• A live-action feature film adaptation of Full Metal Panic! is being developed by Mandalay Pictures with Zac Efron as the potential star. Mandalay hasn’t set up a studio for the film yet, but the company does have a first-look deal with Universal. I can only see this adaptation going two ways – the Dragonball Evolution way and then the Transformers route. Personally I vote for the latter.
  • Square Enix made an announcement in its Young Gangan magazine that four new titles will be launching in the next four issues of the magazine. The four titles includes Atsushi Suzumi (Venus Versus Virus) doing Nightmare Go Round, Izumi Kirihara (Hitohira) is doing Akira to Hiyori, Yuji Iwahara (King of Thorn) will be doing a title that has yet to be named, and Yuki Azuma (Dark Blue) will also do a title that has yet to be named.
  • The FUNimation Channel has announced that it will be running new Viz shows on its channel sometime late spring and summer. The shows in question will be NANA, Honey And Clover, Monster, Buso Renkin, and Hunter X Hunter.
  • Leonardo DiCaprio is considering casting SMAP as the Ninja Scroll live-action feature film adaptation’s main cast. It was announced last year that DiCaprio’s production company Appian Way had picked up the rights for the film. DiCaprio expressed that he wanted to make all the fans of the original film happy and to make sure that they put their best effort into the making of the film. At least Ninja Scroll sounds like it’s in “good hands,” but Leo just doesn’t come off as someone who’d be into anime.
  • The third Naruto Shippūden film, which shares the same title as the 99th episode in the original Naruto series is Hi no Ishi o Tsugumono (lit. The Will Of Fire Still Burns), will open in Japanese theaters on August 1st.
  • Detroit Metal City singer Hideki Kaji was beat up and robbed in Sweden while watching over filming equipment which was stolen. It was reported on Kaji’s official website that he was doing well. The Swedish police have yet to determine the identity of the assailants.
  • It was reported that a new Hidamari Sketch special had been green-lit for production. The announcement was made at the “Chō Hidematsuri Z” event that was held in Tokyo.
  • A promotional video is up for the slice of life, romance anime series Hatsukoi Limited on its official website.
  • Day Of Whale artwork courtesy of nnfsh on pixiv (account needed to access)

    66 Comments

    1. Well lets hope they dont screw FMP up 😛 (chances are high they will, but then again, look at transformers). I love FMP and seeing AS come to live in a holywood movie is kind of exciting.

      Speaking of transformers. Since that movie appeared to be such a huge hit the use of mechs in movies is getting popular again :O

      Whispo
    2. …………….. I hope to all the gods that if the FMP film is true then Zac Efron wont be the lead artist… God I really hope for everyone else but him. F@*CK Zac Efron!!!!

      SakuraAyanami
    3. ???
      Full Metal Panic?
      Well that’s different.
      Mecha/high school comedy goes to the big screen now?
      Hmmmm
      Well maybe it will draw attention in the States and in turn poke the Japanese into continuing the anime (yes I’d rather have it done by KyoAni than GONZO, but they were part of a whole…the question, is…who was the rest of that whole?)

      If they use a live action Bunta-kun suit beat down…well, that might be fun to watch.

      ithekro
    4. Oh god, an FMP film?! It’s going to be terrible, I just know it.

      I also had to look up who Zac Efron was, and when I found out, I was not amused. Not one bit.

      Clearly, there is no god.

      ruffles
    5. Heh (think positive!). Irrespective of the sense of foreboding (one can only live in hope they won’t kill it), an FMP! movie could well be a good thing (think positive!). If it is a success / renews interest (think positive!) then they might get off their rear ends and continue the anime (think positive!) – though I’m guessing they won’t anyway until the final book is published (no, think positive!).

      There, I think that was enough positive energy to convince myself. Tabun.

      Carcharoth

      Carcharoth
    6. FMP is one of the good anime shows but i can’t believe it they’re going to make an live-action film? and WTF! Zac Efron?! i do wish he’s not going to play the character of Sosuke and i’m sure he’ll just played it totally sucked!

      k0na-yume
    7. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

      FMP live? HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA Zack Efron? AHAHAHAHAHA oh you.

      =====

      Couldn’t see the Hatsukoi PV, I’m really interested in this series.

      ks
    8. The novel series is simply too long for a proper FMP adaptation to work. I just can’t see this turning out well =(.

      Anyhow I still have lots of hope for a 4th season. Come on KyoAni get off your asses and make this happen!

      8GaugeBrett
    9. ZAC EFRON!? WTF IS THAT!?

      And Leonardo DiCaprio doing anime is wrong. I never liked the guy to begin with and have a feeling he’ll ruin two good potential movies.

      DragoZERO
    10. Leonardo!? D: Even though I adore him… Since when is he starting to delve into anime?! A closet otaku? I thought he was more of politics and environment!

      And yucks, Zac Efron. Yucks.

      Forwho
    11. I have a feeling if efron is in it, hell do a scene where he sings and dances in an Arm Slave. Sousuke is being played by a white guy? Firsst GOKU now SOUSUKE. WTF it seems like the movie makers automatically see a white guy when they look at an asian person. They need to turn off their Whitevision goggles.

