process of elimination

"HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW ASTRONAUTS GO TO THE BATHROOM?" Visitors to the men's room at the US Space And Rocket Center in Huntsville Alabama were greeted with this question - at least they were the last time I was there, which was a good 25 years ago. A recorded voice led us gently but firmly through the various procedures necessary for elimination of bodily wastes in a zero gravity environment, accompanied with slides and actual examples of the various hoses, nozzles, collection bags, and accoutrements that our brave spacemen and spacewomen used to answer the call of nature outside Earth's atmosphere.

It was right around this time that the Japanese explored this selfsame scenario through the medium of -what else? Comic books. So, in honor of the last flight of America's Space Shuttle, we present a manga tutorial on How Astronauts Go To The Bathroom. Enjoy! WARNING: this deals with how astronauts go to the bathroom.



Mitsu-chan, Don, and Professor Space blast off on board the Space Shuttle for an exciting and educational visit to outer space. Many fascinating facts are revealed concerning rocketry, ballistics, orbital mechanics, radiation, and the behavior of living organisms in low-gravity environments. And in the midst of all this learning, Don's gotta take a space leak.



Everything seems to be fairly straightforward, but there are inherent difficulties involved in the ejection of liquid materials that Don has not taken into calculation.



You thought the restrooms at the ballgame were nasty? Space travel multiplies the ick factor by several thousand million as thoughtless or delinquent patrons can now contaminate, well, pretty much everything via FLYING PEE BALLS.



Thankfully astro-science was thinking ahead and provided our space environment with a handy pee-vacuum designed to clean up after Doofus here.



Proper astro-urination procedure is effected by inserting pee-nozzle apparatus (standard issue) into collection device, activating negative-pressure air control, and then allowing liquid to flow naturally into reservoir compartment. Pee-shy personnel should consult with astro-urologist.



Solid waste collection involves a giant vacuum that collects the, uh, solid waste, and is, uh, charmingly anthropomorphized. Thanks Japan.



Luckily for girls, who can't insert things into other things, there's a sit-down vacuum-enabled space toilet. And luckily for everybody, it has its own room where such things can be done in privacy. Thank goodness.



When you're finished - remember to take an astro-shower! Let's keep it clean in outer space.

Illustrations taken from the educational comic LIVING IN SPACE: SECRETS OF THE SPACE SHUTTLE.

Tomo Book No. 47

Depending on who you ask, the �golden age� of American comics starts somewhere in the late 1930s and ends anywhere from the Korean War to the Kennedy inauguration. Straitjacketed by this America-centric comic book collectors mindset, it�s tough to categorize Japanese comics from the same period. Is there a Golden Age of manga? Is there a Bob Overstreet-san categorizing faded Shonen Magazines and dusty stacks of tankubon, grading each according to condition and scarcity and injury-to-the-eye-motif
covers? God I hope not.



It�s this lack of raw data � raw data in a language I can read, anyways � that makes uncovering this kind of mid-Showa period manga (hah, here I am, categorizing away) so thrilling. What is this? Where did it come from, who was tracing Tezuka characters when they drew it, and what was it doing in an estate sale in Marietta GA in the mid 1980s? That�s where I found it, casually placed on an antique dresser next to a O.E.S. New Testament.

Number 47 in the �Tomo Book� series, this particular volume is titled �THE VANISHING WORLD� (forgive my rough translation) and features 4 stories of rockets, robots, Martian flying saucers, atom bomb tests, jet pilots romancing jungle girls, and general science fictional adventure; the Japanese equivalent of the Tom Swift sci-fi juveniles that American ten year olds were devouring at the time.



The artwork is generally pretty crude. You can get away with faking the cartoony Tezuka style once or twice but eventually the lack of structure or perspective, the weak crosshatching, the general ineptitude of the artwork (inside front cover signed �Yasuhiro Kozako�) shows through. And this is 1955: Tezuka was right in the middle of one of his most productive periods, Ishinomori was just getting into his Shonen Magazine groove, Tatsumi was moving beyond current styles and percolating the ideas that would, in a couple of years, emerge as "gekiga". Our Tomo Book No. 47 is an anachronism, even for 1955. Still, the breakneck pacing manages to brute-force the stories right through the weaknesses of the illustration, and the blue ink gives the entire production a reassuring elementary-school handout atmosphere.





Sometimes you meet robots on Mars;



And then sometimes the robots turn out to be beautiful girls. Life's like that.

Budding manga geniuses aside, most comic books everywhere are pretty much like �The Vanishing World� here � crude lowest-common-denominator distractions for children barely able to read. Impulse purchases for those who are barely old enough to have enough pocket money to learn what an impulse purchase is. Fifty years on, its value as a cultural artifact may outweigh its utility as an adventure story for children. But that�s OK. Rest easy, Tomo Book No. 47.

