Archive for the ‘Japanese Culture’ Category

FUNimation Claims Nearly One-Third of American Anime Market September 9th, 2008

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FUNimation Claims Nearly One-Third of American Anime Market

ICv2 reports that during the first half of 2008, VideoScan data shows FUNimation responsible for 32.7% of all American anime DVD sales followed by Viz in second place at 15.9%, ADV third at 10.5%, Bandai fourth at 7.7%, and Media Blasters fifth at 5%. VideoScan numbers do not include Wal-Mart, which may sell as much as 30-40% of all anime in the U.S.. If Wal-Mart were included, it’s likely that the market shares of both FUNimation and Viz, which have numerous titles in Wal-Mart video departments, would be larger than those listed.

FUNimation was the only anime distributor with sales up over the same period in 2007. While Viz held steady, unit sales by all of the other anime producers were down, some precipitously.

Source: http://www.icv2.com/

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Saving the Forest that Inspired Miyazaki September 7th, 2008

asianknight7664
Saving the Forest that Inspired Miyazaki

If you’re a fan of Hayao Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro, you probably already know that there’s an organization that’s working hard to preserve the forest that inspired Miyazaki to create the movie. If not, don’t worry because now you know. The organization is none other than the Totoro Forest Foundation and they have raise well over $45,000 USD in a charity event.

They’re not alone though, the director of Toy Story, John Lasseter, also helped raise money via silent auctions in his Pixar Animation Studios headquarters. Joining them are a few hundred artists contributing their work that you can view them in San Francisco’s Cartoon Art Museum.

Check out the full article from Anime News Network for more information on the auction and the museum’s viewing schedule. Interested in learning more about the the Totoro Forest Project? Then visit the official site to learn about the organization working hard to preserve the forest and upcoming events.

Source: Anime News Network

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