Though I Am an Inept Villainess Anime Gets New Children’s Day Visual

By
Soul Kiwami
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The staff of the upcoming TV anime adaptation of Satsuki Nakamura’s Though I Am an Inept Villainess light novel series released a new key visual to celebrate Children’s Day in Japan. The Though I Am an Inept Villainess Children’s Day visual depicts Kou Reirin, Shu Keigetsu, Eu Gyomei and Shin-u as they rest after drawing together.

Though I Am an Inept Villainess Children's Day visual

Crunchyroll will stream Though I Am an Inept Villainess this July in North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, CIS, and the Indian Subcontinent.

The cast of the Though I Am an Inept Villainess anime includes:

  • Manaka Iwami as Kou Reirin
  • Natsumi Kawaida as Shu Keigetsu
  • Makoto Furukawa as Ei Gyoumei
  • Yuichiro Umehara as Shin-u
  • Hana Hishikawa as Lily
  • Nikray Farahnaz as Kou Tousetsu

Mitsue Yamazaki directs the Though I Am an Inept Villainess anime series at studio Dōga Kōbō. What’s more, Yoshiko Nakamura oversees the series scripts, and Ai Kikuchi is the anime’s character designer. 

Additional staff members include:

  • Color Key Artist: Kei Ishiguro
  • Art Director: Seina Yaguchi (Studio Pablo)
  • Compositing Director of Photography: Yui Fukuoka
  • Editing: Mutsumi Takemiya
  • Music: Yukari Hashimoto
  • Casting: Makoto Tanimura
  • Sound Effects: Yuika Shiraishi
  • Audio-Recording Engineer: Toshihiro Hayano
  • Recording Assistant: Ryō Kaneko
  • Sound Production: Tohokushinsha Film Corporation
©中村颯希・一迅社／「ふつつかな悪女」製作委員会

Ichijinsha launched Nakamura’s light novel series in December 2020. The manga adaptation by Ohitsuji was launched at the same time in Ichijinsha’s Monthly Comic Zero-Sum magazine. Seven Seas Entertainment publishes the series in English.

Lastly, here’s an overview of the Though I Am an Inept Villainess series, via Seven Seas Entertainment:

In a kingdom inspired by historical China, five clans put forth their maidens as imperial consorts–but only one will be crowned empress. The frail and beautiful Kou Reirin, the so-called “butterfly” of the imperial court, is a shoo-in to marry the crown prince. But when “court rat” Shu Keigetsu lashes out at her during the glittering Lantern Festival, it’s Reirin who wakes up in the dungeons! Body-swapped by her assailant to steal her position at court, Reirin’s plight seems dire…to everyone else! Now that she’s got a robust new body, not even the looming threat of execution can stop her!

Witch Hat Atelier Anime Reveals New Ending Theme Song and Art

By
Soul Kiwami
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Witch Hat Atelier new art

The staff of the TV anime adaptation of the Kamome Shirahama’s Witch Hat Atelier manga and artist Nakamura Hak have revealed the anime’s new ending theme song “Hikari,” which is Hakamura’s previously unreleased song. Kamome Shirahama also revealed new artwork of Coco, which was inspired by Nakamura Hak’s ending theme song for Witch Hat Atelier. The new artwork will be on the cover of the CD single for “Tada Utsukushii Noroi,” which includes two other songs featured in the series.

Crunchyroll is streaming the Witch Hat Atelier anime in English and Japanese.

