#there is also yuki’s real world counterpart

[yosukeburger]

Sepia’s Phantom Thief and Real-world counterparts.

Pieced them together from Twitter user VeskScan’s Google Drive!

[p5x-theories]

Speaking of Persona Central, they just translated an interview with the director of P5X during the recent P5X exhibit at Chinajoy. Some things of particular note from it, assuming this translation is accurate:

Vulpe (the director) refers to "global" development- this is probably a good sign that they're planning to release the game outside of China eventually.

This answer supports the current theory that all the Phantom Idols ("Kaidoru" in Japanese, and I suppose they're using that term in Chinese as well?) will have real world counterparts, likely confidants if "sharing ideals" is anything to go off of. This would mean there will, in fact, be real world versions of Yuki, Seiji, Mont, and Leo somewhere, even if they're not in the second beta's gameplay.

While the game's developed by another game company, we knew that Atlus and Sega were "heavily involved", and of course that Persona series character designer Shigenori Soejima designed Wonder and Janosik, and Persona 5's singer Lyn provided vocals on several new songs for P5X as well. But here it's mentioned Atlus was also involved in the story (though "core of the story" is vague), which is nice to know.

[politesper-moved]

while  disappearance  may  not  be  a  100%  accurate  portrayal  of  itsuki  without  his  mask ,  since  the  world  was  created  by  yuki  and  changed  a  lot  of  elements  about  his  backstory  ( i.e. the organization/agency ) .  however ,  i  did  notice  that  he  acts  much  more  like  his  main  counterpart  when  he  is  around  haruhi .  he  acts  polite ,  gives  into  her  demands ,  and  smiles  around  her .  however ,  around  kyon  you  can  sense  that  he  isn’t  nearly  trying  as  hard  to  please  him .  he  states  how  he  feels  openly  and  even  bitterly  remarks  how  he’s  jealous  of  kyon  if  his  story  of  this  alternate  world  was  true .  though ,  he  does  end  up  turning  back  to  the  other  with  a  smile ,  i  believe  that  he  just  didn’t  want  to  cause  any  conflict  between  them  for  the  sake  of  haruhi .

the  more  i  think  on  it ,  i  don’t  think  itsuki  is  pretending  to  be  someone  else  because  of  any  malicious  intent .  i  think  he  wanted  haruhi  to  like  him ,  and  by  extension  kyon  ( haruhi’s chosen person ) .  itsuki  has  told  kyon  that  he  wishes  that  he  could  be  honest  with  him  and  has  told  him  that  he  doesn’t  act  how  he  normally  would  around  him .  if  he  was  trying  to  trick  kyon  i  don’t  think  he’d  be  saying  that .  i  think  he  does  want  to  be  genuinely  close  to  the  others ,  but  he  can’t  out  of  fear  of  rejection .

he  needs  to  be  close  to  haruhi  for  his  job , she  needs  to  like  him ,  which  is  probably  why  he  tried  so  hard  to  be  likable .  calm ,  polite ,  never  complains ,  kind ,  all  these  trademarks  of  someone  likable .  however ,  he  also  holds  some  mystery  behind  him ,  especially  since  he  was  a  transfer ,  which  catches  haruhi’s  interest .  but  he  also  genuinely  likes  haruhi -  maybe  a  little  more  than  he  should .  he’d  be  scared  to  act  differently  then  he  is  now  because  what  if  she  doesn’t  like  the  real  him ?

itsuki  mentions  he  has  different  faces  for  different  people  and  i  like  to  assume  that  it  means  he  doesn’t  act  as  he  typically  does  around  yuki  and  mikuru .  this  is  probably  because  off  the  bat  itsuki  didn’t  really  mind  their  opinions  of  him .  and  yes ,   he  considers  them  friends  now ,  but  he  also  recognizes  their  rivaling  goals  and  ideals .  because  there  is  always  chance  for  conflict  between  them ,  and  he  knows  that  the  two  of  them  would  likely  ALSO  not  want  it  to  interfere  directly  with  the  brigade ,  he  feels  safer  to  be  more  like  himself  around  them .  it  won’t  have  as  many  negative  ramifications  since  currently  they  are  all  trying  to  please  haruhi ---  having  tension  in  the  clubroom  wouldn’t  help  any  of  them .

kyon ,  however ,  is  known  to  be  a  bit  more  judgmental .  he  already  finds  itsuki  annoying ,  but  he  trusts  him  and  itsuki  is  doing  everything  in  his  power  not  to  break  that  trust  right  now .  if  he  started  acting  differently  it  would  throw  both  kyon  and  haruhi  off  and  itsuki  would  hate  more  than  anything  for  that  to  damage  their  relationships .

he’s  kinda  dug  himself  in  a  hole .

[greedy-fox]

Halloween Recommendations!!

Thought tis the season to be creepy, if y’all are are interested ranged animes to watch. I have placed these animes from PG-13 to the Horror Level

Interviews With Monster Girls

Let’s start with a happy go anime for this Halloween season, and I will start by talking about “ Interviews with Monster Girls.” 

