Manga sales in Japan seem to be falling every year, even though it still makes over four billion dollars yearly there. Blame falls to interest in other media forms and lack of creative works. Manga about a mom and an autistic son not enough? Guess it’s time to make more manga based on other books and media.

 Chocolate Underground (being published in manga mag Bessatsu Margaret) is a good example, it’s based on a British kiddy book titled Bootleg. Two young boys running a chocolate factory in a country that has outlawed chocolate and other sweets. They’ll likely run out of the ingredients and deal with people who discovered their secret. Surely it’ll be less British in look and story. If the US and global markets hold though, you’d think manga will still be a force in Japan. Couple hundred million a year in the US and growing sections in your local bookstore, it’s likely stories about romance and pervert manga being placed in kid sections will become the past.

So far, there’s plans in the works for having the main site and the rest of the site bridged. Single log in and more possibilities. Other things include premium accounts, IRC channels, feature store, and SHOUTcast radio. If there’s a feature or something that you find missing that other sites don’t have, suggest it by clicking here.

The Wide Eye Gaming anime gaming section was added not long ago. If there’s interest in PC and video gaming, then a general video gaming forum will be added.

Rental Magica has the cliche of the detective agency that goes out to odd jobs. Someone acquires a business card, visits their pad, and begs for help. The animation is hard to enjoy. They used far too much blur during parts where there’s a lot of movement and to take attention away from areas that lack detail. The cast of characters lack emotion and character to where you won’t likely remember many of the names of them. If you passed this series, don’t bother looking back.

Rental Magica’s Ren Nekoyashiki, the executive director and smarty. He has a softer but very close close character design as Gin bellow.

Gin Ichimaru of Bleach. The guy with the eyes and really wide mouth.

Not far from now will be the addition of new CurrentAir Anime forums for the winter season of 2008. If you have any requests for new forums for such, try this thread.

Blahsoft recently scanlated and released chapter 17 of volume two of Doujin Work. They picked up the manga well before the anime was announced. Not a series you’d expect to be adapted.

Devil May Cry – Level 1 DVD is set to be released in the US Feb 5th of next year.

Interesting how an anime where you expect to be serious and dark would have the main gang animated like Casper the friendly ghost Their ears and insides don’t help. Having eyes from above looked fine, but not this. The animation quality also seems a bit lower in Ghost Hound after the second episode. Since this is from early episodes, it’s not likely a spoiler.

Wish Ghost Hound goes further into showing the bully side of Masayuki in current time. Just love it. Hey, maybe he can go kill the creepy people at Makoto’s place. Still hope, I’m nearly caught up with the series.

 In gaming news. Tecmo is releasing more about the new Ninja Gaiden for the Xbox 360. A real sequal this time and not a port, though it’ll likely be ported to the PS3…

Taro is your future local homeless drunky. Face it, he has sake all around him at home, pale, and is dealing with trauma. You can’t hold a job if you keep falling asleep. Poor future businessman Masayuki Nakajima will have to walk by Taro often on the streets. Likely randomly around the town with Taro looking bellow like he normally does. Then again, Makoto will probably move again before such.

Amazing how well Production IG animates Taro. Nearly every part with him, his hair is either moving or his emotions show well.

Enjoy the many faces of depression.