This week is packed with new releases, from the heavy hitters like Evangelion 1.01, and other great releases from Black Jack and Pluto. Some re-releases as well, but overall a good week for anime and manga in general. I am most excited for Eva and Pluto, but that Black Jack volume is looking pretty tempting too.

How about you guys? Are you guys interested in Eva 1.01, or would you rather hit up the Dragon Ball Z Box Set? At Japanator we're really excited about Eva and have a few articles lined up tonight and tomorrow for your perusal, so be sure to keep checking back throughout the day for some awesome stuff.

In other news, I'm bad at doing this week in releases! (And crappy rushed photoshops.)

Those who pre-order a copy of Luminous Arc3:EYES, the next installment in the semi-popular SRPG/dating sim series for the Nintendo DS, will receive a bonus DVD when the game comes out in Japan. The DVD will include all three of the opening animations used in the series, special footage from the Luminous Arc web radio program, 70 wallpapers for your computer, and an animated music video of voice actress Aki Toyosaki singing "Seiya-sai ~Magic Night~", in-character as Shion.

To be frank, the bonus disc doesn't offer anything particularly noteworthy (although the "special footage" remains somewhat enigmatic), but the Luminous Arc series is known for presentation;having all of the OP sequences on one disc carries a bit more significance than you might think. I'm a big fan of the second game in the series, and the first thing I did after popping Luminous Arc 2 into my DS was watch the opening about four times. While the gameplay of Luminous Arc has received mixed reviews- personally I like it, but I like all SRPGs- the art and music have been on another level entirely. It's a series that lends itself well to the addition of any and all shiny bonus goodies.

The game will be out in Japan on December 10th. Atlus, darlings that they are, have released the last two games in the series (and I will be extremely surprised if they pass on this one), so we'll probably see an English-language version soon. Actually, maybe it's just as well that the bonus disc is nothing to write home about; if it were too interesting, I might be tempted to import this sucker, and that's just unnecessary when I have Atlus to act as my personal SRPG fairy godmother.

[via Anime News Network]

Did you watch Soul Eater the other day when FUNimation had it streaming? I hope so. What did you think?

If you enjoyed it and know it's one you have to get your hands on, FUNimation has announced the release date. The first volume, which will contain 13 episodes (half a season), is coming out on February 9. They'll be four half-season sets to complete it.

Some of the extras for Soul Eater have also been announced. They'll be episode commentary, a manga preview and textless songs. You don't actually have to wait until then to preview the manga, since the first volume is already out. But the second's also scheduled to be released in Februrary, so that sounds like a happy month for fans of the series.

Finally, we've hit a light week when it comes to releases. Some of the big items this week are Inu Yasha hitting the VizBIG format, the new volume of Ikigami and Jormungand finally starts up. There's also a few re-released box sets in the way of Giant Robo, Lyrical Nanoha and Tsubasa, RESERVoir CHRoNICLE -- although Tsubasa has a Blu-ray version coming out next week, so you may as well wait for that.

I guess that means these winter months will prove to be a good time to play catch-up on all of those series that have been collecting dust in my basement. Now that Me and the Devil Blues is out of the way, I suppose it's time to re-read Great Teacher Onizuka.

What's on your buying plate this week, readers? Or are you holding off and tackling something that you might think is the best thing ever?

Looking for a stocking full of shojo manga? Now would be the perfect time to pick up a ton of it, as Viz has dropped more than you could shake a stick at. There are a ton of series continuing in there that I'd love to read, as well as a few new ones like Beast Master.

If you're looking for some DVD releases, Afro Samurai, Bleach, and You're Under Arrest might be your orders for this week. Oh, and if you're into that sort of thing, we've got quite a few yaoi volumes on sale. It looks like releases are booming on the heels of Yaoi-con.

Let us know what you're picking up this week down in the comments!

Section 23 Films has announced list of titles -- both anime and live action -- that will be released in January. Some of these are complete sets, and others are season box sets, so this is a way to get a lot of episodes at once. There are also some movies in the midst.

The following are slated for release: Petite Princess Yucie Complete Collection,  Akiballion: Battlemaids of Akihabara Complete Collection, You're Under Arrest: Fast & Furious Collection 2, Female Combatants Battle School /Demoic Heroine in Peril Double Feature, Hidamari Sketch Season 1 Collection, Glass Mask Collection 1, Special  A Collection 2, Birthday Mail / Kokurri-san Double Feature, Neo Angelique Abyss Season 1 Collection and Tears to Tiara Collection 2.

 These ought to keep you busy for a while, right?

Welcome once again to the column that guarantees to make you poor: this week's releases! There are plenty of manga releases this week to eat up your wallet, and for the 18+ crowd, a good chunk of adult releases. C'mon, I know you guys check those titles out.

But what to buy? Well, the big-ticket item for me is the second Suzumiya Haruhi novel. I hadn't checked out the first one, but as soon as I finish Promenade of the Gods, I'll be making my way through both of the books. From everything I've heard, it shouldn't take too long.

Otherwise, check out the list after the jump for plenty from Del Rey and Yen Press this week.

No! Why must today's release list look so good? Why? Why? Why?

I can't spend money! And yet, there's Blood+, Escaflowne, Clannad, Vagabond, and Ichi the Killer all on this week's list of releases. It tears me up inside. Well, I suppose I had best start cashing in that pile of change I've got sitting in my room, right?

There are some other big releases packed in this week, too: volumes of Gestalt, Rin-ne, 20th Century Boys and a collection of Blassreiter are all hitting store shelves. I just got my copy of Blassreiter from FUNimation, and am looking forward to tackling it!

Good morning there! It's time to rise, shine, and pull out your credit card. We're seeing the companies here in America expand, and that's all thanks to you loyal readers and your spending habits! There's plenty to see here, so be prepared to walk away poor.

The most notable titles this week are on the manga side: Kodansha USA debuts with their releases of volume 1 of Akira and Ghost in the Shell, while Bandai has Lucky Star Vol. 2 ready to launch. If you're looking into picking up some anime titles, then why not go for the box set of Tokyo Majin? Or perhaps you're feeling naughty and want to watch Anime Sluts. I know, it's a real creative title, isn't it?

Well, check out  everything we've got down below. I'm sure you'll find something that interests you.

It's that time again: time to celebrate the world of capitalism here in the US of A by buying all the anime and manga you can afford. And there's quite a bit to pick up, as always. This week, we're looking at a slew of box sets, many of which I would just love to pick up: He Is My Master, Mushi-shi and Otoboku just to name a few.

Otoboku is more so I can torture my friends, though.

On the manga side, I'm surprised to see Kimi ni Todoke's second volume is already on store shelves. I've been dying to read it ever since Colette recommended it. Take a look at the full list after the jump, and let us know what'll be in your shopping cart this week!