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ANN Readers: Food Wars! 2 is Summer 2016's Most Anticipated Show
Japan is cooling their heels waiting for Love Live!! Sunshine next month but Anime News Network readers are salivating for Shokugeki no Sōma: Ni no Sara. A total of 2,062 participants (47.7% male, 42.8% female, 3.1% other/neither/both) weighed in. Food Wars! barely inched ahead of the #2 choice, the anime adaptation of the time-travel romantic drama Orange followed by D.Gray-man Hallow. Where's Lo...
Novelist Sōseki Natsume Will Return From the Grave As Teaching Android
Perhaps the strangest turn in Japan's focus in android is reanimation of the deceased. 100 years after his death, acclaimed novelist Sōseki Natsume will rise again an instructor at Nishogakusha University. The University is marking its 140th anniversary by hiring a robotic Natsume to teach classes at is alma mater. Award-winning robotics researcher and Osaka University professor Hiroshi Ishiguro, ...
Gendo Finally Steps Up as Support Character in Kai-Ri-Sei Million Arthur Mobile Game
Godzilla also takes on Shinji, Kaworu, Mari, Rei & Asuka
― Gendo Ikari, contender for worst anime dad, is stepping up to provide Kai-Ri-Sei Million Arthur players with something he never gave Shinji — support. Square Enix's mobile game is currently collaborating with Neon Genesis Evangelion. The game added Shinji, Kaworu, Mari, Rei and Asuka as gacha characters earlier and is now adding Gendo as a "S...
Godzilla Teams Up With PARCO Mascot in Film Trailer Spoof
Godzilla has spent much of his time up to the premiere of his latest film crossing over with Neon Genesis Evangelion, where the radioactive lizard finds himself at odds with Shinji's Unit-01. A new collaboration with the PARCO department store's Parcoala mascot appears to show the two creatures terrorizing Tokyo together. A commercial began streaming on Tuesday with footage taken from the Godzilla...
Nana Mizuki Performs Acoustic Set for MTV Unplugged in Japan
Singer and voice actress Nana Mizuki will give an intimate, acoustic performance for the MTV Unplugged program in Japan. The recording will take place on October 23 at the Maihama Amphitheatre. Fans who want to tickets to the performance can try their luck by entering a lottery. The URL to access the ticket application are on serial number cards sealed inside the Limited Edition of Mizuki's 34th s...
Locals Notice Steady Uptick in Love Live! Sunshine Pilgrims
Fans of the upcoming anime Love Live! Sunshine!! have been visiting Numazu, the city where the show is set, in anticipation of its release next month. Numazu is located along the southeastern coast of Honshu, the main island of Japan. It is southwest of Tokyo, in the eastern part of Shizuoka prefecture, and is just south of Mt. Fuji. Since Numazu was revealed as the show's setting, there has been ...
Fashion Company Galaxxxy Creates Nanbaka Costumes
Colorful costumes based on the characters from Shō Futamata's Nanbaka manga were designed by clothing brand galaxxxy to mark the upcoming anime adaptation. Voice actors Yuuto Uemura (Jūgo), Tetsuya Kakihara (Uno), Airu Shiozaki (Rock), and Daiki Kobayashi (Nico) are shown wearing their characters' outfits below. Shō Futamata was quoted as saying, “I really like galaxxxy's unique color usage and d...
Take a Tour Inside Shirobako's P.A. Works Studio in Recruitment Video
The Toyama-based animation studio P.A. Works is recruiting new animators for spring 2017. The company is accepting applications until June 17. In order to entice applicants and show what its like inside P.A. Works, the company put together a 30-minute recruitment video hosted by CG characters Aniko and Anitarō. Hired animators will start with a monthly training pay of 37,500 yen (US$354) for two m...
Creator Unit Supercell is Looking for a New Singer — Male or Female
Musical creative unit supercell is accepting applications for a new singer. The blog was posted on June 10 and specifies that applicants can be male or female. Hopefuls can perform their favorite song, "regardless of age, nationality, or gender" and both Western music or Japanese music can be used in auditions. An update was posted on Monday clarifying that audition videos should be uploaded to Yo...
Former Ghibli Producer Apologizes: 'Gender Has Nothing to Do With Making Movies'
Former Ghibli producer Yoshiaki Nishimura (When Marnie Was There) has apologized for his comments published by British newspaper The Guardian last week, both for the possible association with Studio Ghibli and stating that they were sexist. Nishimura issued the apology in tweets from the Studio Ponoc Twitter account on Sunday. I apologize for comments made in an article published on June 6 in the ...
Sui Ishida Draws Tribute to Christina Grimmie After Her Death
Tokyo Ghoul creator Sui Ishida shared his condolences for the death of 22-year-old The Voice singer Christina Grimmie who was shot at the The Plaza Live theater in Orlando on June 10 and passed away the following day. Grimmie was a fan of Ishida's work. She displayed a quote from Tokyo Ghoul character Ken Kaneki on her Twitter bio and images of her trying on Kaneki's mask are also circulating on t...
Low-Income Animator Dorm Project Running 2016 Crowdfund Campaign
The Animator Supporters non-profit organization is running its 2016 campaign to raise US$10,000 on IndieGoGo. The new campaign would expand the previously crowdfunded dorms so a total of eight fledgling animators can be housed for 30,000 yen (US$250) per month each, including utilities. The expansion would start in March 2017. The organization currently supports six animators in its dorms and has ...
