The anime-orientated video streaming website Crunchyroll has signed new agreements with Japanese officials for the free video streaming/pay-to-download rights of two new anime series.

Mecha series The Linebarrels of Iron is merely the latest in a long line of Gonzo/Crunchyroll collaborations, with the first episode premiering yesterday (subtitled), just two hours after it's respective Japanese TV debut.

Crunchyroll has also picked up the six-episode Time of Eve (Eve no Jikan), a new science fiction drama directed by Yasuhiro Yoshiura (an up-and-coming director often compared with Makoto Shinkai). So far only two episodes have been released.

As the case with all of Crunchyroll's 'official' streaming in the past, both The Linebarrels of Iron and Time of Eve are available to anime fans in the United Kingdom (as well as the United States).

MVM Films have circulated four streaming video clips of their soon to be released (13th October) movie The Adolescence of Utena (a.k.a Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Movie), a romantic drama from 1999 which is itself an adaptation of the original Revolutionary Girl Utena TV series. Details and links below.

• Clip 1: [High] [Low]
• Clip 2: [High] [Low]
• Clip 3: [High] [Low]
• Clip 4: [High] [Low]

The live action Death Note 2: The Last Name will be released on UK DVD on the 13th of October (from 4 Digital Asia) and to help promote the film, a trailer been published online for your previewing pleasure. The Last Name is the concluding half of the live action Death Note story, which is a direct adaptation of the popular horror manga. Trailer: [Low] [High]

After many months of uncertainty, ADV Films have finally confirmed a new anime license, which, in turn, suggests their recent struggles might finally be behind them.

The formally huge anime publisher has announced its acquisition of 2007's moe romantic-comedy Clannad, a 24 episode series from Kyoto Animation (the anime studio behind other recent otaku favouries, like Lucky Star and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya). Given ADV's rather diminished presence in the UK, it remains to be seen whether or not Clannad will be released in the UK too, but that ADV have licensed anything at all is a reasonably positive sign for their future.

Earlier in September, UK newspaper The Guardian published an article profiling the experimental, adult-side of the reowned anime/manga creator Osamu Tezuka. Imaginatively titled "When animators get horny", the article by Andrew Osmond offers a brief comparison between the popular yet childish animation of North America's Disney with Tezuka's more racy, erotic work, like his 1970 feature Cleopatra.

The National Media Museum of Bradford (West Yorkshire) will be hosting a sequence of four screenings of Howl’s Moving Castle, director Hayao Miyazaki’s (family friendly) fantasy anime from 2004. Dates are as follows:

• Sat, 25 Oct - 10:30 at Pictureville Cinema
• Sun, 26 Oct - 15:15 at Cubby Broccoli
• Tue, 28 Oct - 16:00 at Cubby Broccoli
• Fri, 31 Oct - 12:30 at Cubby Broccoli

You can reserve tickets online at the National Media Museum's website.

Anime UK News have received a press release from The Grand International Cosplay Ball, an event that's happening on the evening of November 30th at The Clapham Grand in London. Quotes from this press release have been copied in below, but if you're interested in attending, be sure to take a look at their official website at www.grandcosplayball.com.

"We are proud to introduce the Grand International Cosplay Ball, an exciting ball-style costume party for anime fans and cosplayers, taking place in London on November 30th!"

"The UK's first international cosplay event is being held at The Clapham Grand, a converted Victorian theatre which is now stylish nightclub. Special guests include world-famous cosplayer Yaya Han, who is preparing a new costume and performance exclusively for the Ball!"

http://www.grandcosplayball.com

"This event is organised by cosplayers for cosplayers, and is an independent event not associated with other conventions or expos. Our team members have previously worked to establish cosplay masquerades at events all over the UK, including anime and sci-fi conventions, Japanese festivals, club nights and launch events."

Originally, Manga Entertainment had planned to release the first two episodes of Hellsing Ultimate in the UK on one DVD volume in August '08, however, according to a press release circulated earlier today by the publisher, that plan has now been scraped, as they did not have "[...] consent to release both [...]" episodes together, therefore Hellsing Ultimate will now be released in the UK with only one episode per DVD, as per the DVD release in the US. The full press release from Manga Ent. has been copied in below, which includes these new release dates for the series.

