Notice how there are always different school uniforms in anime? That’s very true for Japan too! Not only does each school have its own take on the school girl uniform, but the different regions in Japan have a different sense of how a uniform should look.
Twitter user tmato30kcal shared his take in the form of art on this topic, by pointing out the few differences of how uniforms generally look in the many different areas of Japan, from all the way north in Hokkaido to as far south as rural Okinawa.
tmato30kcal depicted the girls in their winter uniforms, since it’s still around the cold season. They noted that certain trends and the weather in the areas usually affect how most school girl uniforms look like and it also affected the type of skirts, jackets, coats, neckties, accessories, and even the socks they wear. For example, in Hokkaido, which is in the north and drastically colder, uniforms tend to be made from heavier material as opposed to the Okinawa style, which suits the warmer climate. A few twitter users also shared their thoughts:
“This is totally true for Kobe!”
“Nagoya girls now wear their skirts much shorter than this”
“I’ve never seen a schoolgirl in thigh-highs before”
“Thank you for sharing your valuable experience with us!”
What do you think about the differences in styles? Which one is your favorite?
Charapedia asked 10,000 anime fans the question: What anime series would you want to watch on your last day alive? And from thousands of fans, most of the responses are from the male fans (36.9%), female fans (63.1%) and teens to adults in their 20s (66.0%) while the other 34.0% are 30 and over.
The official website of the upcoming anime adaptation of Ototachibana’s (Ghost Hunt Scramble!) Shounen Maid manga series has revealed the supporting cast members.
Natsuki Hanae (Ken Kaneki from Tokyo Ghoul) as Ryuuji
Taku Yashiro (Toyohi Utsumi from Kono Danshi, Mahou ga Oshigoto Desu.) as Hayato
Kazutomi Yamamoto (Yumoto Hakone from Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu LOVE!) as Ibuki
The previous announced cast includes:
Natsumi Fujiwara will voice Chihiro Komiya
Nobunaga Shimazaki (Keiichi Katakura from Nijiiro Days) as Madoka Takatori
Tomoaki Maeno (Naotsugu from Log Horizon) as Keiichirou Shinozaki
The first episode will receive an early screening along with the first episode of Sakamoto desu ga? on March 12 at Yurakucho Asahi Hall in Tokyo. The cast members will be present at the screening event.
Key visual:
Here’s the first promotional video:
Shounen Maid is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ototachibana. An anime television series adaptation will premiere in April 2016.
Chihiro is left homeless with supposedly no relatives after his mom died. As he worries about what to do next, his uncle shows up and plans to take care of him…Or is it the other way around?
Global provider of streaming movies and TV series, Netflix, revealed on Thursday that they will exclusively premiere Perfect Bones, a new anime series from Production I.G (Ghost in the Shell, Psycho-Pass). The company said this is “the first ever original anime title to debut all episodes simultaneously in 190 countries around the world.”
Netflix also provided a synopsis of the upcoming original anime series:
Perfect Bones is set in a future where scientists have tried to create the “perfect human” in hopes of keeping peace in the universe. After nearly achieving their goal through several children, the scientists send their “new humans” for further training where they are kidnapped by an evil organization set on using their powers to implement their own concept of a new world order.
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings stated in an interview at the DealBook conference in November that he is “hopeful” that Netflix will “make a great anime show.” Hastings was elaborating on how his company will produce more unique programming from production companies around the world, and therefore will spend US$5 billion in 2016 on content.
Netflix already premiered both seasons of the Knights of Sidonia television anime series after they aired in Japan, and will premiere the Ajin television anime series in mid-2016 outside of Japan (the company is streaming the series in Japan three days after new episodes air on TV). Among other titles, it is also streaming The Seven Deadly Sins and began streaming Glitter Force (Smile Precure!) on December 18.
During the 20th Anniversary Pokémon Direct, the president and CEO of The Pokémon Company, Tsunekazu Ishihara, announced the next two titles in the Pokémon franchise: Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon. The games were leaked before the official announcement earlier this week.
Not much information has been revealed for the two games, other than that they will be launching this Holiday Season (Late 2016) Worldwide on the Nintendo 3DS. Another new addition, is that the game will now support 9 languages, with the inclusion of Chinese Simplified and Traditional.
