Author: Editor

“AM2 PROUDLY ANNOUNCES CELEBRATED STUDIO BONES CHARACTER DESIGNER AND DIRECTOR TOSHIHIRO KAWAMOTO AS THE FIRST OFFICIAL GUEST OF HONOR FOR HIGHLY ANTICIPATED 2012 CONVENTION

“A Founding Member of the World Famous Bones Anime Studio Comes to this Summer¹s Most Anticipated Anime, Manga and Music Convention this June 15-17, 2012 at the Anaheim Convention Center and Anaheim Hilton! Get your Passports
Today and Experience the Difference!

“LOS ANGELES, Calif. (February 17, 2012) ­ Celebrated character designer and director, TOSHIHIRO KAWAMOTO, of such famed animes as COWBOY BEBOP, MOBILE SUITE GUNDAM ZZ, MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM 0080, MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM 0083, TEKKAMAN BLADE, BLOOD THE LAST VAMPIRE, ESCAFLOWNE, MOBILE ANGEL ANGELIC LAYER, WITCH HUNTER ROBIN, FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST, SCRAPPED PRINCESS, EUREKA SEVEN, OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB, GHOST IN THE SHELL and outside of Japan as the character designer and animation director for the beloved many more will attend this summer¹s most aniticipated anime, manga and music convention AM2 (June 15-17, 2012; Anaheim Convention Center and Anaheim Hilton). More info and attendee registration can be found at www.am2con.org

“Kawamoto founded the world famous anime studio Studio BONES in 1998 with Masahiko Minami (former Sunrise producer) and Hiroshi Ousaka (animator colleague who passed away in 2007. He has an animation career that spans over 25 years and has a long list of high profile works but is best known for his work as the character designer and animation director for the ever popular anime, COWBOY BEBOP.
Continue reading “Toshihiro Kawamoto guest of honor at AM^2 2012”

“ANN has confirmed with Tokyopop Senior Vice President Mike Kiley that the company will shutter its Los Angeles-based North American publishing operations on May 31. The company’s film and European operations will be unaffected by this closure, and its office in Hamburg, Germany will continue to handle global rights sales for the company.

“A PR representative working for Tokyopop CEO Stu Levy informed ANN that ‘TOKYOPOP will announce the future of specific titles and other releases in the coming weeks.’

“In a post on the website for Tokyopop’s America’s Greatest Otaku reality web series, Levy announced that he will spend the next year in the Japanese prefecture of Miyagi, making a documentary about the effects of the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake disaster (Higashi Nihon Daishinsai) of March 11. The proceeds of the documentary will go to support the victims. He also posted a farewell message on the official Tokyopop website.”
News: Tokyopop to Close North American Publishing Division, Anime News Network, April 15, 2011

In their heyday, Tokoyopop was very generous to J LHLS with review copies and swag. I hope their former and remaining employees find jobs worthy of them. Good luck.

J LHLS suggests you buy those Tokoyopop and BLU titles while you can, fanboys and girls.

Edit 04/16/2011:  Why close it when they could have sold it?  I wonder.  Anyone know?