Urasawa Naoki no Manben (Naoki Urasawa's Manga Exertions) is a TV Documentary airing on NHK Educational TV. It follows acclaimed mangaka Naoki Urasawa (creator of 20th Century Boys and Monster) as he sets out to break new ground for manga even further than he already has. In an attempt to educate viewers about manga and preserve the intricate craftsmanship and process of Japanese artists on video for future generations, he invites a manga artist to have their workplace filmed for a couple of days, so as to display them in the process of crafting chapters for their current serializations. After the footage has been shot, Urasawa meets with the artist and they discuss the footage, talking about the artist's workplace and workflow, the difficulties involved in the mangaka lifestyle, their reasons for drawing manga in the first place, and their perspective on the current industry and their own work.
Did you know that a lot of your favorite anime are based in real-life locations? Join us on a pilgrimage around Japan to the "Sanctuaries" that are the inspiration of some of the greatest anime!
The size of the Japanese animation market was 2,426 billion yen by 2020. More than half of that amount came from overseas sales. The manga market is also expanding, reaching 675.9 billion yen in 2021. Those unique visuals and stories from Japan have struck a chord with fans around the world and are growing into a huge industry. ANIME MANGA EXPLOSION will actively feature major works that are highly recognized by overseas fans and reveal the secrets of Japanese anime and manga creation through the series.
Daisū is a a manga creator who grew up in an orphanage, and whose works do not sell very well. Daisū lives each lonely day in boredom, but one day he meets a young man named Myō who has cat ears, and his everyday life completely changes. Myō gets in trouble every day, but for the first time in his life, Daisū’s heart experiences "warmth."
After his father’s death, Ichiro is left to care for his siblings alone. They’re barely scraping by with only a small inheritance and his job as a manga artist, which isn’t going so great. That is until a talented and beautiful assistant is hired! Her name is Shiori, and she’s a gift from above—literally. While working late one night, her true identity is revealed and they’re instantly engaged!?
Nishina, Maya, Shiro, and Aoi are four good friends in their second year of high school with good looks but disappointing personalities. The four who decided that they will never fall in love, formed their own club, known as the "Muda-bu" (Useless Club), which focuses on researching silly themes and uploading them on social media. One day, they decided to do an experiment from a manga that says, "If you run with a piece of bread in your mouth and bump into someone, you will fall in love". While trying to conduct the experiment, they accidentally bumped into someone while having a piece of bread in the mouth.
In a world where magic is everything, Asta, who is the only person who can't use magic, and the magical genius Yuno go all out to become the Wizard King. This is a spin off of the anime series "Black Clover" with an unbelievable story and an amazing cast.
Moritaka Mashiro, a high school student, is persuaded by his classmate, Akito Takagi, to become an aspiring manga artist when the latter realizes his natural talent as an artist. However, Moritaka is reluctant as his uncle, once an artist with his own manga, died from overwork. With Akito's help, Moritaka gets his school crush, Azuki Miho, who is an aspiring voice actress, to act in the anime adaptation of their future manga once it is completed. However, Mashiro also proposes to Azuki, who surprisingly accepts only on the condition she will marry him when both of them have achieved their dreams. With a goal set before him, Mashiro begins a long and struggling path to become a famous manga artist.
Single father Kakushi Goto has a secret. He’s a top-selling artist of popular erotic manga, but his impressionable young daughter, Hime, can never find out! Now he’s having to bend over backwards just to keep her inquisitive little mind from discovering what he does for a living.
A popular manga creator becomes enmeshed in paranormal events while conducting research: Stand User Kishibe Rohan visits Italy, goes bankrupt, and more.
A fashionable condominium found by a newlywed, but the living conditions are limited to "house husband"? Maison de Otto, a condominium limited to full-time husbands' families. Although it is a fashionable 2LDK in a prime location in Shibuya, Tokyo, the rent is only 50,000 yen a month, so to live in this super-favorable condominium, Riku became a "house husband" without even thinking about it. Kamiya Riku moves with his wife, and the story begins! A heart-full romantic comedy that provides dreams, longing, and healing.
High school student Chiyo Sakura has a crush on schoolmate Umetarō Nozaki, but when she confesses her love to him, he mistakes her for a fan and gives her an autograph. When she says that she always wants to be with him, he invites her to his house and has her help on some drawings. Chiyo discovers that Nozaki is actually a renowned shōjo manga artist named Sakiko Yumeno. She then agrees to be his assistant in order to get closer to him. As they work on his manga Let's Fall in Love (恋しよっ), they encounter other schoolmates who assist them or serve as inspirations for characters in the stories.
The life of an artist can be hard: Long, arduous hours working with only your thoughts and assistants to keep you company. In the case of overworked mangaka Aito, his attempts to merge the two are so far unsuccessful. His priorities are askew and subjecting his assistants to his fantasies has taken precedent over work. Despite his abuse of power, his assistants are willing to play along. Thankfully, editor Mihari is there to keep him in line, from threatening to fire him to physical punishment.
A BL manga artist chasing fame reunites with his childhood crush, now a rising idol. Their worlds collide, rekindling feelings that never truly faded.
A lonely little boy moves into a ramshackle apartment building all on his own and makes friends with the broke manga artist who lives next door.
Anzu, Hiiragi, and Koume are three girls who attend the lively Hanamaru Kindergarten. There they have lots of adventures with their classmates and with Naozomi Tsuchida, their teacher who has just started working fresh out of school.
The story centers on Nana Futami, a rookie shōjo manga artist who is supported by her female editor Kaede Satō and her assistant Mizuki Hazama. Even though Nana sometimes suffers from intense delusions due to (what she tells herself is) an occupational illness, she keeps working day-to-day with the help of those around her.
About a lady and her cat. The lady's cat dies and she loses all inspiration to continue living, and doing her work from home job. One day when forced to get out of her house for a while she finds and orphaned kitten in the park. The kitten is sick and she takes the kitten to the vet. This kitten brings her out of her depression and gives her new hope.
When aspiring manga artist Chika’s storyboards get rejected, she ditches her desk for an adventure! Armed with a quirky social media poll, she sets off on a spontaneous journey of random crowdsourced destinations. From hilarious mishaps to heartwarming encounters, Chika discovers inspiration, friendship, and herself, one unpredictable stop at a time.
Kaoruko Moeta is a 15-year-old high school student and 4-panel manga artist. After moving to a dorm especially for female manga artists, she meets shoujo manga artist Koyume, teen romance manga artist Ruki, and shounen manga artist Tsubasa. Every day, they'll work all through the night trying to ink and finish their work!