Heads up, One Piece fans – there’s a new, extra-special anniversary episode coming your way that’ll fill in some of the blanks from the time jump!
anime (Page 258)
We’ve been impressed by Nissin’s clever ads for Cup Noodles more than once. With previous ads featuring breakdancing samurai, battlefield language barriers, and fanatic idol fans, we’ve usually come away with chuckles or goose bumps, and sometimes even both.
Now Nissin is back again with a skewed look at another piece of pop culture: romantic leads in girls’ manga that pound on the walls.
Over the last several months, anime merchandiser Bandai has released a huge number of high quality Sailor Moon items through its Premium Bandai online store. Up until now, these have all been based on the original anime from 1992, but with the July 5 premier of the brand new Sailor Moon Crystal, Bandai’s ready to open the floodgates on a whole new batch of magical girl goodies.
The company is starting things off on a classy note, with the simultaneous release of five fashionable rings based on the tiaras worn by the Sailor Scouts.
We’re not shattering any illusions when we point out that the hit anime Evangelion is a work of fiction, right? Japan hasn’t built a new capital in the mountains of Kanagawa Prefecture, aliens aren’t attacking the country, and as far as we know, no one’s turned into a puddle of Tang because they couldn’t find a way to deal with their loneliness.
But there is one thing you’ll see in Evangelion that’s 100 percent true to life. The brand of sake hard-drinking character Misato regularly enjoys, Dassai, actually exists, and we recently tried a bottle. Not only that, since one of the many themes Eva deals with is confronting your fears, we decided to pair it with a snack that just might kill us.
Anime fans the world over are about to get a treat with the July 5 premiere of Sailor Moon Crystal, the new series featuring Japanese animation’s most beloved cast of magical girls. But while we’re all excited about being able to see the Sailor Scouts once again, this month also brings a chance to become them, with a cosplay event in Tokyo that’ll provide you with not only a Sailor Moon costume, but a professional photographer to take pictures for you, too.
No matter how deeply you respect someone’s core values, or how physically attractive you find them, it’s hard to build a successful romantic relationship without some common interests. So it’s really no surprise that an upcoming singles party in Tokyo’s anime mecca of Akihabara is looking for men and women with a shared love of animation.
This isn’t the only romantic anime event coming to Tokyo, though. On the other side of town, organizers are in the process of assembling a quorum of guys who’d be happy dating women who’re fans of male homosexual anime and manga.
Otaku often have more anime merch than they know what to do with, which can lead to them coming up with novel ways to use it. Also never underestimate their power to find creative ways to be strangely pervy.
In what can now officially be called a budding trend, the Japanese domestic carrier Skymark has announced it will be painting over five of its Boeing 737-800 model planes with characters from the popular and long-running manga and anime, One Piece.
Two designs – presumably on the left and right sides of the plane – will feature group shots of some of the series’ most popular characters to date, including main character Monkey D. Luffy, Roronoa Zoro, Nico Robin, Nami, and that reindeer thing. A separate graphic of Luffy will greet passengers as they enter the plane near the boarding door.
At one point in the Gundam franchise, there’s a scene where cadets are shown training with the hit anime’s giant robots by shooting humongous paintballs at each other. Until today, you could have made the argument that it was the silliest use of guns in the hundreds of hours of animation that make up the complete saga.
But not anymore, because now there are Gundam water pistols.
In a lot of ways, 14-year-old Akari Aruga is like a lot of girls her age. She likes watching anime, enjoys the theme song from Attack on Titan, and says lollipops are her favorite food.
But you know what’s not par for the course for an adolescent girl in Japan? Being a crack shot with a pistol in target shooting.
Do you know what June 30 is? Well, it may be the day where you say to yourself, “Oh my gosh, half the year is over! How could it have gone by so quickly?” but you just might find yourself being punished in the name of the moon if you don’t remember one other important event that takes place on that day. Yes, June 30 is Sailor Moon’s birthday, or Usagi Tsukino’s birthday if you prefer to call her by her “human” name.
With the new Sailor Moon Crystal anime series soon to be released, this year’s birthday was bound to be a special one for our Usagi-chan. And special it was! A huge birthday event in honor of our beloved warrior princess, including a preview screening of the first episode of Sailor Moon Crystal, was held in collaboration with fashion magazine ViVi on June 30 in the Tokyo Odaiba area. And since it was supposed to be kind of a girls’ night out, the event was apparently only open to women, or men accompanied by women.
We definitely couldn’t miss out on this party, and we promptly sent one of our reporters from our Japanese sister site — we couldn’t wait to see what the huge do would be like!
Well, the public has already come forward and said that Attack on Titan‘s abrasive, but secretly caring Levi is one the most dateable anime characters of all time (the public also said they love boobs… a lot), so it’s no surprise that Levi is getting the star treatment even outside of anime circles.
On June 27, Levi graced the cover of the popular women’s magazine, FRaU, for the magazine’s book and manga special edition that included a manga awards page – several of which, no doubt, Levi is now the proud owner of.
Artist and Attack on Titan creator Hajime Isayama drew the cover especially for the issue, which features Levi reclining in a fancy office chair, with a manga and a pair of classy loafers; a look the youthful hero probably doesn’t get to sport too often in the world of Attack on Titan.
Although most manga artists have a team of assistants backing them up, compared to live-action films, comics allow for a much more direct transmission of the creator’s vision. Movie and TV programming are by nature a collaborative effort, and you can’t really watch a scene go from concept to finished version in real-time.
With manga, though, you can give a talented artist a pen, and within minutes see him or her transform the emptiness of a blank sheet of paper into a character that will inspire and entertain countless fans, like in this video featuring some of Japan’s most popular manga artists and characters.
