Sae Okamoto’s Mecha-Ude project has attracted worldwide attention, and now, a full anime and manga series have been announced! Okamoto’s up-and-coming anime production company TriF Studio, located in Fukuoka, will work on the series, which follows Hikaru, a normal student, and Alma, a Mecha-Ude wielder who can be activated when he bonds with a human. 

Yoshino Koyoka has also started publishing a manga adaptation of the series on LINE Manga and other ebookjapan services. Three free chapters were published on September 15, and the series will run bi-weekly. TriF Studio will supervise and provide the story.

A documentary video teasing the anime series and giving more information about TriF Studio has also been uploaded to YouTube. The video shows that the pilot’s theme song was written by Eve with a music video produced by Masayoshi Oishi. Hiroshi Matsuyama, the CEO of CyberConnect2, serves as the general supervisor of the series. Terumi Nishii, the chief animation director for the popular series Jujutsu Kaisen, worked on character designs for Mecha-Ude. 

The average staff age at TriF is 25, which is incredibly young for an animation studio. What can we expect from such a unique collection of creators? 

Be sure to keep an eye on this new anime and manga project!

(C)TriF/「メカウデ」製作委員会

To celebrate the release of KISS xxxx Collector’s Edition, the compilation of Maki Kusumoto’s classic manga series, a collaboration cafe will be held at Ginza’s Zikkai Library Bar from August 2 until September 28, 2022.

KISS xxxx, the second installment of the Kusumoto Maki Collection, a series of beloved editions of Maki Kusumoto’s works published by Shogakukan Creative, includes illustrations that have never been included in the previous books, as well as spin-off works published or announced outside the serialized magazines, for a total of three volumes. An original postcard will also be included in each volume. 

KISS xxxx Collector’s Edition Collaboration Menu

KISS xxxx Collectors Edition Volume 1 Cover

About KISS xxxx

Kameno and Kanon. These mysterious lovers live simple lives, and each day is standard. 

This landmark work tells an immortal love story, impacting a generation of readers. This reprint brings the story back to life in higher quality, so why not jump in?

A limited-time pop-up shop for the manga series The Summer Hikaru Died will be held at TLC RECORDS at Sunshine City in Ikebukuro from October 8 until October 23, 2022.

Manga Synopsis

Yoshiki and Hikaru are two boys who live in a certain village. They’re the same age and have always been together growing up. But one day, Yoshiki noticed that “something else” has taken Hikaru’s place. Even after learning of this, Yoshiki still wants them to be together. And so, his life with the “something” that looks like his friend begins.

The first volume of The Summer Hikaru Died was released this year by Kadokawa and managed to sell over 200,000 copies in under three months. The series has also been nominated for the Next Manga Awards 2022.

Fans of mystery and boys’ love won’t want to miss out on this series. The pop-up shop will feature new merchandise including newly-drawn images by the manga’s creator Ren Mokumoku.

©モクモクれん/KADOKAWA

Tokyo City View, an incredible venue on the 52nd floor of Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, will hold the first large-scale exhibition of GeGeGe no Kitaro creator Shigeru Mizuki’s works from July 8 to September 4, 2022. The event marks the creator’s 100th birthday, though Mizuki himself passed away in November 2015 at 93 years old.

During “The Yokai of Shigeru Mizuki: Nightly Procession of Monsters ~This is How the Monsters were Born~,” guests will be able to step into Mizuki’s world while also enjoying a breathtaking view of Tokyo. The exhibition will unravel how many of the manga creator’s monsters came to be, and a number of yokai-related books from Mizuki’s personal collection will be on display including The Illustrated Night Parade of a Hundred Demons (Gazu Hyakki Yagyo) by Sekien Toriyama and A Discourse on Yokai (Yokai Dangi) by Kunio Yanagita. Over 100 of Mizuki’s yokai drawings will be on display.

Items at a Glance

Exclusive merchandise will be able to purchase on-site at the special shop ‘Nekoya.’ These items are only available during the exhibition!

From mugs and keychains to T-shirts and sweets, fans of Mizuki’s works will find something to love!

Visitors will be able to use the AR camera in the Street Museum XR sightseeing app to take photos with five yokai hidden within the venue. Using a smartphone, scanning certain key visuals will summon monsters, so don’t miss this neat addition to the event!

At the entrance, visitors will be greeted by bronze statues inspired by the yokai statues that line Sakaiminato City in Tottori Prefecture, Mizuki’s birthplace, as well as windows decorated with lanterns bearing the names of different yokai. Using the AR camera, a giant Gashadokuro will appear (basically a huge and terrifying skeleton). In the final area of the exhibition, guests can snap a picture with the yokai they found along the way!

