Right Stuf has started a new sale and released a list of brand new deals.  You can see their new Weekly Specials Here.  This week some of the highlights include the Kyo Kara Maoh! Season 1 DVD Set (Hyb) for $59.99 (regularly $139.98) and Sugar, A Little Snow Fairy DVD Box Set (Hyb) (Lim) for $39.99 (regularly $179.98).

Right Stuf's sale this week is Battle for Bargains.  The sale consists of 40% of all DVD's and 33% off all merchandise from ADV Films.  The coupon code is "battle" and the sale ends on Feb. 2nd.

JapanFiles.com has announced that it has debuted two new Japanese SKA bands on it's site.  Albums from Hoi Festa and All Japan Goith are now available for download.

"All Japan Goith

ARTIST BIO:

All Japan Goith (SKA Shippe) was formed in 2001 for a school event, then
began performing local live concerts. Orange Range liked their performance
and brought them to their label Spice Records. In 2002, they released their
first album "We are SKA Shippe." They supported Orange Range's Japan concert
tour, joined SummerSonic, and released their second album "Skashitamin AG"
in 2004. After the Peaceful Love Rock Festival in Okinawa, they changed
their name to All Japan Goith..

Hoi Festa

ARTIST BIO:

Formed in 2003, all the members of Hoi Festa came from different cities,
were born in different years, and are both tall and short. With lyrics
written by vocalist Achi, bass player Minami does double-duty on lyrics and
music with additional musical help from keyboardist Marcy. Hoi Festa is
gaining popularity in Japan for their female-focused lyrics and powerful
live concerts.

Their song "Jig the Upper" was featured as one of the opening themes for
"Powerpuff Girls Z" in Japan."

Digital Manga Publishing has announced that it has licensed Itazura Na Kiss.  Vol. 1 is scheduled for release on November 4th for $14.95.  Vol. 2 will follow in March of 2010, also for $14.95.

"ITAZURA NA KISS has inspired countless shojo manga artists, and with its unconventional narrative in following the lives and relationships of its main characters from high school to beyond, it created the groundwork for many contemporary shojo manga stories.  This timeless manga will enchant and inspire new readers while reminding seasoned readers why shojo is as popular as it is. It is a "must-have" for any manga enthusiast, or anyone who loves a romantic, comedic story of why people fall in love, and the sacrifices and growth each must go through for the other."

Viz Media has announced that it is launching a new imprint called Haikasoru.  The new imprint will license, translate, and release Japanese Science-Fiction and Fantasy novels.  The first four titles will be The Lord of the Sands of Time by Issui Ogawa, All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, ZOO by Otsuichi, and Usurper of the Sun by Housuke Nojiri.

Upper Deck has posted a statement about the legal dispute between it and Konami over the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG.  Upper Deck asserts that Konami could not obtain a restraining order against Upper Deck California and has an injuntion with Upper Deck in Europe.

The statement further alleges that they filed a lawsuit against Konami in regards to it's "unfair and backstabbing tactics" which are intended to take over Upper Deck's Yu-Gi-Oh business.  It also calls the allegations of counterfeiting absurd and accuse them as having "dubious timing".  Upper Deck claims it has "spent millions of dollars fighting against Yu-Gi-Oh! counterfeits and even raided Chinese factories itself because Konami refused to do so".

Valkyries, LLC has announced that it will host a two day conference that will celebrate the art of ball jointed dolls and Japanese Street Fashion.  The event will take place on August 8th and 9th at the Bellevue Westin Hotel in Bellevue WA.

“Innocente Seraphim is organized to be the major annual gathering for those who are passionate about Japanese Street Fashion such as Gothic and Elegant Lolita, Visual Kei and FRUiTs; and for those who adore BJD’s from Japan, Korea, and China.” said Max Pham, Programming Manager/Co-founder of Innosera.

