[News] BLOOD-C movie

The last episode of the 12 episode BLOOD-C tv anime has finished up. It'll be continued in the theaters.

The movie will be released June 2, 2012!

[News] NET.COM Member pre-registration

CLAMP-NET is open to pre-registration for its new NET.COM membership site. If you already have an @Mobile user/pw, you don't have to register again. This new membership site is free and right now, is not limited to Japan, so go for it. [Credits: chibiyuuto]

Steps:


After Step 2, you'll receive an email to verify your membership (check your spam folder). Click on the emailed link and you should go to the 'success' screen. You'll be able to access some CLAMP wallpapers. Unfortunately, you will not be able to access any of the @Mobile member site areas with this ID/password, so download some wallpapers, and we'll all wait to see what else CLAMP-NET brings.

As of last night, the whole process had some glitches where the webpages wouldn't load. Please try again later, if the problem persists.

[Update] Kobato. Illustrations & Memories

Amazon.jp now has Kobato. Illustrations & Memories listed for release October 14th (instead of today).

ETA: CLAMP-NET has updated with October 19th as the official release date.

[Update] CLAMP FESTIVAL 2011 Roundup

So how many of you watched all 12 hours of the CLAMP Festival live streaming? I only endured the first 3 hours and last 2 hours. Tetsu Inada, Iwao Junko, and Naomi Tamura were among the guests that visited Sweety, new pop idol group, while they were MC'ing the stream. There was also another lesser-known idol group, Peace Love?, and someone who was demonstrating ComiPo software. I think someone tweeted that Kotani Kinya also showed up? Feel free to comment about what else was online.

Summary of online activity~

Megumi Nakajima's blog post
Suga Shikao's blog post
Jun Fukuyama's blog post
Sakura Tange's blog post

Check out @clampnews's tweets for a timeline of some of the nico video and retweets from other fans. It might be worth it to note that 'CLAMPフェス' was a trending topic in Japan during the event. :)

There are also a couple fan blogs that have comprehensive summaries of the main events--kntkiwa, underhell, heysari.

And for those who were wanting goods from the Festival, they've already been posted on Yahoo Japan Auctions

[News] CLAMP FESTIVAL 2011 TOKYO DVD

ClampFestival.jp has announced the DVD release of today's Festival.

~Details~
Preorder Date: October 31st
Release Date: December
Price: 7,000 yen
Length: 180 minutes including footage from the daytime & evening performances
Bonus: Both Horitsuba Gakuen short anime and live-action skit included! with rehearsal video.
Bonus CD: Cardcaptor Sakura 5 song medley performed by Sakura Tange & Junko Iwao
Extra: Horitsuba skit script booklet, Festival Postcard

Performance listing:
"Hikari to Kage o Dakishimeta mama" by Naomi Tamura / (Magic Knight Rayearth)
"Raison d'etre" by Rie Tanaka / (Chobits)
"BLAZE" by Kotani Kinya. (Tsubasa Chronicle)
"Yume no tsubasa" by Yui Makino / (Tsubasa Chronicle)
"Synchronicity" by Yui Makino / (Tsubasa Chronicle)
"IT'S" by Kotani Kinya (Tsubasa Chronicle)
"Let Me Be With You" by Rie Tanaka / (Chobits)
"Platinum" by Sakura Tange / (Cardcaptor Sakura)
"Anata to Ireba" Tange Sakura & Iwao Junko / (Cardcaptor Sakura)
"Junketsu Paradox" Nana Mizuki / (BLOOD-C)
"Yuzurenai Negai" Tamura Naomi / (Magic Knight Rayearth)

ETA:
"Tabi no Tochuu de Kibou no Uta wo Utaou" Mika Kikuchi / (Tsubasa Chronicle)
"Yoru no Uta" Iwao Junko / (Cardcaptor Sakura)

Preorder website: Here


...I see Suga Shikao's (and DUSTZ's) performances are missing... :(

[Update] CLAMP FESTIVAL Now Live Online

Nico link - you must login to see it.

