Major Gets New Final Original Anime

This year's 48th issue of Shogakukan's Weekly Shonen Sunday magazine is announcing on Wednesday that an all-new, "truly the last" original video anime project of Takuya Mitsuda's Major baseball manga will debut in the middle of December. A new OVA volume will be bundled with the first new special compiled book volume (tankōbon) of the manga.

The OVA project will adapt the thus-far-unanimated World Series arc and the story's illusive final matchup, while the new book will let fans see the last pitch in the manga. The project promises the return of the "Golden Battery" in America.

The original manga ended in July of 2010 after a 16-year run. The story follows Gorō, the son of a major league batter who dreams of making it big himself. The manga began in the magazine in late 1994.

The manga inspired its first television anime series in 2004, and the sixth television anime series launched last year. The manga also inspired an anime film titled Major: Yūjō no Winning Shot in 2008. The 78th and (at the time) final limited-edition manga volume shipped last December with a special OVA.

A compiled book volume of BUYUDEN, the boxing manga that Mitsuda launched this past March, will also ship in the middle of this December.

(ANN)

Law of Ueki's Fukuchi Launches Anagle Mole Manga

Shogakukan's 47th issue of Weekly Shonen Sunday magazine began serializing the new Anagle Mole manga by The Law of Ueki creator Tsubasa Fukuchi on Wednesday.

The comedy manga takes place in a world where some people dwell on the surface of the planet while others live underground. Some of the world's underground inhabitants are plotting to invade the above-ground society. In order to understand the lives and behavior of those who live above them, the people who live underground are planning expeditions to the surface.

The story follows a young spy from the underground named Teisatsu. In the manga's first chapter, Teisatsu ventures to the above-ground world, and the people's customs shock him as he interacts with those he meets on his journey.

Weekly Shonen Sunday serialized Fukuchi's The Law of Ueki manga beginning in 2001, and the manga artist launched the ping pong manga series Takkoku!!! in Shogakukan's monthly Shonen Sunday Super Zōkan spinoff magazine in 2009.

(ANN)

New York Times Manga Best Sellers List for September 25-October 1

Here are the top ten selling manga from September 25-October 1, 2011, according to the New York Times.

1. SAILOR MOON, Vol. 1, by Naoko Takeuchi. (Kodansha Comics, $10.99.)

The incredibly popular manga series that spawned an anime series, stage musicals and countless imitators gets a new printing.

2. A CERTAIN SCIENTIFIC RAILGUN, VOL. 2, by Kazuma Kamachi. (Seven Seas Entertainment, $11.99.)

Welcome to Academy City, which teems with psychics. One of them is Mikoto Misaka, who investigates the dark side of things.

3. CODENAME: SAILOR V, Vol. 1, by Naoko Takeuchi. (Kodansha Comics, $10.99.)

A predecessor to "Sailor Moon," this collection of stories has never before been printed in the United States.

4. NEGIMA!, VOL. 31, by Ken Akamatsu. (Kodansha Comics, $10.99.)
N

egi, the boy wizard, learns he will be teaching English at an all-girls high school in Japan, but he must keep his powers a secret.

5. FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST, VOL. 26, by Hiromu Arakawa. (VIZ Media, $9.99.)

Two brothers harmed in a ritual that was half magic/half science seek the legendary Philosopher’s Stone to make things right.

6. NARUTO, VOL. 52, by Masashi Kishimoto. (VIZ Media, $9.99.)

Naruto meets a former classmate and must face-off with him... to the death!

7. XXXHOLIC, VOL. 17, by Clamp. (Del Rey, $10.99.)

Troubled by spirits that only he can see, Watanuki Kimiharo strikes a Faustian bargain with an alluring witch to get rid of them.

8. BLACK BIRD, VOL. 10, by Kanoko Sakurakoji. (VIZ Media, $9.99.)

Misao Harada can see into a magical realm where she is the bride demon of prophecy. In the volume, the truth about a past incident is revealed, but is it worth the pain it will cause?

9. BLEACH, VOL. 36, by Tite Kubo. (VIZ Media, $9.99.)

Ichigo Kurosaki sees dead people and must help usher them safely into the afterlife. In this volume, a look at how "soul catching" was done 100 years ago.