"Naked Restaurant" to Open in Tokyo in July
Patrons restricted by both age and weight
― The Amrita, a restaurant that hearkens back to the time of Adam and Eve and is named for the Hindu drink of immortality, aims for an all-natural ambience, with organic foods, oils and candles. This extends to its patrons, who are expected to strip off their clothes — which is why it also calls itself "the Naked Restaurant." Despite the name, diners at ...
Collect 200+ Pokémon at Japanese Resort Hotel Scavenger Hunt
Pokemon are recorded in "mysterious book"
― The Phoenix Seagaia Resort in Miyazaki Prefecture in Kyushu is offering a unique summer vacation for Pokemon fans and their parents: a fetch quest for over 200 Pokemon at its seaside hotel. Participants are given a "mysterious book" (actually a tablet computer in disguise) that lets them record Pokémon hidden around the resort, including some from X and Y. ...
Skyrim Player Uses Potato Pieces as Controller
Takes "playing with your food" to whole new level
― If you're looking for unusual ways to improve your gameplay experience (or just ramp up the difficulty), here's a unique idea: use a potato to play it. That's how The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim player BOOM, LLC Robotater did it — although only for about five minutes. If you're curious how this works, Robotater also provided a helpful guide on Stea...
Odaiba's Aqua City is Latest to Employ Robot Customer Service Rep
Tokyo's Odaiba's Aqua City shopping complex has a very special face at their third floor information service desk. Junco Chihira is a trilingual, interactive android developed by Toshiba Corporations. Already she is responding to guests' questions regarding the complex's services and tourist information, asked via new screen panel display technology beside her that responds to touch in mid-air, an...
100 People Polled for 'What Novel Do You Want to See Turned Into Anime?'
Since the dawn of anime, literary prize-winning novels have been turned into some of our favorite series, from the currently airing Joker Game to From the New World in 2012. A recent poll titled "I Want This Work Turned into an Anime- Novel Version!" asked 100 men and women company workers ages 25-35 to assign three points to their first choice of a novel they want to see turned into an anime, two...
Fall 2016 Anime All Out!! Teams Up with Japanese Rugby Tournament
All Out!!, an anime about rugby, is scheduled for a premiere this fall. Naturally, it has formed a collaboration with the ASICS Cup, a Japanese high school rugby sevens tournament. Notably, the poster differs from the anime's key art—promoters must have thought they'd have more luck attracting actual rugby players by not placing as much emphasis on Captain Sekizans' backside. His rippling abs rema...
Japanese Political Parties Use Manga to Pull in Young Voters
Japanese political parties, most notably the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) currently in power and its junior coalition partner Komeito, started producing manga to promote their policies, improve their images and expand their support. Considering the fact that the upcoming national election on July 10 is the first of its kind in which 18-year-olds can vote, it is not surprising that these parties...
Frieza Hijacks Yahoo! Japan to Celebrate New Dragon Ball Super Arc
The villain Frieza is hijacking Yahoo! Japan's search engine. In a collaboration between the search engine and Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball Super, searching for “戦闘力53万,” (Power Level of 530,000) on a smartphone from results in Frieza hijacking the search screen. This is to celebrate the Future Trunks arc of Dragon Ball Super, which will begin airing in Japan on June 12. The collaboration started...
Japanese Comedian Tetsurō Degawa Just Not Heroic Enough for Dragon Quest
Stars with Tsubasa Honda in Hoshi no Dragon Quest commercials
― A set of three commercials for the smartphone game Hoshi no Dragon Quest will air in Japan beginning on June 11. Tsubasa Honda (the live-action Blue Spring Ride, the upcoming live-action Fullmetal Alchemist) stars as an adventurer searching for a hero. She and her companion find one... but it's Tetsurō Degawa, who was once ranked the "mo...
Could We Actually Land Gundam's Mobile Workers on the Moon?
Space scientist discusses possibility of developing prototype Gundam mobile suits
― Gundam: The Origin Technology Labo is a team of grown-up Mobile Suit Gundam enthusiasts who are exploring the likelihood of actually developing the technology seen in Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin. This week it published its interview with Tatsuaki Hashimoto, a control engineer at JAXA (the Japan Aerospace Exploratio...
Yokohama Pikachu Invasion 2016 Will Make a Splash in August
This year, the Yokohama Pikachu Invasion, or "Pikachū Tairyō Hassei-chū," will be held August 7 to 14 in the Yokohama Minato Mirai mall area, and the theme is “This Time We'll Be Getting Wet???” This week-long Pikachu-themed festival began in 2014 and has since become an annual summer event in Yokohama. Last year's "Dancing Pikachu Invasion," or "Odoru? Pikachū Tairyō Hassei-chū!" was incredibly ...
Enjoy JoJo's Bizarre Adventure's Gut-Busting Meal at Tokyo Restaurant
Actual gut-busting not guaranteed
― Viewers of Episode 10 of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable might find themselves salivating at the prospect of sampling the delicious (if unconventional) cooking of Tonio, the Italian chef. Residents of or visitors to Tokyo can recreate this episode, although hopefully with less dead skin flying around. The restaurant, Saint FAUCON, is actually Frenc...
