Throughout its history, the beloved Pokemon media franchise has been involved in numerous collaborations, spanning an array of industries and captivating fans across the globe. From vibrant Pokemon-themed cafes and exclusive high-end apparel collections to food collaborations, the reach of Pokemon knows no bounds. Beyond merchandise, the franchise has even ventured into the realm of video game consoles, creating special edition Pokemon-themed devices that truly immerse fans in the world they love.
With each new collaboration, the Pokemon franchise continues to amaze and inspire, inviting fans of all ages to dive deeper into its rich lore and captivating new Pokemon. Continuing to expand their artistic horizons, The Pokemon Company has joined forces with renowned artists from Japan with diverse backgrounds in the art of Kogei (Crafts), to answer the following question, ‘‘What would happen when Pokémon meets kogei (Japanese craft)?’
Work by artist KASUMI UEBA | Pottery, Hand Building overgalse enamels
Kogei, pronounced as ko-gay, is a term used in Japan to refer to the exquisite art of artisan crafts, it represents the dedication and mastery of traditional craft traditions in specific regions. Over the course of many centuries, Kogei has played a crucial role in enhancing japan’s daily lives, combining both utilitarian and aesthetic values. As time has passed, Kogei has, like Pokemon, evolved into a distinct art form using traditional methods, showcasing Japan’s exceptional diversity and artistic prowess. The profound reverence for materials, impeccable craftsmanship, and unwavering dedication are evident in numerous creations.
Under the careful curation of the National Crafts Museum in Kanazawa, Japan, and with full support of The Pokémon Company, artists crafted 70 artwork pieces using an array of materials and age-old techniques by twenty of Japan’s most skilled artisans.
Art by TAIICHIRO YOSHIDA | Metal Work
POKEMON X Kogei debuted at National Crafts Museum earlier this year, and now its available in Los Angeles for all to see! The exhibition combines the elemental relationship between Pokemon and the materials used in Kogei. Similar to the various types of Pokémon such as Grass, Fire, Water, Ground (Earth), Steel (or Metal), and Electric, Koegi also incorporates these same elements with electricity added as craft has evolved in the modern times.
Art by TERUMASA IKEDA
In homage to the mechanics of Pokemon, the exhibition is also divided into three sections; Appearance, Life and Stories, that showcase the artists’ “battle” between their craft and the Pokemon.
In the Appearance category, the artists took on the captivating task of portraying the various forms intricate details of skin or fur, lively gestures, and vivid expressions of the Pokémon.
Art by TAIICHIRO YOSHIDA
In the Lifecategory, artists use Pokémon into crafts used in contemporary life. These pieces often have a type of use in life.
Art by TAKURO KUWATA
Lastly, the Storiescategory, artists are tasked with weaving imaginative tales that delve into the wondrous world of Pokémon, venturing into their awe-inspiring journeys, vibrant lives, mesmerizing evolutions, and unique inherent qualities of the Pokemon games themselves.
Art by REIKO SUDOArt by REIKO SUDO
We have hand-picked a few pieces from the exhibit’s opening night to share with you. Take a look at the photo gallery below and get a glimpse for what’s in store for you at Pokemon X Kogei exhibit. Click on the arrows to browse through the images.
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The Pokemon Company CEO, Tsunekazu Ishihara and National Crafts Museum director, Masahiro Karasawa were in attendance during the exhibition’s opening night. During a panel, those who attended, received insight knowledge on the production behind the exhibit and insight the some of the art pieces and what they represented. Towards the end of the panel, I had one lingering question, “After the art tour is over, what will happen to the wonderful art pieces?” this was their response. (Please note, Audio has some echo)
Don’t miss this exciting, once in a life-time, exhibit and experience Pokemon like never before and best of all, its FREE! That’s right, make your reservations now HERE. After the exhibit, we highly recommend you purchase the Pokemon X Kogei guide book that gives readers an in-depth insight on the development of the exhibition and insight on each and every Kogei art piece. The book is in both English and Japanese and ONLY available in Japan but exclusively available for purchase at Japan House Los Angeles for this special exhibit! The exhibit is available now til January 7th, 2024 only at JAPAN HOUSE Gallery and is located at Level 2 of the Ovation Hollywood.