Gon - The Anime

Gon with the Wind

Gon is a tiny fictional dinosaur and the title character of a Japanese manga series created by Masashi Tanaka. The Gon series features the completely wordless adventures of the irascible title character as he interacts with the natural world, depicted by Tanaka in lush, realistic detail. Gon somehow survived the extinction of his fellow dinosaurs and interacts with paleolithic animals. In 1998, the manga received an Excellence Prize at the Japan Media Arts Festival. [Source: Wikipedia]

Now it is being made into a CGI animated film. Check out the clip below:

Anime and Manga are Banned

 Tokyo Ban on "Virtual Crimes" Passes

Tokyo’s ban on anime, manga and games featuring “virtual crimes” or which are “likely to interfere with the healthy development of youth” has passed after the DPJ agreed to support it.

The DPJ’s only addition to the critical portion of the law was a short rider which requests “prudent application of the law in light of any artistic, social, scientific or satirical merits the work might express” – it does not however add any legal obligation to consider these, or establish any clear or indepdently enforced criteria for judging whether a work can be declared “harmful” or not.

Even more bizarrely, the final draft actually removed a passage that imposed “a duty not to possess [photographic] child pornography” on Tokyo residents, whilst leaving the section banning erotic manga and anime (and explicitly excluding photographic materials) all but unchanged – that the bill is intended exclusively as an “anti-otaku” law seems to be beyond doubt.

It is very difficult to objectively assess the scope of the law – along with vague and subjective terms like “interfere with the healthy development of youth,” the law also includes “etc.” on the end of most of its examples, leaving it quite unclear, for example, whether the “improper glorification of illegal sexual activity, etc.” applies to only virtual sex crimes, or all crimes in general – presumably the interpretation adopted will be whichever is convenient to censors.

Similarly, the ban’s mention of “rape and other sexual acts which violate societal norms” seems inevitably to point to a ban on depictions of homosexuality, considering who was behind the law.

The generally expected form the law will take is that of a “amakudari” (a pervasive system of sinecures for retired bureaucrats) body which will inspect all anime, manga and games, with only those titles receiving approval as “healthy” able to be sold regularly in Tokyo shops – the rest will be relegated to the “adult corner.”

The most immediate and direct effect of the law will almost certainly be to see ecchi manga such as To Love-Ru, bishoujo titles such as Champion Red and most BL manga, as well as any seinen manga with especially mature themes, banned from general sales – presumably most will then be cancelled due to a lack of suitable magazine or tankobon distribution channels, with a few perhaps being resurrected as 18+ ero-manga.

As has already been seen, publishers will also likely be purging future anime, manga and games of any content liable to fall foul of the law, and removing older titles from distribution.

The law probably also spells the end of most late night anime in Tokyo (and by extension, everywhere else), which it would appear to ban under its distribution clause; given the vague wording of the current season alone it seems Ore no Imouto, Panty & Stocking, Yosuga, Sora no Otoshimono, Milky Holmes and others would all fall foul of its various stipulations.

There is also some doubt as to whether Comiket will be able to be held under the new regulations – if not, its cancellation or removal to another prefecture seems likely, although a lack of sufficiently large spaces may severely complicate this.

The law is expected to be signed into law on the 15th after an additional vote and then come into effect in July of 2011, so with magazine, tankobon, anime and game release schedules being what they are, it seems likely its effects will be felt much sooner; in a genuinely democratic state there might be scope to overturn it before then, but from what has been seen so far it seems unlikely publishers have the guts or savvy to do anything about it. [Source: Sankaku Complex]

U.S. Releases

[News by Scott Green of AICN.com]

Hollywood Reporter mentioned Crystal Sky is still developing Ghost in the Shell, with producer Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks

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MTV Splash Page spoke to producer Michael Jelenic about the upcoming animated Thundercats

"We have some great artists [on 'Thundercats']," said Jelenic. "We're using a very famous Japanese animation studio, Studio4C, which did 'The Animatrix.' They're going to have their signature stuff on it. It's going to be pretty epic."

"One thing is that I tried to simplify the mythology a little bit," he said. "It's a pretty complicated backstory that borrows from a lot of other sci-fi stuff, like Superman and Star Wars. In developing this, I wanted it to be a little more simple. In the other version, there's something like three different planets involved, and they all converge onto one planet, and nobody's really connected. I just wanted to bring that all together."

"It's reimagined in that way, but at the same time, we're going to see the characters that we love," he promised.

Asked specifically about the presence of classic characters Panthro, Cheetara, and Tygra, Jelenic said "all those characters will still be in it" —even Snarf, apparently.

"Everyone always wants to know about Snarf," he laughed. "He will be in it, and he will not talk. Don't worry."

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Slash Film notes that there's talk that the adaptation of the Oldboy manga, previously adapted by Park Chan-Wook may still be in the works.

