According to a press release on the ComiPress website, Universal Animation (the organization behind AnimeNEXT) announced that it will organize MangaNEXT, a convention emphasizing manga rather than anime. MangaNEXT will run from Friday, October 6, 2006 to Sunday, October 8, 2006 and will be held at the Crowne Plaza Meadowlands in Secaucus, New Jersey.

Attendance is currently limited to 1500 members, and pre-registration is available at the MangaNEXT website. Read the full press release for more details.

On Tuesday, toy company TakaraTomy announced its plans to transform its "Walkie Bits" robotic turtles into character form, making appearances in advertisements or on TV. It was later reported that former Morning Musume member Mari Yaguchi will be part of a new unit, consisting of Yaguchi and 6 of the turtles. Each has its own personality, with names like "Mero Kame" (Melon Turtle) and "Momo Kame" (Peach Turtle), based on the colors of the toys.

The original Walkie Bits toys became wildly popular after their release in June of last year. Over half a million have been sold, and TIME Magazine featured them as one of the best inventions of 2005.

It was revealed on Tuesday that popular TV Asahi program "The Power of TV" (Kiseki no Tobira - TV no Chikara) will be discontinued. The show is similar to the American TV show, "Unsolved Mysteries," where unresolved cases of missing persons or homicides are presented to the public. The decision reportly was based on concerns about funding.

Former idol Chiemi Kai suddenly passed away at the age of 43 in Narashino, Chiba. Sources report that the cause of death was a heart attack.

Kai made her singing debut in 1980, and she made many television appearances in drama and variety shows. In 1990, she retired from entertainment after she married musician Toru Hasebe. She had two sons.

On Tuesday, animation studio Gainax announced its new anime series, "Gurren-Lagann" Maiking Break-Through (天元突破　グレンラガン). The series will be a joint production with Aniplex and Konami. 26 episodes are planned, and the series will premiere in the spring of 2007.

The series will be directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi, while Kazuki Nakajima will be in charge of the script. Other staff include Atsushi Nishigori (character design) and Yo Yoshinari (mechanic design). The series website is currently up with only a front page.

According to AnimeNation, three former FUNimation executives have formed a new anime distribution company called Illumitoon Entertainment, Ltd. AnimeNation also reported that the company issued a press release announcing that they have licensed Beet the Vandal Buster.

According to Anime on DVD, the release date of the Neon Genesis Evangelion 10th Anniversary Box Set was pushed back from 08/22/2006 to 11/14/2006.

MMORPG Emil Chronicle Online will be serialized as a manga in monthly magazine Shonen Blood, starting with the September issue (on sale August 11). The manga, titled "Delta Saga", will be tied in with ECO - players will be able to influence the storyline of the manga based on what happens in-game. Other tie-ins are planned: for example, Apple, a character in the manga, wears a hat that can be obtained in-game via an "item ticket" that will be inserted in the Shonen Blood September issue.

Emil Chronicle Online is produced by GungHo and Broccoli. The game's official site can be found here.