Movic have updated their line-up of Yuri Kuma Arashi which include: A Lulu Yurigasaki hug pillow which is covered in honey and will be shipping in April for 10,800 yen ($91), safer cosplay jackets for 8,000 yen ($67.15), hats and wigs for 4,500 yen ($37.77), teddy bears for 6,000 yen ($50.36), mini towels for 350 yen ($2.10), keychairs for 650 yen($5.46), stickers for 200 ($1.68) yen, tea cups for 1500 yen ($12,59) and a tote for 850 yen ($7.1).
Takara Tomy Arts has prepared a limited amount (100 made for each) pair of Grisaia no Kajitsu pillows. The Amane Suou and Makina Irisu designs are selling for 11,664 yen ($98) each.
Bandai Namco Games have uploaded two new commercial videos for the free-to-play smartphone rhythm game, One Piece: Dance Battle. In celebration of the game recently reaching a million downloads on iOS and Android and Bandai Namco is commemorating this milestone with a special Sabo Party and event ★ 5 vivre card summons.
When it comes to social media amongst anime fans, you never know when the latest trend will catch on. In this month’s issue of Animedia, Aldnoah.Zero‘s main cast Inaho Kaizuka, Asseylum Vers Allusia and Slaine Troyard were featured, all wearing wedding attire. This soon became the start of a Photoshop rave amongst a lot of Japanese Twitter followers, later spreading towards English-speaking fans.
The redone images featured plenty of role reversal upon other cast members, particularly favouring Slaine Troyard as the female character. Here are some of the few we came across:
Boyfriend (Beta), a smartphone game that is the male counterpart of Girlfriend (Beta), announced that they have collaborated with a sweets company, Kanro, to bring a special new product for the Valentines and White Day celebration in Japan. The candies supposedly taste like a kiss from the selected boys of Boyfriend (Beta)!
The candies will be sold on March 14, 2015 for 2,000 yen (excluding tax and shipping costs; around US$17). Each set will have 3 cans and has 3 different designs. The candies could be bought on Kanro’s Online Shop when released.
There is also an ongoing Twitter campaign, beginning February 2 to February 9, 2015, asking the fans to vote for a character whom they would love to receive a Valentines Day chocolates from by retweeting. The top six men will be the featured characters as the kiss-flavored candies. And one retweeted for each of the six men will receive a one-of-a-kind candy gift.
Boyfriend (Beta) was launched on December 2013 by Ameba Games. It is a basic free-to-play system. It could be played by browser (Google Chrome; they do not support Mozilla Firefox due to some game banners not being visible) or by smartphone (downloading via Google Play or App Store).
Today, it was announced on the official Twitter account and the official Tumblr account of a shoujo-manga centered English publishing company, Viz Media’s Shojo Beat, that they have licensed two shoujo manga: Kyousuke Motomi’s (Dengeki Daisy, Beast Master) new romantic-comedy manga, QQ Sweeper and Arina Tanemura’s (Full Moon wo Sagashite, Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne) latest romance manga, 31☆Idream (Idol Dreams).
On January 30, 2015, they had hinted on their Tumblr site that they will announce two new licenses.
One of the licenses was Kyousuke Motomi’s QQ Sweeper manga. The manga began serializing under Shogakukan’s Betsucomi magazine on March 13, 2014. There is currently one compiled manga volume for the series. It was released on September 26, 2014 while the second volume will ship on February 26, 2015. The first English volume version for the manga will be released on October 2015.
Read the first few pages of QQ Sweeper‘s first volume in Japanese here.
Synopsis of QQ Sweeper from Shojo Beat:
Kyutaro Horikita, the tall, dark and handsome cleaning expert of Kurokado High, is about to meet a sleeping maiden at the school: transfer student Fumi Nishioka! Fumi’s going to learn how to rid the school of nasty spirits with Kyutaro’s help, and her heart will surprisingly be “cleansed” too…!
The second license announcement was Arina Tanemura’s latest work, 31☆Idream manga. It began serializing under Hakusensha’s Melody magazine since April 27, 2013. There are currently two compiled manga volumes for the series. The first volume was released on March 25, 2014 while the second volume was released on December 25, 2014. The first English volume version for the manga will be released on November 2015.
