Sanrio will release collaboration figures of Ojamajo Doremi, with items appearing from October 22, 2024. There are six potential figures to get and they’re available via online gacha. [Thanks, Hobby Dengeki!]

The characters you can get are Doremi, Hazuki, Aiko, Hello Kitty, My Melody, and Cinnamoroll. They’re a little hard to see, but each human character has ears in the shapes of the mascot they’re paired with. Doremi’s with Hello Kitty, Hazuki’s with My Melody, and Aiko’s with Cinnamoroll. The Sanrio mascots also have elements from their human counterparts. They’re wearing the hats, a very basic form of their costume, and accessories.

It costs 400 JPY ($2.65) per attempt, and you’ll receive your figure some time in late February 2025. Bandai notes that there’s a possibility these toys will appear in physical gacha machines before the ones from online gacha ship out. This means that if you’re willing to hedge your bets, you can wait until they appear in gachapon machines to get them immediately instead of needing to wait until next year.

Ojamajo Doremi is a magical girl anime from Toei Animation that aired from 1999 to 2003. There are several adaptations, such as manga, anime films, and video games. It focuses on the adventures of Doremi, Hazuki, and Aiko, who are elementary schoolgirls who become witch apprentices after Doremi accidentally turns the owner of a magic shop (a witch) into a witch frog. In order to return the witch to her human body, Doremi needs to pass witch tests to become a real witch while keeping her identity secret.

The Ojamajo Doremi Sanrio figures will appear on Bandai’s Gachapon Online from October 22, 2024 and will ship out some time in late February 2025.

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The first episode of the special edited version of the One Piece anime has been delayed. The episode was originally set to air on October 27, 2024, and it will instead debut a week later on November 3.

The reason for the special edited One Piece anime episode delay is due to the conflicting schedules of the original release date of the anime episode and the MLB World Series both coinciding on October 27, 2024. Toei Animation announced back in October 12, 2024 that the Fish-Man Island arc of the One Piece anime series would receive a special edited version. The objective of this re-release is to touch up some of the scenes in the anime to increase the visuals and animation quality using the latest technology.

While the Fish-Man Island arc of the One Piece anime is being slightly updated, this is not to be confused with The One Piece anime remake announced by Netflix back in December 2023. While we know when the special edited version of the current One Piece anime will air, The One Piece anime remake is currently in production without a release date announced.

The One Piece anime is streaming on Crunchyroll and Netflix and the manga is handled by Viz Media outside Japan. Meanwhile, the live-action One Piece adaptation is available on Netflix.

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Uniqlo has revealed a new lineup of shirts inspired by the original Dragon Ball and its latest entry Dragon Ball Daima that will appear worldwide in 2025. The brand will gradually sell these products in numerous countries, starting in Japan in January 2025.

There will be a total of ten shirt designs available. Uniqlo will further split the designs into three different categories.

The first ones will be adult unisex sweatshirts priced at ¥2,990 (~$19.85) each. These are unisex items that can be worn by anyone. Here's how they will look:

The following Dragon Ball designs will be intended for adult unisex shirts that cost ¥1,500 (~$9.95) apiece:

The last three will be designs for kids' T-shirts with the lowest price tag of ¥990 (~$6.57):

As with prior crossover shirts like Monster Hunter and One Piece, the adult shirts will be available in sizes from XS to 4XL. However, Uniqlo's physical outlets will mostly only stock shirt sizes from S to XL. People who are interested in getting the super small or large sizes will have the best chance to order the shirts online via Uniqlo's web store.

The new Dragon Ball and Daima Uniqlo shirts will be available first in Japan in early January 2025.

The post New Dragon Ball Uniqlo Shirts in 2025 Will Include Daima appeared first on Siliconera.

Square Enix announced its upcoming manga and book lineup at the 2024 New York Comic Con, and they include the Dragon Quest: The Mark of Erdric and Hololive Holoearth Chronicles Side:E Yamato Phantasia manga series. Both will launch in 2025. They are joined by five other books and manga that will appear in 2025 and 2026. 

