Like many businesses, cinemas have been hit hard during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Japan, with the recent lifting of the State of Emergency, entertainment businesses are finally coming back to life along with the second stage of the country’s economic reopening. Among them is the …Read more »
The second half of No Guns Life, the anime adaptation of the manga by Tasuku Karasuma, was set to hit screens in April before COVID-19 got in the way. The pandemic put the brakes on production, but now it’s back underway, and the series will …Read more »
Now that’s a double whammy. Both upcoming Rurouni Kenshin Final Chapter films, the long-awaited sequels to the lauded original trilogy, have been delayed due to you-know-what. Originally set for a July and August release in Japan, they’re now set to come out in April and May …Read more »
Every year, Japan Cuts, the NYC film festival dedicated to the freshest slices of new Japanese cinema, makes me sad I don’t live in New York. This year, like many events around the world, Japan Cuts won’t be able to take place in its usual …Read more »
It’s a project years in the making: a life-size Mobile Suit Gundam statue that actually moves. Announced way back in 2014, the project is finally nearing completion and was all set to debut this October. But then a pandemic got in the way. Due to …Read more »
Anime Expo 2020 was canceled last month in the face of the COVID-19 crisis. But it appears we’ll be getting at least a taste of the convention that was. That’s because Anime Expo has announced Anime Expo Lite for July 3 and 4, 2020. But, …Read more »
Japan’s State of Emergency was previously extended to May 31, but those restrictions have officially been lifted earlier than planned. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a press conference on May 25 to announce that the declaration of State of Emergency has now been lifted …Read more »
Your Bad Box Office in April. Okay, jokes aside, this is some pretty depressing (though unsurprising) box office news. Compared to April 2019, Japan’s movie theaters pulled in 96.3% less yen. In total, the country’s theaters made just 688 million yen—about $6.4 million. Thanks, COVID-19. …Read more »
This week saw the Japanese government cancel the State of Emergency early in 39 prefectures throughout Japan, with the exception of Tokyo Capital Region, Osaka, Hyogo, Kyoto, and Hokkaido. Just prior to that, select movie theaters in 11 prefectures announced plans to reopen, and there …Read more »
Time for a matsuri. COVID-19 lockdowns have forced most anime conventions for the foreseeable future to cancel. That’s led to a new phenomenon: the online con. We’ve already seen a few fan conventions take place on the ‘net, and Funimation has announced its own online …Read more »
Posuka Demizu, the artist behind The Promised Neverland, has drawn an image supporting Japan’s efforts to socially distance and help stop the spread of COVID-19. The illustration, posted on the official Promised Neverland account, depicts the manga’s three main characters staying a safe distance from …Read more »
Things are a long way from normal in Japan, but efforts by health professionals and citizens doing their best to stay home have led to a reduction in cases in Tokyo and elsewhere. Meanwhile, it looks like anime voice actors, who were largely on standby …Read more »
Delays, delays, delays. Seems like that’s all we’re writing about these days. Today’s delay is of a release a lot of folks around here were no doubt looking forward to: the US home video release of Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna. The film, which hit …Read more »
Takao Saito‘s Golgo 13 has had quite the impressive run. It’s the second best-selling manga in Japan, and it’s been running in the pages of Big Comic since 1968 without interruption. That changed, however, as a result of COVID-19 (coronavirus) and the ongoing State of …Read more »
The third season of My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU was originally set to air in April before COVID-19 had its say in the matter. Now the delayed series has been given a new start month: July. That’s the news from Tokyo Broadcasting System’s official website. …Read more »
Joseph Luster
Matt Schley
