News of Japanese media is always buzzing, with new stories and announcements breaking every day, so HNGN is bringing you a quick look at 10 of the biggest otaku news stories from the past seven days.
"Boruto" Manga to Debut in 2016
After the conclusion of the worldwide phenomenon that was "Naruto," creator Masashi Kishimoto is stepping aside to work on his next manga, but one of Kishimoto-sensei's assistants (Mikio Ikemoto) will be taking over the lead role in drawing the never-before-seen adventures of Naruto's son, Boruto, Otaku USA reported. The monthly manga, supervised by Kishimoto, will be simulpublished in Weekly Shonen Jump's English digital version as well, thanks to Viz Media.
"Smile PreCure" Localized Anime Streaming Exclusively on Netflix
The first season of "Glitter Force," an English-language adaptation of "Smile PreCure," the ninth installment of the Izumi Todo's "Pretty Cure" series, began streaming on Friday as a Netflix exclusive outside of Asia, as reported by Otaku USA. The full first season is 20 episodes in length.
Sony Establishes Partnership with Kojima Productions
After leaving Konami Digital Entertainment on Dec. 15, Hideo Kojima, creator of the Metal Gear series, has formed a new studio - Kojima Productions - and has announced a partnership with Sony Computer Entertainment. The first title developed under this partnership will be a Playstation 4 exclusive, as reported by Tokyo Otaku Mode.
"One Piece" Shows Support For "Star Wars" at Japanese Premiere
When "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" premiered in Japan on Friday, the fans found that they were not alone: everyone's favorite anime pirate crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, showed their support for the film in an official piece of special cosplay artwork showing the Straw Hats dressed as certain iconic "Star Wars" characters. This was a tie-in "due to a special trailer for 'One Piece Film Gold' that will screen prior to the Japanese premiere on Friday," Anime News Network reported.
"Itachi Shinden" to Receive Anime Adaptation
It was announced at this weekend's Jump Festa, the celebration of all things Shonen Jump, that the "Naruto" spin-off light novel "Itachi Shinden" would debut in Spring 2016, according to CrunchyRoll.
"Power Rangers" Film Delayed For Second Time
The official Instagram of the upcoming "Power Rangers" film announced last week that the film's opening day was delayed - for the second time - to March 24, 2017, after being pushed back to Jan. 13, 2017 from the initial date of July 2016.
"Attack on Titan" Game Content Additions
For those who haven't heard yet, "Attack on Titan's" new upcoming video game from Koei Tecmo and Omega Force, launching in Japan this February on Playstation 3, Playstation 4 and PS Vita, has received some very big character additions. These will include the titan forms of both Eren Yeager and Annie Leonhart, as reported by Gematsu. The game will also find its way to the U.S. and Europe sometime in 2016.
Family of Deceased Voice Actress Reveals Cause of Death
It was revealed on Tuesday that voice actress Miyu Matsuki, who passed away on Oct. 27, had died from a terminal case of malignant lymphoma, which resulted from a chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection, according to Anime News Network. The announcement was made via Miyu's blog by the agency 81 Produce, as well as the fact that her family wishes to share the name of the disease in the hopes of raising awareness for early detection. Miyu was not only a prolific voice actress, she performed opening theme songs for various anime as well.
Next "Sengoku Basara" Video Game Announced
Capcom officially released the first information and screenshots for its newest addition to the "Sengoku Basara" game series, "Sanada Yukimura-Den," following a leak of information from Weekly Famitsu magazine. The game will follow the life of historic warrior Sanada Yukimura, and unlike previous "Basara" titles, will be more closely based on historical facts rather than taking creative license, according to Gematsu. The game will launch in Japan (likely exclusively, so prepare to import!) in Summer 2016 for the Playstation 3 and Playstation 4.
Funimation Channel Relaunch Confirmed
FUNimation Entertainment is terminating its 10-year partnership with Olympusat, effective Dec. 31, 2015. The new FUNimation Channel will relaunch in 2016 "with a renewed focus on delivering fans the very best selection of anime content in the market," FUNimation reported.
