Go! Comi has announced a newsletter-only contest. The prize will be a "special Her Majesty's Dog present" from Mick Takeuchi. People who subscribe to Go! Comi's email newsletter will receive more information on the contest on September 16th, including a description of the prize and a link to the entry on Go! Comi's website.

The Japan Times has published an article titled "Fans lift J-culture over language barrier," which takes an extensive look at the U.S. scanlation scene, including comments from both scanlators and publishers.

Heaven!! and Dragon Head have been removed from Tokyopop's Online Exclusives list, and King City has been changed from being an Online Exclusive to being a Diamond-exclusive.

Source: MangaBlog

Cinematographer Hiroshi Takase passed away on September 7th due to cerebral infarction (plain English: he suffered a stroke). He was 50. His Wake will be held on September 10th at 6 p.m., and his service will be held on the 11th starting at 10 a.m. at the Nikka funeral hall in Fuchu, Tokyo. His younger brother Tsutomu will be the chief mourner.

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From ANN comes an interview with Kaoru Mori, mangaka of Emma.

Manga top 10 according to Tohan.

1. Shingetsutan Tsukihime vol.4
2. Oishinbo vol.96
3. One Piece vol.43
4. Suna Dokei vol.10
5. Cat Street vol.5
6. Five vol.5
7. Holy Land vol.13
8. Pocket Monster Special vol.22
9. Genshiken vol.8
10. Parfait Tic! vol.18

Previews of Seven Seas' Boogiepop Dual can be found on GoManga.com.

Source: MangaBlog

In response to Death Note/Hikaru no Go artist Takeshi Obata's recent arrest, Shueisha, his publisher, has announced that, until they can verify the details of the incident, they are not considering any actions such as pulling his work from stores.

Of Obata's work, Hikaru no Go (story: Yumi Hotta) has sold approximately 10 million copies over the span of 23 volumes, while Death Note (story: Tsugumi Ohba) has sold approximately 20 million copies over a span of 12 volumes. Publicists for Shueisha commented, "we are currently verifying the factual details of this incident, and are not considering pulling titles from circulation or any such action at this time."

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Sankei Web is reporting that Takeshi Obata, author of the popular manga series Hikaru no Go and Death Note, was arrested on September 6th for possession of a weapon.

According to reports, Obata was driving a vehicle in the Sakai district of Musashino City, Tokyo at 12:30 a.m with his headlights turned off when he was stopped by a police officer. The officer noticed a small knife hanging off of his keychain, and, upon inspecting the vehicle, found a folding army knife with a blade length of 8.6cm (3 1/2 inches) in the glove compartment.

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Moon Phase has reported that there is a new Evangelion movie, to be presented in 4 episodes, slated for release in the summer of 2007. Rumours of a new 4-part Evangelion movie (3-part retelling of the TV series + an all-new 4th part ala the theatrical release of Z Gundam) had been floating around for a while, but scans from the October issue of New Type magazine have recently been posted, which actually substantiate the rumours and indicates that all 4 parts will be comprised of completely new material, as opposed to previous theatrical "remakes".

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