In addition to special in Shueisha’s upcoming Jump Super Anime Tour 2010 an actual anime (i.e. not an OVA or other special) has been announced for baby delinquent battle manga Beelzebub. The anime will begin in January of next year.

Awesome! It’s not my favorite Jump series, but I do love Beelzebub as much as say, Bakuman. (whose anime will premiere this fall) and even though the main character Tatsumi, more commonly referred to as Oga, walks around with a naked baby on his back – the Devil King’s baby, to boot – I will be keeping a close watch on this show. Actually, Baby-Beel might be the reason I do read the manga. Whatever, it’s funny! x)

Beelzebub debuted in Shounen Jump in 2008 as a one-shot and became a fully serialized manga less than a year later in 2009. The artist and author is Ryuuhei Tamura.

Excuse the excitement (well, the… exclamation mark), but this is just really exciting news for me! Love Hina was one of the first manga I read from start to finish after Dragon Ball when I was little, and even if they’re just coming back for a short one-shot, I couldn’t be happier. You know, as long as Ken Akamatsu doesn’t make it some kind of crossover with Negima!?…

As announced in its original magazine, Weekly Shounen Magazine, lovebirds Keitarou and Naru will be returning for a brief visit on September 1. But what will happen to the do? Is it a prologue, an insert (in the middle of the original story), or an epilogue? Whatever it is, I’ll be scratching my eyes constantly until issue 40 – which will carry the one-shot – is out and I can get my hands on it.

Thinking about it, though, I’ll probably read it scanlated online because shipping can take over a month, and if I keep scratching my eyes for that long I’ll go blind!

With this little piece of news, I guess it’s safe to say that summer is way too near over… but, for me, I can at least say that it has been a productive summer! You know, the latter ha–quarter. You see, I’ve been working on a new website, due to open within the first half of next month – maybe even before August is over! I’ll tell you more about it at the end of this post, but I wanted you to know that for my latest absence I actually had a more valid reason than, “uh… I forgot?”

Anyway, so here’s the exciting stuff (unless you’re as excited as me for my new upcoming website!) – a chart of this fall’s anime!

So I will be watching a lot this fall, especially Bakuman., To Aru Majutsu no Index, Soro no Otoshimono Forte, Arakwa Under the Bridge, and BONES’ new project, Star Driver. Of course I will be watching lots of other shows (most of the ones on that list, in fact), such as the favorites of my new friend Sergio “Seanver,” Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai (Oreimo for short) and MM!. I just hope those show’s aren’t too incestuous; I do know Seanver is, as he would say, “evil.” Very evil. :)

On another note…

So, let’s talk about my new mystery website. Well, first mystery solved: it’s about Final Fantasy; specifically Final Fantasy XIV (but not limited to). Since the game is first released on September 22 if you get the Collector’s Edition for PC (otherwise it’s September 30, or in March 2011 for the PlayStation 3) you can expect it be officially up and running early next month, just before its premiere release.

This website, called “The Pavilion” (officially its “Final Fantasy Pavilion”), is a collaboration between me, Sanjo-chan from Cen.taku.me, and Jamaipanese from… well, Jamaipanese; although I’m the one who runs the site and is doing the theme and pretty much everything… so far… But that’s okay, let’s just call them moderators with privileges. But that could be easily misconstrued… uh, never mind.

Anyway, keep your eyes open for the release next month if you’re but at all interested in the Final Fantasy series or just FFXIV. Also, please check out our new twitter account, @FFPavilion!

A man was arrested in Sweden for posession of child pornography – only he possessed no child pornography! What? The man, a Swedish translator of manga, had some hentai or at least ecchi images on his computer; however, none of them actually depicted any children or even minors. Yeah, the government is funny like that.

This is absolute bullshit – sadly though, it is not a lie or a prank. The man might have been up for a prison sentence, but on June 30, 2010 he got away with “only” a fine of 25 000 SEK – for having manga that contained something that looked like child pornography (i.e. she looked underage even though she was not). Not only is this farce illegal by itself, being a breach of our freedom of speech (or freedom of expression might be a more accurate term), the man did not even publish or show these pictures – which, remember, weren’t really child pornography at all – which is totally OK from a legal point of view.

As if that wasn’t enough, even if child pornography is drawn – drawn for crying out loud! – and published, as long as it’s artistic… let me stop right there; we all now manga is one of the most artistic art forms there is. It combines “holy” books with “beautiful” art (even non-manga art more often than not contain child rape and whatnot) and it has been around since the 1700s! How is that not art? And even if it was not art, publishing something that is not actual child pornography is legal – stopping that would go against another human freedom, the freedom of press.

