10 Japanese Anime Voice Actors who will change the way you view your favorite characters

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May 22, 2014

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Some new information has released for a new mysterious event surrounding The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. The new event involves the use of smartphones and traversing throughout Japan.

The mystery has 707 illustrations hidden throughout Japan where people must take images of these illustrations and upload them to a website. The website itself is titled the ‘Haruhi Hunting Website’. The website’s address was not provided. Once all 707 images are sent to the site, something will be revealed.

Additionally, the URL http://haruhi.com was recently updated on the 21st. The site is currently private and only people with the login and password can access the site. The site was recently registered by PARTY Inc.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is a light novel series written by Nagaru Tanigawa and illustrated by Noizi Ito. The novels began in 2003 and were originally published as short stories in Kadokawa Shoten’s The Sneaker magazine. Since then the short stories have been compiled into 11 light novel volumes, with the latest releasing in May 2011 (which was translated in November 2013). There has been many manga based on the series since its release. An anime adaptation from Kyoto Animation aired in 2006 and in 2009. The series was followed by the animated film The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya in early 2010. In conjunction with the anime series, two online mini-series were also released: Nyoron Churuya-san and The Melancholy of Haruhi-chan Suzumiya. In December last year it was announced that an anime adaptation of The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan is currently in production.

There is nothing else known about this current mysterious event. There hasn’t been any sightings of any of the 707 illustrations so far. Once all the pieces have been collected, who knows what the prize will be. We will keep you noted on the event’s development.

Source – Otakomu

‘Akame ga Kill!’ Cast Previewed and PV 2 released

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May 22, 2014

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Earlier this year we reported that the manga series Akame ga Kill! which is directed by Takahiro would be getting an anime series this year. The anime adaption is set to air this July (Summer 2014).

Tomoki Kobayashi (Sola, Tears to Tiara) directs the White Fox production with Makoto Uezu (D-Frag!, Devil Survivor 2 The Animation, Danganronpa The Animation, School days) writing and Takahiro supervising. Jormungand’s Kazuhisa Nakamura is on character design and animation direction.

Announced last month 20-year-old voice actress Sora Amamiya will play the title character Akame and sing the opening theme. Amamiya passed the 2nd Music Ray’n Super Seiyu Audition in 2011 and started working as a professional voice actress in the following year. She is best known as Shiho Kitazawa in The Idolm@ster series and Kaori Fujimiya in the on-going TV anime One Week Friends. She will also be voicing Touka Kirishima from Tokyo Ghoul which is set to air this summer.

Akame (アカメ)
Akame is one of the members of the Assassin’s group, Night raid. She is the first member to attack Tatsumi, and comes very close to killing him. She initially appears very serious and cold-hearted, but she is actually caring and worries about the safety of her comrades. She has a younger sister named Kurome, who is a member of the Jaegers, and loyal to the Empire.

Leone (レオーネ)
Leone is one of the older members of the assassination group, Night Raid. She has a very relaxed and cheerful personality, tends to display a lack of ladylike manners, such as shoving Tatsumi into her breasts, putting her feet on the table, or consuming large amounts of Sake. She serves as a sort of big sister figure to Tatsumi and the younger members in Night Raid, often referring to herself as “onee-san”. Despite the morally dodgy nature she can sometimes display, Leone is not one to tolerate injustice, and can be especially vicious to those who commit the most vile acts. She excels at gathering information and exercising calm judgement when necessary.

Tatsumi (タツミ)
Tatsumi is a swordsman from a small village. He set out to the capital with two of his companions in hope of raising money for the village. He got separated from his friends and reaches the capital. Tatsumi was not aware of the type of place the capital really was. After a series of events centered around his naivety of the true nature of the capital he found himself being saved be Night Raid(Assassination Group) and later join them to rid the capital of its corrupt inhabitants.

Mein (マイン)
Mein is a self pro-claimed “Genius Sniper”, as well as being a sharp-tongued and quick-witted member of the assassin’s group, Night Raid. She is often quick to anger, and easily irritated with those she does not know well. Despite this cold exterior, she has shown to be warm and kind to those she has opened up to.

Mein wields a powerful Teigu in the form of a rifle called the “Roman Artillery: Pumpkin” that fires highly concentrated piercing shots of spirit energy. Her proficiency in its use allows her strike any target with extreme precision. When Pumpkin’s user is in a dangerous situation, the power of it’s shots are magnified.

Braht (ブラート) “100 Man-Slayer Braht”
Braht was once a high-ranking Imperial Officer known as “100 Man-Slayer Braht”. He later decided to betray the Empire when his superior was framed for not giving in to the Prime Minister’s agenda. Braht became disgusted with the Empire that cared more for bribes, than merit regardless of how hard he worked. After leaving the Empire, he joined the Revolutionaries, and eventually Night Raid.

Esdese (エスデス)
Esdese is a high-ranking general of the Empire, and leader of the Jaegers. She enjoys torturing her enemies slowly, seen when she used her Teigu to put large blocks of ice in a cauldron so that the people inside would die slower and suffer more. Despite her sadistic actions, she is actually shown to have a compassionate heart when it comes to the lives of her men and others close to her.

Najenda (ナジェンダ)
Najenda, also known as The Hunk of the Rebellion is the head of the assassin group Night Raid. Taciturn, sharp-minded and level-headed, she leads the group with a surprisingly gentle but firm air. Her years of experience serving in the Empire as a general have made her a highly capable leader. Najenda is sometimes mistaken as a man due to her boyish appearance, even sometimes being nicknamed ‘The Hunk of the Rebellion” by her cohorts. She tends to have a habit of telling “cold jokes” and making bad puns.