This anime is actually an adorable comedy which follows the premise that all mythical creatures (aka demi-humans) are real and they are living peacefully within society. Our main character Tetsuo Takahashi, is a biology teacher at Shibasaki High School, with a big interest in learning the biology of demi-human.  

With the bar set low on his part since demi-humans are a pretty rare species, he unexpectedly meets a Vampire, Dulhan and a Yuki-Ona (Snow woman) as his female students, there is also the fact that one of his co-workers is a Succubus. 

In my opinion this is a good one to watch because of how cute the characters are, and also how considerate the biology teacher is to his demi-human students

Bloody Blockade Battlefront

Is another supernatural comedy, the story is set in a world where a version of ‘Hell’ (and the demonic creatures that come with it) decided to come up and live in New York. Now the area is closed from the rest of the world and considered its own country called ‘Jerusalem's Lot.’ To keep the inhabitants in check, an organization called ‘Libra’ that is filled with their own supernatural beings. 

A freelance photographer called Leonardo Watch lives in in said  ‘Jerusalem's Lot.’ But before he made that change, a demon gave Leo the ‘All-seeing Eyes of the Gods’ while his sister goes blind. After much research and a stroke of coincidental luck since that incident since that incident, Leo was finally able to join ‘Libra’ and finally use his eyes while finding a cure for his sister.

This is one of the funniest animes that I have watched. Artwork is beautiful and the storyline is great.

Soul Eater

Is a supernatural fantasy anime. The setting is Death Meister Academy in Death City run the head honcho Lord Death (aka the Grim Reaper). 

The school teaches the student how to become better shinigami in order to defeat any evil spirits and their biggest enemy are witches. The student are split into ‘Weapons’ who are humans that have the supernatural abilities to transform into weapons and ‘Meisters’ their human counterparts that are able to use the transformations at their best possible outcome. 

Our main character are team members Maka and her scythe Soul, Black Star and his katana Tsubaki, last but not least Death the Kid and his twin guns Liz and Patty.

Note: Highly Recommend reading this story line as a manga rather than watching it as an anime. Reason is because the main story line cuts off mid way through the series and ends in a completely different way. 

Highschool of the Dead

The story follows a group of Japanese highschool student and their nurse as they survive an unexpected Zombie apocalypse. Along the way they meet both friends and foes and pick up both a child and a dog. 

While all of this is happening, they toward a neighborhood that might be a safe haven for them, while kicking zombie ass along the way. 

Tokyo Ghoul

Is a story about ghouls, humans, and a human who unexpectedly became half ghoul. The setting is Tokyo, Japan; and there monster living within the human population called ghouls. Even though they look human they look and act human they aren’t because they live off of eating human flesh for sustenance. 

Ken Kaneki is your average male high-schooler who unluckily fell in love and victim to one of Tokyo’s most notorious ghoul criminals Rize Kamishiro aka the ‘Binge Eater.’ As what seemed to be a normal date, ends with him running for his life from her and they both fall victim to unsecured metal beams at a nearby constructions site. Just when Kaneki thought he was dead, he wakes up in  hospital bed where his the doctor tells him that he miraculously survived the accident. But as time goes by while he still a patient and after he get discharged Kaneki realizes that there is something very different about his body and was shocked to realize that he is half ghoul. Thankfully he was able to find allies within the coffee shop he frequents.

This anime is on point one of the best things I have watched. The main character goes through a lot of character developments and regressions. There are about four seasons overall and I loved every single one of them.

Devils Line

Is a vampire romance- drama. Set in a world where vampires live among humans in hiding. But they don’t really require human blood to survive. Instead they drink blood when they are about to go on a rampage. 

Our main character is university student Yuuki Anzai and she meets Taira Tsukasa a vampire-human hybrid whom she saves before he went berserk. The two then unexpectedly get closer and start to grow some feelings for each other. But Yuuki is worried that she is a liability to Taira. 

I honestly really liked this anime for it great art work and honest storyline. (Reminds me of Twilight but better) If it catches your and you really like it this is a manga adaptation that you can read after watching the series.

Parasyte: The Maxim

An action horror series where aliens that are called ‘parasyte’s’ have descended into earth orbit and take on the human brain and make them into living hosts. 

Good news is that our main character Shinichi Izumi did not have his brain taken over. Bad news is that the alien instead took over his right arm and is calling himself Migi throughout the series.

 That not all, there are other evil and much stronger ‘parasyte’s’ that have taken over human bodies. Now Izumi and Migi are caught up in multiple fight they just can't lose or it might mean the end of the human race itself.

Another great anime. I personally read the whole thing and it was great the characters go through a lot fighting and there come literal life and death situations happening.

Another

Probably one of the creepiest horror-thriller animes on the decade. The show follows  student by the name Kouichi Sakakibara transfers into 3-3 of Yomiyama North Middle school which rumored to be a cursed classroom. The rumors tells of a female honor student that dies tragically 26 years ago. As she was loved by all the student, class 3-3 decided to keep on believing that she was alive until they graduated.  😖😖😖😖😖

Suspicious and afraid of the classroom atmosphere Koichi ends up befriending Mei Misaki (who he is also very wary of). As the story unfold most of his classmates start dying one by one. Now Kouichi afraid that the curse is real and he might be the next target. 