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When “Miraculous Ladybug” first debuted in 2015, it instantly captured the attention of anime enthusiasts and garnered a significant cult following. This captivating animated series was brought to life through the collaboration of ZAGtoon and Method Animation, with the renowned Japanese animation company, Toei Animation, serving as a co-producer. Thomas Astruc, a talented cartoonist, developed the character of Ladybug and played an integral role in shaping the TV series alongside Jeremy Zag, the CEO, director, and producer of ZAGtoon.
“Miraculous Ladybug” revolves around the lives of two teenagers, Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste. When duty calls, they transform into the fearless superheroes Ladybug and Cat Noir. Together, they valiantly protect the city from the clutches of supervillains. While the series was initially intended to be in a 2D anime style, it ultimately evolved into a CGI production, a decision made by the French producers. However, fans can still find the original anime-style promotional OVA video on YouTube, animated by Toei Animation.Over time, “Miraculous Ladybug” has cultivated a devoted fandom, including passionate cosplayers and artists who proudly call themselves “Miraculers.” The series has expanded into a successful media franchise, encompassing comics, a web series, novels, video games, a manga series, and most recently, the highly anticipated motion picture, “Ladybug & Cat Noir: The Movie“. With its growing popularity and array of merchandise, “Miraculous Ladybug” has firmly established itself as an enchanting world that continues to captivate audiences of all ages.
The Highly Anticipated Motion Picture Film
Embark on a captivating cinematic experience as you delve into this highly anticipated animated film of the year! The film follows the thrilling journey of two teenagers, Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste, who must uncover the truth about themselves and harness their extraordinary powers to safeguard the illustrious city of Paris. The film is a heartfelt tribute to the dedicated Miraculous Ladybug fandom while appealing to newcomers.
The film briefly introduces the Miraculous and showcases the various Miraculous, leaving room for potential future film projects. As an origin story, the film explores the beginnings of our main protagonists, Marinette and Adrien, and their journey to becoming superheroes and reveals how they obtained their Miraculous. The film touches on universal teenage themes of courage and selflessness, capturing the challenges of adolescence, such as fitting in and facing one’s fear.
It becomes apparent that the film’s narrative adheres to a relatively straightforward and predictable trajectory, albeit keeping in mind its intended target audience encompassing the younger demographic. However, the animation compensates for its anticipated plot developments. Distinct from its television counterpart, where character portrayal tends to lean towards stylized plasticity, the film’s creative team dedicatedly strived for meticulous detailing and hyper-realistic verisimilitude in rendering both Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste. Their meticulously crafted appearances feature nuanced facial expressions, lustrous hair, and mesmeric eyes. Noteworthy locations such as The Cheng’s boulangerie (French for “bakery”) and Adrien’s mansion beautifully showcase opulent French architectural design and, in certain instances, timeworn interiors, lending an air of “lived-in” authenticity.
In addition, characters’ facial expressions play a crucial role in conveying their emotions and setting the overall mood of the scenes; this is further supported by the production team, animating characters with detailed and realistic skin textures, making them come to life and feel more like lifelike on the screen.
The animators strived for realism, at least more than the TV series. An interesting and subtle highlight is that the animators animated the characters’ hair in various directions, ensuring the hair is not perfectly styled. By adding intersecting strands and different hair directions, the animators created a more natural and authentic look for the characters, once again bringing them to life on the screen.
While there is no official confirmation, avid followers of the series may find several sequences within the film that bear a striking resemblance to scenes from an unaired 2D anime-style ‘OVA Promotional Video’ dating back to 2015. The uncanny similarities between the two raise the possibility that the film’s storyline was initially intended to serve as the introductory episode for the projected 2D anime series. Of course, the speculation surrounding this potential connection is pure conjecture, as the 2D anime iteration never came to fruition, and ZAG has never mentioned the 2D project since.
The Music
One prominent aspect of the film that deserves special mention is its captivating musical score. It becomes evident from the very beginning that the melodic voices of the main characters differ from their spoken voices, adding an intriguing layer to the overall experience. Marinette is brought to life through the talented voice acting of Cristina Vee, while the prolific Bryce Papenbrook voices the charming Adrien. The singing voice of Marinette is portrayed by the French singer Lou Jean while Drew Ryan Scott performs Adrien’s singing voice with music composed by CEO and film director Jeremy Zag himself with assistance from Australian filmmaker Michael Gracey.
