Kiss×sis Manga Gets TV Anime Green-Lit for Next Spring

posted on 2009-11-13 04:09 EST

Bow Ditama's "forbidden" romance already inspired 3 original anime DVDs

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A television anime adaptation of Bow Ditama's Kiss×sis romance manga has been green-lit for next spring. The story follows the "forbidden" love between a boy and his two stepsisters. The manga has already inspired three original anime DVD volumes that are bundled with the limited first editions of the third, fourth, and fifth manga volumes. (The fifth manga volume will ship in Japan on November 20.)

The manga has been running in Kodansha's Weekly Young Magazine since 2004, although it will move into the sibling publication Monthly Young Magazine in its debut issue on December 9. The new magazine was previously a bimonthly magazine called Bessatsu Young Magazine. In addition to creating Kiss×sis, Ditama created the Fight Ippatsu! Jūden-chan!! manga and anime, the Kibun Kibun manga and anime, and the art in the Mahoromatic manga.

How Common is Sex in Anime?

How Common is Sex in Anime?

Question:
I have seen some anime like the old school and some new ones one like Dragon Ball, Macross, Robotech, Bleach, One Piece, Bubblegum Crisis, D-Gray Man just to name a few. Then one of my friends recommended me to watch Speed Grapher and Gantz. To my impression when I first saw them I thought it would be one of those action drama stuff but then in the following episodes it showed some sex scenes. I was “what the!?” So my two questions are: what kind of category do they fit in and are those the only two that have ever been showed that?

Answer:
Although its prevalence has varied through the years, nudity has been commonplace in anime since the early 1970s. Sexuality and reference to sex in anime goes back even farther, to very early modern anime like 1963’s Sennin Buraku, Japan’s fourth TV anime series (following Otogi Manga Calendar, Tetsuwan Atom, and Ginga Shonentai). The depiction of full sexual intercourse in TV anime, however, is a relatively recent development and still a rather uncommon one. Home video anime has been depicting graphic sex since 1984, but graphic sex in TV anime has remained largely taboo because TV anime is accessible to a much larger and diverse audience.

In 1995 the Shin Seiki Evangelion television series included a sequence in which sex occurred off screen, but viewers could hear the act in progress. Partly because that clear suggestion of sex, at the time, pushed the envelope of what was considered appropriate for TV broadcast anime, and because Evangelion was broadcast during prime-time hours when young children would be watching the show, the scene caused great controversy and, according to legend, nearly got the show pulled from broadcast. Gainax, the studio that animated Evangelion, almost pushed the envelope farther in its next production, 1998’s Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou. While the show broadcast on Japanese television was chaste, the home video version of episode 18 tastefully depicted sex through a series of eight still frames. Gainax did, in fact, put sex on screen in TV anime in 1999. The Oruchuban Ebichu segment of its Anime Ai no Awa Awa Hour television anime anthology included comical scenes of graphic intercourse.

The 2004 Gantz TV series is noteworthy for again pushing the envelope. The Gantz ~The First Stage~ TV series aired on the terrestrial Fuji TV network. It included nudity and violence, but no graphic sex. The amount and intensity of violence and sexuality present in the Gantz story forced the second half of the series, Gantz ~The Second Stage~, off of the Fuji TV network, onto the Animax premium satellite TV network which had more freedom to air provocative content. The second episode of the “Second Stage” included a brazen sex scene, establishing a new, but little used, standard for acceptable content in broadcast Japanese television anime. Unlike Oruchuban Ebichu, which depicted its sex humorously with very stylized art design, the sex scene in Gantz episode 15 is shockingly realistic and primal.

