A new visual for the popular TV anime adaptation of Kei Sanbe’s Boku dake ga Inai Machi manga series has been revealed in the May 2016 issue of NewType as a double page spread. This issue can be purchased here (get 5% off with coupon code MOE-N3Y-4YW0QK).
The series was also featured in the February 2016 issue of NewType as a double page spread. You can purchase this issue here (get 5% off with coupon code MOE-N3Y-4YW0QK).
Here’s the most recent key visual for the series:
The main cast of the anime includes:
Shinnosuke Mitsushima (Ryotaro in the Fu-Zoku Changed My Life movie) will have his anime debut role voicing 29 year old Satoru Fujinuma
Tao Tsuchiya (Mare Tsumura in the Mare live action TV drama) makes her anime debut as 10 year old Satoru Fujinuma
Boku Dake ga Inai Machi is an ongoing Japanese fantasy suspense seinen manga series written and illustrated by Kei Sanbe and serialized on Kadokawa Shoten’s Young Ace magazine since 2012. Volume 1 was released on January 26, 2013 and 5 volumes have been published so far. It’s published in French by Ki-oon. The anime adaptation began airing in January 2016.
Struggling manga author Satoru Fujinuma is beset by his fear to express himself. However, he has a supernatural ability of being forced to prevent deaths and catastrophes by being sent back in time before the incident occurred, repeating time until the accident is prevented. One day, he gets involved in an accident that has him framed as a murderer. Desperate to save the victim, he sends himself back in time only to find himself as a grade-schooler one month before fellow classmate Kayo Hinadzuki went missing. Satoru now embarks on a new quest: to save Kayo and solve the mystery behind her disappearance.
During the Tokyo Anime Award Festival on March 20, P.A. Works CEO Kenji Horikawa, voice actress Juri Kimura (Aoi Miyamori in Shirobako), Kohei Kawase of Warner Entertainment Japan, and Takayuki Nagatani of Infinite discussed the potential of a sequel to the Shirobako anime.
When asked about what episode they would like to see if there were a sequel, Horikawa responded with:
We’ve got plenty of material to work off of, and I want to see a story about Aoi going back to her hometown and teaching an anime class for children.
When asked about the possibility for a sequel, Nagatani stated:
We wanted people who watched Shirobako to get a lot out of the show. If we could decide on a theme, there might be a chance [for a sequel].
Kawase also hinted that:
The show was made by sampling what we could from the current age, but there are many things we haven’t sampled yet.
Last June in the 6th issue of Anime Style, P.A Works founder, president, and Shirobako‘s producer Horikawa Kenji was interviewed. During the interview he revealed that there is enough material to work with for a sequel but director Tsutomu Mizushima is currently busy for the next few years with other series. He also mentioned that even producing an OVA would be tough.
Anime visual:
Shirobako is an anime television series produced by Warner Entertainment Japan and studio P.A.Works, which handled the animation. The series was directed by Tsutomu Mizushima and aired in Japan between October 9, 2014 and March 26, 2015. A manga adaptation began serialization in ASCII Media Works’s Dengeki Daioh magazine in September 2014, and a novel was published by Shueisha in January 2015.
The title Shirobako refers to videos that are distributed to the production staff members prior to its release. These videos were at a time distributed as VHS tapes enclosed in white boxes and are still referred to as “white boxes” (thus the meaning of shirobako) despite the fact that the white enclosures are no longer in use.
Aoi will never forget how she felt the day her high school animation club’s labor of love was shown at the cultural festival. The sense of awe and the feeling of accomplishment that came with completing their very first project are exactly what encouraged Aoi and her club mates to enter the animation industry in the first place. But two years later Aoi has graduated, and now that she works as a production assistant for a big-name animation studio, the daunting reality of her job has somewhat diminished her enthusiasm. Despite the long hours and the punishing schedule, Aoi still hopes to fulfill the promise she and her club friends Ema, Shizuka, Misa, and Midori made: to one day reunite and make a real animated feature of their own as professionals!
Original Character Design: Humikane Shimada (Busou Shinki, Girls und Panzer)
Series Composition: Striker Unit
Studio: Silver Link (Strike the Blood, Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu)
After the last theatrical screening of the third OVA of Strike Witches: Operation Victory Arrow, it was revealed that a third season of Strike Witches is now in production which will focus on the 502nd Joint Fighter Wing, who are known as the Brave Witches.
The third OVA of the series, Strike Witches: Operation Victory Arrow Vol. 3 – Arnhem no Hashi, released in Japanese theatres on May 2nd. The first two seasons and OVAs follows the 501st Joint Fighter Wing who are known as the Strike Witches. The new series will feature the 502nd Joint Fighter Wing, the Brave Witches, who are based in St. Petersburg and Orussia and has 8 members:
Gundula Rall
Aleksandra I. Pokryshkin
Waltrud Krupinski
Georgette Lemare
Kanno Naoe
Shimohara Sadako
Edytha Rossmann
Nikka Edvardine Katajainen
Here is a guide to all the members of the Brave Witches, which include their information:
Strike Witches is a media project that started in 2005 based off of Humikane Shimada’s illustrations. The first project was a manga from Yoshiyuki Kazumi, but was cancelled after one volume. A light novel series from Noboru Yamaguchi released the following year in Kadokawa Shoten’s Sneaker Bunko imprint for a total of 3 volumes. This was followed by an OVA and anime adaptation from Gonzo (Welcome to the N.H.K.) in 2007 and 2008 respectively. Since then, many more manga and light novel adaptations were released, as well as the anime’s second season and an animated film, all animated by AIC (Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari).
