Blue Archive The Animation, the anime adaptation of Nexon’s popular mobile game, has finally received an air date in North America. The anime will begin airing May 24, 2024 at 0:00 AM UTC (May 23 at 8:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM PT) on the Blue Archive Global YouTube channel. The North American stream will have English subtitles.

You can check out the opening animation below.

Blue Archive The Animation is produced by Yostar Pictures and studio CANDYBOX. The anime began airing in Japan and countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific on April 7th. The anime was licensed in Southeast Asia and the Pacific by Medialink. Medialink streamed the episodes on the Ani-One Asia YouTube channel. Seven (7) episodes have already aired in the areas mentioned.

Senseis in North America will finally get to officially watch Blue Archive The Animation in English starting May 24.

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At AnimeJapan 2024, new information was revealed for Blue Archive The Animation, including the long-awaited reveal of Sensei’s design in the upcoming anime.

First of all, on the 1st day of the event, a new trailer promoting the anime was revealed, you can check that out below.

On the 2nd day, Sensei’s character design was finally shown and you can check that out below. Sensei will be voiced by Sakata Shogo. Sakata-san has previously voiced characters such as Aki Hayakawa (Chainsaw Man) and Usato (The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic).

In addition to Sensei’s debut, a good chunk of the anime’s first episode premiered for both the in-person audience and those watching the livestream. You can check out the premiere below (starts at 42:51).

AnimeJapan 2024 Day 2 Stream

Blue Archive The Animation begins airing on April 7th, 2024 on TV Tokyo. It is produced by Yostar Pictures and studio CANDYBOX. For more information, you can check out its official website and follow its official X account.

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Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online II, the follow up to the 2018 Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online TV anime, will begin airing in October 2024. The main cast returns to reprise their roles, including Tomori Kusunoki as LLENN. Studio 3Hz also returns as the anime’s production company.

The cast and staff is as follows:

 [ CAST ]
LLENN: Tomori Kusunoki
Pitohui: Yoko Hikasa
M: Kazuyuki Okitsu
Fukaziroh: Chinatsu Akasaki

[ STAFF ]

Original Work: Keiichi Sigsawa (Dengeki Bunko)
Original Illustration & Character Design Concept: Kouhaku Kuroboshi
Director: Masayuki Sakoi
Series Composition / Screenplay: Yosuke Kuroda
Character Design & Chief Animation Director: Yoshio Kozakai
Music: DAITA, Daisuke Shinoda
Animation Production: Studio 3Hz

You can check out the broadcast date announcement trailer below.

English Trailer

Japanese Trailer

In addition to the broadcast announcement, the first season will also be rebroadcast starting in July 2024.

Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online II is a TV anime adaptation of Keiichi Sigsawa’s light novel of a similar name. The first season aired from April 2018 to June 2018 and was produced by Studio 3Hz. The second season will begin airing in October 2024. If you’re interested in the anime, you can check out its official website and follow its official X accounts (English, Japanese).

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A short new promotional video (PV) for Blue Archive The Animation has been released. This time, the PV focuses on Abydos Highschool 3rd year and President of the Foreclosure Task Force, Takanashi Hoshino (CV. Yumiri Hanamori).

You can check out Hoshino in all her sleepy glory below.

The previous short PV released focused on Abydos Highschool 2nd year, Sunaookami Shiroko (CV. Yui Ogura). In case you missed it, you can check that out below.

Blue Archive The Animation is produced by Yostar Pictures and studio CANDYBOX. It is an anime adaptation of the South Korea-developed mobile game, Blue Archive, and is scheduled to air in April 2024. The mobile game first launched in Japan in February 2021, followed by a global release in November 2021. The game was later released in China in August 2023. Nexon published the global version while Yostar published the Japanese and Chinese versions.

For more information on the upcoming anime, you can follow check out its official website and follow its official X account.

SOURCE: BA The Animation X Account

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During day 1 of a special event celebrating the 3rd anniversary of Blue Archive, more information on the upcoming anime adaptation was revealed. First, more character design drawings were shown, this time featuring the rest of the Foreclosure Task Force and also the members of Problem Solver 68. Previously, Shiroko and Arona’s designs were shown.

You can check out the newly revealed character designs below.

Foreclosure Task Force

Problem Solver 68

Afterwards, the main visual was unveiled, which at the same time revealed the big news that Blue Archive The Animation will begin airing in April 2024 on BS11. The visual features the members of the Foreclosure Task Force. You can check out a textless version of the visual below.

Finally, a new teaser PV was shown, giving us a first glimpse of the anime in action. You can check that out below.