Will be able to survive this torture and be able to graduate from middle school or will the curse kill him off 

I really believe that this story is creepy beyond compare. I honestly have not watched it myself but based on the opening and what I remember when I saw the trailer, I had nightmares for a month.

__________________________________________________

This is all I have for this year be ready for more the next!

[ari-zonia]

Actual Facts from Studio Orange_Juice games, the full list

Under a read more because it’s long as fuck

QP goes on a quest to make the world remember pudding because everyone but her forgot it existed

Marie Poppos are Mass Produced Humans

Nath gives up her arms and free will to become an Ultimate Living Weapon. Under her own free will.

Yuki is a Persona user. Her Persona is Shifu Robot from SUGURI

Suguri became a living weapon and it made her lifespan extend to the point she is over 10,000 years old, and it turned her eyes red

Tomomo created the 100% Orange Juice world, Kai, and the Poppos so she could be the final boss

Tomomo’s main goal is to be more popular that Kai

Marc shoots down ex-guild members under orders from the Guildmaster thinking she’s making the sky safe to fly, when she was making it so only the Guildmaster could fly

Krila believes red bean paste is a delicacy of nobility

Kyousuke was created for an April Fools dating sim game, he then became a canon character

Kyoko and Kyousuke are twins in 100% Orange Juice and 200% Mixed Juice, while being unrelated in other games because they are from two separate games

Sora became a living weapon because she wanted to see the clear blue sky she was named after

Sweet Breaker sealed everyone’s memory of pudding because she thought it created conflict

Saki, QP, Sweet Breaker, and Tomomo are four of the six Sweet Goddesses

Krila worships a God of Darkness that is implied to be Yuki, she also believes Fernet is a Goddess of Light

Santa is a bunny girl named Aru, no one questions this

One of Kyousuke’s main ways of giving himself power is stripping off his shirt, again, no one questions this

Almost everyone in Flying Red Barrel is named after alcohol (or ingredients) made in barrels

Kai was specifically designed to be the most bare-boned generic protagonist, for the sole purpose of being the protagonist

Krila’s full name is Krilalaris

QP can speak Seagull

The Seagulls are named Jonathan

Mira is actually two people in one body, and has no defined pronouns. Only the fandom refers to Mira as “they”

Everyone in 100% Orange Juice plays a game of dice because they know it will advance the plot

Syura’s powers come from beyond Hell itself

Kyousuke repeatedly mistakes QP for his boyfriend, Kyupita

Iru is often mistaken for a boy

NoName was created by Shifu to be his robotic clone, NoName also happens to be a pervert

Star Breaker has a real name, and it is Reika

The little pink fairy thing that rests on Mixed Poppo’s head, and is the navigator of 200% Mixed Juice, is named Navi

Hime became Suguri’s friend because neither of them liked Shifu and what he was doing

Sora isn’t very good at difficult logic

Sweet Breaker, an advocate of peace, resolves conflict by beating people up

Alte is married

Suguri, Hime, and the rest once got in an argument over pudding that was so bad they summoned QP, the Sweet Guardian in Acceleration of Suguri

NoName’s name is NoName because he didn’t know his name

Sora mistakenly calls Marie Poppo “Mikki Mousse” in 200% Mixed Juice. Twice.

Kae is afraid of both the dark, and silence

Hime is a Guardian God

Shifu sealed away NoName because he didn’t like the look of his own face, and couldn’t deal with coexisting with a clone

Star Breaker stops wishing to destroy everything once she learns she can use her powers to bake cookies

Marc is the only one to question how QP and others can fly without the use of planes in 200% Mixed Juice

Sham had half of her body get burned by Alte’s attempt at flambe, and by picking up the food with her hands

Poppo’s main character trait is that she is a masterful thief. Stealing things like Kai’s wallet, QP’s pudding, Aru’s present sack, and Marc’s 16x Rocket

NoName attempts to use his ability to control Kyoko, Nanako, Kae, Saki, and Iru to make a harem, he has a particular fascination with the girls’ knees

Suguri and Hime appear in sora even though their game takes place after sora

Tomomo created 100% Orange Juice because she wanted friends

Suguri only tags along in 100% Orange Juice because Hime was playing tag with Marie Poppo

The merger of worlds in 200% Mixed Juice is called the “Mix Phenomenon”

Hime has a male counterpart named “Himeji” that is from the same origins as Kyousuke and Kyupita

At the end of Falling Wonder in Acceleration of Suguri, NoName’s head is kept in a flowerpot

All of Saki’s weapons are explosive, and modeled after instruments

Hime is Sora’s sister

The other two Sweet Goddesses, currently unknown, are Sweet Creator and Sweet Blogger

Yuki is the leader of the Waruda gang, with Kiriko as the Intellectual Elite

Tomato and Mimyuu are both boys

Kai thinks he’s too old to believe in Santa

Fernet is a Princess

Ceoreparque and Miusaki are Witches

Reika’s full name is Reika Hoshino

Xmas Shooting Scramble happens because Nico believes Santa is stealing business from her father's toy store

Sora believes Big the Jonathan is a giant Donald Duck

Jonathan became Big the Jonathan because he died stealing a fish sausage and wanted revenge

