Otaku Hourly

The Fourth of July weekend was jam packed with several anime events and pop ups and your backdoor anime hangout decided to explore what LA had to offer both in and outside of the titular AX in order to explore the breadth and expansion of anime culture, industry, and community. This includes:

• Anime Expo 2026

• White Box Entertainment’s Anime Business Seminar at the Hotel Indigo

• How to Draw Manga with Ace Attorney mangaka, Kazuo Maekawa of Manga Dojo at Japan House LA

• Kodansha House LA

• LA Anime Artist Alley

• Ghost In The Shell Premiere at Brain Dead Studios Fairfax

Anime can get pretty campy with its tropes. How many more isekais will we need to get the point across that this life can be more? How many more rom-coms will continue to dangle the “relationship” in a form of sideways glances or hand holding? How many more shounens must be made using the same stock of characters to end with the power of friendship? Not all of it is bad, yet it begs the question: is that all that there is to it now…or ever?

There is a movie that simply stands on its own, unconcerned with the cliches of anime and operates more so an indie film. In this case, its truest sense where most of it - directing, editing, composing, animating, writing to name a few, save for voice acting - is all done by ONE. PERSON. This is Jinsei.

Jinsei premieres in theaters 12 June 2026.

Many thanks to Maddux Brown and Zarahi Alcantar of 42West for the screener.

The Hypnosis Mic franchise has seen its fair share of media diversification - anime, manga, even a live theater stage production - yet nothing like this: an interactive movie theater experience where audience members vote in real time to determine the outcome and narrative. Having watched the series proper, I can comfortably say that this is both the best entry point for those new to Hypnosis Mic and the film that can bring potential in revitalizing the movie experience. In this review, we go into:

• a briefer of the Hypnosis Mic franchise

• how gimmick wins over plot (for this kind of film)

• what a limited release that earned 2.5 billion yen ($16.5 million) can indicate for interactive movies in the future

• the proper procedure in preparation for this film.

Hypnosis Mic Rap Division Battle Movie releases on 27 February 2026.

More information at GKIDS

Many thanks to GKIDS for the press invite:

• Alexandra B’Llamas-Reynoso

• Rae D’Agnillo

• Juan Zavala

DISCLAIMER: Discussion on sensitive topics include: child abuse, suicide, trauma, and self-harm. Listeners discretion is advised.

One of the most compelling series of the summer season, and 2025 as a whole, is also the shortest and toughest to watch. By no means is this a bad series, far from it actually. However great art handles heavy subject matters with dignity, expertise, and balance and allows us to confront the harshest of realities however uncomfortable they may be. This is one of those, Takopi’s Original Sin.

Your backdoor anime hangout dissects this six-episode stand out hit with regards to:

• how the series handles topics such as child abuse, suicide, trauma, and self-harm

• examine the complexity of our four main characters in relation to their circumstances and insecurities

• whether or not the creators have done a fine job balancing both the brutal aspects and the message for hope.

Article Referenced: Sakuga Blog

Watch Takopi’s Original Sin on Crunchyroll

Read Takopi’s Original Sin on VIZ Media

Your backdoor anime hangout had the press media opportunity to watch Mamoru Hosoda’s latest film, Scarlet, at the Animation is Film Festival. The plot goes:

After witnessing her father’s wrongful execution, Scarlet is hellbent on revenge towards her uncle and father’s murder, Claudius. However due to Claudius’s cunning, he poisons her and Scarlet is brought into a purgatory where the living, the dead, time, and space live all at once. Now in this world, she is determined to escape in the hopes of completing her revenge; however when she is killed in the world, she will be permanently dead. 

This is Hosoda’s most ambitious and potentially divisive film as it utilizes the 2D/3D hybrid animation style inspired from Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse and Arcane while telling an epic loosely adapted from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. To discuss and dig deeper into the film’s scope, execution, and theme I talk with a fellow geek (or fan) of Hosoda’s filmography - “heroofheart”- of the entertainment publication Geek vs Fan.

FYI - Spoiler Talk begins on the 31:36 mark.

Scarlet will have its theatrical wide release in the beginning of February 2026.

• In IMAX beginning on 06 February 2026.

• Wide release on 13 February 2026.

More Information on Scarlet’s website

Hands down the best animated film of the year. Watching this at Animation is Film Festival was truly magical - a good majority of us were tearing up at its sheer beauty and nuanced storytelling. Your show host, Jonathan Joestar Beltran, goes into what makes this film exceptional as well as an interview snippet of directors Mailys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han discussing about the creative process for this film!

Little Amelie or the Character of Rain is in theaters November 7. Tickets and information

Many thanks to:

• 42 West LLC and Animation is Film Festival for the press opportunity
• Mailys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han for their work and presence at the film festival

Your backdoor anime hangout got invited to cover the Animation is Film Festival this past weekend and wanted to share with you some of the best films from the lineup!

• Little Amelie - (Feature Length Film)
• Nobody - (Feature Length Film)
• Playing God - (Short)
• Retirement Plan - (Short)

Many thanks to:

• 42 West LLC and Animation is Film Festival for the press media opportunity
• All the creators, directors, scriptwriters, and talent that came in support of their films
• Winnie for ticket assistance

Your backdoor anime hangout had the opportunity to watch the upcoming Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc. It is ballistic in its presentation and retains the violent nihilistic charm of its source material. May this episode whet your appetite for what's to come and perhaps leave you thinking on its deeper themes of connection.

Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc is out in theaters 24 October 2025. Please check your local listings at your nearest theater.

Many thanks to 42 West LLC and Animation is Film for the press media opportunity.

You are thrown into battle and for the next 2.5 hours you will be a witness to what is arguably the flashiest and most-cutting edge action shounen of the modern era. Your backdoor anime hangout had the opportunity to see Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Infinity Castle; the first part of a trilogy. Our talk consists of:

• A discussion on animation (2D and 3D hybrid style)
• Glazing studio ufotable, Director Haruki Sotozaki, and Mangaka Koyoharu Gotouge

• How the show host, once a hater, became a fan
• The problem with flashbacks
• SPOILER TALK on 28:24 (talking about plot and critiques)

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Infinity Castle is in theaters 12 September 2025. Tickets and Information Here.

On The Show:

• Jonathan "Joestar" Beltran
• Jon S.
• Bao C.

Many thanks to:

• Hannah Kim of 42West LLC for the invitation.
• Sarah and Madison of Crunchyroll for the press opportunity.
• Carolyn for the hospitality.
• Jon S. for providing a structure for the discussion.
• Bao C. for chilling at your backdoor anime hangout.

Are second chances possible? When is it too late? The latest film by the creators of Odd Taxi explore these questions through a new film about a dying mid-level yakuza member serving a life sentence in solitary confinement and engaging with a talking balsam flower about whether or not he turn his life around now.

Your backdoor anime hangout had the privilege and honor to be invited by PONY CANYON to attend the panel featuring Director Baku Kinoshita, Producer/CEO of Studio CLAP Ryoichiro Matsuo, and Producer Hirofumi Ito learn more about the film and even get to see the first eight minutes. We hope you enjoy!

Many thanks to:

• Wenbo Jiang of PONY CANYON for the press opportunity.
• Ravrath for providing extra help on coverage.