Yesterday, according to the official Twitter account of Kadokawa’s Dengeki Girl’s Style magazine, a series of tweets announced that there will be a new magazine that is dedicated for music and 2D idols. It will debut next week, December 19, 2014, titled as My★Star.
From Dengeki Girl’s Style, a 2D Idol & Music magazine titled as “My★Star” will be released! 4 members of an ultra-popular idol group, MARGINAL#4, will be presented in the cover. It will be released on December 19 (Friday) !!
The cover for the 2D Idol & Music magazine, “My★Star,” which will launch on December 19, is here! The cover, MARGINAL#4, is illustrated by no other than Sou Kirishima-sensei !!
My★Star will feature anime shows and idol properties such as:
The official English website has streamed a new trailer for the first OVA in the Gundam: The Origin OVA , Gundam: The Origin – Aoi Hitomi No Casval (Gundam The Origin: Blue-Eyed Casval). This new trailer has English subtitles and previews the premise and setting of the upcoming anime as well as its intrigue and battle scenes. The animated film is an adaptation of the 2001 manga written by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko and ran from June 2001 till June 2011. The series will be a new retelling of the original anime and will follow the story of Casval Rem Deikun and Artesia Som Deikun before the One-Year War in UC.0068. The series will be directed by Takashi Imanishi (Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory) and produced by Sunrise (Mobile Suit Gundam, Love Live! School Idol Project). It will feature Mayumi Tanaka (Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece) as Casval Rem Deikun and Megumi Han (Gon Freecss in Hunter x Hunter) as Artesia Som Deikun.
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin – Aoi Hitomi no Casvalwill be releasing in Japan on February 28 and Right Stuf will distribute the anime in North America next year.
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin Promotional Video 3:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2arvy8
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin Promotional Video 2:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1xmzid
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin Promotional Video 1:
According to Kodansha Comics’ official Twitter and Tumblr account, they announced that they will be licensing Naoshi Arakawa’s (Sayonara Football, Tsumetai Kousha no Toki wa Todomaru) manga, Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso, and will be released in English edition in North America. The first English compiled manga volume will be released around Spring 2015.
Starting Spring 2015, Kodansha Comics will release the manga Your Lie in April by Naoshi Arakawa! http://t.co/LBcInwnjgA
The music / romantic series, Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso, was published on May 2011 in Kodansha’s Monthly Shounen Magazine. There are currently 10 compiled manga volumes for the series. The tenth volume was released on October 17, 2014. The official guidebook for the series titled as Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso Prelude Official Guidebook which includes commentaries and author interviews was released on November 17, 2014.
Volume 1 Manga Cover
Volume 2 Manga Cover
Volume 3 Manga Cover
Volume 4 Manga Cover
Volume 5 Manga Cover
Volume 6 Manga Cover
Volume 7 Manga Cover
Volume 8 Manga Cover
Volume 9 Manga Cover
Volume 10 Manga Cover
Official Guidebook Front Cover
Official Guidebook Back Cover
The manga received an anime adaptation that was produced by A-1 Pictures (Fairy Tail (2014), Nanatsu no Taizai). It began airing on October 9, 2014 under the Fall 2014 season. It was announced to have 22 total episodes. The anime was directed by Kyohei Ishiguro (Episode 9 Director for Psycho-Pass, Episode 7 Director for Hourou Musuko).
Synopsis of Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso from Kodansha:
Kosei Arima was a piano prodigy until his cruel taskmaster of a mother died suddenly, changing his life forever. Driven by his pain to abandon piano, Kosei now lives in a monotonous, colorless world. Having resigned himself to a bland life, he is surprised when he meets Kaori Miyazono, a violinist with an unorthodox style. Can she teach Kosei not just how to play, but how to start living again?
Visit the official anime website of the series here.
A user of 4chan’s anime board has revealed that there has been a massive leak of the storyboards for 24th episode of the Akame ga Kill! anime, which is scheduled to air on Saturday the 14th of December. The leak reveals the entirety of the final episode of the anime adaptation of Takahiro and Tetsuya Tashiro’s manga of the same name.
Note: Spoilers for the upcoming final episode of Akame ga Kill!
The entire storyboard has leaked for the final episode of the Akame ga Kill! anime, which is produced by White Fox’s (Steins;Gate, Jormungand). Storyboards give a general idea and flow for what a sequence of scenes will look like in the final production. These are generally crude and rush drawings that give a general idea on key moments in a scene that should be focused on, either a particular character, piece of dialogue or their expressions.
There are about 200 pages/images of the episode’s entire storyboard so it will outline almost all the scenes in the anime. There is also a download link to the original leaked PDF.
