Sentai Filmworks has acquired Hokuto no Ken Raoh Gaiden: Ten no Haoh.  It will be titled Legends of the Dark King: A Fist of the North Star Story.  The entire 13 episode series will ship as one set with English subtitles on September 15th. 

Crunchyroll has announced that it is beginning to stream Kunio Kato's Oscar-winning short La Maison en Petits Cubes.  The anime won Best Animated Short Film at the 81st Academy Awards this past February.  The work uses paper drawings and 2D graphics.  They also announced that it is beginning to stream Kato's 2003 short, The Diary of Tortov Roddle.

Sentai Filmworks has announced that it is re-releasing Appleseed on DVD.  The new release has a SRP of $19.98 and will have both a 5.1 English track and 5.1 Japanese track with English subtitles.  Appleseed was originally released in North America in 2005 and has been out of print for a number of years.

Otakon has announced that Noboru Ishiguro and Hidenori Matsubara will be Guests of Honor at their 2009 convention.  Noboru Ishiguro is known for directing Macross and Legend of the Galactic Heroes and Hidenori Matsubara is known as the character designer on Ah! My Goddess and Sakura Wars. 

Otakon will take place July 17th - 19th in Baltimore, Maryland.

The New York Anime Festival has announced that Yui Makino is their second guest of honor for their 2009 event.  Yui Makino is best known as Princess Sakura in Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle.  She is also known as Aiko Tokosumi in Bokurano, Honoka Kawai in Sora Kake Girl, and Misaki Nakahara in Welcome to the NHK. 

The New York Anime Festival will take place September 25th - 27th at the Jacob K. Javits Center in Manhatten.

The Los Angeles Times has reported that Hayao Miyazaki will be appearing at this year's San Diego Comic-Con International.  He will show clips from Ponyo at the convention.  Also, on July 25th, he will travel to the University of California, Berkeley to accept the second annual Berkeley Japan Prize and participate in a moderated discussion.  The Tuesday after the convention he will travel to Beverly Hills to appear at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for a tribute to John Lasseter from Pixar.

The first 8 subbed episodes of the renewed airing of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya have been officially posted to The Kadokawa Anime Channel on YouTube.  The eighth episode, "The Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody", is the first new episode produced since the series originally ran in Japan.  The episodes will be available until July 5th.

Viz Media's new Sci Fi imprint, Haikasoru, has debut the first two books to be printed under their label.  All You Need Is Kill and The Lord Of The Sands Of Time will both be released July 21st at a MSRP of $13.99.

"ALL YOU NEED IS KILL by Hiroshi Sakurazaka
Cover illustration by Yoshitoshi Abe
Price: $13.99 U.S. / CAN $16.00
When the alien Gitai invade, Keiji Kiriya is just one of many recruits shoved into a suit of battle armor called a Jacket and sent out to kill. Keiji dies on the battlefield, only to be reborn each morning to fight and die again and again. On his 158th iteration, he finally sees something different, something out of place—a female soldier known as the Full Metal Bitch. Is she the key to Keiji’s escape or his final death?"

"THE LORD OF THE SANDS OF TIME by Issui Ogawa
Cover illustration by Bukichi Nadeara
Price: $13.99 U.S. / CAN $16.00
Sixty-two years after human life on earth was annihilated by rampaging aliens, the enigmatic cyborg Messenger O is sent back in time with the mission to unite the humanity of past eras—during World War II and in ancient Japan, even back at the dawn of humanity—in order to defeat the alien invasion before it begins. But amidst a future shredded by war, love also waits for O. Will O save humanity only to doom himself? THE LORD OF THE SANDS OF TIME was nominated for the prestigious Seiun Award, the leading award for Japanese science fiction, the winners of which are selected each year by members of the Japanese National Science Fiction Convention."

Funimation Entertainment has announced that Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood has returned to it's video portal.  All of the previously released episodes are once again available and episodes 10, 11, and 12 have also been added.

"The new portal introduces many new backend features, including greater bandwidth, and we are continuing to develop and implement new features and functionality."

Diamond Comic Distributors has canceled some manga, manhwa, and anime orders that were going to be released in July.  These were items that were solicited through Previews but have since been marked as "cancelled by Previews".  Yen Press Director Kurt Hassler has said that this "simply means that Diamond for whatever reason has opted not to make these titles available through their service. The books are all still very much being published, and retailers have the option of ordering them directly through Hachette Book Group or through any number of other wholesalers like Ingram or Baker & Taylor."

