Welcome to the April - May 2005 Anime Sacramento Newsletter. Meetings of Anime Sacramento are bi-monthly, usually on the 2nd Saturday of the odd-numbered months at the private residence of Laurine White, Sacramento, California. Email the editor, LVBWhite (at) concourse (dot) net for info and directions. (Please put Subject line something like "Attention Laurine", or it might get accidentally deleted with all the !@#$%&* spam. Fill in the subject line, and not with "Hi"!) I enjoy trading non-commercial Japanese-language anime (such as tv episodes0, and do limited freebie dupes of same. E-mail me about trading tapes and some stuff I have for sale. Anime Sacramento showings are non-smoking, non-alcoholic and non-hentai, when kids are here. The house has plenty on-street parking in front. It's 5 minutes walk from a supermarket and from the Bus 1 route, 10-minute drive from A-1 Comics and diverse cuisine restaurants. There's no set program schedule; it's a social event. If you have allergies, this house has a cat.

Next meeting, will be on the third Saturday, May 21, from 1pm to 10pm. It will be combined with the Sacramento Anime screening, with anime programming provided by Ian. Thank you kind folks who brought munchies in March, the Girl Scout cookies, canned sodas (lots left for May), chips & other goodies. Chips, cookies, pretzels and sodas are on hand for May. Dinner break is 7-8pm (or whenever). Any anime requests? Bring your favorite new anime DVDs to share. This house has 2 anime rooms, after all. I also have lots of Asian action movie DVDs.

Subscriptions to this newsletter are available, 3 issues for $1.80, 6 issues for $3.60. Make checks payable to Laurine White or send unused postage stamps. If your subscription is expiring, send me an email to be added to the newsletter personal distribution list (it's not an attachment). Remember, if you change your email address, please let me know, to stay on the distribution list. Also let me know if your email is set up to reject distribution list emails. To Unsubscribe, just let me know.

Howl's Moving Castle, the new Miyazaki anime feature, may open in Sacramento on June 10. Official website: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/castle/ Is anyone interested in seeing it as a group?

Fred Patten, one of the founders of the C/FO and author of WATCHING ANIME, READING MANGA, had a stroke earlier this year. Please pray for his recovery. He was selling manga in Southern California over 30 years ago, and recommended British author Diana Wynne Jones' novels to me before I ever heard of her. She wrote the fantasy novel, Howl's Moving Castle.

Local News: The Sacramento Pacific Rim Fest will take place in Old Sacramento on Sunday, May 22, probably from 10am to 5pm, with exhibits, demonstrations, entertainment, Asian food. Free admission. http://www.pacificrimstreetfest.com.

The Sunrise Mall Anime & Manga Show will be on Saturday-Sunday, July 30 and 31st, free admission, guests to be announced, art contest, costume contest, manga contest, anime viewing room, dealers. More info at http://www.sacramentocomics.com.

Sacramento Anime Meetup (http://anime.meetup.com/52/) has been meeting at 5pm, the 3rd Sunday of each month at Bell Bru, SE corner of the intersection of Arden and Fair Oaks Blvd. Now meetup is charging each group organizer $19 a month. A new yahoo posting group has been set up by the former organizer. Information on future anime-related non-Meetup-affiliated informal events will be listed on

http://groups.yahoo.com/ group/sacanimefen/

StarStruck (http://www.geocities.com/starstruckcon/), a multimedia SF convention, will be at the Sacramento Scottish Rite Center Auditorium (near CSUS) on Saturday, July 9, cost $10 to get in, free parking. It will have vendors, guests, Warp 11, other activities. It is produced by the regional SF club. For info: http://www.starstruckcon.com

http://www.sacramentoanime.com posts my bi-monthly newsletters (what you're reading now) under "Articles" and the Sacramento Anime postings under "List Archive".

Wish I had better news about the Kimi No Hanyo Anime Convention, but the website, http://kimicon.scarletheavens.com still has no info.

FanimeCon 2005 (http://www.fanime.com) will be held at the San Jose (Calif) McEnery Convention Center on May 27-30 (Memorial Day weekend), with 24-hour anime programming, dealers room, etc. Visit the website for more info and to register. Mail-in registration is no longer available.

3rd Annual Japantown (San Francisco) Anime Faire will be December 17-19 2005. Attendance fee $20 if paid before June 30th. The officical website (http://www.jtaf.com) may not be updated. For more info- http://www.anime-cons.com/events/info.shtml/631. Membership is $20 if you pre-pay by June 30. Thanks to Andrew, here's another anime convention schedule website: http://www.a-kon.com) will be held June 3-5 at Adam's Mark Hotel in Dallas, Texas. It's the oldest anime-con in America. Activities include cosplay, video premiers, sumo, panels, art show, j-pop dance, gaming.

