New Black Butler Anime Series Green-Lit

The cover of the February issue of Square Enix's Monthly G Fantasy magazine is announcing on Saturday that production on a new anime series adapting Yana Toboso's Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler) manga has been green-lit.

The live-action film adaptation of the manga is also opening on Saturday, and the 18th volume is shipping in Japan on the same day as well.

The manga debuted in Square Enix's Monthly G Fantasy magazine in 2006, and its 17 volumes thus far have nearly 18 million copies in print, including those published in 42 countries and territories. The manga already inspired a television anime series in 2008 and a stage play in 2009. A second television series followed in 2010 with a new butler and master. The manga won the top prize in the shōnen manga category of France's Japan Expo Awards in 2010 and the Best International Manga Award in Germany's Animagic in 2011.