Anime
Rintarō’s Short About Director Sadao Yamanaka Streams on YouTube – News
Miyu Distribution began streaming on the Bang Bang YouTube channel on Thursday the “Yamanaka Sadao ni Sasageru Manga Eiga ‘Nezumikozō Jirokichi’” (“Manga Cinema Dedicated to Sadao Yamanaka ‘NEZUMIKOZO JIROKICHI‘”), or “Nezumikozō Jirokichi”, 24-minute film short by director Rintarō (Galaxy Express 999, Metropolis) in Japanese with English subtitles.
The “silent animation” film depicts the behind-the-scenes story of the Nezumikozō Jirokichi – Edo no Maki (Nezumikozo Jirokichi – Edo Chapter) film by Sadao Yamanaka – a film director who died at 28 in 1938 – and Yamanaka’s efforts to produce the film. Yamanaka spurred the Japanese film industry’s transition from silent films to talkies.
Yamanaka’s Nezumikozō Jirokichi – Edo no Maki film is about the titular character Nezumikozō Jirokichi, a thief who steals from the rich and gives to the poor, and a townswoman named Osuzu, who leads a tough life with her small child after her husband died.
Rintarō directed the “Manga Cinema dedicated to Sadao Yamanaka ‘NEZUMIKOZO JIROKICHI‘” silent animation film at GENCO, Studio M2, and French animation studio Miyu Productions. Katsuhiro Ōtomo (Akira) designed the characters, and Toshiyuki Honda (Metropolis,Tokyo Babylon) composed the music. Mami Koyama voices the film’s benshi (live narrator for silent films).
The short made its debut at the 1st Niigata International Animation Film Festival in March 2023. When the short debuted in 2023, it had been Rintarō‘s first new directorial work in 14 years. Montreal’s 27th Fantasia International Film Festival then screened the short in July 2023. The short has since played at multiple fefstivals, including the Annecy International Animated Film Festival and Lumière Film Festival in France, and also screened in September 2024 at the Japan Film Festival Los Angeles. The short opened at the
Eurospace cinema in Shibuya in November 2024.
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Anime
Anime Expo Screens U.S. Premiere of Sparks of Tomorrow TV Anime, Hosts Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Anime Staff – News
©Hiro Yuki, Kyoto Animation/Sparks of Tomorrow Production Committee
Anime Expo announced on Tuesday that it will screen the U.S. premiere of the first two episodes of the television anime of Hiro Yūki’s Sparks of Tomorrow (20 Seiki Denki Mokuroku) novel at this year’s event on July 3 at 10:00 a.m. in the JW Marriott Platinum Ballroom.
The convention recently revealed that it will host the Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (Sōsō no Frieren) television anime’s second season director Tomoya Kitagawa, supporting director Keiichirō Saitō, animation producer Yuichiro Fukushi, and character designer Keisuke Kojima. The four will be at a panel for the anime on July 4 at 6:00 p.m. at the JW Marriott Platinum Ballroom.
The event will also host manga artist and illustrator Acky Bright.
The Sparks of Tomorrow anime will debut on July 5 and will air on Sundays at 11:00 p.m. on Tokyo MX and on 11:30 on BS11. The series will also air on ABC TV and TV Aichi. The anime will exclusively stream worldwide on Netflix on Sundays starting on July 5 at 11:00 p.m. JST.
The original novel takes place in the summer of 1907, the 40th year of the Meiji era. 15-year-old Inako Momokawa lives in the Fushimi area of Kyoto, and is the second daughter of a sake brewer. Nothing she does ever comes out right, and she receives a scolding from her father every day. Her only relief is the trust she places in her prayers to the gods. One day while at Fushimi Inari shrine, she meets a freewheeling young man named Kihachi Sakamoto. He rejects the gods, and boasts of the incoming age of electricity.
This Year’s Anime Expo will also host a “JAPAN MUSIC VOCALOID Powered by DWANGO” event on July 4 with guest performers Hachiōji-P, kz (Livetune), picco, SatapanP, and TeddyLoid. Entry is included with attendees’ Anime Expo credentials and no separate ticket is required. ALI, Yōko Kanno, girl group Roselia, rock band SPYAIR, and singer Yoko Takahashi will perform at the J-POP SOUND CAPSULE @ AX 2026 music concert.
The event will also host “the first official North American screening” of the The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? anime film on July 5 at 12:00 p.m. PDT. BIGWEST will also host a Macross panel on July 2 at 1:00 p.m. PDT.
The convention previously revealed the following guests:
Anime Expo 2026 will take place from July 2-5 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
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FuRyu revealed during the Six One Indie showcase on Friday it will publish ANOMALITH, an anomaly horror survival action game. The company will release the game for PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam on October 29. Winning Entertainment Group (formerly Natsume Atari) is developing the game.
Humanity Has Declined creator Romeo Tanaka is writing the scenario, Elden Ring and Witch Hat Atelier composer Yuka Kitamura is composing the soundtrack, and MON (NisiOisin‘s Legends series) is designing the characters.
The company describes the game:
The year 19**; Spatial anomalies known as “Otherworlds” have appeared without warning. The government’s “Danger Zone Countermeasures Office” has been unsuccessful in repelling the threat and determining its origin. Players take control of investigator Reona Minazuki, who has been awakened from a 10-year slumber inside an anomaly known as the “Sarcophogus” and acquired a keen sensitivity to the Otherworlds. Working alongside her colleagues and commanding officers, Reona strives not only to protect humanity but help a dear friend.
FuRyu announced during the Indie Live Expo showcase in April it is developing the CRYMELIGHT game as the latest installment in its CRY series of “dark bishōjo action” game series.
Source: Press release
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© Kamentotsu, Shueisha
Shueisha‘s Shonen Jump+ platform announced in the 49th chapter of Kamentotsu‘s The Creepy and Freaky (Kowaiya-san) manga on Wednesday that the series will end in the next chapter on May 27.
MANGA Plus publishes the series in English and describes the story:
Step into “The Creepy and Freaky,” where fear is our commodity. Take your time, shop around, and immerse yourself in these tales of terror for as long as you please.
Kamentotsu launched the series on Shueisha‘s Shonen Jump+ platform in March 2025. Shueisha shipped the third compiled book volume on March 4 and will ship the fourth volume on June 4.
Kamentotsu ended the Morris: Tsuno ga Haeta Neko no Bōken (Morris ~The Cat With the Fancy Horns’ Adventure~) manga in October 2022.
The manga launched in Kadokawa‘s Young Ace magazine in February 2021.
Kamentotsu began serializing the Baby Bear’s Bakery (Koguma no Cake-ya-san) manga on their Twitter account in November 2017, and it also began serializing on the Netlab website in December 2017. Shogakukan started releasing the manga in print in 2018, and the sixth compiled book volume shipped in October 2021. Manga publisher Denpa licensed the manga in English.
Source: Shonen Jump+
Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. One or more of the companies mentioned in this article are part of the Kadokawa Group of Companies.
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