TOKYOPOP has announced a collaborative effort with the Los Angeles Public Library to promote teen reading. Teens age 11 to 18 who join the "Manga Madness Summer Reading Club" at their local library branch will receive a free folder, book bag, reading log, and bookmarks. Every branch will have special scheduled teen programs as part of the reading club. Each participant will receive a certificate at the end of the summer reading program.
At the Los Angeles Public Library's Central Library and its 71 branches, librarians have doubled and in some cases tripled the number of manga series ordered for their young adult collections because of high demand from teen readers.
Imagi Animation Studios, in association with Tatsunoko Production of Japan, will produce a new CG-animated feature-length motion picture for theatrical release based on the long-running anime franchise Gatchaman. The new film will be written and directed by Kevin Munroe, who is currently writing and directing Imagi’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles CG-animation that is being distributed by Warner Bros. in the U.S. and The Weinstein Company internationally. The announcement was made today by Francis Kao, CEO and Vice Chairman of Imagi International.
Source: Anime News Network
The Anime Immersion Press Team will be covering FanimeCON 2006 this year, and will be unavailable till tuesday (May 30th). The Anime Immersion Press Team will update news stories after this time. A newsletter will be published late june discussing everything that happened at the Convention.
Broccoli Books has announced its acquisition of translation rights to Arashi Shindo's manga adaptation of Makai Senki Disgaea, and Koge-Donbo's Yoki Koto Kiku.
The single volume Disgaea manga will be released in September. Yoki Koto Kiku will be sold in Borders Group bookstores from July through September, and will be available for wide release in October.
Source: Anime on DVD
Based on the Caramel Box / Alchemist Romantic Love Comedy Adventure PS2 game, Otome Wa Boku Ni Koshiteru ("The Maiden Is Falling In Love With The Elder Sister") will become an animated TV series to debut in Japan in October. Most of the production is coming from past D.C. ~Da Capo~ TV series. Confirmed staff include Director Masanori Nayoshi (D.C.S.S. ~Da Capo Second Season~), Character Designer Shimasawa Noriko (FullMetal Panic), Series Composition by Katsumi Hasegawa (Blue Gender), Animation Produciton by Feel, Production Commitee: Oto Boku Seisaku Iinkai. UPDATE: In the past 24 hours since we've posted this story, the official website has gone live with staff, story and release info. A splashcreen first look at some of the new anime chara designs can also be seen at www.starchild.co.jp/special/otome/.
Although anime studio Shaft is confirmed, newly surfaced information would seem to suggest the production team of the second season of Mahou Sensei Negima TV will not include GAINAX afterall. On May 10th ANS first reported on this possibility. The second Negima season remains officially unannounced.
Source: ANS
Goma Books has published a new book in Japan entitled Maid Cafe Kaigyou Manual ("Housemaid Tea Shop Opening Manual"). Written by Takushi Akahori, the 1,365 Yen book explores the housemaid cafe business that's explosively increasing throughout Japan and Asia as an after effect of the MOE boom. With all the assorted publications existing on Maid culture, this book prides itself on giving readers the first backstage look into maid business itself. Information contained therein was obtained by speaking with and sending questionnaires to the staff of such shops around Japan. was going to be addressed to the housemaid having tea of the whole country and to be sent. Chapters and subchapters include: "Basis of housemaid business", "Current state of Moe boom", "Large progress of housemaid tea shops", "Kinds of housemaid businesses", "Housemaid business-chapter of tavern" (explores the idea of employing maids as bar tenders), "Housemaid business-chapter of costume play cabaret club", "Procedure and preparation until a business is opened", "Opening a large store", "Picking talent", "Research of rival houses", "Effective ways to advertise", "Menu making", "Picking a stocking agent", "Inspections, public health center and fire station concerns", "Managing", "Calculation of profits and losses", " Trouble that can occur inside the store and countermeasures", "Trouble that can occur outside the shop and countermeasures", "Various troubles in store management". Additionally, in-depth interview sections with owners and managers appear throughout.
People's Daily and Asia Media mention a Hong Kong company owner was jailed for six months yesterday for selling pirated Japanese cartoon and animation discs over the internet. Customs officials said it was the heaviest sentence of its kind. The 31-year-old was convicted in Kwun Tong Court of "possession for the purpose of or in the course of, any trade or business of infringing copies of copyright works with a view to committing any act infringing the copyright without the licences of the copyright owners".
GPARA mentions Hamster is going to port the 1988 arcade game Haunted Castle, Akumajo Dracula, to the PlayStation 2 in May 2006 as part of the "Oretachi Game Center Zoku" series. Release is set for May, 2006. The 6 stage game, priced at under 2,000 Yen includes authorized guidebook, privilege DVD, game music CD, and the game title itself. Wikipedia has more information on the original arcade game.
Despite widespread reports to the contrary, ANS is hearing that a sequel or further animation to the Genshiken TV series is still likely. The official website www.genshiken.info has renewed after a longtime this week. Many Japanese observers point to 2 things there that could suggest a sequel. Number 1: the new "Copyright 2006" mark on the site. 2: The splash screen happens to be the last scene of the TV series, showing a new member entering the club's room. A new TV or OVA adaptation is being predicted. It was first hinted in a compilation of Comiket 69 news that Media Factory had announced a second season of Genshiken TV to broadcast in October, 2006. Doubt was cast on a possible sequel this week when news surfaced that a Kujibiki Unbalance TV series was due to debut in the fall of 2006 and perhaps the true work Media Factory had alluded to at Comike. Kujibiki Unbalance is an anime within the Genshiken anime.
Source: ANS
