A year ago today, we went ahead and let the world know as to what titles we wanted to see come our way in the year of 2009. A lot of titles were announced, with everything from Spice and Wolf to Sengoku Basara getting picked up. Titles like Peepo Choo and Twin Spica are going to see the light of day here in the US.
But what about what we wanted?
Some of our hopes and dreams were granted, while others are still sitting by the wayside. We're working on our 2010 licensing wishlist, but for now, why not take a look back to see just how in-line our tastes were with the licenses announced in 2009?
The works of Junji Ito or Tsutomu Nihei
Zac is a big fan of horror and cyberpunk, so it's no wonder he asked for more of these two authors' works. We hadn't heard anything of Junji Ito, but apparently the folks at Viz will be publishing Tsutomu Nihei's Biomega, which has got Zac in a happy little fit. Good job, Viz!
Yotsuba&! manga
Oddly enough, Zac also wanted more Yotsuba&! We've got the good people at Yen Press to thank for this wish getting granted. They've re-released the volumes of Yotsuba&! that ADV put out, did some redesigns and re-translations, and are working up to the latest volume in Japan. Good job, guys.
Kuroshitsuji anime
Colette begged and pleaded for this one. Lo and behold, at Aniplex's booth (which is where Bandai was hanging around) at Otakon, they had a giant poster for Kuroshitsuji hanging up. Whenever I asked questions, they deflected to talking about Kannagi or another show. Technically there's been no announcement, but we all know what's going to happen.
Persona anime
Dale and a number of others asked for this one nicely, but to no avail. While Atlus has been notoriously successful with the Persona franchise, there's been no word, nor any immediate desire, to bring the anime over. We can try again next year, but is there still that clamor for it?
Hidamari Sketch anime
A very cute show, Matthew asked for it and I had to agree: Hidamari Sketch should make its way over here to the US. Yen Press was already publishing the manga, and it had a decent following, so why not? Well, Section23 answered our call, and we'll see the first season hit stores in Februrary!
Macross Frontier
It's never going to happen. I don't understand why these people keep their hopes up.
Kaiba
One of the most interesting anime to come out recently (that none of us watched), Kaiba is one of those titles I'd love to watch, but I don't know if it'll ever come out here. There's always a chance in 2010, right?
Chi's Sweet Home
Not surprisingly, Colette wanted this one to come out. I'm presuming she just wanted to get her hands on anything Chi-related, and so she's getting her wish with Vertical publishing the Chi's Sweet Home manga. They've done an excellent job on the series, at least from the proofs that I saw. Can't wait to get my hands on them!
Spice and Wolf
I honestly don't know why I requested this. I guess I just wanted to watch some moeconomics? Well, I got my wish, and Spice and Wolf is out on DVD, thanks to FUNimation. I should probably go out and buy it, then.
Shimura Takako's works
If requesting Spice and Wolf was my one wish granted, then I really screwed the pooch. I've long been a fan of Takako's works, especially Hourou Musuko and Love Buzz. So, to not see them get picked breaks my heart. I can hope and pray that they'll get licensed, but since they're from a small publisher, I don't see that happening immediately.
Well, we came out at 5 (two half-wishes) out of 10 licenses granted. Well, we guessed 50/50, which I guess isn't so bad. I wonder how our 2010 guesses will go.
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