imagine-nation - Episode Guide

Main Feature: Game Arcade in Japan 2011
These are hard times for Japan's videogame arcades. The number across Japan has fallen from more than 40,000 at the peak to less than 20,000 in 2009 in the face of economic stagnation and the spread of cheap, high-spec domestic and mobile consoles and software. This edition of Imagine-nation reports from the All Nippon Amusement Machine Operators' Union's 2011 Amusement Expo on February 19th, both reviewing the latest trends in the struggling game arcades and imagining how they might be in the future. The latest attractions include 3D arcade machines with no 3D glasses, an arcade version of the love simulation game Loveplus, already much loved in its mobile incarnation, and award-winning gambling games. Industry giant Sega bucked the trend by opening two new arcades in Akihabara last year and plans two more in the same area this year. Why is Sega moving in now? What are the strategies to attract more customers? Which are the most popular machines? Here's the latest inside info on this still high potential industry.

Creator's interview: Keiko Sootome, Japanese Illustrator
Keiko Sootome is known for her surrealistic illustrations in vivid primary colors. Her unique, unforgettable works depict tense, weak-looking people in extraordinary detail but there is nothing weak about their impact or the sales of the books she illustrates. She also does magazines, advertisement and CD jackets. This versatile illustrator is now acting on stage, a TV personality and a columnist, too.

Main Feature: A Popular Animation "Showa Monogatari" 
This time we feature Showa Monogatari, a ground-breaking animated film that targets the over-sixties! The story takes place in Tokyo in the Olympic year, 1964, just as the economy is booming. Its protagonist, Kohei, is a fifth grade primary schoolboy who loves baseball and manga and lives in Kamata in southwestern Tokyo with his father, who runs a small workshop. It is a very ordinary, 6-member household but the ultra-realistic, high-definition detail is fantastic. The creators took four and a half years to make this film, visiting genuine Kamata workshops that still use machines more than 45-years old and getting permission from the makers to use all sorts of items that were popular in those days. Every scene is a work of loving reproduction. Initially a cinema release, the TV serial also started in early April. We join TV director Masahiro Murakami on visits to an old factory and public bathhouse, asking him what was most important to him in making the film, why he chose this particular era, why he is targeting older viewers, and also why he chose to do this as a cartoon rather than using real actors. Showa Monogatari is a work that could change the future of Japanese animation, a must-see portrait of an old-style family for the baby-boom generation and above.

Creator's interview: Kaichi Sato,Japanese Animation art Director 
Exciting animator Kaichi Sato has won diverse awards on Japan's independent film scene. In fact, he has never failed to win a prize so far! His works feature radical sets and images but are always richly entertaining as well. Sato wants to be unique and his films often have a rather un-Japanese, slightly Western flavor. We interview a top Japanese animator now enjoying high acclaim around the globe.

Main Feature: Japanese Manga artists - Motohiro Kato -
The popular Q.E.D. Shoumei Shuryo mystery manga still appearing in the bi-monthly E-no magazine won the Kodansha Manga Award in 2009 and has sold 3 million volumes so far. Q.E.D. is now in its record 14th year for a bi-monthly magazine manga and a spin-off, C.M.B., in Monthly Shonen Magazine has become a hit as well. Motohiro Kato has been authoring the two serials simultaneously for the past 6 years. This week, we focus on the man behind these extraordinary mystery manga. The protagonists of Q.E.D. Shoumei Shuryo are Sou Touma, a prodigy who graduated from a top US university at the age of 15, and Kana Mizuhara, a kind high-school girl who uses her extraordinary athleticism to aid people in distress. The two solve all kinds of mystery, from trivia to murders, using such mathematic propositions as the Dedekind Cut or Euler's Formula and their own erudition in subjects ranging from astronomy to history, music or literature. Our manga-loving reporter, Sawa, asks the author everything from how and when he comes up with his extraordinary twists to tips on how to write a good mystery and whether he starts with the story or the clever twists. She also joins Kato as he hunts around for a good location.

Creator's interview: Goichi (51) Suda, Japanese Game Designer 
Japanese game designer Goichi(51)Suda, alias Suda51 and CEO of Grasshopper Manufacture Inc., produced the Twilight Syndrome adventure game software for PlayStation before setting up his own company in 1998. His distinctive world view has attracted a large following abroad through such products as the multiple-personality, action-adventure game, Killer7.

Main Feature: "School Magazines"
Manga are always popular with primary school children and there are plenty of high-quality options, perhaps because Japanese children start out on manga reading so young. Readers often stay with their favorite works even after they grow up! This week's Imagine-nation considers the recipe for success in these multi-layered kids' manga that never fail to please! Many of the best-known series are carried in the "school magazines" of the SHOGAKUKAN publishing house, which go back to 1922. There is one for each grade of primary school starting from the Shogaku 1-Nensei for first years. Their serials include DoRaEMON and HAMTARO, both now popular on TV, too, and one of the most popular manga today, Happy Kappy, the TV version of which began in Japan this April and could well be set follow the royal road of DoRaEMON itself. "Our reporter Gow visits the editors of the Shogaku 1-Nensei to discover the secrets of their success, special techniques of children's manga and also how it all began, besides dropping in at a production studio as well. This is the program for learning about the manga we loved as kids.

Creator's interview: Gaku Kinoshita (Japanese Animation Director&Illustrator)
Japanese animation director and illustrator Gaku Kinoshita left Japan for London to study animation in 1997 and released his self-produced short animation "For Your Blossom" in 2004. This sentimental film about a robot that wonders about the meaning of existence has now been screened in more than 30 countries around the world. Kinoshita moved back to Japan in 2008, still as a freelance filmmaker. We ask him about his inspiration for his works with their characteristic, warm hand-written lines and delightful world view.

Main Feature: "ARMORED CORE"
Here's a special report on the Armored Core series of combat robot action video games software for PlayStation. It has been popular since the word go in 1997 and now runs to 18 titles, including remakes. Each player manipulates a mercenary humanoid combat robot, an Armored Core or AC, on a mission in a world where gigantic corporations rule. Players design their own AC by combining parts - hundreds millions of variations are possible - and use them in within an extremely wide range of sophisticated parameters to fight against each other. We report on the game creators at work on the newest edition, Armored Core V, which hits the shelves soon. This includes online play where multiple players can cooperate to expand their territories. The creators are talking of a shift from speed to power and say the new game makes upsets more likely. There are new actions and operating methods as well. Our reporter, Isabell, tries it out and tells us about the new software.

Creator's interview: Taijin Takeuchi, Japanese Animation Director
Japanese animation director Taijin Takeuchi, born in Aichi in 1984, specializes in stop-motion animated photos of 3-D objects. He uploaded "A wolf loves pork" to a video-sharing site while still at Kyushu University and his wolf-chases-pig video became a global sensation with over a million hits in 10 days! Takeuchi says he loves the weird and surreal and regards stop-motion animation like vitamin pills. We report on his much-anticipated latest work and view some of his older works as well.

Main Feature: "Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL"
Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL, the latest in the popular Japanese TV series screened in more than 80 countries and regions of the world, was launched in April this year. The story started out as a manga by Kazuki Takahashi, was serialized in Shonen Jump from 1996, and a real card game was then developed on that basis. Various contests were organized and the boys, especially, loved it. Set in the near future, the story's hero, Yuma Tsukumo, is a first year junior high school boy who loves card duels with his friends but is not very good at them. He faces various challenges and rivals but will he ever master the game? The Yu-Gi-Oh! story is built around the old trading card games that started out as board games and the TV cartoon brings out all the excitement and tension of the genre. More than 22.5 billion Yu-Gi-Oh! cards have been sold so far around the world. We report on this new style of manga, animation and card game and introduce the highlights of Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL.

Creator's interview: Aya Shiroi, Japanese Animation Director
Japanese animation director Aya Shiroi had a work accepted at the 1995 Cinanima International Animation Festival in the Netherlands while still at the Tokyo University of the Arts and carried on doing animations for, children, TV commercials and music videos after graduation from the school. She produced a cartoon version of Yasushi Akimoto's "Zo no Senaka" in 2007, a novel about a 48-year-old office worker with a terminal lung cancer who has only 6 months to live. In her version, the story was transferred to a family of elephants and many older viewers loved it. We meet one of the most promising woman animators in Japan today.

Main Feature: "Appleseed XIII"
Masamune Shirow, widely respected by fellow creators at home and abroad, made his major debut with the science fiction manga Appleseed which, unusually for a Japanese cartoon strip, went directly into paperback without prior magazine serialization. It isn't only the content which surprises. A new TV cartoon series, Appleseed XIII (read Appleseed Thirteen), starting in June 2011, is being broadcast in 3D computer graphics! The full media mix is being launched simultaneously with Blu-ray and DVD sales, net distribution, cinema release and more. Appleseed XIII is not a sequel to the first two films but a series of thirteen completely new stories. The biggest, most unprecedented surprise of all for both people in the business and fans is that all thirteen stories were made, one at each, in thirteen different computer graphic studios. Each studio company has its own flavor and it was quite a challenge to bring it altogether as a coherent work! We spent a long time on site before the official release and this is the behind the scenes look you simply have to see.

Creator's interview: Yuichi Ito, Japanese Animation Director
An animator who mainly works in clay or computer graphics, Ito was the man behind such TV works as the Knyacki clay animation broadcast from 1995 and has made music videos for such leading Japanese singers as Utada Hikaru and Ken Hirai. His clay characters are a familiar sight on TV commercials as well. His characters are warm and the works sparkle with originality. We introduce a first-rank animator.

Main Feature: "The Little Battlers"
The global distribution industry is revolutionized in 2050 by the development of a new, 80% shock absorbent material called strengthened corrugated cardboard (SCC) which is later applied by a toy maker to battlefields for a mini-robot fighting game named Little Battler Experience (LBX). The robots are the Little Battlers and that is also the name of the latest video game from Level-5 Inc. which has grown to rival Japan's top makers in only ten years. Its best-selling titles already include DRAGON QUEST VIII: The Journey of the Cursed King, Professor Layton and the Last Time Travel, and NINOKUNI: Sorcer of the Darkness. The Little Battlers' aggressive media-mix sales strategy for the video game release in June included at TV cartoon from March, a manga serial in a magazine, plastic models and a card game. The video game for PlayStation Portable terminals has its own unique plastic model usually not for sale. It's all very typical of Level-5 Inc. CEO/President Akihiro Hino. We bring you the lowdown on the video game, visit TV animation studio at OLM Inc. now making the TV cartoon and talk with Hino about both himself and his company.

Creator's interview: Miho Yata, Japanese Animation Director
37-year-old Japanese animation director Miho Yata created AMIMATION. A graduate of Shirayuri Women's University's department of children's culture, she studied under Oscar nominee animation director Koji Yamamura, who has won more than 60 awards at international animation festivals, and made her first AMIMATION - an animation with knitted (ami in Japanese) items - in 1999. AMIMATION became a registered trademark in 2007. Yata also produces optical toys and stop-motion animation films, and organizes workshops for making small wool mascots with simple knitting machines. We report on this energetic amimator.

Main Feature: Japanese popular Animation "Golden Kids" 
The Golden Kids series of children's novels first hit the shelves in July 2008 and the four volumes published so far have achieved combined sales of 200,000 copies. They are written by manga author Yoichi Takahashi of Flash Kicker football manga and animation fame. Most new cartoons take the TV, movie or video route but the Golden Kids animation was launched simultaneously in Japan, North America, Europe, Australia and elsewhere in January through the iTunes App Store. There is dubbing in Japanese or English and subtitling in Portuguese or Spanish. It's in fact the sort of epoch-making development we have come to expect from Takahashi. The story centers on FC Golden Kids, a boys' football team based in the Koganedai area. They lose and lose but captain and goalkeeper Goal Kitagawa believes in his team and knows they'll be winners one day. It's all about never giving up and the dream begins from a single victory - all typical of Takahashi and Japanese children's cartoons in general, and for many football kids who grew up with his works, the dream has expanded already. Some are now world-famous players! Here's an in-depth report from the production site, including interviews with Yoichi Takahashi, the director and animators, too.

Creator's interview: Maya Matsumura, Japanese Animation Director 
Maya Matsumura is known for her distinctive characters and colorful world view. A graduate of the Osaka University of Arts, she worked part time for a couple of years to make Kapporopitta - Let's Have a Meal Together, the story of a boy who hates to eat and a monster who is always hungry. The two eventually share a happy meal together. Kapporopitta won high praise from her peers and various awards at home and abroad. As a professional director, she also produced the animated children's food education program, Maho Shokudo Charapontan. Recipes from Maho Shokudo were published in a magazine and are actually being served. We interview this rising animation creator.

Main Feature: A Popular Japanese Game - El Shaddai
This week, we feature El Shaddai, an action video game that attracted plenty of attention at E3 - the world's largest video game trade show - in Los Angeles in June last year and the Tokyo Game Show last September. The 3D game software for PlayStation3 and Xbox 360 consoles was inspired by the Book of Enoch, which is held to be canonical by some Christian churches. The mystic story takes place on Earth, in Heaven and in the world of the dead. The player is Enoch, described in Genesis as a great-grandfather of Noah and in the game a priest and clerk of Heaven. Enoch has a mission to capture seven fallen angels in order to prevent a great flood from killing mankind. The game went on sale in Japan in April and surprised both the industry and fans with its unusual sales strategy. In Akihabara, a jeans shop was opened for a limited run in collaboration with Japanese denim maker Edwin, which sells jeans similar to those worn by characters in the game. The El Shaddai café there also became an extremely popular meeting spot. The new PR approach drew the attention of women and casual buyers before the product hit the shelves and paid big dividends in sales. It went on sale in August in the United States and Europe. The game comes from Ignition Entertainment Ltd., which was established in the UK in 2002 and opened its Japan branch in 2004. How did this newcomer to the game scene score such a big hit? Where did the energy come from? Why did the game make such big waves? And what was the initial creative strategy? Join us for the answers! It may even next be turned into a Hollywood movie. We delve into the secrets of a game that is thrilling users of all ages around the world.

