If past patterns hold, it appears that Hayao Miyazaki’s latest animated feature, Ponyo on a Cliff By the Sea, will receive a North American theatrical release in the first quarter of 2009. Amazon.com is listing Viz Media’s The Art of Ponyo on a Cliff By the Sea for release on March 3rd, and AAA Anime has the release of the first volume of the Ponyo on a Cliff By the Sea Film Comic set for early April.

Females were in the minority at the Holidome on Thursday, the first day of the Omnicon anime and video game convention. But while groups of teen boys clustered around the competitive gaming tournaments and played deadly serious games of Yu-Gi-Oh cards, the girls were among the biggest spenders - and the best dressed.

"Teenage and younger seiyuus are nothing new. Yuzuyu in Aishiteruze Baby was played by nine-year-old Tsuzurahara Miyu. And Hirano Aya was 14 when she played Lumière in Kiddy Grade."