Blue Archive The Animation will be produced by Yostar Pictures and studio CANDYBOX. Some of the staff is as follows. (Thanks to AIR_News01 for staff translations.)

Director: Daigo Yamagishi
Assistant Director: Shunji Maki
Series Composition: Hiroshi Onogi / Daigo Yamagishi
Character Design, Chief Animation Director: Hiromitsu Hagiwara
Art Director: Kazuhiro Arai

The cast announced so far is as follows:

Yui Ogura as Shiroko Sunaookami
Yumiri Hanamori as Hoshino Takanashi
Ohashi Ayaka as Serika Kuromi
Chiyuki Miura as Nonomi Izayoi
Sayaka Harada as Ayane Okusora
Reina Kondo as Aru Rikuhachima
Yukiyo Fujii as Kayoko Onikata
Erika Ishitobi as Haruka Igusa
Rumi Okubo as Mutsuki Asagi
Konomi Kohara as Arona

More characters will be coming soon according to the official website.

Blue Archive The Animation is scheduled to air April 2024 in Japan. It is an anime adaptation of the popular mobile game, Blue Archive, which is currently available worldwide for Android and iOS devices. For more information on the anime you can check out its official website and follow its X account.

SOURCES: Blue Archive The Animation Official Website (Part 1, Part 2), BA 3rd Anniversary Event Day 1 Stream

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Currently Airing:

Sasaki and Peeps

The series is the based off of a light novel that I honestly never heard of before. I read the description of it and decided it might be something worth trying. After watching the first two episodes (the first episode which is longer than a normal one) I think that the description doesn’t really do it justice. To be fair there is a lot going on in this one. It follows an almost 40 year old average office worker named Sasaki. On a whim he decides to get a pet and ends up taking home a bird he finds cute. From there things start getting crazy with his new pet being more than a normal bird. Being able to go into another world, Sasaki finds success trading things from home to this new world. He takes advantage and becomes quite the businessman there and learns some magic. While things are going smooth for Sasaki in his new life he ends up seeing an attack in our world by a killer and decides to intervene. From there Sasaki’s life takes another turn.

As a character I like Sasaki and identify with him at times. He would rather have a relaxed slow life and follow others, but things change quite a bit. The series has some good humorous moments in it so far. It’s something that I have to say is interesting which all the angles there are to it. This is will definitely be something I’m going to follow this season. – Walter

— You can watch Sasaki and Peeps on Crunchyroll.

Urusei Yatsura

Lum is back, hooray! Season 2 kicks off with a silly gimmick episode. Ten is playing with chewing gum that, when blown into a bubble, will recreate anything you think of. Ataru of course steals the gum for nefarious purposes – namely recreating the women in his life so he can ogle them. Lum, understandably, does not take kindly to this idea and hatches a plan to get back at him. It backfires in typical Urusei Yatsura fashion. I love these kinds of hijinks and they’re what make the show such a joy to watch, especially when paired with david productions’ stellar use of color and texture. The second half of the episode sees Lum suffering from temporary language loss after Ataru hits her in the head with a rice cooker. She can’t remember Japanese, and so can’t communicate with anyone. This upsets everyone at school except Ataru, who of course tries taking advantage of his interstellar girlfriend’s amnesia to try and hook up with other girls. Despite the circumstances of the episode and the heavy comedic bend, there were some genuinely tender moments here. One of my favorite things about Takahashi properties is the way she can so seamlessly blend comedy and romance, and that’s on display here. I’m really looking forward to what’s in store for the rest of this season. – Leah

You can watch Urusei Yatsura on HIDIVE.

What anime are you watching? What manga and light novels are you reading? Let us know in the comments!

You can read previous Week in Anime & Manga entries here!

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A new Hunter x Hunter fighting game Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact has been revealed. The game will be developed by Eighting known for their work on previous fighting games such as the Bloody Roar series, Tatsunoko vs Capcom and Marvel Vs Capcom 3. Publisher Bushiroad Games have released a teaser trailer that you can watch below:

A release date and platforms have not been announced yet.

SOURCE

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A new promotional video (PV) has been released for ufotable’s upcoming anime film adaptation of TYPE-MOON’s visual novel, Mahoutsukai no Yoru (Witch on the Holy Night). You can check out the PV below.

Mahoutsukai no Yoru is a 2012 Windows PC visual novel by TYPE-MOON. It was first written in 1996 and the laid the groundwork for future titles such as Tsukihime and Fate/stay night. The visual novel later received a fully voiced voiced HD remaster and overseas release for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Steam.

A synopsis of the visual novel is as follows:

In the mansion on the hill, there lived two witches…

It is the late 1980s—the twilight of an era of beauty and vigor.
A boy moves to the city,
barely missing two witches living in modern times.

