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Netflix reveals new slate of anime originals
Netflix is taking the plunge into the world of Japanese animation. The streaming giant already licenses a number of animes, and now its sprucing up its library with a raft of originals. The new wave of shows includes exclusives from the studios behind Cowboy Bebop and Ghost in the Shell. By snapping up titles you can't watch elsewhere, Netflix is hoping to one-up its rivals Funimation (and its parent company Sony) and Crunchyroll. The new anime line-up follows in the footsteps of the platform's other originals, including Castlevania.
Sony is acquiring anime distributor Funimation
Turns out the partnership Sony and Funimation forged to create the latter's streaming service wasn't a one-off thing. Sony Pictures is currently in the process of buying 95 percent of Funimation for $143 million, putting the anime distributor's value at around $150 million. Funimation's streaming website, which launched earlier this year, has over 400 titles on offer, including Dragon Ball Z, Cowboy Bebop, One Piece and Attack on Titan. While the service is new, the company itself has been selling anime DVDs and merchandise for over two decades.
Twitch teams up with Crunchyroll for five-day anime marathon
Twitch marathons try to target different demographics, and an upcoming one specifically caters to anime and manga fans. The video streaming platform has teamed up with Crunchyroll for its first ever anime marathon, which will run from 6:30PM ET on July 27th up until August 1st. Twitch will reveal all 15 titles it plans to stream during the five-day event on July 21st. But we know that the list includes Mob Psycho 100, Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, and Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers and one of 2016's biggest hits, the figure skating anime Yuri on Ice.
'It' director Andy Muschietti signs on for Sony's 'Robotech' movie
More than 30 years after the original series debuted on television, the classic Mecha anime Robotech will once again grace the silver screen. Sony announced on Monday that it had tapped Andy Muschietti, who just finished directing the reboot of Stephen King's It, to direct the upcoming live-action reboot.
Netflix's big-budget 'Death Note' remake lands on August 25th
We'll soon learn why Netflix spent $40 to $50 million on a live-action adaptation of the anime series Death Note. The streaming service revealed the first teaser for the film this morning and announced that it will premiere on August 25th. It's a particularly big get for Netflix: Death Note was wildly popular during its initial manga and anime runs, and it's spawned several live action films in Japan (there's even a musical!). Death Note was also one of the few anime series that have been regularly available on Netflix for several years, which gave subscribers plenty of chances to dive into it. So despite the big budget, it makes sense for Netflix to be the home of an American adaptation.
Watch the second trailer for the 'Ghost in the Shell' movie
The live-action remake of Ghost in the Shell is fast-approaching theaters, so of course Hollywood's marketing machine is churning out more trailers in anticipation. The latest teaser is a two-minute affair diving into "The Major" and her mysterious origins. Little is revealed but there are plenty of hints concerning her previous life. While the government has given her one story, the film's shady villain, a damaged but dangerous cyborg called Kuze, is offering another, quite different version. Much of the movie, it seems, will focus on The Major hunting Kuze and the truth simultaneously.
The Meitu selfie app unlocks your anime beauty and personal data
There's a price for the beauty that comes from the Chinese selfie app that's been flooding Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with glowing (with a twist of anime) renditions of your friends: It's data.
Amazon debuts anime streaming subscription for Prime members
If you're into anime, Amazon's first branded channel will give you a streaming option for $5 a month. Anime Strike is the online retailer's on-demand library for the aforementioned genre, adding yet another subscription to the Amazon Channels lineup. If you recall, Channels is the add-on service that allows you to subscribe to a TV network's on-demand content through the Amazon Video app. HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, NBC's SeeSo and more available there, each with a monthly fee attached.
'Ghost in the Shell' anime will return to US & UK theaters
Before the live-action version of Ghost in the Shell hits theaters in March, the original animated movie will return for a limited theater run. In the UK, that means a one-night-only appearance January 25th, while in the US Funimation is backing a two-night stand where the movie will play subtitled one night and then with English-dubbed audio the next, on February 7th & 8th. Afterwards, Lionsgate is re-releasing the movie on Blu-ray and Digital HD March 7th in a Deluxe Collector's Edition with Steelbook packaging and Mondo artwork.
This virtual assistant looks like an anime girl trapped in a coffee pot
Gatebox AI is an unusual virtual assistant that involves a projected CGI character kind-of trapped in a jar -- with voice controls! The sales pitch is that this virtual assistant will give the sensation of living with a fictional character, or according to how creator Vinclu Inc. words it, "your heroes". Which is fine, if your hero is a non-spectacular CGI anime character with blue hair and excessively submissive temperament. Behind the virtual idol/slave gloss, Gatebox AI's assistant functions approach a bare-bones Amazon Echo.
