Anime Box Office & New Gainax OVA: Highlights!

Pokémon and Princess Mononoke continue to perform well at the American box office! Pokémon: The First Movie, now in its fifth week of release in North America, brought in $1,184,559 this past weekend, landing it in ninth place on the Daily Variety movie chart. To date, the film has grossed a remarkable $82,369,077. Meanwhile, Princess Mononoke, in its third week of wider release (after a seventh week in limited release), earned $128,630, sliding from the #25 to #30 position. Miramax’s limited release of Princess Mononoke has accumulated $2,142,914 so far.

New Gainax OVA Series: Furi-Kuri

Studio Gainax has a new project in the works: an original animation video (OVA) series titled Furi-Kuri. The first of six volumes is slated for release in March. The animation will be handled by Production I.G, with art direction by Hiromasa Ogura, animation direction by Imaishi Hiroyuki, and character designs by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto. Fans eagerly await this next installment from the renowned studio.

A "Pokémon World" Theme Park Coming to Kyoto!

Nintendo Co. president Hiroshi Yamauchi recently announced plans to build a "Pokémon World" theme park in Kyoto, Japan, based on the beloved Pocket Monster franchise. According to Yamauchi, Nintendo is seeking assistance from the Kyoto municipal government to find a suitable location for the park, either within or near the city. Construction is planned to begin a year after a site is secured.

“The municipal government has agreed to help in the search for a suitable location for the theme park as it will add a new attraction to the city’s ancient temples and shrines," Yamauchi stated. The park, potentially as large as the Tokyo Dome (approximately 47,000 square meters), is expected to draw Pokémon fans from around the globe, leading some to already compare it to Japan’s answer to Disneyland. Yamauchi has expressed his ambition to make the Pokémon characters as universally popular as Mickey Mouse.

Pokémon 2 Release Date Announced

Warner Brothers has officially set the American theatrical release date for Pokémon 2 (often referred to as Pokémon the Movie 2000) for July 21st.

More Adventures with Yang Wen-li: Legend of the Galactic Heroes Side Stories

Tokuma Shoten is releasing a series of seven monthly Legend of the Galactic Heroes side story OVAs, spanning from December through June. These new releases will spotlight the iconic character Yang Wen-li, once again voiced by Gouda Hozumi. Noboru Ishiguro (Macross) will serve as chief director, with animation produced by Studio Madhouse and Artland. This is exciting news for fans of the epic space opera!