Volume 1 Cover
Volume 2 Cover
Read the first few pages of 31☆Idream‘s first volume in Japanese here.
Synopsis of 31☆Idream from Shojo Beat:
At age 31, office worker Chikage Deguchi feels she missedher chances at love and success. When word gets out that she’s a virgin, Chikage is humiliated and wishes she could turn back time to when she was still young and popular. She takes an experimental drug that changes her appearance back to when she was 15. Now Chikage is determined to pursue everything she missed out on all those years ago—including becoming a star!
The official website of the upcoming anime adaptation of Ayano Takeda’s Sound! Euphonium (Hibike! Euphonium) light novel series has revealed the a brand new visual for the April series. Additionally, new cast members, and the anime’s Opening and Ending themes were also revealed.
The anime’s website has revealed additional cast members for the upcoming anime. They include:
Minako Kotobuki (Tsumugi Kotobuki in K-ON!) will voice Asuka Tanaka, who plays the Euphonium
Saori Hayami (Yukino Yukinoshita from Oregairu) as Haruka Ogasawara, the Saxophone player
Minori Chihara (Yuki Nagato from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya) voices the role of Kaori Nakaseko, who plays the Trumpet
Haruki Ishiya (Ayumu Kominato in Selector Infected WIXOSS) voices the role of Shuuichi Takamoto, the Trombone player
Takahiro Sakurai (Shougo Makishima in Psycho-Pass) will voice Noboru Taki, the brass band club’s advisor
The anime’s website also revealed the anime’s Opening and Ending themes. The OP will be DREAM SOLISTER performed by the singer TRUE, and the ED will be Tutti, sung by the main voice actresses of the anime in character.
The anime’s main cast members, who will also perform the ED, were earlier revealed and includes:
Tomoyo Kurosawa (Miria Akagi in The IDOLM@STER: Cinderella Girls) will voice leading character Kumiko Oumae, who plays the Euphonium
Ayaka Asai (Mio Naruse from Shinmai Maou no Testament) as Hazuki Katou, the Tuba player
Chika Anzai (Chaika Travant in Hitsugi no Chaika) is voicing Reina Kousaka, the Trumpet player
Moe Toyota (Sakura Inami in Kyoukai no Kanata) who will voice Sapphire Kawashima, who plays the Contrabass
A new extended version of the anime’s first promotional video, which was first released at Comiket 87, was also earlier revealed.
Color Design: Takeda Akiyo (Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!)
Instrument Design: Takahashi Hiroyuki
Director of Photography: Takao Kazuya
Sound Director: Tsuruoka Yota (Bakemonogatari)
Music: Matsuda Akito (Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!)
Animation Production: Kyoto Animation (Amagi Brilliant Park, Kyoukai no Kanata, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)
Sound! Euphonium Welcome to Kitauji High School’s Musical Instrument Club is a Japanese novel by Ayano Takeda, published on December 5, 2013 by Takarajimasha. The story focuses on the Kitauji High School Music Club, which is steadily improving thanks to the newly appointed adviser’s strict instruction. An anime adaptation has been announced.
This is the story of the Kitauji Music club and its members. With the introduction of a new club adviser, the story depicts the students’ daily lives as they face challenges and obstacles.
The Sound! Euphonium anime will be airing this April during the Spring 2015 anime season. More information about the series will be revealed in the upcoming weeks.
The official website for the TV anime adaptation of Durarara!! has released preview images and the synopsis for the fifth episode of Durarara!!x2 Shou, the fifth episode ofDurarara!!x2 Shou airs this Saturday at 11:30pm JST on Tokyo MX, GTV, BS11 and Tochigi TV.