The boy leads a completely ordinary life.
She carries herself with a gallant pride.
The girl lives a sleepy, hidden life.

Each walks a starlit path.
One would never expect their paths to cross.
The story of these three disparate
people came together is soon to be told.

No other information has been announced for the anime film adaptation at this time. If you’re interested in the film, you can check out its official website and the movie’s X account.

The post Mahoutsukai no Yoru Anime Film Gets New PV appeared first on oprainfall.

Currently Airing:

Dark Gathering

I got a little behind so I had to catch myself up with the series. The last few episodes really began to tell us more about the new antagonists and along with them becoming known to Yayoi and the others. If you like back stories of the spirits, the graduate and the spirit at the water gate were just as dark as should be expected by this point. The battle was pretty intense and the abilities of the graduate were interesting. I did like that they showed that even though captured by Yayoi, the graduates are still very dangerous and not easy to control. I was happy seeing the castle ghost make an appearance again. While the show usually focuses on Keitaro, the newest episode instead follows Yayoi instead and without Eiko too. I kind of liked that it follows her going to school and seeing her classmates, who not surprisingly think she’s kind of odd. Things are not going to be calm though, as we get introduced to a girl at her school who has been plotting something with one of the spirits at the school. The back story on that one is dark of course too. I did like the situation with this one since it reminded me a bit of Corpse Party. I hope that we do see more of Yayoi and her classmates in the future, depending on how many make it. – Walter

— You can watch Dark Gathering on HIDIVE.

What anime are you watching? What manga and light novels are you reading? Let us know in the comments!

You can read previous Week in Anime & Manga entries here!

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Currently Airing:

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off!

I finally got around to finishing the Netflix Scott Pilgrim anime and as a longtime fan of the series, it was great! Science Saru really knocked it out of the park capturing the comic’s look and translating that into gorgeous fight scenes and set pieces. The show is absolutely a love letter to this story, told in a way that I found incredibly refreshing. I would say that if you’re unfamiliar with the Scott Pilgrim comics or movie, you can absolutely jump in here and still get the full story, but I think it benefits from having previous knowledge of the canon. That being said, the animation on display here is some of the best, with a blend of styles and techniques that I expect from a cutting-edge studio like Science Saru. The fight scenes especially have some fantastic choreography and staging, and the way the team uses lighting to establish mood is beautiful. If I have one complaint it’s the forced focus effect they use, since it can sometimes be a bit nauseating how quickly a scene goes in and out of focus. As an experimental technique, though, I have to give Science Saru props. At any rate, this show was a ton of fun and I’m itching to give it a rewatch. I highly recommend it for old fans and even new ones, with the caveat that you should definitely at least watch the movie to get the full perspective on these characters and story. – Leah

— You can watch Scott Pilgrim Takes Off! on Netflix.

Anime of the Past:

Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan’s Island

This was one movie that I’ve been wanting to watch but didn’t have a chance to see until just now. The movie is set during the One Year War in the original series, and is a remake of an episode that became somewhat infamous. I have never seen the original, but having seen some screens of it, you can tell it was one of the times in the series that quality really dropped. With that being said, this movie is definitely for those who are fans of the original series. It does not really take any time to explain anything and more or less goes off that you already know about the characters and story, which is something that I kind of like. The animation for this looks great and does give the feel of the original, with the battles being quite good. The character of Doan was pretty interesting with the life he lives when we meet him and the conflict he has with his past unit. While I liked it, it is kind of weird to me that they turned a 20-something minute episode into a movie; especially one that of doesn’t really have any real connection to the main plot. That being said, I did think it was a pretty decent movie. – Walter

— You can watch Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan’s Island on Crunchyroll.

Manga and LNs:

Mairimashita! Iruma-kun

Since having caught up with the Japanese raws/ fan-translation, I’ve been doing a better job of keeping up with Iruma-kun. Things have certainly been happening, however most events, I feel, would have been difficult to talk about or go into detail here on our Week in Anime recaps. That is until this past week’s chapter, in which we get an Amelie focused chapter. Every so often, we get a chapter starring Iruma’s primary love interest from his harem/ not harem. These are always a fun read, as we get to see the normally straight-laced student council present show a wider range of emotions, especially when she has her moments with Iruma.

This chapter is a bit different from the other Amelie centered chapters, though, as this one actually stars her father, Henri, as he sneaks into the school and follows his daughter throughout her day. While doing so, he also reflects on Iruma’s achievements, wondering how in the Netherworld this seemingly innocuous boy, possibly a human as Henri suspects, has captured the attention of so many influential individuals. Having played a hand in many of the major events that have recently occurred in the Netherworld, the chapter ends on a cliffhanger, where Henri corners Iruma and Amelie and asks him…how Iruma feels about his daughter. Yup, that’s not awkward at all. – Drew D.