Cancelled products include:

Bandai America

Kamen Rider Dragon Knight 4-In. Coll. Fig. Asst.
Kamen Rider Dragon Knight DLX AF Set Asst.
Kamen Rider Dragon Knight DLX Rider Set

Bandai Entertainment Inc.

Gurren Lagann DVD Set Part 03

DK Publishing Co.

Rough Guide To Anime SC

FOX Home Entertainment

Dragonball: Evolution Blu-ray
Dragonball: Evolution DVD Spec. Ed.
Dragonball: Evolution DVD WS

Jun Planning USA Inc.

Little Pullip Blue Alice Doll
Little Pullip Cheshire Cat Doll
Little Pullip Queen Of Hearts Doll

Publishers Group West

07-Ghost GN Vol. 04
Ultimate Venus GN Vol. 06

Tokyopop

Gorgeous Carat: L'Esperanza GN

Yaoi Generation

Breath GN Vol. 03

Yen Press

Angel Diary GN Vol. 09
Antique Gift Shop GN Vol. 08
Croquis Pop GN Vol. 05
Dystopia GN Vol. 01
Kieli Novel MMPB
Legend GN Vol. 05
Mr. Flower Groom GN
Sarasah GN Vol. 01
Spiral Bonds Of Reasoning TP Vol. 08
Toxic Planet GN
Very, Very Sweet GN Vol. 04
You're So Cool GN Vol. 04 3

Nozomi Entertainment has announced that Astro Boy DVD Mini Set 1 and 2 will be released on October 6th.  Each mini set features episodes from the original 1963 Astro Boy series as aired on television with an English language track.  Both sets will retail for $49.99 with 5 discs.  Set 1 will contain episodes 1 - 25 and set 2 will contain 26 - 52.

Otakon has announced that Madhouse co-founder Masao Maruyama will be returning to their convention this year.  Maruyama has produced almost everything that the studio has animated, including Trigun, Perfect Blue, Black Lagoon, NANA, Beck, Death Note, and most recently Stitch!.  Madhouse and Maruyama are responsible for producing an opening animation for Otakon once again this year.

Otakon will take place July 17th - 19th in Baltimore, Maryland.

ADV Film's Anime Network has announced that it has expanded it's online streaming service and now has high-definition versions of Appleseed and The Place Promised in Our Early Days available online.  Both films are available to premium subscribers at 720p with H.264 encoding. 

Apple has begun streaming a 92 second trailer for Hayao Miyazaki's latest film, Ponyo.  The trailer is available in 3 HD resolutions.  The movie is scheduled to open in North American theaters on August 14th.  Frank Marshall, one of the producers, said that the trailer will debut in theaters this weekend before My Sister's Keeper. 

I meant to post this sooner, but didn't get a chance.  I will be away for the next couple weeks.  I will be checking in on the site, but won't have a chance to post news.  The ability to post news is still open to anyone, so if you see something that you feel should be posted on the site, please feel free to do so.  I will be back to regular posting in a couple of weeks.

Anime Expo has announced that Toshiyuki Morikawa as an official Guest of Honor at their 2009 convention. 

"Mr. Morikawa has appeared in many anime roles within such popular titles as AFTER WAR GUNDAM X, BERSERK, BLACK LAGOON, BLEACH, D. GRAY-MAN, DEVIL MAY CRY: THE ANIMATED SERIES, DIGIMON ADVENTURE 02, FIGHTING SPIRIT, FULL METAL PANIC?  FUMOFFU, GUNDAM WING, INITIAL D: FOURTH STAGE, INUYASHA, KYO KARA MAOH, LAST EXILE, NANA, NARUTO, POKEMON, ONE PIECE, SAIYUKI, STORY OF SAIUNGOKU, TENJHO TENGE, THE MELANCHOLY OF HARUHI SUZUMIYA, MOBILE SUITE VICTORY GUNDAM, SLAM DUNK, SPIDER-MAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, STAR WARS: CLONE WARS, YU-GI-OH!, DESCENDANTS OF DARKNESS, GAKUEN HEAVEN, HARU WO DAITEITA and many others highly recognizable titles.

Mr. Morikawa has also been featured in the world of electronic entertainment, as he is also the voice of the infamous Sephiroth of the FINAL FANTASY video game franchise and Heishiro Mitsurugi in the SOULCALIBUR franchise. Mr. Morikawa has also voiced in other video game titles including KINGDOM HEARTS II, NARUTO ULTIMATE NINJA 3, SUPER ROBOT WARS ORIGINAL GENERATIONS, STREET FIGHTER, TEKKEN and many others."