Noam Kaniel, the talented cartoon music composer, was surprisingly not involved in the film’s musical score. Despite his previous success composing the theme song for the TV series, his unique musical style was unfortunately absent from the film’s soundtrack.
The Plot
The film’s storyline might be predictable for more experienced viewers, but it remains highly enjoyable and entertaining. While the film does contain a few gaps in the plot, it serves as a compelling introduction to the TV series. Towards the end, there are some noticeable inconsistencies when compared to the TV show’s plotline. Nevertheless, with a bit of imagination, it gives room for speculation and wonder about what might have occurred after the film’s iconic and intense climax.It is not surprising that there is a romantic element between Ladybug and Cat Noir, although the TV series does not delve deeply into it in the first two seasons. However, the film takes the opportunity to explore their relationship in greater detail. Every emotional response from the characters is given careful attention, ensuring that romantic and conflicting feelings resonate with the audience.
Now on NETFLIX!
The movie premiered in Paris, France, on June 11th of this year with a limited release in theaters worldwide. As reported by the French magazine Paris Match, the film was produced with a budget of €80 million (or about $86 million), making it the second most expensive French film in history, second only to the 2017 movie Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.
Need a new phone wallpaper?
If you are captivated by this review, prepare to immerse yourself in the enchanting world of Miraculous Ladybug, as both the captivating TV series and thrilling film are now streaming on Netflix! Be ready to join forces with the courageous heroes of Paris as Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste transform into the extraordinary Ladybug and Cat Noir. Together, they stand as beacons of hope, defending the beautiful city Paris from the clutches of menacing supervillains orchestrated by the nefarious Hawk Moth. All this while struggling with their teenage life! Get ready for an exhilarating adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat!
Our History with ZAG Studios and Miraculous Ladybug
I would like to express my gratitude to ZAG Animation and its Glendale-based Studio. Even before the release of season two of the TV series, The Kitsune Network has collaborated with Zag Studios to bring our subscribers and followers exclusive interviews and an insider’s perspective on Miraculous Ladybug since 2015. We began by conducting an interview with Jared Wolfson, formerly the Head of the TV Division at ZAG. This was followed by a delightful interview with voice actress Cristina Vee at ZAG studios! Ever since then, The Kitsune Network has been actively covering various, major, Miraculous Ladybug events. Most recently, we attended the exciting grand opening of the Miraculous Ladybug store in Santa Monica, CA. Congratulations to the entire team over at ZAG Studios for this incredible milestone! Let’s take a look at some of the memorable moments from those interviews and other Miraculous Ladybug coverage articles here.
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MIREI, also known as Touyama Mirei in Japan, is a prominent artist in the Japanese music industry. Since 2014, she has been releasing chart-topping hits under Sony Music label. MIREI’s unique approach to music is characterized by her English-language releases, which offer a fresh and unapologetic perspective on Japan and its people. Having spent time living in New York City, she draws inspiration from both American and Japanese music cultures, resulting in a captivating and distinct artistic vision.
MIREI
MIREI performed at NOVO in LA Live on July 2nd as part of the Anime Expo 2023 Summer Fest. For first time, MIREI’s set consisted of both English and Japanese language songs mixed in. This appearance marked her first performance in the US after COVID, and her second LA appearance since BET Awards in 2014.
MIREI made her English-language debut with the 2020 album “Take Me Away,” which received an overwhelming response from fans and media worldwide, including Teen Vogue. The album include the hit single, Lonely In Tokyo.
Latest Single – LONELY IN TOKYO
“Lonely In Tokyo” is a song that explores the dark side of the Japanese idol industry. It tells a story of loneliness and isolation, resonating with listeners all over the world. MIREI recorded and released the song in English in 2020, and it has gained a strong fanbase. The song reflects on the loneliness felt by many people, especially in the changing world. MIREI hopes that her music can inspire and give courage to those who feel alone.
