1. Shokugeki no Soma

Author:   TSUKUDA Yuuto
Artist:     SAEKI Shun
Genre(s): Cooking, Shounen, comedy

Yukihira Souma’s dream are to become a full-time chef in his father’s restaurant and surpass his father’s culinary skill. But just as Yukihira graduates from middle schools, his father, Yukihira Jouichirou, closes down the restaurant to cook in Europe.

Although downtrodden, Souma’s fighting spirit is rekindled by a challenge from Jouichirou, which is to survive in an elite culinary school where only 10% of the students graduate. Can Souma survive?

Thoughts: Most certainly one of the most interesting manga released this past week.  My only worry is that the reactions are too over-the-top.  We don’t need another Yakitate!! Japan.

Click below to view the rest of the notable manga from 11/25 - 13/2.

The Akira live-action movie may currently be in production limbo, but that hasn’t stopped the outpour of storyboard art that’s recently hit the web.

Part of me is starting to think that these releases are meant to generate positive interest in the film, or at least suggest to fans that maybe this wasn’t going to be Dragonball Evolution 2: Electric Boogaloo. I’ll let you be the judge.

More info and images after the break.

Best known as the creator of Akira, as mangaka to the manga and director of the animated movie, Katsuhiro Otomo is a man of many hats. As a director, his other works include such hits as Steamboy and Mushishi (live-action). On top of his professions of mangaka and director, Otomo-sensei is also a screenwriter. having written the screenplays for the mentioned films, along with the screenplay for Metropolis.

Anime distributor Funimation announced at its Otakaon panel on Saturday that it has licensed the following anime: Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar (Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari), Space Battleship Yamato Resurrection, One Piece Film: Strong World, Fairy Tail: Hōō no Miko film and Akira.

It has also added additional rights to Aquarion Evol, Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, Sankarea, and Maken-Ki! Battling Venus, as well as licensing season two of Fairy Tail and season five of One Piece.

More information under the break.

What eventually became a landmark film in Japanese animation started off as this, the Akira manga by Katsuhiro Otomo.  Needless to say, this is a manga classic. 

Akira features a world after World War III.  The Japanese government becomes obsessed with funding research into espers, humans who have psychic powers.  Their research proves successful with the awakening of a number of espers.

Enter Tetsuo Shima. After getting injured by an explosion caused by an escaped esper he starts to develop powers himself.  His powers change him into a cold killer whose gripes with his once friend, Shotaro Kaneda, become magnified into hate.  Now the both of them become tangled in a fight between not just two teenagers, but the government and the resistance, esper verses human.

This was the winner of the 1984 Kodansha Manga Award for best general manga.

In a special feature in the latest issue of Geijutsu Shinchou, Akira’s author Otomo Katsuhiro was interviewed regarding his latest work.

Otomo-sensei answered in the interview: “It [his latest work] will be serialized in a Shouen magazine. I’m already starting on my first shouen-genre work and I’m still in the middle of preparation and gathering materials for it.” 

The mystery work that Otomo-sensei talked about is going to take stage in the Meiji era.

[Comic Natalie]

2012 may not be the end of the world, but it certainly is the end of many film projects just barely two months into the year. The latest victim is Adam McKay’s (Anchorman, The Other Guys) film adaptation of the Garth Ennis and Patrick Robertson comic, The Boys.

Hit the break for more details.

The official San Diego Comic-Con website announced that Akira creator Katsuhiro Otomo will be attending this year’s event.

More details at the break.

And just when you start to think the Akira movie is rolling along, in comes yet another story that says production will halt.

What’s put a monkey wrench on the adaptation of the anime this time? Hit the break to find out.

I know, I know. You guys are probably sick and tired of hearing about the horrible Amercianized live-action remake of Akira. But at least hear this out: They’re trying not to butcher the plotline.

Very interesting plot summary details after the cut.