The Holoearth Chronicles Side:E Yamato Phantasia manga, which stars Hololive Vtubers Ookami Mio and Shirakami Fubuki. It started running back in 2021, and it appeared in both Japanese and English when it did. This isn’t about the actual Vtubers and their adventures. Rather, it is based on an alternate reality in which the two have unique abilities which they use to save Yamato, often against enemies inspired by other Vtubers like Nakiri Ayame. That first volume will launch in August 2025. 

The first volume of the Dragon Quest: The Mark of Erdric manga will follow that in September 2025. The series originally debuted in Japan in 1991. There, it was known by the name Dragon Quest Saga: Emblem of Roto. It is a sequel to Dragon Quest III and follows Prince Arus. The series follows his journey to face a new demon lord.

Here is the full list of the other Square Enix manga series and books revealed at NYCC 2024.

• Bride of the Death God Volume 1 - September 2025
• Exquisite Blood: The Heretic Onmyoji Volume 1 - August 2025
• Mechanical Buddy Universe Volume 1 - September 2025
• Mechanical Buddy Universe 1.0 Volume 1 - January 2026
• Soul Eater: Soul Art Encore art book - October 2025

The Square Enix NYCC 2024 manga announcements will start appearing in August 2025.

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Capcom revealed the second wave of the collaboration campaign between hololive and Monster Hunter, which will feature Vtubers from the Hololive Gamers group. The company will release new merchandise based on this crossover at its amusement centers across Japan in late October 2024.

All four active members of Hololive Gamers—Shirakami Fubuki, Ookami Mio, Nekomata Okayu, and Inugami Korone, will be present in this collaboration. Their costume designs will also take inspiration from certain Felyne armors, with the said Palico also accompanying them. For instance, Fubuki will wear a Zinogre-themed attire, and Mio's costume will be based on the default Kamura Village set from Monster Hunter Rise.

Most of the items in the lineup—ranging from acrylic stand keychains and boards to towels and cushions—will appear in crane games inside the amusement centers. Those who spend 500 yen consecutively on a crane game featuring those items can receive a random clear file. Capcom will also add hanging tapestries as exclusive prizes on Capcom Net Catcher.

In addition, Capcom is publishing new advertisements in Ikebukuro, Tokyo to promote this collaboration. The company has set up an advertisement video to play at Ikebukuro Hit Vision until November 3, 2024. It is also decorating windows and crane games inside Capcom Plaza Ikebukuro for a limited time.

Hololive Gamers will comprise the second wave in the overall collaboration. The first wave appeared in late September 2024, and it featured the four active Japanese third-generation VTubers, which are Usada Pekora, Shiranui Flare, Shirogane Noel, and Houshou Marine.

The Monster Hunter Hololive Gamers crossover merchandise will appear at Capcom's amusement centers across Japan in limited numbers starting from Friday, October 25, 2024.

The post Monster Hunter Hololive Gamers Merchandise Will Show Up appeared first on Siliconera.

I was excited when Yen Press announced it picked up the manhwa series Finding Camellia, because the initial description made it sound empowering. It suggested it followed a young woman who was stolen from her mother as a child by her father’s wife and forced to grow up and live as a young man as an additional heir as she took back her power and become her true self again. However, at least in the initial volume, Camellia being such a passive character that is often relegated to the background kept me from enjoying the story.

Editor’s Note: There will be spoilers for volume 1 of the Finding Camellia manhwa below. 

Finding Camellia begins with Camellia’s abduction to turn her into “Camellius.” Her mother Laura was a maid in the house of her father, Marquis Gilliard Bale, who ended up in some sort of relationship with him and pregnant. The Marquis’ legitimate child Kieran suffers from an illness that only seems to grow worse. In fact, Laura fled the house with “Lia” when an incident made it seem like she was responsible for Kieran getting worse. So Gilliard’s wife Anastasia hunted down Laura and Camellia, abducted the girl, and because Gilliard considered a young woman useless, chopped off the child’s hair to raise her as a younger son named Camellius. 