Fans in Japan can finally rejoice as the much-awaited track, “Lonely In Tokyo,” from her globally acclaimed album, Take Me Away, is now available in Japanese. After a long three-year wait, the EP has been released, featuring a Japanese edition of the song and an exciting Phonk House Remix with BENXNI from STARKIDS, a renowned underground group known for their innovative music.
MIREI AUDIO INTERVIEW
We had the opportunity to catch up with MIREI, a day after her successful performance at The NOVO, and speak on her recent successes and her latest single, “Lonely in Tokyo“, Listen to our interview,
You can listen to “Lonely in Tokyo” and more from MIREI on Spotify and on other platforms here. Learn more about MIREI and her work by visiting her website at https://mireinyc.com/
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The New Pokémon app, Pokémon Sleep, records and analyzes your sleep patterns and behavior. Released on July 19th, the app has gained popularity among Pokémon fans. Its cute characters and gameplay make it a great addition to those who play Pokémon Go!
Pokémon Sle…zzzz
Professor Neroli
The premise of the game is to help Professor Neroli, a Pokémon sleep analyst, collect sleeping data from various Pokémon to unlock the mystery behind Snorlax’s ‘mysterious power to put Pokémon around them [Snorlax] to sleep!”
Pokémon Sleep is supposed to help improve your sleeping habits outside the gameplay. The app records and measures your sleep; The longer you sleep, the higher your score in-game. You can use these scores to rank up your research and help Professor Neroli with his work. Together you can unlock Snorlax’s mysterious power. The app uses real-time data to determine your sleep habits and hours slept. Real-time dates are used to determine much time you’ve spent researching different Snorlaxs in various locations throughout the game.
Pokémon Sleep encourages its player to sleep earlier, wake up in the morning, and have something to look forward to! Your sleep is classified into three sleep styles; dozing, snoozing, or slumbering. Different Pokémon will generate next to Snorlax in the morning, with a similar sleeping style you were classified for the night. You can use the surrounding Pokémon to analyze those their sleeping habits and continue researching Snorlax’s power. All sleeping data is recorded in your “sleep style dex.”
The app also allows players to set sleep reminders and alarms in addition to a soothing, soft melody to help player sleep.
POKEMON GO PLUS +
Improving your sleep habits with Pokémon Sleep is easier and cuter when used with a Pokémon Go Plus device. The Pokémon GO Plus device will use Bluetooth Low Energy technology to link with Pokémon Sleep. Hold the device’s central button when it’s time for bed, place it by your pillow, and then sleep. Not only will Pokémon GO Plus + help measure your sleep data, but Pikachu’s familiar voice can give you cute prompts when it’s time to wake up or go to sleep.
If you’re reading this at the time of publication, you’ll benefit from Pokémon Sleep, or if you’re reading this during the day, perhaps a nap? Nether way, you’ll have fun helping Professor Neroli analyze all the cute, sleeping Pokémon! Try Pokémon Sleep, now available on Android and iOS.
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BLEACH took over at Matte Black Coffee, an art-inspired cafe located on the famous Sunset strip in Hollywood.
In celebration of the hit anime series BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War, Matte Black Coffee and VIZ Media have partnered for the first time to deliver the collaboration of all BLEACH anime fans dreams – everyone’s favorite Soul Reaper, Ichigo, meets a culinary art experience. The lineup includes a custom co-branded menu inspired by BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War as well as limited-edition merchandise.
Now through August 10th, fans can enjoy BLEACH inspired items, which include, “Ichigo’s OJ Espresso”, “Ichigo’s Strawberry Lemonade”, and “TYBW Toast – ABCookies style”
Mecha-Ude: Mechanical Armsheld its world premiere at this year’s Anime Expo. Mecha-Ude: Mechanical Arms is a new science-fiction action-adventure anime and manga that explores the world of sentient mechanical beings called Mecha-Ude and the people who wield them! Originally created by independent animator & director Okamoto and produced by Fukuoka-based TriF Studio in 2016.
Animator and director, Okamoto created the series in 2016 with a Kickstarter, which raised over $67,000, more than twice its $25,000 goal. A pilot episode, produced by TriF Studio through the Kickstarter, became an instant hit and in 2018, got an English dub.
