"Rental Magica" On Shelves This Week

On Nov. 24 the first 12 episodes of "Rental Magica" hits shelves. I don't talk about anime all that often here, but this was a release I had the honor to work on. I didn't do the subtitles, but the booklets that accompany the two box sets. Anime booklets tend to be notes and character sketches, but the booklets for this set are really books. At over 100 pages each they are really an encyclopedia to magic from around the world that is seen in the story. Each member of Astral, the magic society that is the center of the story, employs a different school of magic, and these booklets go into richer detail about the real history of these different techniques.

As a translation project this was a big challenge. From Egyptian pharaohs to Celtic magic to Shingon Vajrayana Buddhism and far beyond, it's all in here. I hope you get a chance to check out "Rental Magica".

Podcast 012: Moyasimon

Here's the latest Sci-Guys podcast. In this episode we talk about V, Flash Forward, The
Prisoner, COD MW2, New Super Mario Bros Wii, Xbox and PS3 updates, and much more, but if you are looking just for the Manga Minute fast-forward to 41:58 to hear a review of the first volume of Moyasimon: Tales of Agriculture. (Hint: It is pretty great.)

You can also find us on iTunes.

Japanese Words of 2009

Pink Tentacle brings us the yearly list of "Words of the Year" from Japan for 2009 translated to English. (You can see the Japanese here.) These are usually news-buzzwords and catchphrases used by popular comedians. We will see the top 10 chosen from this list announced next month. Click here for the complete list.

11/11 That Means POCKY DAY!

Line up four sticks and you have not only 11/11 (wait is that five sticks?), but you have the unofficial Pocky Day! This year in the the US it falls on Veteran's Day, but what a lucky coincidence that it is officially a day off of school! We can celebrate our war veterans and snap a bite of Pocky

Tatsuya Ichihashi Arrested

This isn't something I would normally post, but I have been following this story fairly closely and was very happy to see the arrest of Tatsuya Ichihashi. He is accused of killing a young British teacher named Lindsay Ann Hawker two years ago, and has been a fugitive from justice ever since.

More details about the case and Ichihashi's arrest at Mainichi Daily News.

二ノ国 / Ninokuni

The impressive new Studio Ghibli project is not a new movie, though this trailer might trick those not looking closely. It's a major score for reputable game maker Level 5, and Ninokuni is a Nintendo DS game. Let's hope we get this stateside. The buzz has already started. Check the official site for high quality video and more details (in Japanese).

Podcast 010: Horror Manga for Halloween

The latest episode of Sci-Guys is online. This episode in the Manga Minute we talk Kazuo Umezu and Junji Ito horror manga just in time for Halloween. Fast-forward to 36:56 to hear the Manga Minute. Our next podcast will be online at Sci-Guys on Tuesday, Oct. 27. We will talk more horror talk and Four-Eyed Price.

Manga News Launches in Japan

ANN reported today about the launch of 漫画の新聞 AKA NewsManga.com. Every day a handful of timely news stories from all sections of the news realm, from finance to sports, are presented in manga form. You can see above the announcement of Windows 7. Despite the dip in profits in recent years in the 5 billion dollar a year Japanese manga market projects like these are launched. Legitimate online manga (read: cell phones) is on the rise and News Manga will probably appeal to that audience.

Former PM Koizui to Star in Ultraman Movie

Popular former Prime Minister of Japan Junichiro Koizumi will take on the role of Ultraman King (on the right in the photo above). Koizumi will not appear, but just his voice will be used for the regal Ultraman King. Koizumi originally turned down the offer, but was convinced by his sons to take it. It is not clear when the release date for Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legend, The Movie is. More info at TIME.

Your Mouse Might be a Spider

These creepy Japanese mouse offerings are available here at Thanko.jp. I think I would have a hard time wrapping my fingers around an encased tarantula or scorpion, but some buggy types might enjoy.