St. Young Men Tops Weekly Manga Chart for 5th Straight Volume

Story of Jesus & Buddha in Tokyo apartment is on hiatus while Hikaru Nakamura is expecting a child

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The seventh volume of Hikaru Nakamura's Saint Young Men (Saint O-nii-san) manga sold 360,596 copies to top Oricon's manga sales chart for the October 17-23 week. This is the fifth volume in a row to accomplish this feat, going back to volume 3.
The comedy manga imagines if Buddha and Jesus shared a low-rent apartment in Tokyo. Nakamura has been drawing Saint Young Men in Kodansha's Morning 2 magazine since 2006, and she also has been serializing her Arakawa under the bridge manga in Square Enix's Young Gangan magazine since 2004. Saint Young Men won the Short Work Prize in the 13th Annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prizes in 2009.
Saint Young Men has been on hiatus since September 22 due to Nakamura's pregnancy.

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Zetman Cast Led by Daisuke Namikawa, Mamoru Miyano

Voices of Jin, Kouga in TV anime of Masakazu Katsura's superhero manga

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The official website for the Zetman television anime series and this year's 48th issue of Shueisha's Weekly Young Jump magazine announced the anime's main voice cast on Thursday. Daisuke Namikawa (Kimi ni Todoke, Hunter X Hunter) will play Jin Kanzaki:

Mamoru Miyano (Death Note, Chihayafuru) will play Kouga Amagi:

Masakazu Katsura is known for romance and comedy stories such as Video Girl Ai, DNA², and I''s, but he also created the decade-long Zetman hero action manga series in 2002. The story centers around Jin, a homeless boy whose true form is the new superhuman lifeform "ZET," and an industrial magnate's heir named Kouga with his own secret.
Osamu Nabeshima (D.Gray-man, Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas) is directing the project at TMS Entertainment. Atsuhiro Tomioka (Inazuma Eleven, Samurai 7, Pokémon) is writing the scripts, and Hirotoshi Takaya (Eyeshield 21, Puppet Princess/Karakuri no Kimi, Project ARMS) is designing the characters. Italian composer Gabriele Roberto (SPEC, Paco and the Magical Book) is in charge of the music.
The anime will premiere next April.

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The Idolm@ster's 9th BD/DVD to Add Unaired Episode

9th volume listed for June 2012 release

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The Nico Nico Live program "iM@Studio Satellite Station #03" revealed on Wednesday that the ninth home video volume of The IDOLM@STER television anime series will include an unaired special edition episode. The ninth Blu-ray/DVD volume is listed by retailers for a June 2012 release.
[Via Moe Ota-News Sokuhō]

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Evangelion Remake Film Inspires Karaoke Club Remodel

Rebuild of Evangelion decorations, merchandise, uniforms, menu incorporated at Chiba club

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To promote the fall 2012 release of the Evangelion Shin Gekijō-ban Q Quickening film, the Japanese advertising company Zenrin Promo, and the karaoke companies Standard and Xing are collaborating to re-open the U-STYLE Tsudanuma karoke club in Narashino City, Chiba Prefecture with an Evangelion theme on November 1.
The seven rooms on the first floor of the karoke club will be redesigned as "Nerv Tsudanuma Branch". The renovated club will also sell Evangelion merchandise and display props and decorations inspired by the third Rebuild of Evangelion film project. The staff will wear special uniforms to reflect the mecha franchise theme, and U-STYLE Tsudanuma's food and drink menu will include Evangelion items.

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Gurren Lagann's Imaishi Draws to Support Idolm@ster's Nishigori (Updated)

Pair worked on Gurren Lagann, Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, other Gainax titles together

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Key animator and director Hiroyuki Imaishi recently drew an illustration to support The IDOLM@STER director Atsushi Nishigori in his work on the anime. The image, which includes characters from anime the pair worked on together, was posted on The IDOLM@STER anime's official website. As a possible reference to the drama anime's production nearing completion, the image reads, "Nishigori, do your best! "Keep running and running to the very end!"
Imaishi drew part of the storyboard for The IDOLM@STER television anime under Nishigori before leaving the anime studio GAINAX to establish Studio Trigger with Masahiko Otsuka and Kazuya Matsumoto earlier this month. Imaishi directed Gurren Lagann and Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt while Nishigori served as character designer for the anime projects. The duo also worked on several other GAINAX anime together before Imaishi's departure from the studio.
Yesterday, Studio Trigger announced that it was subcontracted to produce the upcoming 17th episode of the The IDOLM@STER television anime. The episode will air on October 28 with the anime's 25th and final episode slated to air on December 22.
[Via Moe Otanews Sokuhō]
The preview video for the 17th episode of The IDOLM@STER is now online:

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Denny's Restaurants to Offer K-ON! Items in Japan

"Shrimp and Oyster Crispy-Fried Doria," "Creamy Home-Made Fruit Trifle" orders receive K-ON! prizes

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In honor of the K-ON! film, which opens December 3 in Japan, the Denny's chain of family restaurants in Japan will sell dishes celebrating the anime in November and December. Denny's November menu will offer "Shrimp and Oyster Crispy-Fried Doria" (a baked rice-based dish with white sauce) for 890 yen (about US$12). The food's Japanese name kaki fry or "fried oyster" plays on kakifly, the pen name of the K-ON! high school slice-of-life manga's creator.
Customers who order the doria will receive one of two exclusive K-ON! film coasters in limited quantities. From November 1 to 15, the Denny's restaurants will give out a Christmas-themed coaster with the main K-ON! characters in Santa Claus outfits. Customers will receive a K-ON! coaster with a snowy winter backdrop from November 16 to 30.
From December 1 to 25, Denny's menus in Japan will include the "Creamy Home-Made Fruit Trifle", and customers who order the dish will receive a special K-ON! glass tag. Those who order the item will also be able to enter the "Denny's Original Goods Prize Campaign". Denny's will post the campaign's details on its homepage in mid-November.
Last year, Japan's Denny's website featured a picture of four girls with striking similarities to the K-ON! anime and manga franchise's Hōkago Teatime ("Afterschool Teatime") band.
kakifly's comedy manga received television anime series in 2009 and 2010 before the film adaptation was green-lit last year.

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High Score Anime's Cast, Staff Revealed

TV anime adaptation of Chinami Tsuyama's gag manga to premiere on November 28

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The official website for the television anime adaptation of Chinami Tsuyama's High Score shōjo manga revealed some of the show's cast and staff on Tuesday. The anime is scheduled to premiere on November 28.
The anime will feature the following voice actors and actresses:

• Eri Kitamura as Megumi Fujiwara
• Ikumi Hayama as Kaori Tachibana
• Yu Kobayashi as Emika Matsumoto
• Katsuyuki Konishi as Masamune Matsumoto
• Takahiro Sakurai as Kyosuke Masuda

In addition, Hajime Kurihara (Pugyuru, Digi-girl Pop!) will direct the series and DLE Inc. will animate the series. Azuma Tani (Double-J, Haiyoru! Nyaruani: Remember My Mr. Lovecraft) will serve as the creative adviser and will handle the series composition.
High Score will premiere on KIDS STATION on November 28 at 8:56 p.m. in Japan.
The "high-speed" four-panel gag comedy manga follows the misadventures of the students at a high school. Tsuyama began the manga in Shueisha's Ribon in 1995. Shueisha published Tsuyama's 10th compiled book volume in July.

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