Oldboy’ Remake Reportedly Gaining Steam Once More; Director Wishlist Includes Steven Spielberg, Matthew Vaughn, Danny Boyle
Posted on Monday, November 8th, 2010 by Russ Fischer

Mandate Pictures is said to be high on a new draft that Mark Protosevich is ready to turn in, and that it will go out to Steven Spielberg, Matthew Vaughn and, should they pass, Danny Boyle.

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Anime News Network notes a Screen Daily report that Anthony LaMolinara (animator on sequences in Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, and Hollow Man) will direct the live action adaptation of girls in mecha suits versus androids anime Bubblegum Crisis. Australia's Arclight Films, Canada's Wizzfilms, the Infotainment China Media Company, and the United Kingdom's Latec International agreed in May of 2009 to produce the live-action film.

Aniplex
Aniplex has finished announcing the English language dub cast for urban mystery Durarara

Celty... KARI WAHLGREN
Mikado... DARREL GUILBEAU
Masaomi... BRYCE PAPENBROOK
Anri... MICHELLE RUFF
Izaya... JOHNNY YONG BOSCH
Shizuo... CRISPIN FREEMAN
Kyohei... STEVE BLUM
Erika... MELA LEE
Walker... BRIAN BEACOCK
Shinra... YURI LOWENTHAL
Simon... PATRICK SEITZ

Beez
UK distributor Beez will be releasing House of Five Leaves and The Tatami Galaxy

Digital Manga Publishing
newly licensed titles include

Butterfly of the Distant Day (Tooi Hi no Cho)
Tooko Miyagi (Taiyoh Tosho's Million Comics Craft Series)
May 15, 2011 (1 volume)

Men of Tattoos (Shisei no Otoko)
Yuiji Aniya (Akaneshinsha's Edge Comix)
May 23, 2011 (1 volume)

Rabbit Man, Tiger Man (Usagi Otoko Tora Otoko) Volume 1
Akira Honma (Shinkosha's Chocolat Comics)
May 23, 2011 (2+ volumes)

Moon and Blood
Nao Yazawa
May 2011

Digital Manga Publishing has announced the Digital Manga Guild program, partnering with six Japanese publishers to bring fans on board for localization in return for "a revenue percentage from all future sales of that book."

an interview concerning the program

FUNimation
FUNimation has picked up the rights for former ADV releases Bubblegum Crisis 2040, Excel Saga, and Noir. The three will be re-released in 2011.

Funimation recently told Anime News Network on their ANNCast that the second half of D.Gray-man due to issues with Dentsu.

The Dragon Ball Z Dragon Boxes are limited releases.

IDA Entertainment
The first episode of CG animated anthromorphized animals military story Cat Shit One will be available on DVD and Blu-ray starting in December

Manga UK

The British Manga Entertainment will be distributing Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya film on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in summer 2011. The second season of the tv anime and Melancholy of Haruhi-chan Suzumiya are also coming from Manga Ent. Releases of Birdy the Mighty Decode and K-On! are also planned.

Section23
Canaan Complete Collection has been released on DVD and Blu-ray

CANAAN COMPLETE COLLECTION DVD
Running Time: 325 min.
Age Rating: TV 14 (V)
Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles
CAT: SF-CN100
UPC: 814131013514
Published by: Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Street Date: 10/26/2010
Format: DVD
SRP: $59.98

CANAAN COMPLETE COLLECTION BLU-RAY EDITION
Running Time: 325 min.
Age Rating: TV 14 (V)
Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles
CAT: SFB-CN100
UPC: 814131019301
Published by: Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Street Date: 10/26/2010
Format: BD
SRP: $69.98

SYNOPSIS: Colors have scent. Sounds possess images. In this future world, where biochemical weapons have changed the game, an unlucky few have their senses blended. They are gifted with abilities beyond what normal humans feel. They possess synesthesia.

XAM'D COLLECTION 2
Running Time: 325 min.
Age Rating: TV 14 (V)
Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles
CAT: SF-XM200
UPC: 814131013712
Published by: Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Street Date: 11/09/2010
Format: DVD
SRP: $59.98

XAM'D COLLECTION 2 BLU-RAY EDITION
Running Time: 325 min.
Age Rating: TV 14 (V)
Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles
CAT: SFB-XM200
UPC: 814131019400
Published by: Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Street Date: 11/09/2010
Format: BD
SRP: $69.98

Coming February 2011

YOU'RE UNDER ARREST: FAST & FURIOUS COMPLETE COLLECTION
Published by: Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Run Time: 650 min.
Street Date: 2/1/2011
Format: DVD
Language: Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $59.98
SYNOPSIS: Get ready for non-stop, pedal to the metal action and hijinks galore as Japan's most irregular team of police officers hits the streets again on an all new tour of duty! As usual, the Bokuto Police station is a magnet for the weird and UN-usual, and that's about the only rule this duty shift isn't going to break! Fortunately, car crazy Miyuki, insanely strong Natsumi, sexually ambiguous Aoi and the rest of the station's enforcers of justice are always ready to place their well-drawn bodies between the public and the line of fire, and now new Junior Officer Saori has also joined the thin and svelte blue line! From drunken karaoke binges to the bizarre activities of a baseball-themed vigilante and the general nuisance of Strikeman, there are plenty of bad boys, naughtier girls and all around arresting behavior ahead in YOU'RE UNDER ARREST: Fast & Furious Complete Collection!