Sherry just wants to have a good time

If Marc shoots down Peat too early in the first stage of Flying Red Barrel it's implied he dies from the crash

Poppo is a hamster

Kyousuke is the Student Body President

With the exception of Marc, Peat doesn't like to hit ladies

Suguri is the daughter of the scientist that once took care of Sora, 10000 years prior to her own game

[fuckyeahgakuenheaven]

WHAT, ANOTHER POST? Hell yeah! This time, I have one of Keita’s bonus scenes from Gakuen Heaven 2. :D

After the announcement of the Bell One, Yuki has the option of asking Keita for advice on how to choose a partner. Depending on the character route you're on, choosing the matching partner from Keita's past will unlock a bonus scene with that person. There will be a little scene in the game itself where Yuki and his partner will see Keita hanging around with someone, and you'll receive a "key" that lets you watch an extended scene with Keita and that person.

To get Niwa’s scene, choose 豪快な人かな (a daring person) and then play Takato’s route. In general, the GH2 character will be someone who parallels the GH character, but in this case it doesn’t really match up. I’d say Niwa’s GH2 counterpart is Yuki, and since Yuki’s the protag, he doesn’t have a route soooo... now we have Takato. Good enough. :D

Use the link above or keep reading below for the scene! :D

~~~

Here’s the lead-in scene from the main game:

older woman: Eeek! Yuki: What is it...? (Yuki: Huh? Is that Professor Ito over there...?) Yuki: Ow!? Takato: Are you alright? Yuki: I'm fine. I just got bumped a little. (Yuki: ...The man just now, he turned around and bowed to me.) (Yuki: I guess he didn't mean to. Still... he was running really fast. I can't even see him anymore.) Yuki: But why was he in such a hurry? Takato: He seemed to be chasing a purse snatcher. Yuki: Purse snatcher? Takato: Look. (Yuki: The old woman is staggering over...) older woman: Give back... my bag... (Yuki: ...So it was her bag.) Yuki: We have to catch him! Let's help!! Takato: It's fine. It seems the man from before caught him. Yuki: I see. Thank goodness. Takato: Yes. Takato: Let's go back too. Yuki: Right. (Yuki: I kind of lost sight of Professor Ito too, and our conversation got interrupted.) (Yuki: Oh, well.)

~~~

And here’s the key scene with Keita and Niwa!

Niwa: Geez, what a hassle... I can't believe he'd steal money from an old lady. Keita: King! Niwa: Yeah! Sorry to keep you waiting, Keita!! I turned that purse snatcher over to the police. Keita: I was surprised. You suddenly shouted 'thief!' and ran off after him. Were you okay? Niwa: Of course. Who do you think I am? Keita: I know you're strong, but it could have been dangerous if he had a knife or something... Niwa: I'm fine. As you can see, nothing happened. Keita: Thank goodness. You never change, do you, King? ...Oh! Niwa: Hm? What is it? Keita: That reminds me, I've been calling you King for a while now... Niwa: Is that all? I don't mind if you still call me that. Keita: Haha, sorry. It just slipped out... Niwa: Now that you mention it, it's been a long time since anyone's called me that. Only the guys at BL School did. Keita: That's right. I kind of felt exactly the same as back then, maybe it's because I'm going to BL School every day. Niwa: BL School, huh. That takes me back. Are you still having fun there? Keita: Yes. The students now are doing a good job in their own way. After all, you were originally student council president, are you worried about the school? Niwa: Well, I guess. Besides, that place is important to me. Keita: It's completely the same for me. There's a bit of an issue at BL School right now, but I'm sure the current students can overcome it. Niwa: I see. If that's how you feel, I'm sure it'll be fine. Keita: Right! I believe in everyone. Niwa: That sincerity of yours hasn't changed a bit. Keita: Huh? Really? Niwa: I think that's what's good about you. You start off by believing in everyone as a given, before you consider things like reasons and circumstances. Have you mostly gotten used to being a teacher? Keita: Not completely. I still have a ways to go, and honestly, I still can't quite believe that I'm a real teacher. Niwa: You'll be fine. I guarantee it. Keita: I hope so. Niwa: What? You don't believe in yourself? Keita: Well, I just became a teacher this spring. I don't know what's going to happen in the future. Niwa: You really can't know the future. Actually, I never thought you'd get a job before I did. Keita: That reminds me, how did you do on the exam? Niwa: I'm still waiting for the results. Keita: I hope you're accepted. Niwa: Well, it'll be alright. I think, in all likelihood, I got accepted. I studied this whole last month without even seeing you. Keita: Just as I'd expect! Even though it's tough to become a federal official, you got through the nearly one month preparatory period. Niwa: Only... Keita: Is there some problem? Niwa: If I'm accepted now, I'll probably become a career bureaucrat... Keita: Is that bad? Niwa: Well, it is. If I do, I'll end up in the same office as my dad. I'd rather be on patrol, or a motorcycle officer. Keita: That's true! You would look good in a uniform. Niwa: Right? You think so too? Keita: Yes... Niwa: Hm? What's the matter? Keita: ...I think you're really cut out to be a police officer. But I've ended up thinking I don't want you doing anything too dangerous. Niwa: What are you saying, Keita? This is me we're talking about. I'd never do anything dangerous. Keita: That's not true! You really overestimate your abilities! Keita: You did it just now. If that purse snatcher had a weapon, you could have gotten hurt... Niwa: Hey, Keita, you're worrying too much... Keita: That's how it makes me feel!! Do you know how I felt when I suddenly heard that the person dearest to me was volunteering to go abroad to clear landmines!? And for two years! Have you thought about how worried I was while I was waiting in Japan!? Niwa: Ugh... sorry. But, I felt it's something I had to do right then, so I couldn't sit still. B, besides, it wasn't just doing dangerous stuff, we also dug wells and built schools. Keita: I know that. And that you're the kind of person thinks someone's gotta do it... And that I fell in love with you because that's how you are... Niwa: I'm sorry... Keita: I was really, really worried. Niwa: Yeah. Your feelings got across to me on the other side of the ocean. I thought, this time I'll protect the country where you are. Keita: King... Niwa: I didn't come back to make you sad. So I'll definitely be alright. You know I'm the strongest. Niwa: So cheer up. Keita: ...Yes. Keita: Suddenly doing something rash, having a strong sense of justice, being overconfident, all of it is what makes you, you. That's what I love about you. Niwa: Saying that right to my face... it's making me blush. Niwa: I also love your sincerity and that you cherish me from the bottom of your heart, Keita. Niwa: I love you the most in the world. Keita: Me too. I love you the most in the world. Niwa: Great! It's been a long time since we had a date! Let's enjoy today! Keita: Right! Niwa: Then, let's start right away by going to eat. Keita: That sounds good. Where should we go? Niwa: A big meal would hit the spot. You've gotten your first paycheck, haven't you? Use it to treat me to something. Keita: Whaaa? I'm treating you? Niwa: It's fine. It can't be helped since I'm unemployed right now. I'm broke with just the maintenance costs of this bike. Keita: I'm telling you, please don't sponge off the tiny salary of a new teacher. Let's at least split it... Niwa: Don't say that. I promise to pay you back once I'm a career bureaucrat, okay? Okay, Professor Ito? Keita: *sigh*... I have no choice. Niwa: Woohoo! I'm relying on you for something delicious.