TV Tokyo's Most Profitable Anime: April 2015 to March 2016
TV Tokyo has seen an increase in both sales and profits this year, due to the popularity of their anime titles both inside and outside of Japan. At the meeting held to publish the financial balance sheet for the span of April 2015 to March 2016, President Yūichi Takahashi alluded to the Naruto franchise as being the primary cause of this increased profit. TV Tokyo's sales for March 2016 were 14,42...
Former Ghibli Producer: Women Too 'Realistic' to Direct Fantasy Films
Comment received derisively overseas
― Hiromasa Yonebayashi, director of the Studio Ghibli film When Marnie Was There, and Yoshiaki Nishimura, Marnie's producer, gave an interview to the British newspaper The Guardian to promote their film's release in the United Kingdom this weekend. The two discussed Anna's appeal for a Japanese audience and Ghibli's financial troubles, but their comments on gender...
Samus Leaps into Action in Thrilling Fan-Made Anime Short
Although the Metroid series has had a manga adaptation (unavailable overseas), Nintendo's fearsome space bounty hunter has never starred in an anime series of her own. A recently released anime short, simply titled "Metroid: Short Animation," has made fans hungry for more. The anime is the work of Rabbit MACHINE, an independent Japanese animator who also produced a longer short this year promoting...
Real-Life 'Yu-Gi-Oh for HoloLens' Project Reaches Pre-Alpha Stage
Yugioh For HoloLens, a project created by software developer General Heed (also known as Generalkidd on YouTube) has entered the pre-alpha stage and both footage and screenshots have been posted on the developer's blog. The project uses the tool Microsoft HoloLens, Microsoft's virtual reality headset, to project holograms ofYu-Gi-Oh cards and monsters. The goal is to create a full 3-D card game ex...
Tamashii Nations Combines Toy Story Characters Into 'Woody Robo Sheriff Star' Robot
Tamashii Nations, Bandai's high-end brand that is famous for anime collectibles, opened a webpage for a unique, combining robot toy. The cast of characters from Disney Pixar's Toy Story are joining forces to create the "Chōgattai Daisakusen Woody Robo Sheriff Star" giant robot. Woody, his trusty steed Bullseye, Rex, Hamm, and Slinky Dog all come together to take on foes like "Giant Trixie." The 2...
Idolish 7 Perform 'RESTART POiNTER' in Animated Music Video
IDOLiSH 7, Bandai Namco's fictional male idol group, are starring in a CG-animated music video to their track "RESTART POiNTER." The music video premiered on Thursday and the track is one of the songs included in the group's upcoming full-length album i7. The multimedia project is celebrating its one-year anniversary with the release of i7 on August 24, IDOLiSH 7-themed cafes, and an Ichiban Kuji ...
Love Live! Sunshine!! is Summer 2016's Most Anticipated Show
Let us know what you're looking forward to in ANN's poll!
― The unstoppable Love Live! franchise marches on, its latest incarnation polling in as the most anticipated Summer 2016 anime premiere according to the Charapedia website. Marketing for the show (and its tie-in CDs) already started earlier this year, with the new group Aquors' first two singles and fan-participation to name the mini-units bef...
Kyoto Int'l Manga Anime Fair Collabs With Black Butler, Bungō Stray Dogs More for Promo Images
Staff for this year's Kyoto International Manga Anime Fair posted four promotional poster images on Wednesday. The images take characters from Black Butler, Bungō Stray Dogs, The Seven Deadly Sins, and Hozuki's Coolheadedness and pair them with popular Kyoto landmarks, like the Sagano Bamboo Forest. The posters will be shared on the event's official website and Twitter account and posted in city f...
Love Stage's Eiki Eiki, HKT48's Rino Sashihara Appear on Boys-Love Talk Program
Manga creators Eiki Eiki (Love Stage!), Tatsuya Egawa (Golden Boy), Mineo Maya (Patalliro!), editor Saki Fujita, and sociologist Dr. Akiko Mizoguchi will appear on NHK's "Sashipedia ~BL o Tansaku Seyo!" program on June 11 with host, HKT48 idol group member Rino Sashihara. During the 20-minute program, Sashihara will investigate the world of boys-love with input from the guests. Mizoguchi has writt...
MegaHouse Gives Android 18 Chest "Upgrade" for 'Dragon Ball Gals' Figure
MegaHouse, the makers of the One Piece Portrait of Pirates (P.O.P.) figure line has made some "adjustments" for their Android 18 figure. Her outfit is the same as her appearance in Dragon Ball Z but the black tank top is fitting a bit differently than viewers probably remember. Android 18 has always enjoyed popularity among the Dragon Ball Z fanbase. Much of her appeal is in her tough, cool attit...
"Seven Star Re-Animate" Fan Project Debuts Dragon Ball Episode
The "Seven Star Re-Animate" fan project debuted its finished English dub version of Dragon Ball's eighth episode, "The Kamehame Wave" on Friday. Seven Star Re-Animate went into production last December with over 250 artists contributing to its creation. The team of animators were inspired by Kaitlin Sullivan's popular "The Moon Animate, Make Up!" project that premiered last year. That project will...
"Moon Animate Make-Up! 2" Sailor Moon Fan Animation Project's Teaser Streamed
Kaitlin Sullivan's popular "The Moon Animate, Make Up!" project is back with a newly reanimated episode slated for next month. This time the team of animators, each tackling a short shot in their own style, are taking on Sailor Moon R episode 68: "Protect Chibi-Usa: Clash of the Ten Warriors." Unlike the previous episode, this one is reanimated to the original Japanese voice track. Moon Animate Ma...
