Category > Anime
The good folks from anime streaming giants Crunchyroll have sent us details of their upcoming Autumn 2023 anime season. Content wise they'll be bringing everyone over 50 new, returning, and continuing series.
We're most excited about Frieren: Beyond Journey's End which gets released on Friday 29th September 2023. It tells the story of an elf mage at the end of her adventure and has to come to terms with her human comrades settling down after their heroic quest, while she has a significantly longer lifespan. Along with more Dr. Stone. Other fan favourites including One Piece return, plus Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2.
One that might go under your radar is Under Ninja (based on the manga by the same name), in a world where ninja still exist in Japan.
Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll
Category > Anime
Streaming giant Crunchyroll have sent us details of the World Premiere Screening of My Hero Academia Season 6. The original episode UA Heroes Battle will be shown at New York Comic Con 2023 on Friday 13th of October 2023.
This early, exclusive world preview will feature the English dub and will be available to NYCC attendees before it is screened in Japan.
In this special episode the cast play a card game U.A. Heroes Battle that the support course made. In a useful tie in e, Crunchyroll will be giving away limited edition character cards at the screening provided by UVS Games that are based on the new original episode and playable with the My Hero Academia Collectible Card Game. In our mind this is a plus ultra promotion.
Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll
Category > Manga
The good folks from digital manga subscription service Azuki have sent news that they've partnered up with manga publishers One Peace Books to offer a range of their titles to Azuki subscribers.
Titles include Tenken, Breathe Deeply , Ms. Itsuya, King's Game, Suzuki Just Wants a Quiet Life and many more.
We reviewed Breathe Deeply when it was first published in English over 10 years ago, it's an interesting title as you don't often get semi-futuristic medical drama manga!
Azuki offers a free with advertisements service or premium and access the full catalogue for $4.99 (USD) a month.
Read More... | Souce: Azuki
The good people from alternative streaming service Arrow have sent us details about a film just released this July. Yakuza Graveyard tells the story of detective Kuroiwa who falls for the beautiful wife of a jailed yakuza boss. It stars Meiko Kaji (Lady Snowblood) and featuring Nagisa Oshima the film is directed by Kinji Fukasaku.
Arrow also has some other interesting collections for fans of Japan including the Takashi Miike Collection and Third Window Films to name a few.
Subscriptions to Arrow cost £4.99 a month or £49.99 a year.
Read More... | Souce: Arrow
Category > Websites
The good folks from manga publishers One Peace Books have just sent us details of a little competition they're running. If you can write a mini review of their new title Parallel World Pharmacy, and post it on Twitter of Facebook tagged with #ParallelWorldPharmacy, you'll have the chance to win a signed illustration by the manga artist Sei Takano featuring the manga's star characters.
Competition closes June 26 2023 11:59 EST. Note that the competition is open to the US only. It's not everyday you get a chance to win original manga artwork! So we suggest you enter if you can!
Read More... | Souce: One Peace Books Twitter
The good folks from streaming giant Crunchyroll have sent us details of their upcoming film slate available for home streaming. Normally when you think of the service series come to mind, but don't forget they've also got a great line up of movies to watch on the streaming service too.
They headline with That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime The Movie: Scarlet Bond (which is out now), The Quintessential Quintuplets movie (which it out 28th April 2023).
Also out is the promising To Every You I've Loved Before and To Me, The One Who Loved You.
Plus for Gundam fans on 28th April 2023, they'll be releasing Mobile Suit Gundam Cucuruz Doan's Island.
The press release mentions various movies available, but it does vary by region, with the Mamoru Hosoda back catalogue not currently available in the UK.
If you are looking for something light, fluffy futuristic and enjoyable then give the Sing a Bit of Harmony film a try, we really enjoyed it.
Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll
Category > Anime
The good folks from anime streaming giants Crunchyroll have sent us details of their Spring 2023 streaming line up. This season has so much good stuff available this spring.
We're excited about the Skip and Loafer anime due for release on 4th April 2023, based on the popular and much loved manga it follows the of a rural girl getting used to life in the big city of Tokyo, amongst other things.
Ranking of Kings returns with Ranks of King : The Treasure Chest of Courage. This is due for release on 13th April 2023.
We're really looking forward to The Ancient Magus' Bride Season 2, as the first season and specials were so good. That and it's great to see some anime set in the English countryside. After all not much anime is set in the Cotswalds.