So you are warned again, the following 200+ images contains massive spoilers:
And here is a rundown of the major events throughout the episode based on a summary by redditor animethrowaway912938:
Akame fights with Esdeath where Esdeath’s arm is cut off. She eventually loses to Akame in her ghoul mode where Esdeath did not use trump card Mahapadma throughout the fight. In her last moments, Esdeath is shambles towards Tatsumi and freeze each other together in a block of ice, to be together for eternity. Meanwhile Leone is fighting Prime Minister Honest. After a brutal fight where the two exchange devastating wounds, with the PM breaking Leone’s Taigu, Leone manages to defeat the PM and smash his face in. Akame and Leone meet and congratulate each other on their victories. Unfortunately Leone succumbs to her wounds, from the PM shooting her, and dies in a dark alleyway.
Akame and Najenda are the only ones that remain in the Night Raid and are now highly wanted. A bunch of mysterious men approach her before the scene cuts to Wave and Run walking towards the sunset. It then transitions into he final scene of the anime with Akame dashing, leaping and slashing the screen before the logo appears for the final time.
Akame ga Kill! is an original manga written by Takahiro and illustrated by Tetsuya Tashiro. The manga is a dark action fantasy that launched in 2010 and is published in Square Enix’s monthly Gangan Joker magazine. To date there are 9 volumes of the manga complied. The manga has sold relatively well, with the eighth volume selling over 37,000 copies in its first week. Additionally, a prequel manga titled Akame ga Kill! Zero started serialization in October last year. It is once again written by Takahiro, but features Kei Toru as the artist. An anime adaptation of the series began in Summer this year and is being produced by White Fox’s (Steins;Gate, Jormungand) and directed by Tomoki Kobayashi (Amagami SS, Utawarerumono). The TV broadcast of the anime is censored whilst the Blu-ray release of the anime featured uncensored scenes.
Here is a synopsis of the series from MAL:
In a fantasy world, fighter Tatsumi sets out for the Capitol to earn money for his starving village, and finds a world of unimaginable corruption, all spreading from the depraved Prime Minister who controls the child Emperor’s ear. After nearly becoming a victim of this corruption himself, Tatsumi is recruited by Night Raid, a group of assassins dedicated to eliminating the corruption plaguing the Capitol by mercilessly killing those responsible.
The 24th and final episode of Akame ga Kill! will air on Saturday the 14th of December at 00:00am on Tokyo MX. One major thing to keep note of is that any or all of the scenes from the leaked storyboard may or may not appear in the final release of the episode, the leak could only be a draft and not the final storyboard. Also remember that many of the scenes from the storyboard will be censored on the TV broadcast next week.
You can visit the anime’s official website here: http://akame.tv/
And follow them on Twitter: @akame_tv
Honoka Kosaka, the leader of µ and main protagonist of Love Live! School Idol Project, receives a 1/8th scale figurine sculpted by Good Smile Company. She shines brilliantly while wearing the costume featured in the opening sequence of the anime. This rendition embodies the Honoka everyone knows and loves — an adorable leader with an impossibly attractive personality.
Equipped with her irresistible smile and posh costume, she’s sure to be a great addition to any collector’s figurine lot.
The official website of Subaru and Gainax’s Houkago no Pleiades (Wish Upon the Pleiades) anime has revealed that a new TV series is currently in production, 4 years after the original OVA series. The site has also released the first key visual for the upcoming anime and revealed that more information about the series will be revealed at an upcoming event.
There will be an event on December 16 that will reveal more information about the upcoming TV anime. The event will be held at the Subaru Star Square, or the Showroom at Ebisu Subaru, from 8:30pm till 9:30pm. The event will also feature the return of OVA’s main cast:
Natsumi Takamori (Mei Misaki from Another) will return as Subaru, the pink haired magical girl
Ayuru Ohashi (Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen in Strike Witches) will be back to voice Aoi, the blue haired magical girl
Kanako Tateno (Shirayuki-hime in Otogi-jushi Akazukin) will be voicing Itsuki, the black haired magical girl
Yui Makino (Misaki Nakahara from Welcome to the NHK) as Hikaru, the blonde haired magical girl
Saki Fujita (Ao Nanami from Yozakura Quartet) who voices Nanako, the purple haired magical girl
The series of OVAs that released in 2011 contains 4 short episodes that released online on Youtube. The official channel of the anime has also released English subtitled versions of the series.
Here is episode 1 of Houkago no Pleiades:
Houkago no Pleiades Episode 2:
Episode 3:
And the 4th and final episode:
Houkago no Pleiades (Wish Upon the Pleiades) is an anime project collaboration between animation studio Gainax (Neon Genesis Evangelion, Medaka Box) and Japanese car manufacturer Subaru that centres around the story of five magical girls who collect fragments so an alien can return to its home in Pleiades. It first started as a series of 4 online OVAs that released on Youtube in 2011 that are approximately 6 minutes each. The series was directed by Shouji Saeki (FlCL, Medaka Box) with the anime characters designed by Mai Otsuka (Non Non Biyori, Shakugan no Shana), concept designs by Daisuke Kikuchi (Gurren Lagann Key Animator) and animated by Gainax.
