Baseball Manga Turns Into a Cricket Anime in India

March 13, 2012


Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

1. theme (n.) – main topic or subject presented in a piece of writing, movie, art, etc.
Example: The speaker shared ideas concerning the theme of his speech which is the importance of education.

2. protagonist (n.) – the main character
ExampleProtagonists in movies are usually heroes or someone who saves lives of other people.

3. serialize (v.) – to present a  movie or book part by part over a period of time
Example:  A popular American novel will be serialized in the magazine from February to August.

4. script (n.) –written copy of the words used in a movie or play
Example: Actors memorize their scripts so they would know what to say during the performance.

5. shoulder (v.) –  to take on or carry a responsibility
Example: The company shouldered his son’s school expenses.

 
Article
Read the text below.

Kyojin no Hoshi (Star of the Giants), a classic Japanese baseball manga by Ikki Kajiwara and Noboru Kawasaki, will be made into an Indian anime titled “Rising Star.” Instead of baseball, however, the story’s theme will be changed to cricket—India’s most popular sport.

Publishing company Kodansha, which serialized the manga from 1966 to 1971 in its Weekly Shonen Magazine, will help in the anime project. The original manga tells the story of pitcher Hyuma Hoshi, who dreams of being a star player in Japan’s professional baseball league.

Although the anime’s setting will shift to modern India, the animation will still follow the original manga’s plot. The new anime’s protagonist is a young, left-handed cricket player who aspires to become a star player like his father. Aside from being poor, he faces many challenges as he pursues his dreams.

For the new anime, TMS Entertainment in Japan will be in charge of the show’s early development, including scripts and storyboard, while local Indian studios will work on the later parts of the production. The Indian studios will also shoulder half of the production costs.

TMS Entertainment had already adapted Kyojin no Hoshi into an anime TV series in 1968 to 1971. Two other TV anime series were made in the 1970s.

The new version of the anime will total either 26 or 53 episodes, and will begin airing in India by autumn of 2012.


Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor. 

Discussion A

·         What makes manga or anime popular?
·         How do you think people in other countries relate to the stories in manga or anime?

Discussion B

·         Would you watch an international version of a manga, anime or any Japanese movie? Why or why not?
·         What for you makes Japanese movies or stories different?

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March 13, 2012