"Please note that there has been a change with the DVD release of Hellsing Ultimate. The release will now be as follows:"

• HELLSING ULTIMATE VOLUME 1 – out to buy 13th October 2008

• HELLSING ULTIMATE VOLUME 2 - out to buy 29th December 2008

"Both releases will now be a single disc retailing at £14.99. Manga Entertainment would like to apologise for any disappointment this may cause fans. Unfortunately Manga do not have consent to release both volumes together."

Running from 27 August to 6 September was the prestigious Venice Film Festival, the oldest film festival in the world.

Hayao Miyazaki with his film 'Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea' and Mamoru Oshii with his film 'The Sky Crawlers' were both in the running for the festival's principal award, the Golden Lion. Although, ultimately, neither film won the Golden Lion (this prize was picked up by director Darren Aronofsky's 'The Wrestler'), 'The Sky Crawlers' did win the 'Future Film Festival Digital Award' for its use of innovative digital technologies.

During the film festival, the BBC were profiling the films and directors in attendance, including an interview with the legendary anime director Hayao Miyazaki; an article which reveals in-passing that 'Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea' "will be released in the UK in April next year" (2009). No information was provided as to who the distributor may be, though Optimum Releasing with their history of releasing Studio Ghibli movies in the UK are no doubt favourites.

Production I.G's sci-fi drama The Sky Crawlers (the latest anime film to be directed by Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell, Innocence)) has been licensed for a US release (amongst many other countries, excluding Europe) by Sony Pictures. Nothing was said of a European release.

In other State-side anime licensing news, Funimation have continued their 2008 rampage by scooping up Gonzo's Kaze no Stigma, a 24 episode light-hearted action series that aired in Japan during 2007. Given the currently uncertain state of Funimation's anime distribution in the UK, it remains to be seen whether or not the likes of Kaze no Stigma will even be released in the UK at all.

Though it has been out in Japanese cinemas for no more than a couple of weeks, reports on Anime News Network are talking about unnamed Hollywood movie studios showing an interest in remaking Detroit Metal City, a live action movie which is itself based on an original comedy manga by Kiminori Wakasugi.

The story follows a "shy young man" called Sōichi Negishi, who, despite dreaming of becoming a kindergarten teacher, ends up being the singer/songwriter of a vulgar death-metal band. In the Japanese live action film, the character of Sōichi is played by Ken'ichi Matsuyama, who many will recognised as 'L' from the live action Death Note films.

Also, according to the same report posted at Anime News Network, movie distributors based in the United Kingdom have already opened negotiations to release Detroit Metal City.

Nagi Noda, the director of the memorable first opening theme for Honey & Clover (see video link below), as passed away, aged 35, due to on-going complications following a traffic accident in 2007. [Video of Honey & Clover OP @ YouTube]

Noda was an established and popular female artist whose unique sense of style saw her producing quirky music videos and album covers for popular Japan-based singers like Hikaru Utada to more internationally established bands, like the Scissor Sisters. A more detailed break-down of her career can be read at the TOKYOMANGO blog.

World renowned Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, famous for cultivating the satirical Superflat movement, has directed the animated music video for the song 'Good Morning' by hip-hop icon and anime fan Kanye West. It has since risen to #1 in the iTunes music chart. [Video @ YouTube]

Many will remember that West's previous music video, for the song 'Stronger', contained references to the well-known anime movie Akira.

The trailer for a new anime series called 'First-Squad' was recently published online, via YouTube. What is interesting about this particular production is that, despite being animated at the acclaimed Studio 4C (Tekkonkinkreet, Batman: Gotham Knight, Animatrix), it is actually being financed by a Russian / Canadian company called Molot Entertainment. The story is set in the old Soviet Union during the Second World War, with a group of "Soviet teenagers" having to fight off the invading hordes of Nazi Germany. [Trailer @ YouTube]

For those wondering about the status of Revelation Films' Funimation titles, we contacted them directly and they responded with this rather grim sounding message.

"We have decided to postpone all of our remaining releases for 2008 and
concentrate on pushing our existing titles.

A full release schedule for 2009, including the postponed titles, will be
announced later in the year.
 
Regards"

In addition to the already lengthy gaps between each volume there is only the final volume of Mushishi left to be released, two remaining for Beck - Mongolian Chop Squad as well as effecting many other releases including School Rumble, Suzuka and Tsubasa Chronicle. It doesn't look good for those of us collecting series from Revelation Films.