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City Criticizes Junior High for Ordering 'Obscene' Light Novels for Students
The city council of Kadoma, Osaka criticized a municipal junior high school on Wednesday for purchasing light novels for its student library collection that "have obscene and lascivious depictions." The city council questioned the decision to purchase the novels with public funds. After students at the school requested light novels, the female teacher in charge of the library searched online for l...
A.I. Program Creates Practically Perfect In-Between Animation
The ongoing plight of underpaid labor in Japan's animation industry has stirred up different suggestions, including utilizing computers to take the place of low wage animators. Yuichi Yagi is developing once such program that creates in-between animation using its artificial intelligence. The program uses Dwango's deep learning neural network to fill in the gaps between key frames from Mages' Idol...
Relive 20 Years of the Gust's Atelier Video Game Series
Game developer Gust's Atelier game series is celebrating 20 years of weapon creating, monster fighting, fantasy goodness with Atelier Liddy & Sule: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Painting and Atelier Online: The Alchemist of Blasel games. Before you gear up to play the latest installments, let's take a look back at the previous games. The Atelier series launched in 1997 with Atelier Marie: The Al...
Kemono Friends Bus Tour Heads to Safari Park in July
If going to see the upcoming Kemono Friends stage play or orchestral concert isn't enough, fans of the anime will soon be able to participate in a themed bus tour. Sankei Tours is holding "Japari Bus Tour Gunma Chihō Yuki" on July 29. After departing from Tokyo, participants will visit Gunma Safari Park. They will explore the park and go on a safari walk. Voice actresses Yuka Ozaki (voice of Serva...
Saint Tail Holds Contest to Create Manga's 'Next Generation'
Kodansha is holding a contest through Pixiv for fans of Megumi Tachikawa's Saint Tail to become the artist for the "next generation" version of the manga. The contest asks fans to create the story of a new phantom thief who appears in Seika City. Applicants must follow three guidelines to ensure their new Saint Tail characters share their most important qualities with Tachikawa's original characte...
Hatsune Miku Enters the World of Osamu Tezuka for New Exhibition
Hatsune Miku has traveled beyond her electronic musical roots to be a virtual girlfriend, a racing queen, and the mascot of Hokkaido's snowy winters. Manga god Osamu Tezuka has left his own indelible mark. On what would have been his 90th birthday his works like Astro Boy continue to inspire new takes from this season's Atom The Beginning and the fresh Pluto anime announcement. Starting on July 1,...
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure's Yoshikage Kira Real Escape Game Reveals Visuals
Scrap's Real Escape Game revealed a new visual for its JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable attraction on Thursday. The Real Escape Game, titled JoJo no Kimyō na Yūenchi kara no Dasshutsu (Escape From JoJo's Bizarre Amusement Park), will run at Tokyo Dome City Attractions from July 15 to September 24, at Hirakata Park in Osaka from July 21 to September 18, and at Greenland in Kumamoto ...
Granblue Fantasy's Muscle Men Show Off in Music Video
The muscular men of Cygame's Granblue Fantasy are starring in their own music video wearing little more than a fundoshi. The "Sanbagarasu Otoko Uta" (Male Trio Song) stars Soriz (Rikiya Koyama), Jin (Hiroki Yasumoto), and Eugen (Keiji Fujiwara). The song is from the character CD of the same name set for release on June 22. It includes the trio version and individual versions by each of the three c...
Utena, Anthy Inspire Lingerie, Fragrance, Accessories
Otaku mail order site Super Groupies isn't revolutionizing intimates, but its Utena-theme lingerie is still pretty to look at. The site is offering both Utena and Anthy color coordinated bra and panty sets. The Utena version takes inspiration from the character's school uniform and the Anthy version is similar in design with bonus frills. Even more enticing is the pre-order bonus which includes a...
Japanese Fans Pick the Most Anticipated Summer 2017 Anime in 2 Polls
Japanese readers at Charapedia and Kadokawa's eb-i Xpress weighed in on which summer anime series they are looking forward to this year. Both sites came up with different results; eb-i Xpress asked 18,664 readers and Charapedia asked 10,000 but each site's results share little in common. In fact, the top choice for eb-i Xpress was the last choice on Charapedia. Which best reflects your most antici...
Toyota's Transforming Robot Van Promotes Traffic Safety
Toyota is giving the Turkish Letrons project a run for its money in the field of transforming cars. Nagoya Toyopet (NTP) unveiled a mecha version of the versatile and popular Hiace van as its official character. Actually, there is no confirmation that NTP has made a real transforming car, but the company is utilizing Sliger Robo for marketing purposes. The robot teams up with Super Sentai-style he...
Gundam Director Shinji Takamatsu Responds to NHK's Anime Industry Special
Takamatsu predicts the anime studio business model has 5, maybe 10 years.
― Anime director Shinji Takamatsu (Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Gintama, School Rumble, Kochikame) responded on Twitter on Sunday to the anime industry episode of NHK's Close-Up Gendai+ program, which premiered on June 7. The episode highlighted the dark side of Japan's anime industry with its financial problems and poor working co...
Gintama Incense Holder Repels Insects, Promotes Elizabeth Smoking
One of the downfalls of the summer months is the influx of blood-sucking mosquitoes waiting in the wings to ruin family barbecues and camping trips. Gintama's mysterious Elizabeth also hates mosquitoes, or likes smoking, whichever is up for debate. The Weekly Shonen Jump official store is selling an Elizabeth incense holder specifically to combat the bugs. Once the incense coil is lit, its smoke ...
