© 2012/2017 Sanrio. Show By Rock!! Project

Crunchyroll has nabbed another very good piece of fun with the pickup of the Show by Rock!! first anime season now streaming on the service. The series is available in its original Japanese language with English subtitles while the dub remains on Funimation’s site. Availability for it is solid as it’s open to viewers in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and the Netherlands.

Check out our review of the season.

The series is directed by Takahiro Ikezoe based on scripts by Touko Machida and character designs by Masaru Ohshiro. The series is being animated by Bones. FUNimation has picked up the North American rights and will be simulcasting the series.

The series is based on the project by Sanrio that has had an iOS rhythm game out so far that stars Eri Inagawa, Sumire Uesaka and Ayane Sakura in the primary position. It also has other bands included in it, with more to be announced. The ones announced so far include Mamoru Miyano Shuzo, Ryota Ohsaka as Kai and Ayumu Murase as Riku and Megumi Han as Daru Dayu, Eriko Matsui as A and Saori Hayami as Un and Kishô Taniyama as Crow, Kouki Uchiyama as Aeon, Tetsuya Kakihara as Yaiba and Yoshimasa Hosoya as Rom. Criticrista includes Rina Hidaka as Logia, Ai Kayano as Tsukino, Rie Murakawa as Jacqueline and Hiromi Igarashi as Holmy.

Plot concept: Set in the glamorous metropolis Tokyo Midi City, where music—and the dream of musical superstardom—is everything. Here, “battle of the bands” is more than just a teen rivalry: Dozens of ensembles compete for the honor of playing atop the city’s highest tower. When a Gothic Lolita-clad catgirl cutie named Cyan stumbles into the music world, she too is swept up by the dream of fame. After joining forces with three other colorful characters—bunnygirl honor student Chuchu, shy doggirl Retoree, and adorable sheepgirl Moa—the quartet becomes Plasmagica, the freshest band on the scene. Armed with special instruments, the girls face off with other bands striving for stardom, like the cool and passionate Visual Kei band Shingan Crimsonz, or the handsome pop idols Trichronika. Will the band find celebrity? Or are they doomed to be one-hit-wonders…

© Takuya Mitsuda · Shogakkan / NHK · NEP · ShoPro

It’s been fun throughout 2017 watching the news hit about the Major 2nd manga series from Takuya Mitsuda that began in 2015 getting an anime adaptation. Scheduled for the spring 2018 season, we now have a premiere date of April 7th, 2018 at 5:35 pm JST on NHK ETV. The series is directed by Ayumu Watanabe based on the scripts by Michihiro Tsuchiya, Kenji Konuda, Mitsuyo Suenaga, and Kenichi Yamashita. Kenichi Oonuki is handling the character designs with Shogakukan Production handling the animation.

The first casting reveals include:

• Natsumi Fujiwara as Daigo Shigeno
• Koutarou Nishiyama as Hikaru Satou

No production information itself has surfaced yet. The series has eleven volumes out as of this month for this incarnation.

That original series ran for sixteen years between 1994 and 2010 from Takuya Mitsuda where it produced seventy-eight volumes to its name and over fifty million copies sold. And, of course, a couple hundred anime episodes and a few films.

Plot concept: Daigo is born as the son of Gorou, a father who is too great. What path will Daigo, who is burdened with great expectations, take in baseball?

With two seasons behind it and a third on the way from Japan, Crunchyroll has now brought over the first season from Funimation thanks to their partnership with Starmyu, also known as High School Star Musical. The series is in its original Japanese language with English subtitles and is available on both services. Availability for this is pretty good as it’s open to viewers in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands.

Check out our review of the first season.

The project is based on an original plan by Rin Hinata and will be animated at C-Station. Shunsuke Tada is directing the project based on scripts by Sayaka Harara and character designs by Asami Watanabe.

The Japanese cast includes Natsuki Hanae as Yuuta Hoshiya,Kensho Ono as Tooru Nayuki, Arthur Lounsbery as Kaito Tsukikage, Yoshimasa Hosoya as Shou Taigeiji, Tomoaki Maeno as Yuu Kuga, Junichi Suwabe as Itsuki Ootori, Daisuke Hirakawa as Tsubasa Hiiragi, Nobuhiko Okamoto as Rui Tatsumi, Yūma Uchida as Eigo Sawatari, Kazuyuki Okitsu as Seishirō Inumine, KENN as Izumi Toraishi, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as Akira Ugawa, Showtaro Morikubo as Kyōji Akatsuki, Kousuke Toriumi as Christian Leon Yuzuriha, Wataru Hatano as Sakuya Sazanami and Takehito Koyasu as Haruto Tsukigami.

Plot concept: The story involves a group of high school students at Ayana Academy, a school with music as its main focus. A trio of students are called Hanasakura-kai, designating the most talented from the music department. To get in, individuals must enter through a Star Frame class. The series tells the story of Yuuta Hoshiya*, Tooru Nayuki, Kaito Tsukikage, Shou Tengeiji, and Shuu Kuga as they aim for a position in the musical department after being spotted by Ootori, one of the Hanasakura-kai members.

