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The official YouTube channel for Kiramune , a Japanese record label specializing in music by male voice actors, has started streaming a music video for voice actor Tetsuya Kakihara's new song, "Free Cracker," which released digitally on May 11. The clips consist of a combination of performances by Kakihara and the members of Okaki Band , each of which was filmed separately. The band's guitarist, Shuhei Mutsuki , composed and arranged the song. He has been collaborating with Kakihara since "Brightness" from Kakihara's first full album "orange" released in 2015, and commented on his official X (formerly Twitter) , "I wrote this song thinking of Tetsuya-san's past and future." "Free Cracker" Tetsuya Kakihara with Okaki Band Kakihara is best known for his portrayals of Natsu Dragneel in Fairy Tail and Jinpachi Todo in Yowamushi Pedal . He made his solo singer debut from Kiramune in November 2010, releasing seven singles, ten mini-albums, and three full albums to date.

Over the last 25 years, many anime titles have gone unnoticed by most fans. Unlike hit series like Solo Leveling, My Hero Academia or Dandadan, these series couldn't garner enough attention for fans to appreciate them until years later. Their cult followings have kept them alive over the years, and some even get new spin-offs or sequels that slip under most people's radars.

For every successful anime adaptation, there are plenty of series with unique ideas that aren't successful enough to appeal to a broad audience. These series are still great on their own. However, they've only gained widespread recognition years after airing. Anyone curious enough to break away from popular seasonal titles should take the time to check out these classic anime series.

Symphogear's Unique Mix of Genres Makes it Stand Out Among Other Action Anime Streaming on Crunchyroll

Symphogear follows a group of teenage girls who battle monsters called...

The final season of the Dr. Stone anime, Dr. Stone Science Future , is barreling toward its January 2025 premiere. Ahead of that, though, the new season will have its world premiere at Ccxp, which will take place December 5-8 in São Paulo, Brazil. Since November 14 is "Good Stone Day" in Japan—the day can be read as a pun of "I-i-i-shi (1-1-1-4) no hi," which translates to a good stone day in Japanese—more details have also emerged for Dr. Stone Science Future . In addition to a brand new trailer, the staff has unveiled a new key visual and two additional cast members. Dr. Stone Science Future Trailer Related: Dr. Stone Science Future Anime Reveals January 2025 Premiere in Teaser Trailer New cast members and their respective character designs include: Dr. Xeno voiced by Kenji Nojima (Takeru Higa in Sword Art Online Alicization ) Stanley Snyder voiced by Koji Yusa (Akira...

From July 16 to August 15, Crunchyroll will be offering 20 sports anime for free on AVOD-bsis. Fans will be able to enjoy a variety of anime like Haikyu!! and Blue Lock without a subscription. The offer applies to all seasons in multiple languages, with movies and OVAs excluded.

In light of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Crunchyroll is calling out to sports anime fans this summer by offering twenty of its best sports anime for free. Fans can now stream their favorite sports anime, be it Blue Lock or Haikyu!! without a subscription plan for a limited amount of time.

Crunchyroll will be adding twenty of its most popular sports anime to its AVOD library from July 16 to August 15, 2024. These series will be free to watch with ads and do not require a subscription plan. The limited-time offer is applicable on every season of the listed twenty series in every language available.

The only...

Drawing Closer is a tragic romance adapted from a popular online novel, now streaming on Netflix. The film follows the story of two young artists with terminal illnesses, exploring their emotional journey and the impact of their relationship. Ren Nagase and Natsuki Deguchi deliver powerful performances, and the movie is set to become a beloved romantic tragedy of the summer.

Originating as an online novel, self-published, by author Aoi Morita under the original title The Story of How I, Who Was Told I Only Had One Year to Live, Met You, Who Only Had Half a Year (long titles are common in this format), it was shortened to Drawing Closer for the Netflix adaptation. This is the first work by Aoi Morita to be adapted into a film. The success of an online book leading to a feature film has undoubtedly had fans of Japanese cinema excited to see the outcome.

The time is finally almost upon us to watch My Hero Academia Season 7 , coming to you as part of the Crunchyroll Spring 2024 lineup . It all begins when My Hero Academia returns to Crunchyroll with four recap episodes titled My Hero Academia: Memories starting on April 6, 2024 at 2:30 a.m. Pacific Time . The first episode is live now! My Hero Academia Season 7 will follow starting on May 4, 2024 at 2:30 a.m. Pacific Time . Here's everything you need to know, including exactly when My Hero Academia Season 7 comes out, where to watch, trailers, characters, cast, plot, key visuals and more. Get ready to go Plus Ultra again on Crunchyroll! In this article: Release Date and Exact Time Where to Watch Official Trailers Characters & Cast Anime Staff Anime Key Visuals Plot When is My Hero Academia Season 7 Coming Out? English Sub Release Date: - My Hero Academia: Memories premieres on April 6, 2024 at 2:...

The first of seven chapters of the Be Forever Yamato Rebel 3199 remake anime is set to open in Japanese cinemas on July 19, 2024, and now we have some new cast members thanks to Bandai Namco Group's AnimeJapan 2024 booth. Here's an overview of the new characters and cast members to be revealed: Alphon voiced by Makoto Furukawa (Taiju Oki in Dr. Stone ) Isidore voiced by Shun Horie (Migi in Migi&Dali ) Lambell voiced by Takuya Eguchi (Julius Euclius in Re:zero -Starting Life in Another World- ) Takeshi Ageha voiced by Yuto Uemura (Atsushi Nakajima in Bungo Stray Dogs ) Seiya Kitano voiced by Kosuke Toriumi (Shunsuke Imaizumi in Yowamushi Pedal ) Be Forever Yamato Rebel 3199  is based on the 1980 feature film  Be Forever Yamato  ( Yamato yo Towa ni ), and also includes some elements from the third original TV series  Space Battleship Yamato III  in 1980-1981. The anime's official website  describes its story: The year is 2207 A.

