AQUAPLUS representative director Naoya Shimokawa revealed on Monday that Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen, the second game in the Utawarerumono series, has sold more than 100,000 copies in the first five days of its release. The game shipped for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita in Japan on Thursday, September 24.
WHITE FOX's 25-episode TV anime series adapting the game will premiere in Japan on October 3.
AQUAPLUS released the original Utawarerumono game in 2002 for the PC. The game inspired a 2006 television anime seriesand a 2009 original video anime series. ADV Films released the television series in North America in 2007, and Funimation has since picked up the North American release rights.
Hulu to also stream Gundam: Reconguista in G on October 2
Anime Consortium Japan (ACJ) announced on Tuesday that the Daisuki service will stream the upcoming Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans television anime series for free in 242 countries and 13 languages as the series airs in Japan. The streaming will begin on Sunday, October 4 at 7:30 p.m. Japan Standard Time (6:30 a.m. EDT) worldwide (except for Japan "and some areas"). The streaming will have English, French, German, Italian, Russian, European Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian, Malay, Tagalog, Simplified Chinese, and Korean subtitles.
ACJ also announced that Hulu will begin streaming all 26 episodes of the Gundam: Reconguista in G on Friday, October 2 at 8:00 p.m. EDT.
ACJ describes Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphansseries:
There was once a great conflict known as the "Calamity War." Roughly 300 years have passed since the end of this war.
The Earth Sphere had lost its previous governing structure, and a new world was created under new systems of government. While a temporary peace had arrived, the seeds of a new conflict were being sown in the Mars Sphere, far away from Earth.
Our hero, a boy named Mikazuki Augus, belongs to a private security company called Chryse Guard Security (CGS). The company accepts a mission to escort Kudelia Aina Bernstein, a girl who seeks to liberate the Martian city of Chryse from the rule of one of Earth's major powers. However, the military organization Gjallarhorn attacks CGS in order to nip this rebellion in the bud. CGS begins an evacuation, using Mikazuki and the other children as decoys.
Orga Itsuka, the leader of the boys, decides to take this opportunity to rise up in revolt and launch a coup d'état against the adults who have been oppressing them. He gives Mikazuki the task of repulsing Gjallarhorn, and Mikazuki enters battle using theGundam Barbatos, a mobile suit from the Calamity War era which has been serving as CGS's power source.
The anime's main cast includes:
Kengo Kawanishi as Mikazuki Augus
Yoshimasa Hosoya as Orga Itsuka
Natsuki Hanae as Biscuit Griffon
Yuichiro Umehara as Eugene Seven Stark
Yasuaki Takumi as Akihiro Artland
Taishi Murata as Norba Shino
Kōhei Amasaki as Takaki Uno
Sōma Saitō as Yamagi Gilmerton
Mutsumi Tamura as Ride Mass
Yuka Terasaki as Kudelia Aina Bernstein
Hisako Kanemoto as Atra Mixta
Takahiro Sakurai as McGillis Fareed
Masaya Matsukaze as Gaelio Bauduin
Other characters include:
Chad Chadan
Dante Mogro
Tatsuyuki Nagai is helming the show at Sunrise, with Mari Okada handling series composition. Yu Ito (Shut Hell, Imperial Guards) drew the original character designs, while Michinori Chiba designed the characters for animation (Mobile Suit Gundam 00, Mobile Suit Gundam AGE). Naohiro Washio,Kanetake Ebikawa, Ippei Gyōbu, Kenji Teraoka, and Tamotsu Shinohara are designing the mechas for the show. Kusanagi is in charge of art design, and Masaru Yokoyama is composing the music.
Nagai and Okada have worked together previously on the Toradora! and anohana TV anime series, as well as the anohana film and the The Anthem of the Heart anime film.
The rock band MAN WITH A MISSION will perform the opening theme song, and Misia will perform the ending theme song.
The show will premiere on October 4 on 28 channels in Japan, and will also be streamed online.
ACJ describes the Gundam: Reconguista in G series:
Gundam: Reconguista in G, written and directed by veteran Director Yoshiyuki Tomino, takes place in the Reguild Century and focuses on Bellri Zenam, a cadet in the Capital Guard. During a practice run, Bellri is attacked by a mobile suit known as the G-Self, which uses technology possessed by no known nation. After successfully capturing the G-Self, known to only be operable under specific conditions, suddenly activates as Bellri begins to examine it. Now chosen by the G-Self, Bellri's life changes forever as truths that will shake the Reguild Century become known.
The show's first three episodes were premiered theatrically in Japan in August 2014, and premiered on Japanese television in October 2014. The series celebrates the Gundam franchise's 35th anniversary.
Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino helmed the project. The team also had Kenichi Yoshida (Eureka Seven) handling character designs alongside mechanical design from Akira Yasuda (Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, Overman King Gainer), Ippei Gyōbu (Sacred Seven) and Kimitoshi Yamane (Cowboy Bebop, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed) and additional design work from Shigeto Koyama (Heroman, Gurren Lagann), Kinu Nishimura (Overman King Gainer), Takumo Sakura (Martian Successor Nadesico). GARNiDELiA performed the opening song "BLAZING" for the series, with Tomino writing the lyrics for the closing song under his pen name Rin Iogi with music supplied by the series' composer Yuugo Kanno (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, Psycho-Pass) and Daisuke Hasegawa performing the song.
1st live-action Assassination Classroom sells 10,036 + 2,104, followed by One Piece, Yo-kai Watch, Kuroko's Basketball, Funassyi
The Special Edition for the live-action film of the Assassination Classroom manga sold 10,036 copies to debut at #1 on the overall DVD chart. The standard edition sold 2,104 copies at #8.
The Deluxe Edition of the live-action film of the Strobe Edge manga sold 630 more copies for a new total of 5,526. In its second weekend, it dropped from #5 to #50.
Story, characters profiled in battle action fantasy series debuting on Thursday
TBS began streaming the second promotional video for the Lance N' Masques television anime on Tuesday. The video features the opening theme song "Light for Knight" by Suzuko Mimori and profiles the story and characters:
Lance N' Masques adapts Hideaki Koyasu's battle action novel series revolving around Yōtarō Hanafusa, a young man who is part of the last remaining order of knights in the 21st century, "Knights of the World." As he fights as the mysterious Knight Lancer, he must hide his identity behind a mask. One day he meets a girl named Makio Kidōin, and when finding that she lives alone, decides to watch over her. Novel illustrator Shino (Sunday Without God) is collaborating on the anime to depict scenes of everyday life and battles that Shino had not drawn for the light novels.
The anime stars: Daiki Yamashita (Yowamushi Pedal's Onoda) as Yōtarō Hanabusa
Ari Ozawa (The Rolling Girls' Nozomi) as Makio Kidōin
Manami Numakura (The IDOLM@STER's Hibiki) as Yoriko Sudō
Suzuko Mimori (Love Live! School idol project's Umi) as Alice Cleveland
Ayaka Suwa (Riddle Story of Devil's Tokaku Azuma) as Shirohime
M.A.O ( Durarara!!×2 Shō's Vorona) as Yuifa
Yumiri Hanamori (The Rolling Girls' Chiaya Misono) as Sae Igarashi
Mami Koyama (Dr. Slump's Arale Norimaki) as Tafei (not pictured)
Akira Ishida (Naruto's Gaara) as Shin Hanabusa (not pictured)
Aimi Tanaka as Ryū Yuien
Lynn as Sylvia Marlowe
Ayana Taketatsu as Hō Yuifon
Yumi Uchiyama as Nori Hizuki
Kyōhei Ishiguro (Your Lie in April) is directing the anime at Studio Gokumi (Saki - The Nationals, Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky, The Severing Crime Edge). Koyasu (Akikan!, GJ Club, Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan: Demon Capital) himself is supervising and writing the series scripts. (Studio Gokumi had edited the light novel series before being in charge of the anime production.)
Voice actress and singer Ayana Taketatsu is performing the show's ending theme song "Little*Lion*Heart."
The series will premiere on TBS on October 1, and it will also air on BS-TBS, CBC, and Sun TV. Suzuko Mimori will contribute her fifth single "Light for Knight" as the show's opening theme song. Mimori's single will ship on October 21.
Ponycan USA is localizing the series for North America, and plans to dub the series if it performs well. Crunchyroll will stream the anime outside Japan.
Manga about unrequited love between boy & girl debuts on November 2
The November issue of Kodansha's Nakayoshi magazine will announce on Saturday that Ema Toyama will launch a new manga series titled Aoba-kun ni Kikitai koto (I Have Something to Ask Aoba-kun) in the magazine's next issue, whichKodansha will publish on November 2.
The magazine teases the manga:
This love is a new sensation! 1000% heart-pounding
A love for a person she can't say 'I love you' to is about to start.
Mayo is a very shy girl. She meets Aoba-kun in her weird part-time job, and they begin to spend their secret time alone, but...
The boy she meets is the one she is closest to, but is also the one she can't love. A far too clumsy, secret, unrequited love.