In 2022 the series was picked up for a full anime adaptation, produced by TriF Studio and Pony Canyon. At this year’s Anime Expo, episode 1 premiered with new exclusive footage, not previously seen in the pilot. The Mecha-Ude anime series is slated for 2024, exact release date is currently TBA. To learn more on the series and its Japanese cast and crew visit the official Mecha Ude website.
Anime Synopsis
One day, Amatsuga Hikaru, a junior high school student living in Kitakagami City, meets the mysterious “Ude”-shaped mechanical life form Alma. Alma attempts to bind to Hikaru’s body in order to obtain energy from him, but fails. To his surprise, it binds to the hoodie that Hikaru was wearing. Meanwhile, the “Kagami Group,” a large corporation that plans to enslave the Mecha-Udes and turn them into weapons, is in pursuit of Alma. ARMS, an organization working to save and free the Mecha-Udes, also searches for Alma. Hikaru, unable to abandon the weakened Alma, puts on the hoodie that Alma has bonded with and gets caught up in the great events unfolding among the Mecha-Ude users…
INTERVIEW WITH OKAMOTO
At Anime Expo I had the opportunity to interview Mecha-Ude animator and director, Okamoto about her journey and experience creating the world of Mecha-Ude,
Animator and Director, Okamoto
Krystal: Can speak about the origins of MECHA-UDE? Okamoto: I’m a huge fan of Shounen manga and one day I just decided I wanted to draw a robot, but drawing a full-size body robot was too hard. So I decided I would try just to draw an arm. K: Enhance the subtitle “Mecha arms“ O: Correct. Yes. K: So you’re not only the creator of the stories, but also the director for the Anime series, are some elements within the anime, that you emphasizes for the audience members? O: The story is very much about the characters. I hope that people will see, like, pay attention to how they develop and how they move. K:It has been roughly serve years, between the kickstarter in 2016 and now, what are some things that changed in the series? O: When the pilot episode was made, a fuller story was already created, like a bigger story that we were hoping to work on later. So basically not much has changed. I’m brushing up on stuff in the past few years, but that’s about it.
K: How would you describe the anime series to encourage people to read the Manga, or watch the anime series? O: All of the mecha-udes are also their own characters, and they’re very unique, so they’re very appealing as well. They’re part of the series and just as important as the human characters, that’s one of the selling points. K: What can you tell me about the main character? O: Hikaru was a pretty dull, mundane character with nothing special going on until he meets “Alma”, the Mecha Ude, he meets, and then they’ll have adventures and he’ll also be able to grow as a character. The story’s going to be about their partnership and how they grow together as characters in the series.
THE MANGA
Additionally, eManga publishing company Azuki, celebrated the launch of the latest exclusive manga series, Mecha-Ude: Mechanical Arms by Yoshino Koyoka and TriF based on Okamoto’s creation. The manga adaptation is now available only on Azuki with new chapters every Wednesday!
Manga Synopsis
A brand-new manga series based on the anime by Okamoto and TriF! Kita-Kagami City is a pretty normal town… except that some people have gotten their hands on Mecha-Ude: powerful, sentient mechanical beings attached to the limbs of their hosts. When middle school kid Hikaru accidentally activates Alma, a mysterious Mecha-Ude with no memory of his past, he forms an unlikely connection with the talking arm. But where did Alma come from? And why are shadowy secret organizations and corporate assassins with deadly Mecha-Ude of their own suddenly chasing Hikaru down, hell-bent on stealing Alma? Hikaru and Alma must learn to work together to uncover the truth behind Alma’s identity and prevent him from ending up in the wrong hands (or on the wrong arm)!
Start reading for free with advertisements today, or upgrade to Premium and access the full catalog for just $4.99 a month. A 14-day free trial and discounted annual plan are also available. Most titles are available worldwide (except Japan). Stay up to date on the latest announcements by following Azuki at twitter.com/ReadAzuki, facebook.com/ReadAzuki, and instagram.com/readazuki.
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In what has been officially labeled as the “most powerful spy collaboration decision“, Toho Animation collaborated with Paramount Studios to create a special promotional video for the upcoming installment of Mission: Impossible, Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning: Part One, and Spy X Family CODE: White, the first motion picture film from the hit anime series of the same name.