The year is 1944 and the world lives in fear of unidentified flying objects called Neuroi. With the old-boy old guard unable to thwart this deadly menace, humanity turns its desperate eyes to an aerial attack force with much nicer legs. Meet the girls of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, better known as the Strike Witches. These darlings of the great blue yonder may not have standard issue uniforms, but they do have all the right stuff. Where the average flyboy falters, these dolls blast aliens to bits in the bat of an eyelash. With a little magic and a whole lot of leg, the girls of the 501st are winning the war on pants, and aliens!
A brand new TV season of Strike Witches is currently in production and will focus on the Brave Witches.
The official website for the highly anticipated second season of Yusei Matsui’s Shonen Jump hit Assassination Classroom (Ansatsu Kyoushitsu) TV anime has updated with a new main visual that is linked to the identity of Korosensei. The series will enter the final arc with the next 15th episode “Kokuhaku no Jikan” (The Confession Time) to be aired on April 14th in Japan. The new opening song “Bye Bye YESTERDAY” will be performed by 3-E Utatan and new ending song “Mata Kimi ni Aeru Hi” (The Day I will Meet You Again) by Shion Miyawaki.
Anime visual:
Assassination Classroom is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yusei Matsui. The series began serialization Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine from July 2012 and is licensed in English by Viz Media. The series follows the daily lives of an extremely powerful octopus-like teacher and his students dedicated to the task of assassinating him to prevent Earth from being destroyed. As of March 2015, thirteen tankobon volumes have been released in Japan with a circulation of ten million copies.
A single original video animation adaptation by Brain’s Base based on the series was screened at the Jump Super Anime Tour on October to November 2013. This was followed by a television anime adaptation by Lerche, which began airing on Fuji TV in January 2015. This adaptation has been licensed by Funimation for release in North America. The series was obtained by Madman Entertainment for digital distribution in Australia and New Zealand. A live action film adaptation was released on March 21, 2015.
The students of class 3-E have a mission: kill their teacher before graduation. He has already destroyed the moon, and has promised to destroy the Earth if he can not be killed within a year. But how can this class of misfits kill a tentacled monster, capable of reaching Mach 20 speed, who may be the best teacher any of them have ever had?
Loot Anime is a rather unique monthly mystery bundle which includes figures, collectibles, manga, apparel, accessories and more from some of your favorite anime and manga series with a new theme every month. The crate itself costs almost $25 (Use SWAPS4 to save $3 on your first crate) and you get a total of $60+ value in every crate with a new theme every month.
Today I’ll be spotlighting the February Haunted Crate which has the theme “Haunted” and includes various awesome goodies. Each month’s theme art is custom drawn for Loot Anime by different artists.
With the Boruto manga to release on May 9th, assistant to official Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto’s Mikio Ikemoto has finally released new information and preview images before the series air next month. The series will begin in the 23rd issue of Weekly Shounen Jump with a monthly serial release. The manga is centered around Boruto Uzumaki, the son of Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuuga, and the cast of characters in the newest generation in the Hidden Leaf village.
While Boruto Uzumaki serves as the main character of the series, one of the main questions fans have asked since the reveal of the next generation is the identity of Mitsuki, the son of the previous series antagonist, Orochimaru. Mitsuki also serves as the teammate of Team Konohamaru, the three man squad consisting of Boruto, Sarada Uchiha, and himself. In the Boruto movie, Boruto questions Mitsuki’s identity and if Orochimaru is his mother or father, to which Mitsuki responds that it is irrelevant.
However, in an image leaked this week, the left side reveals preview images of the Mitsuki one-shot, set to be around 45 pages in length, Orochimaru and Mitsuki are shown communicating. Given Orochimaru’s role in the previous series, it is safe to assume Boruto might take the same path. In the same image, Ikemoto’s designs of the original casts were revealed as well, featuring a more mature looking Sasuke Uchiha.
The official website of the upcoming anime film adaptation of Yoshitoki Ooima’s Koe no Katachi (A Silent Voice) manga has launched revealing that the movie will be releasing in Japanese theatres on September 17th. Additionally, the the first trailer video was revealed.
The website also revealed a new visual:
The character designs for the main characters have been revealed. The voice cast of the characters have yet to be revealed:
Shouya Ishida
Shouko Nishimiya
The production staff of the Koe no Katachi anime includes:
Director: Naoko Yamada (K-ON!,Tamako Market)
Series Composer: Reiko Yoshida (Bakuman, Non Non Biyori)
Anime Character Designer: Futoshi Nishiya (Free!, Hyouka)
Koe no Katachi (A Silent Voice) is a manga series written and illustrated by Yoshitoki Ooima. The series began as a one-shot in the February 2011 issue of Kodansha’s Bessatsu Shonen Magazine. A full manga series was then produced in August 2013 where it was published weekly in Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine. The series itself ended on the 12th this month for a total of 61 chapters compiled into 7 volumes, with the last volume releasing on December 17th. Since its publication, the series has sold over 700,000 copies as of May 2014.
