The Gagaga Bunko Twitter has announced a big announcement is coming for Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru. (My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU). Also known as Oregairu, the announcement will be made on April 18th on the live streaming service Niconico.
The announcement will be held on Gagaga Bunko’s Niconico stream, which is part of their monthly stream. Additionally, the writer of the light novels, Wataru Watari, will have a special appearance on the stream – presumably revealing the major announcement. The stream will start at 8pm JST.
Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru. (My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU) is a light novel series written by Wataru Watari and illustrated by Ponkan8. The light novels began in March 2011 and is published in Shogakukan’s Gagaga Bunko imprint. To date there has been 8 volumes with 4 short stories. There has been three spin-off manga adaptations written and illustrated by various people. The series also received an anime adaptation that aired in April 2012. The anime was animated by Brains Base. Additionally, a visual novel was developed by 5pb. for the PlayStation Vita that released on September 19th last year.
The announcement will be made on April 18th. Whether its the announcement for a second anime season, a film, or new light novel series, it will be made on Gagaga Bunko’s Niconico livestream.
Just look at how enormous the pack is compared to a normal sized packet from Europe. Compared to the average Doritos packets you see, Japan puts a lot of thought into their design and packaging. The packet is air tight and upon opening them, you are welcomed by a sensational Shrimp and Mayonnaise smell.
The tortilla chips are quite different from ours. They’re more curved and not pointy. They have a silk-like texture (Not a powdered texture like normal Doritos). The taste of these are quite unique. They don’t melt in your mouth when bitten into like the Doritos you’re used to eating, they simply shatter into smaller pieces providing more of a crunch.
They have a peppery yet subtle shrimp taste. A very light tang taste but not too intense which is complemented by the delicious seafood sauce taste. You would have to be crazy to not want to try these, I highly recommend them!
Frito-Lay Mountain Dew Cheetos
Oh yes, the product that I see highlighted so often on my social network feed. Frito-Lay Mountain Dew Cheetos.
Bare in mind I’m not a huge soda drinker so I did have to go a buy a can of Mountain Dew exclusively for this review (It’s so expensive here! For some reason they class the product as ‘rare’ since it’s American.)
When opening them, the smell that flows out instantly reminds me of Lemon ice lollies. They also resemble Nik Naks for me, since when I think of Cheetos. I instantly think of Cartman and his cheesy poofs.
When trying these for the first time, you’re shocked by the distinct unusual taste. A light mountain dew taste with the saltiness of the Cheeto. The flavor of the Mountain Dew is mainly on the coating of the chip. When you bite down into the middle you can taste the Cheeto. Also a light bubbling in your mouth as you crunch into them, just like drinking a refreshing cold soda.
I’m not too keen on these, but then again they aren’t bad. If you’ve had them before, let me know your thoughts in the comment section below.
WARNING: soda like burps after devouring above product.
Calbee Jagabee
Instantly after opening them, I am greeted by cold chips (fries for you Americans). Kind of reminds me of the chips (fries) you couldn’t finish the night before and you accidentally left them out so they’ve gone rock hard from being out in the open.
When first trying these, I was kind of freaked out. Cold chips (fries) as a snack? No way. They have the chip (fries) aroma as well as taste. They’ve been baked, not fried, so these are delicious and crunchy. Which is a plus for me.
They have a very light butter taste and are very moreish, so be careful you don’t go over your calorie intake! No, really, be careful. You don’t want to go Sasha style over these snacks.
So, which are you eager to try? What snacks should we review next? Let us know in the comments below!
The Hyperdimension Neptunia series of video games is a personal favourite of mine. I will properly introduce you guys to the series when I finish my review of HyperDimension Neptunia Re;Birth1. In the meantime, let me formally begin this article. Or, if you want, you can read up on the series here.
Note: The English titles in brackets are my translations of the titles. They may change if these games are localized for the West.
Last month, the developer of the series, Compile Heart, revealed that they were making two more games. One would be a spin-off game, and the other would be a continuation in the main storyline. Today, new details were revealed about the two games. The spin-off game is titled 「超次元アクションネプテューヌU」(Hyperdimension Action Neptune U). Despite what the ‘U’ suggests, it is not a game for the Wii U, but it will be for the Playstation Vita. The developer of the game is Tamsoft, who are the developers behind the Senran Kagura franchise of video games, and they also developed the idol management spin-off game Hyperdimension Neptunia Producing Perfection (due for release in North America on June 4, 2014). Not much is known about this game right now, but a release date of August 28 was given. The only gameplay details that was shared was that all four of the main characters will be in it, and a detail that one would expect from the creators of Senran Kagura: There will be stripping as the girls take damage. Prepare for the fanservice.
The other game is one that seems to take the series in a different direction. Up until now, the series has been fairly light-hearted in tone, even in the most dangerous situations. The first trailer that they have shown has a darker feel to it than the series has ever had before. This is 「新次元ゲイム ネプテューヌVⅡ」(Newdimension Neptune Victory II). Again, not a whole lot is known about this game aside from the trailer and a few images. One can assume it will retain the same tactical, turn-based style of the previous games. As for the characters only Neptune, the titular character, has been revealed along with one new character who appears to be based off the Sega Dreamcast.
This is Neptune’s new design. Looking pretty mature this time around doesn’t she?The new character from Victory II. If you look closely, you can see the Sega Dreamcast logo on her chest.
I am a hardcore Hyperdimension Neptunia fan. If you are a fan as well, I would love to hear your thoughts about these two games from you in the comments below.
You may remember a few weeks ago we did a post about the April 2014 Anime Popularity Ranking from the latest NewType issue. This time we’re doing an overview of the posters included in that issue.
I really do love the Noragami poster, along with the 2nd The iDOLM@STER poster. Just look at how eye-catching and action packed that poster is for idols! If you were to choose between the posters, which would you choose and why?