Houkago no Pleiades synopsis:
Subaru is a young girl who discovers that her best friend Aoi is part of magical group trying to gather engine fragments so that a little being from Pleiades can return to his home. Subaru considers joining them as she was chosen by the Pleiadian, president of this afterschool club.
A collaboration between Gainax and the car maker Subaru.
More information about the Houkago no Pleiades TV anime series will be revealed at the December 16 event. So stay tuned until then.
The official website of Nisio Isin and Vofan’s Tsukimonogatari anime has revealed the visual for its upcoming Blu-ray and DVD release. Additionally, a new commercial has been released for Nisio Isin’s next light novel series, Okitegami Kyoko no Bobiroku.
The cover art visual has been released for the home release of the Tsukimonogatari series. The 4 episodes of the anime will be split up into the 2 Blu-ray and DVD volumes that will release on February 4 and March 4 next year, respectively.
Additionally, a third and new commercial has been released for Nisio Isin’s upcoming light novel series, Okitegami Kyoko no Bobiroku. The series itself will be illustrated by Vofan and follows a young forgetful detective who is tasked with solving mysteries before she forgets them. The commercial features Yui Horie (Tsubasa Hanekawa from Bakemonogatari) narrating the CM.
The first commercial released earlier in the year:
The second CM for the series features scenes from the Bakemonogatari anime, as well as a new scene featuring the book’s protagonist animated by Shaft (Nisekoi, Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica), doing the famous Shaft head tilt.
The Tsukimonogatari anime will be the first entry into the third season of the Monogatari series. The light novel itself was released in September 2012 and contains the Yotsugi Doll story. The anime will be 4 episode long and will air on December 31st on Tokyo MX, BS11, and Niconico.
Additionally, the first promotional video for Tsukimonogatari was also released:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaB69GZfXcI
And the first Commercial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2_6DNW74_M
The Monogatari series is a collection of light novels, created by Nisio Isin and illustrated by Vofan. The novels started in late 2005 and published under Kodansha’s Box imprint, where there has been a total of 16 volumes to date. The 17th volume will release on April 3rd, and the 18th and final volume releasing later this year. The light novels first received an anime adaptation titled Bakemonogatari, after the first volume, in 2009 from the animation studio Shaft (Nisekoi, Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica). Since then a total of 12 novels has been animated by the same studio. The most recent adaptation, Hanamonogatari, aired on August 16th. In addition, a drama CD, a PlayStation Portable game and many figures and figurines have been made based on the series. The final book of the Monogatari series, Zokuowarimonogatari, released on September 17th.
Tsukimonogatari synopsis from Haruhichan:
“Please!—Do it, and get it over with.” Slowly but surely, Koyomi Araragi, who “has been averting his eyes from reality”, has no choice but to face it. February comes, and the college entrance exam is approaching. What is this “change” that is happening to his body that cannot be overlooked? The “Monogatari” begins to sprint towards its conclusion. This is Oddity taking place in the modern world! In a story of youth, a word of farewell is inevitable.
Tsukimonogatari will be airing on New Year’s Eve, during the Winter 2014/2015 anime season, for a total of 4 episodes at 10:00pm JST.
The Monogatari x Hello Kitty Cafe promotion event which is being hosted at The Guest Cafe and Diner at Shibuya Parco is now officially opened. When entering the cafe, you are greeted by the three heroines from the series: Mayoi Hachikuji, Shinobu Oshino and Yotsugi Ononoki who appear to be wearing custom Hello Kitty clothing and merchandise.
The collaboration started on December 5 and will lead into the New Year’s Eve broadcast of a four-episode adaptation of Tsukimonogatari. The cafe features Monogatari x Hello Kitty merchandise like tumblers, clear files, pens, rubber straps, badges, key chains, and more. While on the food side of things, there are sandwiches which are are inspired by Yotsugi Ononoki, Shinobu Oshino and Mayoi Hachikuji. They also have character-inspired donuts which will certainly make Shinobu Oshino jealous. Here are some pictures of what the cafe looks like inside:
MAiDiGi also uploaded a video giving you a tour of the cafe before it opened:
Oedo Onsen Monogatari Hot Springs is a lavish hot spring theme park in Odaiba. They’re Tokyo’s first and only hot spring theme park, known for their take-off on an Edo era hot springs experience and for their pop-culture events.
Currently they are holding an event which features the main cast of the Naruto: Shippuuden Movie 7 – The Last:
Meanwhile, the Kuroko no Basketpromotion is also kicking off, but so far only two character designs have been previewed:
Pony Canyon have posted a preview online of the Free!: Eternal Summer straps that will be sold at Comiket 87 which will be taking place on December 28, 29 and 30, 2014. There will be two strap sets sold and each set will cost 3,000 yen (about $25), tax included. Both sets will include two stickers of the fish that appear in the ending theme sequence of the series.
