A.D.V. Films is releasing the following titles in the US. CITY HUNTER: BAY
CITY WARS, and SORCERER HUNTERS VOLUME 5 - FORBIDDEN DESIRES, are being
released on October 12, while SAKURA WARS 2, SAKURA WARS DVD, and VARIABLE
GEO, are being released on October 26. All of these titles will be released
in both English dubbed and Japanese with English subtitles. A.D.V.'s
Softcel division, which specializes in titles with nudity, sex, and adult
situations, is releasing CAN CAN BUNNY and COUNTDOWN: AKIRA on September

Taking advantage of the buzz around the upcoming release of the English
version of PRINCESS MONONOKE directed by Hayao Miyazaki, which is due to be
released on October 29, 1999, Stone Bridge Press and Miramax Press are both
releasing tie-in books. Stone Bridge Press is publishing HAYAO MIYAZAKI:
MASTER OF JAPANESE ANIMATION by Helen McCarthy. The book mixes film-by-film
summaries with insider interviews and discussions of art, plot, production
qualities, and themes. It is a 216 page, 7x9" paperback with more than 70

Affiliated with the World Science Fiction Convention, the North American
Science Fiction Convention which takes place in Anaheim, California, August
26 - 29, 1999, is held whenever the WSFC is outside of North America (as it
is this year in Australia). The convention includes hundreds of authors,
artists, and filmmakers as speakers; an art show; a dealers room; films;
costume competition; dances; parties and more. The film competition accepts
entries in 16mm and VHS (NTSC only), to be judged by a panel of working TV

Houston, Texas-based ADV Films is releasing GALAXY FRAULEIN YUNA RETURNS on
July 13 and QUEEN EMERALDAS on July 27 in the US. Both ADV Films titles
will be available in subtitled and dubbed versions. For more information
visit www.advfilms.com. New York City-based Central Park Media is releasing
RECORD OF LODOSS WAR: CHRONICLES OF THE HEROIC KNIGHT - A NEW LEGEND
BEGINS, MIDNIGHT PANTHER: GENERAL RELEASE VERSION, and THE SLAYERS NEXT:
THE FORBIDDEN DANCE? on August 8 in the US, and RECORD OF LODOSS WAR:

Turning Manga into Wine Sales

The second part of UCLA's tribute to Japanese anime takes place May 8 -
June 1, 1999. (The first part of the series, titled MAGICAL BOYS & GIRLS,
took place in January 1999 and was devoted to children's animation.) The
tribute includes the following programs:


THURSDAY, MAY 13, 1999 - 7:30 PM

PRAISE BE TO SMALL ILLS (NAMU ICHIBYO SOKUSAI) (1973, 35mm, 18 min.)
Directed by Tadanari Okamoto. In Japanese with English subtitles.

THE DEMON (ONI)(1972, 35 mm, 8 min.) Directed by Kihachiro Kawamoto. In

This issue #40 is Animato!'s special 15th Anniversary issue with 144 bound
pages. Featured articles include: Gerry Anderson, The McKimson Brothers,
Cartoon Network, Warner Bros., Jay Ward Voices, Flip the Frog, Bartlett,
Rose, Quakenbush, Fogel, Simensky, Tartakovsky, McCracken, Mulan, a huge
Anime section and more. There's just too much to list everything! Order
your copy in AWN's Newsstand, where you can subscribe to your favorite
animation publications directly from the Internet 24 hours a day! Already

The School of Visual Arts in New York City will offer a course for credit on "Japanese Animation: History and Style" as part of its Continuing Education program. Instructor Brian Camp, author of several articles about anime, will focus on the recent history and stylistic development of anime, from the pioneering work of Osamu Tezuka in the '60s, to the epic space sagas of the '70s, to the visionary achievements of a host of innovative animators in the '80s and '90s.

