So Digital Manga Publishing is bringing Vampire Hunter D creator Hideyuki Kikuchi and the artist for the new VHD manga, Saiko Takaki, to Anime Expo this year. Unfortunately, they’ll just miss crossing paths with another Vampire Hunter D name– Yoshitaka Amano, who illustrated the original VHD novels (and, yes, did character designs for Final Fantasy, and that one volume of Sandman, blah blah blah). Amano is a guest of Radical Comics at the convention. Radical is publishing Mateki: The Magic Flute, Amano’s take on Mozart’s popular opera; apparently they’re opening up a new line of comics created for the Asian market.

Meanwhile, Anime Expo just announced a new guest: Masahiro Ando, who’ll be there to pimp Bones’ new movie Stranger(/Sword of the Stranger/Mukoh Hadan), which we can probably presume will be announced for a US release at the con. Ando is also known for his work as animation director on Sailor Moon and various roles in Fullmetal Alchemist.

Yeah, I know, I was supposed to get to this ages hours ago. Don’t ask. It’s a long story that involves a priest, a rabbi, a mongoose, a bar, and a very, very bad pun.

Oh, and lest you fear that I’m devolving into all-round-up-all-the-time, it’s just a sad combination of recent news being on the smaller scale, a step up in my work on my Secret Project (news is forthcoming…I hope), and an array of “holy shit I have a real life sometimes” nonsense, like my DMV trip earlier. So don’t worry!

Anime:
- Nozomi Entertainment issued a press release announcing that the first episode of Victorian Romance Emma– which is a sub-only offering –will be on the DVD that accompanies the June issue of Otaku USA. It’s a fantastic show, and I highly recommend it to anyone who has a heart that is not frozen over with black ice.

Manga:
- New York-Tokyo.com (now THAT is a niche) has an article about a new exhibit coming to Kinokuniya in New York City: Gegege no Kitarou creator Shigeru Mizuki’s woodblock carvings. And by that I mean, it’s an ukiyo-e story called “Fifty-Three Stations of the Yokaido Road” (a pun on the Fifty-Three Stations of the Toukaidou, which was the main road through Japan in the feudal era, and the word “youkai,” or demon). The story features the youkai characters of Kitarou and it sounds really awesome. Figures it appears after I leave the city.
- In a very weird twist: ANN reports that a 43-year-old has been barred from a manga club meeting at a library in South Carolina; meanwhile, a 43-year-old librarian (and 2channeler) has been arrested in Japan for posting bomb threats. Shitty time for 43-year-olds, eh?
- Manga Xanadu has a nice article with suggestions for manga companies on the best ways to make use of the ol’ intarnubs Internet.
- Speaking of websites, VIZ has redesigned their online store and comments on UNIQLO’s partnership with VIZ co-parent Shogakukan.

Cons:
- Blah blah blah, Naruto CCG tourney at Anime Expo, etc.

Image © mehan, who I hope won’t sue me for borrowing it.

Misc:
- If you haven’t had enough of San Francisco’s Manga Cafe Mika, Jason “gotta-read-’em-all!” Thompson has another preview.
- IKIMASHOU LIVES! Sorta. Former owner Randall lives, anyway. If you’re looking to run an anime/figure/game/anything-Japan-related blog and need a host, his site dasaku.net offers just that– now with 100% more application.
- Wired has a brief article up about the new Mandarake store in Akiba.
- Over Kuriosity, we have a nice editorial on why the manga industry hasn’t been hit as hard by piracy as the anime industry.
- Hey, did you know that the World Cosplay Summit is going to go into the finals tomorrow? No, really! Y’know, the WCS doesn’t really get the word out enough, since I always sort of forget about it until something pops up on their blog or a google alert. Maybe a couple of judicious press releases and official footage on YouTube (or better yet, some kind of live webcast) would do well? Or maybe it’s just me.
- Canned Dogs has some tidbits, including an update on Colonel Sanders-tan: apparently KFC made the Akiba location remove the maid outfit. LOSE!
- Last but not least, we’re #4! We’re #4! …in instant ramen consumption.

