To commemorate the 20th anniversary of Rilakkuma and his adorable friends, the Rilakkuma 20th Anniversary Cafe will open in Omotesando, Tokyo from March 9 until April 16, 2023. You’ll want to come and spend a peaceful time looking back at two decades of everyone’s favorite lazy bear!   The menu features colorful and festive dishes inspired by Rilakkuma, Korilakkuma, Kiiroitori, and Chairoikoguma. The characters express their thanks for 20 successful years, and fans can enjoy floats topped with Rilakkuma and friends wearing ribbons and topped with ice cream, a jelly soda inspired by Chairoikoguma and his friends in the honey forest, and a hot drink inspired by Rilakkuma's favorite pudding.  

Menu

Rilakkuma’s Honey Mustard Hamburger

コリラックマのクリームパスタ

Korilakkuma’s Cream Pasta

Kiiroitori’s Egg Burger

Chairoikoguma’s Cheese Curry　

Rilakkuma and Friend’s Celebratory Cake

Congratulatory Flower Parfait

You Can Choose♪ Rilakkuma and Friends Mini Ice Cream

You Can Choose♪ Rilakkuma and Friends Floats　

Honey Forest Jelly Soda

Relaxing Pudding Drink

Take-Out Drink Bottle

 

Original Merch

Acrylic Clip (7 varieties, random)

Acrylic Keychain (5 varieties, random)

Mini-Bottle / Muddler with Charm (4 varieties)

Lunch Tote / Drawstring Bag

Acrylic Stand with Clip / Cork Coaster

Stuffed Animal

   

In addition, the cafe will offer original goods, special offers, and a Twitter campaign to celebrate Rilakkuma's 20th anniversary.

Come enjoy the elaborate original menu and goods while sharing memories at this limited time themed cafe!

  ©2023 San-X Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Netflix will begin streaming the sci-fi anime series Make My Day on February 2, 2023. The series is an adaptation of an original story by manga author Yasuo Ohtagaki, known for Moonlight Mile and Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt. Shoji Kawamori, the mechanical designer on the Macross series, and Kiyotaka Oshiyama, known for his work on DEVILMAN Crybaby and Chainsaw Man, are acting as mechanical designers for the series.

 

The sci-fi action series follows a collection of characters on a tough mission across an icy planet where terrifying creatures suddenly appear to attack humans.

 

A gripping trailer and collection of screenshots have been revealed ahead of the series premiere. Fans can anticipate voicework by Masaomi Yamahashi (Jim), Ayahi Takagaki (Marnine), Kazuhiro Yamaji (Walter), and Akio Ohtsuka (Commander Bark).

 

Netflix has also announced that Atsuko Tanaka, known for her role as Motoko Kusanagi in the Ghost in the Shell series, will be playing the role of Cathy Beck, a government officer on the planet Coldfoot.

 

The writer of the series, Yasuo Ohtagaki, has stated that James Cameron’s Aliens was his inspiration for the work, remaking that the horror film challenged the 80s industry standard of splatter movies.

 

The snowy, ice-covered planet Coldfoot is home to a precious energy-rich ore called “Sig.” On the surface, the planet seems to be a crime-free utopia, but in reality, prisoners are used for back-breaking Sig mining. Jim, a young prison guard, rushes to the site of a sudden mining accident to find a mysterious creature attacking the humans.

 

In the trailer, Cathy explains that the planet’s atmosphere is poisonous and the surface is completely frozen. “This is a white hell that rejects living beings,” she continues. “Only those who are suicidal should consider escaping.”

 

When the swarm begins attacking with abandon, viewers are left asking one question: can people survive such a desperate situation? Walter claims that their actions have “opened up the cauldron of Hell,” and it’s hard to imagine so many different people coming together to combat something so terrifying and unknown.

 

“When crafting a story around the sudden appearance of monsters, I was constantly thinking about Aliens 2,” Ohtagaki commented. “It challenged the expectation that every sci-fi horror film in the 80s needed to be a splatter-fest.”

 

The series is a love letter to the science fiction genre. Cameron’s Aliens was far from his last mega-hit, with the current Avatar sequel making headlines around the world.

 

“When I was developing the story, I focused on not taking the viewer’s perspective off of Jim, the main character,” Ohtagaki continued. “I wanted people to become emotionally involved in this story by experiencing it through his eyes and ears. I was influenced by first-person action RPGs.”

 

To combat the swarm of monsters, humanity must rely on science and technology.

 

The eye-catching design of the mecha seen in the trailer is reminiscent of Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt and Macross while also being more modern and realistic.

 

“Logical and realistic mecha design is my forte, and that’s the direction I wanted to take in this work,” said Ohtagaki. “In Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt, we set the stage and carefully went through a creative process to find out what kind of human drama could evolve on that stage. We did the same thing here, creating Coldfoot and imagining what kinds of people might live there. That process makes things more realistic.” Will the mecha in this series be a help or a hindrance to humanity?