© Kaori Hanzawa / Comic Girls Production Committee

The reveal last summer that the Comic Girls manga is getting an anime adaptation got the nod recently that it would be a part of the spring 2018 season. That’s now gotten more of an update as the official site has revealed a new key visual (click right for a larger version) as well as an extended two-minute promotional video with lots of dialogue to it. Yoshinobu Tokumoto is directing based on the series composition by Natsuko Takahashi. Keiko Saitou is working on the character designs and Nexus is handling the animation.

The Japanese cast includes:

• Hikaru Akao as Kauruko Moeta
• Kaede Hondo as Koyume Koizuka
• Saori Oonishi as Ruki Irokawa
• Rie Takahashi as Tsubasa Katsuki

The work comes from Kaori Hanzawa that began back in 2014 and has three volumes out.

Plot Concept: The story centers on the 15-year-old high school student and manga creator Kaoruko Moeta, who uses the pen name Chaos. After ranking at the bottom of a reader survey, Kaoruko’s editor recommends that she enter an all-female dormitory for manga creators. Kaoruko’s roommates are shōjo manga creator Koyume Koizuka, teen romance manga creator Ruki Irokawa, and shōnen manga creator Tsubasa Katsuki. The girls support each other as they work to become better manga creators.

©Tsuburaya Production / Kaiju Girls Production Consortium

What They Say:
Humanity’s battle of many years with the kaiju, giant monsters, has finally come to an end. Now that Earth has entered an age of peace, girls with the souls of kaiju have begun to appear, giving them the ability to transform into kaiju. They are known as the Kaiju Girls, and this is the powerful, transient, beautiful, and at times easygoing story of the strange fate these girls bear.

The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Kaiju Girls had a more enjoyable opening episode than I expected after a rough first season and it turned to some action toward the end with a transformation sequence. That’s lead into this where Alien Guts is ready to put an end to things quickly and get on to simpler materia. It’s cute and silly as Alien Guts moves around quickly and has the power to back things up, especially when essentially dealing with a low level flunkie. That turns a decent part of the episode into “epilogue” material with King Joe involved and a nod toward what the larger story may be with a bit of reflection on past interactions, such as with Shadow Mist.

In Summary:
With people having their bodies taken over and making it so that the Kaiju Girls can’t go full out there’s the potential – for a little while – for a more nuanced approach to events. Not that that really means much in a show like this but it’s something that can certainly help. This episode isn’t bad either as it sets up how things are going to move forward and I like the characters as we get them here combined with some cute and silly action before it. It’s not bad, it’s not great, but I’m kind of wary after the first season couldn’t manage things well after the first couple of episodes.

Grade: B-

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

© Tsutomu Hanabusa / SQUARE ENIX · Kakegurui Drama Production Committee · MBS

With the live-action adaptation of the Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler manga underway, the official channel has done up something very welcome as it’s added the opening sequence for folks to check out. It’s essentially an anime opening brought to life in a lot of ways as it played the song “Ichikabachika” by Re:versed. The original work comes from Toru Naomura which has eight volumes out in Japan and is licensed in North America by Yen Press.

The live-action cast includes Minami Hamabe as Yumeko Jabami, Mahiro Takasugi as Ryōta Suzui, Aoi Morikawa as Mary Saotome, Taishi Nakagawa as Kaede Manyūda, Yurika Nakamura as Sayaka Igarashi, Natsume Mito as Runa Yomotsuki, Ruka Matsuda as Itsuki Sumeragi, Natsumi Okamoto as Yuriko Nishinotōin, Yūma Yamoto as Jun Kiwatari, Kiyo Matsumoto as Nanami Tsubomi, and Miki Yanagi as Midari Ikishima.

Yuuichirou Hayashi directed the anime based on the series composition by Yasuko Kobayashi and character designs by Manabu Akita. MAPPA produced the animation while the music was handled by TECHNOBOY’S PULCRAFT GREEN-FUND.

The Japanese cast includes Saori Hayami as Yumeko Jabami, Minami Tanaka as Meari Saotome, Tatsuya Tokutake as Ryouta Suzui, Yuki Wakai as Itsuki Sumeragi, Karin Nanami as Yuriko Nishinotōin, Mariya Ise Midari Ikishima, and Miyuki Sawashiro as Kirari Momobami.

Plot Concept: Hyakkaou Private Academy. An institution for the privileged with a very peculiar curriculum. You see, when you’re the sons and daughters of the wealthiest of the wealthy, it’s not athletic prowess or book smarts that keep you ahead. It’s reading your opponent, the art of the deal. What better way to hone those skills than with a rigorous curriculum of gambling? At Hyakkaou Private Academy, the winners live like kings, and the losers are put through the wringer. But when Yumeko Jabami enrolls, she’s gonna teach these kids what a high roller really looks like!

