May Anime News Round-up

Here is part 2 of our "Old news is so exciting" trilogy.

- AIKa Zero - the third OVA in Studio Fantasia's "low-angle, sexy action" franchise is coming our way, with a first DVD volume releasing in Japan this August 25 from Bandai Visual. Impatient fans will also be able to see it earlier, on July 6, as a special premiere on AT-X. And even more impatient fans should make sure not to miss these first ecchi screenies.

- Battle Spirits 2nd Season - more of Bandai's generic card game crap. To be ignored.

- Death Note - one year ago, plans for an American live-action movie adaptation of Death Note were being revealed. Now, at last, somebody - as in Warner Bros. - actually acquired the rights for it. They can wipe their poop-holes with them, for all we care.

- Despera - a new anime revealed by manga creator / character designer Yoshitoshi ABe (Serial Experiments Lain, Haibane Renmei), with a staff that reunites a couple of members from the Lain team. "The story centers around Ain, a 14-year-old girl who builds devices despite the lack of the scientific background required for them. The science-fiction story is set in Japan's Taishou era in 1922 - one year before the 1923 Great Kantou earthquake in the Tokyo area." Color me excited! A graphic novel version is also in the works, btw.

- Eve no Jikan (Time of Eve) - once all 6 chapters are finalized this autumn, a complete edition of this "non-hard sci-fi" anime will be released on Blu-ray and in Japanese theaters. Looking forward to that, since I kind of lost track of this randomly delayed series.

- Fresh Precure! Movie - there's no stopping Toei Animation's majikaru madness! The next Pretty Cure anime film is coming in autumn 2009.

- Iron Vendetta (Koutetsu no Vendetta) - this one's a doujin anime project that started out as a still "picture drama" short, and it's gradually evolving into an all-out anime series episode, which should be ready in 2010. Military robots and screaming chicks await us, if the project's trailers are anything to go by.

- Kara no Kyoukai - the 7th and final anime film in the series will finally premiere in Japan this August 8. Definitely looking forward to this one, as well, since I couldn't drag myself to watch the last few films - not before the whole series is done.

- Letter Bee - as it turns out, Jump Square magazine's editor-in-chief was right last year, when he hinted at a full-fledged TV anime series based on the fantasy manga Tegami Bachi (Letter Bee). Begins in October 2009.

- One Piece Movie 10 - also known as One Piece Film Strong World, and now also having a Japanese premiere date attached: December 12, 2009.

- Seikon no Qwaser - an upcoming TV anime based on a manga authored / drawn by Hiroyuki Yoshino and Kenetsu Satou (Mai-HiME, Mai-Otome). "The mature supernatural action story follows the students of the privately-run St. Mikhailov Academy - in particular, a boy named Aleksander who is a qwaser, or a manipulator of the element of iron", ANN clarifies about this story famed for its abundance of fan service, "with breast milk as a plot device". Slurp?

- The Legend - based on the Korean historical fantasy TV drama otherwise known as Tae Wang Sa Shin Gi (The Story of the First King's Four Gods). The anime adaptation project starts off with a $3 million budget, and is planned as a 26-episode series for early 2010.

- Yatterman Movie - premieres in Japan this August 22. Quite enough said.

One more to go then...