Spring 2010 Anime Catalog TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE Welcome to our Spring 2010 Catalog! I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am that spring is fi nally here! After an incredibly brutal winter, I am ready to see the green return to the world! As we enter our 23rd year, I fi nd myself refl ecting upon the changes in our industry. Just like the changes in the seasons, the market has changed, with many new titles not fi nding a dub release, titles being released in half- or full-season sets rather than single volumes, and the availability of content on non-DVD mediums, such as streaming and video on demand. And, as I’ve said in the past, there has never been a better time to be an anime fan! There is so much value—you can really stretch your buying power, with new releases costing a fraction of what they used to, great fan-friendly sets of niche releases, and bargains galore to be found on catalog titles. We’ve got some great Nozomi Entertainment titles coming this year, including new seasons of Maria-sama, ARIA, and Junjo Romantica. Plus, there’s more up my sleeve, some of which may have slipped out by the time you have this in your hands. You can always check the latest news from Nozomi on the offi cial website (www.nozomient.com). Plus, we’re launching a new YouTube channel for our properties (www.youtube.com/nozomient), where you can watch our shows online! We’re continuing to bring savings to you at our RightStuf.com store, with lower everyday pricing and new products that we haven’t carried in the past. We have new deals on great items every day, with our expanded Shawne’s Daily Deals, our weekly specials, and super sales! I want to thank all of you for your continued patronage. Our customers are our passion, and we take your satisfaction very seriously. Tell us what you think—by email ([email protected]), Twitter (@animetoday), or on Facebook (www.facebook.com/rightstuf). We’re always here to help! Best regards, Shawne Kleckner President/CEO ARTICLE: FAREWELL TO ARIA 02 FAQ 04 GOT ANIME SAVINGS CLUB 06 DVD & BLU-RAY ANIME 07 LIVE ACTION 23 BOOKS JAPANESE MANGA 28 OTHER ASIAN MANGA 54 AMERIMANGA 57 NOVELS 59 ANIME & FILM GUIDES 61 ART BOOKS 61 COOKING 62 CULTURE & HISTORY 62 DRAWING & CRAFTS 63 LEARNING MATERIALS 63 TRAVEL 63 WALL ART 64 APPAREL 65 BAGS 68 MERCHANDISE 69 PLUSH 72 COUPONS 73 ORDER FORMS 75 ARIA THE ORIGINATION ADULT ITEMS SEALED Front cover image: ARIA The ORIGINATION © 2008 Kozue Amano / MAG Garden - ARIA Company. Back cover image: Maria Watches Over Us © OYUKI KONNO / SHUEISHA • YAMAYURIKAI III Licensed by d-rights Inc. Catalog Design © 2010 Right Stuf. All rights reserved. Production and Design by Right Stuf. All images are copyright of their respective owners. Opinions expressed may not be those of Right Stuf. Right Stuf cannot be held responsible for typographical errors. For comments or questions about this publication, please email the company at [email protected] Visit us online at www.rightstuf.com Farewell to ARIA They say all good things must come to an end, and with our combined release of ARIA The ORIGINATION and ARIA The OVA ~ARIETTA~ this March, so too does ARIA – going out on the highest note possible. While it’s no easy task putting together 52 episodes, one OVA, four booklets, and hours upon hours of extras all the while maintaining the quality Nozomi is known for, ARIA is one of those rare gems and working on it has been a wonderful experience. When it comes to ARIA, the superlatives come easy. The show is beautiful, from the striking landscapes, to the gorgeous music, to the bright smiles of the characters as they greet each other for another day in Neo-Venezia. Not a single aspect of the series was left to languish behind the others, and every piece harmonizes together to create a beautiful, relaxing experience. It’s as if we are its guests and ARIA is an Undine – guiding us down the Grand Canal and then slipping down a side waterway to point out a hidden delight. (Aika: “No sappy lines allowed!”) But while ARIA’s art is amazing and the show’s fi delity to the actual Venice is stunning, what truly makes ARIA stand head and shoulders above the rest is its characters. Watching Akari, Aika, and Alice grow over the course of the series and learn more about their city and chosen profession, they work their way into your heart until you can’t help but laugh, smile and, sometimes, even worry with