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FMA Brotherhood OVAs Delay and Other Manga Entertainment Updates

Manga Entertainment has released the eighth in its series of podcasts (88 minutes), featuring Jerome Mazandarani with Andrew Partridge (of Kazé UK and Anime on Demand), Jonathan Clements, Andrew Hewson and host Jeremy Graves.

The collection of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood OAV episodes, previously scheduled as a blu-ray/DVD combo pack on October 15, is delayed. According to Mazandarani, “We don't have a new street date yet, but it should be out before the end of November.” The reason was the subtitles on the check disc were found to be out of synch with the Japanese dialogue. Manga will be unable to confirm a new release date for another two weeks.

The U.K. edition of the Tiger & Bunny TV series will be split across four volumes. As extras, they will contain issues of a paper magazine (Hero).

Toshio Maeda (Legend of the Overfiend) is confirmed as a guest dealer at the London MCM Expo, selling his self-published artbooks and posters at his own dealer table. There will be two exclusive Maeda designs, presented as high-quality A2-sized lithographic prints (100 copies each), signed and numbered by the artist. “We picked something that was evocative of Legend of the Overfiend, but not too full-on,” Mazandarani says.

Mazandarani confirmed that Manga Entertainment will not release the game spinoff feature Mass Effect: Paragon Lost; another distributor has picked up the film.

The U.K. blu-ray edition of Puella Magi Madoka Magica will be Region B, only playing in Europe.

Asked what were Manga Entertainment's biggest-selling titles (excluding hit long-running series such as Bleach, Naruto and Fullmetal Alchemist - Brotherhood), Mazandarani cited the following:

- Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence sold over 90,000 copies, plus another 40,000 packaged with the original Ghost in the Shell film, and about 2,000 copies on Blu-ray.

- Origin - Spirit of the Past sold over 70,000 copies, making the U.K. the best territory in the world for this film. (Mazandarani suggests that it benefited from having an eye-catching, "Ghibli-esque" cover.)

- The Girl Who Leapt Through Time has sold over 60,000 copies.

- Ichi, a live-action film about a blind swordswoman, directed by Fumihiko Sori (Vexille), sold 32,000 copies. (It should not be confused with Ichi the Killer, Takashi Miike's violent live-action version of the manga of the same name.)

- Devil May Cry sold over 23,000 copies; Panda! Go, Panda! sold over 20,000; and Hellsing Ultimate has sold over 15,000 copies per volume.

There will "definitely" be more steelbook releases after Ninja Scroll.