BOO WONG has been promoted to head the CGI Department at
Curious Pictures, the bi-coastal, live-action, graphics, special effects
and animation studio, it was announced today by Executive Producer/Head of
Production Richard Winkler. Wong, 33, succeeds Tammy Walters, who recently
left the company to pursue a career as a producer. In her new post, Wong
will be responsible for the overall operation of the CGI department
including scheduling, media flow, resource management, evaluation and

Encore Media Group's five-year-old Action Channel has established a new late-night Saturday programming block devoted to adult Japanese animation called Anime. Encore has acquired ten Japanese animation titles, and will launch the show with anime distributor A.D. Vision's TEKKEN: THE MOTION PICTURE on April 3. In addition to TEKKEN, five additional titles are from A.D. Vision: BATTLE ANGEL, BLOOD REIGN: CURSE OF YOMA, GSC GUNSMITH CATS, SOL BIANCA and the cult series BLUE SEED.

Adobe Systems has began shipping Adobe After Effects 4.0, the latest version of the software tool for motion graphics designers and visual effects artists. Highlighting this release is tighter integration with other Adobe applications (e.g. Premiere, Photoshop, Illustrator).

Anime fans will soon be able to acquire SPEED RACER toys. ReSaurus is producing 12” Speed Racer and Trixie action figures, as well as Mach V and Shooting Star action playsets.

Disney's 36th animated feature, "Mulan," is released on video on February 2 at $26.99. It will receive a simultaneous release in Disney's Spanish-language collection, Disney En Espanol. As a special bonus, the video will feature an exclusive five-minute behind-the-scenes look at Walt Disney Pictures' upcoming animated film, "Tarzan." DreamWorks will release "Antz" on home video on February 9 only four months after its theatrical release at $26.98.

San Francisco-based (Colossal) Pictures collaborated with Blockbuster Video to create two Christmas-themed spots promoting the new Holiday GiftCards at the national U.S. video chain. The 15- and 30-second spots update Santa Claus for the 21st century utilizing an "anime" style complete with a "super heroic" Santa, ultra-modern cybor-reindeer and a futuristic cityscape. The ad's talented crew consisted of creative director/designer Mike Smith, director George Evelyn, animation director Chuck Gammage, and was created by the Doner agency in Detroit.

Bandai's AnimeVillage.com is the first video releasing company in the US that enables consumers to purchase Japanese animation directly through the Internet. The site also features the latest animation news from Japan, real-time chats, games, message boards, and contests. AnimeVillage.com's initial release slate includes the "Gundam" series and "The Vision of Escaflowne" with plans to expand their library up to 200 titles by the end of 1999.

* Friday, October 9 - Sunday, October 11. Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.


Anime Weekend Atlanta, the largest Japanese animation event in the Southeast U.S., takes place at the Marriott North-Central Hotel. Scheduled guests include Amy Howard, the voice of Nova on “Star Blazers;” George Lowe, the voice of Space Ghost and C. Martin Croker, the voice of Zorak and Moltar, from “Cartoon Planet;” Tim Eldred, artist and animator and Steve Bennett and Kuni Kimura from Studio Ironcat. For information visit www.anime.net/~awa/.

* Friday, October 2 - Sunday, October 4. Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.A.


The Neko-Con anime convention takes place at the Holiday Executive Center. Guests of honor include director Hiroki Hayashi ("Bubblegum Crisis"). For information visit www.eskimo.com/~nekocon/.

* Saturday, October 3 - Sunday, October 4. Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.


The third annual Teen Comic Art & Animation Festival takes place at the Los Angeles Public Library in downtown L.A. Saturday's events include workshops, portfolio reviews and company presentations. Sunday is "Anime day" with screenings of Japanese animation from 1 to 5 p.m. For information call (213) 228-7510.

* Friday, September 18 -Sunday, September 20. Iowa City, Iowa, U.S.A.


Anime Iowa, a convention for fans of Japanese animation, takes place at the Radisson Highlander Inn. For information visit http://omocha.shc.uiowa.edu/animeiowa.

Fall is upon us, and so is the season of many video releases. Following is a list of upcoming U.S. video releases of Japanese anime films. A.D.V. Films and their label Urban Vision will release "Tekkamen Blade II - Stage 3: Final Encounter" (9/22/98), "Dark Warrior" (10/06/98), "MAPS 1 & 2" (10/06/98), "Dark Warrior - First Strike" (10/06/98), "Cutey Honey Volume 2" (10/13/98), "Delinquent in Drag" (10/20/98), "Ruin Explorers 2" (10/27/98) and "Slayers: Dragon Slave!" (11/10/98).