Rabac (ラバック)
Rabac is a member of the assassin group, Night Raid. He is often shown being a pervert, including trying to peep on Leone while bathing, usually these attempts end in failure. In the city, his cover is an owner of a bookstore.

Aria: Kanami Satou

Sayo – Mikako Komatsu

Ieyasu: Kouji Takahashi

Source: Crunchyroll, moca

Figure Review: Tina – Dead or Alive – Gathering Series

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Bockie

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May 20, 2014

Ladies, and Gentlemen!

Boys, and girls!

Children of all ages! Er, Well.. maybe more 14+.

Today we have another figure from e2046, as a part of their “Gathering” set of figures.

She’s based on Tina from the Dead or Alive series of fighting games for the arcade and Xbox consoles.

Since releasing of our very first project, ORI Team dedicates in bring you the rarest and most wanted designs. According to observations, Western Beauties model is one of the hottest trends. Thus, we are making this new attempt and presenting our latest Fashion project.

Let us introduce Tina. This sexy lady has a gorgeous typical blondie face. However, I believe it is her well-shaped body and special design Bikini that drew all your attentions. Innocent as she may seems,Tina is in fact a highly-skilled fighter. Guys please beware of her!

The details on Tina’s accessories, jeans, boots and gloves were nicely presented in this illustration with a Old West style. ORI stated that they are going to bring this girl alive. Please look forward to this stunning Fashion new project from our experienced team!

Tina is the American-style wrestler of DoA. As you can see, she normally wears cowgirl outfits that uh.. shows off her big American tits.

The first thing you notice besides the huge rack is well uh.. the giant boobs. Joking aside, the painting on this figure is actually top notch. All of the details on her jeans, gloves and cowgirl boots are spectacular. The skin tone is nothing to sneeze at either.

Some folks down in the South like to use an old horseshoe as a door knocker. Oddly enough, this horseshoe is above a pair of knockers. There’s also a game called ‘horse shoes’ where you throw horse shoes at a pole.

You can see some of the details of the jeans here, you can actually see the stitches in the fabrics. It’s a very well sculpted and painted product. She would have to have been literally poured into those pants; they’re so tight.

Here you really get a good view at the lower-end assets that Tina has acquired during her pro wrestling training. Also, for some reason I don’t think blue jeans are the best thing to fight in.

The outfit does have some odd Native American and Cowboy elements in it. Usually the cowboys and Indians are at war, but I guess both sides decided to pitch a tent and play with their peace pipes for her costume design.

There you have it, folks! A very titillating review of another figure here in Haruhichan. Currently on e2046, Tina here is on special limited time preorder sale.. thing. My price breakdown will have the non-limited time discounted price. The figure is also on preorder (at the time of me writing this sometime in the past).

Height with Stand: 15cm ( 5.9 in)
Prepainted Price: $154.75 USD
Garage Kit Price: $44.99 USD
Prepainted Price per cm/in: $10.32 per cm, $26.22 per inch
Garage Kit Price per cm/in: $2.99 per cm, $7.63 per inch

While this figure is actually kind-of small, and high on the price per height. This is because of her pose only. The prepainted version is definitely worth the high price tag, if not just for the small amount of details put into the sculpting process itself.

Also, at the time of this post, the prepainted Tina is actually a limited run of only 50 units. So, it’s best to preorder while you still have the chance.

If you were wondering what giant American titties look like in the sculpting process, here’s your chance to check out the process!

Sword Art Online II TV Teaser Streamed

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May 18, 2014

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German distributor Peppermint TV announced yesterday they’ll have news and a 15-second commercial/teaser for the Sword Art Online II television anime series and later on posted the teaser. Peppermint TV will stream the series “in German-speaking countries” (Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Austria, but also Poland).

We reported earlier that Sword Art Online II the series will air from July 5th. Screenings of the first episode that will take place on July 4th Worldwide, followed by Crunchyroll stream on July 5th. You can read that post here.

The series will stream in China on LeTV, in Taiwan on i-funtv, and in French-speaking countries (France, Switzerland, Belgium, Algeria, Monaco, Tunisia, and in Quebec, Canada) on Wakanim. Daisuki will stream the series in the rest of Europe. Additionally, the show will air in Korea on the cable TV station Aniplus and will also air in Thailand and Singapore on cable TV.

The show will air in Japan on Tokyo MX TV on July 5th at 11:30 p.m. before the show is set to air on MBS, TV Aichi, tvk, BS11 and several other stations. It will also be streamed in Japan on niconico and the d Anime Store.

Are you ready for Sword Art Online II?

Source: AnimeNewsNetwork

‘Yowamushi Pedal’ to Receive 2nd Season This Fall

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May 18, 2014

According to the “LE TOUR DE YOWAPEDA” event that was held today, a second season for Yowamushi Pedal has been announced to air this Fall. The first season will end on June 30th, with episode 38.

TOHO Animation also began streaming the official announcement trailer on Sunday Evening:

Synopsis for the first season from Haruhichan:

Otaku Sakamichi Onoda has just entered high school and plans to join the anime club. In middle school, Onoda didn’t have any friends with whom he could talk about anime, games, Akihabara and other otaku things, and he is hoping he can make such friends in the anime club, but he finds out it’s been disbanded. In order to reestablish the club he tries to find 4 other people who would like to join.Since he was a little boy, Onoda has ridden his mamachari—a bulky bicycle with a step-through frame mainly used for short rides, such as for casual fun or to pick up groceries—to go to Akihabara every week to check out or buy otaku things. Fellow freshman Shunsuke Imaizumi and bicyclist, while training, notices a boy (Onoda) riding his mamchari up a steep road.