For all of you with a badly hidden H folder – you know what I’m talking about – or simply like to draw hentai with minors or those who just look like minors, remember that you should – but most likely won’t – be safe as long as you do not publish it online or offline or show it to anybody. Showing it to anybody makes both of you eligible a fine or even up to two years in prison!

I know this particular argument might have done better in Swedish at this time (and not on Rukinet, of course), but I feel this is a pressing issue for manga artists – no, any artists all over the world. Also feel free to discuss this in the comments below.

I admit it, I am a Pokemon geek. A Pokemon nerd. A Pokemon lover. Not in a way I can get arrested for, though.

UPDATE: You know, I made this post mainly for two reasons. I forgot one. The North American and European release have been announced for spring 2011!
The Japanese release is substantially earlier in September this year.

For some time now people have been talking a lot about the upcoming new generation of Pokemon. Namely, editions Black Version and White Version. Who knew the next step from diamonds and pearls were the most basic colors we know? Anyway, over the last four months we have learned quite a few things about the new game as well as been introduced to seven new pokemon: the three new starters and two legendaries! In fact, the latter was introduced on the very day I’m writing this; May 28 of 2010! Now, let’s go over the more interesting new features and of course the newly introduced pokemon.

Besides the new Black Version legendary, the most exciting news to me is actually the age of the main character. It was all fine and dandy to play as a ten year-old when you were, say, ten! But not that seven years have passed (for me, anyway) it’s not quite as exciting. Though I don’t know the exact age, as long as it doesn’t surpass 60 I’m game. Also, the new games will take place in a far-away region called Isshu (イッシュ) .

The first two pokemon of the fifth generation to be introduced to the public are Zorua (ゾロア) and it’s evolution Zoroark (ゾロアーク) who are also in the thirteenth pokemon movie, Phantom Ruler: Zoroark (劇場版ポケットモンスターダイヤモンド＆パール幻影の覇者ゾロアーク gekijouban poketto monsutaa daiyamondo & paaru gen’ei no hasha zoroaaku – whoa, long title. And why is it called Diamond & Pearl?) which will be released on July 10, 2010. The three new starter pokemon’s silhouettes were included in CoroCoro, later to be unveiled as Tsutaaja the “grass snake pokemon,” Pokabu the “fire pig pokemon,” and Mijumaru the “sea otter pokemon.” Hey, have you noticed how the grass starter always look either like a bully or annoyingly smug?

Earlier today the two legendary pokemon that will be on the games’ covers was revealed: Reshiram (レシラム reshiramu) and Zekrom (ゼクロム zekuromu). They may have truly awful names (they sound a lot cooler in Japanese, believe me), but they are not ugly. At least not Zekrom. I am not complaining over the one-color simplicity, I love that – however, though Zekrom looks real bad-ass, I think Reshiram is really ugly. I am definitely getting the White Version with Zekrom. OK, maybe Reshiram isn’t a complete disaster, but still… what’s up with the boner and the what-the-hell of a tail on its back? One last thing then I’m done.

The battle system in Black & White is pretty much the same, I’m sure, however the battle field is much more detailed and the camera actually moves around a little. It doesn’t sound very impressive but there are videos on the internet so check it out yourself before you complain or simply ignore it.

Update: Version 2 of this anime chart has been released and can be viewed here.

You know, at least here in Sweden an unsteady spring (weather and temperature wise) has exploded into warm, cozy summer withing literally two days, if even that. I’m not exaggerating in the slightest, I went to get some Coke (Coca-cola, nobheads) two days ago and it was kind of chilly out and not a single bud had appeared on any tree around me. Yesterday, however, I’m washing my hands out in the kitchen and a warm breeze from the balcony (the door was wide open) made me look outside, and the sky was clear blue and every tree had fully bloomed. Fully! Isn’t global warming just dandy?

Anyhow, with summer “officially” starting in less than two weeks it’s about time for chartfag to make his presence known once again with a new chart of the summer season of anime.

The chart doesn’t list a lot of new titles and OVA isn’t even listed – then again, it is only the initial version – but even so there should be an interesting title to keep an eye on for many of you, even if not all. For me, that title would be Highschool of the Dead for oh so many reasons. One: I haven’t watched that many horror anime, but the ones I have watched I loved (especially Higurashi no Naku Koro ni which several of you know is one of my absolute favorite series, fo); two: even though zombie apocalypse scenarios aren’t that rare (there’s the Left 4 Dead games, which are great by the way; and all those of the Dead movies) there haven’t been that many, if any, in the form of manga or anime; and three: I have read the earlier chapters of the manga and I’ve got to say, I am a little bit intrigued. Which of the given titles are you most interested in?