[Source: ANN]

© Hiromi Morishita · OOP / Team Goma

What They Say:
A comedy manga, “Shonen Ashibe,” that follows the friendship between baby spotted seal Goma-chan and first-grade student Ashiya Ashibe. First serialized in 1988 and adapted to anime in 1991, the adorable Goma-chan created a massive following and a spotted seal boom. This spring, Goma-chan returns to “Tentere Anime.” A cute, pleasant story of Ashibe and Goma-chan and their unusual school and their neighbors. Sometimes endearing, sometimes bizarre, it’s a fun anime for the whole family!

The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
The series worked its magic well the last time around as it got Ashibe to deal with his wishes being answered quickly and regularly when they were mostly just simple real-world things that were going to happen anyway. It made for some fun just for him but it also did what the show does best in playing to the sprawling cast of characters that exist as it wove smaller tales between them – and gave me a delightful Space Brothers moment that worked really well. We even got a small bit of fun with Sugao that worked more than those sequences have for quite some time.

This episode actually gets my hopes up briefly at the start with Asniku heading off to Japan in order to renew some materials and that has Sugao excited to send something to Ashibe through him. That has him sending a letter to Ashibe and the gang is all excited to hear about his training and Ashibe’s friend that they haven’t heard from in forever. It doesn’t take long to happen as he makes it to Japan easily and some of Ashibe’s friends, so we’re saved from a really bad lost person episode, and it has some fun as he’s heavily catered to with food at first. A lot of what we get is Asniku going around with Goma-chan until they end up connecting with Ashibe and that just means more food. It’s certainly fun but it lacks what it really needs to make it work because Asniku long wore out his welcome for me.

Sugao Watch: Sugao’s talked about a lot but is kept to the bookends of the episode with some brief but cute moments.

In Summary:
While there are fun moments with the episode most of it revolves around the general supporting cast as opposed to Asniku himself. The character generally frustrates me with what we’ve seen of him so far and we’ve had a couple of episodes where he’s been the focus when with Sugao but relegated Sugao to a minimal position. He makes out a bit better with this episode because there are so many others in the mix but it’s still a struggle overall as I find him a very frustrating character that detracts from the show rather than a positive.

Grade: B-

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

The rankings in for what’s selling in the manga and light novel market and once again the January doldrums have hit. The top manga title is the second-week sales for The Promised Neverland at 90,000, which again has us looking over our shoulder for an anime adaptation sometime soon. But after that everything is at 50,000 or under for new volumes that make up almost the rest of the character. That means some first volume releases are in the mix here with some Fate/Grand Order books and some other titles that may often get overlooked if you only glance at the top ten.

On the light novel side, the latest Devil is a Part-Timer! release takes the top spot at 20,000 units and we get new Strike the Blood and Death March works coming in close beyhind it. What we do see further down the chart is that the winter anime series Ryuuou no Oshigoto has multiple volumes adding sevearl thousand new units in sales with each volume as it could be the breakout title of the season to get people to pick up the original works in enough numbers to be noticed.

Manga Rank / This week’s sales by copies / Cumulative sales / Titles

*1. 90,179 *,254,251 Yakusoku no Neverland Vol.7
*2. 50,403 *,*50,403 7 Seeds Gaiden
*3. 49,785 *,468,923 Kuroshitsuji Vol.26
*4. 47,431 *,*47,431 Fate/Grand Order: Mortalis:Stella Vol.1
*5. 46,146 *,*88,211 Amaama to Inazuma Vol.10
*6. 45,601 *,*93,493 Yowamushi Pedal Vol.54
*7. 44,177 *,*44,177 Gozen 0-ji, Kiss shi ni Kite yo Vol.7
*8. 41,934 *,*41,934 Fate/Grand Order: Turas Réalta Vol.1
*9. 32,503 *,*32,503 Nanatsuya: Shinobu no Housekibako Vol.6
10. 31,119 *,*31,119 100-man no Inochi no Ue ni Ore wa Tatteiru Vol.4

11. 30,887 1,204,331 Shingeki no Kyojin Vol.24
12. 30,588 *,*82,807 Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan Vol.24
13. 27,952 *,*89,797 Yuragisou no Yuuna-san Vol.9
14. 27,694 *,264,311 Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare Vol.7
15. 27,340 *,*73,245 Gakuen Babysitters Vol.16
16. 27,206 *,*28,833 Murabito desu ga Nani ka? Vol.2
17. 25,359 *,*52,157 Yowamushi Pedal: Spare Bike Vol.4
18. 25,210 *,*62,212 MF Ghost Vol.1
19. 24,915 *,*24,915 Hakumei to Mikochi Vol.6
20. 24,488 *,*24,488 Ousama ni Sasagu Kusuriyubi Vol.8

21. 24,270 *,*24,270 Sekai ka Kanojo ka Erabenai Vol.2
22. 23,713 *,*57,733 Hana Nochi Hare: HanaDan Next Season Vol.8
23. 22,822 *,*28,569 Legend of Regios Vol.4
24. 22,410 *,*22,410 Mystery to Iu nakare Vol.1
25. 20,940 *,*44,449 Nande Koko ni Sensei ga!? Vol.3
26. 20,782 *,*20,782 Neko Mix Genkitan Toraji Vol.11
27. 20,162 *,156,850 Emiya-san Chi no Kyou no Gohan Vol.2
28. 20,146 *,446,793 Nanatsu no Taizai Vol.29
29. 19,328 *,132,582 Oooku Vol.15
30. 19,149 *,*35,957 Sengoku Gonbee Vol.9