[kuipernebula]

I’ve been developing the idea behind this Haruhi OC

The basic idea is that he works for a shadowy quasi-governmental organization that deals with aliens, time travellers, espers, etc. Basically, the Men in Black, though less the movie and more the conspiracy theory.

Which so far has become a combination of Men in Black and the SCP organization. Their purpose is to find, observe, and in extreme circumstances, contain or destroy things that could be considered a threat to the wellbeing of Earth. They are not beholden to a government, and in fact remain mostly a secret to the governments of the world.

They are possibly the only group aware of all the current players in the series - both major alien entities, both esper groups, both time travelling organizations. But they spend more time on the “lesser” phenomena of the universe - stuff like the Camel Cricket or... whatever was up with the Oopart/Technology Tsuruya and Kyon found.

This organization, which like Koizumi’s is left unnamed but generally refferred to as “The Agency” or somesuch, believes Haruhi to be “nothing more” than a particularly powerful entity with the (limited?) ability to warp reality. But they don’t see her as a threat, so they simply observe and research her abilities. The organization is the most likely to find ways to test or stretch her capabilities, but has yet to find ways to monitor changes directly.

They are also monitoring Sasaki, but are less concerned with her powers as she is considered highly unlikely to use them. Her “retainers,” however, are much more dangerous, but also much better at not being monitored than Haruhi’s organizations.

Unfortunately, their “counterpart” is the more directly even “Conspiracy” which the OC compares to the Illuminati. While they are trying to control the world from the shadows, their primary goal with “supernatural phenomena” is to either weaponize it or destroy it. Sasaki happens to fall under the former, as her reality warping is focused on maintaining the status quo, something that they benefit from. Haruhi, meanwhile, attracts and sometimes creates phenomena, making her a wildcard they can’t afford to keep around.

The SOS brigade members happens to be a Foreigner, because Haruhi decides they need a Foreigner to really make things interesting. Thus, this American is brought in, blond hair and everything. He claims he’s from Texas and seems excited about all the new things to do in Japan.

... until he catches Kyon alone, and drops the heavy American accent. He exaggerates his American-isms to keep his cover more ironclad - he even wears color-contacts to get the blond/blue-eyed American thing going. But he’s a consummate professional, if a bit of a loose cannon, at least as far as the Agency is concerned.

He actually has curly blond hair and bright blue eyes, and is about as tall as Kyon. When he’s not in uniform he usually wears a baseball cap, and usually has a t-shirt on under his uniform shirt (which in the club room he usually unbuttons for comfort/casualness.)

He has a variety of gadgets just slightly beyond what modern technology “should” be, though Mikuru and Yuki aren’t concerned by this so it must not cause any time or data anomalies by existing. He always has a gun on him, but Kyon is always wondering where he keeps it because even when changing for gym no one ever finds it.