them. The main characters, along with the rest of the rich cast, grow perhaps the most during this fi nal season. We see them interacting with others they haven’t before, and thinking, not just about training, but of the futures lying ahead of them. Changes big and small are in order, and jaws dropped more than once as we fi rst reviewed the tapes from Japan. Neo-Venezia grows too, and we see new sides of the city, not just from Akari and her friends’ points of view, but also through the eyes of Alicia, Akira, and Athena. Eventually, the plot threads that have been running since the very fi rst episode all come together for the grand fi nale, and it’s an incredibly satisfying ending – not to mention a real tear-jerker! If you take the time to watch some of the many included interviews, you’ll fi nd the Japanese cast was sorry to leave the show, but they were also happy to have been able to give it such a good send off, pouring their hearts into making each scene hit just the right tone. We can only echo that sentiment here at the Nozomi offi ce. Though there were times when lining up all that on screen text drove our subtitlers crazy and there were so many extras that we had to give them a disc of their own, it was such a relaxing show, full of heart and wonder, that we didn’t mind the extra effort. Aika would scold us again for expressing the sentiment, but the place won’t be quite the same without an Italian canzone fl oating through the air. It’s not everyday you get to work on a show this special, and we’re glad we had the opportunity. Venice now feels like an old friend, and the natural rhythm of the seasons has taken on new meaning as we try to look at the falling snow and budding fl owers with Akari’s wondering eyes. But time marches on, and there’s always another new project. Being here at Nozomi, odds are high it’ll be a good one, but there will always be a place in our hearts for Akari and her gondola, gently fl oating down the canals of life. The fi nal installment of the ARIA series ARIA The ORIGINATION DVD Collection (Also includes ARIA The OVA ~ARIETTA~) Now Available Find out more at aria.rightstuf.com ARIA The ORIGINATION © 2008 Kozue Amano / MAG Garden - ARIA Company. ITEM LISTINGS of the screen while the actual voices What region is my player? representatives at 1-800-338-6827 in orders. Please review the specifi c Are there more shipping we will reimburse your shipping costs basis. As such, these items are only are still in Japanese. Dubbed means If you purchased your player from a or email us at [email protected] restrictions of the coupon to see if it options available? to return the item to us. listed on our online store, so if you’re Ratings System the music is (probably) intact, but the retail outlet in the U.S., it should be can be applied to your mail-in order. Additional shipping options are looking for a particular item, please How long is an item “out of stock”? To benefi t our customers, we have voices have been redone in English. Region 1 for DVD players and Region available for orders placed by phone The packaging said it would check our online store or contact implemented a rating system for In our online store, subtitled items are A for Blu-ray players. You can check With a few exceptions, item delays can I saw a special deal / daily deal on or through our online store. include (special item), but mine customer service. many of our products based on the represented by (S) and dubbed items the region coding on your player by be measured in days. There are some the website. Can I put it on my doesn’t have it! manufacturer’s suggested rating for are represented by (D). You will also freak delays, but 2-4 weeks is usually Why don’t you have (title here) audio looking for the region code symbol on mail-in order? How much is shipping for box sets? Unfortunately, we have no control FAQ each title, as well as input from our see (Hyb), which means that both the the player’s packaging. a safe fi gure. However, please keep See coupon explanation above. Box sets are considered single items over what the manufacturers decide soundtrack from Japan? own staff. subtitled and dubbed versions are on in mind that some items are directly for shipping purposes. to place inside of their products. See the above question regarding DVD Region Codes: the same disc. imported from Japan and may be Why do you hold my order for 12 days Sometimes the manufacturers do imports.