Creator's interview: Makoto Kobayashi, Japanese Mechanic Designer
Makoto Kobayashi creates both 2- and 3-dimensional works. Kobayashi became widely known as the designer and builder of "full-scratch" (everything made himself) models that he published in Hobby Japan magazine in the mid-1980s. His mechanical suits and other machines for the 1985 serial TV animation Mobile Suit Z Gundam and 1986 serial Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ were loved by fans of both animation and mechanical design. Kobayashi has since described various popular new models that develop the world of Mobile Suit Gundam in a magazine for plastic model builders. We discover the multi-faceted creative world of Makoto Kobayashi.

Main Feature: The strongest dark fantasy "BERSERK"
"BERSERK" by Kentaro Miura is one of the most popular dark fantasy manga in Japan. We bring you the latest on the first cinema anime versions of this lengthy manga series, which will be released soon.

"BERSERK" began appearing in serial form in "Monthly magazine Young Animal" in 1989. Some 24 million copies of this series have been sold in Japan since then, in addition to 7 million copies overseas. "BESERK" is a masterpiece of contemporary fantasy manga, which has been translated for fans elsewhere in Asia, Europe, Russia and South America.

The sagas unfold in a majestic world reminiscent of medieval Europe. The protagonist Gats is a swordsman whose weapon resembles a huge chunk of iron. He and his followers embark on journeys to inflict vengeance. 

Creating cinema versions of this fantastic world and the complex sagas which began more than twenty years ago was no easy task. STUDIO 4℃ Co. Ltd, one of Japan's most talented animation studios, responsible for masterpieces like "TEKKONKINKREET" and "Mind-Game", rose to the challenge. The history and art were carefully researched. An innovative combination of hand-drawings and computer graphics has been used to recreate dramatic combat scenes. 

We interview Eiko Tanaka, the CEO & President of STUDIO 4℃, as well as the director and animator, Toshiyuki Kubota, who is famous for characterizing "THE IDOLM@STER". And we also talk to Jay Noyes, who provided instruction and guidance on western swordsmanship for this anime version. Motion capture was used to recreate the awesome combat scenes in the original manga. The anime version of the "BESERK" series will shortly be released in Japan and elsewhere around the world. They are not to be missed!

Creator's interview: Hayanon, Japanese Science Manga Artists 
Hayanon is not your average manga artist; she majored in physics at the University of the Ryukyus. 

Hayanon draws on fascinating scientific topics and presents them in a readily accessible manner for children and the average reader. She is producing a number of series, including "Fantastic R & D" and "Rikeimangaka ni naruniha?"

Main Feature: A Role-Playing Game "FRONTIER GATE"
RPG (Role Playing Games) have won many fans in Japan. With the 3D CG techniques making them ever more realistic in recent years, and such finely wrought stories, too, their place is already firmly established in the game genre. A new title released in December, 2011 - FRONTIER GATE (For PSP) - is now drawing special attention.
Its differences from the standard RPG include the choice of your preferred partner from 15 characters which all develop in different ways towards 15 different endings. There is multi-play for up to three people and even beginners can fight mighty monsters with the cooperation of their friends in this game for both light and heavy users.
It comes from Konami Digital Entertainment, the company that brought us sports titles such as Winning Eleven and JIKKYOU PAWAFURU PURO YAKYU and also METAL GEAR SOLID in recent years. Why develop a completely new game with such a high degree of freedom? Why select ad hoc multi-play for the evolving online RPG genre? Find out the answers to these and other questions about FRONTIER GATE, a game that is said to take 100 hours to explore every nook and cranny. Here's an irresistible new RPG game!

Creator's interview: Usamaru Furuya, Japanese Manga Artists
Furuya debuted with Palepoli in the monthly magazine GARO in 1994. He wanted to be an artist after graduating from Tama Art University's painting department, where he specialized in oils, but it's hard to make a living in oil painting so he took up part time illustration as well before broadening out further with manga on the side while teaching art in senior high school. We introduce a manga artist distinguished for his vivid colors, fine detail and black themes.

Main Feature: BEYOND THE WORLD .hack//The Movie3D
The cross-media .hack series of videogames, TV cartoons, comics, novels, radio and more started in 2002. It all revolves around a fictional network game called The World in various time frames (present, past and future) and viewpoints (virtual or real). The various storylines also interlock in complex ways. Clarifying the whole picture is exciting, and that's why the series is drawing in so many fans.
The first cinema release now celebrates the 10th anniversary and the 3DCG movie is itself making headlines in diverse media. We have all the latest info on BEYOND THE WORLD .hack//The Movie 3D, which opened in theaters across Japan on January 21st. It is directed by Hiroshi Matsuyama, president of Fukuoka-based CyberConnect2, the videogame company behind the NARUTO action game, and expectations have been running high for its first, full-fledged 3DCG animation film. The star-studded team also includes scriptwriter Kazunori Ito of Mobile Police Patlabor and character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto of Neon Genesis EVANGELION fame. It all goes way beyond the TV and videogame cartoons to set new standards for quality and also an easy way in for people not yet familiar with the .hack world. Don't be afraid! You'll be amazed by Beyond the World .hack//The Movie 3D!

Creator's interview: Yoshifumi Hashimoto, Japanese Game Producer 
Japanese game producer Yoshifumi Hashimoto joined video-game maker SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION in 1993 and directed the development of action games before moving across to MarvelousAQL in 2005, where he produced the farming simulation game Bokujo Monogatari, Rune Factory series and Oboro Muramasa among others. Hashimoto became operating officer of MarvelousAQL in November 2011. We meet this industry key player and learn all about the new shape of the company.

Main Feature: 3DCG Animation "BLACK ROCK SHOOTER"
BLACK ROCK SHOOTER already has many overseas fans and the TV cartoon at last went on air in January! The illustrations of the armed, black-clad, blue-eyed girl were released on the net in 2007 and shot to fame when an inspired musician wrote a song of the same name using the HATSUNE MIKU VOCALOID SOFT voice synthesizing software and posted it on the NICO NICO DOUGA site. More than 50,000 figurines have been sold! 
The big selling points of the animation are the 3D computer graphic visuals and creation of a story! We learn how the character was born through interviews with the people concerned, including Takanori Aki, CEO of Good Smile Company, the figurine firm involved in building the story, and Hiroaki Matsuura, President & CEO of pioneering 3D production company SANZIGEN. Discover all the secrets of this character that is fast becoming a major fad!

Creator's interview: Hajime Chikami, Japanese Game Prodducer
Chikami is the president of Experience Inc., a company highly regarded for its production of dungeon role playing games. He had worked at a series of videogame companies before starting his own firm. The latest products in 2011 were Labyrinth X-Blood and Students of Round. This man is hot in the videogame world!

Main Feature: Invigorating Action Game - BINARY DOMAIN
The same Sega production team led by General Director Toshihiro Nagoshi that brought us the YAKUZA videogame will soon release a new game called BINARY DOMAIN (for PlayStation3·Xbox360). They had been producing a Yakuza title a year until now but the last 12 months have been dedicated to BINARY DOMAIN, a dramatic Sci-Fi action battle between men and robots set in the Tokyo of 2080 where life itself is the theme. Both friends and foes use top grade AI (artificial intelligence) and the story development and sheer realism of the street sets are astonishing. For Nagoshi's Ryu-ga Gotoku Studio, it is all a big leap into a whole new kind of story. Gone, for example, is the use of real corporate names. In an exclusive interview, we ask Nagoshi for the inside information on everything from why they themed this game on life to what is coming next in the Nagoshi world. BINARY DOMAIN goes on sale in Europe on February 24th and in the United States on February 28th. Our reporters, though, have had a go already! Don't miss it!

Creator's interview: Hideji Oda, Japanese Manga Artist
Hideji Oda, known for his soft touch with intricate, realistic and yet warm pictures, made his commercial debut in 1992 with A DIFFUSION DISEASE. The characters of such masterpieces as Good morning, Hideji! (Ohayo, Hideji-kun) are often modeled after real people, ranging from celebrities to his own friends and acquaintances. We enter the world of a manga artist hugely admired for his attention to detail.

Main Feature: LAGRANGE -THE FLOWER OF RIN-NE-
Following the huge successes of MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM and NEON GENESIS EVANGELION, we focus this time on the latest next-generation, totally new robot TV animation, Lagrange - The Flower of Rin-ne. The broadcasts started in January, 2012. The cartoon is set amid the broad blue seascapes of Kamogawa City in Chiba Prefecture. The heroine is Madoka Kyono, a cheerful and determined senior high school girl. One day, she suddenly encounters a strange but beautiful girl named Lan, who invites her to take a ride in a robot... and her life will never be the same again. The girls battle to defend the people and streets of Kamogawa against space enemies in this youth fantasy. The robots were amazingly designed by car designers of the Nissan Motor Company! More than 60 car designers and modelers submitted works and the winners were used in the animation. It is a stylish, gag-filled cartoon made through cooperation across industrial sectors, a collaboration between Japan's famous animation and car industries! What chemical reaction will this now produce?

Creator's interview: Hiroyuki Goto, Japanese Game Creator
Goto joined Namco in 1999, where he designed the innovative hit word puzzle game Kotoba no Puzzle Mojipittan. His unusual resume also includes the world record for reciting pi from memory - to 42,195 decimal places! He currently creates games for Kayac.

Main Feature: Popular Japanese Manga "MOONLIGHT MILE"
Yasuo Ohtagaki came up to Tokyo at the age of 19 after senior high school to study under manga artist Akira Oze, the author of "Natsuko no Sake" and "Boku no Mura no Hanashi." He wanted to make manga love comedies and family stories but first needed to hone his drawing technique. The results were already evident in his debut work, "MY REVOLUTION." Starting out with serials in the Manga Action magazine when he was 25 years, his first long-running manga, "Ippei" - the story of a kind and hard-working police officer - struck a chord among male readers. Serialization of his best-known work, "MOONLIGHT MILE," started in 2000 and had reached 22 volumes by July this year. The near-future science-fiction manga charts the unceasing challenges faced by astronauts working on the moon to develop a next-generation energy source. Loved by people of all ages, the sheer detail, realism and artistic qualities stand out. When drawing a robot, for example, Ohtagaki creates a model first and makes sketches from that for total, realistic consistency. We report close up with an exclusive interview at his studio, asking how he came to SF, the sources of his always convincing characters in this fantastic setting and the secrets behind the detail and delicacy of his drawings.

Creator's interview: Ayaka Nakata, Japanese Animation Director
Japanese animation director Ayaka Nakata majored in animation at the design department of Tokyo Zokei University. She has been working mainly on TV commercials and educational programs since graduating in 2007. Her oeuvre includes "Cornelis" "The Needlework Room of Grandma" and "Yonalure".

Main Feature: PlayStation Vita
Two new game consoles, Nintendo3DS and PSVita_PlayStation®Vita, released in the past year have revolutionized the Japanese game scene with the spread of social gaming. PlayStation Vita went on sale in Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong in December 2011 and is scheduled for phased expansion worldwide. It retains the basic silhouette of PlayStation®Portable but with a new super oval design that's easier for holding. In addition to a touch screen, there's also a multi-touch pad on the back that corresponds directly to the display. The pixel count is four times higher than on the PSP and it has the first organic electroluminescent display on a portable game console. The exciting software makes full use of these new features, too! We report on the ongoing changes in gaming both at home and abroad!

Creator's interview: Masahiro Ushiyama Japanese Animation Director
Ushiyama had no involvement with computer graphics until he was forty. He enrolled for a 3-D CG course at a technical college in 1999, became enthralled by image generation and a video he made while still on the course was broadcast on TV! He set out as a freelancer the very next year, chiefly in animation, and his varied works have done well in one competition after another. We introduce this rising, talented figure now known as a genius of 3-D animation graphics.

Main Feature: Monthly comics HERO'S
The focus is on a magazine that a publisher launched in November, 2011 together with Japan's biggest convenience store chain, Seven-Eleven. Called Monthly comics HERO'S, its key difference from the usual comics is that it isn't sold in bookshops. Only available at Seven-Eleven, net shops and pachinko parlors through its own special distribution route, it is also very cheap at only 200 yen compared with the normal comic price of 400 to 500 yen. The content is rich even so with works by some of today's top manga authors. It is a whole new approach to manga publishing. Young people around the world are now looking to Japanese manga for universal entertainment and the young Japanese are certainly lapping this one up! Can Monthly comics HERO'S become the new global comic model? We examine the future shape of Japanese manga.

Creator's interview: Shinji Kimura Japanese Art Director
Shinji Kimura has been the art director for a range of animated films from STEAM BOY to TEKKON KINKREET. He has recently been moving into the world of picture books as well and his densely constructed images have been acclaimed both at home and abroad. Please enjoy the strange buildings and winsome characters of his endearing fantasy world!

Main Feature: Japanese Animation Director Gisaburo Sugii
With a spectacular career now spanning more than 50 years, Sugii is still directing cartoons at the age of 71. Involved in ASTRO BOY (1963), Japan's first full-length TV animation, he has gone on to direct many works of high artistic quality from NIGHT on the GALACTIC RAILROAD to Stormy Night. Ever working on the latest projects, he also released Japan's first full-length 3D animation, TOFU KOZO, in April last year. His new cinema release, The Life of Budori Gusuko, is now much-awaited this summer. We meet Sugii at work, learn all about this cartoon giant and look into what makes his animations so amazingly attractive. 

Creator's interview: Akihito Izuhara Japanese Animation Director 
Two short Japanese works were selected for the Berlinale Shorts at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival held from February 9th to 19th. One was LI.LI.TA.AL by Akihito Izuhara, the animation director we introduce today. Set in the ethereal world of Vita-Lakamaya, it took two years to make and depicts this beautiful, chaotic place with the ultra-fine and detailed animation. We meet the talented new creator behind it.

