2024 marked another great year for Anime Trending in terms of fan engagement with our polls, industry presence at the major anime conventions, and continued growth online. We’ve had some big collaborations this past year, which include:
- • Hosting the 2024 LIMITS Global Digital Art Competition
- • Releasing our first merchandise line for Look Back on the AniTrendz online store.
- • Collaborating with hololive to release the “hololive OFFICIAL CARD GAME” in the U.S.
With our continued success, we were also able to interview many notable staff and talent from the anime and Japanese video game industries, where we delved deep into how they do what they do and the respective successes of their work.
Here is a recap of the most notable interviews from Anime Trending in 2024, which you can access by clicking on the highlighted orange subheadings:
Steins;Gate — Tatsuya Matsubara (Producer)
Steins;Gate visual novel producer Tatsuya Matsubara details the original game’s development, its legacy 15 years later, and how the landscape of visual novels has changed overall.
More Than a Married Couple, But not Lovers — Yuki Kanamaru (Manga Artist and Creator)
Yuki Kanamaru discusses the inspiration behind More Than a Married Couple, But not Lovers, why love is an important theme, the complexities of her characters, and the impact she wants her manga to leave behind.
The Apothecary Diaries — Norihiro Naganuma (Director)
The Apothecary Diaries director Norihiro Naganuma talks about his involvement with the popular anime series and other aspects such as the voice recording, setting, and positive reception to the adaptation.
DAN DA DAN — Fuga Yamashiro (Director) and Kohei Sakita (Producer)
DAN DA DAN director Fuga Yamashiro and producer Kohei Sakita break down the stylized use of color previewed in the anime’s trailers, as well as their thoughts on the show’s most appealing points.
Witch Hat Atelier — Kamome Shirahama (Manga Artist and Creator)
With Hat Atelier creator Kamome Shirahama talks about the importance of representation in her popular manga series, as well as the appeal of fantasy and fairy tales and her overall creative process.
Witch Hat Atelier Anime Staff — Ayumu Watanabe (Director), Hiroaki Kojima (Bug Films Producer), and Kamome Shirahama (Manga Artist and Creator)
The main staff of the Witch Hat Atelier TV anime adaptation analyze the production process of the series and how they brought its fantastical world to life.
Anime Overseas Licensing — Yuna Kishita (Kadokawa Overseas Licensing Manager)
Kadokawa’s Yuna Kishita unpacks how anime series are licensed and marketed overseas, and how the success of each title is measured across several different avenues.
Idolish7 — Voice Actors Atsushi Abe and KENN
Voice actors Atsushi Abe and KENN talked to us about their experiences with the IDOLiSH7 franchise, the appeal of idol performances, and their involvement in the concert film IDOLiSH7 the Movie: LIVE 4bit – BEYOND THE PERiOD.
Masahiko Minami (The Magical Girl and the Evil Lieutenant Used to Be Archenemies) — Studio BONES President
Masahiko Minami discusses how he was able to assemble the staff for the anime adaptation of The Magical Girl and the Evil Lieutenant Used to Be Archenemies and his memories of its late creator, Cocoa Fujiwara.
Fate/Stay Night — Voice Actresses Ayako Kawasumi, Kana Ueda, and Noriko Shitaya
Long-time Fate/Stay Night voice actresses Ayako Kawasumi (Saber), Kana Ueda (Rin Tohsaka), and Noriko Shitaya (Sakura Matou) participated in the Fate 20th Anniversary Event last November in Los Angeles. They discussed the history of the original visual novel, and also reflected on key story scenes and their long tenures voicing their respective heroines.
Fate/Strange Fake — Takahito Sakazume and Shun Enokido (Directors), Yukei Yamada (Character designer), and Yuki Ono (Voice Actor)
Directors Takahito Sakazume and Shun Enokido, character designer Yukei Yamada, and Saber voice actor Yuki Ono talk about the behind-the-scenes production for the series, such as the lower shading of character designs and Ono’s role as the Servant.
Tengoku-Daimakyo — Hirotaka Mori (Director)
Hirotaka Mori discusses his early production roles in the anime industry, working on his first directorial effort Tengoku-Daimakyo, and his experiences after its broadcast.
Re:ZERO Season 3 — Yusuke Kobayashi (Voice Actor), Haruka Sagawa (Character Designer), and Masahiro Shinohara (Director)
Subaru’s voice actor Yusuke Kobayashi, third season director Masahiro Shinohara, and character designer Haruka Sagawa shed light on many aspects of the new Re:ZERO season, from Subaru’s character growth, Shinohara’s feelings on being the director for season three, and Sagawa’s thoughts on refining her visual style.
Survive Said the Prophet at FanimeCon 2024
On the heels of their summer tour, Survive Said the Prophet members Yosh Morita (vocalist), Ivan Kwong (guitarist), Tatsuya Kato (guitarist), and Show (drummer) discuss their origins, the main themes behind Vinland Saga and how it aligned with their band name, and what they look forward to in the future.
Rusty Rabbit — Gen Urobuchi (Scriptwriter) and Takaya Kuroda (Voice Actor)
At Anime Expo 2024, Gen Urobuchi and Takaya Kuroda talked about their involvement in developing the former’s newest video game project, Rusty Rabbit. They broke down Kuroda’s vocal performance as the lead character, Stamp, and Urobuchi’s process of turning his personal hobbies into his first video-game production.
Terminator Zero — Mattson Tomlin (Showrunner) and Masashi Kudo (Director)
Series showrunner Mattson Tomlin and director Masashi Kudo unpacked how Terminator Zero was developed, the importance of using a new cast of characters, and how they got around depicting gun violence in Japan.