10. VAMPIRE KISSES: GRAVEYARD GAMES, VOL. 1, by Ellen Schreiber. (HarperCollins, $9.99.)

This is the story of Raven, a goth girl, and Alexander, her boyfriend who is dreamy and a vampire.

The New York Times newspaper listed the manga bestsellers in the United States for the week ending on October 1. Not all of the works are produced in Japan.

2 Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi Game Trailers Streamed

The official website for the next video game in the Dragon Ball franchise, Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi (Dragon Ball Ultimate Blast in Japan), began streaming two new videos for the game on Friday. The new videos include the video shown at the Tokyo Game Show last month and a teaser commercial.

Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi will feature upgraded environmental and character graphics, with designs drawn from the original manga series. The name Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi was selected by English-speaking fans.

Namco Bandai Games will release the game in North America on October 25 and in Europe on October 28. The game will be released in Japan on December 8.

(Andriasang)

Sailor Moon pushed Naruto down to #3 in Top 20 Graphic Novels

Naoko Takeuchi's return to North American shelves put the first volumes of her Sailor Moon and Codename: Sailor V manga at the top of Nielsen BookScan's top 20 graphic novels in American bookstores in September. They pushed Naruto volume 52 down to #3.

The other manga in the top 10 are Black Bird volume 10 (#6), Bleach volume 36 (#8), and the 26th and penultimate volume of Fullmetal Alchemist (#9). Dance in the Vampire Bund volumes 7 (#12), 6 (#13), and 9 (#17); Grand Guignol Orchestra volume 1 (#15); Omamori Himari volume 1 (#18), and Ultimo volume 2 (#20) round out the manga in the top 20.

The BookScan rankings represent sales at Barnes & Noble and other book chains, independent bookshops, and online purchases — but not sales at comic book stores, Walmart, and some other venues.

Sentai Filmworks Reveals New Acquisitions

Sentai Filmworks has formally revealed its acquisition of distribution rights to the Akikan!, Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai, and Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru television series and the Towa no Quon motion picture series.

The 12-episode harem comedy from 2009 Akikan! is based on Riku Ranjo & Hiro Suzuhira’s light novel series about a young man who begins living with aluminum beverage cans that have magically transformed into human girls that need daily transfusions of carbon dioxide from kissing to survive.

The first The World God Only Knows (Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai) anime TV series based on Tamiki Wakaki’s manga premiered last year. A second season aired this year. The romantic comedy revolves around a master of dating simulation games charged with seducing real girls to capture the runaway demons hiding in the girls’ hearts. Sentai has not clarified if its acquisition license includes the “KamiNomi” second TV series or OVA.

The fall 2010 Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru off-kilter slice-of-life comedy will be released domestically under the English title “And yet The Town Moves.” The adaptation of Masakazu Ishiguro’s manga revolves around the daily lives & whimsical thoughts of high school girls that work part time at a small, suburbian Japanese café.

Towa no Quon is Studio BONES’ ongoing series of six original sci-fi/action short movies that pit teens with supernatural powers against a shadowy government organization that considers the teens a dangerous threat to be eliminated.

The SoreMachi license is a nice treat.

(AnimeNation)

Fairy Tail

Title: Fairy Tail
Alternative Name: フェアリーテイル (Japanese) 魔導少年 (Chinese (Taiwan)))
Author: Hiro Mashima
Artist: Hiro Mashima
Published by: Kodansha
Genre: action, comedy, magic, tournament
Original run: August 23, 2006 – ongoing (Manga) | October 12, 2009 – ongoing (Anime)

Summary:

Lucy is a 17-year-old girl, who wants to be a full-fledged mage. One day when visiting Harujion Town, she meets Natsu, a young man who gets sick easily by any type of transportation. But Natsu isn't just any ordinary kid, he's a member of one of the world's most infamous mage guilds: Fairy Tail.

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Free Download Anime:
- Fairy Tail Episode 1 - 99

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Actress Ayase Haruka Starring Role in “Himitsu no Akko-chan”

Akatsuka Fujio’s classic magical girl manga “Himitsu no Akko-chan” has a live-action movie in the works. Actress Ayase Haruka (26) will take on the starring role, while Okada Masaki (22) will play the male lead.