Mobile Suit Gundam The Witch from Mercury returns for a second season. We're also curious about A Galaxy Next Door as we've read the first volume of the manga and it shows promise.
We've already covered Doctor Stone, which returns for a third season and are looking forward to more silly science adventures.
There's also more Vinland Saga Season 2 and One Piece.
There's something for everyone and we're sure you'll find something to enjoy this Spring 2023 anime season.
Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll
Category > Manga
The good folks from publishing giant Kodansha have sent us details of their new US digital manga service. Called K Manga the service promises to deliver about 400 titles including 70 on going titles.
Kodansha are known for publish manga mega hits Attack on Titan, Ghost in The Shell, Tokyo Revengers and Fairy Tail, amongst other titles including Blue Lock and Rent-A-Girlfriend.
The service has a teaser version up now. The official is app scheduled for launch on Wednesday 10th May 2023. The service will be US only. Full website launch is to be announced.
Details of the pricing and exact model their using is yet to be revealed. So it's not clear if they'll go for a set monthly / yearly subscription charge or if you'll have to pay per title or buy some kind of token, or even how much K Manga will cost.
We're excited about this service even though it is US only, as it's always good to have more official digital manga options.
However the first thing we're drawn to is the name. K Manga. We know they've called it called K Manga for Kodansha Manga. Nevertheless in English speaking circles, when you prefix something with K you think of Korean things. We have K Pop, K Drama, K Rock, K Horror all parts of the K Wave. K Manga inspires thoughts of Korean Manga which is frequently called Manhwa. So already the brand is fighting an up hill battle to explain to consumers that no, this isn't a Korean service, it's all about Japanese Manga! We feel that they've not got any branding consultant involved or considered the impact this could have on the service. We've causally spoken to a few people about this and they all think K Manga sounds like a great Korean manga brand rather that a new digital manga platform.
Check out teaser.kmanga.kodansha.com to see what K Manga will have to offer!
Read More... | Souce: K Manga Teaser Page
The good folks from the Japan Foundation London have sent us details of some up coming online events they'll be hosting. As part of their touring film programme, they'll be hosting a series of online talks with various directors from the movies shown.
Talks include in conversation with director Nishikawa Miwa, who directed Under the Open Sky. This is set to run on Thursday 23rd March 2023 at 13:00 (GMT).
There's also talks with Tanada Yuki who directed My Broken Mariko. This talk is set to run on Monday 27th March 2023 at 13:00 (BST).
They have plenty of interesting talks lined up, The events are free to attend online and registration is required.
Read More... | Souce: The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2023
Category > Anime
The good folks from streaming giant Crunchyroll have just sent us details that Dr. Stone will return from 6th April 2023 with Dr. Stone New World. The hilarious action show rocks back for a 3rd season with Senku getting up to more science as he brings more advances to the stone world. This series our team of science users build a ship to go off on a naval voyage to find the mystery of the global petrification event.
It's based on the manga by the same written by Riichiro Inagaki and illustrated by Boichi. We've really enjoyed the first two season and the special episode which leads up to this season. The show is silly, fun and action packed, while watching it you'll feel like a science genius as you'll watch Senku use science to extract various raw materials to build components and then use them to make modern technology in post apocalyptic stone age.
You can catch previous season of Dr. Stone now on Crunchyroll or if you're already up to date, wait until Thursday 6th April 2023 for the new season.
Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll
Category > Manga
The good folks from digital manga subscription service Azuki have sent news that two of their exclusive manga series will be published as eBooks on BookWalker, Amazon, Apple Books, and Google Play Books. They're going to start with My Dear Detective: Mitsuko's Case Files and Turning the Tables on the Seatmate Killer!. Both titles will are available for pre-order and will be released on March 23, 2023.
It's great to see Azuki branch out to digital publishing like this.
Read More... | Souce: Azuki
Fancy watching some Demon Slayer in the cinema? Well the good folks from Crunchyroll have sent us details of the upcoming Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba- To The Swordsmith Village- movie. It's due to hit cinemas in the UK and Ireland from Wednesday 1st March 2023. Tickets will go on sale from Friday 17th February 2023.
The movie consists of episodes 10 and 11 of the series' Entertainment District Arc as well as the extended Episode 1 of the Swordsmith Village Arc all remastered into a feature length adventure in 4K.