No information whether the games will be set in a new generation or in the 6th generation (X, Y, Omega Ruby,Alpha Sapphire) has been revealed. The Pokémon Bank functionality will work with the new titles and will work with the recent Virtual Console release of Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue.
Here is the full Pokémon Direct Presentation:
Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon will be the next two titles in franchise and will release on the Nintendo 3DS this Holiday. Further information about the games will be revealed at a later date.
The official website for the recently announced anime adaptation of Ishizuka Chihiro’s Flying Witch manga has revealed the supporting cast members for the series on Friday. The anime will begin airing on April 9th.
The character designs for the addition cast were also revealed:
Kana Aoi (First debut role) will voice Akane Kowata
Shiori Mikami (Akari Akaza from Yuru Yuri) as Nao Ishiwatari
Mari Hino (Nao Shinkawa from Shirobako) as Inukai
Yuka Iguchi (Mitsuba Sanguu from Owari no Seraph) as Anzu Shiina
The previously announced cast includes:
Minami Shinoda (First debut role) as Makoto Kowata
Eri Suzuki (Milinda Brantini from Heavy Object) as Chinatsu Kuramoto
Shinsuke Sugawara (First debut role) as Kei Kuramoto
The staff for the upcoming series include:
Director: Sakurabi Katsushi (Asatte no Houkou., Kamisama no Memochou, Shingetsutan Tsukihime)
Flying Witch is a Japanese manga series by Chihiro Ishizuka. It has been serialized since September 2012 in Kodansha’s shounen manga magazine Bessatsu Shounen Magazine and collected in three tankobon volumes. The manga was first published as a one-shot on July 9, 2010 in the same magazine. An anime television series adaptation has been announced for April 2016.
Flying Witch synopsis from MAL:
Kowata Makoto is an air head with a bad sense of direction that just moved into her relative’s house… But is that all?
PENGUIN RESEARCH will perform the opening theme song “Spotlight,” and Fujifabric will perform the ending theme song “Polaris.” PENGUIN RESEARCH.
Here’s the promotional video for the series:
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3n1brf
The series, which is a prequel to Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, is written by Shinobu Ohtaka and illustrated by Yoshifumi Ohtera, and follows the titular character of Sinbad. The first two OVAs were released earlier this year in the 3rd and 4th manga of the Magi: Sinbad no Bouken manga respectively. The OVAs are being produced by Lay-duce (Go! Go! 575) and features the cast returning to voice their respective characters, with Daisuke Ono (Sebastian Michaelis in Black Butler) leading as Sinbad.
Anime visual:
The cast includes:
Daisuke Ono (Sebastian Michaelis in Black Butler) leading as Sinbad
Tomokazu Sugita (Gintoki Sakata from Gintama) voicing as Drakon
Akira Ishida (Kotaro Katsura in Gintama) voices Yunan
Ai Kayano (Menma from AnoHana) as Serendine Dikumenowlz Du Parthevia
Takahiro Sakurai (Shougo Makishima in Psycho-Pass) returns to voice Ja’far
Shintarou Kawakubo, the editor of Hajime Isayama’s Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) manga has revealed on Twitter that an interview between Isayama and anime director Tetsurou Araki will release on March 9th, which will reveal new information about the upcoming second season of Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin).
The upcoming issue of Kodansha’s Bessatsu Shounen magazine will release on March 9th and will contain the interview. The interview will be about the future of the series, the production of the first season and anime films, and the first details about the second season. Season 2 of the Attack on Titan is slated to air in 2016.
Here is the preview video for the second season that was revealed at the conclusion of the second compilation anime film:
The Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan) series was created by Hajime Isayama. It started off as a manga in 2009 and is published in Kodansha’s monthly Bessatsu Shounen Magazine. To date there has been 14 compiled volumes of the manga. A prequel light novel adaptation started in 2011, and two spin-off manga started serialization in 2012: Shingeki no Kyojin: Before the Fall and Shingeki! Kyojin Chuugakkou. In April 2013 the series was picked up for an anime adaptation. The anime series was produced by the newly formed Wit Studios. The series has grown in popularity since the anime’s debut, with the manga selling over 36 million copies as of April this year. Two live action film adaptations will be releasing in Japan this year. The first images for the live-action 2015 Attack on Titan film were also earlier released.
