Toshio Masuda, the director behind Uchuu Senkan Yamato (Space Battleship Yamato) movies, died on August 26 due to natural causes. He was 98. The Directors Guild of Japan announced the news on Thursday, stating that Masuda died at a hospital in Tokyo.
Gintama creator Hideaki Sorachi has admitted that he initially expected the anime adaptation to flop, adding that he was only expecting royalties from the manga. Sorachi shared the comments in a message during a stage greeting event for Gintama The Movie – Yoshiwara In Flames – in Tokyo on Sept. 26, 2026.
Japanese prosecutors are seeking nine years in prison for a 37-year-old farmer who admitted setting fire to a mosque in Hokkaido – a building that had itself previously been declared illegally constructed by local authorities.
It often feels like I never get to write about really positive news. Sure, I can occasionally voice my excitement over an upcoming adaptation or a figure, but I need more. I need to write about news that puts me in a week-long cheery mood.
Senran Kagura creator Kenichiro Takaki has looked back on a time when games built around attractive anime girls and sexual fanservice weren’t always taken seriously within the Japanese game industry. Takaki shared the memory as Senran Kagura celebrated its 15th anniversary on September 22.
MediaOCD founder Justin Sevakis provided an update on its upcoming Vampire Princess Miyu Blu-ray release this past week, stating that its packaging draft has now been approved by licensors.
Yen Press has announced nineteen new manga, light novel, and audiobook license acquisitions, including Oh Boy, Was I Wrong About Her and Monster of Absolute Evil.
Gust and Koei Tecmo have shared several new Atelier illustrations stemming from various projects. First, two new Atelier Karia illustrations have been released: one advertising the upcoming Atelier Calendar 2027, and another new piece by benitama celebrating the arrival of Fall.
Square Enix has celebrated the 12th anniversary of its ongoing mobile RPG Final Fantasy Record Keeper with a new illustration by Tetsuya Nomura, alongside various staff messages and teases for future plans.
Bandai Namco has released mobile and desktop wallpapers celebrating the launch of the Code Vein II Mask of Idris DLC. These wallpapers feature the DLC’s key art alongside Liv and Lou, with several resolutions available for desktop and mobile.
Key has announced Summer Pockets Sunnyside Stories, a visual novel romance compilation, launching for PC in Japan on December 18, 2026. The game adapts the Summer Pockets short stories originally published on the official website in 2018 while adding new material created for this release.
Bandai Namco has announced that SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada will end its current online service sometime in or after May 2027. The development and operations team is preparing an offline version that will let existing owners keep playing without the online functionality.
Konami has released a new character song video for the mobile RPG Suikoden STAR LEAP, featuring Rachana and her voice actress, Minami Tsuda. The featured song is titled “Shanpia da Utopia” and is performed by Lachana, voiced by Tsuda.