If you haven't seen Demon Slayer yet, you can catch it on Crunchyroll. You can also get the whole manga in a nice boxset.
Read More... | Souce: Demon Slayer Movie Website
Being a fan of anime, manga and Japanese stuff in general it's always good to find a great source of content. Most fans will hunt on DVDs and blu-rays for those extra features, read magazines and articles and various bonus features included in books and so on. They'll even read websites like this one, but one resource that we find that is frequently overlooked is NHK World.
NHK is the national state broadcaster for Japan. NHK World is it's international arm. It's content is available in a selection of languages including either dubbed into English or in Japanese with English Subtitles. The service is free to access and is available on a wide range of satellite and cable providers in the US, UK and further afield. You can also watch it free and legally on the website or app that's offered on many platforms including iOS (iPhone and iPad), Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Roku and more. You can watch the live broadcast or the video on demand service.
A lot of the content there is excellent for anime and manga fans.
Read More... | Souce: Otaku News
Category > Anime
The good folks from Japanese publishing giants Shueisha Inc. have just sent us details of an on-line event. The yearly mega event Jump Festa 2023 will live stream for international fans. Set to run from 17th to 18th December 2022 the streaming weekend will cover content around Jump titles. The various events will have either available with English subtitles and simultaneous interpretation or just English subtitles. This is the first time the content of the Jump Festa will be streamed in English, so you'll get to see everything just like a fan in Japan too!
You can visit https://www.youtube.com/c/jumpchannel during that time to catch the content.
Read More... | Souce: Jump YouTube Channel
Category > Anime
The good folks from anime streaming service Crunchyroll have sent us details of their latest streaming acquisition. Vinland Saga Season 2 will stream on the service simulcast from January 2023.
It follows the story of Thorfinn a young Viking with a passion for revenge (well that was season 1). Season 2 follows the further adventures of Thorfinn! The historical action anime series feels like tale Vikings would tell around a campfire at night. It's violent in a way you'd expect medieval Europe to be, and it's amusing to hear it all in Japanese. It's also great to see certain places in the UK get a mention as they off to Gainsborough and Bath in season 1!
We really enjoyed Season 1 (which is currently showing on Netflix and Amazon Prime).
Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll
Category > Anime
The good folks from Heritage Auctions have sent us details of an upcoming Art of Dragon Ball Showcase Auction. Set to run from October 20 - November 17.
The auction line up contains plenty of production cels from Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT along with various other items.
Read More... | Souce: Heritage Auctions
Category > Gaming
We've just received an interest press release from the good folks at CUSTOMCAST. Their V-Tuber Creation App is now available in Europe on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. The app allows you to create and act out as a V-Tuber. It's to download and use, with payment required for unlocking extra items and gestures etc. Members of the CUSTOMCAST official channel (which costs 500 JPY a month) will also receive perks such as customizable poses and exclusive outfits.
There's also a Nekopara Collaboration where you can buy costumes for various characters from the franchise.
Read More... | Souce: CUSTOMCAST
Category > Anime
The good folks from anime streaming giant Crunchyroll have sent us details about the streaming release of My Hero Academia Season 6. The latest series will arrive on the streaming service from October 2022. Lots of action is promised as Tomura is now in charge of even more villains and is set for some good up coming conflict!
Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll
Category > Anime
The good folks from anime streaming mega service Crunchyroll have just announced they're reducing their monthly subscription price for almost 100 countries and territories including the UK and Ireland.
In the UK, Mega Fan will change from £7.99 to £5.99 GBP and in Ireland, Mega Fan will change from €9.99 to €6.49 EUR.
All subscription tiers allow you to watch ad free content, while the basic fan tier allows you to watch Crunchyroll on one device at a time, the Mega Fan tier allows off-line viewing and for 4 devices simultaneously.
Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll
Category > Websites
We've just been sent details from South Korean learning platform CLASS101. It allows users to enroll and take classes from some of the top industry professionals, including music, animation, photography, dance, fitness, and many more. In the realm of digital art, learners interested in Anime can sign up for classes led by Kamochiruu and Chaesu, as well as learn to draw in the style of Marvel and DC from InHyuk Lee.
Read More... | Souce: Class101
Category > Manga
The good folks from on-line manga service Azuki have sent us news of their latest manga acquisition Hikaru in the Light! by Mai Matsuda. The exclusive license is a story about pop idols and chasing your dreams. If you're curious about the title you can read a preview on Azuki.
