There are a few manga that I read that are being made into anime. I'm looking forward to watching them soar ... or crash and burn.
I've already mentioned Chio-chan no Tsuugakuro. It's about school girls. Not the kind you see in most anime, however. They certainly aren't ladylike, that's for sure. Chio is a CORE GAMER! She likes western games, especially the kind where you kill people. She often pretends to be a female version of Sam Fisher. Payday and Assassin's Creed are often referenced. She is part of the "lower-middle" in terms of school ranking.
Her best friend Manana is by far my favorite character. She's smarter and more mature than Chio but she is also unscrupulous and blackhearted. I love it. They can stab each other in the back and then walk to school together the next day like nothing happened. That's where most of the manga takes place, actually--not at school but rather in the morning on the way to school.
Looks like the anime is going to really focus on Chio's violent, game-fueled imagination.
Another is Grand Blue. Honestly, I've criticized this manga a lot. Especially all the male nudity. Yeah, that's what I said. It's basically the Japanese version of American Pie except it's actually funny and has some stuff about diving. The main character ends up staying with his two (hot) cousins while he attends college. Because their father runs a diving business, the diving club often meets there. The diving club forces the main character to join and to party ALL THE TIME. It's a shame that it's always the male characters who strip naked when the alcohol starts to flow. It's a joke it leans on way too much.
However, the reason I keep reading is that it's really funny and the female cast is really good. I like all of them, they give the series focus and make it interesting.