Typically on-screen sexual intercourse has been limited to appearances only in anime TV series broadcast late at night and intended for adult viewers. One memorable exception is the March 2004 broadcast of the second Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Special Edition which included three non-graphic but obvious shots of sex not included in the original broadcast episode 15. However, anime TV series that have clearly and unmistakably depicted the act of sex on screen, including Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien, Blue Gender, Berserk, Saishuu Heiki Kanojo, School Days, Nana, Shigurui, Kaiba, Bokura Ga Ita, and Aoi Bungaku Series to name a few, have all been anime broadcast at midnight or later. These shows run the gamut of genres, including sci-fi, action, shoujo romance, fantasy, and historical drama. Shows like Gantz and Speed Grapher, which include graphic sex, aren’t defined by their graphic sex. Even a show like School Days that includes a lot of sex, is still foremost a drama. American fans unused to “adult” content within animation may instinctively presume that shows which include graphic sex are representative of some special, distinguished genre differentiated from “normal” anime, but that’s not really the case. By their nature, late night anime for mature viewers may sometimes be more provocative than mainstream anime for children and adolescents, but anime should be approached the same way Americans approach typical American live action television programming. American viewers aren’t shocked by the inclusion of sex in mid-day soap operas or prime-time legal dramas targeted at mature viewers. Anime that includes obvious sex, above and beyond nudity and mere reference to sex, should be considered in the same way Americans accept sex in mainstream American TV programs. The sex is included as a natural and integral part of the story or to establish an atmosphere. Mainstream anime doesn’t include sex just to be exploitive or hyper-sexualized. That’s the realm of home video erotic anime. Mainstream anime sometimes includes graphic sex because sex is a normal aspect of human life, and anime strives to illustrate human stories.

New Sekirei PV Online

New Sekirei PV Online

November 4th, 2009 by John

The homepage for the Sekirei anime franchise has added a five minute long anime promotional video promoting the November 4 release of the “Yakusoku I’m with You / SURVIVE BABY SURVIVE!” CD single. The video summarizes the first Sekirei TV series. A second series, Sekirei ~Pure Engagement~ is in development now.

Source: Moon Phase

Nyan Koi! Romantic Comedy Anime's Promo Streamed

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The official website for the television anime adaptation of Sato Fujiwara's Nyan Koi! love triangle comedy manga has begun streaming a promotional video on Friday. In the story, Junpei Kōsaka is a second-year high school student who despises cats and has an allergy to them. It just so happens that his high school crush is Kaede Mizuno, a girl who adores cats. One day, while walking home from school, Junpei kicks an empty can and unfortunately beans the local neko-jizō-sama (guardian deity of cats). He finds he can now understand what cats are saying, including his family's own ill-tempered cat, Nyamusasu. However, if he does not grant 100 wishes from cats, he will turn into cat himself.

The manga has been running in the web comic magazine Flex Comix Blood since August 10, 2007. The anime will premiere in Tokyo on October 1.

Source: Saishin Anime Jōhō

Amaenaideyo!!

Anime Review

Amaenaideyo!!(Ah my Buddha)

Genres: comedy, romance, supernatural, slice of life,

Themes: ecchi, fanservice,Ecchi, love triangle

Manga
Author	Toshinori Sogabe, Bohemian K
Publisher	Wani Books
[show]Other publishers: Soleil Productions Sharp Point Press
Demographic	Seinen
Magazine	Comic Gum
Original run	March 25, 2004 – February 24, 2007
Volumes	7
TV anime
Director	Keitaro Motonaga
Studio	Studio Deen
Licensor	Media Blasters Top-Insight International
Network	AT-X Arvintel Media Productions
Original run	July 1, 2005 – September 16, 2005
Episodes	12 + 1 bonus (List of episodes)
TV anime
Amaenaideyo!! Katsu!!
Director	Keitaro Motonaga
Studio	Studio Deen
Licensor	Media Blasters Top-Insight International
Network	AT-X
Original run	January 4, 2006 – March 22, 2006
Episodes	12 + 1 bonus (List of episodes)
Manga
Amaenaideyo MS
Author	Toshinori Sogabe, Bohemian K
Publisher	Wani Books
[show]Other publishers: Sharp Point Press
Demographic	Seinen
Magazine	Comic Gum
Original run	July 25, 2007 – ongoing
Volumes	5
Anime and Manga Por