Freshman and road racing cyclist, Shokichi Naruko visits Akihabara to get some Gundam plastic models for his younger brothers and meets Onoda who catches his attention because of the his cycling skill on the mamachari and later find out they go to the same school. Later on, both Naruko and Imaizumi try to convince him to join the bicycle racing club, but will he?

Source: natalie

Figure Review: Asuka – Rebuild of Evangelion

By

Oloenia

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May 18, 2014

This absolutely beautiful figure of Asuka Langley Shikinami from Rebuild of Evangelion is no “Shinji, get in the goddamn robot” joke. From our lovely friends over at E2046, I present nothing but the finest.

At first glance, I could not help but notice the absolutely stunning glossy colour of Asuka’s armour. From top to bottom, the entire figure has a glossy and realistic looking texture that made me swoon in happiness.

Bringing Asuka out of her regular fiery hair and equally fiery temper, this is a wonderful take on her. The detail that has gone into the armour and the accessories is brilliant, I couldn’t have asked for better.

I absolutely love the pose she’s pulling. All the design work of getting into even the tiniest cracks has really paid off. The different shades of red, both Matte and Gloss, have really stood against each other, showing the different shades of red and the additional finer details of the prop, and the silver linings of her armour.

From a sideways view, you can truly see the detail of the figure overall. Every nook and cranny is perfectly crafted to perfection. Just look at how much detail has gone into her claw grip hand and her calf muscles. The painting job on this figure is really well done.

I’m sure without a doubt every collector would love to have this version of Asuka on their shelf.

Pre-painted version:

Link: http://www.e2046.com/product/19971

Height: 27.00 cm

Weight: 1.48 kg

As expected of the pre-painted version;

Minor Assembly Required
No Painting Required
Instructions Provided
Extra care service: Carried in extra package box, safety enhanced
Includes display base as shown

The pre-painted version costs $156.79 (without sales/offers), or £116.52 (without sales/offers).

For the Garage Kit, or ‘Do It Yourself’ (DIY) Kit;

Link: http://www.e2046.com/product/19891

Height: 25.oo cm

Weight: 0.68kg

Parts: 15

And as expected of the DIY Kit;

Assembly Required
Painting Required
Instructions Provided
Extra care service: Carried in extra package box, safety enhanced

The DIY Kit costs $44.99 (without sales/offers), or £35.66 (without sales/offers).

Currently the Pre-painted version is 20% off in price and the DIY GK Kit is 25% off in price. Why not take this opportunity to have this beauty on your shelf?

Snack Reviews: Sakuma drops, Lotte Drink Mix, Peko-chan Milky Candy and more from JList!

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May 18, 2014

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Are you a candy lover? Do you love candy? Last time we took a look at the Dagashi Bento Pack as well as various chip-style snacks Japan has to offer.

Today we’ll be taking a look and tasting some well known Japanese candies that JList stock. Hopefully we’ll help you decide on new candies to try so you can get your sugar rush. and no, I’m not talking about AKB48’s type of sugar rush.

Kompeito ~ Five Color Traditional Japanese Candy

Kompeito (also written Konpeito) is a well known kind of hard candy that looks like stars, exploding out in all directions. It has also made an appearance in various anime series. If you’re a big fan of Studio Ghibli films by Hayao Miyazaki, you may remember the scene where Kamaji feeds Kompeito to the little soot sprites (Susuwatari) in Spirited Away.

If you’re a fan of Downtown no Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende!! (No-Laughing Batsu Game) like me, you will remember this part from 2011’s No-Laughing Airport where Kompeito were used. A judo expert flipped one of the actors onto the mat which was covered in Kompeito. All in order to make Hitoshi Matsumoto, Masatoshi Hamada, Hōsei Tsukitei, Naoki Tanaka and Shōzō Endō laugh and get punished for laughing (Zane! OUTO!!).

These candies have a sweet coating and are quite hard. After a minute or two of sucking, you can bite into them with no fear of maybe breaking a tooth. When crunching into these, they remind me of what I said above. Stars exploding out in all directions. That’s what I get from eating these. They shatter and explode like a star shooting through the night and leave a powdery trial in the process.

Despite coming in five different colors, they all taste the same – like sugar. I was kind of shocked since I thought they would be different flavors since the different colors. I would recommend to try these just for the thrill of trying something new. They’ve been around for more than a century so that is saying something.

If you want to try these, you can buy them here.

Sakuma Drop ~ Grave of the Fireflies Limited Edition, Sakuma Drops Candy (Normal Edition) and Sakura Canned Drop Candies

Sakuma Drops hard candy are a lot like boiled candy. I used to eat similar candies as a kid, although they weren’t Japanese. They come in a wide variety of flavors and shapes. They’ve been around since 1908, making them more than a century old.

Sakuma Drops have appeared in many anime series, one of them being the famous and well loved movie by Studio Ghilbi, Grave of the Fireflies.

Lick these drops. Mom had seven thousand yen saved in the bank. Seven thousand yen! If there’s that much, we can manage plenty. There’s no need to worry anymore.

– Seita, Grave of the Fireflies

They even made an appearance in Tasogare Otome x Amnesia, Yuuko has a can of Sakuma drops during her visit to Asa’s house (Episode 10).

Sakuma Drop ~ Grave of the Fireflies Limited Edition

These are quite unique (not just because of the limited edition Graves of Fireflies tin), the taste is sourish, fruity and tingles your tongue. These are really great if you like new tastes. As I am writing this I have a strawberry flavored one on my tongue, mainly because I can’t decide if I would personally recommend them or not. When I first tried them I was shocked by the sour taste and instantly thought they were all like that. Once the sourish coat is gone they’re actually really nice tasting. I would recommend just to try these, I mean who wouldn’t? If you’re a collector you’ll love the Grave of the Fireflies tin.