Right here I actually stopped writing for a few minutes to read the descriptions for all series in the chart, and I think most of them look promising or at least worth looking into. I know for sure that I will watch the new Digimon series, Digimon Xros Wars and, like I said before, Highschool of the Dead. I will probably also check out Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin, Shi Ki (huh, there seems to be more horror this season than usual), Nuharihyon no Mago (also a manga which I just started reading), Amagami SS, Ookamisan to Shichinin no Nakamatachi, Mitsudomoe, Asobi ni Iku Yo!, Seitokai Yakuindomo, and finally Shukufuku no Campanella. And, if it gets any hype, possibly also The Legend of the Legendary Heroes. Although the stupidly redundant name makes me kinda reluctant to…

Did I not mention any of the shows listed in the chart? Oh right, I will definitely not watch Strike Witches 2 and sequels to anime I’ve never watched before. I don’t care what you think, Strike Witches (unless it gets awesome at the end) sucks. It’s just lolicon panchira moe (alright, I get it) with… rocket legs!?

Personally I somewhat feel the winter season of anime is still getting started, but winter is closing in on its end and along with my seventeenth birthday spring will come soon. You know what that means, right? That’s right, a new anime chart is here!

This being the first version chart it may not be complete but it still contains some pretty interesting titles, like the new second season of K-On!.

I have a habit of not actually deciding on what shows to watch until the season really begins, but unless my eyes are plucked out in the near future (that’s a disturbing image…), I am sure I will not miss K-On!. How about you; have you decided on what shows to watch? If so, please leave a comment or two below!

Bakuman., the latest work by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, author and artist, respectively, of the big 2003-2006 manga hit Death Note, currently running in Weekly Shounen Jump with five volumes on the market is finally getting an anime of 25 episodes, scheduled to air fall 2010. The anime series will be airing on NHK, developed by the studio J.C.Staff, in less than a year from now.

Even though they’re fictional, I can’t help feel a little jealous of the main characters of Bakuman. (Moritaka Mashiro and Akito Takagi) since because they live in Japan they’ve had lots of good opportunities for aspiring mangakas like me while I, being a year older than the guys in the manga… haven’t. I feel so old. *sob*

Yesterday I told you about a new Code Geass having been green-lit with more info to come in 2010; however it seems the gun has been jumped as a new manga series was announced in the latest issue of Newtype (which is actually the January issue of 2010 so I guess there was no real gun-jumping). This new manga series is called Code Geass: Shikkoku no Renya (Shikkoku no Renya can be translated as either Renya of Jet-black or Jet-black Renya) and takes place in during the Edo period which spanned 1603 through 1868; however, if it is actually in Japan I am not sure, although it seems most likely.

Code Geass: Shikkoku no Renya will be drawn by Tomomasa Takuma who also did the spin-off manga Code Geass: Nightmare of Nunnaly. The storywriter (or “scripter”) of Code Geass: Shikkoku no Renya will be the original story co-creator (together with Ichirou Oukouchi) and director of the Code Geass anime (including Code Geass R2), Gorou Taniguchi which suggests that unlike other Code Geass manga spin-offs, this new manga may actually be a canon prequel to the anime series.

The story is about a 17 year old boy called Renya with a mechanical arm, C.C. (of course), and a man that looks just like Lelouch from the original anime who was some sort of spooky power. Exciting!

I wanted to write about this yesterday when I found out about it but since I wasn’t going to publish my last post before today it got delayed. Anyway, here goes!

Do you remember that April Fools post I made eight months ago on the old blog? About there being a new season of Code Geass in production? Well, according to the Bandai mobile site it seems that Sunrise has finally gotten the message as they yesterday posted this image:

More info on this “new Code Geass” (as the large title says) will come some time 2010. I wonder when.

Personally I think it would be best for the series to end it with R2′s sad but great ending; however I would not mind something like the story from another perspective (as long as Lelouch remains the best “evil” mastermind in the show) or possibly either a prologue or an epilogue – a direct sequel I think not. Okay, now that I’ve gotten my professional thought out of the way, I would also like to say that I love Code Geass and when I found out about this yesterday I was jumping like a bunny on heroine or crack or whatever and I would love to see more of the series despite my opinions against it. Hmm, I wonder if that made any sense.