Ushio & Tora TV Anime Casts Nana Mizuki as Hinowa Sekimori

Official website to reveal character visual, voice cast member for Nagare Akiba on Monday

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The official website and Twitter account for the television anime of Kazuhiro Fujita's supernatural battle manga Ushio & Tora (Ushio to Tora) unveiled the character design for the character Hinowa Sekimori on Sunday. Nana Mizuki will voice the character.

Both the website and the official Twitter account have been revealing a new character and the respective voice cast member for the anime every day since June 10. The website will reveal the character visual and voice cast member for Nagare Akiba on Monday.

The official website also began streaming the anime's first promotional video on Thursday.

Previously revealed voice cast members include:

Tasuku Hatanaka as Ushio

Rikiya Koyama as Tora

Mikako Komatsu as Asako

Kiyono Yasuno as Mayuko

Keiji Fujiwara as Aotsuki

Yui Makino as Hanyū

Daisuke Namikawa as Hyō

Yūichi Nakamura as Kenichi Masaki

Aki Toyosaki as Yū Hiyama

Masaki Terasoma as Kyōji Atsuzawa

Shinichiro Miki as Raishin

Yuuki Kaji as Jūrō

Risa Shimizu as Kagari

Yuuka Nanri as Saya Takatori

Ai Kayano as Omamori-sama

Maaya Sakamoto as Sumako Aotsuki

Additionally, Fumiko Orikasa will voice the character Mikado Hizaki, but the staff has not yet revealed a character design.

ADV Films released the 1992 original video anime project, and it describes the story:

Ushio thinks that his father's talk of an ancient ancestor impaling a demon on a temple altar stone with the legendary Beast Spear is nuts, but when he finds the monster in his own basement, Ushio has to take another look at the family legend! To save his friends and family from the invading spirits, Ushio is forced to release Tora from his captivity. But will the creature prove to be worse than the curse?

Satoshi Nishimura (Trigun, Hajime no Ippo) is directing the anime at MAPPA (Rage of Bahamut Genesis) and a relatively new company, Studio VOLN. Toshiki Inoue (Chaos;HEAd, Death Note,Ranma ½) and Fujita himself are in charge of the series scripts, and Tomoko Mori (guest character designer on Garo: Honoo no Kokuin, Juden Chan) is designing the characters.

Rock band Kinniku Shōjo Tai is performing the anime's opening theme song "Mazeru na Kiken," and Sonar Pocket is performing the ending theme song "Hero."

Fujita ran the manga in Weekly Shonen Sunday two decades ago from 1990 to 1996, and the manga's 33 compiled book volumes have 25 million copies in circulation. (The smaller bunkoedition of the manga and other publications raise the total to 30 million.) He has since drawn a two-chapter Ushio & Tora short in 2012 to raise funds for areas devastated by the March 2011earthquake. Shogakukan is reprinting the original manga series in a complete edition starting this spring.

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Super Robot Wars Gets 1st Smartphone App

Sega develops, B.B. Studio writes scenario for app for crossover mecha franchise

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Bandai Namco Entertainment opened a teaser site on Sunday for the first smartphone app for the Super Robot Warsfranchise.

Bandai Namco Entertainment is producing the app, SegaGames' Sega Networks Company is developing the app, and B.B. Studio is supervising and writing the scenarios. The site will reveal more details such as the app's genre on the second episode of the "Super Robot Channel" web program on July 24.

The first episode of the web program revealed the game, and is streaming until June 26. (The announcement starts at 51:50 in the below video.)

Bandai Namco Entertainment is currently developing the Super Robot Wars BX Nintendo 3DSgame. The game will ship in Japan on August 20 for 6,640 yen (about US$55) for the download edition or the package edition.

The Super Robot Wars games allow players to command mecha from various Japanese anime series in tactical battles. The latest game in the series, 3rd Super Robot Wars Z: Tengoku Arc,shipped in Japan on April 2 for the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita.

Sources: Animate.tv, Biglobe News

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The Testament of the Sister New Devil Season 2's Video, Cast, Staff, Visuals Posted

Tesshô Genda, Hibiku Yamamura, Kikuko Inoue join cast in October

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The official website for The Testament of Sister New Devil anime posted the first advance promotional video, additional cast members, the main staff, and a new key visual for the secondseason on Friday. The video features the song "Over the Testament."

Text: Protect my family (little sisters), at all costs
Text: Get stronger with the two beats one after another!
Text: Ecstasy battle action story of the collapse of heaven and earth
Text: The Testament of Sister New Devil BURST
Text: TV anime set to premiere in October 2015!