Tokyo Police Hope Kayako & Sadako Will Scare Drug Users Straight
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police, who previously turned to Aikatsu! and Vocaloids for their campaigns, are now hiring two famous ghosts to combat quasi-legal drug use. The Ring series' Sadako and The Grudge series' Kayako appear in a poster shared by the Tokyo Police on Thursday that warns against drug use. It reads: "The shadow of quasi-legal drugs creeps towards you. Once you fall, you can't get up...
Yowapeda Creator Takes Part in Tour of Japan Race
Wataru Watanabe, creator of the popular cycling anime Yowamushi Pedal, participated in the final stage of the 19th Tour of Japan cycling race in Tokyo on June 5. This year's Tour of Japan was held from May 29 to June 5. Watanabe wore the same bright yellow Sohoku High School jersey worn by main character Sakamichi Onoda and other members of the cycling club. A tweet from the Yowamushi Pedal Twitte...
Dead or Alive 5 Last Round Will Add Fairy Tail Costumes
Gust costume pack preview video is also streaming
― The June 23, 2016 issue of Weekly Famitsu magazine is announcing on Thursday that Dead or Alive 5 Last Round will collaborate with Hiro Mashima's Fairy Tail manga and anime series for new character costumes. The example image shows fighter Helena as the mermaid Aquarius. Weekly Famitsu announced last month that the game would get a costume pack base...
MBS Mascot Stars in Shiritsu Liyon Gakuen Anime Short Series
Shorts star Mamoru Miyano, Daiki Yamashita, Yuuki Kaji, Hiroshi Kamiya
― Japanese channel MBS launched a new series of anime shorts titled Shiritsu Liyon Gakuen (Liyon Private Academy) on Tuesday. The first 30-second episode is already available on MBS' website. Liyon-chan, the station's mascot, is the series' protagonist. In the series, Liyon-chan is transported into a school into another world. Var...
Pokémon General Election's Winner Declared — And It Isn't Pikachu
The Pokémon franchise's mascot monster was dethroned in the The Pokémon General Election 720. Pikachu might be the "face" of Pokémon but it apparently isn't players' favorite. That honor belongs to Greninja (Gekkōga), the final evolution of the starter Froakie from Pokémon X & Y. The final results were announced on Tuesday's episode of Oha Suta! and at a celebration broadcast live via Line Live on...
Get a Peek at Universal Studios Japan's 'Death Note- The Escape' Game in Promo Video
Beloved series Death Note is bringing fans a chance to team up with L for a realistic escape game as part of "Universal Jump Summer", Shonen Jump's series of summer attractions at Universal Studios Japan. The upcoming attraction is a fully immersing, realistic escape game in which participants work alone or in a group of up to five players to "escape from the evil clutch of Kira by solving the mys...
Tashigi Looks Distressed in Too-Small Swimsuit Figure
Marine officer Captain Tashigi is attempting to squeeze into a racing-style swimsuit for the Limited Edition Portrait of Pirates (P.O.P.) Tashigi Ver. B.B. (Bathing Beauy) figure. The 1/8-scale figure is the latest in the line-up, following Nico Robin, Boa Hancock, and Nami. Despite her best attempts, Tashigi looks practically topless from certain angles and her backside doesn't fair much better....
Sanrio and DLE Create 8-Bit Hello Kitty Anime Short
Sanrio and DLE Inc., the animation studio best known for the supervillian show Himitsu Kessha Taka no Tsume Neo, have collaborated to produce the animation series, “Sanrio World Tours." The latest video, which features an 8-bit Hello Kitty, debuted on May 31 ahead of its television premiere. In the first video, “Hello Kitty Bit Tour,” two new characters, Taburerōna and Sumaikyā, are introduced. T...
Eisner Winner Paolo Rivera Draws Attack on Titan Vol. 19 DVD Edition Cover
Eisner-winning artist Paolo Rivera drew a variant cover for Kodansha USA's release of Attack on Titan's 19th manga volume. The volume bundles a copy of the second episode of the Attack on Titan: No Regrets original video anime. The volume goes on sale on August 2. The first episode of Attack on Titan: No Regrets was bundled with the special edition of volume 18 in April. The special edition volume...
Free Visual Novel Stars Characters with Scribbles for Faces
Protagonist has memory loss, psychological issues
― Visual novels and dating sims are a very common genre in Japan, leading some developers to experiment with wacky premises like dating pigeons. The free visual novel chaos pastel orange has been attracting attention on social media for its distinctive art style and tone. "Hel, the man-eating bird! In philosophy, the bird of judgment turns people into...
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Snacks Come to Japanese Arcades in August
They're NMAAAAAI!
― The latest episode of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable saw Okuyasu experiencing amazing (if unconventional) Italian food. It may not quite be the same as Tonio's mozzarella and tomato antipasto, but Banpresto is bringing an Okuyasu Umaibō (Tasty Stick) to Japanese arcades in early August. Umaibō are puffed corn snacks with both sweet and savory flavors like chicke...
AKB48 to Perform Regularly at Universal Studios Japan This Summer
On June 2, the popular idol collective AKB48 made the surprise announcement that they would be performing regularly at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka this summer. 16 members of the group, including Mayu Watanabe and Haruna Kojima, were performing a concert at the event stage in the park's New York Area; they sang 10 of their greatest hits, including "Heavy Rotation" and "Everyday, Katyusha." The...