The English dub cast includes: 

  • Anjali Kunapaneni as Coco
  • Joshua A. Waters as Qifrey
  • Madeleine Morris as Agott
  • Sarah Wiedenheft as Tetia
  • Nerida Bronwen as Richeh
  • Reagan Murdock as Olruggio
  • Bryn Apprill as Brushbuddy
  • Erin Nicole Lundquist as Iguin
  • Katsuyuki Konishi as Dagda
  • Toshiki Kumagai as Custas

The Japanese cast of the anime includes:

  • Rena Motomura as Coco
  • Natsuki Hanae as Qifrey
  • Hibiku Yamamura as Agott
  • Kurumi Haruki as Tetia
  • Hika Tsukishiro as Richeh
  • Yūichi Nakamura as Olruggio
  • Misaki Kuno as Brushbuddy (Fudemushi)
  • Mitsuki Saiga as Iguin
  • Kotono Mitsuishi as Alaira

Ayumu Watanabe directs the series at BUG FILMS, Hiroaki Kojima is the producer, Yuka Kitamura is the music composer, Kairi Unabara is the character designer. Eve and suis will perform the opening theme song “Kaze no Anthem (Anthem of Wind) feat. suis from yorushika,” and Nakamura Hak performs the ending theme song “Tada Utsukushii no Noroi (Just a Beautiful Curse).”

Additional staff members include:

  • Assistant Director: Jun Shinohara
  • Series Script Supervisor: Hiroshi Seko
  • Chief Animation Director: Kairi Unabara
  • Art Director: Ryōta Gotō
  • Color Key Artist: Naomi Nakano
  • Compositing Director of Photography: Tadashi Kitaoka
Witch Hat Atelier key visual
©Kamome Shirahama/KODANSHA/ Witch Hat Atelier Committee

Kodansha USA Publishing releases the Witch Hat Atelier manga in English and describes the series as follows:

In a world where everyone takes wonders like magic spells and dragons for granted, Coco is a girl with a simple dream: She wants to be a witch. But everybody knows magicians are born, not made, and Coco was not born with a gift for magic. Resigned to her un-magical life, Coco is about to give up on her dream to become a witch…until the day she meets Qifrey, a mysterious, traveling magician. After secretly seeing Qifrey perform magic in a way she’s never seen before, Coco soon learns what everybody “knows” might not be the truth, and discovers that her magical dream may not be as far away as it may seem…

MOTORSLICE is Now Available for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S

By
Soul Kiwami
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MOTORSLICE

Regular Studio and Top Hat Studios have released Mirror’s Edge-inspired parkour action-adventure game MOTORSLICE for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. MOTORSLICE stars Kira Buckland, known for her role as 2B in NieR: Automata, as protagonist P. 

The Steam page describes the game as follows:

Inspired by Prince of Persia, Mirror’s Edge and Shadow of the Colossus, traverse brutalist landscapes in this slice of life action-adventure game!

Parkour through a brutalist post-apocalyptic world with smooth gameplay, and engage in seamless combat encounters. You must use your skills and agility to find your way in this desolated place.

Play as a girl named ‘P’, and use everything at her disposal to escape from deadly traps. Run, climb, slide, crouch, wall run, perform stunts, and even use your chainsaw to cross impossible distances.

From smaller autonomous construction equipment, to massive dump trucks, survive a hostile environment where everything wants to kill you. Who’s gonna win, a sleepy girl with a chainsaw, or an army of rogue machines?

Strike first, or die. A single mistake can cost your life in a brutal clash of metal. Too big to destroy with one swing? Climb bosses and slice them into pieces, turning colossal machines into dust.

Not everything can be solved with a chainsaw. Alone with a flashlight, you are powerless against the crushing atmosphere of the structure. Rush through the darkness in endless corridors and cross liminal spaces.

Insignificant as you are on the scale of this cursed place, you have to face your fears and complete the job. But can you fight your megalophobia?

One Piece Reveals Results for 2nd Global Popularity Poll

By
Saras Rajpal
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One Piece Reveals Results for 2nd Global Popularity Poll

The staff behind the One Piece franchise has revealed the results of the 2nd Global Popularity Poll. As the name implies, the poll features votes from all around the world. 

