Animanga in the News: 1/28 - 2/3

Hello there everyone~ It's time for the weekly animanga news again :D This week we have the confirmatory of the final arc of Bleach, the conclusion of Negima! in three more chapters (sad to see it go, really), halting of bakuman dvd releases, blue exorcist stage play and many more! To find out more, simply read on!





The 10th issue of Weekly Shonen Jump published the layout sketch (pictured above) for the color opening page of the manga's final arc in the next issue.

This year's 10th issue of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine is announcing on Monday that Tite Kubo's Bleach manga is entering its final story arc. Kubo has been drawing the manga in the magazine since 2001, and Shueisha published the 53rd compiled book volume of the manga in December.

Thanks to its "Shonen Jump Digital Warp" program, Viz Media released the 53rd volume in electronic book form in North America last month. The Digital Warp program prepared the way for this week's launch of Viz's English-language digital anthology Shonen Jump Alpha, which is running chapters of Bleach and five other titles two weeks after their print debut in Japan's Weekly Shonen Jump. The print version of the 38th volume will be released by Viz next month.

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The Warner Brothers Movie Channel on the Yahoo! Japan website began streaming a 125-second special preview on Wednesday. Takahiro Sakurai, the voice of Griffith, narrates the "Guts vs. Band of the Hawk" preview.

Berserk Ōgon Jidai-Hen I: Haō no Tamago (Berserk Golden Age Arc I: Egg of the Supreme Ruler), the first film in the three-part retelling of the Golden Age arc of Kentaro Miura's manga, will open in Japan on Saturday

The trailer can be found here.

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This year's 10th issue of Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine is announcing on Wednesday that Ken Akamatsu will end his Negima! Magister Negi Magi manga after three more chapters. However, he will first take a two-issue hiatus to prepare for the end, so the series will return in this year's 13th issue of the magazine on February 29. The finale will not come until this year's 15th issue in March, at the earliest.

Akamatsu launched the manga in Weekly Shōnen Magazine in 2003, and Kodansha is publishing the 37th compiled book volume this month. Del Rey Manga began publishing the manga in North America, but Kodansha USA took over publishing duties for this title and others in 2010. The manga inspired a television anime series, several video anime releases, a live-action series, a film, and a few manga spinoffs.

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Animenewsnetwork has obtained several documents from the website of the Harris County District Clerk's Office regarding ADV Films, including a complete licensing agreement between ADV, ARM Corporation and Aniplex for the series 009-1, and other legal documents between ADV and ARM.

One of these documents shows the amounts ADV Films agreed to pay for 29anime properties and two live-action films. The amounts range from US$20,000 for Air: The Movie, to US$960,000 for Kurau: Phantom Memory. The full list is reproduced below.







The documents were posted as evidence for a previously unreported lawsuit filed on April 17, 2008 by A.D. Vision, Inc. against ARM Corporation, its parent companies Japan Contents Investment LPS and Sojitz Corporation, and several individuals. The suit accused ARM of breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and other charges stemming from its 2006 arrangement to license titles on behalf of ADV Films. The lawsuit was eventually withdrawn and no ruling was made. The documents were not filed in relation to the currently pending lawsuit that Funimation filed in November against A.D. Vision, Inc., its owner and CEO John Ledford, Sentai Filmworks, and several other companies.

Included as exhibits in the suit are the complete "Strategic Alliance and Content Acquisition Facility Agreement" between ADV and ARM; a stock purchase agreement for shares in A.D. Vision, Inc.; a letter from ADV's corporate controller to ARM Corporation indicating the company's likelihood of defaulting on a bank loan; and several documents detailing payment arrangements between ARM and ADV.

ARM Corporation's answer and counterclaim claimed that ARM Corporation had spent a total amount of US$10,556,000 on content for ADV Films, which it alleged that ADV was responsible for repaying in full. ARM Corporation further claimed that ADV had only repaid US$1,592,994 as of July 31, 2007, had missed subsequent payment dates, and was therefore in default of their agreement. Included as exhibits in ARM's counterclaim are a complete and executed three-way home video and broadcast licensing contract between Aniplex Inc., ADV, and ARM for the property 009-1; and an agreement to reschedule payments to ARM Corporation. The payment rescheduling agreement included the 1-page breakdown of the value of each licensed property.

