Oasis to release Japanese version of "FALLING DOWN" single

Oasis will release a Japanese version of their single, "FALLING DOWN" which is the OP for "Higashi no Eden" (Eden of the East). This single will come with a DVD containing the full verion of the OP's footage and is due to be released on 27 May 2009. The first press version containing the DVD costs 2,100 yen while the normal press (CD only) costs 1,575 yen.

Top 10 anime ratings ranking (19 April 09)

1) Sazae-san (FujiTV) 19.3%

2) Chibi Maruko-chan (FujiTV) 13.0%

3) One Piece (FujiTV) 10.1%

4) Dragonball Kai (FujiTV) 9.6%

5) Fresh Puri Kyua! (TV Asahi) 7.8%

6) Pocket Monster DP (TV Tokyo) 7.5%

7) NARUTO (TV Tokyo) 7.2%

8) Meitantei Conan (NTV) / Anime Major 5 (NHK Education) 5.8%

10) Yatterman (NTV) 5.3%

Review of Higashi no Eden (East of Eden) Ep 2

Akira and Saki are back in Japan from Washington D.C. but stuck in the airport due to the large number of people there. They watch the news and find out that there were casualties this time in the 11th missile attack. Saki remarks that this is the first time that anyone is hurt as a result of the attacks and realizes this is why people are in the airport, planning to leave the country. Akira asks Saki why there were no casualties in the previous attacks but she is unable to give him an answer.

Just then, Saki receives a phone call from her friend Oosugi who is on his way to fetch her along with some friends. Despite the heavy traffic jam, he reports to her that everyone is fine and tells her not to worry about not making it for her interview. Before he can go on further, the connection is lost. Oosugi laments that because everyone has tagged along, there will be no seat for Saki later in the car.

Meanwhile, Akira gets a call on his mobile phone from Juiz who informs him that No.9 has entered into the region where the SELECAO system is active and he should be fulfilling the responsibilities of those who hold the specially-made mobile phone. Akira doesn't understand what Juiz is saying and asks her why he wanted to erase his memory out of his own will. Juiz skirts around the issue and says that she merely introduced a method for the erasing of the memory. She further reminds him that he can depend on her if he needs to do anything and the amount of money remaining in his mobile phone account. When Juiz says that Akira has the responsibility of using up all the money, Akira disses it by saying that this should be his right instead of a responsibility. Upon hearing that he can ask Juiz to do anything, Akira tells her to get him out of the crowded airport. Shortly after Juiz confirms acceptance of his request, an airport staff drives over in a airport police mini car to guide Akira and Saki out of the airport.

At the same time, No.4 who works as a policeman hears the broadcast in his car that another man who is related to the case of large numbers of hikkikomori (people who coop themselves at home) leaving their houses, is missing. This leads him to remark in a sarcastic manner that there is no need to hunt for these people since it's considered good that they have stopped staying at home. Just then, his mobile phone beeps and he sees what Akira a.k.a. No.9 has done in the airport. He is surprised to see that No.9 is being active again...

In the airport, Akira and Saki are escorted out by the staff and the crowds cheer them as they make their way to the exit. Although Akira seems to be comfortable about basking in the attention, Saki is pretty embarrassed and wonders if Akira is a celebrity or they wouldn't have cleared customs so quickly. Saki asks Akira if he can join her for tea but he says that he wants to go to the address stated on his passport to find out his identity. He reveals that he has no memory of his past before he met Saki at the White House. As such, he says that it is time for him to bid goodbye to Saki since he thinks it is better for him to go alone. Saki is very disappointed by what Akira says and can only look on helplessly as he leaves.

Meanwhile, No.4 is rushing to see No.9 i.e. Akira for himself as he thought that No.9 was dead all along...

Saki is sulking in the ladies' and lamenting that she thought she and Akira were on good terms. She wonders if it is because she is not smiling enough and is startled when Akira suddenly pops into the ladies' and says that her smile is definitely bright enough. Saki tells him not to come inside as Akira explains the reason why he has come back to look for her. Actually, Akira has no idea as to how to get to his address in Toyosu so he's back for Saki to show him the way. At the same time, No.4 realizes that he reached the airport too late as he sees from his mobile train that No.9 has taken the train to somewhere.

