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Copies of Keiji Nakazawa‘s Barefoot Gen manga were temporarily removed from 13 elementary and middle schools in Osaka’s Izumisano City. Nakazawa’s manga that tells the story of survival after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The copies were removed at the request of Izumisano mayor Hiroyasu Chiyomatsu for what he says are “many expressions in the manga that impact human rights,” including derogatory terms for beggars and the unemployed.
Anything that gets published is prone to typos at any stage of the process, and manga is no exception. From using the wrong kanji to misprinting page numbers, any number of mistakes can happen. Readers haven’t always proved to be understanding of these, but when it comes to a matter very dear to many hearts — bra sizes — errors can be especially unforgivable.
Thanks to the patient translation efforts of AltJapan Co., Ltd. co-founder Matt Alt, readers can now read, in English,most of the 90-page study on robot anime made available by the Japanese government. Titled “Nihon Animation Guide: Robot Anime-hen,” the original document was written by anime critic Ryusuke Hikawa, Sunrise head of cultural promotion Koichi Inoue, and writer Daisuke Sawaki, and compiled by Mori Building Co., which has previously also compiled reports on Japanese live-action special effects shows, movies, and other pop culture topics. In addition to these reports, the company also promotes media arts information, hosts symposiums, conducts surveys, and works on archive projects.
North American anime distributor FUNimation Entertainment began streaming a second clip from the dub of Attack on Titan on Monday. The clip was previously released last Tuesday to subscribers to accompany the second round of voice cast announcements.
J-Stars Victory Vs., the crossover fighting game that pits characters from 32 Shonen Jump manga against each other, debuts on Wednesday, and to celebrate the launch, Bandai Namco Games erected life-size statues of Dragon Ball Z‘s Son Goku duking it out with One Piece‘s Monkey D. Luffy on the streets of Tokyo.
The first teaser trailer for the Ju-on: Owari no Hajimari (The Grudge: Beginning of the End) horror film began streaming on Saturday.
Hirofumi Watanabe cites jealousy as motive & vows to kill himself when released
Hirofumi Watanabe, the suspect in the Kuroko’s Basketball threat letter case, admitted to all the charges in his first day in court on Thursday. He added that he will accept the court’s judgment and any punishment without appeal.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrested the 36-year-old Osaka temporary worker on December 15 and accused him of sending threatening letters to convenience store chains and other establishments linked to Tadatoshi Fujimaki‘s Kuroko’s Basketball manga.
TV Asahi aired the 2013 Doraemon film Doraemon: Nobita no Himitsu Dōgu Museum on March 6 with a censored scene. In the scene, the character Shizuka encounters the secret tool “hyper vacuum,” and the vacuum sucks up the clothes she is wearing, including her underwear. In the TV broadcast version of the scene, lines of light were used to censor Shizuka when her clothes were sucked up by the vacuum (see image above).
FUNimation Entertainment announced on Monday that it will reveal the dub cast for Attack on Titan in several installments over the next few days. Elite video subscribers will see the news every day at 11 a.m. EDT, while the general public will receive the news later in the day. The first round of cast members is:
Suzuki takes less hands-on role at studio he co-founded with Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata.
Have you spent years mastering the arts of ninjutsu and poring over ancient scrolls, learning secret techniques and studying under august masters, and practicing stealth tactics over and over and over again…. only to find out, to your horror and despair, that there just aren’t any jobs out there for a ninja? Well, don’t worry! The Japanese government has a job for you.
You could teach elementary school kids!
With today’s economy, even colossal titans need extra work. Luckily, their tall statures make them a perfect fit for construction.
A certain custom-made itasha van, modeled after Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, has been drawing attention in the the Fukui Prefecture. Taking a look at the realistic detail put in to it, there’s no question as to why that is.
The first iteration of the van was built in 2009, and was a black van with the disembodied lower half of a person sticking out of the trunk and numerous character decals. According to Shiren Amakusa, the vans’ owner, he ran into problems when customizing the first van, due to the fact that it was black, which would make the blood less visible against it. The latest version of the van solves that problem, as well as adding a human hand sticking out of the front hood.
Hello Kitty is turning 40, while Playboy is hitting 60, but neither show any signs of slowing down. In fact, the two look better than ever… together.
