World's First Dragon Ball Store To Open in Tokyo This Autumn
Dragon Ball
remains one of Japan's most popular manga series. It, therefore, shouldn't come as too much of a surprise to hear the franchise is now getting its own store. The news was announced via the company's
official website
on Sunday. It's all part of
Dragon Ball
's 40th anniversary celebrations, which kicked off last November.
At the time of writing, few details have been released about the store. What we do know is that it is slated to open in Tokyo this autumn and will feature limited-edition goods that will only be available at the shop, in addition to other must-have items for fans. More information, such as the exact location and opening date, will be announced on the official website soon.
Fans were, unsurprisingly, excited about the news. 'There will
definitely be
something I want,'
posted
one user on X. 'Somewhere near or around Tokyo Station would be good.
I'm
looking forward to hearing the location announcement,'
wrote
another. There were also comments from people overseas on the official website. 'Really hoping that this will be open when I'm there in October!' posted one person.
About Dragon Ball
Originally serialized in
Shueisha's
manga magazine
Weekly Sh
o
nen Jump
between 1984 and 1995,
Dragon Ball
was inspired by the Chinese novel
Journey to the West
. It follows the adventures of Son Goku as he explores the world in search of seven mystical Dragon Balls. When all are gathered, these magical orbs summon a wish-granting dragon
. Along the way, he and his comrades come face to face with various villains.
Akira Toriyama, who created the series, sadly passed away last year. Tributes poured in from around the globe, including from French President Emmanuel Macron
who
posted a photo of a signed picture he received from Toriyama on
. On Sina Weibo, Jackie Chan thanked Toriyama 'for creating so many classic works,' adding that 'they will last forever.'
Creed
star Michael B. Jordan posted 'thank you for everything.'
Related Posts
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Kyodo News
4 days ago
- Kyodo News
"Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle" Double Theme Song by Aimer and LiSA, Single CDs Released!
Blockbuster movie "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle" has released single CDs for its two theme songs, performed by Aimer and LiSA! This announcement was accompanied by comments from both artists, as well as messages from Go Shiina and Yuki Kajiura, who were responsible for the music production. Furthermore, it has been revealed that the music videos for both songs will premiere on the official YouTube channel. CD Release Confirmed for Two Theme Songs! "Demon Slayer," a manga from Koyoharu Gotouge and published by Shueisha's Jump Comics, has sold over 220 million copies of volumes 1-23. The anime adaptation is produced by ufotable. Its newest installment, the movie "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle" premiered in Japan on Friday, July 18. Now, the movie's two theme songs has been released as single CDs on Wednesday, July 23 (Japan Time)! Aimer and LiSA, both of whom have previously performed theme songs for the "Demon Slayer" anime, are responsible for these new tracks. Aimer's "A World Where the Sun Never Rises" features lyrics by Hikaru Kondo, the general producer of the "Demon Slayer" anime at ufotable. Go Shiina, who composed the background music for the anime, handled the music and arrangement. This majestic theme combines a rich, grand orchestra with Aimer's powerful vocals. Meanwhile, LiSA's "Shine in the Cruel Night" was composed and written by Yuki Kajiura, also known for her background music in the "Demon Slayer" anime. This powerful track, another collaboration between LiSA and Yuki Kajiura, creates a grand and dynamic world view, echoing their previous successful theme songs for the series. Artist and creator comments were released alongside the singles. Comments from Artists and Creators Aimer's Comment: This song was lovingly entrusted to me by Go Shiina-san and Hikaru Kondo-san, who have been deeply involved with the anime "Demon Slayer." I sang with my own "total concentration," hoping my song could support the destiny of those who transform their individual sorrows into strength as they leap into the final phase. I hope this song reaches you, who are still fighting in a "world where the sun never rises." Go Shiina's Comment: This song came to life with the invaluable support of many, led by Aimer-san, and including lyricists, arrangers, performers, engineers, and