During the train ride, Saki searches for the address through the online directory and discovers that Akira's home is near to the site where the first missile fell. As such, she believes that area is in ruins and blocked from entry. Akira asks Saki how many holes are created by the missile attacks and why they happened. There should be 11 holes after counting the missile attack yesterday but the reason why they were directed at Japan is unknown. The attacks began on 22 Nov 09 Monday without any warning. During the news bulletin, the prime minister said that the attack was silly thus coining the term, "Silly Monday". Although the culprit for the missile attacks is still unknown, due to the absence of casualties, people have sort of grown used to it and could be secretly awaiting the arrival of a more elaborate happening soon.

No.4 is at the train station searching for No.9 when Akira comes up to him to introduce himself. Akira asks No.4 if he has lost his memory like him but realizes otherwise. Akira then proceeds to leave but No.4 stops him and requests to see his identification. No.4 then allows Akira to leave with Saki who has been waiting for him at a distance after telling the latter to look for him if there's anything he wishes to know. No.4 remarks that Akira doesn't look that bright to be included in the SELECAO.

Akira and Saki are waiting at the pier for the ferry to Toyosu. Akira goes to buy canned coffee and returns with the change which Saki wants him to keep it. He tells her to go home when the ferry arrives as he feels that he can manage on his own now. Saki expresses her wish for Akira's house to be intact but he gives a nonchalant response that he will survive somehow even without a house. As the ferry gets nearer to shore, Akira asks Saki to tell him more about herself since he has lost his memory. Saki is a final year university student who is going to work at her brother-in-law's company in April. As her parents had passed away, she has been depending on her sister and brother-in-law over the past few years. She is now living with them and their little baby. Akira envies Saki for having a loving family but she is feeling bad about depending on them all the time.

Akira then mentions that he remembers something about his past. When he was 5 years old, somebody gave him a 500-yen coin and told him to buy whatever he wanted. That person also told him that as long as he has money, the salesperson will treat him nicely. Although Akira doesn't remember what he bought at that time, he remembers that the cashier bowed to him which made him very happy. Suddenly, Akira realizes this piece of memory is related to his mother who dumped him behind at that time. Saki is sad for Akira but he brushes it off, saying that at least he remembered what his mother said.

As the ferry sounds the horn, Akira boards it and says goodbye to Saki. She can only look on helplessly as the ferry pulls away and mutters that she has not exchanged contact details with Akira yet. Just then, Akira extends his hand and invites Saki to jump onto the ferry. Saki is delighted and grabs Akira's hand...

No.4 is at a restaurant and scrolls through his mobile phone's records to see what No.9 i.e. Akira had been doing. He discovers that Akira was the one who requested for his memory to be deleted and wonders what made him to do that. Just then, two gangsters come in and address No.4 as Kondou, asking him to repay the debt of 20 million yen...

Meanwhile, Saki is making a phonecall to her sister, saying that she will return home tomorrow but does not explain the reason. After hanging up, Akira asks Saki if she had been to New York which leads her to talk non-stop about the places she's been to. Akira remarks that the Brooklyn bridge appeared in a Meg Ryan movie but Saki is unaware of it since she doesn't watch movies regularly. Akira laments that he forgot everything but seems to remember what he saw in movies. When Akira scrolls to the photo of Freedom Tower in Saki's phone, she mentions that she had always wanted to go to Ground Zero but it looks very different now.

Suddenly, Akira grabs Saki closer to him and takes a picture of them with the ruins left behind by the missile attack in the background. He tells Saki to take this picture as one taken at Ground Zero since it should look similar. Saki wants Akira to send the photo to her phone but he does not know how to do it and lets Saki do the job instead...

