April Manga News Round-up

Seems like our April Fools' break ended up taking a wee-bit more than planned (like ten days, instead of a single one). But amidst mounting festivities - global, national and personal alike - I'll be trying to catch up with the most relevant anime and manga news that surfaced so far this month. And for starters, here is some stuff about manga.

- Miyakawa-ke no Kuufuku - a manga series authored by Kagami Yoshimizu (creator of the Lucky Star manga and anime franchise), will be relaunched in the June issue of Kadokawa Shoten's Monthly Comp Ace magazine - out on April 25. "The four-panel manga will center on Hinata and Hikage Miyakawa, the two sister characters who appeared in the Lucky Star Moe Drill game series", ANN writes.

- Azumanga Daioh - the original four-panel comedy manga which spawned the insanely fun anime series, will get a new English edition from Yen Press this December. It will be "a newly translated and lettered version of ADV Manga's [earlier] release" from 2003-2004.

- Boys Be... 2009 Term I (Boys Be… 2009 1-Gakki) - this is the title of the latest manga sequel based on the Boys Be... series. By now, it has already debuted on Kodansha's MiChao mobile comic website.

- Hanasakeru Seishounen - the shoujo manga whose anime adaptation has just begun airing in Japan this month, will be getting a 1-shot manga sequel on June 27.

- Tales of the Abyss: Tsuioku no Jade (~ Jade in My Memories) - announced as a manga series penned by the main writer of Namco's fantasy RPG franchise "Tales of...". As you may know, a Tales of the Abyss anime adaptation began airing last autumn, and ended in late March 2009. "As a side story of Sunrise's recently ended anime version, the manga will depict the background history of the Jade Curtiss character."

- Nightmare Go Round and Akira to Hiyori - are two of the four new manga titles announced to launch in the next issues of Square Enix's Young Gangan magazine. Nightmare Go Round will be a "dreamy action comedy" created by Atsushi Suzumi (Venus Versus Virus, Haridama Magical Cram School, Amefurashi), and set to begin next week on April 17. Akira to Hiyori will be authored by Izumi Kirihara (Hitohira), and it will launch on May 1. The other 2 manga titles have not been detailed yet, other than their respective authors: Yuji Iwahara (King of Thorn) and Yuki Azuma (Dark Blue, Cheer up!, Mama wa Doukyuusei).

- Jinki: Extend: Relation - is the title announced for Sirou Tunasima's new manga that will launch in the Dragon Age magazine this May.

- Solanin - an upcoming live-action movie was announced to adapt Inio Asano's romantic manga "about a young couple who leave college for the turmoil of the real world together. The film should premiere in Japan in 2010, and it will star Aoi Miyazaki (live-action NANA film, Origin: Spirits of the Past, Someday's Dreamers).

- Ubunchu! - a "slapstick school comedy" manga about the Linux distro Ubuntu (go figure!) has been translated into English; with the original author's permission.

- Ouoku: The Inner Chamber - an upcoming live-action movie was announced to adapt Fumi Yoshinaga's historical sci-fi manga. The original story "takes place in an alternate history version of medieval Japan, in which a bizarre disease has dwindled the male population. This has led to a matriarchal society where women outnumber men by 4 to 1. The shogun and de facto ruler of Japan keeps her own harem of men, or Ouoku." Filming begins in 2010, but there's no release date yet.

- Gisho Getter Robo Darkness - announced as a new manga version of the classic Getter Robo manga, set to launch in Hakusensha's Young Animal magazine from June 5.

- Berserk - the pretty-long-running fantasy adventure manga by Kentarou Miura returns from its latest hiatus in the next issue of Young Animal magazine, on April 24.

- Kyoukai no Rinne - finally, revealed as Rumiko Takahashi's new manga series. It was about time! "The story will center on Sakura Mamiya, a girl who was able to see ghosts after a certain incident when she was young. One day, she gets a mysterious visitation." The manga starts on April 22, as previously announced.

And to end this round-up, have you ever wondered how much it costs to make an average manga? And how profitable it is... eventually? Click the link if you're curious.