Thanks to A Certain Magical Index, Atsushi Abe will forever be known for lending his voice to something that errs on the dramatic and explosive. Which Farming Life in Another World 2 purposely is not. With Abe dipping his toes into the realm of cozy isekai this season, we were curious to discuss how he and producer Hiromi Sueta navigated their way through the anime’s non-confrontational trenches.

What drew you to the role, and what did you think of starting out? Was there anything that immediately leaped out at you?

Atsushi Abe: My very first impression was that the number of lines that the character [Hiraku] has was a lot more than usual. Another thing that drew me into the character is that Hiraku really doesn’t try too hard, and he’s always in a very natural state of being. And I thought that was a very interesting part of the character.

Have you ever done any farming yourself? Did you ever have any interest at all?

ABE: My parents actually garden as kind of a side hobby, and they have a little bit of crop land, so I’ve actually dug some potatoes before. I have a little bit of experience getting down and dirty with the crops and whatnot. Because I have that experience, I do know how difficult it is. From that, when I watched the series, and I saw the all-mighty tool, I was kind of jealous. I wish I had that crop tool!

I don’t blame you. When I was doing my mom’s gardening when I was a little kid, I wish I had that kind of tool at my disposal, too! She was really strict with her garden.

Now that Farming Life in Another World‘s second season has premiered, what can we expect from the anime and your performance?

ABE: The series, in a good way, hasn’t changed much in terms of atmosphere. It’s been two or three years since we last recorded the series, but it’s almost like that time didn’t happen. It’s almost as if this last recording was just very recently, so nothing’s really changed in terms of how we interact with each other. Within this new series, I feel that Hiraku, the main character, goes through a lot of responsibilities that really test his ability as a village chief, and I feel that that’s a part you should really look into. Also, the character roster has drastically increased once again, so that was a nice point to focus on, like the character interactions, and to see new sides of Hiraku, the main character.

In portraying Hiraku in Farming Life in Another World Season 2, could you tell us about any aspects you paid special attention to, and any differences from the first season?

ABE: At the very end of the first season, Hiraku has a kid, so he becomes a father. When I started this role in the second season, I wondered how I could portray Hiraku as more fatherly. Once I actually started recording, it turned out I didn’t have to think too much about that aspect, and I could just act as I usually do. Also, the village gets more kids, so there’s the aspect of looking after them as a parental figure.

Also, I gotta say I’m really digging that you brought the demon spider out, and I love that she’s waving hello. I always liked it when she did her little wave on the show.

Hiromi Sueta: This plushie was actually handmade by Riho Sugiyama, the voice actress of Ya, the mountain elf!

Wow, that’s so cool! I think the effort really paid off.

How did the production of Farming Life in Another World initially come about? What drew you into it?

SUETA: Initially, I wasn’t the one who found the series; it was more of an offer brought to us about how there’s a very interesting series, and we definitely want to make it into an anime. I’ve looked into isekai series before, and this one had a more mellow feeling to it. I found this very interesting, and I was drawn into this series more so than others.

How did you prepare for the production of Farming Life in Another World? Did you have a specific idea in mind?

SUETA: When we were deciding on direction with this series with the director, in the original source material, the harem aspect with the girls was strongly pushed in the manga. In the anime, we decided that we should try to pull back from the harem aspect and focus on the slow life aspect of the series so we can make it a more easy-to-watch experience.

In this work, Yasuharu Takanashi is in charge of the music — could you tell us about the unique appeal and distinctive qualities of the soundtrack in this series?

SUETA: I actually asked Takahata-san, the music producer, for an answer for this. Here’s his
answer:

A standout feature of the soundtrack is the incorporation of simple, folk-inspired elements. The score boasts an impressive musical range, spanning from tranquil melodies that capture the idyllic daily life of the characters to the high-octane, powerful battle themes that are Yasuharu Takanashi‘s hallmark. This rich variety in composition is a major highlight of the series.

You also brought aboard a Swedish composer, Johannes Nilsson. How much of Nilsson’s input and influence can be heard on the anime’s soundtrack? Do you think that this added any interesting flair or nuance to the mix? What was Nilsson and Takanashi’s working relationship like?

SUETA: A definitive example of Johannes Nilsson‘s contribution to the score is the music for the grape-stomping scene. The track exudes a powerful European folk vibe, serving as a prominent illustration of how the series seamlessly integrates ethnic musical elements. This infusion of authentic cultural essence adds a profound sense of depth to the overall production. Johannes originally approached Team-MAX with a steadfast ambition to create music for Japanese animation. During the planning stages of the soundtrack, Yasuharu Takanashi became firmly convinced that Nilsson’s style would be an ideal match for this specific series. This conviction paved the way for their collaboration, representing a creative bond where Takanashi’s expansive vision meets Johannes’ intuitive musical sensibility.

What was your favorite moment working on Farming Life in Another World?

SUETA: As I said before, this series has a very slow vibe, a mellow slice of life aspect to it, but when it comes to the battle music that Takanashi-san composed, there’s that one scene where the dragon comes to attack the village in Season 1, but that music was really incredible, and I was really intrigued by that part.

I remember that part, I really liked the guitars. In the production of Farming Life in Another World, could you share any particularly memorable aspects of the workflow or production process, as well as any unique characteristics specific to this project?

