Anime Network Online have let us know that they are proud to premiere the comedy series “ICHIBAN USHIRO NO DAIMAO” this month.

The series is directed by Takashi Watanabe who has been involved with such anime as Slayers, Boogiepop Phantom and Fist of the North Star. Here’s a synopsis for you:

From Marvelous Entertainment (Mushi-shi, Air Gear) and Artland (Mobile Suit Gundam 00, Legend of the Galactic Heroes) comes the story of young Akuto Sai, a new student at Constan Magical Academy. On the day of admittance, his aptitude test has predicted his future occupation as…Devil King. And so begins the trials and tribulations of school life as he is hounded by do-gooders, self appointed protectors, and overzealous followers. In this school, there’s no rest for the Devil King.

The series is available to view in ANO’s online player from April 2nd 2010. You need to be a registered user to watch the show but registration is free, and apparently so is viewing the simulcast!

You can visit Anime Network Online at www.theanimenetwork.com, and be sure to check the time listings.

Fans of “INUYASHA: The Final Act” will be happy to know that the final episode will be available to view tonight on VIZAnime.com! OK, maybe you’re not happy to see the end of your favourite series, however the final episode is coming your way shortly after it has been shown in Japan!

After the many episodes and films that the manga series (written by Rumiko Takahashi) has spawned, the finale will be streamed on VIZANime.com – but what if you have no idea what the series is about? Read this synopsis to get the gist:

Pulled back in time to Japan’s ancient past, Japanese high school girl Kagome finds her destiny linked to a dog-like half-demon named Inuyasha, who remembers Kagome’s previous incarnation as the woman who killed him – and to the Shikon Jewel, or “Jewel of Four Souls,” which can fulfill the greatest dreams of any man or monster. Now Kagome and Inuyasha must work together to search for the scattered shards of the jewel before everyone’s nightmares are given the power they need to come true.

The final episode of “INUYASHA: The Final Act” is titled “Toward Tomorrow” and will be available to view on VIZAnime.com. If you would like to check out the Inuyasha manga or the other Inuyasha anime series then head over to viz.com for more.

You can also find other Rumiko Takahashi titles there, or you can visit the Rumic World website!

“Vampire Knights” takes us to Cross Academy, a school that has two student classes – the Day Class and the Night class. Twilight sees the Day Class students return to their dorm, crossing paths with the Night Class students as they emerge. The Day Class has two Guardians in the form of Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu who protect them from those attending the Night class. Why? Because the Night Class students are vampires, that’s why!

Let me introduce you to some of the cast, and the parts that they play:

Mela Lee as Yuki Cross

Mela has been voice acting for the last 7 years. Some of her work can be witnessed in such animes as Fate Stay Night, Rozen Maiden, When They Cry, and Blade of the Immortal. Her character in Vampire Knight is Yuki Cross, who is the adoptive daughter of the headmaster of Cross Academy and one of the schools Guardians for the Day Class.

Vic Mignogna as Zero Kiryu

Most Anime fans would know Vic. He’s been an actor since the age of 8, and has been voicing anime characters for the past 10 years. Out of the 100+ roles in Anime and Video Games he has taken, some of them include voicing Edward Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist, Fai in Tsubasa Chronicles, and my personal favourite Tamaki Suou in Ouran High School Host Club – just to name a few. As well as his acting, Vic has a degree in film and regularly writes, produces and directs on productions. He has also lent his vocal skills to sing theme songs for One Piece & DBGT and has even got some of his original work available on CD. As for the character he plays in this production, Vic performs as Zero Kiryu. Kiryu is a year older than Yuki and comes from a family of vampire hunters. He is also a Guardian for the Day Class.

Ethan Murray as Kaname Kuran

Ethan has been a in acting since 1994. He was approached while doing a stage production to voice monsters in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and has been voice acting ever since. Some of the productions he has taken part in include Arc the Lad, Gankutsuou, Blade the Immortal, Tenjo Tenge, and Rurouni Kenshin. In Vampire Knight, Ethan plays Kaname Kuran. Kuran is a pure blooded vampire and the current Head of the Kuran Clan. He also saved Yuki from an attack by another vampire when she was 7, and is president of the Night Class and the dorm leader. The students of the Night Class both fear and respect him.

And that’s only a few actors and their characters – I wonder what other excellent talent they will have in store for us!

William Germain, Director, Programming & Music Sales, VIZ Media:

“VAMPIRE KNIGHT is an important series that demanded skilled actors who could portray these complex characters without sacrificing any of the intensity and emotional drama each one exudes,” says William. “We also know there are a lot of fans of the manga that have been waiting for this series so we wanted to bring in some very talented people who we know will take VAMPIRE KNIGHT to a whole new level. Look for more news coming soon about the North American debut!”

There’s no word as to when we might actually be able to view their efforts, but we’ll try to do our best in keeping you informed here at GamingAngels!