Here is a synopsis of the series from MAL:
Ishida Shouya bullies a deaf girl, Nishimiya Shouko, to the point that she drops out of school. As a result, he is ostracized and bullied himself with no friends to speak of and no plans for the future.
This is the story of his path to redemption.
The Koe no Katachi anime film, produced by Kyoto Animation, will be scheduled to release in Japan on September 17 this year. Additional information about the anime will be revealed at a later date.
Yunyun from the anime adaptation of Natsume Akatsuki and Kurone Mishima’s Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo!(Give Blessings to This Wonderful World!) light novel series has been featured as a poster in the May 2016 issue of Megami. This issue can be purchased here (get 5% off with coupon code MOE-N3Y-4YW0QK) and you can view the other posters in this issue here.
The series was also featured in the same issue as above in another poster.
In addition to this, a second season of the anime adaptation has been announced following the conclusion of the TV anime. Kurone Mishima, the illustrator of the light novels, posted a congratulatory drawing on Twitter following the announcement.
In addition to this, it has been revealed that the sales Natsume Akatsuki and Kurone Mishima’s Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo!(Give Blessings to This Wonderful World!) light novel series has increased three times in nine months after the production of its TV anime adaptation was announced in May 2015. The adaptation is animated by Studio DEEN and has been airing since January 2016.
Before the announcement, the novel series released eight volumes (including spin-off) and its total print run was 400,000 copies, 50,000 per volume. Then the sales started growing rapidly, reaching one million print run with 10 volumes by the end of 2015. As of now, the 11-volume series has a total of 1.5 million copies in print, each volume has 136,000 copies.
Kadokawa began streaming a 15-second commercial for the OVA that will be included in the ninth limited edition of Natsume Akatsuki and Kurone Mishima’s Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! (Give Blessings to This Wonderful World!) light novel series. The video reveals that Aki Toyosaki (Momo Belia Deviluke from To LOVE-Ru Darkness) will play the character Yunyun in the episode and previews the opening theme “fantastic dreamer” by Machico. Yunyun will not appear in the TV anime series.
In related news the girls from the series have been featured as a poster in the April 2016 issueof Megami. You can purchase this issue here (get 5% off with coupon code MOE-N3Y-4YW0QK).
Aqua and Megumin were recently featured as a double page spread in the March 2016 issue of Dengeki G‘s Magazine. You can purchase this issue here (get 5% off with coupon code MOE-N3Y-4YW0QK).
In addition to this, Megumin has been featured as a poster in the March 2016 issue of Megami. You can purchase this issue here (get 5% off with coupon code MOE-N3Y-4YW0QK).
In addition to this, Aqua has been featured as a poster in the February 2016 issue of Megami. This issue can be purchased here (get 5% off with coupon code MOE-N3Y-4YW0QK) and you can view the other posters that came in this issue here.
Here’s the recent anime visual:
The main cast of the anime has been revealed and includes:
Jun Fukushima (Yoshihisa Manabe from Kotoura-san) will voice Kazuma Satou
Japanese pop singer Machico will perform the anime’s Opening theme song “fantastic dreamer” with voice actresses Sora Amamiya, Rie Takahashi and Ai Kayano singing the Ending theme song “Chiisana Boukensha” in character.
The website also revealed two additional visuals:
Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! (Give Blessings to This Wonderful World!) is a fantasy adventure light novel series written by Natsume Akatsuki and illustrated by Kurone Mishima. The series began in October 2013 being published under Kadokawa Shoten’s Sneaker Bunko imprint, where a total of 7 volumes have been produced to date. A spin-off light novel series titled Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Bakuen o! is also being produced alongside the parent novel, with 3 volumes to date. A manga adaptation is currently being serialized in Fujimi Shobo’s Monthly Dragon Age magazine.
Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! synopsis from MAL:
The life of Satou Kazuma, a hikikomori who likes games, all too soon came to an end because of a traffic accident… It was supposed to, but when he woke up, a beautiful girl who called herself a goddess was in front of his eyes.
“Hey, I have got something a little nice for you. Wanna go to another world? You can take only one thing of your choice along with you.”
“…then I’ll take you.”
From here on, the great adventure of subjugating the Demon King will begin for the reincarnated Kazuma… Or so one would think, but it’s the labor for obtaining food, clothing and shelter that begins! Despite Kazuma wanting to live in peace, the goddess keeps causing problems one after another, and eventually, they attract the attention of the Demon King’s army!?
The official website of Kouji Wada has announced that the Japanese singer has passed away at the age of 42, on Sunday, April 3 due to cancer in his upper pharynx.
Wada, born in Fukuchiyama, Kyoto, Japan on January 24, 1974, is most known for performing the Opening theme song to the 1999 TV anime Digimon Adventure. The theme song, Butter-fly, was also his debut song from his first album All of My Mind. Since then, Wada has been performing the main theme songs to many of the Digimon anime series. He has also produced many songs outside ofDigimon, including many of the songs from his Kazakami no Oka Kara album, and a song for the 2001 Transformers anime. His most recent song is Seven, which was produced for Digimon Adventure tri. and was released earlier this week.
The first details about his battle with cancer were revealed in 2003 where he went on a two year hiatus; he resumed his singing career in 2006. In 2011 he had another hiatus after the cancer metastasized despite being treated in 2003.