31. 18,559 *,505,099 Detective Conan Vol.94
32. 18,497 *,*18,497 Shiyakusho Vol.10
33. 17,695 *,*18,160 Overlord: Fushisha no Oh! Vol.1
34. 17,595 *,*17,595 Toge ni Kuchizuke Vol.2
35. 16,298 *,*16,298 Dragon, Ie wo Kau. Vol.2
36. 16,177 *,*16,177 Kaiou Dante Vol.4
37. 16,018 *,490,248 Yakusoku no Neverland Vol.1
38. 15,519 *,*29,068 GTO: Paradise Lost Vol.11
39. 15,457 *,618,760 One Punch-Man Vol.15
40. 15,333 *,*15,333 Hone ga Kusaru made Vol.6

41. 15,224 *,203,316 Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san Vol.7
42. 14,624 *,351,961 Yakusoku no Neverland Vol.6
43. 14,261 *,*39,064 Play Ball 2 Vol.2
44. 14,122 *,462,250 Yakusoku no Neverland Vol.2
45. 14,047 *,*14,047 Slime Taoshite 300-nen, Shiranai Uchi ni Level Max ni Nattemashita Vol.1
46. 13,891 *,*14,218 Overlord Comic à la Carte Vol.1
47. 13,823 *,128,798 Karakai Jouzu no (Moto) Takagi-san Vol.1
48. 13,626 *,*14,482 Isekai de Skill wo Kaitai shitara Cheat na Yome ga Zoushoku Shimashita: Gainen Kousa no Structure Vol.1
49. 13,081 *,*14,432 Koha-Ace DX
50. 13,055 *,234,124 JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 8: JoJolion Vol.17

Light Novel Rank / This week’s sales by copies / Cumulative sales / Titles

*1. 19,924 *,*19,924 Hataraku Maou-sama! Vol.18
*2. 18,020 *,*18,020 Strike the Blood Append Vol.1
*3. 15,815 *,*17,454 Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyousoukyoku Ex
*4. 14,281 *,*14,281 Youjo Senki Vol.9
*5. 10,665 *,*64,370 Kagerou Daze Vol.8
*6. *7,517 *,**8,057 Legend Vol.10
*7. *7,141 *,**7,141 Sword Art Online Alternative: Clover’s Regret Vol.2
*8. *6,149 *,*62,715 Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu Vol.15
*9. *5,153 *,*58,837 Ryuuou no Oshigoto! Vol.1
10. *4,851 *,**5,289 Trinity Seven: 7-nin no Mashotsukai The Novel “Seinaru Miko to 8-banme no Shoko”

11. *4,539 *,*15,002 IDOLiSH7: Ainana Gakuen
12. *4,034 *,*41,291 Ryuuou no Oshigoto! Vol.2
13. *3,937 *,**3,937 Ryuuou no Oshigoto! Vol.7
14. *3,917 *,**4,169 Isekai de Skill wo Kaitai shitara Cheat na Yome ga Zoushoku Shimashita: Gainen Kousa no Structure Vol.5
15. *3,790 *,**3,790 Tobakushi wa Inoranai Vol.3
16. *3,695 *,107,038 Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! Vol.13
17. *3,605 1,525,368 Kimi no Na wa. (Kadokawa Bunko)
18. *3,557 *,**3,557 Konyaku Renai: Jiki Shachou no Dokusen Jealousy
19. *3,420 *,*41,384 Ryuuou no Oshigoto! Vol.3
20. *3,295 *,**4,496 Murabito desu ga Nani ka? Vol.4

21. *3,295 *,**4,496 Murabito desu ga Nani ka? Vol.4

[Source: Oricon Youtaijou via MAL]

She who must be obeyed.

Creative Staff
Story/Art: Aiue Oka
What They Say:
No Summary Available

Content: (please note content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
When it comes to the hentai manga that FAKKU has on their site I’ve stuck mostly to the magazines. With this single chapter story from Aiue Oka as part of the 50on! Circle, what we get is a fun little nineteen-page parody of the Kantai Collection property. Kantai Collection hasn’t really registered for me though I have the basics down but none of it is necessary at all to enjoy it. Surely fans will get a bit more out of it but the project doesn’t require it. In fact, the chapter lagely reads a kind of adult VR manga piece as the male, the admiral, gets only a couple of sketch moments of being visible in full and only has dialogue right at the very end. And that works as a nice change of pace from the other things I’ve been reading here.