Use hashtag #clafes on Twitter to see what people around the world are saying.

[News] CLAMP FESTIVAL Goods and Streaming info

The CLAMP Festival website has updated with images of the new CLAMP merchandise that will be available at the Festival in just a couple days. There's a small image of the CLAFES Official guidebook (with special bag) which has a new CLAMP illustration. The guide will contain interviews with the performing artists. The other goods are your standard clear files, key chains, etc.

There's an official nicovideo link HERE which will stream live on September 24 at 10am (Japan time), (9pm Friday EST) for 12 hours. The video will show the activity on the CLAMP Gakuen stage (not main stage) which will probably show the cosplay event. I expect there to be more behind the scene video, fan activity, and maybe guest interviews rather than actual performances on the nico channel.

The official B2Holic Blythe doll image has been updated at Blythedoll.com. The doll will also be on display at the Festival. Preorders will be taken on their mobile site.

[Review] xxxHOLiC POST CARD BOOK

The xxxHOLiC Post Card (two words, really?) Book is literally a book made up of postcards. All 19 manga volume cover illustrations are printed on high quality, thick, smooth, postcard-like paper. The illustrations are unobstructed by text, so you can enjoy CLAMP's beautiful illustrations of Yuuko & Watanuki. The size of the book is equal to that of the size of the xxxHOLiC manga tankouban. The postcard pages are bound together in a way that the cards are easy to pull out, so that you can mail these to a friend or frame them. The series had some of the best artwork in all of CLAMP's repertoire, and CLAMP definitely had fun dressing Watanuki & Yuuko up in different styles of clothing. These would look very lovely in frames.

I would not normally pay $35 USD for 19 small-sized pages, but hey, I was at Kinokuniya in NYC, and in shopping mode. I'm fairly certain that this is supposed to hold fans over until CLAMP releases an artbook for xxxHOLiC (which will come out this winter). Until then, this will do.

[News] GATE 7 Volume 2

CLAMP's GATE 7 Volume 2 will be out November 4th.

ETA: Dark Horse will release it February 29th. Their Cardcaptor Omnibus 3 will be out February 15th.

[Updated News] CLAMP at Rio Comicon (?)

The Portugese website, Omelete has announced the international guest list for Brazil's Rio Comicon. CLAMP is listed among the guests for the October 20-23 convention.

There's been a confirmation at Rio Comicon's Facebook page that CLAMP will not be in Brazil; just their work in the exhibit.

Globo that is announcing that the convention's art exhibit will include CLAMP's work.

[Rio Comicon website, twitter account]

Still great news for the South American fans!

[News] GACKT x CLAMP

In a surprising collaboration announcement, CLAMP's original work, MOONSAGA 義経秘伝, will be brought to stage by GACKT. GACKT is a successful singer and actor with numerous works to his name. Episode.0 is one of his recent music releases.

Title: MOONSAGA 義経秘伝 (Yoshitsune Hiden)
What: Stage play
Starring/drafting: GACKT
Original Work: CLAMP
When: July 2012 (Schedule online)
Where: Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka
Ticket Price: 8000 yen and up.

[Credits: MOONSAGA, DEARS, CLAMP-NET]

ETA:
More information and CLAMP illustration from Natalie.mu.

A manga will run in a Kodansha magazine with other related projects to come.

"Gackt will play the title role of Minamoto no Yoshitsune, a general who was critical to the Genpei War that inspired the literary classic Heike Monogatari (Tale of the Heike)." [Credits: ANN]

[News] CLAMP x BLYTHE

Blythedoll.com has updated with official concept illustration and release news about CLAMP's B2 HOLic (Yuuko) doll. A sample of the doll previously appeared at Blythe's 10 Happy Memories exhibit.

The doll will be on sale in October for 26,250 yen, and limited to 1,000 dolls.

There will also be an autograph session with CLAMP October 23rd, and xxxHolic exhibit in Shibuya October 4 - 30th. More details to come.

