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After the monumental success of Kaguya Sama, Aka Akasaka’s Oshi no Ko also garnered immense popularity. While the former is still loved by fans, it can be said that Oshi no Ko has fallen off. The positive reception at the beginning of the story has not aged well, with more and more fans disliking the recent developments. Part of the reason why that ended up happening is Ai Hoshino.

Ai with Aqua and Ruby | Credits: Studio Doga Kobo

By creating a captivating character like her, Akasaka set an unreasonably high standard for himself and failed to live up to it. He also had different plans for the character that had to be changed. All these factors resulted in the popularity of the anime-manga series taking a severe hit.

Fans Understandably Wanted More of Ai in Oshi no Ko Ai Hoshino | Credits: Studio Doga Kobo

The premiere of Oshi no Ko...

The Oshi no Ko manga ending date has officially been scheduled. According to the official accounts for the series, Oshi no Ko just has four chapters remaining. Following a hiatus that's set to end on October 24, the final four chapters will be released consecutively, putting the final chapter of the manga in this year's 50th issue of Weekly Young Jump magazine on November 14, 2024.  The 16th volume will close it out in compiled form when it hits shelves in Japan on December 18. The manga written by Aka Akasaka ( Kaguya-sama: Love is War ) and illustrated by Mengo Yokoyari ( Scum's Wish ) first launched in Weekly Young Jump in April 2020. Yen Press publishes the series in English and it's also available digitally through Shueisha's Manga Plus service. Here's how the latter describes it: "In the world of showbiz, lies are weapons." Goro works as an Ob-gyn in the countryside, a life...

The show must go on! Following the broadcast of Oshi no Ko 's Season 2 finale, the series' official website and accounts announced with a brand-new trailer and visual that a third anime season is in production, while also confirming the casting of Mamoru Miyano as Hikaru Kamiki and Hina Kino as Tsukuyomi. A release date was not revealed at the time of reporting. Oshi no Ko Season 3 Trailer Oshi no Ko Season 3 Visual Season 3 Visual Related: Oshi no Ko Season 2 Private Arc Visual Unveiled Based on the manga written by Aka Akasaka ( Kaguya-sama: Love is War ) and illustrated by Mengo Yokoyari ( Scum's Wish ), Daisuke Hiramaki ( Asteroid in Love ) directs the Oshi no Ko anime at studio Doga Kobo, with series composition by Jin Tanaka, character designs by Kanna Hirayama and music by Takuro Iga. Manga Plus digitally publishes an official English version of the manga and describes the...

A stage play adaptation of the Oshi no Ko manga, written by Aka Akasaka ( Kaguya-sama: Love is War ) and illustrated by Mengo Yokoyari ( Scum's Wish ), is now set to open in Tokyo and Osaka in December 2024. The title of the play is "Engeki 'Oshi no Ko' 2.5-jigen Butai-hen" ("Stage Play 'Oshi no Ko' 2.5 D Stage Play Arc"), with the story based on the fifth arc of the original manga and currently in the TV anime's ongoing second season. The arc depicts the drama of a manga's stage play production process and adds original elements unique to the theater, including the in-show play Tokyo Blade . A key visual featuring these two stories was released. "Oshi no Ko" stage play key visual "Tokyo Blade" stage play key visual A teaser trailer for the Tokyo Blade stage play is now streaming on the play's official X (formerly Twitter) . Related:...

Spend the summer with your faves! Hit anime series Oshi no Ko is taking over Tokorozawa's Seibuen Amusement Park for a summer festival including fireworks, food and much more. Popular attractions at the park will feature newly recorded audio from the cast of the anime. Additionally, a fireworks display held on national holidays and weekends will combine music, video and voice with laser lighting and pyrotechnics to make you feel like you're at a real concert. Pen lights will also be on sale. Related: Oshi no Ko Season 2 Creditless Opening and Ending Videos Get the Spotlight During the day, take part in a stamp rally to win a special acrylic card featuring one of the show's idols. Other goods will also be available for sale at the park, including acrylic stands and postcards. The park's restaurant will offer Oshi no Ko themed menu items for a limited time, including an...

Adding to the series' exceptional ensemble, the official website and accounts for Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! confirmed the casting of Chika Anzai (Shizuru in Train to the End of the World ) as student council secretary Yumeko Shikiya. A new trailer highlighting Chika Komari was also released after the anime's third episode broadcast. Related: Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! English Dub Reveals Cast & Crew, Release Date Based on the light novels by Takibi Amamori and Imigimuru, Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! is directed by Shotaro Kitamura ( Kaguya-sama: Love is War episode director) at studio A-1 Pictures, with series composition by Masahiro Yokotani, character designs by Tetsuya Kawakami and music by Kana Utatane ( Akebi's Sailor Uniform ). Crunchyroll is simulcasting the anime and describes the story: Meet the girls on the losing side of romance! First is Anna Yanami, the girl-next-door type who can’t say no to delicious food. Then there’s Lemon Yakishio,...

