Omonomono Newsletter, 2022-12-30
As I sit and think about the 100s of links I’m about to repost below, I realize marble, the band we booked for Kurocon vol1, has a little series of shows to celebrate their 15th anniversary. Aoki Ume was announced for their 1/15 show in Tokyo and I could make it if I skipped the other show I ticketed for already. Just sort of a bummer that I couldn’t make it because I really want to see marble in person now.
It sure was better than the previous idea I had about opening this letter–on Hitomi Suzuki. I’ll get on with this later.
These Past Months
Shiori Izawa finally takes the plunge to make a photo book!
Kana Hanazawa’s new book is out now.
Tomori Kusunoki announces her physical disability in leaving her Love Live role. Good luck to controlling and recovering from her issue!
On sickness and COVID–Japan has been going bangers on these this month just so to note. Marika Kouno, Minami Takahashi, Toshiyuki Morikawa, Hinaki Yano, Yuka Otsubo, Momo Asakura, Machico (not COVID?), Masami Okui, Yoshiki Fukuyama, Risa Tsubuki (not COVID?), Kenjiro Tsuda, Shoya Chiba, Mai Fuchigami, Arisa Komiya, Hiyori Nitta, Miyu Takagi, Yoshino Aoyama, Ruka Fukugawa, and countless others…
One Piece Film Red was #2 in US ranking on opening weekend. Keeps number one spot in Japan for 14 weeks.
Suzume powers up on opening weekend but doesn’t last as long as others. 17 days for 6.26B JPY.
Rest in peace, Aniki–Ichico Mizuki passes away. I guess there’s still a concert recording to watch. Fans eulogizes as we should.
Hidekazu Tanaka was arrested in early November in a mind-blowing criminal charge, leaving some songs in limbo.
Singer-songwriter Kiro Akiyama arrested for battery.
Sonic creator Yuji Naka arrested for insider trading.
Golden Kamuy suffers blow in production due to staff passing away. Restart next April.
Koroazu to go to Chicago next May.
Edgerunners gets tabletop game.
Bootleg copy of Dragon Ball manga gets someone arrested.
Anime industry grew 13.3% in 2021.
Yume Miyamoto to go on hiatus.
It’s C101 right now, and it’s full of vtubers.
The guy who ran A Fan’s View site passed away. As an aside, RIP, I also talked to him once.
Mineuchi Tomomi to quit voice acting this year.
Ami Maejima goes on indefinite hiatus due to health issue.
Kaguya film to open in US February.
Suzume to screen in the west from April.
Jujutsu Kaisen tops Weathering as 6th biggest global anime film.
Come on and slam, and welcome to the Slam Dunk Movie doing well.
This weeb trash did half a million in a weekend.
Tensura film opens to 416M JPY. To stream overseas starting December. In theaters in US in Jan.
Demon Slayer film to world tour starting in Feb.
After all said and done, Slam Dunk stays 1st after Christmas and Suzume is second.
William Frederik Knight passes away.
Yuji Nunokawa, founder of Studio Pierrot, passes away.
Follow up on radio writer who quit due to Sakurai’s affair.
Chie Nakamura takes break due to ulcer.
Yuxuki Waga to leave fhana next January.
Seiyuu idol group i☆Ris gets anime in 2024.
Miku Itou found to possibly be dating? Except the rest of the internet are just her mom and dad.
TMR SHF figure. But also Sumipe figma?
Cinderella Girls U149 anime revealed for April 2023.
Some NHK titles won’t stream with ads with Netflix.
Original 3d anime Pole Princess to air next year (also has a long teaser online).
Union Area CCG to launch, for Bannam shows. I see Mano, is she going mano e mano…
You’re Under Arrest to get more manga chapter(s).
SUSHIO gets a gallery…in Socal.
Seiyuu unit about ones who can draw is in audition.
Genshin wins Google Play award, yeah. Elden Ring wins GOTY at Game Awards.
Some HiDive shows unavailable temporarily.
Shawne Kleckner leaves Right Stuf/CR.
Akiba Maid War stage play (Sept).
Aya Hirano still gets death threats for some reason?
Mangaka for manga about terminal cancer patient has passed due to terminal cancer.
Pokemon anime with new protagonists.
Kenshin anime reboot…is a thing.
IBERIs& to major label debut next year. They are the next 81Produce seiyuu unit.
SoundOrion to major label debut next year.
Bravely Default game to shut down
TOHO animation Music Film Project.
Lots of IM@S news this past month or two, so Let Me Put It Together here.
- There are going to be vtubers next spring.
