MCM Expo guest announcements, 3D one piece movie announced in Japan, 10.10.10 is a big day for Manga UK,

2 more voice actors announced for London Expo!
The MCM Expo have revealed 2 more Anime related guests for the London Expo! They are US based voice actors Michael Sinterniklaas and Stephanie Sheh!

Michael Sinterniklaas credits include 'Satoshi Osugi' in 'Eden Of The East', Sora in Naruto Shippuuden along with roles in 'Bleach' and 'Gundam Unicorn' to name a few. As well as voice acting, he's also known as a Voice director for many Anime projects.

Some of Stephanie Sheh's credits include 'Orihime Inoue' in Bleach, 'Hinata Hyuga' in 'Naruto'/'Naruto: Shippuuden' and the female protagonist 'Eureka' in Eureka Seven. (It should be noted, she's been involved far more roles than I've mentioned here.)

Both of these voice actors will be attendance of the whole weekend (October 29th-31st weekend). For more information on the London Expo, visit www.LondonExpo.com


One Piece 3D movie announced in Japan!

It will be revealed in the next weekly Shonen Jump magazine in Japan (which hits news stands on Monday) they'll be announcing that a One Piece film in 3D will be opening on March 19th 2011 as part of a double billing with a 3D film of 'Toriko' (another Shonen series which has been licensed by Viz Media for English Manga distribution.) One would also assume that the film will be screened in Japan in a 2D/regular format as well.

The official website of the project will be www.Jump-HeroesFilm.com
(Source: ANN)

It remains to be seen if this will make it over to these shores with no company currently distributing One Piece on DVD in the UK. Funimation are the official distributor in the USA, so there is still hope of this potentially making it over to Europe at some point, but perhaps not until 2012 at the earliest.


10.10.10 is a big day for Manga UK!
Our good friends at Manga Entertainment UK have made it known via their twitter that Sunday 10th October will be a big day as they'll be revealing new acquisitions for the UK Anime market!

Expect many rumours to be swirling around as to what they could be, but don't be surprised to see Manga remaining tight lipped in the run up to 10.10.10! Let the countdown begin!

MCM Expo Floor Plan, Dir En Grey in session on Radio 1, Durarara episode 12.5!

MCM Expo Update
The MCM Expo is fast approaching, and they've now revealed the preliminary floor plan for the weekend of October 29th-31st!



The first key thing to note (as also noted on the expo website) is that there are a total of 5 stages, with the Anime/Comic village being located in the top right corner of the map.

A fully detailed plan will be available by the time expo begins, but it's abundantly clear that the there's a lot of things happening at the expo this time around. Be it in the form of stalls, or the stages, given the record breaking attendance that the May MCM Expo saw, it looks like they've attempted to help ease the crowds by having (what appears to be) more space in general, and the extra half day on Friday!

A higher quality PDF version of the map can be downloaded from www.LondonExpo.com the official website of the MCM Expo.


Durarara Episode 12.5
On the Anime front, if you're a fan of the series 'Durarara!!' (which Beez Entertainment will be releasing here in the UK beginning in November) you might want to read this!

Included on a recent Japanese DVD release of the series, was an episode known as 'episode 12.5'. This OVA has now been made available by the great folks over at Crunchyroll for free! You can also watch episodes 1-12 of the series there as well! You can visit the dedicated page of the series at Crunchyroll's website here. But, we should also note, you can head over to our friends at www.UK-Anime.net to watch Episode 12.5 there as well!

'Durarara!!' will be released in a subtitle only form here in the UK. Something that Beez Entertainment themselves said is a risk. If you're unsure about purchasing the DVDs, this is the perfect time to check out one of Japan's most popular anime series! The DVD sales alone for the recently released Volume 8 prove it's worth! Coming in at #4 in the weekly sales rankings off the back of 11,582 copies being sold! It should also be noted that DVDs in Japan aren't cheap, and they only contain a few episodes as well!
(Source for DVD rankings/sales figures: ANN)



Dir En Grey Radio 1 session
And the final note of the day is from the world of Japanese music, in that this weeks edition of the BBC Radio 1 Rock Show (that airs every Monday on BBC Radio 1 here in the UK,) featured 3 tracks performed by Dir En Grey that were recorded at the famous Maida Vale studios in London during their recent excursion to the UK!


The three tracks from the session were 'Dozing Green' (taken from the groups most recent 'Uroboros' album), 'The Final' (from their 'Withering To Death' album), and 'Shokubeni' (a b-side included in their recent CD single of 'Hageshisa to, Kono Mune no Naka de Karamituita Shakunetsu no Yami' in Japan). The first two songs aired during the first of hour of the program, with the third track airing closer to the end of the second hour.

The program is available for streaming directly from the BBC Radio 1 website until the the next edition of the Radio 1 Rock Show has been broadcast on Monday 4th October. So be sure to listen to it before it's too late!

If you're not familiar with the band, it's a great opportunity to check them out at their best! Their performances at the Sonisphere Festival and Camden Koko in August were both stunning (I can vouch for this having attended both concerts), and this session doesn't disappoint either!

For more information on Dir En Grey, you can visit their official website at www.DirEnGrey.co.jp (There is an English version built into the site.)

Manga UK to run focus group panel at MCM Expo, plus more expo news!

For anyone attending the MCM London Expo at the end of October, and are someone who really thinks when it comes to purchasing anime, you may want to pay attention!

