As has been the case all weekend, Verizon Wireless is actively blocking the boards.4chan.org subdomain on port 80, which is where each individual image and discussion board is stored on the popular site, while allowing all other traffic free reign.

In related news, Comcast itself filtered access to the main page and boards domain for a few hours Sunday night before restoring full access a few hours later. Both companies have yet to release official statements on the matter.

With the FCC actively pursuing inquiries into Verizon Wireless business practices and Comcast receiving penalties from the body for covertly filtering and shaping BitTorrent traffic which was found to be illegal, both conglomerates are set for another showdown regarding net neutrality and the ramifications of censorship with the regulatory body.

4chan was previously blocked by AT&T last year after a wave of DDOS attacks leveled at the imageboard caused the service provider to block select parts of the domain until the issues could be resolved, but not before it violated its own policies regarding customer and site owner notices, leading to various protests and criticism of the conglomerate.

Update: Verizon Wireless spokesperson Jeffery Nelson has released the following statement–

“Our network security system found traffic from some 4Chan web sites that had strong potential to disrupt the Verizon Wireless network, affecting our customers’ use of their services,”  “With continuing investigation, and ensuring no current risk of harm, are giving the green-light to all 4Chan traffic. We will continue to monitor for any possibility of network harm.”

As 4Chan runs ads from adult websites on its non-worksafe boards and is currently fighting another wave of spam with infected archives being posted as highly requested files, the reasoning for the blockade  makes more sense, although the potential for actual harm is being exaggerated for the sake of impact.

Verizon Wireless customers attempting to access 4chan’s image boards this weekend have been treated to site timeouts and connection refusals, as Verizon Wireless is actively blocking access to the imageboard while leaving other sites unaffected.

Verizon Wireless customers affected by the issue are advised to call Verizon Customer Service at (866) 298-537 and(800) 770-1179.

In what seems like a bad ending to a hopeful story, animation studio Imagi has shut down operations as of yesterday after failing to secure the desired investment capital needed to continue operations, with ongoing talks breaking down between them and their potential investor.

The entire staff of the animation studio has been laid off according to one former employee. All production work on future projects has been halted and follows the closure of the studio’s LA branch last week due to lack of capital.

The studio had been in financial trouble long before the shutdown of the company as far back as 2008 when production on Astro Boy was halted due to lack of immediate funds, which were then provided by a bridge loan.

The studio suffered further losses when the Astro Boy CG adaptation failed to become a box office success despite attracting well-known Hollywood talent to lend their voices to the characters, including William Hurt, Haley Joel Osment and Kristen Bell.

Being latino, I always had a soft spot for Captain Tsubasa, simply because it was a fantastic shonen series about soccer that never really let up on the action despite the premise being vulnerable to filler and I like series where the main character works toward an ultimate goal (mind the pun).

Now, not long after the completion of the Captain Tsubasa Kaigai – Gekitô in Calcio arc set in Italy, Young Jump has announced the forthcoming launch of the Captain Tsubasa En La Liga – Kaigai Gekitô-hen arc which will begin next week on the 11th in Japan and will be set in Spain.

Now I’m wondering if any groups are up for scans in English and Spanish, as I’d love to read this.

[via Saouri]

Anyone that remembers watching the second and third season of the Power Rangers on the Fox Kids block in the mid 90s remembers the saga of the Green/White Ranger, played by Jason David Frank.

Turns out his natural talent for martial arts is serving him well long after his stint in the series, as he made his official mixed martial arts debut this past weekend in Houston, TX (the asshole of America) during the Lone Star Beatdown MMA event sanctioned by the United States Amateur Combat Association under the Legacy Fighting Championship promotion.

Hit Continue reading for footage of his winning debut and a post-fight interview.

Read More »

Newegg is currently offering the Sony PSPgo at a $40 discount from its $249.99 MSRP, which includes free shipping in Pearl White for $209.99 while the standard Black color is on sale at a $30 discount for $219.99 also with free shipping.
Buy the PSP Go in Black from Newegg.com
Buy the PSPgo in Pearl White from Newegg.com

Konami has delayed the Japanese launch of the long awaited next entry in the Metal Gear Solid franchise in Peace Walker for the PSP from March 18th to April 29th.

The release goes on to explain the following reason for the delay:

“Unfortunately, we require more time in order to make the final adjustments and it is with the greatest regret that we have decided to change the release date for this product.

We deeply apologize for any inconvenience this may cause customers who have already placed orders for this product or who are eagerly awaiting its release, as well as other concerned parties.”

Konami of America and the European subsidiary has yet to issue a formal statement on the delay and whether the new Japanese date will delay the US and European launches currently scheduled for May 25th. and 28th respectively.

Funimation has debuted a new video widget for those that would like to offer the latest trailers, episodes and news from the distributor on their page or blog.

The widget is powered by the Clearspring video distribution platform and is currently available for embedding on a page or blog. I’ve gone ahead and embedded the widget on the tabbed sidebar on the right under the header “Funimation Anime”.

I’d also like to welcome the latest influx of readers from Twitter. I hope you enjoy what you read and continue viewing the site.

Following the conclusion of a special event dedicated to K-On last night in Tokyo, the broadcast schedule for the forthcoming anime has been confirmed to begin in April and will be broadcast on Japan’s TBS network.

This follows confirmation of another K-On season last month via the official portal after another K-On event.  The confirmation also asks the dedicated fanbase to continue driving the success of the series by buying related merchandise and continuing to watch the show.

[via AnimeVice]

7-Eleven is continuing their rotating offering of select Funimation features and series for $9.99 on DVD, which now include Origin: Spirits of the Past, Blue Gender: The Warrior, Dragon Ball Z: World’s Strongest, both Afro Samurai/Resurrection and Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shambala.