Anime Expo 2009 will take place July 2nd - 5th at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Funimation Entertainment has announced a partnership with There.com to release Fruits Basket virtual and real world merchandise.  There.com members can purchase the items for their avatars, which include Fruits Basket yoga pants and tote bags.  Many of the virtual items also have real world versions available on the e-commerce sites linked to There.com.

“We love that Fruits Basket can inspire There.com inhabitants to add a little flair to their avatars and profiles and create a vibrant, virtual world influenced by anime," says Adam Zehner, Director of Acquisitions and Licensing at FUNimation Entertainment.

JapanFiles.com has recapped Bespa Kumamero's performance at Anime Boston on May 23rd.  The event was attended by a crowd of 1500 (which is the reason I was unable to attend ) and played songs from their new album, "Plastic Confusion" and their USA CD release "Romantic Waves".  The complete recap and photos can be found at http://www.japanfiles.com/spotlight/bespa-kumamero-anime-boston

Viz Media and Dark Horse Comics have increased the price of some upcoming manga titles by $1 - $2 US.  Naruto Volume 46 and 47 (now $9.99 each) and Berserk Volume 31 (now $14.95) are among those increased.  Viz Media has said that "Viz Media made the decision to stay consistent with the pricing in the marketplace for this industry, which, in some cases might be a slight increase from previous years."  The price for manga volumes from most other North American publishers already averages $9.99 or higher.

Anime Expo has announced that Hiroyuki Imaishi and Atsushi Nishigori will be guests of honor at their 2009 convention.  Hiroyuki Imaishi is most recently known as the director of Gurren Laggan.  He has also worked on Evangelion, His and Her Circumstances, and FLCL.  Atsushi Nishigori is most recently known as character animation director on Gurren Laggan.  He has also worked on Mahoromatic, This Ugly Yet Beautiful World, He Is My Master, and Over the Top! 2.

Otakon has announced that Tony Oliver will be a guest at their 2009 convention.  Tony Oliver is best known as Rick Hunter from Robotech and Arsene Lipin III from Lupin The 3rd.

Otakon will be held July 17th - 19th at the Baltimore Convention Center.

The Anime Network has begun streaming episodes of Full Metal Panic! and Ghost Stories on their online player.  The two series are available for premium subscription members.

Funimation made a couple of announcements at Anime Boston this weekend.  The first was the acquisition of the first season of Spice and Wolf. 

The second announcement was the director and cast of Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone.  First it was announced that Mike McFarland will be directing the movie.  Once that was revealed he was brought in to discuss the cast and his choices.  He revealed that Spike Spencer and Allison Keith will reprise their roles as Shinji and Misato whie Brina Palencia will take over the role of Rei.  The rest of the cast is

Ritsuko    Colleen Clinkenbeard
Ibuki    Caitlin Glass
Gendo    John Swasey
Rei    Brina Palencia
Hyuuga    Mike McFarland
Fuyutsuki    Kent Williams
Kensuke    Greg Ayres
Toji    Justin Cook
Aoba    Phil Parsons
Kiel    Bill Jenkins
Hikari    Leah Clark
Kaworu    Jerry Jewell
Yui    Stephanie Young
Eva    Mike McFarland

The US premiere of the dub will take place this July at Anime Expo 2009.  Funimation is also trying to set up a theatricle release for the film.

I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be attending Anime Boston this weekend with Galaxy and Xellos.  I will not be able to attend during the day on Friday, but will be there Friday night through Sunday.  I will be trying to update my twitter at http://twitter.com/brennok during the convention.  I hope to be posting comments, information and pictures.

JapanFiles.com has announced that Morning Musum's new single, "Shouganai Yumeoibito", has hit #1 on Japan's weekly Oricon Singles Chart.  This is the first time in two and a half years that an all girl pop group has hit #1 on that chart.

JapanFiles.com has announced that LM.C's new single, "PUNKY HEART" is now available for download on their site.  The single includes "DAYS", the opening theme to the DS Game "Kateekyo Hitman Reborn! DS Fate of Heat II - Unmei no Futari". 

They have also announced a contest open to just fans of A-Kon.  The prizes include autographed items.  Rules and a video "Thank you" to attendees of A-Kon can be found at http://www.japanfiles.com/spotlight/punkyheart.

