The first issue of a new bi-monthly adult manga magazine for men titled Hana Ryou Gakuen Daigaku (link contains adult material) was released by Oaks on 9/16.

A new anime from Gonzo starring Junichiro Koizumi, the current Prime Minister of Japan (since 2001), will be aired on October 10th at 10pm. The special episode will be presented in a documentary format, including famous quotes from the Prime Minister himself.

According to the Rede TV website, Hunter X Hunter will be aired on Brazilian TV in October, it will take the place of Fullmetal Alchemist, which will be coming to an end soon.

Mangaka and animator Yasuo Yamayoshi passed away on 9/14 at the age of 64, the cause of death was aortic aneurysm rupture. Yasuo Yamayoshi participated in the creation of many manga and anime series such as Kinnikuman (Ultimate Muscle).

ALC Publishing, publisher OF 100% Yuri,is pleased to announce the appearance of four-time "Yuri Monogatari" contributor Althea Keaton at MangaNEXT 2006, the first celebration of American "manga culture."

Althea Keaton will be available for book signing, panels and will be conducting a workshop on drawing yuri for artists 18 and over.

MangaNEXT will be held October 6-8, 2006 in Secaucus, NJ. For more information on MangaNEXT, please visit their website at http://www.manganext.org

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All Online Manga/Book/Graphic Novel Orders Receive Complimentary USPS Shipping

RICHMOND, CA ­ September 18, 2006 ­ Infinity Studios, LLC will provide free USPS shipping for all online manga orders placed on the company's website-www.infinitystudios.com.

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A new series titled Juushin Enbu by Hiromu Arakawa (Fullmetal Alchemist) will begin serialization in Square-Enix's Gangan Powered No.3, on sale 10/21.

Kagetora by Akira Segami will end its serialization in Shonen Magazine No.10, on sale 9/20.

The Star Online takes a look at three long-running series, all of which are celebrating their 30th birthday this year.

Three ongoing serial comics mark the 30th anniversary this year of their first publication in comic magazines. They are Garasu no Kamen (The Mask of Glass) by Suzue Miuchi, Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Koen-mae Hashutsujo (This is the Police Box in Front of Kameari Park in Katsushika Ward) by Osamu Akimoto and Oke no Monsho (Royal Arms) by Chieko Hosokawa.

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Kita High Festival, a convention centered on sales of Suzumiya Haruhi-only doujinshi and events, will take place in Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo on September 17th between 12-4pm.

Source: MangaCast

Click Comic Web (TriWorks), the largest (and only) official Chinese online manga distributor, and ComicFans Culture, a large Chinese publisher who publishes numerous anime/manga-related magazines throughout China, has recently signed a strategic cooperation agreement in order to promote Chinese manga copyright and content, Click Comic Web will also begin distributing digital versions of ComicFans' magazines through its DigiBook service.

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Shidou Nakamura, who provides the voice of Ryuuk in Death Note, was caught driving under the influence of alcohol earlier this month after he passed a red light in Setagayaku, Tokyo. It was stated that this incident will not affect the upcoming Death Note anime TV series or the next movie, and Shidou Nakamura will continue to provide the voice of Ryuuk in the upcoming shows.

Naruto Vol. 11 placed #27, while volume 11 of Negima and DNAngel placed #134 and #137 respectively in the USA Booklist Top 150 for the week ending 9/10.

Sing "Yesterday" for Me (Yesterday wo Utatte) by Kei Toume ended in Business Jump No. 20, which was released on 9/15.

New Releases By Company’s VIZ FICTION Imprint Include Novels For The Popular RUROUNI KENSHIN And The Award-Winning NARUTO

San Francisco, CA, September 15, 2006 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the upcoming release of three new additions to the company's innovative VIZ Fiction imprint.

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NETCOMICS is currently looking for a new Full-time Proofreader, as well as students interns fluent in Korean.

The first issue of a new monthly Light Novel magazine called Novel Japan was released by Hobby Japan on 9/9.

Source: ANN

Go! Comi has announced a Cantarella "Poison Poetry" Contest. To enter one must send in a poem written about character from You Higuri's Cantarella manga. According to the announcement, "The winning poem will be published in an upcoming volume of 'Cantarella,' accompanied by a drawing by Higuri-sensei herself based on the poem - and the winner will receive the original artwork."

What is podcasting? The word "podcast" came from Apple's "iPod" and the word "broadcasting." Like RSS, podcasting is a way of distributing multimedia files over the internet through syndication, listening to podcast is like reading news or articles, except you listen to an audio file in MP3 format. People can listen to the podcast online, or download it into their favorite MP3 player.

So what happens when we mix podcasting with manga? We get MangaCast of course! Created on July 21st, 2005, MangaCast has since become the premier manga podcasting site on the internet.

In this special issue, Backstage presents MangaCast in its fullest glory, exploring its history, features, a behind-the-scene talk with various 'Cast members, and even a how-to-make-your-own-podcast guide.

If you have any suggestions on what website you'd like to see featured on Backstage, or would like to apply to have your site featured, please send us a message.

TIME talks with Fruits Basket creator Natsuki Takaya about being a mangaka, manga in U.S. and Japan, and the status of her popular shoujo manga in "Something About Shojo."

Sweatdrop Studios has announced the release of two new How-to-Draw manga books - Draw Manga by Sweatdrop Studios and Drawing Manga by Selina Dean. According to the press release, "both books are aimed at beginners and offer practical, easy-to-follow guides to the various aspects of the manga art style."

Are you a fan of Japanese light novels? If you are, then you'll definitely find NeoSam's latest project useful. "NJR" stands for "New Japanese Releases," here you'll find informations on newly released Japanese light novels updated daily. Got a question or comment? Feel free to send us your suggestions.

Papo de Budega interviews Tetsuya Bessho, who was in Brazil this August for the 17th Sao Paulo International Short Films Festival. Tetsuya Bessho is one of the founding members of the Short Shorts Film Festival, he was born in Shizuoka, Japan on August 31, 1965. In the interview Tetsuya Bessho talks about his career and "Ultraman - the Next" movie, which was released on DVD in Brazil this year.

Popular manga podcast site MangaCast gets a makeover.

eBook Initiative Japan Co. has announced that starting this Tuesday it will be distributing electronic versions of Japanese manga via an internet portal site in Singapore. Special software is need to read the manga.

Source: Manga Jouhou