He’s not nearly as good in a fight as Yuki or Itsuki in a closed space or similar environs (like the Camel Cricket), but in the real world he’s the best physical combatant, having trained extensively with and for the Agency, and the only one who doesn’t seem to need special conditions or permission to use technology in the real world.

He’s also very gay and very into Kyon but has yet to really address this out loud, especially since Kyon may just be the only person other than Haruhi who hasn’t noticed.

As for his name... I haven’t decided yet. I might go with John Smith and play up that whole situation but that might be a bit much. John Doe could work, too, though. Either way it’s something that is, to all English-speaking viewers, super obviously an assumed name.

His Sasaki counterpart is a tall young man with glasses and long black hair, worn in a ponytail, who’s known for doing that hand-wringing thing. He’s even less concerned about using deadly force to achieve his goals, and John has had to save Kyon more than once.

[recentanimenews]

Watch The Flying Ship's Takeoff Scene from Ni no Kuni Anime Film

    The official website for the upcoming anime film adaptation of Level-5 (Yo-kai Watch, Professor Layton)'s fantasy RPG Ni no Kuni has posted a two-and-half minute footage introducing a flying ship's takeoff scene with one of the male protagonists, Yu (CV: Kento Yamazaki), and Princess Ayesha (Mei Nagano) on board. The clip also features the film's beautiful symphonic soundtrack music by internationally renowned composer Joe Hisaishi (Miyazaki Hayao, Takeshi Kitano films), 

  The Yoshiyuki Momose (Ghiblies Episode 2)-directed fantasy film is set to be released in Japan on August 23, 2019. Its story follows three childhood friends: Yu, Haru, and Kotona. Because of a certain incident, Yu and Haru are transported to a magical world called "Ni no Kuni," where people's lives are connected to their counterparts in the real world. Travelling back and forth between the two worlds, Yu and Haru meet Princess Ayesha, who exactly looks like Kotona. As a danger approaching to their important person's life, they must make an ultimate choice. 

         Full trailer:

  New poster visual:

        Main staff:

Original work: Level-5 

Original work general director / original draft / screenplay: Akihiro Hino

Director: Yoshiyuki Momose (Ghiblies Episode 2)

Music: Joe Hisaishi (Hayao Miyazaki, Takeshi Kitano films)

Animation production: OLM 

   Main voice cast:

Yu: Kento Yamazaki (One Week Friends, Kingdom live-action films)

Haru: Mackenyu Maeda (Pacific Rim: Uprising) 

Kotona/Ayesha: Mei Nagano (Tsubame Sanjo in Rurouni kenshin live-action films)

Yoki: Mamoru Miyano (Light Yagami in Death Note) 

Gavalas: Kenjiro Tsuda (Seto Kaiba in Yu-Gi-Oh!) 

Saki/Versa: Maaya Sakamoto (Motoko Kusanagi in Ghost in the Shell: Arise) 

Balton: Koichi Yamadera (Spike Spiegel in Cowboy Bebop) 

Danpa: Yuki Kaji (Eren Yeager in Attack on Titan)

    Source: Anime film "Ni no Kuni" official website / Twitter

  ©2019 Movie "Ni no Kuni" Production Committee

   By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[p5x-theories]

when the game is out and we know everything about everything i will NEED to see the phantom idols but like. as if they were in their own universe. if you know what i mean? their original selves that merope is copying to make the phantom idols. that idea. i want to see it

Oh same!! I would love an event(s) or a side story(/ies) or something where we get to learn more about how they got together as the Phantom Thieves in their own timeline(s)/AU(s)/whatever(s) it is, for all the other Phantom Idols. Obviously just getting to meet them at all is fun, but I can't help but want more info on them, haha!

Would also be interesting to meet other counterparts in the P5X main universe, like how we've seen Tomoko's real-world self… Yuki also has a school uniform model in the files, so maybe we'll get to see her too!

There's always fanart and fanfic if P5X proper doesn't deliver, as well! I know I've been thinking about it myself.

[recentanimenews]

Ni no Kuni Anime Film's Full Trailer Introduces Theme Song "MOIL" by Keina Suda

  The official website for the upcoming anime film adaptation of Level-5 (Yo-kai Watch, Professor Layton)'s fantasy RPG Ni no Kuni has posted a 90-second full trailer.

  In addition to the symphonic soundtrack music by Joe Hisaishi (Miyazaki Hayao, Takeshi Kitano films), the clip introduces the film's theme song "MOIL" by Japanese singer-songwriter Keina Suda, also known as Vocaloid song creator balloon. While performing as a vocaloid producer, he made his professional singer debut as himself from Warner Music Japan's label unBORDE in January 2019. This is his first original anime theme song work.

  The film is set to be released in Japan on August 23, 2019. 

