Rilakkuma Town Cafe, a collab cafe produced by San-X, will be heading to Ikebukuro this month to celebrate Rilakkuma’s 15th anniversary! The cafe begins business from Apr. 25 and is just one of the many events that San-X has planned for their Welcome to Rilakkuma Town exhibit. Utter cuteness is guaranteed, beginning with these strange

The English version of hugely popular Japanese rhythm game BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! is finally out on iOS and Android! BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! is the top-grossing Japanese rhythm game to date. Preregistration for the international release opened in February, gathering more than 30,000 fans. In the game, players use simple controls to

The otherworldly Ishtar from Fate/Grand Order is now available as a gorgeous articulated figure by 4 Inch Nel! While she may look familiar due to her possession of Tohsaka Rin, this Pseudo-Servant exudes a godly and powerful aura that is all her own. Her choice of attire is sparse but lavishly adorned with golden accents

Legendary Studio Ghibli co-founder and director Takahata Isao, renowned for works like Grave of the Fireflies, The Tale of Princess Kaguya and Only Yesterday, passed away at a hospital in Tokyo on Apr. 5. Takahata was born in Ujiyamada (currently Ise), Mie prefecture on Oct. 29, 1935. His first venture as a director was the

Arrange a meet-and-greet with your favorite light novelist with this new Nendoroid of the talented Yamada Elf from Fushimi Tsukasa’s Eromanga Sensei! Elf is more than ready to grace her adoring fans with her presence, wearing her trademark lolita dress adorned with all sorts of frills and ribbons, plus her ribbon hairband! Quite the expressive

The TV anime adaptation of Violet Evergarden reaches its conclusion this week with episode 13. However, according to an announcement made via the show’s official Twitter account, it won’t be the last we see of the Auto Memory Dolls as an entirely new anime project is currently in the works. Adapted from Akatsuki Kana’s popular

A new collaboration between Detective Conan and watch brand INDEPENDENT will have time-conscious fans considering a watch upgrade as four models are now available for preorder via Premico Online Shop. The four models are themed after four main characters: Kudou Shinichi, Mouri Ran, Akai Shuichi, and Furuya Rei. There’s no mistaking their high quality with

My Hero Academia the Movie: The Two Heroes, set for an Aug. 3 release, has just released its first teaser trailer! The first 30 seconds of the trailer provide a crash course in My Hero Academia history before the action switches to a mysterious island where the movie is set. The trailer also features the

Most people know about Studio Ghibli and its famous animated films that feature delightful characters, unforgettable storylines, and breathtaking scenery. Some may have watched every single film (perhaps twice or even three times), but not many know that numerous scenes found in the films are based on real locations in Japan. For those who have

Fate/Grand Order’s Avenger Class Servant Jeanne d’Arc (Alter) dances up a storm in this elegant 1/7th scale figure! Sculpted by Nakamayan (Max Factory), the figure is inspired by Jeanne’s appearance in the Subspecies Singularity I: Isolated Demonic Realm: Shinjuku storyline as seen in FGO Project 1.5: Epic of Remnant. Elegantly posed, the figure fully captures

The stage adaptation of Suzuki Nakaba’s popular fantasy manga The Seven Deadly Sins has released its very first visual along with the main cast and performance dates. Naya Takeru will play the protagonist, Meliodas, with Nogizaka46’s Umezawa Minami as Elizabeth Liones. Other cast members so far confirmed include: Arisawa Shoutarou as Ban, Hasegawa Kasumi as

Fate/EXTELLA is expanding their lineup of premium glasses with two new models based on Nero Claudius and Tamamo no Mae! Made in Japan by the famous Japanese brand less than human, these glasses have sleek stainless steel bodies, with different takes on the cool half-rim design. While there was also a scarlet version of Nero

Sailor Moon and My Melody have joined forces yet again to offer fans a little slice of moon heaven in the form of a candy-themed collaboration cafe! The two also collaborated last Aug. to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Sailor Moon with a lineup of original goods. This time around, they’ve decided to go with

The beautiful Minamoto no Raikou from the popular smartphone game Fate/Grand Order is now up for preorder as a stunning figure by Bellfine! Scheduled to ship out in Oct. 2018, this Berserker-class Servant reaches a height of 250 mm at 1/7th scale. Superb detailing and sculpting offer a faithful reproduction that brings every part of

Japanese artist Koujou Masayuki has brought Star Wars to life with breathtaking sumi-e canvas prints available on the EC platform Collab Japan! Four versions are available including Darth Vader, Captain Phasma, Stormtrooper, and Darth Maul. The dynamic designs are inspired by “bujin-ga”, a style of painting meant to capture the legacy of great warriors. Darth

