Along with a list of hidden secrets in all of the previously aired internet anime Mugen no Ryvius : Illusion, is the third episode of the comedy-filled mini series; with a small love-triangle-comedy opening act by Kouji, Aoi and the mysterious lady Neeya from space vessel Ryvius.

For more information concerning this series, visit TV Tokyo's official Mugen no Ryvius website at:
http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/mugen/news.html

The August 2000 Replay: The Newsletter put out by the Musicland Corporation is a special anime issue which may just help boost anime awareness to those unenlightened. Featuring a DragonBall Z cover, A Brief History of Anime by Patrick Macias, and tons of box cover scans and info bytes, the book makes for an great collector's item.

Interesting still is the fact that the newsletter came polybagged with CPM's Record of Lodoss War: The Grey Witch #1 manga and a AltaVista/SamGoody.com Free Internet Access CD. Just another reason why SamGoody, On-Cue, Media Play, and Suncoast retail stores are leading the domestic anime revolution.

Following the successful i-mode (aka "Mobile Web") service "Sakrua Taisen Keitai Club", Sega Enterprises announces the opening date for their second i-mode Sakura Taisen service - "Sakura Taisen Renbun Roman" (aka "Sakura Wars Love Letters Romance") starting September 1st.

Members who subscribe to this service will be introduced to an entirely original Sakura Taisen storyline written specifically for this online service and given the chance to pick from a wide range of occupations for their character in this on-going game. By exchanging mails back and forth with the members of "Teigokukagekidan" (the secret Imperial strike team that Sakura is a part of) and other characters in the game, players will be given the chance to control the flow of the storyline and relationships between each character in the game. Replies from members of the "Teigokukagekidan" varies each time depending on the letter you sent. The service will cost its users 300Yen each month.

From the maker of "Ao no Rokugou" (aka "Blue Submarine") and "Melty Lancer", a brand new sci-fi series is scheduled to make it's debut on the WOWOW channel starting October 3rd in Japan. The new series "Vandread", originally a manga series by Mori Takeshi (published on the monthly manga magazine Dragon Jr.) will be partially made up of computer generated graphics.

Similar to the storyline of Gall Force, the new science fiction adventure is about two different planets located near the center of the galaxy and the on-going conflict between the male-only planet "Taraaku" and the female-only planet "Mejeeru". Benefitting from these big wars are three male pirates - Hibiki, Bato and Duero.

For more information concerning this series, visit their official Japan site at:
http://www.vandread.com/

A preview movie in RealVideo format is also available online under the preview section of the official site (also featured on the Special CD released by NewType).

One of Japan's longest lasting anime series (with over twenty movies besides the long running TV version) will be celebrating it's 30th anniversary with a two CD soundtrack - "Dora - Can" containing all the theme songs used in this classic anime series about a robotic cat from the future. Released late last month on the 20th of July, the special CD package will also include original illustrations from the creators of the series over the years.

Additional information concering the Digimon ride: Digital Monsters that will be featured in the interactive ride in the Sanrio Puroland Theme Park are: Agumon, Gabumon, Tentomon, Piyomon, Parumon, Teirumon, Patamon, Gomamon, Buimon, Hawkmon, Arumajimon and Pikodebimon. For a direct link to the offical page containing pictures of the Digimons mentioned above, visit Toei Movie Group's Japan site at:
http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/digimon02/entry.html

Like many popular anime series, Card Captor Sakura will be joining in with a game title of its own on the Playstation game console. Entitled: "Tetris with Card Captor Sakura - Eternal Heart", the CCS game will be priced at 5800Yen and is scheduled to be released on August 10th. Expect to see some new artwork from CLAMP on the game cover and on the backgrounds within the game.

Here's an extra bit of information for CCS collectors: the third illustration collection "Illustration Collection - Cheerio! 3" for the anime version of the CCS series, featuring artwork used in some of the Japan anime magazines, original artworks and interviews from the staff members of the CCS Project, is expected to hit the shelves in Japan on August 31st with a price tag of 1800Yen.

Bandai Visual announces their new partnership with the OMG Movie Production Committee in the up-coming OMG movie scheduled to be released on October 22nd. An extra premium clip from the new anime series "éX-Driver" will be shown back-to-back with the OMG movie as the first part of a special treat for the loyal fans of the OMG series. The second part of the treat? For the first 30,000 fans who purchases their tickets for the October OMG movie in advance starting August 25th, each will receive a collectable cellphone strap with their purchase.

A Playstation game inspired by the "éX-Driver" series is also in the works, expected to be out this Fall.

Like many of the anime series, a video game version of "Ao no Rokugo" (aka "Blue Submarine")is scheduled to be out on September 28th, from Gonzo, Bandai Visual and Toshiba EMI, makers of the popular full digital animation series.

The double disc "Ao no Rokugo Antarctica" game for the Playstation platform consists of both SLG (Simulation) and ADV (Adventure) mode, characters from the original anime series are all expected to appear in the game with high quality graphics. A special limited edition video - "Ao no Rokugo Digital Plus" in DVD and VHS format is already on sale, featuring detail information on the new characters and new mechanical designs which will be used in the "Cinematic Simulation" game this September.

The long awaited episode two of the online mini animation series "Mugen no Ryvius : Illusion" (also known as "Infinite Ryvius") is now available online free of charge. It had been close to three months after the last episode of the original series was aired on March 22nd this year. Four episodes in total were expected to be released through "Ryvius" official website on TV Tokyo's web server in Flash 4 movie format (with four different versions to fit various connection speeds). For more information on the original or web format of this series, please visit TV Tokyo's official website at:
http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/mugen/news.html

The mini series features most of the cast from the TV anime series in a brand new environment and a storyline that is entirely separate from the original.