“Himitsu no Akko-chan” was first published in 1962, so next year will be the manga’s 50th birthday. The story has been adapted three times as a television anime series, but this will be its first live-action adaptation.

“Himitsu no Akko-chan” tells the story of an elementary school student named Kagami Atsuko, who receives a magical compact mirror that lets her transform into anything she wants. The live-action film will be an original story in which Atsuko turns into a 22-year-old woman, in a variety of costumes including a figure skater, a cabin attendant, an office worker, a police officer, and a bike racer. Okada plays her first love, an elite salaryman.

Kawamura Yasuhiro (“Kochikame”) is directing. Filming is scheduled to start in late October, and the movie will be released in September 2012. (Tokyograph)

Healing Music, Digital Manga Guild's 2nd Work, Released

Digital Manga, Inc.'s Digital Manga Guild released its second manga, Tatsumi Kaiya's Healing Music, on the eManga.com website on Monday. The manga was localized by the group BLBangBang.

The Digital Manga Guild was first announced at Yaoi-Con 2010 as a collaboration between Digital Manga, Inc., Japanese publishers, and a community of fans to release literally hundreds of titles online for distribution. Under the program, the guild members are credited and paid royalties from online purchases, and the works may be published in print if they prove to be popular.

Kaiya's other works include Physical Attraction, Party, Love Training, and Hot Steamy Glasses, all of which have been published in English by Digital Manga Publishing.

Emanga.com describes Healing Music as follows:

Kunio Tokiwa, a spontaneous and gifted pianist, has always been motivated by his desire to please his uncle, a piano tuner. When his uncle dies, Kunio is lost. The night he's about to give up the piano entirely, Kunio is stunned by the sound of a piano tuned and played by the beautiful Yui Hasegawa. Reminded of his beloved uncle, Kunio devotes himself to gaining both Yui's exclusive service and his approval. Not even Yui's cold, mystifying behavior can stop Kunio's efforts, but he keeps hitting sour notes in his clumsy struggles to figure out why Yui's existence is so important to him. When Kunio's words create confusion and hurt, he must find another way to communicate. Can Kunio's Healing Music convince Yui that he's not a replacement for Kunio's uncle and bring them together for an unforgettable, lifelong duet?

DMG releases are available for purchase at emanga.com, which streams content through an Adobe Flash player, allowing readers to access their library wherever they have an Internet connection. Healing Music and most DMG titles will be priced at US$6.95 or 695 points. DMG released its first title, Aida Saki and Yugi Yamada's Tired of Waiting for Love, in August. (Anime News Network)

Kurogane Manga Posted in English For Free

The official English website for Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump has posted the 54-page first chapter of Haruto Ikezawa's debut manga Kurogane.

Shonen Jump describes the manga as follows:

Kurogane is a guy with no athletic ability whatsoever. When Tsubame, the girl who sits next to him in class, invites him to join the kendo club, he naturally turns her down. But then, on the way home from cram school, he's attacked by the ghost of a mysterious swordswoman! A story about careening youth and kendo begins here!!

In order To read the manga, you must download the Shonen Jump reader compatible only with Windows. To download the manga and the reader, head over to the Shonen Jump page. There’s no word on how this affects regional publishers like VIZ Media and Yen Press.

Shonen Jump previously posted the first chapter of Ryōsuke Takeuchi and Masaru Miyokawa's debut manga St&rs in English in July. (ANN)

Bakuman

Title: Bakuman
Alternative Name: バクマン。; 爆漫王。; 食夢者; Baku-man; Bakuman! (German); باكومان (Arabic); วัยซนคนการ์ตูน (Thai)
Author: Ohba Tsugumi
Artist: Obata Takeshi
Published by: Shueisha
Genre: Slice-of-life, Comedy-drama, Romance, School Life, Shounen,
Original run: August 11, 2008 - ongoing (Manga) | October 2, 2010 – April 2, 2011 (Season 1 Anime) | October 2011 – ongoing (Season 2 Anime)
Summary:

It's not easy to become and live as a mangaka, as Mashiro knows from his late uncle.

