Sunday News Bites: August 19th

Hello and welcome to another edition of Sunday News Bites! This week we prepared a sunny spot in the studio for a very special guest- the feline Mao from Darker than Black. Mao may have lost his body, but thanks to a wireless network connection, he hasn’t lost his opinions, which he will be glad to share with us.

Sword of the Stranger
Studio Bones fans, start getting excited, because their Sword of the Stranger movie will be opening in Japan on September 29^th, and if you just can’t wait, then head on over to the official website to catch another new clip from the film.
Mao says: Whenever I’m in for filming Darker than Black I like to nip over and see how they’re getting on with this movie. I think it’ll be worth the wait.

Another Ayakashi
We had Ayakashi ~Japanese Classic Horror~ (or Samurai Horror Tales if you prefer the inaccurate but official US title) and Tenpou Ibun Ayakashi Ayashi, but now yet another Ayakashi-entitled anime is on its way to us, in the form of an adaptation of a battle adventure game. Although I know basically nothing about this, the promo artwork looks good at least, prompting me to forget the lessons I have learned and give it a try.
Mao says: Why not try Ayakashi Ayashi instead? It is from Studio Bones, after all.

New manga based on…Viagra!?
Yes, it may sound like a joke, but pharmaceutical company Pfizer have actually gone as far as to start serialising a manga intended to educate Japanese men on how they can get it working again. Entitled Nisemono? (Fake?), the manga is drawn by Hiroshi Motomiya, better known as the creator of Salaryman Kintaro and other series designed to appeal to men in their thirties and forties. And now, those selfsame men can get the help they may secretly need courtesy of their favourite mangaka- it’s win-win.
Mao says: Being in a cat’s body makes my love life complicated to say the least, but you don’t see me looking for help from manga.

Dangerous toys recalled
One Piece fans, stop playing with those Triple Slash Zoro toys, because they are just one of the many Chinese-made Mattel products to be recalled in the last week. The toys in question were all painted with a non-approved paint containing excessive amounts of lead, and such has been the impact of the recall that the boss of the factory responsible reportedly hanged himself.
Mao says: Even toys aren’t immune to depressing news stories; perhaps it’s just as well that my paws are ill-suited to playing with them.

Now you can have your Higurashi live
Live action adaptations seem to be springing up left, right and centre these days, and one of the latest to be announced is the Higurashi no Naku Koro ni live action movie, due out in 2008. Exactly what the movie will contain in terms of arcs and storyline is unknown at this time, although I can’t say that my expectations are particularly high.
Mao: Who needs live-action movies when you can have animated ones about cats?