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Bandai's Anime Songs To Be Available in US iTune Store
Bandai Vidual and its subsidiary music label Lantis announced that their anime songs will be available for download in US iTune Store this summer. Beginning with JAM Project songs, they will add anime songs of Hirano Aya, Ali Project, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and Lucky ☆ Star to the lineup every two-three weeks.

Bandai Vidual obtained an official account in MySpace and promotes the anime song business in US.

Source: Anime!Anime!
Yesterday, 3:01 AM by dtshyk | Discuss (21 replies)

Music Producer of NARUTO Passes Away
Kobari Katsunosuke, the music producer of NARUTO TV series and movies, passed away on July 2nd. He was 54 years old and had been suffering from pancreatic cancer. He formed a rock band Musashi in 1991 and produced the sound tracks of NARUTO under the name of "Musashi Project".

Source: Jiji.com
Yesterday, 12:47 AM by dtshyk | Discuss (37 replies)

Manga Dance in the Vampire Bund To Be Animated
According to Comic Flapper magazine August issue, Tamaki Nozomu's "Dance in the Vampire Bund" was announced to get a TV anime adaptation.

Source: Cover of Comic Flapper

Ref. Cast of the drama CD
Mina Tepes: Yuuki Aoi
Kaburagi Akira: Nakamura Yuichi
Vera: Kaida Yuko
Saegusa Yuki: Saito Chiwa
Shinonome Nanami: Itou Shizuka

Source: Comc Flapper official website
07-02-09, 11:15 PM by dtshyk | Discuss (17 replies)

Wine Manga Kami no Shizuku Wins Gourmand World Cookbook Award Hall of Fame
According to Asahi.com, Aoki Yuya's Sommelier manga Kami no Shizuku won the Gourmand World Cookbook Award "Hall of Fame". It's for the first time that a Japanese book wins the French award.

Eight volumes of the French edition of Kami no Shizuku has been published in France and were sold 350,000 copies.

Gourmand World Cookbook Award
Source: Asahi.com
07-02-09, 7:36 PM by dtshyk | Discuss (7 replies)

Winners of 2009 Japan Expo Awards
Japan Expo 2009 started in Paris on July 2nd. The winners of 2009 Japan Expo Awards are as follows:

Manga
Best Shounen: Fairy Tail
Best Shojo: Vampire Knight
Best Seinen: Detroit Metal City
Best Edition: Blackjack-Deluxe Edition

Anime
Best Series Adopted from a Manga: Death Note
Best Original Series: Elfen Lied
Best Edition: Death Note Limited Integral Edition

Music
Best Group/Artist: Tsuchiya Anna
Best Album: GIMMICAL★IMPACT!! by LM.C (includes "Katekyo Hitman Reborn!" songs)
Best Original Soundtrack: Nana Best ("NANA")

The nominee were chosen from the titles licensed in France and the winners were determined by online public votes.

Japan Expo official website
Source: Nikkei BP
07-02-09, 7:01 PM by dtshyk | Discuss (24 replies)

Narita Ryohgo's Light Novel DRRR!! To Be Animated
According to the cover note of the novel, Narita Ryohgo's light novel "DRRR!!" was announced to get a TV anime adaptation.

The cover of the novel vol.1

Staff
Director: Ohmori Takahiro ("Natsume Yuujinchou", "Baccano!")
Series Organizer: Takagi Noboru ("Baccano!")
Original Novel Illustrator: Yasuda Suzuhito
Character Designer: Kishida Takahiro ("Baccano!", "Noein - Mou Hitori no Kimi e")
Producer: Aniplex
Production Studio: Brains Base


Main Cast
Toyonaga Toshiyuki
Hanazawa Kana

Synopsis:
The story takes place in a downtown of Tokyo, Ikebukuro. Teenage punks gang up and fight against each other. The gangsters are afraid of an urban legend "Dullahan" headless rider, who rides a black motorcycle without head lights nor sounds of engine. Ryuugamine Mikado is a normal high school boy who seeks peculiar beings. When He moves in to Ikebukuro, a mad scramble for Dullahan's missing head breaks out.

Official website (blank domain)
Source: Scan of the cover note

Note: DRRR reads "Durarara".
07-02-09, 6:08 PM by dtshyk | Discuss (25 replies)

Making Video of Ponyo Postponed Due to an Elementary Mistake
Walt Disney Studio Home Entertainment announced that the release of "Gake no Ue no Ponyo" DVD Special edition was postponed until December on account of the production status. The special edition includes a 12 hour long making movie of Ponyo and a video of Hisaishi Joe's concert. The normal edition will be released on July 3rd as scheduled. The Blu-ray of Ponyo will be released in December as well.

