Pure weapon-wielding fun! Soul Eater does what a lot of recent anime should do: it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Shinkai simply reminds us of how anime’s kanji-inscribed vision miraculously penetrates the eyes and ears of the gaijin, as if some midnight doctor from the X-Files had sewn a translator chip into our cerebral flesh. We just know we get it. We know we love it.

FLORIDA SUPERCON: South Florida's Comic Book, Anime, Animation, Video Game, Fantasy and Sci-Fi Convention returns June 18-20, 2010 to the Doubletree Miami Mart Airport Convention Center in Miami, FL.

Florida Supercon is a 3 day festival dedicated to Comic Books, Anime, Animation, Video Games, Fantasy and Sci-Fi featuring celebrity guests, comic book creators, voice actors, industry guests, cosplayers, artists, writers, panels, Q&A's, films & shorts, costume & cosplay contests, vendors, parties, anime, workshops, video gaming and more! 2010 is the 5th annual Florida Supercon.

 

The Florida Supercon Film Festival is a festival dedicated to films that would be appreciated by our diverse genre audience. We are looking for Animation, Horror, Horror Comedy, Documentary (about genre subjects), Comedies with a genre twist, Fantasy, Magic Realism, Science Fiction and Spoof. American films will be screened side by side with international entries the weekend of June 18-20, 2010 in Miami, FL. at Florida Supercon: South Florida's festival of Comic Books, Anime, Animation, Sci-Fi and Video Games.

Films will be judged in the following specific categories:
1)  Feature Films (over 50 minutes)
2)  Short Films (under 50 minutes)
3) Internet / Web Based Short (Short Made for Internet distribution and exhibition)
4) Documentary Film (Full Length or Short Format Documentary Film)
5)  Student Competition (Films made by students who are either enrolled in a school, or were enrolled during the films’ production.)
 This section will be broken into the following categories
(a)  High School: Films directed by students attending high school, generally stretching from ages 15-18
(b) Undergraduate: Films directed by students enrolled in a college level program
Graduate students may enter in the regular Feature Film or Short Film categories

What can I say about Sands of Destruction? They get an A for effort. This anime ain’t too shabby. And I think this has a lot to do with its RPG origins.

So, I’m not exactly the RPG type. And I haven’t played the game yet. But I did happen to grab a few minutes with Spike Spencer. A notable voice actor in the anime and gaming worlds, Spike lends his vocal talents to the characters Connor Ganson and Menicks Rence.

FUNimation Entertainment today announced the signing of multi-year, national licensing agreements with toy manufacturer Shocker Toys LLP, now a toy licensee for several high-profile action-adventure anime properties including Soul Eater, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Dragon Ball Z and One Piece.

The newest Samurai Shodown has a new publisher, new box art, a new release date and a new name. Hit the jump to see all the "newness".

On May 4th 2010, the anime version of Shungiku Nakamura’s best-selling yaoi (boy’s love) manga will be available. This DVD collection contains the entire 12-episode first season, video extras, and a 24-page booklet with character bios and artwork.

Essentially a recasting of the original story found in the manga of Hiromu Arakawa, the Elric brothers are back on the journey to find a magical artifact that will heal their bodies. Remember, their first experiment with alchemy, a failed bid to revive their dead mother, left Edward with deformed limbs and Alphonse’s soul permanently inhabiting a suit of armor.

If you couldn’t tell, we’ve got an odd couple here worthy of a network sitcom, complete with laugh track. But what I like about this anime adaptation is not simply its loyalty to the manga (no filler), but Yazawa’s ability to create a captivatingly feminine coming-of-age, one unburdened by rampant cliché.

Dragon Ball fighting games have never been short on style... and gigantic fireballs. Check out what we thought of Dragon Ball Raging Blast.

Does it really give us something new, something to alter and compliment our Death Note experience? Sadly, no.

Viz Cinema, the nation's first theater devoted exclusively to Japanese film and anime. If you're in town, here is the list of events for February.

Erotic! Erotic! Erotic! But, hey, the story works, whether viewed as fragmented episodes or taken as an epic whole.

Here are few new titles to keep a critical eye open for.

So far, mecha seems to be the word of the month. And being a Voltron and Robotech fan from way back, I know mecha. Fortunately, Blassreiter doesn’t step on a beloved technological construct with that unimaginative, xeroxing heel.

After all, for mecha lovers, this show has a lot of potential. But, as of now, I would place it somewhere between a so-so derivation of Full Metal Panic and Evangelion “light.”

Reed Exhibitions has announced the launch of Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), which will take place April 16-18, 2010 at McCormick Place in downtown Chicago.

As for C2E2, show organizers are planning a major launch. "We are aiming big," said Lance Fensterman, who is VP and Show Manager for NYCC and who will also be overseeing C2E2. "We plan to apply everything we have learned in launching and building New York Comic Con to our Chicago event and we intend for it to be a major attraction right out the gate. Of course, this not only means providing a customer friendly atmosphere but also providing dynamic programming that boasts top talent from across the pop culture spectrum, including artists, creators and celebrities from Hollywood, TV, comics, books, video games, toys, anime, manga and all other applicable aspects of the popular arts. But, most importantly, we will also seek to make adjustments so that our show reflects the essence of Chicago. This will be critically important. The city itself will form an important part of our identity."

What:

Tatsunoko VS. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars Launch Event @ NYC's Rockefeller Plaza!

Here are the latest anime titles soon to be released by FUNimation.