The results are as follows:

  1. Monkey D.Luffy
  2. Roronoa Zoro
  3. Sanji
  4. Nami
  5. Trafalgar Law (Trafalgar D. Water Law)
  6. Nico Robin
  7. Portgas D. Ace
  8. Shanks
  9. Uta
  10. Tony Tony Chopper
  11. Boa Hancock
  12. Rocks D. Xebec
  13. Donquixote Rosinante (Corazon)
  14. Sabo
  15. Chrocodile (Mr. 0)
  16. Usopp
  17. Yamato
  18. Perona
  19. Rob Lucci
  20. Brook

Recently, Netflix announced that Wit Studio’s upcoming The One Piece anime remake will premiere in February 2027. There will be 7 episodes of The One Piece dropping all at once on Netflix with roughly 300 minutes of content when it premieres, and a new key visual was revealed. Masashi Koizuka directs the anime at Wit Studio, and Hideaki Abe is the assistant director. Kyoji Asano and Takatoshi Honda are the character designers and chief animation directors. Yasuhiro Kajino is in charge of image board and creature design, and Eri Taguchi is in charge of prop design. Taku Kishimoto is in charge of series scripts, Ken Imaizumi and Shuhei Fukuda is the action animator, Tomonori Kuroda is the art director, and Ryōma Kawamura is the animation producer.

Before the remake premieres, Toei Animation is airing the One Piece Elbaph Arc anime on Fuji TV. Crunchyroll is streaming the anime outside Japan. Ryūta Koike is producing the anime series with returning staff at Toei Animation. The cast includes: 

  • Mayumi Tanaka as Monkey D. Luffy
  • Akemi Okamura as Nami
  • Chō as Brook
  • Hiroaki Hirata as Sanji
  • Ikue Ōtani as Tony Tony Chopper
  • Kappei Yamaguchi as Usopp
  • Katsuhisa Hōki as Jimbei
  • Kazuya Nakai as Roronoa Zoro
  • Subaru Kimura as Franky
  • Yuriko Yamaguchi as Nico Robin
  • Ayane Sakura as Gerd
  • Ryōta Takeuchi as Road
  • Yūichi Nakamura as Loki

Lastly, the One Piece manga has been serialized since July 1997. Fans can read the manga weekly on VIZ Media and Manga Plus in English.

Horizon Hunters Gathering Announces New Closed Playtest on May 22

By
Saras Rajpal
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Horizon Hunters Gathering Announces New Closed Playtest on May 22

Guerilla has announced that a new closed playtest for Horizon Hunters Gathering will take place from May 22 to May 25. The playtest will feature new playable hunters and a new episode on both Steam and PlayStation 5. 

According to a PlayStation Blog post, the new playtest for Horizon Hunters Gathering will include the following:

Two new Hunters

Aside from Rem, Sun, and Axle (who have each received improvements), the playtest adds Ensa and Shadow. The former is a charismatic Oseram smuggler with a mercenary past, while the latter is a Carja covert operative who commands a fearsome Stalker machine. 

A playable Episode

Episodes play a central role in the game’s narrative campaign by introducing new mysteries, characters, and mechanics. Pick your Hunter, ready up, and head into the wilds to save Ashwater Valley from a horde of machines.

Added difficulty

Two familiar game modes return with higher stakes than ever, as the war against the machines continues to ravage the wilds: Machine Incursion and Cauldron Descent. 

New Region

Travel to Breakers’ Bounty, featuring dense jungles and ravaged ruins bordering a scorching desert home to dangerous machines, in order to save the Oseram and stop the incursion. Devil’s Thirst and the Gathering, the game’s central hub, return in the new playtest. 

Play your way

Training Modules have been added to improve general onboarding for the game and its systems. For players in Solo Mode, Hunter NPCs will be available for this playtest during Episode or Machine Incursion modes. These NPCs offer battle assists where possible or can automatically fill an empty spot on a three-player team.