Episode 5 preview images:
Episode 5 will be titled “No One Knows What the Future Holds” and here’s a synopsis from the official website:
The bounty dispute has been resolved and the City of Ikebukuro is seemingly back to its peaceful self. But at the end of the Holiday, as Izaya laughs at his own words a new disturbance begins to brew in the City. The advice reaches his friend Mikado. A man with a strange girl who claims to be the president of the Motorcycle Gang, visits Shizuo Heiwajima. And Celty receives a request from Awakusu, regarding the shadows creeping up to her…
The second and first promotional video for the second season was revealed earlier:
This new anime is part of the 10th anniversary celebration of the Durarara!! series, which began as a light novel series in 2004 published by ASCII Media Works’ Dengeki Bunko. The original light novels ended in January this year, but the creator of the series Ryohgo Narita, has stated that he will be begin a new series of light novels titled Durarara!! SH, set two years after the original’s conclusion. The first issue will release on April 10th. The light novels received an anime adaptation in 2010 from animation studio Brains Base. In addition, two manga adaptations were also released and a few visual novels. To date the light novels has a total of 13 volumes. and are illustrated by Suzuhito Yasuda.
A manga adaptation by Akiyo Satorigi started serialization in the shounen manga magazine Monthly GFantasy on April 18, 2009. An anime adaptation began airing in Japan in January 2010. Two games based on the series for the PlayStation Portable were released, and a game for PlayStation Vita was released on June 19, 2014 in Japan.
Visual:
Here is a synopsis of the first season from Haruhichan:
In Tokyo’s downtown district of Ikebukuro, amidst many strange rumors and warnings of anonymous gangs and dangerous occupants, one urban legend stands out above the rest—the existence of a headless “Black Rider” who is said to be seen driving a jet-black motorcycle through the city streets.
Ryuugamine Mikado has always longed for the excitement of the city life, and an invitation from a childhood friend convinces him to move to Tokyo. Witnessing the Black Rider on his first day in the city, his wishes already seem to have been granted. But as supernatural events begin to occur, ordinary citizens like himself, along with Ikebukuro’s most colorful inhabitants, are mixed up in the commotion breaking out in their city.
Charapedia asked 10,000 anime fans the question: What anime series do you want to continue to watch? And from thousands of fans, most of the responses are from the male fans (51.4%), female fans (48.6%) and teens to their 20s (73.5%) while the other 26.5% are 30 and over.
At the end of their two day long stream at the Persona Super Live 2015 in Nihon Budokan event, Atlus revealed almost three minutes worth of footage from the latest in one of their most popular series’; Persona. The fifth installation of the game boasts incredible new graphics, a brand new game design and more of the unique art/music blends that made the first four what they were. The video itself can be seen below.
One would almost immediately notice a similarity to another one of their games in terms of visuals – Catherine. This comes as no surprise and is in fact welcomed. Shots of menus, openings, cutscenes, and even gameplay itself across both school life as well as combat. The revamp looks exciting and much speculation is sure to be made!
The game is said to release some time in 2015 with a simultaneous release on both Playstation 3 and Playstation 4. While some stores may not have it yet – I would suggest you get your pre-orders in as early as possible because this one looks great!
In addition, first copies of the Persona 4: Dancing All Night game will come bundled with a Blu-ray containing footage from Persona 5.
Looking forward to Persona 5? What features excite you the most? Let us know in the comment’s section below!
The staff also revealed the key visual:
Persona 5 is an upcoming role-playing video game currently in development by Atlus for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. It is the fifth main title in the Shin Megami Tensei: Persona series, which is part of the larger Megami Tensei series of video games, and is scheduled for release in Japan and North America in 2015.
Just before the second season of Nisekoi returns to Japanese screens this April, Marika Tachibana has decided to take a trip to the beach for some time off.
She is dressed in a white two-piece swimsuit while her adorable look matches her cute personality perfectly. This 1/10th scale figure approximately 15.5cm in height and is made by WAVE and sculpted by b-full.
With Winter 2015 nearly reaching it’s halfway mark, the series’ corresponding opening and ending theme artists are rolling out music videos to help promote the singles. Here is a list of the current videos released:
Assassination Classroom‘s ending theme Hello, shooting star by Moumoon:
Kuroko no Basket 3rd Season‘s opening theme Punky Funky Love by GRANRODEO and ending theme GLITTER DAYS by Fo’xTails:
Junketsu no Maria‘s ending theme ailes by TRUE:
Gundam Build Fighters Try‘s 3rd ending theme, Mayomayo Compass wa Iranai by StylipS:
Garo: Honoo no Kokuin‘s second ending theme, FOCUS by Showtaro Morikubo:
Yoru no Yatterman‘s opening and ending theme Kyokugen Dreamer by SCREEN mode:
Kantai Collection‘s opening theme Miiro by AKINO from bless4 and ending theme Fubuki by Shiena Nishizawa:
Sengoku Musou‘s opening theme Sen: Ikusa by Wagakki Band:
Pri Para‘s third opening theme “Realize!” by i☆Ris and ending theme Just Wanna Be With You~ Virtual and Real no Hazama de~ by Prizmmy☆:
Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio: Ars Nova DC’s opening theme Blue Snow by Trident:
Is your favorite opening or ending theme from this season in this post? Let us know what your favorite opening or ending from this season in the comments below!