Sanrio Boys Merchandise is Here
Say the right passphrase for a free manga
― Sanrio is unveiling the Sanrio Boys merchandise it had first announced in April. Beginning on June 24, the clear files and acrylic key chains seen below will be available in Sanrio stores (and other locations). The clear files will cost 250 yen ($2.30) and the key chains will cost 650 yen ($6). And that's not all! If you say the right passphrase, the cashi...
Tokyo Gundam Project to Host International Gathering at Life-Size Gundam Statue
Japanese students, foreigners to host cultural performances
― The Tokyo Gundam Project has sought to revitalize Tokyo's waterfront area by capitalizing on the fame of Mobile Suit Gundam, since the life-size Gundam statue is now based there, at the DiverCity Tokyo Plaza in Odaiba. This year's events will be called the "Tokyo Meeting," which brings Japanese high school students together with foreign ex...
Cardcaptor Sakura Gets Its Own Newspaper
Advance copies available at Tokyo Toy Show
― Cardcaptor Sakura will get its own newspaper, Cardcaptor Sakura Serial Newspaper. Fans can get a sneak peek at the Takara Tomy booth at the International Tokyo Toy Show, to be held June 9-12 at the Tokyo Big Sight convention center (although general admission is June 11 & 12); it will be distributed for free. Visitors will also be greeted at the booth by K...
TeniPuri Festa Will Declare Series' Best Character Songs Out of 800
This year's TeniPuri Festa, a yearly event to celebrate Takeshi Konomi's The New Prince of Tennis manga, is adding some competition to its line-up. The July issue of Jump Square magazine revealed on June 3 that TeniPuri Festa 2016 ~Gassen~'s ("Battle") theme will be battle, as the subtitle suggests. Fans will be able to vote on their favorite out of the series' 800 unique character songs to decla...
Life-Size Taurus Aldebaran Statue for Saint Seiya Exhibit Completed
The life-size golden statue of Saint Seiya's Taurus Aldebaran created for the 30th anniversary "Complete Works of Saint Seiya" exhibition has just been completed. Shown below, it stands at 210 cm tall (just under 6'11") and is both the tallest and heaviest out of all of the 12 planned statues. As previously reported, the life-size golden statues will depict the "Gold Saints" of Saint Seiya, who a...
Space Brothers Art to Adorn H-IIA Rocket
Art to be composed of 10,000 kids' drawings
― The Himawari 9, a meteorological satellite, will launch sometime this year with an H-IIA rocket. It will carry artwork from Space Brothers — the first time in history a rocket has been decorated with manga art. The Dream Art Rocket Project will use two illustrations drawn by Chūya Koyama, the creator of Space Brothers. One shows the manga's character...
Hatsune Miku Shows Us How to Eat Pocky in Summertime
Also: how to play tunes with Pocky
― Ezaki Glico's chocolatey snack Pocky may be familiar to Japanese kids and anime fans everywhere, but there's a "proper" way to eat it in the summertime: stick it in the freezer for a bit first. When it's frozen, the snack makes an audible snap when broken. Allow Hatsune Miku to demonstrate: If you're the type who enjoys making music out of everyday objects, you mi...
Love Live! Sunshine Mini-Unit Guilty Kiss' 1st Single Previewed
The Love Live! Sunshine mini-unit Guilty Kiss, comprised of characters Yoshiko Tsushima (Aika Kobayashi), Riko Sakurauchi (Rikako Aida), and Mari Ohara (Aina Suzuki), are releasing their first single, "Strawberry Trapper" on June 8. The single comes with two songs, the title track and the song "Guilty Night, Guilty Kiss!" as well as a drama part titled "Yūran-sen de Doko made mo ❤" Lantis is strea...
MechaGodzilla Figure Gets Unit-02 Paint Scheme, Too
Just one month after the announcement that MechaGodzilla would get a limited edition Unit-01 paint job at Japanese 7-Elevens, Premium Bandai and the Evangelion Store announced that it too, would sell a purple MechaGodzilla model and a Unit-02 version, too. The 30cm figure is modeled after MechaGodzilla as it appears in the 2002 Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla film. The heavily armed version has ro...
Sailor Moon Crystal: Season III's 1st Blu-ray/DVD Art Revealed
The official website for the Sailor Moon multimedia franchise revealed the artwork for the first Blu-ray and DVD release of Sailor Moon Crystal: Season III. The first volume jacket shows Sailor Moon with her companions Sailor Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus. The box art is a dark navy blue with a red bow showing the five Guardian's planetary symbols. The volume includes the series' first four e...
Steelers' Wideout Antonio Brown Looks to Pokémon to 'Catch 'Em All'
Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Antonio Brown revealed his secret inspiration on ESPN's NFL Live on Wednesday. The football player has one particular character he tries to emulate when he's out on the field. Brown said on the program: I don't have a number, I just want to catch them all. That's always my goal is to maximize every opportunity and every throw that's coming my way. To be consistent, be a...
Fate/Extella's Limited Edition Comes with 3D Saber Bride Mousepad
Gilgamesh's bonus costume gets pulled for changes
― Marvelous Inc.'s Fate/Extella action game for PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4 is throwing in some added fanservice for customers that purchase the premium limited edition "Fate/EXTELLA VELBER BOX." The box set includes a 3D mousepad of Saber Bride. Someone must have managed to undo the lock on her bodysuit zipper. The 19,990 yen (US$187) package...