SUETA: The first part relates to the music part. Especially the grape-stomping song. We actually recorded that song after recording the voices in the same studio. I think that was a very unique thing that not a whole lot of shows do. As for the slice-of-life aspect, the production team over at Zero-G rented a crop field to actually experience farming life and add more realism into the mix. I think that aspect is really depicted in the series, and you can really sense the mellow feel of the series. And that’s really unique.

Farming Life is Another World 2 is currently streaming in North America on HIDIVE. You can find where the series is streaming and more information on the official website.

The staff for Hokuto no Ken -Fist of the North Star-, the new anime of Tetsuo Hara‘s landmark manga Fist of the North Star (Hokuto no Ken), announced three more cast members on Wednesday. Their characters will appear in the anime’s upcoming eighth episode.

The newly announced cast members are:

Kaori Ishihara as Taki, a boy from the village where Bat once lived

Sayuri Sadaoka as Toyo, an old woman from Taki’s village

Takashi Matsuyama as Jackal, an antagonist who attacks the village

The manga’s story is set in a post-apocalyptic world. The story centers on a man named Kenshiro, a master and successor to a deadly martial art, as he wanders the nuclear wasteland protecting the weak and innocent from violent thugs. In his travels, he must contend with other master martial artists and figures from his past, including his “brother” Raoh, who has crowned himself the king of the new world.

The anime stars:

Hiroshi Maeda (director of photography for Hellsing Ultimate, Aquarion) is directing the anime at TMS Entertainment, and Kazuma Ogasawara (episode director for Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These – Collision, Oshi no Ko (TV 2) is the assistant director. Kazuhiko Inukai (Girlfriend, Girlfriend) is in charge of the series scripts. Naoki Hisatsune (key animator for Fist of the North Star: Legend of Kenshiro, Fist of the North Star: Legend of Toki) is designing the characters. Kōji (3D director for Medalist) is serving as animation director. Yūki Hayashi (My Hero Academia) is composing the music. NIA Animation and Kishida Studio BACU are collaborating on the production.

Alexandros performs the opening theme song “Hallelujah.” Toshl performs the ending theme song, a remix of Crystal King‘s opening theme song “Ai o Torimodose!!” from the original anime.

The anime premiered with its first two episodes on the Tokyo MX and BS11 channels on April 10 at 25:00 JST (effectively, April 11 at 1:00 a.m.) Amazon Prime Video is streaming the anime worldwide.

The new anime announcement commemorates the series’ 40th anniversary. The staff stated that the CG-based anime will be more true to the original work.

The original manga ran in Shueisha‘s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine from 1983 to 1988. Viz Media began publishing the manga in a new edition digitally and physically in June 2021.

The Fist of the North Star television anime ran for two seasons from 1984 to 1988 and had 152 episodes. The manga has inspired several other television anime, films, and spinoff anime. Hiroshi Kurao launched a new Fist of the North Star spinoff manga titled Hokuto no Ken Seikimatsu Drama Satsuei-hen (Fist of the North Star Apocalypse Drama Filming Arc) on the Comic Zenon manga website in February 2021.

Hiroshi Kurao‘s Elegy for the Henchmen: Fist of the North Star (Hokuto no Ken: Ken’ō-gun Zako-tachi no Banka) spinoff manga got a short anime that premiered on the T-X and Tokyo MX channels on January 5. The second part of the anime will premiere in July.

Sources: Hokuto no Ken -Fist of the North Star- anime’s website, Comic Natalie

Play runs from July 3 to August 23 in Tokyo

The official website for the Super Kabuki stage play adaptation of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli‘s Princess Mononoke film presented the play’s main cast in costume via a short ad on Wednesday.

The play will star:

Danko Ichikawa V as Ashitaka

Kazutarō Nakamura as San

Tokizō Nakamura VI as Eboshi Gozen

The play will run from July 3 to August 23 at the Shinbashi Enbujō Theatre in Tokyo. The new production celebrates the Super Kabuki production’s 40th anniversary.

Kensuke Yokouchi is directing the play. Keiko Niwa, who has written or assisted on scripts for such Studio Ghibli films as The Wind Rises, Arrietty, and When Marnie Was There, is co-writing the script with Kazuhisa Tobe, who also directed and wrote the Evangelion kabuki project. The production will use Joe Hisaishi‘s music.

The Super Kabuki production debuted in 1986, and is known for merging traditional kabuki staging with modern stage concepts.

GKIDS began screening a 4K restoration of the film exclusively in IMAX theaters in North America on March 26, 2025 to celebrate Studio Ghibli‘s 40th anniversary. The company describes the film’s story:

Inflicted with a deadly curse, the young warrior Ashitaka heads west in search of a cure. There, he stumbles into a bitter conflict between Lady Eboshi, the proud people of Iron Town, and the enigmatic Princess Mononoke, a young girl raised by wolves, who will stop at nothing to prevent the humans from destroying her home and the forest spirits and animal gods who live there. Featuring the voice talents of Gillian Anderson, Billy Crudup, Claire Danes, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Billy Bob Thornton.

Sources: Princess Mononoke kabuki play’s website, Mainichi Shimbun’s Mantan Web