One-Punch Man Anime Gets 4-Volume Character Drama, Song CD Series
Although Saitama and friends are already experts at using their muscles, the heroes will soon get a new chance to exercise their vocal chords. The One-Punch Man anime is inspiring a four-volume audio drama and character song CD series. Each CD will feature a story and junior high school "parallel story" for one character. Original manga creator ONE is providing the original concept and supervising...
Sui Ishida's Tokyo Ghoul Art Takes Over Shinjuku Station
Sui Ishida's best-selling manga Tokyo Ghoul:re's 11th volume will be released on Monday and the live-action Tokyo Ghoul film is heading to theaters on July 3. Staff decided a double-whammy celebration was in order in Shinjuku Station. Ishida's original artwork will take over the east exit gate's north passage for a week starting on June 19. The impromptu gallery features artwork Ishida has shared ...
Fukuyoka-san Manga Follows Plus-Size Woman in Japan
The July issue of Takeshobo's Monthly Manga Life Original launched a new serialization of Ei Imura's Fukuyoka-san (Miss Plump) manga on Monday. The four-panel manga centers on a young woman named Hanako Fukuoka, who at a height of 174 centimeters (about 5'9") and weight of 84 kilograms (about 185 pounds), has a body fat percentage of 35%. In the first installment, Hanako orders a work uniform. She...
Gamers! Novel Author Writes Daily Stories Before Anime's July Premiere
The television anime of Sekina Aoi and illustrator Saboten's Gamers! light novel series will premiere one month from now on July 13. As a countdown to the debut, the anime's official website announced on Tuesday that Aoi is writing "Daily Special Twitter Short Stories." Aoi is writing the short stories that the anime's Twitter account is posting daily until the anime's premiere. Instead of Saboten...
Touch Voice Actress Appears in Mix Manga Commercial
Voice actress Noriko Hidaka might be better known to modern fans as the voice of the Dominator in Psycho-Pass, Kikyo in Inuyasha, and Near in Death Note, but prior to those roles she starred as Minami Asakura in the anime adaptation of Mitsuru Adachi's Touch baseball manga. The character could well be considered her breakout role when she was cast in 1985 and one she would to reprise in specials a...
A3! Ikemen Game's Big Screen Ads Streamed
The "ikemen-raising" mobile game A3! aired ads on big screens outside of some of Japan's major train stations last month. The ads debuted on the Hit Vision screens outside Tokyo's Shibuya station and Osaka's Ebisubashi station on May 27-28. Mankai Company is streaming the ads for a limited time. In the Shibuya ad, super-deformed versions of Spring Troupe members Sakuya Sakuma as Romeo and Masumi U...
The Royal Tutor's Original Anime Ending Made Manga Creator Cry
The initial broadcast of the television anime of Higasa Akai's The Royal Tutor manga is coming to an end. The penultimate 11th episode, titled "Futari no Yakusoku" ("The Pair's Promise"), debuted this Wednesday at 2:05 a.m. The final episode will air next week. To mark the anime reaching its climax, the official website posted comments from Akai and voice actor Keisuke Ueda (voice of Heine) on Mon...
Kemono Friends Theme Tops Newly Released Karaoke Tracks for 2017
The popularity of the Kemono Friends soundtrack and character CDs aren't limited to just disc sales. Fans are also belting out the "Yōkoso Japari Park e" (Welcome to Japari Park) theme song at JOYSOUND karaoke establishments. The company released the top selected songs for this year's first half and "Yōkoso Japari Park e" took the top spot for newly released songs in the overall and anime categori...
Newcomers Struggle to Enter Japan's Voice-Acting Industry
Anime fans often glamorize the voice-acting industry in Japan. Young people imagine voicing anime characters as a dream job. However, the industry has a dark side, and Futabasha's Nikkan Taishū website posted an article on Sunday to expose the truth of the Japanese voice-acting world. A staff member at a certain anime production company told the website that "Now, female voice actors are only youn...
Fans Choose Top 10 Unreasonably Violent Female Characters
Who was the first female anime character to give a protagonist a sky-flying punch over a simple misunderstanding? Was it Naru Narusegawa or Akane Tendō? It's a gag that's long outlived its welcome, but so long as there are accidental bathroom peeping or unannounced room sharing, punches will be thrown. The website Goo Ranking asked its readers to choose the most unreasonably violent female anime c...
Pay Your Respects to Dearly Departed Re:CREATORS Character (SPOILERS)
A display for a series favorite took place at the 1st floor gallery space of the Akiba CO building in Akihabara.
― The first floor gallery space of the Akiba CO Building in Akihabara held an elaborate memorial after the fate of one Re:Creators character ended in tragedy. A "farewell party" was held on June 10 for Mamika Kirameki, also known as the magical girl Magical Slayer Mamika. The event include...
Lascivious Master Roshi Suspected Target in Latest BPO Published Complaint
Master Roshi's unwavering eye for the female form has landed him in hot water in a recent complaint published by watchdog group Japan's Broadcasting Ethics and Program Improvement Organization (BPO). The complaint reads: In an animation program, there are scenes of an older man touching young girls' bodies and peeping at their underwear against their will. These scenes are almost irrelevant to the...
