21/07/2012:

Manga Entertainment unveil new licenses at MCM Manchester Comic Con

Another MCM Comic Con event almost inevitably means new licensing news from the UK's anime distribution powerhouse Manga Entertainment, and today's MCM Manchester Comic Con was no different in that respect, with the company's Jerome Mazandarani taking to the stage - after a minutes silence as a mark of respect to the victims of the tragic shooting in Colorado yesterday, it was time to talk about forthcoming releases and unveil some new acquisitions.

Starting with those new licenses, the company had a few major new acquisitions to life the lid on:

Guilty Crown - Production I.G's twenty-two episode action series, originally broadcast under Fuji Television's noitaminA programming block, will be coming to the UK on both DVD and Blu-Ray, bringing us the story of a seemingly unremarkable boy named Shu Ouma in a world darkened by the spread of the so-called "Apocalypse Virus" - a blight on the planet which is more serious than anyone can imagine and a mystery to which Shu and those around him seems to hold the key.

Fractale - After teasing the probability of being licensed for some time, Manga Entertainment have now confirmed that they hold the rights to this original noitaminA anime series directed by Yutaka Yamamoto.  Set in a future ruled by the so-called "Fractale" system which regulates mankind's stability, Clain has his world shaken to the core as he becomes involved in a fight between those who would have this system destroyed and others who want to ensure its continued place at the head of humanity.  The series will be released in the UK on DVD on December 10th.

Aria the Scarlet Ammo - Previously available to view in streaming form via FUNimation Entertainment's YouTube channel (from which we reviewed its opening episodes here), this series revolves around an academy for wannabe detectives known themselves as "Butei" - a kind of private detective force for hire that have powers above and beyond those of the normal police.

Jormungand - After having its first series streamed in the US by Viz Media, and with a second season on the way, Manga Entertainment have picked up this tale of Koko Hekmatyar, a young and extroverted female arms dealer as she goes about her exceedingly dangerous business filled with larger than life characters.

Moving on to other news, Manga Entertainment stated that they "maybe" in discussions regarding licensing Steins;Gate for a UK release and would expect a Blu-Ray release of the series to be a "safe bet", while also stating that sales of Dragon Ball Z will be an important factor in the company working towards getting One Piece licensed in the UK in anime form.  The company also discussed the recently announced delay to the remastered Blu-Ray release of Ninja Scroll, citing the delay as being caused by huge demand across the industry for the packaging within which this release will be housed.  It's also been confirmed that this re-release will contain a twenty-page booklet on the film written by Jonathan Clements.

Jerome also took this opportunity to confirm release dates for a number of the company's forthcoming titles from October onwards: For starters, the first season of The World God Only Knows will ship on October 1st, Chaos;Head and the second volume of Blue Exorcist will arrive on October 22nd on DVD, and of course Puella Magi Madoka Magica will reach the UK on DVD and Blu-Ray on October 29th.

Moving into November, remember remember the 5th of November as the release date for series four of Dragon Ball Z, before December brings a number of previously unannounced release dates for us: After the Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike movie arrives on DVD and Blu-Ray on December 3rd, we have the aforementioned Fractale on December 10th before Christmas Eve brings us Gintama: The Movie on DVD, the first part of Persona 4 on both DVD and Blu-Ray (with a special Collector's Edition of this release also in the works), and the first Berserk movie is also slated to arrive on that date.

So there you have it, another outpouring of new information and announcements for you to mull over.  What will you be looking forward to from Manga Entertainment's latest acquisitions?  Let us know in the comments section below!