At his 9th grade, while trying to keep up with reality, school and then normal job, he left his notebook with a sketch of Azuki, a girl he likes. Takagi, a first rate student found it and trying to convince Mashiro to draw a manga with his story. Mashiro doesn't like the idea and tries to decline.

Takagi, however, tries to stick to dream and found out that Azuki also wants to be a voice actress and already got a good reply from a production company. Takagi, then, brought Mashiro to her house and telling her his dream.... Mashiro then tells her that he will write a manga with Takagi and if their manga gets turned into an anime, she'll voice the female lead and marry him. Azuki agrees, but the condition that she has is that they cannot meet until then.

Now, the lives of wannabe mangakas begin!!!

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Free Download Anime:
- Bakuman Episode 3. (Season 2)
- Bakuman Episode 2. (Season 2)
- Bakuman Episode 1. (Season 2)
- Bakuman Episode 1 - 25. (Season 1 Complete)

Free Download Manga:
- Bakuman 148

Beelzebub

Title: Beelzebub
Alternative Name: べるぜバブ; 恶魔奶爸; Đứa Con Của Ma Vương; 魔王的父亲; 벨제부브; Beelze Baby; Beezle Baby; Belze Babu; Belzebub; Beruze Babu; Vua Quỷ (Vietnamese); بيلزبوب (Arabic); בעל זבוב(Hebrew); بلزباب (Persian)
Author: Ryūhei Tamura
Artist: Ryūhei Tamura
Published by: Shueisha
Genre: Action, Comedy
Original run: February 2009 - ongoing (Manga) | January 9, 2011 - ongoing (Anime)
Summary: 

The story follows the "strongest juvenile delinquent", Oga Tatsumi, a first year in "Ishiyama High" the school for delinquents. One day while sleeping next to a river he sees a man floating down it, he pulls him to shore and the man splits in half revealing a baby boy. This boy is the son of the demon king and he has been chosen as the one to raise it with the baby's demon maid Hilda. The story follows his life with the child and at the delinquent school.

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Free Download Anime:
- Beelzebub Episode 36
- BeelzebubEpisode 1 - 35

Free Download Manga:
- Beelzebub 125

Read Manga: Naruto 557

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Ranma 1/2 Manga Gets Live-Action Special with Yui Aragaki

A live-action television adaptation of Rumiko Takahashi's Ranma ½ martial arts comedy manga will air this December as a two-hour special on Japan's NTV network. Yui Aragaki (Digimon: Data Squad, Koizora) will play Akane Tendō, and Kento Kaku (Paradise Kiss, Gokusen) and Natsuna (Gantz) will play the dual male/female sides of the title character Ranma Saotome.

Viz published the manga in North America, and it also released the television anime series adaptation and the various anime spinoffs.

Source: Yaraon

1st Episode Anime Bakuman Season 2 Preview Streamed

2nd series based on Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata's manga to debut next Saturday

The official website for the Bakuman. 2 television anime series re-opened on Saturday with a preview for the first episode, "Chinmoku to En." The series will premiere on NHK's E-Tele channel in Japan next Saturday, October 1 at 5:30 p.m. (4:30 a.m. EDT).

The new season was first announced in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine last December. The North American anime distributor Media Blasters licensed the first anime season and confirmed with ANN that its license includes the second season.

The original manga that inspired the anime was written by Tsugumi Ohba and drawn by Takeshi Obata — the co-creators of Death Note. The story centers around Moritaka Mashiro, a junior high school student who is persuaded to work towards becoming a manga creator with the encouragement of two classmates. Viz Media publishes the manga in North America.

Source: ANN

Opening Theme Gundam AGE Conducted by Galileo Galilei

The official website of the Japanese rock band Galileo Galilei announced on Sunday that the band's new song "Asu e" (To Tomorrow) will be the opening theme song for the television anime series Mobile Suit Gundam AGE. The series will premiere in Japan on October 9.

The CD for the song, the band's sixth single, will go on sale on December 7, but it will first be available as a ringtone for Japanese mobile phones and as a download (of the television opening edit) for personal computers on November 2. The limited-time version of the CD single will include a Gundam AGE sticker, the television edit of the song, and other extras.