Prince of Tennis Voice Actor Masami Iwasaki Marries
Voice actor Masami Iwasaki announced on Twitter on Thursday that he has married. Iwasaki plays Wakashi Hiyoshi, Yoshirou Akazawa, and Harumi Saotome in various Prince of Tennis anime. He said, "I'm happy to become family with this precious, precious person, and at the same time I feel the responsibility of having a family." Iwasaki said he plans to discuss and share everything as he walks in life ...
Galaxy Express 999's Maetel Gets a Tan for Beauty Campaign
For her newest beauty partnership, Galaxy Express 999's Maetel is collaborating with Bioré's summer products in Japan. The character's alternate version "Damaetel" (No Good Maetel) debuted on collaboration product packaging on Monday. The campaign is offering three types of sweat-wiping body sheets to fight the heat. Two types of sunscreen also help keep skin as white as Maetel's. Galaxy Express 9...
Yoshikazu Yasuhiko Discusses Zeon Zum Deikun as Gundam's Jesus
Manga creator Yoshikazu Yasuhiko (Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin, The Venus Wars, Jesus) recently appeared at a signing and talk event for his new autobiographical book Genten the Origin-Sensō wo Kaku, Ningen wo Kaku (Origin the Origin: Drawing War, Drawing Humans). Iwanami Shoten released the book on March 11, and Horindo book store held the publicity event at its Takadanobaba location in Tokyo o...
Manga's 1st "Documentary Boys-Love" Series Ends
Manga artist Kamome Hamada's Tatoeba Konna Koi no Hanashi (For Example, a Story of This Kind of Love) series is coming to a close after five months. The manga was notable for being described as the industry's first "authentic account of boys-love" by basing one of its lead characters on a real gay couple. The character Akira is based on a real man named Kento Yanagi who Hamada interviewed closely ...
Discover Legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh During Real Escape Game
Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! is reintroducing franchise fans to Ash and Pikachu's first fateful meeting when it opens in theaters in Japan on July 15. SCRAP, the company behind Attack on Titan, Resident Evil, Space Brothers, and Legend of Zelda Real Escape Games, is bringing the Pokémon Trainer experience to eight cities in Japan. "Escape the Trials of Ho-Oh" is a collaboration between Scrap's...
Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra Holds Kemono Friends Concert
The top-selling music of Kemono Friends will get the classical treatment courtesy of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. The orchestra will perform on July 30 at the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall. The orchestra will hold two performances led by conductor Taizo Takemoto. The Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) announced that the Kemono Friends opening theme song "Yōkoso Japari Park e" (Wel...
Splatoon 2 Splashes Into Kyoto Aquarium This Summer
In honor of Splatoon 2's release for the Nintendo Switch on July 12, Kyoto Aquarium will hold the "Suizokukaan ~Ikasu Natsu Yasumi~" collaboration with the game from July 15 to August 31. A "water curtain" that is about 15 meters (about 49 feet) wide will run down from the aquarium's Dolphin Stadium. Visitors will be able to use real-world Splattershots to participate in the "Suizokukaan Splashtim...
Bahamut, Final Fantasy Descend on Yokohama
Final Fantasy's iconic dragon might be heading to the disco next weekend in Shibuya, but he's spending this weekend terrorizing Yokohama. Square Enix is putting on a projection mapping show to promote Final Fantasy XIV starring Bahamut himself. The event is also part of a larger 30th anniversary campaign for the game series. The projection runs for about 12 minutes and is projected against the Yok...
Take a Peek at Re:Zero VR App's Intimate Emilia Moments
Rem gets a lot of attention for being Re:Zero's fan-favorite character. The demon maid is the subject of tons of figures, some even life-size, and even the Oculus VR founder wants to put money down for more Rem. Fans seem to conveniently forget that Subaru has dedicated himself to the other girl in the series: Emilia. What am I, chopped liver? The "Life in an Alternate World With Rem in VR" smart...
Megumi Hayashibara, Bump of Chicken, Chocolat Manga Artist Create Nostalgic Cup Noodle Ad
Nissin Foods' Cup Noodles shared an elaborate collaboration with Final Fantasy XV earlier this year. The company is now heading in the complete opposite direction of its humor-based campaign for something nostalgic, youthful, and even romantic with "Hungry Days". Megumi Hayashibara (Evangelion's Rei Ayanami, Cowboy Bebop's as Faye Valentine) narrates the commercial with striking art by manga artis...
Metal Gear's Yoji Shinkawa Illustrates Wonder Woman Anthology Cover
Metal Gear alumni Yoji Shinkawa put his skills to use drawing one of DC's most iconic superheroes for the Japanese release of Wonder Woman Anthology. Originally issued last year, Wonder Woman Anthology is a retrospective on the Amazon Princess from her creation in the 1940s to her modernization by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang. The anthology collects 18 comics into one 404 page compendium. PIE ...
Character Desinger Mel Kishida 'Ran Out of Ideas' After Working on 3 Atelier Games
Game developer Gust held the "Atelier Series 20th Anniversary Presentation" event in Tokyo on Wednesday to honor its Atelier video game series. Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland, Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland, and Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland character designer Mel Kishida reflected on his work for the series at the event. Kishida said he "was nervous at first" when he...
Uncovering the Animation of The Eccentric Family in Nakano Broadway
Kim Morrissy & Callum May check out the stunning artwork behind P.A. Works' sleeper hit before the exhibit's closing time.
