When “anime” meant going to a small aisle in the back of Blockbuster Video and perusing a motley collection of VHS tapes from publishers like Central Park Media and Streamline Pictures, Kite had something of a reputation for being crazier than its contemporaries, which were already plastered top to bottom in “ABSOLUTELY NOT FOR CHILDREN” stickers.

Filled with graphic sex and violence, Kite was banned in Norway and a number of other countries, released multiple times in the United States, and followed-up by a sequel, Kite Liberator, in 2008.

The live-action remake is helmed by South African director Ralph Ziman and features Samuel L. Jackson and India Eisley (The Secret Life of the American Teenager) in leading roles.

Sam Pinansky of Yomiuri TV Enterprise appeared on the Anime News Network ANNCast on May 3 to talk about “Anime Sols,” a new web site he helped found that might just change the way anime is sold in the west.

The goal of Sols is to open up an avenue for fans of old anime properties to support their favorite shows monetarily. Visitors to the site will be able to watch streaming episodes of classic anime for free. If they like a show, they’ll then be able to pledge money towards a goal (“around $15-20k,” according to Paninsky) which if met will result in the show getting a physical DVD release.

Kickstarter-like incentives, whereby backers can pledge more money to get special bonuses like figurines or original production materials, will also be available.

From Yuasa's Kick-Heart project to the upcoming Anime Sols video site, crowd-funding has been a big deal in our corner of the woods lately. Even in some of the smallest niches of the fandom, people are toying with the idea. The story I'm about to tell you will probably go down as the most unusual otaku Kickstarter of the wave: a fight between a game developer that doesn't want its games translated and a fan translator that wouldn't take no for an answer.

Little Witch Romanesque is a 2005 visual novel/simulation game by littlewitch (and one definitely not safe for work or young eyeballs). The visual novel niche in the west is among the tiniest in an already small niche. There are only two very small players (JAST and Mangagamer) doing legal releases, and fans filling in the rest of the space with unofficial (i.e. illegal) translations of titles like, for example, the Key and Type-Moon canon. One such translator had been working on Romanesque.. but that wouldn't be newsworthy if he hadn't done something audacious.

“Anime Bancho,” the experimental Youtube Channel started by CoMix Wave Films at the end of 2012 scored a direct hit with Inferno Cop, a terrifying frappe of absurdist humor and non-sequitors that, like gdgd Fairies and Straight Title Robot Anime, seemed to be the forerunner in a new trend towards minimally animated comedy shows that wouldn’t be out of place on, say, Adult Swim.

Now there’s a new show heading to the channel called Encounters with that Kind (full Japanese title: Shinsekimatsu - Yatsu to no Souguu) that looks to continue Anime Bancho’s run of fascinating original content. Teaser after the jump...

Just a couple days ago we posted about the reveal of Kill La Kill, an upcoming anime that reunites Gurren Lagann director Hiroyuki Imaishi (Dead Leaves, Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt) with writer Kazuki Nakashima (Gurren Lagann, Nodame Cantabile: Finale, Re: Cutie Honey). Thankfully, we didn't have to wait long for the first promo, which landed online this weekend. 

Check it out after the jump!