Here you will find a run down of today's anime and manga news! If anything sent waves through the anime and manga world today, you'll find it in this post! By the way, I'm vintagemistakes and will be trying to fill in for Saladesu over the next couple of days. ;)
Viz Offers Smile Quake Charity Art by Vagabond's Inoue 
Slam Dunk creator Takehiko Inoue created 160+ messages of support after quake
The North American manga publisher Viz Media announced on Monday that it is offering the "Smile" series of art by
Slam Dunk and
Vagabond manga creator Takehiko Inoue on its Viz Manga iOS app for charity. All of Viz Media's proceeds from the two volumes will go to the Japanese Red Cross Society, which is working on relief efforts after the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake disaster (Higashi Nihon Daishinsai).
Inoue began drawing a series of art pieces using the Zen Brush app to offer his prayers for Japan on the same day that the earthquake struck. He has since drawn over 160 pieces. The first US$9.99 volume contains the first 100, and the second US$1.99 volume contains the next 20. Viz Media will add more volumes with sets of 20 illustrations.
P Softhouse, the developer of Zen Brush, is offering its own Zen Brush Art Book for charity. Its book features dozens of artists such as character designer Akemi Takada (Patlabor, Kimagure Orange Road, Urusei Yatsura).
Source:
ANN~~~~~~~~~
Book Retailer Schedules Hunter x Hunter Manga #28 
Yoshihiro Togashi has put his manga on hiatus since last June
The online retailer Rakuten Books
lists the 28th compiled book volume of Yoshihiro Togashi's
Hunter X Hunter manga for July 4. Togashi has put his manga on hiatus in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine since last June. Other bookstores and Shueisha itself have not listed the 28th volume yet.
The last compiled book volume of the manga, #27, shipped in Japan in December of 2009. Viz Media published the 27th volume in North America in March.
Sources:
ANN &
Yaraon!~~~~~~~~~
Art Director Mitsuki Nakamura Passes Away 
Prolific artist for Speed Racer, Gatchaman, Gundam, Ideon, Nausicaä
Color key artist Kunio Tsujita reported on Tuesday that the production studio Toei notified him that veteran art director Mitsuki Nakamura passed away on Monday, May 16. He was 67.
Nakamura was born in Tokyo in 1944. Starting with the
Space Ace television anime in 1965, he was responsible for the background art, visuals, and mechanical designs for many classic anime at Tatsunoko Productions such as
Mach Go Go Go (Speed Racer), Oraa Guzura Dado, Kurenai Sanshiro, Hakushon Daimaō, The Adventures of Hutch the Honeybee, Animentari Ketsudan, Kaba Totto, Kaiketsu Tamagon, Kagaku Ninja-Tai Gatchaman, Kerokko Demetan, Casshan, Konchu Monogatari Shin Minashigo Hutch, Hurricane Polymar, Uchuu no Kishi Tekkaman, Time Bokan, Paul no Miracle Daisakusen, Kagaku Ninja-Tai Gatchaman II, Kagaku Ninja-Tai Gatchaman F, Golden Warrior - The Gold Lightan, and
Kaitou Kiramekiman.
Nakamura later branched out to other studios, including Toei and Sunrise. He worked on the first
Mobile Suit Gundam series and movie trilogy,
Densetsu Kyojin Ideon, and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. He eventually led his own studio, Design Office MECAMAN.
A wake will be held on Thursday, and a service will be held on Friday.
Update: Mushi Productions also reported on Nakamura's passing. Mushi noted that Nakamura worked on many of its titles, such as
Raiyantsuuri no Uta, Pipi to Benai Hotaru, and as recently as 2008,
Pattenrai!! ~Minami no Shima no Mizu Monogatari~.Sources:
ANN &
Tasashi SudoImage © Sunrise
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