― The Eccentric Family is perhaps the very definition of a sleeper hit. This quirky drama about a family of talking tanuki was inaugurated as a Kyoto Special Goodwill Ambassador earlier this year thanks to its faithful recreations of the real-life locations of Japan's former capi...
'Miracle Robot Force' Project Launches Crowdfunding Campaign for Theme Song, Anime Music Video
The "Miracle Robot Force" project announced on Thursday that it will launch a Campfire crowdfunding campaign to produce a theme song and anime music video. The project is producing the theme song in cooperation with Nippon Columbia. Nippon Animation began streaming a promotional video for the crowdfunding campaign on Thursday. The website also features "image art" from the anime staff. The crowdfu...
Henkei Shōjo's 2nd Transforming Girl Will Give Utena a Run for Her Money
Last month, DLE revealed its Henkei Shōjo project of transforming girls. Characters Haru and this week's Rin aren't the garden variety magical girls. No, Haru and Rin transform into vehicles. Haru stunned a girl in a white dress when she became a jet plane to retrieve her hat. The poor girl is shocked again when Rin runs up to a gas station and starts guzzling gasoline. It only gets weirder from t...
Voices of Eren, Conny Try Video App's Attack on Titan Stamps
Attack on Titan voice actors Yuuki Kaji (Eren Jaeger) and Hiro Shimono (Conny Springer) recently had some fun testing out video communication app SNOW's new stamps. The pair demonstrated the Attack on Titan stamps during a Line Live special program on Wednedsay, and the anime's official Twitter account posted some videos of their experiments. 【「SNOW」コラボスタンプ①】昨夜のLINE LIVE特番の番組中に撮影した動画をアップ!最初は、口を開ける...
Bahamut Disco Takes Over Shibuya With Burlesque Techno Concert
Final Fantasy summon Bahamut is giving up attacking foes in favor of a disco party at the Huis Ten Bosch theme park in Sasebo, Nagasaki on July 1 followed by its grand opening on July 15. But before he settles in, Square Enix is going to throw a disco party for the dragon and Shibuya on June 16 and 17. The disco party is a virtual reality experience that takes place in a "450-degree" video space, ...
Maho Girls Precure! Villain Gets Official Hugging Pillow
Toei Animation is reaching out to its older female fans for some up and coming merchandise. Namely, a hug pillow cover featuring the Maho Girls Precure! villain Orba. The studious retainer for Deusmast is depicted relaxing on one side of the pillow cover and shown topless in his final form on the other side of the pillow. If the item itself wasn't a hint, the 8,000 yen (US$73) price point will ke...
Unravel a Layton Mystery & Discover a Secret Cafe Location in L.A.
Level-5 is promoting the English release of Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy (Layton Mystery Journey: Katriel to Daifugō no Inbō) Nintendo 3DS game with an interactive mystery during this year's E3 Conference. Los Angeles residents can uncover hidden clues to discover the location of a secret Professor Layton cafe open on June 14 only. The mystery is currently a...
Universal Studios Japan's 'Super Nintendo World' Breaks Ground
Universal Studios Japan broke ground for its anticipated "Super Nintendo World" theme park addition on Thursday in Osaka. Fans came out to see Mario, Universal Studios Japan CEO Jean-Louis Bonnier, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto, and Universal Creative president Mark Woodberry run, jump, and crush some Goombas on a special scrolling stage. The planned park in Japan will include rides, interactive are...
Fans Young & Old Come Out for Tokyo Toy Show 2017
Tokyo Big Sight is overrun with players of all kinds to check out the latest and greatest toys on the market. Yes, they have fidget spinners.
― Tokyo Big Sight, June 3, 2017. 9:00 am Japan Standard Time. The 2017 International Tokyo Toy Show had just begun, and the line of entry snaked all the way across the enormous venue. The children paced around and tugged at their parents’ sleeves, unable to con...
Attack on Titan Creator Laments His Poor Drawing Skills at Signing Event
Attack on Titan manga creator Hajime Isayama held a signing event at the Animate store in Utsunomiya, Tochigi around September 2, 2013. For the two-part event, he apparently signed about 100 autographs, talked to fans, and accepted gifts. Isayama's remarks about the event on his blog began recirculating online again this week. Isayama offered super-deformed character illustrations with his signatu...
NHK Program Discusses Anime Industry's Financial, Working-Condition Problems
Although many people in Japan see work in the anime industry as a dream job, those lucky enough to find employment in the field face disillusionment. The anime market is now a 2 trillion-yen (about US$18.2 billion) business, but animators and companies involved in making anime often see poor returns. Work in Japan's anime industry has become known as a kind of "black labor" due to low wages and ve...
Can Oculus Founder Palmer Luckey Bring Us More Re:Zero?
Oculus founder Palmer Luckey might be followed by controversy and questionable cosplay choices, but the man knows a good waifu when he sees one. Luckey, a man estimated to be worth US$700 million in 2015, directly asked Re:ZERO light novel author Tappei Nagatsuki who has to give money to in order to produce a Re:ZERO Rem IF film. Who am I supposed to talk to about funding an anime adaptation of th...
Skirt no Naka wa Kedamono Deshita Throws Cross-Dressing Contest
Fans prep for dual showing of risque anime that allows traditional monk drumming
― Next season's Skirt no Naka wa Kedamono Deshita tells the story of quiet college girl Shizuka who finds herself romantically entangled with Ryō Kirishima, an attractive cross-dresser. The staff are putting together a contest offering 50,000 yen cash (US$456) and the chance to appear in an episode end card for the most ...
