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Afro Samurai Manga To be Released in North America

According to Yomiuri, there are plans under way for a US nationwide release of the Afro Samurai manga.

The article is not entirely clear as to whether this will be the original manga, which original creator, Takashi "Bob" Okazaki, self-published in a magazine in 1998, or the new American-format Afro Samurai comic that Okazaki is working on. No details about who will be releasing it, or when it will be released were mentioned either.

An anime TV series based on the manga is being produced by Gonzo in co-operation with Samuel L. Jackson who will voice the lead character and star in the live-action adaptation.

The TV series is set to premiere on Spike TV around November 2006.

Following its North American debut, the 5-episode TV series will air in Japan on Fuji TV. According to Yomiuri, the Japanese release will be in English with Japanese sub-titles, although the newspaper does not specify if that refers to the TV broadcast or home-video release.

Namco will also publish a number of Afro Samurai video games.

Yomiuri's article (in English) looks at the origin of Afro Samurai, originally published in a doujinshi, and plans for the property.

Thanks to James Mandeville for this information.