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New anime for 2009: Munto, Tears to Tiara, Minamike, and more!

As this year gets closer to ending, info on the new anime awaiting us next year has started to flow, starting with something of a surprise. Kyoto Animation will be completing their original OVA series, Munto, as a TV anime starting in spring 2009. Sorry Haruhi fans, but you'll have to wait a bit longer. Those who haven't seen the OVAs (yes, they are licensed) shouldn�t need to worry about being lost, as the TV anime will include a "director's cut" of the OVAs with new content.

Next up, AQUAPLUS's Tears to Tiara will be starting spring 2009 as well, lead by director Tomoki Kobayashi of Utawarerumono (also based on a game made by Leaf/AQUAPLUS) and animated by WHITE FOX. The cast for the consumer PS3 release of the game (including Yuko Goto, Mai Nakahara, Ai Shimizu, Rie Tanaka, and others) will remain the same for the anime.

The third season of Minamike will start in January, made by the staff of Minamike ~okawari~ studio Asreed, but with some changes � Hiroshi Ogawa will be director and Rie Koga will handle series composition. I'm hoping that it won't be an okawari of okawari.

Other anime starting in January of next year include the second season of Tetsuwan Birdy: DECODE, a new Hajime no Ippo anime, Kurokami The Animation, Slayers EVOLUTION-R, and VIPER'S CREED.

DiCaprio is Producing Akira, Ninja Scroll, Not Acting in Them

Movie star and producer Leonardo DiCaprio (Titanic, The Assassination of Richard Nixon, The Aviator) told MTV's Splash Page that his Appian Way production company is waiting for the final script draft for the live-action film version of Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira manga. He added, "I'm a big fan of Japanese anime - that and another project called Ninja Scroll we're trying to get developed and made into a movie, and I know there a lot of loyal fans out there of the project and die-hard fans, so we're going to try to do the best job we possibly can and we're not going to make the movie until the script is in the right shape." He also emphasized that he is producing in these two projects, and that he does "not really" have any interest in acting in them.

The Variety entertainment news source reported in February that Warner Brothers and Appian Way had re-licensed the rights to remake Akira from the manga publisher Kodansha. The two companies originally planned to make two films, each of which would cover three volumes of the renowned science-fiction manga about a governmental genetic project and a teenager's attempt to save a fellow biker gang member. Otomo himself directed a popular 1988 anime film based on his own manga. Variety also reported last month that Warner Brothers and Appian Way had licensed the rights to adapt Yoshiaki Kawajiri's Ninja Scroll action anime film from the Madhouse anime studio.

'Afro Samurai' Bonanza In January 2009

January is going to be a huge month for fans of the Afro Samurai franchise! For starters, the Afro Samurai videogame will be releasing on January 27th for both the Xbox 360 and PS3. Secondly, a new movie called Afro Samurai: Resurrection will air, which will bring back fan favorite characters as well as introduce some new ones into the fray. It's going to be a huge month for Afro Samurai...January can't come soon enough.

Flood Of 'Naruto' Books In February

It's no secret that North American Naruto fans are way behind the Japanese releases. We haven't got to read half the content yet, and even the anime series seems to be a long ways away from airing the stuff the manga is now covering. Hoping to catch fans up at least a little, Viz is going to be releasing a batch of three manga at a time starting in February, culminating in a total of eleven books within a three month time span.

Cartoon Network to Run 3rd Naruto Movie This Saturday

America's Cartoon Network will run the third Naruto animated film, Naruto the Movie: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom, this Saturday at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom is slated for a North American DVD release on November 11. Cartoon Network revealed in September that it would end its Toonami action programming block. However, Cartoon Network is still running its online video-streaming service, Toonami Jetstream. Thank you to CuF for the news tip.

The Three Young-Men in Midnight Gag Manga Gets Anime

The Japanese website for the live-action adaptation of Maco-Ching Ishihara's The 3-Mei-sama ([The ]Three Young-Men in Midnight) gag manga announced on October 31 that an anime version will ship on DVD on February 4. The 3-Mei-sama story follows the random late-night conversations between three aimless friends at a family diner restaurant. The first manga volume's cover reads in English: "No money, no motivations, no job, no specialties, no talents, no qualifications, no plans, no fortitudes, no dreams...but friends and time!!" The manga originally ran in Shogakukan's Big Comic Spirits magazine from 2000 to 2007. There have already been six DVDs for the live-action version, which substitutes a real Big Boy family diner for the manga's fictional Sunny Day restaurant.

The live-action actors Ryuta Sato (Rookies, Limit of Love: Umizaru), Yoshinori Okada (Densha Otoko, Kamikaze Girls), and Takashi Tsukamoto (Battle Royale, Gokusen) will reprise their respective roles of the three friends Futoshi/Jumbo, Mattsun, and Mickey. Tamae And?, Daisuke Kobayashi, and K?tar? Shiga will also return as the nameless waitress, waiter, and Parfait Oyaji. Y?ichi Fukuda will direct as he has for the live-action version. The official website has been streaming two trailers for the live-action version.

Source: Saishin Anime Joho

What Is Manga new theme

As you can see, we have changed to a new theme. I'm very interested in Ichigo Mashimaro, so I chose this manga/anime title for designing new theme. I hope you guys like it. And What Is Manga has changed its target. Now, it will be a portal to provide your manga of inactive groups, and releases of groups which don't have DDL. Of course, it will offer some interesting stuffs in the next few days. Please continue supporting us! :)

Honey and Clover Author to Draw Cover for Pop Group's New Album

Author of the Honey and Clover manga Chika Umino will draw the cover of Japanese pop group Dreams Come True's "Tsuretette Tsuretette" CD album, which goes on sale on November 12. She will also draw a 16-page "winter story" manga for the upcoming album.