Manga UK have revealed via their twitter page that they intend to run a focus group panel at the MCM Expo at Excel London on Saturday 30th October where the topic will be Anime fans consumer behaviour!

They are looking for 6 groups of 6 people (male and female) for between 30 and 60 minutes covering the demographics of ages 12-14, 15-19, and 20+.

If you want to register your participation, simply send Manga UK a DM (direct message) to them on Twitter including your name and age.

The last update regarding sign ups for this focus group (on September 22nd,) was "Thanks to all of you for the MCM Expo Manga focus group requests. Keep em coming. We need more girls/Guys aged 13-15 and 16-19."

Plus, if you do take part, Manga have said each participant will get a "blag bag full of dvds and blu-rays valued at £50".

For more information on this focus group, visit Manga's official twitter page at http://www.Twitter.com/MangaUK


On the video game news front, it's been confirmed that in the Games Expo portion of the MCM Expo, Bandai Namco Ganes will have on show 'Dragonball Raging Blast 2', 'Naruto Shippuuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2' (both set for release on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3,) and the upcoming PSP title 'Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi Tag Team'. (We should note that It's currently not known which version of the 'DB Raging Blast 2' and 'Naruto: UNS2' games will be on show.)

The MCM London Expo takes place on October 29th-31st at Excel London located at the Royal Victoria Dock. For more info, please visit http://www.LondonExpo.com

First Anime related guest announced for the October MCM London Expo!

The London Expo guest attendee list been updated substantially, with one name relating to the world of Anime announced!

There are writers of comics set to appear along with many TV/Film personalities, but one name that stuck out to us was that of Roger Craig Smith!

As you can from the graphic on the left, he is the voice of Ezio from the very popular 'Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood' video game. But, he's also provided voices for some very recent and popular Anime series! One of those being the voice of Deidara in Naruto Shippuuden!

Deidara being one of the main antagonists throughout the first arc of the world renowned franchise. (Pictured right.) He's also been involved in other Anime including 'Code Geass...' as the voice of Gilbert G.P. Gilford, along with many video game franchises. One of his most recent roles (aside from Ezio) is that of Chris Redfield in the 'Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles' and 'Resident Evil 5' games. He's also been revealed to be the new voice of Sonic The Hedgehog in the upcoming game 'Sonic Colours'.

The MCM Expo have in recent years, had multiple anime related guests appear over the weekend! With Roger Craig Smith now confirmed to appear all weekend, the next question is if there'll be anyone joining him in the Anime Village over the weekend? Only time will tell!

The MCM London Expo takes place from October 29th-31st at Excel London, based at the Royal Victoria Dock. For more information on the event, visit http://www.londonexpo.com/

Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 - collector's edition

As talked about on Episode 9 of the Anime Chronicle (available to listen/download now at www.AnimeChronicle.Podbean.com), here's the press release for the collector's edition of the upcoming 'Naruto Shippuuden : Ultimate Ninja Storm 2'.
As we mentioned, we're led to believe that the Collector's Edition of the game will be available on both Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

The storm is rising in the east with confirmation today from NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe S.A.S. of the European Collector’s Edition of NARUTO Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation 3. The special edition will be stuffed with indispensable treats for the fans alongside the greatest Naruto video game experience to date, with both standard and Collector’s editions of the game going on sale on October 15th.



The highlight of the Collector’s Edition is an individually numbered Laser Cell artwork featuring an original illustration of “Hokage-Naruto” drawn by the creator of Naruto himself, Masashi Kishimoto, to mark the 10th anniversary of the series’ first appearance in Shonen Jump magazine. Alongside this fan must-have comes the original soundtrack on a separate CD and a DLC card which gives players instant access to the playable character Minato, otherwise only available as the very last unlockable character in game. All of this, plus the game itself, is packed into the specially designed Collector’s Edition retail box. No fan should be without it.

Developed by acclaimed studio CyberConnect2, NARUTO Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 is a tour de force of Naruto thrills and spills, and the first game based on the global hit Naruto Shippuden manga and anime to appear on both consoles. Impressively faithfully to the universe of the anime, the game takes players through the Naruto Shippuden story arc with new battle systems enhancing the gameplay. Players must choose the right companions to fight alongside for a greater chance of winning, and together unleash explosive Team Special Techniques to lay waste to opponents. The brand new online mode, a first for the Ultimate Ninja series, takes the full force of the fight to opponents around the world.

Players will meet a host of criminal Akatsuki characters in the game, and in an astonishing story twist even see Sasuke wearing an Akatsuki costume. Lars Alexandersson, of TEKKEN 6 fame, will also make a playable appearance wearing his TEKKEN 6 costume designed by Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto. As an unlockable guest character, Lars brings his explosive signature moves to the game’s versus mode adding a ferocious new dimension to the experience.

Ninja Apprentice or confirmed Sensei will also be able to put their hands and exercise their skills on the playable demo available via PlayStationNetwork and Xbox Live online game service across Europe and the PAL regions on August 25th.

With the original Japanese voiceover, an almost endless number of unlockables and power ups to discover, a wealth of brand new environments to explore, two-player multiplayer, and amazing visuals faithful to the anime, NARUTO Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 is an unmissable tornado of fierce ninja action.

Naruto is the #1 best-selling manga across Europe, with the hit anime TV series currently broadcast worldwide to massive audiences. Since 2003 NAMCO BANDAI Games has been the leading company selling video games based on the Naruto license.