Toyama ended her Pocha-Pocha Suieibu (Pocha-Pocha Swimming Club) manga in February. Toyama began the series in 2010, and Houbunsha shipped the fourth and fifth compiled volumeon April 7.
North American manga publisher Kodansha Comics publishes Toyama's Manga Dogs and the award-winning Missions of Love (Watashi ni xx Shinasai!) in English. Kodansha also released I Am Here! and Shugo Chara-chan!. Tokyopop previously published Toyama's Pixie Pop: Gokkun Pucho manga.
Hideo Kojima allegedly leaving Konami after contract ends in December
Konami UK Community Manager Graham Day stated in an interview with the Game On website that "the Metal Gear brand will continue." When asked if the series could continue without series creator Hideo Kojima, Day replied, "Yeah, of course it can." He cites Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance—an action game developed by Platinum Games—as an example of a game in the series developed by a separate team.
An anonymous source within Konami claimed in March thatHideo Kojima would leave Konami after completing Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, with Kojima's contract with Konamiallegedly ending in December. Konami stated later that same month that Kojima Productions and other internal companies have had their names changed as part of Konami's restructuring. The phrase "A Hideo Kojima Game" was also removed from the game titles on Konami America's Metal Gear Solid page and when Konami restructured in March, Kojima was no longer listed as the "Executive Content Officer" of Konami.
Kojima previously stated that he will consider Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain as the lastMetal Gear Solid title.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain shipped for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC in the United States and Europe on September 1, followed by Japan on September 2.
Live-action portion of series to feature voice actors performing school treasure hunts
The official website for the television anime of Saki Nakagawa's Attack on Titan: Junior High(Shingeki! Kyojin Chūgakkō) spinoff manga began streaming the fourth promotional video on Monday. The video previews the show's ending theme song "Hangeki no Daichi" (Ground's Counterattack). Yuuki Kaji (Eren), Kishô Taniyama (Jean), and Yui Ishikawa (Mikasa) are performing the ending theme song under the unit name "Attackers."
The manga re-imagines Eren, Mikasa, Armin, and other characters from the original manga as students and teachers at Titan Junior High School. The cast members from the original Attack on Titan anime are returning.
Yoshihide Ibata (Ashiaraiyashiki no Jūnin-tachi, episode director for Kill la Kill, Haikyu!!) is directing the series at Production I.G. Midori Gotou (Hozuki's Coolheadedness, Genshiken: Second Generation) is handling the series composition, Yuuko Yahiro (Diabolik Lovers, B Gata H Kei - Yamada’s First Time) is the character designer, and Asami Tachibana (Haikyu!!, Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign, Robotics;Notes) is composing the music.
Linked Horizon (Attack on Titan's two opening themes) will perform the show's opening theme song "Seishun wa Hanabi no Yō ni" (Youth is Like Fireworks).
The series will premiere on MBS on October 3 at 25:58 (effectively October 4 at 1:58 a.m.). The series will also air on Tokyo MX, BS11, RKK, and SBS.
The show will feature an anime part, and then a live-action "special corner" part that will air after the anime portion of each episode. The live-action portion of the show will feature the the voice actors and voices actresses for Eren, Mikasa, Armin (Marina Inoue), and Bertholt (Tomohisa Hashizume) in a section called "Shingeki! Treasure Hunt." The live-action portion will also feature the voice actress for Sasha (Yu Kobayashi) in a section titled "Sasha Tries ?? By Herself!!," which she will host alongside a mascot character "Titan-kun." The official website for the series streamed a trailer for the live-action portion of the series last week:
Nakagawa launched the Attack on Titan: Junior High comedy manga in Kodansha's Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine in April 2012. Kodansha released the eighth compiled volume in Japan on August 7. Kodansha Comics is releasing the manga in English, and it will publish the fourth compiled volume in November.
Band was scheduled to perform at Anime Weekend Atlanta
LOVERIN TAMBURIN guitarist Akihiro Nagao reported on Saturday that he and his band were barred from entering theUnited States last Friday, and could not attend their scheduled performance at Anime Weekend Atlanta.
Guitarist Fujio Ryo explained the details of the situation on his blog. He explained that the band had inquired to the United States embassy in Japan many times about acquiring a visa, but the embassy had supposedly stated that they could not issue a visa, and that the band did not need one due to "cultural exchange." However, upon arriving at Pearson Airport in Toronto, airport authorities allegedly escorted guitarist Matsuda Fire to a separate room to inquire about his visa, explaining that because Matsuda Fire was going to Atlanta on business, he needed a work visa.
The band was turned back at the airport and had to book a flight back to Japan. The group arrived back in Japan on Saturday.