Monty Oum’s colleagues at Rooster Teeth have shared a special tribute to the artist behind Haloid, Red vs. Blue, RWBY and more who recently passed away on February 1, 2015.
Rooster Teeth’s The Know, also reported on the news of the talented animator’s tragic death at age 33:
Monty Oum was the creator, director, writer, animator and a voice actor of RWBY. He worked for Rooster Teeth Productions, where he originally started animating the popular Machinima series Red vs. Blue in its eighth season.
He had also worked on several individual fan projects, such as Dead Fantasy and Haloid, although he had stated that his main goal was to create an original series, which came to pass with RWBY. He voiced Lie Ren.
You can help support Monty Oum’s family by checking out the fundraiser at this link.
The Winter edition of this year’s Wonder Festival will be held at Makuhari Messe Hall in Chiba on February 8, 2015, and Kotobukiya has decided to tease fans with what they’ll be revealing at the Wonder Festival 2015 Winter this year.
The teaser image reveals figures for The iDOLM@STER: Cinderella Girls, Aldnoah.Zero, Girls und Panzer, Tokyo Ghoul, Street Fighter, Marvel, DC Comics and more will be revealed at the event.
Last month ago they teased the upcoming THE iDOLM@STER Chihaya Kisaragi Cu-Poche figure:
A full figure of Kantai Collection’s Inazuma and the Cu-Poche version was also revealed:
While if you’re lucky enough to attend the event, the Kotobukiya Wonder Festival booth will also be selling event-exclusive merchandise, and it will include a limited edition The iDOLM@STER Movie Cu-Poche version of Haruka Amami, which will cost 3,200 yen (about $27.2) during the event.
They also revealed their ARTFX J 1/8th scale statue of Ken Kaneki from Tokyo Ghoul:
They’ll also be revealing a new Aldnoah.Zero Kataphrakt mecha, the KG-6 Sleipnir, which will most likely be part of their PlaMo line:
One of the struggles encountered with traditional hug pillows is that they could never grasp the warmth of a human body. Thanko Inc. recently announced the release of an inflatable hug pillow that is said to mimic the temperature of a real human.
A heated pad can be found in near the chest area of the inflatable pillow. Powered through a USB cable, the pad can be raised to a level of 36°C, creating the essence of snuggling next to a warm body.
The pillow is also sized to fit in standard dakimakura cases, so you can share the warmth with your favourite anime character for an enhanced experience. They are sold for 2,980 yen (about $25 USD) each on Rare Mono.
What are your thoughts on this Thanko’s latest innovation? Let us know in the comments!
On February 3rd, 2015, Mag Garden temporary hosted a teaser website on Tuesday that reported that a new anime for the the Aria franchise has been green-lit. The company removed the website shortly after it opened.
According to the website which was temporary put online on February 3, the new anime, titled Aria the Avvenire (Aria the Arrived), will be once again directed by Junichi Sato (Kaleido Star, Pretear, Sailor Moon), and will also feature the return of Reiko Yoshida (Tokyo Mew Mew, Bakuman.), who will handle scripts. The new animation’s format has not been specified, although the teaser website listed that an event screening of the anime will occur on September 26. The anime is being produced as part of the larger “Ao no Curtain Call” (Blue Curtain Call) project, which celebrates 10 years since the broadcast of the first Aria anime. “All television series” will also receive a Blu-ray Box release in Japan as part of the same project.
