Otaku, No Video

ANN:  Want to watch some anime legally? Like, all the way through? Online? The Anime Network and Funimation have launched separate initiatives to do so, by putting their anime on YouTube…as rentals.  Here are the details:  You pay through Google Checkout, and it’s only available in the U.S.  Anime Network shows are $2 per episode  or $5 for movies for a seven-day rental. Funimation is renting only TV shows and they’re only a buck per episode, but they only last for 24 hours.  Anime Network’s titles are mostly B- and C-list shows; Burn Up! OAV, Daphne in the Brilliant Blue, UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie, and Funimation has a small but more modern selection: Sands of Destruction, El Cazador de la Bruja, Bamboo Blade, and Spice and Wolf.

ANN: The ASOS Brigade — which is the American publicity branch for Bandai Entertainment’s Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya release, has announced that the contract’s been signed for the second season of Haruhi to be released in the U.S. So, for all of you wondering what the Endless Eight would be like…your wait will soon be over.

ANN: The final Blu-Ray Disc of K-ON! was released this week in Japan. Why is this notable? It sold 31,000 copies in a week, making it the #1 Blu-Ray Disc that week according to Oricon. It was only the second K-ON! Blu-Ray to do so, after volume 1 sold 33,000 copies.

AnimeNation.net: Finally, Gonzo’s not dead yet! The troubled studio has been tapped to produce a bonus OVA for the Japanese Xbox 360 release of Super Street Fighter IV. This after Studio 4ºC did an OAV for the original Street Fighter IV that, according to AnimeNation.net at least, was widely panned. Wow!