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    To celebrate the 20th anniversary of its light novel imprint Kadokawa Beans Bunko, KADOKAWA will hold "Beans Bunko 20th Anniversary Fair Thanks for you!" from October 1, which includes the announcement for anime adaptation projects of two novels - Miri Mikawa's Sugar Apple Fairy Tale and Sarasa Nagase's Akuyaku Reijou nanode Last Boss wo Kattemimashita ( I'm the Villainess, So I'm Keeping the Last Boss ). Further details such as how and when they are distributed are currently unknown.       Sugar Apple Fairy Tale was released for 17 volumes from the imprint from April 2010 to January 2015.   Its story is set in The Highland Kingdom, where humans use fairies as slaves. Ann Halford, a young girl who has just lost her mother, decides to follow in her mother's footsteps and become a silver sugar master. She hires Shall, a foul-mouthed warrior fairy, as her bouncer and sets off for the royal capital to earn the title of Silver Sugar Master. In

  The narrator for the upcoming Digimon Ghost Game TV anime was announced alongside the theme song artists for the Toei Animation-produced series the other day with "Galactic Punk Band" Wienners performing the opening theme song "FACTION" and  Aiiro Apollo performing the ending theme song "Pedal."   Voicing the Ghost Navigator will be  Naoto Takenaka (Shiki in One Piece Strong World )   The Ghost Navigator will be appearing at the start and the end of every episode of Digimon Ghost Game to "guide the viewer into the world" of the new Digimon series.   Digimon Ghost Game  comes to us from series directors  Masatoshi Chioka  and  Masato Mitsuka , with  Masashi Sogo  writing the series composition for the new entry. As usual, the animation will be produced by  Toei Animation  in partnership with Fuji Television Network and Yomiuri Advertising Agency. The series is scheduled to  start on   Fuji TV on October 3 at 9 AM , the same times

    Voice actress Yurika Kubo , best known as Hanayo Koizumi in the Love Live! franchise and as a member of its VA unit μ's, has launched her official YouTube channel for musical activities, then posted her first greeting video and a full music video for her solo debut single song "Lovely Lovely Strawberry" (February 17, 2016 release).   As a solo singer, she has released three CD singles, one digital single, one full album, and one mini album since February 2016. In the greeting video, she says that she wants to deepen her musical side that she's never done before thickly. Full version video for her previous single songs are scheduled to be posted one by one, as well as her live performance footage.   Message:   "Yurika Kubo's official artist YouTube channel is now open! I'd like to show and talk about my past music videos and live performances. And I'd like to challenge everything I've done and haven't done so far, so I'd app

Akihabara on September 25 (photo: Daryl Harding)   For the first time in six months, no areas of Japan are under a State of Emergency to combat COVID-19  with restrictions easing overnight . While hospital cases remain higher than average than non-pandemic times, the number of new COVID-19 cases has dropped significantly since the summer holidays ended and as vaccinations for all ages ramped up in the region, with Japan overtaking the United States in the percentage of the population getting their first doses of the vaccinate.   Though some measures still apply for regions depending on their circumstances and at the behest of the governors of the areas, in general eateries and bars with “COVID-Safe” certification will be allowed to stay open until 9 PM and will once again be allowed to serve alcohol, but those without the certification being asked to close at 8 PM and asked not to allowed to serve drinks.    Events will be allowed to occur with up to 10,000 people or half capac

    Sanrio , a Japanese company known for its character brands such as Hello Kitty and My Melody, announced its new collaboration project with the popular anime franchise Cardcaptor Sakura today. This is their second collaboration following the first one featuring Sanrio's Little Twin Sister and Cardcaptor Sakura in 2018. An announcement for the new product launch is scheduled to be made in November.   This time, five characters from Sanrio will join the collaboration - Hello Kitty, My Melody, Kuromi, Cinnamoroll, and Pom Pom Purin. Based on the newly created original story, the collaboration products will be released in two designs: a pop card-style design featuring Sakura's costume, and a pair design with a gentle touch.   Two visuals for the collaboration products featuring the limited-design costumes, one for the Sanrio stores and the other for products released by licensees, have been revealed.           Key visual for the collaboration:     TVアニメ「カ

    Netflix has posted a four-minute new clip from Bright: Samurai Soul , a spin-off anime to the Will Smith-starring original sci-fi film in 2017, Bright , depicting the encounter between the two protagonists, Izou and Raiden, and their fierce sword battle. The clip also features a intense background music created by the four-member instrumental rock band LITE .         Also, five additional Japanese voice cast members are announced:  Maaya Sakamoto plays Chihaya, the most famous prostitute in Kyoto who has Sonya at her side, Kenjiro Tsuda plays Toumoku, Raiden's master who is a homicidal maniac, Chafurin plays Tsukuyomi, a wise Centaurus who helps Izou and Raiden, Mamoru Miyano plays the owner of Asahiro who buys Sonya from a trafficker, and Kenichi Suzumura plays Okubo, a key person in the Meiji government who colludes with the mysterious Inferni organization.     ■楼主／ #宮野真守 さん 　朝日楼の楼主 ■大久保／ #鈴村健一 さん 　明治政府の要人で、日本の未来を憂う アニメ映画???? 『ブライト：サムライソウル』 10月12