Main Feature: "Creator's Interview Special <4>"

<1> Usamaru Furuya, Japanese Manga Artists
<2> Hiroyuki Goto, Japanese Game Creator
<3> Shinji Kimura, Japanese Art Director

In today's imagine-nation: we bring you, all at once, a special edition consisting of interviews with creators who are working successfully at the very front line of Japanese pop culture!
We've heard from them before, but had to cut them short. Not THIS time!
So stay tuned and listen in, we promise that your views on manga, anime and games would be bound to change.

Main Feature: Popular Japanese Game "CHAMPION JOCKEY"
The long-awaited CHAMPION JOCKEY horseracing game, released in September 22nd, is the product of TECMO KOEI Holdings, formed through a corporate merger in April last year between Koei and Tecmo. The merger put their popular titles together, offering new software that is sure to thrill horseracing game lovers. It incorporates Tecmo's Gallop Racer and Koei's G1 JOCKEY with the addition of a motion-controller that makes it all seem even more real. This is now the definitive jockey action game. Gallop Racer provided an invigorating sense of being at the race course thanks to its sumptuous images and very game-like systems. G1 JOCKEY was geared toward the more hard core players who demanded realistic jockey and other simulation and played for many hours at a stretch. The two games shared the same theme but otherwise had very little in common. How were they combined to arrive at the best of both worlds? David, our reporter, goes backstage to learn about the software development and try his hand on the motion-controller, which is claimed to feel just like riding a horse! We also consider the future of jockey action games.

Creator's interview: Sachiyo Watanabe, Japanese Animation Director
Japanese animation director Sachiyo Watanabe is not part of a team and has no assistant. She does it all herself, typically in pencil, colored pencil or ink, focusing especially on gentle, lightly humorous images of lovely children, animals or natural things. She says she fell in love with animation in junior high. She is now a true freelancer after working at studios in Japan and New York.

Main Feature: Extreme popularity Manga&Animation "NARUTO"

Imagine-nation goes from strength to strength as the program enters its 5th season with a fresh reporting team who all join us for this first program of the new series! The focus this time is on the massive Naruto manga serial that started in 1999 and remains one of the most popular titles in Weekly Shonen Jump. Naruto Uzumaki is a ninja dropout with a powerful Nine-Tailed Fox demon locked inside his body. He overcomes many hardships as he strives to win the title of number one ninja in the village. The battle-action manga features psychologically rich characters through their friendships, betrayals, revenge and master-disciple bonds. The TV cartoon version of Naruto began in 2002 and has been broadcast in more than 80 countries worldwide. Overseas viewers love both the human stories and the fact that they are ninjas from Japan! The TV cartoon reaches its 10th anniversary this year. Reporter Kei visits the production team for the new series starting in April to discover what makes Naruto such a great hit.

Main Feature: Japanese Internet Idol

So much Japanese culture emanates from Tokyo's Akihabara district! Widely recognized AKB48, the idols you can meet for real, started out here and have now added THE JAPAN RECORD AWARD 2011 to their list of major Japanese music honors. They have also been doing live shows in such countries as the United States and France as the international interest grows. The rise of idols you can draw closer to is represented, too, by the virtual idol Hatsune Miku and net idols whose popularity grows via Internet video sites. Then there are the blogs as well, some with an average 100,000 hits per day! One "underground idol" has even notched up 300 live concerts in a year and broken into the ORICON chart by selling her recordings herself. The idols are getting close to home.
We visit some of the latest Akihabara spots to see the spring sights of the Japanese idol kingdom 2012 and find out what is happening now!! 

Creator's interview: Tomoko Fuyukawa Japanese Manga Artists 

Manga author Tomoko Fuyukawa's works go out as digital comics via Sony Digital ENTERTAINMENT. She tries various ways to match her cartoons to the screens of ever smaller digital phones. Mustard Chocolate, a freshly depicted story of the loves, friendships and growth of a third year senior school girl who just can't fit into society, earned her the best newcomer's award at the 2011 Japan Media Arts Festival. She is 33 years old and a graduate of the Musashino Art University Junior College of Art and Design.

Main Feature: B-grade Gourmet Manga

We featured gourmet manga on imagine-nation in 2009 and return to the theme this year because the golden age of food manga has begun! Such works as Houchounin Ajihei, Mister Ajikko, Ajiichimonme and COOKING PAPA have gone on to become TV cartoons or dramas as well. Japan's fascination with food and cooking goes from strength to strength and the gourmet manga genre has diversified, too, now including everyday dishes, eating competitions and even a French chef who slips back in time to 16th century warlord Japan. And then there's the manga about prison inmates who fantasize about their favorite dishes without a single scene of real cooking or eating anywhere to be found. We cover the whole gamut of food and eating and discover new dimensions to the Japanese gourmet manga oeuvre.

Creator's interview: Takashi Kurihara Japanese Manga Artist
Takashi Kurihara graduated from the Department of Graphic Design at Tama Art University and debuted as a manga artist in 1999 after winning a Monthly Afternoon magazine prize with Anahoru-hitobito. His animated films include ROBOTTING (in collaboration with Kunio Kato) and Happy Bogeys and his first manga book, Tuno Byou, came out in 2004. Kurihara also took part in the Touch My Katamari videogame project. We profile the artist and his novel approach to animation.

Main Feature: Jewelpet - A Stuffed Character Toy from Japan

SANRIO and SEGA TOYS developed the Jewelpet characters for young girls in 2008. Aside from the main goods, they are also featured in a magazine published by SANRIO itself, some young children's magazines, a manga comic and, from 2009, a TV cartoon. The first film will be released in cinemas in August this year. It is becoming the next great character in the tradition of HELLO KITTY and My Melody and its popularity has also brought a sharp resurgence in visitor numbers to the all-weather, indoor SANRIO PUROLAND theme park, which had been rather struggling of late. The crowds there have risen 17% on a year-on-year basis! Jewelpets are charming pets with jewel-like, sparkling eyes and magical powers who live in an imaginary city. Utterly cute, they have grown to become SANRIO's best-loved characters in only four years. The eagerly awaited fourth TV cartoon series, Jewelpet Kira Doco!, starts this April, too.
We have the inside story on SANRIO, the company that continues to create so many well-loved characters, and take an on-site look at the cartoon production activity.

Creator's interview: Makoto Tsuchibayashi Japanese Manga Artist
Tsuchibayashi designed the character for such videogames as the Devil May Cry and SENGOKU BASARA series. As a creator working chiefly in the game genre, he must pay special attention to how the characters move and the poses they adopt. His drawings are fine, compelling and skillfully contrived to match each project in hand. The sharply delineated, stylish designs have won him many fans among both men and women alike.

Main Feature: imagine-nation Roundup 1 - NARUTO, Jewelpet, and HAKUOKI

Here's the first grand round-up of this year's programs. Our reporters and presenter Isabelle bring us the latest information on main features broadcast through May. Focusing on NARUTO, Jewelpet and the HAKUOKI series, join us for the film releases, animation news, game sale info, events and more, including items still not decided at the time of first broadcast. We visit new places, too, to deliver all the news.

Main Feature: Science Adventure Game - "Robotics; Notes"

Here's the world's first inside look at ROBOTICS;NOTES, the much-awaited science adventure computer game due out on June 28th in Japan! 

It's the third in a series of delusionary-science adventure games that started on PC's in 2008 with CHAOS;HEAD and then STEINS;GATE. They've since gone multi-media in comics, novels and TV cartoons. 

Robotics is set on the island of Tanegashima in southern Japan in 2019, when the so-called "augmented reality" is the reality. The main characters are the boy and girl members of a high school robot club who are trying to build a giant robot - but their club is about to be closed! The boy hero is a robot battle video game fanatic. The game joins these boys and girls as they follow their dreams and, through their combined talents, also save the world. It is expected to reach out to new players, too, by adding all the teenage interest of high school life to a science theme of making robots. 

Blue sky, sea, school girl uniforms fluttering in the wind... and what a big robot! The game's creators are looking at big international markets for this one!

Creator's interview: Ryosuke Aoike Japanese Animation Director

Japanese animation director Ryosuke Aoike drew eager attention from his debut work, CATMAN. Digital but with an analogue look, his cartoons based on clay models are being acclaimed at film festivals around the globe. Having directed the animation for Kamiusagi Ropé, a laid-back cartoon with animal characters in old-style Tokyo streets, he has also directed the full movie version.

Main Feature: Code Geass Akito The Exiled

The latest, much-awaited addition to the Code Geass SF robot TV animation series - the first part of Code Geass Akito the Exiled - opened in 30 cinemas across Japan on August 4th.

There will be four parts altogether of this latest version, a spin-off series from the popular TV cartoons Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, and Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2.

Just like the TV serials, they are produced by the SUNRISE studio of Gundam fame. Goro Taniguchi wrote the new story, it's directed by Kazuki Akane, and CLAMP designed the characters for this truly all-star, surefire hit for lovers of robot animation.

Join us for the latest news on the hottest SF robot animation movie this summer straight after its Japanese release. This looks like being another landmark for the genre.

Creator's interview: Yoshinori Terasawa Japanese Game Producer

Spike was Yoshinori Terasawa's second videogame company after university. There, he has produced the mega-hit SAMURAIDOU and SHINOBIDO series and his Super Dangan-Ronpa 2 sequel to Danganronpa went on sale at the end of July. The original DANGANRONPA sold more than 100,000 copies. Meet the hottest videogame producer in Japan!

Main Feature: BTOOOM! - A Survival Action Manga

The survival manga BTOOOM! has sold a combined total of over 920,000 copies, chiefly to men in their twenties and thirties. The TV cartoon version is now due to start this autumn. 
We bring you the latest information on the cartoon, discover the real Junya Inoue - its amazingly popular but shy author - and observe his steady, painstaking work.

The story is set on an isolated island in the southern sea... a survival game where the goal is to use the eight bombs you are given to kill the other seven competitors and win by escaping from the island. And that's the only rule. 

The hero is 22-year-old Ryuta Sakamoto, an aimless, unemployed youth engrossed in online videogames who is transported to the island and forced to play. While fleeing frantically from strangers who are out to kill him, Ryuta realizes that this is just the same as the online game BTOOOM! that he loves so much. He has to use the different bomb types well and kill to survive. 

The game without mercy begins... But who brought him here, and why? 

The expectations are high for the cartoon version of this popular, ongoing manga series. Will the cartoon now also attract new fans?

Creator's interview: Dehara Noriyuki Japanese "Figurine Illustrator" 

Noriyuki Dehara joined an advertising agency out of university but has been devoting his energies to "figurine illustration" since leaving that first job. While working in the fields of ads, book covers and book illustrations, he holds four to six solo exhibitions a year in such places as Tokyo, Taiwan, Hong Kong, New York, Los Angeles and Paris. He produces some 300 new figurines a year. We introduce Japan's foremost "figurine illustrator."

Main Feature: Japanese Animation - CODE:BREAKER

The popular action battle comic, CODE:BREAKER, serialized in Weekly Shonen Magazine since 2008, makes a fresh start as a TV cartoon this October. Here's all the latest from the production site! The code breakers are secret agents with special powers who give up their own past and real names and are assigned to hush up evil doings that cannot be brought before the law. Original author Akimine Kamijyo's first work, Samurai Deeper Kyo, is number two in Japanese comic book sales in France after only NARUTO! Yasuhiro Irie, also known for the megahit FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST, is the CODE:BREAKER director and the KINEMA CITRUS studio of Psalms of Planets Eureka Seven fame handles the production. The staff are keen and this new type of action-battle cartoon is now all the rage among Japanese animation fans.
Battle scenes more powerful than in the comic! We'll tell you all the news!

Creator's interview: Tomoya Asano Japanese Videogame Producer

Tomoya Asano began designing videogames at junior high school and was already a busy maker by the time he reached university. He joined videogame company SQUARE ENIX after graduating. His productions include FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST and the Broken Angel, an action RPG for PS2, and FINAL FANTASY III for Nintendo DS.

Main Feature: Japanese Animation - JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE

The first manga serial started in WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP in 1987 and, 25 years on, the TV cartoon of this massive best-seller, JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE, went on air this October. Separate video and cinema cartoon versions have also been made together with several videogames based on the story but this is its first time on TV! The comic book version has since moved across to ULTRA JUMP and is currently in its eighth series. 107 volumes have been published in paperback with combined sales totaling more than 80 million. The unusual story is about a fierce family feud lasting more than two centuries and features a different hero and setting for each series. It has had a radical, pioneering impact on manga expression in everything from how the picture blocks are divided to the character design, uses of onomatopoeia and plot quality. So, how has this distinctive manga been adapted to the animated cartoon format? JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE has made various inroads overseas as well. We discover the key points and strategy underlying its first animation for TV!

Creator's interview: SOTA SUGAHARA

Sota Sugahara debuted in manga at the age of 19 and authored the computer graphic manga TONIO CHAN for two years for a weekly magazine. He has since worked in a multitude of creative fields including video director, video jockey, CD jacket design, character design, and 3D computer graphic animation.

Main Feature: The Animation Movie "ONE PIECE film Z"

We delve into the allure of ONE PIECE, particularly ONE PIECE film Z, which premiered in Japanese cinemas on December 15th! It's the first feature-length anime based on this manga series in three years. 

ONE PIECE has been one of Japan's most spectacularly successful and well-known manga series, selling 360 million copies so far. The first editions of Vol. 64-66 each sold about 4 million copies, and Vol. 67 notched up a figure of 4.05 million! It has set new records in Japan. This manga has been translated and sold in some thirty countries, while animated editions have aired in more than forty. 

ONE PIECE film Z is the 12th feature-length anime based on this series. And what a lavish work it is! Eiichiro Oda, the creator of ONE PIECE, was in charge of overall production, while the director was Tatsuya Nagamine of TOEI Animation, who was trying his hand at the ONE PIECE series for the first time. The screenplay was by Osamu Suzuki, an avid fan of ONE PIECE, while Avril Lavigne provided the theme song.