The service costs $4.99 (USD) per month, along with a 30-day free trial and a discounted annual plan are also available. All titles on the service are available worldwide (expect for Japan) in English.
Read More... | Souce: Azuki
Category > Anime
The good folks from anime mega company Crunchyroll have just revealed that they have the streaming rights for the upcoming Chainsaw Man anime series. Crunchyroll state that it'll be shown sometime in 2022 in one of the upcoming seasons simulcast. They've yet to confirm a release date. It'll be released subbed and with dubs in English, Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French and German.
The Chainsaw Man anime series will be animated by MAPPA who are best known for Attack on Titan Final Season; Jujutsu Kaisen, Yuri!!! on Ice and many more. The Chainsaw man manga is created by Tatsuki Fujimoto who blends action, horror and violence with the occasional comedic twist. Part of the joy of the series is you can't predict where it's going next. Fujimoto has also created some amazing stand alone one shot manga titles, which suggest you read Look Back and Goodbye, Eri, which can be read on Viz.com.
You can buy the manga from all good booksellers, including Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.
Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll
Category > Events
Anime fans looking for something to do virtually will be pleased to hear that the Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival will be hosting free Animation workshop in April 2022.
First up on Saturday 9 April 2022 at 11am - 12:30pm (UK time) they'll be hosting an on-line Anime Education Workshop with Anime critic Ryota Fujitsu. The theme will be Ghibli classic Spirited Away, so watch it beforehand. It's free to sign up, but booking is essential for Microsoft Teams Meeting.
For those who can get to Cardiff Central Library, they'll be a 5-Day Animation Workshop from Monday 25th to 29th April 2022. It's set to run from 10am until 4pm each day and is suitable for those aged 8 and above. As always please book in advance.
Read More... | Souce: Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival
Category > Anime
Anime streaming service Crunchyroll have announced that they've merged brands with Funimation. Crunchyroll now replaces Funimation for all global content.
In December 2020, Sony bought Crunchyroll for $1.175 Billion USD. Sony also owned Funimation. Up until now they were running the streaming services separately with fans having to buy subscriptions to both if they wanted to watch exclusive titles on each platform. This issue has now been resolve and merging into Crunchyroll makes sense as they have more brand recognition as a streaming service. As a result all titles that were exclusively available on Funimation will now be added to Crunchyroll.
Funimation will also be rebranded to Crunchyroll for home video offerings. In April 2021, much loved brand Manga Entertainment UK (which was also owned by Sony, via Funimation) rebranded as Funimation. Now the brands will be consolidated to Crunchyroll.
Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll
Category > Manga
We've got news from new online digital manga service MangaPlaza. The service offers nearly 50,000 manga Chapters from 2,000 titles including Attack on Titan, That Time I got Reincarnated as a Slime, Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku and Obey Me! The Comic!
The web based service is currently US only. It's yet to offer an offline reading mode.
The service costs $6.99 (USD) per month for $0.45 to $3.99 you can purchase chapters individually without a subscription. Most titles also have a free chapter.
MangaPlaza is created by NTT Solmare Corp., a subsidiary Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corporation.
Read More... | Souce: MangaPlaza
Category > Manga
We've received a press release from digital manga subscription service Azuki . They've just told us that they've added two new titles to their service. Cagaster is a story about a disease transforms its victims into cannibalistic insects and decimates human society. It follows bug hunter Kidow and his newfound friend Ilie who struggle to survive in this brutal new world. While Crueler Than Dead is about another virus which results in fast-paced and violent zombie action.
With Azuki it should be noted that their titles are available in English worldwide (apart from Japan). The first few chapters of most series are available for free with ads, and for $4.99 (USD) per month users can sign up for a Premium account and read the entire catalogue without ads. A 30-day free trial and a discounted annual plan are also available.
Read More... | Souce: Azuki
Category > Manga
The good folks at popular manga podcast Mangasplaining have just sent us details of their latest endeavour, titled MSX: Mangasplaining Extra its an e-mail based manga subscription. The substack news letter will be delivered to your inbox.