Chiya Ujimatsu from the anime adaptation of Koi’s 4koma manga series Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka? (Is the order a rabbit?) has been featured as a 2 meter full sized pull out character poster in the May 2016 issue of Megami. This issue can be purchased here (get 5% off with coupon code MOE-N3Y-4YW0QK) and you can view the other posters from this issue here.
in addition to this, Rize Tedeza has also been featured as a 2 meter full sized pull out character poster in the April 2016 issue of Megami. This issue can be purchased here (get 5% off with coupon code MOE-N3Y-4YW0QK).
Chino Kafuu was recently featured as a magical girl in the March 2016 issue of Megami as a 2 meter full sized pull out character poster. This issue can be purchased here (get 5% off with coupon code MOE-N3Y-4YW0QK).
In related news, Moka Hoto and Midori Aoyama were also featured in the same issue as a poster.
In addition to this, Kokoa Hoto recently stole the spotlight as a poster in the February 2016 issue of Megami. This issue can be purchased here (get 5% off with coupon code MOE-N3Y-4YW0QK) and you can view the other posters that came in this issue here.
In related news, Chino Kafuu has been featured as a magical girl poster in the February 2016 issue of Megami. This issue can be purchased here (get 5% off with coupon code MOE-N3Y-4YW0QK) and you can view the other posters that came in this issue here.
The series has also been featured in the January 2016 issue of Megami as a poster. This issue of Megami magazine here (get 5% off with coupon code MOE-N3Y-4YW0QK) and you can view the other posters that come in this issue here.
Rize Tedeza, Chino Kafuu and Kokoa Hoto have recently been featured in the January 2016 issue of Dengeki G‘s Magazine as a festive double page spread. You can purchase this issue here (get 5% off with coupon code MOE-N3Y-4YW0QK).
Another festive poster of the cast has also been featured in the January 2016 issue of NyanType. This issue of NyanTypecan be purchased here and you can view the posters that came in this issue here.
In related news, Chino has also been getting festive and has been featured as a poster in the December 2015 issue of Animedia. This issue of Animedia can be purchased here and you can view the other posters that came in this issue here.
In addition to this, the girls have been featured as a poster in the December 2015 issue of Megami. You can purchase this issue of Megami magazine here and view the other posters that came in this issue here.
The girls were have been featured as a Halloween poster in the December 2015 issue of NyanType. You can purchase this issue of NyanType magazine here and view the other posters that came in this issue here.
In addition to this, another Halloween themed poster of the girls has been featured in the December 2015 issueof Megami. You can purchase this issue of Megami magazine here.
Another poster visual has been featured in the November 2015 issue of NyanType. You can purchase this issue of NyanType magazine here and you can view the other posters that come in this issue here.
In addition to this, Chino Kafuu and Kokoa Hoto were preparing for the sequel anime in a new poster visual in the October 2015 issue of Megami.
Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka?, also known in short form as GochiUsa, is a Japanese 4-panel comedy manga series by Koi, serialized in Houbunsha’s seinen manga magazine Manga Time Kirara Max since March 2011. It has been collected in three tankobon volumes as of March 2014. An anime television series adaptation by White Fox aired in Japan between April and June 2014.
Synopsis of GochiUsa‘s first season from Haruhichan:
Cocoa arrives at the cafe Rabbit House one day, excited for rabbits. She actually all but lives in that cafe. She meets lots of different girls there, including a tiny and cool girl named Chino, a tough and soldier-esque girl named Rize, a spacey and quintessentially Japanese girl named Chiyo, and the ordinary but dignified Sharo.
The official website of the anime adaptation of Tappei Nagatsuki and Shintarou Otsuka’s Re: Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu (Re: Life in a Different World from Zero) light novel series has revealed that the series will have a total of 25 episodes, airing over two consecutive seasons.
The site has revealed that the anime will be split up into a total of 9 Blu-ray and DVD volumes, where the 9th and final volume will contain episodes 24 and 25. The first volume will release in Japan on June 24th, with the final volume releasing on February 24th, 2017. The first and last volumes will contain 2 episodes, whilst all the other volumes will feature three episodes.
The Re:Zero TV anime airs every Monday at 1:05am JST on TV Tokyo. The anime also airs on TV Osaka on Wednesdays at 1:35am JST and on TV Aichi every Friday at 2:05am JST.
Here is the anime’s main cast:
Yuusuke Kobayashi (Arslan in Arslan Senki) voicing as Subaru Natsuki
Rie Takahashi (Megumin from Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo!) as Emilia
Yumi Uchiyama (Yoko Inokuma from Kiniro Mosaic) will voice Pack
Chinatsu Akasaki (Shinka Nibutani in Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!) voices Felt
Yuuichi Nakamura (Kyousuke Kousaka in Oreimo) will voice the role of Reinhard van Astrea
Inori Minase (Chino Kafuu in Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka?) voicing as Rem
Rie Murakawa (Hotaru Ichijou from Non Non Biyori) as Ram
Satomi Arai (Kuroko Shirai from Toaru Majutsu no Index) will voice Beatrice
Takehito Koyasu (Aokiji from One Piece) as Roswell L Mathers
The production staff of the anime includes:
Director: Masaharu Watanabe (Wakaba Girl, Naruto SD: Rock Lee no Seishun Full-Power Ninden)
Series Composer: Masahiro Yokotani (Free!, Hataraku Maou-sama!)