At the same time, Kondou i.e. No.4 is threatened by the gangsters that if he does not pay up, they will make trouble at his workplace. He is not bothered and calls Juiz to kill these guys. Juiz reminds Kondou not to do anything which is unbecoming of a saviour but he tells her to shut up. Kondou uses his fingers to point at the guys as if he is holding a gun but they think that he has gone bonkers. When Kondou makes the shooting sound, a gun fires from a distance (there is a police patrol car parked nearby) and kills these guys. However, the restaurant owner happens to see what Kondou has done thus he has no choice but to kill him too. It turns out that Kondou only has 7,034 yen left after killing the 3 men at almost 1.5 million yen in total. However, Kondou is not too concerned with his diminishing balance and proclaims that he will take over No.9's duties soon...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That scene of Akira and Saki at the pier was so romantic! Obviously, Saki seems quite besotted with Akira that she's unwilling to let him go. If not for Akira's encouragement i.e. in the form of that hand extended to Saki, I bet she would just let him go away on that ferry. Akira's feelings are not obvious so far but he does seem to enjoy Saki's company and making fun of her at times. Morita tormenting Hagu?

The more I look at Akira, the more I think of Morita. That scene of Akira basking in the attention at the airport is just so Morita. Oh well, I have to keep reminding myself that I'm not looking at Morita and Hagu but the resemblance is too striking (especially in Akira's case) and it takes a conscious effort to remember that I'm watching another series. Not Hachikuro.

The biggest discovery this time is that Akira asked to delete his memory out of his own will. Nobody forced him to do that. That means something happened to him in the past before he appeared at the White House. I wonder if the series will explain what is it that made Akira decide to do this or leave it to the movie to tie up the loose ends. Whatever it is, this event should be drastic enough to make Akira decide to "reset" his life. Or is it that his past memories are too painful for him if he wants to carry on living? The revelation that his mother could have abandoned him when he was a child could shed some light on his background.

No.4 makes an appearance as a police officer but he doesn't look like the kind type. He kills without batting an eyelid and seems interested in taking over Akira's duty. If this duty he is referring to is the duty of spending the balance in the mobile phone account, I assume No.4 is out to eliminate Akira for the sake of money. However, the biggest question is who selected these people to be the SELECAO and why were they given money? And what does Juiz mean by acceptable behaviour as a saviour? Are all members of the SELECAO saviours? Or will only one of them be the saviour? Lots of questions to be answered and we are none the wiser at this early point in time.

Mouryou no Hako Blu-Ray Disc DVD Box

Title: Mouryou no Hako Blu-Ray Disc DVD Box
Date of release: 22 May 2009
Price: 22,575 yen (inclusive of tax)
Contains: 3 discs
Total run time: 288 minutes for the series and 16 minutes for premium footage, "Chuuzenji Atsuko no Jikenbo - Hako no Yuurei no Koto"
Special premium: 24-pages Mouryou no Hako full-colour booklet, interview with the manga's author, original illustrations from CLAMP
Audio commentatories for: Ep 6, 10 and 13

Lyrics of "Falling Down" by Oasis (OP of Higashi no Eden)

Title: Falling Down
Artiste: Oasis
Lyrics: Noel Gallagher
Music: Noel Gallagher







The summer sun, it blows my mind
Is falling down on all that I've ever known
Time will kiss the world goodbye
Falling down on all that I've ever known
Is all that I've ever known

A dying scream makes no sound
Calling out to all that I've ever known
Here am I, lost and found
Calling out to all

We live a dying dream
If you know what I mean
All that I've ever known
It's all that I've ever known

Catch the wind that breaks the butterfly
I cried the rain that fills the ocean wide
I tried to talk with God to no avail
Calling Him in and out of nowhere
Said if You won't save me, please don't waste my time

All that I've ever known
All that I've ever known
It's all that I've ever known

Catch the wind that breaks the butterfly
I cried the rain that fills the ocean wide
I tried to talk with God to no avail
Calling my name and out of nowhere
Said if You won't save me, please don't waste my time

The summer sun, it blows my mind
It's falling down on all that I've ever known
Time will kiss the world goodbye
Falling down on all that I've ever known
Is all that I've ever known

Review of Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST (New) Episode 1 - Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (Hagaren for short) is back on TV. Well, I did like the anime series and enjoyed the movie version too. However, the moment I heard that this was coming back, I wondered how the story would be presented. I did not finish the manga which is still in progress so I do not know how much the first anime series deviated from the manga. If the anime did end at a certain point in the manga, how does the new series develop? Will it take a new direction? Judging from the title, it certainly doesn't look like a sequel to me. So that means they are going to start all over again?