EYESHIELD 21 COLLECTION 4
Published by: Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Run Time: 325 min.
Street Date: 2/8/2011
Format: DVD
Language: Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $49.98

SYNOPSIS: As the Deimon Devil Bats' continue to evolve and grow their own unique version of American-style football, Sena has a major breakthrough: a revolutionary technique called the Ghost, combining speed and illusion to fool the opposing players. However, when Hiruma forbids him to use it outside of a "real" game, it throws Sena's plans of competing in a side league for practice into a tailspin. With Shin once more pitted against him, will he be able to resist the temptation? Meanwhile, Taki is proving unfortunately worthy of his nickname of "the Idiot," as besides being incredibly challenged about getting on the correct bus, he also seems to be unable to pass his crucial exams. Will he be able to break the dreaded cut-off barrier of 200 so he can play? And then, what is this rumor about another Eyeshield 21? There's a whole pile of trouble waiting to tackle our fearless heroes in EYESHIELD 21 - COLLECTION 4!

NEEDLESS COLLECTION 1
Published by: Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Run Time: 300 min.
Street Date: 2/15/2011
Format: DVD
Language: English, Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $59.98

SYNOPSIS: They're called Needless-mutants who wield amazing powers such as super speed, the ability to change form, and some, like Blade, the power to "learn" other opponent's powers. It's Blade's greatest ability. But is it powerful enough to overcome his weakness for cute young girls in revealing little skirts? Find out in the craziest action comedy anime of the year!

NEEDLESS COLLECTION 1 BLU-RAY EDITION
Published by: Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Run Time: 300 min.
Street Date: 2/15/2011
Format: BD
Language: English, Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $69.98

SYNOPSIS: They're called Needless-mutants who wield amazing powers such as super speed, the ability to change form, and some, like Blade, the power to "learn" other opponent's powers. It's Blade's greatest ability. But is it powerful enough to overcome his weakness for cute young girls in revealing little skirts? Find out in the craziest action comedy anime of the year!

GINTAMA COLLECTION 4
Published by: Sentai Filmworks
Distributed by: Section23 Films
Run Time: 250 min.
Street Date: 2/22/2011
Format: DVD
Language: Japanese with English Subtitles
SRP: $49.98

SYNOPSIS: Things get really crazy… that's like, crazier than usual, which just goes to prove that the universe really must be composed of infinite possibilities… when Kagura's father shows up in Edo to visit his daughter. Oh, and he's also in town to take on the deadly alien menace that he might be on the trail of. When Yakuza takes on Aliens, who will lose? The innocent bystanders of course. And needless to say, Kagura's associates respond to her possible (and not particularly voluntary) exit from the franchise in predictable fashion: by trying to grab female lead status for themselves. Meanwhile, Sadahara discovers a devilish aspect of his own personality while becoming a demon, which leads to inevitable difficulties with the High Priestess types. So what's Gintoki doing during all this? Dodging, mostly. Japan's hottest anime series continues as aliens on the loose and underemployed samurai make total assassins out of themselves in the insanity that is GINTAMA COLLECTION 4!

Solid Objects
Solid Object has released Jim Shepard' GOJIRA, KING OF THE MONSTERS, a fictionalized novella concerning Eiji Tsuburaya's Godzilla production

UDON Entertainment
UDON will be releasing Mami Itou’s (Pilgrim Jäger) two volume Street Fighter Gaiden

Street Fighter Gaiden Vol.1 goes on sales at comic shops and book stores everywhere November 24, 2010. Street Fighter Gaiden Vol.2 will follow in January 2011.

Written and drawn by Mami Itou (Darkstalkers/Red Earth, ROBOT, Pilgrim Jäger), Street Fighter Gaiden spotlights the World Warriors’ adventures outside the tournament scene. The series is made up of short stories each devoted to a classic Street Fighter character. Fan-favorites like Ryu, Ken, Chun-li, and Guile each get their due, as do many other skilled fighters. Cammy teams up with Delta Red against the narcissistic Vega, T. Hawk has a desert showdown with Balrog, Fei-Long teaches everyone what it truly means to be a martial artist, and Ryu & Ken face off together against their deadliest rival – Akuma!

VIZ Media
ICV2 has spoken to Joel Enos on plans for'Shonen Jump,' which include new design and digital content

Kids tiles PANDA MAN TO THE RESCUE! and TARO AND THE MAGIC PENCIL were released on November 2nd.