We are one of the first to tell the world about ONE PIECE film Z, which is bound to be a huge hit! 

Creator's interview: Atsushi Takahashi Japanese Animation Director

Atsushi Takahashi spent time at Studio Ghibli before working as one of the producers of Hajime no Ippo. He has been involved in the production of numerous animated TV series, cinema productions, and direct-release videos, including NASU: SUMMER IN ANDALUCIA. Takahashi debuted as a director in the RIDEBACK television series. He earned acclaim for his attention to detail in the direction of Blue Exorcist, which was released in Japanese cinemas in December 2012.

Main Feature: Idol Simulation Game&Animation"Aikatsu!"

THE IDOLM@STER debuted in game arcades in 2005, and became phenomenally popular after it shifted over to Xbox 360® in 2007. It is a simulation game where the player sets about turning budding artists into idols of the entertainment industry. Not only the game but CDs featuring IDOLM@STER characters and other merchandise have generated huge sales, and have created a sensation, particularly among the young male "Akihabara" types. 
Namco Bandai Games, which is behind the phenomenal success of THE IDOLM@STER, has since rolled out Aikatsu! a simulation game for girls relying on collectible cards in its data carddass (DCD) series. It is a game where all entertainers rely on cards. The budding female artists in Aikatsu! use them to promote themselves for auditions. The game in many ways mirrors what is happening in the Japanese entertainment industry today. 
Could this blend of anime, game software, books, clothing, food products and other merchandise become an international hit? 


Creator's interview: Shigeru Okada Japanese Stop motion animator

Shigeru Okada is a stop motion animator who eschews computer graphics, relying instead on origami or the Japanese art of paper folding. What started off as a pastime has turned into a full-time job. He is responsible for many amazing productions. A single production can sometimes require more than 15 hours of work each day over a 3 month period. The interest in origami outside of Japan has helped generate a lot of foreign comment about Okada's online animated clips.

The latest arcade game of Pokémon: "POKKÉN TOURNAMENT"!
It is an action battle game made in collaboration with "Tekken".
Fighters battle against each other using various Pokémon!
Players can perform various techniques taken from the Pokémon!
The design of each Pokémon is so real!
"POKKÉN TOURNAMENT", don't miss it!

In collaboration with a major Japanese game company and an English game company,SQUARE ENIX x Mediatonic have joined forces to create a brand new game "HEAVENSTRIKE RIVALS".
It is a tactical RPG in which you can battle using characters like in a chess game.
A new world created by the culture of 2 countries.
This is a brand new game born from a TV meeting.
"HEAVENSTRIKE RIVALS", check it out!

The popular action game becomes into an anime!
The anime "GOD EATER" which is broadcasted worldwide, is a battle story between an unknown species "Aragami" and special forces called "GOD EATER".
Find out the special techniques used to make the action scenes so speedy and the "shadow" for the character designs.
Don't miss "GOD EATER"!

The latest work from the popular game series "CHAOS;CHILD".
It is a fantasy science adventure game!
The story is about mysterious murders which take place in Shibuya.
Depending on your choices, the scenario keeps changing and it leads you to several endings! The horror stands out using the beautiful characters...
Don't miss "CHAOS;CHILD"!

The popular horror web Manga "TETSUMIN".
It is a panic horror Manga in which the mysterious robot "TETSUMIN" attacks human beings!
Find out the tricks that surprise readers with this creepy robot.
The Web Manga "TETSUMIN", don't miss it!

"UQ HOLDER!", the latest series of the famous manga artist Ken Akamatsu known by "LOVE HINA" and "Magister NEGIMA!"
The story is the continuation of "Magister NEGIMA!" describing its future.
It is a popular battle fantasy based in the near future which has been released in the weekly Shonen Magazine since 2013!
Judgment and action! Don't miss this incredible latest work of Ken Akamatsu!

A feature of the high quality Sandbox Game from Japan "Airship Q"! Find out the world of a variety of music genre and the exciting action RPG Game's attraction and its secrets.

The popular Hunting RPG Game "Monster Strike" which has been released since September 2013 for smart phones and which has already surpassed 30 million downloads becomes into an anime from this October! It is also launched on YouTube worldwide! It is an exciting anime containing a lot of connections with the game!

The latest version of "GUILTY GEAR" series which started since 1998, "GUILTY GEAR Xrd -REVELATOR-" started running from this August!!
A game with aggressive but stable action, the wonderful graphics,and an exciting music perfectly matching the game...
It is even called "the highest peak of battle games"!
All fans were highly expecting for the next version!
We will feature on "the arcade battle games" which are especially supported by huge overseas fans!

The latest version of a social game series which attracks women's attention, "Shall we date?" has just come up!
This is a sweet love story with a nice looking "Ikemen" Ninja! A big hit application with over than 2.5 million downloads!
"Ikemen" Ninja! Love story! A definitely big hit game especially targeting women!
Find out more about this english application "Shall we date? : Destiny Ninja 2+"!

18 years since the last release! The gourmet manga "The Lonely Gourmet"!
It is a story of a lonely businessman, Goro Inogashira, who travels through Japan, eating at restaurants and experiencing specialities of Japanese cuisine. Each chapter features a different place and dish and it only describes scenes that Goro enjoys eating.
A perfect gourmet manga that stimulates the senses of a human being!

"Ajin" that is based on a popular manga by "Gamon Sakurai" which has been serialized since 2012 becomes into 3 episodes of anime!
A survival suspense about the immortal demi-humans "Ajin" against the Japanese government!!
A big expectation from fans around the world: "Ajin the movie" will come out soon!
Find out more about this "next break" art of work!!

The latest version of "Monster Hunter" has been released on November 2015 for Nintendo 3DS! It is a big title which expects to sell a lot on Christmas and holidays season!
To make this hunting action game more attractive, the content has been powered up by using the previous series experiences and the know-how!
A feature of the big hit series! Don't miss the Monster Hunter's latest information!

The 2nd feature of the great creators spreading out around the world: Indie Games Special part 2!
Indie Games become more and more exciting!!
It features on very popular games of the Dojin-Indie Games event "Digital Game Expo" which was held in Akihabara!
2 creators come at imagine-nation's studio to introduce their unique and original creations!

"FAIRY TAIL" is a fantasy battle manga which has been published on Weekly Shonen Magazine since 2006.
It is a very popular manga about friendship, comedy and tragedy!
The anime version of the manga has just started broadcasting the 3rd season!
Check out the masterpiece of the manga artist Hiro Mashima!

"Immortal Hounds" is a gun action manga based on the world of immortal human beings!
What is the truth behind the freed world from death and fear?
Find out the original and parallel world of suspense and love story!
And let's discover the unique manga artist Ryo Yasohachi who was a computer programmer before!

In the early 1990's, a game which made a huge figthing game boom: "Street Fighter II"! After 24 years, here comes the latest version "Street Figther V"!
Fans cannot wait its release which will be on February 16th in the U.S.A. and on February 18th in Europe!
Don't miss the feature of the latest version of this explosive hit game,"Street Fighter V" before its release!

A very popular manga "Wave, Listen to me.", the unique characters and the speed sense of expansion attrack the young generation fan's attention!
Although it is a manga that has been serialized since 2014, its popularity keeps spreading out because of its up tempo storyline, the main character's powerful protest and its crisp!
It features also the author, Hiroaki Samura who will tell us its feelings he puts in his work and the future development of the story!

A very popular game for smartphone in Japan, a real time RPG "Re:Monster"!
It is a game based on a novel which was published in 2012 on a free novel website and got ranked in the 1st place. It became also into a Manga on Web in 2014 and its series hit over 330,000 copies sold!
The original application depicting the process of this game production made by the publisher attracts a lot of attention of many users!

A very popular anime which made a big boom in 1997 "Digital Monster"!
It is an adventure of children who were thrown out suddenly to a different world of Digimon to go back to the real world. It has been broadcasted not only in Japan but around 60 countries! It became a big hit with 6 TV anime series until 2012 and 10 movies!
To celebrate its 15th anniversary, we will feature on "DIGIMON ADVENTURE tri. - Chapter 2 Ketsui (Determination)"!

It is a special version and recap of imagine-nation featuring Anime, Manga and Game which have been already introduced on the show!
"AJIN:DEMI-HUMAN - Compel" the anime movie that shook the world! Find out the latest information of this battle survival suspense of the high school students who has been targeted from all mankind.
And also some extra information of the "MONSTER HUNTER" series that contains action games in which the player hunts unique monsters in the wilderness "MONSTER HUNTER X "!
And find out more about the fantasy battle shonen manga "FAIRY TAIL" which has been published since 2006 on Weekly Shonen Magazine!

It is a manga which has been published in the quarterly magazine "JUMP SQ. CROWN" since summer 2015.
In 2015, it has been made into an anime by the anime studio BONES INC.
It is the feature of the 2nd season of the "Blood Blockade" which was recognized as "The powerful drawing No.1!".
A very popular SF action manga that many fans have been waiting for the 2nd season anime to come out!
Let's find out the secret of this work by visiting the author Yasuhiro Nightow's busy atelier!

The popular anime "Concrete Revolutio" has been broadcasted on TV for 3 months until December 2015. 
This one is the 2nd season which will be aired from April 6th 2016!
The anime is produced by the popular anime studio BONES INC. that has produced numerous series including "FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST", "Eureka Seven" and more...
"Concrete Revolutio" is a completely original anime by BONES INC.!
What would happen if all the heroes gather in one place! All popular characters from the Showa period in Japan are featured as an obvious homage! Find out more about this brand new hero action SF anime in our next episode!

A feature of the popular anime "Big Order" which has just started to be aired in Japan since April 15! 
It is based on the famous manga written by Sakae Esuno, the manga artist known for "Mirai Nikki". This title became into an anime even its story is not complete! It's the hottest manga and the most expected to be released worldwide! Let's find out behind the scenes! And imagine-nation will present a fast feature just after the anime's on-air!

A feature of the zombie horror manga "IGAI -THE PLAY DEAD/ALIVE-"! High school students are suddenly turning into frenzied zombies, attacking and gorging themselves upon each other's flesh. It sounds like an usual zombie story but... The school is being torn apart until suddenly... they stop. With the zombies apparently back to normal... Furthermore it is also a love comedy between the normal high school boy and his girlfriend who is already a zombie! The show will feature the zombie fanatic author Tsukasa Saimura and ask his passion about these creatures!

A feature about a free game for smartphones which has been released on April in Japan: "Heaven x Inferno"! It has been produced by one of the biggest leading mobile phone carriers NTT DOCOMO in collaboration with a game development company tri-Ace. This deep action RPG has been expected so far and the pre-registration number of people before the delivery has exceeded 13 million! imagine-nation features behind the scenes of this hottest game!

A feature about the manga "GURAZENI" which has been published on "Weekly Morning" since January 2011!
The story describes the growth of a pitcher's life with his team who is always thinking about "money". It is the hottest baseball manga for "adults"! In spite of being busy for writing the manga, Yuji Moritaka, the author and Keiji Adachi, the manga writer have accepted the interview for imagine-nation! Thorough dissection the charm of the hottest Manga GURAZENI!

Niconico Indies Game has been held 6 times since dwango's establishment in 2013. It is a popular game contest which takes place when high quality independent creations gather. The applicants for the event increase year by year. At Niconico Chokaigi 2016, which took place on April 29th and 30th at Makuhari Messe, the Niconico Indies Game booth was set. Game fans could see and experience the prize-winning games. Many people from several game companies came to inspect the venue as well!
imagine-nation features some next generation creators' original games! Find out the incredible indie games world which shows its global expansion!

A dark mystery manga that is highly supported by office workers: "KUROKOCHI"! A story about Keita Kurokochi, a bad detective, who solves violent crimes and unresolved incident which takes place in Japan, such as 300 million yen robbery. It is very unreasonable but exhilarating detective story! Richard Woo, the author who doesn't often accept to be interviewed and the manga artist Kono Koji accepted imagine-nation's coverage! 
Find out the latest information and the deep relationship between the author and the manga artist on the show.

There is a huge cat boom in Japan! So can be seen in the Manga industry also!
Most mangas describe very cute cats but there is a manga which portrays the cat in a very cool way! This time imagine-nation features "Nekogahara: Stray Cat Samurai", the latest manga from the famous author Hiroyuki Takei. He also wrote "Shaman King" which will be published in the U.S.A. in October. Even though he was very busy after publishing his manga in April he agreed to give us an interview. Let's find out what is behind the scene!

One of the biggest title, which has been popular for 20 years : "RESIDENT EVIL"! It is a feature about the latest game of this famous series, a battle shooting game "UMBRELLA CORPS" (PC/PS4)! This big title has been already released in the US and it will be coming up in Japan on June 23!
The movie is planned to be on screen next year! Don't miss the feature on the latest movie of this creepy monsters series!!

A special feature of the latest anime which has just started to be broadcasted in Japan since July 4th: "D.Gray-man HALLOW"!
The original manga is from "D. Gray-man" of Hoshino Katsura who became into a female manga artist from an animator.
It is a dark fantasy, one of her famous work that has been sold over than 22,500,000 copies! Even after 10 years from her last publishment, the work is so dense and dynamic! Find out the latest information about this incredible anime expected from fans around the world on imagine-nation!

After 20 years of its publishment, the youth baseball best selling novel which has been sold over than 10 million copies becomes into an anime! A great sense pitcher meets a great catcher who catches his best pitching. Even they fight strongly, they end up as the best team as "Battery" and grow together...
It is a spectacular baseball drama beyond the framework of children's literature! "Battery", the best anime coming up this summer! Check it out!

A popular 4 panel comic essay "Nordic Girl Åsa discovers the Mysteries of Japan" which has been released twice (in March and in September) last year. This year the Chinese version got released as well!
The author is from Norway! The female Nordic manga artist Åsa Ekström describes differences between Japanese and Nordic culture in 4 panel manga style! Check out behind the scenes and how she is working in Japan as a manga artist.