The story focuses on Kashima as she’s all done up in her uniform and is essentially dominating the admiral. She’s in full control here, teasing and toying with him, treating him like a dog to a very minimal degree in order to establish who’s in charge. The first half of it works well as it works not just by the visuals, which is what most of them do with minimal dialogue in the sex scene itself, but it has her basically running the show with the dialogue about what she’s going to do, what she wants out of him, and just how dirty the whole situation is. And it definitely is because she’s putting him through some fairly inhuman paces in a short amount of time. Halfway through things shift from her being in charge to just enjoying herself so much that she loses that dominant edge – which she gets called out for – but it fits the nature of the story well and reinforces just how much Kashima is enjoying all of this.

With this basically having her looking directly at the reader for most of it we get a good range of positions and events going on. Oka’s artwork is definitely appealing here with a kind of softness to the linework and avoiding the use of heavy black areas to go for something that feels more sensual overall. It’s curvy in all the right ways and the design for Kashima is pretty great. A lot of the appeal is that even while she’s being dominant she’s having fun, smiling, and enjoying herself and that carries through in the acts themselves. While it’s kind of a blur at times with what she does with the admiral it works very well at the start as it gets underway and more so once she succumbs to the enjoyment herself.

In Summary
Having not checked out a chapter like this before I was really unsure of what it would be like but it hits a kind of sweet spot that definitely works. It’s not the kind of material that I’d hunt up often as I like more story oriented material for the most part but there’s a lot to like with what it does here. Aiue Oka’s artwork is great and the character elements come through wonderfully to make it a very one-on-one experience for the reader and that will definitely delight.

Content Grade: B
Art Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: B+

Age Rating: 18+
Released By: FAKKU
Release Date: January 2018
MSRP: FAKKU Subscription

One of my favorite shows that has a lot of nostalgia value as it was one of the first wave of DVDs from Bandai Entertainment back in the late 90’s, Blue Submarine No. 6 has found some additional life through a new streaming outlet. The four-episode run is now available on Amazon Video through the Viewster channel for streaming. The show is bringing out all four episodes in its English language dubbed form as well as the Japanese version with English subtitles for those that prefer that version.

Plot concept: Plot concept: In the future, the rising temperature of the Earth has seen to the melting of the polar ice caps with the planet’s last remaining land masses endanger of sinking into the ocean. As if humanity didn’t have enough problems, an army of ocean-dwelling creatures led by the scientist Zorndyke have seemingly declared war on mankind! Humanity’s last hopes rests with the state of the art vessel, Blue Sub 6 and her crew! Can Tetsu and Mayumi stop Zorndyke’s mutant army and save what remains of humanity?

ⓒ 2002 MASASHI KISHIMOTO / 2017 BORUTO. All Rights Reserved.

The Boruto: Naruto Next Generations anime series is continuing on pretty well and promotion for it is continuing on as well. The 42nd episode of the series is set for a January 24th, 2018 debut where it’ll arrive at 5:25 am for viewers on the Crunchyroll service and we now have a new preview for it. It’s available to all members worldwide outside of Japan, though it’ll be for premium members only in French-speaking territories (but not with French subtitles).

The project has set Noruyuki Abe as the general director overseeing the project with Hiroyuki Yamashita serving as the main director working from scripts by Ukyo Kodachi and Makoto Uezu. Character designs are being worked on by Tetsuya Nishio and Hirofumi Suzuki.

The sequel manga to the Naruto series is written by Ukyo Kodachi with artwork by Mikio Ikemoto. With it having only two volumes out and being a monthly title, it’s expected to just be used as a launching point and likely going off on its own direction or in parallel to the plans laid out by editorial for the manga and anime.

The Japanese cast includes Yuko Sanpei as Boruto Uzumaki, Kokoro Kikuchi as Sarada Uchiha, Atsushi Abe as Inojin Yamanaka, Junko Takeuchi as Naruto Uzumaki, Kensho Ono as Shikadai Nara, Nana Mizuki as Hinata Hyuga, Ryoko Shiraishi as Chōchō Akimichi, Ryūichi Kijima as Mitsuki, Shinji Kawada as Shino Aburame, Showtaro Morikubo as Shikamaru Nara and Saori Hayami as Himawari Uzumaki.

Plot concept: The Hidden Leaf Village has entered an era of peace and modernity. Tall buildings line the streets, giant screens flash with images, and the Thunder Rail runs through the village, connecting each district together. Though it’s still a ninja village, the number of civilians has increased and the life of the shinobi is beginning to change.

Boruto Uzumaki, son of Seventh Hokage Naruto Uzumaki, has enrolled in the Ninja Academy to learn the ways of the ninja. The other students are ready to dismiss him as “just the son of the Hokage,” but Boruto’s heart and character blow all their assumptions away.

As a series of mysterious events begins to unfold, it’s up to Boruto and his new friends to handle them. Like a gale-force wind, Boruto makes his own way into everyone’s hearts; his story is about to begin!

Viewster continues to work well with the properties they’re streaming for Discotek Media and one that’s getting some additional love is the first OVA release in Japan with Dallos, which came out back in 1983. Viewster has now brought it out on their Amazon channel for viewing for those that use the service. The classic 1983 OVA series was directed by Mamoru Oshii along with the original creator and director Hisayuki Toriyumi. The series was produced by Studio Pierrot and has the distinction of being the first OVA series and was Mamoru Oshii’s first directorial effort. The show received a release in early 2014 on DVD from Discotek Media.

