Animanga in the News: 1/7 - 1/13

Hello everyone! It's time for another week of animanga in the news :D
This week, we have quite a number of articles about code geass and its upcoming movies, an article about funimation lawsuit, naruto games sales, news about the new yamato and much more~ To find out more, read on!





The anime studio Sunrise is announcing on Thursday that the Code Geass Gaiden: Bōkoku no Akito project will screen in 10 theaters throughout Japan in early summer. Miyu Irino will play Akito, while Maaya Sakamoto will play Reira Marukaru.

Sunrise also announced a stage musical with an all-male cast, in addition to the previously announced non-musical stage play (Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion: Sōran Eve). A social game is launching on Japan's mobile game platform Mobage this spring. According to revamped official portal site, a pachinko slot machine is in the works.

A 90-second promotional video for the Code Geass: Akito the Exiled anime project was presented at Thursday's Code Geass New Project Announcement event and later streamed by Bandai Namco Live TV online.



A Code Geass: Sōbō no Ozu series will also run in Hobby Japan magazine and Kadokawa Shoten's Newtype Ace magazine.



Voice actress Maaya Sakamoto will not only play the heroine in the Code Geass: Akito the Exiled anime project, but she will also perform its theme song. Acclaimed composer Yoko Kanno and lyricist Yuho Iwasato — the same team that created Sakamoto's debut song "Yakusoku wa Iranai" as The Vision of Escaflowne anime's opening theme — are reuniting for Sakamoto's new song.

Sakamoto will play Reira Marukaru, a former noblewoman of Britannia and the Waivan unit commander. Code Geass: Akito the Exiled (Code Geass: Bōkoku no Akito) is the finalized title for the project tentatively known as Code Geass Gaiden: Bōkoku no Akito.

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Yoshitaka Kawaguchi, the producer of the Code Geass anime franchise, announced on Thursday that a film adaptation of the original Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion anime is being planned. Kawaguchi specifically said that the film adaptation is for the Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion story and not the separate Code Geass: Akito the Exiled.

Kawaguchi and fellow Code Geass producer Atsushi Yukawa described the film project as a "dream" project. On the screen at the event were the words "Project Launch."

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The official website for the Code Geass franchise revealed on Thursday that a Nunnally in Wonderland original video anime (OVA) will be released on Blu-ray Disc and DVD this year. Each edition will include a 40-page picture book that recounts the same story as the anime.

Takahiro Kimura, the character designer for the first Code Geass anime, will be the animation director and contribute new designs for this project. In the all-new story, Lelouch makes the ultimate use of his Geass power for his little sister Nunnally, who loves Alice in Wonderland.

Makoto Baba, an episode director on the two television anime series, is directing this new project. Episode scriptwriter Yuuichi Nomura, character designer/animation director Takahiro Kimura, and musical composer Kotaro Nakagawa are also returning from the television series. Bandai Namco Live TV streamed a promotional video.

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In the authors' comment section for this year's seventh issue of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine next Monday, manga creator Yoshihiro Togashi notes that he is "apparently" setting a new personal record for the longest run without a break on his Hunter X Hunter series. According to the unofficial "Hunter X Hunter Hiatus List," Togashi is running the 21st installment in a row in the next Weekly Shonen Jump issue. He had started the run in August in 2011's combined 35th/36th issue.

Until now, Hunter X Hunter's longest stretch without a break was 20 installments. Togashi drew that run in 2010 from the combined 5th/6th issue (January 4) to the 26th issue (May 31).

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On November 4, 2011, FUNimation Entertainment filed a lawsuit in the district court of Harris County, Texas against John Ledford, as well as companies A.D. Vision, AEsir Holdings, Sxion 23 (A.K.A. Section23 Films), Valkyrie Media Partners, Seraphim Studios, Sentai Filmworks, Sentai Holdings, and Unio Mystica Holdings (A.K.A. Switchblade Pictures) for breach of contract and other claims. Ledford is the CEO and co-founder of A.D. Vision. In the lawsuit, Funimation claims that the defendants owe Funimation "an amount to be proven at trial but currently estimated" to be approximately US$8 million plus interest, costs, and attorneys' fees.