A popular manga which continues to be published since 2011, "Dimension W".
It is a well known SF action in Japan but it has been localized in English and it became very popular worldwide.
imagine-nation features the latest information of "Dimension W" and makes a special interview to the author Yuji Iwahara!

Idol training simulation game "THE IDOLM@STER" was on sale since the end of July as the first PS4 (PlayStation®4) dedicated software in Japan! 
This title is a pioneer of the idol boom, such as "Love Live!" and "Ensemble Stars!". So far 16 series of THE IDOLM@STER have been produced as home video games which have achieved sales of 1.2 million! It is a feature of the 17th title of the series: "THE IDOLM@STER PLATINUM STARS".

"Weekly Shonen Champion" a manga magazine which is famous from its popular titles such as "BAKI THE GRAPPLER", "Yowamushi Pedal" and more.
This time, we introduces "Prisoner Riku" which is the most momentum now in all of weekly shone namazines! It started its series from 2011. In 5 years it has published 27 volumes of manga. Hot, straight hero "Riku" is determined to jailbreak in order to prove he is innocent! 
Find out the atelier of the author in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture and check out the story of the hot guy fighting for justice!

"Ekiden" which means "road relay" started in 1917. It is an athletics sports event to celebrate the 50th anniversary for transferring the capital of Japan to Tokyo. Ekiden which is known worldwide as "road relay" was born in Japan. imagine-nation features a manga, depicting the story about a team and their work in an ekiden! The author was a runner in the "Hakone Ekiden" 30 years ago. He became a manga artist and has written a manga about ekiden. Check out this new and exhilarating youth graffiti work!

This is a special recap introducing the latest information of the manga, anime and games that we have already featured on the show! Don't miss it!

"Nekogahara: Stray Cat Samurai", "D.Gray-man HALLOW" and "THE IDOLM@STER PLATINUM STARS"!

"FIRE FORCE" is the latest manga by Atsushi Okubo, who is world renown for his popular manga "Soul Eater". This is a battle action manga depicting the success of the firefighters who fight with the fire monster Homura Bito. As soon as the manga was released, huge posters of it were put up everywhere in the city! It is listed as the hottest one in the Weekly Shonen Magazine!
Even though the author is extremely busy with writing the manga, he has kindly accepted to be interviewed for our show! He will also show us his studio! The manga is also being considered to be published overseas and also may be made into an anime. Don't miss this science fantasy manga!

In December 1987, the first software for a family computer was launched. 48 works came up to now and it has exceeded the total global shipments of 110 million copies!! It is the RPG game which represents Japan: "FINAL FANTASY".
This time, imagine-nation features the latest one, "FINAL FANTASY XV" dedicated for XBOX ONE ® and PS4 ® which will be released worldwide at the end of November! Before its release, the movie "KINGSGLAIVE FINAL FANTASY XV" was on screen since July! It marked a high evaluation and increased the expectation of the software! Find out more on the show!

This time imagine-nation features "Golden Gold". This greatly anticipated manga is being sold even in the largest bookstores in Tokyo!
In August 2016, it overtook "HUNTER x HUNTER" and "BERSERK" taking the first place in the famous manga ranking "Konomanga ga Sugoi"!
The story is about a middle school girls who finds a small and weird looking "God of Luck". It comically portrays everyday life with an alluring essence of horror.

"In this corner of the world" is an anime movie which will be on screen from November 12 in Japan.
The story takes place in Hiroshima Prefecture during the World War II. It describes the point of view of a young girl SUZU, who has a hard time surviving amidst the war. The director is Sunao Katase. He has previously worked as a creator in anime production with Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata.
"Mai Mai Miracle" is an anime movie directed by Katase in 2009. It was a long running hit movie and became famous and popular by word of mouth. He is renown worldwide and has won several awards. Check out his latest work which took him 6 years to make!

The hottest spot for "Otaku" in Japan is "Akihabara". But the hottest spot for "Fujoshi" is of course "Ikebukuro"!
This time it is a feature of this city at the east exit where is very popular and receives a lot of foreign tourists after Shibuya!
It is a special place where has created a boom like "Otome Road", "Butler cafe", "Ita bags", "BL" and more...
It is also now a hot spot where it has a lot of VR experience facilities, shops segmented by hobby taste, concept cafe, several types of events supported by Toshima city... this city keeps evolving!
The show delivers the latest information on this wonderland "Ikebukuro"!

"Personification" is a technique often seen in games' and animation's industry.
As represented by the "KANTAI Collection" and "HETALIA", personification games or anime are genres which have a lot of elements that make them very popular worldwide.
"TOUKEN RANBU", personifies Japanese "name of sword" to make a handsome character who has existed or still exists! Historical elements and individual character settings are so captivating. It is popular enough to become into a TV anime which has started broadcasting in Japan from October. Next to a "Rekijo" would it be a "Touken Joshi" as a trend? Don't miss "TOUKEN RANBU HANAMARU".

Nick and Chiaki went to make a report about "2016 Japan Vietnam Festival". It was the biggest Japanese festival in Vietnam which was held at the "23th September in Ho Chi Minh 1st Ward" from November 19(Sat) to 20(Sun). It is a big event and last year 220,000 people visited it! What kind of excitement was brought to this year's festival?
Nick and Chiaki found out not only about the event but also how Japanese pop culture is accepted and influenced the Vietnamese people.
They experienced and reported on Vietnamese pop culture spot following it's history... find out more in the show!

Following the previous episode featuring Vietnam's event, the 2nd part focuses on the problems hidden behind the prosperity of J-POP culture in Vietnam.
A report of the remarkable development with anime distributors who act vigorously to face such problems, young people who strive to make Vietnamese original manga / anime and the current situation of Cosplayers etc! A number of active approaches to develop animation and manga industry! Are the Vietnamese original ones coming soon?

"Akihabara" has become a large classic place to visit in Tokyo. From May 2011 in Akihabara, "AKIBA'S TRIP" that has been developed as a home game console's title, has sold 500,000 exclusive titles which can be said as a hit in the original series industry.
The most characteristic part of "AKIBA'S TRIP" is that the city of Akihabara was reproduced as it was, clearing various rights such as the appearance and arrangement of the building.
This time imagine-nation features "AKIBA'S BEAT" which was newly announced as an action RPG game while keeping the basic concept intact!
Find out the whole Akihabara color, including the latest information of the TV anime which will be broadcasted in January in our next episode.

TOEI ANIMATION movie was released at the end of December 2016. It is a fully original film theater version anime in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of its foundation.
This work "POPIN Q" is a youth group image plot depicting 5 girls growing through dance.
It is a commemoration work of TOEI ANIMATION 60th anniversary which definitely attracts attention of Japanese fans who grew up by watching "Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon", "DRAGON BALL", "ONE PIECE" and more...
Immediately after publication! Find out the secret of "POPIN Q" which will be deployed overseas in the nearly future!

The popular trading card game "Shadowverse" is exceeding the total of 5 million smartphone downloads worldwide. It is a feature of a remarkable work which started distribution in June 2016 and became one of popular applications. Beyond the framework of smartphone applications, let's focus on real events that match face to face at venues. It values the fact that local communities expand and vigorously holds events throughout the country.
In addition, battle events are also held as e-sports. It is not just a digital game but it is a rare work in recent years that fusions analog and makes people and people face each other.
imagine-nation features the latest information such as development history, the impact of "Shadowverse" that has on the gaming industry and its future developments!

The anime "Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju" has just started broadcasting from January 2016.It is the anime industry's first challenge of expressing real "Rakugo" with anime and it has become a hot topic as soon as it started broadcasting in Japan.
Its popularity is not limited to the anime world! It brings the result to attract young generation to come to the "Rakugo theaters=Yose". And it also exerts a big repercussion in the Rakugo world. This time let's focus on the 2nd season of such topical work! And find out the secret of anime production that faithfully reproduces fine details of important "voice" and "work" in Rakugo.

A feature of a very popular anime movie that is also Japan's must-see and girls must-see: "Book of the Atlantic Black Butler The Movie -Book of Atlantic-"!
It is a full picture of the first movie version of the anime that has been released in Japan from January 21! The best-selling manga, which totaled over 23 million copies worldwide and it is highly anticipated. The original work which has been published in 11 to 14 volumes is based on "Gorgeous cruise trip". There is a particular attention to the production process, such as how to draw a passenger ship and special CG techniques. Find out more about this dark fantasy anime movie on imagine-nation!

In 2016, "Your name" the popular work of Makoto Shinkai, who is originally an independent creator was a huge hit! So, this time imagine-nation introduces other creators and their works, who have the opportunity to become the next big hit who are also introduced on imagine-nation's website! Takahiro Miyauchi and Takuya Okada, producers of the CG anime "TOKYO COSMO", the anime which is said "a preeminent quality work" in the North America's largest anime introduction website, will appear in the studio. Don't miss the up-and-coming creators!

A feature of the popular manga "ULTRAMAN" which serial series continues from 2011 in monthly Heroes. It is a big title which has been sold over than 2.4 million copies! In Otaku Culture Festival "Comic-Con" held in San Diego every year, overseas manga industry officials held a panel discussion and among manga published in North America in 2016, "ULTRAMAN" got also elected as the best manga in the manga genre for children and youth. Find out the back stage of the battle hero work on which the future world of "Tokusatsu Hero" which is representative Japanese special effects hero is drawn.

The selection committee members who are mainly volunteer bookstore members, want to recommend "Cartoon grand prize" which decides "the freshest manga right now" by voting. It is a gateway for the nominated work to become a big hit animation, dramatization, and filming.
"Kutei Dragons" is the hottest manga which is nominated for such comic grand prize 2017! Capture the flying "dragon" and eat! It is a novelty idea work called "adventure fantasy × fashionable gourmet manga".
The atelier of the manga artist Taku Kawabara will appear on TV show for the first time. It approaches the source of a new idea work such as once making it, eating it and then start drawing. Find out also about the "Dragon Cuisine"!

A special recap from each of manga, anime and game that have been introduced so far, and it introduces selected works at once! As manga: "FIRE FORCE", as game: "FINAL FANTASY XV" and as anime "In this corner of the world". Find out the latest information of each work that will draw attention in the future!

On March 3, the launch of the game title "SUPER BOMBERMAN R" of the hybrid game machine "Nintendo Switch" for home use/mobile handsets was announced. Although it is a completely new work for about 8 years as consumers, it has been popular in Japan for the last 33 years from the first "bomb guy" developed in 1983 as an 8-bit PC title. What is different from the Family Computer version "BOMBERMAN" we enjoyed, and how much has it changed?
Find out the new "BOMBERMAN" that is localized in 11 languages so it can be enjoyed in many countries!

A feature about the dark hero suspense manga "MORIARTY THE PATRIOT" series in the monthly magazine. "Moriarty" is the elderly villain character with an intelligence equivalent to Holmes, appearing in British novelist Arthur Conan Doyle' s mystery novel "Sherlock Holmes". "Sherlock Holmes" is remade all over the world, but works that set "Moriarty" as the protagonist are rare, and in the current work "MORIARTY THE PATRIOT" he is arranged into a 21 year old handsome guy! The precise and the painting-like drawing grabs the hearts of female fans and attracts lots of fans' attention. Find out more about the secret of its hit!

J-POP culture world that 2014 and 2015 and 2-dimensional male idols became a group gender base. High school men student × idol × drawing a youth = "Ensemble stars!", Virtual idol project = "B-PROJECT", pioneer of 2-dimensional idol = "utano☆prince sama♪", etc. …
Various appearances, most of them are hit works. In the meantime, finally, the anime "Starmyu" based on musical idols appeared! From April, 2nd period, anime is broadcast in Japan and gets attention from abroad. This time, "Starmyu" as well as the girls must-see musical version "Starmyumyu" will also be introduced! Don't miss it!

In 2007, Tomihiko Morimi announced the novel "The Eccentric Family" TV anime season 2 started broadcasting in Japan in April! And the sacred tour to Kyoto is rekindling! Also, maybe the theatrical version is close? We feature "The Eccentric Family 2" which is also a representative local anime. Find out the content of the second round of the "Tanuki" series!

In recent years, light novel has become a standard in anime and movies. "Library Wars" that has been made into an anime in 2008 and also released in 2013 as a movie was also a light novel, and it gained popularity with the story development which wasn't so predictable. Also the light novel "All You Need Is Kill" was filmed in Hollywood in 2014. It was a worldwide hit of more than 10 billion, and starring Tom Cruise also acclaims the original novel. So it proves how high potential of Japanese light novel has. Meanwhile, in April this year, a popular light novel, which was said it would be difficult to visualize, finally became animated in Japan. At the same time, the live-action movies will be released. This is a feature of "Sagurada Reset". So find out why it wasn't visualized until now and also the secrets and the hardships to realize the visualization of this work.

A feature of the movie anime project "ANIME TAMAGO 2017" which was released for a week from April 22. "ANIME TAMAGO" is the "culture development project for young animators etc." of the Agency for Cultural Affairs aimed at promoting and enhancing Japanese anime creative. They look for a project of original short anime from an anime production company in Japan, and through the anime selected among them, they actually create anime and nurture young creators in the field. In the past, they have brought up the movie versions of "Little Witch Academia" and because of this excellent artworks it became into TV anime as well. This time, feelings to this project will be introduced through the 3D animation "RedAsh -GEARWORLD-" handled by Studio 4℃ elected in 2017.

A feature about the debut work of the manga artist Tsutomu Nihei, famous for "Knights of Sidonia" which was serialized between 1997 and 2003 on the Monthly Afternoon Magazine: "BLAME!". It is a work highly supported by Japanese movie creators as well as overseas creators and artists with unique world view and hard action depiction. Because the original story is difficult to understand, "BLAME!" was said to be hard to animate. After 20 years, it was released as a completely new theatrical version of 3DCG work. Why now? What is the hardship to make into an anime? On what do we have to focus? Find out more in the episode!

