Hey, everyone!

Here’s what’s going in the world of Anime today:

• Fundraising Campaign Initiated for Pokémon Voice Actress Rachael Lillis

• Kill la Kill Creator: Anime Fanservice Is Essential for Humanity's Survival

• All the Latest Updates on Hunter x Hunter's Return

• Netflix Unveils First-Look Images and Global Release Date for Terminator Anime Series

• Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation 2nd Season's New Promo Video Teases Upcoming Arc

• Kadokawa Co-Producing Anime for Garena Free Fire Battle Royale Game

• Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba- Sweep the Board! Arrives on PS5, PS4, Xbox, and PC in the West on July 16

Fundraising Campaign Initiated for Pokémon Voice Actress Rachael Lillis

A fundraising campaign was launched on Monday for voice actress Rachael Lillis to help cover the cost of a home care nurse. The campaign disclosed that Lillis has been diagnosed with breast cancer, which has metastasized to her spine, severely affecting her mobility.

The campaign highlighted that Lillis has been residing in a Los Angeles nursing home since late January to receive necessary care. However, the environment has been noisy, making her unable to rest adequately.

Fellow Pokémon voice actors Eric Stuart and Tara Jayne Sands have shared information about the campaign to support Lillis.

Rachael Lillis has lent her voice to numerous characters in the Pokémon anime series, most notably Jessie from Team Rocket and Misty, one of the original trio of Pokémon trainers. Her other notable English dub roles include Utena Tenjō in Revolutionary Girl Utena, Martina in Slayers Next, Micott Bartsch in Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, Nagi Kirima in Boogiepop Phantom, Yuriko Star in The Irresponsible Captain Tylor, Kanaka Ohno in Genshiken, and Ami Kurimoto in DNA².

If you would like to donate, you can do so here.

Kill la Kill Creator: Anime Fanservice Is Essential for Humanity's Survival

The creators of Studio Trigger's "Kill la Kill," Kazuki Nakashima and Hiroyuki Imaishi, argue that the show's fanservice is essential for the series and humanity's overall resilience. They believe that including controversial elements helps maintain audience engagement and societal strength. Despite the potential for criticism, they are committed to their approach, seeing it as a necessary challenge to the public.

"Kill la Kill," Studio Trigger's first TV anime series, remains highly acclaimed and influential, leading to other popular titles like "Darling in the Franxx" and "Cyberpunk: Edgerunners."

For more details, you can read the full article here.

The Latest Updates on Hunter x Hunter's Return

Yoshihiro Togashi's Hunter x Hunter is a highly acclaimed shonen manga and anime, but it's known for its lengthy hiatuses due to Togashi's health issues. After a brief return in October 2022, Togashi paused again in December 2022. Fans and Shonen Jump understand his need for breaks and suggested a less demanding schedule.

In March 2023, Togashi revealed Chapter 401 was finished, but there's no release date yet. In October 2023, he hinted at new work, sparking excitement and concern. Fans prefer Togashi to take his time to recover fully.

The 2011 anime stopped after the "13th Hunter Chairman Election" arc, and there were no updates on future episodes. Recent tweets from May 2024 show Togashi working on Chapter 407, but fans still await Chapter 401's release.

For more details, read the full article here.

Netflix Unveils First-Look Images and Global Release Date for Terminator Anime Series

Netflix's Terminator Zero anime will be released globally on August 29, 2024, with eight episodes dropping at once. Directed by Masashi Kudo and produced by Mattson Tomlin, the series is animated by Production IG, known for titles like Ghost in the Shell and Psycho-Pass. The story follows a soldier sent back to 1997 to protect a scientist and change humanity's fate against Skynet. For more details, you can read the full article here.

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation 2nd Season's New Promo Video Teases Upcoming Arc

The staff of Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation revealed a new promotional video and key visual for the Tenii Meikyū-hen (Teleportation Labyrinth arc), set to begin on May 26. The season, which returned in April 2024, will run for two cours (quarters) and air a total of 25 episodes. Hiroki Hirano directs the first half, and Ryōsuke Shibuya directs the second, with Toshiya Ono as the script supervisor. The series is being streamed by Crunchyroll. The story follows Rudeus Greyrat, a 34-year-old shut-in reincarnated in a fantasy world, determined to live a better life.

Kadokawa Co-Producing Anime for Garena Free Fire Battle Royale Game

On Monday, Kadokawa and Singaporean game developer Garena announced they are co-producing an anime adaptation of Garena's Free Fire battle royale game. A Japanese studio will handle the animation, and Kadokawa Qingyu, a subsidiary of Kadokawa, will manage production.

The anime is planned to be broadcast and streamed worldwide.

Garena Free Fire is a third-person shooter game where players are dropped onto a large island to collect supplies and weapons. The objective is to be the last person standing. Players can actively hunt others or hide as opponents eliminate each other.

Launched in December 2017, Garena Free Fire was the world's most downloaded mobile game from 2019 to 2021 and the most downloaded mobile battle royale in 2022 and 2023, according to Sensor Tower's data.ai. As of February 2024, the game had 100 million daily active users. You can download the game here.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba- Sweep the Board! Arrives on PS5, PS4, Xbox, and PC in the West on July 16

Sega announced on Wednesday that it will release the board game-style video game Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba- Sweep the Board! (Kimetsu no Yaiba Mezase! Saikyō Taishi! in Japan) for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam in North America and Europe on July 16, with digital versions available and physical releases for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The game will launch digitally in Japan on July 17.

A free update this summer will add Kanao Tsuyuri and Genya Shinazugawa as playable characters.

The game launched physically and digitally for the Nintendo Switch on April 25 in Japan and April 26 in the Americas and Europe.

Up to four players can play the game online or offline. It features 12 playable characters, including Tanjiro, Zenitsu, Inosuke, and nine Hashira, with Nezuko as a supporting character. The game includes a day and night mechanic that changes the board spaces, and it features locations like Mount Fujikasane and Asakusa, along with mini-games.

This is the second console game in the franchise. Sega's Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba—The Hinokami Chronicles launched in Japan and Asia in October 2021 and a day later in North America and Europe for various platforms, with a Switch version released in June 2022. Learn more about the game here.

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