In the last shirt review we introduced you to anime shirt designer Shoukochan. Yet another one of the designs they have provided us for review is that of the dark haired spirit Tokisaki Kurumi from hit show Date A Live! Shoukochan is a new Singapore based shirt designer and their goal is to design shirts which look great, are creatively designed and are comfortable to wear in public. That’s right, specifically focusing on the issue of some of us “closet otakus” as some may say (admit it, there’s an inner Kirino Kousaka in all of us) Shoukochan wants to design clothing that doesn’t come across as too gaudy or flashy, yet captures the essence of the character or show all the same. But enough shameless marketing, they provided us with another one of their designs so let’s look at the goods!
As you can tell, the shirt is just as vibrant and detailed as the last, just as expected from the Shoukochan crew – this particular design boasting a hot red, orange and bronze palette, as those are the colors of Tokisaki’s outfit. It includes a little sign with the name in the corner both in English and Japanese. Sugoi! In the background there stands a similarly colored clock and those who have seen the show may understand its significance. The shirt itself is pleasant to look and as promised isn’t so bold as to have a giant anime girl face that would make you look like an utter weeaboo, but at the same time shows that you’re a fan of the show,or anime in general. It comes across as a cool graphic tee that anyone would wear, so it most certainly isn’t something that would look weird. Pulled off appropriately, it would look quite stylish!
Having received a shirt myself, I couldn’t resist but to wear it out, especially around my college campus and it was quite well met. It actually helps you make friends with fellow anime fans! When wearing it, I have a button up shirt on top that is left open at the top to allow little Tokisaki a view of the world as she smiles that devilish grin, but here’s a look at the shirt in all its glory.
Unfortunately, you’ll have to build the pecs on your own~
I like to wear my shirts fitted, but Shoukochan offers a range of sizes from small to 2XL. The fitting is snug on me, but one can choose a size they feel more appropriate for them and their personal style. The fabric is soft and comfortable and the design isn’t cheap plastic or rubber that scratches off the shirt after a wash – it’s a part of the fabric itself. One should take caution that it does not fade, so obviously no use of bleach (that’s right, stay way Ichigo) but otherwise, it’s fairly easy to maintain. It can also be ironed with no real trouble, though if one wishes to be really cautious, they ought to avoid using high heating when running the iron over the graphic portion.
Having worn it around and about, I can easily say it’s comfortable and fun to wear and feel it’s a must have for any fan of the show, male or female, big or small. This particular design can be purchased here for $45 in Singapore currency. This translates to roughly $35 and $40 in American and Canadian dollars respectively. It may be pricey, but it is a custom design after all, and the shirt quality is quite high, so it is well worth the price tag.
Shoukochan has created a vast array of other designs as well however, and some of them are on sale for a discounted price, including designs from hit new shows like Kill La Kill, Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan), Kyokai no Kanata and more! Fans of the companies products are more than satisfied with the products they have created and have no shame in showing off their gear either.
Tokisaki cosplayer with Tokisaki fan! Is that a nosebleed we see?
All in all, a great product and we certainly hope to seeing more of Shoukochan’s designs in the future. Stay tuned to Haruhichan for more cool news and reviews. Hopefully they’ll be sending us more deliveries like they have in the past and we’ll be able to provide you with an inside look into other awesome products!
Thoughts on the product? Questions regarding ordering or the shirt in general? Disgusted by Tomoki’s modelling skills? Feel free to share any of the above and whatever else comes to your mind in the comments section below!
Fall 2013’s anime, “Non Non Biyori”, was a simple slice of life that told the story of four school girls living in the Japanese countryside. The village consisted of a candy store, the school, farms, homes and… that was really it. Heck, the four girls were the only students in the school aside from one other boy. You may think this would be incredibly boring to watch, but it wasn’t. It had some good comedy, and it was an anime that you could sit down and relax with. It was a nice change of pace seeing the rolling hills and greenery that is missing in most anime. It showed you the true beauty of nature and why we should love the great outdoors. The characters were good, and they had really good chemistry with each other. However, one character made the entire anime great, and that was Renge “Ren-chon” Miyauchi. This incredibly mature 1st-grader spouted off lines that you would expect an adult to say, but still has that childlike mannerism to her that just made her an incredibly endearing character. The show knew what it was and it delivered well.
Today, an announcement was made that “Non Non Biyori” would be getting a second season. No information was given aside from this message from Renge herself:
And I’ll be waiting.
If you watched the first season, what did you think of it? Also, what do you think of this announcement? Let me know in the comments below!
NyanType is a newcomer to the bishoujo poster magazine market, and they’re eager to go head to head with forerunner Megami, competing to bring you the biggest and best magazine packed with tons of posters and great free omake extras.
If you don’t think they’re serious, just check out the posters below from the May 2014 issue of NyanType.
Cover and Back
Kantai Collection: Kan Colle
Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!
Date A Live
Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha.
IS: Infinite Stratos 2
Kantai Collection: Kan Colle
Kenzen Robo Daimidaler
Mahou Sensou
Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha
Maken-Ki!
Mikakunin de Shinkoukei
Saki: Zenkoku-hen
Sakura Trick
Sekai Seifuku: Bouryaku no Zvezda
SoniAni: Super Sonico The Animation
Sora no Otoshimono
Strike Witches
Tamako Market
So which posters are to your liking? Are you brave enough to hang up these fascinating posters up in your bedroom? Let us know in the comments below!
It has been announced in an advertisement that season 2 of the anime adaptation of Yukino Kitajima’s Hamatora is currently in production. The second season will be airing in July this year, during the Winter 2014 season, with the release of the series’ video game.
The advertisement was for the game Hamatora: Look at Smoking World, which is set to release in Japan on July 17 for the Nintendo 3DS. The game is set in the world of both the anime and manga, but has its own original story. The game is being developed by FuRyu and is stated to feature gameplay similar to the Tokyo Majin Gakuen series of games.
Hamatora is a manga written by Yukino Kitajima with Yu Wazu illustrating. The manga began in November last year and is being published in Shueisha’s Weekly Young Jump. The series currently has one released volume. An anime adaptation of the series started in January this year. Titled Hamatora The Animation, the anime is set after the events of the manga. It is animated by studio Naz, and is their debut animated series. The series features directors Seiji Kishi (Angel Beats!, Carnival Phantasm) and Hiroshi Kimura (Recorder to Randoseru Do♪) with Touko Machida (Lucky☆Star, The iDOLM@STER) and Jun Kumagai (Persona 4 The Animation) writing the scripts.
