There’s Something Manabi In The Air

もっとAddendum: They just updated again. Here’s the text:

Details announced!
We’ve decided to release a BD box in perfect HD!
Let’s sing the Seioh Gakuen school song at the Bizan Summit!

This is an event where we’ll be talking more about the decision to release a completely HD Blu-Ray boxset!
Let’s sing the Seioh Gakuen school song at the top of the Bizan summit together with Ai Nonaka!
Maybe there might even be some awesome extras in the Manabi BD box?!
Blu-Ray Disc release details can be found here -> http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/manabi_bd/

Don’t worry if you can’t read the details about the BD on that site, because Anime News Network’s got you covered. Very interested to see how the reshot of episode 12 looks like, because I bet it’ll be fantastic.

Addendum to Addendum, 10/6: Blu-Ray announced. In full HD, presumably with all the trimmings of the DVD releases. No release date or price set yet, although I’d bet on “later” and “sounds about right for R2 BD”. Also announced: “Manabi Straight Time” at MachiAsobi vol. 7, featuring Ai Nonaka (Mika Inamori) — I presume it’s a panel — on October 9, for an hour and a half. So that makes it different than the 10/8 mystery screening, which might be a preview of the BD version? Heyyy, I’m game. I guess we should expect ufotable to have all their cards on the table by the end of that panel.

Also, insert Ai-pon fansquealing here. Okay, I’m done, g’night, hehh. ▲

Addendum, 9/20: The MachiAsobi site has since then announced that they’re screening the entire series from 2 to 8 this Saturday 9/24 for 1000 yen per four-episode ticket for a total of 3000 yen (but 2500 yen if you intend on watching ’em all). However, a schedule flyer posted to the Tokushima Prefecture website also tells of something on October 8, for free, plainly labeled “screening”…for one hour. What Manabi-related things can you show for an hour?! THE PLOT THICKENS. ▲

(image credit Gigazine)

Speaking of anime series I like…there’s something going on with Manabi Straight.

Like, something timely. Really timely. Like, posted yesterday while I was asleep, so I didn’t catch it at first.

Like the above picture of a couple of guys setting up advertisement posters for Machi★Asobi vol. 7 — posters of Haruka Amami, Newtype’s Moving Pictures Festival, Manami Amamiya, and Saber.

Of course, I’m trying to get your attention to the one character second from the right who’s not been seen since something like 2008, when the final DVD went on sale. If that was the end of it, I’d imagine ufotable just wants to rip my heart apart by getting my hopes up. Well, let’s examine the evidence, shall we?

ufotable’s got this tradition of having seiyuu do the announcements for the ropeway funitel system at Bizan every time MachiAsobi comes to town. For example, last time, they had Miyuki Sawashiro do the announcements during MachiAsobi vol. 6. Here’s a video of Aki Toyosaki doing the announcements during vol. 4 (thanks, Gigazine).

Two weeks for Manabi. Three days (or a typo) for Fate/Zero. In either case, two weeks for Manabi? Might as well make a megamix of old ufotable productions. Toss in some Coyote Ragtime Show, Dokkoida, FutaAlt…unless you’re doing something with Manabi. Which, you know, might be the case.

Let’s take a look at exhibit number 2. This is a poster advertising what’s getting featured in Machi★Asobi vol. 7. To the right are representative works being featured, of which Manabi is really close to the top of the list. Cool! Obviously ufotable’s doing something like a marathon of the entire series and calling it quits or something, because they wouldn’t actually do what I think they might actually do, right?!

Oh, wait, here’s exhibit number 3.

Yeah, uh…I might opt to hold my breath for this one. Don’t disappoint, ufotable!!