Anime cafe and bar Ani On Station will host a collaboration cafe to celebrate the upcoming sixth and final part of the film series Digimon Adventure tri., which premieres May 5! Titled “Digimon Adventure tri. Music Cafe in Ani On Station Final Party!”, it will be open to fans from Apr. 18 in five locations:

Beauty and strength spring to life with the newest figure of Juzumaru Tsunetsugu, one of the Five Great Swords form popular smartphone game Touken Ranbu -ONLINE-! Manufactured by Orange Rouge and sculpted by Oage, Juzumaru reaches a height of 225 mm at 1/8th scale. Standing straight with his feet positioned almost like a dancer’s, Juzumaru

This year’s Racing Miku has made her way into the Nendoroid lineup and is now up for preorder! 2018 marks the 10th anniversary of the Hatsune Miku GT Project, with this year’s adorable design illustrated by Kanzaki Hiro. She comes with both a smiling face and a playful winking face. This photo also shows off

A new Detective Conan smartphone game titled Detective Conan Puzzle: Cross Chain has gone live on the App Store and Google Play! In celebration of its launch, the game is running a series of campaigns including a login bonus, SSR1 card, and gasha. To celebrate its 10,000 preregistrations, it will also gift players with a

The (self-proclaimed) world’s first virtual YouTuber Kizuna AI has made her scale figure debut, which is now up for preorders at TOM Projects! With over 100 million views and 2 million subscribers on YouTube, Kizuna AI is well-known for her vlogs and gaming videos. She has also gained many fans due to her innocent and

Just in time for the Easter holiday, Felissimo’s quirky brand YOU+MORE! has begun online sales for their new and improved bunny bento pouches! Compared to the first lineup of similar pouches previously sold by YOU+MORE!, the new ones are larger with a significantly more detailed exterior, and feature the addition of large charming bunny ears.

Shinkai Makoto, director of anime hits like Kimi no Na wa. and 5 Centimeters Per Second, is celebrating the 15th anniversary of his directorial debut with a commemorative message book that is now available on Village Vanguard’s online store. The book covers the entirety of Shinkai’s film career from his debut, Voices of a Distant

Spring has truly sprung, and Japan is no exception with beautiful cherry blossom trees in many areas in full bloom! Of course, the stunning views are also perfect inspiration for tons of sweets, both delicious and attractive. Whether you’re planning your own hanami (flower viewing outing) or just want to see the incredible items out

Studio Ponoc, the animation studio founded by Arrietty’s Yonebayashi Hiromasa, has announced a new anthology film project! Slated to premiere on Aug. 24 in Japan, the project’s first work is titled Modest Heroes and includes three stories. The first, Kanini and Kanino, will be directed by Yonebayashi and will feature the adventures of a pair

The dynamic duo from Pop Team Epic are spreading the word for the upcoming animated film Batman Ninja with a re-enactment of the “Are You Upset?” scene as Batman and the Joker! The voice actors featured are Yamadera Kouichi and Wataru Takagi, who play Batman and the Joker respectively in the new movie. In addition,

Held at Tokyo Big Sight from Mar. 22−25, AnimeJapan 2018 had its biggest year yet with over 150,000 visitors! As one would expect, there was plenty of exciting news revealed over the course of the four days, but sifting through all of it can be a little intimidating. Whether you’re here to catch up or

Sword Art Online Season 3 is set to begin broadcasting in Oct. 2018! Based on the popular light novel series by Kawahara Reiki, Sword Art Online follows the protagonist Kirito through various VRMMORPG adventures. Following two seasons of the TV anime, it made the jump to the big screen in 2017 with Sword Art Online

Pop Team Epic’s Popuko and Pipi are indulging in a little cosplay with these delightfully unexpected Ninja Batman collaborative Nendoroids. Dressed as Batman, Popuko is wearing a rather low tech mask with a black and yellow version of her regular sailor suit uniform, while Pipi is dressed as the Joker with green hair and white

Preorders are open for Hobby Japan’s two new figures of Kill la Kill’s Kiryuin Satsuki and Matoi Ryuko caught while bathing! Up first is the beautiful yet unyielding Satsuki. Standing as though she’s just gotten out of the water, fans are offered the heart-pounding view of her shapely body as her dark locks cling onto

Beloved Nitroplus mascot Super Sonico has dressed up in Racing Miku 2016’s outfit for a stunning new 1/6 scale figure from Max Factory! The booty shorts, bandeau top, and glossy gloves and tights of Racing Miku 2016 suit the pink-haired beauty perfectly. Thanks to her undeniably voluptuous body, the costume also looks especially sexy. Super