Otaku News

Hypland and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Streetwear Collection

Date: 2025 September 28 14:50 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Retail

The good folks from streetware brand Hypland have sent us details of their upcoming Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Streetwear Collection. The official clothing range will be available from September 29 2025. The line includes t-shirts, gym shorts, hoodies, tote bags and tapestries all adorned with characters from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. The line up includes not just Tanjiro and his pals, but Hashira and Demons too.

The limited edition range will be available from hypland.com, Hypland Pop-ups, and select partners.

An Interview with Hidemi Shiraki Editor in Chief of Young Magazine

Date: 2025 September 10 19:50 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Interviews

Following on from the announcement that Kodansha were going to release a special US edition of Young Magazine, we were keen to know more We got in touch with Hidemi Shiraki Editor in Chief of Young Magazine and interviewed him via e-mail. We talk about what seinen means to him and why Young Magazine is getting a US release now.

Mobile Suit Gundam San Diego Comic Con 2025 Announcements

Date: 2025 July 29 19:11 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks at Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc revealed some news for Gundam Fans at San Diego Comic-Con 2025.

Highlights included lots celebration for the 30th Anniversary of Gundam Wing, including an illustration inspired by the classic artwork was revealed, plus a special Commemorative video titled Mobile Suit Gundam Wing - Operation 30th - directed by Toru Iwasawa (who also directed Frieren: Beyond Journey's End), which is available on GundamInfo, the official Gundam YouTube channel.

They announced Gundam Wing illustrator Sakura Asagi and screenwriter Katsuyuki Sumisawa will also team up for a new manga series commemorating the 30th anniversary of Gundam Wing. It bridges the gap between Endless Waltz and Frozen Teardrop, with chapter 1 available to read in English online now.

A theatrical re-release of Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz will arrive in Japanese and American theaters.

Fans of Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans can also enjoy the 10th Anniversary project which is set to reunite key staff members from the original series including Director Tatsuyuki Nagai and the main cast of Mobile Suit Gundam Iron‐Blooded Orphans Urdr‐Hunt, more details will be made available nearer the release date.

Japan Expo Paris 2025 Report

Date: 2025 July 20 15:43 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Features

France is the largest manga market in Europe, accounting for around 50% of all manga sales in Europe. As a result the French anime and manga scene is massive. Many people enjoy France's thriving Bande dessinée culture of comics, but Japanese manga and culture is also very popular in France.

With this in mind, we decided to visit Japan Expo in Paris. It's an event purely focused on Japanese culture, featuring anime and manga, video games, Japanese food and traditional Japanese culture. The July 2025 event attracted 230,000 visitors making it the third largest event in France for visitors per day! Having experienced the London event scene many a time we were keen to explore what the colossal French event looked like.

Kodansha Announces US Release of Young Magazine

Date: 2025 July 16 20:02 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from publishing powerhouse Kodansha have sent us details of the US release of Young Magazine. The popular Japanese manga magazine has been home to the legendary titles including Akira and Ghost in the Shell. They've selected 19 new manga series geared towards American manga fans. Along with a special bonus to help boost the magazine's American launch, new titles will be unveiled from manga creators including Shuzo Oshimi (author of "The Flowers of Evil" and "Blood on the Tracks").

We're told this special, premium issue of Young Magazine, containing over 1,044 pages of , will be distributed for free to attendees of Anime NYC as well as being made available at participating Kinokuniya locations for a limited time.

We're excited about some of the titles they've got lined up. We really enjoyed Boys Run The Riot and the follow up Boys Run The Riot - In Transition is sure to be good.

AnimEigo Release Latest Episode of The Anime Business Documentary Featuring Manga Entertainment

Date: 2025 June 28 14:33 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from AnimEigo have sent us the details for the latest episode of their ongoing documentary series The Anime Business. Episode 5 features an interview with Andy Frain, the founder of Manga Video/Manga Entertainment. They popularised anime in the UK and beyond. They were responsible for releasing Akira in the UK creating a boom in the market, and then later co-producing hugely successful and influential Ghost in the Shell animated movie. They've had a massive impact on the English speaking anime world and it's great to see the history of the company documented in this video.

Episode 5 is available now on the official AnimEigo YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@AnimEigo/videos.

Teppeki Honeymoon Volume 1 Manga Release Details

Date: 2025 June 18 19:48 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from One Peace Books have sent us the details of their latest shoujo manga by Meca Tanaka. Teppeki Honeymoon Volume 1 is due out on 8th July 2025.

The intro explains "Everything is going wrong for high schooler Ena, locally renowned for her super strength, when her life takes a strange turn. She becomes the betrothed of the unexpectedly gorgeous Sakae, a bodyguard and heir to a major security company."