Chief Animation Director and Anime Character Designer: Kyuta Sakai (Sakura Trick, Steins;Gate)
Music Composer: Kenichiro Suehiro (Akasaka, Tears to Tiara)
Animation Studio: White Fox (Steins;Gate, Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka?)
The Opening theme song of the anime will be “Redo” performed by Konomi Suzuki and the Ending theme song will be “Styx Helix” by Myth & Roid.
Here is the latest promotional video of Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvhgOe9BY5A
First promo video:
Re: Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu (Re: Life in a Different World from Zero) is a fantasy light novel series written by Tappei Nagatsuki with illustrations by Shintarou Otsuka. The series started in early 2014 being published under Kadokawa’s MF Bunko J imprint. To date a total of 8 volumes have been published. There have been two manga adaptations produced thus far. The first manga is drawn by Daichi Matsue and published under Monthly Comic Alive where the series ended at 2 volumes. The second series is by Makoto Fugetsu with the first volume releasing in March under Square Enix’s Big Gangan magazine.
Here is the series synopsis from MAL:
Suddenly high school student Subaru Natsuki has been summoned to another world on the way back from the convenience store. With the biggest crisis of his life being summoned to another world and no sign of the one who summoned him, things become worse when he is attacked. But when he is saved by a mysterious silver-haired girl with a fairy cat, Subaru cooperates with the girl to return the favor. When they finally manage to get a clue, Subaru and the girl are attacked and killed by someone. Subaru then awakens in the place he was summoned and notices he gained the ability “Returns by Death.” A helpless boy that only has the ability to rewind time by dying. And beyond the despair can he save the girl from the fate of death?
The Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu anime will broadcast its first episode on Monday, April 4th at 1:05am JST on TV Tokyo.
Ah yes, here comes yet another review of a Kyoto Animation anime by yours truly. As I’ve mentioned multiple times, this is my favourite animation studio, and they’ve made some of my all-time favourite anime: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, K-On!, Kanon (2006), Clannad, and Hibike! Euphonium (as of right now anyway: the second season should air this year and we’ll see if my opinion changes). There are stinkers in their history like Tamako Market, and Kyoukai no Kanata, but there are also the aforementioned anime. I mentioned in a ranting Tweet that being a Kyoto Animation fan is much like being a Nintendo fan: capable of making the greatest mediums in their respective industries, but not always doing it. This theme popped up in my head repeatedly as I watched through Musaigen no Phantom World which, judging from general public opinion, is one of their worst showings in recent years. I felt the same throughout most of the anime as I was debating if this, or Tamako Market, would grab the unwanted title of my least favourite KyoAni anime. Now, where would Musaigen no Phantom World end up on this KyoAni fan’s list?
Story and Characters:
In the near future, an explosion at a chemical factory leaks out to the public. The chemicals force a change in human’s brains allowing humans to see Phantoms, beings that live alongside humans that were previously invisible. Phantoms range from being friendly helpful beings, to being openly hostile. The chemical reaction also causes some humans to develop supernatural powers. A decade and a half later, some of the newborn humans born around the time of the explosion are now Phantom hunters, and they track down and seal Phantoms that are causing problems. The protagonist, Haruhiko Ichijou, and his female teammate, Mai Kawakami, form a team to hunt down Phantoms. Unfortunately, they’re one of the worst teams in the school, and look to augment their team with new members. They initially recruit Reina Izumi, a Phantom eater, to start.
Musaigen no Phantom World has a very interesting concept. Early on, they mention that not everything has been discovered with Phantoms, which opened up a realm of possibilities. There was plenty of opportunities to do a story about solving the mystery of the organization that owned the factory that exploded, especially as they had moved onto research about the chemical reaction. Unfortunately, Musaigen no Phantom World ends up squandering every opportunity to tell a good story, and instead becomes a disappointing episodic anime. They dabble in some light character development for the main cast of characters, with only Haruhiko and Mai getting any significant development. The majority of these episodes are massive fanservice bait, including being hypnotized by a family of Phantom rabbits and sprouting ears and a tail, everyone slowly becoming cat-like, and a hot spring episode because why not, they nailed everything else. Imagine every possible moe fanservice thing you can think of, and it’s likely they did it at one point or another in this anime. However, it wasn’t all bad. The episodes were still rather enjoyable, and I kind of enjoyed the light-heartedness of the episodes.
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The main reason why I wrote that introduction in the beginning was a direct response to episode 11, which brought out a sense of realism and genuine touching moments that contrasted the previous 10 episodes. It was a big standout episode that brought out the best of Mai and Haruhiko, and it reminded of the moments of sadness and heartbreak that defined Clannad. Right after I watched that episode, I went on a Twitter rant about how good that episode was and how frustrating it is that something that good is going to be hidden under a sea of mediocre episodes. If all of the other episodes could have been like that one, it would easily have topped my list of favourite KyoAni shows. The final couple of episodes were what I’m sure most people wanted out of Musaigen no Phantom World to start off with, but instead it just ends up being tagged on at the end. It’s almost as if KyoAni just wanted to prove it could come up with an intriguing story, just for show. Unfortunately, that leaves us with 10 episodes of just regular Phantom-catching.