Adventures in the Yuri!!! on Ice Café
Tokyo correspondent Kim Morrissy sits down for a bowl of katsudon in an intimate café setting with the Yuri!!! on Ice boys.
― Katsudon is a Japanese rice dish made with deep-fried pork cutlets, egg, and vegetables. If you prepare it with just the right blend and consistency, it's absolutely mouth-watering stuff. It's common enough that you'll find it served on just about every street corner in Tokyo,...
Mr. Osomatsu Unveils Sugarmatsu, Chickenmatsu, More Collaborations
In addition to revealing a new visual and the October premiere date for the new season of the Mr. Osomatsu anime, staff released a slew of collaboration and event announcements for the franchise on Tuesday. Character and anime merchandise maker Ensky is offering sugar figures of the Matsuno brothers for use on Christmas cakes and other confections. The full list of ingredients is as follows: sugar...
Tokimeki Tonight's Ranze & Shun Smooch on Wedding Application Form
Where can a half-vampire, half-werewolf girl find love? Koi Ikeno's long-running supernatural romantic comedy manga Tokimeki Tonight starred one such girl and her potential beau Shun Makabe. Ikeno has revisited the series multiple times with one-shots, retellings, and prequels to recapture Ranze and Shūn's romance. Fans of the series can now immortalize their own love with an official Tokimeki Ton...
Ayane Sakura Will Answer Your Appliance Questions as FAQ-Bot
Panasonic is introducing a new AI character to help users figuring out their new-fangled electric appliances. The animated, talking FAQ-Bot Yui was created in conjunction with BEDORE, Animate Lab, and NAZ Animation STUDIO and is voiced by Ayane Sakura, the voice actress behind My Hero Academia's Ochaco Uraraka. FAQ-Bot Yui is part of Panasonic's official "CLUB Panasonic" membership site and apps. ...
Retro Gamer to the Rescue After Mana Collection Released With No Manuals
Square Enix's Seiken Densetsu (Mana) role-playing game series has entertained gamers for over 25 years. North America, too, has fans of the action role-playing game series. While we haven't gotten the opportunity to play every entry, Secret of Mana and it sequels have sent players to battle Rabites and collect Elemental Spirits year after year. Veteran players are accustomed to the series' Ring Co...
Skin Clinic Accidentally Adopts Resident Evil's Umbrella Corp. Logo
In one of the most unfortunate cases of logo design, the Medcare Skin Centre in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam found itself attraction attention across the Internet, and not for the clinic's promise of patient satisfaction. The clinic's logo is very familiar to anyone who picked up a copy of the Resident Evil (Biohazard) video game series in the last 20 years or sat down to watch one of the live-action...
Umaibō Corn Snack's Moe Character Gets Life-Size Statue
Yaokin's line of Umaibō puffed corn snacks have crossed over with anime including Sword Art Online, Madoka Magica, Attack on Titan, and Kan Colle. Now the snack's official character Umami-chan is getting a chance to stand on her own without the backing of an anime franchise. A life-size statue of the character debuted in the Loft store in Abeno, Osaka on Saturday. The figure is 153 centimeters (ab...
Anime Heidi's Grandpa Takes a Swing at Coaching in Prince of Tennis Manga
The latest chapter of Takeshi Konomi's The New Prince of Tennis manga debuted in the July issue of Shueisha's Jump SQ. magazine on Sunday. Fans were quick to notice that the Swiss team's coach who appears in the chapter looks familiar. Twitter user @suicakaede posted images from the character's introduction. "Jin Onojiiha" looks nearly identical to the character Alm-Öhi (Onji) from Isao Takahata's...
Attack on Photo: Become a Titan With New App Stamps
In the second season of the Attack on Titan television anime, which premiered on April 1, Eren transforms into a Titan to continue the battle for human survival. Fans can now picture themselves as Titans with the help of the video communication app SNOW. The app is collaborating with the anime to offer themed stamps to use with photos taken on the app. The first three stamps of the collaboration d...
Fans Declare 2017's Favorite Tales of Characters
Every year, the Tales of video game franchise asks its players to vote on their favorite characters, mascots, and villains. The results were announced on Sunday. Tales of Zestiria's Mikleo, the protagonist's childhood friend, took first place. Tales of Characters Popularity Poll 2017 Mikleo (Tales of Zestiria) Ludger Will Kresnik (Tales of Xillia 2) Luke fon Fabre (Tales of the Abyss) Asbel Lhant ...
Jōtaro Battles DIO in USJ's JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Attraction Ad
Osaka's Universal Studios Japan (USJ) amusement park began streaming a promotional video for its upcoming "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: The Real 4-D: DIO's World" attraction on Sunday. The 15-second video previews the battle between the Stands of Jōtaro and DIO. Jōtaro's Stand Star Platinum and DIO's Stand The World will fight in a 4D attraction inspired by JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusader...
Cowboy Bebop's Spike Appears in Sally Forth Newspaper Comic
Hilary Forth is hardly the first preteen to dream about Cowboy Bebop's smooth protagonist Spike Spiegel. That's exactly what happened in the latest Sally Forth comic strip by Francesco Marciulano and Jim Keefe. Hilary is in the midst of an anxiety-ridden dream where she's likely to fail her English test since it's about advanced mathematics and she left her historical headgear at home. She wakes u...