  Full trailer:

    15-second CM 1 "Stroy"

    15-second CM 2 "Choice"

    New poster visual:

⠀⠀ #映画二ノ国 ＼本ポスターも解禁❗️／ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ポスターには"二ノ国"に立つユウとハル、そして今にも消えそうなコトナの姿が。愛する人の”命“をかけた＜究極の選択＞が迫る時、親友2人はどんな決断を下すのか―!? pic.twitter.com/RbrACOvxfY

— 映画『二ノ国』 (@Ninokuni_movie) 2019年6月25日

    Keina Suda artist photo:

     The original story film follows three childhood friends: Yu, Haru, and Kotona. Because of a certain incident, Yu and Haru are transported to a magical world called "Ni no Kuni," where people's lives are connected to their counterparts in the real world. Travelling back and forth between the two worlds, Yu and Haru meet Princess Ayesha, who exactly looks like Kotona. As a danger approaching to their important person's life, they must make an ultimate choice. 

     Main staff:

Original work: Level-5 

Original work general director / original draft / screenplay: Akihiro Hino

Director: Yoshiyuki Momose (Ghiblies Episode 2)

Music: Joe Hisaishi (Hayao Miyazaki, Takeshi Kitano films)

Animation production: OLM 

   Announced voice cast:

Yu: Kento Yamazaki (One Week Friends, Kingdom live-action films)

Yoki: Mamoru Miyano (Light Yagami in Death Note) 

Gavalas: Kenjiro Tsuda (Seto Kaiba in Yu-Gi-Oh!) 

Saki/Versa: Maaya Sakamoto (Motoko Kusanagi in Ghost in the Shell: Arise) 

Balton: Koichi Yamadera (Spike Spiegel in Cowboy Bebop) 

Danpa: Yuki Kaji (Eren Yeager in Attack on Titan)

    Source: Anime film "Ni no Kuni" official website / Twitter

  ©2019 Movie "Ni no Kuni" Production Committee

   By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[recentanimenews]

Anime vs. Real Life: Fruits Basket

  Having no place to go, orphaned high school student Tohru has been trying to live on her own in a mere tent in the outskirts of Tokyo. Luckily for her, through a string of fateful events, she ends up getting taken in by Shigure and her handsome classmate Yuki. But little did she know at the time, that the household she’d end up in was filled with transforming zodiac animals, all of whom are part of the renowned Soma family. A long-established household like the Somas would obviously take up residence in a high-class residential area, and the real-life Den-en-chofu area in southern Tokyo is just that. So let’s take a look at the real-world locations that set the scene for the new Fruits Basket anime!

  *Images were taken with GOOGLE STREET VIEW (my own photographs are marked ‘WD’)

    Located only 15 km away from the hectic Central Tokyo Area is the Ota Ward’s quiet Den-en-chofu district. The country’s first garden suburb town is known as a top-class residential area, with houses here being fairly bigger than the city-wide standard, which is befitting for a family like the Somas. While Shigure’s hillside house does not seem to exist in real life, it was the remarkable view shown in the anime, overlooking the Tama River, which gave away the general location to me.

    Now let's look deeper into the neighborhood itself...

    Den-en-chofu being a quiet residential suburb also means that there naturally aren’t any tourist attractions in the area, meaning there isn’t much of interest for me to point out.

              Since I often get asked how I identify the real-world counterparts of anime locations, here’s an easy trick, at least when it comes to schools: they’re just about always listed in the ending credits.

    The Maruko Bridge spans across the Tama River and connects Tokyo Prefecture to Kanagawa Prefecture. This is not the bridge’s first appearance on screen, though, as it got destroyed by Godzilla in the Shin Godzilla movie.

        The quaint Gyokusendo Book Store in Den-en-machi is close to the new house of Tohru’s grandfather.

          In the anime, the path through Horai Park here supposedly leads to the big estate of the Soma family, but in real life there's just the park.

        The whole area is defined by its many sloping roads to the south.

    WD

I immediately gasped out loud when I saw where Tohru and her classmates were jogging along during the school’s long-distance run event in episode nine. Yes, this is the exact same place where Kakeru and his team have been rigorously training for the Hakone Ekiden in Run With the Wind. You can find my report about my visit to the recent Run with the Wind locations here.

  WD

    WD

WD

  If you ever plan to visit the area, please keep in mind that Den-en-chofu is not a tourist area, but a quiet and peaceful suburb.

    What other real life anime locations do you think I should document? Let me know in the comments below!

  ---

Wilhelm is an anime tourist, who loves to search for and uncover the real-world spots he sees in anime. You can talk with him on Twitter @Surwill.

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features! 

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[recentanimenews]

The 5 Most Love and Hated Hackers in Anime

Hackers, important plot device for any story of great intrigue in the digital era and bane of entertainment-loving IT workers the world over. Anime tends toward the most daring cinematic treatment to their work, making for outstanding visuals and heightened drama whenever they're presented with a keyboard. Where fisticuffs and physical reconnaissance fail, hackers pick up the slack by retrieving data, opening doors, and deactivating deadly robots. Although perhaps a bit more glamorous than their real-life counterparts, anime has some diverse entries into this subset, spanning all types of personality and profession.

Love them or hate them, they've already peered at the contents of your folder titled "taxes". Our friends over at Anime-Planet spend day and night cataloguing these unique features and leaving it to the fans to vote on the best and worst hackers in all of anime. A note before we begin, these are the result of popular votes that I can and will disagree with. Only your democratic will can determine who makes it on this list. With that out of the way, below are the 5 most loved and most hated hackers in anime!