Plot

The protagonist of the series is the lecherous Ikkou Satonaka, who transforms into a super-monk (being able to perform mass exorcisms) by his lust for the girls he lives with (Note: In the anime, he transforms from seeing a naked girl). He lives in the Saienji Temple as a Buddhist priest in training with six other nuns: Haruka Amanogawa, Sumi Ikuina, Hinata and Sakura Sugai, Chitose Nanbu and Yuuko Atouda, each of whom represents one of the bosatsu of the six lower realms of the traditional Buddhist cosmology. Chitose is the main love interest and has a love-hate relationship with Ikkou which is somewhat typical in many other anime, involving numerous misunderstandings, beatings, and angry tirades where the male is clearly at a disadvantage to the female. A side effect of Ikkou using his ultimate power is that immediately afterwards he turns into an even bigger pervert than he normally is. The subject matter of the series is Ikkou's self-destructive power and the powers of the other nuns and their training to control these powers, as well as their (mostly non-romantic) relationships.

Plot Summary(First Season):
Hatanaka Ikko, a 16 year old boy, is a first year trainee at the Saienji Buddhist Temple. He was sent there by his parents to be trained by his grandmother, the Saienji Priestess. At the temple he finds himself surrounded by beautiful female priestesses-in-training. Upon seeing a girl naked, Ikko has the ability to turn into a super-monk, performing massive exorcisms for the good of the temple.

Plot Summary(Second Season):
In this sequel, a girl named Kazusano Kazuki join up with the 6 girls and Ikko. With Kazuki around, Ikko will find himself in more embarassing situations with these priestesses-in-training.

Characters

From left to right: Ikkou, Jotoku, Haruka, Chitose, Hinata, Sumi, Sakura, and Yuuko.

Ikko Satonaka (里中逸剛, Satonaka Ikkō^?)

• Voiced by: Chihiro Suzuki (Japanese), Dick Smallberries, Jr. (English)

The main character of the series, Ikko is able to release a powerful but uncontrollable power when confronted with intense lust. Each time, in the aftermath of his "awakening," he will bear a face of lust, and will "attack" Chitose or the other nuns, who respond by running from him and attacking him. In some episodes he is struck by the other characters more than a half dozen times before the midway point of an episode. Sometimes he brings it on himself, and sometimes he's the victim of misunderstanding. His character is, essentially, the center of slapstick. Ikkou seems not to enjoy his life at the temple (at least at the beginning of the series) and often complains that he is missing out on his youth. He seems not to have chosen the monastic life and resents the work given to him. He is also the least educated on Buddhist doctrine of all the characters in the show, excluding (possibly) those who are part of the laity. Indeed, he does not seem to have good grades in school nor does he seem to participate in any particular club at school, claiming that his duties at the temple prevent him from having enough time. However, while his fellow novices also have chores, they do not seem prevented from taking on school and hobbies. The head nun of Saienji (Jotoku) believes this is because he is lazy. In his defense, he does seem to be hired out for more temple errands than the other nuns, possibly because he is male and therefore stereotypically better suited to manual labor.

Chitose Nanbu (南部千歳, Nanbu Chitose^?)

• Voiced by: Mai Nakahara (Japanese), Cindy Robinson (English)

Represents the Human Realm, although she has a crush on Ikkou, she constantly denies it. Even though she acts nice much of the time, she fails to admit her crush to herself or Ikkou, often harming him when others flirt with him. She is usually the first to put Ikkou down as low as possible at times as well as beat him with little provocation. She claims to have no hobbies initially, although she enjoys horror films. She is one of the characters in the series that is harassed by Yuuko for her large cup size, perhaps more frequently than the others.

Yuuko Atoda (阿刀田結子, Atōda Yūko^?)

• Voiced by: Chieko Higuchi (Japanese), Tara Platt (English)

Represents the Asura Realm, she is a tomboy and doesn't hesitate to join fights in her High School, she is the sole enemy of a High School Gang that has used Ikkou as a hostage. She tends to be jealous of girls that have big breasts compared to her own and angry with guys that prefer such girls, for example, when an underwear thief chose to steal underwear of only C-Cup and above, when she obviously isn't a person with a C-Cup. She has no romantic attachments, and seems to think that she would need to change her personality to something more "girly" in order to have a successful romantic relationship with a male. Like most of the others she likes to physically hurt Ikkou on a daily bases.

