We had speculated the high likelihood that NIS America would release the game back in November 2010 when the company had announced they had secured the rights publish games by Imageepoch, developer for various games, most notably, the Black Rock Shooter PSP game. It was later revealed in an interview Dengeki Online held with Imageepoch, NIS America would be localizing the game in the future. NIS America officially announced last night they will be releasing the game in the States and in Europe.
Fans of the franchise is probably wondering about bundled goodies with a premium editions. Judging from NIS America's past history, we can definitely expect to see a limited or collector's edition for the game; however, it is unlikely that the localized version will contain the White Rock Shooter Figma figurine found in the Japanese White Premium Box due to costs and the exclusiveness of the original figurine. The original Petit Nendoroid figurine of Fuka made by Good Smile Company found in the Japanese Limited Edition version of Disgaea 4 unfortunately was replaced with a figure of Fuka made by Shishikuiya in the localized Premium Edition.
NIS America also started publishing anime in 2010, and as the Black Rock Shooter OVA has not been officially licensed overseas yet, it would not be out of the question for NIS America to do a bundle or even include the OVA in a collector's edition version.
Lots of speculation and unfortunately, there are no additional details regarding the localization of the game as it was just announced. We'll keep you posted on any updates or details we may happen to overhear, but the one thing we are certain is that NIS America is definitely one company who's always aiming to please their fans and we can expect an amazing bundle with the game. Press release inside.
Japanese all female group Kalafina, made their second American appearance at Anime Expo from July 1-4, 2011. Consisting of vocalists, Keiko Kubota, Wakana Ōtaki, and Hikaru Masai, the group was originally formed to perform music for the anime adaptation of Kara no Kyokai (The Garden of Sinners), but their unique musical styling has lead them continue to this day. Their more recent music has appeared in the popular series, Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Hear what this trio had to say in our brief interview!
The hit school romance, Amagami SS will be getting a second season. The news was announced earlier this month on August 13 at the TBS Anime Festa 2011 held at the Bunko Civic Hall in Tokyo. The singer for the opening theme songs for first season, azusa will return to perform for the new season. No additional information has been released yet but we will update this post as more information arises.
Amagami was originally an all age dating simulation game for the Playstation 2 developed by Enterbrain which was later adapted into an anime, Amagami SS. The series was broken up into several different chapters with each following the same time frame with the exception of the main male protagonist falling in love with a different female classmate.
I am definitely hoping to seeing more of my favorite character, the eccentric Haruka Morishima (pictured) in season two! Announcement trailer included inside.
Source: Famitsu
Japanese fashion designer, Gashicon was at FanimeCon 2011 which was held earlier this year at the San Jose Convention Center from May 27-30, 2011. Gashicon is also best known for her Hangry & Angry character brand which includes a comic published in the popular Cure Magazine and various merchandise such as clothes, plushies, and other accessories. See what she had to say in our video interview as she also gives us a quick tour of her booth at the show!
Maon Kurosaki (黒崎 真音) Interview @ Anime Expo 2011
Written by Roger Lee
The new girl on the block, Japanese singer Maon Kurosaki made her first American debut in Los Angeles at Anime Expo 2011. Kurosaki-san started her career relatively recently in 2010, but she has provided her musical talents for some popular anime series such as High School of the Dead, and Toaru Majutsu no Index II. Kurosaki-san's growing popularity has landed her a spot this year at one of the world's largest anime themed concert, Animelo Summer Live held in the Saitama Super Arena in Japan. Hear about how Kurosaki-san started from working at an idol café, to her professional debut in our brief interview!
World Cosplay Summit 2011: Brazilian Brother & Sister Pair Take Home 2nd Championship
August 7, 2011 (Sun), the eagerly anticipated World Cosplay Championship kicks off with a monstrous audience of 17,000. This year’s championship hosted cosplayers from 17 countries, setting a new record for the number of countries represented.
In a showdown of well-choreographed performances and mesmerizing costumes, the brother and sister pair representing Brazil emerged as 2011 World Cosplay Champions. What’s amazing is this brother & sister pair was crowned the champions in the 2006 World Cosplay Championship! Adding another championship won in 2008 by a different team of cosplayers, this brings the tally of total championships won by Brazil to an astounding three.
Fans of anime and manga have been very aware of how powerful digital distribution can be, but that power traditionally stemmed from the hands of thieves. Some of them, like Crunchyroll, have become legitimate online distributors, but others like Onemanga.com fell by the wayside. Although many manga fans mourned the loss of that behemoth den of pirates, the industry has finally caught up; however, the original publishers are circumventing oversees licenses. Where oh where does this rabbit hole end.
One of the largest anime convention in North America is sure to attract some of the best cosplays from all around. Check our gallery now!