When it comes to characters they can be endearing, depending on what you were expecting out of the anime. In addition to Haruhiko, Mai, and Reina, there’s also Koito Minase, a girl with the power to attack using her voice, and Kurumi Kumamakura, a girl with the power to enlarge her teddy bear to fight. For me, they weren’t too bad, but I wish they could have been developed more. Many of those fanservice episodes could have developed the characters more instead of just catching Phantoms. Each of the characters gets their own development episode, but a couple of them get more than one episode for development. The cast is all right, but nothing truly special.
… Oh and there’s also Haruhiko’s Phantom companion Ruru. A character that’s so forgettable I almost forgot to include her here, and even in my First Impressions, I completely forgot.
Musaigen no Phantom World disappoints on its story, or lack thereof until the end, with average characters. They do leave it open for a second season, and if they do make one, it better be more like the end of the anime here.
The final three episodes of the anime was a million times more interesting than everything that preceded it.
Art and Animation:
I could cut and paste my usual Kyoto Animation Art and Animation sections into Musaigen no Phantom World. KyoAni never skimps on its art and animation budget, and they’re consistently one of the best. There’s not much to say in terms of art and animation as it’s KyoAni’s usual top quality. Since this anime followed KyoAni’s last anime, Hibike! Euphonium, I can’t quite help but compare it to Hibike! Euphonium‘s stellar animation. Musaigen no Phantom World isn’t as well animated as Hibike! Euphonium, but Hibike! Euphonium was a truly special case. The fight scenes look pretty good, which is a big plus for an action series. Granted, KyoAni adds a lot of effects to their action scenes, which can make it a little hard to follow on occasion.
Kyoto Animation is one of the few anime studios with a truly distinctive look to all of their anime. If you’ve seen a KyoAni anime since Hyouka, you already know what Musaigen no Phantom World looks like.
Sound and Music:
I don’t often say that a voice actor is perfect for any particular character. However, Musaigen no Phantom World has one. Saori Hayami voicing Reina is absolutely perfect. I can’t imagine another voice actress doing Reina nearly as well. The other voice actors also do a good job with their characters, and this might be due to experience. For the first time in a while, Kyoto Animation hired veterans to voice their characters. I will say that the two new voice actresses, Azusa Tadokoro who voices Ruru, and Misaki Kuno, do show a little bit of inexperience. They’re still decent, but it’s hard to compare them to the other cast members.
I mentioned in my First Impressions of Musaigen no Phantom World that I didn’t like the opening song, “Naked Dive”, by SCREEN mode. That has changed dramatically. I had the song on repeat for a while, and will still play it on occasion. This means that my streak of liking all KyoAni’s songs remains intact, as I still like the ending song, 純真Always (Junshin Always) by Azusa Tadokoro. I do like her singing voice, even if I wasn’t a fan of her character. There is also one background theme in particular that played in the last two episodes that really helped out with the darkened mood by the end. I enjoyed it, and it got me hyped up for what was happening.
Final Verdict:
Musaigen no Phantom World came in riding on a wave of hype, especially since this would have been the first time since Kyoukai no Kanata that Kyoto Animation has done anything remotely action-based. Unfortunately, all we got was an episodic, fanservice-filled anime with a story concept that was really interesting, but never bore fruit until the end. It’s a shame, since I still feel like if Musaigen no Phantom World was done a different way, it would have been a really good anime. Perhaps if they didn’t mess around so much trying to be cute, they actually could have gotten a good story out of it. Now, as someone who likes moe anime and light-hearted stuff in general, this may be a surprise that I didn’t like Musaigen no Phantom World. However, there are certain times when I have an expectation for an anime. Musaigen no Phantom World didn’t appear like it was going to be an episodic, almost slice of life-like anime. It looked like it could have genuinely had an intriguing story. This anime will join Tamako Market as something I can say was bad for trying to pander too much to the moe fanbase, and not delivering. This anime was still better than Tamako Market thanks to the final arc and characters, but that still places Musaigen no Phantom World as my second least favourite KyoAni anime. Even after all is said and done it was a fun ride, but one that had more lows than highs.
+ Good music
+ Good art
+/- Still generally enjoyable, as long as you weren’t expecting a story out of it
– Weak story
– Uneven character development
– Over-reliance on fanservice
What are your thoughts on Musaigen no Phantom World? Leave your thoughts in the comments!
My reaction after I finished this anime. So much potential wasted…
Two new visuals for the anime adaptation of Ghost in the Shell creator Masamune Shirow and Excel Sagamanga author Koshi Rikudo’s Koukaku no Pandora: Ghost Urn (Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn) has been featured as posters in the May 2016 issue of NyanType. This issue can be purchased here (get 5% off with coupon code MOE-N3Y-4YW0QK) and you can view the other posters included in this issue here.