Season 2 of the Hamatora anime will be airing in Summer 2014. Additional information about the second season will be released in the upcoming months.
We here at Haruhichan bring you yet another uplifting, enlightening and dare I say… erotic? figure review to assist in your purchasing desires!
Our friends over at e2046.com have let us take a look at this royal beauty. Princess Yosha. Er, I mean… Yogame! She’s from the light novel/anime series Katanagatari.
Our little lady here weighs in at about 0.97kg (~2lbs) and is 20cm(7.8in) tall including the base. The first thing you seem to notice on this figure is her long kimono-like sleeve. The gold, black and light blue colors are made so they portray a bit of texture. It gives off the look of fabric instead of just a fancy type of plastic.
Wait, she has long hair now? Yep! The figure comes with an interchangeable head, which means you can choose from a long haired and or short haired Yogame for your viewing pleasure. Also, there are a few slight changes between heads; the mouth is opened differently and the long haired version is ‘looking back’ over her left shoulder instead of forward like the short-haired variant. It comes up to your style preference, or how you want to display her on the shelf.
The other fantastic feature of this figure would be the sweet, sweet ass large katana she’s wielding. On a majority of the cheaper figures out there, if they have a sword the handles looks like straight up junk. Not this one! The hilt of the katana looks fantastic. It looks almost as if it’s actually wrapped like a real traditional katana. Combine that with it’s stellar paint quality, and you see the difference between a $50 figure and a $200 figure. It just blows cheaper figures out of the water.
This picture is a nice representation of how the long-haired head has changed her pose just by tilting the head a bit. She’s leaning back and looking slightly over her shoulder. I don’t know if it’s a ‘come hither’ sexy look, or a feint for an attack. If she yells “Cheerio!” be on the look out.
Now this showcases her backside. I find it kind of odd that the serpent on the back of the kimono sleeve is not visible a majority of the time. I figure they added that to keep it show accurate, but the embellishment is almost wasted on a part of the figure you’ll never see. Besides that, it looks fantastic like the rest of the figure. This is also the first picture that details the purple ‘hatch’ marks going along the length of her left arm. This would be the part where having a tiny paint-overlapping problem would tarnish the overall figure. Good thing these lines are painted with precision.
This is the same as the last image, but with the short-haired head variant.
Hopefully this review has become a beacon of light to follow during the purchase of your favorite cheerio loving princess, Yogame.
You can have her on your shelf today for only the low-low price of $175.99$140.79(20% Discount) from our friends at e0426.com. If you don’t like getting the prepainted version, they also have a Garage Kit version for $50.99$40.79(20% Discount). Please note that the GK version comes with a different platform to stand on. Both versions are 20cm(7.8in) tall with the GK being .41kg(0.9lbs) and the Prepainted being 0.97kg (~2lbs), which I believe to be because of the stand itself. Other than those minor differences, both versions are pretty much the same.
Title (English): Nagi no Asukara: A Lull In the Sea
Title (Japanese): 凪のあすから (Nagi no Asukara)
Animation Studio: P.A Works
Genres: Drama, Romance, Fantasy
Episodes: 26
こんにちわみんなさん (Hello everyone!)
I first started hearing about Nagi no Asukara from one of my fellow Facebook admins around November last year. He was pretty invested in it, and he started posting about it whenever a new episode would air. I took an interest to it, since it seemed like a school romance drama, and that is primarily what I watch. As time went on, he began to mention all the crazy things that were happening in the anime and suddenly, it seemed so much more than just a regular school drama. He and a couple of my real life friends told me to start watching it because they said it was really good. My friends know what I like, and they themselves aren’t big fans of my genres. So when they tell me to go watch something that they wouldn’t usually watch, and it is within my comfort zone, I take immediate notice.
I was initially reluctant to watch it for a couple of reasons. I am not a big fan of fantasy anime, and, up until this point, I hadn’t watched any good original anime. My two previous attempts, Tsuritama and Tamako Market, ended in failures. The anime started on October 3, 2013, but I didn’t start it until over the halfway point, on January 22, 2014. I caught up fairly quickly, and so I am able to bring my review of it right now. じゃ、はじめるぞ！(So, let’s get started!)
Story:
The setting of the anime is in a fictional world where humans live in both land and sea. Humans originated from the sea, and were given a special skin film called ‘Ena’ to breathe underwater. However, humans soon grew bored of the sea, and began to settle the surface, and they grew distant from their underwater counterparts. The anime begins at a high stress point in surface and underwater humans’ relationship. Four of the main characters: Hikari Sakishima, Manaka Mukaido, Chisaki Hiradaira, and Kaname Isaki come from the underwater village of Shioshishio. The fifth main character, Tsumugu Kihara, is a boy from the surface who works as a local fisherman. The four underwater characters must come up to the surface to attend school because of the lack of enrollment at their underwater school. Tensions are high between the surface humans and the sea humans and there is immediate discrimination in the classroom. The four underwater students must get used to life on the surface, and Tsumugu is pleased at the opportunity to learn more about the sea from these four people.
That’s a nice catch there.
Aside from the whole fantasy element to it, this may not seem any different than your typical school drama. And at first, it isn’t. The first half kept things interesting with its characters, and the crazy love triangles that the anime would become famous for among those who were watching it. Nagi no Asukara also had very steady plot development which lead up until the halfway point. Then… things got real.
The face of most Nagi no Asukara watchers after episode 13’s climax.
The event that occurs at the halfway point sets the tone for the rest of the anime and now, the story doesn’t lift its foot off the pedal. I came in late to the party, but once that event happened, I had to watch it until I was caught up. After I was caught up, I waited in anticipation for each new episode. The story evolves into more than a school drama, and its fantasy element really comes out. It almost feels like you’re watching two different anime, with the tone shift after the halfway mark. In no way is this a bad thing. It really only made the anime better.