Things begin with the desperation Camellia clearly feels. She’s desperate to see her mother again and keeps asking. However, she’s only 12. She passively takes part in lessons. She’s put forward and forced to learn to fire a gun. We watch as Anastasia and Gilliard talk about her being a stopgap in case Kieran doesn’t get better, even after he’s sent away for the sake of possibly improving by living in another region. Her servant Betty lies to her about “her ladyship” being honorable and allowing her to return to Laura if she does what she says. Lord Claude Ihar, Kieran’s friend and another noble, intimidates and teases her. She’s berated and abused for an accident that occurs when she’s forced to try shooting.

So throughout the first 169 pages of the manhwa, I felt completely let down by the first volume of Finding Camellia. We don’t get to see any inner monologue from Camellia explaining how she’s going to fight back. There’s no passion or fire on her part. It’s like she’s a doll tossed around from scene to scene. acting as a plot device for other people. I suppose I could see some reasoning for it. It certainly establishes a tragic backstory for her. Maybe even the goal on Jin Soye’s part was to leave people frustrated and angry on her behalf. 

But the thing is, I expected things to get better once I hit page 170 and the timeskip to a 16-year-old Camellia/Camellius. She’s about to be shipped away to an academy in the city to study. Except the initial sentiments about this instead has her lamenting not hearing from her brother Kieran or Lord Claude in the past few years. It is only at page 192 that we see any sort of outrage or passion on Camellia’s part. It’s the first hint that she might actually do anything for her own sake and strike back. Yet a few pages later, in interactions with Eddie, Camellia’s father Gilliard, Prince Wade, and Lord Claude, we’re right back to her being at the whims of others again.

I can only hope that Finding Camellia picks up in later volumes, because Camellia doesn’t get to take charge at any point in the story so far. It feels like other people are constantly making decisions for her and pushing her around, with none of her actions actually decided for herself. The lack of agency is annoying and even infuriating, and I think I’d find it difficult to continue reading if things don’t change by the second volume.

Volume 1 of the Finding Camellia manhwa is available now, and Yen Press will release volume 2 on December 10, 2024. 

The post I Wish Camillia Wasn’t so Passive in the Finding Camellia Manhwa appeared first on Siliconera.

When you find a manga about new stepsister and stepbrother who are the same age living together, odds are it seems like it’d be romantic in nature somehow. While volume 1 of Days with My Stepsister does tease that possibility, with even Yen Press’ official description for the manga suggests it the new relationship could involve “simple admiration, familial love, or something more.” However, what makes this series appealing is watching teenagers who grew up with trauma due to their family life learning to recover and reach out to others again.

Editor’s note: There will be spoilers for volume 1 of the Days with My Stepsister manga below.

In the case of new stepsiblings Yuuta Asamura and Saki Ayase, each one is dealing with trauma and unresolved issues that come from their home lives prior to the start of their story and interactions with other people. As we’re initially seeing things from Yuuta’s perspective, his are more obvious. His parents constantly fought. His mother cheated on his father, resulting in their divorce. Throughout the entirety of the first volume of the manga, his mother is absent. So must so, she doesn’t have a name. There are suggestions she was verbally abusive. 

As such, we see a number of ways in which Yuuta adjusted his life and personality to avoid those sorts of situation and that kind of trauma again. In addition to deciding to avoid women and romantic interactions, it seems he avoids people in general. We really only see one friend of his, with Yuuta mentioning he doesn’t have many. Is he protecting himself? Absolutely. Is it healthy? No. 

In the case of Saki, it isn’t as immediately obvious that she’s suffering from similar issues. However, after the first meeting and an agreement to respectfully coexist, but not expect anything from each other, it becomes obvious she’s dealing with similar problems. After all, her reactions to simple kindnesses like assistance unpacking, a tub being refilled for her. Once school starts, we see that there’s not only the hurt caused from her own past family life with an absent father who cheated on her mother and a mother who had to be constantly working to support them affected her deeply. 

That, paired with people making negative assumptions about Saki based on her appearance, leads to her being in a situation similar to Yuuta at the outset. She also doesn’t expect anything from anyone and seems detached. She’s learned from experiences with her family and with strangers that misjudge her that it might not be possible to connect with others. So, like Yuuta, she strives for independence. 

