Weekly Shonen Sunday - 2013 Anime #4

Finally we have a new anime project from Weekly Shonen Sunday. It's Arata Kangatari. Manga News reported it here. ANN followed after.

Plot: Every 30 years, a new princess is chosen from the Hime family to serve the Hayagami. The time has come again, but over these past years, records state not a single female has been born, save for one, the 15-year-old Arata. The only problem is, Arata is actually a male! Forced to disguise himself and take the place of the princess candidate until a formal one can be found, he attends the festival only to witness the current princess, Kokuri-hime, murdered, and his own life is forfeit as well, by the hands of the princess' personal guard, the 12 Shinshou. As he runs for his life, Kannagi of the 12 convinces everyone that Arata is the one who has murdered the princess instead, and now everyone in the Imperial Court is after his head!

[Source: MU]

Current Volume: 16 (Volume 17 out on December 18th).

This manga happens to be shojo mangaka Yuu Watase's first shonen series and was announced in the Weekly Shonen Sunday combined 2nd/3rd issue (2013). The manga's already licensed by Viz Media for the English-speaking world.

Honestly, I'm a little surprised. Arata Kangatari tends to hang around the bottom of the Weekly Shonen Sunday ToC. I only point this out because many tell me, Weekly Shonen Sunday's ranking system resembles Shonen Jump's one.

Personally, I've only heard of this series. I did plan on reading it, but I was never motivated enough to do so. Fans will probably be happy for this news. although I don't know many who actually read the series. Well, at least it's a new anime project instead of another one we've known about.

1 down, four more Weekly Shonen Sunday anime projects left.

UPDATE: It will air in the Spring 2013 season and be animated by Satelight.