Funimation's lawsuit alleges that it became a creditor of A.D. Vision (ADV) in regard to a debt ADV owed ARM Corporation, which was a third party licensing entity jointly owned by Sojitz Corporation and several other companies. The lawsuit notes that ADV had purchased anime licenses from ARM after May 2006, and in January 2008 ARM "declared ADV to be in default of the parties' agreements." ADV lost the rights to more than 30 anime properties, and in July 2008, Funimation and ARM announced that they had reached a distribution agreement for those properties.

In the lawsuit, Funimation claims that ARM also gave Funimation the right to enforce ARM's agreement with ADV, specifically in regard to the debt that ADV owed ARM — making Funimation a creditor. The suit alleges that ADV never paid this debt, and instead sold its assets for below market price to several companies owned by former ADV executives and shut down.

The suit goes on to claim that ADV's transfer of assets "was made with the intent to defer, hinder or defraud the creditors of ADV," including Funimation, and that the new companies "succeeded ADV's contractual liability" in regard to the outstanding debt.

Funimation is also requesting that the court declare ADV's transfer of assets "as null, voided and without effect," restoring those assets to the parent company. Funimation is also requesting a jury trial.

On December 23, Sentai Filmworks, Seraphim Studios, Sentai Holdings, Valkyrie Media Partners, Unio Mysteica Holdings, AEsir Holdings, and Section23 Films filed a counterclaim disputing these charges. The companies claim, among other things, that they do not have a contract with Funimation and are not liable to the company. They claim that the companies did not exist when Funimation acquired the rights from ARM to enforce ADV's contract with ARM. In addition, the companies claim that Funimation's lawsuit was filed after the two-year statute of limitations, and that Funimation was not involved with the original contract and cannot claim any direct damages.

The companies are asking that the court declare that Funimation's contract "is not a valid agreement binding on the Defendants," that the companies owe "no duties or performance of any obligations" to Funimation, and that Funimation pay for the companies' attorney's fees, costs, and expenses.

The first pre-trial meeting is currently scheduled for October 5, 2012.

Section23 Films provided ANN with the following statement:

Funimation's lawsuit is completely without merit or basis and we look forward to proving it when we have our day in court.

When asked to comment, Funimation told ANN that its official statement is addressed in the lawsuit.

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Bandai Namco Games announced on Thursday that it has shipped 10 million Naruto video games worldwide since the game series debuted in 2003. The company has shipped 1.9 million games in Japan and Asia, 4.3 million games in North America, and 3.8 million games in Europe.

Between the first game, Naruto: Konoha Ninpōchō, which was released in 2003 for the WonderSwan Color, and the most recent game, Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Impact (Naruto Shippūden: Narutimate Impact), which was released in Japan and North America in October 2011 for the PlayStation Portable, 15 Naruto game titles have been released.

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Bandai Namco Games announced on Thursday that the CyberConnect2 CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama will run in the Paris International Marathon while cosplaying as Naruto on April 15.

Matsuyama will participate in the event to celebrate the the worldwide shipment of 10 million Naruto video games. Bandai Namco Games staff will join Matsuyama in the 42.195-kilometer (about 26.219-mile) race.

CyberConnect2 has developed the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja fighting game series, including Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Impact (Naruto Shippūden: Narutimate Impact), which shipped in Japan and North America in October 2011.

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On December 23, the southwestern Japanese prefecture of Miyazaki posted the meeting notes for the prefecture's Youth Healthy Development Council, the group that designates the "publications harmful to youths." Similar to other prefectures, Miyazaki passed a law in 1977 and amended it several times to allow it to restrict the sale of "harmful publications" from people under the age of 18.

The council held its second meeting of 2011 on October 14. In that meeting, the members discussed selected books that were reportedly placed in a major bookstore, outside of its adults-only section. According to the government staff member who spoke about the books, boys-love comics, ladies' comics (manga aimed at women), and similar material are generally mixed in with "regular comics" on the same shelves. One of the council members gave the following comments:

These books contain a little shadow of violence and brutality in them, most of which are to stimulate the sexual feelings and tend to depict women taking the lead over men. We are concerned that if youths read such material, they may have a biased notion that women desire [these feelings].
Also, if there are more depictions where women lead, it will encourage the tendency toward homosexuality and make it difficult psychologically to have a sexual intercourse normally.