Further court documents show that in April 2008 ARM Corporation successfully acquired a court order to sequester all materials and elements for more than 30 properties. Most of these properties were later released by FUNimation Entertainment.

On November 4, 2011, FUNimation Entertainment filed a lawsuit against A.D. Vision, Inc., Ledford, Sentai Filmworks, and several other companies. The lawsuit claimed that ARM had transferred the right to enforce its contract with ADV, and therefore collect the outstanding debt, to Funimation. ADV's counterclaim alleges that no money is owed to Funimation. The first pre-trial meeting is scheduled for October 5, 2012.

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Robert's Anime Corner Store reported in its weekly e-mail newsletter on Friday that Media Blasters has put two forthcoming releases on indefinite hold.

The two titles include Bakuman. (Second Draft) DVD Collection #2, and Ikki Tousen: Great Guardians Complete DVD Boxed Set (containing episodes 1-12). The Bakuman. release scheduled to have episodes 8-13 on two discs, and had an original release date of February 29. The Ikki Tousen box was originally slated to be released on March 31. No new release dates for the two series have been set.

Media Blasters laid off a majority of its staff, including its production department, in early January.

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Toei revealed the plot on Monday for the newest One Piece film, which will be set in the New World. The film will be featuring the Straw Hat pirate crew against their "strongest enemy yet," a man named "Z." Toei officials added that in the film the franchise's protagonist Monkey D. Luffy will encounter Z and he will be Luffy's strongest enemy. The movie will feature a "heroic battle" between Luffy and Z.

Toei also confirmed on Monday that the film, directed by Tatsuya Nagamine (One Piece: The Desert Princess and the Pirates: Adventure in Alabasta), will open in December. Eiichiro Oda himself will oversee the production for the film as its executive producer. Oda previously oversaw the production on the One Piece: Strong World film (pictured at right).

Oda's One Piece pirate manga entered the New World arc last fall, and the television anime adaptation followed suit this past October. There has not been a feature-length One Piece film since One Piece Film Strong World in 2009, although there was the half-hour "One Piece 3D: Mugiwara Chase" short last March. There was also a "One Piece 3D Gekisō! Trap Coaster" event short at select theme parks and theaters in December.

The film's original announcement said that the film would "surpass Strong World" and noted that the film will show the "first battle in the New World arc on the final seas!!"

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Japanese publisher Shueisha is announcing that the weekly Naruto SD: Rock Lee no Seishun Full-Power Ninden anime will premiere on TV Tokyo on Tuesday, April 3 at 6:00 p.m. That timeslot is currently held by the Bleach anime. Shueisha is also noting that, like the main Naruto series, the Rock Lee spin-off anime will be animated by Pierrot.

The "SD" in the title stands for "Sugoi Doryoku," or "Super Determined."

Although the announcement did not state whether it will be replacing Bleach or sharing the timeslot.

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The official website for Takahiro Miki's two-part live-action film adaptation of Yuuki Obata's We Were There (Bokura ga Ita) romance manga began streaming a new 91-second trailer for the films on Tuesday.



The trailer features the movie's theme song performed by the male rock group Mr. Children. Mr. Children will perform the theme songs for both films.

Both We Were There films will star Toma Ikuta (Akihabara @ DEEP) and Yuriko Yoshitaka (Gantz). The story follows a girl named Nanami Takahashi (Yoshitaka) as she struggles with her decade-long relationship with Motoharu Yano (Ikuta), her high school's most popular boy with his own issues from the past. The two films will open on March 17 and April 21.

The 14 volumes of the manga have sold over 10 million copies in Japan since 2002. Viz Media published the 13th volume in North America in November, and the 14th volume is slated for release next May. Obata will end the manga in February. The manga already inspired a television anime series from Artland in 2006.