“At InnoSera, attendees and exhibitors will find information about the latest trends, developments and issues regarding the latest street fashion to upcoming street fashion designers from Japan. Innosera is also the place to be to get the best or latest information on current or soon-to-be released BJD collections from Asia” said Jennifer Wong, Operations Manager/Co-founder.

“Interest in Japanese Street Fashion and Ball-Jointed Dolls has grown substantially within the past few years.  Hundreds of thousands of web-based communities and forums discuss designers and fashion trends for both BJD’s and those who love Japanese Street Fashion. American manga publisher TOKYOPOP translates the popular Japanese fashion magazine Gothic & Lolita Bible into English in response to the growing demands of the North American fan. ” said Walli Garrett-Lindsey, Publicity Manager/Co-founder. “One of the great things about InnoSera is our attendees give input on what they want to see and who in the fashion world they wish to meet in our community forum listed at www.innocenteseraphim.com. With that input, InnoSera will always be new and exciting.”

Konami has amended the complaint to it's lawsuit against Vintage Sports Cards over the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG.  The amendment alleges that its former partner, Upper Deck, "Distributed and currently is distributing to Vintage and others counterfeit reproductions of the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG's Rare Cards".  The original lawsuit had 10 unidentifed parties in addition to Vintage.  Unidentifieds 1 and 2 are now revealed to be The Upper Deck Company in California and Nevada.

VIntage distributes packs of rare cards at Toys R Us and other retail locations, but according to Konami these cards are counterfeit.  They carry the Konami trademark but have a different hologram foil, font type, and paper stock.  While collecting evidence, Konami says that it identified Upper Deck as the source of 22 Rare Cards contained in the packs. 

AAA Anime has listed new boys-love titles from both Aurora Publishing and Media Blasters.  Aurora Publishing will be releasing Spicy but Sweet by Naduki Koujima on May 27th.  Media Blasters will be releasing Sense and Sexuality on April 22nd.

Right Stuf has started a new sale and released a list of brand new deals.  You can see their new Weekly Specials Here.  This week some of the highlights include the Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion DVD Pt 1 LE  for $43.99 (regularly $74.98) and Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion DVD Pt 2 LE for $34.99 (regularly $59.98).

Right Stuf's sale this week is Battle for Bargains.  The sale consists of 40% of all DVD's and 33% off all merchandise from ADV Films.  The coupon code is "battle" and the sale ends on Feb. 2nd.

JapanFiles.com has announced that Dirty Old Men will be playing at SXSW 2009 as part of the Japan Nite lineup.  They will be joined by Special Thanks who will be performing their all English music for an American audience for the first time.

"Dirty Old Men Bio:

Members: Takatsudo Nobuyuki - Vocals, Guitar // Yamashita Takumi - Guitar,
Chorus // Masamitsu Yamada - Bass // Notaki Shinichi - Drums, Chorus

Established by Takatsudo, Yamada, and Notaki when they were in high school,
Dirty Old Men claims that they "don't really want to be Dirty Old Men, but
the name comes from our secret wishes." Their original plan was to break up
after high school graduation, but after winning a band competition they
decided to continue.

Yamashita joined in November 2006, and they played their first headlining
concert in December 2007 in their local town, Utsunomiya, Tochigi."

"Special Thanks Bio:

SpecialThanks, the female-vocal pop-punk band from Aichi Prefecture, formed
in 2005. After some changes in their original lineup, the band is now
comprised of Misaki (vocals, guitar), Lupin (bass, backing vocals), Sean
(guitar, backing vocals) and Nochi (drums).

Their single "You Say Good Bye" was the iTunes Japan Single of the Week with
60,000 downloads in its first 7 days of release, and the song's PV was a
Power Push on Japan's Space Shower TV.

Their debut mini-album SEVEN COLORS debuted at Number 1 on Japan's
IndiesMusic.com sales charts in August 2008. All tracks on the album are
sung in English."