Luffy’s Gomu-gomu powers have gotten him into quite a few awkwardly shaped situations. Being made of rubber means that you can become pretty malleable when you’re in tight space, but does that make it any more comfortable? Well, Bandai’s latest line of gashapon toys delve into that idea, not just for Luffy, but for several other members of the Straw Hat crew. Presenting, the One Piece Hasamare Straps!
It’s nice to share some Japan-related news coming out of Scandinavia for a change!
Norway, along with its neighbors, is no stranger to the metal music scene. The northern European countries together constitute one of the world’s major strongholds for the various subgenres of metal music. But what do you get when you combine the vocal talents of a Norwegian symphonic metal singer with the catchy tunes of J-Pop?
Just listen to PelleK’s cover versions of the following anime songs to find out for yourself!
For fans of animation and video games who’ve formed a particularly strong attachment to their favorite fictional characters, there’s nothing quite like the escapist fun of cosplaying as one of the hobbies’ heroes or heroines. In the past we’ve seen college students, toddlers, and even dogs sporting creative getups, but what if you’re an adult human with a busy life?
Past a certain age, work and family start taking up the bulk of your time, and your schedule might not be able to accommodate a day of showing off your costuming skills at the local anime convention. Not to mention that if that’s the case, you’re probably too old to just dress up in costume at home without feeling silly. If only there was a practical cosplay outfit that you could wear around the house.
Actually, there is, in the form of the Sailor Moon apron.
It’s been 22 years since the very first episode of Sailor Moon was broadcast, but that doesn’t mean sponsor Bandai has exhausted all of the hit anime’s merchandising possibilities yet. With everything from Sailor Moon dresses to perfume to lip balm available, over the past few months Bandai has been making plenty of compelling arguments for fans to open their wallets.
So perhaps it’s fitting that one of their newest items is just that, a stylish leather Sailor Moon wallet.
One of the most legendary and enduring anime franchises of all time is the quintessential mechafranchise Mobile Suit Gundam. But which entry to the franchise is really the greatest of all? Fan informational site Akiba Souken recently ran a two week poll from June 6 to June 18, gathering votes from 3,025 participants to decide once and for all which series, OVA, or movie is really the fan-favorite Gundam work, the top of which are as follow:
Some of Japan’s most famous characters created by legendary manga-ka Fujiko F Fujio have been turned into robots by Bandai, which can then be combined to create an even more epicly-super-cool robot of retro awesomeness!
MOST POPULAR
Now
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
Tokyo teahouse serves up a sakura matcha dessert you won’t find anywhere else
Two food hacks take Japan’s convenience store fried chicken to amazing new sandwich heights
Tokyo turns its phone booths into free Wi-Fi hotspots, and here’s how to use them
Studio Ghibli adds new My Neighbour Totoro 2026 Corn Gift to its anime store for Mother’s Day
New cafe in trendy Tokyo neighborhood is staffed by grannies and grandpas with average age of 73
Totoro Fund line of beautiful artwork and apparel lets you help the real-world Totoro Forest
Is Daiso’s microwave Japanese rolled omelet maker worth your time and money? [Taste test]
Does this video about an abandoned dog leave you wiping your eyes or shaking your fist?
Japan now has stricter requirements for foreigners applying for citizenship
Weekly
- Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]
Tokyo’s best museum for foreign travelers finally reopens after being closed for four years
Pokémon lacquerware series expands for Year of the Horse with new handcrafted design[Video]
Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]
Uniqlo announces new T-shirts for One Piece, Naruto and more for manga publisher’s 100th birthday
Picturesque Tokyo park plays host to millions of flowers and soap bubbles this spring
Tokyo subway and almost all Tokyo train lines now accepting credit card tap payments
Totoro and Calcifer become little light-up lanterns for Ghibli-style excursions or at-home decor
Fading Tokyo – Searching for signs of the Showa era as local neighborhoods evolve[Photos]
Monthly
- Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]
- Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]
- Uniqlo announces new T-shirts for One Piece, Naruto and more for manga publisher’s 100th birthday
Train station platform ramen store closes its doors on half a century of history in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new My Fruit³ Frappuccino at only 34 stores around the country- Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
Studio Ghibli releases Catbus pullback keychain that runs like the anime character
Krispy Kreme releases Super Mario doughnuts in Japan for a limited time
Japanese onsen egg maker from 100-yen store Daiso needs to be on your shopping list
Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura cherry blossom collection for hanami season 2026
Yearly
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
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
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
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
RECOMMENDED STORIES
New cafe in trendy Tokyo neighborhood is staffed by grannies and grandpas with average age of 73
Totoro Fund line of beautiful artwork and apparel lets you help the real-world Totoro Forest
Is Daiso’s microwave Japanese rolled omelet maker worth your time and money? [Taste test]
Does this video about an abandoned dog leave you wiping your eyes or shaking your fist?
Japan now has stricter requirements for foreigners applying for citizenship
Senkoji: The Japanese temple that’s more like a theme park to heaven and hell
Fading Tokyo – Searching for signs of the Showa era as local neighborhoods evolve[Photos]
Daiso has giant new branch in middle of Tokyo’s Shinjuku neighborhood (and another beneath it)
A Kyoto factory vending machine sells gourmet mystery meals at bargain prices
The Almost All Lettuce Burger from Dom Dom Burger really lives up to its name
Every weekend is an itasha car show at Akihabara’s UDX parking garage
Starbucks Japan unveils epic Frappuccino hunt with five to find in new Star birthday campaign
Tokyo’s best museum for foreign travelers finally reopens after being closed for four years
Electric conveyor belt sushi kit brings the fun of a revolving sushi restaurant into your home
-
