Sad to see Puella Maji Madoka Magica end? Well, dry your eyes! A concept film unveiled last week has sparked speculation about possible new material!
Puella Magi Madoka Magica (Page 2)
2-D heroines get a boost from 3-D perspective and an extremely talented fan.
There’s a huge variety of fees that need to be paid when renting a new apartment in Japan. In addition to an advance payment of your first month’s rent, there’s insurance, the security deposit, the realtor’s fee, and the dreaded “key money,” basically a sign-up cost that you pay to the landlord for the privilege of being allowed to start giving him money on a monthly basis.
Add it all up, and you’ll probably find yourself out several months’ worth of rent before spending the first night in your new home. But there’s a nice upside if you chose to go through one unique realtor, because while you’ll still have some fees to pay, you’ll also get a nice housewarming present in the form of several hundred dollars’ worth of anime merchandise.
Even now, most legal documents in Japan don’t ask for your signature, but rather that you stamp your inkan, or personal seal, to show approval or confirmation. Also called a hanko, the stamp, customarily used with red ink, leaves behind just the bearer’s last name, at least in the case of ordinary inkan.
But if that’s just too solemnly boring for you, you can also spice things up with a personal seal made that’s decorated with characters from hit anime series such as Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Clannad, and Fate/stay night that not only lets you display your love for those franchises, but is also legally binding.
The music plays a huge role in setting the mood of some of anime’s most memorable hits, but it can be kind of hard to notice behind all of the dialogue and sound effects. Grabbing the series’ soundtrack and popping in your earphones is a good way to appreciate the compositions, but an even better way is to hear them performed live by a full orchestra, which is just what fans of Evangelion, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Attack on Titan, Berserk, and more will be able to do at a special concert taking place in Tokyo this month.
Some hardcore anime fans try to spend as much of their lives as possible watching Japanese animation. But what if it’s not enough to eat, sleep, and breathe anime? What if you were going to die anime, too?
That’s the question Japanese website Charapedia posed when it asked “What anime do you want to be watching during the final moment of the last day of your life?” The results are in, and here are the 20 shows respondents consider the truly ultimate anime.
One of the really big differences between Japanese and American broadcasting is the relative lack of reruns on Japanese TV. With four, roughly 13-week seasons a year, and not nearly the plethora of channels available in the U.S., Japanese TV series, anime included, tend to chug straight from start to finish, and once they’re done, if you want to see an episode again, usually your only choice is on DVD or Blu-ray.
Once in a while, though, smaller carriers will pick up a series for rebroadcast after it’s finished its initial run. It’s a rare occurrence, though, so a recent poll asked anime fans which series they’d most like to see shown on TV one more time.
While the gigantic robots and gratuitous nudity were certainly eye-catching, when I first started watching Japanese animation, one of the things that surprised me the most was the fact that anime characters could, well, die. Sure, American cartoons from Tom and Jerry to G.I. Joe were filled with explosions and gunplay, but while the violence was abundant, injuries were conspicuously absent.
Anime tales, though, have no qualms about knocking off their players. As a matter of fact, characters shake off this mortal coil so frequently that a recent poll ranked the 20 most memorable anime deaths.
Heads up! While animation sometimes allows for the miracle of resurrection, be aware that since this is a list of deaths, it contains spoilers for the following series: Clannad, Code Geass, Death Note, Dragon Ball, Fist of the North Star, Fullmetal Alchemist, Gintama, Hakuoki, Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure, Naruto, Neon Genesis Evangelion, One Piece, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, School Days, and Tengen Toppa Guren Lagan.
For many years, fans of magical girl anime tended to be from the same demographic as its principal characters: little girls. The genre of young girls using mystical powers to fight monsters saw its potential broadened, though, in 2011 with the television premiere of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, which cast an unflinching, unsentimental eye at the physical and psychological dangers of tasking middle school girls with battling extradimensional entities.
