Japanese digital publisher Comic Animation released two manga/anime hybrid works — Chimamire Mai Love (Blood-Stained Mai Love) by Mamoru Oshii and Gin-iro no Usagi (Silver Rabbit) by Kamui Fujiwara (Dragon Quest) — in Apple's App Store in Japan on Sunday. The two works combine traditional manga art with simple animation techniques that respond to touchscreen swipes and other forms of input on smartphones.

Chimamire Mai Love revolves around a timid second-year high school student who finds a kindred spirit in Mai, a girl he meets via a blood donation site. Mai is actually a vampire, and the comedy follows the boy's madcap efforts to get blood donations for her.

Oshii created and directed Chimamire Mai Love with scriptwriter Kei Yamamura, character designer Hidari (Natsuiro Kiseki, [email protected]), and directors Uta Mizuno and Romanov Higa (Catblue: Dynamite, TANK S.W.A.T. 01). Oshii said that he wanted to do the kind of slapstick comedy that he has not done since Urusei Yatsura.

Gin-iro no Usagi follows a boy who wakes up in the world of Japanese mythological creatures (ayakashi). On top of that, he himself has been transformed into a one-eyed boy with super long-distance vision. His adventure begins when he sees a "gin-iro no usagi" being attacked and tries to help.

Atsushi Kubo conceved Gin-iro no Usagi with artist Fujiwara and writer Kazunori Ito (Ghost in the Shell, .hack).



[Via Stray Dog's Roost, Brian Ruh]

Update: The titles are now available in the U.S. store. [Via Brian Ruh]