Haruka Amanogawa (天川春佳, Amanogawa Haruka^?)

• Voiced by: Akeno Watanabe (Japanese), Stephanie Sheh (English)

Represents the Devas Realm (Heaven Realm) is the most powerful exorcist of the group. (Excluding times when Ikkou awakened.) She flirts with Ikkou on more than one occasion to get a response only to sit back and watch when he gets beaten by the other girls. She has the biggest cup size of all the novice nuns. She seems to take most everything in good humor, and might even come off as a ditz. However, she might be more intelligent than she looks.

Sumi Ikuina (生稲雛美, Ikuina Sumi^?)

• Voiced by: Tomoko Kawakami (Japanese), Karen Strassman (English)

Represents the Animal Realm. She is a kind girl who doesn't mind Ikkou and some times tries to defend him verbally only to fail and let him get beaten up. Her kindness extends even to animals, and this seems to be where her spiritual talents lie. In one second season episode, she is chased by dogs and treated by them with excessive affection, apparently a side effect resulting from her lack of training. She is also sometimes harassed by Yuuko due to her breast size.

Hinata Sugai (為我井陽, Sugai Hinata^?)

• Voiced by: Ryoko Shintani (Japanese), Sandra Edwards (English)

Represents the Naraka Realm (Hell Realm), has a little fire-spitting-demon pet by her side at all times that converts to a full sized demon when Hinata can't suppress her Naraka bosatsu. Later in the series, when Ikkou is on the verge of awakening she often commands her demon to burn him, often successfully preventing him from awakening while others times it seems for the hell of it. She is Sakura's younger adopted sister. She appears very calm and rarely speaks. Her hobby is collecting and studying haniwa, and there is an episode in the second season devoted to the Haniwa Research Club which she joins - the school's smallest club.

Sakura Sugai (為我井さくら, Sugai Sakura^?)

• Voiced by: Haruhi Terada (Japanese), Michelle Bell (English)

Represents the Hungry Ghosts Realm, is the sister of Hinata, and has the incredible ability to eat anything without ever feeling satisfied and without changing her appearance. Also has some political skills, as she is the president of the student council of the High School the group attends. Her love of politics seems based in a joy of enforcing the rules. She also has her own internet site, "Dr. Sakura," where she berates she calls "hopeless" in what some might consider an attempt to help them - though she obviously gets a good deal of sadistic enjoyment out of ridiculing their complaints. (The anime suggests that she herself might qualify as a "hopeless" person). She seems to pull Ikkou into doing extra work for her own (or her sister's) convenience, or for the temple. All in all, she is a sadistic character, but she is not without concern for other people, and is especially attached to her younger sister, Hinata.

Jotoku Kawahara (河原浄徳, Kawahara Jotoku^?)

• Voiced by: Kazuko Sugiyama (Japanese), Jane Alan (English)

Head Monk of the Temple that the group resides in, grandmother to Ikkou, and Assistant Principal to the High School that the group attends. She is extremely strict to Ikkou more than anyone, though this is primarily because she believes him to be spoiled and lazy and does not train hard enough to keep himself from awakening. There have been occasions in the early part of the series where she has let an awakening or another infringement of temple policy go by unpunished, but by the end of the second season she seems to think she might have been too lax with him. She is generally firm with the nuns as well as Ikkou, though Ikkou seems to be the one most frequently in a position to be punished. She, like the other characters, strikes Ikkou repeatedly without remorse but she uses her staff. There seems to be some indication that in her youth Jotoku was a beauty (not only she claims this, but all the older monks around her still seem to think of her as attractive). In the brief points where she is portrayed young, we do not see her face, but she has long hair and even seems to be taller (probably a gag).

Kazuki Kazusano (上野一希, Kazusano Kazuki^?)

