00:00These are the most relevant news or gossip about what happened during the month in the world of
00:05anime, manga Japan, or the otaku community. We begin with a strong wake-up call from a true
00:12luminary in the industry. Acclaimed director Goro Taniguchi, known for masterpieces such as Code
00:19Gias and One Piece film Red, has shared a troubling reflection on the current state of
00:24animation in Japan. Taniguchi asserts that Japanese society is becoming increasingly sterilized,
00:30which is destroying disruptive thinking. According to the director, production committees
00:36now prefer docile, unremarkable, and easy-to-manage staff who can replicate safe mathematical formulas
00:44rather than taking a chance on creators with unique and daring artistic visions.
00:48The filmmaker issued a stark warning for the future. If the industry continues to focus solely
00:55on immediate profits and on creating fast-consumable anime that casual fans can swallow without thinking
01:02too much, in just a few years Japan will lose its creative leadership to rapidly advancing competitive
01:09markets such as China and South Korea. Turning to the numbers, the renowned studio Cloverworks,
01:15behind massive hits like Spy X Family and Bucky the Rock, has set off alarm bells after releasing its
01:22latest financial report for the fiscal year ending in March 2026, in which it reported a net loss of
01:2938 million yen. Although seeing a loss at such a popular studio might be alarming at first glance,
01:35industry analysts are urging calm. Cloverworks is a wholly owned subsidiary of media giant Anaplex,
01:43which is itself part of Sony. In these types of massive conglomerates, it is standard accounting
01:50practice for production profits to be absorbed directly by the parent company to optimize tax
01:55payments at the group level, so the studio faces no real risk of bankruptcy, though this once again
02:02highlights how money flows within the modern corporate model. Moving on to more complex corporate
02:07issues, Takeshi Natsuno, the CEO of the giant Kadokawa, parent company of anime studios and FromSoftware,
02:16has managed to keep his position following an intense campaign against him. A group of activist investors,
02:24led by Oasis management, demanded his immediate dismissal due to the company's declining profitability
02:30and pressure to exploit franchises such as Elden Ring more aggressively. Although Natsuno survived the
02:38board vote, his support dropped dramatically from 90% to just 59% over the past year. Essentially,
02:47they kept him in his position because they had neither a backup plan nor an immediate replacement,
02:52but the ultimatum is clear. Either he improves the company's bottom line or his days as leader are
03:00numbered. To wrap up, we have a case of international censorship. New Zealand's rating authorities have
03:06officially classified the popular My Dress Up Darling franchise as R18, for adults only. New Zealand has
03:15extremely strict laws regarding print and audiovisual material. The authorities determined that the
03:22ecchi elements, suggestive camera angles, and the female character's body proportions cross the line of
03:28what is permissible, especially since the protagonists are underage high school students. This rating strictly
03:35prohibits its sale and distribution to minors in the region, adding to the long list of manga and anime
03:42that suffer the consequences of a cultural clash with Western regulations. Continuing with the history
03:49of Japanese entertainment, Yuko Miyamura, world famous for being the voice of Asuka Langley in Evangelion,
03:56spoke about the harsh reality and humiliations that seiyuu, voice actors, endured on television shows
04:03during the 1990s. Today, seiyus are treated like pop superstars or highly respected idols,
04:09but three decades ago traditional television looked down on them. Miyamura recounted that when they were
04:16invited to variety shows, the production companies treated them like oddballs. They were constantly
04:22ridiculed for their profession and forced to perform humiliating or embarrassing acts on camera just to
04:29generate mockery and boost ratings. It's a stark reminder of the enormous cultural shift that had to
04:35take place for their work to be respected. To wrap up, we have some very unfortunate news regarding the
04:41struggles faced by artists. Michiru Nakayama and artist Tatsuwaipu, creators of the manga Make Heroin
04:48Wo Katasatai, announced that they are permanently cancelling the publication of their work with Akita
04:55Shoten due to a complete breakdown of trust and deception on the part of their editor. The main issue came
05:02to a
05:02head when the publisher deliberately concealed the true sales figures for the first volume from them.
05:08The editor in charge assured them that the series was doing great, when in reality the initial sales
05:14had not been sufficient to consider it a success, and the continuation of the series was hanging by a
05:20thread. This financial manipulation was compounded by a total lack of professional respect. There were
05:27constant delays in confirming cover designs, pointless meetings, and instances where the publisher sent
05:34illustrations to the printer that the artist had never approved. Refusing to continue under these
05:39toxic conditions, the authors severed ties and announced that the manga will be published independently
05:45starting in January 2027. We're kicking things off with a story that's shaking up the comic artists
05:52and the otaku community. Studio Kara, the company founded by Hideaki Anno and holder of the Evangelion
05:59rights, has begun massively removing dojinshi, fan-made comics, mostly with adult content, from Japan's
06:07major digital sales platforms. Those who've been in this scene for a while know that Evangelion has
06:14historically been one of the pillars that sustained the dojinshi market in the 90s and 2000s.
06:20However, Kara updated its policies some time ago, banning unauthorized sales especially of adult and
06:27gore content to protect the franchise's image. What was once a warning has now turned into a full-scale
06:34purge, with digital stores removing hundreds of works to avoid lawsuits seeking millions in damages.
06:40This has sparked a heated debate within the community about the fine line between
06:45fan tributes and copyright infringement. These were the most relevant news of the month.
06:51Thanks for watching until the end. Don't forget to check the other videos of the channel until next time.
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