And my guess was confirmed after watching the first episode. Although the starting point of the new Hagaren was different from the first Hagaren, it is technically just before the first episode at Reole. (This time, I confirmed the English spellings of the places' names so I assumed this should be correct. In the past, I just used the romanized version.) In fact, Ed and Al mentioned that they were planning to head to Reole due to some miracle happenings there. As such, I am under the impression that the anime will go through everything again but with some fillings here and there. Maybe they will show a different perspective or inject new facts into the story.

Basically, this episode talks about Ed being ordered to help Mustang capture an ex-national alchemist, Isaac McDugar also known as the Freezing Alchemist. Apparently, Isaac is in cahoots with the Homculus so as to eliminate King Bradley but it appears as if Isaac is just a pawn in the game, going by Lust's conversation with someone. The bulk of this episode is about Isaac trying to escape from Ed, Al, Mustang, Armstrong and Co. but he ends up dead at the hands of King Bradley. Nothing out of the ordinary is introduced in this episode. It feels as if it's an introductory episode for the sake of people who have no knowledge of Hagaren, have forgotten most of the characters or are new viewers to the series. The next episode's trailer then goes back to the roots of the Elric brothers and how they became who they are now. This is in contrast with what happened in the first Hagaren which talked about Reole first and then shifted to the hidden past of the brothers.

The graphics and storyline maintains the standard of the previous series (at least from what I've watched so far). It was a pleasant surprise to see YUI back with the OP of this series and the lyrics seem to be tailored to the theme of the anime i.e. trying to regain what's lost. Hagaren has some of the best OPs and EDs during the previous run so I was expecting a lot from the new series. However, I don't really like the ED and think that the animation was too coarse. I would have preferred something more refined. The ED song gets on my nerves at this point in time but I don't know if this will grow on me over time. I seriously doubt so though.

The biggest grouse I have about this new series is the change in the seiyuu lineup! Other than Park Romi and Kugimiya Rie who get to reprise their roles as Ed and Al, there's been a major revamp in the lineup. I was pleasantly surprised to see Kimbly in this episode but was horrified to hear that it was not Ueda Yuji voicing him. What is going on?! I then went to check the lineup on the official site and saw that Ueda Yuji has been "relegated" to be Jan Haborg, Mustang's subordinate! Why is there a need to change this? Just to name a few of the changes, Mustang is now voiced by Miki Shinichiro instead of Ookawa Tooru, Winry is now played by Takamoto Megumi instead of Toyoguchi Megumi, Riza Hawkeye's voice is now of Orikasa Tomiko instead of Neya Michiko. Is there really a necessity to change the lineup? How can it be that there's such a big change? And why is there a need to shuffle the roles of seiyuus who were previously in the series? The biggest surprise I see is that Okiayu Ryoutaro is no longer playing Scar! I mean, these people have been doing well so I certainly do not like the idea of them being replaced or relegated to less important roles. There is no news of Suwabe Junichi being removed from the role of Greed and if this really happens, I may lose interest in the series altogether. It is really a big disappointment to see such changes. Even if they wish to distinguish this new series from the old, I certainly don't like this.

I guess I need to watch a few more episodes to see how the series progresses. If it turns out to be 80% to 90% similar to the previous series AND has a seiyuu lineup which keeps giving me unwanted surprises, I think it is very likely that I will drop this.

Top 10 bestselling manga for the week ended 20 April 09

1) Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi Vol 22 (536,207)

2) BLEACH Vol 38 (205,197)

3) Katei Kyoushi Hitman REBORN! Vol 24 (174,158)

4) Gintama Vol 28 (157,792)

5) Meitantei Conan Vol 64 (122,283)

6) SLAM DUNK 10 Days After (88,522)

7) Monster Hunter Orage Vol 3 (76,173)

8) Kaichou wa Meido-sama Vol 7 (69,265)

9) To LOVEru - Toraburu Vol 13 (63,287)

10) Nurarihyon no Mago Vol 4 (55,456)

Top 10 anime ratings ranking (12 April 2009)