Reincarnated as a villainess in another world... but you were also the world's most renowned villain in your previous life? It's more likely than you think. Kuromeika's novel series Moriarty's Perfect Crime has been adapted into a Webtoon, and will now be reincarnated as a light anime this summer. A new key visual shows the two Moriarty's of the title—James and Sherry: Related: Gachiakuta Manga Announces TV Anime Adaptation for 2025 A trailer for the light anime showcases the lead cast. Ryota Suzuki (Yu Ishigami in Kaguya-sama: Love Is War ) will play James Moriarty, while Yuri Noguchi (Ryza in Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout ) will play Sherry Moriarty. Related: Tower of God Season 2 Anime Premieres July 7 The series premieres July 19 in Japan. The Moriarty's Perfect Crime Webtoon adaptation is published in English, Spanish and Portuguese by Comikey , who describe it thus: James Moriarty, the most fearsome criminal,...

Japan’s anime industry gathered in Tokyo over the weekend for the seventh annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards, which select leading achievements in Japanese animation across a broad range of categories and pick the winners via a global popular vote.

Netflix’s standalone series Cyberpunk: Edgerunners took the event’s top anime of the year award, while Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Entertainment District Arc, which made its international debut on Crunchyroll, cleaned up across many of the other main categories, including best action, best animation, best director (Haruo Sotozaki) and best fantasy. Other big winners included blockbuster Jujutsu Kaisen 0, produced by Japan’s Mappa, which won best film, and Crunchyroll’s Spy X Family with best comedy and best new series. (The full list of winners is below).

Crunchyroll says 18 million votes were cast for this year’s winners by fans from 200 countries, with high levels of participation spanning Asia,...

Isao Takahata’s animated fable, eight years in the making, is a masterpiece to rank among Studio Ghibli’s finest

With The Wind Rises proving a swansong for Hayao Miyazaki, Ghibli’s 79-year-old co-founder Isao Takahata keeps the animation studio’s stock high, amid reports of closure, with what has been rumoured to be his own final film. This adaptation of the 10th-century Japanese folk tale Taketori Monogatari (which has previously inspired such cinematic adventures as Kon Ichikawa’s live-action Princess from the Moon) boasts a sketchier, more impressionistic palette than the bold strokes of Spirited Away or Howl’s Moving Castle, which made Ghibli a global brand.

It’s a world of charcoal lines and watercoloured hues; you can almost feel the brushstrokes upon fibrous paper as the proudly hand-drawn action unfolds, skittish motion drawing our attention to the old-fashioned artistry of key collaborators Osamu Tanabe and Kazuo Oga.

Princess from the Moon: Takahata Bows with Feminist Spin on Fable

Following the news of Hayao Miyazaki’s possible retirement after the release of 2013’s The Wind Rises, Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata unleashes his own swansong with The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. Sadly, it was announced that its December release last year was not able to recoup its production budget, leading the famed studio to hint at closing its doors after other recent titles similarly underperformed. The news lends an even stronger taint of melancholy to Takahata’s gently emotional fable that subtly examines class and gender issues with all the painterly finesse of the classic tale it’s based upon.

An old bamboo cutter finds a small princess within a stalk of shining bamboo. Bringing the nymph sized creature home to his wife, it turns into an infant child that displays a rather rapid growth rate.

"As beautiful and imaginative as anything Ghibli has yet created!" Our friends at SlashFilm have unveiled a brand new 60-second teaser trailer for Studio Ghibli's The Tale of Princess Kaguya', from director Isao Takahata, which was originally released in Japan late 2013. The film is adapted from a 10th century Japanese folktale and is animated in the style of Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga scrolls - essentially it's unlike anything you've seen before, and this teaser plays up how gorgeous that animation looks. The trailer is for the dubbed Us version with an English voice cast lead by Chloë Grace Moretz, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, Darren Criss, Lucy Liu, Beau Bridges and James Marsden. This is a short, simple but stunning teaser - check it out. Here's the first Us teaser for Studio Ghibli's The Tale of Princess Kaguya', debuted by SlashFilm: Studio Ghibli's The Tale of Princess Kaguya, or Kaguyahime no monogatari in Japanese,...