Check out the trailer for the new playtest below:

Lastly, Horizon Hunters Gathering will release at some point in the future on PlayStation 5 and PC. Players can join the Beta Program at PlayStation for a chance to enter the Horizon Hunters Gathering closed playtest, according to emails sent to users with an active PlayStation Network account. 

The One Piece Anime Remake Premieres in February 2027

By
Soul Kiwami
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The One Piece anime

Netflix has announced that Wit Studio’s upcoming The One Piece anime remake will premiere in February 2027. There will be 7 episodes of The One Piece dropping all at once on Netflix with roughly 300 minutes of content when it premieres, and a new key visual was revealed.

The One Piece key visual

Masashi Koizuka directs the anime at Wit Studio, and Hideaki Abe is the assistant director. Kyoji Asano and Takatoshi Honda are the character designers and chief animation directors. Yasuhiro Kajino is in charge of image board and creature design, and Eri Taguchi is in charge of prop design. Taku Kishimoto is in charge of series scripts, Ken Imaizumi and Shuhei Fukuda is the action animator, Tomonori Kuroda is the art director, and Ryōma Kawamura is the animation producer.

Before the remake premieres, Toei Animation is airing the One Piece Elbaph Arc anime on Fuji TV. Crunchyroll is streaming the anime outside Japan. Ryūta Koike is producing the anime series with returning staff at Toei Animation. 

Aina The End performs the opening theme song “Luminous,” and rock band 36km/h performs the ending theme song “Sono Mirai (That Future).”

The cast includes: 

  • Mayumi Tanaka as Monkey D. Luffy
  • Akemi Okamura as Nami
  • Chō as Brook
  • Hiroaki Hirata as Sanji
  • Ikue Ōtani as Tony Tony Chopper
  • Kappei Yamaguchi as Usopp
  • Katsuhisa Hōki as Jimbei
  • Kazuya Nakai as Roronoa Zoro
  • Subaru Kimura as Franky
  • Yuriko Yamaguchi as Nico Robin
  • Ayane Sakura as Gerd
  • Ryōta Takeuchi as Road
  • Yūichi Nakamura as Loki

Lastly, the One Piece manga has been serialized since July 1997. Fans can read the manga weekly on VIZ Media and Manga Plus in English.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure are Coming to PS5 and Switch 2

By
Soul Kiwami
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The Legend of Heroes Trails to Azure

NIS America has announced that Falcom’s The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure are coming to Nintendo Switch 2 and PlayStation 5 in fall 2026. Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure will support 120 FPS, 4K support, and mouse controls (Nintendo Switch 2), and fans will be able to purchase the game digitally separately or together in one collection, which will be available digitally and physically.

According to Amazon France, The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure Deluxe Edition for Nintendo Switch 2 will ship as a Game-Key Card title, as spotted by Hansuke21 on X (formerly Twitter). This means that the game data will not be on the cartridge and must be downloaded.

Final Weapon previously reviewed The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero and gave it a 4 out of 5 score, noting it’s “another excellent Trails JRPG with a memorable cast of characters and an engaging narrative. The game stays true to the identity of the Trails series while foreshadowing implications for subsequent games.”

Final Weapon also reviewed The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure, giving it a perfect 5 out of 5 score. The review notes that the game is “a beautiful turn-based RPG that encapsulates what makes Falcom’s Trails series so great. The Special Support Section proves to be one of the most memorable casts of characters in gaming today.”

The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure are currently available now for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC via Steam in the west. You can read up on Final Weapon’s Trails to Azure guides below:

Control Reaches 6 Million Copies Sold

By
Saras Rajpal
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Control Reaches 6 Million Copies Sold

Remedy has announced, via a new press release, that Control has sold over 6 million copies since its release in 2019. Additionally, it has revealed new updates about its future games such as Control Resonant and the Max Payne remakes. 