[Cover] CLAMP Festival Horitsuba Gakuen comic

The CLAMP Festival website has updated with the Horitsuba Gakuen comic cover illustration. The title being 'Shiritsu Horitsuba Gakuen Bangaihen: Tenkousei ni Dokidoki (Dokidoki Transfer Students)'

[Cover] BLOOD-C novel

Amazon.jp has a larger image of CLAMP's illustration for the BLOOD-C novel (or click above image for larger size). The novel is written by Junichi Fujisaku, and will be out September 22nd.

Masumi Asano, the voice of Yuka Amino, is the guest on BLOOD-R #7.

[News] Another-Holic paperback

NISIOISIN's Another-Holic Landolt-Ring Aerosol novel will get the paperback treatment for release December 16. This was the xxxHolic novel written in 2006, already released in English by Del Rey.

[Credits: Amazon.jp]

[News] CLAMP Classics Collection

Some of CLAMP's early manga will re-released by Kadokawa Shoten starting this December. Looks like these will be in a sort of omnibus form. :)

Release schedule:

Dec 2011 - RG Veda #1
Jan 2012 - Tokyo BABYLON #1
Feb 2012 - RG Veda #2
Mar 2012 - 20 Mensou ni Onegai!!
Apr 2012 - Tokyo BABYLON #2
May 2012 - RG Veda #3
Jun 2012 - CLAMP Gakuen Tanteidan #1
Jul 2012 - Tokyo BABYLON #3
Aug 2012 - RG Veda #4
Sep 2012 - CLAMP Gakuen Tanteidan #2
Oct 2012 - Gakuen Tokkei Duklyon
Nov 2012 - RG Veda #5

[credits: chibiyuuto/ozaka_tomoe]

[Update] CLAMP Festival sorta adds Maaya Sakamoto

Maaya Sakamoto will be the narrator for the Festival's original animation. No word on an appearance yet. It was announced earlier that Nana Mizuki and Hiroshi Kamiya will voice the new characters of Anzu Nekota and Naomasa Goushi.

Other events have been added to their website:

Sakura Tange and Junko Iwao will sing a duet.
There will be a Cardcaptor Sakura Festival featuring a medley of five songs.
There will be a CLAMP Cafe with Mokona-yaki & Mokona-no-monaka for sale.
CLAMP will provide the cover illustration to the Official Guide Book.
There will be some cosplay event, new CLAMP merchandise for sale...and more.

[credits: clampfestival.jp]

[Interview] BLOOD-C's director & screenwriter

ANN has an interview with BLOOD-C's director, Tsutomu Mizushima, and screenwriter, Junichi Fujusaku.

A few snippets--

ANN: This project is defined by the presence of CLAMP, and that's how the show is being sold, even in the title – how much input did they have on the story? How would you define CLAMP's impact on what the show is?

TSUTOMU MIZUSHIMA: I can definitely say that Blood-C is a strongly CLAMP-flavored project in many ways, both story-wise and visually, starting with the character designs. CLAMP's style and sensitivities permeate the entire series in every way.

ANN: How eager were you to reinvent the characters? Having written Saya for years now, were you nervous at all about remaking her personality as radically as Blood-C does?

JUNICHI FUJISAKU: I change Saya's character setting in each of her incarnations, which is always an enjoyable process for me. Saya singing songs, being a meganekko (glasses-wearing girl) and her hairstyle are all features coming from CLAMP.

ANN: What creative challenges did you run in to while writing Blood-C? What was the biggest challenge for you personally on this series?

JUNICHI FUJISAKU: For Blood-C, Ohkawa-san from CLAMP is taking care of the storyline for each script, and I dramatize the fight scenes. Ohkawa-san's dialogue has a very distinctive style, so I carefully avoid any intervention that would eventually spoil the final result.

[Full interview at ANN]

[Update] CLAMP Festival adds Suga Shikao!

Suga Shikao who has contributed multiple theme songs to xxxHolic has been added to the lineup as a performer.

[Credits: CLAMPFestival.jp]