One of my friends pointed out last week that the script for the anime is done Mari Okada, who has worked on many beloved romance anime like Toradora, The Pet Girl of Sakurasou and AnoHana, as well as Aria the Natural, Black Butler, and Hanasaku Iroha. That explains a lot, since the romance element of the anime is nailed perfectly. I already mentioned the love triangles in the anime, but they really came to life in the second half. The addition of two new main characters after the halfway point only made the love triangles more complicated, but none of them felt fake. You have to almost draw yourself a chart, so you can see the complicated relationships this anime has. It’s easy to find your favourite pairing, and the anime doesn’t resolve the love triangles until the final episodes, so you’re left in constant anticipation of who will end up with who. The results may surprise you. Of course, the anime has its fair share of sad moments that will bring out your emotions. The only thing I can fault the anime for when it came to the story was the melodrama at the beginning. The drama in the rest of the anime works, but the beginning… not really.
Story: 9.5/10
Characters:
Let me introduce the characters and the extremely complicated love triangles.
Hikari is the hot-headed protagonist who is initially as racist to the surface people as they are to him. He secretly harbours feelings for the female protagonist, Manaka. Manaka is the timid girl of the group who follows everyone around. Manaka seems to have feelings for Tsumugu in the first half. Chisaki is the “mother” of the group who tries to make sure everyone is happy. Chisaki likes Hikari. Kaname is the rather ordinary nice guy. He has feelings for Chisaki, but he knows she likes Hikari. Tsumugu appears to like no one in particular, but then he begins to have feelings for Chisaki. Tsumugu is another regular nice guy, but he has a cool head even in the craziest situations. Two new main characters join in after the halfway point, and things get even more complicated from there. Miuna Shiodome is the daughter of Hikari’s older sister’s boyfriend, and Sayu Hisanuma is Miuna’s friend. They are introduced before the second half, but they are only supporting characters. Miuna’s past experience with Hikari leads to her infatuation with him, and she wants to do all she can to help him out. Sayu starts out racist to the underwater characters, but she loosens up and begins to help them out.They both get their own crushes; Miuna likes Hikari, and Sayu likes Kaname. Did you get all of that? Yes? Good. You have to wrap your head around all of these love triangles. It gets interesting trying to follow these relationships around.
Here’s how it goes. It gets complicated.
The characters in Nagi no Asukara were developed really well and done fairly realistically. There was always a reason for each character behaving the way they did at any one point. At first, all of these characters have obvious flaws in their personality. Hikari is hot-headed, Manaka is too timid, Chisaki is set in her ways, etc. However, all of these characters grow out of these behaviours, and it happens so naturally. That’s another thing that’s fun to watch in this anime is its character development. It blends well into the story it presents. No one character felt out of place and they were all there for a reason. There is a lot of focus on the characters in this anime, and the time they spent on them means that they would end up being characters you can sympathize with; characters that you can understand as they face their own problems in this world.
Characters: 9.5/10
Art and Animation:
The art of Nagi no Asukara is simply amazing. The world is stunning to look at and you feel immersed in the world. The two other P.A Works anime I watched, Angel Beats and Hanasaku Iroha, were also nice to look at, but when the sun came out, it was a little too bright to look at. They always seemed to have this kind of bright sheen that was distracting at times. This time, the lighting is perfect. The underwater scenes are probably the highlights of the anime. The underwater world is created with such artistic poise; it really makes you wish this kind of pretty world existed. Later on in the anime, the surface world takes on a new look and that too is a sight to behold. Consistently, the anime looks beautiful and it fits the tone of the anime.
From the characters, to the world itself, everything is beautiful.
One of the reasons that may have accounted for people’s lack of interest in Nagi no Asukara when it started out, was probably its moe style. I can’t really speak for people who are against moe art styles, since I love moe-styled anime, but it it doesn’t distract from the drama that is happening. With such realistic characters, combined with its moe art style, it may just do what moe is intended to do: make you feel more for the characters.
The animation, particularly the underwater parts, was well done. Fish swim around without a care in the world, and it shows life underwater very well.
Art and Animation: 9.5/10
Sound:
The soundtrack is yet another high point for the anime. It makes excellent use of the piano during its dramatic scenes, and it perfectly captures each moment. During the regular parts of the anime where nothing is happening, the music doesn’t stand out, but it rarely does during these parts.
The OPs and EDs also deserve mention. All of them are beautiful songs. The part I like best about them is how they all fit being the OP and ED. They all lead into each other so well. The first opening, lull ～そして僕らは～ (lull ~Soshite Bokura wa~), is the more light-hearted song but then it transitions into the ED, アクアテラリウム (Aqua Terrarium), which is much more solemn by comparison. アクアテラリウム plays at the end of episode 13, and the transition to the melancholic second opening, ebb and flow, was brilliant. (Warning: the animation that plays during “ebb and flow” is a spoiler following the event of episode 13). I actually teared up the first time I heard “ebb and flow”, especially since I had just watched episode 13 and my feelings were still in tatters. After episode 13, each episode usually ends on some kind of revelation which leads into the second ED, 三つ葉の結びめ (Mitsuba no Musubime). (Warning: Again, this video contains spoilers.) The songs are used with a purpose and the songs they use all fit the times they are used.
The voice acting cast contains a couple of veterans alongside a cast of new or upcoming voice actors. The famous Kana Hanazawa plays Manaka Mukaido, and established voice actress, Ai Kayano, plays Chisaki Hiradaira. One of my personal favourite voice actresses, Kaori Ishihara, plays Sayu Hisanuma. One voice actress I want to see more of after this is Mikako Komatsu, who played Miuna Shiodome. The males are voiced fairly well, and I have nothing to really complain about when it comes to the voice acting.
Sound: 9.5/10
Enjoyment:
I enjoyed Nagi no Asukara. It’s not especially high on my enjoyable watch list, but it was still fun. I have this really weird complex of not particularly enjoying anime with a dramatic plot, even if the story is amazing like this. Don’t ask me why that is. Kokoro Connect, and Waiting in the Summer (Ano Natsu de Matteru), was another two anime that I loved for the story and characters, but I didn’t really enjoy them per se. Since I have this strange complex, I’m not weighing my enjoyment high this time.