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

How to Access the AR ‘Youkai Camera’
After installing the Street Museum XR sightseeing app, select ‘The Yokai of Shigeru Mizuki: Nightly Procession of Monsters” on the map of Tokyo and activate the AR camera.

*Guests must download the Street Museum app.
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/jp/app/machikadowomyujiamuni-sutoritomyujiamu/id1151091144
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.co.toppan.streetmuseum.android

(C)水木プロダクション

An anime adaptation of the Nitroplus, Good Smile Company, and NextNinja mobile RPG Smile of the Arsnotoria will premiere on July 6 on TOKYO MX and BS Nippon TV.

The main cast will include Misaki Kuno as Arsnotoria, Miharu Hanai as Mel, Miyu Tomita as Petit Albert, Eri Yukimura as Picatrix, and Eriko Matsui as Abramelin. The teaser visual also features original characters made specifically for the anime adaptation. More information will be released in June, so stay tuned!

Teaser Trailer

The RPG will also receive a manga adaptation in Kadokawa’s Monthly Dragon Age magazine starting June 9. Drawn by Hattori Masaki, the series will follow the events of the anime. 

The series will also receive a spin-off story centered on a character original to the anime. Details surrounding this still remain a mystery.

Be sure to tune in when the anime premieres in July!

Summary

“Welcome to our secret academy.” 

In the magical boarding school city of Ashram, girls known as Pentagramas live their lives and study to become “real ladies.” It’s time for you to experience the friendly, fun, and fascinating atmosphere of the campus while living alongside these girls in the school dorm!

©NITRO PLUS/GOOD SMILE COMPANY, Inc.
©Smile of the Arsnotoria the Animation Partners

Shueisha is currently offering a ton of manga for free as part of Haruman!! 2022. The campaign is running until May 15 at participating locations and tons of digital manga series are available for download.

©Shueisha

During Haruman!! 2022, users can read over 305 digital titles for free. This year’s theme is ‘Manga Festival,’ and manga fans can find both recent and classic titles. Why not catch up on some manga history while you can?

A collaboration with the popular VTuber agency Hololive is also underway. One of the group’s manga-loving members will be chosen each day to serve as Editor-in-Chief of an original manga magazine.

Popular authors are also commemorating the occasion with new illustrations. Eleven artists from Shueisha’s manga department have drawn popular VTubers, and these awesome images are available exclusively on the Haruman!! website.

Stream Date: April 23, 2022

Participants: Shueisha x Hololive Traveling Editorial Department

Streaming Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJFZiqLMntJufDCHc6bQixg

©Shueisha

In collaboration with puzzle game creators RIDDLER, ‘The Search for the Great Manga King’s Treasure’ will be held. Pulling inspiration from One Piece, which is currently celebrating 25 years of serialization, fans will have to find clues to solve a massive mystery.

Find your new favorite manga series during Haruman!! 2022.

Dead Dead Demon’s De De De De Destruction, a popular series by Inio Asano, is about to come to its big conclusion in Weekly Big Comic Spirits. To coincide with the climax, the Tower Records Cafe Omotesando store will hold a collaboration cafe for a limited time, from February 3 until February 27, 2022.

Menu

Round 1 Exclusives

Round 2 Exclusives

Available During Round 1 & Round 2

Collaboration Bonuses

Bonus Postcard (Top 4 limited to Round 1, Bottom 4 limited to Round 2, Right available during both Rounds)

Bonus Poster

Bonus Sticker

Merchandise

Acrylic Keychain (6 varieties)

Pin (6 varieties)

2-pack Clear Folder Set

Towel

Mug

Tote Bag

T-shirt

Hoodie

Original menu items inspired by the characters from Dead Dead Demon’s De De De De Destruction, such as Kadode and Ouran, will be available. The Tower Records exclusive illustration of the two was made for the event and will be distributed to cafe visitors while supplies last. New collaborative merchandise will also be available at Tower Records Abeno Hoop and Tower Records Online.

©浅野いにお／小学館

From December 11, 2021 until January 30, 2022, a large-scale exhibition paying tribute to Kentaro Miura’s Berserk was held at Hirakata Park Event Hall in Osaka. The special merchandise released for the event is now available again, this time on the ARTIMATION online shop.

ARTIMATION x Berserk

Unreleased Items from the Berserk Exhibition (Only available at the ARTIMATION Online Shop)

This lineup is sure to please not only Berserk fans but those overseas who were unable to attend the event. Certain items not sold at the venue are also available exclusively on the ARTIMATION online store, so check it out!

Kazutomo Ichitomo’s Handyman Saito in Another World manga series is getting an anime adaptation. The manga launched on Kadokawa’s ComicWalker service in 2018 and has been a smash hit since its release, selling over 300,000 copies to date. Ichitomo drew a special celebratory drawing to commemorate the announcement.

