Anime News Service reports that Tezuka Productions, the Japanese company that manages the rights to all Tezuka works, has contracted with Apple directly to provide various Tezuka anime, including the well-known (Astroboy, Phoenix, the ‘99 Blackjack OVA, Jungle Emperor Leo) to the slightly obscure (8 of Tezuka’s ‘62-’88 experimental short animations).

I find the report a little confusing; tAstroboy, Phoenix, and Blackjack are definitely all going to be English dubbed versions, and the way ANS puts it, it ALL could be dubbed, which is possible– I believe that all the anime on iTunes to date is dub-only, so far. But on the other hand, those three had already BEEN dubbed, and I don’t know if Tezuka Productions will/would have them dubbed again. I guess we’ll see!

At any rate, it’s the first time a Japanese company has directly contracted with iTunes in the US, so, groovy.

Anime on DVD has their report up on the Media Blasters panel at Otakon. Doesn’t look like any new licenses except maybe another Bible Black game, and I’m not sure that’s new, plus Mousou Shoujo Otaku-kei, a manga about a dude who falls for a sweet, kind meganekko at his school, only to find out that she’s a raving yaoi lunatic. Here’s a pic from the manga, in which she’s watching something that looks awfully similar to the much-slashed anime Fullmetal Alchemist:

Other than that, the only news is that the Osamu Tezuka anime Phoenix will be dubbed and they’re trying to get the same dub voice casts for the Ikki Tousen, Kujibiki Unbalance, and Genshiken sequels.