Theatrical version SPY x FAMILY CODE: White” super teaser visual
Spy X Family CODE: White is set to release in theaters on December 22nd of this year in Japan. While Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning: Part One its premiere in the U.S. on July 12th, In Japan, the film is set to release on July 21st. A special promotional collaboration between both IPs was released on July 10th, which consists of a collaboration video and visual art.
The collaboration video begins with the Forger family watching Mission Impossible on TV. Anya states she’s has never watched the film series before, and Loid then carefully explains who ‘Ethan Hunt’ is while watching the action scenes played by Tom Cruise. The video features highlights from the film alongside brand-new voice acting from Takuya Eguchi (Lloyd), Atsumi Tanezaki (Anya), and Saori Hayami (Yor). The video segment is followed by the teaser trailer of CODE: White.
You watch the full video here; the video contains no English subtitles
A collaborative visual art piece by illustrator Kana Ishida was also released via the Spy X Family official website.
Original picture/Finishing/Special Effects by Kana Ishida
The image depicts the Forger family illustrated in the same poses as the Mission Impossible poster, with the Forger family, lined up precisely as Tom Cruise (Ethan Hunt), Hayley Atwell (Grace), Rebecca Ferguson (Ilsa Faust) & Esai Morales (Gabriel). Take a look at the comparison below,
Image Highlights: Look at Anya and Bond on the upper Right | Ethan running on the train is replaced by Anya
Spy X Family author Tatsuya Endo recently joined the fun by sharing an original illustration of Anya performing Enthan Hunt’s iconic rope drop from the famous vault scene in Mission: Impossible (1996).
ZOM 100: Bucket List of the Dead had its world premiere at VIZ Media’s industry panel at Anime Expo this year. Fans got treated to a sneak peek of Episode 1 with Special guest Kotaro Takata, (ZOM 100 Manga illustrator) & ZOM 100 English cast members Zeno Robinson, Abby Trott, and Laura Post.
Additionally, Netflix announced the first teaser trailer of the upcoming, Live-Action adaptation of Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead starring Eiji Akaso (Kamen Rider). The film is set to premiere globally on Netflix on Aug 3, 2023.
The film is an adaptation of manga volume 1-3, and like many live action adaptations, the film does not follow the manga exactly. The film’s synopsis is as follows,
Akira Tendo (Eiji Akaso) works at an exploitative company where he suffers endless hours and harassment from his boss. He spends his days feeling more dead than alive. One day, the town is overtaken by zombies and Akira gets excited for he doesn’t need to go to the office anymore rather than facing the fact he has to survive the zombie apocalypse. Akira comes up with a bucket list of 100 things he decided to accomplish before he becomes a zombie and makes his bucket list checked traveling with Shizuka (Mai Shiraishi) and Kencho (Shuntaro Yanagi).
EIJI AKASO INTERVIEW
I had the opportunity to sit down with Eiji Akaso during Anime Expo 2023 and ask him about his experiences while filming the live-action adaptation of Zom 100,
Krystal: This movie is based on a manga, was it hard to portray Akira from a manga in live-action?
Eiji Akaso: If acted as a cartoon character, that would make me a little unnatural as a human, so I want to give Akira a human trait. So I had to be careful with body actions and little subtle facial expressions to show emotion. That’s what I spoke about to Yusuke Ishida (the director) before I began acting.
K: What were some of the challenges that you faced while portraying Akira?
E.A.: There are lots of scenes where I was chased by zombies, which is the worst thing that you can imagine in real life, but Akira had to enjoy being chased by zombies, and I had to always put a smile on my face with zombies behind me. That was difficult because I would be so scared myself If I were chased by a zombies in real life, but Akira on the other hand, enjoyed being chased, so that was a challenge for me.
K: What was it like being on the set of ZOM 100?
E.A.: We filmed the movie in different locations and one place was in Nagoya, Japan, and we had to close the entire road to film the scene where Akira was riding the motorcycle. There’s also like a Red District called Kabukicho in Shinjuku, Tokyo, We had to recreate, Kabukicho as the backdrop of the set. It was a huge production every time we filmed the movie, it was a huge production, and that was really impressive.
