| They compete - sometimes fiercely - for the rights to sell the top
anime series in the U.S. Then they put their competition aside for a few
hours at anime conventions to sit side-by-side on panel discussions. Left
to right at Otakon, they are: Trish Ledoux and Toshifumi Yoshida of Viz
Communications, John Sirabella of Media Blasters, Jeff Thompson of The
Right Stuf, Matt Greenfield of AD Vision and Steve Pearl of Fujisankei. |
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| Pearl is best known for his involvement in East Coast anime fandom
and his extensive information lists on the World-Wide Web, but he's moving
into the production end. Fujisankei is making its inaugural anime release
in the U.S. with Dragon League. a story of animals, dragons, dinosaurs
and soccer. Famed Seyuu Megumi Hayashibara handled one of the voices, something
featured prominently in the advertising of the initial, subtitled release.
It's a story recommended for all ages, part of a wide spectrum of anime. |
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| By contrast, Iowa-based The Right Stuf chose Otakon to announce their
pending release of Cool Devices, a S&M story of a young woman drawn
into a world of hardcore bondage. "I told our people that if we don't get
hate mail from all the right-wing groups, we aren't working hard enough,"
said Jeff Thompson of The Right Stuf. "Our translator said we could have
released it untranslated and no one would care." |
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| Through its Kitty label of adult material, Media Blasters established
a reputation - and holds to that reputation with more Kitty releases with
titles such as My Fair Masseuse and Sexorcist. "That name seems to make
a difference to the buyers," said John Sirabella of Media Blasters. "They
don't have to know what it's about - as long as the name and the sell sheet
sells it, that's okay." Yet, Media Blasters is covering the mainstream
action-and-adventure market with their Anime Works label. Recently, they
have released Earthian and Shinesman, which Sirabella described as a Power
Rangers-style tale of corporate Japan. And, Media Blasters has moved heavily
into live-action Asian movies. |
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| Toshifumi Yoshida of Viz hinted at a major announcement to come at
the San Diego Comic Con. At Otakon, he spoke of Viz' pending release of
the Video Girl Ai anime - and the Video Girl Ai manga, which will go into
the new Animerica Extra anthology. Viz has tried - and dropped - manga
lines such as Guyver, Fist of the North Star and Area 88. Yoshida said
those standalone titles likely will not be resurrected in Animerica Extra
because he doesn't want that title to become a "manga morgue" where slow-selling
series go to die. At one point in the panel, Yoshida made a joke about
how rival company AD Vision was buying up so many titles... |
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| ...and Matt Greenfield of AD Vision just looked balefully back at Yoshida.
In a separate panel appearance, Greenfield went over his company's plans,
ranging from the Dirty Pair TV series and OVA's and more Dirty Pair Flash
to additional Soft Cel releases in the Angel of Darkness and New Angel
series - and a new title they're calling Idol Singer of Darkness. Greenfield
explained that the underground fan-favorite known as Bakaretsu Hunters
will be released by AD Vision as "Sorcerer Hunters" because the original
Japanese production company wanted that name. There are no more Golden
Boy episodes to be had because no more have been produced, and laser discs
likely will face the same fate with the rise of DVD's, he said. |
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