Anime Today Anime Expo 2007 Special!
Posted on: Friday, July 6, 2007
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Episode run down:
Welcome to our special Anime Expo edition of Anime Today! This past weekend, Shawne and Lisa Marie attended Anime Expo 2007 in Long Beach. In this episode, we're going to cover the new announcements made by Right Stuf, talk with Shawne about some fan questions that he was asked, and chat with Chris Beveridge of AnimeOnDVD.com and get his reaction to some of the announcements that were made at the show. We hope that you had a great Independence Day, and that you were able to catch some fireworks and maybe even watch some Anime. The Geneon DVDs from our last sale continue to fly out of our warehouse, so we know there's more than a few people out there have a lot of anime to watch.
And now on to this show’s rundown. First is what’s hot in anime and manga followed by a new Uso Deshou mystery plot. After a long weekend in Long Beach, Shawne’s back in Iowa doing what he does best, finding great bargains to pass on to you in his weekly specials and in our new VIZ studio sale. We’ll be playing the beginning part of Right Stuf’s panel from Anime Expo and then Nick and Rich will be back with 10 Gravitation giveaway winners!
Next, Alison and Rich were able to get Chris Beveridge from AnimeOnDVD.com on the phone to ask him his impressions of last weekend’s announcements and get some quick insights into recent licensing trends. We’ll have a few customer reviews from our online store and then Rich and Shawne chat about some of the great fan questions asked during Right Stuf’s AX panel. Taking us out this episode is Lisa Marie with her reactions to Anime Expo 2007 and a few fan interviews she was able to squeeze into her very busy weekend.
Chris Beveridge, the founder and editor of AnimeOnDVD.com.
Anime On DVD: http://www.animeondvd.com/
What's Hot?
When we last saw master negotiator Roger Smith, he was about to defend his home of Paradigm City against three invading robots. Now the battle is over, the dust has settled, and Roger is plagued by doubts about who he is, the world he inhabits and why he has been entrusted with The Big O, the giant robot he pilots. As he searches for the truth, new mysteries will demand to be unraveled, old enemies will threaten to wreck havoc once again, and more clues about the cataclysmic event that happened 40 years ago will surface. Get the entire second season of this Cartoon Network favorite in one package when the Anime Legends Big O II DVD Complete Collection arrives on August 21st.
A mass of violent storms ravages the planet, and more than 60 percent of the world’s population is wiped out in an instant. What remains of life on Earth is a broken and barren existence… with the exception of Japan. Here, the wealthy rule: They own the war machines, they suppress the masses, and they have a very dark secret. Caught in the middle of this conspiracy is an innocent child. Her codename is Venus. The military has her in its crosshairs, but the rebels are determined to protect her. Can she offer new hope for a world so drastically changed? Find out when the anime Innocent Venus makes its North American DVD debut on August 21st.
Charged with keeping the peace and investigating crime among the stars, the Worlds Welfare Work Association prides itself on a reputation of safety and regard for life and property. Apparently, someone forgot to tell this to Agents Kei and Yuri. They may share the codename “the Lovely Angels,” but they are better known as the Dirty Pair! Part female James Bond, part walking disaster, this duo gets the job done… although there are no guarantees that a city or two won’t get razed in the process! Discover the original “light novel” that inspired multiple anime and manga adaptations when The Great Adventure of the Dirty Pair by Haruka Takachiho becomes available on August 22nd.
Multi has proven herself to be more than just a robot: She’s an invaluable friend, but soon she’ll have to return to the lab. And if she doesn’t meet their standards, she’ll be scrapped! Can Hiroyuki and Akari teach her how to be a proper maid before her time is up? Plus, Akari, Shiho, Hiroyuki and Masashi have been friends for a very long time. But as close as they are, there are words that have been left unsaid. As the days wind down to Shiho’s Christmas get-together, the time has finally come for true feelings to be spoken! The anime fan favorite based on one of Japan’s most popular games reaches its conclusion, with the arrival of To Heart, Vol. 4: Love and Truth. Due to popular demand, this volume will also be offered with an exclusive art box that is limited to a production run of 1500 pieces total! Both To Heart, Vol. 4 and the Vol. 4, plus art box will be available on August 28th!
With more manga being translated and released than ever before, wouldn’t it be nice to have a good overview as to what’s out there? The Complete Guide to Manga, by manga editor and critic Jason Thompson, is both a companion and a handy reference guide featuring extensive reviews and information on more than 900 different series, plus profiles on important artists and creators, including CLAMP, Osamu Tezuka and Rumiko Takahashi! Get ready to discover some new manga favorites when The Complete Guide to Manga arrives on August 31st.
Save 25% or more on these titles by preordering them from RightStuf.com at least 10 days before their street dates. Get another 10% off by joining the Got Anime purchasing club for Frequent Buyers.
Shawne's Specials and Sizzling Summer Savings Sale!
The dark lord, after a brief and unexpected extra day in Denver, is back at the lair, and boy, is it ever hot. Summer is definitely here in full force, and to kick things off, let's see if I can tempt your wallet with my latest sale!
If you're looking for a way to beat the summer heat, why not take advantage of sizzling summer savings on DVDs and books from VIZ Media! With a catalog that encompasses anime, Asian films, manga, art books and novels, you’ll find many favorites from Naruto, Death Note and Monster to Nana, Ouran High Host Club and Vampire Knight!