An introduction about the full-fledged SF fantasy comic "Imuri" which serialization began in 2006 and its latest book was published just in May. The author is Ranjo Miyake, a female manga artist who lives in Hokkaido. From gag manga of a fantastic setting to cozy story comic book full of originality, she covers her writing site which continues to challenge various styles. A special feature of "Imuri" which is supposed to be set in July.

Have you ever participated in a "cheering screening"? Cosplay, cheering, "tsukkomi" chorus, chemical light... It is a new movie appreciation style which becomes a boom in Japan. It reverses the concept of traditional movie appreciation which was to watch the show quietly... In a sense, this "cheering screening" movement reaches a fever pitch as a live concert. This style of enjoying the show started with the movie "KING OF PRISM by Pretty Rhythm" known as "Kinpri" which was published in January 2016 as a celebration of the "cheering screening" style. The latest movie "KING OF PRISM -PRIDE the HERO-" of the theatrical version of "Kinpri" series has been on screen from June 10th. Not only the work but also the support screening is further raised. This time, we feature "Kinpri" in which girls in Japan are enthusiastic and check out the "actual status of cheering screening".

An introduction of the latest work of the fighting game series "TEKKEN" that has been released since 1994. 4 striking buttons corresponding to the limbs of the character and 10 combos are representative works of this characteristic fighting game. "TEKKEN" series has been highly appreciated not only in Japan but also overseas, and it has reached more than 44 million sold worldwide.
The latest work "TEKKEN 7" is the first series of VR version, and in the PC version you can enjoy the game with 4K video. The anticipated work release in June is awaited. Find out the up-to-date information on the fighting game "TEKKEN 7", which is recognized worldwide.

Kazuhiro Fujita, a master of fantasy manga known for such as "USHIO and TORA" and "Karakuri Circus", appears in imagine-nation for the first time in 8 years since April 2010. This time features Fujita's latest work "SOU-BOU-TEI KOWASUBESHI" serialized from March 2016 at Weekly Shonen Sunday. He originally likes horror, and got inspiration of the work from the movie "The Legend of Hell House" and others... It is a report of the atelier of Fujita and its work's secret which is popular abroad.

We will introduce the TV anime "MADE IN ABYSS" from web comics that just started broadcasting from July 7. The original starts distribution with WEB COMIC GAMMA operated by TAKESHOBO from 2013, and continues with the current series. It is Akihito Tsukushi's popular fantasy adventure work. It is also an adventure story for adults.
The volume 5 has been issued which has been also published on "BUKA Manga", the Chinese version of an official e-book from China's biggest electronic manga platform. Check out the special feature of "MADE IN ABYSS", a contradictory story with a cute pattern like a picture book, which the attention from overseas is increasing.

As it is represented by the big hit anime "Your Name", fans visit real places that appeared in the anime, such as Tokyo, Hida, Nagoya, Hiroshima, etc... It made a movement like "Pilgrimage to sacred places" in Japan. Among fans, this "Pilgrimage to the sacred place" was inactive and the local side has always been a "receiver". However recently, the act of promoting local places in anime as an act of "offence" has increased and it started to attract people's mind from abroad.
Municipalities/ Commerce and Industry/ Companies/ Film Commission and others of local places in Japan are cooperating and collaborating to activate the "Pilgrimage to the sacred place" through several works. So that's what "Japan's Local Anime" is! Prefectures, municipalities and others take the initiative to appeal the features of the region, customs, history, special products and tourist spots by "Japan's Local Anime".
This time imagine-nation introduces "Japan's Local Anime" by focusing behind the scenes and on the secrets of its big hit!

"SAIYUKI RELOAD BLAST", the new anime series of the popular manga "SAIYUKI" which celebrates its 20 years, has started television broadcasting in Japan from July. In the screening event held ahead of the first episode's on-air, many fans who couldn't wait for it after waiting for 13 years came and it is now making a big noise! "SAIYUKI" which has been animated twice so far and gained popularity both in Japan and abroad, depicts the end of a long and steep journey of SANZO and others that will be the final chapter of the series. Would it be possible to deter the "GYUMAO" resurrection? It is a feature of the latest information of "SAIYUKI RELOAD BLAST" which is now on-aired on TV!

Featuring manga "Radiation House" serialized in 2015 from GRANDJUMP.
It is a medical manga depicting radiation experts who find out the source of diseases and injuries, such as medical radiology technologists and radiologists who support modern medicine through "diagnostic imaging" like X-ray and CT. Manga "Radiation House" describes the backside of unknown medicine and it is an exceptional hit as a medical story. The original, drawing, supervision, editor pursues "easy to understand" and "familiarity" in each part, in order to eliminate the fixed concept of "highly specialized content = small and difficult to be avoided". Find out the back side of this popular manga.

A special feature of the original anime "Your Voice -KIMIKOE-" released on August 25 throughout Japan. It is produced by the anime production company MADHOUSE Inc., known for "DEATH NOTE" which is popular overseas and "CARDCAPTOR SAKURA". This company has well established achievements. "Your Voice -KIMIKOE-" is an original anime depicting a schoolgirl's youth. Find out special tips of how to make an original anime, which is said to have low awareness, into a big hit. We will also approach the efforts of a new generation anime production company trying to create a popular work without depending on the original.

Introducing the latest work of Koji Mori "TAIGA of GENESIS" which is popular as a talented artist in "Holyland" and "JISATSUTOU". This work is a new serial series that was just serialized from March in the youth manga magazine "biweekly magazine EVENING" which is published twice a month. It is a survival manga that draws the mystery of human being's creation that develops on 3 axes, "primitive era", "animal" and "human drama". Find out Mori Koji's new challenge that has been drawing realistically based on real experience!

From April imagine-nation introduced the hottest manga, anime and games! We will deliver the latest information about each work that will attract attention in the future! In this first roundup we pick up "Moriarty the Patriot", "KING OF PRISM -PRIDE the HERO-" and "TEKKEN 7"!

This time's feature is "Amane†Gymnasium" of Usamaru Furuya, a manga artist known for "Lychee Light Club" and "TEIICHI NO KUNI" which was also made into a movie. It is the latest Furuya's work that just started serializing from March 2017 on Monthly Magazine Morning Two. An aesthetic and magical fantasic story that the puppet author Amane Miyakata woven with 7 dolls made by herself. It draws a variety of painting style! Find out the delicate and accurate drawing of Furuya, who is specialized in dark fantasy and who fills works with his "love"!

Naginata(Japanese halberd) entertainment movie "ASAHINAGU" is a masterpiece of the manga artist Ai Kozaki whose serial series continues from 2011 on weekly magazine Big Comic Spirits. Kozaki is known as a young and talented manga artist who was also the assistant of Usamaru Furuya, the author of "Amane†Gymnasium" featured in imagine-nation in September. This time it is a special feature of a manga with the theme on the representative martial arts Naginata (Japanese halberd) in Japan.

It was awarded the youth manga award of "Mangawa prize" chosen by French middle and high school students. It is also a topic to be placed as a recommended book in the French library. The SF manga of Abi Umeda, "Children of the Whales" which started publishing in the "Monthly Magazine Mystery Bonita" since 2013, became into TV anime and began broadcasting in Japan from this October. This time, it is a feature about the topic work "Children of the Whales", a SF high fantasy which worldwide broadcast is decided in Netflix in 2018!

The anime adaptation of "INUYASHIKI LAST HERO", based on Hiroya Oku's comic which ran for 3 and a half years between 2014 and July 2017, began airing in Japan in October. An unconventional anime with a "dowdy old man for a hero", "INUYASHIKI LAST HERO" is a surefire hit with a live action film also to follow in 2018.

With the rise of the internet in the 2000's, an increasing number of manga have been published as "Web Comics" rather than in print manga magazines which were mainstream until the mid-1990's. Since around 2013, the development of manga apps helped spawn well over 200 web comic sites, even just counting those run by businesses and municipalities, thereby creating a new business model. Many novel and imaginative works have come out of such web comics, gaining popularity particularly among teenagers of the smartphone generation. This time, we look at the current state of web comics in Japan, uncovering what's going on in web comics today and profiling "JINMEN", a web manga that enjoys a massive teenage following.

On November 17, the latest installment of the GODZILLA series premiered across Japan. This Sci-Fi movie of cosmic scale is set 20,000 years in the future. It's a part 1 of the first ever GODZILLA trilogy, and is also the first ever GODZILLA theatrical anime! The movie was first showcased at the "Annecy International Animated Film Festival" in France this June, and drew a lot of international hype. Soon after its Japanese premiere, the movie also debuted on Netflix for audiences worldwide. Stay tuned as we delve deep into the latest GODZILLA anime movie!

On November 9, "SONIC FORCES", the latest SONIC THE HEDGEHOG action game was announced for Japan ahead of the world. There's been a lot of anticipation from fans worldwide ever since it was revealed at E3, the world's biggest game expo. It's set to debut on various hardware, and supports 11 languages including Simplified Chinese, Polish and Russian. This episode will be featuring producers Takashi Iizuka and Shun Nakamura who have been the driving force behind the SONIC series over the years. Today, SONIC is more than just a game character. Some even consider SONIC to be a symbol of Japanese pop culture. We'll also be featuring the game's developers to talk about their passion and the new "Avatar" feature through which they hope to lure new fans.

Many Japanese manga have historical themes. They range from work based on historical fact, those centered around action, to those that only use a historical period as a backdrop for fantasy elements. In every era, "historical manga" have always been published. This time, we feature "MUJIN", a serious historical drama that has captured the hearts of readers including the young generation since it began running in March 2014. We thoroughly analyze why historical manga are loved today, and where their appeal lies, together with an overview of the path historical manga have taken until now.

A new dark hero of a different stripe has appeared on the scene, adding to the dark hero genre that continues to produce hits. That hero is Yuto Sera featured in "PERFECT HUMAN", which began running in "Weekly Manga TIMES" in November last year. He is a brilliant mind, drop-dead gorgeous, a gifted professional boxer, has a likable personality, and is popular to boot. He is the perfect 18-year-old with not a flaw in sight. The catch is, there are 5 Yuto Seras! We zero in on the origin of this new dark hero manga that is hot with talk of live-action and anime adaptations coming up.

The imagine-nation website is updated weekly with new anime, manga and games by independent creators. This time, we spotlight "anime" and present a whole spectrum of works by independent creators expected to get their big break, along with their activities and interviews! We welcome to the studio Tomoko Nozawa, a singer-songwriter and creator of "Stag beetle's JAZZ" which won the grand prize at the "INDEPENDENT ANIMATION FESTIVAL". We take a close look at the emerging creators as they take on new challenges!

This time, we feature the sumo manga, "Samejima the final 15 days", that is about to reach its climax. Serialized since 2009, this sumo manga series depicts not only the rigor, power, and fighting spirit of the sumo world, but also the inner workings of the sumo stable, behind the scenes at the sumo arena, and even the daily lives of the wrestlers. The struggle between the sumo wrestlers in the ring is portrayed with realism. This is an authentic sumo manga which aims to be completely realistic!

The monumental robot anime "MAZINGER Z" is making a comeback as a brand new theatrical anime, 45 years after its debut! "MAZINGER Z" was born in 1972. Back then, the concept of a "pilotable robot", put forth by its author Go Nagai, was revolutionary for a robot anime, and went on to become a huge hit. From manga, TV series, movies to toys, it was also a pioneer of the media mix trend. And now, this megahit title is making a comeback as a theatrical anime, 45 years after its debut to commemorate the 50th year anniversary of Go Nagai's manga career. On October 26, a special premiere will be held at the Rome Film Festival, with official premiere coming to Japan in January. Today, we'll be covering the brand-new theatrical adaptation "MAZINGER Z", one of the most revolutionary robot anime of all time!

The anime themed on a world in which "time is in standstill" finally gets adapted into anime! The feature will be on "KOKKOKU", the TV anime series that began as of January 7 in Japan. The manga is an 8 volume Sci-Fi suspense by Seita Horio that was serialized in the "Monthly Morning two" magazine between 2008 to 2014. It was popular not only in Japan but also in countries such as France and Korea, so the release of its anime adaptation is sure to attract attention. Today, we'll be exploring the secret behind its popularity at Horio's studio!

We report directly from "The 5th Japan Vietnam Festival in Ho Chi Minh City", Vietnam's largest Japan festival held over 2 days on Saturday, January 27 and Sunday January 28 at the September 23 Park in Ho Chi Minh City's District 1! This big event, with over 220,000 visitors in 2015, is expected to be a major event worthy of kicking off 2018, which marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Vietnam! Through the lens of Japanese "food" and "craftsmanship", the Japan-Vietnam exchange event offers the opportunity to experience the full allure of "culture", "tradition", "craft", "products", and "services" all in one place. Furthermore, the huge buzz around cosplay, karaoke, and performances by anime characters has whipped up ever more excitement each year, particularly among the youth. With the addition of the new "Japanese Pop Culture Booth", this year's festival is sure to become the liveliest one yet. What excitement will this year's JVF bring?!

We feature "Death March to The Parallel World Rhapsody", an anime based on a web novel, airing from January 11. The original novel by Hiro Ainana, of the parallel universe adventure genre, has been serialized in the fiction posting site, "Shosetsuka ni Naro (Let's Become a Novelist)", since 2013. A manga adaptation came out in 2014, with over 2 million copies published in total between the novel and manga. As interest from overseas grows with the release of an English translation of the novel at the end of October 2017, we explore the parallel universe anime based on the web novel. The work is of the "parallel universe reincarnation" genre popular in Japan today. We introduce this TV anime that is based on a web novel!

An anime about "shogi", now all the rage in Japan, has been airing on TV since January and is proving to be a hit. The anime, titled "The Ryuo's Work is Never Done!", is our topic this time. The work depicts the mentoring relationship between the young 16-year-old shogi player and his 9-year-old disciple. It has achieved popularity, gaining a following from readers of all ages. Introducing this authentic work about "shogi", we explore the appeal of the anime, "The Ryuo's Work is Never Done!" adapted from a young adult novel.