Enjoyment: 8/10
Overall:
Nagi no Asukara is pretty much everything you could possibly want in a good romance drama anime. It has a perfect blend of a story; telling a great fantastical tale alongside an engaging love story. The ending was very satisfying and it was a nice way to wrap up this great anime. Everything just clicked: the story, the characters, the art, and the soundtrack were all riveting. The one word I would use to describe this anime, is one I’ve been using from the start: beautiful. We need more anime with this kind of caliber.
Overall: 9.5/10
So, what did you guys think of the anime if you’ve watched it? Let me know in the comments!
The official website for the Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan) anime announced on Friday that the television anime will be recompiled into two theatrical films. The first film, Shingeki no Kyojin Zenpen ~Guren no Yumiya~ (Attack on Titan Part I: Crimson Bow and Arrow), will open this winter. The second film, Shingeki no Kyojin Kōhen ~Jiyū no Tsubasa~ (Attack on Titan Part II: Wings of Freedom), will open next year. (The films are named after Linked Horizon’s popular opening themes for the television anime.)
The new films will feature new dubbing and a 5.1ch remaster with returning voice cast members such as Yuuki Kaji (Eren Jaeger), Yui Ishikawa (Mikasa Ackerman), and Marina Inoue (Armin Arlelt). The first film will cover episodes 1 through 13, while the second film will cover 14 through 25. They will once again feature director Tetsuro Araki at Wit Studio and composer Hiroyuki Sawano.
Hajime Isayama’s hit original manga now has 36 million copies in circulation, and it inspired last year’s television anime series. The first volume alone of the television anime has 100,000 copies. It is also inspiring next year’s live-action film with lead actor Haruma Miura (Bloody Monday, Kimi ni Todoke) and director Shinji Higuchi (Heisei-era Gamera films).
The manga has also inspired four spinoff manga. Isayama launched the series in Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine in 2009.
Kodansha Comics is publishing Isayama’s original manga in North America. The company is also releasing three of the four spinoff manga, and the Attack on Titan Guidebooks: INSIDE & OUTSIDE. Vertical is publishing the Attack on Titan: Before the Fall light novel series.
A new Mahou Shoujo Madoka☆Magica (Puella Magi Madoka Magica) is currently in the works as news of a continuation of the series has been announced. A new website has launched for the next instalment in the series. It will be a film that has been announced to be releasing in 2015.
The image itself reads “The tale of the girls has not come to a closed. The long awaited sequel begins now!” The new animated project is a film, though it is only temporary and could change in the near future. The movie has been confirmed to release in 2015.
Mahou Shoujo Madoka☆Magica (Puella Magi Madoka Magica) is an original anime series that aired in 2011. The series was produced by Shaft, and was directed by Akiyuki Shinbo (Monogatari). The series was written by Gen Urobuchi and the character designs from Ume Aoki and Takahiro Kishida. The series received great reception breaking Blu ray sale records, and the franchise has grossed over 40 billion yen. The series was also live streamed on Niconico where over 1 million people watched the series. In addition to the TV series, a trilogy of movies were released. The first two recapped the story and the final movie, Rebellion, had an original story.
Not much is known about the upcoming Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica movie.
Alright, its an April fools joke. The website itself has already updated to reflect on that, saying that “It wasn an April Fools Joke. Sorry we lied to you. Note it was a single person and we had nothing to do with it”. So there you have it. Dreams crushed and hopes lost.
For anyone who wants to know what was in the source code, it was this ASCII art:
It seems that April Fools is well under way in Japan. First being the new Shaft announcement and now, the official website of the Ping Pong The Animation has updated with a new video. The video is a commercial announcing a new crossover partnership between the anime and Dragon Ball. And they seem to be going all out, with the commercial itself is narrated by Masako Nozawa, the Japanese voice actress of Goku from the Dragon Ball franchise, and also the voice of Obaba in Ping Pong The Animation.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1kxh5n
And what other way is there than to parody the iconic music and logo from Dragon Ball. It even has Nozawa’s character front and center. The official website also teases that the story of the anime revolves around the adventures of Peko and Smile, in their journey to find the lost seventh ping pong ball in the world. Maybe it could grant wishes.
Ping Pong is a manga created by Taiyou Matsumoto in 1996. The manga is about the sport Table Tennis, or Ping Pong, that ran for a year for a total of 5 volumes. The manga was published in Shogakukan’s Big Comic Spirits magazine. A live action film adaptation of the series was made in 2002 and was directed by Fumihiko Sori. An anime adaptation was announced earlier in the year. The anime will be produced by Tatsunoko Production (Sket Dance, Yozakura Quartet ~Hana no Uta~) and will be directed by Masaaki Yuasa (Kick-Heart).
Ping Pong The Animation will begin airing on April 6. As for this crossover with Dragon Ball, it is nothing more than an April Fools joke – maybe.
In celebration for the newly announced Fate/Stay Night anime, we here at Haruhichan are providing fantastic click-bait for all of the Saber lovers out there. For those whom don’t know about Saber, she is a top-tier waifu that’s in the ‘Fate’ anime/visual novels produced by Type-Moon.
This figure comes from our friends at e2046, and is known as the ‘Saber Bride.’ Now you can have Saber dressed appropriately for all of the inappropriate things you wish to do with her. Don’t worry though; PVC tells no tales. :3
Saber is beloved by a lot of folks out there, and this figure really does do her justice. The ‘wedding dress’ is a very common variant for most waifu-tier girls to have, and Saber has hers done right. The first thing I notice while looking at the figure, is the FANTASTIC paint job that has been for her eyes. They just have a certain je nais suis quoi about them.
The material that makes up the ‘Wedding Veil’ is translucent and has very delicate lines painted very carefully along the trim. The same design is found around her waist and wrists. Just a bit of warning, be ready to try out your pen-line skills if you get this as a Garage Kit. Definitely not for beginners! The edges of her skirt have a nice fire-singed design. While it does look good, I feel that it feels kinda.. odd on the figure as a whole.
My second gripe with the figure is that well… I don’t think Saber is supposed to have such an ample bosom. Now, don’t get angry with me! Saber is Hero of the Knights, and is a female King Arthur. Seeing her so sexualized kinda ruins her badassery for me just a touch. That being said, I would still gladly drink out of those cups any day of the week.