Being forced into a situation in which they learn to connect and consider another person feels like it could be healing for them. They go in expecting nothing from each other. However, they immediately start showing each other common consideration. They agree to avoid each other at school and pretend they aren’t related, but talk in secret. When Saki is looking for a well-paying, part-time job and mentions it to Yuuta, he immediately starts helping her find a solution. Already, in a single volume and short span of time, the two are gradually growing and helping each other start to recover by forming a more positive relationship built on mutual respect and understanding.

I mean, those following the Days with My Stepsister light novel will know where the manga is heading and what will happen between Yuuta and Saki. Still, the progression and character development keeps this from feeling like a contrived situation. What’s happening her feels more meaningful. The characters aren’t just typical teenagers or enamored with the situation. This really is about growth and a possible genuine relationship.

Volume 1 of Days with My Stepsister is now available, and Yen Press will release volume 2 on January 21, 2025. The anime is streaming on Crunchyroll. Yen Press also published the light novel outside Japan.

The post Days With My Stepsister Manga Starts With Teenagers Recovering From Trauma appeared first on Siliconera.

Yen Press announced that those waiting to read the new Haruhi Suzumiya light novel will be able to alongside Japanese readers. We already knew The Theater of Haruhi Suzumiya will be a simulpub title, which means it will be released simultaneously in both English and Japanese, but now this pins down the publisher. It came up among other New York Comic Con 2024 reveals. 

The announcement went on to offer additional clarification about the process. This will only affect the English digital release of The Theater of Haruhi Suzumiya, and not the physical copy of the light novel. The new story is set to debut in Japan on November 29, 2024. So someone will be able to go directly to Yen Press and look up the digital copy at launch to download it from the storefront that works best for them.

Here’s the official announcement Yen Press shared during NYCC 2024. It confirmed this installment will feature three stories starring the series’ characters. 

This tracks, as Yen Press handled both the manga and light novels in the past. The most recently published light novel was The Intuition of Haruhi Suzumiya, which released in 2021. It’s been quite a while since we’ve seen manga based on it, as one of the last ones was The Celebration of Haruhi Suzumiya.

Digital copies of The Theater of Haruhi Suzumiya will appear in English via Yen Press on November 29, 2024.

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Toei shared some of the new character designs and key artwork for the upcoming Digimon Adventure promotional video (PV). The video is being created to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the original anime series.

The name of the upcoming music video is Digimon Adventure: Beyond, and it will feature the song “brave heart” from the original anime series alongside new animation. The new character art shows protagonist Taichi and Yamato as grownups, with the key art showing the same two characters. The art shows both characters in early development black and white colors.

Additionally, Toei shared that the new Digimon Adventure: Beyond PV will include other characters from the anime series. Anime Director Hiroyuki Kakudo will be in charge of directing the new video. Kakudo was the original director of Digimon Adventure and its Digimon Adventure 02 sequel. Digimon Adventure –Beyond– is scheduled to appear during Digimon Con 2025, which will be held in late March of the same year.

You can check out the new character designs and key art for the Digimon Adventure: Beyond video here:

The video was originally announced back on May 2024 with a promotional image of the seven chosen children inside phone booths drawn in a prototype sketch style.

The new Digimon Adventure: Beyond music PV will debut on March 2025 during Digimon Con 2025.

The post Digimon Adventure Beyond 25th Anniversary PV Character Art Shared appeared first on Siliconera.

Bandai will release new Gundam and Evangelion Shokugan frame toys in Japan in 2025. The company has also opened pre-orders for the upcoming toys on its Japanese Premium Bandai web store. [Thanks, Hobby Watch!]

The new Gundam G-Frame-FA Shokugan toy set will be particularly based on Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team. The package will contain armor parts, frames, and armaments that let the owner construct the Gundam Ez8, Ground Type Gundam, Ground Type GM, and Gouf Custom. All of these items will be available in a single package at 7,480 yen (~$50.05)

Meanwhile, the Rebuild of Evangelion toys will appear in two different sets. Both of them will feature unit parts and frames that result in Shinji's EVA Unit-01 and Rei's EVA Unit-00' when completed, so they won't come pre-built like the Robot Spirits action figures.

