Loli justice is about to be served in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, during this month's session. If the heavily opposed and vague "nonexistent youths" bill is put to a vote, it almost certainly faces defeat, considering that the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) - the largest faction in the assembly - has formally decided to oppose the bill. Together with the other opposing parties (the Japanese Communist Party, the Tokyo Seikatsusha Network party, and the Jichi Shimin'93 faction), a majority of seats in the assembly are now expected to vote against the bill. *If* it comes down to a vote...



Because there's also a good chance that the bill won't even be put to a vote, as it's been drawing more and more criticism from manga / anime creators and publishers, recently joined by the Japan Pen Club, the Japan Cartoonists Association, and the Writers Guild of Japan. Most of them are arguing that their freedom of expression is threatened by this "nonexistent youths" bill, some in a rather unusual way.

For instance, in the latest Gintama manga installment that was published this June 1 (...)

 Continue reading 'Tokyo's 2D Loli Bill To Be Rejected'...

Contrary to the morbid trend set by Viz Media's major staff cuts, or the closure of CMX Manga and (allegedly) Go! Comi, not all manga publishers are going down. Dark Horse Comics and Vertical Inc., for example, are enjoying a healthy growth. A recent ANN report attributes a 13% increase in manga sales from May 2009 to May 2010 for Dark Horse, and an even more solid 18% increase in revenue over the last year for Vertical.



Those two companies, however, are just the lucky few who managed to escape the trend. The book and media store chain Borders Group was less fortunate, reporting a 15.4% drop in sales for the first quarter of 2010, compared to the same period last year. On the bright side, Borders' financial fall does seem to slow down, following a couple of staff cuts earlier this year, and the arrival of a new chairman who brought a $25 million capital infusion.

FUNimation's parent company Navarre Corporation also went down by 15% in sales (...)

 Continue reading 'Anime & Manga Publishers, Going Up & Down'...

ANN has an interesting report today, if not for the news itself, then for the brief history lesson it provides - explaining how the famous studio Production I.G came to be, and what its long-standing relation with the veteran studio Tatsunoko Productions is about. A relation that's set to become even stronger, now that Production I.G plans to acquire an 11.2% stake in Tatsunoko Productions.



Once the transaction goes through (no date is provided), Production I.G's president, CEO and co-founder Mitsuhisa Ishikawa will serve as a part-time director for Tatsunoko. Ishikawa founded the studio in 1987, together with character designer Takayuki Goto. Back then it was called I.G. Tatsunoko (both of them having worked at Tatsunoko Productions previously), and it wasn't until 1993 that the current name - Production I.G - was adopted.

Not sure though what good can come out of this quasi-merger, considering the kind of dusty titles that stand out from Tatsunoko's portofolio, like Gatchaman or Yatterman.

Stepping into the spotlight with this kind of news, about a potential sale of FUNimation Entertainment by its parent corporation Navarre, may not have had the desired effect at first. Especially after all the recent closures and staff cuts that dented the North American anime / manga licensing industry. But as more reports and comments emerged from FUNi over the weekend, fans are assured that everything is still A-OK.

Through its official blog and again in an ANN interview with CEO Gen Fukunaga today, FUNi emphasizes that selling the company would benefit both Navarre and FUNimation. Navarre would use the capital to focus on its core business (which is mainly about software publishing and distribution, not anime), and FUNimation would partner with someone else who better knows how to manage the co-production of original anime content, social networks and digital broadcasting - which is what FUNi needs to focus on, in order to "get to the next level".

A cheap, "fire sale", however, is out of the question. Nobody is in any rush to (...)

 Continue reading 'FUNimation Is Up For Sale, But Not Cheaply'...

Crunchyroll kicked off a "Daily Deals" series of discounts today, with the first such offer being a Death Note bookend statue set featuring the Shinigami death god character Ryuk in "stunning 3-D". Like all daily offers to follow, this too is only available until midnight (PST) or until the special stock runs out - whichever comes first.