Although it cannot be generalized, it is said that men tend to lean toward the homosexuality by thinking that they cannot take the lead.

We see such a tendency in today's books which are placed among the regular books within sight of youths. I think that it is very dangerous.

A second council member said that this tendency is a reflection of the times and added that he or she does not understand it. The second council member continued that in the past, homosexuality was discussed in special surroundings, but are now discussed publicly.

Although the 12 of the 13 council members who were present were identified by name, comments made in the meeting were deliberately not attributed to specific members.

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The February issue of Kadokawa Shoten's Newtype magazine is presenting the story outline, staff list, and a new piece of art for Eureka Seven Ao, the sequel to Bones' 2005-2006 Eureka Seven television anime series, on Tuesday.

The story is set on Okinawa's isolated island of Iwado, which has seen a growing movement advocating a return to an autonomous government. Ao Fukai, a 13-year-old boy with a missing father, lives on the island with an old doctor named Toshio and is about to enter middle school. Ao's mother was taken away a decade ago by unknown individuals. Naru Arata, Ao's 13-year-old childhood friend and the story's heroine, lives with her father, older sister, and grandmother. She has a "Yuta" power awakened within her due to an incident when she was young.

A mysterious entity called "Secret" suddenly appears and launches an attack on the Scub Coral lifeform on the island. In his fervent desire to protect the island, Ao launches a certain military FP called "Nirvash" aboard a Japanese military transport.

The anime sequels features the return of the original anime's director, several mechanical designers, art director, color stylist, visual effects director, and director of photography. The first anime's character designer Kenichi Yoshida and main mechanical designer Shoji Kawamori are also credited for "key character designs" and "Nirvash designs," respectively.

Director: Tomoki Kyoda
Key Character Design: Kenichi Yoshida
Character Design: Hiroyuki Oda
Nirvash Design: Shoji Kawamori
Mechanical Design: Kanetake Ebikawa, Kimitoshi Yamane, Takayuki Yanase
Design Development: Shigeto Koyama
Design Works: Shiho Takeuchi
Art: Kazuo Nagai
Color Design: Nobuko Mizuta
SF Setting: Mitsuyasu Sakai
VFX Director: Yasushi Muraki
Director of Photography: Shunya Kimura
Animation Production: BONES

The new television series will premiere in April, and the story is being adapted in manga form in Kadokaw Shoten's Monthly Shōnen Ace and Newtype Ace magazines.

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More than 50 Japanese manga creators and illustrators will contribute to the "My Ryōma Illustration Exhibit in Edo" art exhibition in Tokyo's Murashita Culture Center. The artists will create likenesses of the real-life samurai Sakamoto Ryōma for the charity exhibit, which will run from January 27 to February 12.

Previous "My Ryōma Illustration Exhibit" art shows appeared in various locations throughout western Japan in 2010 and 2011, including an exhibition at the Kyoto International Manga Museum. The events' planners will host this event with new art to support the victims of the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake (Higashi Nihon Daishinsai) disaster. The new exhibit will include various displays and special talks as well as 150 manga volumes featuring Ryōma and the Bakumatsu (Late Tokugawa Shogunate, 1853 - 1868) period.

Contributing artists will include Jun Ishikawa (Naruto Shippūden, Bleach), Takashi Yanase (Soreike! Anpanman), Mine Yoshizaki (Sgt. Frog, ArcadeGamer FUBUKI), Tatsuya Egawa (Golden Boy, Magical Taruruuto-kun), Hisashi Eguchi (Paranoia Agent, Spriggan), Kendi Oiwa (Midas Eater, Tsukumo Happy Soul), Mitsurou Kubo (3.3.7 Byooshi, Moteki), Rieko Saibara (Mainichi Kāsan, Onnanoko Monogatari), Kotobuki Shiriagari (Jacaranda), Kiminori Wakasugi (Detroit Metal City), Mayu Shinjo (The Diamond of the Heart, Ai Ore), Yūsaku Hanakuma (Tokyo Zombie, Cyborg Salaryman Mecha Afro-kun), Akiko Higashimura (Kuragehime, Himawari - Kenichi Legend), Mineo Maya (Patalliro!, Patalliro Saiyuki!), and Daiju Yanauchi (Gang King).