K: It sounds like this was like a full Hollywood production here; what was one of your favorite scenes that you filmed?
E.A.: I enjoyed every location for the filming, but if I had to choose one, that would be the one we filmed at Kabukicho set, Where Akira went to help Kencho when he was trapped. For that was the scene we began filming from the night to the following morning. The scene had to be filmed at night, so we had to finish before dawn. Because of time constrictions, everybody was so nervous in that situation. However, I really enjoyed making the scene.
K: On the topic of Zombies, Do you have a favorite zombie movie?
E.A.: …Biohazard (Resident Evil)!
K: Any final messages you’d like to leave our readers with?
E.A.: This is a zombie comedy movie that no one could imagine, after seeing this movie, I think everybody will feel so uplifted, and might encourage them to quit a job they don’t like and do what they want to do.
The film is directed by Yusuke Ishida, and stars Eiji Akaso as Akira Tendo, Mai Shiraishi, Shuntaro Yanagi, & Kazuki Kitamura in undisclosed roles.
Make sure to catch the live-action adaptation of Zom 100: Bucket List of the Deadpremiering on Netflix on August 3rd. You can start diving into the zombie-infested world with Akira by reading the manga or streaming the anime available on Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Netflix.
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Initially announced on Pokemon Day, POKÉMON CONCIERGE is the first ever stop-motion animated Pokemon series, which diverts from its 2-D animated counterpart. This series marks the first collaborative production between Netflix and The Pokémon Company. Pokemon Concierge is produced by critically acclaimed dwarf studios known for Mr. Osomatsu (TV Series) and Rilakkuma and Kaoru (stop-motion ONA).
The series expands on the Pokémon world and follows Haru, a concierge at the ‘Pokémon Resort,’ and her interactions with Pokémon and their owners who visit as guests. Currently, there is not much information that has been released on the series itself.
During Netflix’s From Japan to the World panel at Anime Expo 2023, it was revealed that NONwill be voicing Haru. NON is a voice actress and musician from Japan. She is known for portraying Suzu in the 2016 critically acclaimed animated film “In This Corner of the World,.” In 2017, she founded her music label, “KAIWA (RE)CORD.” and released her debut single, “Ohirome Pack,” along with her debut album “Superhero’s” in 2018.
NON INTERVIEW – Experience Voicing HARU
During Anime Expo this year, I had an opportunity to ask NON about her experience voicing HARU,
NON and Psyduck during Anime Expo 2023 Roundtable Press Junket
Krystal: Can you speak on your experience voicing HARU for this unique Pokemon series?
NON:When I was working on Haru, I was told there would be many scenes where Haru is kind of struggling, trying to figure out what she should do. They asked me to ‘DO THAT’ in a gesture by using my body language, so I was dropping my head, doing those various movements to try to express how she was having a hard time. I was also told that they would film my movements and they would utilize that in the stop-motion animation, and that was a very fun thing to be a part of! Once I saw the final, complete, finished scenes, they were really different from what you usually see in 2D/3D CGI animation.
NON , Psyduck and Interpreters during Anime Expo 2023 Roundtable Press Junket
The footage that I saw was stop motion animation, and the movements are totally different from 2D/3D animation. I thought, ‘Oh, this is how you can also enjoy Pokemon in this format, this art form”. I found Haru’s movements very interesting, and it’s done perfectly, and it’s shot frame by frame; when you see that in action, I thought that it was totally believable and it was convincing.
The Production Team
The series is directed by Iku Ogawa (Rilakkuma and Kaoru) and written by Harumi Doki (Cyborg 009 Call of Justice, Ultraman, Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045) with character design by Tadahiro Uesugi (Coraline, Big Hero 6, Luca). The series is set to be released this December, with no exact date currently unavailable.
Take a look behind the scenes with NON, as she explores the POKÉMON CONCIERGE set at dwarf studios,
Will this series resonate with Pokemon fans? Perhaps. As NON stated, this is a different way to enjoy Pokemon. Although not all Pokemon fans will be onboard, we do not think the series will underperform, especially with the incredible talent behind its production and the magic of stop-motion animation. Watch the official teaser below,
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