It’s been almost a full year since we’ve seen a preview, but now we’re getting psyched up to watch the whole thing! Halo Legends is now on Blu-ray and DVD this week, ready to bring home and watch on repeat. The film is an unprecedented gathering of the finest talent in Japanese animation that have drawn together to explore the mystery and action of the Halo universe. Eight episodes and a stunning range of visual styles shed new light and epic perspective on Halo lore, developed by 5 different studios: Bones, Casio Entertainment, Production I.G, Studio4 C, and Toei Animation, financed by 343 Creative, and distributed by Warner Bros. Shinji Aramaki, creator and director of Appleseed and Appleseed Ex Machina, serves as the project’s creative director. (more… )

SailorMoon is a classic anime adventure, and remains one of the most popular toon series of all time. It has been credited as popularizing the idea of teaming magical girls, revisited in so many other series; PowerPuff Girls, Winx Club, etc. The girl team of Sailor Soldiers or Sailor Scouts can transform into heroines named for the moon and planets (Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, etc) and are destined to defender a kingdom that once spanned the solar system, using their magical powers to fight evil. Now, Toei Animation is partnering with Backstage to re-launch the anime series in Italy. Mediaset has already acquired the TV rights, ready to air the first season this fall, joining other Toei toons, like Dragon Ball, Saint Seiya, and One Piece. (more… )

The adventure is not over yet, there’s still more treasure to be had!  The super teams responsible for One Piece (Funimation Entertainment, Toei Animation Co., Shueisha, Fuji Television Network) are teaming up to bring new episodes of the manga-based, pirate anime to the U.S. and Canada.  Beginning this Saturday, August 29th, new episodes will stream online at www.onepieceofficial.com an hour after they first appear in Japan, with new episodes to continue airing every week.

Towards the end of July, we announced that Microsoft would release Halo Legends, a seven-part animated miniseries based on the Halo video game line. By the middle of August, we were able to give you the first glimpse of footage — flashes of anime brought wonderfully to life by the super team of developers; Bones, Casio Entertainment, Production I.G, Studio4 C, 343 Industries, and Toei Animation. Now, the folks at IGN have sat and analyzed the teaser video, revealing a bunch of potential secrets and spoilers. Wanna see what they see? Check out their review video, after the break!

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A few weeks ago, we reported that Microsoft was working on an anime project for the Halo video game. Ever since then, we can’t stop thinking about the possibilities! The seven-part miniseries, titled Halo Legends, is being developed by Bones, Casio Entertainment, Production I.G, Studio4 C, 343 Industries, and Toei Animation. The plan is to release the Warner Bros. DVD and downloadable forms (likely of the iTunes variety) in the spring of 2010… but why wait til then? Check out some quick teaser footage in the video below the break!

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Toei Animation is working to bring Latin America fans of anime a whole new line of products. They will be working with Panini and Chenson in Mexico to produce Dragonball Z magnets and Saint Seiya backpacks; with Cordez and Cardebras in Brazil to produce Dragonball Z bags and One Piece notebooks; with Corp. Industries Plasticas in Peru to produce Dragon Ball folders; and with Global Partners, Creative Hats, and Distribuidora Latapy in Argentina to produce binders, sunglasses, and skateboards for Dragon Ball Z, One Piece and Saint Seiya.

If you’re a gamer and a Dragon Ball fan, then say hello to your new best friend Namco Bandai Games America. The company has acquired the exclusive rights (at least within the U.S.) to publish all videogames based on the anime and manga series Dragon Ball, for the next 5 years. The deal with Toei Animation and Funimation Entertainment includes all major consoles and handheld platforms; Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii. PSP, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360.

If you thought Master Chief was cool before, you haven’t seen anything yet! At the San Diego Comic-Con, Microsoft has revealed plans to create an animated miniseries called Halo Legends, based on the video game series. The anime style cartoon is being developed by 5 different studios: Bones, Casio Entertainment, Production I.G, Studio4 C, and Toei Animation – all working together on the seven-part series, which will be released on DVD and “digital platforms” in early 2010 through Warner Bros.