The first anime series, Aria the Animation, was animated at studio Hal Film Maker, and later inspired two more television series in 2006 and 2008, as well as an original video anime in 2007. All three series and the OVA starred Erino Hazuki as the protagonist Akari, Junko Minagawa (The Prince of Tennis‘ Ryoma, Shakugan no Shana III’s Khamsin) as Akira, Ryou Hirohashi (Kaleido Star‘s Sora, Working!!‘s Aoi) as Alice, Kaori Mizuhashi (Kaleido Star‘s Rosetta, The Fruit of Grisaia‘s Michiru) as Ai, and Chiwa Saito (Yona of the Dawn‘s Yona, Rosario + Vampire Capu2‘s Kokoa) as Aika, among others. Late voice actress Tomoko Kawakami (Shaman King‘s Pirika and Mina, Revolutionary Girl Utena‘s Utena) also starred in the anime as Athena.
Aria the Animation synopsis from MAL:
Drift peacefully into Neo Venezia, a city on the planet Aqua (formerly known as Mars). By the 24th century, humans have found a way to colonize the previously uninhabitable planet. As futuristic as that sounds, Neo Venezia is still teeming with rustic beauty; gondolas on wide canals and waterways are the main mode of transportation. The city itself is a faithful replication of Manhome’s (the planet formerly known as Earth) Venice.
To make sure that residents and tourists alike get the most from Neo Venezia’s many wonders, companies offering guided tours via gondola were formed, one of which is named Aria Company.
This is the workplace of Akari Mizunashi, a free spirited teenager from Manhome who is now a novice Undine (the title given to tour guides). Join Akari as she becomes intimately acquainted with other Undine, tourists, Neo Venezia’s residents, and even the city itself, learning many valuable life lessons along the way, such as the wonderful truth that there are such things as manmade miracles.
Tokyo Otaku Modeannounced the winners for the 3rd MANGAPOLO Manga Translation Battle on their official page. Last month, the finalists for the battle has been revealed.
The deadline for voting the best translated piece ended on January 25, 2015 (Japan Time). The deadline for the translated entry was on November 7, 2014. After the application process, it goes to initial screening in which the translated entries will be reviewed by professional translators. The selected finalists then go to the final reviewing process (which is currently ongoing) where viewers and the judging committee will vote for the best translation.
Here are the winners for the Manga Translation Battle:
Audience Award
Ibara no Kanmuri (The Crown of Thorn) by Yoko Kamio, translated by Hana Ihaya from U.S.A.
The audience award is given to the manga with the greatest number of overall reads.
First Prize
Museum by Ryousuke Tomoe, translated by Hayley Tournier from U.S.A.
Synopsis of Museum from MANGAPOLO:
A terrifying and bizarre suspense horror manga with a huge helping of despair, as an evil “frog-man” carries out a series of brutal punishments. “THE SERIAL KILLER IS LAUGHING IN THE RAIN!”
Nichijou by Keiichi Arawi, translated by Jennifer McKeon from U.S.A.
Synopsis of Nichijou from MANGAPOLO:
Yukko is a spacey and wildly imaginative female high school student who is surrounded by robots, goats, and other oddities. Another ordinary, slightly surreal, day begins again today.
Ibara no Kanmuri (The Crown of Thorn) by Yoko Kamio, translated by Casey Loe from U.S.A.
Synopsis of Ibara no Kanmuri from MANGAPOLO:
Nobara Fukami lives alone in an old Western-style house and flies under the radar in her class. Since childhood, Nobara has been able to see things others can’t, and three months prior, a mysterious man appeared in front of her…
The first prize winners will get a job offer to translate the manga that they have translated.
Grand Prize
Kamakura Monogatari by Ryouhei Saigan, translated by Alethea Nibley and Athena Nibley from U.S.A.
Synopsis of Kamakura Monogatari from MANGAPOLO:
A mystery author born in Kamakura, Isshiki Masakazu is an extremely skilled detective. Together with his wife Akiko, he interacts with apparitions, ghosts, gods, buddhas, and aliens both inside and outside Kamakura. He has a wide variety of acquaintances and friends, from police officials to strange animals. This mystery can be enjoyed by kids and adults as he solves difficult cases and unexpected events in Kamakura. A long-selling popular manga!
The grand prize winner will get a trip to Japan and a job offer to translate the manga that they have translated.
