Since she appeared in 1975, My Melody has been one of Sanrio’s representative characters, on level with the likes of Hello Kitty. With 2015 being the 40th year since her creation, Sanrio has much in store to celebrate, including an Anniversary Fair to be held at Sanrio Puroland that began Jan. 9.
Along with a new film to release early this spring, there is yet another development in the *Ghost in the Shell* series. It has been confirmed that the broadcast of the TV series *Ghost in the Shell: Arise* will begin this April.
“KuroBas Festival: KuroFes in J-World Tokyo” will open on Wednesday, Jan. 14 at Jump World Tokyo, a theme park located in Ikebukuro Sunshine that focuses mainly on Jump works.
As of Jan. 8, the details of the new *Ghost in the Shell* full-length feature film that was announced in September 2014 have been made public. The movie will be released in Japan nationwide in early summer 2015, under the official title *Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie*.
The large-scale otaku event AnimeJapan will be held from March 20, while Comic Market Special, which is only held once every five years, will begin on March 28. They have a common keyword: Globalization.
The release of a new *Ghost in the Shell* film was announced on Jan. 8, and *Psycho-Pass the Movie* will release Japan-wide on Jan. 9. Now a collaboration that crosses over the boundaries of these two films has surprisingly appeared in Shinjuku Station.
Accompanying the start of the broadcast, the official online store Gawa Gawa Mart has already opened. Also confirmed is a special exhibit called “Yurikuma Arashi Museum Bear & Peace” coming to three Animate locations.
The new series for the *Pokemon*-themed manga, *Pocket Monsters Special: Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire*, started Tuesday, Jan. 6 on Club Sunday a free webcomic hosting site.
PC Koubou recently launched a PC intended for light novel authors. It’s a PC developed for people who write light novels on a daily basis, and for those who want to be writers as well.
It has been announced that Manabu Koga, who released the photo collection/photo exhibit *Underwater Knee-highs* (2013) and the follow-up *Underwater Knee-highs Plus* (2014), will be starting a new regular event called Monthly Underwater Knee-highs.
The release date of *Persona 3 the Movie #3: Falling Down*, the third chapter in a theatrical anime themed after the popular game *Persona 3*, has been confirmed. The movie will have a Japan-wide roadshow release on April 4 at Shinjuku Wald 9, Umeda Burg 7 and other theaters across the country.
Beginning with Hatsune Miku from Vocaloid, there are various virtual idols in the spotlight. One among them is Kamui Kitano, an idol for the growth of Hokkaido, who takes part by bringing excitement to the region.
Julietta Suzuki’s popular manga *Kamisama Kiss* (serialized in Hakusensha’s *Hana to Yume*), which has 4 million copies in print, is getting its first stage musical adaptation. *Kamisama Kiss: The Musical* will run from March 21-29, 2015 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre.
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