This Week In Anime [Week 8, 2021]
Date Published: Thurs, 25th Feb, 2021
Ohayo gozaimas minna! Hope you're all doing well! We're back with more weekly international news straight from otaku-land! The last week of February appears to have been a rather unremarkable one in the anime world, but there's always something spicy to find if you dig deep enough, which is exactly what we specialize in! That said, let's jump right in to this week's rapid rundown:
1. Demon Slayer Piracy Scandal!
2. Tekken 7 Welcomes New Character!
3. 7 Deadly Sins Gets a Sequel!
4. Trending in Japan: Find Out!
1. Demon Slayer Piracy Scandal!
Demon Slayer has made several headline-worthy achievements this week, including its movie surpassing Spirited Away as the highest grossing anime movie of all time. In addition, everyone's new all-time favorite anime movie will have a 7-day Oscar qualifying theatrical presentation (the Academy Awards mandates that a movie have a week long run in certain theatres in order to qualify) in Miami starting from the 26th of this month (i.e. tomorrow)!
While America enjoys the rare honour of having an anime movie grace the same screens shared by Hollywood's best productions- something that hasn't been this successful in *almost* two decades- all is not well in the anime world. It would seem like the black market of the anime universe has made attempts to seize Demon Slayer's success as an opportunity to profit off the work of its rightful benefactors: several pirated versions of the Demon Slayer manga have been making rounds in Japan, and more dangerously, on the websites of international supplier giants like Amazon as well.
The issue has become so rampant and worrisome that Shounen Jump itself has intervened and made attempts to remove the pirated products, which seem to be nothing more than scanned reproductions of the authentic manga... The following is a post made by Shounen Jump in order to address the issue:
https://twitter.com/jump_henshubu/status/1362310889957822465?s=20
What is most important to gather from this warning is that the pirated copies have thinner spines and lack certain features which can be used to separate them from the real deal.
What make this news so worrisome is that the anime industry has been beginning to address the issue of piracy since early in 2019 with a particular sense of concern and aggression- meaning it's been becoming more and more difficult for several studios to market anime internationally due to the increasing barriers which are being put into effect to discourage illegal reproduction of anime- be it through pirated mangas, illegal streaming sites or on other media. While this is a good thing (especially since piracy is a big contributor to why the anime industry loses a large share of its well-deserved profits), it is also responsible for creating a divide between Japan and the international anime-watching communities. This is a rising issue that must be addressed soon.
We at Adilsons will be happy to provide you with authentic anime and manga supplies; if you have a particular product which you wish to buy, leave your feedback on any of our social media platforms and we will be happy to provide you with real, authentic anime products! Stand with Adilsons against piracy, minna!
2. Tekken 7 Welcomes New Character!
Here's a headline nobody's sad about! Bandai Namco Entertainment announced during a recent Game Publisher's Roundtable that it will be releasing a new DLC character in Tekken 7! While they have promised to release a full trailer, the only thing to follow up on this news has been the following teaser, which was streamed during the event:
https://youtu.be/eC-31ZMkHyc
While it's hilarious to note that less than 6 seconds of the video actually involve us seeing the new character, it does answer a lot of questions; the character is a woman who appears to be a Polish Prime Minister. While her actual lore is still too early to debate about, what is sure is that her release will come around DLC 18/19 (along with a new stage) in early spring, which would constitute the second half of the Season 4 pass for the game.
However, if past events are to be a reliable indication of what is to come, our sights are set firmly on the November 2020 event (which was in the first half of Season 4), which featured a similar dual introduction with a new character (Kunimitsu) and stage (Vermilion Gates)- neither of which disappointed the fans! Whatever your gaming platform, rest assured, the upcoming DLC is sure to please!
3. 7 Deadly Sins Gets a Sequel!
Ah yes, the 7DS fans never have a moment to feel sad. Even though the final season of the show has yet to air 5 episodes before the series comes to an end, Nakaba Suzuki (creator of the series) has announced The Four Knights of the Apocalypse manga as a sequel to The Seven Deadly Sins: a story that, like its prequel, takes place in Britannia in a place known as God's Finger.
What's more: the first 5 chapters of the maga have already been released on Crunchyroll, Kindle and other services. While it is still far too early to expect an anime adaption, it is very encouraging for fans to realise that their favorite series still has a long way to go.
The last chapter (#346: Like That Sky) for the original manga was published (in managa form) on the 15th of May, 2020 so if that is any indication of what is to follow, fans of the series are sure to be entertained for many years to come.
For those unaware, the following is the plot of the new manga, as given by Kodansha Comics:
"In the world of The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse, Percival has always lived with his grandfather on the idyllic, remote God’s Finger. And though Percival loves the simple life, he longs for adventure. That is, until adventure comes knocking at his door, tearing away everything he’s ever known and leaving him alone in the world. Now Percival has no choice but to go out into the world and see what it holds…after all, it’s his destiny!"
Alright, we've kept you here long enough. We know you're already itching to read those chapters. Go on, but read the last headline first!
4. Trending in Japan: Toonami Aftermath!
For those of you who are old enough to remember watching Cartoon Network around 2005, this one's gonna bring your childhood right back with a bang. For those who aren't quite that old, here's what Wikipedia has to say about Toonami:
"Toonami initially ran as a weekday afternoon block on Cartoon Network until 2004, when it transitioned into a Saturday evening format until its closure four years later. Cartoon Network's block was primarily aimed at children aged 9–14. In its original run from 1997 to 2008, the block was known for showcasing action oriented animation, with heavy focus on Japanese animation, which became widely popular with American audiences."
Or, put simply, it was anime before we knew what anime really was.
Responsible for the international popularity of shows like Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokemon, Dragon Ball Z and other such anime, Toonami was the only way for the world outside of Japan to get its fix of anime until the internet became a thing and sites like AnimeFreak and Kissanime started popping up.
Cartoon Network is a channel known for making several monumental mistakes in its operations- prime among which is its decision to cancel the daytime running of Toonami, forcing it to switch over to Adult Swim (aka Cartoon Network at night) as a 3 hour block on weekends. A lot of people gave CN backlash over its decision to cancel the block, but the network seemed adamant on digging its own grave, and it did so very successfully.
Fortunately, this was happening around the same time in which the internet was coming to everyone's rescue, so the world kept on getting its daily dose of anime from these sources, but the feel has never really been the same. Streaming a show on a laptop/mobile is one thing, but watching it on a TV is another experience altogether. The ads give you a nice break right at the climax to get hyped for the rest of the episode, and the fact that the channel decides what shows to air removes the burden of the viewers having to pick out what to watch. It makes for an effortless and exciting viewing experience, which is difficult to simulate today.
Or so you think! Toonami Aftermath is a fan-developed website which does literally this: it is a revival of Toonami which streams online 24/7, complete with ads, music, anime and the whole Toonami Space experience! And guess what: Japan loves it too, even though it airs dubbed shows!
Reviving the nostalgia of our childhood is an experience like no other, especially when it's coupled with old anime. That's what makes Toonami Aftermath this week's pick for Tending in ... Japan! Check it out- it's instant nostalgia!
And that's all we have for you this time, folks! Catch us right here at the same time next week for another issue of This Week in Anime! Till then, as usual- Keep Living Your Passion minna!
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