Rin Inumaru, creator of Ojarumaru, passed away on September 10, 2006. Inumaru reportedly committed suicide by jumping from the roof of her 14-story, Tokyo-based apartment complex. Inumaru left a note behind addressed to her mother, that said "I'm not good at my job." The unexpected suicide surprised television network NHK, who currently airs the Ojarumaru anime series which premiered in 1998 and is currently in its ninth season.

According to Moon Phase, Studio A.P.P.P will produce an upcoming JoJo's Bizarre Adventure film. Titled JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood Project, the 90-minute film will the 25th anniversary of the manga. A Playstation 2 title of the same name is currently under development by Namco/Bandai, and it slated for an October 26 release. JoJo's Bizarre Adventures: Phantom Blood Project is scheduled to hit Japanese theatres in March of 2007

Seven Seas Publishing announced that it will begin distributing a line of light novels in April 2007. The line will premiere with translations of Ballad of a Shinigami, Pita-Ten, Strawberry Panic, Kanokon, Gun Princess, and Vamp!

Independent Film Channel will begin airing Gonzo Digimation's Basilisk at 11:00PM beginning October 6. IFC has not stated whether the show will be shown dubbed, or in Japanese with English subtitles.

Anime Nation reports that a third Maria-sama ga Miteru series will be released as a five-episode OVA.The first episode is slated to hit stores in Japan on November 29.

Gonzo Digimation's Origin ~Spirits of the Past~ will make its American debut on September 24, as part of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema's Fantastic Fest.

Geneon Entertainment officially confirmed that all anime products that the company was distributing for Toei have been cancelled. The lineup includes Slam Dunk, Air Master, and Interlude: all of which were panned by fans and critics alike for their sloppy translation, odd playback setup, and overall lack of understanding in the American market.

Bandai announced that the company will be launching several shows on Amazon Unbox with a cost of $1.99US per episode. The company hopes that the episode sales will encourage viewers to look for higher-quality versions of the titles on DVD.

Central Park Media announced that the company will be partnering with internet giant Google to make anime titles available via Google Video. The service is a paid on-demand service that offers viewers the ability to purchase videos for permenant viewing, as well as the ability to purchase a one-day "pass" for the title at a reduced price. The service's initial offering includes the following titles:

• A Wind Named Amnesia
• Animation Runner Kuromi
• Animation Runner Kuromi 2
• Ayane's High Kick
• Battle Arena Toshiniden
• Black Jack: Biohazard
• Black Jack: Infection
• Black Jack: Mutation
• Black Jack: Parasite
• Cybernetics Guardian
• Descendents of Darkness (Yami no Matsuei)
• Dominion Tank Police
• Garaga
• Guardian of Darkness
• M.D. Geist
• Maze: the Mega-Burst Space
• Project A-Ko
• Project A-Ko: Love and Robots
• Project A-Ko: Uncivil Wars
• Revolutionary Girl Utena: the Movie
• Scorpion's Revenge (live-action)
• The Humanoid
• Wrath of the Ninja
• Zero Woman (live-action)

eigoManga revealed a new agreement to distribute content via the Anime Network. Under the agreement, eigoManga will provide The Anime Network with content from its library of music videos, concert footage and original programming, which feature independent and mainstream Japanese music artists. The content will be added to The Anime Network's Bento Beat Box lineup.