Joining the cast in the second season, The Testament of Sister New Devil BURST, are:

• Tesshô Genda as Ramsus
• Hibiku Yamamura as Lukia
• Kikuko Inoue as Liala

The cast also includes:

• Yūichi Nakamura as Basara Tōjō 
• Ayaka Asai as Mio Naruse 
• Kaori Fukuhara as Maria Naruse 
• Sarah Emi Bridcutt as Yuki Nonaka 
• Keiji Fujiwara as Jin Tōjō 
• Yuu Asakawa as Chitose Hasegawa 
• Tomokazu Sugita as Yahiro Takigawa 
• Iori Nomizu as Kurumi Nonaka 
• Seiko Yoshida as Zest 
• Kenjiro Tsuda as Mamoru Sakazaki 
• Kazuyuki Okitsu as Leohart

Sumio Uetake (Angel Heart, Burn-Up Scramble, Destiny of the Shrine Maiden, R-15, Shattered Angels) is now in charge of series scripts and writing them, in collaboration with the previous head writer Takao Yoshioka. The returning staff includes:

• Original Creator: Tetsuto Uesu (published by Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko)
• Original Illustrations: Nekosuke Okuma 
• Director: Hisashi Saito 
• Character Design: Yoshihiro Watanabe 
• Animation Production: Production IMS 

The Twitter account also updated its icon and posted a still from the new promotional video, teasing that Mio is "covered with a mysterious white liquid." The new season will premiere in October.

The "rather risque battle action" story centers around Basara Tōjō, a first-year high school student who is flustered by a sudden question by his eccentric father, "Hey, didn't you used to say you wanted a little sister?" In addition, his father announces that he is getting remarried. His father brings over two beautiful step-sisters, but then embarks on an overseas trip. However, the two sisters Mio and Maria Naruse are actually a novice devil and succubus.

Basara almost ends up forming a dangerous servant and master contract with them, but due to an error, the contract becomes reversed, and Basara becomes the master instead. To add to things, erotic situations continuously start to happen in Basara's life. However, it turns out Mio is having her life targeted by other monsters and heroes. And so, the "desire/action" tale of the strongest contracter begins.

Crunchyroll streamed the first season in various territories as it aired. Miyako is serializing the manga adaptation of the original light novel series by Tetsuto Uesu (Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero) in Kadokawa's Monthly Shōnen Ace magazine. Seven Seas Entertainment will publish the first manga volume in North America in February 2016.

The seventh volume of the manga in Japan will bundle an original anime Blu-ray Disc on January 26, 2016.

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New Dragon Ball Super Character's Name Revealed

Shanpa bears resemblance to Battle of Gods' Beerus in anime premiering July 5

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The Mainichi Shimbun newspaper's Mantan Web and other websites revealed the name for one of the new characters in Dragon Ball Super, the first new Dragon Ball television anime series in 18 years, on Saturday. Shanpa (pictured far right in image below) is the new character whoresembles Beerus, the God of Destruction from the Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods and Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' films.

Dragon Ball Super's story will take place shortly after the decisive battle with Majin Buu, and will contain plot elements that tie it to the recent Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' film. The characters Beerus and Whis will return from the Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods and Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' films as regular characters in the series.

Shueisha's V Jump magazine published a preview of the first episode's story:

After defeating Majin Buu, life is peaceful once again. Ordered by Chi-chi to earn money, Goku works even as he wants to train even more. Meanwhile, Goten, about to become a brother-in-law to Videl, sets out on a journey with Trunks to find her a present.

Toei Animation's European website is listing Dragon Ball Super at 100 episodes, although the anime's Japanese website has not confirmed the number of episodes.

The official website also revealed the show's character designs and confirmed the returning cast:

• Masako Nozawa as Son Goku
• Masako Nozawa as Son Gohan
• Masako Nozawa as Son Goten
• Ryo Horikawa as Vegeta
• Hiromi Tsuru as Bulma
• Takeshi Kusao as Trunks
• Mayumi Tanaka as Krillin
• Masaharu Satou as Kame-Sen'nin

• Toshio Furukawa as Piccolo
• Naoko Watanabe as Chi-Chi
• Yuko Minaguchi as Videl
• Unshou Ishizuka as Mr. Satan
• Kôzô Shioya as Majin Buu
• Kouichi Yamadera as God of Destruction Beerus
• Masakazu Morita as Whis

Additionally Jouji Yanami will return as the narrator.

