Otaku Hourly

Amuse Creative Studio hosted a panel at Anime Expo about the ins-and-outs of creating anime and manga featuring:

• Shinobu Seguchi - mangaka (Prisoner Riku; Oedo Fire Slayer)

• Rei Hebiguchi - manga editor (Weekly Shonen Champion)
• Kazuhiro Nishikawa - CEO of DandeLion Animation Studios (The First Slam Dunk; Magic Candies)

Your backdoor anime hangout brings you the insights we have learned and experienced from:

• how technology has aided in the process of creating and submitting manga
• the question about AI and manga
• implementing motion capture, CGI, and hand drawn animation in an impacted market.
• upcoming anime adaptations

Read Prisoner Riku & Oedo Fire Slayer on emaqi manga.

Read ELECEED on Webtoon / Soon to be published under Penguin Random House's adult comics imprint Inklore

More Information about Amuse Creative Studio

Many thanks to:

• Amuse Creative Studios for the panel.
• Nardeep Khurmi and Grace Kawahara of AIM Entertainment for the media invite.
• Jon Sloan Jr. for his coverage.

Anime Expo 2025 has been a surprisingly great year with efficient lines, entrances, and spaces that it all feel seamless...yet the vibe felt different from previous years. Your backdoor anime hangout answers two questions:

• what are our highlights?
• how has Anime Expo changed over the years?

From calling a concert "when peak happened" to even asking ourselves "when was the last time someone asked you your favorite anime?" are what you'll be looking forward to in our coverage of Anime Expo.

Crew:

• Jonathan "Joestar" Beltran
• Jon
• Matt "imagEn"
• Sh(i)rocast
• Ravrath

Many thanks to:

• Sydney Davis of forty seven communications for the Anime Expo Press Badge
• Christian Wiseman for press equipment
• Otaku Hourly Press crew for their time and availability

Lighthearted shows are not easy to find these days, and your backdoor anime hangout had a ball in the movie theaters watching the first three episodes of the upcoming romcom series - Witch Watch. Two childhood friends reunite - one an ogre named Morihito who wants to live a peaceful life, and the other a witch named Nico who strives to both help people and woo Morihito's heart - and live together amidst an unforeseen impending disaster brewing.

We give our first impressions from our favorite scenes to our hype for LilyPichu's voice over role announcement as the titular Nico.

Witch Watch will begin streaming 06 April 2025 via:

• Netflix
• Crunchyroll
• Hulu

More information on Witch Watch via GKids.

Crew:

• Jonathan "Joestar" Beltran
• Jon
• imagEn
• Shreddy

Many thanks to Christian Wiseman for equipment.

Shinichiro Watanabe is a legend amongst anime fans and an auteur who pushes the boundaries of what the anime medium has to offer. Titles such as Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, and Space Dandy are Adult Swim staples that have defined a generation. Now he’s back with an upcoming action series debuting on Cartoon Network midnight 05 April 2025 called Lazarus. A story about a world wracked in chaos due to a “cure-all” opioid becoming lethal and the reluctant rag-tag group of criminals tasked to find the neuroscientist responsible in the hopes of creating a vaccine. It is a race against time on a global stage.

Your backdoor anime hangout had the privilege and honor to interview Watanabe-san for his latest title: his inspiration for the title, musical collaborations, and involvement with the John Wick director, Chad Stahelski.

Many Thanks To:

Interpreter: Takayuki Karahashi of Green Room International

Interview Coordination:

• Jo Ann Faustino of Green Room International

• Raymond Shipman of Anime Los Angeles

Otaku Hourly Crew:

Interviewer: Jonathan Beltran

Video: Jonathan Charles Garcia

Audio: Matthew Aquino

Editor: Christian Wiseman

Research: Clifford Sutton

“TM & © 2025 Cartoon Network. ADULT SWIM, LAZARUS, the logos and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and copyright by Cartoon Network. All Rights Reserved.”

From seeing Shinichiro Watanabe (director of Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo) and ribbon collecting we have a lot of stories to share at your backdoor anime hangout! We talk about our ALA 20 highlights, fun con stories, and the potential growth of this personally beloved convention!

Topics include (and not limited to):

Many thanks to:

Anime Los Angeles will be coming back 8-11 January 2026 at the Long Beach Convention Center!

Your backdoor anime hangout looks back at the year from seasonal anime to major events in the industry and community. Topics including (and not limited to):

Many thanks to imagEn for audio editing this episode.

Have a Happy New Year!

An intimate venue celebrating twenty years of a beloved Japanese franchise in Hollywood, California; Go USA! From having the three of the original voice actresses of the titular three characters - Saber, Rin Tohsaka, and Sakura Matou - to hosting the world premiere, this was an event for only the lucky few. Your backdoor anime hangout had the pleasure to be invited and we hope our resident Fate fan, Ravrath, will fill you in on the lore and importance of the Fate series.

Many thanks to Sydney Davis and Aniplex for the invitation.

Shout to Josh for being an accommodating presence during the event!

Fate 20th Anniversary Showcase Special

High school rom-coms are a tried and true formula and these titles demonstrate in different ways:

Koumori's adolescent rom-com Our Aimless Nights is a boy-meets-girl scenario where the two secretly flirt with one another after school and figure out where both of each other lie in each other's lives. It is a dive into the "will-they, won't they" as told in the tune of shy romance.

Mao Nakada's ecchi You're So Sloppy, Hotta-sensei places a part-time working high school boy to work for his new client - his teacher. At the risk of social embarrassment and scandal, they both agree to hide their client relationship in the hopes of making both of their lives a little more organized.

Many thanks to Evan Minto of Azuki for the press screeners :

Our Aimless Nights is digitally published by Azuki; translated by Jan Mitsuko Cash

You're So Sloppy, Hotta-sensei is digitally published by Azuki; translated by M. Skeels

Two grim titles with one common motif - the unknown.

Sumako Kari in her award-winning title, Since I Could Die Tomorrow, explores the malaise of being in your forties as told in two characters: one a film promoter who experiences menopause for the time and a mother who works part time amidst co workers twenty years younger than she.

Masaaki Ninomiya's horror manga, Gannibal, takes you into the mystery of a rumored village known for cannibalism through the eyes of a police officer/family man. As they get closer to the truth, the townsfolk becomes much more hostile. Will the case be solved, and can the family make it out in one piece?

Many thanks to Erik Jansen for the press copies for both titles.

Since I Could Die Tomorrow is published by Tokyo Pop; translated by David Bove

Gannibal is published by Ablaze; translated by Alex Kon

When a robot is designed to have human-like traits and emotions, are these feelings necessarily sentient or programmed? Independent 3DCG animator Gensho Yasuda makes his directorial debut with Make a Girl about a young inventor named Akira who - out of a cheeky suggestion to 'get a girlfriend' - decides to create a humanoid robot named No. 0 with all the physical and emotional capabilities of typical high school girls. However, the looming question remains: is this love real or machine-driven?

Your backdoor anime hangout got a chance to watch this at Global Stage Hollywood for its world premiere and will share with you our thoughts and takes!

Make a Girl premieres 31 January 2025.

Make a Girl Website

Many thanks to Kwok Hansen and Kwai of Anime Trending and Douglas Montgomery of Global Stage Hollywood for the invitation!

*Apologies for the poor audio quality on the host's end - technical difficulties on his end.