Naoki Urasawa's Manben neo

ANIME MANGA EXPLOSION

November 2024 •English

The size of the Japanese animation market was 2,426 billion yen by 2020. More than half of that amount came from overseas sales. The manga market is also expanding, reaching 675.9 billion yen in 2021. Those unique visuals and stories from Japan have struck a chord with fans around the world and are growing into a huge industry. ANIME MANGA EXPLOSION will actively feature major works that are highly recognized by overseas fans and reveal the secrets of Japanese anime and manga creation through the series.

ANIME SANCTUARIES

November 2024 •English

Did you know that a lot of your favorite anime are based in real-life locations? Join us on a pilgrimage around Japan to the "Sanctuaries" that are the inspiration of some of the greatest anime!

Manben: Behind the Scenes of Manga with Urasawa Naoki

November 2024 •Japanese

Urasawa Naoki no Manben (Naoki Urasawa's Manga Exertions) is a TV Documentary airing on NHK Educational TV. It follows acclaimed mangaka Naoki Urasawa (creator of 20th Century Boys and Monster) as he sets out to break new ground for manga even further than he already has. In an attempt to educate viewers about manga and preserve the intricate craftsmanship and process of Japanese artists on video for future generations, he invites a manga artist to have their workplace filmed for a couple of days, so as to display them in the process of crafting chapters for their current serializations. After the footage has been shot, Urasawa meets with the artist and they discuss the footage, talking about the artist's workplace and workflow, the difficulties involved in the mangaka lifestyle, their reasons for drawing manga in the first place, and their perspective on the current industry and their own work.

36,000 Seconds in a Day

November 2024 •Japanese

Nishina, Maya, Shiro, and Aoi are four good friends in their second year of high school with good looks but disappointing personalities. The four who decided that they will never fall in love, formed their own club, known as the "Muda-bu" (Useless Club), which focuses on researching silly themes and uploading them on social media. One day, they decided to do an experiment from a manga that says, "If you run with a piece of bread in your mouth and bump into someone, you will fall in love". While trying to conduct the experiment, they accidentally bumped into someone while having a piece of bread in the mouth.

Mangirl!

November 2024 •Japanese

A team of girls with zero experience in manga editing are off and running toward their dream of creating the biggest manga magazine in Japan! They seem to do nothing but run into problems and failures... But still they're working hard every day!

Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan

November 2024 •Japanese

Comic creator Rohan Kishibe, along with his partner-cum-editor, Kyōka Izumi, challenge various incidents beyond human knowledge.

Hey, Your Cat Ears Are Showing!

November 2024 •Chinese

Daisū is a a manga creator who grew up in an orphanage, and whose works do not sell very well. Daisū lives each lonely day in boredom, but one day he meets a young man named Myō who has cat ears, and his everyday life completely changes. Myō gets in trouble every day, but for the first time in his life, Daisū’s heart experiences "warmth."

主夫メゾン

November 2024 •Japanese

A fashionable condominium found by a newlywed, but the living conditions are limited to "house husband"? Maison de Otto, a condominium limited to full-time husbands' families. Although it is a fashionable 2LDK in a prime location in Shibuya, Tokyo, the rent is only 50,000 yen a month, so to live in this super-favorable condominium, Riku became a "house husband" without even thinking about it. Kamiya Riku moves with his wife, and the story begins! A heart-full romantic comedy that provides dreams, longing, and healing.

Zatsu Tabi -That's Journey-

November 2024 •Japanese

The story centers on Chika Suzugamori, a college student who has been shopping some manga pitches around to publishers ever since she won a rookie manga award, but keeps getting rejected. Just as she was about to lose hope in ever breaking into the manga industry, she decides on a whim to go traveling without any particular goal.

AnoHana: The Flower We Saw That Day

November 2024 •Japanese

When Yadomi Jinta was a child, he was a central piece in a group of close friends. In time, however, these childhood friends drifted apart, and when they became high school students, they had long ceased to think of each other as friends. One of the friends from that group, Honma Meiko, now has a wish she asks Jinta to fulfil. The problem is, she can't remember what her wish is anymore.

Attack on Titan: Junior High

November 2024 •Japanese

Your favorite characters from Attack on Titan are back in…junior high school? Adapted from the hit spinoff manga series—Attack on Titan: Junior High (written by Saki Nakagawa), this parody reimagines Eren, Mikasa, Armin, and other characters from the original manga as students and teachers at Titan Junior High School.

Bakuman

November 2024 •Japanese

Moritaka Mashiro, a high school student, is persuaded by his classmate, Akito Takagi, to become an aspiring manga artist when the latter realizes his natural talent as an artist. However, Moritaka is reluctant as his uncle, once an artist with his own manga, died from overwork. With Akito's help, Moritaka gets his school crush, Azuki Miho, who is an aspiring voice actress, to act in the anime adaptation of their future manga once it is completed. However, Mashiro also proposes to Azuki, who surprisingly accepts only on the condition she will marry him when both of them have achieved their dreams. With a goal set before him, Mashiro begins a long and struggling path to become a famous manga artist.

Kakushigoto

November 2024 •Japanese

Single father Kakushi Goto has a secret. He’s a top-selling artist of popular erotic manga, but his impressionable young daughter, Hime, can never find out! Now he’s having to bend over backwards just to keep her inquisitive little mind from discovering what he does for a living.

Hanamaru Kindergarten

November 2024 •Japanese

Anzu, Hiiragi, and Koume are three girls who attend the lively Hanamaru Kindergarten. There they have lots of adventures with their classmates and with Naozomi Tsuchida, their teacher who has just started working fresh out of school.

Squishy! Black Clover

November 2024 •Japanese

In a world where magic is everything, Asta, who is the only person who can't use magic, and the magical genius Yuno go all out to become the Wizard King. This is a spin off of the anime series "Black Clover" with an unbelievable story and an amazing cast.

Kotaro Lives Alone

November 2024 •Japanese

A lonely little boy moves into a ramshackle apartment building all on his own and makes friends with the broke manga artist who lives next door.

Back Street Girls -GOKUDOLS-

November 2024 •Japanese

A group of 3 yakuza failed their boss for the last time. After messing up an important job, the boss gave them 2 choices: honorably commit suicide, or go to Thailand to get a sex reassignment surgery in order to become "female" idols. After a gruesome year training to become idols, they successfully debut, with overwhelming popularity, much to their dismay. This is where their tragedy truly begins.

Where the Lost Ones Go

November 2024 •Chinese

Where the Lost Ones Go tells the story of the first love of young art student which lead to a lifetime of unforgetable love. Ye Zi, a major in chinese art painting and Xiang Ze Yi, a major in oil painting met and fell in love in college. However Ye Zi was heart-broken when Xiang Ze Yi suddenly left without a word. Years later, Ye Zi became a famous manga illustrator. In hope of getting back together again, Xiang Ze Yi came back with a confession of what happened and why he had to leave. How will Ye Zi decide?

Gu Gu the Cat

November 2024 •Japanese

About a lady and her cat. The lady's cat dies and she loses all inspiration to continue living, and doing her work from home job. One day when forced to get out of her house for a while she finds and orphaned kitten in the park. The kitten is sick and she takes the kitten to the vet. This kitten brings her out of her depression and gives her new hope.

Paddock to Plate

November 2024 •English