Another goes live action! After a huge success of the anime adaptation (look for the review in the right-hand menu) of Yukito Ayatsuji’s horror novel Another, follows Takeshi Furusawa’s upcoming live-action adaptation that will be released in Japan on August 4, 2012. What is interesting, the role of Misaki Mei is played by Ai Hashimoto, who recently starred in Confessions (our review also in the right-hand menu) and, as it was revealed only days ago, who plays Sadako in the newest movie from The Ring franchise – Sadako 3D. Watch the freshly uploaded trailer for Another here.

Emily Blunt has been chosen to play a leading role in the Doug Liman film adaptation of the Japanese novel by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, All You Need Is Kill. The 29 year-old actress is set to star as another soldier next to Tom Cruise’s character. First scenes are to be shot this fall, however, Blunt announced that right know she is going to start intensive training to cope with a physically demanding role.

Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris will host the exhibition called “Planet Manga”. The exhibition will be displayed since February to May, it will be joined by various events, such as workshops, lectures, cosplays, and screenings of the anime (among them Karigurashi no Arrietty, Kaze no Tani no Nausikaa and Toki o kakeru shōjo).

“Yakuza Ties: Spring” is the title of the original light novel by Krystine Brown. Preview will be available shortly. The novel will be published through the “Visual Scene”, in the pages of English-language edition of the magazine. Preview, along with two illustrations and portraits of the characters, will debut in the pages of VS portals and selected websites.

Tokyopop is about to launch a new editorial newsletter revolving around Asian pop-culture.

In 2008 they closed their Los Angeles branch and they claim that the new publication doesn’t mean that they will resume manga publication too. They don’t have a reason to rush over things because the restructuring left their business in other countries (Germany) untouched.

It was announced in WOWOW that the actress Koizumi Kyoko whom we have seen the last time in 2001 („Koi wo Nannen Yasundemasu ka” ) will play the lead role in a mini-series called „Shokuzai”, based on a novel by Minato Kanae.

She will play a mother seeking revenge for the murder of her daughter. Although it happened 15 years ago, the four students who saw the murderer’s face still can’t remember who he or maybe she was.

Filming has already been completed but we only know the names of the director – Kurosawa Kiyoshi who wrote the screenplay as well, and the main actress. We also know that they have worked together before in the movie „Tokyo Sonata”

WOWO – the first private satellite broadcasting and pay TV station in Japan – plans to broadcast the drama in January 2012, as five episodes. The first one will be aired for free.

Oricon light novel chart has been topped by the seventh volume of a romantic comedy light novel series „Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sakunai” written by Yomi Hirasaka.. It was released on September 22 and during its first week of sales it sold 98000 copies. What is more the limited edition of the volume which contained  all-new anime DVD sold 68,000 copies bringing the total number of copies sold to 166,000.

The novel tells us a story of a half-Japanese/half-British transfer student whose blond hair, definitely not Japanese scares people. With a girl who is also not accepted just like him they decide to form Rinjinbu – a club for people… with hardly any friends.

There is also an inspiring television anime adaptation and it will have its premiere on October 6 as well as a video game for which we will have to wait until January 2012.

„Shoshu” might not ring a bell but for all fans of the author Inoue Yasushi „Kooreru Ki’ is definitely not an unknown title. The director Harada Masato and TBS company are airing a new drama next month which is based on the above mentioned novel with actors such as Yakusho Koji and Nakagoshi Noriko.

Yakusho and Masato has worked together before in the movie ‘Waga Haha no Ki’. It was also an adaptation of one of Inoue’s novels. It was announced to be released in Japan in 2012, but it has already won a special jury prize at the Montreal World Film Festival last month.

The plot revolves around a 59 – year – old man played by Yakusho whose wife has died. While fighting against the feeling of loneliness he meets a 27-year-old woman and despite the age difference an unexpected romance starts between the two of them.