In this shot you can actually see the little floral arrangement adoring her hair as well of the embellishments of her boots. Let’s just say this figure has a lot of zip.
Now you can finally see the cute little bow on the back of her head.
Saber still looks very pretty even from her backside, giving you an entire view of all the embellishments in her hair.
Overall, this is a fantastic figure that will look great on a shelf from any direction. I would again advise only the advanced artists to get the GK version, as there are a lot of ‘fine details’ all over Saber. Dealing with all of those fine lines and the zippers will end up taking a very skilled hand.
Prepainted Price per cm/in (without stand): $8.04 per cm, $21.25 per inch
Garage Kit Price per cm/in (without stand): $2.14 per cm, $5.67 per inch
That’s all he have for our review of the Saber Bride figure from e0246.com. Please let us know what you think about Saber in the comments below.. or not.. it’s not like we care or anything…. </tsundere>
The amazing people over the Shaft has announced that they will be producing an anime titled Usomonogatari. Additionally, Kodansha has announced that a new book will be released in the Monogatari light novel series. It will be the third volume of Owarimonogatari.
Shaft has also released the first PV for Usomonogatari:
A new website has opened for the news, showcasing many announcements and information on the third volume of Owarimonogatari. The book itself will contain over one million pages. A new tour for Monogatari was also announced, where the holiday destination is a lost journey with Mayoi Hachikuji. The second tour is for a trip to the South Pole, with a kiss shot of your favourite character.
Other announcements include:
Senjougahara stationery set, where you can transport it in your skirt
Audio commentary by Hanekawa and Black Hanekawa
A Monogatari themed airplane has been created
The series Kimi to Nadekko has also been announced it will be receiving an anime adaptation
A spin-off to Kimi to Nadekko titled Kimi no Ninki ni Kuttsukihi (Parasitising Off Your Popularitsukihi) has been announced
A 1/1 scale doll of Yotsugi Ononoki will be releasing
A Hanekawa fur mat, “Awakens your second personality!”
“Heroine character book: Ougi Oshino Version, confirmed for release! All pages are black!”
A Tsukihi’s friend check sheet will be revealed
A new novel focusing on Hitagi Senjougahara titled Kogarashi Sentiment
A new coffee based on Black Hanekawa – ” I can’t drink it because I have a cat’s tongue nya”
A new series of Ononoki posing treading cards – only one type
Bad news as the girl band Lolitrio has disbanded. The members have stated “[there were] A difference in childish direction. We don’t even remember forming a band in the first place”
Volume 1 of the spell book of Deishuu Kaiki will be free
A Hitagi Senjougahara 100/1 scale doll, where you can recreate the opening
The third Monogatari tour to destroy the world and travel across time with Shinobu Oshino
The Bakemonogatari anime will be showing for 240 hours, for 10 consecutive days
A Nadeko Sengoku wig is now on sale, and contains real snakes
A new real life restaurant has opened, The Restaurant of No Orders, with Tsubasa Hanekawa as the chef
The Monogatari series is a collection of light novels, created by Nisio Isin. 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 have received and anime adaptation titled Bakemonogatari, after the first volume, in 2009 from the animation studio Shaft. Since then a total of 11 novels has been animated by the same studio. It has been reported that there has been over a million sales of the Bakemonogatari and Nisemonogatari anime. In addition, a drama CD, a PlayStation Portable game and many figures and figurines have been made based on the series.
A lot of new things have been announced today. A lot. Maybe it is all a ruse? Could it be? No, Shaft won’t do that, these are all legitimate announcements and are in no way revealed to fool us on this fine April day.
I guess this might as well be a new series of articles now. A new set of uncensored and censored comparison images for another somewhat controversial anime has released. This time its for the anime Pupa, based on the manga by Sayaka Mogi. The anime itself has had many complaints in the regards to the adaptation done by Studio Deen. One such point was that one of the series’ main focus, gore and cannibalism, was being censored. Now that the blu-rays are coming out we can see the anime in its full glory. But will it make it any better?
And as such, a comparison between the televised and blu-ray versions of the anime Pupa is in order. So how much is censored on TV? A lot apparently.
The images on the left are the censored televised version and the right are the uncensored version from the blu-rays. Click on the images for their full resolution.
Pupa is a manga created by Sayaka Mogi in 2011. The manga ran from March that year to December 2013, for a total of 5 volumes. The series ran in the Comic Earth Star magazine, published by Earth Star Entertainment. The manga received an anime adaptation during the Winter 2013/2014 season from Studio Deen.
Here is a synopsis of the series from MAL:
The “life-and-death sibling” story follows Utsutsu and Yume Hasegawa, a boy and his little sister who find themselves all alone. One day, Yume sees a mysterious red butterfly and her body undergoes a strange metamorphosis—into a creature that eats humans. Utsutsu struggles to find a way to restore his sister.
The uncensored Pupa blu-rays are currently available for sale on Amazon Japan. It costs ¥4,949 (~ $49.49 USD) and includes all the episodes uncensored, and a few little extras.
Do you think the anime is much more enjoyable if it’s uncensored?
Releasing on the 26th of April is the sequel film to the Kyoto Animation anime Tamako Market. Titled Tamako Love Story, the film will follow the relationship between Tamako and Mochizou. To relieve the wait, Kyoto Animation has released a few new images for the upcoming film, as well as a sample of the opening theme song that is set to appear in Tamako Love Story – Principles.
A total of three new images have been revealed for the film, all of which were published in an issue of NewType Magazine.
Kyoto Animation has revealed a small preview of the opening theme song of the movie. The song is titled Principles and is sung by Tamako Kitashirakawa’s voice actress, Aya Suzaki. The song was composed by Koh-ichi Fujimoto with the song’s lyrics written by Naoko Yamada. The song will be available for purchase on April 30th, the few days after the movie’s premiere, in an album that will go for ¥1,200 (~ $12USD).
Tamako Market is an original anime series created by Kyoto Animation. The series itself started airing in January last year for a total of 12 episodes. The majority of the anime’s production worked on K-ON! and its subsequent sequels. The series also received a light novel adaptation in April 2013 by Mutsuki Ichinose.