The first projects to be announced are Okinawa by Susumu Higa and These Days by Taiyo Matsumoto. Interestingly the press release credits everyone involved in each manga project, this isn't the standard (but we wish it was). Keen eyed readers will also notice that These Days is translated Michael Arias the director behind the anime version of Tekkonkinkreet (which is based of the manga by Taiyo Matsumoto), so it's clear that the translator is very familiar with the artists work!
Mangasplaining have partnered with Fantagraphics Books and UDON Entertainment as publishing partners, so it's going to be interesting to see what else they've got in the pipeline.
Subscription to the service costs $5(USD) a month or $50 (USD) a year on Substack . Pricing has been set to be sustainable so they can pay the licensors, creators, publishers, translators, and letterers who do this work. There's been a lot of discussion in manga fandom about fair wages for staff involved in production and the Mangasplaining people are making sure everyone involved in the process gets paid fairly.
We're excited about this project as the people behind Mangasplaining are more than just manga and anime fans, they're manga and anime fans who work in the industry. They've got a track record of successfully delivering various projects. We're wondering what this will grow into!
Read More... | Souce: Mangasplaining
Category > Events
The good folks at Kotatsu Festival have sent us some details of two upcoming events. The two online workshops aimed at beginners cover Japanese Calligraphy and a Japanese Manga Introductory Workshop.
Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival are hosting these workshops for free via Microsoft Teams. Although it is free prior registration is essential. So book early to avoid disappointment.
Japanese Calligraphy - Introductory Workshop for Beginners is run by Yukiko Ayres. It's set for Saturday 29th January 2022 from 11:00 to 12:00 GMT.
Japanese Manga Introductory Workshop for Beginners is run by Shangomola Edunjobi It's set for Sunday 30th January 2022 from 12:00 to 13:00 GMT.
Read More... | Souce: Kotatsu Festival
Category > Anime
The good folks from anime streaming service Crunchyroll have just revealed details of their new anime for 2022. They headline with Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2, along with anime style FreakAngels (inspired by the works of writer Warren Ellis and artist Paul Duffield), My Dress-Up Darling, Orient, and The Case Study Of Vanitas.
They'll also be continuing to stream Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc and Platinum End alongside new episodes of Blade Runner: Black Lotus and of course One Piece.
We're most excited about Ranking of Kings, which will be streaming on Crunchyroll soon. Previously it was a Funimation exclusive but now it'll also be available on Crunchyroll.
Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll
Category > Anime
We're still processing 2020 and the good folks at anime distributors Funimation are telling is it's almost 2022 and they've got 20 new and returning shows. They'll be showing Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 from 9th January 2020, while from the 8th they'll be showing My Dress Up Darling. They'll be more Demon Slayer too, as the Entertainment District Arc continues along with lots of other good shows.
But let's be honest the one everyone is talking about is Ranking of Kings, we won't say anything about it. Just head over to Funimation and watch it if you haven't already.
Read More... | Souce: Funimation
Category > Anime
Quick reminder for fans of the anime version of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba. The Entertainment District Arc has just started on streaming services Funimation and Crunchyroll.
This latest arc follows on from Mugen Train Arc and introduces new demon Daki.
Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll
Category > Anime
The good folks from Japanese software firm Crimson Technology have sent us details about their English language launch of Voidol2. This is real time voice conversion software primarily aimed at streamers, v-tubers and people who have the need to change their voice in real time.
The software has many voice modes and can make you sound like an anime character or even a robot and everything else in between. It retails for 13,200 JPY (about $114 USD / £86 GBP), but is currently on offer for 8,800 JPY (about $76 USD / £57 GBP). It's available to download on Windows or Mac via Sendowl.
Read More... | Souce: Crimson Technology
Category > Anime
The good folks from anime streaming giants Crunchyroll have sent us details of their upcoming titles. The headline announcement is the release of Spy x Family, based on the manga of the same name it follows a master spy working in a cold war European-esque country. His newest mission requires him to build a family in order achieve his objective. This action comedy has been highly anticipated by fans of the manga (this includes us). Kazuhiro Furuhashi (Hunter x Hunter, Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn) on board as Director while Kazuaki Shimada (The Promised Neverland) serving as Character Designer.
Other titles lined up for 2022 include Dance Dance Danseur (it's about dancing if you didn't guess), Aoashi which is based on the football (soccer) manga, plus the second season of the spooky In/Spectre.
Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll
Category > Anime
The good folks from anime streaming service Crunchyroll have sent us details about Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2. It'll stream from 9th January 2022, available subtitled in eight languages and in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. It'll also appear on Funimation and Hulu.
Keen eyed fans will notice that it's been marketed as "epic continuation" not the epic conclusion. So does this mean that there'll be another part of the final season? Only time will tell. Manga fans will have already had a chance to discover the ending as the final volume of the mega franchise was released in Japanese in June and in English last month.
Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll
Category > Anime
Anime streaming super service Crunchyroll have just sent us details about their latest release. They've just put up Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train. The box office smash is now available to stream on Crunchyroll. Which means if you haven't already you can get on the hype train and see what all the fuss is about.
They've also sent us a reminder that they have the original series that leads up to the events of the movie.
Availability wise the series and film will be available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese in English-speaking countries; and in Spanish and Portuguese in Latin America -- both in subbed and dubbed. The series will also be available in French-, German- and Russian-speaking countries as well as the Nordics. The film will also be available in French- and Russian-speaking countries as well as the Nordics.
Don't forget Viz have just released the complete box set of the original manga which contains the whole story!
Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll
From Wednesday 11th August 2021 Josee, the Tiger and the Fish hits cinemas around the UK and Ireland. To celebrate it's launch we've teamed up with the good people from Anime Limited to give away a limited edition one sheet poster. Want a chance to win it? Then read on.
Read More... | Souce: Otaku News
Category > Anime
New anime Sakugan is due to hit streaming service Crunchyroll in October 2021. If you want to catch episode 1 early , the world premiere of Sakugan will stream at Virtual Crunchyroll Expo.
The good folks at Crunchyroll gave us access to a screening copy of Sakugan to review. So read on if you want to know about the show!
Read More... | Souce: Otaku News
Category > Manga
Out of nowhere Tatsuki Fujimoto the creator of Chainsaw Man has just released a special one-shot manga. Titled Look Back, the standalone manga tells the story of Fujino, a fourth grader who draws a manga strip for the school newspaper. Her art makes her the star of the class, but one day she's told that Kyomoto, a student who refuses to come to school, would also like to submit a manga for the paper.
The story is free to read legally in English from Viz Media via their Shonen Jump line. You can also read it (again in English) officially at Manga Plus by Shueisha. Or if you want to read the original Japanese version you can catch it on Shonen Jump Plus. If you do look at the Japanese version and compare it against the English translation look at the fantastic lettering work by Snir Aharon alongside Amanda Haley's translation.
It's a story about manga and it's creation, there are nods to Fujimoto's other works and perhaps other aspects of his life. Unlike Chainsaw Man it does not feature huge amounts of intense violence. The story is just over 140 pages, and you'll probably want to enjoy it in a single sitting. We really did enjoy it. It's a gripping story. We really do hope we can buy this in print one day.
Souce: Viz Media
Category > Anime
The good folks from anime streaming service Crunchyroll have sent us details of their Summer 2021 line up. They've got a mix of new stuff along with continuing popular favourites. This season the very silly Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, returns in the form of Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid S. They've also got Season 2 of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, plus I'm Standing on a Million Lives Season 2.
For new stuff they've got SD Gundam World Heroes for all your international tiny Gundam needs. Along with the intriguing Peach Boy Riverside.
While other stuff still on going includes Tokyo Revengers (it's like Erased, but with more violence),
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Case Closed, One Piece and My Hero Academia (Season 5) (with more Hawks).
As always with Crunchyroll there's something for everyone. While there's a great selection of stuff, we just want more quirky shows like ODDTAXI. It's a show that caught us by surprise! If you haven't caught it yet, watch it!
Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll
Category > Manga
It's just been announced that from Monday 28th June 2021, a new legal digital manga service will be launched. Azuki, named after the red bean often used in sweet treats promises to be a new digital manga cafe. It'll be launched on Web, iOS, and Android.
The service will deliver hundreds of manga after they hit stores in Japan It will offer content for both free and subscription users. With free users able to access select chapters with ads, while pay monthly subscribers can pay $4.99 (USD) to read the catalogue without any ads.
The service will be available worldwide in English (excluding Japan). They've currently got a publishing partnership with Kodansha USA Publishing. Titles currently include Attack on Titan, Tokyo Revengers, Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, Chi's Sweet Home, Fairy Tail, Flying Witch, Gleipnir and many more.
