Viz Media Makes 2008 Free Comic Book Day A Manga Day
[ 0 Comments ] Posted on 07.23.08 in Anime News
VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced its participation as a Gold Level Sponsor in the 2008 Free Comic Book Day, taking place May 3rd. VIZ Media is producing a special edition (rated “A” for All Ages) of SHONEN JUMP Magazine (rated ‘T’ for Teens) to be distributed for free at participating stores nationwide.
The annual occasion, developed by Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc., the world’s largest distributor of English-language comic books, is designed for comic book retailers across North America and around the world to offer a range of select titles for free to further spread awareness of new and upcoming series and highlight the diversity of the comics and manga (graphic novel) genres.
SHONEN JUMP will publish a special, free condensed issue of the magazine to appeal to new comic book fans as well as established manga readers. The SHONEN JUMP Free Comic Book Day issue will contain 32 action-packed pages including special previews of three of VIZ Media’s most exciting serialized series — NARUTO, BLEACH and the newly serialized SLAM DUNK — as well as coverage of many of the magazine’s other popular series such as ONE PIECE and YU YU HAKUSHO, and introduce new readers to the diverse array of content the magazine offers. Longtime SHONEN JUMP fans will also love the BLEACH poster included in this special edition. Read the rest of this entry…
Hyakko Slapstick School Comedy Manga to be Animated
[ 0 Comments ] Posted on 03.27.08 in Anime News
Flex Comix has announced an anime version of Haruaki Katoh’s Hyakko slapstick school comedy manga on Thursday, the first day of Tokyo International Anime Fair 2008. The story follows the antics of four high school freshman girls, after they enroll into a huge private academy that teaches every grade from elementary school to high school. The original manga runs in Flex Comix’ online Flex Comix Blood magazine, and Nippon Animation (Hunter X Hunter, The Wallflower) will produce the anime version. Flex also posted images of the main characters’ designs. Two manga volumes have been “published” online so far. The DC Comics publisher invested in Flex Comix last year, and DC’s CMX Manga unit is already publishing some of Flex Comix titles in North America. Flex Comix itself was only recently established in 2006.
Source: Moon Phase
New Anime Productions Announced at Tokyo International Anime Fair
[ 0 Comments ] Posted on 03.27.08 in Anime News
A number of new anime productions have been announced at the ongoing Tokyo International Anime Fair: Madhouse has announced plans to revive Tatsunoko’s 1973 anime television series Shinzo Ningen Casshan for a new TV adaptation, tentatively titled “Casshan”, that will debut this fall. Madhouse formally announced that Black Lagoon director Sunao Katabuchi will direct a new anime production titled “Mai Mai Atarashi to Sennen no Mahou.” Madhouse formally announced development of director Satoshi Kon’s next film, a family-friendly feature titled “Yume Miru Kikai” (”Dreaming Machine”). Madhouse also announced that production is now underway on a new project from director Mamoru Hosoda (Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo).
Telecom Animation and JETIX will collaborate on the production of a new sci-fi action anime television series titled “Robo Crosser.” The series is tentatively scheduled to debut next year. Studio A-1 Pictures (Ookiku Furikabutte, Persona -Trinity Soul-) is now developing a 90 minute long anime feature titled “Necrodragon.” Truly because of the modern technology this kind of movies is possible. Try to make a review when this happens.
Source: Moon Phase Message Board
Megumi Manga about Girl Abducted by N. Korea Gets Anime
[ 0 Comments ] Posted on 03.24.08 in Anime News
The Japanese government’s Headquarters for the Abduction Issue is producing an anime version of Souichi Moto’s Megumi documentary manga about Megumi Yokota, a Japanese girl who was abdupted by North Korea in 1977 when she was 13 years old. The government plans to not only release the 30-minute anime on DVD soon, but also on the Internet technology in a free download. It will be presented in several languages including Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean. The government already distributes a review on Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story, a 2006 American documentary film, for free to Japanese classrooms. North Korea kidnapped at least 13 Japanese residents during the 1970s and 1980s, purportedly to train operatives on how to act Japanese. While five have returned to Japan, North Korea claims that most of the others died in North Korea. North Korea returned what it claimed were Yokota’s remains in 2002, but the Japanese government determined in 2004 that the remains belonged to two other individuals.
Yokota’s father and mother created the original concept and oversaw the manga that Moto drew in Manga Action magazine from December of 2004 to July of 2005. Megumi is the second manga that Moto drew about an abductee. His first was Dakkan (Return), a manga about abductee Kaoru Hasuike.
Source: Sankei Shimbun
Japan’s Foreign Ministry to Hold Manga, Anime IP Panels
[ 0 Comments ] Posted on 03.24.08 in Anime News
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan is sponsoring a symposium on intellectual property in anime manga, and other areas of content on March 26 in Tokyo. The free Japanese symposium will cover how to strengthen Japan’s global competitiveness and intellectual property enforcement in three panels. The panelists on the first panel on Japan’s global competitiveness will include Avex Group Holdings senior executive director Takashi Araki, Pokémon Company president Tsunekazu Ishihara, Kadokawa Shoten president and CEO Tsuguhiko Kadokawa, manga creator Machiko Satonaka (Lady Ann), and Daisuke Yoshida of the Secretariat of Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters, Cabinet Secretariat. Chairperson Yutaka Kubota of Japan’s Association of Copyright for Computer Software (ACCS) will appear at the second panel about intellectual property enforcement. The third and final panel will wrap up the symposium’s discussions. Professors from Tokyo University and Yasuo Tanabe, Vice Head of the Foreign Ministry’s Economic Department, will moderate the panels.Satonaka is a vice-chairperson in the Digital Manga Association Japan, an organization of manga creators whose leadership also includes Monkey Punch (Lupin III) and Tetsuya Chiba (Ashita no Joe). Satonaka met with former Prime Minister Koizumi on related issues in 2004 and held a symposium titled “Why Did Japanese Manga Overtake the World?” during last month’s Japan Media arts Festival. Kubota’s ACCS contributed to the much-publicized investigations of file-shared anime episodes, uploaded manga, magazines and pirated anime DVDs.
Source: animeanime.jp