1) Sazae-san (FujiTV) 18.8%

2) Chibi Maruko-chan (FujiTV) 13.7%

3) Dragonball Kai (FujiTV) 9.8%

4) One Piece (FujiTV) 8.8%

5) Fresh Puri Kyua! (TV Asahi) 7.4%

6) Meitantei Conan (NTV) 7.0%

7) Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST (TBS) 5.3%

8) Atashinchi (TV Asahi) / Anime Major 5 (NHK Education) 5.0%

10) Higashi no Eden (FujiTV) 4.8%

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 - Summer offering from Noitamina

"Tokyo Magnitude 8.0" will be shown from July 2009 in the Noitamina after "Eden of the East" ends its run. The series is directed by Tachibana Masanori and produced by Bones and Cinema Citrus. It depicts the aftermath after an earthquake measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale hits Tokyo. Mirai, a year 1 junior high student is in Odaiba with her brother Yuki when the earthquake strikes. The siblings meet a delivery rider Mari there and the three of them work together to get back to their homes in Setagaya.

Official website: here

Top 10 bestselling manga for the week ended 13 April 2009

1) BLEACH Vol 38 (476,611)

2) Meitantei Conan Vol 64 (340,547)

3) Katei Kyoushi Hitman REBORN! Vol 24 (265,3060

4) Gintama Vol 28 (229,223)

5) Sei Oniisan Vol 3 (107,020)

6) Monster Hunter Orage Vol 3 (85,320)

7) To LOVEru Vol 13 (85,154)

8) Kaichou wa Meido sama! Vol 7 (81,419)

9) NANA Vol 21 (78,255)

10) HELLSING Vol 10 (76,479)

Top 10 anime ratings ranking (5 April 2009)

1) Sazae-san (FujiTV) 16.3%

2) Chibi Maruko-chan (FujiTV) 11.5%

3) Crayon Shin-chan (TV Asahi) 11.4%

4) Dragon Ball Kai (FujiTV) 11.3%

5) One Piece (FujiTV) 9.9%

6) Doraemon (TV Asahi) 9.3%

7) Meitantei Conan (NTV) 6.9%

8) Fresh Puri Kyua! (TV Asahi) 6.2%

9) Pocket Monster DP (TV Tokyo) 6.1%

10) Anime Major 5 (NHK Education) 5.2%　　　

Top 20 bestselling manga on Mangazenkan.com for March 2009

1) ONE PIECE

2) ONE OUTS

3) 20 Seiki Shounen

4) Mei-chan no Shitsuji

5) Koukyou Shihen Eureka Seven

6) Hana no Keiji

7) SLAM DUNK

8) Jojo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 1 & 2

9) Jojo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 3

10) Slam Dunk - 10 days after

11) CROWS

12) NARUTO

13) Gintama

14) Dragonballl

15) Aishiteru ~ Kaiyou ~

16) Jojo no Kimyou na Bouken (New version)

17) WORST

18) Ashita no Yoichi!

19) Kin-niku-man

20) Natsume Yuujin Cho

Review of Higashi no Eden (Eden of the East) Ep 1

Higashi no Eden aka Eden of the East is attracting lots of attention for various reasons. This is the first original anime featured in the Noitamina slot. Even before the anime begins its run, the producers have already announced the intention to make a movie version to be screened in winter this year. Umino Chika, the author of "Hachimitsu to Clover" is the original designer for the characters. This is the first time an Oasis song is used as the theme for an anime. And the ratings for the first episode is third-highest in Noitamina's history. Plus, viewers in Japan can take part in the mobile phone game to win 100,000 yen each. The list could just go on and on. That is why many people are wondering how this would turn out.

Frankly speaking, I am not very keen on SF-stuff. Nonetheless, there is a suspense element in this anime which I hope would not disappoint me at the end. Sometimes, suspense stories get too caught up in trying to confuse viewers that they end up getting nowhere. What caught my eye at first was Umino Chika. Although she has a new project Sangatsu no Lion going on, it is still early to say if and when this will be made into an anime. As such, I'm very interested to see what she can do for this anime. Maybe it's because of the fact that I'm still in post-Hachikuro withdrawal mode. The moment I set my eyes on the first pictures of this anime, I was dumbstruck. How come the leading guy, Takizawa Akira looks so much like Morita Shinobu in Hachikuro?! Just look at the picture on the right and you will see what I mean. I really thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. Subsequently, I turned my attention to the female lead Morimi Saki and I thought Hagu was staring right at me. Oh well, the resemblance may not be as striking as in Morita's case but the appearance does feel a lot like Hagu. After watching the first episode, the impression I have of Morimi is more of a combination between Hagu and Ayu i.e. Hagu's babyface but Ayu's vivacious character.

