Chronopin: upcoming release dates, events and other important dates

The second and concluding half of the Meiji Kenkaku Romantan OVA duology, following 1999's Trust & Betrayal, catches up with Kenshin Himura years after the main TV series as he wanders alone, still trying to atone for his past as an assassin, while his wife Kaoru waits for a return that keeps not coming. Studio DEEN trades the TV series' more forgiving tone for a somber, elegiac coda that closes out the couple's story.

China became the WTO's 143rd member on 11 December 2001, fifteen years after applying. Its export share of world trade roughly quadrupled over the next two decades, and the bargain struck in Doha is still what the tariff argument is about.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is a 2001 epic fantasy film directed by Peter Jackson from a screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Jackson. It is based on J. R. R. Tolkien's 1954 The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume of the novel The Lord of the Rings. The film is the first instalment in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Nippon Animation's Hunter x Hunter: Yorknew City OVA begins release, adapting Yoshihiro Togashi's manga as Kurapika and Gon's group set out to confront the criminal Phantom Troupe in the auction city of Yorknew.

Detective Conan: The Phantom of Baker Street, the sixth Detective Conan film, opens in Japanese theaters, sending Conan into a virtual-reality murder mystery game alongside a simulated Sherlock Holmes.

Haré+Guu Deluxe is an OVA sequel that returns the Jungle wa Itsumo Hare Nochi Guu cast to the jungle, where Haré must adjust to a pregnant mother and a soon-to-arrive sibling.

UPS finished a three-phase, $1 billion expansion of its Louisville air hub in September 2002, doubling it to 4 million square feet and creating Worldport, the world's largest fully automated package-handling facility.

Millennium Actress, Satoshi Kon's second feature film, blends a documentary crew's interview with reclusive former film star Chiyoko Fujiwara with dramatized scenes from her decades of movie roles into a single unfolding story.

In the not so distant future, mankind has advanced to a state where complete body transplants from flesh to machine is possible.

The television anime Naruto begins airing, a Studio Pierrot adaptation of Masashi Kishimoto's manga about a young ninja seeking recognition and the title of Hokage in his home village.

Saint Seiya: The Hades Chapter - Sanctuary premieres, a Toei Animation OVA adapting Masami Kurumada's manga as Hades' resurrected Gold Saints move against Athena and the surviving Bronze Saints.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is a 2002 epic fantasy film directed by Peter Jackson from a screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair, and Jackson, based on 1954's The Two Towers, the second volume of the novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. The sequel to 2001's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, the film is the second instalment in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

A two-episode recap special that revisits the Hades Sanctuary story from the vantage of the revived Gold Saints, trimming the Bronze Saints' scenes to focus on Shura, Camus and Saga as Athena's strongest defenders confront Hades' resurrected army. Animated by Toei Animation as part of the long-running Saint Seiya OVA cycle, it repackages existing Sanctuary-arc footage into a condensed retelling rather than new story content.

In some distant future, it's common knowledge that all wolves have been extinct for 200 years. However, it seems this is false as wolves have not disappeared but rather have taken human form.

Nippon Animation begins releasing Hunter x Hunter: Greed Island, an OVA following Gon Freecss and Killua Zoldyck as they enter a deadly, rare trading-card game in search of clues to Gon's missing father.

The DVD-exclusive special Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting! - Boxer’s Fist premieres, a Madhouse-animated side story revealing how brash heavyweight Takamura first took up boxing.

Sora, a young girl from Japan, comes to America in search of her dream. She wants, with all her heart, to be a member of the Kaleido Stage, a world famous circus, with a combination of musicals, acrobatics and magical effects.

The one-off special Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting! - Champion Road finds newly crowned featherweight champion Ippo Makunouchi defending his title against Kazuki Sanada, a former junior featherweight champ turned medical student.

Built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France, the 68,870-ton Crystal Serenity was christened by Julie Andrews on 3 July 2003 and entered commercial service four days later.

Europe had its hottest summer since at least 1540, with night temperatures staying above 30C and eight consecutive days over 40C in Auxerre. The death toll has been estimated at more than 70,000.

Madhouse's Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting! - Mashiba vs Kimura premieres, an OVA following boxer Ippo Makunouchi's stablemate Kimura as he finally gets his shot at reigning Junior Lightweight champion Mashiba.

The European Marine Energy Centre completed its Billia Croo wave energy test site off Orkney, becoming the world’s first grid-connected facility for testing wave and tidal energy converters at sea.

Bones' Fullmetal Alchemist begins broadcast, following brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric, alchemists searching for the Philosopher's Stone to restore the bodies they lost attempting to resurrect their mother.

Satoshi Kon's Tokyo Godfathers opens in Japanese theaters, a Christmas Eve dramedy following three homeless Tokyo residents who discover an abandoned baby and set out to find her parents.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a 2003 epic fantasy film directed by Peter Jackson from a screenplay he wrote with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. It is based on 1955's The Return of the King, the third volume of the novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. The sequel to 2002's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, the film is the final instalment in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.