The Free!: Eternal Summer IWATOBI set will include a Haruka Nanase, Makoto Tachibana, Nagisa Hazuki and Rei Ryuugazaki strap.
While the Free!: Eternal Summer SAMEZUKA set will include Rin Matsuoka, Sosuke Yamazaki, Aiichirou Nitori and Momotarou Mikoshiba.
The official website for Death Billiards has launched today and has revealed a new visual and promotional video. Madhouse (No Game No Life, Hunter x Hunter 2011) will be responsible for the anime production and the series is slated to air from January 9, on NTV during the Winter 2014 / 2015 anime season.
In addition to this, the cast and staff was revealed earlier and is as follows:
Character Designer, Animation Director: Shinichi Kurita (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
Recorder: Atsushi Satou (Non Non Biyori)
Art Director, Background Artist: Satoshi Hirayanagi (Hanasaku Iroha)
Key Animator: Yoshinori Kanemori (Monster)
Death Billiards‘ cast:
Tomoaki Maeno – plays as the Bartender
Asami Seto (Selector Spread WIXOSS‘ Urasoe Iona) – plays as Onna, the Bartender’s assistant
Jun Hazumi (Seton Doubutsuki: Kuma no Ko Jacky‘s Keruyan) – plays as Roujin, the old man
Yuuichi Nakamura (BlazBlue: Alter Memory‘s Hazama) – plays as Otoko, the young man
The new visual was also posted on the website today:
Back in November the first visual was also revealed:
Death Billiards is one of the four short movies along with Ryo, Little Witch Academia and Arve Rezzle: Kikaijikake no Yoseitachi for Anime Mirai 2013. The short was created, directed and written by Yuzuru Tachikawa. A television anime series titled Death Parade will begin airing in January, 2015.
It was revealed during a conference for Square Enix’s popular arcade game Gunslinger Stratos that an anime adaptation of the series has been green-lit. The presentation also revealed that Gunslinger Stratos -The Animation- will air in April 2015 throughout the Spring 2015 anime season. The anime’s cast and staff were also revealed and the first visual and promotional video were unveiled on the anime’s official website.
The main cast of Gunslinger Stratos -The Animation- was revealed at the event and includes the following:
Atsushi Abe (Touma Kamijou in Toaru Majutsu no Index) will lead the cast as Tohru Kazasumi
Junichi Suwabe (Archer in Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works) will be voicing as Ricardo Martini
Sayaka Ohara (Erza Scarlet from Fairy Tail) will voice Olga Janetine
Gunslinger Stratos is an arcade game developed by Square Enix. It first released in Japanese arcades in 2012 as a third person shooter utilising dual light gun controls. In the game players can use the analogs on the light guns to move around and fly throughout a recreation of Tokyo. The game also supported 8 player multiplayer and a featured destructible buildings. A sequel of the game released earlier this year in Japanese arcades. The game was first released internationally in a small trail at the 2013 Game Developers Conference. Since then no further announcement about any international release was made, though there have been rumours about Square Enix making a console port of the games.
Suwabe revealed that at least one of the characters will die in the series, and will be filled with drama, death and romance.
Gunslinger Stratos -The Animation- will be airing from April next year on Tokyo MX, BS11, Tochigi TV, Gunma TV and Niconico, during the Spring 2015 anime season. Additional information about the anime will be revealed soon.
The official website of the Kantai Collection anime adaptation has revealed that the upcoming series will be airing from January 7, 2015. A bunch of new characters that will appear in the anime were also revealed, as well as the more of the cast and the OP and ED of the series. Additionally, in a recent interview in Animage it was revealed that the anime will feature roughly 70% slice of life and 30% action.
In a recent interview with the producers of the anime with Japanese anime magazine Animage, they asked the question in regards to the recent release of the first promotional video. They ask how much of the series will feature the everyday lives of the ship girls, in which the producer responded:
Looking at the story as a whole, approximately 70% will be the depiction of the daily lives of the characters and 30% are depictions of battle. I feel battle is more important in the second half of the story and the character development of Fubuki throughout the story is a major highlight of the anime. After being unsuccessful at first she begins to struggle, but tries to work hard, so please pay attention to her as she grows gradually.
