leetNEET

In school they always tell you not to copy others' works, but what happens if your textbook is guilty of that very act? Esteemed 2channel users have spotted an oddly familiar face in a French guide to the Japanese language. Perhaps it is a coincidence, but it doesn't stop there. They went so far as to track down the source image to prove that this had to be a serious case of TRACE ON. You'll find the incriminating evidence of this Simmons-style homage below.

Nico Nico Douga will be streaming the first episode of the English dub of the hit anime, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica next week. The first episode is scheduled to air Friday, February 10, 2012 at 11:30 PM EST on the Nico Nico Live program. Fans who live in Japan, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand will be able to tune in to watch. After the episode there will be a special segment with three of the English voices behind the characters.

English speaking viewers can watch the stream on Aniplex USA's NicoNico channel.

Source: [Presepe] via [ANN]

UPDATE: Added link to stream.

Funimation announced at Ohayocon, last week that they have acquired additional rights to the popular series from last season, Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai (I Don't Have Very Many Friends) which is known as Haganai for short. Although the company originally had the streaming rights to the series, they have now added broadcast, home entertainment, merchandising, mobile and additional streaming rights to their arsenal. Furthermore, a DVD and Blu-Ray release is already planned for the anime which is based on a series of light novels by the same name.

Although the winter season is still in its infancy, upcoming Spring 2012 Sakamichi no Apollon (Kids on the Slope) is so notable that we have to talk about it right now. The series which is based on an award winning manga by the same name is notable for more than its awards and the fact that it will be airing as part of the Noitamina programming block. The series' trailer (which you'll find below) and official website have indicated that director Shinichirou Watanabe of Cowboy Bebop fame will be reuniting with composer Yoko Kanno (also of Cowboy Bebop fame) to work on the anime upcoming anime adaptation.

The series, which is based on Yuuki Kodama's shoujo manga, follows Nishimi Kaoru. Kaoru is a perpetual transfer student, who befriends his new school's class president, Mukae Ritsuko, and its local delinquent, Kawabuchi Sentaro. While they seem like they have nothing in common, it's their love of jazz that brings them together in a coming of age story with heavy emphasis on music. With a subject matter like that it's no surprise that such a stellar team has been assembled for the series. Check out the trailer and staff list below.

It sure has been a while since we've last heard any news on Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakama-tachi (Ookami-san and Her Seven Companions). In fact, the last time we heard about it was when Funimation announced that they had licensed it at Otakon 2010. Today Funimation unleashed the English dub of the 12 episode anime series on their website as well as a trailer on youtube which you'll find below. The English dub voice cast has only been revealed to Funimation's premium video service subscribers so far. It also shouldn't come as a surprise that a Limited Edition DVD / BluRay combo pack for the series has now been posted online with a release date of April 3, 2012.

Two days ago, we blacked out our website in protest against the US legislation known as the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) & the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA). We'd like to thank you for supporting our decision to do so. While we do not condone piracy, we would rather deal with it over the loss of a free and open internet. The end result of participating in such a drastic move along with major websites like Google, Wikipedia & Craigslist is that 7 million people signed Google's petition against both bills, 162 million people saw the Wikipedia blackout and 8 million of those people went on to get the contact information for their representatives. All in all it was the largest internet protest action to date and in effect has been successful.

Earlier this morning Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) tweeted that just like SOPA, voting on PIPA has been shelved indefinitely. While this is cause for celebration we're not out of the woods yet. The price of liberty is to remain ever vigilant against those who wish to take that liberty away. There will come another time when we are faced with that same threat from legislators who try to legislate technologies they do not understand. As a result, it's necessary that we all remain informed and not grow complacent.

Alright my non-American friends, take your bandwidth caps off, we're in for a wild ride. Anime streaming site, Crunchyroll has added full 1080p streaming for some of their anime titles. As of press time, we are not aware of any other anime streaming site that allows this kind of bandwidth abusing but eye pleasing streaming.

They plan to offer the 1080p option to paid subscribers, starting with approximately 20 titles which include Naruto Shippuden, Bleach & Nisemonogatari. HD-philes should probably take note that it's rare for 1080p to even be broadcast on TV so it's possible that Crunchy's 1080p option is really an upscale from either 720p or 1080i.

via UK Anime Network

It's the most wonderful time of the year~! Okay, not really. But it's pre-convention season here in New York, which means that planning is underway for the upcoming anime conventions in our area. On a related note, have you or a friend ever wished that you could do more than just sit in the audience of a panel at a convention? If the answer to that question is yes, then we have a chance you won't want to pass up!

SpringFestNY, the largest free anime convention in the NY Tri-State area, is looking for some amazing fans to host panels at their convention this upcoming March. "We want people who have never hosted a panel in their life to come and spread their passion to all of our friends at SpringFest", says PAS President Adam Edwards. If you're interested in hosting a panel, you can submit your idea via their panel registration form.

For those of you looking for something a little more passive, regular guest registration also started today! You can sign up on their eventbrite page. SpringFestNY has always had a special place for us here at leetNEET since it's the first convention that we ever covered. We'll be there this year too, so come on out and say hello!

For more information about SpringFestNY visit: http://springfestny.com/.

Listen to me readers, I am your reporter. Crunchyroll is cutting it very close with these licensing announcements. They announced just some time ago that they will be simulcasting Papa no Iu Koto o Kikinasai! (Listen to me Girls, I am Your Father!) starting today at 1 PM EST. They will be making the anime series which is based on a light novel and has an upcoming game, available to viewers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. You can find a PV and the official synopsis below.

Following up on their earlier simulcasting announcements, Crunchyroll has revealed that they have the digital distribution rights for the fourth and final installment in the Zero no Tsukaima franchise, Zero no Tsukaima F. The series is scheduled to air in Japan starting January 7 and will begin streaming in North America at noon on January 8.

The entire cast is returning to their previous roles for the series along with new members for new characters. Ichiko who has performed the opening theme for each season of the anime is also returning to the this season's opening theme, "I'll Be There For You" (which is not the opening theme song to Friends).