The cast for the anime include:
Sanae Fuku (Risa Shirakaba from Aikatsu!) as Nene Nanakorobi
Manami Numakura (Yurika Toudou from Aikatsu!) as Clarion
Atsuko Tanaka (Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell) as Uzal Delilah
Junpei Morita (Kiel Aronnax from Wild Arms: Twilight Venom) as Buer
Satsumi Matsuda (Hiroe Atago from Saki Zenkoku-hen) as Buri
Rie Murakawa (Hotaru Ichijou from Non Non Biyori) as Bunny
Marie Miyake (Aki Mikage from Gin no Saji) as Takumi Korobase
Tetsu Inada (Kurogane from Tsubasa Chronicle) as Robert Altman
Animation Studio: Studio Gokumi (Kiniro Mosaic, Saki Zenkoku-hen)
The TV anime will feature ZAQ’s opening theme song “hopeness.” Sanae Fuku and Manami Numakura are singing the ending theme song “LoSe±CoNtRoL” as their characters. ZAQ is writing, composing, arranging, and singing the opening theme song, and is also writing and composing the ending theme song. TECHNOBOYS PULCRAFT GREEN-FUND is arranging the ending theme song.
Manga visual:
Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Koshi Rikudo, based on a concept by Masamune Shirow. An anime adaptation was released in theaters in 2015, later airing as a TV series starting in January 2016.
Koukaku no Pandora: Ghost Urn synopsis from MAL:
In an age when large-scale natural disasters frequently happen all over the world, when cyborgs and autonomous robots are beginning to appear on the market in technologically advanced nations, and major world powers compete for technology and resources, the divide between rich and poor grows and the future for the poor looks bleak. In this transitional stage, everyone wanders around in a self-indulgent daze and the way out isn’t clear… This is the story of how two cybernetically enhanced girls meet.
The first theatrical trailer has been released for Makoto Shinkai’s (5 Centimeters Per Second, The Garden of Words) upcomingKimi no Na wa. (your name.) anime film and has revealed that the film will open in Japanese theatres on August 26.
The first 90 second theatrical trailer has been released revealing the film’s release date. In addition, it also previews the “Zen Zen Zense” performed by the Japanese rock band Radwimps. The band will be composing over 20 songs for Kimi no Na wa., however they will not be composing the main theme song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3HwWJx4c60
In addition to this, the official website recently revealed a new visual:
In addition to this, two new images have been revealed for film’s two main characters. The revealed cast so far includes:
Ryunosuke Kamiki (Kenji Koiso from Summer Wars) will voice Taki Tachibana
Mone Kamishiraishi (Kanade Ooe from Chihayafuru Live Action Films) is voicing as Mitsuha Miyamizu
The production staff of the anime movie consists of:
Director and Series Composer: Makoto Shinkai (5 Centimeters Per Second, The Garden of Words)
Animation Studio: CoMix Wave Inc. (Children Who Chase Lost Voices, Hana to Alice Satsujin Jiken)
Here is the first teaser trailer:
Kimi no Na wa. visual:
The anime’s website has also released a few images showcasing the gorgeous background art:
Kimi no Na wa. synopsis from MAL:
The story is set one month after a comet has fallen for the first time in a thousand years in Japan. Mitsuba, a high school girl living in the countryside, wants to live in the city because she is tired of life in the country. Then, there’s Taki. He’s a high school student living in Tokyo with his friends while working as a part-timer at an Italian restaurant. He also has a strong interest in fine arts involving architecture. One day, Mitsuba dreams of herself as a young man. On the other hand, Taki also has a dream where he is a female student attending high school in the countryside. What’s the secret behind their dreams?
Kimi no Na wa. will be releasing in Japanese theatres in August 2016. Additional information about the new film will be revealed later in the film’s production.
Following the broadcast of the final episode of the anime adaptation of Haruko Kumota’s Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu (Shouwa Genroku Era Comic Storytelling) manga, it was announced that a second season of the anime has been green-lit.
The second season of the anime will be titled Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu: Sukeroku Futatabi-hen and will continue where the first season left off. It will adapt the third story arc from the manga, Sukeroku Futatabi-hen.
The main cast of the first anime includes:
Tomokazu Seki (Itaru Hashida from Steins;Gate) voices Yotarou
Akira Ishida (Kotaro Katsura in Gintama) as Yakumo Yuurakutei
Kouichi Yamadera (Spike Spiegel in Cowboy Bebop) voiced Sukeroku Yuurakutei
Yuu Kobayashi (Sasha Blouse from Attack on Titan) voices the role of Konatsu
Shigeru Ushiyama (Hiluluk from One Piece) voicing Matsuda
Megumi Hayashibara (Ai Haibara from Detective Conan) as Yurie
he production staff of the first season includes:
Director: Shinichi Omata (Sankarea)
Series Composition: Jun Kumagai (Psycho-Pass Season 2, Re:␣Hamatora)
Character Design: Mieko Hosoi (Aiura, Hai to Gensou no Grimgar)
Music: Kana Shibue (Debut Role)
Animation Studio: Studio Deen (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, Rurouni Kenshin)
Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu (Shouwa Genroku Era Comic Storytelling) is a manga written and illustrated by Haruko Kumota. The series began in 2010 in Kodansha’s Itan magazine where a total of 9 compiled volumes have been released. The series has won two awards: the Best General Manga award at this year’s Kodansha Manga Awards and the Excellence Award at the 2013 Japan Media Arts Festival Awards. An anime adaptation of the series was produced for the Winter 2016 anime season.
Here is a synopsis of the series from Haruhichan:
When a certain man is released from prison, he knows exactly where he’s heading first. After falling in love with a traditional comic storyteller’s rendition of the story called “Shinigami,” he is determined to become his apprentice. The performer, Yakumo, has never taken an apprentice before, but to everyone’s surprise, he accepts the eager ex-prisoner, nicknaming him “Yotaro.”
