FanimeCon 2008

Broccoli International USA

Presenter: Jonathan Kung, Marketing Coordinator

Kung opened the panel by stating that he would give no new licensing announcements. He did, however, review the upcoming Broccoli titles, as well as answer some questions regarding titles that have seemingly disappeared or are no longer being produced.

The first title on the list was Koi Cupid, a collection of short stories about cupids in training. The title is aimed at younger girls and is scheduled to be released in two weeks.

World of Disgaea Vol. 2 will be released in the second week of June. It was temporarily help up by Nippon Ichi Software, but the title will be out and on sale for US$19.98.

Another project that Kung discussed was the creation of Cosmode USA. Broccoli International is working on finishing up this cosplay magazine title right now, and anticipates the release to be in the second or 3rd week of July. Cosmode USA is based off a popular Japanese cosplay magazine, Cosmode. The magazine features numerous photographs and articles about cosplayers, famous cosplay photographers, and "How-to" sections that outline how to make things like cloth hats, wings, or other such props for cosplaying. It will be released in a 200-page hardcover format for US$19.98. Kung stated that Broccoli International hopes to publish one of these every three to four months.

sola, a two-volume series revolving around a young girl who is unable to be in sunlight, is scheduled to be released in the first week of July.

Nui! is a three-volume series, the first volume being released in the first week of August. It tells the story of a high-school girl who can bring her stuffed animals to life, as well as cause them to transform into bishōnen to protect her whenever she is in danger. Honoka Level Up!, a manga exploring the inside of the Japanese game industry from a young female character designer's point of view, will also be released. Devil Princess vol. 3 will be released in August, with Galaxy Angel vol. 4 releasing in November.

Disgaea 2, vol.3 is slated for an August release, though Kung could not confirm that it would be released exactly on time.

The release date for the Pandora Hearts manga is still to be announced.

Two other interesting titles, Cigarette Kisses and Sex Friend, were also discussed. Cigarette Kisses is slated for a mid-July release, while Sex Friend is scheduled for a release soon, though an exact date could not be given.

Two titles were announced to be on an indefinite hiatus: Galaxy Angel Party 3 as well as Leave it to Pyoko. Kung stated that a limited run sold solely at conventions is possible. Another possibility is for Broccoli International to talk to Bandai about posting the titles on dot-anime. No definite solutions were announced at this time.

Before opening for questions, Kung commented on the animegamersusa.com site for its now-shuttered physical storefront in Los Angeles. He explicitly stated that the site is no longer being paid for, and should no longer be in existence.

Following the announcements, Kung asked the audience questions, as opposed to taking questions, in order to understand a bit more of what the anime community was looking for in releases. Audience members highlighted their desire for not only licensing announcements, but fast delivery following a license announcement. When asked the question regarding fans preference: box-sets vs. single releases, a majority of the audience communicated that they favored the box-set or "half season" releases that Bandai and Funimation are currently working on. Improving prices combined with more value for the consumers' money were major factors in this. When asked what the anime-community valued more, quality or speed, the vote was almost unanimous in saying quality. They would rather pay and wait for a quality product (in the manga industry) than pay less and get a badly formatted, poor edit of a manga.