The tin contains various flavored candies. If you’re a collector and want them badly, you can buy them here.

Sakuma Drops Candy (Normal Edition)

These would have to be my favorite out of all the sakuma drops. Upon opening them, you are greeted by an enjoyable strong aroma of fruit juice. It’s so overwhelming but so good. The taste is stronger than the aroma. When placing a sakuma drop on your tongue, you are welcomed by a pure fruit juice taste, which makes you want to eat them all in one go. Out of all the sakuma drops I have tried in my life, these are the best so far.

The tin contains various flavored candies. If you want to try these, you can buy them here.

Sakura Canned Drop Candies

Hmm, these are very different compared to the ones above. The taste is a very faint cherry, the taste is there but it is not overwhelming. They’re nice if you like to just have something sitting in your mouth and giving off a little bit of flavor. I would take these with me if I were planning to travel. That way my taste buds aren’t coated and overwhelmed in various flavors.

Each tin contains approximately 40 candies. You can buy from here.

Lotte Drink Mix Candy

The packet represents a Japanese drink machine. Which is quite awesome because each candy represents a different drink. The different drinks included in this packet are: Dakara, C C Lemon, Natchan, Aserora, and Dekavita. When you see a drink machine in Japan (whether you’ve visited Japan or seen them in an anime/J-Drama) you want to try them all, with this packet of candy you get to chance to do so!

There are 5 drinks and 5 individually wrapped candies for each flavor, totaling to 25 candies in the bag.

Dakara

This has the refreshing taste of white grapefruit. It only has a small hint of sweetness and is quite sour.

C.C. Lemon

Has a fizze texture, which is really nice and a hint of lemon tart flavor. The candy is quite hard so I wouldn’t recommend trying to chew it. The flavor is very consistent with the actual drink.

Natchan! Orange

Who thought a drink packaging could be so cute? Not only is it cute, it’s really tasty. It has a smooth flavor just like a cold glass of concentrate orange juice. Magically, it has the same texture as the drink. The candy is smooth in texture and the taste is sweet and orangey.

Dekavita

This comes in a brown bottle in Japan, just like Supermalt and looks deadly. It’s very fizzy, sour and has no real sweetness at all. It reminds me of a really sour lemon candy. The texture is rough just like the taste. If you like sour candies, this one is for you.

Aserora

The taste of this reminds me of expensive cough medicine which tastes like honey and lemon. It’s really sweet and tastes so good. It tastes like pure honey with a hint of lemon. I would definitely recommend these out of them all. It’s a shame only 5 of these came in the pack…

If you’re brave enough to buy these and try the Dekavita, you can buy the packet here.

Peko-chan Milky Candy

Fujiya is well known for there brand of cake shops, biscuits, snacks, chocolates and candies.

What I have here is a packet of Peko-chan Milky Candy, Peko-chan is the company’s mascot which you can see on the front making the ‘Mmm… donuts!’ or ‘Tee hee’ face.

Inside the bag are 40 individually wrapped pieces. The candy is hard, not soft and chewy as I expected. The taste reminds me of milk bottles, quite bland but the milk taste is there. I believe these are mainly loved by the Japanese because it reminds them of their childhood. I don’t have that nostalgia so I would not buy these if I saw them. Since they’re only $3.50 for a bag, I would say give them a shot and let me know your thoughts on them.

If you want to try these, you can buy them here.

Kasugai Charcoal Roasted Coffee Candy

Let me just say this before I give my thoughts on these. I am a huge coffee lover, it’s my main beverage of choice and what keeps me going.

These are stone roasted coffee bean flavored candy. Once opening the main packet, a strong smell of coffee sneaks out of the bag. It’s like I just brewed a fresh pot of coffee and have walked out of my room to go get it from my kitchen. That is the smell you are welcomed by when opening the packet.

Each piece of candy has its own individual packet which keeps the coffee candy fresh and pure. Once opening the packet, you are welcomed by a stone roasted coffee bean piece of candy which smells like you’ve just grinded a bag of beans for the coffee pot.

The Japanese sure do know how to make a good coffee. From what I can tell, there is no milk. Just pure delicious black coffee. If you’ve ever ate coffee beans alone, this is what it tastes like but in a candy form. It’s very strong tasting, packed with caffeine with a hint of roasted/sweet beans taste.

Each bag has approximately 30 pieces per bag and only costs $2.80 per bag. I think you all know I’m going to buy a few more bags since I’m almost out… You can buy this delicious bag of coffee goodness here.

Coris Mystery Neri Ame

Japan has a wide variety of DIY candy kits, and this is one of them. This is a grape flavored ‘Coris Mystery Neri Ame’, which comes with soda, strawberry and lemon flavored mizuame (liquid candy), each flavor can be eaten on its own but it tastes even better when you combine all 3 flavors together. Which results in the ‘mysterious’ 4th flavor, which is grape.

This little kit is quite messy if you don’t pay attention while mixing the flavors together. It’s very sweet and sugary. I personally enjoyed the 4th flavor (grape) smell the best, it was too sugary for me to finish so I only had a tiny spoonful worth. I didn’t document the mixing but you can view the video below to get an idea of how they’re made.

This was my first DIY candy kit, it was quite fun because I’ve never done something like this before. You can buy this product here.

Next time I’ll make sure to try out the original Neri Ame which everyone knows thanks to Mugi from K-ON!