At 5 dollars a month, the service pays for itself after reading the first volume. It promises high quality content and it's great to be able to officially support manga publishers this way. We're looking forward to trying out the service in a few weeks.
It's interesting how official manga subscription services are getting more competition. Viz Media has it's own Shonen Jump Manga & Comics app for $1.99 (USD) a month, which is a must if you want some Chainsaw Man or My Hero Academia. While similar competitor Mangamo has a similar partnership with Kodansha and also charges $4.99 (USD) a month.
While anime streaming service Crunchyroll also has it's own official manga service.
Read More... | Souce: Azuki
Category > Anime
Streaming curated film festival Screen Anime have just revealed their May 2021 line up.
Headlining this time around is Tokyo Ghoul S, the live action follow up to the original live action movie.
Billed as classic, they've also go some old school anime in the form Belladonna of Sadness.
Under the festival favourite banner we're offered Psychic School Wars, while under curated Screen Anime will be showing The Relative Worlds.
For their TV billing we've got part 2 of Eureka Seven.
This line up is set to run from 25th April 2021 until 25th May 2021. The subscription based service costs £3.98 a month or £39.98 per year. You can also gift a subscription for up to a year.
Read More... | Souce: Screen Anime
Category > Anime
The good folks at anime streaming service Crunchyroll have teamed up with anime distributor Anime Limited (aka All The Anime) to bring Movie at Home to Crunchyroll. The season brings a new film each month to Crunchyroll from Anime Limited's portfolio. From the 1st of each month each film will be up on the service for a month to enjoy.
Some of the shows are restricted to the UK and Ireland, while others are UK, Ireland and the USA.
The showcase kicks off with Penguin Highway from 1st of May 2021. They've got some great stuff lined up. Including Patema Inverted, Promare, Giovanni's Island, the delightful Mai Mai Miracle and some Makoto Shinkai films running from January 2022 until April 2022. This a great way to catch a movie you wouldn't always have a chance to see.
Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll
Category > Anime
The good folks from anime streaming service Crunchyroll have revealed their line up for Spring 2021.
It includes the return of old favourites such as the highly anticipated latest season of My Hero Academia, some new Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Digimon Adventure and of course One Piece. Along with the conclusion of Fruits Basket, titled Fruits Basket: The Final Season (hmmm, a bit like Attack on Titan there).
New seasons include To Your Eternity, which we're curious to see how the anime adaption will compare to the manga. The intriguing ODDTAXI, plus a whole crop of different titles such as Tokyo Revengers, Zombie Land Saga Revenge (Season 2), The Slime Diaries, JORAN THE PRINCESS OF SNOW AND BLOOD, Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro, Osamake: Romcom Where The Childhood Friend Won't Lose, Those Snow White Note.
Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll
Category > Anime
We've just been sent some interesting details about the Culture Gate to Japan Art Exhibition. Set around the airports of Japan each exhibition focuses on a different aspect of Japanese art, history and culture relevant to each location. Kansai International Airport will be hosting a manga themed exhibition, which includes new works by artists including Yuki Urushibara (Mushishi), Machiko Satonaka, Yoshihiro Yamada, Yuichi Yokoyama and more.
But you can't get to Japan right now to enjoy this I hear you cry! Well the reason we're publishing this is the official Culture Gate website has lot of interactive content for you to enjoy from each exhibition online. So you don't have to go hopping around each airport of Japan to get exhibition experience.
We've been told "There are high-tech, contemporary artworks by 29 artists installed at eight locations across Japan. Each location's exhibition is inspired by the culture and history of the region of Japan it is located. From the mysterious soundscapes of Hokkaido's indigenous Ainu people to the vibrant history of Okinawa's ancient Ryukyu Kingdom, diverse cultures can be found throughout Japan. Through this project, artists and creators seek to reinterpret and convey the appeal of these rich cultural resources, each molded by the particular regional climate in which they developed. As the gateways to these unique regions, airports are the ideal location at which to exhibit these works, inviting visitors to discover new aspects of Japanese culture."
Read More... | Souce: Culture Gate to Japan
Category > Anime
The good folks from Screen Anime the curated monthly streaming anime festival have sent us the details of their April 2021 showings. As always they've got a great line up.
For April they headline with Makoto Shinkai's Children Who Chase Lost Voices (also known as Journey to Agartha).