Toei Animation also aired a commercial with the opening theme song "Chōzetsu☆Dynamic" (Excellent Dynamic) by Kazuya Yoshii on Sunday:

Goku: Hey, I'm Goku.
Goku: Crossing 18 years of time, it's time to enter a new series!!
Goku: Dragon Ball Super premieres in July!
Text: Every Sunday at 9:00 a.m.
Text: Original Creator, Original Story & Character Concepts: Akira Toriyama
Goku: Everyone, please be sure to catch our new battles.
Text: Sponsored by Bandai Namco Entertainment

Dragon Ball Super will premiere on July 5 on Fuji TV and other channels, and it will run on Sundays at 9:00 a.m. This will be the first new Dragon Ball television series since Dragon Ball GT, which aired from 1996 to 1997. The story of the anime is set a few years after the defeat of Majin Buu, when the Earth has become peaceful once again.

Akira Toriyama is credited as the original creator, as well as for "original story & character concepts." Toei Animation's Kimitoshi Chioka (Hakaba Kitarō, Kamisama Kazoku) is the series director, and Naoko Sagawa (Yomiko Advertising, Inc.) and Atsushi Kido (Toei Animation) joinOsamu Nozaki as producers. Kido entered Toei just as the company was animating the Dragon Ball Z anime's Frieza arc.

Kazuya Yoshii performs the opening theme "Chōzetsu☆Dynamic" (Excellent Dynamic) and rock band Good Morning America performs the ending theme "Hello Hello Hello."

Toyotarō is drawing the show's manga adaptation in Shueisha's V Jump magazine.

A new film taking place after the Majin Buu Saga, Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F', premiered in Japan in April. The film will eventually screen in 74 countries worldwide. Funimation hosted the North American premiere of the film on April 11 in Los Angeles. The company plans to release the film in more theaters with an English dub this summer.

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New York Times Manga Best Seller List, June 7-13

The New York Times newspaper listed the manga bestsellers in the United States for the week ending on June 13.

Rank	Prev. Rank	Title	Author	Publisher	Weeks on List	Cover
1	1	Naruto #70	Masashi Kishimoto	Viz Media	2
2	-	Deadman Wonderland#9	Jinsei Kataoka and Kazuma Kondou	Viz Media	1
3	3	Fairy Tail #48	Hiro Mashima	Kodansha Comics	2
4	2	Assassination Classroom #4	Yusei Matsui	Viz Media	2
5	-	Kamisama Kiss #18	Julietta Suzuki	Viz Media	1
6	5	Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma #6	Story: Yūto Tsukuda / Art: Shun Saeki / Cooperation: Yuki Morisaki	Viz Media	2
7	10	Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? #1	Art: Kunieda / Original Story:Fujino Ōmori / Character Design:Suzuhito Yasuda	Yen Press	4
8	8	Attack on Titan #1	Hajime Isayama	Kodansha Comics	102
9	6	Big Hero 6 #1	Haruki Ueno	Yen Press	12
10	9	The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past	Shotaro Ishinomori	Viz Media	6

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Toei Europe Lists Dragon Ball Super at 100 Episodes

Toei Animation's European website is listing the upcomingDragon Ball Super anime series at 100 episodes.

The series' Japanese website has not confirmed the number of episodes.

Dragon Ball Super will premiere on July 5 on Fuji TV and other channels, and it will run on Sundays at 9:00 a.m. This will be the first new Dragon Ball television series since Dragon Ball GT, which aired from 1996 to 1997. The story of the anime is set a few years after the defeat of Majin Buu, when the Earth has become peaceful once again.

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Yui Horie, Kana Asumi Classroom Crisis Anime Cast

5th character introduction video for July original anime streamed

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The official website for the original television anime Classroom Crisis began streaming the fifth character commercial on Saturday, revealing two more cast members.

Classroom☆Crisis CM5 by pKjd

The new cast members are:

Yui Horie as Kaoruko Takanashi, a first-year student and operator at A-TEC. She's the youngest girl at A-TEC, and her timidity and delicate constitution make her loved by all, to the point of being their mascot. She handles communication during flight testing of prototypes, but she's normally helping Makoto order supplies.

Kana Asumi as Yuna Nouen, a second-year student and accountant at A-TEC. She keeps a tight control over the budget, and is always giving A-TEC members a hard time for wasting what they've been allowed for rocket development.

The previously announced cast includes:

Showtaro Morikubo as Kaito Sera, a young hot-blooded teacher and room monitor who works for A-TEC. A natural-born engineer, he dreams of creating a new engine with his students. It seems like he'd be popular with the students because of his closeness in age, but once he gets going on an impassioned speech he can be annoying.