What happens when you mix a Mappa production with the minds of director Hiroko Utsumi and writer Taku Kishimoto? You get Bucchigiri?! , an original series that blends delinquents and One Thousand and One Nights to bombastic results. We'll see how explosive that particular concoction is when the series launches on Crunchyroll today as part of the Winter 2024 lineup . In the meantime, you can see what Bucchigiri?! is all about, from the release date and trailers to who's behind it in our full guide! Watch Bucchigiri?! on Crunchyroll! In This Guide Bucchigiri?! Anime Release Date: Where Can I Watch? Bucchigiri?! Anime Characters and Cast Bucchigiri?! Anime Staff Watch Bucchigiri?! Official Trailers Bucchigiri?! Anime Art & Key Visuals Bucchigiri?! Anime Synopsis Bucchigiri?! Additional Information Bucchigiri?! Anime Release Date: When Can I Watch? Bucchigiri?! officially gets released on Crunchyroll on January 13, 2024 at 8:30 a.m. Pt. Where can I watch? On Crunchyroll Territories: Worldwide excluding Japan Bucchigiri?...

Anime reboots can sometimes be far-fetched ideas since a studio would rather make a new anime series based on a popular manga than produce a completely new version of an already poorly regarded one. If it were so simple, we could have a slew of much-needed reboots, such as Tokyo Ghoul and Rosario Vampire. The good news is that Rurouni Kenshin, a classic anime series that, despite a few shortcomings, emerged as one of the best anime shows, is getting a remake this year.

Even though the Rurouni Kenshin franchise has spanned an anime series with 94 episodes and a highly successful live-action movie series that ended in 2021 with Rurouni Kenshin: Final Chapter Part II - The Beginning, it is planning to deliver fans with another intriguing one with a rebooted version of the original.

The new reboot, from the creative minds of Strike the Blood and Re: Zero, will retell...

“Yowamushi Pedal” is a very popular manga series by Wataru Watanabe, first published February 21, 2008 in weekly manga magazine Weekly Shonen Champion. Following the success of the manga, 4 seasons of anime television series adaptation aired from October 2013 to June 2018 and a live-action television drama adaptation aired in August 2016. Now we finally have the live action cinema adaptation “Yowamushi Pedal: Up the Road” directed by Koichiro Miki, starring a bunch of idols and popular young actors, for the joy of the fans.

“Yowamushi Pedal: Up the Road” is screening at Toronto Japanese Film Festival

The film opens with Sakamichi Onoda (Ren Nagase) pedaling happily on a rusty “granny” bike, in a haze of sakura petals along the panoramic route to Chiba on Tokyo Bay. He is cycling towards a new chapter of his life, as high school has just started, and his expectations are high. Onoda is a bit of a loner,...

Following the success of the Godzilla anime movies Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters, Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle, and Godzilla: The Planet Eater, Netflix is now animating the King of the Monsters for the new anime series Godzilla: Singular Point. Featuring a brand new cast and original story, the series is set to premiere globally on the streamer in 2021. Atsushi Takahashi (Doraemon the Movie 2017: Great Adventure in the Antarctic Kachi Kochi} will be on board to direct.

Godzilla Singular Point comes as a collaboration between anime production studios Bones (My Hero Academia) and Orange, combining hand-drawn and CG animation styles. Also attached to the series are Kan Sawada, composer for several Doraemon movies and series like Yowamushi Pedal; Japanese sci-fi novelist Toh Enjoe making his TV debut as an editor and writer; Blue Exorcist creator Kazue Kato, who will be serving as the character designer; and animator...

Netflix has ordered a new Godzilla anime series.

Titled “Godzilla: Singular Point,” the series expands Netflix’s roster of projects tied to the King of the Monsters. The streamer previously debuted three Godzilla anime films: “Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters,” “Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle,” and “Godzilla: The Planet Eater.” The first was released in 2017 while the second two debuted in 2018.

“Singular Point” will not be directly tied to the films and will feature an entirely new storyline and cast. It is currently slated to debut in 2021. The series hails from director Atsushi Takahashi. The creative team includes: Kan Sawada, composer for Doraemon films and series such as “Yowamushi Pedal;” Japanese science-fiction novelist Toh Enjoe making his TV debut as editor and writer for the series; Kazue Kato, creator of “Blue Exorcist” and the hit comic currently serialized in “Jump Square”, will serve as the character designer; and animator Eiji Yamamori,...

Like its signature “Godzilla” franchise, Toho normally towers above the rest. The company is a producer, distributor and exhibitor that operates Japan’s largest theater chain. As a distributor, it consistently accounts for the lion’s share of local hits, and in some years it gets to release the films of anime maestro Hayao Miyazaki.

But even mighty Toho is being brought low by the coronavirus crisis, which shuttered the nation’s theaters following a government state of emergency declaration early in April.

For the first quarter of FY2021, from March 1 to May 31 of this year, Toho reported a plunge in revenues of 51% to $308 million, compared with $632 million in the same period last year. Meanwhile, profits fell 81% to $27 million, against $150 million in the first quarter of the last financial year.

Theaters started reopening after the state of emergency was lifted in late May, but with dozens of foreign and domestic releases postponed,...