YouTube and Crunchyroll have both begun streaming Kurokami The Animation.  Each episode is available one week after it's broadcast in Japan, South Korea, and the US.  18 episodes are currently available and the 19th episode premiered this week.  Both sites are streaming the English dubbed version of the series.

Funimation will be attending Anime Boston this weekend.  They will be in Booth #511 in the Dealers Room as well as hosting two panels and a premiere.

FUNimation Sneak Peak Panel: Friday 2:00pm – 3:00pm, Constitution room
Come by and check out some of the newest anime titles from FUNimation. Different clips from the newest shows will be shown as well as one full episode of one of the titles.

FUNimation Industry Panel: Saturday 5:00pm – 6:00pm, Constitution room
Adam Sheehan's on hand to talk about all the newest information and updates on everything we are working on as well as answer questions.  Adam will also be announcing the Line Producer and cast of the English dub for Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone.

Premiere: Romeo X Juliet, Saturday 4:00pm - 6:00pm, Room 312

Anime Expo has announced that it will be host to one of the largest Power Ranger gatherings to date.  They have added the following talent to their guest list:

•     Barbara Goodson-Empress Rita Repulsa-MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS (Fri., Sat. and Sun.)
•     Nakia Burrise-Yellow Power Ranger-POWER RANGERS: TURBO (Fri, Sat. and Sun.)
•     Blake Foster-Blue Power Ranger-POWER RANGERS: TURBO (Fri, Sat. and Sun.)
•     Patricia Ja Lee-Pink Power Ranger-POWER RANGERS: TURBO and POWER RANGERS IN SPACE (Sat. and Sun.)
•     Dan Southworth-Quantum Power Ranger-POWER RANGERS: TIME FORCE (Sat. and Sun.)
•     Cerina Vincent-Yellow Power Ranger-POWER RANGERS: LOST GALAXY (Thurs. only)
•     Reggie Rolle-Green Power Ranger-POWER RANGERS: LOST GALAXY (Thurs.only)
•     Amy Rolle-Trakeena- POWER RANGERS: LOST GALAXY (Thursday only)
•     Brandon Jay McLaren-Red Power Ranger- POWER RANGERS: SPD (Thurs. only)
•     Monica May-Yellow Power Ranger-POWER RANGERS: SPD (Thurs. only)
•     Chris Violette-Blue and Red Power Ranger-POWER RANGERS: SPD (Thurs. only)

The gathering event will include a panel as well as a booth in the Exhibit Hall.  Fans will be given a chance to meet, take pictures with, and obtain autographs from their favorite guests.

Hayao Miyazaki, director of the only feature-length anime to win an Oscar, will visit California in late July.  Miyazaki is coming to the US to receive the second annual Berkeley Japan Prize for lifetime achievement.  The award is presented by the Center for Japanese Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.  He will receive the award on July 25th and will participate in a talk hosted by Roland Kelts.

The Anime Network has announced that it's revamped website now includes two new ways to view videos.  In addition to the free videos it offers, there is now a tier of videos that are only available to registered users and another tier only available to subscribed users.  Registered content can be viewed by signing up for a free account at their site.  The subscribed content can only be seen by users that pay $6.95 a month.  The premium subscription features instant access to all new shows that they pick up.

Viz Media's Shojo Beat magazine is no longer accepting subscriptions and one of its distributors reports that the magazine will cease publication with the July 2009 issue.  Reports state that Viz will offer issues of Shonen Jump to fill out subscriptions to Shojo Beat.

Anime Expo has announced that Seiji Mizushima will be a Guest of Honor at their 2009 convention.  Mr. Mizushima is best known as the director of Mobile Suit Gundam 00 and Fullmetal Alchemist.  He has also worked on Appleseed: Exmachina, Dai-Guard, Generator Gawl, Madara, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Shaman King.

Anime Expo will take place July 2nd - 5th at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

It has been confirmed that Hikaru Utada will sing the theme song for Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance.  This film is the second of four theatrical remakes of Neon Genesis Evangelion.  The title of the theme song has not yet been made public.  Utada provided a 2007 remix of her 2000 cover of "Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)" for the trailer to the first film.  She also contributed "Beautiful World" for the first film's ending credits.  The second film is set to open in Japan on June 27th.

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers has announced that the second Haruhi Suzumiya light novel, The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya will ship this October in North America.  A 28 page preview has been posted online.