Let me go into a summary of the storyline for the first episode:

In 2010, there have been 10 missile attacks at various spots in Japan but the astonishing thing is that nobody was killed. 3 months later in Washington D.C., Morimi Saki who is on a graduation trip with her friends, wanders off to the White House to do something alone. Just as she is throwing coins into the White House's fountain to make a wish, she is questioned by the police about her reasons for doing so. In the nick of time, a naked Japanese guy who has lost his memory and is in possession of a gun and a mobile phone only, diverts the police's attention and manages to escape with Morimi. Out of kindness, Morimi gives her muffler and coat to him but later realizes that she has left her passport and wallet inside the coat's pocket. Meanwhile, the guy receives instructions from a woman named Juiz through his mobile phone and makes his way to a motel room which is said to be his home. He discovers in shock that his room is filled with guns, maps, a couple of Japanese passports as well as some weird photos which show him displaying behaviour like a terrorist. Just then, Morimi follows him back to the room and asks for her wallet and passport back. After looking through the passports, the guy chooses the passport with the name Takizawa Akira who is shown to be one day younger than Morimi who was born on 6 Jan 1989 and leads her away after starting a fire in the room to destroy all traces of him. Akira who is penniless, goes to the police and embassy to file a report claiming that his belongings were stolen and manages to get a free air ticket to go back to Japan with Morimi. Just when they are going to board the plane, they see from the news that an 11th missile has just hit Tokyo...

The first episode is more of an introduction to how Morimi and Akira met and the weird circumstances surrounding Akira. It remains to be seen if the two of them will develop into a couple after all. I'm very curious to see who Akira is and why he was said to be 9th chosen one by Juiz. And who is Juiz? It seems like Juiz is more like an agent doing the work but she has someone up there who holds the reins.

The graphics so far are quite good and I like the pacing of the story. I'm not too familiar with the seiyuu lineup since I don't remember hearing any of their names or voices in other animes. Based on first impressions, I like the voice of Kimura Ryouhei who plays Akira. It reminds me so much of Morita or rather Ueda Yuji...

Another sign that this anime involves Umino Chika or rather is close to Hachikuro, would be the ending sequence. The producers use paper cutting art to form several objects and in the end creates the title logo of the series. This is quite similar to what happened in Hachikuro's opening sequences where the real food items are animated.

As for the OP and ED, I think Oasis's song is fine but I need some time to see if it grows on me. The ED doesn't offer much surprises though, at least for the first time.

I'm glad to see an original anime especially for a suspense story. This is because I will not have any expectations for the anime to follow the original and I won't know the developments beforehand. Hopefully, this will not disappoint me by the time I get to the end of the season.

Top 10 bestselling manga for the week ended 6 April 2009

1) Sei*Oniisan Vol 3 (403,527)

2) Soul Eater Vol 14 (162,020)

3) NANA Vol 21 (144,942)

4) HELLSING Vol 10 (97,352)

5) Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu Vol 8 (88,689)

6) WORKING!! Vol 6 (73,054)

7) Shinseiki Evangelion Okite Shinji Ikusei Keikaku Vol 7 (71,129)

8) To Aru Majutsu no Kinsho Index Vol 4 (70,568)

9) Aozora Eeru Vol 2 (61,826)

10) Terepushi Koora Mai Hime Second Part Vol 2 (58,119)

Eden of the East's Mobile Phone Quiz Game "JUIZ CALL"

In conjunction with the start of "Eden of the East" on 9 April 2009, there will be a mobile phone quiz game titled "JUIZ CALL" launched at the same time where 11 viewers can win 100,000 yen each. In order to play this game, viewers have to sign up for an ID on the official mobile phone site first where they will be prompted for a 8-digit password. This password is hidden in various scenes of "Eden of the East", the official website and the mobile site.

