Anime Expo News: Dragon Ball Super and Attack on Titan Projects Announced

While this past weekend found most people at BBQ parties and shooting fireworks, thousands of anime fans instead traveled to Los Angeles for this year's Anime Expo. The event, which ranks as the largest anime convention in North America, was packed with cosplayers and industry insiders who were prepping to break big news about upcoming manga and anime titles. And, yes, that means fans are getting access to new Dragon Ball and Attack on Titan projects.

So far, much of the news has been focused on upcoming manga titles as various publishers have managed to license works from Japan's Shonen Jump. However, the news that has fans most excited is that Viz Media announced they had secured rights to published the popular Dragon Ball spin-off, Dragon Ball Super. The revelation, however, wasn't all too surprising considering the publisher recently uploaded the series' first two chapters to its website for free reading. Viz also announced they would be releasing the Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V manga and Rurouni Kenshin's omnibus editions in-print at some point in the near future.

However, one of the expo's biggest draws came in the form of Attack on Titan panels. When Kodansha Comics teased they were heading an unprecedented collaboration between Japanese mangakas and Western comic artists/writers, Attack on Titan fans were ecstatic. Familiar names such as Gail Simone, Faith Erin Hicks, Scott Snyder, David Lopez, Jody Houser, Sam Humphires, and more will all be contributing work to the collection, Attack on Titan Anthology. And, during Anime Expo, a panel focused on the upcoming publication was held to tease fans about franchise's future. It was there that Kodansha announced they were publishing Attack on Titan Adventure, an interactive light novel which will work similarly to other 'Choose Your Own Adventure' stories.

As far as anime goes, Crunchyroll excited fans when the site told fans they'd acquired rights to the show Kabaneri. And, most excitingly, the company confirmed they were planning to expand their physical merchandise to include dubbed animes on DVD and Blu-Ray. Currently, Crunchyroll has announced they will be releasing the following titles in hard-copy: Berserk, Free! Iwatobi Swim Club, Gintama, Myriad Colors Phantom World, Yamada-kun & the Seven Witches, and Big Order.