Meca Tanaka is well known for other titles including The Young Master's Revenge and Meteor Prince.

You can pre-order Teppeki Honeymoon Volume 1 from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and all good places that sell books.

Manga Mavericks Books & Red String Announce July 2025 Release of 3 Additional Manga Titles

Date: 2025 June 17 19:54 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from Manga Mavericks Books and Red String Manga have sent us a reminder about their release slate, we've covered the launch details before here, but now the press release we've been sent includes pre-order details.

The titles include the queer self-discovery drama, Now No One Lurks Beneath the Snow, the yuri psycho-horror, The Murderer and Her Runaway Desire, and the yuri office romance, Senpai no Kohai. The titles launch on July 16th 2025 and are now available for pre-order from the Manga Mavericks Books website.

The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy At All Volume 1

Date: 2025 May 27 19:09 | Posted By: Joe

Fashionable and upbeat high schooler Aya loves listening to rock, but no one else seems to share her interest...until she meets a cool, stylish employee at a CD shop. Dressed in black from head to toe, he has this air of mystery about him, and his taste in music is impeccable. Aya falls hard for him-not knowing her crush is actually her female classmate Mitsuki! For her part, Mitsuki generally keeps to herself and avoids standing out at school. But given that she sits right next to Aya, Mitsuki's all too aware of the other girl's feelings, and she's afraid to reveal the truth. So why does she find herself talking with Aya more and more...?

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning- Screenings at Anime Expo in LA and Japan Expo in Paris

Date: 2025 May 14 19:35 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc have sent us details of the special screenings and talks of Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning-, which is a theatrical film composed of re-edited episodes of the Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX.

Attendees at Anime Expo 2025 in LA can attend a special screening and talk with production staff at the event on Thursday , July 3, 2025. While at Japan Expo in Paris on Sunday 6th July 2025 attendees will also be treated to a screening and talk featuring production staff. Both events require tickets to the main events of Anime Expo and Japan Expo to enter, but the screenings once inside the events the screenings are free to attend.

You can catch Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX on Amazon Prime Video.

BBC Radio 4's Screenshot on Studio Ghibli

Date: 2025 April 26 18:48 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime > Film

BBC Radio 4's Screenshot Programme focuses on movies. This week they've got a special episode dedicated to Studio Ghibli. Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode explore the world of Studio Ghibli to celebrate it's 40th Anniversary. It forms a great little introduction to the uninitiated or those who want to learn more about the much loved and hugely influential studio. They also interview co-founder of Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon, Nora Twomey who discusses the emotional impact of films like My Neighbour Totoro, and Grave of the Fireflies.

We're then treated to an interview with Emily Mortimer, who plays the voice of Sophie in the English dub of Howl's Moving Castle. Then they interview the excellent Michaël Dudok de Wit about his animated feature film The Red Turtle, which was produced by Studio Ghibli.

You can listen to the episode for free on the BBC Sounds App, on the BBC Website or on other audio services.

Regular readers will remember we interviewed Michaël Dudok de Wit about The Red Turtle when it was released.

Souce: BBC Radio 4's Screenshot

Manga Mavericks LLC Launches Manga Publishing Division Manga Mavericks Books

Date: 2025 April 26 10:32 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from Manga Mavericks have sent us details of their latest endeavour. They've established Manga Mavericks Books a new manga publisher that will work directly with Japanese creators to license, localize, and distribute their stories worldwide.

They intend to launch 6 manga titles this July 2025, which include 3 titles directly licensed by Manga Mavericks LLC, as well as 3 titles licensed by our localization partner Red String.

It's always exciting to see new manga publishers spring up and we hope that they start to gain some traction.

You Talk Too Much, So Just Shut It Already! Volume 1

Date: 2025 April 19 15:21 | Posted By: Joe

Tsukino Hiiragi was born deaf. When her oblivious classmate Taiyo Enomoto suddenly starts talking to her, she's interested. But, as she carefully reads his lips, she starts to wonder: what nonsense is he talking about anyway?

Detectives These Days Are Crazy! Manga Release Details

Date: 2025 April 09 17:58 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good people from manga publishers One Peace Books have just sent us the details for their latest release - Detectives These Days Are Crazy! (Mattaku Saikin no Tantei to Kitara). It follows the adventures of the unlikely duo of an old school detective Keiichiro Nagumo who is all washed up and hasn't kept up with the times, he teams up with a high school girl called Mashiro who wants to be his assistant. Volume 1 will be released on Monday 28th April 2025.

An anime adaptation is due out later in 2025.