Watch the first live-action 'Ghost in the Shell' trailer
Want to see how Hollywood takes on Ghost in the Shell outside of a handful of tiny video clips? You just got your chance. Paramount has released a full-length trailer for its spin on the anime/manga classic, and it's at least interesting -- if not necessarily what purists would want. It's visually stunning, with more than a few moments that will remind you of at least the 1995 animated movie. It's mainly the casting and unanswered questions that might leave you on the fence ahead of the movie's March 31st, 2017 launch date.
'Pokémon Generations' YouTube series dives deep into game lore
If you love the world of Pokémon, but can't stand the official anime's whiny protagonist, stay tuned: the next Pocket Monster animated adventure has nothing to do with him. On September 16th, a series of shorts will launch under the title Pokémon Generations -- with each episode diving deep into the stories of the original games. Better yet, the show will be launching for free on YouTube.
'PaRappa the Rapper' comes back as an anime series
You sadly aren't about to see another PaRappa the Rapper game any time soon, but you will get some kind of fix the near future. Fuji TV has announced that it's airing the pilot episode for a PaRappa anime series, PJ Berri no Mogu-Mogu Munya-Munya, during the variety show Hi Poul on August 18th. More episodes will surface in October. As the name implies, it'll focus primarily on the DJ bear PJ Berri (at left) instead of the game series' namesake rapping dog.
Japan is deploying pirated anime-hunting human personnel
Japan's automated bootleg-hunting software isn't quite as effective as its government would like. So, it's boosting its anti-piracy campaign by hiring human employees to manually scour forums, torrents and video-streaming websites for illegally distributed anime and live video content. See, it's pretty easy to slip through the clutches of an automated system -- all people have to do is change the video a bit to make sure it's not an exact match to what Japan's computers are looking for. That tactic obviously won't work on human personnel.
Hulu may lose most of its anime catalog come June (update)
Hulu might be best known for its catalog of network TV shows, but for fans of Japanese animation it's been a great resource for anime titles both new and old. That looks like it's changing on June 1st, with a significant bulk of Hulu's anime catalog disappearing as the service streamlines to include only the most popular titles.
Japanese internet cafes' latest service is VR theater for one
Smokey Japanese internet cafes aren't where the possible future of entertainment is typically revealed to the press, but here I am. An association of said internet cafes and entertainment complexes will roll out a virtual reality 'theater' service across Japan, starting with 31 establishments in the Kanto region. Importantly, it'll feature content that people might actually want to watch: a quick VR take on popular anime series Attack On Titan as well as a full 15-minute Ghost In The Shell 360-degree CGI movie. For better or worse, Gear VR will be powering the service, and to make it seem all the more futuristic, some cafes will have egg chairs to sit in. Cool, yes. But, comfortable? Well...
Funimation launches its all-in-one anime destination site
Funimation Entertainment announced today that its FunimationNow platform is now live. The site, which we first saw back at CES, will make the studio's expansive archive of shows -- including DBZ, Attack on Titan and Assassination Classroom -- available to subscribers without ads or viewing restrictions. The new service will initially be available on iOS, Android, Kindle and Windows 10 devices while support for PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Roku devices is expected by May.
IBM's supercomputer will power an online, anime VR game
It's a bit odd that no one's thought to fuse the virtual-reality, role-playing game centric anime Sword Art Online into a proper VR experience before now, but that's the future we live in. No worries though, because IBM is using (Japanese) its Watson Cognitive Computing tech and SoftLayer cloud computing for Sword Art Online: The Beginning. It's a massively multiplayer VR game, of course, and perhaps other details will clear themselves up come a Tokyo-based event running from March 18th to the 20th. There, a 3D scanner will put folks' likenesses into the game for use as an avatar, Siliconera reports.
Toyota turned the Prius' parts into anime characters
If you were running a big Japanese car manufacturer, how would you make your technology accessible to the public? Toyota has a rather strange answer: turn it into anime characters. The company has launched an "Impossible Girls" promo campaign for the new Prius where components and features are anthropomorphized as sometimes cute, sometimes mysterious cartoons. Yes, you too can relate to a cyborg representation of your hybrid car's wishbone suspension or water pump.
The After Math: Pop culture phenoms
Quentin Tarantino is taking some serious flack this week for his comments on the #BlackLivesMatter debate. As such, we're taking a look at some other franchises that are sure to get your geek blood pumping harder than the first time you listened to Gangnam Style. Here are the numbers you deserve, not the numbers you need right now.