Admission to the exhibit will be free. However, tickets to the opening ceremony (produced by Kenzo Saeki), tickets to live demonstrations and other events, and promotional items will be available for a fee.

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The Nikkan Sports newspaper reported on Wednesday that the anime scriptwriter Akira Adachi (Yokai Ningen Bem, Yusei Kamen) passed away from pneumonia in a Chiba hospital at 3:12 p.m. on Friday. He was 75.

Adachi wrote scripts for television anime including the 1960s series Prince Planet and the 1970 series Bakuhatsu Goro. He was also involved with the puppet troupe "Gekidan Pikkari-za."

Funeral services for the writer from Shimane Prefecture's Matsue City will take place in Chiba's Hanamigawa Ward on Wednesday morning. Adachi left behind his wife Misako.

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The Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Production Committee announced on Thursday that Akira Miyagawa (Shin Mazinger Shōgeki! Z-Hen, Emily of New Moon) will compose the Space Battleship Yamato 2199 television and film anime project. His father Hiroshi Miyagawa composed music for the original 1974 Space Battleship Yamato anime series and its related film and television sequels.

The younger Miyagawa is re-scoring his father's work as well as composing new music. He is recording the music with a full orchestra during a one-month period. The Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Production Committee posted an interview with the composer on the anime's official website.

The Space Battleship Yamato 2199 film will open on April 7 in 10 theaters throughout Japan. The 50-minute movie will be the first two episodes of the new television series, combined into one theatrical preview screening.



Yamato 2199's basic story is the same as the first Yamato anime set in 2199, but Yutaka Izubuchi (RahXephon), the 52-year-old animator who worked on mechanical designs and science-fiction concepts on some of the earlier projects in the franchise, is serving as chief director. Yoshinobu Nishizaki, the late producer of the franchise, is credited with the original story. Nobuteru Yuki (Escaflowne, Record of Lodoss War) is designing the characters, and the anime studios XEBEC and AIC are producing the anime. Mechanical designer Makoto Kobayashi (Giant Robo, Last Exile, Space Battleship Yamato Resurrection) revealed at Anime Expo in July that he is working on a Yamato remake for this year.

Shoji Nishizaki and Leiji Matsumoto's Yamato space opera anime franchise began with the first Space Battleship Yamato television series in 1974. The titular spaceship Yamato is built from the remains of the World War II battleship of the same name to protect Earth from extraterrestrial threats. Over the next 35 years, the television anime spawned two television sequels, two video projects, and six films including 2009's Space Battleship Yamato Resurrection. The anime was dubbed and partly rewritten in English as Star Blazers. A live-action film remake of the original Space Battleship Yamato anime opened in Japan in December 2010.

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The Japanee television channel WOWOW opened a teaser site to confirm that it will premiere Ozuma, the first major new anime from creator Leiji Matsumoto (Space Pirate Captain Harlock, Space Battleship Yamato, Galaxy Express 999) in five years, on March 16. It also listed the anime's staff:

Creator/Chief Setting Writer/Design: Leiji Matsumoto
Chief Director: Ryousuke Takahashi (Armored Trooper Votoms, Aoki Ryūsei SPT Layzner, episode in The Cockpit)
Director: Takahiro Ikezoe (Slap Up Party -Arad Senki-)
Scriptwriter: Junki Takegami (Naruto Shippūden, Hayate the Combat Butler)
Design Collaboration: Nobuteru Yuki (Record of Lodoss War, Escaflowne, Space Battleship Yamato 2199)
Mechanical Design: Hideyuki Matsumoto (Toward the Terra)
Production: Ozuma Production Committee

According to the Nikkan Sports newspaper, the story is set on Earth in the future when an anomaly on the sun devastates Earth's atmosphere and damages the ecosystem. The deterioration of DNA has reduced the birth rate drastically, which forces the government to make clones named "IC" (Ideal Children), as well as a new government body for IC.

