Popular music and anime go hand-in-hand these days, at least in Japan — theme songs aren’t just the purview of anison singers. But even if you’re not up-to-date on idol groups or pop stars in Japan, you’ll still occasionally hear familiar favorites in anime… well, sometimes. …Read more »
After the way 2020’s gone, we’re about ready for our convenience store robot overlords. Japanese store chains Lawson and FamilyMart have announced that they will be introducing simple robots to some locations. At present, the robots will simply be available for demonstration, but there are …Read more »
Japan’s State of Emergency was previously extended to May 31, but those restrictions have officially been lifted earlier than planned. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a press conference on May 25 to announce that the declaration of State of Emergency has now been lifted …Read more »
Now that’s dedication. A YouTuber in Japan with the username Tarue Totsugeki is praying for the return of Yoshihiro Togashi’s manga Hunter x Hunter in his own special way: by throwing 1,000 karate punches every day. On his channel, the user promises “one thousand thankful …Read more »
Looking for something new (new to you, that is) to watch? You could do worse than ticking some films off this list. Straight from the folks at the British Film Institute, it lists the best Japanese film of the year for each year starting in …Read more »
We’ve entered an age in which parties, meetups, meetings and dates have moved online to Zoom or other platforms. It’s great we have the technology to connect, but there are times when Zoom meetings can go on and on. But how to make a graceful …Read more »
Desperate times call for cute creative measures. Take this example from Japan, courtesy designer Eisuke Tachikawa. In the face of COVID-19, which can be passed from person to person via saliva droplets, Tachikawa has created a template for a face shield that can be cut …Read more »
Y’all know Doraemon, right? The blue robot cat from the future beloved by generations of Japanese kids? Softbank, one of Japan’s leading cell phone carriers, has recruited Doraemon as part of its 5G rollout—and they’ve thought pretty far outside the box in terms of casting. …Read more »
Rurouni Kenshin: The Final and The Beginning are mere months away from slashing their way into Japanese theaters. Now we’ve learned who’s set to play Tomoe Yukishiro in the films: Kasumi Arimura. Arimura is best known among manga and anime fans for her roles in …Read more »
Hey, kids: game over. No, seriously. By law! Well, sort of. Kagawa Prefecture, Japan just passed an ordinance restricting video game play time for children. The ordinance, the first of its kind in Japan, was created to combat video game addiction. The ordinance sets playtime …Read more »
Wataru Watanabe’s manga Yowamushi Pedal has been adapted into anime, stage plays and more. Now it’s headed to the big screen, and we’ve got the trailer to prove it. The film, entitled simply Yowamushi Pedal, stars Ren Nagase as Sakamichi Onoda, Kentaro Ito as Shunsuke …Read more »
Looking for some unconventional post-Thanksgiving streaming material? Allow us to present Star Wars in kabuki form. Yeah, you heard right. This is the Star Wars kabuki play announced earlier this month starring Japan’s most famous kabuki actor, Ebizō XI, as Kylo Ren (or Kairen, as he’s called in the play). The …Read more »
Japanese fans of Mamoru Hosoda’s Summer Wars are getting ready to rock and roll this January. That’s when the film, now celebrating its 10th anniversary, will blast back into Japanese theaters with 4DX screenings. Yes, we’ll soon know what the online world of OZ smells like. The screenings …Read more »
A few days ago we posted about a billboard that went up in Akihabara and caught everyone’s attention for being particularly… busty. Some folks weren’t too happy about having a building-size monument to massive mammaries, and it looks like the local officials took their complaints to heart. …Read more »
Last year, the Japan Animation Creators Association (Janica) partnered with publisher Dai Nippon Printing to conduct a survey of working conditions in the anime industry, and a detailed report of the findings is just now coming out. Responses were collected from 383 people working as artists, animators, …Read more »
Kara Dennison
Joseph Luster
Matt Schley
Julian Gnam