LOVERIN TAMBURIN was scheduled to perform at Anime Weekend Atlanta, which ran from September 24 to 27.
LOVERIN TAMBURIN is composed of the vocalist Aya, pianist and programmer Akihiro Nagao, guitarists Ryō Fujio and Fire, and drummer Kōta Igarashi. They have performed theme songs for such anime as Disgaea ("Aishitageru") and Nanatsuiro Drops ("mo.o!"). The group released its I say you say album in 2012.
Main staff, cast return for more based on Nakaba Suzuki's manga
The Heroic Legend of Arslan television anime ended on Sunday with an announcement that production on a new television anime series for The Seven Deadly Sins manga has been green-lit for next year.
Text: Heroes Once More Text: 2016 Text: New TV Anime Text: Production Green-Lit!!
The returning staff includes:
Original creator: Nakaba Suzuki (serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine) Director: Tensai Okamura Series Composition: Shôtarô Suga Character Design/Chief Animation Director: Keigo Sasaki Music: Hiroyuki Sawano Production: A-1 Pictures
The returning cast includes:
Yuuki Kaji as Meliodas Sora Amamiya as Elizabeth Misaki Kuno as Hawk Aoi Yūki as Diane Tatsuhisa Suzuki as Ban Jun Fukuyama as King Mamoru Miyano as Gilthunder
Kodansha Comics, the publisher of the manga in North America, describes how the manga's story begins:
When they were accused of trying to overthrow the monarchy, the feared warriors the Seven Deadly Sins were sent into exile. Princess Elizabeth discovers the truth - the Sins were framed by the king's guard, the Holy Knights - too late to prevent them from assassinating her father and seizing the throne!
Now the princess is on the run, seeking the Sins to help her reclaim the kingdom. But the first Sin she meets, Meliodas, is a little innkeeper with a talking pig. He doesn't even have a real sword! Have the legends of the Sins' strength been exaggerated?
The first television anime of the manga premiered in Japan last October, and ended with 24 episodes. The manga also bundled two original video anime projects this summer.
Manga based on survival horror game series returns on January 7
This year's 43rd issue of Akita Shoten's Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine announced on Thursday that Naoki Serizawa's Biohazard: heavenly island manga will go on a three-month hiatus. The manga will return in Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine's sixth 2016 issue, which Akita Shoten will publish on January 7.
The manga had just returned from a three-month hiatus on July 9.
Serizawa launched the Biohazard: heavenly island manga inWeekly Shōnen Champion on January 15, and Akita Shotenshipped the second compiled volume on September 8. The manga's story centers around the film crew for Idol Survival, the internationally popular television program where swimsuited idols compete in games. The crew arrive on the same isolated South American island that TerraSave member Claire Redfield is visiting on an investigation.
Serizawa's earlier Biohazard: Marhawa Desire manga launched with a prologue chapter in the inaugural issue of CAPCOM's CapBom! magazine in 2011, and the series ended last year. Viz Media publishes the manga in North America.
Oolong voice actor replaces Yanami while he undergoes medical treatment
Toei Animation announced on Friday that voice actor Naoki Tatsuta will temporarily replace Jouji Yanami as both North Kaiō and the Narrator in the Dragon Ball Super television anime series. Tatsuta is replacing Yanami so that Yanami can undergomedical treatment. The announcement did not specify the reason for the treatment. Tatsuta will replace Yanami starting with the show's 12th episode, which will air on September 27.
Toei Animation added that the company will take into accountYanami's recovery situation and will discuss with him about when he will return to the role. The announcement added that the entire staff wish Yanami well with his recovery, and they thanked fans for their continued support.
Yanami played both North Kaiō and the Narrator in the Dragon Ball television anime series, the Dragon Ball Z television anime series and films, and in the Dragon Ball GT series as well as inDragon Ball Super. He has also played Dr. Briefs in the franchise.
Tatsuta is already a veteran actor in the Dragon Ball franchise, having played Oolong in DragonBall, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT.
Dragon Ball Super premiered in Japan on July 5 as the first new TV anime for the franchise in 18 years.
Gundam anime creator Yoshiyuki Tomino stated in the Gundam G no Reconguista Official Guidebook that Gakkan Publishing released on Wednesday that he is considering making his Hollywood project in Tokyo instead since he noted that "it seems like Sunrise will let me try to make a robot project that is slightly more fantasy." He also stated that he would still use traditional hand-drawn animation for the project.
Tomino also stated that he would like the work to make children realize the current rarity of hand-drawn animation, in light of the rise of modern 3D animation in Hollywood. He also said that he would like two or three more years to work on the project.