Several hundred years ago, humans were nearly exterminated by titans. Titans are typically several stories tall, seem to have no intelligence, devour human beings and, worst of all, seem to do it for the pleasure rather than as a food source. A small percentage of humanity survived by walling themselves in a city protected by extremely high walls, even taller than the biggest of titans.
Flash forward to the present and the city has not seen a titan in over 100 years. Teenage boy Eren and his foster sister Mikasa witness something horrific as the city walls are destroyed by a colossal titan that appears out of thin air. As the smaller titans flood the city, the two kids watch in horror as their mother is eaten alive. Eren vows that he will murder every single titan and take revenge for all of mankind.
Premium Bandai have revealed a 1.5 meter Snorlax cushion which will sell for a total of 52,000 yen. Reservations are currently open until March 31 and it is expected to ship in August 2016.
Cosplaying has become one of the biggest hobbies of anime lovers, and nothing is quite as magical as having yourself immortalized as anime-style artwork.
Cosplayers around the world are catching on to this new trend, and it’s all thanks to this hashtag: #絵師さんにイラスト化してほしい画像をレイヤーが垂れ流す, which simply translates to: “Images put out by cosplayers who want artists to transform them into illustrations.” What a cute and creative way to express yourself and your love for art!
And artists are responding positively! Check out this gorgeous side by side comparisons of the cosplayer to the illustration.
You can try this out for yourself! Just post you in your cosplay with the hashtag #絵師さんにイラスト化してほしい画像をレイヤーが垂れ流す and wait and see if an artist chooses you!
Nothing is quite as heartbreaking as when your favorite shounen goes on a hiatus, and Hunter x Hunter fans are very familiar with this kind of torturous waiting.
The frustrated fans of Yoshihiro Tagashi’s popular-but-frequently-on-hiatus manga Hunter x Hunter, have created a website that tracks and organizes the information related to the publication for the series and its abundance hiatuses.
The website tracks exactly which issues of Sheisha’s Weekly Shounen Jump include a chapter of Hunter x Hunter since the series began serialization in 1998, but also includes data about the current publication status and statistics exploring the lengths of carious hiatuses over the years.
All of the data is organized in a series of easy-to-read graphs and charts. It’s an impressive endeavor chronicling Hunter x Hunter‘s long and often rocky publication history.
Kadokawa began streaming a 15-second commercial on Thursday for the OVA that will be included in the ninth limited edition of Natsume Akatsuki and Kurone Mishima’s Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! (Give Blessings to This Wonderful World!) light novel series. The video reveals that Aki Toyosaki (Momo Belia Deviluke from To LOVE-Ru Darkness) will play the character Yunyun in the episode and previews the opening theme “fantastic dreamer” by Machico. Yunyun will not appear in the TV anime series.
In related news – Aqua and Megumin have been featured as a double page spread in the March 2016 issue of Dengeki G‘s Magazine. You can purchase this issue here (get 5% off with coupon code MOE-N3Y-4YW0QK).
In addition to this, Megumin has been featured as a poster in the March 2016 issue of Megami. You can purchase this issue here (get 5% off with coupon code MOE-N3Y-4YW0QK).
In addition to this, Aqua has been featured as a poster in the February 2016 issue of Megami. This issue can be purchased here (get 5% off with coupon code MOE-N3Y-4YW0QK) and you can view the other posters that came in this issue here.
Here’s the recent anime visual:
The main cast of the anime has been revealed and includes:
Jun Fukushima (Yoshihisa Manabe from Kotoura-san) will voice Kazuma Satou
Japanese pop singer Machico performs the anime’s Opening theme song “fantastic dreamer” with voice actresses Sora Amamiya, Rie Takahashi and Ai Kayano performs the Ending theme song “Chiisana Boukensha” in character.