Voice actress/singer Nana Mizuki announced yesterday that she would leave the voice actor agency Sigma Seven , to which she had belonged for 20 years, on September 30, and move to StarCrew as of October 1. She plans to continue her activities as a voice actress and singer without change.   The official website for StarCrew also opened on September 30, and Mizuki is the only artist currently listed on the site. So, many fans assume that it is like her own private office. She posted a message to her fans on her official blog below:     "I would like to announce that I will be moving from Sigma Seven that I belonged to for 20 years to StarCrew. I am filled with gratitude to all the people at Sigma Seven who have supported me since my debut and sent me off with a smile. I will continue to challenge myself as a voice actor and a singer with all my might, pursue the unique expression that only Mizuki can, and do my best to deliver many voices and thoughts to everyone. Thank you

    The official website for the forthcoming original anime film Summer Ghost has posted a 60-second full trailer. The film's official Twitter writes the film is about "three high school students and a ghost's 'An Unforgettable One Encounter in Summer'."    Summer Ghost is the first film directed by loundraw , an illustrator who is known for his illustration works for popular novels such as Yoru Sumino's I Want to Eat Your Pancreas and Tetsuya Sano's You Shine in the Moonlit . The film is scheduled to be released in Japan on November 12, 2021.     Synopsis:   "Have you heard of Summer Ghost?" Tomoya, Aoi, and Ryo are high school students who met through the Internet. The urban legend of the Summer Ghost is that it is a ghost of a young woman who appears when fireworks are lit. Tomoya is unable to step out into the life he wants. Aoi is unable to find her place in the world. Ryo's bright future is suddenly closed to him. Each

Splatoon 3 made a splat during last week’s Nintendo Direct , reaffirming its release next year while giving a peek at the campaign with the return of mammals to the world. Nintendo is keeping the information momentum flowing on Twitter with some new screenshots and details about two new special weapons to use in battle. First is the Crab Tank, an armored walking tank that allows for added mobility and defense while doling out ink sprays against the opposing team. Here’s Nintendo’s description of the new weapon: This is the Crab Tank! When piloting this multi-legged vehicle, you can attack with a powerful rapid-fire gun and a cannon with a wide blast area. You can also turn into a ball to move around faster than crab walking. This special weapon turns an Inkling into a shadowy warrior called a Zipcaster. With tentacles that stretch way out and stick to walls, you can zoom around and cause mad chaos! To conceal your identity, when the ink runs out, you'll be returned to where yo

In August, we interviewed renowned electronic artist Joel “Deadmau5” Zimmerman about his upcoming project in Core, a creative space where designers can make their own video game experiences with an emphasis on multiplayer interactivity. Called Oberhalsi, the multiplayer world is slated to be a place where listeners can discover new music, interact with one another, and play games. To celebrate Oberhalso – and in collaboration with a number of game designers/fans – over 130 dystopic virtual worlds were created for the music video of the hit single “When The Summer Dies.” The top ten selections from around the globe were ultimately chosen to be showcased as backdrops for the song. You can watch the video below. Click here to watch embedded media “I’ve been experimenting with the confluence of music and tech for a long time, and now with games, I’m able to take it to a whole other level,” said Deadmau5. “Typically it takes months and hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of dollars

Monster Hunter Rise finally rides to PC via Steam on January 12. The port takes advantage of its powerful new home with a host of graphical and performance improvements to make it the best version of the best-selling Switch title. Rise on PC features 4K resolution graphics, an ultrawide display option, and uncapped framerates. Gameplay has been optimized for mouse and keyboard and even includes voice chat, making multiplayer sessions a lot more sociable. The PC port also bundles every piece of DLC to have arrived on the Switch version up to the end of November, which would include collaboration goodies such as the upcoming  Ghost ‘N Goblins event . Capcom also confirmed that the Sunbreak expansion will launch on both the PC and Switch versions of Rise next summer.  Don’t want to wait until January? Capcom announced a Steam demo for the game launches on October 13, giving PC-centric Monster Hunter fans a chance to test drive Rise on their powerful rigs. The demo includes online mul

Monster Hunter Rise is about to get spookier before going supersonic. Capcom announced during its Tokyo Game Show Monster Hunter Spotlight that two new collaborations are in the works, first with Ghost ‘N Goblins: Resurrection and then Sonic the Hedgehog.  On October 29, hunters will soon have the materials to create layered armor based on Ghost ‘N Goblin’s hero, Arthur. Besides making your hunter resemble the chivalrous knight, the special event features music from the game, including the classic theme song. Sometime after that, Sonic the Hedgehog celebrates its 30th anniversary in style by crossing over into Monster Hunter. While it’s not the first time the two franchises have collided – a similar collaboration took place in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate – Capcom promises this mash-up will be even grander. However, it didn’t have any details to share regarding what the collaboration entails.  These collaborations join previous crossovers such as Street Fighter and Mega Man  and w