Bandai Entertainment has announced that it is re-evaluating its operations and will be reducing it's full time staff.  They are in the process of finalizing their strategy for the next 3 years and will have more details when they are finished.  President Ken Iyadomi was unable to say how many people will be laid off  but they will affect production as well as other departments.  Many of those laid off however will remain with the company as contracted consultants while they finish current projects.  They plan to finish all ongoing releases and does not forsee delays to its current release schedule.

Zakka Films has announced that it will be releasing The Roots of Japanese Anime: Until the End of WWII which is a compilation of eight cartoons by Japanese animators between 1930 and 1942.  The most well known of the eight is Momotaro's Sea Eagles, considered to be the first feature anime ever.  All of the shorts will get English subtitles, and the DVD will include commentary by prominent scholars of Jpanaese film, a gallery of promotional placards for Momotaro's Sea Eagles, and a pair of songs that were meant to be played during the two pre-sound-era shorts.  There will also be a 12 page booklet on the history of early anime.  The DVD will be available only through FilmBaby.com and priced at $34.95.

Zakka Films was launched with the goal of bringing out early and lesser known Japanese films with English-subtitles.

The Sci Fi Channel in the US has announced that it will begin showing Rave Master during its Ani-Monday block.  The series will begin March 16th at midnight and will run at least through the end of March.

Sci Fi also has Appleseed scheduled to show on February 9th, X on February 16th, Street Fighter Alpha on February 23rd, Strait Jacket on March 2nd, and Ninja Scroll on March 9th.

Right Stuf has started a new sale and released a list of brand new deals.  You can see their new Weekly Specials Here.  This week some of the highlights include the Mahoromatic: Automatic Maiden DVD Collection (Hyb) for $26.99 (regularly $44.99) and Vandread DVD Box Set (Hyb) (Stages 1-2) (8 DVD Set) for $39.99 (regularly $174.98).

Right Stuf's sale this week is Uncover a Dossier of Deals.  The sale consists of 40% of all DVD's and 33% off all merchandise from Funimation Entertainment.  The coupon code is "dossier" and the sale ends on Jan. 19th.

JapanFiles.com has announced a partnership with Spice Records that has allowed them to release two early ORANGE RANGE albums and the newest album by sodopp.  Now available on their site is:

ORANGE RANGE - Orange Ball
ORANGE RANGE - Michishirube / Midnight Gauge
sodopp - POP RIDER
sodopp - Lookin' Color 8

The official American website for the Live Action Dragonball: Evolution film is now live with a trailer.  The movie will open in the US on April 8th.

JapanFiles.com has announced the addition of the dance/electronic unit Sweet Vacation to their catalog.  The band's first two albums "Do The Vacation!!" and "More The Vacation!!" are now available.

"Sweet Vacation was formed in 2007 by members May (Vocals) and Daichi
Hayakawa (Sound Producer, Keyboards, Chorus, Vocoder). Daichi is a longtime
Japanese music producer who travels all over the world to make completely
new pop music. May is a 19-year-old singer and student who speaks English,
Japanese, and Thai.

Their music is primarily pop but heavily influenced by the latest club music
with touches of retro new wave and rave. Sweet Vacation's trademark is their
unique take on many cover songs, including works by Coldplay, Blur, and
Cyndi Lauper."

Sunrise has announced that plans for a live action Cowboy Bebop film are in the works.  Twentieth Century Fox and Sunrise are collaborating on the project with Keanu Reeves slated to star.  Sunrise President Knji Uchida, Shinichiro Watanabe and the original script supervisor Keiko Nobumoto will be associate producers.

JapanFiles.com has announced that BESPA KUMAMERO will perform at Anime Boston 2009. 

"A permanent fixture in the Japan Files.com Top 10 selling artists, BESPA KUMAMERO made their USA debut in 2008 at Anime Matsuri in Houston, TX, following up with appearances in Mexico and Russia in the same year.

