03 July 2011 - Los Angeles, CA

We at MangaGamer are excited to announce our license of Dengeki Stryker, the sixth and newest game from OVERDRIVE. A mad mashup of crazy comedy, hot-blooded heroics, and lovely ladies, Dengeki Stryker is sure to make a splash.

When Yuuki Yamato fails to keep his childhood friend from being bullied, a stranger offers to grant him any wish in exchange for a memory. Unfortunately for Yuuki, a four year old’s memories aren’t worth much and though he may have lost them all in the trade, he’s reborn as his favourite anime hero, Dengeki Stryker, a cyborg created to defend Japan from the evil Balbora empire! Can Yuuki remember his childhood friend? Can he make peace with the wacky foreigners next door? Can he afford the cost of food with Ninja Jack hanging around?

With planning and prototyping by OVERDRIVE’s own Shinji Katakura and featuring animation inserts by Shinichi Watanabe (Excel Saga, The Wallflower), OP Theme vocals by the legendary Masaaki Endoh (JAM Project, King of Braves GaoGaiGar), and music by Milktub, Dengeki Stryker is set to be an all-star smash.

The demo for Dengeki Stryker is set for release in Autumn 2011, with the full release in early 2012.

This time, we're proud to introduce several major game companies who will joining us from Japan for the first time this year.

Hail, T-Ono Denizens. I've recently graduated a State college with a degree in English Literature. What does that earn me? A slim chance at landing a career oriented job in a market that's pretty shaky. We've all ridden the dismal roller coaster ride that has been the mutating, transforming, and twisting of the anime and manga industries and endured the effects, and right now that's hitting closer to home, for me, than ever before.

I've researched roughly thirty three video game and comic book companies in the U.S. and Canada (woo dual citizenship), and so far the only jobs I have a realistic shot at getting are with Lucasarts. Not a bad deal by any stretch of the imagination, but come on. It's Lucasarts. I'm probably in line behind how many scores if not hundreds of applicants? The flip side is, I can more easily land something in QA testing for video games, but most of those positions are in Los Angeles or out of state, and moving that far for contractual work is a silly, silly idea.

Specifically, as far as anime and manga go, there's pretty much nothing but tumbleweeds and wishes floating across the internet. Honestly, with Viz scaling back and having posted and filled two jobs in the past year, Tokyopop shutting down it's North American manga localization, and Funimation shifting ownership, a lot of the big names are either shut down or shut out when it comes to new career options, but not to worry!

Fortunately for you and for me, in the coming months I'm going to attempt compiling a comprehensive list of all the manga, anime, and Japanese video game companies that have job openings. Once this list is made, I can hopefully update it on a revolving basis. Do you have any success stories of your own in this industry? Dismal tales? Let me know so I can share them in the news section!

It's all about community building, folks. Let's make it happen.

First of all I want to apologize for the sparse news updates. We're currently gearing up for another busy convention year prepping interviews, making arrangements for film and photography rights, and scheduling.

On the website side, we are also currently moving things around, applying much delayed revisions to the layout, and a whole bunch of other updates. This is a time consuming process but I think it will be worth the wait.

We're also lucky to have several new people who joined the site this year, and the work and ideas they've put out has been invaluable. We'll be actively recruiting new members so if you're interested, feel free to drop us a line on our contact page.

Expect to see improvements over the weeks!

Santa Ana, Calif. – NIS America is excited to announce the fall release of Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland in North America and Europe exclusively for the PlayStation®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system! Atelier Totori follows the story of a new alchemist and her travels around Arland several years after the events of Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland. Fans of Rorona will surely enjoy Totori’s story as well as the more in-depth synthesis and battle systems!

Introduction:
The small fishing village of Alanya on the Arland Republic’s southern border is home to the young alchemist-in-training Totooria Helmold. She is called Totori by her friends and family, and she wishes to become a great adventurer. One day, she resolves to make the journey to Arland, become an adventurer, and explore the world beyond her hometown. She will make many friends along her journey of discovery — some new, some familiar. When her quest comes to a close, your actions over the course of the game will dictate whether she finds the answers to her questions, forge unbreakable bonds with friends, or take different paths entirely.

Game Features:
•Travel and map the Republic of Arland over several years, exploring dozens of unique locales.
•Synthesize hundreds of items: ingredients, weapons, armor, and explosives to help you on your journey.
•Classic turn-based RPG combat brings strategy and a sense of nostalgia for gamers new and old.
•Several unique endings to experience will keep you playing even after finishing it the first time.

For more information, please visit www.NISAmerica.com/games/atelier-totori

About NIS America

NIS America is a subsidiary of Nippon Ichi Software, Inc., a Japanese company famous for its unique line of strategy RPGs including titles such as Disgaea, Prinny, and Z.H.P. In 2003, NIS America was established in Southern California to publish exciting and innovative game titles for North America. Today, NIS America has expanded to bring various products from Japan, like video games, animation, and collectable items. NIS America’s team members devote themselves to the fans. Our respect for our fans is at the heart of everything we do. As a growing strategy RPG publisher in the U.S., we are committed to continuous improvement and dedication.

Santa Ana, Calif. –NIS America is proud to announce the release of Cladun x2 for the PlayStation® Portable this summer in North America and Europe! Cladun x2 will be available exclusively on the PlayStation® Network in both regions. The first installment of the series, Cladun: This is an RPG!,was highly praised among fans and critics. In order to provide an even better experience, developer Nippon Ichi Software, Inc. has added more content and replay value to Cladun x2!

Game Information:

Dive back into the world of Arcanus Cella with a new cast and a new adventure! Take on the role of a wandering warrior trapped in a dangerous pocket-sized world filled with more monsters, more weapons, more dungeons and more danger than ever before—and there's only one way out. ClaDun x2 has twice the thrills, twice the spills, twice the lovable classic-ness of the first!

