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- Lotte's Coolish and Sou ice cream brands posted silhouette images of two singing artist groups for upcoming commercials. · 2026-06-29
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17h ago
The Persona series' 30th anniversary exhibition, PERSONA 30th EX., has revealed a key visual drawn by character designer Shigenori Soejima. The show runs at the Ueno Royal Museum from Thursday, January 21, 2027 to Sunday, February 7. Drawn visuals of eight characters from across the series will be released sequentially on the exhibition's official X account, starting with the protagonist of Revelations: Persona. The official website has opened with opening hours and date and time ticket conditions.
19h ago
The Matsuken Anime pop-up store runs from October 30 to November 8, 2026, at Tokyo Anime Center in DNP PLAZA SHIBUYA, with free admission. The venue has introduction panels, setting artwork, a photo spot with Matsuken and Matsuinu standees, and a Settlement Offering Site where visitors write grudges on ema-style cards. Nineteen goods items are listed, including made-to-order smartphone cases and smart grip stands. TOHAN handles concept and goods planning, and events at bookstores and commercial facilities are planned after Tokyo.
1d ago
Wube Software released the stable version of Factorio's 2.1 update on October 23, ending the experimental run that began in June. The studio had said in May that 2.1 would be the last major update, and development now shifts to support work: bug fixes, platform support, and mod features. The patch adds no new planets, enemies, or research trees. Instead it collects usability changes, small features, and items the team wanted in 2.0. Oil wells and fuel-based mining drills can be flipped, so inputs and outputs can be repositioned. The circuit network lets different wire colors carry inputs and outputs, and now connects to boilers, heat exchangers, pipes, and land mines. Space Age changes include rockets carrying several item types in one launch, item transfer between platforms in orbit, and platform drag calculated from mass rather than width. The Quality system can be turned off, with the Recycler split into its own mod.
1d ago
A corporate blog post from Sony describes a structure that joins production in Japan with distribution and merchandising abroad. Aniplex, under Sony Music Entertainment Japan, develops and produces anime and expands properties into games, music, merchandise, and events. Crunchyroll, a joint venture between Aniplex and Sony Pictures Entertainment, handles international streaming, theatrical distribution, and localization. The post also places the studios A-1 Pictures, CloverWorks, and Hayate within that structure.
1d ago
Netflix released a teaser trailer on Thursday for The Blue Road, a live-action series based on the 2002 Korean-Japanese comic Purungil - Ao no Michi. The series premieres on Netflix on November 20 at 1:00 a.m. PST. Seok-gu Son plays a Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency detective and Eita Nagayama plays a Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department detective investigating linked murders in South Korea and Japan. Joon-hee Han, who helmed D.P. and Coin Locker Girl, directs.
1d ago
Leaks around Sony's PlayStation 6 and Microsoft's Xbox, code-named Helix, put both consoles well above US$1,000. Leaker KeplerL2 claims PS6 memory alone costs about US$680, and Xbox CEO Asha Sharma confirmed Helix will run from US$1,200 to US$1,800. Component contracts run until at least 2028, and developers are already lined up to make games for both machines.
1d ago
Microsoft said on October 21 that Advanced Shader Delivery now works on Windows 11 machines with compatible GPUs from AMD, Intel, NVIDIA, and Qualcomm, and that NVIDIA added support in its GeForce Game Ready Driver 621.01 released the same day. The technology pre-builds compiled shader databases so games spend less time compiling shaders at first launch. Microsoft cites cuts of up to 85% for Avowed and a load time reduced from nearly a minute and a half to 4 seconds for Forza Horizon 6.