The anime’s website has revealed 5 new characters from the mobile game that will be appearing in the upcoming anime. The new characters are:
Keijunyoukan Kitakami
Keijunyoukan Ooi
Keijunyoukan Ooyodo
Juujunyoukan Atago
Choudokyuu Senkan Hiei
The site has also revealed the more of the main cast of the anime. Many of the voice actresses in the series will be voicing multiple characters, and they include:
Aya Suzaki (Tamako Kitashirakawa from Tamako Market) will be voicing: Kuchikukan Akatsuki, Kuchikukan Hibiki, Kuchikukan Ikazuchi and Kuchikukan Inazuma
Ayane Sakura (Kokoa Hoto in Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka?) as: Kei Junyokan Jintsu, Senkan Mutsu, Senkan Nagato, Kei Junyokan Naka, Kei Junyokan Sendai and Kuchikukan Shimakaze
Nao Touyama (Chitoge Kirisaki in Nisekoi) will voice: Juujunyoukan Atago, Choudokyuu Senkan Hiei and Choudokyuu Senkan Kongou
Rina Hidaka (Silica from Sword Art Online) voicing as Kuchikukan Mutsuki
Yuka Ootsubo (Kyouko Toshinou in Yuru Yuri) voices Keijunyoukan Kitakami and Keijunyoukan Ooi
Yumi Tanibe (Debut Role) playing the role of Kuchikukan Yuudachi
Two additional cast members were also revealed though their roles are yet to be announced:
Iori Nomizu (Haruna in Kore wa Zombie Desu ka?)
Sarah Emi Bridcutt (Asuka Kudou in Mondaiji-tachi ga Isekai kara Kuru Sou Desu yo?)
The three leading cast members that were previously revealed include:
Sumire Uesaka (Sanae Dekomori in Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!) will voice Kuchikukan Fubuki
Saki Fujita (Ao Nanami from Yozakura Quartet) is voicing Kuubo Akagi
Yuka Iguchi (Mako Reizei in Girls und Panzer) as Kuubo Kaga
Planning: Takeshi Yasuda (Steins Gate Movie, Strike Witches The Movie, Tokyo ESP)
Story concept: Kensuke Tanaka
Producer: Shinichiro Inoue (Another)
Character Designer & Chief Animation Director: Naomi Ide (Akuma no Riddle, Gingitsune, Mondaiji-tachi ga Isekai kara Kuru Sou Desu yo?), Mayuko Matsumoto (Arakawa Under the Bridge, Astarotte no Omocha!, Senhime Zesshou Symphogear)
Character Designs assistance: Yoshinori Shizuma, Shibafu, Konishi
Mechanical Design: Tsutomu Miyazawa (Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS, Zone of the Enders: Dolores, I, Zone of the Enders: Idolo) , Kōta Morishi
Creature Design: Tsubasa Shimizu
Effects Director: Takashi Hashimoto
Art Director: Maho Takahashi (Amagami SS/Amagami SS+ Plus, Nobunagun, Seto no Hanayome)
Color Design: Shuji Kameimura
CG Director: Eiji Inomoto (Accel World, Black Lagoon, Infinite Stratos)
CG Modeling Director: Hideki Kawabata
CG Production: Orange
Director of Photography: Yasuyuki Itou (Black Rock Shooter (TV), NouCome, Akuma no Riddle)
Editing: Yuuji Oka (Campione!, Fairy Tail, Grenadier)
Sound Director: Toshiki Kameyama (Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu / Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Ni!, Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko, Kokoro Connect)
Sound Production: Glovision (Another, Blood-C, Date A Live)
Music: Kameoka Natsumi (Inazuma Eleven Go vs Danball Senki W Movie, Inazuma Eleven Go: Chrono Stone)
Music Production: Flying Dog (Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha., Date A Live, Space Dandy)
The anime’s Opening theme and Ending theme were also revealed. The OP will be Miiro performed by AKINO from the band bless4 (Amagi Brilliant Park OP) and the anime’s ED will be Fubuki by Shiena Nishizawa.
The first full promotional video of Kantai Collection was also released:
Kantai Collectionis an anime adaptation of the popular online, card browser game Kantai Collection. The game launched in April last year and currently has more than 1.7 million players. The game centers around naval card battles, where naval ships are represented by “Fleet Girls”. The battles are automated for the most part, where the main meat of the game being the strategy, card collecting and grinding. The game is very popular, with a slew of merchandising being released after the game’s release; from table top games to manga, and light novels to this anime adaptation. A PlayStation Vita title is currently in production.
Kantai Collection anime synopsis from Haruhichan:
TV adaptation of the online browser card battle game.
The Kantai Collection: Kan Colle anime will be airing from January 7 next year on Tokyo MX at 25:05 (effectively January 8 1:05am) during the Winter 2014/2015 anime season. Additional information about the series will be revealed in the upcoming weeks.
Earlier a mysterious countdown timer appeared on the official website of Angel Beats! ticking down to 8:00pm JST on December 9th. The countdown has finally finished ticking and has revealed a new Angel Beats! project and a project collaboration between Aniplex and Key is currently in production, which will be announced and revealed at a press conference on December 22.
The new unknown big project will be a new mysterious project in a collaboration between anime distributor Aniplex and visual novel developer Key, which will be unveiled at a conference on December 22 titled Aniplex X Key Presents The New Project. The event will also reveal some information about an upcoming Angel Beats! project in time for the 5th anniversary of the series and the 15th anniversary for Key’s first visual novel, Kanon. The conference will feature producers Hironori Toba and Yuma Takahashi from Aniplex, with Visual Arts (publisher of Key’s Visual Novels) representative Baba Takahiro and Director Kai.