      Exia
    12. Zac Efron isnt the funny, serious looking type!!!! He should stick to musical D=<

      How many more good memories r u gonna take away from us!?!?!?

      DiCaprio on the other hand… will need a Hong Kong director for the fight scenes.
      Americans just cant to that part right.

      drastikhate
    13. FMP live action movie could go 2 ways imho. If they try adding the highschool comedy, it will fail. If the story concentrates on the serious mecha battles/drama it could end up like transformers.

      Di Caprio looks like the type who could be a closet otaku lol, in the same way that Vin Diesel is actually addicted to World of Warcraft.

      Ninja Penguin
    14. whoa…wait i flew off the handle their a bit….but time out i’m from the states, AND I STILL DONT KNOW…WHO DA HELL IS ZAC EFRON!?!?!?! leonado decapro??????? ninja scroll?? whos his short ass gonna play??? the hunchback with the bee’s in his hump?!

      BROOKLYN otaku
    15. Sosuke : Zac Efron
      Chidori : Kristin Kreuk
      Kurz : Robert Pattinson

      LOLOLE

      Seriously… How can they turn in film an anime like this?
      FailFailFailFailFailFailFailFailFailFailFailFailFailFailFailFailFail

      Mabo
    16. How can they cast Zac Efron as a kid from a fictional Middle Eastern country? I bet they’re just gonna force him into tanning himself. At the very least, if they insist on having a caucasian actor, they should get one that has done a military film.

      CannonBeast
    17. FMP! as live-action with Zack Efron… why Helooo Chun-Li / Dragonball Evolution!!!
      Let’s hope this film will become as successfull in its attempts as Real Bout High School or Evangelion Live-action… aka never going anywhere.

      Tohru-chan
    18. LMAO LMAO LMAO.. Zac Efron XD as Sousuke Sagara…. That i am not fuss over (although it would have been good if they have Jake Gyllenhaal, more military like Jarhead, but then he’s probably not interested)… But Tessa and Chidori better be someone decent.

      The Hunter X Hunter also got my attention, as I still think Kurapica is da strongest anime character out of all the anime I’ve seen.

      brianleung8912
    19. im a little less concerned about zac efron and more concerned over who plays the whispered girls 😐

      ehh, scratch that. unless the ‘Fron is willing to distance himself from his usual goody-goody watching-me-sing-and-dance-whilst-practicing-basketball-all-the-disney-girls-love-me kinda reputation, this just may pass DB in terms of fail epicity levels so yet to be discovered by mankind.

      kairuu
    20. If they want to make a GOOD FMP! film, they should definitely have Michael Bay as the director.

      And I have to admit that I’m having a hard time imagining Efron as Sagura. :/ Can Zac portray a our lovable Sagura Sousuke? I doubt it…

      lialiakicks
    21. Anyone who plays Sousuke just has to play it straight and serious. He in an of himself is never funny. He doesn’t make jokes nor acts intentionally foolish. He’s just way too military for school life and thus his seriousness and military like reactions to ordinary situations becomes the comedy. It is like putting Batman in a Sitcom. He doesn’t fit in at all, and that is partly what drives the humor.

      The make it or break it characters are probably whoever plays Chidori and Tessa. More Chidori because most of the humor comes from her reactions to Sousuke’s behavior. Tessa just has to be able to come off as serious while in command, but fun, cute, and clumsy otherwise.

      ithekro
    22. Seriously isnt thier some kind of global (american) committie that prevents people from doing this to anime/manga!!!!!!

      OH and transformers was good ONLY because the actors had almost nothing to do with the plot!!! And even when they were on screen it was noticably painful!!!! Who do you remember more Megatrons lines or the Sec Defs!!!!! exactly

      WingZerozxt
    23. I really hope they don’t tank my favorite anime franchise. I wouldn’t mind seeing it done by Paul Greengrass or Martin Campbell though, regardless of the actors they allow. It would be very awesome it it took on the cinematic vibe of the Army vs aliens near the end of War of the Worlds. But it’ll probably fail. Epically.

      rwaggie
    24. Anyone who plays the main characters need to reflect the original race of the characters!

      I was sickened when they chose a white actor to play Goku and gave him a harem of Asian women as co-stars/supporting actresses. Just as I was sickened when the L.A Negi actor was a female-Japanese actress. If the CANON plot has obviously stated certain background information about the character, how about we stay true to it?! Sousuke is of ASIAN descent, it’s mentioned once or twice in the anime and is mentioned as well in the graphic novels. Get an Asian actor for the role, since I’m sure there would be no problem finding a female actress to play the role of Chidori.

      Hollywood has bastardized everything that they can and have done so horribly. But this is just their horrible agenda to steal more foreign ideas and try to pass it off as their own.

      Remy
    25. for FMP Sake, lets just hope that Dude AT LEAST take his time to watch the Anime.

      or at least get into Military School for a week or so.

      THAT way, at least we have hope he’ll know what he’s doing.

      Kerfirou
    26. Is Hollywood running out of ideas already?

      BTW, I also heard that Cowboy Bebop is also going to have a Hollywood live-action version…..Keanu Reeves (the guy who played as Neo in the Matrix trilogy) is playing as Spike…..

      …Zac Efron in FMP?!?!?! Gah, I rather I see him sing some dumb musical than this….XP

      george

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