Tomino revealed in January 2014 that his Ookaze no Okurosama company was collaborating with Hollywood special effects studio Legacy Effects in the movie production business — specifically, "movies based on Japanese manga and animation from Hollywood to the world."
At a press conference a week after the initial announcement, Tomino revealed that the first project in the collaboration would involve him personally directing a new animated work with many notable creators in the staff. The two companies announced at that press conference that they were also planning to adapt an unnamed children's literary work from publisher Iwanami Shoten into a live-action film.
Tomino said at that January 2014 press conference, "My career thus far has basically been working in television anime. I considered remaking a past work for the first project [in the business tie-up]. However, since we have not cleared all the rights, I won't be able to tell you. If I could talk about it here, I think you can imagine what kind of work will be made."
He added at that time that Tokyo-based animation production would be tough in the future, but he wanted to build a new production site. He said he was planning not only projects based on his earlier works, but he mused that he could still make one or two entirely new works "by the time I'm 87."In addition to the pioneering "real robot" anime franchise Gundam, Tomino also created the anime titles Muteki Chōjin Zambot 3, Muteki Kōjin Daitarn 3, Densetsu Kyojin Ideon, Aura Battler Dunbine, Brain Powered, Overman King Gainer, and more. instead of Hollywood
6-part anime to launch in theaters, on Blu-ray, on iTunes on November 21
The official website for Toei Animation's Digimon Adventure tri. anime began streaming the theatrical trailer and second teaser promotional video for the first part, Saikai (Reunion), on Saturday. The videos preview the voice cast, which includes many new members. Like the earlier advance video, the new videos feature the theme song "Butter-Fly" by Kouji Wada.
The new videos show the familiar characters from the first Digimon series reuniting for "a new adventure that has been set in motion now." The videos end with the tagline, "Now, the adventure Digivolves again…"
The website also announced that a premiere advance screeening will be held on October 23, followed by a Niconico Live special streaming on October 25.
The anime was first announced to be a "sequel anime series" premiering in spring 2015. The series will now be a 6-part film project, with the first film titled "Saikai" (Reunion) starting a limited three-week engagement in 10 theaters in Japan on November 21. The Blu-ray Disc for the first part will initially go on sale at the theaters on November 21, and iTunes will also sell the first part on the same day. The retail Blu-ray and DVD releases will follow on December 18.
The cast for the human characters in Digimon Adventure tri. is completely different from the original series, and includes: Natsuki Hanae as Taichi Yagami
Suzuko Mimori as Sora Takenouchi
Yoshimasa Hosoya as Yamato Ishida
Mutsumi Tamura as Kōshirō Izumi
Hitomi Yoshida as Mimi Tachikawa
Junya Ikeda as Jō Kido
Junya Enoki as Takeru Takaishi
MAO as Hikari Yagami
Daisuke Namikawa as Daigo Nishijima, a part-time teacher who serves as a substitute homeroom teacher
Yuko Kaida as Maki Himekawa, a mysterious woman who appears before the DigiDestined
AiM (Ai Maeda) is returning for the first part's ending theme "I wish." Kouji Wada returns to perform the original opening theme song "Butter-Fly," while Ayumi Miyazaki also returns to perform the insert song "Brave Heart." All three songs are new recordings of songs from the original Digimon Adventure series, and the CDs for all three will go on sale on November 25.
The original cast for the Digimon partners are returning for the new anime. Atsuya Uki (Cencoroll,tsuritama) will provide the character designs, Yuuko Kakihara (Heaven's Lost Property) will act as series script supervisor, and Keitaro Motonaga (Rayearth) will direct. The rest of the staff includes:
Executive producer: Katsuhiro Takagi Planning: Kozo Morishita Original creator: Akiyoshi Hongo Animation Character Design: Masanori Shino Animation Director: Koji Ito Chief Animation Directors: Toshiyuki Komaru, Haruhito Takada Main Animators: Hisashi Eguchi, Katsumi Matsuda Prop Design: Goichi Iwahata Color design: Sachiko Urushido Art Director: Shinji Nagaoka Director of Photography: Fumi Nanba Editing: Takashi Sakurai Music: Go Sakabe Sound Director: Yasunori Ebina Animation producers: Takashi Sakurai, Kiyoshi Yamamoto Chief Producers: Atsushi Suzuki, Iriya Azuma Producers: Shuhei Arai, Makiko Murakami, Tohru Nishida, Kōhei Motokawa Animation Production Assistance: Typhoon Graphics Cooperation: Toei Co., Ltd. Planning: Toei Animation Production: Toei Animation
