Highlights of the San Diego Comic Con Toy Exclusives

Posted by Leah Hansen, July 21, 2008 at 07:35 AM by Leah Hansen
For those of you planning on attending the San Diego Comic Convention this weekend, there is a wealth of exclusive buys to be found there. Let's start with the old stalwart, ToyTokyo.

ToyTokyo (booth 5237) is a New York City-based shop that carries designer vinyl and lots of Japanese imports. Expect their booth to be swamped all weekend. They'll only have two exclusive vinyl toys at this Con, but they are great selections: a Tokyoplastic geisha designed by Tokidoki and a Kissaki figure designed by Erick Scarecrow. Scarecrow will be on hand Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to sign his figure. The Kissaki doll is a modern samurai-girl with sneakers, extra-long shirtsleeves, wind-swept blue hair, and a sword at each side, topped with little fists at the end of their grips. Tokidoki is huge in the world of designer toys (and clothing...and handbags...and accessories...and...well, you get the idea. Chances are you've seen his work somewhere, even if you don't know it), so expect his figure to sell out quickly. Tokyoplastic's geisha figure looks like a Russian stacking doll with oversized headphones and a little kimono. It's all pink and is blessed with Tokidoki's trademark face and logos.


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Brooklyn's Fifth Annual Animation Block Party Almost Here

Posted by Leah Hansen, July 15, 2008 at 08:00 AM by Leah Hansen
The Animation Block Party is a yearly three-day festival that screens independent and student animated shorts at various locations in Brooklyn, NY. All films must fall between 30 seconds and 15 minutes long, but most clock in at under five minutes, allowing for over a dozen to be shown at each screening.

Friday, June 25 starts off the festival with 35 films being screened outdoors as part of Rooftop Films, an annual summer series of film screenings that take place on various rooftops throughout New York City. The ABP screening will be located on the lawn of Automotive High School, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and starts at 8 p.m. Friday's show will also feature a free performance by the band Plushgun. Bring a blanket and picnic dinner to make a night of it.


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Sailor Moon Collaborators to Appear At Otakon

Posted by Leah Hansen, July 12, 2008 at 09:00 AM by Leah Hansen
Wow, I haven't seen or heard anything about "Sailor Moon" in ages! But apparently the franchise is still going strong despite a complete lack of publication of its manga or anime in the U.S. You can still walk into virtually any store in any (American) city's Chinatown, or any anime convention, and find tons of merchandise. And now Otakon, one of the largest and longest-running anime conventions in America, will feature a rare appearance of the series' character designer, Kazuko Tadano, and her husband and animator Hiromi Matsushita.

I am so happy to see "Sailor Moon" getting some attention again. "Sailor Moon" essentially invented the "magical girl" genre, which consists of young female characters that gain magic powers or somehow otherwise turn into a magical character. This is the show that first got me interested in anime and manga in the first place, thanks to its appearance in early morning cartoon blocks when I was in elementary school.


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ADV Updates

Posted by Leah Hansen, July 07, 2008 at 07:00 AM by Leah Hansen
The changes at ADV (see July 3 entry) just keep rolling in. Over 30 of the anime titles they'd dropped have been picked up by American distribution company FUNimation. On July 3 this week, FUNimation also picked up 17 titles that Geneon Entertainment USA dropped when it ceased its anime DVD distribution in October of last year. (Finally some good news!)

An ADV panel at Anime Expo, which took place this past weekend in Los Angeles, also answered some questions about what's happening. According to the Anime News Network, John Ledford of ADV announced that part of the reason they've had such a bad year was because of the withdrawal of their Japanese partner Sojitz. (Sojitz is a leading producer/investor in the Japanese anime industry. It partnered with ADV in 2006, bringing with it substantial financial support and licenses for numerous anime titles.)


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More Bad News For Anime Fans

Posted by Leah Hansen, July 03, 2008 at 08:00 AM by Leah Hansen
Last week, I wrote about Tokyopop's split and restructuring. Now I have more bad news: (1) North American distributor ADV's film and manga departments both appear to be having some serious problems, and (2) PiQ Magazine is folding after only four issues.

ADV, distributor of such anime hits as "Azumanga Daioh," "Neon Genesis Evangelion" and "Sailor Moon," is in the midst of drastic business drama. Their manga division is no longer seeking out any new titles and will only be selling books that are already in stock. I can't figure out, though, whether this means they'll continue printing more of the existing catalogue or if they're just selling off current stock, with everything going out of print after that. ADV's own statements and press releases are awfully vague on this front. But I would venture to guess that ADV Manga is on its way out overall. If they only sell the same thing with no new titles, eventually people will stop buying what little exists.


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