House of Five Leaves Manga Gets TV Anime Green-Lit (Updated)
The Amazon Japan online retailer has revealed with cover image from the january issue of Shogakukan's Monthly Ikki magazine that a 2010 television anime adaptation of Natsume Ono's House of Five Leaves ( Sarai-ya Goyou) manga has been green-lit. The anime will run during Fuji TV'S popular Naoitamina Late-night timeslot. Vis Media has been posting installment from this manga in English on it's Siglkki website since this May.
The manga follows the lives of the House Five Leaves gang members in Edo-era japan during the height of the shougun rule. In particular, the masterless samurai (rounin) Akitsu Masanosuke finds himself desperate for work after being let go by one lord after another for his naivety. He become the bodyguard of the House of Five Leaves gang's charismatic leader Yaichi and discovers there is more to the gang leader than his criminal activities would suggest. The manga has been running since 2005, and six volumes have been published in japan.

source: Moon Phase Comments
7:17 AM | Category: , |

Nokia to cut 220 R&D jobs in japan
Nokia corp said Tuesday it axing 220 jobs at research and development units in Japan as the world's largest mobile maker continues to cut costs.
Last week it announced 330 job cuts in finland and Denmark at is R&D operation that globaly employ 17,000 workers.
Nokia said it will continue "significant sourcing activities" in japan. "Japanese manufactures are importent partners who play a critical role Nokia's global supply chain strategy and with whom Nokia continues to develop its world-class logistic operation," the Finish company said.
The cuts will not affect Japanese operation of Nokia Siemens Networks, the company's network infrastructure sector, not Vertu, Nokia's Luxury handset line, the company said. Nokia employs 123,350 people worldwide. Last year, it sold 468 million handset, up 7 % on 2007.
6:51 AM | Category: , |

Man Slashes two women on Sapporo Street
Two women sustained minor injuries after a man slashed the with kitchen knife in Sapporo's Atsubetsu Ward on Friday evenin, Police said. According to police, 30 years old Atsuhi Nishino attacked two women at rendom on the street, then brust into a dry cleaning shop and grabbed a 66 years old clerk from behind in a head lock.
Police were alerted and arrested Nishino on charges of assault. He was quoted by police as saying that he didn't know any of the people he attacked but gave no motive. @_@
11:45 PM | Category: |

Spice & Wolf Novel's J Cover Offered to Web RetailersO
The North American Publisher Yen Press reports that it will offer a limited-edition dust jacket with original japanese edition's cover illustration for Isuna Hasekura's Spice and Wolf Light Novel to participating online retailers. Retailers "who choose to participate in this offer will be shipped the flat (uncreased) jackets to make them available at no additional charge to anyone ordering copies of the Novel Through their sites".
The first volume of the novel will ship with a different cover artwork animed at the North American mass-market readers. Yen Press had planned to bundle the slip jacket with the original Japanese artwork exclusively with the December issue of Yen Plus magazine before deciding on the additional online release.
11:26 PM | Category: |