The official website for Mahō no Princess Minky Momo Akogare no Yume e Magokoro no Duo (Fairy Princess Minky Momo A Duo of Sincerity Toward a Dream of Longing), the new original video anime (OVA) of the Fairy Princess Minky Momo magical girl anime franchise, unveiled on Wednesday a video, visual, and cast:

The OVA stars:

The film will open in Japan on November 13.

The new OVA‘s story is set in Diginarsa, the land of dreams and hopes, which maintains its existence through dream energy. But the land is in danger of disappearing as humans lose their dreams and hopes, and the dream energy decreases. As a last resort, the land’s king sends off his three companions Chamocha, Dettabook, and Pipirupi to Minky Momo for help.

On her 12th birthday, a girl named Momo received a smartphone as a present, and awakens as Minky Momo after meeting the king’s companions and resolves herself to save Diginarsa. As Momo steadily collects dream energy, a mysterious app begins to become popular in the city. But the dreams that children talk about in the app are nothing but frivolous dreams only driven by the desire for recognition or boosting their viewing numbers. Momo starts to question everyone’s dreams.

Ayumu Watanabe (Witch Hat Atelier, Akane-banashi, Space Brothers) is directing the anime at Ashi Production. The original 1982-1983 anime’s main animator Hiroshi Watanabe and Minky Momo in The Station of Your Memories key animator Mari Tominaga are designing the characters. Deko Akao (Arakawa Under the Bridge two seasons, Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream) is writing the script, Katsunori Shimizu (Magical Girl Ore, Citrus) is the sound director, Zack Promotion is in charge of sound production, and Tomoki Hasegawa (Minky Momo in The Station of Your Memories, Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!) is composing the music. Studio Live is credited for design cooperation. MOVIC and Giggly Box are distributing.

The new OVA will be the franchise‘s first new one since 1994’s Minky Momo in The Station of Your Memories, 32 years ago.

William Winckler Productions launched an Amazon Instant Video release of the 1982-1983 television anime as English-dubbed features in 2015, and it described the story:

In Minky Momo, a princess from a magical world is sent to Earth to help people recover their lost hopes and dreams. Using her magic, and with the aid of her magical dog, monkey and bird, Minky – known on Earth as “Gigi” – encounters amazing adventures.

The 1982-1983 series inspired a television series followup in 1991-1992 and several OVAs. Harmony Gold USA released the Fairy Princess Minky Momo: La ronde in my dream OVA in English as Gigi and the Fountain of Youth. Crunchyroll began streaming the original television anime in January 2024.

Sources: Mahō no Princess Minky Momo Akogare no Yume e Magokoro no Duo anime’s website, Comic Natalie

Netflix is streaming the new live-action series based on Tohru Fujisawa‘s GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka manga in Japanese with English subtitles in North America. The first episode is now streaming, with new episodes released on Mondays.

In the new series, the now 52-year-old Onizuka works as a teacher at Seishin Academy, which aims to “raise the leaders of the future.” At Seishin, both students and teachers carry tablets through which the school disseminates information. Students anonymously rank teachers through the “Teacher Feedback System,” where teachers constantly ranked low lose their homeroom teacher status. Teachers and students both chat using the tablet, though neither side see it as a place to air their true feelings.

Onizuka’s direct teaching methods, where he puts himself on the line, are now seen as problematic, and it has led him to losing a string of teaching jobs prior to arriving at Seishin Academy. Now he must deal with the commercialization of education, being bound by rankings and oversight, and a school that seems to show no interest in others’ well being and relies on social media.

The new series premiered on Kansai TV, Fuji TV, and affiliated channels on Monday at 10:00 p.m. (9:00 a.m. EDT).

Takashi Sorimachi reprises the role of protagonist Eikichi Onizuka 28 years after his first outing, while Satoru Nakajima and Kazuhiko Yukawa return as director and scriptwriter, respectively, for the new series. The series is a sequel to earlier live-action adaptations, moving the time period from the Heisei era to the modern Reiwa era.

Meru Nukumi plays Mio Kashiwabara, the assistant homeroom teacher for Onizuka.

Fujisawa published the original GTO manga in Kodansha‘s Weekly Shōnen Magazine from 1997 to 2002. Other works in the franchise include the manga sequel GTO: Shonan 14 Days, the discontinued spin-off GT-R, and the predecessor series GTO: The Early Years. Tokyopop and Vertical published various GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka) manga titles, including the GTO: The Early Years prequel, in North America. The GTO: Paradise Lost manga launched in Weekly Young Magazine in April 2014. After going on hiatus in February 2023, the manga moved to Kodansha‘s Magazine Pocket website under the new name GTO: Paradise Lost Kai and resumed in April 2024, and ended in October 2024.

The main manga inspired the first live-action GTO series adaptation in 1998, various television specials over the years, a remake series starring Exile member Akira in 2012 with its own spinoffs, and a live-action film in 2000. GTO: The Early Years inspired a new live-action series adaptation in February 2020. GTO Revival, a new live-action television special, premiered in April 2024.

The manga also inspired a television anime adaptation that aired in Japan in 1999. Tokyopop initially licensed the anime series in 2001, releasing it on DVD singles and two boxsets. Discotek licensed the anime and released it on home video in September 2013.

Source: Netflix via @WTK