Moonlit Monday Morning News
Another day has come to pass. Can you guess what news we're gonna lead off with? If you're thinking Gundam news, be it figure or otherwise, then you're absolutely... wrong. Sorry =P Actually, we have some news about the lengthy and fairly revealing Tenchi Muyo preview shown on Toonami, which has been mysteriously missing from the network for the past few days. The trailer, as previously reported, introduced viewers to the lighthearted comedy of the series, as well as its characters. After some speculation about it possibly being replaced by a shorter teaser, it made its return on Friday after Gundam Wing. If you missed it then though, you can see the trailer online at Toonami's Basement.
Have you ever thought to yourself, "If only I could go to school to be a manga writer or artist"? If so, you may be interested by the discussion that took place at a symposium held on the subject in Japan by Ritsumeikan University. Speakers included a number of manga artists, writers, reviewers, and other related individuals to discuss whether manga should be an academic discipline (field of study). You can read more on the symposium in a recent article in the Daily Yomiuri.
Now you knew there had to be at least something Gundam related today, so here it is: The recent popularity of Gundam Wing in America has put a strain on the Japanese Gundam model market. Bandai has said they're trying to rectify the problem, so that you can continue to import your favorite Gundam models, but some may be in short supply for a while. Also, the figures for that other big mech anime, Macross, have been delayed. Toycom cites the cause of the delay as being time required to improve the product, which while unfortunate, isn't really something to complain about as quality should always be of the utmost importance, delays or no. The transforming figures of Macross Plus have been pushed back until August of this year and are likely to retail for somewhere between $40 and $50. Toycom issued a standard apology for the delay.
One quick note before signing off, in between his daily news hunts, Moridin went up to his local Babbages and noticed that anime was once again being stocked. They had most of the currently popular anime on both DVD and VHS. When questioned whether all store locations were following the same lead, the regional director replied, "All Babbages and Software Etc's have anime. If it does well, we will pick up more, but for now it's just the more popular series." Hopefully this will be an ongoing trend, with more stores picking up anime for retail distribution in the future.
Well, that's it for today, so now you can go pop some anime into the DVD player (or that icky VHS VCR), sit on the couch, hit the play button, and enter the mindless bliss of your own personal anime marathon.
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