The awarding ceremony will be held at the Auditorium, Roppongi Academy Hills 49F, Tokyo, Japan on February 24th, 2015.
Last year, the featured manga were Koi towa Yobenai, Fuan no Tane Plus, Acchi Kocchi and Saya Saya to. Sarah Kim Perry from Japan won the Grand Prize by translating Yuuri Eda and Hatoko Machiya’s yaoi manga, Koi towa Yobenai.
The Manga Translation Battle was established on 2012. Powered by an online retailer, Tokyo Otaku Mode, the contest is under the management of MANGAPOLO, a Japanese motion manga publisher, with the full support of Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs and is presented by the Digital Comic Association.
The official website for the upcoming TV anime adaptation of Kazuhiro Fujita’s first serialization work in the 1990s, Ushio to Tora (Ushio and Tora), launched today with the first key visual.
The staff was also announced and is as follows:
Director: Satoshi Nishimura (Hajime no Ippo, Trigun)
Studio: MAPPA & Studio VOLN
Series Composition: Toshiki Inoue (Death Note, Fullmetal Alchemist)
Character Designer: Tomoko Mori (Hunter x Hunter (2011))
Ushio and Tora is a yokai manga by Kazuhiro Fujita. It was adapted into three OVA series: one with six episodes released from September 11, 1992 to February 1, 1993; one with four episodes released from June 11, 1993 to August 1, 1993; and one single episode OVA released on October 1, 1993. The anime was released in the United States by ADV Films. A new television anime series based on the manga, to be co-produced by MAPPA and Studio VOLN, has been announced for summer 2015.
Visual:
Ushio to Tora (TV) synopsis from Haruhichan:
Ushio thinks that his father’s talk of an ancient ancestor impaling a demon on a temple altar stone with the legendary Beast Spear is nuts, but when he finds the monster in his own basement, Ushio has to take another look at the family legend! To save his friends and family from the invading spirits, Ushio is forced to release Tora from his captivity. But will the creature prove to be worse than the curse?
Setsubun is the day before the beginning of spring in Japan. The name literally means “seasonal division”, but usually the term refers to the spring Setsubun, properly called Risshun celebrated yearly on February 3 as part of the Spring Festival. In its association with the Lunar New Year, spring Setsubun can be and was previously thought of as a sort of New Year’s Eve, and so was accompanied by a special ritual to cleanse away all the evil of the former year and drive away disease-bringing evil spirits for the year to come. This special ritual is called mamemaki (literally “bean scattering”). Setsubun has its origins in tsuina, a Chinese custom introduced to Japan in the eighth century.
We’ve compiled some of the Setsubun illustrations drawn by manga artists, illustratiors, animations and fans:
With the upcoming anime adaptation of Shouji Sato’s (Highschool of the Dead‘s artist) Triage X manga series on the way this April, it’s about time we get some merchandise for the series.
Preview images have been revealed for the upcoming figure of Yuka Sagiri, who is a genius surgeon with enormous breasts and is as precise with a katana as she is with a scalpel.
The latest trailer for Senran Kagura: Estival Versus kicks off with the shinobi girls getting together in what appears to be some sort of water sports competition at a beach resort. We also get a look at some action clips of the game’s 3D action in addition to an introduction to the new characters Renka, Hanabi, Kafuru, Ryoki, and Asuka’s grandmother Sayuri.
The game will have over 25 playable characters as shown at 2:00 in the video, costumes that can get ripped, wet, and dirty, the upgraded Dressing Room feature, new photo taking feature, 10-player multiplayer on PS4, and more.
A video displaying more gameplay was also revealed last month:
The first teaser promotional video was released last October:
Senran Kagura: Estival Versus will release in Japan on March 26, 2015 for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita.
Senran Kagura: Estival Versus visual:
Senran Kagura is a video game series developed by Tamsoft and produced by Marvelous Entertainment. The franchise revolves around groups of female ninjas, and has received several manga adaptations. A television anime adaptation produced by Artland aired in Japan between January and March 2013.
Swaps4 Productions and Big Bang Studio are excited to unveil the highly anticipated launch of Melody's Melon Mania, featuring Projekt Melody! This captivating, free-to-play...
