This weekend saw the gathering of thousands of anime fans at Anime Boston (Boston, MA) and Animazement (Raleigh, NC). At both cons, news of licenses and plans for the future were released by some of the largest (and one of the smallest) names in the industry. Staff reviewer Tsukasa took it upon himself to brave the crowds of Animazement in order to deliver the word from AN Entertainment. While we were unable to cover Anime Boston live from the show this year, the Anime on DVD crew was at the event, and has collected information from Media Blasters, ADV Films, and FUNimation.

At Animazement, AN Entertainment announced that the company has acquired the rights to the Haré+Guu OVA series, Haré+Guu: Deluxe. AN has the first option on the seven-episode Haré+Guu Final OVA series, but has not officially obtained the license as of yet. This part I would rewrite to say: AN is not negotiating further licenses at this time. The reason they give is that the highest quality results from working on one show at a time.

At Anime Boston, Media Blasters announced that it has obtained the rights to Zebra: a live-action film. Media Blasters is currently co-producing a new Kite OVA. Details are scant at the moment, but it is confirmed that the title will be 45 minutes long, and will focus on a new girl in a similar manner to the original Kite. It is possible that the OVA will see a 2007 release. GaoGaiGar's first volume release will have at least five volumes on the disc, and will be released in two formats: disc-only, and bundled with an optional artbox. Media Blasters is currently looking into a possible TV broadcast of GaoGaiGar. When asked about HD formats, the company announced that it would be passing on both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD.

ADV Films announced that it has acquired rights to distribute Jinki: Extend.

FUNimation formally announced its acquisition of Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid at its panel, along with Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad. Beck's license announcement was delayed because FUNimation wanted to iron out all potential legal issues with the series, so the show would not have to be edited a la Kodocha.