Each year, a multitude of manga magazines are published in Japan. In fact, there were 231 varieties as of the end of 2016. Newly published comic books alone reached 12,591 books per year in 2016. Japan is well and truly a manga powerhouse! In today's manga industry, "web manga" and "free manga apps" are spreading rapidly and taking hold as alternatives to printed media. This time, we explore the current status of Japanese manga magazines in this transformative period and their future, while also reviewing the history of Japanese manga magazines.

We feature a selection of notable works from among the manga, anime, and games featured in imagine-nation since September! We give you the latest information on each of the works whose upcoming developments are keenly anticipated! This time, we feature "MUJIN", "SONIC FORCES", and "MAZINGER Z: INFINITY"!

"ASTRO BOY" is the seminal work of the Osamu Tezuka, the world-renowned manga artist of legendary status in Japanese manga. Today, we're featuring the brand new "ATOM THE BEGINNING" manga, a prequel story about the "birth of ASTRO BOY". This manga was created under the supervision of Osamu's eldest son Macoto Tezka. It's serialization in the Monthly Comic Magazine HERO'S which has been going since December 2014 is very popular. Stay tuned for our latest update on "ATOM THE BEGINNING" as we'll be exploring the legend of "ASTRO BOY" and its long legacy of success in manga, anime and live-action.

"GOLDEN KAMUY" is a survival-battle manga set in the island of Hokkaido of the late Meiji era in Japanese history, which has been in serialization since August 2014. The recent announcement of its TV anime launch this April is currently a hot topic. This anime is a window into the historical development of Hokkaido. Produced under meticulous research and oversight, its boasts detailed depiction of people's customs and cultures. With highlights such as a gourmet report on unique "gibier cuisines", it's certainly a must-see anime of this Spring. Come and let's explore the behind-the-scenes production story of "GOLDEN KAMUY"!

April is a time for the launch of many new anime. The choice of voice actors for the new titles is a hot topic. It's also an occasion when many upcoming voice actors debut. Many overseas fans even prefer the original voice acting over the dubbed version. Nowadays, a lot is expected from voice actors, from being a good singer, dancer to talker. In October 2016, a major record company even established a voice actor school. This school aims to produce "voice actor idols". In this episode, we'll be visiting the voice actor school to see the scenes of how voice actor idols train and follow its graduates. We'll also be inviting a popular upcoming voice actor to our studio to reproduce the scene of post-recording. Our 2 MCs will be giving it a try too!

On April 5, 2018, a new martial arts anime "MEGALOBOX" will begin. This anime is part of a project to celebrate the 50th year anniversary since the beginning of "Ashita No Joe", a serialization that go down in history of Japanese Manga. In the 50th year anniversary project, the manga serialization began ahead of the anime in the march edition of "Shonen magazine Edge". From April 28, an "Ashita No Joe Exhibition" will be held at the TOKYO SKYTREE event venue. All in all, it's a multi-layered endeavor to celebrate the 50th year anniversary "Ashita No Joe". This old house production company that produced the series 2 of "Ashita No Joe" will be calling in Hiroshi Moriyama, a director who has never worked on anime before to produce a fresh and original anime. Be sure to check this episode out as we'll be exploring the appeal of the latest "MEGALOBOX" anime by interviewing of Director Hiroshi Moriyama along with the behind-the-scenes story of its making.

The brand-new TV anime "Fist of the Blue Sky REGENESIS (Souten no Ken REGENESIS)" is being produced as part of a project celebrating the 35th year anniversary of the "Fist of the North Star (Hokuto no Ken)", one of the masterpieces in the history of Japanese manga. The series up to now have been famous not only for the elaborate battle scenes, but also for the depiction of the "machismo" attitude of its characters, from weak to the strong. The depiction of characters' death is especially emphasized, with notably famous scenes such as the death of Kenshiro's rival Rao who dies leaving the words "There is not a moment of regret in my life". "Fist of the Blue Sky REGENESIS (Souten no Ken REGENESIS)" is anime written by Hara who wishes to depict the life of the protagonist Kenshiro Kasumi "until his last breath". With an interview of its anime director Akio Kazumi and a visit to their production studio, this episode will a close-up feature of this brand-new anime!

Among American comics, there are many popular collaborations between various heroes, but the latest "BATMAN NINJA" anime, to be released in June this year, is a brand-new collaboration of American comics hero and Japanese anime studio. So far, there has been a lot of enthusiasm surrounding this anime from fans across social networks. "BATMAN NINJA" is produced by Kamikaze Douga, the studio that quickly gained fame for the anime adaptation of 4-frame cartoon "Pop Team Epic". This is their first featured full-length anime. The director who is also the studio's CEO is Junpei Misaki, known for having worked on the opening animation of "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure". In this episode, we'll be exploring the appeal of the talk-about "BATMAN NINJA" anime through an interview with its director and a visit to their production studio!

On this episode, we're featuring the manga "The Box of 5 Centuries". This manga became famous back in October 2017 after being featured on "Kono Manga ga Sugoi! Web Edition". It was particularly well-received in Asia and is even scheduled for localized release in Taiwan. It's the debut work of its author Ikumi Miyao who is from Hiroshima city, and the manga's setting was themed on her home town where she was born and raised. The author's grandmother survived the Atomic bombing of Hiroshima because she happened to be out of the city on the day, and as a child, Miyao often used to hear say "If I hadn't been out of the city that day, you wouldn't have been born". Even a mere trivial event can greatly change the future. Having been inspired by her grandmother's words, she came up with the concept for "The Box of 5 Centuries". Coming up, we'll be exploring the world of "The Box of 5 Centuries" and its story that was inspired by the words of the author's grandmother!

On this episode, we are featuring the animated film "Mirai of the Future" directed by Mamoru Hosoda, which is scheduled to be released on July 20, 2018. At the Cannes Film Festival held back in May, this film was one of the 20 titles featured in the "Director's Fortnight", a particularly important section of the festival, and was screened to the world for the first time. It was also featured in the Annecy International Animation Film Festival's feature film competition. It's already scheduled to be released in more than 50 countries worldwide. Director Mamoru Hosoda is famous worldwide for animated films such as "Summer Wars", "The Boy and the Beast" and "Wolf Children", all of which delicately fuses everyday drama with fantasy to create a moving story. The story of this film is told through the eyes of its 4-year-old boy protagonist. "Mirai of the Future" has been gaining attention as an animated film of unprecedented challenge. On the program, we'll be exploring its appeal by going behind the scenes of production and by interviewing Director Mamoru Hosoda and Moka Kamishiraishi who is casting for the protagonist.

This episode is a special feature on "Takao Saito", the manga artist famous for the serialization of "Onihei Hankacho" that's celebrating its 25th anniversary, and for "Golgo 13", the longest ongoing serialization in Japan that's celebrating its 50th anniversary. He is the eldest manga artist still actively putting out manga serializations, and is the pioneer of the "Gekiga" genre. "Gekiga", which saw a huge boom in Japan during the 60's, had movie like camera framing, and characters and background art with many line strokes. It had a great influence on the modern styles of manga, but in recent years, there has been a resurgence in its popularity. On this episode, we will be exploring the appeal of Takao Saito's manga by visiting his studio for an interview. Let's find out why he is so passionate about "Gekiga" and how he manages long-running serializations by the division of labor.

Back in July 29, 2017, "Dragon Quest XI" was released in Japan. With a 5 years gap since the previous release, the latest game has been a huge success, selling 3 million games within the first 10 days. And now, after spending 1 year on localization, it's overseas release is finally coming on September 4. Unlike the overseas' RPG which is focused more towards freedom of exploration, this game is of "JRPG" genre, a Japanese style RPG with a strong emphasis on having a storyline for the players to follow. The popularity of the Dragon Quest series is rooted in the 3 creators, who for 30 years, have played key roles in the game's making. On top of its rich story line, the characters are designed by manga artist Akira Toriyama. Koichi Sugiyama has been in charge of the game music since the very first game. This episode will feature an interview of "Yuji Horii", the father of the series, and explore the appeal of the latest game, which intends to "rediscover the roots" of the Dragon Quest series, by focusing on the process of overseas localization. We'll also be following up on the creators who have worked on this series for over 30 years.

On this episode of imagine-nation, we're featuring the work of the game producer Kazuhiro Tsuchiya and director Koji Oda. The game Tsuchiya and Oda worked on is the latest installment of "Mega Man", the globally popular action game that's celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. With 8 years gap since the previous release, there was a lot of pressure on Tsuchiya and Oda. We'll be interviewing them at their production studio to find out their take on the new game, with which they hope to please the longtime fans as well as newcomers.

On this episode, we're featuring "Ingress: The Animation", a bold new anime directed by Yuhei Sakuragi who is a well-known creator in the world of CG animation. The production was undertaken by the anime studio "CRAFTAR". From anime to games, CRAFTAR has worked on numerous major titles, including the full-length animated film "The Case of Hana & Alice" and on the CG models of the "Pokémon GO" game characters. Back in July, the world premiere screening of its 1st episode was held at North America's biggest anime event the "Anime Expo 2018" in Los Angeles, and was received with a lot of enthusiasm. Ingress continues to attract headlines around the world as it pioneers the new realm of "Augmented Reality entertainment" that links reality with online geolocation game and anime.

On this episode of imagine-nation, we'll be leaving our studio to deliver you public recording onsite from Shizuoka Prefecture! Starting with the Shizuoka born regional drama "Plastic Smile," we'll be exploring the appeal of Shizuoka that's come to be known as the "kingdom of models." The drama "Plastic Smile" is an adolescent story of its heroine Tsumugi Hayashida who works for a plastic model maker in Shizuoka City. The drama is packed with all the appeal of Shizuoka's local industry of the "plastic model" and the "models." Shizuoka is in fact the number one nationwide in terms of the shipment value of the plastic model, and it accounts for more than 90% share of the industry. There are companies which have set up observation spaces for tourists, and some even have the employees wear the military uniforms that appear in the anime. It's especially popular among foreign tourists. We'll explore the appeal of Shizuoka by focusing on Shizuoka's plastic model industry which also attracts plastic model fans from all over the world, pay a visit to a popular local plastic model workshop, and will also do a studio interview with manga artist Masakazu Katsura, an avid plastic figurine lover who worked on the design of the manga characters that appear in the drama.

This episode of imagine-nation will be featuring Junji Ito, a popular manga artist who's marked 30th anniversary in 2017 since his debut. Currently he is writing a new manga "Travelogue of the Succubus" for the comic magazine "Nemuki+" after 4 years of non-activity. Since his 1986 debut, Ito has continued to put out horror manga. His short stories that paint a unique, strange, and fearful world in super detailed drawings have received high praise. He is dubbed the prince of the horror manga industry by many enthusiastic fans. His overseas popularity is also very high, as he was officially invited as an honorary guest to the Angouleme International Comics Festival held in France in 2015 and was awarded the Angouleme Honorary Citizen Award. Furthermore, in China, he is so popular that he was nicknamed the "National Treasure Manga Artist." In 2016, his work was even adapted into an online drama. Since last December, he has also been holding a solo exhibition tour "Junji Ito Fear Experience Exhibition - Extreme Getaway" in China which has been attracting lots of Chinese fans. Ito is the first Japanese manga artist to open a solo exhibition in China. During the China tour, an exhibition was held in Shenzhen until October 28, and on the first day of the exhibition, Ito himself was there to exchange with the local fans. Through an interview with Junji Ito on his new manga, we'll be exploring the secret behind the worldwide success of Japanese horror, as well as his exhibitions in China, and the popularity of Japanese manga across Asia.

On this episode, we'll be featuring "e-sports" which has been gaining attention around the world. "e-sports" is short for "electric sports." Its popularity is growing so fast that the number of e-sports athletes worldwide (130 million people as of 2018) is expected to surpass that of soccer (300 million people) by 2020. There have also been many world championships which has given rise to many "pro gamers." With many of the championships offering high prize money, there are even some e-sports athletes with an annual income exceeding 100 million yen. It has been reported that e-sports was adopted as an official sport at the 2022 Asian Games, and is also being considered for the Paris Olympics in 2024 as well. At September's Tokyo Game Show, Japan's biggest game festival, the e-sports booths were bustling with many fans. "Fuudo," who stands out among the athletes, is a 32-year-old male who has been a professional gamer for 5 years. Excelling in instantaneous power and game tactics, he is a world-renowned player who has won many titles worldwide, and is even involved in machine development. On the program, we'll be inviting "Fuudo" over as a guest to talk about his passion towards e-sports and for a demo of his professional gaming techniques. We'll also be exploring the future potential of e-sports through our coverage of an e-sports special school.

This episode of imagine-nation will feature the manga artist and illustrator "Seizo Watase." This year, at 73 years old, he began a new Web comic serialization titled the "Wonder Cocktail" for a fashion website. His colorful and heartful illustrations are well-known in Japan. They're also popular outside Japan and have been displayed at many exhibitions in various countries. His prominent work "Heart Cocktail" which depicts a romantic love story gained huge popularity during the 1980's. It grasped the readers' hearts and took the world by storm with its graphic design styled layout and handwritten speech that captured the subtleness of love in a short story. After 35 years since his major hit, how does he feel about his new serialization that preserves the reincarnates the 80's atmosphere? We'll be exploring the appeal of Watase's works through a personal interview.

This time on imagine-nation, we're featuring Hiro Mashima, a leading figure in the world of Japan's fantasy manga. His notable works include the popular mangas "RAVE" and "FAIRY TAIL" which have been adapted into anime. "FAIRY TAIL" has especially become a major hit, boasting a cumulative circulation of over 60 million copies. In January 2018, "FAIRY TAIL" won the special honor award at the "45th Angouleme International Comics Festival" held in Angouleme, France, further proving its popularity both domestically and internationally. With "EDENS ZERO," Mashima is attempting the simultaneous serialization in 6 languages for the first time in the history of weekly magazines. It'll also be Mashima's first time pursuing an all-digital production. In the program, we'll be inviting Hiro Mashima to our studio to talk about how he produces manga, see a live demo of him drawing manga, and explore his enthusiasm behind his new manga and the newly adopted production style!