staff. Witnessing Aimer-san's deeply emotional vocal recording alongside the visuals ignited my fighting spirit, compelling me to share this song without delay. Immerse yourself in Aimer-san's multifaceted voice, featuring up to 12 vocal layers. Her range, from the lowest to the highest notes, offers a kaleidoscope of expression. Additionally, I hope you enjoy discovering the various "Demon Slayer" themes woven throughout the song. LiSA's Comment: I am on my way to "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle" alongside Yuki Kajiura-san, who has graced us with numerous songs for "Demon Slayer." To everyone who is fighting: I sang with prayers and wishes. This is "Shine in the Cruel Night." Yuki Kajiura's Comment: It is a profound honor to have co-created the theme song for "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle" with LiSA-san. Given how deeply this song is connected to the story, we worked meticulously to ensure its alignment with the narrative while also crafting a piece that LiSA-san could deliver with immense power and emotion. My hope is that this music will both enrich the story and, as a song performed by LiSA-san, uplift your spirits." Music Videos for Two Theme Songs Set to Premiere on YouTube! Music videos for two theme songs are scheduled to premiere on YouTube in the evening of Thursday, July 24th! Moreover, leading up to these MV releases, a special event titled "Demon Slayer Anime Theme Songs MV Marathon" has been announced! This event, featuring a back-to-back showcase of music videos from past Demon Slayer series theme songs, will be held on YouTube starting at 7 PM (JST) on Thursday, July 24th. Aimer: " A World Where the Sun Never Rises" MUSIC VIDEO *Premiering around 7:45 PM (JST) on 7/24 (Thu) LiSA: "Shine in the Cruel Night" MUSIC VIDEO *Premiering around 7:50 PM (JST) on 7/24 (Thu) "Demon Slayer Anime Theme Songs MV Marathon" *Starting at 7:00 PM (JST) on 7/24 (Thu) Product Information The single CDs featuring the main theme songs will be released simultaneously on Wednesday, July 23rd (Japan Time)! The Limited Edition for both singles come with a mini poster featuring exclusive "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle" artwork and are packaged in a three-sided case! Aimer's single "A World Where the Sun Never Rises" comes in a three-sided case with newly drawn artwork of the character "Shinobu Kocho," while LiSA's single "Shine in the Cruel Night" features exclusive artwork of "Giyu Tomioka." Both limited editions are luxurious packages that include a Blu-ray Disc containing the music video for each theme song. Release Information Aimer Single "A World Where the Sun Never Rises" Release Information Title: A World Where the Sun Never Rises Release Date: Wednesday, July 23, 2025 (Japan Time) Purchase CD Here "A World Where the Sun Never Rises" Now available for download and streaming on various digital platforms! Release Formats and Prices: • Limited Edition (CD+Blu-ray) / VVCL 2751-2752: ¥1,760 (tax included) Includes a mini poster featuring original anime artwork & comes in a three-sided case [CD Content] *The CD content is the same for both Limited and Regular editions. 01. A World Where the Sun Never Rises (Lyrics: Hikaru Kondo (ufotable), Music: Go Shiina, Arrangement: Go Shiina, Sachiko Miyano) 02. A World Where the Sun Never Rises -Instrumental- [Blu-ray Content] "A World Where the Sun Never Rises" Music Video • Regular Edition (CD only) / VVCL 2750: ¥1,430 (tax included) LiSA Single "Shine in the Cruel Night" Release Information Title: Shine in the Cruel Night Release Date: Wednesday, July 23, 2025 (Japan Time) Purchase CD Here "Shine in the Cruel Night" Now available for download and streaming on various digital platforms! Release Formats and Prices: • Limited Edition (CD+Blu-ray) / VVCL 2754-2755: ¥1,760 (tax included) Includes a mini poster featuring original anime artwork & comes in a three-sided case [CD Content] *The CD content is the same for both Limited and Regular editions. 