1d ago
KADOKAWA released newly drawn character visuals and mini character illustrations on October 23 for four characters in Delicious in Dungeon Season 2: Falin, Kabru, Mithrun, and Sissel. Falin is Laios's sister, transformed into a chimera with a dragon by the power of the Mad Mage. Kabru leads a young party traveling the dungeon, and Mithrun is captain of the Canaries, who investigate the dungeon. Sissel is the Mad Mage who controls Falin. Saori Hayami voices Falin, Wataru Katou voices Kabru, Kouki Uchiyama voices Mithrun, and Yuu Kobayashi voices Sissel. The anime adapts Ryouko Kui's manga, which has surpassed 14 million copies in cumulative circulation including digital editions. Season 1 aired in 2024. Director Yoshihiro Miyajima, series composition writer Kimiko Ueno, and character designer Naoki Takeda return from the first season, with TRIGGER handling animation production. Season 2 is scheduled to begin airing in October 2027, with sequential streaming on Netflix and other streaming sites also decided.
1d ago
HanaBee opened pre-orders at AmiAmi for a 1/6 scale figure of KEKI's original character Soft Summer Mia. The standard edition is priced at 22,470 yen and includes a can badge. A deluxe edition at 23,950 yen adds a hanging cloth. Both are sculpted by K-10 with paintwork by Peng, stand about 265mm including the base, and are scheduled for release in August 2027.
1d ago
Sega detailed the houses and placeable objects coming in the Beans & Alpacas expansion for Farming Simulator 25, due October 27 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Mac. Six house types come with different interiors, let players enter to change clothes and save, and age over time; delivering paint restores them. More than 80 new objects, including sheds and fences, can be placed around the farm.
1d ago
Koshidaka, which runs Karaoke Manekineko, will stream an archive of IRyS's first solo live, "HOPE ||: Beyond the Stars," in E-bo-equipped rooms nationwide from November 9 to November 30, 2026. The price is 2,000 yen per person, plus a room fee and a one-drink charge. Reservations go through a special site. All who reserve get digital wallpapers, and reservations are entered into a lottery for signed posters.
1d ago
Sony Interactive Entertainment published PlayStation Store download rankings for September 2026 across four categories. Onimusha: Way of the Sword took No. 1 on PS5, ahead of Torneko's Great Adventure: Mystery Dungeon - A Somewhat Lovely Remaster at No. 2 and EA SPORTS FC 27 at No. 3. MONSTER HUNTER: WORLD led PS4, Cities: VR - Enhanced Edition led PS VR2, and the free-to-play monster-collecting RPG Animo topped the free-to-play category.
1d ago
ForTwo Inc. held the new graduate and internship recruitment event ASOBIBA FES 2026 on October 10, 2026, at Umeda Sky Building Space 36L. Fifty-eight students from 18 or more universities, mainly in the Kansai region, met 12 companies from hotels, education, IT, and manufacturing. Students spent 25 minutes per company on shared missions and dialogue, visiting six companies through app guidance. Afterward, both sides registered interest, and 128 of 313 counted pairs reached mutual match.
1d ago
The Portopia Serial Murder Case Continues: Burial of Oblivion, with Yuji Horii as original creator and general director, arrives Thursday, March 4, 2027, on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam. The full remake of the 1983 mystery adventure adds five new investigation files set in 1980s Kobe. Packaged Switch editions include the 1985 Famicom version on the cartridge; download and Steam versions do not. Prices run from 4,800 to 9,878 yen.
1d ago
Askiisoft posted an update on X on October 23 saying the long-awaited DLC for Katana ZERO is still in full production and has grown to a volume that could be called a full sequel. The post, signed by developer Justin, also states the add-on comes with a soundtrack of more than 30 new songs and promises further updates. The DLC was announced in April 2025 as scheduled for release soon. This is the first substantial progress report since that announcement, and social media replies cited in the coverage include "I'll be waiting forever" and "Sequel-level is insane." Katana ZERO is a 2019 2D action game in which a sword-wielding protagonist fights with time manipulation, deflecting bullets and relying on fast retries in combat where one hit kills. At the time of writing it holds more than 66,000 Steam reviews and an "Overwhelmingly Positive" rating, with praise for its action, pacing, and pixel art.
1d ago
Three members of the TBS Radio program "VIVANT Villains' Meeting Room" will appear live in the studio on TBS's morning news program "THE TIME," on Friday, October 30. The trio are scheduled from around 6:30 AM and will also appear in the entertainment and weather corners. A YouTube livestream of the radio program on the 18th drew over 270,000 concurrent viewers.