California Gallery Holds Official Tezuka 70th/Unico 40th Celebration
Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra, California will hold an official exhibition to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the late Osamu Tezuka's career debut and the 40th anniversary of his work Unico. The event is in its planning stages. The exhibition will show tribute artwork from 30 different artists, display rare memorabilia, sell exclusive licensed Tezuka merchandise, offer themed refreshments and host...
Sun & Moon's Topless Pokémon Professor Has Fans Hot & Bothered
The tropical setting of Pokemon Sun & Moon means a more liberal dress code for what is usually the franchise's most straight-laced NPC. Each Pokemon incarnation had its own professor, the character that gives players a quick rundown on the game dynamics and their starter Pokemon before sending them on their intrepid journey. The role is usually filled by a Professor Oak type, a somewhat serious-lo...
Wakako-zake's Wakako Endorses Iwatsuka's Bar Snacks
Wakako, the protagonist of Wakako-zake, loves to imbibe beer and munch on tsumami, the bar snacks that typically accompany it. It's no surprise, then, that she goes "Pushushu~" to Iwatsuka Confectionary's line of bar snacks "for adults." The above video (starring Miyuki Sawashiro of the Wakako-zake anime) introduces Iwatsuka's Ebi Kari, a deep-fried rice cracker stick flavored with shrimp and curr...
Aoi Nishimata Draws Clamp's Rayearth for Anime Busience Magazine
An illustration of CLAMP's original work Magic Knight Rayearth drawn by Aoi Nishimata will be on the front cover of volume 11 of the Anime Busience magazine, which will be released on June 13. Nishimata is an illustrator whose previous work includes character design for Shuffle!, Final Approach, and Lovedol ~Lovely Idol~. Magic Knight Rayearth, which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary in 20...
Kayako & Sadako Take Their Grudge to the Baseball Field
On June 1, teams Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and the Tokyo Yakult Swallows held a baseball showdown with a horrific twist at Sapporo Dome. Two spearheads of the horror genre, The Ring series' Sadako and The Grudge series' Kayako, took the mound for a fast-pitch game. As the baseball match ended, Sadako fell to Kayako's victory. Commentators said that Kayako's enthusiasm was "the end of Sadako's ...
Onna no Yūjō to Kinniku Manga Mixes Women's Friendship and Muscles
Onna no Yūjō to Kinniku (Women's Friendship and Muscles) is an unusual ongoing manga about a group of three muscular, athletic women and their struggles with love and their body proportions. They may be strong, but they are also kind and are constantly doing their best to help other people. The manga is serialized on Saizensen's Tsui 4 website and so far four manga volumes have been published as w...
Gintama Characters to Host Variety Program Next Month
The Gintama television anime might be over for now, but the characters are keeping busy. Starting on July 2, the Kids Station satellite channel will air the Gintama Station variety program, with new episodes every other week. During the 14-minute program, characters will address comments from viewers which can be submitted through the Kids Station website. The show will host Gintoki Sakata, Shinpa...
Square Enix Streams Introduction Movie for Visual Works Exhibit
Visual Works, the CG movie production department of game developer Square Enix, is the subject of an exhibition currently being held at the Ooka Makoto Kotoba Museum in Mishima, Shizuoka. The game developer began streaming an introduction film for the exhibit on Tuesday to give a taste of what visitors can see. The exhibit opened on March 26 and will run until August 31. Visitors get the opportuni...
Tour a Manga-ka Share House in French TV Program
The French television program toco toco began streaming its interview with Yuka Fukuma, the manager of the Tokiwa-so Project, on Wednesday. The project was founded 10 years ago and provides low-cost housing in Tokyo for aspiring manga creators working on their professional debut. The video shows one of the houses that can host up to five people. The project has expanded beyond Tokyo and into Kyoto...
Nostalgic Fans Recall When Taking Care of a Tamagotchi Wasn't So Easy
The creature-raising Tamagotchi keychain game was originally released by Bandai in 1996 and kept many owners awake in attempts to keep their beloved digital pets from dying, either from starvation or poor living conditions. Tamagotchis couldn't be toilet trained and owners risked the little monster becoming increasingly filthy. The toys were popular with school children, so much so that they were ...
Color-Coordinated Mr. Osomatsu Lingerie Revealed
The collaboration brand Tajuary is working on its next lingerie project after previously creating Gangsta-inspired women's underwear. This time the company is looking to the limitless popularity of Mr. Osomatsu to create a series of color-coordinated two-piece camisole and bloomers. The main color is a sheer aqua blue with dark pink, dark blue, light green, yellow, lavender, and light pink accent...
Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra Plans 'Hatsune Miku Symphony' Concert
The Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra is following the NHK Symphony Orchestra's lead by performing a concert with virtual idol Hatsune Miku. While the NHK Symphony's concert paired Hatsune Miku and other artists with the orchestra, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra's concert is described as the "first-ever concert to showcase masterpieces focusing on Hatsune Miku." The orchestra will perform Hatsune Mik...
