Yes! The Dark Lord and the minions are at it again. Which announcement will be made and when? All will be revealed in due time.

Let's refresh our memories with his most recent hints...


Until then...

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Update: April 24, 2008 - 2 p.m. EDT

We'll reveal the newest license for Right Stuf's Nozomi Entertainment division one week from today -- on Thursday, May 1, 2008, at 2 p.m. CDT! Until then, be sure to visit comingsoon.rightstuf.com to synchronize your watch, take part in the countdown and join in on the speculation. Last time, we announced Maria Watches Over Us (Maria-sama ga Miteru). What do you think the new license will be?

Update from the front page:

Right Stuf's Nozomi Entertainment Licenses ARIA Anime

It's official! Right Stuf, Inc. and Nozomi Entertainment are pleased to announce the licensing of ARIA. The box set for the first season, ARIA the Animation, is scheduled for September 30, 2008, and already up for pre-order via the official series site. It will feature the entire 13-episode first season with Japanese audio and English-language subtitles, and there will be announcements about additional ARIA releases in the future!

Please stop teasing us

May Flowers
Maid Flowers
Flowers = Hana
Maid Hana
Maid in Hanaukyo 1st series?

I know I'm wrong, but I can dream of replacing my R2s someday.

good guess

I don't know why but for me each time i read this hint i have an image of Da Capo in my head.

Ignore Sianspheric. Please continue to tease us.

I've no idea what to expect for this one, none of the clues hint at anything but there are plenty of titles I want. Of course, even if this one isn't a title I care about, they licensed MariMite, so they can license a few I don't care bout and I can't complain.

That aside, with the new forum going up, I'd expect to see the announcement very soon. I'd expect it to come within the first week of May, perhaps even the first day.

So, continuing to taunt us, eh?

I am curious to see what you're going to give us next.

I'm still hoping for Souten no Ken.

Why? Because the top-most hint on the list originally had a different hint back when it was the second hint (before Maria was announced):
"This one that goes here will make people heads explode. That would be messy!"

Heads explode? That generally would be either Hokuto no Ken or Souten no Ken.

Heh. I too would like D.C.~Da Capo~, but Aria would be nice too. Regardless, of Nozomi's last three announcements (the Third, Emma, & MariMite), all three were hits with me. So the odds that it will be something I like are pretty good, I think.

Regardless, you did bring over and (after a while) release ToHeart, so I'm indebted as it is.

Alison! By any chance, are you guys trying to pull off a Bandai on us?

We'll reveal the newest license for Right Stuf's Nozomi Entertainment division one week from today -- on Thursday, May 1, 2008, at 2 p.m. CDT! Until then, be sure to visit comingsoon.rightstuf.com to synchronize your watch, take part in the countdown and join in on the speculation. Last time, we announced Maria Watches Over Us (Maria-sama ga Miteru). What do you think the new license will be?

If that old hint about heads exploding that was changed still applies to this one, then I'm still hoping for Souten no Ken.

Really, Nozomi has to announce more than just slower-paced, shojo or romantic animes; give us some bad-ass action!!! That's what this fan wants!!!

I'm guessing it will be another Geneon rescue/quasi-rescue, like MariMite.

I'm hoping for the rest of some of the unfinished series (Rozen, Higurashi, and Karin being the ones that matter to me), but I'm going with Nanoha or Zero on this particular announcement.

Man, I'll have to log back on to here and/or the aod forums at work that day... I'd avoided doing so for awhile, but I must be there when it happens!

I bet I'll be in some stupid meeting though =(

You'll just have to decide which is more important =P

I am hoping it is Hayate the combat butler, or maybe the second season of Shakugan No Shana, both of those are ones I would really like. *crosses fingers*

If you license ARIA, you will have my undying love forever. I'd preorder it even faster than I did Marimite.

Yay for an upcoming new license very soon.

Booh for the time. I'll have to try to get off work early that day so I can get to a computer.

Personally, I'd like to see something weird like Dokuro-chan or Dai Mahou Touge...

I could see Nozomi picking up something like Futakoi & Futakoi Alternative...

I'm not getting anything from those hints. Got any more? >_<

I have no clue from the hints. Emma and MareMite were my previous "wouldn't-it-be-nice-but-no-one-will-license-this" dreams, so I'll try for a hat trick and throw out my last series in that category: Blue Drop.

Well, I've got all of Emma and all of MariMite on order, I'm not a big fan of exploding heads (especially if it's my own) but I can't wait to see what's coming up next




hmmmm.... naaaaah

I'm sincerely hoping for a Nanoha license. All three seasons would be ideal.

Sadly, no job = no anime.
The world is so cruel.

Well, the exploding heads could mean that it's an "oh my god! I can't believe they licensed that! I didn't think anybody would!" rather than actually have exploding heads and/or uber violence. If that's true, then I'll guess the impossible shows of Candy Candy and Sailor Stars.

If it's uber violence, then I'll guess Beat to Death Angel Dokuro-chan.

I can only hope its miname-ke or clannad or spice & wolf.

My guess and fervent hope is for Da Capo. I doubt all of the seasons would be licensed at once, but it's nice to hope.

I'm with the Geneon rescue crowd, given their last license was a semi-rescue, i'm praying Nanoha or Zero, but maybe more so for a rescue of Higu or Rozen.