Recreate Evangelion's Gruesome Scenes With Revoltech Figure's Bonus Parts
Kaiyodo's Revoltech Evangelion Evolution series of figures is adding Rebuild of Evangelion Unit-01 and Unit-03 figures. The figures will let fans recreate scenes from the anime in gruesome detail. The new Evangelion Unit-01 figure's bonus parts include the remains of the Fourth Angel (Shamshel). The Angel's core features an LED light. The figure can recreate the scene where Unit-01 rips off the A...
DIY Video Series Shows How to Make Your Own Yu-Gi-Oh! Millennium Puzzle
The web series "DIY Prop Shop" took on Yūgi Mutō's Millennium Puzzle in its latest video. While the version doesn't contain the memories of a deceased Egyptian pharaoh, it does make a stunning display piece or cosplay prop. Host Vinny Logozio breaks down how to make the item using cardboard, foam, and a little bit of free-handing to make the item really pop. The DIY Prop Shop series has more video...
Sailor Moon, My Melody Collaboration Goods Include Cases, Bath Salts, Plush
The official website for Sailor Moon announced on Sunday that the franchise is collaborating with Sanrio's My Melody character for a new Atarikuji prize lottery. The lottery will offer 70 items at each location, and each prize ticket will cost 700 yen (about US$6). The prizes are a vanity case, lap blanket, multi case, mug, five varieties of bath salts, six varieties of mirrors, six varieties of ...
Inio Asano's Dead Dead Demon's Dededededestruction Gets 'Vignette' Figure
Inio Asano's Dead Dead Demon's Dededededestruction manga might be on hiatus again, but fans can get ready for its return this fall with a brand-new figure. Good Smile Company is releasing a "vignette" figure in December and pre-orders are currently open for 18,333 yen (US$166). Characters Kadode Koyama, Ouran Nakagawa, and the in-series manga character Isobeyan are shown precariously balancing on...
Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend Offers Megumi Hug Pillow Cover, CD Set
The Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend Megumi Box with hug pillow cover went on sale for preorder on Friday. The set is the third installment of the series' heroine box project from Kadokawa's Fujimi Shobo brand. The set includes a Megumi hug pillow cover with art by the original light novels' illustrator Kurehito Misaki. Novel author Fumiaki Maruto provided the scenario for the bundled "s...
Idol Time PriPara's Food-Loving Yui Becomes Rice Ambassador
Voice actress Kana Hanazawa appeared as a real-world poster girl for Zen-Noh, Japan's National Federation of Agricultural Co-operative Associations, in 2014. Now Zen-Noh is working with a 2D PR representative. The federation announced at Tokyo Toy Show on Friday that Idol Time PriPara anime protagonist Yui Yumekawa is its new "Rice Support Ambassador." In the anime, Yui is a sixth grader with a pe...
Japan Toy Awards 2017 Honor Bandai Namco Toys
The Japan Toy Association announced the winners of this year's Japan Toy Awards on Wednesday. Bandai Namco Group products received several awards. Bandai's Formania EX v Gundam received the grand prize in the High Target Toy category. Formania EX is Bandai's display model series that emphasizes design and detail. The 18-centimeter (about 7-inch) action figure for adults features multi-textured col...
Dragon Quest's Metal Slime Gets Sleek Laptop
If a unique Slime PlayStation 4 controller and New Nintendo 2DS XL console isn't enough for your Dragon Quest tech fix, Tsukumo will release a Metal Slime laptop. The Metal Slime notebook is based on Acer's Aspire V13 V3-372-H58G laptop . It includes Windows 10 Home Edition, an Core i5-6267U CPU, an 8GB memory, a 1TB HD drive, and a 13.3 LCD screen. The computer has a seven hour battery life. Spe...
Yuri!!! on Ice's New Scale Figures Adds Yuri Plisetsky
Chara-Ani's Toy's works brand revealed the design for its third addition to its Yuri!!! on Ice scale figures on Tuesday. The Yuri Plisetsky figure shows the young skater is his Agape costume and is slated to go on sale around winter 2017. 【新商品情報】トイズワークス企画進行中「ユーリ!!!on ICE」スケールフィギュアシリーズ第三弾、ユーリ・プリセツキー 公式描き下ろしイラスト初公開!2017年冬頃発売予定 #yurionicehttps://t.co/4MeFg2cA1g pic.twitter.com/6Qz6BV0YfO— トイズワークス (@...
New Sailor Moon Merch Includes Room Fragrance, Compacts, Brushes, Wand
The Sailor Moon franchise recently unveiled its latest wave of merchandise. The releases are part of a project to celebrate the franchise's 25th anniversary. Premium Bandai is offering the Stallion Rêve Room Fragrance inspired by the item Chibiusa uses to communicate with Pegasus in Sailor Moon SuperS. This is the second room fragrance inspired by the anime-only item. Inside the dome, a miniature...
Hakujuji Bandages Launch 3rd Gintama Collaboration With Video
Japanese medical supplies manufacturer Hakujuji announced its third collaboration with the Gintama anime on Friday. The promotional campaign is streaming the first new animated short titled "'M' to 'M'" ("M" and "M"). In the video, the Yorozuya members introduce the campaign and read a letter from a Hakujuji public relations representative. The characters discuss what the meaning of "M" in this "K...