Free!'s Iwami Recruits Cosplayers for Pool Clean-Up Duty
Iwami is a seaside town in Western Japan's Tottori Prefecture and the setting of Free! Eternal Summer. Like the first episode of the anime, the pool at Iwami High School is in need of a clean-up and staff are hoping to enlist the help of 40 volunteers. Volunteers will be split into groups of 20, with the first group helping on June 4 and the second group on June 12. If there's a large turn out, st...
Takeshi Konomi Announces Prince of Tennis Charity Event in Kumamoto
On May 26, Takeshi Konomi, the manga artist behind The Prince of Tennis, announced that he would participate in a Prince of Tennis charity event on June 26 to benefit the victims of the April earthquakes in Kumamoto. To drum up anticipation beforehand, he posted a series of tweets in the voices of his characters (particularly in those of Kippei and Senri, who hail from Kyushu, where the earthquake...
Popin Q CG Idols Show Off Their Dance Moves
The idols of Toei's upcoming Popin Q movie dance their hearts out in two CG-animated promotional videos. In the first video, character Isumi Kominato joins with a group of chibi dancing animal people that represent each of the film's characters. The following video is set to the movie's theme song "Teenage Blues" performed by P.IDL. The cast appears in both their normal forms and animal forms. The...
Pikachu Name Change Protest Highlights Language Tensions in Hong Kong
A small protest took place at Chater Garden in Centra to the doors of the Consulate-General of Japan in Hong Kong on Monday. Approximately 20 protesters held signs and marched together to protest Pikachu's pending name change from Bei Ka Chiu (Cantonese) to Pei Ka Yau (Mandarin). At first glance, the issue may seem minor but it highlights a general discomfort with perceived "cultural whitewashing"...
English Textbook Character Ellen Baker Gets Unauthorized Hug Pillow
Ellen Baker, the fictional young English teacher featured in the new edition of the Japanese English-language textbook New Horizon who achieved wide-spread internet popularity is now featured on an unauthorized hug pillow despite her creators' request for "discretion." The hugging pillow cover is for sale on Yahoo! Japan's shopping website for 5,088 yen (US$46). The pillow is being sold by Pepera ...
Idolish 7 One-Year Anniversary Campaign Includes Full Album, Themed Cafes
Also: Ichiban Kuji lottery
― August 20 will be the one-year anniversary of the release of IDOLiSH7, a rhythm mobile game focusing on male pop idols. To welcome the occasion and thank fans for their support, Bandai Namco Online is unrolling a campaign months in advance. On August 24, IDOLiSH7 will finally get its first full album, i7. The album will contain 12 songs and come in three different edition...
Nodame Cantabile Actress Juri Ueno Marries Singer Shō Wada
"For the two of us, it was very natural"
― GYABO! Juri Ueno (Nodame in the live-action Nodame Cantabile) announced via fax on May 26 that she has married Shō Wada, singer and guitarist for the rock band Triceratops. She is 30 years old and he is 40. Ueno was added to Wada's koseki (family registry) and will live with him, but the ceremony and reception haven't been held yet. A photo posted by JURI (@...
Toast Dragon Quest's 30th Anniversary with Premium Sake
Also: deluxe artbook
― It's been 30 years since the first Dragon Quest introduced role-playing gameplay to the Famicom/NES, and Square Enix is determined to honor the occasion. On May 27 it offered fans a junmai daiginjōshu (the highest quality of sake) from Fukumitsuya to celebrate. The sake, called Soshite Densetsu e... (roughly, "And Then, Towards Legend..."), is brewed from 100% Yamada Nishiki r...
Pretend You're Spending the Night in the Matsuno Household at Ikebukuro Hotel
Futons, Hatabō's flag, even Chibita's oden stall
― The Sunshine City Prince Hotel in Ikebukuro will offer Mr. Osomatsu fans a big treat this summer: a suite that recreates the Matsuno household thanks to the niche interior design company SO-ZO. Guests are greeted by Osomatsu at the door and the other brothers in the entryway. The room itself is decorated and outfitted in the same way as the Matsuno b...
[email protected]'s Hiromi Hirata Gives Birth to Baby Girl
Voice actress Hiromi Hirata (Makoto in THE [email protected], Ruji in Zoids Genesis, Maggie in R.O.D -The TV-) hadn't updated her blog since February. Her latest post, on May 26, reveals that there's a good reason for that: she's given birth to a girl this month. In the cool season of May, I gave birth to my second child, a girl! We are both healthy, and now my eyes are spinning at the thought of a four...
Dedicated Fans Can Get 8" Tora Figure with 13 Blu-ray/DVD Volume Purchases
Ushio & Tora fans who purchase all 13 home video releases of Ushio & Tora can apply to receive a 20cm (about 8in) Tora figure. Each Blu-ray volume costs 6,500-8,500 yen (US$59-77). Buying the entire series on Blu-ray would cost roughly 97,500 (US$883). There are additional bonus items available for customers who buy the whole set. Amazon Japan will offer a storage box and digipak with new artwork...
Join NERV's Godzilla Division With Bags, Keychains. and Storage Bins
The only organization strong enough to take on all the Godzilla and Unit 01 crossover merchandise is U.N. NERV's Anti-Godzilla Division. The specialized unit has a modified logo, replacing NERV's maple leaf with the spikes from Godzilla's back. Prospective recruits can join the battle between Unit-01 and Godzilla by purchasing a folding storage container, camo duffle bag, storage pouch, t-shirt, ...