Here is a synopsis of the anime from Haruhichan:
Tamako knows just about everything there is to know about mochi, the traditional Japanese dessert treats. When she’s not attending her first year of high school, she even invents new flavors and varieties for Tama-ya, her family’s mochi shop. School and growing up, on the other hand, are some things that she’s still trying to find the right recipe for. But with the help of her best friends Kanna and Midori, two girls whose parents run businesses in the same shopping district, Tamako’s determined to make the best of things. It’s complicated though, especially when it comes to emotions and her relationship with her best boy friend Mochizou, whose family runs a rival mochi shop. And lately, Midori’s been feeling a little odd about her feelings towards Tamako as well. And what’s up with that strange bird fluttering around, the one that speaks fluent Japanese? It’s all very mysterious and overwhelming, but at least Tamako always has one thing she can count on: No matter if your day’s been good or bad, there’s certain to be something sugary and delicious waiting at the end of every adventure whenever you take a walk through Tamako Market!
Tamako Love Story will be releasing in Japan on April 26. Additional information and images about the film will be out in the next few weeks.
For more information about the film, such as purchasing tickets and which theatres will be showing the film, check out the Tamako Love Story website: http://tamakolovestory.com/
A banner has been circulating on Japanese blogs (Dengeki, in this case) is purporting that light novel publisher Kazuma Kamachi has an important announcement regarding Toaru Majutsu no Index (A Certain Magical Index) slated for April 10th.
There has been some teaser on what might be a continuation of A Certain Magical Index (Toaru Majutsu no Index), we might just see Misaka and Touma kick ass once more. This of course hasn’t been confirmed, and there isn’t much information about it. As a fan of both A Certain Magical Index (Toaru Majutsu no Index) and Toaru Kagaku no Railgun (A Certain Scientific Railgun) series, I am officially hype. It could mean a 3rd season for index but seeing how the looks of index have changed it might be some sort of mini series where it’s mainly comedy and chibi style characters, somewhat resembling the past specials, Toaru Majutsu no Index Specials which featured Index-tan.
I can’t say for sure that I’ll be too happy if it is just chibi mini-series, regardless I’m exited to see what Kazuma Kamachi has for us in the near future.
Terms – Chuunibyou: literally means middle school, 2nd grade (8th-grade) illness. It refers to people who have a wild imagination, and they believe they are someone else living in the real world.
こんにちわみんなさん (Hello everyone!)
When Kyoto Animation’s “Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai” aired back in the Fall season of 2012, it turned out to be one of the most popular anime from that year. The show spawned specials, an OVA, ONAs, and even a movie that recapped the first season. After the final episode of Kyoto Animation’s anime “Tamako Market”, which finished at the end of March 2013, a fifteen second teaser trailer was shown with an ambiguous message that simply stated: “Contract renewed.” In May of 2013, the second season was confirmed.
Let me get one thing out of the way. I was a huge fan of the first season. I have a lot of love for Kyoto Animation, with them being my favourite animation studio. When the second season was announced, I was extremely excited, particularly because I was not expecting one. The first season wrapped up pretty nicely, and a second season had seemed improbable at best. As a more recent anime fan, and as someone who does not really pay attention to upcoming anime that often, this was the first anime I was truly excited to start watching.
The first season was characterized by its humour, quirky cast, and its awkward male and female protagonists: Yuuta Togashi, and Rikka Takanashi. It was a simple love story about a boy who knew nothing about girlfriends, and a girl who knew nothing but the world of her imagination. The humour left me in stitches multiple times, and I primarily call it a comedy anime more than a romance anime. Its character cast played off each other well, and their eccentric personalities only made the anime more enjoyable. So, how would the second season turn out?
Story:
The story takes place after the first season, and immediately follows the movie (knowledge of the movie is not required, but it does help explain the beginning of the first episode). Due to unforeseen circumstances, Yuuta and Rikka are living alone together in Yuuta’s apartment. As they start their second year of high school, and resume their club activities, their friends become frustrated at their apparent lack of intimacy as a couple. In addition, one of Yuuta’s childhood friends, Satone “Sophia Ring SP Saturn VII” Shichimiya, shows up to reunite with her old friend. Satone’s appearance tests the couple’s relationship.
Let’s face it: We’ve all done stances like this in our past because they looked cool.
With Yuuta and Rikka already in a relationship after the first season, this season should be about them making progress in their relationship. But, with such an awkward couple like this, their relationship moves at a snail’s pace. Prior to the start of this season, the closest they’ve gotten to each other in an intimate way was: hugging, holding pinkies, and a couple of failed attempts at kissing. It isn’t necessarily a bad thing that their relationship advances slowly, but it does make you want to scream at your screen a couple of times. However, when their relationship does move forward, it gives you this huge sense of fulfillment that a great task has just been accomplished. It is a bit hard to explain until you watch it for yourself.
Kiss? Please? I am begging you; please kiss!
Satone Shichimiya’s inclusion as the romantic rival actually does not even appear that way until near the end of the anime. As Yuuta’s friend from middle school, she has known him for much longer than Rikka has, including knowing how Rikka currently feels in her relationship with Yuuta. She, too, used to have feelings for Yuuta but gave them up to pursue her goal of being a chuunibyou forever. Her role as Rikka’s relationship advisor was done very well, and, I found, her overall portrayal was excellent. Despite her chuunibyou, she is a very down-to-earth girl underneath. However, therein lies my primary problem with the story.
The vast majority of the anime before the last quarter was focused primarily on humour with a couple of episodes focused on the story. The problem I have with that is that, since they focused so much on making us fall off our chairs in laughter, when it came time to focus on the story, they ran out of episodes to work with. My main gripe with the storytelling is how they told Satone Shichimiya’s story. They saved her arc until the last few episodes, and they seemed to really run out of time there. Her arc was resolved so unrealistically; it’s almost laughable. As I said, I primarily treat this series as a comedy more than a romance, but that still does not excuse the poor storytelling near the end. Although it could have ended better (I felt like I got trolled at the very end), it ended on a high note with the last episode.
I’m sorry Satone…You were a good character that suffered from bad storytelling.
