Rainy Day Report: 7/21 - 8/3/14

This is the Rainy Day Report for August 4th, 2014, covering your weather from July 21st to August 3rd. Here at the Rainy Day Report, we look back to make the most accurate forecast. This report, we can say with certainty that abnormally strong winds will ground aircrafts, while having little effect on calm seas. Read on for more information on your coming weather.

Monthly Ikki Magazine announces replacement magazine | Plans for running series

The now closing Monthly Ikki Magazine (to close late September) has announced a new magazine will be coming, with more information set to appear on the current magazine's last day of publication. The new magazine is set to launch proper sometime in 2015. The magazine has also announced their plans for still running series, including those that will end, continue in full volumes, or be published in magazines elsewhere. Monthly Ikki Magazine has been around for fourteen years, housing such interesting works like Bokurano, Dorohedoro and House of Five Leaves.

F. Javier Gutierrez set to direct the third US The Ring film

A new entry in the US The Ring series has been announced with a new director. The Ring was originally a Japanese horror film that was remade for American audiences, starting a surge of J-horror remakes and standing out as one of the few truly good movies of the movement. The last film in the series came out in 2005, nearly a decade ago. The new film is being directed by F. Javier Gutierrez, a Spanish film maker with few credits to his name besides Before the Fall, a film about a coming apocalypse. It's difficult to predict how this new film will come out, but with the return of the main producers, things appear to be going right. Hopefully Mr. Gutierrez proves that he has an eye for horror.

Hello Kitty dictionaries recalled for mature language

In a humorous bit of news that most likely cost a few people their jobs, a series of Hello Kitty dictionaries have been recalled. The dictionaries in question are child friendly mini dictionaries filled with definitions of simple words with cute pictures on every page, but a few words and definitions that shouldn't be there found there way in. For example, another definition for "necklace" describing an African execution method was included, as well as the word rape and its definition. It looks like somebody wanted to find a way to quit their job in the most creative way possible.

Japanese government and anime/manga companies take action on digital piracy

With major losses from piracy in China and America, Japan's government and various production and publishing companies are taking a harder stance on rampant piracy. As of writing, requests to remove regional licensed content from scanlation, torrent, and illegal streaming sites (among others) are being sent out to around 580 targeted sites. On top of this, a stream and scan portal website has been set up by the "Manga Anime Guardians" project to point out places where series can legally be enjoyed. The site in question is still rather messy, but it could be a useful tool if it properly gets working. These actions are a softer approach to fighting piracy, usually the more effective method, and it will be interesting to see if these plans go well.

Ace of Diamond anime extended until March 2015

The popular baseball series Ace of Diamond series anime adaptation has been extended into 2015. Originally meant to end in the Fall, the series will be going into two further seasons with half a year of extra episodes. The long running series is a sports drama about two young boys who join a team and aim for the top of the league. Our own Joe Straatmann wrote a review of the anime back in July, in case you're new to the series and want more information.

Digimon celebrates 15th anniversary with a Digimon Adventure sequel series

With the franchise's big fifteenth anniversary now arrived, an event for the anniversary revealed that we would be seeing more of the original Digidestined very soon. A new sequel series for the original series has been set for Spring of next year, set to follow the gang as high school students. It's uncertain how this will effect the series continuity and Zero Two's place in that continuity. Little else is known so far, so it's unknown if any past staff will be returning from previous seasons of the franchise.

Anime Sols launches streaming campaigns for classic anime

Anime Sols, the crowdfunding/streaming site for obscure anime, has announced several new streaming crowdfunding campaigns. These campaigns are focused on old classics that never made it to American shores, such as Osamu Tezuka's Dororo and Tatsunoko's Space Ace, among many others. All the campaigns have a $2700 goal for thirteen episodes, and a few series have three episodes up for streaming right now to give viewers an idea of what's to come if the campaign is successful. There's a lot of interesting history here, so it may be worth your time to support these campaigns and get caught up on your anime history.

Studio Ghibli may stop producing theatrical productions for a set time

With the absence of Hayao Miyazaki, Ghibli has decided to shrink the size of its studio and possibly stop producing major theatrical works for a period of time. Producer Toshio Suzuki explained that Ghibli itself is not done for, only the current production of theatrical works. Without either Miyazaki or Isao Takahara, who have directed expensive but profitable projects, theatrical releases just don't offer enough financial return to allow them to continue being made. The studio will be made of mostly freelance employees from now on, working on small projects like music videos and advertisements. This hopefully won't be a long absence. The studio is mostly remembered for the many works of Hayao Miyazaki, including My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke and many others.

Harmony Gold cancels Robotech Academy kickstarter

The controversial Robotech Academy kickstarter has come to an abrupt end. Harmony Gold's attempt at creating a pilot for a new series and reestablishing the Robotech brand has failed, with the company deciding to end their crowdfunding campaign six days prematurely. At the time of closing the kickstarter, only a tad under two fifths of the $500,000 goal was reached, making full funding seem impossible. This goes to show that the Robotech franchise has lost the power it once had among the western anime landscape, and that far more people have become interested in the source series that Robotech was built from.

Kantai Collection anime premiers January 2015

An anime adaptation of the popular Kantai Collection card game is finally getting a release come the beginning of next year. Kantai Collection is a free-to-play card game turned multimedia franchise where Japanese battleships are re-imagined as cute girls with incredible powers, and it has become incredibly popular. The growing popularity could be compared to Touhou Project in terms of doujin production. The anime adaptation was supposed to get a release this year, but it was ultimately delayed till the start of the Winter season. Naome Ide and Mayuko Matsumoto are attached as character designers, a job they shared on last year's Gingitsune. Ide also has done character design for Akuma no Riddle and Problem Children.

New Anime
Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Bladeworks | Magic Kaito | Miritari! | Yuki Yuna wa Yusha de Aru | Cross Ange | Tribe Cool Crew

New Seasons
Junjo Romantica | Kamisama Kiss

New Movies
Naruto Movie 10 | Fate/Stay Night: Heaven's Feel | Tensai Bakabon: The Resurrection of the Dog of Flanders | Tamayura

New Manga
Code Geass: Oz the Reflection 02 | Setsuna Graffiti | Sasuke Uchiha's Shuringan Legend | Genma Taisen Rebirth

Manga Delays
Hunter X Hunter | Silver Spoon

Manga Releases
Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches & Let's Dance a Waltz

Streaming Releases
Bleach: Fade to Black (Hulu) | Tamako Market dubbed (AN) | Hunter X Hunter (Hulu) | Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack (YT) | Captain Harlock [CG Film] (NF)

Game Releases
Hatoful Boyfriend: Special Edition | Tears to Tiara II

Ending Manga
Kamagami no Asobi & Uta no Prince-sama | Danganronpa & Red Data Girl | Ten ni Hibiki | Golondrina