Last update - Apr 2, 13:17 GMT (08:17 EST, 05:17 PST)

No, no, don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the booth babes. How could anyone!? With the first ever edition of Anime Contents Expo (ACE) now over, "late novelties" from the show still seem to be seeping through. But after a hard day's work of trying to keep up with it all, while at the same time dodging the April Fools' "breaking news", it's time for a break. So sit back, start scrolling, and feast your eyes on the ACE 2012 beauties.



Oh wait, but first: the attendance numbers for the first day of ACE are in: on Saturday, March 31, (only) 20,780 attendees passed through the gates of (...)

 Continue reading 'ACE 2012: Booth Babes!... And Stuff'...

My Anime Contents Expo can't be this cute! And yet it is (well, not mine, but definitely cute). The good news just kept on rolling today, with the announcement of a 2nd Oreimo anime season - no fooling! Following the revelation made by the anime's cast at an ACE 2012 stage event, the official website also confirmed that a second TV anime series is indeed in the making, complete with this delicious key visual.



More details about Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai Dai 2-ki - if you care for the new anime's full title - were promised for tomorrow, April 2, to be revealed by (...)

 Continue reading 'ACE 2012: Oreimo 2nd Anime Season Announced'...

Last update - Apr 4, 12:35 GMT (07:35 EST, 04:35 PST)

As a follow-up to yesterday's announcement of a To Love-Ru Darkness anime project, the AnimeAnime.jp website has a report about a "Secret Event" held by Geneon Universal at Anime Contents Expo today. There they revealed the format of this upcoming adaptation, as being a TV anime series. Meanwhile, its official website now shows a lovely key visual with the title character, Golden Darkness. No release timeframe yet.

Update: Follow-up story: or maybe not a TV anime...
Update #2: Follow-up story: it's a TV anime, officially.



Japanese game maker Gust has finally released some official screenshots and artworks for the recently announced new fantasy RPG Atelier Ayesha. The images focus on (...)

 Continue reading 'Checkpoint: To Love-Ru, Ayesha, HoshiMemo'...

At today's Madoka Magica stage event from Anime Contents Expo (via CR), the anime's staff and cast announced a few details about the first two movies in the upcoming "trilogy"; namely their titles and release timeframe. The first part will be subtitled "Hajimari no Monogatari" (The Story of the Beginning), and the second one "Eien no Monogatari" (The Story of Eternity). They are both planned for a fall 2012 premiere in Japan.



Unfortunately, no big news was revealed about the third Magica Movie movie, which will be the only one of them to tell an all-new story. As for the first two parts, (...)

 Continue reading 'ACE 2012: Madoka Magica's First 2 Movies Details'...

In a novel kind of announcement spotted today at the 2012 Anime Contents Expo (ACE), the production company Aniplex was displaying a T-shirt with the title of the fourth TV anime series in the Hidamari Sketch franchise, along with its release timeframe: it will be called Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb, and it's planned for an October 2012 debut in Japan.



Like the previous three TV series and last year's TV special, this latest Hidamari Sketch anime is again based on Ume Aoki's popular 4-koma manga. Studio Shaft animated all the previous adaptations, so presumably they will return for this fourth season.

Also joining the summer 2012 line-up is Dog Days 2, airing in Japan from July - as announced today on the anime series' official website. The second season's key visual is also being displayed there, and - best of all - the first trailer that you can also watch locally, after first being shown this weekend at the 2012 Anime Contents Expo (ACE).



Like the first Dog Days TV anime from last year, Dog Days 2 is again created by studio Seven Arcs (Nanoha, Sekirei, Asura Cryin'), based on a concept from manga artist (...)

 Continue reading 'ACE 2012: Dog Days 2 Set For July, First Trailer'...

At today's stage event for Kokoro Connect from Anime Contents Expo, it was announced that this upcoming TV anime is being created by studio Silver Link (BakaTest series, C³), and that it will start airing this summer. Additionally, the promo video shown there also seems to indicate that the Kokoro Connect game adaptation revealed last month will be a PSP title.



Studio Silver Link is also currently working on the Otoboku 2 not-TV-anime-but-OVA sequel, and it also animated this month's TV anime Dusk Maiden of Amnesia - which starts (...)

 Continue reading 'ACE 2012: Kokoro Connect Anime From Summer'...

Last update - Apr 4, 12:34 GMT (07:34 EST, 04:34 PST)

No worries about April Fools' for this one, it's official: a To Love-Ru Darkness anime is in the works, based on the spin-off / sequel manga of the same title, written by Saki Hasemi and illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki. The announcement comes from the May issue of Shueisha's Jump Square magazine (scan), and it says that studio Xebec is once again animating this new project - of an unknown format and release timeframe, for now.

Update: Follow-up story: it's a TV anime.
Update #2: Follow-up story: or maybe not...
Update #3: Follow-up story: it's a TV anime, officially.



Motto To Love-Ru's director Atsushi Ootsuki and the To Love-Ru series' veteran character designer Yuichi Ouka are both returning for To Love-Ru Darkness. In the new story, (...)

 Continue reading 'To Love-Ru Darkness Anime Announced'...

By now it's April 1 in Japan, so whatever "announcements" you read for the remainder of this weekend, take them with limited enthusiasm and unlimited skepticism... Having said that, a Japanese fansite is "reporting" that the PS3 game Tales of Xillia is getting an OVA adaptation from studio ufotable. They claim-slash-joke that the anime will have 4 volumes, with the first one releasing this autumn.



A new "non-game" Angel Beats! project will be announced on April 10, according to Dengeki G's Magazine's official Twitter account (via ANN). More about it (...)

 Continue reading 'Checkpoint: Xillia, Angel Beats!, Bravely Default'...

The new Junjou Romantica anime project that was announced earlier this week turns out to be a 20-minute OVA. Kadokawa's Asuka Ciel magazine writes that the OVA is planned as a DVD bundle with the 16th volume of Shungiku Nakamura's boys-love manga, in celebration of the series' 10th anniversary. The OVA will feature all three main couples from the manga: Junjo Romantica, Junjou Egoist, and Junjou Terrorist.



Dan Mazeau, the screenwriter of Wrath of the Titans who was recently tasked with the script for the upcoming Bleach live-action movie, talked to IFC about (...)

 Continue reading 'Checkpoint: Junjou OVA, Bleach Movie, Koichoco'...