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Shion, Kitarō, Glass Maiden Pitched for Overseas Rights

Fuji Creative Corporation (FCC), the company responsible for the distribution of programs from its Fuji Television Network parent, went to last week's NATPE 2008 industry conference in the United States to solicit overseas licensees for Shion no Oh http://ikilote.free.fr/Goodies/Galerie_Anime_n/Shion_no_Ou.jpg and Hakaba Kitarō http://www.world-art.ru/animation/img/5000/4523/1.jpg. It also posted an online English teaser for the upcoming Glass Maiden anime. The Shion no Oh shogi-based mystery series is still airing in Japan after premiering in October. Hakaba Kitarō debuted in January as a more faithful adaptation of the original horror manga that inspired the Gegege no Kitaro anime and live-action film projects. Other projects that FCC is pitching overseas include Chiko, Heiress of the Phantom Thief; Les Misérables; and Mononoke.

Glass Maiden is FCC's English name for Crystal Blaze, a "hard-boiled buddy" story that just had its Spring debut officially announced. Studio Fantasia (Agent Aika, Stratos4, Najica Blitz Tactics) will animate the 12-episode television series with three veterans of the SaiKano anime: director Mitsuko Kase, series supervisor Masashi Tsukino, and character designer Hisashi Kagawa. Word of this project first leaked in a December blog entry of one of its staffers.

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Funimation Licenses Claymore Anime Series

2007 TV adaptation of Norihiro Yagi's medieval fantasy adventure manga

The North American distributor Funimation has announced its license of the Claymore anime series at noon CST today. This 26-episode television series adapted Norihiro Yagi's fantasy adventure manga about a half-human woman who hunts shape-shifting yōma creatures on a medieval land. It aired in Japan from April to September of last year.

Hiroyuki Tanaka, an animation director on the Vampire Hunter (Night Warriors - Darkstalkers' Revenge) video series and an assistant director on the Ninja Scroll television series, directed the animators at Madhouse on this project. Yasuko Kobayashi (Shakugan no Shana, Witchblade) supervised the scripts, and Takahiro Umehara (Tenjho Tenge, Beyblade) designed the characters. Viz Media has been releasing the original manga in North America, with its 11th volume scheduled for March.

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Media Blasters Indicates License of Night Head Genesis

Anime adaptation of hit live-action drama about 2 brothers with psychic powers

John Sirabella, CEO of the North American anime distributor Media Blasters, has indicated in an AnimeOnDVD.com forum post that his company has licensed the Night Head Genesis anime series. This 2006 anime series adapted the Night Head live-action television drama hit that aired from 1992 to 1993. It centered around two psychic brothers who escape from a laboratory that imprisoned them for 15 years. What awaits them outside is a foreign world whose fate lies in a "Revolution" involving the brothers.

The 24-episode anime series featured the direction of Yoshi Takeuchi (Cat's Eye, Harlock Saga) and the character designs of You Higuri (Gakuen Heaven, Gorgeous Carat). George Iida (the creator of the original Night Head drama and the director of the Dragon Head movie and the live-action adaptation of CLAMP's Tokyo Babylon 1999) returned to help draft the overall story.