Japan

My Work is Animation! by Atsuko Ishida, one of the finalists in the 9th Japan Media Arts Festival, will end in the September issue (7/30) of Young King OURs.

Also, a new manga titled Faireal Garden by Minene Sakurano will start in the September issue (7/30) of Comic Blade.

Source: Ultimatum Chat

In celebration of Tantei Gakuen Q (Detective School Q)'s TV series premiering on July 3rd, the popular detective manga from Seimaru Amagi and Fumiya Sato (the duo behind Kindaichi Case Files) has resumed serialization in issue 30 of Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine.

The manga, which began serialization in Shonen Magazine in 2001, originally ended in 2005.

With the D1 Grand Prix coming to Singapore next year, The Electric New Paper has published an article looking at how how the Japanese racing legend Keiichi Tsuchiya in turn influenced the racing Initial D, which in turn helped promote the once obscure sport.

Wired Blog (via Newsarama) reports that a life-sized (18 meter high, 70 ton) Gigantor statue will be built in Kobe, Japan. The 135 million yen project, expected to be completed in the spring of 2008, will serve both as a memorial to the birthplace of the late Gigantor creator Mitsuteru Yokoyama, as well as celebrate the revitalization of the Kobe after the 1995 Kobe earthquake.

Itai News reports that a 19-year-old murderer who killed a mother and her one-year-old daughter back in 1999 may have been affected by Doraemon, according to the testimony given by the defendant. animeOnline has a brief translation:

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topMita Norifusa's Dragon Sakura ended in issue 30 of Kodansha's Morning, which was released on June 28th.

Boku no Shokibo na Seikatsu by Fukumitsu Shigeyuki will end in Morning No. 31, on sale July 5th.

topAlso, two light novel series will be adapted into their own manga series in the September issue of Media Work's Dengeki Comic Gao!:

  • Alison, written by Keiichi Sigsawa and illustrated by Kohaku Kuroboshi, will be adapted into a manga series by Hiroki Haruse.
  • Toradora!, written by Yuyuko Takemiya and illustrated by Yasu, will be adapted into a manga series by Zekkyou.

Source: Ultimatum Talk

topThe result of the first Internation Manga Award was announced on June 29th. The winner is Lee Chi Ching, a 43-year-old artist from Hong Kong.

Lee Chi Ching's winning work, Sun Tzu's Tactics (Known as The Art of War in China - Chinese Title: ????????????; JP title: ????????????), is a historic series that portrays the life of the famous Chinese military strategist.

The three runners-up went to Kai from Hong Kong, Malaysia's Benny Wong Thong Hou and Madeleine Rosca from Australia.

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topThe first issue of Hobby Japan's "new" novel magazine Charano! has been released. A manga adaptation of Kujibiki Yuusha-sama by Shimizu Fumika (author) and Ushiki Yoshitaka (illustrator) began serialization in this issue. The new manga is titled Kujibiki Sisters and is drawn by the same illustrator of the light novel.

Also, the official site of Charano! has opened at www.hobbyjapan.co.jp/hjbunko/charano/.

Source: LightNovel.org

When Shueisha announced in February the suspension of Monthly Shonen Jump, it was also mentioned that a new magazine will be created to take Monthly Jump's place. According to Weekly Jump Readers' Journal, the new magazine will be called Jump Square (Jump SQ). The first issue will be release on November 2nd, and will follow a monthly release schedule with new issues released on the 4th of every month.

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topThe Japan Football Museum announced that a special Captain Tsubasa Exhibition hosted by Captain Tsubasa creator Yoichi Takahashi and Shueisha's Weekly Young Jump will start on July 21st. The exhibition's theme will be "Everyone was once a 'Captain Tsubasa.'"

The exhibition, held at the special exhibition zone on floor B2, is directed toward the Beijing 2008 Olympic, and aims to support the Beijing Olympic Games - Asian preliminary round "with the 'help' of Captain Tsubasa's protagonist Tsubasa Oozora." Adult entrance is 500 yen and 300 yen for elementary to middle school students.

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