THE ADVENTURES OF PANDA MAN: PANDA MAN TO THE RESCUE ·
MSRP: $7.99 US / $9.99 CAN · Available November 2nd
Boing Oing! It's Panda Man, a roly-poly hero with a bottomless belly and the power of pee-yew! Evil villains are no match for our hero's funky feet and flatulence, but he still needs your help! Together you can solve the mazes and puzzles that stand between Panda Man and ultimate justice...or his next meal. Whichever comes first!

THE ADVENTURES OF TARO: TARO AND THE MAGIC PENCIL ·
MSRP: $7.99 US / $9.99 CAN · Available November 2nd
Before his comic book drawings came to life, Taro was an ordinary boy. Now his characters are in danger, and it's up to him to save them! With the flick of a magic pencil, Taro transforms into Terrie (a terrier) and enters his comic book world. The adventures ahead are more amazing than anything he ever imagined!

The first volume of Usamaru Furuya's GENKAKU PICASSO has been released under the Shonen Jump imprint.

Hikaru “Picasso” Hamura, a grouchy teenager with a talent for drawing, dies in a freak accident. The gods decide to revive him, but only on the condition that he use his artistic gift for the good of humanity. Picasso discovers that sketching a person’s aura yields a surreal portrait of their psyche. Stranger still, Picasso can dive into these dreamscapes and help people by exploring their deepest emotions, memories and perceptions.

Creator Usamaru Furuya made a splash with his 1994 manga debut in the legendary “underground” manga magazine Garo with his innovative four-panel series Palepoli. He also created a gag series called Short Cuts for Young Sunday magazine, which was later serialized in the English-language manga magazine Pulp and published as a graphic novel by VIZ Media (rated ‘M’ for Mature). His other works include Jisatsu Circle, a manga adaptation of the film, Suicide Club, The Chronicles of the Clueless Age, a collaboration with the writer Otsuichi, and Happiness, a series of shorts that ran in IKKI magazine. GENKAKU PICASSO is Furuya’s first series for Jump SQ.

GENKAKU PICASSO © 2008 by Usamaru Furuya/SHUEISHA Inc.

Ahojo-styled drama with the release of THE STORY OF SAIUNKOKU, written by Sai Yukino with artwork by Kairi Yura has been released under the Shojo Beat imprint

Shurei Hong, destitute but of noble birth, has always dreamed of working as a civil servant in the imperial court of Saiunkoku, but women are barred from holding office. The emperor Ryuki, however, refuses to take command, leaving everything to his advisors. Shurei
Saiunkoku Monogatari Volume 1 © Kairi YURA 2006 © Sai YUKINO 2006

Viz has released KUROZAKURO by Yoshinori Natsume (Togari) under the Shonen Sunday label

Mikito Sakurai is tired of being a punching bag for all the delinquents on campus. But what can he do? By nature he's a gentle and easygoing high school student. That all changes the night he swallows a mysterious orb and meets Zakuro, a strange kid who promises to grant his most heartfelt desire. "When you wake up," says the pint-sized apparition, "you'll be stronger and better than a human."

KUROZAKURO © 2004 Yoshinori NATSUME/Shogakukan

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Upcoming Shonen Jump releases include Psyren and Yu-Gi-Oh 5D

Live-Action News

[News by Scott Green of AICN.com]

 Shohei Manabe’s Smuggler, released in North America by Tokyopop, is getting an adaptation.

Ryosuke Kinuta is a failed actor with serious debt problems. His loan shark arranges a job for him as part of a corpse disposal team, transporting the bodies of victims of gang hits out of the city and seeing to it that they're never seen again. But with the team accepting work from both sides in an escalating mob war and a pair of deadly Chinese assassins on the loose, life for Kinuta and his colleagues is about to get increasingly dangerous. [Source: AnimeNewsNetwork]

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Gamera is getting a 40 minute, 3D movie, scheduled for 2012.

Manga News

[News by Scott Green of AICN.com]

CLAMP's Gate 7 one-shot will be spun into an ongoing manga in Jump Sqaure.

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A new kids focus Jump spin-off, Super Strong Jump will start December 3rd. Younger audience takes on Jump titles include

Rock Lee no Seishun Full-Power Ninden (from Naruto) by Kenji Taira
Chopperman (from One Piece) by Hirofumi Takei
Vongola GP (Grand Prix) Kuru! (from Katekyo Hitman Reborn!) by Toshinori Takayama
Gourmet Gakuen Toriko (from Toriko) by Akitsugu Mizumoto

Digimon Xros Wars by Akiyoshi Hongo/Yuuki Nakashima
Slime MoriMori (from Dragon Quest) by Osamu Kaneko
MonHun Manga PokaPoka Airu-mura (from Monster Hunter) by Akihiro Kikuchi

Yokai Gakkyu Rock Rock Be!!! by Naoaki Ito
An army of supernatural creatures appears at a school ruled by a gang leader
God Cooking Gourmet Ryori-Kyo! by Kazufumi Yuki
Divine gourmet cuisine in the classroom
Golem a Go! Go! by Katsuya Kazama

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Gainax's classic mecha anime Gunbuster will be adapted into a manga series running in Shonen Ace

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Shogakukan Creative will publish Tezuka Osamu Sosaku Note to Shoki Sakuhin-Shu, a collection of conceptual notes and early works from the manga pioneer Osamu Tezuka, on December 24 in Japan.