Today's Death Note resin bookend statue is said to be worth $32, but CR is offering it for $15 to regular users, or $10 to Premium members. Shipping charges within the U.S. are around $5.00, and countries eligible for each daily deal will vary by product. Below you'll find a few more pictures of this kick-off deal, along with (...)

 Continue reading 'Crunchyroll Daily Deals Start With Death Note'...

Child prostitution is about the get another serious blow in the nuts, or at least that's what Japanese officials are hoping. The forever increasing number of shady "matchmaking" cafes and love hotels that are not exactly love hotels are pressuring the authorities into revising the law that regulates such things.



Across Japan, one may encounter around 3590 such Cupid-struck facilities that do not meet the standards required by the current law, but are probably designed for solid orgy entertainment - and most of these establishments are situated in areas that prohibit adult entertainment. Like, near schools.

The matchmaking cafes are also considered to be a root of all that is evil, especially with regards to child prostitution, the authorities confirming that (...)

 Continue reading 'The Loli Hunt Gets Tougher'...

Ahhh, Go... that brings back memories. I must've been around 11 when I first played this board game, thanks to my late father (seems the Japan obsession runs in the family). Of course, it's one thing to start playing at that age - and never get anywhere - and a whole 'nother thing to become the youngest professional Go player at 11 years of age. And a damn cute loli, at that!



As Mainichi Daily News informs us, Rina Fujisawa now holds that distinction, after passing the qualifying exam for professional Go players in February, and debuting in the preliminary round of the 20th Ryusei Tournament on Monday. She is a sixth-year elementary school student from Tokyo, and the youngest first-dan professional on record.

Her obsession for Go also seems to run in the family, (...)

 Continue reading 'Loli Becomes Youngest Pro 'Go' Player'...

Can't believe it's been almost two years already, since that guy went Shion-mode in the streets of Akihabara, leaving 7 dead and leading to the suspension of the otaku district's "Pedestrians' Paradise" tradition. Two years without people walking, singing and cosplaying freely on Akiba's colorful streets, as they used to for decades on Sundays and holidays.



This monday, however, the decision was made to once again allow pedestrians to frolic freely on the streets of Akihabara, starting from this July. Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward is "still discussing the days, times, and other specific details of the revived Pedestrians' Paradise tradition with the police and others", but at least the most important step has been taken.

Love, peace & J-Rock!... And maids.

Another bad news today (last one, yakusoku!) comes from DC Comics co-publishers Dan Didio and Jim Lee. In a statement issued this morning, they are announcing the upcoming closure of the CMX Manga publishing label, as of July 1, 2010. The remaining manga volumes scheduled for release this June will still make it, but after that, all series are being abandoned.



The sole exception to this mass-cancellation is the manga series Megatokyo, which will be kept alive under DC Comics' parent brand. For now, the official website is still listing Volume 6 of Megatokyo for a June 16 release. Also, here are the last few manga volumes shipping out from CMX throughout June 2010: (...)

 Continue reading 'CMX Manga Shutting Down, Megatokyo Survives'...

Things just keep getting worse for lolicons around the world. While England's harmless 2D loli lovers are facing jail time as of last month, and Japan's major cities are becoming more and more obsessed about regulating public access to 2D lolis, the US is once again taking the lead in matters of civic opression. This Monday, the Supreme Court ruled (via San'plex) that Congress has the authority to detain sex offenders indefinitely, even after they have completed their criminal sentences.



This "civil commitment" of sexually-dangerous prisoners was compared to a medical quarantine by Stephen G. Breyer, one of the Supreme Court justices who ruled in favor of the law. As if having impure thoughts could somehow infect others... Christ, remind me never to set foot in "the land of the free"!

Out of the nine justices, only two were sane enough to vote against upholding this civil commitment law. One of them, justice Clarence Thomas, had the following to comment: (...)

 Continue reading 'US Sex Offenders Face Life In Jail, Without Trial'...