Another Genvid scoop for you tonight. I've taken a look through a Japanese book called the "Licensing Character Directory 2007," published by Nikkei, which is one of Japan's premiere business media sources. I present my findings to you below.

A bit of background: This book is an industry tome, weighing in at 900+ pages and costing over $700 per copy. I don't have the kind of money to buy something like this myself; I looked through the copy available at the Tokyo Central Library in Arisugawa Park. I also don't have a scanner in Japan so I'm afraid we'll have to make do with digital photographs of copies that I took.

Thanks Jon for sending me the following from the Washington Post:

A few weeks ago Tokyo Anime Insider dropped a nice little bomb in one of their video podcasts, yet somehow no one noticed: Toei Animation , one of Japan's oldest animation studios still in existence is in talks with Apple to distribute anime from its catalog via iTunes.

There's currently no word on what titles they're considering releasing, or even if non-Japanese consumers will be able to access them. But a glance through their catalog still makes me jittery with anticipation. Several Toei titles are already distributed in North America, such asDragon Ball,Digimon, andSailor Moon; but there are plenty of other classic/fascinating/geeky/just plain weird titles that I'd love to see, likeKen, the Wild Boy,Cutey Honey, and--crossing fingers!--the delightfully bizarreBoBoBo-Bo Bo-BoBo.

This news is third-hand stuff, I'm not sure where the original source is coming from and it's sounding a lot like the rumor mill game with the Lohan movie, but is interesting nonetheless.

Something like this would work out fine with the Japanese market, but could be very difficult in the English market, where Toei's works are spread out among difference licensers, dubs, subs, etc.

UPDATE: ANN has noted the Lohan interview.

It seems that the Lohan rumor continues. Both we and AnimeNewsNetwork pointed out that there was nothing in Animage. Keep in mind, though, that that is ALL we have stated, that it was not in Animage. FYI, from this interview:

The people behind the upcoming big-screen adaptation of the Japanese manga series "Sailor Moon" have sent her some materials to look at, she said, and fans have begun lobbying hard for Lohan to play the titular character, a rail-thin blonde known for her strong powers and sexy costumes.

Before we begin, let me mention that we've filled 9 of the Warriors of Legend Tour's 10 slots, and will be closing the tour for registration within the next few days. The level of commitment from Sailor Moon's fans blows me away and I'm honored to be guiding this group.

If everything goes well, when the tour concludes on June 30th, 2006 (Usagi's birthday), I'll be writing a letter to Takeuchi, explaining what we did on the tour and including some photographs of those in attendance. I think she will be absolutely thrilled by it.