Hello Kitty & My Melody Step Out for Adventure in Super Mario Maker
Sanrio's Hello Kitty and My Melody are joining the roster of Nintendo's Super Mario Maker Wii U level-creating game. The two mascots join Nisekoi's Chitoge, the original Pokemon starters, Babymetal, and Daigasso! Band Brothers P's Yu Ayasaki. Nintendo began streaming a gameplay video of Hello Kitty and My Melody on Friday. The character costumes are available after players clear a new event course...
Inti Creates CEO Joins Criticism of Mighty No. 9 Trailer
Trailer slammed for narration, graphics
― A trailer for Mighty No. 9, the Mega Man-styled action-platforming video game developed by Comcept and Inti Creates, was released on May 25. It has received widespread scorn, in part because of its graphical quality and in part because of its narration, which is widely perceived as patronizing. The most derided line is "stuff... that'll make the bad guys cry ...
Monster Hunter Stories Game Plans Pom Pom Purin, DAIGO DLC
CAPCOM's Monster Hunter Stories Nintendo 3DS role-playing game isn't even out until October but the company is already planning its downloadable content. After the game's release, CAPCOM will offer a Pom Pom Purin costume for Naviloo, turning the Felyne into Sanrio's beret-wearing dog mascot. More details on how to obtain the costume will be announced later. The recently wed singer and BREAKERZ ba...
Sadako & Kayako's Next Collaboration is Spooky-Cute Hello Kitty
The ghoulish stars of Sadako vs. Kayako have gone horseback riding and stumping to promote their film's release on June 18. The duo's next collaboration is with Sanrio's Hello Kitty, a mascot all-too-familiar with crossovers of every stripe. The merchandise, which features a long-haired Hello Kitty climbing out of a well and her twin sister Mimmy as Kayako, launches on the same day as the film. I...
Scientists Nickname Gas-Absorbing Galaxy 'Akira'
Galaxy steals gas from neighboring galaxy, Tetsuo
― A team of scientists answered an intergalactic riddle that has left many stumped. An international team discovered why galaxies that previously absorbed gases at a rapid rate and produced an impressive amount of stars will suddenly stop. University of Tokyo's Edmond Cheung and his team used manga, the kind penned by Katsuhiro Otomo and the Mapping N...
Space Patrol Luluco Crosses Over with Animator Expo's SEX and VIOLENCE with MACHSPEED
Studio Trigger's short form sci-fi comedy Space Patrol Luluco has recently crossed over with the studio's other projects as the protagonists travel through space in search of a stolen city. Luluco, Midori, and Nova have encountered obvious references to Kill la Kill and Little Witch Academia. In the latest episode premiering today, director Hiroyuki Imaishi takes the crew to his yellow world from ...
Horror Icons Sadako and Kayako Compete in Cup no Fuchico Horse Racing Web Game
Sadako options added to game
― The upcoming film Sadako vs. Kayako pits two iconic ghosts, Sadako from Ring and Kayako from Ju-On: The Grudge, against each other for the first time. On May 29, the Japan Derby horse race will be held. What better way for these vengeful spirits to exercise their animosities than by racing horses? The face-off, organized by the Japanese entertainment site Kai-You, was c...
Barefoot Gen Author's Undelivered Letter to President Obama Discovered
A letter penned by the late Barefoot Gen author Keiji Nakazawa to U.S. President Barack Obama was discovered. In the letter dated August 20, 2009, Nakazawa praises the President's speech in Prague calling for an end to nuclear weapons and urges him visit the atomic bomb museums in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, talk to survivors, and continue to push for disarmament of nuclear weapons worldwide. You can ...
Smartphone Game Features Stray Cats Who Turn into Handsome Hunks
Stars Shinnosuke Tachibana, Hiroki Yasumoto and others
― The Japanese smartphone game Alchemy of a Stray Cat and Love (Noraneko to Koi no Renkinjutsu) revolves around a familiar premise: a young lady finds herself surrounded by a group of attractive young men with an assortment of hair styles and personality types. The twist in this case is that the lady is an alchemist and the men are all actually s...
New Sailor Moon Musical Cast Will Appear at Usagi & Chibi-Usa Birthday Celebration
The new cast appearing in the fourth 20th-anniversary stage musical of Naoko Takeuchi's Sailor Moon manga will attend this year's Usagi & Chibi-Usa birthday celebration.The five actresses will be joined by Sailor Moon voice actress Kotono Mitsuishi. Tickets to the event will be distributed by lottery to members of the Sailor Moon fan club. Members can enter the lottery via an application on the me...
New York Nintendo Store Will Demo Wii U Legend of Zelda Game
Nintendo will show off its upcoming The Legend of Zelda game at its booth at this year's E3 convention in Los Angeles. Those bound to the East Coast that can't make it to the public E3 Live event can instead head to the Nintendo Store in New York for a chance to play the game and watch a live-stream from the show floor. Nintendo will select 500 fans who sign-up at its Super-Fan Signup Day on June ...
Ghibli Museum Will Reopen with Miyazaki-Curated Retrospective, Giant Catbus
The Ghibli Museum in Tokyo is preparing for its reopening in July with brand-new exhibits and attractions, including a retrospective on animation curated by Miyazaki himself and a Catbus large enough for adults to climb inside. Miyazaki's exhibit isn't strictly limited to Ghibli works and includes Goldilocks and the Three Bears and The Nutcracker alongside Spirited Away, Heidi, Girl of the Alps, P...
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