1d ago
Targem Games has released a major graphics update for its free-to-play MMO action game Crossout, and the game is now called Crossout Remastered. The update reworks lighting, landscapes, effects, dynamic water, and shadow rendering, with global illumination, local reflection maps, exponential fog, and DLSS 4.5 and FSR 3.1 support. It is free-to-play on PC via Steam, PS5, and Xbox, with the PS4 update not yet complete.
1d ago
Nanashi Inc. announced on October 22, 2026 that Ichika Souya is an art animator on the music video for natori's "pupa." Emi Fukayama directs the video, with illustrations by TENATEL (ARUGA Utena), who is working on a natori video for the first time. "pupa" was released digitally on October 1 and written for the drama "Chinggis - VIVANT THE ORIGIN STORY -," which streams on U-NEXT.
2d ago
The Video Game History Foundation published the Colin Williamson Photography Collection on its digital archive on October 21, 2026. More than 300 photos are free to view, most taken in Japan between 1999 and 2005. They cover Tokyo Game Show 1999 and 2000, Nintendo Space World 2000, the Amusement Machine Show, and Akihabara game shops and arcades.
2d ago
Sano-gumi released the Steam version of Yumemiru Sakura no Sotsugyoushiki on October 22. Oguzu Pegin's short horror novel game follows three close friends, Sakura, Shion, and Hina, on graduation day. The order in which you talk to them changes the conversation, and finishing both sends you back to the title screen. Each loop corrupts the ceremony further. Play time is about 30 to 60 minutes, with no voice acting in the main story. The Steam release adds new stills, bonus episodes, achievements, a gallery jukebox, and controller support over the free unityroom browser version, which stays available.
2d ago
Keen Software House released the Hostile Encounters update for Space Engineers 2 on October 20, adding hostile NPCs. The enemies come in two types, Renegades and Boatmen, and the development team describes the Boatmen as a stronger leader-type among the Renegades. The NPCs open doors, move around obstacles, hide behind cover, relocate when cover is destroyed, share information about allies and threats, and change behavior when damaged. The update also adds a Damage Indicator and a Dynamic Crosshair.
2d ago
A spinoff story set five years after Mamoru Hosoda's film Belle has opened at MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives Box1000 in Takanawa, Tokyo. Titled Belle - PROJECT LAYRA -, the animersive live follows LAYRA, a new artist produced by Hiro-chan, at a music festival inside the virtual world U. Before the show, audiences install the TAKANAWA GATEWAY CITY app and calibrate their phones inside the venue.
2d ago
MoonRabbit began a training support campaign in the PC online game Harezora Monogatari Again! with the regular maintenance on October 22, 2026. During the event, experience points and item drop rates when defeating monsters are increased. The Mall and Challenge lineups were also updated, with the Jade-Green Protective Orb and Bewildering Blue Book new to Challenge. The game is developed by X-LEGEND Entertainment and is free to play with item sales.
2d ago
REJECT ran a collaboration project with Panasonic's Korikoran home-use high-frequency treatment device in September 2026. The push included a video from September 15 featuring STREET FIGHTER division player Daigo Umehara, a special page published September 14 where Umehara and streamer Haitani try the Korikoran Loop, a segment on REJECT's Rijepo program, and a REJECT corner at the Panasonic booth at TOKYO GAME SHOW 2026 from September 17 to 20.
2d ago
KADOKAWA's Kujibikido online lottery service opens an Iriya no Sora, UFO no Natsu lottery on October 29, 2026, at 17:00, marking the 25th anniversary of the original work. Prizes use new illustrations by original illustrator Eeji Komatsu plus Dengeki Bunko cover and frontispiece art. Draws cost 770 yen, run through November 26, and carry no losing prizes.
2d ago
Solo developer Morph has released a demo of Trillionaire Mercenaries of 21XX on itch.io. The stealth action adventure is set in 21XX, on an Earth swallowed by the sea, where three corporate nations fight over remaining territory and race to build an Artificial God. Players infiltrate as mercenaries, marking enemies, using optical camouflage, and extracting knocked-out soldiers to the offshore base Stillwater. The full game is scheduled for November 9, 2027.
