imagine-nation

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.