Loved

5. Tsugumi - Guilty Crown

Sporting cat-ear headphones before FLCL and providing high-tech logistical support… maybe sometime before Futaba was first designed? Persona 5 took a while. Although the first on the list she might have the most interesting style of hacking. Rather than doing a “net dive” or just typing really fast, she uses a holographic interface that lets her input commands with moves like a hip bump. Even if her hacking accomplishments aren’t quite as high as the others, she gets definite style points.

4. Itaru Hashida - STEINS;GATE

Everybody’s favorite, er, guy getting help from his daughter in a future timeline to overcome his 2D obsession and build a relationship with his daughter’s mother? Anyway, the guy can hack! A self-styled “super hacker” capable of retrieving immense amounts of secured data from secret organizations! Which would be super useful if he could read english. He’s got a lot of issues but, like much of the cast, is a loveable eccentric doing his best to save the world. I'd understand seeing him on either side of the list, to be honest, but he's a good addition for his prowess given their budgetary limits.

3. Motoko Kusanagi - Ghost in the Shell

  Would the greatest hack in the world be… the human mind? In addition to being a peerless soldier, Motoko also does some of the most awesome hacking in anime. Whether it’s deep dives into ghosts to retrieve information or winning fights by real-time hacking into her opponents mods to make them unable to see her or punch themselves in the face. Whether a transhumanist god of merged human and artificial intelligence or a more mundane special forces operative in a dystpoic future, Motoko's one of the best characters to come out of ‘90s anime era of hard sci fi and I'm prepared for more movies.

2. Edward - Cowboy Bebop

Probably the only hacking primary character on the list, an urban legend purported to be anything from an alien to a 3-year-old whose accolades include convincing an advanced AI to draw her face on the surface of the Earth. The part about her that impresses me most, which often gets swept under the rug, is that she engineered her encounter with the Bebop after following its adventures via the outernet and deciding she wanted in on their fun. Plus she’s just generally awesome, sometimes hacks with her feet, and has VR goggles that are corgi compatible. A breath of fresh air in an otherwise angsty ship.

1. Yuki Nagato - The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Perhaps the quintessential kuudere. I can’t think of a better qualification for the #1 spot on this list that subject of one of the most well-known hacking GIFs on the internet. Yuki hasn’t exactly hacked into any government databases but real-time hacking a multiplayer video game isn’t half bad. Apparently she also made her own OS compatible with all software? Being that she is an organic construct created by a species of sentient data that wouldn’t be out of place as the greatest threat in a TRIGGER anime, it’s safe to assume she could get into whatever system she set her eyes on.

Wow, what great entries so far. This is sizing up to be my favorite lists ever. Certainly nothing could go wrong at this point.

Hated

5. Edward - Cowboy Bebop

Nope. Honestly, how dare you? I’ll pretend I didn’t see this one.

4. Yuki Nagato - The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Also this one.

3. Ritsuko Akagi - Neon Genesis Evangelion

I’ve changed my mind. The only good to come of this list was my cracking open my Evangelion box set to grab this screenshot. Just gonna go ahead and write about about how awesome Ritsuko is. If you like the Evas you might as well go thank her since she's the chief of their development. The only adult to have an Angel kill, taking down Ireul by disassembling the Magi Casper, the organic supercomputer containing her mother's brain, and designing a self-destruct virus on the fly. Arguably her greatest flaw is shouldering too great a burden by herself. I'm not sure where any enmity may even come from here. Please, never darken my doorstep with such a bad take again.

2. Five - Terror in Resonance

  Finally! This is acceptable. The format of Terror in Resonance makes distinguishing between good guys and bad guys a trick, but Five falls pretty clearly into villain territory. Regardless of where you stand, her using a bomb in an airport to tease out Nine and Twelve, not to bring them to justice, but just to beat them in a game as a means of twisted self-validation, is one of the more reprehensible moves in the series. Credit to Watanabe for giving her even a shred of sympathy by the end. Nakazawa deserves a medal for that character design, by the way.

1. Takeyama - Angel Beats!

The absolute worst. Although lacking the sadism of Five, Takeyama trades out evil for being absolutely unlikeable. It’s just difficult in general to be affectionate about a character who spends his afterlife demanding people call him “Christ” and complaining about plans while generally offering very little on his own. If memory serves, the series didn’t even bother to give him a backstory to attempt a sympathetic redemption. He can KO people by reciting pi, though. Does that count as hacking?

Surprisingly, this list is one of the most diverse in terms of characterization despite possessing a few (extremely tragic) repeats. Just goes to show you, computers can open a door to a world of opportunity for anyone patient enough to learn about them. That or literally anyone you meet may be stealing government secrets as their side hustle.

Didn’t see your favorite on this list? Want to know where they appear among the most loved and hated of the animated tech wizards? Head over to Anime-Planet’s list of hackers to see where they rank, or comment below with your favorite. Tune in next week, where the subject will be the greatest addition to any anime, Dogs!

---

Peter Fobian is an Associate Features Editor for Crunchyroll, author of Monthly Mangaka Spotlight, writer for Anime Academy, and contributor at Anime Feminist. You can follow him on Twitter @PeterFobian.

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com