Story: 7/10
Characters:
All of the main characters from the first season return. Of course, there are the two main protagonists: Yuuta Togashi and Rikka Takanashi. Yuuta is a former(?) chuunibyou, but his interactions with Rikka has brought back some of his old habits. Rikka Takanashi is the main chuunibyou protagonist, usually spouting off quotes you would hear from 5th graders as they attempt to differentiate real life from fantasy. Throughout this season, she wrestles with her chuunibyou habits as she attempts to get closer to Yuuta. Makoto Isshiki, Yuuta’s classroom friend from the first season, is replaced by Satone Shichimiya as one of the main characters, and he is reduced to a supporting role.
Kumin Tsuyuri’s role was changed to make her the joker of the group, and she makes a bunch of plays on words during this season that will either make you laugh like crazy, or leave you bewildered because of the way the Japanese use puns. I, myself, am learning the Japanese language, so I understood some of her puns without the translations, and they are pretty funny if you understand the dual meanings of the words she uses.
Is she reading from a joke book? She sure put a lot of effort into trying to be funny.
The feuding duo of Shinka Nibutani and Sanae Dekomori, return to their antics of beating each other up and insulting one another. However, a couple of episodes focus specifically on the hidden friendship that the two have for each other. In all honesty, these two characters make an awesome duo when it comes to comedy, and they even managed to get some feels from me, which was unthinkable before.
Dekomori and Nibutani working together? What blasphemy is this?!
I have already mentioned Satone Shichimiya and, in my opinion, she emerges as the best character of the anime. Around the halfway point, she starts to steal the show. She is unlike many other romantic rivals, in that she knows how wrong her love for Yuuta is, and she always represses her feelings for him inside her. You may think, that isn’t that unusual. What sets her apart is how she helps Rikka with her relationship with Yuuta. She gives advice to her and asks her if she is truly committed to her relationship with Yuuta. Satone faced the same dilemma in the past, and she wants to make sure Rikka is making all the right decisions. You often don’t see a love triangle where one girl is clearly helping the other girl get closer to the guy. She has a lot of depth to her character, and it sticks out amidst the other characters. Admittedly, when it comes to having well constructed characters, this series doesn’t have that. So that is why Satone Shichimiya came as a pleasant surprise.
Now that’s how you make a great character.
These characters have such a great chemistry with each other. The way they all interact with each other clicks really well and it creates a solid cast. There were a couple of times where they could have developed the characters more, and that’s the only place it lost points for me. However, as a primarily comedic anime, it doesn’t matter much.
Characters: 9.5/10
Art and Animation:
Kyoto Animation is well known for its moe art style as well as its great animation. It delivers on both once again. The thing I love about Kyoto Animation is its art style for sure, but they also work hard to create realistic backdrops for their scenes and they are just very appealing to look at. The backgrounds and characters are bright and vibrant, and it creates a very nice-looking world. The animation is great once again, and you can see it in the early chuunibyou fight scenes the most. However, I did notice it starting to falter in later episodes, particularly during the chuunibyou fight scenes. They seemed to lose the fluidity of the earlier fights. Regardless, overall, another job well done by Kyoto Animation.
What can be more romantic than watching the sunset?
Art and Animation: 8.5/10
Sound:
In terms of sound, Chuunibyou Ren is pretty standard. No background music really stands out. There are some recognizable themes from the first season, like the background music for the chuunibyou fight scenes but, other than that, not much here. They all appropriately fit the scenes they’re placed in. The OP, VOICE, is done by ZAQ who also did the OP for the first season. It’s a pretty typical song, but I don’t mind.
The ED, Van!shment Th!s World, is done by Black Raison d’Etre, which is the main female cast and they also did the ED of the first season. I’m a huge sucker for electric guitars, so I personally really like this song.
The voice acting cast is pretty solid. Jun Fukuyama as Yuuta Togashi brings experience to this relative newcomer voice acting team. Maaya Uchida, again, nails her role as Rikka Takanashi to create one of anime’s cutest girls in history. I can see Chinatsu Akasaki as Shinka Nibutani going further in her voice acting career. I, for one, am hoping this is the breakout for Juri Nagatsuma, Satone Shichimiya’s voice actress. I already liked her voice acting from last year’s Tamako Market, where she voiced Kanna Makino, whom, coincidentally, was my favourite female character from that anime.
Sound: 8.5/10
Enjoyment:
As a collective whole, I really did enjoy watching this anime. It delivered the expected humour I expected from it in spades, and it brought in the cute moe moments that only KyoAni can deliver. The ending was pretty good but, as I mentioned, it could have ended better. Season 3 potentially too? The author of the light novels has apparently written a new volume and will release this year. The way they left things could point to one.
Enjoyment: 9/10
Overall:
Even though I had issues with the storytelling, as a comedy anime, this is still one of the best I have seen yet. It left me in stitches a lot of the time with its ridiculous characters, well-timed punchlines, and characters’ reactions. The cast is fantastic and they have such great chemistry with each other. The art and sound are great as expected out of Kyoto Animation. If you want an amazing love story, then I’m afraid you’ll have to settle for a just a good one here. However, if you were a fan of the comedy of the first season, or love humourous anime combined with great characters, then this is for you.
This was another fun season with these wacky characters.
Overall: 8.5/10
If you have watched it, what do you think of it? Let me know in the comments below!
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...
![Uncensored vs Censored - Pupa [NSFW] pic 1](https://haruhichan.com/wp-content/uploads/Uncensored-vs-Censored-Pupa-NSFW-pic-1.jpg)
![Uncensored vs Censored - Pupa [NSFW] pic 2](https://haruhichan.com/wp-content/uploads/Uncensored-vs-Censored-Pupa-NSFW-pic-2.jpg)
![Uncensored vs Censored - Pupa [NSFW] pic 3](https://haruhichan.com/wp-content/uploads/Uncensored-vs-Censored-Pupa-NSFW-pic-3.jpg)
![Pupa-TV-And-Blu-Ray-Comparisons-[NSFW]-Cover](http://www.otakutale.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Pupa-TV-And-Blu-Ray-Comparisons-NSFW-Cover.jpg)