First one sheet for Hayo Miyazaki's latest film 'The Wind Rises' (Kaze Tachinu,) based on his own screenplay - which is, in turn, based on his original manga of the same name - 'The Wind Rises' touches on the life of Horikoshi Jiro, designer of Japan's Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter plane, widely used in World War II.

Update: The One sheet for Isao Takahata's first movie since 1999's 'My Neighbors the Yamadas' is now also below 'Taketori Monogatari' (The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter).  Based on the 10th century Japanese folktale 'Taketori Monogatari,' is the story of moon princess Kaguya-hime, discovered as a baby inside the stalk of a glowing bamboo plant.

Studio Ghibli co-founder Takahata Isao has been away from the director's chair for quite a long time now. His most recent directing credit is as part of 2003 anthology Winter Days. His most recent feature? 1999 effort My Neighbors The Yamadas. So word of a new feature from Takahata is very big news indeed.The film is The Tale Of The Bamboo Cutter (Taketori Monogatari), an adaptation of a popular folk tale about a princess discovered as a baby growing inside the stalk of a glowing piece of bamboo.Word of the project has been circulating for a while now but Studio Ghibli have just formally announced the project along with word that Takahata has co-written the script with Sakaguchi Riko while Ikibe Shinichiro is composing the...

Wondering what Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata are currently up to? Studio Ghibli announced their upcoming 2013 movies to the world yesterday.

Hayao Miyazaki will adapt Kaze Tachinu (The Wind Rises), his own mini-manga based on the life of WW2 airplane designer Jiro Horikoshi.

My Neighbours the Yamadas director Isao Takahata will take on the Japanese folktale Taketori Monogatari (The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter aka The Tale of Princess Kaguya), as announced back in 2009.

Both films will open across Japan in Summer 2013.

[via Ann & Eiga]...

[1] In the two and a half decades since its inception, Studio Ghibli has consistently put out some of the most beloved classics of animation -- from Castle in the Sky and My Neighbor Totoro in the '80s to more recent projects like Ponyo. So the recent announcement of not one, but two new projects, from studio co-founders Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, is exciting news indeed. The report of a new film by Takahata (Grave of the Fireflies) is especially intriguing since it'll be his first feature since 1999's My Neighbors the Yamadas. Read more after the jump. Miyazaki is said [2] (via Twitch [3]) to be working on an "autobiography," but it's not clear whether he's working on his own autiobiography or an adaptation of someone else's autobiography. Either way, I'm excited -- any new work by a filmmaker who's directed as many wonderful movies as Miyazaki has is certainly worth keeping an eye on.

Yay, more Studio Ghibli films! As always, we usually hear minor details about their new projects, but have to wait years until they make their way across the Pacific. AnimeNewsNetwork is reporting that Studio Ghibli's two co-founders, Isao Takahata (director of Grave of the Fireflies, The Raccoon War, My Neighbors the Yamadas) and the legendary Hayao Miyazaki, are both at work on new projects. Takahata hasn't directed a feature since 1999, but is now working on a project based on the classic Japanese folktale Taketori Monogatari (The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter). Miyazaki has his own interesting new film in development. The updates on these projects come straight from co-founder Isao Takahata himself, who was speaking at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo. Takahata's new project, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, has been rumored for a while, but is confirmed to be in the works, although "it may...

Criterion tried playing a fast one this week by releasing all the new films while we were recording our super two year anniversary special. Sneaky Criterion, how could you do such a thing? But lo and behold they gave us another 11 titles, which again just goes to show that Criterion/Janus have multiple tricks up their sleeves. Especially this week, they gave us a couple of catalog titles and the rest are new and exciting, especially one that is the original edit of a particular film that was put on the page last week. Once again, if you want to join what a million other people are enjoying right now, please sign up here. It will help the series of articles and you’ll get to experience the best bang for the buck.

First up is the original version of a film that was put up last week, which is...

Oh, Studio Ghibli. You are so awesome.

Today, thanks to Bleeding Cool, we have our very first look at the newest project out of Studio Ghibli. Since the release of Ponyo, or Gake No Ue No Ponyo (Japanese title) we haven’t heard so much as a peep out of the studio. But, like the brilliant artists they are over there, they’ve been hard at work at their two most recent projects. One called (in translated English) Taketori Monogatari, which we know absolutely nothing about, and another called The Borrowers (Kari-gurashi No Arietty).

Read more on First Japanese trailer for Studio Ghibli’s The Borrowers…...