Manga News

One Piece is going on a one month hiatus

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Eri Takenashi's magic girlfriend Kannagi will be returning to Monthly Comic Rex

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Ken Akamatsu will be bring back Love Hina for a one shot in Weekly Shonen Magazine

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Following the cancellation of Comic Bunch, Tsukasa Hojo's City Hunter spin-off Angel Heart will move to Comic Zenon 

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A look at the new version of Tezuka's Marvelous Melvo

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Yukito Kishiro blogged that following his fall out with his editor, he will be moving Battle Angel Alita: Last Order from Ulta Jump to Kodansha's Evening

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Bisco Hatori will be concluding Ouran High School Host Club in the next issue of LaLa

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Masahiro Totsuka and Aguri Igarashi's kendo manga Bamboo Blade will be ending in the next issue of Young Gangan

Live Action
Ai Yazawa's (Nana) fashion manga Paradise Kiss will be adapted into a live action film. Cast includes Keiko Kitagawa (live-action Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon's Sailor Mars, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift's Reiko), Osamu Mukai (Honey and Clover, Nodame Cantabile, Mei-chan no Shitsuji, Beck), Natsuki Kato, Aya Omasa, Kento Kaku, Shunji Igarashi, and Yusuke Yamamoto.

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Takashi Murakami's manga Hoshi Mamoru Inu will be adapted into a live action movie

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Hana Yori Dango's Shun Oguri and Mao Inoue will star in a TV dreama adaptation of manga series Veterinarian Dolittle

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A third live action TV action of Akira Nagai and Taro Nogizaka's Iryu - Team Medical Dragon will hit Japanese TV in October

Misc

The all female Takarazuka Revue will be performing a stage musical adaptation of Riko Miyagi's popular manga series "Mei-chan no Shitsuji"

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the CD BECK OFFICIAL INSPIRED BY ... is being release in conjuction with the live action adaption of rock manga Beck,

The disc will feature
BECK playlist of the movie ? OFFICIAL INSPIRED BY ...
01. 01. OASIS / Don't Look Back In Anger Oasis / Do not Look Back In Anger
02. 02. Rage Against The Machine / Guerrilla Radio Rage Against The Machine / Guerrilla Radio
03. 03. The Offspring / Come Out and Play The Offspring / Come Out and Play
04. 04. The Clash / I Fought The Law The Clash / I Fought The Law
05. 05. The Black Crowes / Remedy The Black Crowes / Remedy
06. 06. Alice In Chains/ Man In The Box Alice In Chains / Man In The Box
07. 07. Travis / Why Does It Always Rain On Me Travis / Why Does It Always Rain On Me
08. 08. Manic Street Preachers / Motorcycle Emptiness Manic Street Preachers / Motorcycle Emptiness
09. Lauryn Hill / Doo Wop (That Thing) 09. Lauryn Hill / Doo Wop (That Thing)
10. 10. Bob Dylan / Subterranean Homesick Blues Bob Dylan / Subterranean Homesick Blues
11. 11. Kula Shaker / Hush Kula Shaker / Hush
12. 12. Fiona Apple / Criminal Fiona Apple / Criminal
13. 13. Jimi Hendrix / All Along The Watchtower Jimi Hendrix / All Along The Watchtower
14.Janis Joplin / Move Over 14.Janis Joplin / Move Over
15. 15. Jeff Buckley / Hallelujah Jeff Buckley / Hallelujah
Track>
16. 16. OASIS / I Am The Walrus(Live) OASIS / I Am The Walrus (Live)

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Vermilion Pleasure Night/The Fuccons creator Yoshimasa Ishibashi will have new video exhibition at the Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art in Hamamachi Marugame City, Kagawa Prefecture titled "SickeTel: Ishibashi Yoshimasa and KyupiKyupi"

Doug Liman to Direct Adaptation of Japanese Sci-Fi Novel "All You Need is Kill" [Source: aicn.com]

It might actually by oldish news, but Variety reports/confirms that Bourne Identity's Doug Liman will be directing the Warner Bros. adaptation of Hiroshi Sakurazaka's Forever War compared sci-fi novel "All You Need Is Kill."
According to Variety, The studio's been developing "All You Need Is Kill" since April when it bought Dante Harper's adaptation. Producers are Erwin Stoff, Tom Lassally and Jason Hoffs with Hidemi Fukuhara exec producing.
An English translation of the novel is available in North America via anime/manga publisher Viz Media's Haikasoru sci-fi prose line. ("Haikasoru" being Philip K. Dick reference.)