The website also revealed two additional visuals:
Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! (Give Blessings to This Wonderful World!) is a fantasy adventure light novel series written by Natsume Akatsuki and illustrated by Kurone Mishima. The series began in October 2013 being published under Kadokawa Shoten’s Sneaker Bunko imprint, where a total of 7 volumes have been produced to date. A spin-off light novel series titled Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Bakuen o! is also being produced alongside the parent novel, with 3 volumes to date. A manga adaptation is currently being serialized in Fujimi Shobo’s Monthly Dragon Age magazine.
Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! synopsis from MAL:
The life of Satou Kazuma, a hikikomori who likes games, all too soon came to an end because of a traffic accident… It was supposed to, but when he woke up, a beautiful girl who called herself a goddess was in front of his eyes.
“Hey, I have got something a little nice for you. Wanna go to another world? You can take only one thing of your choice along with you.”
“…then I’ll take you.”
From here on, the great adventure of subjugating the Demon King will begin for the reincarnated Kazuma… Or so one would think, but it’s the labor for obtaining food, clothing and shelter that begins! Despite Kazuma wanting to live in peace, the goddess keeps causing problems one after another, and eventually, they attract the attention of the Demon King’s army!?
Earlier today, two European trademarks were found for Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon. It’s assumed that these games will be the topic of discussion for tomorrow’s Pokemon Direct. Further evidence was found pointing out that Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon are actual titles. Nintendo of America registered the domain name pokemon-sunmoon.com, although for now it only redirects to pokemon.com. I imagine that will change after the direct tomorrow!
What comes to mind as far as “sun” and “moon” Pokemon are Solrock and Lunatone. I wonder if there’s a connection.
Aniplex America began streaming a digest video for episode 1-6 of the anime adaptation of Kei Sanbe’s Boku dake ga Inai Machi (ERASED) manga series on Wednesday.
The Boku dake ga Inai Machi anime adaptation currently airs every Friday at 12:55am JST on Fuji TV’s Noitamina block.
In addition to this, the director, Tomohiko Ito (Sword Art Online, Silver Spoon), has announced on the anime’s official Twitter account that the series will adapt the manga’s original ending which ends in March.
The Boku dake ga Inai Machi manga itself has yet to end, where a total of 7 volumes has been released. The next chapter of the manga will release in Kadokawa’s Young Ace magazine on March 4. The anime itself will run for a total of 12 episodes, finishing its broadcast on March 24th.
In related news, a new visual for the the TV anime adaptation has been revealed in the February 2016 issue ofNewType as a double page spread. You can purchase this issue here (get 5% off with coupon code MOE-N3Y-4YW0QK).
The main cast of the anime includes:
Shinnosuke Mitsushima (Ryotaro in the Fu-Zoku Changed My Life movie) will have his anime debut role voicing 29 year old Satoru Fujinuma
Tao Tsuchiya (Mare Tsumura in the Mare live action TV drama) makes her anime debut as 10 year old Satoru Fujinuma
Boku Dake ga Inai Machi is an ongoing Japanese fantasy suspense seinen manga series written and illustrated by Kei Sanbe and serialized on Kadokawa Shoten’s Young Ace magazine since 2012. Volume 1 was released on January 26, 2013 and 5 volumes have been published so far. It’s published in French by Ki-oon. An anime adaptation has been announced and is scheduled to air in January 2016.
Struggling manga author Satoru Fujinuma is beset by his fear to express himself. However, he has a supernatural ability of being forced to prevent deaths and catastrophes by being sent back in time before the incident occurred, repeating time until the accident is prevented. One day, he gets involved in an accident that has him framed as a murderer. Desperate to save the victim, he sends himself back in time only to find himself as a grade-schooler one month before fellow classmate Kayo Hinadzuki went missing. Satoru now embarks on a new quest: to save Kayo and solve the mystery behind her disappearance.
A television anime adaptation of Ichigo Takano’s dramatic shoujo manga Orange has been green-lit and is slated to premiere in July. The site has revealed the first visual and staff members of the series, which will begin its broadcast this July.