The latest addition is animator and character designer Toshihiro Kawamoto. If you don’t know him by name, you may know his works such as chief animation director and character designer for Cowboy Bebop, Mobile Suit Gundam 0083, Golden Boy and Wolf’s Rain. He has also been key animation director for Sword of the Stranger, Escaflowne: The Movie, Fullmetal Alchemist and Eureka Seven, but more impressively is the fact that he co-founded the anime studio BONES (producers of Ouran High School Host Club, Soul Eater, Wolf’s Rain and Fullmetal Alchemist). Toshihiro’s latest project involves being chief animation director on Hero Man and working with Stan Lee. Yep, THE Stan Lee.

Toshihiro Kawamoto will be appearing at autograph sessions, meet-and-greets, and attendee panels. To find out the latest information about Anime Expo 2010, you can visit their website, keep an eye on their Twitter or Facebook, or you could always check them out on YouTube.

For those who don’t know Yuu Asakawa, she has been a voice actress in a myriad of Anime shows (70+ according to Anime Expo) including Priss in “Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040“, Sakaki in “Azumanga Daioh” and Motoko in “Love Hina“. This talented Japanese lady has also used her vocal abilities to voice Lebreau in Final Fantasy XIII and Shalua in Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII, as well as singing the theme songs for Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040 and the Love Hina Christmas Special!

If you’d like to meet Yuu Asakawa, you can see her at autograph sessions, meet-and-greets and attendee panels during Anime Expo. Anime Expo runs from July 1st to July 4th at the Los Angeles Convention Center. If you’d like to know ticket prices, visit the Anime Expo site for the latest info. You can also find them on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

Here is a synopsis for you:

When Demons Walk the Streets, The Cops need to recruit More Demons! In a town where humans and demons co-exist, it takes more than a normal police force to maintain the peace. Enter the Hiizumi Life Counseling Office, a fantastic foursome of unique teenagers, each gifted with an amazing super power! Since it sometimes takes real demon-fire to fight demon fire, the first three quarters of the team aren’t exactly human: Ao, a cat-eared telepath; Kotoha, a half-human conjuror and Hime, descended from a dragon (and the town’s acting mayor) all of whom also happen to be delightfully female. Rounding out the group is the token male and human, Akina, the office director and “Oyakume,” capable of banishing spirits permanently (and from their point of view quite fatally) via a process called tuning.

Not convinced? How about a trailer (kindly provided by Section 23):

“Yozakura Quartet Complete Collection” is available now and is rated TV 14. The release is also in Japanese audio with English subtitles and will cost $39.98US.

You can also find this available in our RightStuf and Amazon stores!

The people at the SPJA (The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation) have let us know that the anime director and seiyu Shinichi “Nabeshin” Watanabe will be an official Guest of Honor at 19th Anime Expo. For those of you who may not know him by name, some of his works include Excel Saga, Puni Puni Poemy, The Wallflower, Tenchi Muyo! GXP and Nerima Daikon Brothers. At the convention “Nabeshin” will appear on guest panels, at meet-and-greet sessions and sign autographs for fans.

You also might know “Nabeshin” as a character in some anime shows (such as in the picture above) which he provided his own voice for, and some of those shows were Excel Saga, Puni Puni Poemy, Dotto Koni-Chan, EyeShield, Hayate no Gotoku and Tayutama. He’s known to attend events in the red blazer and afro wig get-up, so keep an eye out for him!

Anime Expo’s Convention Chair Joyce Lim:

“Anime Expo is thrilled to have Mr. Watanabe join our line-up,” said Joyce. “We are looking forward the excitement that he will bring to our convention!”

If you want to attend Anime Expo® 2010, head on over to the Los Angeles Convention Center in Southern California from July 1st – July 4th. Pre-registration has begun, and it will cost you $65 right at this moment, and then from May 1st it will increase to $75. More pricing information, and regular news updates can be found at www.anime-expo.org. You can also follow their Twitter at @animeexpo, or find them on Facebook at facebook.com/animeexpo!

Midnight in the Heart of Midlothian is written by Frank O’Connor and animated by ONE. It’s based on O’Connor’s “Halo: Evolutions” short story. The story is about bravery and sacrifice in even the darkest depths of space. I don’t want to spoil too much, but for all you hardcore Halo fans out there, you should really check this out. The style is really cool, since it looks just like a comic book except for some motion and action (hence it being a motion comic). I’m pretty much hanging onto my controller waiting for the last part to come out. It’s a pretty simple story, but the way it’s done just has a way of drawing a watcher in and make them want more.

There will be four parts to this series. The first one was released on January 16th. The second one was on January 23th, the third on January 30th, and the final part will be released on February 6th. So for everyone that’s waiting to see it from the beginning, be sure to browse the archives, but for those who are waiting, as I am, for the last part… just a few more days!

If you are looking to have a bit of light fun for you and your young family, then “Toy Story Mania!” could be what you’re after.

Rating: G
Players: 1 – 4
Genre: Arcade
Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios
Release Date: September, 2009 (NA)

RENT

Being a big Pixar fan, of course I have seen the Toy Story movies and I’m eagerly awaiting installment #3′s release in 2010. I’ve even played a Game Boy version from the Toy Story empire, but we aren’t exactly friends any more if you get my drift. Now we have a new game for the Wii by the name of “Toy Story Mania!”.

