Astro Boy Reboot Gives the Robot Hero a Secret Identity
The secret identity is the most significant narrative addition to the Astro Boy franchise in its 70-year history, and it required Tezuka Productions' approval.
Cartoon Brew
Kohei Kadowaki on Hybrid Rotoscoping and Empathy in 'We Are Aliens'
Kadowaki's deliberate choice of hybrid rotoscoping, driven by empathy and a need to capture childlike gestures with an untrained crew, defines the visual language of a debut feature that has already premiered at Cannes.
Cartoon Brew
FIFA AI Pro Levels the Playing Field at World Cup 2026
FIFA AI Pro represents the first time all World Cup teams have equal access to AI-driven tactical analysis, which appears to be directly enabling smaller nations to compete on a more even footing.
ASCII.jp
Orb of Creation Hits 5,500 Concurrent Players After Full Steam Launch
The game's official launch caps a long early-access period and shows that a deliberately non-idle, puzzle-focused incremental can find a sizable audience on Steam.
Automaton
Cursed Companions Full Version Launches July 9 on Steam
The 1.0 launch marks the end of early access for a game that uses voice recognition to punish players for saying forbidden words, a mechanic that has defined its identity since November 2025.
Denfaminicogamer
Keychron Orca Echo Crowdfunding Surpasses 300 Million Yen in First Week
The Orca Echo's record-breaking crowdfunding total shows strong demand for an all-in-one, pre-assembled split keyboard that lowers the entry barrier for beginners in the custom keyboard community.
KAI-YOU
Unauthorized Steam Store Page Created for Solo Developer's Game
The incident highlights a vulnerability for indie developers on Steam, where unauthorized store pages can be created and the DMCA takedown process exposes the claimant's personal information to the alleged infringer.
Game Spark, GameBusiness.jp
Oshikatsu Expo Summer Draws Over 2,000 Leads in Two Days
The strong lead generation shows how no-code interactive tools and deliberate booth design can drive measurable results at a specialized fan-culture expo.
ASCII.jp
Nagano Miyabi Launches Gravure Career With First DVD After Idol Graduation
Nagano Miyabi's first solo gravure DVD marks her formal pivot from idol work to a full-time gravure career, with a second DVD already scheduled for August.
ASCII.jp
Amd Brings Fsr 4 To Rx 7000 Series Earlier Than Planned
The early rollout brings AI-based upscaling to mid-range RDNA 3 hardware that was originally excluded due to architectural differences, narrowing the feature gap with the RX 9000 series.
ASCII.jp
Super Junior-D&E to Hold First Japanese Fan Event in a Year and a Half
The fan party marks the unit's return to a Japanese stage after a 16-month gap, signaling continued demand for in-person K-pop fan events in Japan.
ASCII.jp
Tadayoshi Okura Junior Production Documentary Series Sets July 16 Release
The documentary offers an unprecedented long-form look at Okura's transition from idol performer to full-time producer of the agency's junior talent pipeline.
Cinema Today
Universal Studios Japan Announces Back to Hogwarts Event for September 1
The event marks the first time Universal Studios Japan has rented out the Wizarding World area exclusively for fans on the canonical start-of-term date, tying the park's 25th anniversary to the film's 25th anniversary.
Denfaminicogamer
Sony Alpha 7R VI Combines 66.8 Megapixels With 30fps Burst and Cat Eye AF
The α7R VI is the first R-series body to pair ultra-high resolution with a stacked sensor, making it both a studio-grade stills camera and a capable action camera for pet photographers.
ASCII.jp
Sennheiser RS 275 Wireless TV Headphones Let Couples Watch Movies Loud After Kids Sleep
The RS 275 addresses a specific domestic pain point-nighttime entertainment volume-by letting two people share loud audio through headphones while the room stays quiet.
ASCII.jp
Super Kaguya Hime! Resonates With Vocaloid Fans Through Shared Ontology
The piece argues that Super Kaguya Hime! resonates with Vocaloid fans not because of surface-level references but because its narrative embeds the same creator-singer-virtual diva relationships that define Vocaloid culture.
KAI-YOU
Abema to Air All 720 Naruto Episodes Free Daily Starting June 26
The month-long free marathon gives viewers a single-window chance to watch the entire Naruto anime run, a scale of free daily broadcast that Abema has not previously offered for the franchise.
Denfaminicogamer
NBA 2K26 Season 8 Launches June 26 With Shaquille O'Neal Cover
Season 8 shifts NBA 2K26 into off-season mode with a Shaquille O'Neal theme, adding a remastered NBA 2K15 court and WNBA content timed to the All-Star Game.
ASCII.jp
FCNT Promotes Smartphone Autonomic Nervous System Tech for Health and Mental Health Use
FCNT is moving its smartphone-based autonomic nervous system monitoring from a consumer feature toward a tool for medical and mental health support, with active institutional partnerships.
ASCII.jp
Forbes Japan New Sales of the Year 2026 Grand Prize Goes to Itoki
The award highlights enterprise companies with 1,000 or more employees that practice a new sales model, with Itoki recognized as the most outstanding among the four category winners.
ASCII.jp
Shining 3D Launches OptimScan Q12 HD Scanner With 0.004 Mm Accuracy
The OptimScan Q12 HD pushes fringe-projection 3D scanning past conventional accuracy limits, opening new use cases in aerospace inspection and automated batch quality control.
ASCII.jp
Plant Nursery Simulator Exits Early Access on Steam With Very Positive Reviews
The game's relaxed no-failure design and automation upgrades have resonated with players, earning it a Very Positive rating as it transitions from early access to 1.0.
Automaton
Digital Twin Research Institute Accelerates AI That Learns What It Doesn't Know
The approach shifts physical AI from relying on pre-collected human data to self-directed learning, potentially removing the cost bottleneck that has kept industrial robots from adapting to real-world sites.
ASCII.jp
The Amazing Digital Circus Pop-Up Store Set for Shibuya Parco in July
The pop-up store marks the first physical retail event tied to the series' finale, offering exclusive merchandise and in-store experiences for fans in Tokyo.
Denfaminicogamer