Studio: TMS Entertainment (D.Gray-man, Detective Conan), Telecom Animation Film (Lupin III (2015), Moyashimon)
Anime key visual:
Orange is a slice of life romance shoujo/seinen manga series written and illustrated by Ichigo Takano. It was first serialized in 2012 in Bessatsu Margaret manga magazine and later in Monthly Action. It has been compiled into 5 volumes so far. It’s published in English (online) by Crunchyroll, in French by Akata and in Spain by Ediciones Tomodomo. A live action film adaptation of the same name was released on December 12, 2015. A television anime adaptation has been green-lit.
Orange synopsis from MAL:
One day, Takamiya Naho receives a letter written to herself from ten years in the future. As Naho reads on, the letter recites the exact events of the day, including the transfer of a new student into her class named Naruse Kakeru.
The Naho from ten years later repeatedly states that she has many regrets, and she wants to fix these by making sure the Naho from the past can make the right decisions—especially regarding Kakeru. What’s more shocking is that she discovers that ten years later, Kakeru will no longer be with them. Future Naho asks her to watch over him closely.
The Straw Hat Pirates from One Piece have teamed up with Kai’s Xfit razor blades to help promote the new shaving device. A new commercial has been animated and it features the Straw Hats admiring Xfit’s features and how it can give users a smooth shave.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OlRVf8CK-k
The collaboration also features special razors, which will come with special One Piece character packaging. The One Piece razor stands come in several different characters. Luffy and Nami cost 5,400 yen each, while the chibi versions of Luffy, Zoro, Zanji, Chopper, and Trafalgar Law each cost 2,700 yen. All of these products are scheduled for release in March.
Figure company Alter has yet again knocked it out of the water with their newest figure of Izaya from Durarara!! based off of his design from the Psychedelic Dreams OST. Unlike the original Orihara Izaya, his Psychedelic Dreams persona is made to be a more free-spirited, energetic, and childish version of him, sporting a white and pink color theme. The figure stands a beautiful 1/8 scale and measures approximately 170mm, or 6.6 inches tall, considering the lying down pose. While Alter is the primary manufacturer, Kohirou and Gareki no Shouko are the artists behind the color and sculpt of the final product.
The official website of the Girls und Panzer franchisehas revealed that the Blu-ray and DVD release of Girls und Panzer movie will be out in Japan on May 27. The release will also contain a special OVA that is set after the events of the movie, a part of the Akiyama Yukari no Sensha Kouza OVA series.
In addition to the OVA, the Blu-ray and DVD will also contain:
A special 80 page booklet
Behind the scenes footage
Footage from the movie’s opening screening and greeting
Separate commentary from the cast, staff and military advisers
A 20 page set of character designs
Boko no Uta Song CD
Code to download the Girls & Panzer: Sensha-dou Daisakusen! mobile game
Collection of promotional videos, trailers and commercials
The film itself has a strong run at the Japanese box office, opening at ¥128,438,980 (~ US$1.1 Million) and was ranked as the 38th highest grossing Japanese film in 2015. The movie to date has earned a total of ¥1.1 Billion (~ US$9.75 Million).
Here’s a trailer for the movie:
Visual:
Girls und Panzer is a 2012 Japanese anime television series created by Actas. It depicts a competition between girls’ high schools practicing tank warfare as a sport. The series was directed by Tsutomu Mizushima and produced by Kiyoshi Sugiyama. Takaaki Suzuki, who has earlier acted as a military history advisor forStrike Witches and Upotte!!, was involved in the production of the anime. The series initially aired in Japan between October and December 2012, with two additional episodes airing in March 2013 and an original video animation released in July 2014. Five manga series and a light novel adaptation have been published by Media Factory. An animated film debuted on November 21, 2015.
You may have heard of kung fu, but the girls at Oarai High School practice gun-fu—really, really BIG 75mm gun-fu, in fact. It’s called Sensha-do, and it’s the martial art of operating armored tanks! They take it seriously too, and since winning the national Sensha-do championship is such a huge deal at Oarai, they sometimes go to extreme ends in order to get the best students from Panzer class to sign up. Which is how Miho Nishizumi, who HATES operating tanks, gets drafted to join doomsday-driven driver Mako, even-triggered gunner Hana, highly receptive radio operator Saori and combustible tank-fangirl and loader Yukari as the incomparable Anko Team. They may not be on the half-track to fame and fortune, and maybe a few of them would rather shop for tank tops than become tops in tanks, but once their focus is locked and loaded, they’re absolutely driven.