* To gain access to the online movies, choose "Online Anime" from the left panel then choose one of the episodes shown.

"Kimi no youna Megamini, zutto sobani itehoshii..."
(I would like you to stay beside me, forever... like the Goddess that you are...)

With these few simple words, Morisato Keiichi reveals his true feelings to the Goddess of his life - Belldandy once again... What makes these words so different from those he already said in the OVA series? This time, these words won't be heard from the videos at home, but on the big screen. Twelve years had passed since the debut of Fujishima Kousuke's "Ah! Megamisama" (aka "Oh! My Goddess") manga series. And now, years after the ending of the OVA and the "Mini-Goddess" series, Keiichi and Belldandy will meet again.

Through the hands of Matsubara Hidenori, the characters featured in the movie edition will look far more mature compare to the previous OVA releases few years back. New characters are expected to appear in the movie (apparently, meaning the four new members of the Motor Club), one of whom will take center stage is the new mysterious member of the Motor Club who has what it takes AND the intention to pull Keiichi away from Belldandy's arms! As the new girl inches her way toward Keiichi during the welcome party for the new members, Belldandy suddenly breaks the glass in her hands and rushes out of the room... was it out of jealous? Or was it something else? What is going to happen between Belldandy and Keiichi?

"Ah! Megamisama ~ Otasuke Megami Jimusho ~" is scheduled to be released on October 21st in Shochiku theatres all over Japan. For more information, visit Shochiku's OMG movie site at:
http://www.shochiku.co.jp/cinema/megamisama/index.html

Like many of the major cities in the US, people living around the downtown Houston area were given the chance to enjoy yet another bit of Japanese culture through the theatrical release of "Parasite Eve". Made in 1996 (released in Japan theatres back in 1997), the two hours long real life action-horror film was based on the original novel written by Sena Hideaki. Though it has the same title, the movie version is much closer to the original story in the book than the Playstation version in terms of storyline. And in the story, the main focus was on the events that happened long before the portions that were mentioned in the Parasite Eve game, the life of Nagashima Seimi, wife of Japan Biologist Nagashima Toshiaki and the first ever host of the Mitrocondria Virus.

* Did any of you in the Houston area see this movie? If you did, we would love to a first person review of the movie from you! ^_^ Write to any of our staff members if you were lucky enough to be there!

Starting July 20th, "Digital Monsters" fan in Japan will be able to enjoy a new ride / 3D show at the Sanrio Puroland Theme Park inside the "Yume no Time Machine" building. Twenty one different creatures from the anime series are featured in the twenty three minutes pod racing ride, dressed in racing suits. For those of you who are going to visit Japan soon and would like to know more about the ride, visit Sanrio Puroland's Japan official site at:
http://www.sanrio.co.jp/spl/spl.html

An English version of the page is also available at the following location, with road maps, pricing informations and other useful informations:
http://www.sanrio.co.jp/english/spl/spl.html

The famous artist Fujishima Kousuke from "Ah! Megami Sama" (aka "Oh! My Goddess"), "Taihou Shichauzo!" (aka "You're Under Arrest") and of course the world famous "Sakura Taisen" series, rises to stardom once again with his involvment in the brand new OVA anime series "éX-Driver". Different from his usual style as an active player in anime productions, this time manga and anime master Fujishima Kousuke will take a backseat role in the production of "éX-Driver", as the Planning Director and Character Planner ("Character Planner" in Japan Animation productions generally means the person who's responsible for the original character design in both artistic view and in terms of their personalities, backgrounds and so forth that these characters have)

The story of "éX-Driver" take place in the near future, when cars are no longer driven by humans, but by computers equipped with Artificial Intelligence systems. And as our world today, computers aren't always reliable as they should be... And whenever these AI-driven vehicles go beserk, the beautiful female dual - Miss Endou and Miss Sakaki of the "éX-Driver" team will be dispatched, to stop these wild metallic monsters the old fashion way - High speed chase on the open road!

The first volume of "éX-Driver - Report One : AI VS RECIPRO" had just been recently released on July 25th in Japan.

* For more information check out the "éX-Driver" Official Japanese Website at:
http://www.ex-d.co.jp/

One of Japan's most favorite mascot inspired and created by the creators of the Gamers Magazine returns with a brand new mini series. Entitled: "DiGi Charat Summer Special 2000", the cute characters from the anime series DiGi Charat will be back with a total of four brand new episodes starting August 22nd on the Japan TBS network. And as part of the tradition, the opening theme song - "Cutie" will still be sung by famous female artist Okui Masami as it was in its previous season. And as the first part of the pre-release promotional campaign, the CM areas onboard all the trains running the "Seimu" line will be filled with DiGi Charat commercials to prepare the general public for the release of the new DiGi Charat Summer Special coming late August.

A new mini game - "Kurukuru Pettan" featuring Digiko and new character Piyoko for Windows System is also available for online purchase via the DiGi Charat site for the price of 600Yen.
http://www.broccoli.co.jp/service/index.html

Emotion Corperation (of Bandai Visual) had recently announce the release of the third installment of the "Sakura Taisen" anime series in DVD and VCD formats starting September 25th. Although it will be the third installment to the Sakura series, the storyline of the TV series, previously aired in Japan in the Spring season will be entirely separate from the two previously released OVA series.

The story of the TV series will start from the very beginning when Shinguji Sakura first arrived at Tokyo. Various minor changes in the plot are also expected. The TV series will be consisted of a total of 25 episodes, with only one episode in the first volume and three in each of the preceding volumes.