2d ago
Microsoft started a preview on October 21 that lets Xbox Insider Program participants without a Game Pass subscription buy cloud play time and stream supported games. The packs come in three sizes at introductory prices: 10 hours for $3.99, 25 hours for $7.99, and 50 hours for $11.99. A pack covers only cloud usage, not a game library. Players must already own a cloud-enabled title, though some free-to-play games qualify. Purchased time carries no expiration date and is used until exhausted. The paid route removes ads, which the existing Insider ad-supported streaming test requires. Microsoft says the option is aimed at people who play in the cloud occasionally or do not want a continuous subscription. The test runs ahead of a broader change to how Xbox Cloud Gaming is offered in November 2026, when monthly play time limits arrive for Game Pass subscribers and play time goes on sale to non-subscribers. Microsoft has not said whether Japan is among the preview regions or what yen prices will be.
2d ago
Pink-Cat is releasing a 1/6-scale figure of LOVE CACAO's "Blossom Bunny Wedding Ver." in April 2027. Sculpted by Kanasaka and painted by Graham Mask, it stands about 29cm and copies the blonde bunny girl's blushing expression, proportions and soft body lines. An interchangeable body is included, and the price is 32,800 yen with shipping separate. The figure ships with an online purchase bonus postcard of the original illustration.
2d ago
Max Factory is reissuing the figma of Violet, the Phantom Thief form of Kasumi Yoshizawa from Persona 5 The Royal. The figure is scheduled for release in June 2027 at 11,800 yen (tax included), and Good Smile Company has opened pre-orders through December 2. The articulated, non-scale figure stands about 135mm tall and includes three expression parts: a determined face, an angry face, and a smiling face. Accessories are a rapier, a musket, and front hair with a Phantom Thief mask, plus a figma stand with a movable support arm for posing. Sculpting is credited to Uniko Enomoto with production cooperation from Masaki Apsy; Max Factory releases the figure and Good Smile Company distributes it. The red ponytail and black-based Phantom Thief outfit are the character's design from the Atlus role-playing game. Purchases through the Good Smile Company official shop carry a closed-eyes smiling face as a bonus.
2d ago
FIVECROSS is running a Saint Seiya: Soul of Gold collaboration in Saint Seiya Galaxy Soldiers. The UR Fighter Divine Aries Mu appears at a boosted rate from October 22 to November 19, with a guaranteed pull on the 40th summon and 40 summon tickets available through Blue Diamond exchange and a login bonus. The tie-in event runs October 22 to November 5, with limited icons, titles, font colors and an event shop.
2d ago
NHK has announced six additional cast members for Blossom, its 115th serial TV novel starring Shizuka Ishibashi as Tamano Tama. Marika Ito, Ko Maehara, sara, Kaishi Iwao, Mitsuki Tanimura and Sakura Fujiwara join the production. Ito, sara, Iwao and Fujiwara make their morning drama debuts. The story is modeled on the writer Chiyo Uno and is set in Iwakuni City, Tokyo and Hokkaido.
2d ago
Sony Interactive Entertainment will release the PlayStation PULSE Wireless Headset in White and Midnight Black on November 19 at 15,980 yen each. Pre-orders start at PlayStation retailers nationwide from October 29 at 10:00. The headset supports PlayStation Link for lossless, ultra-low-latency audio and switches connections among PS5, PlayStation Portal, PC and Mac, with simultaneous Bluetooth pairing and AI noise rejection on the built-in microphone.
2d ago
Nintendo Switch Sports Resort launched for Nintendo Switch 2 on October 22, 2026, priced at 5,980 yen for the download version and 6,980 yen for the packaged version. Set on Wuhu Island, the game has 12 sports, including tennis, bowling, archery, boxing, basketball, golf, volleyball, ping-pong, skateboarding, Marin Bikes, a propeller plane, and finger sumo. Players roam land, sea, and air between matches.