Sam Coin, one of the so-called "Sand Pirates" who trades in the desert, is looking for the unidentified gigantic object, "Ozuma," which did his brother harm. One day, Sam rescued a beautiful girl, Maya, who was being chased by a sand destroyer ship owned by IC's army "Shishiasu." He took her with him to the Sand Pirates' ship, Barudanosu, sitting on the Port of Oaaze. However, the Barudanosu is under seige by the sand destroyer ship and its overwhelming military might.

The theme of the story is "to fight the limited timespan of life." Matsumoto said, "Because there is a limit to our lifespan, we wish to accomplish something before losing energy. This desire to not fade away but to continue forever, plays a role in passing a legacy to the next generation."

Even though this is Matsumoto's first major new anime in five years, his previous creations have inspired spinoff projects over the past decade.

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The Nikkan Sports newspaper is reporting on Thursday that "an illusive unreleased scenario" by 73-year-old manga and anime creator Leiji Matsumoto (Space Pirate Captain Harlock, Space Battleship Yamato, Galaxy Express 999) has been "unearthed," and will finally be made into a television anime project three decades later. The title of the project is Ozuma, and it is set on a future Earth that has gone to ruins in a sea of sand.

The six-episode project will premiere on March 16 and run every Friday at midnight as the 20th anniversary project of the WOWOW television channel.

Matsumoto had created the plot in the 1980s, but it has not been animated until now. When he received a fervent pitch to finally adapt the project into anime to mark WOWOW's 20th anniversary, he gave his seal of approval.

Matsumoto commented that people all over the world contributed to the relief efforts during the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake (Higashi Nihon Daishinsai) disaster, and added that it is the responsibility of humanity to join forces and help each other.

Matsumoto revealed last month that he is planning a Cosmo Super Dreadnought Mahoroba film for 2013. Matsumoto had also revealed plans for a new Zero Desigze anime and a live-action Galaxy Express 999 project earlier last year, but neither has been released yet.

The 1974-1975 space opera classic Space Battleship Yamato is being remade as this year's Space Battleship Yamato 2199 television series with special theater screenings by a new staff and cast. Toei Animation produced a 2010 computer-animated pilot for a proposed remake of the Space Pirate Captain Harlock anime, and it had initially planned for a full remake this year before listing a new tentative date of 2013.

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The February issue of Futabasha's Monthly Manga Town magazine launched the Boku no Okusan (My Wife) manga by Rū Tatuki (Poyopoyo Kansatsu Nikki) on Friday.

The Boku no Okusan four-panel manga follows the married lives of five male aristocrats in medieval France. The comedy story centers on the unhappy men's interactions with their apparently strange wives.

Ai Matsumoto's Kodomo no Mikata (A Child's Friend) also began serialzing in the same issue. The manga follows a father-daughter pair who operates a toy store. The odd father wholeheartedly acts like a hero while his level-headed daughter grounds him in the comedy story.

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The February issue of Shueisha's Bessatsu Margaret magazine announced on Friday that Crimson Hero manga creator Mitsuba Takanashi will launch her Kujaku no Kyōshitsu (Classroom of Peacocks) series in the next issue on February 13. The story is set in an elite school attended by the children of celebrities in all sorts of fields. The unruly kids cause havoc throughout the campus.

Takanashi ended her Crimson Hero manga in 2008, and Viz Media published the manga as one of the four launch titles in Shojo Beat magazine in 2005 in North America. DC Comics' shuttered CMX Manga imprint also published Takanashi's The Devil Does Exist series.

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The seventh issue of Shueisha's Jump Kai magazine is announcing on Tuesday that manga creator est em (Age Called Blue, Red Blinds the Foolish, Seduce Me After the Show) is launching a new series called Ippo. The manga, which will run every other month, follows a maker of individually crafted shoes after he returns home from a trip to Florence, Italy. One day, a surprise visitor comes to his studio.

Jump Kai's official Twitter account previously noted that est em will contribute to the January 27 issue of the Super Jump spinoff magazine Girls Jump, which features an all-female creator lineup.

Deux Press published Red Blinds the Foolish and Seduce Me After the Show in North America, while Netcomics published Age Called Blue. The creator launched the Golondrina manga in Shogakukan's Monthly Ikki magazine in June. The manga's story is set in Spain and revolves around a matador.

