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Here’s what’s going on in the world of anime today:

• A Farewell to Akira Toriyama

• Results from the 10th Anime Trending Awards

• New JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Online Mobile Game

Thank You, Akira Toriyama

Our favorite anime protagonists can delay and, in some cases, avoid death. But for us mere humans, death's inevitable finality is unavoidable. Every death hurts someone—a spouse or children, friends, and coworkers. However, very few deaths are felt by millions around the world. The death of Akira Toriyama, the creator of Son Goku and the Dragon Ball universe, is one of those few. 

In 1984, Toriyama introduced us to Son Goku in his second published manga series, Dragon Ball. The manga was a success, and the anime adaptation followed in 1986. Since then, Toriyama's characters have had multiple sequels and moved beyond the pages of his manga and the small screen to video games, live-action films, action figures, and even a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade float. Yet through it all, Toriyama remained focused on wanting just to write his manga, shying away from the celebrity his brainchild afforded him. Until his death, he was still adding to his world, working on the production of Dragon Ball Daima, for which he was credited with the new anime's story and character designs. 

Akira Toriyama was a visionary to which much of what we love today is owed. He worked with younger creators, showing them the power that their stories could wield. Eiichiro Oda, creator of "One Piece," said Toriyama's presence was like a "big tree" to younger artists. In a statement regarding Toriyama's death, Oda said, "He showed us all these things manga can do, a dream of going to another world. His death leaves a hole too big to fill." And with that, we agree. Rest in peace, Akira Toriyama, and thank you for sharing your world with us. 

Winners of the 10th Anime Trening Awards

Japanese-based Anime Trending, the well-respected site polling anime trends for over ten years, announced its 2024 Anime Trending Awards over the weekend. Unlike the 2024 Anime Awards recently presented by Crunchy Roll, in which a panel of judges selects winners, fans determine the ATA recipients in eleven categories through various rounds of online polling. Some of this year's winners are:

• Anime of the Year - Tengoku Daimakyou 

• Supernatural Anime of the Year - Tengoku Daimakyou 

• Action or Adventure Anime of the Year - Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 

• Comedy Anime of the Year - MASHLE: MAGIC AND MUSCLES 

• Fantasy Anime of the Year - The Eminence in Shadow 

• Romance Anime of the Year - My Happy Marriage 

Visit their website to view a complete list of winners and the charter for how they conduct polling.

New JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Online Mobile Game

On Friday, mobile game company Gumi announced that it's acquired the rights to distribute a mobile online game in Japan based on Hirohiko Araki's JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Inspired by the anime adaptation of the story, the game is already under development and is currently planned for a 2025 release. The company also said they will release the official title and other details later this year. 

Did you know?

Did you know that Chainsaw man has a bunch of obscure references in it?

Like this reference from a movie called Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1978). In the scene, a bunch of government officials try to think of plan to save the world from mutated killer tomatoes, but they have a hard time getting into a tiny conference room. Not only that but the first devil Denji slays is the Tomato Devil.

An Otaku’s Commentary