"Wrong About Japan", nonfiction book by Peter Carey, published 2005 by Knopf Borzoi, $17.95, "When shy Charlie becomes obsessed with Japanese manga & anime, Peter is not only delighted for his son but also entranced himself. Thus begins a journey, with a father sharing his 12-year-old's exotic comic books, that ultimately leads them to Tokyo, where a strange Japanese boy will become both their guide and judge. Quickly the visitors plunge deep into the "weird stuff" of modern Japan: meeting manga artists and anime directors; painstaking impersonators who adopt a remarkable variety of personae; and solitary otakus, whose existence is thoroughly computerized. What emerges from these encounters is a far-ranging study of history and of culture both high and low."

Robin Shou's RED TROUSERS movie ("The Life of the Hong Kong Stuntmen") is now available as a 2-disk DVD from http://www.taiseng.com. Besides Red Trousers, Taiseng also has other Asian and m/a movies for sale, including SWORD IN THE MOON, a Korean costume sword film.

The International Channel is now AZN TV (http://www.azntv.com) with a switch to all-Asian programming, with Asian movies, anime, drama, Bollywood, music & variety, and original programming. If this channel is available on your cable system, please visit the website for their complete schedule.

http://www.kungfucinema.com News: Jet Li's new movie, UNLEASHED (aka Danny the Dog), will open on May 13. // Keanu Reeves will star in "The 8th Voyage of Sinbad". // Sho Kosugi will co-star in a new american ninja film, "Return of the Ninja".

Funimation will be releasing Galaxy Railways DVD Vol.1 in July.

http://www.animeigo.com News: Japanese director Okamoto Kihachi passed away on February 19, 2005. He directed "Sword of Doom", "Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo", "Red Lion", and "Samurai Assassin", some available in the Samurai Cinema line from AnimEigo. // Later this year AnimEigo will release on DVD "Demon Spies" (from Kazuo Koike), Shadow Hunters I and II ("Echo of Destiny"), great samurai splatter films from the 1970s. I'll probably show Shadow Hunters at some future Anime Sac show. (Actually, I already have it on video.)

http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/ News: The Case Closed (Detective Conan) Collectable Card Game will be released by Scoare on June 28.

http://anime-tourist.com News: Cartoon Network Adult Swim has announce new series that will be running this year): Paranoia Agent (May 28), Samurai Champloo (May 14), S-CRY-Ed (May 28), Ghost in the Shell: 2nd Gig, along with Tezuka's Metropolis movie (May 21) & Inu-Yasha movies (May 14 and in August), new Inu-Yasha episodes (June), Escaflowne Movie (July), Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig (September). // ACL Publishing, an American all-yuri manga (lesbian) publisher, now has a deal with Diamond Previews to distribute its titles, including Yuri Monogatari (in July 05?). More info at http://www.anilesbocon.com or at the anime-tourist.com website. // Broccoli Books (http://www.broccolibooks.com) will start publishing the Kamui manga series (a fantasy-action shoujo manga series by Shingo Nanami) this summer. This Kamui has no connection with Kamui the Ninja or Dagger of Kamui. // Viz will start publishing a new monthly manga anthology titled Shojo Beat, price $5.99, starting in June.

http://www.animenation.com News: A new Pataliro anime series, "Pataliro Saiyuki", starts on Japanese tv in June. The first series aired more than 20 years ago. (I still remember the guys' expressions at an Anime-Sac showing when I told them the orange-haired gal they'd lusted after on the Pataliro episode was a teenage boy.)