Ari Ozawa as Mizuki Sera, a third-year student and engineer who works for A-TEC. She lives with her big brother Kaito and does all the housework. She decided to become an engineer to follow in the footsteps of her late parents. She's a member of her class committee and dresses maturely.

Sora Amamiya as Iris Shirasaki, a third-year student and poster girl test pilot for A-TEC. Not just a figurehead, she can boast incredible flying skills. However, she's not very safety-conscious, and even drives her bike recklessly during her commute, setting a new "course record" every day. Her friend Mizuki is always telling her to be careful.

Aya Suzaki as Tsubasa Hanaoka, a second-year high school student who is always full of spirit and is in charge of publicity and promotion for A-TEC. She was chosen for her position with A-TEC because of her characteristic cheerful personality and communication skills. Even though Kaito is her homeroom teacher and superior, she calls him "Kaitocchi." But despite her relaxed manner, she does respect him.

Shiina Natsukawa as Aki Kaminagaya, a second-year student in charge of engine maintenance for A-TEC. She is attracted to the senior engineer Kaito. As an engine maintenance worker, she assists Kaito and Mizuki. Aki has a strong enthusiasm for mechanics, and she tends to work all night without noticing. She is a bit of a workaholic.

Minami Tsuda as Makoto Ryouke, a third-year student and classmate to Mizuki and Iris. At A-TEC she's responsible for ordering materials for aircraft construction. She has a big sister-like personality and stays calm in unexpected situations. She often plays the straightman to her classmate Kojiro.

Toshiyuki Toyonaga as Kojiro Kitahara, a third-year student and aircraft designer who works at A-TEC. He acts mature around his classmates Iris and Mizuki, but has a nebulous personality. Besides Kaito, the only boys at A-TEC are Kojiro, Sakugo, and Subaru, and the three are often doing stupid things together.

Yoshino Nanjou as Subaru Yamaki, a first-year student and A-TEC employee in charge of combustion experiments. He has an androgynous appearance and usually wears a lab coat and a uniform with short pants. When he's quiet he's mistaken for a girl. When he opens his mouth he's a confident and impertinent little devil.

Takayuki Kondou as Sakugo Maioka, a second-year student and IT supervisor at A-TEC. He tries to be nihilistic but he goes in the wrong direction. He has a hunch that makes him seem like an otaku. But his data processing and hacking skills can be relied on in a pinch.

The "school x work romantic comedy" is an adolescent vignette about the troubles and tribulations of high schoolers on salary.

Kenji Nagasaki (Gundam Build Fighters, No. 6) is directing the series at studio Lay-duce (Magi: Adventure of Sinbad, Go! Go! 575), Hiro Kanzaki (Oreimo, EUREKA SEVEN AO, Go! Go! 575) is designing the characters with animation director Satoshi Ishino, and Fumiaki Maruto (Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend, White Album 2) is in charge of scripts. MONTWO wrote the original story. TrySail will perform the opening theme song "Cobalt," and ClariS will perform the ending theme song "Anemone."

Other staff members include:

Chief Animation Directors: Satoshi Ishino, Takeshi Yoshioka, Ayumi Kurashima
Concept Art Design: Kazuhiro Hocchi
Mechanical Design: Toshinari Tanaka
Mechanical Prop Design: Takashi Akaishizawa
Color Plan: Reiko Iwasawa
Art Directors: Takashi Aoi, Masahiro Obata
Background Artist: Takuya Ebisawa
Director of Photography: Haruka Gotō
Editing: Takeshi Sadamatsu
Sound Director: Akiko Fujita
Music: Yuuki Hayashi

This anime will air in the Animeism programming block beginning on July 3.

The series will get a manga adaptation, novel adaptation, and spinoff novel. The prologue of the manga adaptation, by artist Masaharu Takano, will premiere in the August issue of Kadokawa's Monthly Comic Alive on June 27.

Hajime Taguchi will write the novel adaptation of MONTWO's story, and rin and Lay-duce will illustrate. Hajime Asano will write the spinoff novel about the daily lives of members of A-TEC, and Kingin will illustrate. The first volumes of both will ship on July 24.

Thanks to Dennis R. for the embedded video.

Images © CC Project

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Square Enix Teases E3 Announcements with Chrono Trigger Song

"Frog's Theme" plays as company hints at 6 titles for Tuesday

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Square Enix posted a "hype video" to promote the announcements that it will be making at E3 on Tuesday. As it teases six "bleeped" titles, the video features a rearranged version of the "Frog's Theme" from the company's Chrono Trigger franchise.

In addition to the titles to be revealed, Square Enix will also offer hands-on demos of Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward's upcoming expansion and new information on Just Cause 3, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below, and more of Life is Strange.

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