Well that wraps up this candy review. What candy from this post do you now want to try? and if you’ve tried Japanese snacks/candy before, which have you tried? Let us know in the comments below!

Sword Art Online II Airs July 5th + Worldwide Premiere

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May 18, 2014

Source – Anime News Network

The Sword Art Online II website has revealed that the series will air from July 5th. The website has also revealed that there will be special advance screenings of the first episode that will take place on July 4th Worldwide, with the Japanese premiere being on June 29th.

Sword Art Online II will begin airing from July 5th (Saturday) on various television networks. It will first air on Tokyo MX at 11:30pm JST and then on MBS, TV Aichi, tvk, BS11, Gunma TV, Tochigi TV, Teletama, Hokkaido TV and TVQ Kyushu. The episodes will then be released every week at the same time on the same networks. The series is also airing in South Korea on Aniplus, and in Thailand and Singapore on cable TV.

In addition to the television broadcasts, the anime will also be airing on many licensed streaming sites. In Japan it will be available on Niconico and Docomo’s anime service. As for worldwide broadcasts:

China – LeTV
Taiwan – iFunTV
France, Switzerland, Belgium, Algeria, Monaco, Tunisia and Quebec, Canada – Wakanim (French)
Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Austria and Poland – Peppermint.TV (German)
Rest of Europe – Daisuki
Rest of World – Crunchyroll

Sword Art Online season 2 will have worldwide premieres ahead of the July 5th broadcast date. The Japanese premiere will be on June 29th from 2:30pm at the TOHO Cinemas Roppongi Hills in Tokyo. As for other countries, they are as follows:

North America – July 4th at Anime Expo 2014
France – July 4th at Japan Expo
Germany – July 4th in various Cinemaxx and Cinedom theaters
Hong Kong – July 4th at MCL Telford Cinema
Taiwan – July 4th at Cinemark Taipei
South Korea – July 4th at Megabox Dongdaemun

Some character art for the main characters Kirito (voiced by Yoshitsugu Matsuoka) , Sinon (voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro – Himeko Inaba in Kokoro Connect) and Death Gun were released on the site:

Sword Art Online is a light novel series written by Reki Kawahara, who also is the author of Accel World. The light novel series began in 2009 and has sold millions of copies, topping the charts in 2012. Additionally in 2012, an anime adaptation was released. The Sword Art Online anime aired in July 2012 and was produced by A-1 Pictures, which received a large reception. Since then, the series has appeared on a plethora of media from handheld and browser video games, to spin-off mangas and international merchandise. The latest canonical light novel, the thirteenth in the series, was released in Japan on August 10th 2013. In addition, Kawahara has relaunched the series as Sword Art Online: Progressive, a re-release of the light novels with additional content. The second issue of Sword Art Online: Progressive launched in December 2013.

Here is a synopsis of the series from Haruhichan:

In the near future, a Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (VRMMORPG) called Sword Art Online has been released where players control their avatars with their bodies using a piece of technology called Nerve Gear. One day, players discover they cannot log out, as the game creator is holding them captive unless they reach the 100th floor of the game’s tower and defeat the final boss. However, if they die in the game, they die in real life. Their struggle for survival starts now…

The second season of Sword Art Online will begin airing on July 5 throughout the Summer 2014 anime season. The anime, produced by A-1 Pictures, will adapt the 5th and 6th volumes from Kawahara’s novels. The Opening theme will be sung by Eir Aoi and the Ending theme sung by Luna Haruna.

You can visit the anime’s official website here: http://www.swordart-online.net/

Viz Media Licenses Sailor Moon Franchise

By

kirin

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May 17, 2014

May 16th, Friday- during its Anime Central panel, Viz Media made an announcement regarding their acquisition over the entire original Sailor Moon franchise. This license includes the remake of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal, all 5 seasons (All 200 episodes!), 3 films and various TV specials.

Viz is offering the franchise without edits in its original uncropped 4:3 aspect ratio, with the original Japanese names, story elements, and relationships. It is also producing an uncut English dub with a new voice cast.

Just look at this picture comparison between the 2002/2009 Japanese DVD version and 2014 Viz Blu-ray release.

Set to air this coming May 19th, the first four episodes, with the original Japanese dub and English subtitles, will be available via streaming on Viz Media’s NeonAlley.com service and the Hulu Plus service. And will regularly air two episodes on Mondays aka “Moon-day”. While the uncut English dub will be aired in late 2014.

Viz has also told us the following:

#sailormoon deets: This Sailor Moon release will have a new English dub cast blessed by the creator herself.

— VIZ (@VIZMedia) May 17, 2014

As for the digital and home video distribution, Viz Media plans to release half-season sets of both the remastered Blu-ray / DVD Combo, which will be off the market this coming Fall.

And on July 5th, the new Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal will have its worldwide premiere with a simultaneous celebration of “Sailor Moon Day” at Anime Expo.

Here’s the announcement and take note of the new voice actress for Usagi:

Are you all hyped with this Sailor Moon comeback? Will you be there when they release the first episodes this coming Monday? You should! Or in the name of moon, Sailor Moon will punish you!

‘Hanayamata’ TV anime staff announced and key visual

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May 16, 2014

TV Anime series Hanayamata is scheduled to air this July 2014, which falls under the Summer 2014 anime lineup. New visuals have been revealed on their website as well as the staff which can be seen below.