Funimation, Toei Animation, Shueisha, and Fuji Television Network have announced that they will work together to stream the newest episodes of One Piece within an hour of it's broadcast in Japan.  The episodes will be free and subbed beginning on May 30th at 9 PM CDT.  The first episode streamed will be episode 403 and will be streamed via www.onepieceofficial.com and then on Funimation's site soon after.

Funimation has already begun streaming the first two episodes of the Sabaody Archipelago Saga story arc (episodes 391 and 392) subbed on their site.  They are also streaming dubbed and subbed versions of the beginning of the series.

Viz Media has revealed that it plans to publish the latest chapters of One Piece in the English version of Shonen Jump this fall.  Viz Media has published the first 21 volumes of the series in the North America, but in Japan the 53rd volume was just released.

Animazement has announced that 4 of it's Japanese guests, Noriko Hidaka, Keiko Han, Koichi Tsunoda, and Yasuo Yamaguchi, have cancelled their plans to attend the convention.  The guests all cited the possible 10 day guarantine the might face when returning home due to concerns over swine flu.  Jun Shishido, Masao Maruyama, Ryuusei Nakao, Yusuke Igarashi and Maya Yamao are all still slated to attend the event. 

Anime Expo has announced that the Head of Studio Orphee, Yosuke Kuroda, will be a Guest of Honor at their 2009 convention.  Yosuke Kuroda has been involved in many projects, including Best Student Council, Big Windup!, Excel Saga, Gungrave, Love Hina, Honey and Clover, and Gundam 00. 

Anime Expo will take place July 2nd - 5th at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Digital Manga Publishing has announced the relaunch of Junemanga.com.

"Beginning with its first publication in 2004, the Juné imprint has
grown to over 300 titles and counting, thanks in part to its dedicated
fan base. Now, the official Juné site has been revamped with some
great new features, including: brand new forums that connect in one
place with other Digital Manga imprints, You Tube previews of titles
that will continue to be updated with new and old titles, a brand new
newsletter, and a brand new Juné blog! There will be other great new
features coming soon, so keep an eye on the Juné blog for some great
new announcements, contests, events and more!

The Juné line of books has also gotten a bit of a new look-beginning
with LUDWIG II Vol. 1 by You Higuri (date of release: June 10, 2009)
and Love Control Vol. 2 by Ai Hasukawa (date of release: July 22, 2009)."

Nozomi Entertainment has announced that it will release a His And Her Circumstances (Kare Kano) DVD Collection on August 25th.  This will be a value priced collection that contains all 26 episodes of the series with both English and Japanese audio and English subtitles.  The collection has a suggested retail price of $39.99 and contains 5 discs.

Viz Media has released the first volume of the manga series Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit in North America.  The title is rated M for Mature and has a suggested retail price of $12.99 US / $15.00 CAN.

"In a futuristic dystopian Japan there is new slant on crime deterrence with a sinister policy with an ironic twist. Each day a randomly-selected person is put to death to remind the population of the very value of life. Those who are condemned to die receive an official government notice the day before, called an ikigami, alerting them of impending doom in 24 hours."

Zankaikon has announced the addition of four guests for their 2009 convention.  Johnny Yong Bosch, Eyeshine, Hi5 and Ikuzo! Studios will all be guests for the convention.

The NYAF announced that it will be hosting Super Para Natural Manga Day at New York City's Knokuniya Bookstore.  The even will take place May 17th at Kinokuniya Bookstore in Manhattan.

"Super Para Natural Manga Day Event Schedule
11 AM: Bleach the Movie: Memories of Nobody Screening. After unidentified beings known as "Blanks" start popping up, they are soon followed by a Soul Reaper named Senna who makes them disappear. Puzzled by these unknown beings and the even more mysterious girl, Ichigo and Rukia set out to learn more, but uncover an evil plot when a menacing clan tries to kidnap Senna. The first Bleach feature film! Screening courtesy of VIZ Media.

1 PM: Vampires In Manga Presentation. Performance group Alone Together NYC presents an educational and entertaining presentation on the most famous (and infamous) vampires in manga and anime history. Alone Together will discuss vampiric powers, social classes, and interesting facts about Japan's bloodsuckers.

2 PM: Ghost Hunt Screening. Psychic freshman Mai Taniyama has joined the ranks of the Shibuya Psychic Research Team. Led by the enigmatic Kazuya "Naru" Shibuya, Mai works alongside a spirit medium, a shrine maiden, an exorcist, and a monk to uncover the darkest mysteries of the unseen. Screening courtesy of FUNimation.