Source: AV Watch

Suzuki Toshio explained in Ghibli official website that the release of the DVD was postponed because they forgot to have permissions of the copyright holders of the music played in the making video. Miyazaki Hayao played numbers of BGM while working on Ponyo. Suzuki learned 10 days before the release date that they hadn't obtained the permissions to use any of those songs. It will take months to acquire them for some non-Japanese songs, so they decided to postpone the release until December.

Suzuki Toshio apologized for making such an elementary mistake.

Source: Ghibli.jp
07-02-09, 6:50 AM by dtshyk | Discuss (11 replies)

Irregular Airing Style of Bakemonogatari
According to the interview with director Shinbo and producer Iwakami, "Bakemonogatari" will be 15 episode long. The programming block of the TV channel accommodates only 12 episodes, so they plan to stream the rest of the three episodes on the official website for free. Director Shinbo decided on the irregular series organization in order to reproduce the original novel faithfully.

Director Shinbo insisted that the idea of the un-aired episodes was not developed on account of their marketing strategy.

Source: Bakemonogatari official website

Aniplex was surprised to know the enormous amount of money required to borrow data servers for the streaming.

Source: Sendenman blog
07-02-09, 3:48 AM by dtshyk | Discuss (27 replies)

Fourth Season of Gyagu Manga Biyori Announced
According to the cover note of manga vol.10, the fourth season of "Gyagu Manga Biyori" was announced. The detail will be given in Jump Square magazine.

Source: Scan of the cover note
07-02-09, 2:25 AM by dtshyk | Discuss (2 replies)

Japan's Weekly Manga Ranking For Jun 22 - 28
Here is the weekly manga sales ranking top 30 for June 22nd - 28th.

*1, 301,945 *,301,945 Ookiku Furikabutte vol.12
*2, 258,048 *,258,048 xxxHOLiC vol.15
*3, 167,692 *,167,692 Kuroshitsuji vol.7
*4, 146,701 *,146,701 Minami-ke vol.6
*5, 145,120 *,145,120 Billy Bat vol.1
*6, 118,494 *,118,494 Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin vol.19
*7, 110,898 *,110,898 Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai Minagoroshi-hen vol.2
*8, 109,767 *,109,821 Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai Matsuribayashi-hen vol.2
*9, *96,191 *,*96,191 Umineko no Naku Koro ni - Episode 1: Legend of the Golden Witch vol.3
10, *93,688 *,*93,688 Bamboo Blade vol.11

11, *90,404 *,*90,404 Kyou, Koi wo Hajimemasu vol.6
12, *85,103 *,211,929 Skip Beat! vol.22
13, *77,672 *,*77,698 Umineko no Naku Koro ni - Episode 2: Turn of the Golden Witch vol.1
14, *74,768 *,*74,768 Shinseiki Evangelion: Ikari Shinji Ikusei Keikaku vol.8
15, *68,478 *,157,286 GANTZ vol.26
16, *67,710 *,215,541 Kekkaishi vol.25
17, *67,584 *,*67,639 Jyuushin Enbu - Hero Tales vol.4
18, *59,386 *,*59,386 Switch Girl!! vol.9
19, *58,266 1,609,125 One Piece vol.54
20, *57,927 *,178,811 Major vol.72

21, *57,332 *,241,299 Ahiru no Sora vol.24
22, *52,822 *,*52,822 President Shima Kousaku vol.3
23, *51,996 *,206,701 Ace of Diamond vol.16
24, *51,402 *,*51,402 Strobe Edge vol.6
25, *47,486 *,199,575 Hajime no Ippo vol.88
26, *47,115 *,203,628 Air Gear vol.25
27, *46,558 *,*46,588 Uchuu Kyoudai vol.6
28, *43,516 *,*43,516 Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kataribanashi-hen Comic Anthology EX. vol.6
29, *43,341 *,*43,341 Suki desu Suzuki-kun!! vol.3
30, *42,565 *,*42,577 Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kataribanashi-hen Comic Anthology EX. vol.7

The last week's ranking: Japan's Weekly Manga Ranking For Jun 15 - 21
Source: Oricon Comic Ranking

Weekly Light Novel Ranking for Jun 22- 28
*1, 58,906 58,906 Zero no Tsukaima vol.17
*2, 38,937 63,179 Shinrei Tantei Yakumo vol.5
*3, 15,566 15,566 Seiken no Blacksmith vol.6
*4, 10,369 10,369 Soushi Souai Nijuu Rasen vol.4
*5, *8,086 59,962 Gakuen Kino vol.3
*6, *7,944 65,982 Guin Saga vol.127
07-01-09, 5:20 PM by dtshyk | Discuss (17 replies)