A Wednesday press conference at Tokyo’s Akagi Shrine announced that Masayuki Ochiai (Parasite Eve, Shutter, live-action TV The Girl Who Leapt Through Time) will write and direct a new Juon/The Grudge horror film. Juon: Owari no Hajimari (The Grudge: Beginning of the End) will begin shooting on Tuesday and will open in Japanese theaters on June 28.
A recent poll was conducted on the streets of Akihabara to see which pink-haired anime heroine is the best. Pink-haired characters have gotten a bad rep among otaku on the internet where the phrase “Inran Pinku” (lit. Slutty Pink) is thrown around. Apparently, pink-haired characters are seen as promiscuous, so the question was are there any likeable and “pure” pink-haired anime girls? Here are the answers according to 100 fans:
Hokka Hokka Tei, a Japanese bento food chain, announced its “Attack on Titan Lunch” collaboration with Attack on Titan to create limited-time lunches. So, what exactly goes into a lunch for giant appetites? The answer is a lot of meat and vegetables.
Uniqlo reveals third round of massive 100-year-anniversary manga T-shirts for Jump’s Shueisha
Starbucks Japan unveils new Frappuccino showcasing “mottainai” culture
New official Ghibli anime food cookbook will teach you how to make Ponyo’s ramen and more
Osaka is hosting a “hentai” event, but it’s probably not what you think
What’s it like to join Tokyo’s walking-and-talking-with-strangers club for a day?
Art exhibition coming to Tokyo this month brings the cute, scary, and weird to ukiyo-e
Extra-cute Sea Animal crepes come to Japan’s cafe chain born from a sweet fashion brand
And now, a crazy-looking way to stay cool this summer, from Japan’s crazy gadget company
New littering fine now being enforced in some of Tokyo’s most heavily touristed areas
The best yakiniku restaurant menu items to order if you’re surrounded by lovey-dovey couplesNew official Ghibli anime food cookbook will teach you how to make Ponyo’s ramen and more
Japanese convenience store Lawson launches new “mini supermarket” chain, L Minimart
Japan’s real-world Pokémon hot spring’s first photos are here![Photos]
What’s up with the Ghibli Park photo and video ban?Uniqlo reveals third round of massive 100-year-anniversary manga T-shirts for Jump’s Shueisha
Japan’s adorable pudding chick becomes a transit card mascot
The Japan Burger Championship 2026 in Yokohama next month is the ultimate battle of the beef
Mr. Sato takes a walk on Tokyo’s American-style street to get some American/Japanese ice cream
Sushi Pizza surprises diners in one of the best food destinations in Japan
Pikachu cakes and other adorable Pokémon 30th anniversary food coming to Tokyo luxury hotel
Tokyo’s life-size Gundam anime mecha statue will be removed this summer
The average age of Japan’s hikikomori shut-ins is getting older, survey shows
Ichiraku Ramen-inspired ramen sets from Naruto anime pay homage to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura
Kanji ice cream becomes a sell-out hit in JapanNew official Ghibli anime food cookbook will teach you how to make Ponyo’s ramen and more
Japan now has gyoza doughnuts, and they taste like no other doughnut we’ve tried beforeJapan’s real-world Pokémon hot spring’s first photos are here![Photos]Japanese convenience store Lawson launches new “mini supermarket” chain, L Minimart
Japan has a new cute and clever sunblock for cat lovers
Tokyo’s new extra-expensive ramen restaurant is dividing opinions, so we tried a bowl
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
Art exhibition coming to Tokyo this month brings the cute, scary, and weird to ukiyo-e
Extra-cute Sea Animal crepes come to Japan’s cafe chain born from a sweet fashion brand
And now, a crazy-looking way to stay cool this summer, from Japan’s crazy gadget company
New littering fine now being enforced in some of Tokyo’s most heavily touristed areas
The best yakiniku restaurant menu items to order if you’re surrounded by lovey-dovey couples
Krispy Kreme releases a new Doughwich… at only one store in Japan
What’s up with the Ghibli Park photo and video ban?
Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo to remain closed for the summer following stabbing incident
Starbucks Japan has a problem with its sell-out breakfast that might annoy solo diners
Starbucks Japan releases a new limited-edition Frappuccino inspired by espresso affogato
Japan’s cafe that won’t let you go home until you solve a puzzle is opening in Osaka’s canal district
Japanese convenience store Lawson launches new “mini supermarket” chain, L Minimart
Studio Ghibli still doesn’t allow its anime to be streamed online in Japan, and here’s why