3 PM: Del Rey Manga Presentation. Del Rey Manga publishes some of the best manga in America -- and some of the creepiest, too. Join representatives from Del Rey as they talk about upcoming releases and some of their best sellers that all share a spine-tingling twist.

4 PM: D.Gray-Man Screening. Darkness has spread across 19th Century Europe, and young exorcist Allen Walker is humanity's greatest hope against the wicked forces conspiring to bring civilization to its knees. Akuma -- cruel spirits born of tragedy -- lurk in every shadow, willing and eager to do the bidding of their leader, the Millennium Earl. Screening courtesy of FUNimation.

5 PM: Samura Beat Radio Broadcast. Samurai Beat Radio broadcasts across Japan through Tokyo FM. Sit in on a live taping at Kinokuniya and be prepared for a few special announcements as the Samurai Beat Radio Team talk about Hyde, K.A.Z, and the upcoming VAMPS concert in NYC!

6 PM: Boogiepop Phantom Screening. Five years ago, a string of grisly murders shook the city to its core and now the rumors have begun once more. Boogiepop... Everyone knows the urban legend, meet her one dark night and you are taken. People tell each other the stories and laugh. No one believes that Boogiepop can possibly exist in this day and age. Screening courtesy of The Right Stuf International.

7 PM: Raffle. NYAF sends Super Para Natural Manga Day out in style with an amazing raffle. Attendees can enter all day long, and to win, and they must present at 7 PM for the drawing. Prizes include...

* 50 books from Del Rey Manga
* Five Bleach prize packages from VIZ Media
* DEATH NOTE posters and pins from VIZ Pictures
* Two tickets to the VAMPS NYC concert from Samurai Beat Radio
* Boogiepop Phantom and The Third: The Girl with The Blue Eye sets from Right Stuf
* Vampire Hunter D busts, artbooks, figurines, novels, and manga from Dark Horse Comics"

Anime Expo has announced that Robot Chicken, the animation sketch comedy show on Adult Swim, will be appearing at Anime Expo 2009.  In 2008 there was an official Robot Chicken panel that was attended by Seth Green, Breckin Meyer, Chris McKay, Douglas Goldstein, Tom Root, Mike Fasolo, Kevin Shinick, and Erik Weiner.

Crunchyroll continues Kadokawa Tuesdays with the launch of The Beast To Die, Early Spring Story, Girl of Time, Kekkon Annai Mystery, Sailor Suit and Machine Gun, Story of the Detective and Tragedy of W.  More information about all the titles can be found at http://www.crunchyroll.com/library/Kadokawa_Pictures_Collection.

Anime Expo has announced that Yasuhiro Nightow and Satoshi Nishimura will be attending their 2009 conventio nas Guests of Honor.  The two will hold a panel about the Trigun movie with Shigeru Kitayama and Noriyuki Jinguji (producer and designer respectively). 

Anime Expo will take place July 2nd - 5th in Los Angeles.

Tokyopop will hold a Fruits Basket event at the Macy's store in New York City's Herald Square on Saturday. 

"Fruits Basket, the world's # 1 shojo manga, is coming to Macy's! This story of a family with an ancient curse and the orphaned high school girl who changes their lives forever, has captivated the hearts and imagination of children all over the world. "

Shoppers will be given the chance to meet their favorite characters and have their photo taken with them.  There is also going to be a costume contest beginning at 2 PM in the Kids department.  Shoppers who spend at least $75 US in the Kids department will receive a Fruits Basket DVD and book series.

Hikaru Utada has made an announcement via her official site that she is postponing her American album promotion tour due to "an acute case of left relapsing peritonsillitis."  She was originally scheduled to appear in music stores in five cities this week to promot her new album, "This is the One" which ships on Tuesday.  Doctors have advised her not to travel or use her voice for two weeks.

Funimation Entertainment has announced that The Funimation Channel is now available on both Comcast On Demand and Dish On Demand.  Comcast customers can access Funimation content in two different ways, first with free episodes in The Cutting Edge folder and second with free previews in the Movies & Events folder. 

This months selection under Movie and Events are D. Gray-Man, Devil May Cry, xxxHolic, and Tsubusa: Reservoir Chronicle.  Over the summer there will also be previews of Honey & Clover, Nana, Heroic Age, Romeo x Juliet, and Murder Princess among others.

In The Cutting Edge section, the Funimation Channel has released Ouran High School Host Club, Aquarion, Mushi-Shi, Black Blood Brothers and more.  New series and programs are being added weekly.