Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight!, often shortened to Manabi Straight!, is a Japanese multimedia project co-developed by the animation studio Ufotable and MediaWorks. The project revolves around a group of high school girls in the year 2035 when the birth rate has dropped dramatically. It launched in August 2004 in MediaWorks’ Dengeki AniMaga magazine, and went on to produce a manga adaptation serialized in MediaWorks’ Dengeki…
Zoids Wild (ZOIDS ゾイド ワイルド, Zoido Wairudo) is an anime series based on the Zoids model kits produced by Takara Tomy. The 5th Zoids anime, is part of a cross-media relaunch of the franchise encompassing a new toy line, manga series, and video game for the Nintendo Switch, predominantly aimed at boys aged 10–12. Streamed from 19 May 2014 to 28 July 2014, this was the final series produced by Allspark Animation before…
Yami to Bōshi to Hon no Tabibito (ヤミと帽子と本の旅人, translated as Yami, the Hat, and the Travelers of the Books), also known as Yamibō/Yamibou for short, is a Japanese adult visual novel published in December 2002 by Root. A 13-episode anime series produced by Studio Deen aired between October and December 2003. Although the characters and their relationships remain basically the same in the game and anime, the…
Wangan Midnight (Japanese: 湾岸ミッドナイト, Hepburn: Wangan Middonaito) is a Japanese racing manga series written and illustrated by Michiharu Kusunoki. It was first serialized in Shogakukan‘s Big Comic Spirits in 1990, but was later serialized in Kodansha‘s Weekly Young Magazine from 1992 to 2008. The manga was compiled into 42 volumes published by Kodansha. A second manga series titled Wangan Midnight: C1 Runner was published from 2008 to 2012. A third manga…
Nanatsuiro Drops (ななついろ★ドロップス, Nanatsuiro★Doroppusu, lit. Seven-Colored Drops) is a Japanese adult visual novel developed by UNiSONSHIFT and released on April 21, 2006 for Windows. The game was later ported to the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS. A light novel, written by Tamaki Ichikawa and illustrated by Noizi Ito, was published by Enterbrain in June 2006. Two manga adaptations were published by MediaWorks and later ASCII Media Works. A 12-episode anime produced by Studio Barcelona aired between July and September…
Lamune (ラムネ, Ramune) is a Japanese adult visual novel developed by Neko Neko Soft originally released on July 30, 2004, for the PC. It was followed by an all-ages version for the PlayStation 2, and was released on August 25, 2005. A twelve-episode anime series based on the visual novel, entitled Lamune: Garasu Bin ni Utsuru Umi (ラムネ 〜ガラスびんに映る海〜, lit. Lamune: Sea Reflected in the Glass Bottle), was…
Uma Musume Pretty Derby (Japanese: ウマ娘 プリティーダービー, Hepburn: Uma Musume Puritī Dābī, lit. “Horse Girl Pretty Derby”) is a multimedia franchise created by Cygames. A mobile game for iOS and Android was scheduled to debut in late 2018 and then delayed to February 2021. A 13-episode anime television series adaptation by P.A. Works aired from April to June 2018, followed by a second season by Studio Kai which aired from January to March…
Gakuen Heaven (Japanese: 学園ヘヴン, Hepburn: Gakuen Hevun, lit. “Academy Heaven”) is a Japanese media franchise originating from the Windows game Gakuen Heaven: Boy’s Love Scramble, originally released by the company SPRAY. The franchise gradually expanded to include more games, drama CDs, manga, and anime. Plot Keita Itō, an average high school boy, is surprised to find out that he’s been accepted into the elite and prestigious boarding school,…
Baccano! (Japanese: バッカーノ!, Hepburn: Bakkāno!, Italian for “ruckus”, Italian pronunciation: [bakˈkaːno]) is a Japanese light novel series written by Ryohgo Narita and illustrated by Katsumi Enami. The series, often told from multiple points of view, is mostly set within a fictional United States during various time periods, most notably the Prohibition era. It focuses on various people, including alchemists, thieves, thugs, Mafiosi and Camorristi, who are unconnected to one another. After an immortality elixir is recreated…
Jinki: Extend (Japanese: ジンキ・エクステンド, Hepburn: Jinki Ekusutendo) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Shirō Tsunashima. The story revolves around two girls who end up piloting giant humanoid robots called “Jinki” (which translates to “man-machine”) and the manipulation behind the scenes that drew them inexorably together in a final battle. It takes place in two parts, in Venezuela during 1988…
Hakumei and Mikochi (ハクメイとミコチ, Hakumei to Mikochi) is a Japanese manga series by Takuto Kashiki. It has been serialized since 2011 in Enterbrain‘s seinen manga magazine Fellows!, which was renamed to Harta in 2013. It has been collected in eleven tankōbon volumes. A 12-episode anime television series adaptation by Lerche aired from January 12 to March 30, 2018. An original video animation was included on the second Blu-ray/DVD volume released on June 27, 2018. Sentai Filmworks licensed the…
Gakuen Alice (Japanese: 学園アリス, Hepburn: Gakuen Arisu), also known as Alice Academy or Alice School, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tachibana Higuchi, serialized in the shōjo manga magazine Hana to Yume from issue 19 of 2002 to issue 14 of 2013. It was adapted into an anime series produced by Aniplex and Group TAC which originally premiered on NHK BS-2. It spanned twenty-six episodes that aired between October 30, 2004 and May 14,…
