Novels also inspire anime adaptation slated for July

The June issue of Kadokawa's Young Ace magazine is revealing on Tuesday that Eto Mori's youth novel series DIVE!! is inspiring a new manga series that will premiere in the magazine in its July issue on June 2. Ruzuru Akashiba is drawing the manga, Mori is credited with the original work, and Suzuhito Yasuda ( Yozakura Quartet manga creator, character designer for Durarara!!, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?) is credited with the original character design.

The novel series is inspiring a television anime series (visual pictured at right) starring Yuuki Kaji that will premiere on Fuji-TV's Noitamina programming block in July. Yasuda is designing the characters for the anime.

Mori (Colorful original creator, screenplay for Black Jack OVA, Black Jack the Movie) wrote the original four-volume novel series between 2000 and 2002. The series revolves around the Mizuki Diving Club (MDC), which is on the verge of closing down after having financial troubles. The club's new coach persuades the club's parent company to stay open on one condition: that the club sends one of its members to next year's olympics as part of Japan's olympic team.

Mori's novel series previously inspired a live-action film adaptation in 2008. Masahiro Ikeno also drew a five-volume manga adaptation in 2007-2008.