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Hidive, one of North America's fastest-growing anime streaming services, has excellent news for fans of action-packed historical fantasies. Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentosho will premiere exclusively on Hidive in the upcoming spring 2025 simulcast season.

Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentosho is a promising supernatural action anime based on the popular light novel series by author Motoo Nakanishi, artist Tamaki and publisher Futabasha. The anime adaptation will launch Hidive’s highly anticipated spring 2025 lineup with a one-hour premiere on Monday, March 31, 2025, at 8.30 a.m. Et. Following the 60-minute series debut, a new 30-minute episode of Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentosho will premiere every Monday at 11 a.m. Et.

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Cloud Hearts, the animation studio behind Whisper Me A Love Song, Tawawa On Monday 2, and The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule The World, has officially filed for bankruptcy, according to Japan’s commercial registry.

The studio, which commenced bankruptcy proceedings on Dec 18, 2024, faced significant production challenges and heavy reliance on overseas outsourcing in its final years.

In October 2024, it was reported that the official domain of the studio’s website expired, which led many to speculate that the studio was going under.

A Brief History of Cloud Hearts

Cloud Hearts was officially founded as an animation studio and legal entity on June 1, 2021, with its headquarters located in the Igusa district of Suginami, Tokyo.

The studio originated as a division of Yokohama Animation Lab, led by producer Satoshi Nakatani, who served as president and CEO of Cloud Hearts.

The studio’s first major work was Tawawa on Monday 2, which was supervised by Yokohama Animation Lab.

We got a backlog dub with a mature-age adventurer last month, now it's time for one with a young un-adventurer. The English dub of Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything with Low-Level Spells arrives on Crunchyroll with all 12 episodes on Tuesday, February 4 ! Failure Frame English Dub Cast Touka voiced by Tom Aglio Seras voiced by Dani Chambers Agito voiced by Aaron Campbell Alma voiced by Adrian Mayes Anglin voiced by Mark Fickert Ashura voiced by Jason Bunch Civit voiced by Jim Foronda Costello voiced by Reagan Murdock Droghetti voiced by Brandon Acosta Erica voiced by Jessica Peterson Eve voiced by Monica Rial Fosse voiced by Jacob Browning Ganozea voiced by Ray Hurd Gizun voiced by Bryan Massey Hijiri voiced by Abigail Blythe Hurkley voiced by Mike Smith Ikusaba voiced by Lindsay Seidel Itsuki voiced by Kelly Greenshield Jin voiced by Xan Cramer Jiobane voiced by Weston Loy...

Japanese male singer Sou released his latest digital single song "Bakesouna Kokoro" ("A heart about to transform") today on January 8, posting the song's music video on his official YouTube channel . The pop tune is now featured as the opening theme for the ongoing second cour of the A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School! TV anime. Sou "Bakesouna Kokoro" Music Video After posting performance videos on Nico Nico Douga, Sou made his major debut from Exit Tune in 2015, releasing 12 digital singles and four original albums. He has previously provided theme songs for ID-invaded (2020), Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove It (2020), The Reincarnation of the Strongest Exorcist in Another World (2023), Dead Mount Death Play (2023), and The New Gate . In the ongoing winter 2025, he also performed the ending theme for Zenshu . Sou latest artist visual Related: A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School! Anime Begins Second Cour with New Trailer The...

Shangri-La Frontier has been one of the more surprising anime hits in the last year. Another isekai anime, the series focuses on a young teenager whose given up his hobby of playing poorly designed "kusoge" titles to try out Shangri-La Frontier, a popular yet well-designed virtual reality game. While the series could easily be written off as another isekai clone, Shangri-La Frontier has garnered a large fanbase thanks to fans falling in love with its lead, Sunraku. Unlike other isekai protagonists, Sunraku approaches Shangri-La Frontier the way gamers in real life would, constantly seeking the most challenging bosses and taking them down his own way.

The first season was such a massive success that fans were already hyped for season two when it launched in the fall. However, for those caught up it might feel like a hard wait from week to week. Fortunately, there are plenty of other isekai...

The Whisper Me a Love Song anime has been hit with another setback after the release date of the last two episodes was left up in the air. Cloud Hearts, a co-producer of the popular girls' love anime series, is presumed bankrupt after its official website mysteriously went offline.

It Media News reports that Cloud Hearts' official website is offline because the domain has expired. According to the Whois Domain Lookup website, the status of the "cloudhearts.co.jp" domain is listed as "deleted." When It Media News contacted Yokohama Animation Laboratory, which produced Whisper Me a Love Song with Cloud Hearts, about the shocking news, the company only replied, "We have nothing to say."

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Fans compare The New Gate to Sword Art Online, but key similarities are revealed only in the season finale. Shin's journey mirrors Kirito's, facing new challenges in a virtual world with unexpected twists. Despite similarities to Sao and In the Land of Leadale, key story arcs are left unexplored in the anime adaptation.

