The last few days has seen a number of press releases (PR) find their way into my mail box, ranging from the standard release dates rundown to corporate mailing list fun to inter-company relationship clarifications. Instead of going too far in-depth with each PR, they're all available in the form of verbatim infobits accessible from the related links side bar. Want help deciding which are worth reading and which not to bother wasting your time with? Read on for a brief overview of each PR.

Starting things off with the Fanboy news, Fanboy founder and owner C.B. Cebulski made a statement clarifying the relationship, or lack thereof, between Fanboy and Central Park Media. As former editor-in-chief of CPM Manga, Cebulski is still often associated with the company, a situation exacerbated by the fact that up till now his name was still appearing on manga whose translations he had worked on. Regardless of such perceptions, there is no business relationship between the two companies. Read the full statement here.

The first release-date centered PR comes from ADV, in which their scheduled releases for January 2001 are announced. Beginning with those titles set for simultaneous VHS and DVD release, Gasaraki Volume 3: Betrayal is set to hit retail shelves January 23rd, the DVD going for $29.98 and the dub VHS going for $19.98 - sorry sub fans, if you want this mech based show, filled with mysterious wartime tactics and political intrigue, you'll need to pick up the DVD as no sub VHS is being released. The first volume of Gasaraki is set for release in a few days on September 26th. Also scheduled for a dual DVD and VHS release is the fourth volume of Lost Universe, set to retail on DVD for $29.98, on dub VHS for $19.98, and on sub VHS for $29.95 starting January 23rd. Moving on the the VHS only releases, their DVD counterparts either being several volumes behind or not even in production yet, Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040 Volume 11: Avatar will be released on January 23rd, $19.98 for the dub tape and $29.95 for the sub tape, while the first volume of AD Police will be released dubbed for $19.98 on the same date. To see the volume synopsis for each show, as well as information on non-anime releases, take a look at the full PR here.

The next update on the release date front comes from Viz, their January 2001 release schedule being detailed in the anime, manga and magazine departments. For video, new volumes of Maison Ikkoku and Ranma 1/2 are the only titles which are given dates, while output when it comes to manga is a fair bit more prolific. From Aqua Knight to Pokémon to Inu Yasha, Viz has no less than 15 manga titles coming out in January. Finally, they go over the details of the January issues of their various magazines, these including Pulp, Animerica, Animerica Extra and Viz-In Magazine. For details on all their releases, take a peek at the full PR here.

In addition to their simple release date PR, Viz has sent out some more detailed information on their three featured graphic novels for January 2001. The first PR, which can be read here, concerns the release of the first volume of Marionette Generation, a romantic comedy with a quirky sense of humor by Haruhiko Mikimoto, known primarily as the character designer for Macross. The second PR, which can be read here, deals with the release of the eighth volume of Inu Yasha, Rumiko Takahashi's most recent major series, a horror manga tackling more serious and dramatic subject matter than most of the other series she's known for. Despite having a heavier tone than previous well known works, like Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku and Ranma 1/2, the series isn't without its own dark sense of humor. The final PR on their featured manga, which can be read here, covers the release of the third volume of Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball Z. Viz also sent out an individual PR, which can be read here, outlining a new addition to their magazine Pulp. The highly respected comic author Warren Ellis, known for a variety of english language works including Planetary, Stormwatch, The Authority and Transmetropolitan, will be contributing a monthly column to the magazine, his first column focusing on the interaction between American and Japanese culture via comics.

Rounding out the release date news, Urban Vision's marketing manager Rhona Medina has sent out a couple of reminders on upcoming releases. First off, the second and last volume of Goku, an action-packed thriller directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, will be available in the coming week. Titled Goku II: Midnight Eye, this anime will be released on September 26th. Next up, the Vampire Hunter D OVA DVD should now be available for preorder at all major retailers. For those that missed the original announcement of this special edition DVD, the PR can be read here. The disc will feature a host of extras including a making of featurette, comprised of never before seen footage from the making of VHD, trailers for both the original OVA and the new movie, as well as a preview for the Playstation game. Best of all, the DVD will serve up a delectable visual feast in the way of bonus artwork from the original character designer Yoshitaka Amano! This blood sucking DVD will be available for purchase on October 17th.

Let's wrap up this press release bonanza with something a little different. Not so much a PR as a mailing list update, the weekly Viz This Week mailing provides a number of updates on various Viz websites. Most interesting is the launch of a new anime section on J-pop.com. While content is sparse in the new section at the moment, including only a few features and reviews, there are a number of highlights, like a review of FLCL. Also known as Furi Kuri, Gainax's new jaw-dropping OVA features a perfect mix of incredible animation, toe-tapping musical accompaniment - the vocal rock tunes come courtesy of a talented band called the The Pillows - involving characters, and goofy yet intriguing story telling. Enough of my gushing though! Go read what they have to say on the series, then import your very own copy of FLCL on Region 2 DVD (you'll be eaten by a robot if you don't buy it, and just imagine what you'll smell like after coming out! Well, maybe you won't actually be eaten per se, but you should pick up the series anyway, okay?)! All volumes other than the first even have english subtitles, the fourth of six discs scheduled for release on October 25th, while the first OST is scheduled for an October 4th release.