FUNimation has announced its acquisition of home entertainment, digital and merchandising rights to last year’s camp/horror/splatter/comedy movie Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl. The film was collaboratively directed by Naoyuki Tomomatsu (Stacy, Zombie Self-Defense Force) and Yoshihiro Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police). The movie will hit DVD and Blu-ray this October.

This flick was honestly a little better than I expected it to be, although my expectations were pretty low. Also note, FUNi spelled director Yoshihiro Nishimura’s name wrong in the official publicity announcement, crediting him as “Yoshihiro Tomomatsu.”

Ask John: Does Kiss x Sis Deserve the Kiss of Death?

Question:
Anime News Network’s comments on the “Kissxsis” anime have been extremely negative. “For use only as a visual emetic.” “This is so deplorable that I wish we lived in a world where this filth had no reason to exist. The fact that it has enough of an audience to be produced and aired rather than sliming its way to DVD in OVA form (although I understand there are OVAs) gives new and upsetting insight to the low opinion the Japanese have of otaku.” “Who is this garbage for?! …Is this utterly tasteless, completely unsettling and, like, undeniably, absolutely stupefyingly creepy, skeevy garbage seriously what the hardcore otaku audience wants?” “Kissxsis is trash.”

You don’t have to generalize and vilify the Japanese anime industry and its audience to express a personal dislike for a certain anime’s subject matter. It takes a certain kind of “anime fan” to choose to do that; to essentially argue the prosecution’s case against Chris Handley for his sick perverted interest in cartoon trash. I don’t see how the ANN comments above help our hobby much, no matter how bad any particular anime might be.

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Hagane no Onna Drama Announced

A live action TV series adaptation of Kahoru Fukaya’s dramatic manga series Hagane no Onna ~ She’s a Steely Woman! will premiere in Japan on May 21st. Actress Michiko Kichise (Nodame Cantabile, Bloody Monday) will play her first TV leading role as Ineko “Hagane” Haga, a “steel” teacher struggling to manage a notoriously difficult class of fourth graders and their demanding parents. Fukaya’s original manga has been serialized in Shueisha’s You Magazine for women since 2007.

Source: Anime News Network

Beyblade: Metal Fusion to Premiere Next Month

Canada’s YTV network will premiere the feature length first episode of the English dubbed “Beyblade: Metal Fusion” anime television series on May 15. The original Japanese series, Metal Fight Beyblade, premiered in Japan in April 2009. Its second season, Metal Fight Beyblade ~Baku~ premiered on Japanese television earlier this month. The original Japanese anime series is a co-production between Japan’s d-rights licensing agency and Canadian animation producer Nelvana Enterprises.

Source: Anime News Network