http://www.animenewsservice.com News: TMS and North Star Pictures are in collaboration on the new Fist of the Northstar movies (3 titles, 90 minutes each) and OAVs (2 titles, 60 minutes each). // A FullMetal Alchemist trading card game will be released in August.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com News: DramaQueen LLC is a new manga publisher (http://www.onedramaqueen.com) which has acquired the rights to yaoi manga, Brother, and Taiwan shoujo manhua, Vision of the Other Side. First issues of those titles will be published in May. // Digital Manga Publishing (websites - http://dmpbooks.com and http://yaoi-manga.com) has announced new yaoi manga titles, Jazz, Our Everlasting, La Esperanca, Kimi Shiruya - Dost Thou Know?, Beyond My Touch, the first volumes to be published Oct - Dec 2005. // TokyoPop starts releasing the manga series, BLAME (cyberpunk series by Tsutomu Nihei) in September, with later issues every 3 months. // Broadway Video Enterprises and GoodTimes Ent. will release a Taiwan puppet series (Thunderforce) under the name Wulin Warriors: Legend of the Seven Stars. The 13-episode series will also be aired on Cartoon Network this fall. // Wizard Anime Insider Magazine will go to monthly publication starting with its June issue. // Del Rey has acquired the rights to publish the Gacha Gacha, Ghost Hunt, and Sugar Sugar Rune manga. // Tokyo Pop has rights to publish the MSGundam: Ecole du Ciel manga. // The name for the new company combined from Viz, LLC and ShoPro USA is (big surprise) Viz Media. // There are plans afoot to make an anime feature based on Kaoru Kurimoto's long series of novels, Guin Saga, the first five of which are available in English from Vertical. [I cannot recommend them.] // New Line Cinema has rights to make a movie from Naoki Urasawa's manga, "Monster". // Studio Ghibli's next anime feature project may be based on the Chinese children's novel, I Lost My Little Boy.

Robotech News (http://www.robotech.com): A new Robotech series possibly coming out this year is Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles, with Mark Hamill being one of the voice actors. (News courtesy of Andrew.)

http://www.animefringe.com News: Dark Horse will publish the Vampire Hunter D #2 manga in August for $8.95.

What follows is just a small selection of the Diamond anime-related offerings.

Diamond PREVIEWS (http://www.diamondcomics.com) March 2005 for May 2005 delivery (except as noted). Free Comic Book Day is Saturday, May 7. Check the website, http://www.freecomicbookday.com. Free comicbook titles of interest include RONIN HOOD OF THE 47 SAMURAI #1, by Jeff Amano & Craig Rousseau, 32 pg, color. Comics - Dark Horse - SUPER MANGA BLAST #52, b&w, 128 pg, $5.99; WHAT'S MICHAEL? Vol.10: Sleepless Nights by Makoto Kobayashi, 88 pg, b&w, $8.95 (June). DC CMX - GALS! Vol.2 by Jufii Mihona, 192 pg, b&w, $10; MUSASHI #9 Vol.3 by Takahashi Miyuki, 192 pg, b&w, $10; SWAN Vol.3 by ariyoshi Kyoko, 208 pg, b&w, $10; TENJHO TENGE Vol.2 by Oh! Great, 184 pg, b&w, $10. Wildstorm - THUNDERCATS: Enemy's Pride by John Layman, 128 pg, color, $15. TopCow - BATTLE OF THE PLANETS Vol.3: Princess, b&w, 224 pg, $10. AnimeWorks - PILGRIM JAGER Vol.3 (of 3), 200 pg, b&w, $10.

Antarctic - HOW TO DRAW MANGA: The Next Generation #5 by Perry, Hutchison & Dunn, 32 pg, b&w, $4.95; PEEBOMANGA Pocket Manga Vol.1 by Fred Perry, 144 pg, b&w, $10. Broccoli - AQUARIAN AGE: Juvenile Orion Vol.5 by Sakurako Gokurakuin, 208 pg, b&w, $10; UNTIL THE FULL MOON Vol.2 by Sanami Matoh, 197 pg, b&w, $10. CPM - PALE PINK Vol.1 by Kiriko Nananan, 344 pg, b&w, $10 (mature themes); COUPLE Vol.1 by Jae Sung Park & Sung Jae Park (huh?), 192 pg, b&w, $10; FULL HOUSE Vol. 1&2 by Suo-Yeon Won, each 192 pg, b&w, $10. Del Rey - WALLFLOWER Vol.1 by Tomoko Hayakawa, 200 pg, b&w, $11 (mature themes). Digital Manga - LET'S DRAW MANGA - Using Color, 128 pg, color, $20. DR Masters - 888 Vol.1 by Noriko Kuwata, 200 pg, b&w, $10; CATEGORY FREAKS Vol.1 by Sakurako Gakurakuin, 200 pg, b&w, $10 (mature themes). EigoManga - RUMBLE PAK #4 by Various, 96 pg, b&w, $4.95. Infinity - PEIGENZ Vol.6 by Oh Rhe Bar Ghun & Park Sung Woo, 200 pg, b&w, $10; ANIMAL PARADISE Vol.1 (of 3) by Sue Mi Yu, 176 pg, b&w, $10. JADE FIRE #2 by Brian Augustyn & H.S. Park, 40 pg, color, $3.50; SAVAGE WORLD #1 by C.Edward Sellner & H.G. Young, 40 pg, color, $3.50.