Naru Sekiya (CV: Reina Ueda)

Yaya Sasame (CV: Kaya Okuno)

Hana N. Fontainestand (CV: Minami Tanaka)

Tami Nishimikado (CV: Yuka Otsubo)

Machi Tokiwa(CV: Manami Numakura)

The TV series is going to be animated by Madhouse which are the people behind Beck, Black Lagoon, Cardcaptor Sakura, Chobits, Death Note and many more great series. DIVEⅡentertainment will be the doing the music production which are well known for the music of Hamatora The Animation Haiyore! Nyaruko-san W and Aikatsu!

The main staff:

Director: Atsuko Ishizuka
Writer/Series composition: Reiko Yoshida
Character designer: Atsuko Watanabe
Music: MONACA
Music production: DIVEⅡentertainment
Animation production: MADHOUSE

Synopsis from Haruhichan:

Normal appearance, normal intelligence, normal in arts and sports… just normal. This is the entirely normal 14-year-old, Naru Sekiya. While she admires “Heroines” she continues to live a normal life until one moonlit night she meets a fairy. This foreign girl then guides her into the extraordinary world of the yosakoi dance.

1st volume manga cover

2nd volume manga cover

3rd volume manga cover

Summer 2014 TV Anime “Momo Kyun Sword” 2nd PV released

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May 16, 2014

The official site for the upcoming TV anime adaptation of Kibidango Project’s digital light novel series Momo Kyun Sword has posted the second promotional video introducing its basic storyline.

The Momo Kyun Sword TV anime will be produced by project No.9 (Ro-Kyu-Bu!, Saikin, Imouto no Yousu ga Chotto Okashiinda ga. (Recently, My Sister is Unusual)) and has a bishoujo protagonist named MoMoko which will be voiced by Ayana Taketatsu.

2nd PV

1st PV

The main voice cast:

MoMoko: Ayana Taketatsu
Onihime: Minami Tsuda
Ringo: Shiori Mikami
Kaguya: Mikako Komatsu
Sumeragi Tennyo: Masumi Asano
Inugami: Wataru Hatano
Sarugami: Shotaro Morikubo
Kijigami: Asami Imai
Suika: Suzuko Mimori
Karin: Yuka Ohtsubo
Kushinada: Asami Shimoda

The theme song will be “Momoiro Fantasy (桃色ファンタジー)” by Haruka Chisuga

If you can’t tell already from the PV or if your brain is in a blur and trying to calculate where you know MoMoko’s seiyuu from; She is Ayana Taketatsu and has voiced popular characters such as Suguha “Leafa, Sugu” Kirigaya – Sword Art Online, Kirino “Kiririn” Kousaka – Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai, Azusa “Azu-nyan” Nakano – K-ON!, Koneko “Shirone” Toujou – High School DxD and many more.

Synopsis from Haruhichan:

Momoko is a beautiful young sword fighter who was born inside a peach (momo in Japanese). She lives with her constant companions—the dog god Inugami, the monkey god Sarugami, and the pheasant god Kijigami—in a peaceful paradise. However, a demon army led by devil king invades the paradise and steals the precious treasure that protects Momoko’s land. To retrieve the treasure and save the people, Momoko embarks on a great adventure with her three companions.

‘Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya 2wei’ Anime Theme Songs Announced

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May 16, 2014

With Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya 2wei! airing this July and Fate/stay night (2014) airing later this year, the theme song for Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya 2wei! have been announced.

The theme song will be titled “moving soul” and performed by Minami Kuribayashi (She did the theme songs for Carnival Phantasm, Chrno Crusade, IS: Infinite Stratos, IS: Infinite Stratos 2, Katanagatari, Kämpfer, Medaka Box, School Days and many more).

7月よりTVアニメ放送開始予定の「Fate/kaleid liner プリズマ☆イリヤツヴァイ！」、オープニング主題歌は栗林みな実さんの「moving soul」、そしてエンディング主題歌は幸田夢波さん！タイトルは後日発表です！　http://t.co/T5hf6pk2Vs

— 【公式】「Fate/kaleid liner プリズマ☆イリヤ」新作劇場版2021年公開決定！ (@prisma_illya) May 15, 2014

いま公式は、仕事しながら栗林さんのOP主題歌「moving soul」をガンガンにリピート再生中です！何か仕事の処理速度がどんどん加速していく気が。はやく皆さんにも聴いていただきたいです！　#prismaillya

— 【公式】「Fate/kaleid liner プリズマ☆イリヤ」新作劇場版2021年公開決定！ (@prisma_illya) May 15, 2014

改めまして、
7月よりTVアニメ放送開始予定の「Fate/kaleid liner プリズマ☆イリヤツヴァイ！」にてエンディング主題歌を担当させていただけることになりました(//∇//)♡
もう嬉しくって嬉しくって吐きそう！

— 幸田夢波@声優ブロガー『無職本』発売中 (@dreaming_wave) May 15, 2014

33-year-old popular voice actress Chiwa Saito (Homura Akemi in Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Hitagi Senjogahara in Nisemonogatari, Tatenashi “Sarashiki Katana” Sarashiki in IS: Infinite Stratos 2, Chitose Karasuyama in D-Frag!, Francesca Lucchini in Strike Witches) will voice Chloe “Dark Illya, Kuro” von Einzbern, a new character for the upcoming second TV anime series Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya 2wei.

Kuro, initially referred to as Dark Illya, is a being created from Illya’s hidden power and the Archer Class Card. You’ll have to wait and watch the series since I don’t want to post spoilers.

Fate Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya 2wei Chloe Dark Illya, Kuro von Einzbern Illyasviel Illya von Einzbern Miyu Edelfelt new visual

Fate Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya 2wei Chloe Dark Illya, Kuro von Einzbern Illyasviel Illya von Einzbern Miyu Edelfelt new visual 2

PV for the upcoming second series:

Synopsis from Haruhichan:

About a month after the events of the first season, a new mission to normalize the Earth’s pulsations comes up. However, when Illlya tries to subdue the pulsations…

TV Anime ‘Daitoshokan no Hitsujikai’ Due in October 2014!

