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.
Actor Keita Machida leads as chief judge and star in this unique project that follows the selection of six manga artist teams, the judging process to choose the winner, and the full journey of adapting the winning manga into a drama.
Dweeby high schooler Yūki Uehara has created the perfect romantic comedy heroine—she's bashful, airheaded, and completely chaste. When an editor at Uehara's dream publisher coldly dismisses his manga story as trite and lacking realism, it sends Uehara into a spiral of despair that pushes him into the path of his bubbly, gorgeous classmate, Niina Miyamoto—an aspiring manga artist herself! Having gotten similar feedback on her own manga, Miyamoto proposes she and Uehara engage in a fake relationship, since neither of them have any romantic experience. But Miyamoto is far from the perfect heroine Uehara's concocted, and he certainly isn't the cocky hero from her story either. Can their wacky relationship turn their manga dreams into reality, or will it lead to even more comic disasters?
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.
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.
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 BL manga artist chasing fame reunites with his childhood crush, now a rising idol. Their worlds collide, rekindling feelings that never truly faded.
Voidborn
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.
Moritaka Mashiro and Akito Takagi are pretty much foils of each other. Mashiro, an average 9th grade student but talented artist, and Takagi, an overall advanced 9th grader and aspiring writer. After great convincing, Takagi convinces Mashiro to join him in becoming the greatest mangakas Japan has ever seen. Takagi, with his gift of writing, hopes to become a successful mangaka, and Mashiro, with his gift of art, hopes to marry the girl of his dreams, Azuki Miho.
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 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.
Satsuki Amamiya was feeling down due to the graduation of the high school Photography Club’s president. However, her best friend and fellow member An Kiriyama encourages Satsuki to dedicate herself to the newly merged Cinephoto Club. Join Satsuki and An as they set out to track down a missing camera, meet new faces, and capture stunning photos and videos along the way.
Futami, a novice shojo manga artist, is finally publishing her beloved shogi manga, Dear Subaru. But…the stress makes her stomach hurt, she's forced to push the deadline for her first chapter, and she isn't making any progress on the storyboards. To top it off, she's gaining weight from midnight snacking and starts having wild delusions! Will Futami be able to enjoy life as a manga artist?!
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.
Ye Zi, a Chinese art student, and Xiang Zeyi, an oil painting major, whose first love is shattered when Zeyi leaves without explanation. Years later, now a successful manga illustrator, Ye Zi is confronted by Zeyi’s return and his confession, forcing her to choose whether to reignite their love or move on.
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.
Comic creator Rohan Kishibe, along with his partner-cum-editor, Kyōka Izumi, challenge various incidents beyond human knowledge.