back to March 2009.

- Dungeon & Fighter, some random Korean MMO known in Japan as Arad Senki, will be getting an anime adaptation under Gonzo's supervision. The predictably generic anime series shall be known as Slap Up Party: Arad Senki, and it will start airing in 2009.

Well, one thing is for certain. The Dragonball anime series was very, very successful. Actually, it was over nine thousand. It was even aired in a crappy country such as mine, where the only things that give kids a boner is a naked Pikachu or some random Digimon figures. I also bet that the manga was nice.

And since this here thing was such a hit/hype over the ocean, in the absolutely sane nation of the United States, it was a matter of time until a company the size of 20th Century Fox would get the genius idea to turn it into a movie. Oh boy. We all know by now that the said movie, which sadly, I have to bet already that it will NOT be over nine thousand, will show up and indulge its audience on April 10. What we didn't know until today, is the fact that a trailer of the movie will be released, alongside the much awaited (by some) Max Payne movie, another craptastic piece of shit that will start airing on October 17.

There are some good things about the Dragonball movie, though. First of all, we have James Wong directing it. Ye, the same dude who did the work on The One (Jet Li pwnage). Other than that, we have Chow Yun (extremely) Fat, plus some other random dudes and dudettes that appeared in stuff like War of The Worlds, Buffy, Smallville, and other would-be productions like these.

I await the trailer with the outmost impacience. Thanks, Coming Soon, for teh scoop.

So I heard you like smoked cheese... Only served on a flat chest? But of course! Life's yummy delights often go hand in hand, much like icecream with strawberries. Or vodka with sambuca. Or loli twins... with loli twins. Or - to get to the point - manga with anime.

Specifically, the Suzumiya Haruhi-chan no Yuuutsu 4-koma "official gag manga", and the Nyoron Churuya-san parody manga are both getting made into a series of anime shorts, to ease the wait until the constantly disappearing Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu 2. This new, intermediary chibi-series was announced in the latest issue of Kadokawa's Monthly Shonen Ace magazine, which went on sale today. Canned Pics, cause it happened.

The best part about this is that the Haruhi-chan and Churuya-san anime shorts will be put straight online on Kadokawa's YouTube channel, for all to see and lol. When exactly? Hell knows, Mikuru isn't around to give us a tip from the future. But you just keep mashing the refresh button on that page, and you'll see... eventually... nyoro~n

Well, whether you liked it or not, that thing called Afro Samurai was more than a hit. In certain world regions, at least. Funmination, the uber US anime distributors managed to squeeze no less than 13 million USD from this (soon to become) francise, which, eventually, led to a sequel announcement. That’s right. Not a full fledged sequel, mind you, but only a “movie”, entitled Afro Samurai: Resurrection – bound for release in the never-collapsing American theatres somewhere in January 2009.

According to the Internet’s loud voices, we will experience Lucy Liu’s extremely sexy voice in this particular show, accompanied by Mark Hamill and, of course, Samuel L. Jackson (who seems to be out of actual good movies to star in). Besides this, a live action movie adaptation will park its Harley in a courtyard near you soon, with a suggestion for the protagonist, in the shoes of Andre Benjamin, some hip-hop dude.

My pedo comrade has also mentioned this in his remarkable “Summer Anime Announcements” post (a post that took him about two weeks to complete, due to certain encounters in Black Temple where he had to spam more than his Fros'bolt designated key), but I thought it deserves a bit of clarification. So, here it goes.

Full Metal Alchemist equals legions of fans, equals horny teenagers wanking on homunculi, equals over-the-top action, equals one of the best anime series ever. Not even I can argue with that. In fact, I actually loved it, and watched it like… 5 times. Full session, every time. After that, we had the Gay Conqueror of Shambala. Meh. Some of us expected more. If some expected less, they should re-check their standards.

A sequel for Full Metal Alchemist was probably one of the most anticipated announcements EVER, and, thank Loli Jesus, the rumors were abundant. It all started with a "leaked" management document from Bones, which casually pointed at Yasuhiro Irie as being the new director for the second series. At first, the rumor was promptly denied, along with a similar Darker than Black announcement, but it seems that things were already set into motion. Obviously.