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The March issue of Shueisha's Jump Square magazine is announcing on Friday that a stage play adaptation of Kazue Katō's Blue Exorcist (Ao no Exorcist) manga has been green-lit for this year.

The television anime adaptation of the supernatural manga ended last September, and an anime film will open this year. MBS producer Seiji Takeda reported on Monday that Atsushi Takahashi, an assistant director on Spirited Away and the director of Rideback, is directing the film.

Aniplex streamed the television series on Hulu, Anime News Network, Crunchyroll and Viz Anime in North America as it aired in Japan. Aniplex is also releasing the television series in four DVD sets in October, January, April, and July. Viz Media will release the sixth English-language volume of the manga next week.

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Seiji Takeda, the chief producer for anime projects at the television station MBS, said at the "Anime Business Forum+ 2012" event at Tokyo's Digital Hollywood University on Monday that they are working on the plans for the film of tv animation series Star Driver.

The story of Bones' original 25-episode television anime series is set on a verdant island called Southern Cross, where a boy named Takuto Tsunashi arrives one night by swimming ashore. He enrolls in the island's high school academy, which happens to conceal a secret — about 20 giant humanoid machines underground.

Takuya Igarashi (Soul Eater, Ouran High School Host Club) directed the series with screenwriter Yoji Enokido (Revolutionary Girl Utena, Aim for the Top 2! Gunbuster 2), character designer Yoshiyuki Ito (Fullmetal Alchemist, Soul Eater), and composer Satoru Kousaki (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Bakemonogatari).

Bandai Entertainment released the television anime series in North America before it announced earlier this month it will stop offering new DVD, Blu-ray Disc, and manga releases.

Takeda also said that Atsushi Takahashi, an assistant director on Spirited Away and Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, will direct the previously announced Blue Exorcist film. Reiko Yoshida (Bakuman., K-ON!!, The Cat Returns) is writing the screenplay.

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Film journalist Hiroo Otaka reported on Wednesday that the K-ON! film has earned 1.7 billion yen in ticket sales since its December 3 opening.

The Box Office Mojo website reported this week that the film earned the equivalent of US$20,790,997 as of January 29.

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The official website for the Gokujyo—. ~Gokurakuin Joshi Kōryō Monogatari~ anime series announced that the third episode will not air as scheduled on Monday. The online apology cited the "stupidity" of the episode's content as the reason that the episode is not airing out of "self-restraint." The DMM.com website will still stream the third Gokujyo anime episode for free for a limited time, starting on February 6.

The similar apology cited "various circumstances" as the reason the first Gokujyo episode's airing was cancelled out of "self-restraint." Instead of the episode, the Chukyo TV station had aired a tongue-in-cheek "roundabout apology and explanation" from the station's "program censorship office" that compared the situation to a snake in the wild.

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GONZO business producer Tetsurō Machida reported on Thursday that he and Burst Angel director Koichi Ohata went to a Denny's restaurant in the evening to discuss "2." Machida has since deleted his Twitter post.



Ohata is not necessarily discussing a second Burst Angel anime project; a pachinko game machine of the Burst Angel: Infinity anime is rolling out this year.

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A live-action television series adaptation of Tetsuhiro Hirakawa's fighting manga Clover has been green-lit for this spring. This year's 10th issue of Akita Shoten's Weekly Shonen Champion magazine is announcing the television project on Thursday.

The story follows three boys — Hayato, Tomoki, and Kenji — who were close friends in elementary school. Hayato transfered to another school, and the three drifted apart. Five years later, however, Hayato returns, and the three reunite by chance.

Hirakawa launched the manga in Weekly Shonen Champion in 2007, and Akita Shoten is publishing the 25th compiled book next month. Hirakawa's manga is unrelated to two similarly named Clover shōjo manga series from CLAMP and Toriko Chiya.

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Princess Resurrection manga creator Yasunori Mitsunaga will start a new series in Kodansha's Monthly Shonen Sirius magazine in the magazine's April issue on February 25. Details on the manga's title and plot will be revealed at a later date. The manga will run alongside Princess Resurrection, which is also being serialized in Monthly Shonen Sirius. Kodansha will publish the 17th compiled volume of Princess Resurrection on February 9.