In the first episode to be shown on 9 April, there will be a telephone number flashed on the screen. By dialling this number 1 hour after the end of the first episode, there will be a voice recording revealing one of the digits making up the password. When viewers get to the start of the game, they will be given 10 billion yen to be used to complete the missions. At the end of the game, viewers who complete the most missions after using up the money credit will be entitled to win prizes like 100,000 yen each, tickets to the premium screening of the "Eden of the East" movie, signed posters as well as T-shirts bearing the signatures of oasis' members.

Official website
Official mobile phone site

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi to be shown via GyaO

Hagane no Renkin Jutsushi (also known as Fullmetal Alchemist) will be back on TV from 5 April via TBS & MBS. 5 days later at noon after the TV broadcast, GyaO will follow up with a video streaming of the series on a weekly basis. This is not the first time that an anime showing on the TBS & MBS network is shown on GyaO for free as "Kido Senshi Gundam SEED" started the ball rolling in 2002.

Top 10 animes ratings ranking (29 March 2009)

1) Rupan Sansei vs. Meitantei Conan (NTV) 19.5%

2) Sazae-san (FujiTV) 17.0%

3) Chibi Maruko-chan (FujiTV) 11.5%

4) Anime 7 (NTV) 9.6%

5) One Piece (FujiTV) 8.1%

6) Gegege no Kitaro (FujiTV) 7.2%

7) Fresh Puri Kyua! (TV Asahi) 6.9%

8) Anime Major (NHK Education) 5.6%

9) Pocket Monster DP (TV Tokyo) 5.5%

10) Atashinchi (TV Asahi) 4.7%　　　　　　

Top 10 bestselling manga for the week ended 30 March 2009

1) NANA Vol 21 (439,353)

2) FAIRY TAIL Vol 14 (252,546)

3) Ahiru no Sora Vol 23 (226,070)

4) Tsubasa Vol 26 (211,136)

5) Air Gear Vol 24 (203,018)

6) Hajime no Ippo Vol 87 (202,012)

7) BLOODY MONDAY Vol 10 (164,891)


8) Zettai Karen Children Vol 16 (119,116)

9) ONE PIECE Vol 53 (113,007)

10) Kaiouki Vol 39 (111,730)

Top 10 anime ratings ranking (15 March 2009)

1) Sazae-san (FujiTV) 19.8%

2) Chibi Maruko-chan (FujiTV) 13.6%

3) Crayon Shin-chan (TV Asahi) 11.9%

4) Doraemon (TV Asahi) 11.1%

5) One Piece (FujiTV) 9.5%

6) Gegege no Kitaro (FujiTV) 8.6%

7) Anime 7 (NTV) 7.4%

8) Fresh Puri Kyua! (TV Asahi) 6.7%

9) Anime Major (NHK Education) 6.4%

10) Ashitanchi (TV Asahi) 6.3%

Eden of the East's OP & ED

The OP for "Eden of the East" will be sung by British rock band, Oasis. The song, "Falling Down" is from the band's latest album "Dig out your soul" and will be released as their 3rd single in Japan. This is the first time that Oasis is having a tie-up with an anime series.

As for the ED, the song "futuristic imagination" will be sung by upcoming band, school food punishment. This will be their debut single.

First episode rating of "Eden of the East"

The first original anime to be screened in the Noitamina slot, "Eden of the East" has achieved an average rating of 4.8% for its debut episode. The highest rating within the episode was 5.7%. With this average rating figure, "Eden of the East" shares the third highest average rating for the debut episode in the Noitamina slot with "Bokujo Kitaro" and behind "Moyashimon" and "Nodame Cantabile". Despite the fact that the Noitamina slot is close to 1am in the morning, the figures show the high popularity of animes showcased in this timeslot. In fact, "Eden of the East" grabbed 20.1% of the viewers in the midnight timebelt.

There will also be a movie version after the 11-episode anime series ends its run.