Check out our review of it here.

Plot concept: Shun Nonomura is a young man out of Monopolis, a sprawling miner’s colony on the lunar surface. His people mine helium-3 and other essentials for Earth, but in the late 21st century, Earth’s resources are depleted and the planetary government has resorted to authoritarian rule to get what they want. As the put-upon miners – including Shun’s own family and friends – start to organize a revolt, they come under attack from Earth’s new lunar commander: Alex Rigel, a military man unafraid to use force to put down the uprising.

As Shun’s idealism and Alex’s chilly pragmatism clash, Monopolis is thrown into chaos. The last, best hope for victory lies within a mysterious alien artifact that the lunarians worship as a god: Dallos!

© YORIMOI PARTNERS

The winter 2018 series A Place Further Than The Universe is underway with its third episode out and Crunchyroll, who is handling the simulcast, has put out a couple of clips of the show so far to entice people. With a title that feels a little weird and animation that goes its own way to some degree it may not be something you check out but a couple of clips could hook you into it, as well as being something that’s easy to share. Check ’em out below!

The show is being directed by Atsuko Ishizuka based on the series composition and scripts by Jukki Hanada. Takahiro Yoshimatsu is handling the character designs while also serving as the chief animation director and Madhouse is handling the animation production.

The Japanese cast includes Inori Minase as Mari Tamaki, Kana Hanazawa as Shirase Kobuchizawa, Yuka Iguchi as Hinata Miyake, Saori Hayami as Yuzuki Shiraishi, Mamiko Noto as Gin Toudou, Yoko Hikasa as Kanae Maekawa, Lynn as Yumiko Sabejima, Hisako Kanemoto as Megumi Takahashi, Kaede Hondo as Rin Tamaki, and Sayaka Ohara as Tamiko Shiraishi.

Plot Concept: Scenery that we have never seen. Sounds that we have never heard. Scent that we have never smelled. Food that we have never tasted. And the surge of emotion that we have never experienced. This is the expedition of recollecting the pieces torn apart and sensation left alone. When we reach that place, what will we think? Howling, 40 degree angle. Raging, 50 degree angle. Shouting, 60 degree angle. A wilderness beyond the heavy sea. The furthest south, far from civilization. At the top of the Earth. We will find lights through the girls’ eyes to live tomorrow.

YO-KAI WATCH © 2013 Noriyuki KONISHI / SHOGAKUKAN ©LEVEL-5 Inc.

TV Tokyo is continuing its promotion for the long-running ongoing series Youkai Watch. The 2056th episode of the series is scheduled for a January 26th, 2017 debut and they’ve now brought out the first teaser preview of it.

Please note that TV Tokyo takes these previews down when the episode airs.

The series is directed by Shinji Ushiro based on the series composition by Yoichi Kato. Toshiya Yamada is handling the character designs and it’s animated by Oriental Light & Magic.

The Japanese cast includes Etsuko Kozakura as Jibanyan, Haruka Tomatsu as Kēta Amano, Tomokazu Seki as Whisper, Aya Endo as Fumika “Fumi” Kodama, Chie Satou as Kanchi Imada, Naoki Bandou as Jinmenken, Ryoko Nagata as Kēta’s mom and Tooru Nara as Gorōta “Kuma” Kumashima.

Plot Concept: When Keita frees Whisper, a ghost-like yōkai, from 190 years of imprisonment, Whisper pledges to protect Keita from supernatural dangers. Whisper also gives Keita a watch that allows Keita to see other yōkai. Together with the twin-tailed cat spirit Jibanyan, they encounter lots of yōkai-related problems and solve them.

© Yuiko Tokumi / Houbunsha / Slow Start Production Committee

The winter 2018 anime series Slow Start is getting its home video release handled in Japan by Aniplex and they’ve set a familiar schedule for it. The twelve episode series is getting a six-volume release that begins on March 28th, 2018. Both formats are listed as limited editions with a second disc where the DVDs are priced at 6,000 yen and the Blu-ray’s at 7,000 yen.

Hiroyuki Hashimoto is set as the director and working from the series composition by Mio Inoue. Masato Yasuno is handling the character designs and A-1 Pictures will be working the animation production.

The Japanese cast includes Reina Kondou as Hana Ichinose, Ayasa Itou as Tamate Momochi, Tomomi Mineuchi as Eiko Tokura, Maria Naganawa as Kamuri Sengoku, Manami Numakura as Kiyose Enami, Maaya Uchida as Hiroe Hannen, and M.A.O as Shion Kyōzuka, and Yoko Hikasa and Rikiya Koyama as Hazuki and Takeru Ichinose.

The property has been serialized in Manga Time Kirara as a four-panel series since the summer of 2013 and has four volumes out so far.