This episode of imagine-nation will be featuring "ULTRAMAN," the anime that began streaming worldwide in April 2019. "ULTRAMAN," a story of a new generation of national heroes Ultraman that everybody is familiar with, is a manga that's also hugely popular with overseas fans, and its long-awaited anime adaptation in full 3DCG has finally arrived. The original manga is being serialized in the "Monthly Comic Magazine HERO'S." It's become popular not only among longtime fans who grew up with Ultraman but also among younger generations who do not know about Ultraman. Currently, the manga boasts a cumulative circulation of over 2.80 million copies. Having been translated into 11 languages including English, French, and Chinese, it has proven to be popular overseas as well. It has even won international comic awards. Its anime adaptation, directed by a two-man team made up of the top 3DCG creator of the anime industry, namely Kenji Kamiyama and Shinji Aramaki, has made it one of the most anticipated anime titles of this season. Through this feature covering the scenes of anime production, we'll uncover the behind-the-scenes story of what has made Ultraman a timeless global masterpiece!

The featured topic this time in imagine-nation is "PROMARE," the anime film that starts screening in May 2019. It is the complete original animation film by the director, Hiroyuki Imaishi and the scriptwriter, Kazuki Nakashima who worked on the TV series of "Gurren Lagann," an anime that is still used as a synonym for "passionate anime and enthusiastic anime," and "KILL la KILL," the school battle anime that is set in the rough world. It is the first theatrical feature produced by them, and it is a long-awaited topic work by fans. The launch of the project was announced at North America's largest animation event "Anime Expo," held in Los Angeles, USA, in the summer of 2017, and it has attracted much attention from overseas anime fans. And it was met with big excitement at stage events at "AnimeJapan 2019" held at Tokyo Big Sight on March 24, 2019, before the release. Through the interviews at the production workspace, which is taking on a challenge of new approaches, such as establishing anime expression that combines CG and drawing, we will introduce the charm of "PROMARE," the anime that attracts attention from all over the world.

The featured topic this time is Noboru Takahashi, a manga writer. His blockbuster "Mogura no Uta" became a live-action film and officially screened at the 8th annual Rome International Film Festival Competition. Since "Mogura no Uta," the works of Noboru Takahashi obtained enduring popularity in Asia. His manga is sold in Taiwan, and it is attracting attention in China. In the recent comic industry, historical manga based on Chinese history, such as "Sangokushi" and "Hoshin Engi," which has become anime and staged, are extremely popular, and "Ryuho," a Chinese history spectacle manga by Noboru Takahashi that is serialized in "Big Comic" since July in 2017, is attracting attention. At the process of production of "Ryuho," he studied Chinese history hard and had a history advisor join in his team as a staff member. While emphasizing the reproduction of ancient Chinese paintings, he became particular about expressing the atmosphere and character at the time with manga-like deformation and the sense of entertainment. Through the interview at the workspace where the work of Takahashi has been produced, we are going to introduce the charm of the manga writer, "Noboru Takahashi."

This time, we are featuring Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, Japan's legendary manga artist/animator who continues to produce energetic titles to this day. Yasuhiko, with his unique style of brush artwork, has created many titles that are highly acclaimed for their "depiction of realistic movement." "Mobile Suit Gundam THE ORIGIN," the manga adaptation of the animation produced by Yasuhiko, was a huge success, selling over 10 million copies in total. The anime's Blu-ray and video streaming were released simultaneously in Japan and the world, with the Blu-ray featuring Japanese, English, French, Korean, Chinese (Taiwan & Hong Kong) subtitles, as well as Japanese and English audio. One of Yasuhiko's lifework is the manga series "Yasuhiko's Contemporary Japanese History." And in 2018, Yasuhiko who turned 71, began working on the last new serialization of his life "Inui and Tatsumi: The Heroic Legend of Baikal," a story depicting the life of men who survived the battlefield of Russia during the Siberian Intervention of Taisho era.
In the program, we'll be inviting Yoshikazu Yasuhiko as a studio guest to talk about the behind-the-scenes story of the birth of "Mobile Suit Gundam" anime which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, and his enthusiasm behind his "last new serialization."

On this episode, we are featuring "A Certain Scientific Accelerator," a brand-new anime that began airing in Japan in July 2019. The "A Certain" series, which launched 15 years ago with "A Certain Magical Index," spans 8 titles. With a strong overseas fanbase and an active online community, the series has become hugely popular around the world. The "A Certain Scientific Accelerator," which is an anime adaptation of a 2014 manga of the same title had been eagerly anticipated by the fans. In the program, we'll interview its director and explore the appeal of the "A Certain" series by visiting the production studio of the anime. Furthermore, we'll be taking a close look at its popular character "Accelerator" who takes center stage in the latest anime.

This episode of imagine-nation will feature "BEM," the anime celebrating its 50th anniversary as of July 2019 since the beginning of its broadcast. "BEM" is a brand-new anime based on the 1968 Japanese TV anime. The project to revive the series began back in 2017. Starting with a short piece comedy anime "We are humanoid monsters" by production studio DLE, numerous new projects were launched. Ever since the production of "Humanoid Monster BEM" back in 1968, it was always made with an overseas release in mind, and the latest anime is no exception. Through interviews with the people of the production studio, we'll uncover the efforts that went into its long-hoped overseas debut and explore the appeal of this long-running series.

The Sanrio character original anime that comically depicts the stressful life of female Japanese office workers has become a big hit overseas! In the "Sanrio Character Award 2018," it ranked first in Brazil and the UK, second in Italy, Germany, France, and the United Arab Emirates, gaining huge popularity worldwide. Aggressive Retsuko has separate official Twitter accounts for domestic and overseas audiences. While the domestic account "Aggressive Retsuko" has approx. 27,000 followers, the foreign account "Aggretsuko" has approx. 42,000 followers which are a testament to its overseas popularity. The animation director is Rareko, who won first place in the Entertainment Division at the Japan Media Arts Festival in 2006 with indie anime "Yawaraka Sensha." In addition to getting a peek into the production site of the long-awaited season 2, we'll be interviewing its animation director Rareko to uncover the secrets behind the birth of "Aggressive Retsuko" which has become a huge overseas success.

On this episode, we're featuring Setona Mizushiro, a manga artist who is extremely popular with women. Mizushiro, who debuted in 1993, has produced numerous Shojo manga masterpieces that go beyond the conventional romance theme to include the dark and cruel side of womanhood. Mizushiro is currently serializing "I am the world's best XX" twice-monthly in "Evening," her first try at a predominantly male audience comic magazine. Outside Japan, it's also been released in Indonesia and Taiwan. It's a story about 3 males aged around 30 with completely different personalities and circumstances, who have been proposed by a mysterious agent 773 (Nanami) to compete in a game "Who will be the unhappiest after 300 days?" In the program, we'll be inviting Setona Mizushiro as our studio guest to talk about the story behind the making of first male audience manga "I am the world's best XX" and explore what makes Mizushiro's works so appealing to both male and female fans.

On this episode, we're featuring Kotobuki Shiriagari, the artist who is popular for Heta-uma styled parody/comedy manga. He debuted in 1985 as a manga artist with "Electric Spring" while he was still a full-time salaried worker. Since 1994, he became an independent full-time manga artist and went on to release fantastical and literary works one after another. In 2014, he is said to be one of Japan's leading artists, such as winning the Medal with Purple Ribbon in the Spring Conferment of Decorations for his creative activities outside the boundaries of a manga artist. He has even released an original manga in "Tezucomi," the magazine which was recently launched to commemorate the 90th year since the birth of Osamu Tezuka. His works have been drawing attention outside Japan as well, including "Manga from that day" themed on an earthquake disaster which was exhibited at the largest overseas manga exhibition being held at The British Museum. Coming up in the program, we'll invite Kotobuki Shiriagari as our studio guest to talk about the behind-the-scene creation story of "Oh No! Mamoru-kun" and what drives him to create unique and diverse styles of manga.

In this episode of imagine-nation, we're featuring the TV anime "Fairy gone" that began airing its 2nd season as of this month (October 2019) in Japan. "Fairy gone" is an original TV anime set in a world where "fairies" exist. In this world, wars were ended by the power of "fairies" that give special powers to the living creatures it possesses. This fantasy depicts the battles fought between humans (fairy soldiers) who can exercise the power of fairies at their own will. The anime is available to audiences worldwide through Netflix. With a luxurious lineup of popular foreign voice actors, the anime has been attracting a lot of attention. Along with the interview of its directors, we'll also be visiting the production studio to discover the work that goes into the carefully crafted storyline, high-quality visuals, and the exhilarating fairy battle scenes of the highly acclaimed season 1 and the latest season!

In this episode of imagine-nation, we're featuring "Sangokushi Meshi," a cooking manga that's being serialized on WEB Comic Tom since March 2017. In order to write this manga, Honjo, the author received the help of Akira Motegi, the leading Japanese expert on Chinese Dim Sums who has served as a head Dim Sum chef at famous restaurants and hotels inducing Keio Plaza Hotel and Hotel New Otani, to supervise the cooking. The manga's publisher Ushio Publishing is also known for specializing in China. They've published Mitsuteru Yokoyama's "Sangokushi" and have even put out an academic book called "China's Civilization" from its manga editorial department. They collected a variety of materials for this manga including the "Qimin Yaoshu" which is said to be the oldest existing Chinese cookbook. Just how do they reproduce the ancient Chinese cuisine which we only know through academic materials? Honjo, the author will be joining us as a studio guest to talk about the appeal of this cooking manga, and we'll also be visiting his manga studio, the editorial department, and the scene of cooking supervision!

This episode of imagine-nation is featuring the latest "Sakura Wars" game from a video game-based media franchise that has been popular worldwide since its launch in 1996. It has been 14 years since the last game release. "Sakura Wars," set in a fictional world based on Japan's Taisho era, is a dramatic adventure game centered on the battle between the girls of the Japanese government's Imperial Assault Force secret troops and the "Gouma" monsters.

This episode of imagine-nation will be featuring the manga "Shin-Shinchou Kouki - Nobunaga-kun to Watashi" by Shinobu Kaitani which is currently being serialized in the "Weekly Young Magazine." The story of this manga is about cloned Sengoku period warlords who aspire to unify the world of delinquency in a high school setting. "Shin-Shinchou Kouki" is an ambitious manga that incorporates elements from the "delinquent manga" genre that's popular in Japan, the "Sengoku period" theme, as well as Sci-Fi elements such as human cloning. In the program, we'll be inviting Shinobu Kaitani to the studio to talk about the story behind the manga's creation. Furthermore, we'll be visiting Kaitani's studio to discover what makes his manga so unique!

In this episode, we are featuring "BEASTARS," an anime set in a world inhabited by anthropomorphized carnivore and herbivore animals. The story revolves around animal characters that live and study together at a boarding school. This anime was made using cutting-edge digital technology that fuses 2D and 3D CG. Its author, Paru Itagaki is one of Japan's up-and-coming manga artists who has won famous awards such as the "2018 Japan Media Arts Festival New Face Award," the "Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Newborn Award" as well as the "Cartoon Grand Prize." Paru also happens to be the daughter of Keisuke Itagaki, the manga artist famous for "Baki the Grappler" and "Garouden." The anime was directed by Shinichi Matsumi, a director well versed in digital technologies, especially 3DCG, and knows all about Japanese 2D/3D CG anime. In the program, we'll be interviewing director Shinichi Matsumi to talk about the appeal of "BEASTARS" as well as his experience in 3DCG technology, said to be the best in Japan, and the challenges he had to overcome during the creation of this anime.

In this episode of imagine-nation, we are featuring the anime "Sorcerous Stabber Orphen" which is celebrating its 25th anniversary since the series' inception. From January this year (2020), its TV broadcasts will simultaneously begin around the world, including in Japan (on TOKYO MX), China, Korea, France and the United States. The protagonist, Orphen, will be played by the world-renowned voice actor Showtaro Morikubo, who played Orphen 20 years ago in its previous installments. He is also famous for playing popular characters such as Goro Shigeno from "MAJOR" and Shikamaru Nara from "NARUTO." Furthermore, the anime is being created by a team of world-renowned creators, including director Takayuki Hamana, scriptwriter Reiko Yoshida and character designer Takahiko Yoshida! In the program, we'll be visiting the production studio, and will also be interviewing director Takayuki Hamana and voice actor Showtaro Morikubo to find out the enthusiasm behind the creation of a brand-new season of the anime that took the world by storm with its previous 2 seasons.

In this episode, we'll be exploring the appeal of "Doraemon: Nobita's New Dinosaur," the 40th movie of Japan's famous manga series "Doraemon" which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year! Today, "Doraemon" has become so popular worldwide that its manga and anime are being localized for readers and audiences across Europe and Asia. In the program, we'll also be interviewing the 3 creators, director Kazuaki Imai, producer/screenwriter Genki Kawamura and the last pupils of Fujio F. Fujiko - Shintaro Mugiwara, to talk about their commitment in creating popular contents not only for the Japanese audience but also for fans around the world. Come and discover the all-new "Nobita's New Dinosaur" movie created by the prominent creators of our time.

This episode is a feature on "UNDER NINJA," a manga by Kengo Hanazawa which is currently being serialized in the "Weekly Young Magazine." It depicts the demise of modern Japanese society. In Japan, it became a huge hit, boasting a cumulative circulation of over more than 8 million copies. In 2016, it was adapted into a live-action movie by director Shinsuke Sato known for the success of "Library War" and the "GANTZ" series. Having won 5 crowns at the "World's big 3 International Fantastic Film Festivals," he is today well-known overseas. In the program, we'll be interviewing its author Kengo Hanazawa and his editorial staff to explore the hidden story behind the birth of "UNDER NINJA" and its appeal.