Well, the second day of AX has come and gone as I write this, and I've
more news from industry panels.  I'm listing these panels in the
chronological order they were held:

Central Park Media: The really big news from their executive VP no less
is that they do indeed have Slayers Next!  Not just negotiating, or
begging for it, but actually in their hands.  They say it is most likely
to be released sometime in the second quarter of '99.  Shoujo Kakumei
Utena will follow a Slayer's style release, in that they have only
licensed and are releasing the first thirteen episodes.  If SKU is as
successful here as in Japan, the company has the option to pick up the
remaining 26 episodes.  Finally a midnight TV series titled Ping Pong
Club will be released under the Software Sculptors logo.  When asked
about this title, CPM"s reps were not saying much, only that when they
first got the masters, their own reaction was one of disbelief.  Utena
will be released in November, and Ping Pong Club sometime before
Christmas.  One more bit of news: CPM has been adamant at getting DVD
rights for all of their titles (except Slayers.) and have slated ten DVD
titles for release this year.

Pioneer:  Fushigi Yuugi will only be released in three to four episode
blocks.  That means there will be a minimum of 16 to 17 tapes in the
series (ungh!).  They also have the option of picking up the OVA's if
the series does well.  Shin Tenchi and Pretty Sammy TV have been vaguely
scheduled for sometime next year, which means that they're vapor for the
time being.  One tantalizing bit of information: Pioneer USA will try
their damndest to have El Hazard TV 2 in production by the beginning of
'99, with a summertime release in time for next years AX!  Alas, I have
no Tenchi OVA news, and all indications are that, while AIC has not said
no for future OVA's, they are saying "we'd rather do other things."
Some bad news though.  After the release of the Bastard music CD,
Pioneer is unlikely to pursue future domestic music releases for future
titles for various reasons.

ADV: MY GOD!  NO LESS THAN SIX TV SERIES NEXT YEAR!
Here they are:
1.Those Who Hunt Elves.  This is a short 12 episode series, which is
easy compared to:
2. City Hunter.  Not 26 episodes, not 52.  ALL 200+!  Including movies
and OVA's!  Even the ADV reps admitted that they will have to pack the
episodes as much as they can, or this will be in pending release for
years!
3. Sorcerer (Bukuretsu) Hunters: Yep, Carrot Glace and company are on
their way.
4. Sakura Taisen: Coming out sometime first quarter of next year.
5. Bubblegum Crisis 2040: Even before anyone in Japan has seen it!  ADV
will try to do concurrent release with Japanese distributers, which
means we can expect sometime next spring.
6. Nadia of Blue Waters: Both subbed and dubbed.  This was a suprise.

Other releases of note:
-TTS Airbats 801 part 2: Finally!
-Slayers' Movies and OVAs: Movie 1 will be available in August.
-Dear Marie is available now!

Addition to Bandai information:  In addition to the series listed in our
first post, CLAMP School will also be released this fall.

Okay, tomorrow are the Right Stuf and Viz panels, and we are going to
see if the rumors about Magic Knights Rayearth will be confirmed, and
hear more about Right Stuf's expansion into the direct sales market.

Brian D.
bdobberp@soca.com