Plot Concept: Hana Ichinose is a normal 16-year-old high school student. However, there is something different about her: She enrolled in high school one year late! Her classmates are unaware of this, and Hana will have to work hard to catch up with everyone else.

[Source: Slow Star]

© Yūki Tabata / Shueisha · TV Tokyo · Black Clover Production Committee

The high profile show of the moment and marketed that way is the Black Clover anime adaptation, which Crunchyroll has been doing the simulcast for. Funimation has their side of it going with the simuldub for the show moving right along. With that in mind, they’ve now brought out another dub clip for it where Asta and Noelle get a taste of the unusual things in the black market. The show has Cris George directing based on the scripts from Bonny Clinkenbeard and the main cast includes:

• Dallas Reid as Asta
• Micah Solusod as Yuno
• Brian Mathis as High Priest
• Dawn M. Bennett as Sister Lily
• Sara Ragsdale as Arlu
• Megan Shipman as Rekka
• Daman Mills as Revchi
• Bill Jenkins as Tower Master

Tatsuya Yoshihara, who recently directed Monster Musume and Long Riders, is on board to direct based on the series composition by Kazuyuki Fudeyasu. Itsuki Takeda is working on the main character designs with Kumiko Tokunaga as the sub-character designer.

The Japanese cast includes Gakuto Kajiwara as Asta, Nobunaga Shimazaki as Yuno, Junichi Suwabe as Yami Sukehiro, Genki Muro as Magna Swing, Ayumu Murase as Luck Voltia, Jun Fukuyama as Finral Roulacase, Nana Mizuki as Vanessa Enoteca, Kana Yūki as Noelle Silva, Satoshi Hino as Gauch Adlai, Kiyono Yasuno as Charmy Pappitson, Kenichirou Matsuda as Gordon Agrippa, Toshiyuki Morikawa as Julius Nova Chrono, Kousuke Toriumi as Nozel Silva, Katsuyuki Konishi as Fuegoleon Vermillion, Yuu Kobayashi as Charlotte Roselei, Daisuke Namikawa as Jack the Ripper, Daisuke Ono as William Vangeance, Asuka Nishi as Mimosa Vermilion, and Takuma Terashima as Klaus Lunette.

The manga comes from Yuki Tabata which began in February 2015 and has thirteen volumes released so far. Viz Media is releasing it here in compiled volumes as well as part of the Weekly Shonen Jump digital magazine.

Plot Concept: In a world where magic is everything, Asta and Yuno are both found abandoned at a church on the same day. While Yuno is gifted with exceptional magical powers, Asta is the only one in this world without any. At the age of fifteen, both receive grimoires, magic books that amplify their holder’s magic. Asta’s is a rare Grimoire of Anti-Magic that negates and repels his opponent’s spells. Being opposite but good rivals, Yuno and Asta are ready for the hardest of challenges to achieve their common dream: to be the Wizard King. Giving up is never an option!

© Darling In The Franxx Production Committee

The busy Saturday simulcast day is here and there is a whole lot to chose from. Crunchyroll has a big slate of new episodes arriving today with new episodes coming out for:

• 7:00am – TIME BOKAN THE VILLAINS’ STRIKE BACK
• 7:30am – CASE CLOSED
• 9:00am – THE SILVER GUARDIAN 2
• 10:30am – SANRIO BOYS
• 11:00am – CITRUS
• 12:00pm – DARLING IN THE FRANXX
• 12:30pm – POP TEAM EPIC
• 12:30pm – MARCH COMES IN LIKE A LION
• 1:00pm – SLOW START
• 1:30pm – THE ANCIENT MAGUS’ BRIDE
• 8:00pm – CARDCAPTOR SAKURA: CLEAR CARD
• 9:30pm – FOLKTALES FROM JAPAN SEASON 2
• 9:40pm – CARDFIGHT!! VANGUARD G Z

Funimation has the end of one simuldub, the start of another, and two simulcasts today with:

• 4:00 pm EST – Junji Ito Collection Episode 1
• 4:00 pm EST – Anime-Gataris Episode 12
• 8:30 pm EST – Dragon Ball Super Episodes 124
• 9:00 pm EST – One Piece Episodes 822

HIDIVE has a couple of shows on tap for today with:

• 11:00 am – Classicaloid 2 Episode 16
• 1:00 pm – Takunomi Episode 2
• 5:30 pm – Pop Team Epic Episode 3

The fourth and final season of Star Wars Rebels got underway back on October 16th, 2017 and worked through a good number of episodes before taking a break for the holidays. Now, the show is set to return on February 19th, 2018 on Disney XD for the final run of the season and the series, which is likely to wrap up a number of things so that there’s some closure to it. At this point, there’s no word on what’s coming next but with Disney setting up their own streaming service one can imagine that another property will be coming soon to expand the franchise.