2d ago
The television anime Haru to Gen: 70-Sai, Hajimete no Kosodate will begin airing on tvk on Monday, January 4, 2027, every Monday at 21:55. A teaser PV is out, and three main cast members are set: Satoshi Shimada as the 70-year-old grandfather Gen, Hiromi Igarashi as his 3-year-old granddaughter Haru, and Mayuko Kazama as Gen's late daughter Sakura. The series adapts Yuka Oshima's manga on KADOKAWA's vertical-scrolling comic service.
3d ago
Square Enix released Final Fantasy Resonance on October 22, 2026 for Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox on PC, with the Steam version following on October 23. The standard edition costs 7,678 yen, the Digital Deluxe Edition 9,878 yen, and the Collector's Edition 25,500 yen. The game was built around the concept of what Final Fantasy might look like had it kept evolving as pixel art. It uses HD-2D, combining pixel art characters with a 3DCG world, and a technique called Cinematic Pixel that turns 3DCG into pixel art for the opening movie and event scenes. Battles are turn-based command battles with a job system, and players explore by chocobo, with summoned beasts and by airship.
3d ago
Good Smile Arts Shanghai is taking preorders on Amazon.co.jp for a Nendoroid of Kohaku, the wanderer from the smartphone game Stella Sora. The painted, movable figure stands about 100mm with a dedicated stand, priced at 8,666 yen tax included and scheduled for release on July 31, 2027. It ships with calm, smiling, and exploration expression parts, plus twin guns, a phone, and a cat.
3d ago
The official website for the Eleceed television anime began streaming an English-subtitled trailer on Wednesday and announced an April 2027 premiere. Amuse Creative Studio had originally announced a 2026 premiere. Junya Enoki voices Jiwoo Seo and Tasuku Hatanaka voices Wooin in a cast that also includes Setsuji Sato and Shizuka Ito. Hiroshi Nishikiori directs at DandeLion Animation Studio, with Yousuke Kuroda on series scripts.
3d ago
Shueisha Games has released a trial version of The Season of Books and Keys, a PC adventure game built on Honobu Yonezawa's novel. The trial covers Chapter 1, "913," in which library committee members Jiro Horikawa and Shimon Matsukura take on a safe left behind by their deceased grandfather. iMel handles development, with mystery design by Nozomu Unabara of Liar-soft. The full version is scheduled for this winter, price undecided.
3d ago
A dance video posted by an elementary school student under the title 'Soran Bushi Jiyukei' has driven a TikTok trend set to TAKIO'S SOHRAN 2, the 1998 Ito Takio and TAKIO BAND arrangement of the Hokkaido folk song. ME:I posted a similar video, and the trend has since spread to Otani Emiri of =LOVE, CUTIE STREET, Nogizaka46 and SKE48. Record company VAP says posts tagged with the Soran Bushi hashtag drew about 20 million views in the 30 days to September 26.
3d ago
A new teaser for the short-format anime Haru to Gen ~70-sai, Hajimete Kosodate~ names its cast and its January 4 premiere. Bin Shimada plays Gen, a divorced 70-year-old man living alone. Hiromi Igarashi plays his granddaughter Haru, and Mayuko Kazama plays Sakura, Gen's only daughter, who died from an illness. The anime airs on tvk at 9:55 p.m. on January 4.
3d ago
Pearl Abyss released a six-and-a-half-minute preview video for Charting the Unknown, the Crimson Desert expansion that moves the action from the land of Pywel onto the open sea. Players build and customize a ship, sail between islands, explore underwater ruins, and fight hostile factions in naval battles. It launches October 30 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
3d ago
A report cited by GIGAZINE puts Microsoft's next-generation Xbox, Project Helix, at $1,200 to $1,800 retail (roughly 190,000 to 285,000 yen), launching around the 2028 year-end shopping season. Fortune says the figure holds unless Microsoft absorbs part of the hardware cost. Project Helix is built around a custom AMD SoC and is positioned closer to a high-performance gaming PC.