…I need a Wii.

Anyway, since I’ve been a bit absent the last couple of days and my weekend looks absolutely insane, I thought I’d put together a big ol’ round-up of recent news. HERE WE GO!

Anime:
- VIZ has announced that Buso Renkin season 1 will be released in a box set on April 29th; the 3-disc set will have the first 13 episodes (of 26) and will cost you $49.98.
- A trailer is up for the upcoming fall series Kurogane no Line Barrels at the official website.
- Another trailer, this time for Bones’ Bounen no Xamdou, is up.

Manga:
- Go!Comi had lunch with You Higuri (creator of Gakuen Heaven and Gorgeous Carat) and reports back that she is probably going to return to finish her historical fiction series Cantarella about the sordid affairs of the Borgia clan, particularly Cesare. Fans of the series, which hasn’t been worked on in some time, will no doubt be thrilled!
- In weirder news, for copyright reasons, the queen of cute manga– Di Gi Charat/Pita Ten/Kamichama Karin creator Koge-Donbo –has changed her name to Koge-Donbo*. Insert various Prince/artist-formerly-known-as jokes here.

Cons:
- An item I didn’t play up enough at New York Comic Con: the creators of Vampire Hunter D, i.e. writer Hideyuki Kikuchi (who wrote all of the Vampire Hunter D stuff, plus Demon City Shinjuku, Darkside Blues, etc) and artist of the new manga iteration, Saiko Takaki, are going to be DMP’s guests at Anime Expo.
- Meanwhile Otakon has scored Madhouse studio founder Masao Maruyama as a guest.

Huh, that wasn’t as long as I thought it’d be.

Of all the announcements I might have expected on NYCC weekend from Anime Expo, this was not one of them:

The Emmy Award winning and popular stop-motion animation sketch comedy show, Robot Chicken, which airs on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim is slated to appear at this year’s Anime Expo® 2008 held from July 3-6, 2008 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA. More information can be found on the website www.anime-expo.org.

Cameron Baity, writer/voice actor Mike Fasolo, director/editor Chris McKay, puppet fabricator Jeanette Moffat, and co-head writer Tom Root will all be in attendance at the con. Why an anime con? Well, why not?

In addition, exclusive anime/manga related Robot Chicken skits will be played along side other original Anime Expo® programming during the I-Show at the convention and at official Anime Expo® 2008 convention hotels on the official AX Dark Channels.

I kinda wish Seth Green was coming though. I mean, I’ve liked him since the first Austin Powers flick oh god that was over 10 years ago.

…Yeah, I don’t know where that title came from.

Anyway! Anime Expo has announced a new guest of honor and the second main event concert ticket, Jyukai.

Jyukai is probably best known by anime fans for performing the ED theme to Fate/Stay Night, “Anata ga Ita Mori.” They also did the OP for Ah! My Goddess: Flights of Fancy, the ED theme for Buso Renkin, and the OP for Mamoru Oshii’s movie Shin - Onna Tachigui Retsuden. Good stuff! Their official site is here if you wanna check ‘em out.

One of the things that I remember that first told me of just how big San Diego Comic Con is that it runs its own shuttle throughout various spots in San Diego, free for con attendees to get to the con location.

Well, Anime Expo just announced that it, too, will have shuttles from its hotels to the Los Angeles Convention Center, which has got to be one of the first perks I’ve heard of the location (which fans decry as being in a rough part of town with relatively little dining and housing).

Anime Expo has announced a guest: Shoko Nakagawa, a.k.a. “Shokotan,” the otaku queen/blogger extraordinaire/seiyuu/Jpop star.

Yes, the one who eats cats’ heads and cosplays. But hey, she did the Gurren Lagann OP!