Here is the commercial for the December 22nd conference:
Angel Beats! is a series created by Jun Maeda, which started off as a light novel series in 2009 that ran for half a year in ASCII Media Works’ Dengeki G’s Magazine. A 4-koma manga series was also created by Maeda that ran in the same magazine in the same year. In 2010, an anime adaptation was created by P.A. Works (Hanasaku Iroha, Another), which was also written by Maeda himself and directed by. The series received high praise and gained popularity, but was criticised for the lack of character development for many stories. A manga was adapted in 2010 titled Angel Beats! Heaven’s Door, which is an adaptation of the prequel light novel Angel Beats! Track Zero. Jun Maeda and Key, who are known for producing acclaimed and popular visual novels, announced that they were producing a visual novel on Angel Beats!, expanding many of the character’s backstory. Angel Beats! -1st Beat- and its subsequent releases, will be written by Jun Maeda. A mobile game based on the series was also produced.
Here is a synopsis of the series from MAL:
Otonashi awakens only to learn he is dead. A rifle-toting girl named Yuri explains that they are in the afterlife, and Otonashi realizes the only thing he can remember about himself is his name. Yuri tells him that she leads the Shinda Sekai Sensen (Afterlife Battlefront) and wages war against a girl named Tenshi. Unable to believe Yuri’s claims that Tenshi is evil, Otonashi attempts to speak with her, but the encounter doesn’t go as he intended.
Otonashi decides to join the SSS and battle Tenshi, but he finds himself oddly drawn to her. While trying to regain his memories and understand Tenshi, he gradually unravels the mysteries of the afterlife.
Aniplex and Key will be revealing The New Project on December 22, as well as some new information regarding Angel Beats! The former is a big announcement since it will be a major collaboration. Whether the two projects are connected we will have to wait. And whether the new Angel Beats! project will be more about the visual novel, or an adaptation of it, will be all revealed at the event.
A new TV commercial has released for the recent release of Naruto Shippuuden Movie 7 “The Last” with commentary from the various Naruto characters that appear in the film. The commercial itself also features a massive spoiler scene from the movie’s last scene at the end of the commercial. Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto will have a large role in the film’s production, overseeing the plot and new original character designs for the movie. The film itself will be the 10th overall movie in Naruto and is part of a new greater project in celebration of the 15th anniversary of the franchise. The project itself is the Naruto Shin Jidai Kaimaku Project (Naruto’s New Era Opening Project) and includes a Naruto Exhibition that will open in Japan early next year.
The moon is beginning to fall, and at the rate it’s going, it is doomed to fall on the Earth. The countdown for the survival of the planet begins. Among the havoc, Hinata’s younger sister Hanabi is captured by the mysterious enemy, Toneri Ootsutsuki. Naruto must overcome great danger on a mission to save Hanabi and the world along with Hinata, Sai, Shikamaru, and Sakura is their final story. “The final story is a first love.”
The official Twitter account for the upcoming anime adaptation of Kohske’s Gangsta. announced that the upcoming series will be a full TV anime series airing from July 2015 in the Summer 2015 anime season. It was also revealed that the anime will be produced by Manglobe (Samurai Champloo, The World God Only Knows).
The anime’s production staff were also revealed in the Tweet and includes:
Director: Shukou Murase (Ergo Proxy, Mobile Suit Gundam Evolve)
Series Director: Koichi Hatsumi (Deadman Wonderland, Berserk: Ougon Jidaihen I – Haou no Tamago)
Series Composer: Shinichi Inotsume (Hayate no Gotoku!, Zettai Karen Children: The Unlimited – Hyoubu Kyousuke)
Anime Character Designer: Youichi Ueda (Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Manga, Asobi ni Ikuyo! Director)
Music Composer: Tsutchie (Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo)
Animation Studio: Manglobe (Samurai Champloo, The World God Only Knows)
The Comic@Bunch magazine has previously revealed more and more of the anime’s cast every issue. The anime’s website has also revealed more of the anime’s cast, who will be returning to reprise their roles from the various drama CDs. The cast includes:
Kenjiro Tsuda (Sadaharu Inui from Prince of Tennis) as Nicholas Brown
Aoi Yuuki (Madoka Kaname in Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica) voicing the role of Nina
Tetsuo Kaneo (Bui from Yu Yu Hakusho) will voice Chad Adkins
Mamiko Noto (Kotomi Ichinose in Clannad) will voice the role of Alex Benedetto
Kaito Ishikawa (Tsumugu Kihara from Nagi no Asukara) voicing as Cody Balfour
Satoshi Mikami (Kumado Minai in Mushishi Zoku Shou) as Dr. Theo
Hiroyuki Yoshino (Firo Prochainezo in Baccano!) voices Doug
Yoshiko Sakakibara (Haman Karn from Mobile Suit Gundam) voicing as Gina Paulklee
Mikako Komatsu (Neko from K) will voice Ginger
Tomohisa Hashizume (Bertolt Hoover in Attack on Titan) is playing the role of Delico
Tomoaki Maeno (Naotsugu from Log Horizon) as Yang
Takuya Kirimoto (Agon Kongo from Eyeshield 21) will voice Ivan Grazef
Tsuyoshi Koyama (Galileo in Kyoukaisenjou no Horizon) voices Miles Meyer
Katsuhisa Houki (Bartley Asprius in Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch) voices the role of Daniel Monroe
Takahiro Sakurai (Shougo Makishima in Psycho-Pass) as Marco Adriano
Kana Ueda (Rin Tohsaka in Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works) voicing as Loretta Cristiano Amodio
Ami Koshimizu (Ryuuko Matoi from Kill la Kill) will play Constance Raveau
Tetsu Inada (Ira Gamagoori from Kill la Kill) will voice Galahad Woeho
The site itself has revealed that a total of 3 drama CDs have been produced and are currently available for ¥3,000 (~ $30.00 USD) each. An event about the CDs will be held on the 7th of November at the Shinjuku Milano cinema in Tokyo, where the main cast of the series will make an appearance.