When the alien Mimics invade, Keiji Kiriya is just one of many recruits shoved into a suit of battle armor called a Jacket and sent out to kill. Keiji dies on the battlefield, only to be reborn each morning to fight and die again and again. On his 158th iteration, he gets a message from a mysterious ally--the female soldier known as the Full Metal Bitch. Is she the key to Keiji's escape or his final death?

An excerpt of the novel can be read here.

Recommended Manga of the Month [July]

High School of the Dead

This series may contain strong language, excessive violence, nudity and/or lots of blood and gore. By following this link to read this manga, you certify that you are at least 17 years of age.

Click here to read the manga.

Twin Spica - Manga Review

Highly Recommended!

Mothers' Day is fast approaching and on May 4, the perfect gift to introduce anyone you care about to the world of manga will be released for U.S. readers to enjoy. TWIN SPICA embodies all that is good in Japanese comics... or for any comics for that matter. This particular manga touches the heart with deeply emotional storytelling about characters you will come to love and cherish. This is a definite MUST BUY for those who love stories like Grave of the Fireflies and 2001 Nights: A Space Oddessy. 

[- anim8trix]

CLICK HERE FOR FREE PREVIEW

Twin Spica Manga Review by Scott Green [Source: AICN.com]

So, Twin Spica... it follows the efforts of a minimalisticly rendered, cherubically illustrated thirteen year old girl as she endeavors to become an astronaut. Up until its conclusion last year, the manga was serialized in Japan in Comic Flapper, a seinen anthology for males in their upper teens (or older).

Comic Flapper does run some mecha, like the manga adaptation of Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino's anime concerning a video game champion turned mecha pilot in a post apocalyptic exodus, Overman King Gainer. It featured a recent incarnation of venerable space psychic sci-fi saga Locke the Superman. It had the manga version of risqué perfumer/secret agent Najica. But, stories about young girls for that seinen demographic are Comic Flapper's primary niche. Dark Horse published Translucent, about a shy girl who literally turns invisible, originated in Flapper. Controversial Dance in the Vampire Bund is another Comic Flapper work. I've recently been talking up Christie High Tension, Area 88 creator Kaoru Shintani's stories of Mycroft Holmes' daughter, and that's from this anthology too.

The appeal of these works to their male readership isn't generally as apparently unified as the collection of titles bundled in an anthology like Dengeki Daioh, which similarly features cute girl series. For example, the draw of Translucent was its feel-good aura and optimism about human nature. I haven't read any Dance in the Vampire Bund or seen the anime, but I've read praise for the richness of its world creation and the quality of its action.

The appeal of Twin Spica... it's a little girl working to realize her dreams of going into space. You might be in high school, or college or on the job, working toward something of dubious significance, but here's a girl giving it her all to rocket out of Earth's atmosphere. Now that's a goal with some gravity. The desire for meaning is universal. We all want our effort to take us someplace special.

I look forward to the chance to read and write about some manga. While seinen material is often what has me watching my mailbox, Twin Spica wasn't the object of that anticipation. It was a well regarded work to which I thought I'd be indifferent. Maybe due to my dislike of travel in general, though I'm a lifelong geek, space in and of itself has does little for me. Even my considerable admiration for other manga on the subject (Planetes and 2001 Nights) didn't have me itching to read the next great space exploration story. Coming of age stories aren't of particularly keen interest to me either.

Ultimately, the manga surprised me. Reading about Twin Spica's lead trying to go into space, I got choked up. 

I have reservations about seinen manga featuring young leads. It tends to open the door to iffiness. I shouldn't say that I distrust escapist manga. I certainly read enough of it. Nostalgia is ok for occasional fun, but it generally strikes me as unproductive. Mono no aware is a can of worms that I probably shouldn't open at this point. Recapturing the spirit of youth often seems to translate to thinking like a child, and that sort of regressive mindset bothers me.

It's difficult to imagine Twin Spica going in those bothersome directions. Nor will its lead journey be simply a function of determination. It's set to push the character, but instead of regular formulas, it is more sensitive and naturalistic than other space academy manga (even ones I've liked).

Twin Spica (named for the binary star system in the Virgo constellation) opens with thirteen year old Asumi Kamogawa quizzing herself on the history of space exploration. She then prompts herself to recall the three tragedies of manned space flight. You can read about the first two on Wikipedia: the Apollo 1 fire and the Challenger explosion. The third occurred when Asumi Kamogawa was one year old. In 2010, (the manga began in 2001 and ran until 2009, so this was always near future) Japan launched its first manned space flight. 72 seconds after takeoff, the liquid fuel in the rocket's boosters caught fire. The space center was unable to activate the "flight stop system" that would explode the craft mid air. As a consequence, the Lion crashed into the city of Yuigahama. 

