At the Anime Boston show this weekend, Funimation Productions announced the acquisition of the Kodomo no Omocha (aka Kodocha) anime series.  Based on the ten-volume manga by Miho Obana, which has been a solid seller for Tokyopop here in the U.S., the 102-episode Kodocha anime series was a major hit in Japan, where it ran in a prime Friday night timeslot from 1996-1998. 

The story of an 11-year-old child star who attends regular school and has to deal with a lot of the problems of ordinary kids as well as the hassles of celebrity, but who still finds the time to 'solve' the problems of her classmates and acquaintances.  Like the manga series, the Kodocha anime, which was directed by Akitarou Daichi (Fruits Basket), combines humor with moments of touching drama.  Rights problems have delayed the American debut of the Kodocha anime, but now that those questions have been settled, American anime fans are in for a real treat starting in the spring of 2005, when the first episodes of the Kodocha anime series are released on DVD.