The official website for the anime adaptation of Kei Sanbe’s Boku dake ga Inai Machi (ERASED) manga series has released the preview video for the upcoming 8th episode.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3tzodb
The Boku dake ga Inai Machi anime adaptation currently airs every Friday at 12:55am JST on Fuji TV’s Noitamina block.
In addition to this, the director, Tomohiko Ito (Sword Art Online, Silver Spoon), has announced on the anime’s official Twitter account that the series will adapt the manga’s original ending which ends in March.
The Boku dake ga Inai Machi manga itself has yet to end, where a total of 7 volumes has been released. The next chapter of the manga will release in Kadokawa’s Young Ace magazine on March 4. The anime itself will run for a total of 12 episodes, finishing its broadcast on March 24th.
In related news, a new visual for the the TV anime adaptation has been revealed in the February 2016 issue ofNewType as a double page spread. You can purchase this issue here (get 5% off with coupon code MOE-N3Y-4YW0QK).
The main cast of the anime includes:
Shinnosuke Mitsushima (Ryotaro in the Fu-Zoku Changed My Life movie) will have his anime debut role voicing 29 year old Satoru Fujinuma
Tao Tsuchiya (Mare Tsumura in the Mare live action TV drama) makes her anime debut as 10 year old Satoru Fujinuma
Boku Dake ga Inai Machi is an ongoing Japanese fantasy suspense seinen manga series written and illustrated by Kei Sanbe and serialized on Kadokawa Shoten’s Young Ace magazine since 2012. Volume 1 was released on January 26, 2013 and 5 volumes have been published so far. It’s published in French by Ki-oon. An anime adaptation has been announced and is scheduled to air in January 2016.
Struggling manga author Satoru Fujinuma is beset by his fear to express himself. However, he has a supernatural ability of being forced to prevent deaths and catastrophes by being sent back in time before the incident occurred, repeating time until the accident is prevented. One day, he gets involved in an accident that has him framed as a murderer. Desperate to save the victim, he sends himself back in time only to find himself as a grade-schooler one month before fellow classmate Kayo Hinadzuki went missing. Satoru now embarks on a new quest: to save Kayo and solve the mystery behind her disappearance.
The official website of the anime adaptation of NisiOisin’s Owarimonogatari began streaming a new promotional video for the “Sodachi Lost” arc and previews the opening song bySodachi Oikura (Marina Inoue). The new opening theme will be exclusive to the home video version of the episodes.
The first light novel volume in Nisio Isin’s Mongatari Series: Final Season, Tsukimonogatari, was announced to be in-production in October 2014, and aired as a 4-episode New Year’s Eve TV Special that year. The short story collectionKoyomimonogatari is the second volume, Owarimonogatari spans volumes 3-5, and the final volumeZokuOwarimonogatari completes the series. Official announcements regarding the anime adaptations of Koyomimonogatari have yet to be made.
In 2012, Shaft announced it would be animating all of Nisio Isin’s Monogatari Series. At this time, the studio had already animated the 15-episode TV seriesBakemonogatari starting in Summer 2009 and the 11-episodeNisemonogatari in Winter 2012.
Since the announcement, the 4-episode New Year’s Eve special Nekomonogatari: Kuro, 26-episode Monogatari Series: Second Season, and 5-episode Summer specialHanamonogatari have also been broadcast.Kizumonogatari is the only skipped adaptation in volume-order, despite its initial announcement in 2010 and a subsequent movie premiere date for 2012. Kizumonogatari‘s anime adaptation is still in production, no given date as of yet.
The Monogatari series centers on Koyomi Araragi, a third year high school student who is almost human again after briefly becoming a vampire. One day, a classmate named Hitagi Senjōgahara, who infamously never talks to anyone, falls down the stairs into Koyomi’s arms. He discovers that Hitagi weighs next to nothing, in defiance of physics. Despite being threatened by her, Koyomi offers his help, and introduces her to Meme Oshino, a middle-aged homeless man who helped him stop being a vampire.
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...