• Voiced by: Asami Sanada

The main antagonist of the second season, her purpose is to awaken Ikko so that she can release her innate and uncontrollable spiritual powers. Even though she has an antagonistic role in the series, in another sense she seems to be on Ikko's side - that is, she seems to want to enjoy her youth as much as Ikko does, and in much the same way - with a member of the opposite sex, and is also considered in a love triangle like situation with Ikko and Chitose's relationship even though her feelings are known while Chitose hides them from even herself. She states that she wants to help him in developing his spiritual powers, although what she seems to consider "helping" is different from what the protagonists would consider helping. Since Ikko's powers are dangerous, the nuns of Saienji hope for Ikko to restrain himself from using his power too much, while Kazuki seems to believe that the very nature of his powers are essentially good and therefore incapable of doing harm. (The last episode of the series confirms that a strong, uncontrolled awakening can be warped into a force for evil, causing riots and the like.) Nonetheless, she does not seem to want to hurt Ikkou, and while her infatuation with him makes her forceful and competitive (even to the point of violence against Chitose), she is very determined and puts in strong effort to realize a goal that ought to be easier than it apparently is which is to be happy with Ikkou. Her catchphrase in Japanese is "mata joudo" (またじょうど^?).

Miyako Amanogawa (天川京, Amanogawa Miyako^?)

• Voiced by: Kotono Mitsuishi

The chief priestess of Saichouji and older sister to Haruka. She has long black hair and is very beautiful and busty. She seems very understanding of Ikko; her main role in the series is to help train Hinata and, perhaps, help Ikko to train his spiritual powers. One might also say she uses him to help Hinata, though it does not seem to be without some benefit (or at least not detrimental) to his own spiritual journey. At one point she even indicated that she wouldn't mind if Ikkou left his present temple to work at hers. Like her younger sister she is flirtatious and doesn't mind if Ikko thinks anything perverted about her. She is shown in only a few episodes and is a relatively minor character.

Season 1
Running time: 24 minutes per episode

Number of episodes: 13

Episode titles: We have 13

Vintage: 2005-07-01 to 2005-09-16

Releases: We have 6

Opening Theme:

"Afurete yuku no wa kono kimochi" by Amae-tai!

Ending Theme:

"Happy Days" by Mai Nakahara

Season 2

Running time: 24 minutes per episode

Number of episodes: 13

Episode titles: We have 13

Vintage: 2006-01-04 to 2006-03-22

Releases: We have 6

Opening Theme:

"Amaenaideyotsu!!" by Amae-tai!

Ending Theme:

#1: "Lonesome Traveler" by Mai Nakahara

Manga

Ah My Buddha / Amaenaideyo!! is written and illustrated by Sogabe Toshinori. It was serialized in Comic Gum magazine. Wani Books released the seven tankōbon of Amaenaideyo! between March 25, 2004 and February 24, 2007. Sharp Point Press released the seven tankōbon of Amaenaideyo! between January 7, 2005 and February 24, 2009. Soleil Productions released the first tankōbon of Amaenaideyo! on February 21, 2007.

Wani Books released the first volume of Amaenaideyo! MS on July 25, 2007. Sharp Point Press released the first volume of Amaenaideyo! MS on March 3, 2009.

PICS

Inukami

Anime Review

INUKAMI

Inukami! (いぬかみっ!^?, lit. Dog Gods!) is a Japanese light novel series written by Mamizu Arisawa, with illustrations by Kanna Wakatsuki. The series originally started serialization in volume seventeen of ASCII Media Works' now-defunct light novel magazine Dengeki hp on April 18, 2002. Four more chapters were published until the first bound novel of the series was released, though more chapters were later serialized in the magazine. Fourteen main novels, plus two additional bonus novels with illustrations by Mari Matsuzawa, were published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko label between January 10, 2003 and December 10, 2008. The series revolves around a dog goddess named Yōko and her master Keita Kawahira as they fight against various troublesome spirits. Several more inukami besides Yōko also play an important role, most notably the inukami of Kaoru Kawahira.

A manga adaptation by Mari Matsuzawa was serialized in MediaWorks' now-defunct shōnen manga magazine Dengeki Comic Gao! between October 2005 and February 2008. The manga has been licensed by Seven Seas Entertainment for distribution in North America; the first volume was released in November 2008. A twenty-six episode anime adaptation of the series produced by Seven Arcs aired between April and September 2006 on TV Tokyo in Japan. An Internet radio show was also produced, along with a visual novel released by ASCII Media Works, and a twenty-five minute long film released in Japanese theaters in April 2007. Another light novel entitled Inukami Special Edition was only released as a promotional gift for the animated film.