The “heartwarming another world fantasy” series follow Saito, a normal handyman reincarnated into another world. He then forms a dungeon party with the beautiful warrior Raelza; Marok, an old and senile magician; and Lafanpan, a cute fairy.

More details will be announced in the future.

©一智和智・KADOKAWA刊／「便利屋斎藤さん、異世界に行く」製作委員会

Since its early days, women’s streetwear brand X-girl has offered easy and timeless items for every kind of girl. Starting January 21, the apparel brand is teaming up with horror manga legend Kazuo Umezu for a new collection of wearable items! This coincides with Umezu’s Art Exhibition celebrating his huge body of work including The Drifting Classroom and Makoto-chan. 

THE GREAT ART EXHIBITION S/S TEE

MY NAME IS SHINGO S/S TEE

FACE S/S TEE 

The collection will include three T-shirt designs, including one design being shown for the first time. One graphic was drawn by Umezu exclusively for the collection as well!

‘GABULI’ is a popular manga series published on social media by the masked and anonymous team No.965 (Croc). On December 26, 2021, the fifth music video for the series was posted to YouTube, and features a new collaborative track between Vocaloid producer Nilfruits and singer sekai. The dark dance number highlights the past of the newest heroine set to join the series. A sixth music video is currently in production and will be released in early January 2022. 

Baba Yaga – Nilfruits × sekai

https://youtu.be/J215uX4lolo?list=TLGGQ2BjqZyrW-0yNjEyMjAyMQ


This marks the first collaboration between Nilfruits and the mysterious singer sekai, and even more exciting mashups are coming soon. 

Vocaloid Producer Nilfruits: 
YouTube https://youtu.be/aOelHbwkRD4 


Released December 18, 2021
Fabric Flower – Hiiragi Magnetite x Wolpis Carter
https://youtu.be/hJ7dtfeCg38

Released December 26, 2021
Baba Yaga – Nilfruits × sekai
https://youtu.be/J215uX4lolo

Releasing Early January 2022
Title Unannounced – Aqu3ra × MARY

©︎965

Daisuke Imai’s popular manga series Style of Chloe is now a  live-action series viewable on the VISION video portion of the ‘LINE NEWS’ smartphone service. The show premiered on December 23, 2021. 

The vertical video app VISION has already streamed a number of series, including a short film by Shunji Iwai, one of Japan’s leading film directors, and the comedy series ‘Itaoism.’ The app has proven popular with those wanting something to watch on long communtes, where a cell phone is the only available screen. 

Style of Chloe has been serialized irregularly in Weekly Manga Goraku since 2014, and this is the first time it has been adapted into a live-action format. Chloe is a French girl attending a Japanese high school, and despite her pretty blonde hair and blue eyes, she is obsessed with Japanese culture and historical dramas, making her speak like a samurai. 

Chloe is played by Maria Tani, a multi-talented actress currently working as an exclusive model for the fashion magazine Vivi. The role of Shinji Nakamura, a boring high school boy who is secretly in love with Chloe, will be played by Kyoya Honda.

Comments from the Cast

Maria Tani
“I think this story teaches a number of life lessons based on the Japanese Bushido spirit–even if those lessons are taught by a French girl. The words and the actions of each character gave me so many opportunities to reflect on the important things in daily life, like gratitude and compassion. Although Chloe is nearly expressionless when she speaks, each line is somehow warm and piercing. I was incredibly nervous up until the start of filming, but my co-stars and the staff were so friendly that I ended up having the best time. The shooting was short and I wish it weren’t over! I was also excited to wear a school uniform for the first time in a while.”

Daisuke Imai (Manga Author)

“I’m happy that Style of Chloe, which has been so loved by so many people, has been turned into such a wonderful series. The main character is one of the most unrealistic manga characters I’ve ever drawn, so I’m sure there will be a ton of challenges in bringing her to life. Her ingenuity in dealing with the difficulties of life, however, will surely attract a wide audience, so as a viewer I’m really looking forward to it. I hope that old fans and new fans alike will enjoy the show!” 

Characters

Chloe: Maria Tani

A blond-haired, blue-eyed high school girl from France. She’s obsessed with Japanese culture.

Shinji Nakamura: Kyoya Honda
A timid high school boy. He’s shocked by how Chloe talks and acts, but can’t help but be attracted to her.

Minoru Sakashita: Hohomi Nasu

A calm but strong-hearted girl with glasses. She is close friends with Chloe.

Akihito Mukai: Kohshu Hirano

Captain and ace of the soccer team, he’s the top-ranked boy in the school’s popularity poll.