In a statement, new Remedy CEO Jean-Charles Gaudechon outlined the company’s recent success. Control‘s sales have reached a new major milestone and it has received royalties on Alan Wake 2. Control Resonant is still on track to release this year, and remakes for Max Payne 1 and The Fall of Max Payne are still in full production. Further, an unannounced new game is in the “proof of concept” phase. Speculation has already begun on the identity of this unknown title, with many speculating that it could be Alan Wake 3. 

Control initially released in 2019. It is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The next game from Remedy, Control Resonant, will release in 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store. The game features Dylan Faden exploring a twisted version of New York City, in a more melee-focused hack-and-slash take on the original Control game. The Steam page describes it as follows:

After years in confinement at the hands of the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC), Dylan Faden’s former captors are deploying him at the peak of a supernatural crisis.

Charged with combating a mysterious cosmic entity as it alters fundamental aspects of our reality, Dylan must harness his new-found powers to take the fight to the myriad threats overwhelming Manhattan.

Join Dylan in this sequel to the multi-award-winning CONTROL to explore the expansive zones of a city overrun by the corrupting influences of the chaotic Hiss, invasive micro-organism, the Mold, and other twisted paranatural threats.

Nintendo Switch 2 + Pokémon Pokopia Bundle Announced for Australia and New Zealand

By
Saras Rajpal
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Nintendo Switch 2 + Pokémon Pokopia Bundle Announced for Australia and New Zealand

Nintendo has announced that it will release a Nintendo Switch 2 bundle that includes Pokémon Pokopia exclusively in New Zealand and Australia. It will release on June 5. 

The bundle will include a download code for Pokopia, rather than a full fledged physical copy. Further, the Switch 2 within the bundle does not include any specific designs for either the JoyCon 2s or the dock itself. It is unknown whether or not the bundle will later release in other regions in North America and Europe. Pokémon Pokopia is available now on Nintendo Switch 2 for $69.99 digitally and physically as a Game-Key Card title.

The Game Freak and Koei Tecmo-developed title reached reached 2.2 million copies sold in the first four days of release. Final Weapon reviewed Pokémon Pokopia and awarded it a 4.5/5 score, noting that the game “shattered expectations” and engrosses players in its various systems. 

Final Weapon’s review summary reads, “Pokémon Pokopia has shattered pretty much all the expectations I had of this game, and it deserves every praise it can get. This is precisely the type of game that, even if you boot it up for just a few short minutes, I guarantee you there will always be something that can be done, and before you notice, it’s been half an hour, and you’re still engrossed in it.”

The Pokémon Company recently released the version 1.0.2 update for Pokémon Pokopia with fixes to previously detailed issues and progression-blocking bugs. Specifically, Pokémon Pokopia update 1.0.2 applies fixes to various requests in the Withered Wasteland, Bleak Beach, and Rocky Ridges areas.

Saturday AM: Battle Manga Trailer Highlights Nilay, Daedalus and Vyper

By
Soul Kiwami
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Saturday AM Battle Manga

Son Studios has released a new trailer for 2.5D tag team fighting game Saturday AM: Battle Manga highlighting Nilay, Daedalus and Vyper from The Massively Multiplayer World of Ghosts. 

Saturday AM: Battle Manga is coming soon to PC via Steam.

Lastly, here’s an overview of Saturday AM: Battle Manga, via the official Steam page:

Saturday AM: Battle Manga is the first-ever crossover fighter featuring the heroes of Saturday AM! Step into explosive 2.5D battles with characters from Apple Black, Clock Striker, Soul Beat, Hammer, and more, brought together on one stage for the very first time.

Create dream matchups that fans have always imagined: pit Sano against Cast, team up Stud and Dante, or discover wild new pairings across the roster. Every fight feels fresh thanks to a seamless tag system, cinematic supers, and unique moves drawn directly from each manga.

With an anime-inspired art style and fast, tactical combat, Saturday Versus offers both pick-up-and-play accessibility and depth for competitive players. Fight across striking stages taken straight from the pages of Saturday AM, and experience the crossover event that redefines what’s possible for these heroes.

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