From now through July 15th, you can take 40% OFF the retail price of all DVDs and 33% OFF the retail price of all books and manga from VIZ. Plus, grab some great upcoming titles, since this sale includes pre-orders!
Just use the reusable coupon code sizzle when you check out through RightStuf.com.
And for those of you who aren't already members - join today and stack your Got Anime discount on top of the sale for even more savings! Save up to 46% off! Check out www.gotanime.com for details.
If you're not sure which products are included in the sale, you can get started by clicking on the Sizzling Summer banner on our homepage for a list of all of the great items eligible for the savings. As always, please note that Bargain bin, weekly special and closeout items are not eligible for the coupon.
For those of you who missed out on our Remix savings, I've stocked the Bargain Bin with some of the leftover inventory at very reasonable prices. If you weren't able to come up with 10 or 25, but just wanted a couple of titles, this is a great way to grab them. Plus, as always, there are super deals in this week's product specials. Some of the items are more than half off!
I really enjoyed catching up with old friends and meeting customers and fans at Anime Expo. This year's convention was, I was told, a great success in terms of attendance and I especially enjoyed seeing those of you who attended our panels. From reading the con reports, it sounds like the next year will be another blockbuster in terms of great new anime programs for you to buy.
Now -- it's back to the lair to catch up on the all of the deals I need to work on for the fall and into next year. There's wallets to be conquered, customers to be tempted - and deals to be made.
See all of Shawne's Weekly Specials!
Check out the Bargain Bin!
Right Stuf Contests and Updates
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In our current contest, you have the chance to win two of the “whispered”… A Kaiyodo figure two-pack, imported from Japan and featuring the heroines of Full Metal Panic!, Kaname Chidori and Tessa Testarossa as they could only be sculpted by Mon-sieur Bome!
To enter, and take a sneak peek at the prize, check out our Contests page , under “What’s Hot” at RightStuf.com and get your entry in before July 19th! We’ll be announcing the winners on our July 20th episode of Anime Today!
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Congratulations to the 10 winners of our most recent Gravitation giveaway!
The following six fans will receive a “Suitcase Shuichi” patch: Tammy W. of Saint Francis, Wisconsin; Diane A. of Ballston Spa, New York; Jeanine P. of Las Vegas, Nevada; Stephanie P. of Hewitt, Texas; Toni E. of New Bern, North Carolina; and Laura G. of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
Two lucky winners will each receive a pin set featuring “Suitcase Shuichi” and “Kumagoro,”: Christina C. of Austin, Texas and Holly D. of Rocky Mount, North Carolina!
And finally two winners each will receive a “Shuichi” wristband: Alex P. of Kyle, Texas, and Selena P. of Temple Hill, Maryland!
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And the contest celebrating the launch of our official site for The Third: The Girl With the Blue Eye, is still in full swing! We’re giving away (2) $25 gift certificates to RightStuf.com and (4) $10 gift certificates to RightStuf.com! Go to thethirdanime.com to enter, and while you’re there, be sure to check out the trailer, downloads, audio and video clips and more! |
What our customers are saying
Lisa Marie at Anime Expo 2007
Anime Expo was this weekend, and I was fortunate enough to be in California for it with buttons to give away and fans to interview. In-between the huge guest list, the cavernous dealers hall, and concert after amazing concert, there was an enormous number of things to do, see, and buy - assuming your aching feet could find an ATM that still had cash in it, of course.
Fortunately, some of my fellow fans were willing to pause their shopping long enough for me to take their pictures and ask them some “tough” questions about this year’s biggest anime and manga convention. Unfortunately, due to several combined audio glitches, we’re unable to use many of those interviews on this podcast as originally planned. So I’d like to take this time and give an overview of what the fans had to say and shout-outs to all the great people who took time to talk to me. We did manage to salvage a few of the interviews, and those will follow right after this.
First off, everyone had something to say about the concerts. Whether it was the Gackt-Miyavi-Sugizo-Yoshiki SKIN concert, the Haruhi SOS brigade, or the brass-oriented Oreskaband, everyone was able to unanimously agree that they started later than they were supposed to – some a lot later than others. But once things got rolling – particularly Gackt’s hips - it seems like everyone had a good time. It’s hard not to when a Japanese school girl is bouncing around on stage playing a trombone to rock-ska music.
I asked almost everyone about their favorite thing to do at the convention, and both cosplay and the dealer’s hall were high up on the lists. You can see pictures of all the cosplayers and other fans I interviewed in the album art included in the enhanced version of this episode along with the online show notes at animetoday.com. Meanwhile, some of the best dealer’s hall buys included swords much, much larger than your head, moe figures, some adorable prints from Artist’s Alley, and plenty of manga and DVDs.
As for the location, the consensus among returning attendees was that Long Beach was much harder to get around than Anaheim, but at least the main events arena was actually an arena and not a ball room. For interviewees outside, the sun was also pretty high up on the list of convention annoyances.
Last but not least, I know you’re all anxious for the final “favorite pocky flavor” tally. While I don’t have any exact numbers in front of me, the results were approximately one vote wedding cake, one vote banana swirl, one vote “that stuff with vanilla and nuts,” 5 votes men’s dark chocolate, 15 votes strawberry, seven-hundred and three million thumbs-up for just plain chocolate, and one anime newbie who’d actually never tried any. Kayla, I recommend the double-dip yan yan. It’s delicious.
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