Asumi's mother was one of the crash's civilian victims. Despite, or perhaps because of this, Asumi's dream since childhood was to fly a rocket into space. As Twin Spica opens, she's making her first steps toward realizing this hope with her entrance into the space academy that Japan set up. 

Though Asumi is evidently working as hard as possible, "dream" is the right word for her goal. The manga doesn't position it as an ambition in a heated sense. "Guts and hard work" aren't the theme here. And, while Twin Spica is attentively realistic in its handling of space, there is an ethereal quality to the manga. I didn't catch any pronounced examples in this volume, but Kou Yaginuma reportedly references favorite children's author Kenji Miyazawa's classic Night on the Galactic Railroad, about an allegorical trip into the heavens. This is haunted manga. It's explicitly subject to spirit visitations courtesy of the "Lion" apparition from the like named rocket, outfitted with a theme park mask. But, that's not the extent to the manga's ghosts. 

Asumi's mother did not suffer an immediate death in the Lion's crash. Prior to experiencing her mother's death at a young age, for a number of years, Asumi knew her mother as a mute, featureless mask of bandages. A pair of prequel stories included in the volume explore how Asumi processed those events. What's demonstrated in the chapters is that Asumi has her own way of relating to situations like her mother's, or at least that she's uninhibited and sees her visions to fruition. The preview that Vertical posted serves as an example of how emotionally devastating for the reader Asumi's efforts to bring her visions into reality can be.
Small, practical despite her big dream, occasionally taken by self doubt or trauma, Asumi is an empathy magnet. This engenders emotion that does tread dangerously close to moe territory. Yet, because the manga appears to be devoid of cynicism, it's difficult to hold its similarities to a larger trend against it.

Yaginuma finds effective ways to accentuate Asumi's significance without stacking the deck. It's apparent that a dynamic is being generated in which Asumi will have to rely on her peers and vice versa, but so far, she is her own guide. Sure, there's Jiminy Lion, but he serves to offset the ineptness of the adults around Asumi. Her father is a hard working laborer, who cherishes his daughter's dreams, but he doesn't seem to have either been well equipped or able to come up to speed in raising her alone. Beyond his domestic issues, the man hauls off and hits his daughter twice as a consequence of being unable to contain his emotions or otherwise communicate with her. Asumi's school teacher/guidance councelor is passively obstructionist towards her hopes of joining the space academy. At the space academy itself, so far, what been seen of the adults staffing the place has been questionable as well. 

Twin Spica does not rely on attachment to the character types or the subject matter involved. It speaks to a human need and that effect is compounded by the hope and sadness of its lead. Vertical's Minister of Enlightenment Ed Chavez has noted that Twin Spica's plot works a lot harder in driving the series than many other manga's. Yet, a volume in I've found it more driven by emotions. The result is a powerfully effecting manga.

JUST DOING THIS TO MESS WITH OUR HEADS

Wouldn't it be great if Kodansha's "Osamu Tezuka Manga Complete Works" editions were in English? Well, they kinda are.





Yes! A charmingly typewritten synopsis of his classic shojo manga PRINCESS KNIGHT! True, the rest of the comic is in Japanese, but it's a start. Is there more?



AMBASSADOR MAGMA aka SPACE GIANTS! All right! So, how different is this from the Space Giants show we enjoyed as children?



Yeah, that's pretty different. For one thing, token Caucasian reporter "Liz" isn't even mentioned! Hey, what about KIMBA THE WHITE LION, you know, JUNGLE EMPEROR?



No, that's not Santa Claus there, it's Hige Oyaji and a grown-up Kimba - now named Leo - bravely facing the elements atop Mount Moon! A grown up Kimba?? What the heck?



Yes, the original manga goes places NBC would not dare to enter. At least not in cartoon form. But enough of these popular Tezuka works - did Kodansha release Complete Works editions of his more, shall we say, obscure manga?





Yes! Yes they did. JET KING, the story of an alien boy who can change his shape at will to better defeat evil, has a spoiler right in the English synopsis, so don't read it! Also in this volume, HIKARI is the story of a boy with crazy hair and two handguns who fights gangsters. Based on a true story.

But what about ASTRO BOY? I can hear you now, where's TETSUWAN ATOMU? Okay, here's your MIGHTY ATOM already.





This volume contains the story "The Three Magicians", which was one of the first Astro Boy stories I was ever exposed to, as it is also the subject of this LP:



Those three magicians get around.

Somebody should take the hint and get to work giving this classic Tezuka manga some actual North American releases; PRINCESS KNIGHT would sell like cotton candy at the fair and who would pass up a chance to own the original stories behind SPACE GIANTS and KIMBA THE WHITE LION? Not me! In the meantime, I suppose we'll have to be content with 30 year old typewritten summaries.