The Demon King’s Daughter is too Kind

This is a series I had come across over the summer and was hooked from the first chapter. The Demon King’s Daughter is too Kind is pure charm; a story that follows the demon king’s cute daughter, Dou, who is nothing like a demon at all. Dou seems to have the power to melt even the hardest of stone hearts, charming everyone she meets with her adorableness, as well as her genuine kindness to everyone she meets. There is never a dull moment with Dou, as she gets herself and her caretaker, Jahy, into perilous situations, only to delightfully use her altruism and lovable nature to comedically remedy any conflicts.

Lighthearted and uplifting, this is an easy recommendation for anyone looking for big doses of good nature and adorable humor. – Drew D.

The official English translation of Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun is provided by Kodansha US
Japanese volumes of The Demon King’s Daughter is too Kind available on amazon.co.jp, fan- translation can be found on Mangadex

What anime are you watching? What manga and light novels are you reading? Let us know in the comments!

You can read previous Week in Anime & Manga entries here!

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NYC convention Anime NYC have announced on Twitter that next year’s event will be held on August 23-25. They also announced that next year’s event will take up the entire Javits Center. You can read the full announcement below:

IMPORTANT ANNOUCEMENT

Anime NYC 2024 moves to August! Please read our full detailed post in regards to our new date announcement.

See you next year August 23-25, 2024! ?#AnimeNYC #ANYC #AnimeNYC2024 #ANYC24 pic.twitter.com/48AO4UKhGJ

— Anime NYC (@animenyc) November 16, 2023

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Currently Airing:
Dark Gathering

Having secured a home to keep their graduates and a new target, the gang decided to go pick up a graduate in hiding. This one was placed by Yayoi in a haunted love hotel, which is fitting for what we learn about this new graduate. One thing I have liked about the series is the set up of the haunted places and of the spirits themselves. I will say as bad as what happened at the hotel, I think it’s still not as terrible as what was shown to have happened at the house Yayoi and Eiko went to before this. Not surprisingly, Keitaro was the target, but I did like that he did most of the confrontation by himself. I am excited to see this new graduate in action, and liked its dialogue/threats with Keitaro. While I don’t think it really was a surprise when you have a series about the supernatural, the discussion at the end of the episode I think will bring some interesting stuff in the future. – Walter

— You can watch Dark Gathering on HIDIVE.

Goblin Slayer

I had to get caught up with this one after watching the season premiere. While I’m not up to date I’ve read quite a few of the light novels so I kind of knew of some of the moments to see this season. One thing that I do like about this part of the story is that other characters get their time in, and we see Goblin Slayer interacting more with others. Little things such as some of the previous seen rookies returning and getting some time was nice. One of my favorite scenes was seeing Goblin Slayer out with some other adventurers for a boy’s night. For this season, while I understand the point of the character, I will say the wizard boy is probably the character I like the least in the series. Even with the reveal of his backstory, I still couldn’t care less about him. That being said, the storyline in the elves, territory was one I was interested in seeing this season. While I am not surprised by it they did remember to include the swimsuit scene. As someone with deep interest in Fortean topics, I was also excited to see “the one who stops the river flow.” That and also the fact they ended an episode on Goblin Slayer’s question about elephants. I am liking the new themes, but I am usually a fan of Mili songs so I guess that’s not a surprise. I am interested to see how they finish off the season. – Walter

— You can watch Goblin Slayer on Crunchyroll.

Manga and LNs:

Ume and Momo’s Everyday Life

It’s been a while since the last one, so I was pleased to see a new chapter of Ume and Momo translated and made available this week. Chapter 19 sees Momo catching a cold and Ume being the loving big sister that she is. This one is pure charm, as we see Ume making sure Ume is properly eating and getting plenty of rest, though we do see a moment of hesitation when Ume is checking the prices of cold medicines. We hear you Ume, everything is more expensive everywhere… – Drew D.

Hitomi-chan Is Shy with Strangers

The last several chapters of Hitomi-chan have been quite the ride, pretty much since our heroine and Usami became an official couple. Firstly, I’m impressed that this didn’t take three-hundred chapters to get to this point and, secondly, the progression has been believable and immersive. One effect, however, is that the events and stories have been less about shyness and more about awkward situations. Perhaps now that Hitomi has grown into a more outgoing individual, and in a relationship with the person who has been with her along her journey, we’ll be seeing less of her shyness. And instead, we’ll have more in the ways of the two being put in ridiculous situations. A change, yes, though I have a feeling this shift in themes will work out just fine.