The regular EVA-Frame-DX set that costs 6,930 yen (~$46.35) will add Asuka's EVA Unit-02. There will also be a limited set based on Operation Yashima that comes with the 6th Angel while bringing in EVA 01's positron rifle and EVA 00''s large shield at 5,940 yen (~$39.70).

While the Gundam: The 08th MS Team toys are only available on the Japanese Premium Bandai, the Evangelion Shokugan toys—both the regular set with EVA 02 and the Operation Yashima set with the 6th Angel—can be ordered via the Evangelion Store. The latter also supports international shipping via the Buyee proxy widget.

Bandai will release the Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team and Rebuild of Evangelion Shokugan toys in April 2025.

The post Gundam and Evangelion Shokugan Frame Toys Will Appear appeared first on Siliconera.

As part of the Dragon Ball Daima New York Comic Con 2024 reveals, Toei Animation revealed two English voice actors and 12 more Japanese ones for the anime. There are also two new videos showing the opening and ending credits and theme songs without any text.

The two English voice actors for Dragon Ball Daima are the ones for main characters Goku (Mini) and Glorio. Stephanie Nadolny will return to play Goku. In the past, she’s been tasked with playing him and Gohan in appearances when they were babies, kids, or teenagers. Glorio is voiced by Aaron Dismuke, who most recently played Masachika Kuze in Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian and Elan Ceres in Gundam: The Witch from Mercury. 

As for the Japanese voice actors for Dragon Ball Daima, here are all the other confirmed cast members:

• Bulma (Mini) - Mai Nakahara
• Chichi (Mini) - Ai Kakuma
• Dende (Mini) - Erina Goto
• Kamesennin (Mini) - Nobuaki Kanemitsu
• Kibito (Mini) - Yusuke Handa
• Krillin (Mini) - Aki Kanada
• Majin Buu (Mini) - Shiho Amuro
• Mr. Popo (Mini) - Kimiko Saito
• Mr. Satan (Mini) - Toru Sakurai
• Piccolo (Mini) - Tomohiro Yamaguchi
• Trunks (Mini) - Tsubasa Yonaga
• Vegeta (Mini) - Yudai Mino

Here’s the Dragon Ball Daima anime opening theme song “Jaka Jaka” and its animation.

And this is the credit-less Dragon Ball Daima ending theme “Nakama.” 

These aren’t the only announcements related to the series coming out of NYCC 2024. Bandai Namco also shared that three ongoing games based on the series will get DLC based on Dragon Ball Daima. There are no release dates yet, but we’ll see characters and elements from the anime appear in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, and Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot.

Dragon Ball Daima is streaming on Crunchyroll, and the English dub of the anime will debut in US and Canadian theaters on November 10-12, 2024.

The post Meet More Dragon Ball Daima English and Japanese Voice Actors appeared first on Siliconera.

Kotobukiya announced ahead of the 2024 New York Comic Con and Halloween that it will add Vampirella to the line of horror comic icon Bishoujo figures. This is both to celebrate her 55th anniversary and the 15th anniversary of the Bishoujo line of statues.

At the moment, the Vampirella Bishoujo figure is very early in development, but artist Shunya Yamashita did already draw the concept art for the horror comic heroine. It is based on her classic red and white one-piece with gold accents. She’ll apparently be standing on a base that has a cross-shaped grave on it. Also, as a nod to the fact that she can shapeshift into a bat, there will be one flying alongside her.

Here’s the official Yamashita concept art that will be used as the basis for the figure:

While people might immediately think of the Kotobukiya Bishoujo line and think of comic or game figures, ones based on horror villains have been a staple since the collection started. After all, Edward Scissorhands showed up in the series back in 2016, followed by Tiffany from The Bride of Chuckyin 2017. Two of the more recent releases were a Sadako from The Ring announcement and a rerun of Beetlejuice.