As of today (Friday), the 20th volume of the FMA manga will actually confirm the new television series, so keep your heads up for more delicious action. Thanks, ANN.



HAI WINRY!

The art of releasing a promo without actually releasing a promo has been a long and evil habit in the gaming industry. As of right now (or more likely, as of this year), such methods of mind-blowing non-awesomeness are being passed down, generation by generation, right into the open legs of the anime marketing phenomenon.

We have all enjoyed Higurashi. Be it the first season, be it the second… be it Rika-chan with her “ni-paa” epic cuteness, being Shion with her over-the-hill rampages… be it any other character, for that matter. And, as we all know, the third part in this endless WTF anime show is bound to hit the screens, sooner or later. More exactly, between this here December, and next year’s August.

Animate.tv released a cvasi-promo trailer, which actually lasts 21 seconds, about this third part, a trailer that has absolutely nada in-show scripts, no footage, no naked little girls, just some static images that SHOULD, at least for the fans, cause an excessive virtual boner at the thought that more murders are coming up.

I shall await with virtuous patience the first screenshots of Hanyuu. Until then, we’ll have to just live and hope. Oh, and on another note, according to ANN, these pieces of distinguished animation will be some sort of “final chapters”. Ye, right.

Now that is what I call a summer vacation. Nearly two months of total shut-down, with virtually no productive activity whatsoever, no cross-country booze-drenched adventures, no broken legs in the mountains, not even a notable amount of anime sessions... Slacking, at its finest! But, alas, the time has come to get on with the show, and - for starters - see what new animes have been announced during July and August so far.

Well then, here's the list we ripped off cooked up from AnimeSuki's definitive topic, along with various updates on previously-known, but yet-to-be-aired series.

- Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka - begins this autumn (website).
- Akikan! - just a website showing another one of them juicy hypo-carbonated lolis.
- Asu no Yoichi! - based on the ongoing harem comedy manga of the same title (website).
- Black God (Kuro Kami) - based on an ongoing fantasy drama manga sporting some cool looking covers, at the very least. The first chapter of the manga can be viewed online on publisher Square's website. Studio Sunrise is producing the animation.
- Black Lagoon 3 - just what the title says, and nothing more; for now.
- Chaos;Head - based on this year's Chaos;Head visual novel game by 5pb. and Nitroplus. Begins in October 2008 (website).
- ef - a tale of melodies - announced as the second season of ef - a tale of memories, once again based on Minori's ef eroge franchise. We posted the first trailer right before going on vacation, but it's worth mentioning it again in case you missed it (website).
- Eve no Jikan (Time of Eve) - just a website for this new anime coming from the director of Mizu no Kotoba (2002) and Pale Cocoon (2005), two sublime short animations.
- Fullmetal Alchemist 2 - finally confirmed to be in the making, after the recent incident involving a leaked document from studio Bones.
- Guin Saga - based on a fantasy novel series spanning 122 volumes so far. Begins in spring 2009 (website).
- Gunslinger Girl OVA - announced as a two-episode OVA, to be released on a single DVD in October 2008 apparently, soon after the final DVD of Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino ships in Japan (website).
- Hetalia Axis Powers (Hetaria Axis Powers) - based on a single-volume comedy manga originally born online (website).
- Higanjima - a vaguely rumored / speculated anime adaptation based on the Higanjima horror manga series. To be confirmed.
- Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni Rei - the third Higurashi anime (OVA) will be released from December 26, 2008 and all the way to August 2009. An excruciating wait, indeed...
- Hyakko - begins in October 2008 (website).
- Ichigo Mashimaro OVA 2 - hell yeah! I nearly had an explosive nose bleeding when I first read the announcement, and I'm still highly aroused at the thought of more IchiMashi lolis.
- Inuyasha short - a new 30-minute Inuyasha short anime film, screened at a Takahashi Rumiko exhibition in Tokyo from July 30 to August 11.
- Junjou Romantica 2nd Season - gay, yaoi, do not want. Begins in October 2008 (website).
- Kemeko Deluxe! - begins in October 2008 (website).
- Kiss x Sis - the anime adaptation based on that incest manga that got us all intrigued (to say the least) will actually be an OVA (website).
- Kodomo no Jikan OVA - looks like the "second season" of Kodomo no Jikan will be a rather short one. Ah well, a flat OVA is fine, too! (website).
- Konnichiwa Anne (Before Green Gables) - an anime adaptation of Budge Wilson's new children's novel "Before Green Gables", which in turn is a prequel to the classic 1908 novel "Anne of Green Gables", also adapted into a 50 episode anime in 1979. To be ignored.
- Kuro Shitsuji - based on a shounen manga about an overqualified, stressed-out butler serving a 12-year-old master. Begins in October 2008 (website).
- Kyou no Go no Ni (2008) - yet another hearty "hell yeah!", for what was announced as a full-fledged anime based on the Kyou no Go no Ni (Today in Class 5-2) manga. The exquisite blend of school humor, plain ridiculousness, and raging sexual innuendo found in the agonizingly short OVA will hopefully return undiminished. Begins in October 2008 (website).
- Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha The Movie 1st - a remake of the first Lyrical Nanoha season, in the shape and form of an animated film. Coming in 2009 (website).
- Maria Holic - Based on a seinen comedy manga about the love of two "girls", one of which is actually a sadistic boy in disguise. Begins in January 2009 (website).
- Mouryou no Hako - anoher novel-to-anime adaptation, this time based on a genuine Japanese detective / youkai story published in 1995, which already received a live-action movie and an ongoing manga. The anime is being produced by studio Madhouse.
- Noramimi 2 - begins in October 2008.
- One Outs - based on a seinen baseball manga. Begins in October 2008. To be ignored.
- Quartz - a new anime series co-produced by American comic book pioneer Stan Lee, and Japanese animation studio Gonzo.
- Queen's Blade - just a website, but still no release date from what I gather.
- Ranma 1/2 - a new anime short (the first one in 12 years) based on the Akumu! Shunminkou story from the manga, screened at the same Takahashi Rumiko exhibition mentioned earlier (scroll up to the new Inuyasha short).
- Seto no Hanayome OVA - just a release date for this previously announced OVA: November 28, 2008.
- Shikabane Hime Aka - just a website opened by StarChild, carrying quite an expressive (though sadly not explicit) image. Begins this autumn.
- Shikabane Hime Kuro - is the title of the second season of Shikabane Hime, which has already been announced by Gainax-feel (the first season is animated by Gainax, and this second one by feel). Begins in winter 2009.
- Shugo Chara! 2nd Season - 'nuff said.
- Switch - just a website for this two-episode OVA, whose first episode will be released on DVD in October, and the second one in December 2008.
- Taishou Yakyuu Musume (Taishou-Era Baseball Girls) - based on a light novel series which so far spawed 2 volumes packed full of baseballing schoolgirls.
- Tales of the Abyss - begins in October 2008 (website).
- Tentai Senshi Sunred - based on a seinen comedy manga about... some stuff I don't find particularly interesting right now. The anime will be made up of 26 half-length episodes. Begins in September 2008 (website).
- Tetsuwan Birdy Decode 2nd Season - begins in January 2009 (website).
- ToHeart2ad plus - announced as a new OVA series. Begins in 2009.
- Tonari no 801-chan - based on the 801-chan (Yaoi-chan) 4-koma comedy manga. To be animated by Kyoto Animation. Begins in 2009 (website).
- Umineko no Naku Koro ni (When Seagulls Cry) - the first in what may well become another excellent horror anime series, based on the doujin visual novels by 07th Expansion - if Higurashi no Naku Koro ni rings any bells... So far, this new "When They Cry" sub-series spawned two games in 2007, with a third one currently in the making (website).
- Vampire Knight Guilty - is the title of the Vampire Knight 2nd season announced a couple of months ago. Begins in October 2008.
- White Album - begins in January 2009 (website).
- Zettai Shougeki: Platonic Heart - looks like a five-episode OVA, to be released on DVD starting from October 29, 2008, all through February 2009 (website). You'll also find some pics with this harem-ish anime's characters in our local gallery, aside from the one below.