And despite having shared an onsen and, more recently, a bathtub together, the new couple finally had their actual big moment. No, nothing dirty, as this manga is appreciably all ages (sort of). Cliché summer festival, yukata, fireworks and all. – Drew D.

My Dog Becomes a Human (or, Ponta Becomes a Human)

Then there’s this nonsense again. The most recent chapter follows an afghan hound named Hibari with a dual-personality owner. A demon manager at work, she’s a swooner and completely at her dog’s mercy, as Hibari is fully self-absorbed and doesn’t like to interact with anyone. Though, even a dog like this needs attentions once in a while.

Yep, I’ll probably read the next one or two, but whether I’ll waste my words discussing it here is another question entirely… – Drew D.

Ume and Momo fan-translation can be found on Mangadex
The official English publication of Hitomi-chan is Shy with Strangers licensed by Seven Seas Entertainment. Fan-translations can be found on Mangadex.
My Dog Becomes a Human fan-translation can be found on Mangadex

What anime are you watching? What manga and light novels are you reading? Let us know in the comments!

You can read previous Week in Anime & Manga entries here!

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Manga and LNs:

My Dog Becomes a Human (or, Ponta Becomes a Human)

Earlier this week, I made the grave mistake of reading the fan-translated chapters of My Dog Becomes a Human. Lured by striking details and a limited, yet intense color palette, I soon found myself reading what I can only describe as an aesthetically baited ongoing car crash. You know, when you see a car wreck, you can’t help but look, either drawn by the wreck itself or by the flashing lights of police, fire, and ambulance vehicles. Imagine that, but for every chapter, wanting to see the new wreck, how bad it is, and how many flashing lights showed up and what new circumstances arose this time.

As one could guess, My Dog Becomes a Human is about how all of the dogs in a city have somehow become humans, yet act exactly the same as they did. Owners must now contend with their newly humanized pets, with all of their unique eccentricities. Also, all of the dogs are depicted as incredibly handsome, beautiful, or cute, blatantly drawing humor from the terribly uncomfortable tones of physical attraction between actual human owners and their once dogs.

Most chapters focus on the everyday lives of a husky, Ponta, and his schoolgirl owner. As a husky, Ponta’s personality is like a switch; cool and calm one moment, a complete goofball nutcase the next. And his owner suffers Ponta’s emotional whims, all the while trying to rein him in without getting a swoon-induced bloody nose.

Funny? Yes. Entertaining? Sure. Uncomfortable? Undoubtedly, as female owners swoon for their male dogs/not dogs, but totally still dogs. And yet, then there are chapters like chapter 11, which explores the loss of a loved one and how caring for an adopted canine can bring much needed companionship and love in an otherwise bleak and bitter existence.

So yeah, I’ll keep making the mistake of reading for now, looking forward to the next wreck. – Drew D.

Fan-translations can be found on Mangadex

What anime are you watching? What manga and light novels are you reading? Let us know in the comments!

You can read previous Week in Anime & Manga entries here!

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Currently Airing:

I’m in Love with the Villainess

The set up is something that’s definitely been seen a lot. Poorly treated worker awakens in another world, in this case their favorite otome game. She takes the role of Rei, the game’s protagonist, and from here is where things begin to differ from the game. Rei isn’t interested in the three princes who are the love interests, but Claire who’s the antagonist as you can guess from the title. Claire is the stereotypical prideful talented noble who looks down on commoners and bullies Rei. However, Rei is obsessed with Claire and actually welcomes and enjoys the abuse. From her previous life, Rei has played the game numerous times and knows everything about the game world and of course Claire. I do like how a good chunk of the first episodes are Claire’s attempts to bully Rei and Rei finding the best way to get closer to her while avoiding the princes. While it seems pretty basic on the surface, I think it works and you can see some development like Claire starting to thaw a bit towards Rei. I wasn’t sure how much I would get into this one but, I’m enjoying it. – Walter

— You can watch I’m in Love with the Villainess on Crunchyroll.