The series stars Freddie Prinze Jr. as Kanan, Vanessa Marshall as Hera, Steve Blum as Zeb, Tiya Sircar as Sabine, Taylor Gray as Ezra, Dee Bradley Baker as Captain Rex, Captain Gregor and Commander Wolffe, Sam Witwer as Darth Maul, David Oyelowo as Agent Kallus and Lars Mikkelsen (“House of Cards”) as Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Plot concept: Having established a secret base on Atollon, the Ghost crew, now led by a more powerful Ezra, strengthens the rebel fleet by acquiring new resources and recruits eager to stand against the Empire. However, the Imperial efforts to eliminate the rebellion are now being led by the coldly analytical Grand Admiral Thrawn, whose strategic, tactical and cultural insights make him a threat unlike any they have faced before. In season three, Ezra and Sabine take on new roles and challenges as the rebels prepare for their biggest mission yet – a direct assault on the Empire.

© Hajime Isayama / Kodansha/ Attack on Titan Production CommitteeAttack On Titan Header

While a lot of anime fans have seen Attack on Titan, there are a lot of them that haven’t and whole new audiences that haven’t heard of it at all. Funimation’s now got the series streaming its first season through the Tubi TV service which puts it in front of a lot of potential new viewers in its original Japanese language with English subtitles.

Based on the original manga by Hajime Isayama, Tetsuro Araki served as the general director with Koizuka Masashi working on the series composition for the first season. Yasuko Kobayashi worked on the character designs while Kyoji Asano served as the Chief Animation Director. WIT STUDIO produced the animation.

The Japanese cast includes Yuuki Kaji as Eren Jaeger, Marina Inoue as Armin Arlelt, Yui Ishikawa as Mikasa Ackerman, Daisuke Ono as Erwin, Hiroshi Kamiya as Levi, Keiji Fujiwara as Hannes, Kishō Taniyama as Jean Kirschtein, Hiro Shimono as Conny Springer, Romi Park as Hanji, Ryota Ohsaka as Marco Bodt, Shiori Mikami as Christa Renz, Tomohisa Hashizume as Bertholt Hoover, Yoshimasa Hosoya as Reiner Braun, Yu Kobayashi as Sasha Browse and Yu Shimamura as Annie Leonhardt.

Series premise: Centuries ago, mankind was slaughtered to near extinction by monstrous humanoid creatures called titans, forcing humans to hide in fear behind enormous concentric walls. What makes these giants truly terrifying is that their taste for human flesh is not born out of hunger but what appears to be out of pleasure. To ensure their survival, the remnants of humanity began living within defensive barriers, resulting in one hundred years without a single titan encounter. However, that fragile calm is soon shattered when a colossal titan manages to breach the supposedly impregnable outer wall, reigniting the fight for survival against the man-eating abominations.

After witnessing a horrific personal loss at the hands of the invading creatures, Eren Yeager dedicates his life to their eradication by enlisting into the Survey Corps, an elite military unit that combats the merciless humanoids outside the protection of the walls. Based on Hajime Isayama’s award-winning manga, Shingeki no Kyojin follows Eren, along with his adopted sister Mikasa Ackerman and his childhood friend Armin Arlert, as they join the brutal war against the titans and race to discover a way of defeating them before the last walls are breached.

Marvel Comics is getting things underway with spring with one of their flagship characters with The Hunt for Wolverine. Set for an April debut, the 40-page first issue comes from Charles Soule and David Marquez as they’re working the character back into the forefront. That’s then going to be followed-up in May with four different tales from different creative teams, each one containing its own distinct genre and mystery: action/adventure (Adamantium Agenda), horror (Claws of the Killer), dark romance (Mystery in Madripoor) and noir/detective (Weapon Lost.)

“Steve McNiven and I took on the incredible task of killing Wolverine back in 2014–it was one of my earliest projects at Marvel, and such a huge opportunity. Intimidating, tricky, all of that–but ultimately, I think we created a book (alongside Jay Leisten, Justin Ponsor and Chris Eliopolous) that we’re all really proud of,” said Soule. “There’s really only one project that could top it–being part of the story that brings Logan back! THE HUNT FOR WOLVERINE is just the opening chapters of a mystery that will reach all sorts of cool hidden corners of the Marvel Universe, and will tell a story that will hopefully have us looking at Logan in an entirely new way.”

“I’m really looking forward to seeing how fans start to put the pieces together,” continued Soule. “There’s a big payoff coming down the road, and all the interlocking parts of THE HUNT FOR WOLVERINE build to it. The more you read, the more clues you get. It’s really fun–especially since I have a bit of a reputation in X-continuity for knocking off beloved mutants. This time, it’s nice to be part of bringing someone back!”

“This is a game changer,” added series editor Mark Paniccia. “HUNT FOR WOLVERINE #1 has a stunning revelation and the four books that spring from it will each have a mind-bending, status quo changing reveal by amazing talent that I can’t wait to announce.”

Plot Concept: The answers all begin here–but so do the questions! This mystery will widen and deepen unlike any other mystery in the Marvel Universe, and fans won’t know which way to turn or where the truth really lies!

…and it’s all being orchestrated by the Death of Wolverine writer himself.

THE HUNT FOR WOLVERINE #1
Written by CHARLES SOULE
Art by DAVID MARQUEZ
Cover by STEVE MCNIVEN