Sega Sammy Group Holdingsand subsidiary TMS Entertainment Co have announced plans to adapt two of itsmost popular game franchises into animated theatrical feature films to bereleased next spring.

Osharemajo Love And Berry and Kabutomushi:Oja Mushiking are two of Japan's best selling card and video games for girls andboys respectively. Both games integrate scanable cards with the Nintendo DShandheld console (Sega left the console market in 2001 to concentrate onsoftware). Cards have sold in the hundreds of millions.

In Osharemajo Love And Berry, players can dress up their character indifferent clothes and then compete against each other in dancing andfashionability.

Kabutomushi: Oja Mushiking allows players to trade cards to build the fightingskills of their beetle warriors. The characters appeared in an animated featurereleased in late 2005, but with the increased sales of the game and toys, anall-new storyline has been developed.

Sega believes both featureswill further expand the franchises, which already include arcade games, TVanimation, apparel and toys.

The film adaptations are tobe distributed during school spring break 2007 by Japanese major Shochiku,which earlier this year announced its intentions to put more emphasis on itsanimation activities.

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