Moonstone - MISTER MOTO/ MISTER KEEN 2 in 1 trade pb, 180 pg, b&w, $15. NBM - HARDY BOYS Vol.2 & NANCY DREW Vol.2, each 96 pg, color, $7.95, both drawn manga style. Radio - FURRLOUGH $148 by Various (furry title), 32 pg, b&w, $3.50. Shanda - KATMANDU #33, 40 pg, b&w, $4.99 (mature furry themes). Tokyo Pop - BLAZIN' BARRELS Vol.1 by Min-Suh Park, 192 pg, $10; TOKYO MEWMEW a la MODE Vol.1 by Tia Ikumi & Reiko Yoshida, 192 pg, $10; ARCANA Vol.1 by So-Young Lee, 192 pg, $10. Vertical - TEZUKA'S BUDDHA Vol.6 by Osamu Tezuka, 360 pg, b&w, $25. Zines - G-FAN #72, for Godzilla fans, 84 pg, $4.95. GIANT ROBOT #37, Asian pop culture, 88 pg, b&w, $4.95. PROTOCULTURE ADDICTS #84, introduces series Bleach, Mai Hime, Tenjho Tenge & more, $4.95.

Books - THE ANIME COMPANION 2: More What's Japanese in Japanese Animation by Gilles Poitras, 176 pg, $19 (Stone Bridge). DIGITAL MANGA WORKSHOP by Jared Hodges & Lindsay Cibos, 128 pg, $20. STRAY DOGS & LONE WOLVES: The Samurai Film Handbook by Patrick Galloway, 240 pg, $20 (Stone Bridge). JROCK, INC.: A Concise Report on 40 Biggest Rock Acts in Japan by Josephine Yun, 128 pg, $19 (Stone Bridge). JAPANESE FORTIFIED MONASTERIES AD 949-1603, $17 (Osprey, August). DVDs - Geneon - APPLESEED Movie, 103 min, $20. AnimEigo - BATTLE ROYAL HIGH SCHOOL, 60 min, $20. AnimeWorks - BLAME Vol.1, 37 min. $20. Funimation - BURST ANGEL Vol.1, $30; GUNSLINGER GIRL Vol.1, $30. ADV - ELFEN LIED Vol.1, 100 min, $30; FULL METAL PANIC FUMOFFU Vol.1, 75 min, $30. CPM - SHADOW STAR NARUTARU Vol.1, 100 min., $30. RightStuf - SHINGU: Secret of the Stellar Wars Vol.1, 125 min, $30. GALAXY RANGERS: Chained & Phoenix, 88 min. each, $15 each (anime by TSM). Live Action DVDs - BOOGIEPOP AND OTHERS, 158 min, $30 (RightStuf). HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS, 119 min, $29 (Columbia). HIRUKO THE GOBLIN, 88 min, $20 (Fangoria). DAIMAJIN 3: Return of Dai Majin, 90 min, subt, $20 (ADV). VARAN THE UNBELIEVABLE, 85 min, $20 (Tokyo Shock). KAIJU BIG BATTLE: Shocking Truth, 73 min, $20, April (sorry, can't recommend this title). CDs - Geneon, $15 each - JUBEI-CHAN 2 Vol.1 OST; STELLVIA The Great Song Festival.

Diamond PREVIEWS April 2005 for June 2005 delivery (except as noted). DC CMX - APPLESEED MOVIE BOOK, 160 pg, color, $12.99; THE DEVIL DOES EXIST Vol.2 by Takanashi Mitsuba, 192 pg, b&w, $10; SWORD OF THE DARK ONES Vol.2, arty by Kotobuki Tsukasa, written by Yasui Kentaro, 196 pg, b&w, $10; SEIMADEN Vol.1 by Higuri You, 180 pg, b&w, $10. Vertigo - Neil Gaiman's excellent tale, NEVERWHERE, appears as a Vertigo comicbook, written by Mike Carey, art by Glenn Fabry, first issue (of 9)out in June, 32 pg, color, $2.99. ADV - YOTSUBA&! Vol.1 by Kiyohiko Azuma, 232 pg, $10; FULL METAL PANIC: OVERLOAD! Vol.1 by Tomohiro Nagai, 192 pg, $10. Alias - DEVIL'S KEEPER 01, 32 pg, color, monthly, a family tracks down demons released a thousand years ago in China; JUDO GIRL #3 (of 4), 32 pg, color, monthly, $2.99. Anime Works - DEATH TRANCE Vol.2 by Kana Takeuchi, 152 pg, b&w, $10; KAMUNAGARA Vol.2 by Hajime Yamamura, 200 pg, b&w, $10. Antarctic Press - OZ The Manga #1 by L.Frank Baum, adapted by David Hutchison, 32 pg, b&w, $2.99; HOW TO DRAW MANGA THE FRED PERRY WAY DVD, 120 min, $20.