- IDOLM@STER 3.0 is basically more AR/MR, more collab, and more corporate jargons. This happened recently at the Orchestra show with mocap performances from idols who weren’t physically there. Tamashii Nation stream gave a preview what MR looks like (most recently). IM@S MR is also happening for Million Live. Two anime series will be released next year (Million and U149). Outlined here and here. There was also a press conference.
- IM@S music is finally on streaming in a meaningful way. The big ones are 490 songs from Million Live, and almost as many from SideM. These are almost global releases too. 765Pro has the Greatest+Best series which gives over 100 classic hits, plus Japan-only Puchimas music. Cinderella Girls has under 100 songs new, but also almost all the in-game songs as game-size. Shiny Colors only has the latest CDs but more back titles will be released on streaming too. Details in my ex-password-protected post.
Last one for the day, seiyuu Hitomi Suzuki passed away from cancer at the age of 26. She was fighting to create music with the time she had left since her dire diagnosis about a year plus ago. The tragic death of a talented seiyuu aside, the heft of it really got to me when I started to look into NOW ON AIR, which is the group she was with until it stopped in 2021. Instead of clogging it up here, you can read my little obit-lite.
Personal Note
Get Thrice Upon a Time on UHD. Also, saw it in theaters and it was great. I should just watch Voyager right after.
The winter anime season is about to wrap up. Top of my list are Bocchi, Gwitch, and Chainsaw Man. But who cares about those? Don’t people want to talk about Renai Flops? DIY? YamaSusu? Or another interesting tier-B titles that gets washed away by the tides of time every season? Struggle as they might, top-tier fun shows like Akiba Maid Wars is not going to pierce through the boring chart toppers every season. It’s the kind of “gem” people talk about but few actually will end up watching, given how cliché it looks in the marketing and relies heavily on surprise for its initial hook. As an aisde, besides being a straight-forward maid x yakuza homage formula, there’s a lot of poetic stuff in the series, including the way the members are cast. These anime original series are so interesting and keeps keeping me in the fandom.
I mean, Pop Team Epic anybody? I thought it would grate on me when I tried to catch up towards the end, but even watching a bunch of these back-to-back was pretty good overall.
I watched a handful of less stellar entries this season. The fake marriage anime is a lot of classic romcom fodder and Onishi was killing it. The sword catgirl anime was a thing, and using the world power curve as a plot device in the meta is a fun way to deal with the invariable overpower problems in today’s isekai works. Still enjoying the hell out of Reinhard and Yang. Spy Fam is good for sharing.
Anyways, I feel as COVID closures and cancellation, risks, and downward pressure ease in 2022, things are looking pretty good for 2023. I already went to 5+ cons this year, and next year looks way more busy. I have some Japan trips lined up too already. Maybe it’s time to resurrect the annual events page. I have been pretty blessed to not have to catch COVID but I did have to deal with family who got it, so it is really something I will continue to monitor and proactively avoid. Introverted indoor-kei people should naturally have less difficulty avoiding it, right? Truth is, in a way the risks hasn’t quite decreased as much as it has transformed into more manageable ways to deal with them.
Anyways, that’s enough rambling. Here is to a healthy 2023 to you and your close ones.
Upcoming Events
Some upcoming events this year and next–
Anisama 2022 gets TV program over new years over on satellite TV (you know where to find this). Momoclo’s 8-hour long New Year special features 3 from Cinderella Girls (free from Abema TV which just needs a VPN). NHK’s Kohaku program is just not what it used to be.
Both LycoRico and Uma stage plays are in January.
Mid-Jan is literally Million Live 9th. This is actually the “10th anniversary” date but I guess they pushed things back by a year for reasons. We are back at the Nippon Budokan though. It’s got the signatures of something remarkable but it’s just “9th” for now?
Trying to pair up some events with my Million trip. Aside from marble x Aoki Ume, there’s also Denobu Azabu’s rave, Maon Kurosaki birthday event the day before (and collab with Kurinoko on the Saturday).
Long Reads
Again, quite a bunch.
Ai Kayano’s personal career choices.
Youtube’s algo recs me Bocchi essays, this is the only one that’s “good enough” to me. It’s also still inaccurate and ignores the fact that certain other shows exist. Also please read the interviews transcribed here, lots of fun.
National Geographic TV Japan employs Reina Ueda to narrate (region locked).
D-Yama interview. The Mogra guy.
IM@S Orchestra in November turned out to be the first “3.0” concert from the series. There’s a BTS video from the social media/youtuber guy along with Shunsuke Takizawa after day one’s show.
Anime Expo HiDive seiyuu interviews are now up here.
Youtuber about drawing corrects/edits Mayu Mineda’s art LOL.
Phantasy Star video essay over last 35 years.
Merry’s Wonder Dream, Chihara Minori’s one-person play, on Youtube.
Nier event report. It doesn’t even say about the fortune telling thing.
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