Hiroshi KOBAYASHI (animator 小林弘) - Anime News Network:W (2025)

review

The Brilliant Healer's New Life in the Shadows - World Premiere Review

It won't be topping any “best of the season” lists but it should be enjoyable to anyone who likes the non-revenge-focused “kicked out of the heroes' party” stories. ― The Brilliant Healer's New Life in the Shadows is an upcoming spring 2025 anime series. It had a special premiere showing at a movie theater in Tokyo recently. However, unlike the many other premieres I have attended, this time we were ...

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This Week in Anime - Beyond Bebop

With Lazarus coming up, Lucas and Coop take the opportunity to explore Shinichirō Watanabe's catalogue. ― With Lazarus coming up, Lucas and Coop take the opportunity to explore Shinichiro Watanabe's catalogue. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network.Spoiler Warning for discussion of the series ahead. Cowboy Bebop, Samur...

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Loner Life in Another World Anime Series Review

Even a thrown-in novelty like a harem of moeblobs can’t save Loner Life from having all of the hang-ups you’d expect out of a generic isekai. ― Just one look at the trailer and the key visual and you can already tell that Loner Life isgoing to be another run-of-the-mill isekai. I'd be willing to bet you can even tell where itsstrengths and weaknesses lie as well. To be fair, the music isn't bad,...

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Hana-Kimi Exhibition Celebrates Hisaya Nakajo's 30th Career Anniversary

Revisit the iconic manga series before the new anime premieres! ― In 1996, the world of shōjo manga was introduced to Hisaya Nakajo's work Hana Zakari no Kimi-tachi e (Hana-Kimi). Following the fun-loving Mizuki Ashiya as she disguises herself as a boy to enroll in the all-boys Osaka Academy, the story and characters captured the hearts and minds of readers across Japan and, subsequently, the world. ...

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Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Season 2 Premieres Next January

Teaser visual also revealed ― The "Sōsō no Frieren ~Talk no Mahō~ [Kinkyō Hōkoku]" (Frieren: Beyond Journey's End ~Magic of Talk~ [Status Report]) livestream on Wednesday revealed the teaser visual and January 2026 premiere for the second television anime season of Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe's Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (Sōsō no Frieren) manga. The Frieren: Beyond Journey's End anime premiere...

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The ANN Aftershow - Happy Late Cat-Day Stream!

It was Cat Day in Japan, and that included cat-centric images and new anime trailers! Lynzee and James are here to bring you all the purrific news plus, a bit about their own cats. ― Happy Late Cat-Day Stream It was Cat Day in Japan, and that included cat-centric images and new anime trailers! Lynzee and James are here to bring you all the purrific news plus, a bit about their own cats. The views an...

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This Week in Anime - Girls Band Drama

Chris and Steve plumb the depths of the girl band genre and wonder how things got so dark. ― Chris and Steve plumb the depths of the girl band genre and wonder how things got so dark. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network.Spoiler Warning for discussion of the series ahead. BanG Dream It's MyGO!!!!!, Ave Mujica, Given,...

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Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2199 and Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2202 Anime Streaming Review

Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2199 and 2202 show how to handle a reboot with masterful precision. ― Certain series will always hold a special place in your heart because of the time when you watched them. Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2199 will always be one such work for me. Once upon a time, this was the show that brought me back from a decade-long hiatus from anime fandom. I had no...

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Square Enix, Sunrise Make 'As One' Anime Film Prequel to Starwing Paradox Game

Detective Conan movies' Kobun Shizuno directs, Evangelion's Yoshiyuki Sadamoto designs characters ― Square Enix and Sunrise announced on Tuesday that they are producing a feature-length theatrical prequel anime to Square Enix's Starwing Paradox game titled As One, which will open in Japan this summer. Kobun Shizuno (Detective Conan movies 15-21) is directing the film. As with the game, Yoshiyuki Sada...

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The ANN Aftershow - The Fuji TV Scandal Explained

If it's been under your radar, there are big things shaking up at one of Japan's major broadcasters. The ANN team is here to explain what's going on at FujiTV and what it could mean for its anime programming. ― The Fuji TV Scandal Explained If it's been under your radar, there are big things shaking up at one of Japan's major broadcasters. The ANN team is here to explain what's going on at FujiTV an...

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Suikoden Franchise Gets Anime, New Mobile Game, New Manga, Stage Play, Concert

Also revealed: new Suikoden I&II HD Remaster Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars trailer ― Konami announced during the "Gensō Suikoden Live 2025.3.4" livestream on Tuesday an anime adaptation of the Suikoden II game's story, a new mobile game Gensō Suikoden: Star Leap for the iOS and Android, a stage play adaptation of Suikoden I, a new concert, and a new trailer for Suikoden I&II HD Remaster Gate R...

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History of Saban: Part 3

Haim Saban pulls Disney into his circle, alongside politicians. Meanwhile Power Rangers gets a fresh coat of paint. ― Fox Family Flops and Saban Gambles With Disney By the end of the year 2000, while the Fox Kids programming block was still doing great, the Fox Family Channel had become a debt-ridden disaster for the company and had not recovered in the ratings over the last three years; even having ...

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Wonderful Precure! Episodes 37 - 50 Anime Review

At the end of the day, Wonderful Precure! is all about hope. ― It's an inevitability of children's media that deals with animals that, sooner or later, the topic of death comes up. Most animals people love as pets don't live as long as humans, and the loss of a pet is often one of the first encounters with death a child has. I was four when my cat Oliver passed, and the conversation my parents had wi...

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Answerman - How Bad is School Truancy in Japan?

Jerome looks at the issue of futokō as it appears in anime and the upsetting trend behind it. ― Julie W. asks: I've noticed in some recent anime that it's apparently possible for Japanese kids not to go to school for long periods of time. Does this happen in real life as well? Do Japanese parents allow their kids the option of just not going to school altogether? I know this would NEVER happen in co...

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Giant Ojō-sama Comedy Manga Gets TV Anime by Tatsunoko

Nikumura Q's story of wealthy young lady who grows to gigantic proportions ― Shogakukan announced on Monday that Nikumura Q's Giant Ojō-sama (Giant Young Lady) manga is inspiring a television anime from Tatsunoko Production. The story centers around Oriko Fujidō, the scion of an ultra-wealthy family who finds herself growing to gigantic proportions. She had received an entire town as a present on her...