Based on the real life attraction “Toy Story Midway Mania!” at California’s Disney theme parks (as well as the Toy Story movies), “Toy Story Mania!” is a series of arcade-style mini-games to test your skills on. Many of these mini-games are the same as those you’ll find at the Disney theme parks, but there are also some generated for this game specifically. A lot of your favourite characters join in on the fun including Woody, Buzz, Bo Peep, Hamm, the little green aliens and more.

When you pick Story Mode, you have a choice of 6 different areas to play in. Each one has a theme; for example if you picked the area where Buzz features, then all of the mini-games have a space theme to them. Each mini-game has a variable amount of objectives to fulfil. If you do manage to complete all of the objectives, then the mini-game is unlocked in Free Play mode. If you don’t complete them all you have the option of trying again or proceeding to the next game.

Once you’ve completed the area, your points get tallied up in order to receive tickets – the games currency. These tickets allow you to buy games to play in Free Play and stickers and new pages for the Sticker Book – all of which are accessible in the Prizes menu.

Get ready for Woody's Rootin' Tootin' Shootin'!

While I enjoyed playing the different themed areas in Story Mode, the thing that was lacking was an actual storyline. When you select the area to play in, there is a tiny cutscene at the beginning and the end of the entire session, but in between there’s nothing along the lines of a story.

In Free Play mode, your choices are Quick Play, Play All and Build. Quick Play gives you the opportunity to pick one of the mini-games you unlocked in Story Mode, and just play it as it is. Play All allows you to play all of your unlocked mini-games, while Build lets you pick which games you want to play in whatever order you like.

Should you wish to play with more than 1 person, you can either pick however many players you’d like at the start (up to 4) or they can join in later after you’ve started. The gameplay doesn’t change much but there are instances where you have to play a session each, and then play in the next session together. But again it’s not much different than if you were playing on your own.

Provided with your copy of “Toy Story Mania!” is 2 pairs of 3D glasses – these are so you can play certain mini-games in 3D (accessible in Free Play). While 3D never seems 3D to me while wearing red & blue lenses, I was able to discern the different element it gave to the gameplay. It didn’t make me enjoy it any differently though.

Another thing that didn’t quite work was the Wiimote. Now while the Wiimote itself functioned properly, and the sensor bar was clear of obstruction, whenever I tried to aim in a certain spot the target pointer sometimes disappeared from the screen or jumped to a different position while I was trying to shoot at something.

If you are looking to have a bit of light fun for you and your young family, then “Toy Story Mania!” could be what you’re after. Adults on their own may get bored pretty quickly, so if you are able to I would recommend hiring it out first just to see if you would find it worthwhile.

Review product was provided by Madman Entertainment, and does not affect the outcome of this review.

We have more news this week from Section 23 telling us of 2 more new releases for our US friends!

Sentai Filmworks have brought out 2 anime series – “GLASS MASK COLLECTION 1” and “SPECIAL A COLLECTION 2”.

“GLASS MASK COLLECTION 1” is based on the manga series of the same name, and has even been made into a live-action series starring Yumi Adachi. Here’s the synopsis for the anime series:

Two Girls. One Dream. And the Entire World for a Stage. At 13 years old, Maya Kitajima seems destined to spend the rest of her life toiling in a crowded restaurant alongside her bitter and unstable mother; but when her incredible acting talent is discovered by the legendary diva Chigusa Tsukikage, Maya finds a new future filled with both golden opportunities and terrifying risks. For Ayumi Himekawa, success has always been assured, yet she longs to be recognized for her own talents and skills, not the family connections of her famous parents. For both, the ultimate prize is the role of The Crimson Goddess in the play of the same name, a part created by Chigusa and now portrayed by Ayumi’s mother. To achieve this goal, each must seek out and conquer every acting challenge, pushing the limits of their talent and endurance to the utmost, until they are worthy of the part…. But for one to win, the other must fail! The dramatic rivalry of a lifetime begins in the acclaimed first collection of GLASS MASK!

“SPECIAL A COLLECTION 2” is the continuation of where “COLLECTION 1” left us. Here’s a synopsis of what you can expect from the second collection:

The members of the S.A. may be exceptional, but that doesn’t keep some of them from being exceptionally dense! While Kei’s thoughts about Hikari may be leaning in one direction, Hikari still sees him as the obstacle that has to be removed. Meanwhile, Akira’s attempts to protect her friend Yui from Yahiro are having unanticipated effects, Jun is forced to reveal a secret he’s been keeping from the others, and every other person in the group seems to be in love with someone else, but never the right ones. Finally, to cap it all off, an outside force threatens to intervene in a way that will destroy the S.A. forever! Will Hikari finally figure it all out before it’s too late? If you thought the tangled web of relationships in the first half of Special A was complex, be forewarned that everything’s going to get even crazier before the spectacular climax of SPECIAL A – COLLECTION 2!

“GLASS MASK” has been available since January 19th, and is expected to cost $49.98US. “SPECIAL A COLLECTION 2” will be available from January 26th, and is expected to cost $19.98US. Both releases are rated PG, and are in Japanese audio with English subtitles.