Game Features:

•Explore a new version of Arcanus Cella with new characters and dungeons!
•Delve beyond dungeons and into Ran-geons, New-geons, and all-new Tri-geons!
•Adventure alone, or bring a friend along with Network Play!
•Upgrade your crew to infinity in order to keep the Main Character safe!
•Tailor your gameplay experience—customize your character's appearance, weapons, and even the background music!

For more information, please visit www.NISAmerica.com/games/cladun2

About NIS America

NIS America is a subsidiary of Nippon Ichi Software, Inc., a Japanese company famous for its unique line of strategy RPGs including titles such as Disgaea, Prinny, and Z.H.P. In 2003, NIS America was established in Southern California to publish exciting and innovative game titles for North America. Today, NIS America has expanded to bring various products from Japan, like video games, animation, and collectable items. NIS America’s team members devote themselves to the fans. Our respect for our fans is at the heart of everything we do. As a growing strategy RPG publisher in the U.S., we are committed to continuous improvement and dedication.

Santa Ana, Calif. (May 13, 2011) – NIS America, Inc. is proud to reveal today the summer 2011 release of Bleach: Soul Resurrección, a heart-pounding action game for the PlayStation®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system . The new game is based on the popular animated BLEACH series from VIZ Media, and is the first BLEACH game for the PS3™ platform.

“There are numerous anime-based video games, but many fall short in gameplay,” says Jack Niida, Producer at NIS America. “Bleach: Soul Resurrección faithfully represents the anime series with its beautiful cel-shaded graphics and combines it with amazing gameplay. The game style is simple enough for action game beginners, yet has enough features to satisfy hardcore players. The game follows the battle against the evil Arrancars, but there are times when you will be able to play as the enemy. This is especially exciting if you follow the manga closely, since you can be characters in the manga that are normally forgotten after being defeated.”

“BLEACH is one of the most popular anime and manga properties to ever be released in North America, and the new Bleach: Soul Resurrección video game incorporates many familiar characters and storylines from the series,” says Aadil Tayouga, VIZ Media Licensing and Brand Analyst. “We look forward to the success of this new release and to working closely with NIS America as they add an exciting new dimension to this celebrated property.”

GAME INFORMATION

Based on the popular manga/anime series, Bleach: Soul Resurrección depicts the battle between the Soul Reapers and the army of evil Arrancars that threaten the peace of the world.

Bleach: Soul Resurrección gives players the sensation of single-handedly destroying an army of monsters and evil spirits with lightning-fast swordfighting action. Gamers can re-live the experiences of various characters from the anime by closely following the original story. The environments are faithfully reproduced with beautiful cel-shaded 3D models that will satisfy even the most devoted fans. Bleach: Soul Resurrección will give gamers an unparalleled anime action game experience.

GAME FEATURES
•21 playable characters from the hit anime/manga BLEACH
•Massive free-roaming action/adventure game with beautiful anime-inspired cel-shaded graphics
•Various game modes, including: Story Mode, Mission Mode, and more
•Customizable character leveling system: unlock status enhancements and add special abilities through a customized “character map” for each playable character

For more information on Bleach: Soul Resurrección, please visit www.nisamerica.com/bleach/. For more information and to view free streaming episodes of BLEACH (rated TV-14), please visit Bleach.viz.com or www.VIZAnime.com.

About NIS America

NIS America is a subsidiary of Nippon Ichi Software, Inc., a Japanese company famous for its unique line of strategy RPGs including titles such as Disgaea, Prinny, and Z.H.P. In 2003, NIS America was established in Southern California to publish exciting and innovative game titles for North America. Today, NIS America has expanded to bring various products from Japan, like video games, animation, and collectable items. NIS America’s team members devote themselves to the fans. Our respect for our fans is at the heart of everything we do. As a growing strategy RPG publisher in the U.S., we are committed to continuous improvement and dedication.

About VIZ Media

Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media) is one of the most comprehensive and innovative companies in the field of manga (graphic novel) publishing, animation and entertainment licensing of Japanese content. Owned by three of Japan’s largest creators and licensors of manga and animation, Shueisha Inc. Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media is a leader in the publishing and distribution of Japanese manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and South America, and is a global ex-Asia licensor of Japanese manga and animation. The company offers an integrated product line including the popular monthly manga anthology SHONEN JUMP magazine, graphic novels, and DVDs, and develops, markets, licenses, and distributes animated entertainment for audiences and consumers of all ages.

At a figure show earlier last week, figure Maker FREEing unveiled a whooping 1/4 scale figure of the voluptuous Satelizer el Bridget from the hit series Freezing. She will be released some time in September with no current pricing information available. Freezing originally was a manga written by Dall-Young Yim and illustrated by Kwang-Hyun Kim and was later adapted into an anime in early 2011.

_{Source: Moeyo}

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (May 6, 2011) – The "most powerful Japanese Girlie Pop Rock" band, SCANDAL, is scheduled to appear and perform at AM2 – this summer's most anticipated anime, manga and music convention this coming 4th of July weekend. More info can be found at www.am2con.org

Fans will rock out to the all-girl rock band sensation with Haruna Ono (vocals, guitar), Tomomi Ogawa (bass, vocals), Mami Sasazaki (guitar, vocals) and Rina Suzuki (drums, percussions, keyboards vocals). Scandal's music has been featured in anime series and films including BLEACH, FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST and a host of others.

This year Wondercon presented a slew of excellent panels about the comic book and video game industries. Some of them served as direct Q&A sessions about breaking in, while others dropped insider news about where things are going for everyone. I'm going to talk about each panel in the order that I saw them, so check out the title of each section before you dig in!