Golden Boy's Tatsuya Egawa Claims GTO Plagiarizes His Debut Manga
Manga creator Tatsuya Egawa (Golden Boy, Tokyo University Story) appeared on the Otona no Yoru no Wide Show Barairo Dandy (Adult Night Wide Show Rose-Colored Dandy) talk and variety show on Wednesday. During the episode, Egawa claimed that Tohru Fujisawa plagiarized his debut manga in the GTO manga. Egawa said that Fujisawa was once his disciple at a weekly magazine. He laughed as he recalled that...
Astro Boy Gets Limited Reprint for Tezuka's 90th Birthday
One manga's greatest visionaries' most iconic creations is getting a limited edition reprint to celebrate his 90th birthday. Osamu Tezuka's early Astro Boy (Tetsuwan Atom) manga chapters will be released in a three compiled volume set limited to only 777 copies with serial numbers. This 90th birthday edition collects chapters serialized from 1951 to 1956 in Shōnen magazine. This is a second reprin...
Jun Fukuyama's Passionate Dance Instructor Promotes KFC's 'Chizza'
Jun Fukuyama's (Black Butler, Assassination Classroom) appeared in his first Kentucky Moshimo Gekijō (Kentucky What If Theater) "mini drama" series of live-action shorts on Thursday. Perhaps more eyecatching than Fukuyama's turn as a passionate dance instructor is the particular KFC food item the character promotes in the short. After briefly interacting with the viewer, the "Jonetsu na Shakō Danc...
Irregular at Magic High School Follows Up Bean Collab with Pickles, Nippers
The irregular at magic high school film, titled Gekijōban Mahōka Kōkō no Rettōsei: Hoshi o Yobu Shōjo, has added two more head-scratching collaborations to its promotional campaign. The anime is offering pickles from Kyoto pickle company Daiyasu and nippers from tool maker GodHand. Traditional shibazuke pickles combine eggplant and cucumbers with red shiso leaves in a salty and sour concoction. Th...
Phantom Thief Jeanne Creator Tanemura Celebrates 20 Years with Art Exhibition
It's hard to believe, but 20 years ago popular manga creator Arina Tanemura made her debut with the one shot "Niban-me no Koi no Katachi" and quickly rose to recognition with her single volume work I.O.N. Since 1997, she produced hit after hit like Phantom Thief Jeanne, Time Stranger Kyoko, Full Moon O Sagashite and most recently Akuma ni Chic×Hack. To celebrate her career milestone, an exhibition...
Re:Zero's Rem Is Ready for Matrimony in Kai-Ri-Sei Million Arthur Game
Square Enix's Kai-Ri-Sei Million Arthur mobile game is adding Re:Zero's (arguably) best girl as a knight and a 3D boss. Rem is joining the game in a special collaboration until June 15 and her knight design is absolutely matrimonial. The game's Rem bride artwork is a new take on the concept after official artwork at Comiket 91 opted for a skimpy, bikini dress. The boss version of Rem is equipped w...
Kirito Ditches Virtual Reality for an Old School Game
Kirito and crew are often on the cutting edge of future technology, exploring new worlds in completely immersive virtual and augmented reality games. These adventures have their fair share of risks ranging from not being able to log out to being shot by a guy who will kill you in real life. It's easy to understand why Kirito might turn in his headset for some old-fashioned kendama fun. The ASCII ...
Kouichi Yamadera's 'Date' Picture Leads Voice Actor Twitter Trend
Multi-talented voice actor Kouichi Yamadera, also known as "the man with the seven-colored voice," is currently trending on Twitter. He got a huge response after tweeting the following on Wednesday. 彼氏とデートなう。に使っていいよ。 pic.twitter.com/cEvJBDszRS— 山寺宏一 (@yamachanoha) May 31, 2017 In the tweet, Yamadera says of the picture of himself, "You can use this as 'On a date with my boyfriend.'" The tweet appa...
Archie Comic's Metroid Comic That Never Was
Artist Steven Butler recently shared his commissioned artwork for an American Metroid comic once considered by Archie Comics. The project was floated about six years ago, but ultimately Archie went with a Mega Man adaptation instead. Butler's detailed sketches show both Zero Suit Samus and various takes of her in her Power Suit. He even included highly-detailed version of the boss Ridley. Nintendo...
Celebrate the Worlds of NisiOisin at Upcoming Exhibition in Tokyo
Novelist NisiOisin is best known to Western readers as the author of the Monogatari series but his creations extend beyond Koyomi Araragi's supernatural encounters. He also provided the stories for Medaka Box, the Okitegami Kyōko no Bibōroku series, Imperfect Shojo, Kubikiri Cycle, and the upcoming Jūni Taisen anime series. These worlds sometimes crossover and now fans can take a walk through them...
Wakako-zake Promotes Tasty Bar Snacks for 3rd Year
Wakako, the protagonist of Wakako-zake, is continuing her endorsement of Iwatsuka Confectionary's line of bar snacks "for adults." The campaign kicked off in 2015 with Ebi Kari, a deep-fried rice cracker stick flavored with shrimp and curry (garam masala, to be more specific), Ebi Kuro Koshō, a similar cracker that uses black pepper and ultra-pink sakura shrimp, and Shio Wasabi (salt and wasabi) ...
