Holiday Anime News Round-up

And a lolicious new year to you, too! We weren't around for the usual holiday greets (too busy sampling the local beverages over on the other side of the country), so we missed quite a few anime announcements - annoyingly many for that period. Having spent the first sober days of the year going over said announcements, and updating several release dates for the freshly debuted Winter 2009 anime season, we can now present you with this very condensed list, covering the season's most important news - all via ANN.

- Afro Samurai: Resurrection premieres this January 25 on Spike TV, to be followed by FUNimation's DVD release on February 3.

- Ai no Kusabi is being remade into a new OVA in autumn 2009, based on the same boys-love novels authored by Rieko Yoshihara over 20 years ago. Studio AIC will be animating this 13-volume OVA remake, as it did with the previous anime versions.

- Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka OVA was announced to follow last year's TV series based on Feng's eroge of the same title. The OVA is set for release on June 26, 2009.

- Bakemonogatari will begin airing in July 2009.

- Canaan is now the official title of the anime formerly known as 428 the animation - based on last year's Nintendo Wii game "about a detective, a young man, a virus researcher, a freelance writer, and a cat mascot character who are brought together by bizarre events with worldwide implications in the Tokyo neighborhood of Shibuya".

- Code Geass may still receive some sort of continuation, as hinted by Sunrise, who say that "Geass cannot die. It just ended, but we think it would be nice if we can still do something more".

- Denpa teki na Kanojo (Electromagnetic Girlfriend) will take an OVA format, and it will be bundled with the third volume of the Kure-nai manga on May 1, 2009. Both titles share the same author, illustrator, narative world and animation studio (Brains Base), among others.

- Gokujou!! Mecha Mote Iinchou will be a new girly anime, based on a manga about "a kind, level-headed girl who aims to be the best, coolest student council president of her high school class. However, three trouble-making boys are always causing her grief - and she has a one-sided crush on one of the boys."

- Gurren Lagann Movie 2 is set to premiere in Japan on April 25, 2009. Officially titled Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Ragan-hen (Lagann Chapter), this second film should complete the theatrical remake of the Gurren Lagann anime series.

- Hatsukoi Limited will begin in spring 2009. April, to be more precise.

- Hey! Class President is a new OVA gay-lit for production, based on a boys-love manga.

- Katanagatari will follow way behind Bakemonogatari, in 2010.

- Kiss x Sis will get a proper OVA episode on May 22, 2009, bundled with the fourth volume of Bow Ditama's incest manga. Apparently, the Kiss x Sis OVA released on December 22 was only "Episode #0".

- Kuruneko lolcat cat manga blog gets anime, "about lady devoted to sake and her many cats". Kuruneko is supposed to be the most popular manga blog in Japan, according to publisher Enterbrain.

- Prince of Tennis OVA Another Story announced. The title says it all. Or certainly more than enough, for us.

- Tayutama: Kiss on my Deity is a new anime said to be coming in April 2009, based on last year's eroge. Fap fap.

- Yoku Wakaru Gendai Mahou (Properly Learned Modern Magic) confirmed for summer 2009.

- Yurumeitsu manga gets anime. I absolutely love the sound of this one: "18-year-old girl faces life without college in apartment full of tenants in same fix". Heaven on earth!