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May 16, 2014

The official website for the upcoming TV anime adaptation of August’s adult PC game Daitoshokan no Hitsujikai (A Good Librarian Like a Good Shepherd) announced that the anime series is set to air this October 2014 which falls under the Fall/Autumn 2014 anime season.

Staff:

Original: August
Original Character Design: Bekkankou
Series Composition: Yoshimura Kiyoko
Director, Character Design & Chief Animation Director: Team NICO
(Konishi Kennichi, Kamiya Tomomi, Sodeyama Asami, Hayashi Kaori & Nobuta Yuu)
Music: Active Planets
Animation Production: Hoods Entertainment

Synopsis from Haruhichan:

The story is set at Shiomi Academy, a vast, prestigious academy with a Daitoshokan (literally, “great library”) that rivals Japan’s national library. As a member of the Library Club, Kyoutarou Kakei goes to Daitoshokan to enjoy reading by himself. He then meets a second-year girl named Tsugumi Shirasaki through the efforts of a so-called “shepherd” who fulfills people’s wishes. Eventually, more girls join the club thanks to the “shepherd.”

TV Anime ‘Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!?’ Due in July & New Visual Revealed!

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May 16, 2014

TV Anime series Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? is set to air this July (Summer 2014 anime season) and new visuals have been revealed on their website.

The website showcased the characters for the upcoming anime.

The production crew of the anime series:

Original: Takehaya (HJ Bunko)
Original Illustration: Poco
Director: Onuma Shin
Series Supervisor: Takehaya
Series Composition: Yasukawa Shougo
Character Design & Chief Animation Director: Furukawa Hideki
Music: Nakanishi Ryousuke
Animation Production: Silverlink

The cast of the anime series:

Satomi Koutarou (CV: Nakamura Yuuichi)
Higashihongan Sanae (CV: Suzuki Eri)
Nijino Yurika (CV: Omori Hikari)
Kurano Kiriha (CV: Tazawa Masumi)
Theiamillia Gre Fortorthe (CV: Naganawa Maria)
Karama (CV: Taketatsu Ayana)
Korama (CV: Yuuki Aoi)
Matsudaira Kenji (CV: Suzuki Tatsuhisa)
Sakuraba Harumi (CV: Takamoto Megumi)
Kasagi Shizuka (CV: Suzaki Aya)
Ruthkhania Nye Pardomshiha (CV: Hayami Saori)

A PV of the anime series which was released earlier this year.

Synopsis of the series from Haruhichan:

Due to young Koutarou’s financial circumstances, he is forced to live in a small rokujouma (6-tatami apartment) on a budget of 5000 yen a month. On the plus side, he lives rent-free, but on the minus side, that’s because room 106 of Corona Apartments is cursed. The ghost is a cute young girl, and hijinks ensue when she tries to drive him out. Between the haunting, Koutarou’s nosy neighbors, and a self-styled magical girl flying to the unneeded rescue, there’s way too much for the impoverished young man to handle.

Will you be adding Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? to your watch list this summer?

Terra Formars TV Anime Airing This Fall/Autumn

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May 15, 2014

The recent issue of Weekly Young Jump has revealed that the TV anime adaptation of Yu Sasuga and Kenichi Tachibana’s manga Terra Formars will be airing this Fall/Autumn in early October.

In addition to the TV anime, two OVAs will also be coming out later this year. The OVAs will cover the first arc of the series, the Bugs 2 Arc, and will be bundled with the 10th and 11th volumes of the manga. They will be out in August and November respectively and will cost ¥1,980 (~ $19.80 USD). The televised anime itself will cover the Annex 1 Arc, which is set 20 years after the OVA.

The production crew of the anime is the same as the OVA and consists of:

Director: Hiroshi Hamasaki (Steins;Gate, Blade & Soul)
Assistant Director: Takaharu Ozaki (Texhnolyze)
Series Composition: Shougo Yasukawa (Choujigen Game Neptune: The Animation, Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!?)
Main Character Designer: Masanori Shino (Black Lagoon)
Character Designer: Satoshi Kimura (Buddy Complex)
Animation Studio: Liden Films (Miss Monochrome, Senyuu)

The cast of the OVA has also been announced, though whether they will reprise their roles in the anime has not been announced. The cast of the OVA is as follows:

Hidenobu Kiuchi (Hei in Darker Than Black) will voice the lead character Shokichi Komachi
Tomokazu Sugita (Gintoki Sakata from Gintama) voices Ichiro Hiruma
Ayako Kawasumi (Saber from Fate/Zero, Fate/stay night) as Nanao Akita
Tomohisa Hashizume (Bertolt Hoover in Attack on Titan) plays as Thien
Rikiya Koyama (Kiritsugu Emiya in Fate/Zero, Fate/stay night) voices Donatello K. Davis
Ayahi Takagaki (Henrietta in Log Horizon) voicing Zhang Ming-Ming
Kenjiro Tsuda (Mikoto Suoh in K) will voice God Lee
Nana Mizuki (Hinata Hyuuga from Naruto Shippuuden) as Maria Viren
Ami Koshimizu (Ryuuko Matoi from Kill la Kill) voices Victoria Wood
Hiroshi Yanaka (Nobuhiko Tokiwa in Tamako Market) as Akira Honda

A teaser video for the anime released back in March.