Nintendo Celebrates Dairy Farmers on 'Milk Day' with 1-2-Switch Mini-Game
Nintendo is celebrating Japan's hardworking dairy farmers on June 1, otherwise known as "Milk Day," and what better way then inviting them to a large-scale match of 1-2-Switch's Milking mini-game? The Central Dairy Council sponsored the "Roppongi Ranch" event on May 27 in Roppongi Hills building complex in Minato. The event featured locally produced milk and ice cream, educational workshops, a qui...
Manga Delves Into Early Careers of Famed Game Creators
1st chapter focuses on Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi
― Manga creator Keiichi Tanaka (Doctor Chichibuyama, G no Samurai, Utsu Nuke, Pen to Hashi) launched his Wakage no Itari ~Game Creator no Seishun~ manga on Dwango's Den-fami Nico Gamer website on Wednesday. The manga depicts real game creators when they were young and had just joined the video game industry. Den-fami Nico Gamer's editori...
Yuri!!! on Ice Characters Cameo in Steven Universe Comic
The figure-skaters from MAPPA and Sayo Yamamoto's Yuri!!! on Ice anime series took a break from practicing at the rink to check out a local Renaissance Faire in Beach City, the home of Cartoon Network's Steven Universe. Yūri, Victor, Yuri Plisetsky, and Otabek Altin all make background cameo appearances in the Steven Universe #4 comic by author Melanie Gillman and illustrator Katy Farina. Anime Ne...
Uta no Prince-sama Staff Apologize for Starting Concert Before All Attendees Entered
The "Utano☆Princesama Maji LoveLive 6th Stage" event was held this past Saturday and Sunday at the MetLife Dome in Tokorozawa, Saitama. The event drew huge crowds. Unfortunately, there were so many audience members scrambling to get inside at the same time on the first day, that not everyone was able to enter before the event started. Some fans apparently were less than pleased about the situation...
Transforming Digimon Toy Line Gets Anniversary Upgrade
Tamashii Nation's 1999 release of Digimon character figures that Digivolve via Transformers-style moving parts are getting an upgrade. The "Digivolving Spirits" line is debuting in November with Agumon who Digivolves into WarGreymon. The company wants to accomplish designs that couldn't be done with prior technology from the original release. These figures boast improved joints and balance and a ...
A3! Ikemen Game Gets 1st Manga Anthology, Serialization
The "ikemen-raising" mobile game A3! has over three million downloads, top selling tie-in CDs, and a new ad campaign that played on big screens outside of some of Japan's major train stations. The game is now getting its first official manga anthology with contributors including HoneyWorks' Yamako, Zekkyō, Yukiko and many others. The game's character designer Ryō Fujihara drew the cover. The full ...
Jun Fukuyama's Jobs Include Dance Instructor in KFC Shorts
KFC Holdings Japan revealed the details on Thursday of voice actor Jun Fukuyama's (Black Butler, Assassination Classroom) appearance in the second part of the Kentucky Moshimo Gekijō (Kentucky What If Theater) "mini drama" series of live-action shorts. The first Kentucky Moshimo Gekijō - Moshimo Fukuyama Jun (Kentucky What If Theater - What If Jun Fukuyama) short will debut on the AbemaTV streamin...
Net Users Suspect Political Pressure in Shippū no Hayato Manga's End
This year's 26th issue of Kodansha's Weekly Morning magazine unexpectedly announced that Hideki Ohwada's (Mobile Suit Gundam-san, Mudazumo Naki Kaikaku) political manga Shippū no Hayato Shotoku Baizō Densetsu!! (Gale-Force Hayato Income-Doubling Legend!!) will end in the next issue. After speculation about pressure from the political world, the J-Cast News website decided to contact the Morning ed...
Eromanga Sensei Gets Its Own 'Painful Plane'
Few can boast owning an itasha, or picture-wrapped car, with their favorite video game or anime character but even fewer can claim an ita plane. Starting next week, the E-Flight Academy will unveil a Eromanga Sensei plane at Nagoya airport to the public. The academy deals with Internet communication courses for prospective air traffic controllers and pilots. The wrapped plane is a Piper PA-46 ligh...
M.A.O Stars as Henkei Shōjo's Transforming Jet Plane Girl
On Friday, we introduced you to DLE's Henkei Shōjo project with a theme song video and anime clip. The clip introduced the project's first character Haru, a girl that can inexplicably transform into a jet plane. The short caused a stir on Twitter and racked up more than 1.65 million views. While Haru has few lines in the short, DLE promised to reveal the voice behind its trending character. On Thu...
Mobile Game Idols Suit Up as Real Wedding Guests
The idols from the mobile game Tokimeki Restaurant ☆☆☆ are crossing into the 3D world as wedding guests. The Almalien Tokyo wedding venue in Ikebukuro will have life-sized panels of the 3 Majesty and X.I.P. idols, for a total of six characters, available for pictures on June 24-25. The venue will place the cut-outs near the chapel entrance for pictures and also offer a limited sweets buffet. Freel...
Takara Tomy's Fantasy Animals, Mr. Osomatsu Collaborate on Aquarium Tour
Takara Tomy Arts and Kamio Japan's Kūsō Suizokukan (Fantasy Aquarium) characters are collaborating with Mr. Osomatsu to hold the "Honmono Suizokukan Tours" (Real Aquarium Tours) event this summer. Takara Tomy Arts began streaming a promotional video for the event on Monday. The Kūsō Suizokukan characters are composites of sea and land animals. For this collaboration, they will combine with the six...
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