3d ago
COSMICPUP STUDIO, a Tencent-affiliated developer, announced the open-world RPG Human Whimsy Project on October 21 for Japan, Europe, and the US. The game is set in Elysian, a floating city of many islands where humans live alongside beings called Fushigi. Players are special investigators recognized by the Elysian Investigation Bureau, taking requests from both humans and Fushigi. The first PV follows a paper-bag-wearing protagonist and assistant Arabella, described as a Fushigi of clothes who lives inside a painting, through an incident that turns humans into gingerbread men. Combat is 3D action: players guard on timing, switch companions in real time, and attack. One boss fight with the Nightingale Girls runs as simultaneous combat with 8 bodies and includes a roulette that deals heavy damage on a red space. The footage was made with Unreal Engine 5. It is free-to-play for PC (Steam, Epic Games Store), PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, with pre-registration open on the official website.
3d ago
NC opened a special site for the PC MMORPG Lineage Classic on October 21 and began taking pre-registrations, which run until 23:59 on December 8. The game is a new title based on the early-2000s PC MMORPG Lineage, reviving its graphics, character development, and player conflict in a modern PC environment through the PURPLE platform. A pre-open anyone can join starts at 19:00 on December 2.
3d ago
PROOF has announced a 1/7 scale figure of Sakura Kinomoto from Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, posed soaring with the Dream Wand in hand. The figure costs 39,600 yen including tax and is scheduled for release in July 2027. Preorders open Saturday, October 24, 2026 at hobby shops nationwide and online, with the FAN+Life e-commerce site taking applications from Monday, October 26, 2026.
4d ago
Square Enix will release Final Fantasy Resonance on October 22, 2026, for Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, with the Steam version set for October 23. The RPG rebuilds the first season of the smartphone title Final Fantasy Brave Exvius as a buy-to-play console game and is the first Final Fantasy entry built in HD-2D, the pixel-and-3DCG style Square Enix uses in the Octopath Traveler series. Reviews from Game Spark, 4Gamer.net, and ASCII.jp published October 20 all describe turn-based command battles where depleting an enemy's Break Gauge stuns it and lowers its defense, and breaking every enemy at once triggers a Full Break that gives the party extra actions. Character building runs through Visions, equippable crystals carrying heroes of past Final Fantasy games, including Firion, Noctis, Zidane, and Sephiroth as a boss encounter. Rain and Lasswell, knights of the Kingdom of Grandshelt, pursue the Six Knights of Paladia, who are destroying the world's crystals.
4d ago
A special opening video for Episode 3 of the Kyouran Reijou Nia Liston anime has been released. The video depicts scenes from the stage play "The Woman I Loved" by the in-story theater troupe Ice Rose, and uses "Deux Livres," performed by Honoka Inoue as Nia Liston and Maaya Uchida as Sharo White. The anime airs on TOKYO MX, MBS, and BS Nippon TV, with animation production by KONAMI animation.
4d ago
Kodansha lists the 10th volume of Nana Mikoshiba's The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World light novels with a blurb teasing a story finale. The volume ships on December 2. The ninth volume shipped on June 2. Riko Korie illustrates the novels. Norihito Sasaki's manga adaptation ended in January 2024, and a sequel manga launched on May 27. The anime's second season premiered on October 8 and is ongoing.
4d ago
Crunchyroll announced the English dub cast and staff for The Detective Is Already Dead season 2 on Monday, with the first dubbed episode streaming Wednesday. Austin Tindle voices Kimizuka, Xanthe Huynh plays Siesta, Arryn Zech is Natsunagi, and Jamie Marchi voices Hel. Jason Lord directs the dub, produced by Susie Nixon. The second season premiered in Japan on October 7.
4d ago
A Persona Series The Animation POP UP STORE will run at Aniplex Official Store in Kyoto IP Bookstore from October 30 to November 11, and at SHIBUYA TSUTAYA IP Bookstore from December 1 to January 4, 2027. The store covers the theatrical film Persona 3 and the TV anime Persona 4, Persona 4 The Golden, and Persona 5, with goods built on CloverWorks original illustrations of six characters.