Fans in Crunchyroll's now-defunct comment section for The New Gate have been referring to the isekai series as Sword Art Online's successor. The season finale dropped a lot of information that actually confirms what these commenters have been saying all along. The problem is that Crunchyroll has yet to announce a second season, so no one will be able to actually see The New Gate live up to its fan-given name any time soon, if ever.

What most viewers of The New Gate attributed to Sword Art Online was just a backstory that they only learned through quick exposition.

Rolling into the Summer 2024 anime season with rolling R's, a creditless version of Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything with Low-Level Spells ' opening sequence featuring "Hazure" by Chogakusei is now available to watch below. Related: The Strongest Magician in the Demon Lord's Army Was a Human Anime Goes to War in Creditless Opening, Ending Videos Based on the light novels by Kaoru Shinozaki and Kwkm, Michio Fukuda ( Tesla Note ) directs Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything with Low-Level Spells at studios Seven Arcs and SynergySP, with series composition by Yasuhiro Nakanishi ( Shy ), character designs by Kana Hashidate and music by Tatsuhiko Saiki ( The New Gate ). Crunchyroll is simulcasting the anime series and describes the story: Touka always faded into the background at school. And when he’s summoned to another world with his classmates, that still doesn’t change! They all acquire top-rank skills,...

Warning: The following contains spoilers for The New Gate episode #8!!

The New Gate's story closely follows In The Land of Leadale, involving tragic goodbyes and bittersweet reunions. Shin's heartbreaking final goodbye to Girart highlights deeper emotional connections and complex character dynamics. The New Gate adds a sadder spin to the relationship dynamics akin to Kirito and Asuna from Sword Art Online, emphasizing the unique bonds between virtual characters and the consequences of returning home.

An alarming number of Crunchyroll subscribers have been saying in the comments section of The New Gate that this new isekai anime series is the true successor to Sword Art Online, and even though the main premise is based on Sao's Aincrad arc, The New Gate just delivered an incredible story that follows more closely with another series called In The Land of Leadale.

Viewers of The New Gate who are familiar with In The Land of Leadale...

Episode #5 delivers an unexpected, brutal twist with Rys' sudden death, deviating from typical isekai tropes. The series initially stood out by linking scenes from Flio's former life to the new world, enhancing the story's depth. While the show has played with isekai tropes, Rys' death has a lasting impact and changes the dynamic with Flio.

Chillin in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers has been doing a good enough job at both innovating and pandering to various isekai tropes to keep the series on the radars of Crunchyroll viewers. Ever since its first big subversion of a major isekai trope, the series had been going at a steady pace without shaking any major foundations until the latest episode with an absolutely brutal albeit classic twist that is no way associated with isekai. The overall delivery and effect of this twist proves that sometimes an isekai needs to resort to...

Sword of the Demon Hunter Anime to Release this June with 1-Hour Premiere - Main Image

Sword of the Demon Hunter finally confirmed its June release date recently. What’s more, the anime is also confirmed to have an hour-long premiere, continuing the recent trend of nearly feature-length first episodes.

Even though the anime has yet to get another trailer, a new one should be released in the coming weeks. Hopefully, it will finally show off more clips that give fans a better idea of what to expect.

Yokohama Animation Laboratory Is Sword of the Demon Hunter’s Studio

The show’s previous trailer was released back in February, and it features short clips of the new anime that show off the animation by studio Yokohama Animation Laboratory.

While it may not be the most talked-about studio out there, it does have a strong lineup of shows released over the past years.

Featuring all kinds of encounters and "Sekai wo Inuite" by Sou ( Dead Mount Death Play Op), a creditless version of The New Gate 's opening theme sequence is now available to watch below. Related: The New Gate Anime Reveals Premiere Date, New Visual and Cast Based on the light novels by Shinogi Kazanami, Tamaki Nakatsu ( The Irregular at Magic High School episode director) directs The New Gate at studios Cloudhearts and Yokohama Animation Lab, with series composition by Hiroki Uchida, character designs by Itsuki Takemoto and music by Yuya Mori, Tatsuhiko Saiki, Misaki Tsuchida and Tsugumi Tanaka. Crunchyroll is simulcasting the series and describes the story: When an online game turns real, trapping its players in its virtual space, the strongest of them, Shin, rises up to put a stop to the madness. But just moments after defeating the game’s final boss, Origin, and freeing everyone, Shin is transported...

Warning: The following contains spoilers for The New Gate episode #3!

The New Gate sets itself apart by justifying the protagonist's powers through helping another character. The show successfully blends an orphanage crisis with specialized training elements inspired by ancient artifacts. The New Gate, while similar to Sword Art Online, draws more inspiration from In The Land of Leadale.

A new isekai called The New Gate that many fans on Crunchyroll are mistakenly comparing to Sword Art Online is currently justifying the protagonist's unique overpowered status by how he helps another character gain strength in what was already a very compellingly emotional situation. In fact, The New Gate's aforementioned justification draws from its true inspiration, In the Land of Leadale, as opposed to Sword Art Online.

It isn't noteworthy that an isekai hero finds themselves with incredible powers once they have been transported to a new world, since it's one...