Gangsta. is a manga series written and illustrated by Kohske. It began serialization in 2010 in Shinchosha’s Comic @ Bunch magazine where to date a total of 6 compiled volumes have been released. It is Kohske’s first series, after publishing two short stories. His second manga series, DOODLE, began publication last year. The series received a drama CD adaptation that was released with the 6th volume in June.
Gangsta. synopsis from Haruhichan:
In the city of Ergastulum, a shady ville filled with made men and petty thieves, whores on the make and cops on the take, there are some deeds too dirty for even its jaded inhabitants to touch. Enter the “Handymen,” Nic and Worick, who take care of the jobs no one else will handle. Until the day when a cop they know on the force requests their help in taking down a new gang muscling in on the territory of a top Mafia family. It seems like business (and mayhem) as usual, but the Handymen are about to find that this job is a lot more than they bargained for.
The Gangsta. anime will be airing from July next year during the Summer 2015 anime season. It will be a full TV series and additional information about the anime will be revealed soon.
According to Satoshi Yamamoto and Hidenori Kusakabe’s fourth compiled volume reprint of Pocket Monsters SpecialRuby & Sapphire, it was announced that they will begin serializing a new arc titled Pocket Monsters Special Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire. It will be published in Shogakukan’s Web Sunday digital manga website starting next year, January 6, 2015. This will be the 13th part of the Pocket Monsters Special manga series.
The volume lists the story of the new arc as:
A danger that approaches on the Hoenn region! The three Pokédex-holders- Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald- are called by champion Daigo (Steven Stone) in order to gather together and begin special training. While they try and solve the mystery behind the mural in the caves in Muro Town (Dewford Town), the three aim to to learn the way to Mega Evolve their Pokémon! The legendary blade once again appears on the land, in the sea, and in the sky.
Pokémon Adventures, also known as Pokémon Specials or Pocket Monsters Special in Japan, is a Japanese manga series published by Shogakukan on March 1997. The story arcs for the series is based on the Pokémon video games which was released by Nintendo. Since it was based on a video game, they have to play it before writing the arc, which makes the publication slower. The manga was written by Hidenori Kusaka. Mato illustrated the series for the first nine volumes but due to a disease that led her hand to become weak, Satoshi Yamamoto took over the illustrating duty starting on the tenth volume.
There are currently 51 compiled manga volumes. The 51st volume was released on July 25, 2014 and the 52nd volume will be released on December 26, 2014. The manga was translated into English by VIZ Media. As of November 2014, there are currently 43 English-published volumes.
Last month, Nintendo released a remake from the Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire games for the Game Boy Advance, titled as Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire that is now playable for Nintendo 3DS. The role-playing game was developed by Game Freak and was directed by Shigeru Ohmori.
Synopsis of Pokemon Adventures from MAL:
Red is just a normal kid living in the rural Pallet Town, when he decides to go out on his own adventure, along with his rival since childhood, Green. In this world of Pokemon, he makes many friends, humans and Pokemon alike. However, all is not well. Team Rocket is trying to capture Mew, a very rare Pokemon, and is performing experiments on other Pokemon, trying to increase their power. Red and his friends must battle against Team Rocket to stop their cruel experiments and unlock the secrets of Pokemon.