 

“Although this is a sci-fi monster tale, Make My Day is also about Jim’s growth as a person. In the process of battling through this terrible situation, he learns about friendship and love. He becomes stronger, he takes on more responsibility, and he creates his own family-like bonds,” Ohtagaki concludes.

 

Tune in to Make My Day when it premieres on Netflix early next month!

The popular Netflix animated series Aggretsuko will return to Netflix for Season 5 on February 16, 2023. Ahead of the show’s premiere, a new visual and trailer have been released.

 

Official Trailer

Aggretsuko follows a 25-year-old red panda named Retsuko who hates her job and is easily stressed. She only feels true peace while singing karaoke, where she transforms into a death metal star. The series originally launched on Netflix in 2018 and quickly became a global sensation.

 

Season 5 will be the final season of the series and will focus on the relationship between Retsuko and Haida following the events of the fourth season. Haida is now living a reclusive life and spending his free time playing games and hanging out online. On the other hand, Retsuko is trying to deal with her newfound fame and the many expectations people have of her. One day, a suspicious man who claims to be a member of the Diet comes to recruit Retsuko.

 

Be sure to tune in for the exciting conclusion!

To celebrate the release of the final season, the OTMGirls girls will perform at Sanrio Puroland.

The Seven Deadly Sins: Grudge of Edinburgh Part 1 will air on Netflix worldwide in December 2022. The new animated film was penned by the original series creator Nakaba Suzuki. The story will focus on Tristan, the son of the protagonist Meliodas, and his mother Elizabeth, and follows the previous two films The Seven Deadly Sins the Movie: Prisoners of the Sky in 2018 and The Seven Deadly Sins: Cursed By Light in 2021.  The new main visual shows Tristan and his sidekicks as they prepare to take on their toughest enemies yet. “I wanted to depict the story of King Arthur in my own way,” said original author Nakaba Suzuki. “This story couldn’t be told without the original The Seven Deadly Sins series.”   The Seven Deadly Sins takes place in an ancient time when humans, demons, goddesses, fairies, and giants all lived together. The original series was a prelude to an overarching story that Suzuki planned over many long years. “I always wanted to create fantasy works, even back when I was a rookie,” Suzuki said. “I finally started The Seven Deadly Sins when I was finally at the level to do so, and this important piece of the story will fill the gap between the previous series and the currently-running Four Knights of the Apocalypse.” The creator also commented on the key visual for the film. “I wanted something cool, first and foremost. I’m happy with the finished product!” The new film takes place 14 years after the events of the original series. Prince Tristan is tormented by his inability to control two great powers: the Demon Clan power of his father, Meliodas, and the Goddess Clan power of his mother, Elizabeth. When his mother’s life is threatened, Tristan flees the kingdom and heads toward Edinburgh, where Deathpierce,  once a member of a group of the kingdom’s Holy Knights, the Pleiades of the Azure Sky, maintains his castle. Ayumu Murase and Mikako Komatsu will play the roles of Tristan as a young man and boy, respectively. Additional cast members include Yuuki Kaji as Meliodas, Sora Amamiya as Elizabeth, and Yohei Azakami as Deathpierce.

The Keio Plaza Hotel in Tokyo is celebrating Rilakkuma’s birthday in the sweetest way! The Strawberry Collection with Rilakkuma sweets buffet will be available from January 7 until March 31, 2023 at All-Day Dining Jurin on the hotel’s second floor.  The most popular strawberry buffet will be back and better than ever in 2023. Sweets featuring Rilakkuma and his friends will be on full display, including strawberry tarts, tiramisu, and other strawberry-filled sweets. The lazy bear’s favorite pudding and pancakes will also be available along with soothing hot tea for the cold winter months. This will mark the first time that Rilakkuma’s sweets buffet will appear at a hotel.Small tartlets featuring Korilakkuma and Kiiroitori will be too cute to eat, and Chairoikoguma will appear on cookie sandwiches.   The dessert plate will include gorgeous fondant chocolate with images of Rilakkuma and each of his friends to set the mood for the opening of the event. The location itself will also be decked out in sweet decorations, with guests being welcomed at the door. Taking pictures is encouraged, so make a reservation today if you’re looking to impress on Instagram! ©2022 San-X Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.　

Fans of Gamera won’t want to miss this newly-produced film coming to Netflix worldwide! GAMERA -Rebirth- will be coming to the streaming service in 2023. The fictional monster first debuted in the 1965 film Gamera. To commemorate the return of the mighty beast, two teaser visuals have been released ahead of the film.  

  Gamera stomped onto the scene in the 60s to compete with Godzilla and this new film looks incredibly promising. Will you be tuning in?   ©2023 KADOKAWA/ GAMERA Rebirth Production committee