A preview for the anime will air on Japan's MBS/TBS network on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. (4:00 a.m. EDT) during the Blue Exorcist anime series. Galileo Galilei had previously performed the opening theme songs for Ookiku Furikabutte ~Natsu no Taikai-hen~ and Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai. The band also worked on a series of anime shorts within the Monster Rock program on the Space Shower TV music channel last year.

The Gigazine website had listed JAM Project as the performers of the opening theme song.

Source: ANN

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations Trailer Streamed

Namco Bandai Games began streaming a three-minute trailer for the upcoming North American PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 release of Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations on Friday. A one-minute promotional video for the game began streaming on Namco Bandai Games' official website in June.

On the same day the previous promotional video began streaming, Namco Bandai Games announced the North American license of the game to be released next spring. Online retailer Amazon.com lists a February 28, 2012 release date and a US$59.95 retail price for the PlayStation 3 version.

Developed by CyberConnect2, the ninja fighting game includes various online battle modes and characters from throughout Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto manga storyline. This release will include the original Japanese voice acting. Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations is the third installment in the Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Storm game series.

Source: ANN

Three main voice cast members of 2012 'Berserk' feature film revealed

Three main voice cast members of a three-part animated feature film based on the dark fantasy epic manga "Berserk," whose first installment will be released in January 2012, were revealed by the movie's official website.

Actor Hiroaki Iwanaga, best known for his roles in live-action "Tomica Hero Rescue Force" and "Kamen Rider OOO" superhero series, will give voice to the character "Guts" in "Berserk: Ogon Jidai-hen I: Hao no Tamago" (Berserk: the golden age chapter I: the egg of the conqueror), the website said.

Takahiro Sakurai, who played "Suzaku" in "Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion," will play Griffith, while Toa Yukinari, who played "Reed" in the Japanese version of "Grey's Anatomy Season 6," will provide the voice for Casca.

Produced by STUDIO 4C (4 degrees C), the feature film adaptation is an ambitious project that includes all episodes of the original comic series running for more than 20 years. It will be distributed by Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

The first installment will cover stories from the early stages of the original manga, which has enjoyed widespread popularity at home and abroad.

The film also features a lineup that includes today's top anime creators.

STUDIO 4C has won international acclaim for its high-quality, inventive imagery as shown in "Tekkonkinkreet," "Mind Game" and "The Animatrix."

Toshiyuki Kubooka is a veteran anime director who has worked with the studio for "Batman: Gotham Knight" and the second episode in "Genius Party."

Screenwriter Ichiro Okochi has worked on many popular titles including "Turn A Gundam," "Code Geass" and "Planetes."

Character designer Naoyuki Onda, who has worked on "Mobile Suit Z Gundam" and "Demon City Shinjuku," will also serve as chief animation supervisor.

For more information, visit the official website at (http://www.berserkfilm.com).

Source: asashi.com

801-chan Otaku Love Comedy Manga Gets 2nd Live-Action DVD

The second live-action adaptation of Ajico Kojima's original Tonari no 801-chan love comedy blog will ship on DVD in Japan on October 5. Director of the first Tonari no 801-chan live-action DVD in 2007, Koutarou Terauchi will also direct this adaptation titled Tonari no 801-chan: Love & Peace. The DVD's retail price is 2,464 yen (about US$32).

Originally posted as a web comic on Kojima's blog, the manga story follows the life of a fujoshi (female boys-love otaku) called 801-chan and her otaku boyfriend Tibe-kun. While The Prince of Tennis musical's Kōji Seto played the boyfriend in the otaku manga's first live-action adaptation, male talent group D2 member Youichirou Oomi will play Tibe-kun for this DVD film. Actress Sou Hirosawa will reprise her role as the titular girlfriend.

The fourth collected volume of the Tonari no 801-chan manga included the anime short Tonari no 801-chan R. A separate anime adaptation was announced in 2008 but later canceled. The Tonari no 801-chan web comic already provided the source material for two spinoff manga aimed at a younger audience. The fifth collected volume of Kojima's manga was released in Japan in December 2010.

Source:  ANN