Director Isao Takahata, who co-founded Studio Ghibli with Hayao Miyazaki, has revealed that he will be directing his first feature-length flick since 1999's My Neighbors the Yamadas. Takahata, who also wrote and directed the tear-jerker Grave of the Fireflies, will be taking on the classic folktale The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, or Taketori Monogatari. According to Asian Pulse, "Taketori Monogatari has directly and indirectly inspired many Japanese manga and anime, such as Sailormoon and Inuyasha. This beloved story is considered to be the oldest surviving example of Japanese narrative... A little baby is found inside the stalk of a glowing plant by a bamboo cutter. He takes her home, and raises her with his wife as their own daughter, and they give her the name Kaguya-Hime (radiant-night princess). She grows into a beautiful adult woman, with many suitors, even the Emperor of Japan - and she rebuffs them all.

“Grave of the Fireflies”, in my mind, is one of the finest animated films ever made. The movie is quiet and introspective, whereas I think that a lot of anime is loud and pretentious. Unfortunately, the film’s director, Isao Takahata, who is also the co-founder of Ghibli, hasn’t really directed anything since 1999’s “My Neighbor the Yamadas”. Now Asian Movie Pulse is reporting that Takahata is resuming his role as director so that he can work on a film called “The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter” (also known as “The Tale of Princess Kaguya”), which is based on a 10th century Japanese folktale. Asian Movie Pulse has a description of the story: Taketori Monogatari (The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter) has directly and indirectly inspired many Japanese manga and anime, such as Sailormoon and Inuyasha. This beloved story is considered to be the oldest surviving example of Japanese narrative,...

Studio Ghibli's next project will be based on one of the oldest surviving Japanese folktales: Taketori Monogatari, aka The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. Isao Takahata will direct, for the first time in a decade.The classic story, dating from the tenth century, involves the mysterious golden-haired beauty Kaguya-hime ("Radiant Night Princess"), found as a baby in a glowing bamboo plant, and revealed to have come from The Capital of the Moon, either as a banishment, or as a war-refugee, depending on which version you read. She rebuffs a number of suitors, including Mikado, the Emperor of Japan (who gives up immortality for her), and eventually returns to the Moon. Unsurprisingly, given its stature in Japanese culture (one theory has it that Mount Fuji derives its name from the story) it's been filmed before, not least in Kon Ichikawa's 1987 version starring Toshiro Mifune, but it's Ghibli's first traditional folk tale,...

Over on the Asian Movie Pulse blog (via SlashFilm) they say that Isao Takahata, one of the co-founders of Studio Ghibli, has announced that he will be directing a new feature-length animated film. Takahata will direct a new film called Taketori Monogatari, or The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter in English, which is an adaptation of the classic 10th century folktale (known as The Tale of Princess Kaguya). He'll be breaking his 10-year hiatus since last directing My Neighbors the Yamadas in 1999. They also mention that Hayao Miyazaki is "in discussions with studio staff to make two more feature-length films in the next 3 years." Takahata also directed Grave of the Fireflies, one of my favorite Ghibli films, so I'm happy to see him back again. The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is about a mysterious girl called Kaguya-hime, who was discovered as a baby inside the stalk of a ...

After a nice ten year hiatus since he completed My Neigbours The Yamadas, Isao Takahata is back at work directing the next feature film from Studio Ghibli. Taketori Monogatari, which translates as The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, will be an adaptation of the story considered to be the oldest surviving Japanese folktale. It is an incredibly well known story, at home, much as Grimm's Fairy Tales are in the West. I recall that Kon Ichikawa made a live action version of the tale with Toshiro Mifune and, according to my Google Research, Big Bird witnesses a telling of the story by schoolchildren in the TV movie Big Bird in Japan but I dare say most renditions will become ancillary to the Ghibli version, if not outright forgotten in its shadow. I suspect this toon is likely to become a definitive version in Japan much in the way Disney have...

Asian Movie Pulse has posted the first details on the next animated feature from Studio Ghibli. Since Hayao Miyazaki is currently recovering from creating Ponyo, its Ghibli’s co-head Isao Takahata turn ten years after My Neighbours the Yamadas.

The film is supposed to be an adaptation of Taketori Monogatari (The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter aka The Tale of Princess Kaguya), one of the oldest Japanese folktale told since the 10th century. Here’s the synopsis taken from Wikipedia:

One day, while walking in the bamboo forest, an old, childless bamboo cutter called Taketori no Okina came across a mysterious, shining stalk of bamboo. After cutting it open, he found inside it a baby the size of his thumb. He rejoiced to find such a beautiful girl and took her home. He and his wife raised her as their own child and named her Kaguya-hime (”radiant-night princess”). Thereafter, Taketori...