Madoka went on to become such a hit that its original 12 episodes were retouched and repackaged into a pair of theatrical releases. This month a third film, Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Rebellion opens in Japan, and a special exhibition of Madoka artwork and statues is being held in Tokyo.
Being an anime fan in a Japanese business environment can be rough. Due to the terrible stigmas still surrounding otaku, being open about one’s two-dimensional interests can sometimes lead to discrimination in the workplace. Luckily, for those hard-working anime lovers who wish to wear a symbol of the series that they adore without attracting unwanted attention from their office peers, Cospa has a new line of anime-themed neckties, which capture one’s true otaku spirit while putting up a professional front.
A true symbol of status for a whole lot of folks is the kind of car they drive. So what does it say about a person when a larger-than-life magical girl is bursting out the back of their van?! Someone is either absolutely amazing or amazingly disturbed to have so much love for an animated character. Either way, this has got to be one of the most awesome things we’ve ever seen rolling down the Japanese highway!







Krispy Kreme Japan is bringing two special donuts to the most-forgotten big city in the country
Japanese temple burns to the ground, fire burning inside for 1,200 years unharmed
Starbucks Japan hoping fans will go bananas for its new mottainai banana affogato Frappuccino
Man in Japan calls in bomb threat because he doesn’t want to go to his own work farewell party
Japanese vending machine find introduces us to a new drink you can’t get anywhere else
Memorial bell inside Hiroshima’s Peace Park has been silenced, but for a sweet reason
Tokyo’s life-size Gundam anime mecha statue will be removed this summer
Japan has a new cute and clever sunblock for cat lovers
Japan’s izakaya pubs closing at record pace, failing to attract foreign tourists
Pokémon Company to require Japanese government ID cards for some online Pokémon card purchases
Kanji ice cream becomes a sell-out hit in Japan
Ichiraku Ramen-inspired ramen sets from Naruto anime pay homage to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura
Hundreds of rose bushes in bloom at Tokyo’s off-the-beaten-path, next-to-the-tracks flower street
This Tokyo Station sweets sensation sells out daily, but we finally got our hands on it
Studio Ghibli’s president is leaving the company. Will it change how they make anime?
161-year-old Kyoto confectionary maker releases new edible Pokémon lineup
Let’s hike a Japanese mountain (that isn’t Mt. Fuji) – Mt. Tsukuba[Photos]
The average age of Japan’s hikikomori shut-ins is getting older, survey shows
Japan enters Golden Week vacation period, survey shows one in three plan to ride it out at home
New Kyoto Converse sneakers celebrate Japan with traditional kimono fabrics for your feet
Japan’s new Pokémon jackets give you the look and powers of the Kanto starter trio
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
Japan now has gyoza doughnuts, and they taste like no other doughnut we’ve tried before
Studio Ghibli launches huge new anime movie T-shirt collection with special design details
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
Memorial bell inside Hiroshima’s Peace Park has been silenced, but for a sweet reason
Tokyo’s life-size Gundam anime mecha statue will be removed this summer
Japan has a new cute and clever sunblock for cat lovers
Japan’s izakaya pubs closing at record pace, failing to attract foreign tourists
Pokémon Company to require Japanese government ID cards for some online Pokémon card purchases
7-Eleven Japan releases their second lineup of upsized foods from a muffin to bukkake soba
The story of our reporter P.K. Sanjun’s heart attack
Kanji ice cream becomes a sell-out hit in Japan
Suspected yakuza member arrested for having frequent flyer mile account
Super! Eel Bread takes Japanese sushi into uncharted territory
Studio Ghibli adds mini pillows and massive mats to its anime merchandise store in Japan
Ichiraku Ramen-inspired ramen sets from Naruto anime pay homage to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura
This Tokyo Station sweets sensation sells out daily, but we finally got our hands on it
McDonald’s Japan adds curry French fry flavor, regional-taste burgers to its menu with Gotochi Mac