The Vampirella Bishoujo figure is in development.

The post Vampirella Is the New Horror Bishoujo Figure appeared first on Siliconera.

During the 2024 New York Comic Con, Warner Bros shared an update on the worldwide digital and Blu-ray release of Batman Ninja vs Yakuza League. It will appear worldwide in 2025, with physical and digital copies available. There’s also a new trailer, which includes more classic DC Comics and Batman characters like Green Lantern and Ra’s al Ghul. 

The four especially notable characters showing up in this Batman Ninja vs Yakuza League trailer are Aquaman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Ra’s al Ghul, and Wonder Woman. The voice actors for each one also came up too. Akio Otsuka, who may be known best now as All for One in My Hero Academia, is Aquaman. Yu Yu Hakusho Hiei actor Nobuyuki Hiyama is The Flash. Ayane Sakura, who is also Yae Miko in Genshin Impact and Yotsuba Nakano in Quintessential Quintuplets, is Green Lantern. Kazuhiro Yamaji is going from Makoto Date in Yakuza and Cid Highwind in multiple FFVII games to Ra’s al Ghul. Finally, the voice actress behind Persona 4’s Naoto Shirogane, Romi Park, is Wonder Woman. 

Here’s the new Batman Ninja vs Yakuza League trailer featuring some of the additional DC Comics characters showing up in the anime.

The last time Warner Bros talked about the anime at an English event was at Anime Expo 2024. During it, we got to see a trailer for the show, but it didn’t include much voice acting. Joker and Harley Quinn were also confirmed for the new adaptation earlier in October 2024.

Batman Ninja vs Yakuza League is currently in development ahead of a digital and Blu-ray release in 2025, and the original Batman Ninja anime is available worldwide.

The post Batman Ninja vs Yakuza League Blu-ray Debuts Next Year appeared first on Siliconera.

Among the Good Smile Company 2024 New York Comic Con figure reveals was one anime announcement for a My Deer Friend Nokotan Nendoroid of Noko Shikanoko. Due to how early it is in development, only concept art for the character appeared on social media and at the event. 

It seems like the Noko Shikanoko Nendoroid will feature the My Deer Friend Nokotan character in her school uniform. The preliminary art also featured her making her traditional peace signs she uses in official art for the series, suggesting those will appear as additional parts. In the series, she is able to detach her antlers at will. However, it is unknown if those will be removable when the figure releases.

Here’s a closer look at the announcement and the full concept art for the character:

Since the anime series’ release and popularity, we’ve seen it come up quite frequently. There was a Deermobile driving around in Japan to promote the series. There was also a special music video based on the show.

The My Deer Friend Nokotan anime is available to watch via Crunchyroll and Amazon, and there’s no release window for the Noko Shikanoko Nendoroid yet. The manga is handled by Seven Seas outside Japan.

The post We’ll See a My Deer Friend Nokotan Noko Shikanoko Nendoroid appeared first on Siliconera.

Casetify has announced the release of its One Piece Devil Fruit Collection in celebration of the anime's 25th anniversary. The collection, set to launch globally on October 23, 2024, includes limited-edition phone cases and tech accessories inspired by One Piece's iconic Devil Fruits.

The featured items in the One Piece x Casetify Devil Fruit Collection include phone cases and accessories inspired by the Gum-Gum Fruit, Flame-Flame Fruit, and Op-Op Fruit. In addition to these, the collection offers a grip stand designed after the Thousand Sunny, the Straw Hat Pirates' ship. Prices for smartphone cases start at ¥6,050 (approximately $40 USD), with tech accessories beginning at ¥5,280 (or roughly $35 USD), both including tax.

This follows the ongoing One Piece collaboration with MOS Burger in Japan, where customers can get exclusive One Piece toys with their kids' meals such as a Luffy craftwork set, Straw Hat Pirates cutlery, and a slap bracelet.

The One Piece x Casetify Devil Fruit Collection, featuring limited-edition phone cases and tech accessories, launches globally on October 23, 2024. One Piece is available on streaming services like Crunchyroll. The english edition of the manga is licensed by Viz Media.

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