Spy x Family

Finally, plot! And it’s Yor-centric, too! I love Spy x Family‘s little episodic moments, but having the story advance even a little is also a plus, and this is a two-fer where we actually get to see Yor’s work and her side of this family arrangement. We spend so little time with her it’s criminal. Anyway, she’s on bodyguard duty to spirit the widow of a gangster out of the country, so we’re already on some shaky moral grounds, seeing as Yor’s whole schtick is she kills “evil” people and a mafia boss’ wife would usually slot neatly into that category. She meets up with Yuri on her way home after being assigned her job, and has an epiphany that since her little brother is all grown up and living his own life, she has no real reason to continue being an assassin. While this makes sense in character, I have to say it fell really flat for me as a viewer because we’ve seen so little of Yor’s feelings about not only her assassin life, but how it interferes with and impacts her fake family life, too. With Loid we see him struggling to juggle being a spy and doing his work while also being a “normal” dad, but Yor has been somewhat sidelined here. Other than the butt episode, we’ve seen no real conflict between her job and her cover, so her suddenly wanting to hang up her assassination ways just didn’t hit that hard. That being said, I think it makes sense for her to want to stop since she’s such a good and kindhearted woman that killing others WOULD weigh heavily on her conscience. I’m curious to see what’s going to happen in the second half of this episode now that the bad guys are aware Yor’s client is onboard. I just hope it doesn’t end up being a Loid saves the day ending. – Leah

– You can watch Spy x Family on Crunchyroll.

What anime are you watching? What manga and light novels are you reading? Let us know in the comments!

You can read previous Week in Anime & Manga entries here!

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A new trailer has been released for the upcoming Puella Magi Madoka Magica film. The move is currently set to premiere sometime next year. The last film in the series Rebellion, was released in 2013. A more recent release in the series was the anime adaption of Magia Record which was based off a mobile title.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Walpurgisnacht Rising is currently set to premiere in 2024.

SOURCE

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Currently Airing:

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End

In this week’s episode we get to see Frieren, Fern, and Stark all have pretty badass moments. Frieren easily dispatches her would-be demon assassin while Fern and Stark go on a mission to take out the other two demons. In past episodes we saw snippets of how strong Frieren is, and this episode was no exception. She annihilated Draht, it really wasn’t fair at all. You can really see why she was a part of the party that slayed the demon king. Fern and Stark impressed me this episode with their willingness to fight powerful enemies without Frieren, and without Frieren there to back them up. I know Stark was absolutely terrified with the thought of fighting the demons, especially Lugner, but he still went through with it. Just for that, and with how he was able to fight, he deserves a lot of respect. Fern absolutely killed it when it was her time to shine, clearly all the training she had with Frieren paid off. Overall this was another great episode, and I appreciate how this episode, and the previous one, have taken on a more serious tone than some of the past ones. Not that I have a problem with the chill vibe of the other episodes, but I do like it when things get shaken up a bit. I’m really looking forward to the next episode since I think we’ll finally get to see Frieren really let loose in battle against Aura. We’ve small tastes previously, but now we’ll really get the full course of her strength. I also want to see how Fern and Stark do against the demon duo in their next encounter. This anime continues to impress and I next episode can’t come soon enough. – Patrick

Seeing Frieren flex her magic muscles is indeed a nice change of pace, and I agree with Patrick on Fern and Stark’s shining moment taking on Lugner and his associate. I really like how this show lets its characters feel fear and trepidation, because it makes their actions have more weight when they finally step up. Stark being both strong but also struggling with self-doubt in his own abilities goes a long way to why I like him so much. Strong characters who face no real obstacles just aren’t that interesting. On the other hand, Frieren is incredibly strong, but it’s not something she cares about being, either. She’ll use her strength when necessary, but she’s just as likely to try and run away instead, and I find her charming and fascinating for it. Anyone who could be in the party of adventurers who could take down the Demon Lord would need to be strong, but for her that’s not really an important thing to be. Her curiosity about the world and magic itself is just so much more intriguing than getting into fights. That being said, as cool as it is to see Frieren and the others flex their strength, my favorite moments of the show so far are still those quiet moments when she’s faced with the past and considers her lost companions. There’s something so meaningful in her looking at the frozen features of Himmel cast in bronze, because for her he was so animated, but no one else will ever see him that way. The way this show focuses on time and memory is really what makes it so memorable to me. – Leah

— You can watch Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End on Crunchyroll.

Dark Gathering

I took a break for a few weeks and caught myself up. I will say that since the introduction of the graduates and the search for the most dangerous spirits things have escalated, I did like that tunnel spirit Eiko ended up having more of a role. She ends up being the target and interacts with spirits instead of Keitaro at the start. The spirit this time was pretty malevolent and was pretty gruesome, especially its methods. The battles with the ghosts previously have been interesting, but the battles have become really something else since the graduates were added to the mix. The concept of the second graduate introduced is interesting and seeing it face off against the evil spirit taking it down was satisfying. I like that Eiko seems to be getting more time in with the spirits, and I’m glad they haven’t forgotten to add in the moments where she is also unsettling. I hope to see more of her dynamic with Yayoi and am interested to see how they’re next encounter with spirits will go. – Walter

— You can watch Dark Gathering on HIDIVE.