As Yotaro happily begins his new life, he meets others in Yakumo’s life, including Yakumo’s ward Konatsu. Konatsu was the daughter of a famous storyteller, and Yakumo took her in after her father’s tragic death. Konatsu loved her father’s storytelling, and would love to become a performer in her own right—but that path is not available for women.
A second season of the Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is currently in production. It will continuing from the first season and will adapt the third arc from the manga, Sukeroku Futatabi-hen.
Manga artist Naoshi Arakawa, has become a confirmed guest by the Anime Expo staff on April 6 for the expo in summer of 2016.
Arakawa is the artist behind works such as his debut Tsumetai Kousha noToki wa Tomaru (The Time Stops on a Frozen Campus) in 2007, Sayonara Football in 2010, and his most renowned work, Shigatsu Kimi no Uso (Your Lie in April) from 2013.
Currently, he is working to launch a new series in Monthly Shonen Magazine.
His work, Shigatsu Kimi no Uso, has been adapted into an anime, and not only won a Kondansha Manga Award, but was also made into a live action movie that is scheduled to released in late fall of 2016.
Big fans of his work will be excited to see him in person at the Expo that takes place the first week of July 2016. Details on days he will be appearing as well as possible panels and meet ups are not yet announced.
Fairy Tail‘s author Hiro Mashima is known for producing sketches for each holiday, but with his busy schedule he forgot about April Fool’s things and fans took to social media to remind him. Here’s what he produced for April Fools’ Day:
During the Anime Japan 2016 event in March, Cygames (Shingeki no Bahamut) revealed an anime promotional video for the upcoming Horse Girls: Pretty Derby(Uma Musume – Pretty Derby) mobile game. The video itself briefly introduces the zany premise of the upcoming game, where players will have to manage the horse girls as idols.
Charapedia asked 10,000 anime fans the question: Which female anime voice actor is your favorite? And from thousands of fans, most of the responses are from the male fans (43.2%), female fans (56.8%) and teens to adults in their 20s (63.7%) while the other 26.3% are 30 and over.
Here are the results:
20) Chiwa Saito (Akemi Homura from Madoka Magica and Riko Aida from Kuroko’s Basketball)
19) Mamiko Noto (Hell Girl’s Ai Enma and Fairy Tail’s Mavis Vermilion)
18) Haruka Tomatsu (Sword Art Online’s Asuna and To Love-Ru’s Lala Deviluke)
17 -Suzuko Mimori (Love Live! School Idol Project’s Umi Sonoda and Tantei Opera Milky Holmes’ Sherlock Shellingford)
16) Yui Horie (Monogatari’s Tsubasa Hanekawa and Hyperdimension Neptunia’s Nepgear)
The Supply Depot Princess from the Kantai Collection franchise has been featured as a poster in the May 2016 issue of NyanType. This issue can be purchased here (get 5% off with coupon code MOE-N3Y-4YW0QK) and you can view the other posters included in this issue here.
In related news, first promotional video for the upcoming anime film based on the Kantai Collection franchise has been streamed.
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3p77aq
The official website for the upcoming anime film based on the Kantai Collection franchise launched a new visual last December. The visual was previously spotted at Kokusai-Tenjijo Station railway station ahead of December 29-31’s Comiket 89.
At the recent SummerKan Colle Naval event, it was announced that an anime film based on the Kantai Collectionfranchise is currently in production and is scheduled to release in 2016. The first main image of the film was also released. The event screened footage that features the Kan-musume characters Fubuki, Mutsuki, Yuudachi, Akagi and Kaga, Hiryuu Kaini and Souryuu Kaini, the four Kongou sisters (Kaini), Kitakami and Ooi, Chokai Kaini, Yubari, Mutsu and Nagato, Kako Kaini and Furutaka Kaini, Zuikaku and Shoukaku, Shimakaze, Kuma, and Ooyodo.
Last March it was revealed at the ending scene of the final episode of the TV anime Kantai Collection that the series will get a sequel. The announcement was made at the end of episode 12 on Tokyo MX with the text indicating “Sequel production confirmed!!”.
The Twitter account of Kantai Collection: Kan Colle has revealed that the 2016 anime film is not the previously announced second season, so there will be both a film and second season out next year.
Anime visual:
Kantai Collection is an online, card battle, browser game that is developed by Dmm.com that launched in April last year. The game currently has more than 2 million registered players and was 2013’s top Twitter trend in Japan. The game centers around naval card battles, where naval ships are represented by “Fleet Girls”. Players battle against other online in an attempt to gain more cards and levels. The game has been increasing with popularity since its release, with a slew of merchandising being released after the game’s release; from tabletop games to manga, and light novels to this anime and the PlayStation Vita game Kan Colle Kai. An anime adaptation of the series was produced for the Winter 2014/2015 anime season, directed by Keizo Kusakawa (Akuma no Riddle, Dog Days) and animated by Diomedea (Shinryaku! Ika Musume, Akuma no Riddle).
Set in a world where humanity has lost control of the oceans to the “deep sea fleet,” the only hope to counter this threat are the Kanmusu, a group of girls who possess the spirit of Japanese warships. The story revolves around Fubuki, a destroyer who comes to the Chinjufu base to train with other Kanmusu. Watch as their stories unfold!
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...