Terra Formars is an original manga written by Yu Sasuga and illustrated by Kenichi Tachibana. The series was first published in 2011 in Shueisha’s Weekly Young Jump magazine. To date the series has 8 volumes published with the 9th volume releasing on May 19th. The manga ranked 1st in Kono Manga ga Sugoi! Top 20 Manga for Male Readers guidebook, with over 6 million copies in print. A TV anime and OVA were announced in February this year. The OVA will handle the first arc in the series, the Bugs 2 Arc, and the anime series will continue with the Annex 1 arc.

Here is a synopsis of the series from Haruhichan:

With the space program attempting to travel to Mars, 21st century scientists were tasked with warming up the planet so that humans could survive on its surface. They came up with an efficient and cost-effective plan of sending cockroaches and mold to the surface so that the mold would absorb the sunlight and the insect corpses would serve as a food source for the mold.

It is now the year 2577 and the first manned ship to Mars has landed on the planet and the six crew members are ready for their mission. But what they find are giant mutated humanoid cockroaches with incredible physical strength. The crew members are easily wiped out, but not before sending a transmission back to Earth. Now, humanity will send elite warriors to exterminate the mutated bugs and claim back Mars.

The Terra Formars anime series will be airing this October in the Fall/Autumn 2014 anime season. The two prequel OVAs will be bundled in the 10th and 11th manga volumes, which will be out in August and November respectively. More information about both anime adaptations is expected to release in the upcoming weeks.

You can also visit the official website for the anime: http://terraformars.tv/

Source – Crunchyroll

Yuru Yuri OVA Airing this Winter

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May 15, 2014

Source – Crunchyroll
Source – Yaraon

A leak in a forthcoming issue of Comic Yuri Hime magazine has announced that the Yuru Yuri OVA will be airing this Winter. The OVA will be titled Yuru Yuri: Nachuyachumi! and will air in Japanese theatres, as well as being released in DVD and Blu-ray bundles.

Yuru Yuri: Nachuyachumi! will feature a new original story where the Amusement Club and Student Council attend summer camping trip. It will feature no boys and “100% cute girls”. Additionally, the release dates of the Blu-ray box sets for the anime’s two seasons were also announced: the first season will be available on July 16 and the second season will be out on October 15th. Both will cost ¥15,000 (~$150 USD).

The OVA will be produced by TYO Animations, replacing Dogakobo who did the first two seasons. The director will be Hiroyuki Hata (Saikin, Imouto no Yousu ga Chotto Okashiinda ga.) with Michiko Yokote (Gintama, Shinryaku! Ika Musume) writing the script. Motohiro Taniguchi (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Strike Witches) will be leading in key animation and character design.

Yuru Yuri, is a manga series created by Namori that released in June 2008 and is still running. The manga has a total of 11 volumes thus far and has sold over 1 million copies as of December 2011. Namori has also created two more manga series alongside the original: Yuru Yuri Reset!, which is currently on hiatus, and Yuru Yuri Ohmuroke a web manga that started in July 2012. The series also received an anime adaptation in July 2011 by animation studio Dogakobo. The second season of the anime titled Yuru Yuri♪♪ aired in 2012, also in July.

Here is a synopsis of the series from Haruhichan:

Right after starting middle school, Akari Akaza joins the Amusement Club which is composed solely by her two childhood friends, Kyouko Toshinou and Yui Funami. Chinatsu Yoshikawa, Akaza’s classmate, becomes a member after finding out about the dissolution of the Tea Club.

The Amusement Club, situated at the tea room facility since the Tea Club disbanded, has no clear purpose, being free for the girls to do whatever they want.

The Yuru Yuri OVA Nachuyachumi! will be airing sometime during the Winter 2014/2015 anime season. It will be airing in Japanese theatres along with a physical release on DVD and Blu-ray. Further details about the OVA will be out in the upcoming months.

You can also check out the official Yuru Yuri anime website: http://yuruyuri.com/

Hitsugi no Chaika Gets 2nd Season for Fall

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May 14, 2014

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According to official Twitter account for Hitsugi no Chaika, an announcement has been made that the series will be receiving a second season that will air Fall/Autumn 2014. More information on the second season will come at a later date.

【特報・拡散希望】TVアニメ「棺姫のチャイカ」第２期10月放送決定!!
皆、応援、感謝!　アニメ、まだまだ続く。皆、アニメ観る、とても大事!!
お知らせまだ続く！　次の呟き、これも大事!!　 #棺姫のチャイカ

— 【公式】棺姫のチャイカ (@ChaikaTrabant) May 14, 2014

Which roughly translates into:

TV anime ‘Chaika The Coffin Princess’ Season 2 announced for October!

The first season began airing this past April (Spring 2014) and is still currently airing. As of writing this, the first season is currently on episode 6 out of the 12 episodes it has set for season 1.

Space Dandy by Bones earlier this year was confirmed to get a second season this Summer, and now Hitsugi no Chaika! Are you looking forward to the second season?

Fate/stay night 2014 – Promotional Video 2

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May 8, 2014

The second promotional video for ufotable’s 2014 Fate/stay night anime. Aired at AnimeJapan in late march, this newvideo showcases more footage of the upcoming series, including hints about the possible routes the series will cover. Featuring high pace action and visuals, this PV will get you riled up. The anime will be a new adaptation on Type-Moon’s acclaimed visual novel series, and will be animated by studio ufotable, who produced the Fate/Zero anime in 2011.

The series will be directed by Takahiro Miura (storyboard for Fate/Zero, first directing role) and will launch this October during the Fall/Autumn 2014 anime season.

NewType – May 2014 posters [Contains NSFW images]

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May 8, 2014