Viz has announced that the company will be merging with ShoPro Entertainment, Inc. to create a new entertainment company. ShoPro is a subsidiary of Shogakukan Production Co, Japan ("ShoPro Japan") is a leading licensor that specializes in animation, entertainment production, and consumer products for several properties, including Inu Yasha. The new company will work with its parent companies to grow its business through exposure on all fronts, including television, publishing, home video, consumer products, and licensing. The company has not specified a name, and currently goes by the name "NewCo."

Japan's Bandai Visual appears to be taking the same route as Toei as it opens an American office in California this month. The office, aptly named Bandai Visual USA, will retail anime DVDs, as well as collect research on the American market for its Japanese parent. The research collected will supposedly regard the production of new animated titles.

Alegria Corporation, a Japanese software company, has released the newest addition to its "IncrediMail WOW" line, which is based around Neon Genesis Evangelion. The program, titled Neon Genesis Evangelion Mail Project combines the base IncrediMail program with a theme enhanced by sound clips and images from Evangelion. The program is available via Alegria's website for a three five day trial, after which, the Evangelion-based theme is locked, thus leaving the base mail client. The program runs under Windows 98, 2000, ME, NT, and XP and can be purchased directly from Alegra's website for 3,990 yen.

The French website for Howl's Moving Castle is currently hosting a Quicktime trailer in three resolutions. The trailer can be found under the "Film Annonce" section of the website.

eigoMANGA has announced that they will be market a television series targeted at anime fans. The series, titled Anime Mix, is an anime news magazine program that incorporates various topics revolving around anime and manga fandom in the US. The series is currently airing on U Network: a national cable channel that caters toward university students.