Broccoli - GALAXY ANGEL PARTY Vol.1 by Kanan & others, $10. Del Rey - PERFECT DAY FOR LOVE LETTERS Vol.1 (of 3) by George Asakura, 200 pg, b&w, $11. Digital Manga - ANTIQUE BAKERY Vol.1 by Fumi Yoshinaga, 200 pg, b&w, $13; YELLOW Vol.1 by Makoto Tateno (yaoi title), 184 pg, b&w, $13. DR Master - TSUKIHIME Vol.1 by Type-Moon & Shyonen Sasaki, 200 pg, b&w, $10; RAXEPHON Vol.1 by Hiroki Ohnogi, 200 pg, b&w, $8. Radio Comix (furry titles) - FURRLOUGH #149, cover by Diana Harlan-Stein, 32 pg, b&w, $3.50. Shanda (furry titles) - KATMANDU #32, 40 pg, b&w, $4.99. TokyoPop - .hack//AI BUSTER Vol.1 by Tatsuya Hamazaki, 192 pg, $8; BECK; Mongolian Chop Squad by Harold Sakuishi, 192 pg, $10; CHRONO CODE Vol.1 by Eui-Cheol & Il-Ho Choi, 192 pg, $10; SAKURA TAISEN Vol.1 by Hiroi Ouji & Itsuku Masa, 192 pg, $10; HEAT GUY Vol.1, 224 pg, $10; SGT. FROG by Mine Yoshizaki, 196 pg, $10. Vertical - TEZUKA'S BUDDHA Vol.2: The Birth, 256 pg, b&w, $10. Viz - SHOJO BEAT Vol.1, 330 pg, $6.

Zines - Wizard ANIME INSIDER #22, $4.99, Naruto, Fafner, Gantz. JADE SCREEN Vol.3 #3, color, $7.95, Yuen Biao, Stephen Chow. GIANT ROBOT #37, 88 pg, b&w, 44.95, Asian pop culture. NEO MAGAZINE #8, 100 pg, color, $6.50, UK zine on Asian pop culture. Books - STEP-BY-STEP MANGA by Ben Krefta, 64 pg, $6.99. BASIC JAPANESE THROUGH COMICS by Ashizawa Kazuko, 160 pg, b&w, $20. THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF JAPANESE POP CULTURE by Mark Schilling, 344 pg, b&w, $30. INTERCEPTING FIST: The Films of Bruce Lee, 192 pg, b&w, $18. Calendars for 2006 - Aquarian Age: Juvenile Orion ($10), Case Closed ($14), Fruits Basket ($13), Hellsing ($14), Initial D ($13), FullMetal alchemist ($14), Gungrave ($14), InuYasha ($14), Samurai Champloo ($14), Speed Racer ($13), YuYu Hakusho ($12), Transformers Energon ($13). T-Shirts - Cowboy Bebop Bounty Hunter on chocolate, M-XL $18, XXL $20. FullMetal Alchemist Logo on red, M-XL$18, XXL $20. Sesshomaru: Stand on black, M-XL $20, XXL $22.

Plush - Rainbow Mothra, 14: wingspan, $25. Wall Scrolls ($18 each) - InuYasha, Fruits Basket, R.O.D.: Paper Sisters Group. DVDs - Bandai - DIGI CHARAT NYO Vol.1 $30. ADV - GATCHAMAN Collector's Ed. Vol.1-2, $15 each; GATCHAMAN COLLECTOR'S 3-disc box 1, 500 min. $45; GILGAMESH Vol.1, 100 min, $30; NOIR complete collection, $90. AnimeWorks - GRENADIER Vol.1, 100 min, $30; MASTER MOSQUITON COMPLETE, 90 min, $30. Funimation - KODOCHA Vol.1, $30; LUPIN III: Farewell to Nostradamus, 100 min, $30. Geneon - MELODY OF OBLIVION Vol.1, $30. BUTTERFLY LOVERS, 95 min, TaiSeng, $20. Live Action DVDs - KEKKO KAMEN, 70 min, $30. ZATOICHI Blind and Deadly 7-DVD set, AnimEigo, $110. SAMURAI RESURRECTION 105 min, $30.

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End of April-May 2005 Anime Sacramento Newsletter