God of War: Ragnarok  is one of Sony's most anticipated releases. The sequel to the  2018's megahit  was initially teased about a year ago, and we initially expected Ragnarok to release sometime this year. However, in June, Sony confirmed that the title was  getting pushed to 2022 . Several factors likely led to this delay, but Kratos' voice actor Christopher Judge recently took to Twitter claiming responsibility.  https://twitter.com/iamchrisjudge/status/1443434928385843209 https://twitter.com/iamchrisjudge/status/1443436861867708419 https://twitter.com/iamchrisjudge/status/1443438179193798659 In reality, it's hard to say that Judge was entirely responsible for Ragnarok's delay. Voice actors don't know every detail in a game's production pipeline, and factors such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic also likely played a part in Sony's rescheduling. Even so, it's interesting to hear Judge's perspective on the matter. We're glad to hear that he

Microsoft kicked off the first day of the Tokyo Game Show with a presentation that included the news of Scarlet Nexus hitting Xbox Game Pass today and the expansion of Xbox cloud gaming to other regions. While those are big announcements, the publisher also sprinkled looks at upcoming indie titles in the works. If you’re someone who is always on the hunt for games off the beaten path, here’s a look at some upcoming lesser-known games slated to hit the console in the coming year.  Lapin Lapin is an adorable platformer about five abandoned rabbits searching for a new home. You’ll explore a city park alongside your friends while preserving memories of your journey by filling a scrapbook. With a lovely 2D art direction and pleasant soundtrack, Lapin seems impossible not to gush over. The game comes courtesy of Seoul developer Studio Doodal and launches May 31 on Xbox and Steam. Unsouled If you love hardcore 2D action games, Unsouled looks to check the right boxes. As

The Good Life, the bizarre photography mystery game by Deadly Premonition mastermind Hidetaka “Swery” Suehiro and his team at White Owls, has a demo on Xbox Game Pass available now. The crowdfunded game recently got a release date  of October 15 after several years of development and multiple delays. The demo is good news for those wary about the title after its bumpy development cycle, and Xbox fans can rest even easier knowing it’s launching to Game Pass on day one. The Good Life stars Naomi, a New York photographer who visits the British town of Rainy Woods to investigate why it’s known as “the happiest place on Earth”. She needs a big scoop in order to repay a massive debt, and she gets more than she bargains for when she discovers Rainy Woods has an unusual secret: when the sun goes down, its residents transform into cats and dogs. Solving this mystery involves taking photos and collecting clues. You’ll also work to repay your debt by taking odd jobs and saving money, which you

  More news for the  Hideaki Anno -directed Shin Kamen Rider film was released today during a special livestream fro the franchine, finally giving us our first look at the film in two promotional videos that recreate the original opening to the 1971 series – because of course Anno did that.       Alongside them, the two leads for the reboot film were annnounced, with  Sosuke Ikematsu ( The Last Samurai ) playing Kamen Rider himself Takeshi Hongo, and  Minami Hamabe (Menma in the live-action  Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day drama) playing Ruriko Midorikawa.      Moreover, a full-paged advertisment for Shin Kamen Rider appeared in newspapers across Japan with Hideaki Anno dressed as the masked motorcycle driver in his younger days.     Shin Kamen Rider re-imagines the original Kamen Rider story with Shin Godzilla and Evangelion's Hideaki Anno at the helm. It is set to be released in Japan in March 2023.   Sources: Shin Kamen Rider on Twitter , SSSP.s

Today, Mircosoft announced that Xbox Cloud Gaming is expanding to four new countries: Japan, Mexico, Brazil, and Australia, starting on October 1.  Microsoft's service allows users to play games remotely over the internet on their PC, tablet, or smartphone. The service  launched in the U.S.  around this time last year and has only continued to  expand since . Xcloud users stream over 100 games from the cloud, including  Yakuza: Like a Dragon ,  Minecraft Dungeons , and  Dragon Quest 11 S: Definitive Edition . The service is a great way to experiment with games quickly, allowing for great game discovery, as you can easily try out a game within seconds and see if you like it without waiting for a download.  But this isn't an ad for Xbox Cloud Streaming; I like the service, but you should check it out for yourself. Microsoft continues to push Xbox Cloud Gaming, which shows that the publisher is committed to putting its content wherever players can easily access it. This is espe

Xbox Game Pass gets a dose of anime action, supernatural murder mystery, and a tank driving goose. Bandai Namco’s stylish action RPG Scarlet Nexus headlines a batch of new titles hitting the service today, which Microsoft announced during its Tokyo Game Show presentation this morning. Game Pass subscribers now have a chance to check out one of the year’s best action games.  Scarlet Nexus comes from the makers behind the Tales series and is set in a dystopian “brainpunk” world. You control one of two protagonists, each with their own separate campaigns and both blessed with powerful supernatural abilities and part of a task force of similarly gifted individuals. Bizarre, extradimensional creatures known as the Others have invaded Earth, and it’s up to you to stop them in their tracks. In his 8.75 out of 10 review, senior editor Dan Tack described Scarlet Nexus as a “stylish and compelling fantasy that's all about the combat.” Bandai Namco also hinted that it has additional cosmet