The Vexations of a Shut-In Vampire Princess

I decided to give this show a chance since I haven’t heard too much about it. It follows Komari, the titular shut-in vampire who’s from a noble family who has not left home in about three years. Her life is turned upside down when she suddenly gets a maid named Villhaze and is put into a position of power. It’s a comedy, and to be honest I wouldn’t say it’s anything too out of what you would expect, but it does throw in some interesting stuff. It’s set in a world where wars have become almost a type of entertainment as magic can heal almost any wound and revive the dead. Komari doesn’t like blood and is pretty weak, which in vampire society is pretty bad since they value strength. From here Komari has to feign strength in front of her troops with the help of Vill, who is extremely loyal to her, though at the start Komari doesn’t understand why.

While the interactions between the two and the troops under Komari’s control are more on the humorous side, they also add in more of a serious element. This comes in the form of a terrorist group along with a member who has it out for Komari. While it does kind of hit the beats of things I’ve seen before, it does add in points of interests. The battle in the most recent episode was good and shows Komari can act on her own, not to mention reveals some secrets. I do like Komari and Vill and the setting interests me so I think I’ll keep up with it. – Walter

— You can watch The Vexations of a Shut-In Vampire Princess on HIDIVE.

What anime are you watching? What manga and light novels are you reading? Let us know in the comments!

You can read previous Week in Anime & Manga entries here!

The post oprainfall Week in Anime & Manga: Oct 22 – 28 appeared first on oprainfall.

Currently Airing:

The Family Circumstances of the Irregular Witch

I read a few chapters of the manga around when it started and while I didn’t follow it, I did remember it. It follows the life of a witch named Alyssa who finds a baby in the woods and adopts her. The child, who she names Viola, grows up and contrasts with her mother, who has a small stature and childish looks. It also does not take almost any time to see that she is also extremely attached and protective of Alyssa. I would say one of the strengths of the show are the side characters. They help add more to Alyssa and Viola’s dynamic, which I feel could get old without them. My favorite is probably Viola’s familiar, who might appear to be just a throwaway character at the start but ends up getting quite a lot of scenes later on. While I like it, I can see how some people might not be a fan of the comedy. The opening and ending themes aren’t bad either, and I like how they add the next episode preview into the end theme. If you just want a comedy to relax to then this might work for you. – Walter

— You can watch The Family Circumstances of the Irregular Witch on Crunchyroll.

Manga and LNs:

Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san

Well, it happened, the last chapter of Karakai Jouzu no Takagi has been released, marking the end of an era. For over a decade, Souichirou Yamamoto has entertained his fans with this lighthearted story of middle-school life through the eyes of Takagi-san, the teasing master, and Nishikata, who never ended up winning any of his contests against her. Though, he definitely received something pretty darn great in the end. The teasing and contests were a clever and fun way to depict the two’s lives and slowly evolving relationship throughout the series, and I’m glad we have the current spin-off that continues their story. I’m also looking forward to the new spin-off starring their daughter, Chi, coming soon.

As I said the last time I wrote one of these Week in segments, I’ll be missing this immensely. Yet, I’m glad to have experienced it and will re-read it someday. I look forward to that day, following the charming, fun-filled days of these two once more. Sort of like the saying, I’m certainly sad that it has ended, happy for it to have happened at all. – Drew D.

Ume and Momo’s Everyday Life

Since last time, chapter 18 has been made available via fan-translation, of which I’m always grateful for. This chapter sees Ume and Momo getting their clothes and minds ready for summer. I also learned the term Koromogae, which is the seasonal changing of clothes. While I knew about the practice, I never knew the specific term, so that was fun. Those of us in the northern hemisphere, though, may have pulled out warmer clothing recently.

Along with warmer weather comes visions of beaches, festivals, and, in now classic Momo fashion, visions of all the foods she wants to eat throughout.

Ever lighthearted, this splash of summer is much appreciated, as it’s been more often cool and cloudy nowadays in my part of the world. How’s the weather where all of you are? – Drew D.

Still no plans for an official translated publication of Ume and Momo yet. The fan-translations can be found on Mangadex.
Official English publication of Teasing Master Takagi-san licensed by Yen Press. And again, not yet published chapters and spin-offs can be found on Mangadex.

What anime are you watching? What manga and light novels are you reading? Let us know in the comments!

You can read previous Week in Anime & Manga entries here!

The post oprainfall Week in Anime & Manga: Oct 15-21 appeared first on oprainfall.

Anime NYC have announced two new guests which are sure to please fans of the Gundam series, especially those who love The Witch from Mercury. Both Kana Ichinose and Lynn, the voice actresses behind Suletta Mercury and Miorine Rembran, will be making appearance at the 2023 convention. They will both be appearing at a panel and autograph sessions on Friday, November 17. Tickets are still available for the Friday session of ANYC 2023, so if these are two guests you want to meet, you may want to order your badges sooner rather than later.

