Tag Archives: Anime News Network

Nitro+ Mascot Super Sonico Gets Own Anime Series

Posted on by Arleigh

Super Sonico.

Two words that literally will elicit either two reactions from fans of all things Japanese pop culture. One reaction would be a groan and a shaking of the head that a mascot for a Japanese software company will get her own anime series. For these individuals it’s bad enough that she’s flooded the collectibles’ market with everything Super Sonico from vinyl figures (even one that’s 1/2 scale), posters, keychains, bedspreads, pillow cases and uncounted more things made to separate an otaku from their cash.

The other reaction would be on the other side of the spectrum. A reaction of unrestrained glee. Super Sonico has almost become not just the mascot for Nitro+ but for the current trend in Japanese pop culture that goes by the label of moe. So, Super Sonico finally having her very own anime series was just the logical progression for a character that’s already on everything else sold in Japan and overseas.

From the press release from Nitro+…

“The staff of the Japanese software maker Nitroplusconfirmed on Saturday that a television anime adaptation of its Super Sonico mascot has been green-lit. Nitroplus already opened a website for SoniAni -Super Sonico the Animation-, which was first announced at the Nitro Super Sonic 2013 event earlier in the day.

Super Sonico is the mascot girl of the “Nitro Super Sonic” events held by Nitroplus. In her back story, she is already a photoshoot model, game character, and a musician, even as she studies as a college student. She is also part of a three-piece girl band named “Daiichi Uchū Sokudo” (Fastest Speed in Space) as the vocalist and guitarist.

The character already inspired her own line of games, and figures including a giant 1/2-scale statue. Super Sonico is also appearing in Namco Bandai Games‘ Super Heroine Chronicle for the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita systems and even in a promotion for THQ’s Saints Row: The Third game.”

The question that should be going through the minds of fans until it’s announced would be which anime studio will do the animation and when the series will have a premiere date.

Source: Anime News Network

Rozen Maiden Manga to Get More Anime, Desu

Posted on by Arleigh

When I first returned to watching anime and reading manga a little over 4 years ago one of the series that I really enjoyed and continue to enjoy since has been the series from the art duo of Peach-Pit. This series about living dolls and one hikikomori boy named Jun Sakurada reminded me that anime wasn’t just cute and disposable entertainment with simple writing. This series wasn’t just cute to look at, but had writing that struck a balance between comedy, drama and, for a series about dolls, it was dark and melancholy.

Rozen Maiden is the name of the series.

Now comes word that the manga that is still on-going will be receiving a new series (already two seasons and two OVA’s have been released) after almost 6 years of no new anime content. There’s no word of when the new Rozen Maiden series will premiere in Japan and whether it’ll get licensed for a release in North America, but just the news that the project has been green-lit should delight fans of the series. For one thing it’ll mean more desu.

Source: Anime News Network

High School DxD gets 2nd Season

Posted on by Arleigh

News that should make fellow site writer and contributor pantsukudasai56 very happy just came down the pipeline. According to Anime News Network the shonen series High School DxD has been given the greenlight for a second season.

While details about this second season has been, for the moment, quite sparse the fact that the season is now in production means that it’s not just a promise of one, but a guarantee that more harem hi-jinks involving the clueless Issei Hyodo and the beautiful, albeit demonic, girls of his high school. This is a series that’s definitely more about comedy than anything serious and/or thought provoking. Then again one can only survive on dramatic and deep anime for so long. Some levity needs to be mixed in with the dark and High School DxD certainly delivers in that front.

The popularity of the series (and the new season should get quite a welcome from its fans) also stems from the fact that it is a harem anime that also involves some very ecchi (fan service) moments. While this type of anime doesn’t appeal to everyone it still attracts a huge number of anime fans.

There’s no word when the new season will air, but until then I’m sure pantsukudasai56 will be anticipating ew stuff from his favorite character on the show: Koneko Toujou.

Source: Anime News Network

New Sailor Moon Series to Return in 2013

Posted on by Arleigh

News that should make fans of Sailor Moon fans everywhere happy has been reported by Anime News Network that the storied mahou shoujo franchise will make a return with a new tv anime series. The announcement was made by idol group Momoiro Clover Z, the series’ publisher Kodansha and it’s creator Naoko Takeuchi and that the new anime adaptation of Takeuchi’s work will return in the summer of 2013.

This news has been greeted very positively by those who remember fondly the original set of anime series which aired over in Japan and around the world from 1992 thru 1997. Even now the series continues to make constant reruns on syndicated tv worldwide with the iconic Sailor Scout characters still some of the more popular anime characters cosplayed by both male and female.

There’s no word on whether the original voice actors of the earlier seasons will return to reprise their role, but for now fans of Bishōjo Senshi Sailor Moon are just ecstatic that a brand-new series will be making it’s way back onto the tv airwaves in a year’s time.

Source: Anime News Network

Highschool of the Dead manga has been licensed

Posted on by Arleigh

The relatively successful airing of the anime adaptation of the very popular manga title Highschool of the Dead seems to have had a major consequence. The original manga has now been announced as having been licensed from Monthly Dragon Age (title’s original Japanese publisher) by North American manga publisher Yen Press. This is great news for the new fans of the anime (still just 3 episodes in but having impressed with those so far) and for the veteran manga readers who have been relegated to reading fan-translated versions of the series.

Yen Press has licensed some very solid titles from Japan and they’ve actually done a good job at bringing over these titles with as little censoring and changes to the artwork and dialogue as possible unlike some other NA publishers. I hope they do the same for Highschool of the Dead once they start releasing the first couple volumes over here in the US and Canada.

Highschool of the Dead has gore and violence aplenty which should appeal to the teenage and young men demographic the title has been targetting from the onset. The title also happens to be quite ecchi (fan-service) which makes American publishers of licensed manga nervous of late. It’s interesting to note that these very ecchi images wouldn’t be seen as too much of a problem over in Japan but here in NA where there are more puritanical groups lobbying to censor or outright ban these kind of titles then manga such as Highschool of the Dead will always have a harder time of coming over to these shores unedited.

Here’s to hoping that Yen Press does a very  hands-off approach in their handling of this popular title. It would be a shame for the title to finally be licensed but only to get the Tenjho Tenge treatment which would definitely get the title’s fans in an uproar. Hopefully, Yen Press saw what happened when CMX did that with Tenjho Tenge and just leave things well enough alone.

Source: Anime News Network