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Manga creator Arina Tanemura is releasing eight volumes between now and February 17:

January 13:
Sakura Hime: The Legend of Princess Sakura volume 9
Arina no Tane essay manga (pictured right)

January 18:
Full Moon O Sagashite bunko (smaller paperback) reissue volumes 1 & 2

February 15:
Sakura Hime: The Legend of Princess Sakura volume 10
Fudanjuku Monogatari

February 17:
Full Moon O Sagashite bunko reissue volumes 3 & 4

To celebrate the release of these books, an "Arinacchi 555 Fair" campaign will give away five personalized autographed sketches, 50 Tosho cards, and 400 exclusive clear file folders via a random drawing among people who buy the books.

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An advertisement confirmed that Inohead Gargoyle, Tohru Fujisawa's manga that will launch in this year's seventh issue of Kodansha's Young Magazine on January 16, is a Great Teacher Onizuka spinoff manga. The story will center on the character Toshiyuki Saejima, a corrupt police officer and Onizuka's friend, who appeared in the GTO: The Early Years prequel manga.

Fujisawa revealed in December that he would create a new series for serialization in Young Magazine, and the magazine then announced the title last month. The "Inohead" in the title is an apparent wordplay on the Tokyo locale Inokashira.

The Black Sweep Sisters manga by Fujisawa and artist Takashi Sano (Iketeru Futari) will also move to Ichijinsha's Monthly Comics REX magazine on January 27. The manga premiered in ASCII Media Works' online magazine Dengeki Comic Japan in August. Black Sweep Sisters is a "thrilling dark action" story that centers around two dissimilar ("one large-breasted, the other small-breasted") sisters who are exorcists for rising evil spirits.

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Kōji Yamamoto, producer of Fuji TV's late-night Noitamina programming block, confirmed on Thursday that director Kenji Nakamura's next project will air in the block with Sakamichi no Apollon in April. More will be revealed in less than 22 days on February 2.

A teaser website opened last week, and the tsuritama.com domain's name server belongs to Sony Music Entertainment. The site shows an excerpt of a script in which a person named Haru suddenly appears before the speaker and says, "Let's save Earth together!" Nakamura's previous credits include Ayakashi - Samurai Horror Tales, Mononoke, and Kūchū Buranko.

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Thomas Romain, art director of the original television anime Senki Zesshō Symphogear, posted seven production design images from the series on the Catsuka website Saturday. The music-themed anime premiered in Japan on Friday night.

The anime follows a female vocal duo named Zweiwing and two ordinary schoolgirls who fight to save humanity against a threat known as "Noise." Composer Noriyasu Agematsu of the music group Elements Garden and game producer Akifumi Kaneko (Wild Arms) created this project. Romain (Oban Star-Racers, Basquash!) is also in charge of future visuals for Senki Zesshō Symphogear.

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Actress Koyuki announced on Sunday that she gave birth to a boy — her first child with actor Kenichi Matsuyama — on Thursday. Both the mother and the child are doing well. Her agency faxed the announcement to the press, and Matsuyama's agency sent out another message to express his joy over their growing family. Matsuyama was present at the delivery room to witness the birth.


The two had met while co-starring in Yōichi Sai's 2008 live-action film adaptation of Sanpei Shirato's Kamui Gaiden (The Legend of Kamui) manga. They began seeing each other, and then they married on April 1 of last year. They announced Koyuki's pregnancy on September 3.

Matsuyama starred in such films as Death Note, Gantz, Detroit Metal City, Usagi Drop, and NANA. Koyuki appeared in Always: Sunset on Third Street, Ikebukuro West Gate Park, Kimi wa Pet, The Last Samurai, and the live-action adaptation of Blood: The Last Vampire.

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Plex, a Namco Bandai Group company that designs and makes character goods, will sell room lamps in the shape of the characters Laboon and Bepo from Eiichiro Oda's One Piece pirate manga in early April. The Lapoon light will feature the scars that the whale inflicted upon itself by ramming into the Red Line continent at Twin Cape, while the Bepo light will be shaped like the bear in Trafalgar Law's pirate crew.



Inside both lamps is a 10-watt light bulb.

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