The word inukami (いぬかみ^?) appears to be a corruption of the word inugami (いぬがみ^?), a type of Japanese spirit that literally means "dog god". The only difference between the two words is the lack of a dakuten in "inukami". A possible reason is that traditional inugami are considered dangerous spirits, more likely to cause harm than help, and are sometimes used to invoke deadly curses.

Story

Inukami! revolves around Keita Kawahira, a descendant of a Inukami-tamer clan and considered a failure by the clan due to his attitude towards his duty. Inukami, literally "dog god", are benevolent creatures that possess spiritual powers. They are a type of demon with the appearance of a dog who can transform into human form. Along with a partner from the historic Inukami-tamer clan, they act to obliterate evil and proliferate righteousness. Keita is initially unable to find an Inukami to bond with, but eventually a beautiful Inukami named Yoko decides to become his Inukami, causing Keita to become overjoyed. However, his joy is short-lived when he discovers that she is a very problematic and uncontrollable Inukami. From then on, Keita's life becomes filled with never-ending embarrassment.

Main Characters

Yoko (ようこ, Yōko^?)

Voiced by: Yui Horie

Yoko is the female lead of the series. She has two main abilities. The first is jaen (蛇炎^?, "serpent blaze"), where she shoots a coiling strand of fire out of her fingertips. There is also dai-jaen (大蛇炎^?, "mega serpent blaze"), which is just a larger, more powerful variation. The second ability is shukuchi, an ability which allows her to teleport objects. Although she is generally fearless in the face of evil spirits, she is terrified of normal dogs. Later on in the series, it is revealed that Yoko is not an inukami at all, but rather a kitsune (which would explain her fear of dogs; foxes and dogs are natural enemies) and the daughter of the legendary Dai Yoko. During an escape from Hake, she met the child Keita, who was with her for three days and shared his chocolate cake with her, which became one of her favorite things. Due to this incident, she wanted to become Keita's inukami to make a contract with him. Yoko also seems to have feelings for Keita as she gets angry whenever he flirts with other girls. The manga version of Yoko is very child-like, much more mischievous, and has been hinted to be a nine tailed kitsune.

Keita Kawahira (川平 啓太, Kawahira Keita^?)

Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama

Keita is the male lead of the series. He was considered a failure by his family due to his attitude towards their ancient duty to vanquish evil, treating it like a part time job, and his initial inability to find an inukami to bond with. Even though Yoko becomes his inukami and is fully interested in him, he has a bad habit of flirting with other girls; it is later revealed that Keita is mortified by the thought that, if he should develop a relationship with Yoko, he might become the father of a litter of puppies, rather than of a human baby. He is frequently punished for his transgressions by Yoko, to whom he had to promise that he would be loyal to her, that he would be hers and that he would be her toy, to do with whatever she wanted, before she would contract with him. He wears a dog's collar as a symbol of this pact — an item he originally intended as his 'vow gift' to Yoko. Yoko has frequently landed him in jail by teleporting him into a public place without his clothes, causing him to be mistaken for a streaker and arrested for indecent exposure. Due to this, he has been named Ra-ō (Naked King) by the city's perverts (male and female alike). When he is naked, his groin is replaced by a child's drawing of an elephant.

Keita possesses considerable athletic skills, can make frog-shaped talismans up to around the size of his fist from rubber which he can use to make ranged attacks, and is a practitioner of xingyiquan. Despite his flaws, Keita has considerable redeeming qualities; he is determined, usually fearless, and loyal to his friends and to people under his protection. Keita's grandmother is the head of the Kawahira family. She has contracted a male inukami named Hake. In the manga Keita, is a chain smoker and is much more serious than his anime counterpart. He also appears to care for Yoko a great deal, but has problems taking her seriously because of her impulsive and mischievous behavior.

Pics