imagine-nation - Season 12 / Year 2020

In this episode, we are featuring "BEASTARS," an anime set in a world inhabited by anthropomorphized carnivore and herbivore animals. The story revolves around animal characters that live and study together at a boarding school. This anime was made using cutting-edge digital technology that fuses 2D and 3D CG. Its author, Paru Itagaki is one of Japan's up-and-coming manga artists who has won famous awards such as the "2018 Japan Media Arts Festival New Face Award," the "Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Newborn Award" as well as the "Cartoon Grand Prize." Paru also happens to be the daughter of Keisuke Itagaki, the manga artist famous for "Baki the Grappler" and "Garouden." The anime was directed by Shinichi Matsumi, a director well versed in digital technologies, especially 3DCG, and knows all about Japanese 2D/3D CG anime. In the program, we'll be interviewing director Shinichi Matsumi to talk about the appeal of "BEASTARS" as well as his experience in 3DCG technology, said to be the best in Japan, and the challenges he had to overcome during the creation of this anime.

In this episode of imagine-nation, we are featuring the anime "Sorcerous Stabber Orphen" which is celebrating its 25th anniversary since the series' inception. From January this year (2020), its TV broadcasts will simultaneously begin around the world, including in Japan (on TOKYO MX), China, Korea, France and the United States. The protagonist, Orphen, will be played by the world-renowned voice actor Showtaro Morikubo, who played Orphen 20 years ago in its previous installments. He is also famous for playing popular characters such as Goro Shigeno from "MAJOR" and Shikamaru Nara from "NARUTO." Furthermore, the anime is being created by a team of world-renowned creators, including director Takayuki Hamana, scriptwriter Reiko Yoshida and character designer Takahiko Yoshida! In the program, we'll be visiting the production studio, and will also be interviewing director Takayuki Hamana and voice actor Showtaro Morikubo to find out the enthusiasm behind the creation of a brand-new season of the anime that took the world by storm with its previous 2 seasons.

In this episode, we'll be exploring the appeal of "Doraemon: Nobita's New Dinosaur," the 40th movie of Japan's famous manga series "Doraemon" which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year! Today, "Doraemon" has become so popular worldwide that its manga and anime are being localized for readers and audiences across Europe and Asia. In the program, we'll also be interviewing the 3 creators, director Kazuaki Imai, producer/screenwriter Genki Kawamura and the last pupils of Fujio F. Fujiko - Shintaro Mugiwara, to talk about their commitment in creating popular contents not only for the Japanese audience but also for fans around the world. Come and discover the all-new "Nobita's New Dinosaur" movie created by the prominent creators of our time.

This episode is a feature on "UNDER NINJA," a manga by Kengo Hanazawa which is currently being serialized in the "Weekly Young Magazine." It depicts the demise of modern Japanese society. In Japan, it became a huge hit, boasting a cumulative circulation of over more than 8 million copies. In 2016, it was adapted into a live-action movie by director Shinsuke Sato known for the success of "Library War" and the "GANTZ" series. Having won 5 crowns at the "World's big 3 International Fantastic Film Festivals," he is today well-known overseas. In the program, we'll be interviewing its author Kengo Hanazawa and his editorial staff to explore the hidden story behind the birth of "UNDER NINJA" and its appeal.