Rss feed to Blackberry.^^

No one said life is fair =P

That said, a little patience never harmed anyone. Thursday will come soon enough. I'm not sure I'm going to be camping out in front of my computer just to see the announcement as it is revealed. Probably, but not necessarily. And if I find out later, and am not the first to post my response, well, the universe isn't going to end, and well, who's to say they're going to license anything I want?

But if they do, I'll be sure to thank them and to make an order.

did anyone guess maybe the "new" license is the last OAV of MariMite?

i'm HOPING Nozomi got all of the series...

What do you mean "last OVA"?

Nozomi already has the first two TV seasons and the OVA which acts as season 3... All that's left is Season 4 which I don't think has even aired yet. Nozomi has everything they can get anime-wise, and expecting a pre-license of Season 4 is a little risky sinc ethey don't know how the show will do yet. If the first three seasons do well then they'll do Season 4.

Or been vaguely scheduled even, far as I know.


I'm surprised they went all the way to 3rd right off the bat.

I wouldn't want them to waste an announcement just tacking on another season of something they haven't started yet anyway. If 1-3 do well, 4 will naturally come in due time. Worry about that later. For now, there are hundreds of good shows that deserve a license, and I'd rather TRSI knock another of those off my list.

Exactly. Something new, shiny (maybe), and hopefully off of my list.

A Geneon rescue is likely and would be great, since I'm still buying a lot of their (hard to find) DVDs. Aria would be another good license, and it would make some of my friends very happy. Has Code Geass been licensed yet? If not, that would be a cool license to grab and that would be good news for my anime club, since so many have seen bits and keep recommending it to me.

Yes, Bandai Entertainment has it. It'll be releasing out over the Summer on DVD and it's currently airing on Cartoon Network.

I kind of figured that either Bandai or Funimation planned to license it.

Have they made an anime about a bar?

yeah they have actually lol

Yeah, the anime adaptation of the manga Bartender. I actually think it would fit in great with Nozomi.

But remember that each hint applies to a different license; only the first hint will be revealed this Thursday.

I was thinking they just took everything Geneon had, which included season 3, since I still believe Geneon was going to release it. Or it was a package deal.

But I now have a new guess! Remastered Utena! Somehow, Nozomi found a vault full of money and sweet-talked the folks in Japan into letting them have it for a reasonable fee. CD's and all the new extras included.

Well, that was never made official, though it seemed a slightly safe guess. They did prematurely solicit a set of it, heh. But then they clammed up and we heard not a peep more until TRSI blindsided us with the awesome.

Maybe Ookiku Furikabutte, I would love to see that one done. Or Persona - trinity soul -

"This one is done. April showers bring..."
Water... lots and lots of water... aqua...
enough water to cover a planet.

Maybe the "Dark Lord's 'Binge'" consists of slice-of-life series with all-bishoujo casts.

So, my stab in the dark is for ARIA, as it is indeed 'done' both anime/manga-wise, so...

The comment "The Dark Lord's binge continues..." leads me to believe it's season 2 of Maria.

Though personally I would like to see Da Capo licensed. That series is far too good not to have been licensed yet.

That, or To Heart ~ Remember My Memories. I couldn't believe that RightStuf licensed the first season (To Heart), but not the second season (To Heart ~ Remember My Memories). The first season is only HALF the story and to complete it, you need the second season which focuses on Multi's effect on Junichi and Nemu's growing relationship.

but season 2 / 3 of maria are already licensed by rightstuf, so it cant be that.

As mentioned Nozomi has the first 3 seasons (2 TV seasons and the "Season 3" OVA) of Maria.

And again, each hint applies to a seperate, individual license announcement. Just because there's four hints it doesn't mean they all apply to the same thing.

The whole "binge" thing is just because Nozomi has never really had so many licenses in planing at once before... Or at least not in a long time...

Ah, I thought it was the first season only. Well I hope my fallback guess of Da Capo and Da Capo: Second Season is it.

Of course I'm hoping this is right

I would be somewhat disappointed if it turned out to be nothing more than a second season of something already licensed, or a Geneon license rescue (I personally feel Geneon will make other arrangements). I want something new.

I wouldn't mind Aria, since Aqua Volume 1 has gotten me interested in the manga...

But I'll take a guess and say that April showers bring a rain-soaked Chicken-run survivor to a random Mahjong parlor where his legend begins...

The show is Akagi!

The more I think about it, it's more than likely Blue Drop. All the episode titles are names of different flowers.

Uhh - I think you're mixing series here.

LOL, you're right, I am. Sorry, I was high on painkillers yesterday.

Sorry, I meant to say it focuses on Multi's effect on Hiroyuki and Akari's relationship.

At least with the first season of Da Capo, the story is wrapped up enough to where it could stand on it's own as a series. With To Heart, you NEED the second season to be able to have a complete story. That why I found it extremely odd that RightStuf only licensed the first season and not the second. Made me wonder if they actually watch these series' before they purchase them.

So as I said before, I'd like it to be Da Capo or To Heart: RMM, but my money is on it being Blue Drop. Blue Drop also seems to be a bit of a Shoujo Ai series, which would follow in the pattern begun by Maria.

Well, not much longer to go now. Let's see what April showers have brought…