Then they've also got the Tiger &Bunny Movie - Tiger & Bunny: The Rising. Set in a world where superheroes get sponsorship from big name brands similar to sports personalties.
They've also got five short films from Production I.G, in the form of Pigtails & Other Short Films.
While for their curated offering, they have RE:Cyborg 009.
For their TV series offering this time around they'll be showing Eureka Seven Part 1.
The shows are available from from 25th March 2021 until 25th April 2021. The subscription based service costs £3.98 a month or £39.98 per year. You can also gift a subscription for up to a year.
Read More... | Souce: Screen Anime
Category > Anime
The good folks from anime company Funimation (who own Manga UK and Cruchyroll) have just sent us details about their Nintendo Switch App. The app is now available on Nintendo Switch in the UK and Ireland. They also plan to expand to other territories in the coming months.
Read More... | Souce: Funimation
Category > Events
The good folks from the Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival have teamed up with Wales One World Festival to Celebrate International Women's Day. Together they'll be hosting free family friendly online event on 13th March 2021. The event will show case works by up and coming female directors. They'll be showing various family friendly short films on the Zoom Stream. The event is free to attend, but registration is required.
They'll also be running a free drawing workshop with the Japanese animator and illustrator Chie Arai.
Read More... | Souce: Kotatsu Japanese Animation Festival
Category > Anime
The good folks from Screen Anime the curated monthly streaming anime festival have sent us the details of their March 2021 showings. As always they've got a great line up.
For March they headline with the live action adaptation of Tokyo Ghoul, along with the classic anime Mind Game, which marks the directorial debut of Masaaki Yuasa. For the festival favourite they'll be showing The Case of Hana & Alice and for the final feature Summer Days with Coo will be showing too.
For the TV Series subscribers will be treated to the popular sci-fi show Planetes.
This month we highly recommend Mind Game and Planetes, but everything they've got (as always) is worth your time.
The shows are available from from 25th February 2021 until 25th March 2021. The subscription based service costs £3.98 a month or £39.98 per year. You can also gift a subscription for up to a year.
Read More... | Souce: Screen Anime
Category > Anime
The good folks from the Japan Foundation in the UK have sent us a reminder about their Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2021. As we've mentioned before in addition to the eighteen finest and most talked about recently released Japanese films, the programme will host 7 online talks where 8 Japanese directors in total will talk about their work and explore issues existing in Japanese society.
They've curated 18 Japanese titles under the theme of This is My Place - Carving out a sense of existence and belonging in Japanese Cinema.
You can sign up to watch the films and talks at home check out https://onlinecinema.jpf-film.org.uk.
As always we've they some really good titles.
The live action adaptation of Little Miss Period stands out. If you enjoyed the manga or are curious about personifications of that time of the month, then it's well worth catching!
For anime fans they'll be showing HELLO WORLD, a romantic story with a sci-fi twist.
Read More... | Souce: The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2021
Category > Anime
The good folks from streaming anime service Crunchyroll have just sent us news that they'll be streaming the original Gundam Series Mobile Suit Gundam 0079. This is the original 1979 anime that started it all!
Hugely influential, it's the start of the massive Gundam franchise, the show that spawned so many other shows and countless bits of merchandise (which was the point of the show).
Crunchyroll have both the sub and English dubbed versions available.
Read More... | Souce: Crunchyroll
Category > Anime
The good folks from Screen Anime the curated monthly streaming anime festival have sent us the details of their February 2021 showings. As always they've got a good line up.
Headlining this month is Mamoru Hosoda's Mirai. It's a charming movie about a small child with of course a Hosoda like twist. You can read our review of the Oscar nominated movie here.
They've also got the first ever anime feature film Momotaro: Sacred Sailors. the Japanese 1945 propaganda film was made using prisoners of war as the voice actors. It's interesting from a historical and academic standpoint and certainly worth watching.
If you're looking for a melancholy sci-fi romance type anime film then HAL is for you.
But if you want some old school anime with a very sweary 1990's dub, Sci-fi action extreme violence and exploding neck collars then the classic Cyber City Oedo 808 is for you.
For the TV show they've got the visually stunning Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo.
This is such a a great selection this month. It's available from 25th January 2021 until 25th February 2021. The subscription based service costs £3.98 a month or £39.98 per year. You can also gift a subscription for up to a year.
Read More... | Souce: Screen Anime