The official Japanese site for BONES’ new anime adaptation of Hiromu Arakawa’s Fullmetal Alchemist manga has revamped itself with a new tv commercial on Tuesday. The commercial aired this past weekend on Japanese television. Romi Paku reprises her role as the main character, Edward Elric, in the commercial. Both her and Rie Kugimiya, Alphonse Elric, were confirmed for the new anime’s main cast in Kadokawa Shoten’s Newtype’s March issue magazine.

Similar to the shorter commercial that aired in December, the new commercial’s tagline says, “In this palm, is there hope or despair? The most powerful dark fantasy is here.” The new anime series, premiering on Japan on April 5, is directed by Yasuhiro Irie, and Hiroshi Ohnogi is supervising the scripts.

Source: Moon Phase Comments

On Friday, the March issue of Shueisha’s Bessatsu Margaret magazine will announce that Karuho Shiina’s Kimi ni Todoke sh?jo manga is planned be adapted into an anime project. Since 2005, this high school slice-of-life series has been running in Bessatsu Margaret, and eight volumes have been published. Shiina also put her manga on hold in this same issue so she can give birth to her baby. Author Sanae Shimokawa, beginning with this issue, will take the manga’s place with a new Kimi ni Todoke story in text form. A future issue of the magazine will announce when the manga will resume.The anime series is scheduled to premiere this fall.

The manga follows the coming-of-age story of Sawako Kuronuma, who is a high school girl where her long black hair and pallid skin leads the other kids to call her Sadako, after the ghost character in The Ring horror movies. She ultimately changes her life around with a little help from the popular boy Kazehaya and her other classmates.

Source: 2ch

On February 10th, the March issue of Kadokawa Shoten’s Newtype magazine will announce that Romi Paku and Rie Kugimiya will reprise their roles of the Elric brothers Edward and Alphonse in the new television anime version of Hiromu Arakawa’s Fullmetal Alchemist manga. Also, according to Newtype magazine the creators were still casting voice actors/actresses as recently as last month. The new series will premiere in Japan on April 5.

Last month, Newtype announced the main staff of the series. The new project’s director, Yasuhiro Irie, who had previously overseen Kurau: Phantom Memory and opening animation for the first Fullmetal Alchemist anime and Soul Eater anime. Hiroshi Ohnogi, known for Kekkaishi, Noein, and Macross Zero, is overseeing the script creation, and Hiroki Kanno, known for RahXephon, Yu Yu Hakusho The Movie: Poltergeist Report, is designing the characters. Akira Senju, known for Mobile Suit Victory Gundam, Red Garden, and Rampo, is composing the music. The producers include Oyama, MBS’ Hiro Maruyama, Square Enix’s Nobuyuki Kurashige, and BONES’ Noritomo Yonai.

Source: Moon Phase Comments

The March issue of Kadokawa Shoten’s Newtype magazine will announce on February 10 that a Eden of The East anime film will open in Japan theaters in 2009. Production I.G is already producing Eden of The East as a television anime series that will premiere in Japan in April. The television version is planned to end before the film opens.

As previously announced, Kenji Kamiyama, known for Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit, is creating, writing, and directing the project. Chika Umino, the creator of Honey and Clover, is creating the original character designs for the film, while Satoko Morikawa, known for The Cat Returns, will be adapting Umino’s designs for the animation. Kenji Kawai, who is a longtime production I.G. collaborator and known for Ghost in the Shell and Death Note films, will compose the music. The art director will be Yusuke Takeda, known for Blood: The Last Vampire, Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit, and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.

Source: Moon Phase Comments

This year’s 11th issue of Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump will announce on Monday that Dragon Ball Z (DBZ) will rerun on Fuji TV’s Japanese network of affiliates in HD starting on April 5. The rebroadcast is reported to feature the “latest digital technology” for HD remastering. New versions of the opening and ending themes using re-recorded sound and re-edited animation and a new voice recording from the cast led by Son Goku’s Masako Nozawa will be apart of the rerun. This April marks the 20th anniversary of the original broadcast in Japan.

Source: 2ch

Today, the Sword of the Stranger film opens in 360 plus theaters for one night only. This event is hosted by the digital cinema company NCM Fathom, which is well known for bringing other anime movies to the big screen, and a listing of available theaters may be found on its website. Along with the movie, the North American licensee, Bandai Entertainment, is attaching a behind the scenes feature on the acclaimed anime studio BONES and exclusive interviews with the English cast of the film.

The film is the newest project from BONES, which is famous for some of anime’s most popular series including Fullmetal Alchemist and Cowboy Bebop. The director Masahiro Ando worked on the animation of Cowboy Bebop: The Movie and Fullmetal Alchemist, while screenwriter Fumihiko Takayama is best known for directing Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket and Patlabor WXIII. Composer Naoki Sato (Eureka Seven, X) won a Japanese Academy Award for his Always: Sunset on Third Street soundtrack.

Sword of the Stranger is about young Kotaro, who is hunted by the Ming from China, and who meets a nameless samurai (“Nanashi”) who is haunted by memories of his past which have led him to avoid drawing his sword ever again. Among the Ming is a fearsome Western fighter named Luo-Lang, whose only desire is to find a worthy opponent. When both groups clash with a Sengoku-era feudal lord, a proud general, and monks torn between faith and survival, the reason behind the Ming’s pursuit tests the bond between Kotaro and Nanashi.