Isekai anime flourished in 2024, with a substantial influx of hit series attracting the masses. 2024 offers a plethora of new and returning isekai anime, catering to various escapist fantasies. Diverse isekai anime titles, some outlandish, stand out with high search rates and popularity.

Isekai anime series has increasingly saturated the medium in 2024, sustaining countless viewers and growing its series library to its best in years. The genre has its roots in classic proto-isekai like Paul's Miraculous Adventure or more conventional early stories like Aura Battler Dunbine.

Still, isekai hit its stride in 2012's Sword Art Online. In the decade that has followed, there's been an avalanche of iconic isekai anime stories, with the hint of a golden age on the horizon.

Before 2024, 2020 is among the most notable years for saturation of memorable isekai anime. Newcomers like My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! and returning heavy-hitters like...

The official YouTube channel for voice actor Miho Okasaki, best known as Rimuru Tempest in the That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime anime franchise, has started streaming a lyric video for her new song, "Kanataboshi." The melodious ballad tune will be included in her much-awaited second full album "Dreaming" to release in Japan on April 24, and is now featured as the ending theme for the spring 2024 TV anime anime The New Gate , in which she is also cast as Yuzuha, the protagonist Shin's partner monster. The lyric video was created by illustrator Wasabi Aoyama , depicting a girl whose facial expressions change in accordance with the lyrics. Miho Okasaki "Kanataboshi" lyric video The New Gate anime creditless ending movie While working as a popular anime voice actor, Okasaki made her solo singer debut from King Amusement Creative with her first single "Happiness" in September 2021, since then she has released three CD singles,...

Japanese male singer Sou released his latest digital single "Sekai wo Inuite" ( Shooting Through The World ) on April 14 and also posted the song's a music video on his official YouTube channel . The fast-paced rock tune is now featured as the opening theme for the spring 2024 TV anime The New Gate . "I often play video games, so the idea of 'reincarnating into a game world' is an exciting worldview that makes me very excited!" he said on the anime's official website . "The song was written by Neru, a Vocaloid producer. It is a dramatic tune with a sense of speed, which is in response to the new story that the main character Shin and his friends have started again. I hope that this song will bring a lot of excitement to the anime!" The action-packed animated music video was directed by Yorugata, who also worked on the song's digital jacket. Sou...

Ahead of an April 13 premiere in Japan, upcoming fantasy anime The New Gate today released a second full trailer and announced three additional cast members. The newly announced cast members are as follows, joining leads Kensho Ono, Asami Seto and Kaede Hondo: Girart Estrella voiced by Satoshi Mikami Wolfgang Estrella voiced by Tatsuhisa Suzuki Cuore Estrella voiced by Kana Hanazawa Girart Estrella Wolfgang Estrella Cuore Estrella Related: The New Gate Anime Reveals Premiere Date, New Visual and Cast Based on the light novels by Shinogi Kazanami, The New Gate is being directed by Tamaki Nakatsu ( The Irregular at Magic High School episode director) at studios Cloudhearts and Yokohama Animation Lab, with series composition by Hiroki Uchida, character designs by Itsuki Takemoto and music by Yuya Mori, Tatsuhiko Saiki, Misaki Tsuchida and Tsugumi Tanaka. One Peace Books publishes Yoshiyuki Miwa's manga adaptation and describes the story: The New Gate—an...

The New Gate, a popular isekai light novel, will receive an anime adaptation in Spring 2024. The series, about a player trapped in a game 500 years later, boasts a stacked voice acting department. Despite competition, with its loyal fanbase and promising trailer, The New Gate is set to succeed.

The New Gate, a very popular isekai, and Mmorpg light novel, is set to receive an anime adaptation during the Spring 2024 anime season. There are many beloved isekai airing this year, and this fusion of genres looks to be a highly anticipated one.

The anime was announced back on November 9, 2023, by the official publisher, AlphaPolis. Information such as the cast, staff, and teaser was revealed, but there was no word on the release date, that is until now.

The New Gate is scheduled to air on April 14, 2024, joining many anticipated series such as Kaiju No. 8 and Demon Slayer.

Related New Kaiju no. 8...

Are you ready to log into The New Gate ? We won't have to wait 500 years for the much-anticipated adaptation of Shinogi Kazanami's fantasy light novels, since it was announced today that the series will premiere on April 13 at 25:30 Jst (effectively April 14 at 1:30) in Japan. A new key visual was also revealed, along with the casting of Lynn (Miorine in Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury ) as Rionne Sytrail Bayrelicht and Yuki Hoshi as Kagerou. They join main cast members Kensho Ono, Asami Seto and Kaede Hondo. Key Visual Related: The New Gate TV Anime Reveals 1st Trailer, April 2024 Premiere Based on the light novels by Shinogi Kazanami, The New Gate is being directed by Tamaki Nakatsu ( The Irregular at Magic High School episode director) at studios Cloudhearts and Yokohama Animation Lab, with series composition by Hiroki Uchida, character designs by Itsuki Takemoto and music by Yuya Mori,...