EFP’s official YouTube account have uploaded the first trailer for Urobuchi Gen’s Rakuen Tsuihou: Expelled From Paradise film project. The new video gives us a preview of the ending theme Eonian by ELISA connect EFP.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlyBkJrDUNM
The film stars Kugimiya Rie (Aisaka Taiga from Toradora) as the female protagonist, Angela, and Shinichiro Miki (Mikisugi Aikuro from Akame ga Kill) as Dingo a.k.a. Zarik Kajiwara. Hiroshi Kamiya (Arararagi Koyomi from Bakemonogatari) will voice Frontier Setter, a hacker from the computer world challenging real life. Additional cast members include Megumi Hayashibara, Minami Takayama, Kotono Mitsuishi, Aoi Inaba, Hisao Egawa, Noriko Uemura, Kenta Miyake, Daisuke Endou, Chika Anzai, Yûsuke Handa, Sota Arai, Ryōsuke Kanemoto, Ryohei Arai, Yukiko Morishita, Seira Ryū, Yuri Noguchi, Shintaro Ogawa, and Marumi Koike. Tohru Furuya will make a cameo performance.
Motion Graphic Artists : Miyahara Yohei / Sato Natsuko
Art Director : Nomura Masanobu
Composite Supervisor : Hayashi Kojiro
Editing : Yoshitake Masato
Sound Director : Mima Masafumi (Techno Sound)
Sound Effects : Kurahashi Shizuo (Sound Box)
Music : NARASAKI
Animation Producer : Yoshioka Hiroki
Producer : Noguchi Koichi
Animation Production : Graphinica
Rakuen Tsuihou: Expelled From Paradise was released in Japan on November 15th, 2014. It is planned to be distributed in 15 theaters across the US on December 13th, 2014 by Aniplex USA.
Expelled From Paradise follows Angela, a girl in her twenties, who was raised in a Matrix-like computer system on a space station orbiting a post-apocalyptic Earth. But after a hacker from the devastated planet below breaks into the system, she is tasked with finding and stopping the hacker in the real world. To do this, she is transferred into a clone body, given a mech, and told to meet up with Dingo, an agent living on Earth.
Thus begins her fish-out-of-water tale as she not only finds herself in a strange land she knows nothing about but also has to deal with a life trapped in a body that, unlike her digital one, requires food and rest. Together, Dingo and Angela travel across the frontier-like ruined Earth, trying to solve the mystery of the hacker’s identity and his true goals.
Today, it was announced in the merged second and third 2015 issue of Shogakukan’s Big Comic Spirits magazine that Inio Asano’s (Oyasumi Punpun, Solanin) Dead Dead Demon’s Dededededestruction manga will be put on hiatus starting in the next issue. However, the manga will resume next spring. Asano had previously put the manga on hiatus last July but he resumed it on October.
Inio Asano has started the dramatic slice-of-life manga few months after Kinoko Takenoko which was ended on December 27, 2013. Dead Dead Demon’s Dededededestruction was published under Big Comic Spirits on April 28, 2014. There is currently one compiled manga volume for the series and it was released on September 30, 2014. The second compiled volume is set to be released on February 27, 2015.
Shogakukan has released a promotion video for the manga on September 25, 2014:
Synopsis of Dead Dead Demon’s Dededededestruction from MAL:
Large mysterious alien ships have been looming above Japanese towns for three years, filling the sky. Everything changed three years ago. And yet, nothing has changed.
No weapon used against the invaders’ ships had any success, beyond destroying part of japan and leaving its economy in shambles. JSDF is fighting a guerrilla battle against the aliens all over Japan. America is joining the “war” effort with more aggressive tactics, dividing Japan over the pacifist principle laid out in Art9. of their constitution.
But this may just be the mundane story of young middle schoolers.
“No matter what happens, I won’t back down. At least not until this world filled with lies and deceit crumbles away. (…) The real threat to humankind is not invaders, but me.”
Read the first few pages of the manga in Japanese here.
The official website for the upcoming anime adaptation of Bradley Bond and Philip Ninj@ Morzez’s Ninja Slayer novel series has revealed the first promotional video. The series will be directed by Akira Amemiya and Studio Trigger will start production on the anime in 2015.
The new promotional video gives us a preview of the animation and a sneak peak at the opening theme which is titled Back in Black and performed by Boom Boom Satellites (Xam’d: Lost Memories, Mobile Suit Gundam UC).
Ninja Slayer poster images, both drawn by Takashi Okazaki (Afro Samurai):
Ninja Slayer is a series of novels which follow Kenji Fujikido who vows to hunt down and kill ninjas after his family is slain during a ninja battle. The stories are set in the futuristic city of Neo Saitama.
The story is written by Americans Bradley Bond and Philip Ninj@ Morzez, and subsequently translated by a Japanese team. However, many readers believe that this back story is a ruse designed by the true creators. Upon gaining popularity online, the series was published by Enterbrain and subsequently adapted into three manga series by Enterbrain and Kodansha.
Ninja Slayer synopsis from Haruhichan:
Ninja Slayer is a series of novels which follow Kenji Fujikido who vows to hunt down and kill ninjas after his family is slain during a ninja battle. The stories are set in the futuristic city of Neo Saitama.
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...