Top 10 bestselling manga for the week ended 23 March 2009

1) NANA Vol 21 (615,778)

2) ONE PIECE Vol 53 (281,882)

3) Cross Game Vol 14 (158,302)

4) Angel Heart Vol 29 (156,240)

5) Souten no Ken Vol 20 (93,144)

6) PLUTO Vol 7 (66,219)

7) Pacman Vol 2 (62,947)

8) Boku to Kanojo no XXX Vol 6 (58,151)

9) Drop Vol 6 (53,489)

10) Eyeshield 21 Vol 34 (50,832)

Top 10 bestselling manga for the week ended 16 March 09

1) One Piece Vol 53 (1,194,145)

2) Pacman Vol 2 (228,056)

3) PLUTO Vol 7 (186,491)

4) Eyeshield 21 Vol 34 (161,988)

5) STEEL BALL RUN Vol 17 (135,583)

6) Iryu Vol 20 (72,019)

7) Kiniro no Koruda Vol 12 (62,746)

8) Otogi mo you aya nishiki Vol 5 (62,479)

9) Shaman King Vol 26 (62,348)

10) Kyou, Koi wa hajimemasu Vol 5 (53,928)

Death Note DVD Vol 13

Title: Death Note DVD Vol 13
Catalog number: VPBY-12666
Produced by: Vap
Number of discs: 1
Date of release: 21 December 2007
Price: 3,150 yen (inclusive of tax)
Contains: Episodes 36 to 37
Total run time: 48 minutes

Death Note DVD Vol 12

Title: Death Note DVD Vol 12
Catalog Number: VPBY-12665
Produced by: Vap
Number of discs: 1
Date of release: 21 November 2007
Price: 3,990 yen (inclusive of tax)
Contains: Episodes 34 to 35
Total run time: 48 minutes

Death Note DVD Vol 11

Title: Death Note DVD Vol 11
Catalog number: VPBY-12664
Produced by: Vap
Number of discs: 1
Date of release: 24 October 2007
Price: 3,990 yen (inclusive of tax)
Contains: Episodes 31 to 33
Total run time: 70 minutes

Death Note DVD Vol 10

Title: Death Note DVD Vol 10
Catalog number: VPBY-12663
Produced by: Vap
Number of discs: 1
Date of release: 27 September 2007
Price: 3,990 yen (inclusive of tax)
Contains: Episodes 28 to 30
Total run time: 70 minutes

Death Note DVD Vol 9

Title: Death Note DVD Vol 9
Catalog number: VPBY-12662
Produced by: Vap
Number of discs: 1
Date of release: 22 August 2007
Price: 3,990 yen (inclusive of tax)
Contains: Episodes 25 to 27
Total run time: 70 minutes

Death Note DVD Vol 8

Title: Death Note DVD Vol 8
Catalog number: VPBY-12661
Produced by: Vap
Number of discs: 1
Date of release: 25 July 2007
Price: 3,990 yen (inclusive of tax)
Contains: Episodes 22 to 24
Total run time: 70 minutes

Death Note DVD Vol 7

Title: Death Note DVD Vol 7
Catalog number: VPBY-12660
Produced by: Vap
Number of discs: 1
Date of release: 27 June 2007
Price: 3,990 yen (inclusive of tax)
Contains: Episodes 19 to 21
Total run time: 72 minutes

Death Note OST III

Title: Death Note OST III
Catalog Number: VPCG-84859
Produced by: Vap
Number of discs: 1
Date of release: 27 June 2007
Price: 2,500 yen (inclusive of tax)

Track List:

1. Death Image
2. L L
3. Lの過去
4. ニアのテーマ
5. メロ
6. メロ2
7. Action ACTION
8. Lの思想
9. メロのテーマ
10. 対峙
11. ニア
12. ミサ
13. ミサのビデオ
14. ミサの孤独
15. 戻ったライト
16. 疑心
17. 細工
18. ニア2
19. ライトの演技
20. ミサの気持ち
21. 父の死
22. Misa no Uta(orchestra version)
23. Mikami Concertino
24. Trifling Stuff
25. Toward the Climax
26. Misa no Uta(Piano solo)
27. Misa no Uta
28. Coda～Death Note

Death Note DVD Vol 6

Title: Death Note DVD Vol 6
Catalog number: VPBY-12659
Produced by: Vap
Number of discs: 1
Date of release: 23 May 2007
Price: 3,990 yen (inclusive of tax)
Contains: Episodes 16 to 18
Total run time: 72 minutes