The Rose of Versailles Anime Movie to Stream on Netflix

Date: 2025 April 02 19:58 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime > Film

Netflix have just revealed some details of The Rose of Versailles anime movie. It's going to be released on Wednesday 30th April 2025. It's directed by Ai Yoshimura and animated by MAPPA. The official trailer makes it look like a lavish big affair.

Anime studio MAPPA have been known to do extremely high budget action packed anime, including Attack on Titan, Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man. We don't expect the same kind of level of violence and explosions, but it does help gauge the kind of level of action they could go to for the more action packed scenes.

The original manga is a classic ground breaking title. It's been hugely influential and we hope this anime adaptation does it justice.

Mushishi Collector's Edition Volume 1 Now Available for Pre-Order

Date: 2025 March 31 20:08 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

Kodansha USA have announced that Volume 1 of Yuki Urushibara's Mushishi manga is now available for pre-order from all good book retailers. The fantasy manga will be released in a hardcover omnibus edition which includes Japanese Volumes 1 and 2. It also features a completely original translation and new cover designs. It'll be released on 4th November 2025. It'll retail at $29.99 (USD). ISBN 9798888776346.

The Mushishi manga was originally published in English by Del Rey between 2007 and 2010. The manga has long been out of print and as a result became desirable for manga collecting fans. This in turn inflated the price, with a complete collection of the manga being listed for over $1,000 for the whole 10 volume set. It often featured in top 10 lists of most expensive out of print manga titles. Although physical copies of the manga were unavailable, you can still purchase digital editions legally from eBook stores such as Amazon's Kindle store.

There's also a truly excellent anime adaptation (which in turn created interest for the manga), which is currently on Crunchyroll.

It's set in old world Japan, some time between the Edo and Meiji periods, in a world where mushi fungal like spirits manifest with supernatural powers. Sometimes they can curse those who encounter them, other times they can benefit them. The story follows the adventures of Ginko, a travelling Mushi master (almost like a medicine man), who will go from village to village and help the locals or investigate issues around mushi. It's a laid back series, with some horror elements in (especially for those who don't take Ginko's advice). It's a thoroughly enjoyable series and worth your time.

You can pre-order the manga from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk or at any other good book seller.

Square Enix Manga & Books Team Up With Penguin Random House to Launch Comic Partner Initiative

Date: 2025 March 22 11:25 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from Square Enix Manga and Books have sent us details of their collaboration with Penguin Random House on the Comic Partner Initiative. It's aim is to help comic shops to increase manga awareness.

Enrolled comic shops can receive branded promotional materials, educational Support, advanced copies of select manga and more.

We think it's great to see Square Enix Manga and Books and Penguin Random House take the initiative like this and proactively aim to increase manga sales in comic book shops. We've all encountered a particular kind of comic book shop that stocks manga, it's in that corner, and no one goes there, the staff don't really understand it, but people ask about it, so they feel obligated to stock it, then as a manga fan you look and it's an odd patchwork of titles that aren't really curated. We hope that this initiative fixes the issue of the dusty manga corner and helps manga fans and comic book shops alike.

You Talk Too Much, So Just Shut It Already! Volume 1 Manga Release Details

Date: 2025 March 12 20:58 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Manga

The good folks from One Peace Books have set us details of a just released title. You Talk Too Much, So Just Shut It Already! Volume 1 was released on March 4th 2025, it tells the story of transfer student Tsukino Hiiragi, she terrified about starting at her new school as she's deaf. The trouble is Hiiragi has the help from the over enthusiastic Enomoto who talks too fast and is a bit over confident with his sign language.

This is light hearted school life comedy is written by Shunpei Morita, illustrated by Aldehyde, and translated by Jordan Taylor. You can order it from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and all good bookshops now.

Nasu: Summer in Andelusia US Blu-ray Release Details

Date: 2025 March 05 20:42 | Posted By: Joe

Category > Anime

The good folks from anime distributors MediaOCD have sent us details for their up coming US home video release of Nasu: Summer in Andelusia. The pro-cycling anime makes it's English language blu-ray debut on Tuesday March 11th 2025.

Interestingly this film is the first anime feature film to ever compete in the prestigious Cannes Film Festival!

Bonus features include a retrospective interview with the film's director Kitaro Kosaka about his career, including his work with Studio Ghibli. The release is in partnership with Synergetic.

You can pre-order the blu-ray from the MediaOCD website now.

Hirayasumi Volume 1

Date: 2025 February 24 20:37 | Posted By: Joe

After developing an unlikely friendship with the grouchy old woman who lives in his neighborhood, Hiroto suddenly finds himself inheriting not just her house but some rather difficult emotions as well. His 18-year-old cousin, Natsumi, moves in with him, but as a struggling art student, she has her own troubles to deal with and may just put Hiroto's easygoing lifestyle to the test.

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