Kanata Konami's manga about cat's life around the neighborhood inspires anime

North American distributor Discotek Media announced on Monday that it will release the Chi's Sweet Home television anime and its sequel, Chi's New Address. According to the company, both are "coming soon."

Kanata Konami's original Chi's Sweet Home manga centers around a kitten who gets lost after walking out into the real world for the first time. A boy named Yōhei Yamada discovers her, but the Yamada family's apartment building prohibits pets. After failing to find a new home, the Yamadas decide to defy the rules and raise Chi themselves. Most of Chi's coming-of-age stories revolve around the Yamadas or the cats, dogs, and the occasional rabbit that live in the neighborhood.

The manga has been running in Kodansha's Morning magazine since 2004, and the 11th compiled book volume shipped in Japan last week. Vertical is publishing the same volume in North America this August.

The first television series of two-minute anime shorts premiered in March of 2008, and the second anime series debuted in April 2009. The Crunchyroll website streamed the second television anime series as it aired in Japan. There was also an original animation DVD bundled with the seventh manga volume in 2010.

Thanks to Rukiia for the news tip

Image © 2008 Kanata Konami, Kodansha