Mitsunaga previously launched the Kan Tantei D&W mystery manga in Gahosha's Monthly Young King magazine in November. The manga features two characters, Jurō and Hisato. Jurō is a man with a sensitivity to the smell of blood while Hisato is the reclusive shut-in for certain reasons. The first story follows the murder case of a popular idol with the duo trying to find the real culprit.

Del Rey published the Princess Resurrection manga in North America. Sentai Filmworks re-released the television anime version of Princess Resurrection with an English dub on DVD on January 17. Originally released by ADV Films, Sentai Filmworks licensed the show in 2010 and released a Complete Collection with English subtitles only in August of that year.

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The website for Shueisha's Weekly Young Jump magazine began streaming a web anime based on Takanori Kawai's Sekiei Ayakashi Mangatan supernatural action manga on Thursday. The story is set during the middle of Japan's historic Edo period. It centers around Sekiei Toriyama, an eccentric but brilliant artist who only draws supernatural creatures — because he actually draws the creatures he encounters in his life.

Kawai has been serializing the manga in Weekly Young Jump and later on the magazine's website since 2010, and Shueisha will publish the sixth compiled book volume on February 17. The second of three web anime episodes will debut on February 16, and the final episode will go online on March 1.

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Author and screenwriter Gen Urobuchi (Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Fate/Zero) revealed on Sunday that the works of American author Stephen King and Japanese director Akiyuki Shinbo were great influences on his own writing. Urobuchi spoke with manga creator Kazuo Koike (Lone Wolf and Cub, Crying Freeman) about the craft of writing during the seventh installment of the live Koike Kazuo no Nico Nico Character Juku (Kazuo Koike's Nico Nico Character Cram School) net show.

Urobuchi answered a viewer's question about his influences by citing Shinbo's Hidamari Sketch, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, and Le Portrait de Petite Cossette anime's influence on Madoka Magica's writing. (Shinbo himself directed Madoka Magica.) Both Urobuchi and Koike praised King's works, and Koike specifically named King's Misery as an important work to him.

Urobuchi and Koike also discussed the major differences between their writing styles. Both Koike — a self-professed fan of Madoka Magica — and viewers asked Urobuchi some lingering questions about the Madoka Magica television anime's ending, and Urobuchi indicated that the upcoming movie trilogy will answer at least one of the questions.

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The official website for Eiichiro Oda's One Piece art exhibit released a wanted poster maker on Friday. The "Wanted Maker" web service allows users to create a unique image with a personal photograph and nickname.

On Friday, the website also launched the "Today's Wanted" project that gives people who purchase an art exhibit ticket a chance to have their personalized wanted poster displayed at the show. The nation-wide edition of the Asahi Shimbun newspaper's March 20 issue will feature select fans' wanted posters as part of the "Minna no Wanted" (Everyone's Wanted) campaign.

The first One Piece art exhibit will run from March 20 to June 17 at the Mori Arts Center Gallery in Tokyo's Roppongi district. The show will include new art from One Piece manga creator Oda, artwork of the story's famous scenes, showings of a "special movie," and interactive art displays.

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Fukushima, one of the prefectures hardest hit by last March's earthquake and tsunami, is honoring the police officers who have come from all over Japan to maintain law and order by giving them special Ultraman unit badges.

After the March 11 Great Eastern Japan Earthquake (Higashi Nihon Daishinsai) disaster, 350 officers from 22 prefectures have formed a special task unit, dispatched to Fukushima as reinforcements for the overworked local police. The officers earned the nickname "Ultra Police Force" since they answered a call of duty like the science-fiction hero Ultraman, the visitor who came from a distant star to defend Earth.

Eiji Tsuburaya, the late creator of Ultraman, happened to have been born in Fukushima. His Tsuburaya Productions created a symbol, in the motif of Ultraman and the live-action action franchise's Science Patrol, for the Ultra Police Force. The members of the special task unit will receive the Ultra Police Force armbands and badges in a special induction ceremony next Monday.

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