Anime And Manga

Daisuke Maki, Shiori Kutsuna star in drama airing this July

Media Blasters has announced its acquisition of translation & distribution rights to the 2003 Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito (The Traveller Yami, the Hat, and the Book) television series. The 13-episode adaptation of the adult PC game by developer Root revolves around a quest to find Eve, the caretaker of the universe’s great library, as she travels through the worlds contained in books. The show has been widely recognized for its heavy yuri overtones. Media Blasters has not yet announced language or format options for its domestic release.

Miami, Florida-based Kansai Club Publishing has opened its homepage announcing its forthcoming English language publication of Osamu Tezuka’s short manga anthology The Crater. The manga will be published in a single hardcover printing of 2,000 numbered copies initially available only to Kickstarter contributors. Good luck to Andrew & Yuka. I’ll make a pledge today.

The homepage for next February’s Buddha 2: Tezuka Osamu no Buddha ~Owarinaki Tabi~ movie has released an English subtitled 10-minute long trailer. The film is the second of Toei & Tezuka Productions’ planned three films adaptating the late Osamu Tezuka’s 1972-1983 manga biography of Siddhartha Buddha. Source: Anime News Network

The first TV spot for the anime adaptation of Ruri Miyahara’s four-panel school comedy manga Renai Lab has appeared online. The Love Lab slice-of-life bishoujo television series will be animated by studio Dogakobo (Yuruyuri, GJ Club) with Masahiko Ohta (Yuruyuri, Mitsudomoe) directing, Takashi Aoshima (Yuruyuri, Mitsudomoe) writing, and Chiaki Nakajima (Yuruyuri) providing animation character design. The show will tentatively premiere in July. Source: Anime News Network

Japanese publisher Kodansha has formally announced word that Tsutomu Nihei’s current mecha action manga series Knights of Sidonia (Sidonia no Kishi) will be getting an anime adaptation. Nihei launched the ongoing manga in 2009. Vertical currently publishes the manga in English. Nihei’s 1997 cyberpunk manga Blame! was adapted into a 2003 web anime and a 2007 OVA. Source: Anime News Network

The advertising obi found on new copies of the Japanese BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger novelization confirms that an anime adaptation of the fighting game franchise has been green-lit. Arc System Works’ BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger 2D fighting game debuted in Japanese arcades in 2008 Source: Anime News Network

A series of monthly two-minute anime films based on Yuusuke Kozaki’s surreal animal comedy manga Donyatsu will begin screening before features in T-Joy Cinemas on June 1. The ongoing Donyatsu manga that premiered in December 2011 features animal/snack-food hybrids that live in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district after all humans have mysteriously disappeared. Anime studio Gathering (PUCHIM@S, Tono to Issho) will produce the theatrical shorts with Mankyu (PUCHIM@S, Tono to Issho) directing. Source: Anime News Network

Premiere sees highest ratings on Saturday's six-hour late-night block

The Anime Mirai project has announced the next four productions that will receive production funding from the Japanese government’s Agency for Cultural Affairs. Director Yasuhiro Yoshiura (Eve no Jikan Kimi no Iru Machi) will direct the “Arumoni” short at studio Ultra Super Pictures. Director Ayumu Watanabe (Uchuu Kyodai, Danchi Tomoo) will direct the “Okii Ichinensei to Chiisana Ninensei” (Big First-Year Student and the Small Second-Year Student) short at studio A-1 Pictures. Director Kazuaki Imai (Doraemon & Senjo no Valkyria episode director) will direct the “Paroru to Miraijima” (Paroru and the Future Island) short at studio Shinei Animation. Director Naoyuki Onda (animation director for Gundam ZZ & Hiiro no Kakera) will direct the “Kaze no Sorashita” short at studio 4°C. The purpose of the Anime Mirai project is to fund one-shot anime productions animated by novice professional animators supervised by experienced directors & producers in order to provide on-the-job training. Source: Anime News Network