Anime NYC describes these two seiyū as follows:

Kana Ichinose:

Kana Ichinose is a Japanese voice actress who has voiced in various roles including Suletta Mercury from Mobile Suit Gundam the Witch from Mercury, Layla from THE IDOLM@STER CINDERELLA GIRLS, Fern from Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, and Maaa from Made in Abyss.

Lynn:

Lynn is a Japanese voice actress who has voiced in various roles including Miorine Rembran from Mobile Suit Gundam the Witch from Mercury, Miyako Saitou from 【OSHI NO KO】, Sakura Yamauchi from the film I Want to Eat Your Pancreas, and Maruzensky from Uma Musume Pretty Derby.

Anime NYC 2023 is scheduled to run from November 17 to November 19, 2023. You can still purchase Friday and Sunday badges for the event, both 3-Day and Saturday passes are sold out. You can check out the full list of guests and panels on their official website.

SOURCE: ANYC Twitter (X) Page

The post Suletta Mercury & Miorine Rembran Seiyū Join Anime NYC 2023 appeared first on oprainfall.

Currently Airing:

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End

I was interested in checking out Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End because it was a fantasy anime that didn’t involve isekai, plus it was animated by Madhouse. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed. Once I started watching, I had to keep going, so I ended up watching the first 6 episodes of the series. The anime follows an elf mage named Frieren, and she was a member of the hero’s party that defeated the demon king. This series takes place after that grand adventure, and you follow her exploits after the demon king’s defeat.

I felt it was interesting taking the perspective of someone who has a much longer lifespan than a human. Something that may seem like a long time to us will be nothing to an elf like Frieren. So, while the 10 year journey to defeat the demon king was only a short time to Frieren, it’s interesting seeing how much that “short journey” influenced her, though she may not notice at first. I really like Frieren’s character so far. She’s fascinated with the strangest things, and though she may look apathetic on the outside, she does have a kind heart. Her apprentice, Fern, is a joy to watch too. Though she’s clearly younger than Frieren by many years, she’s something like an older sister figure to Frieren. She always has to make sure Frieren doesn’t waste too much time in one place, keep their finances in check, and she has to wake her up and prepare her for the day. Really, Fern is keeping this journey on the right track.

So far, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End has been great. The animation and music are great, the characters don’t stay stagnant and develop overtime, and I love the dynamic between Frieren and Fern. The story has some heartbreaking moments, but it doesn’t overwhelm you as it has a good amount of lighthearted events mixed in too. Both the opening and ending themes are wonderful as well, and the lyrics of the songs really fit the story of the show. I really like this show and I can’t wait to watch more of it. Plus, it’s been confirmed that the anime will run for 28 episodes, which is a huge win. – Patrick

— You can watch Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End on Crunchyroll.

My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer

Another anime I’m checking out in the fantasy genre is My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer. This anime follows two characters: Belgrieve and his daughter Angeline. Belgrieve is a retired adventurer who now lives in a small village. He ends up finding Angeline abandoned in the woods one day and decides to raise her as his own daughter. After she grows up, she ends up leaving the village to become an adventurer like her old man. Fast forward a couple years and Angeline has become a badass, an S-rank adventurer. She’s become so dependable that she can’t find any time to visit her dad, much to her chagrin.

The anime is pretty solid so far. I like how it’s told from dual perspectives, so you’re not left in the dark about what the other character is doing for too long. For how great an adventurer Angeline is, I think it’s adorable how much she still adores her father. It makes for some pretty funny interactions with the people she meets. Belgrieve is much more calm than his daughter, and though he has an intimidating appearance, he’s just a good guy, always looking to help people out despite his handicap. The people in the village have really come to depend on him. I’d like to see more of Belgrieve’s past as an adventurer. You got to see a small glimpse of it in the first episode when he lost his leg, but not much more than that. I’d also like to see how he compares to these other high ranked adventurers, is he on par with an S-rank at his old age? Angeline talks her father up a lot, but I’d like to see the full extent of his strength in the future.

I’m enjoying this show so far. The animation is pretty well done, I like how the character’s are drawn, and it’s nice seeing how Belgrieve and Angeline go about their lives in different ways. This is a show I’ll definitely be following this season. – Patrick

— You can watch My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer on Crunchyroll.

What anime are you watching? What manga and light novels are you reading? Let us know in the comments!

You can read previous Week in Anime & Manga entries here!

The post oprainfall Week in Anime & Manga: Oct 8 – 14 appeared first on oprainfall.