The high energy duo was nominated for Best Japanese Rising Star in 2008 by Shojo Beat magazine, and is currently featured in Shojo Beat's 2009 Music Awards as a nominee for Best Japanese Electronic Group."

Anime Boston will take place May 22nd - 24th, and as usual Galaxy, Xellos, and I will be in attendance.

ADV Films has announced that it will release Princess Resurrection and Clannad in half-season DVD sets instead of single DVD's as was originally announced.  The change came due to fan feedback and they will be monitoring sales to see how well it works.  Clannad's first set will be 300 minutes and will ship on March 3rd.  Princess Resurrection's first set will be 325 minutes and will ship on March 17th.  Both have a suggested retail price of $39.98.

Crunchyroll began streaming episode 65 of Shugo Chara! at 8 PM on Friday and episode 40 of Web Ghost PiPoPa on Saturday at 7 PM to Anime Membership members.  Both of these streams began within an hour of the episodes airing in Japan

Crunchyroll has also begun offering Galaxy Express 999 and Space Pirate Captain Harlock via streaming, subscription and download options.  In addition, episodes 13 and 14 of Skip Beat! became available streamed through the site this weekend.

Right Stuf has started a new sale and released a list of brand new deals.  You can see their new Weekly Specials Here.  This week some of the highlights include the Saiyuki Reload DVD Box Set (Hyb) for $29.99 (regularly $159.99) and Witch Hunter Robin Complete Collection DVD (Hyb) for $29.99 (regularly $149.98).

Right Stuf's sale this week is Uncover a Dossier of Deals.  The sale consists of 40% of all DVD's and 33% off all merchandise from Funimation Entertainment.  The coupon code is "dossier" and the sale ends on Jan. 19th.

New York Comic Con has announced that Summit Entertainment will screen exclusive footage of IMAGI's Astro Boy movie.  The screening will occur at IMAGI's panel on February 8th.  The film will open in North America on October 23rd and features Freddie Highmore, Nicolas Cage, Donald Sutherland, Nathan Lane, Bill Nighy, Eugene Levy, Kristen Bell, and Matt Lucas.

Osamu Ichikawa passed away on January 2nd in his home in Tokyo due to a heart attack.  He voiced dozens of roles from 1960 until the present.  He was best known as Mil in Space Battleship Yamato 2 - The Comet Empire, Prince Shurkin in Brave Raideen, Prince Heinell in Choudenji Machine Voltes V and Golg Boddole Zer in Macross.

Funimation Entertainment has completed a company-wide restructuring that included layoffs in several departments.  All layoffs were made to support infrastructure and will have no effect on production or acquisitions.  The most notable layoff was that of Navarre Corporation's COO, Brian Burke.

"This decision was not taken lightly and thoughtful consideration was given as to how this move would affect our customers, vendors and employees," said Gen Fukunaga, president and CEO of FUNimation Entertainment. "However, we must anticipate and adapt to the current economic climate. This action is expected to streamline our processes as we manage our business for long-term growth."

Managing DIrector of Tokyopop Germany, Dr. Joachim Kaps, participated in an interview with ICv2 about Kodansha's decision to let it's licenses with Tokyopop Germany expire.  Kodansha did not give Tokyopop Germany an explanation.  Two other German manga publishers, Egmont and Heyne, have already cut down the number of titles they are publishing from Kodansha.  Another publisher, Carlsen Manga, has said that the Kodansha's decision about Tokyopop Germany is not related to Kodansha titles published by Carlsen Manga.

Naruto.com, Cruncyroll, and Hulu.com have began streaming the first eight subbed episodes of Naruto Shippuden this past Friday for free.  They will continue to add 8 more episodes each week until they are caught up to the Japanese broadcast. 

Crunchyroll plans to make the latest episodes of Shippuden available within an hour of their Japanese broadcast to Anime Members beginning January 8th.  Naruto.com, Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Joost.com will all make those episodes available to everyone for free a week after they show on Japanese television.