01. Shine in the Cruel Night (Lyrics: Yuki Kajiura, Music: Yuki Kajiura, Arrangement: Yuki Kajiura) 02. Shine in the Cruel Night -Instrumental- [Blu-ray Content] "Shine in the Cruel Night" Music Video • Regular Edition (CD only) / VVCL 2753: ¥1,430 (tax included) About "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle" Synopsis Tanjiro Kamado – a boy who joined an organization dedicated to hunting down demons called the Demon Slayer Corps after his younger sister Nezuko was turned into a demon. While growing stronger and deepening his friendships and bonds with fellow corps members, Tanjiro has battled many demons with his comrades, Zenitsu Agatsuma and Inosuke Hashibira. Along the way, his journey has led him to fight alongside the Demon Slayer Corps' highest-ranking swordsmen, the Hashira, including Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku aboard the Mugen Train, Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui within the Entertainment District, as well as Mist Hashira Muichiro Tokito and Love Hashira Mitsuri Kanroji at the Swordsmith Village. As the Demon Slayer Corps members and Hashira engaged in a group strength training program, the Hashira Training, in preparation for the forthcoming battle against the demons, Muzan Kibutsuji appears at the Ubuyashiki Mansion. With the head of the Demon Corps in danger, Tanjiro and the Hashira rush to the headquarters but are plunged into a deep descent to a mysterious space by the hands of Muzan Kibutsuji. The destination of where Tanjiro and Demon Slayer Corps have fallen is the demons' stronghold – the Infinity Castle. And so, the battleground is set as the final battle between the Demon Slayer Corps and the Demons ignites. Cast Tanjiro Kamado: Natsuki Hanae Nezuko Kamado: Akari Kito Zenitsu Agatsuma: Hiro Shimono Inosuke Hashibira: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka Kanao Tsuyuri: Reina Ueda Genya Shinazugawa: Nobuhiko Okamoto Giyu Tomioka: Takahiro Sakurai Tengen Uzui: Katsuyuki Konishi Muichiro Tokito: Kengo Kawanishi Shinobu Kocho: Saori Hayami Mitsuri Kanroji: Kana Hanazawa Obanai Iguro: Kenichi Suzumura Sanemi Shinazugawa: Tomokazu Seki Gyomei Himejima: Tomokazu Sugita Akaza (Upper Rank Three): Akira Ishida ©Koyoharu Gotoge / SHUEISHA, Aniplex, ufotable ※Some parts of this text have been translated using machine translation
Japan Today
4 days ago
- Japan Today
Labubu not the first toy craze, and certainly won't be the last
By MICHELLE CHAPMAN Pop Mart has struck it rich. The Chinese company that caters to toy connoisseurs and influencers said this week that it expects profit for the first six months of this year to jump by at least 350% compared with the prior-year period, largely because of its smash hit plush toy, the Labubu. Pop Mart joins a small list of companies that have tapped into the zeitgeist, drawing in millions of buyers who, for one reason or another, simply must get their hands on a toy or gadget of the moment. But what makes the Labubu a must-have, or any toy for that matter, is a decades-old question that toy makers have yet to figure out. Here's a look at some of the most popular toys over the years. Cabbage Patch Kids began as chubby-faced dolls with yarn hair that came with adoption papers. During the 1980s the dolls were so popular that parents waited in long lines at stores trying to get a hold of them. More than 90 million Cabbage Patch Kids were sold worldwide during their heyday. Cabbage Patch Kids, which were created by Xavier Roberts and initially sold by Coleco, were relaunched in 2004, looking to take part in the successful return of other popular 1980s toys including Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. A Cabbage Patch Kid museum named BabyLand General Hospital still exists in Cleveland, Georgia. The dolls entered the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2023. Beanie Babies captivated consumers in the mid-1990s. The cuddly $5 toys were under-stuffed for maximum hug-ability, stamped with cute names on their Ty Inc. tags, and given limited edition runs. Many people collected, traded and sold the toys with the hopes that their value would just keep going up at the dawn of the e-commerce age. It made some people money, and the founder, Ty Warner, a billionaire in three years. In 2014 Warner learned that he would not go to prison for hiding at least $25 million from U.S. tax authorities and instead received two years' probation. Warner, one of the highest profile figures snared in a federal investigation of Americans using Swiss bank accounts to avoid U.S. taxes, had pleaded guilty to a single count of tax evasion. Looking for a pet without the real-life responsibilities? Well then the Tamagotchi electronic pet from Bandai was for you. Consumers were hooked on the egg-shaped plastic toy that first launched in Japan in 1996 and became a craze worldwide in the late 1990s and 2000s. Users were tasked with taking care of their virtual pet by pressing buttons that simulate feeding, disciplining and playing with the critter on screen. If a Tamagotchi is neglected, it dies. In 2013 Tamagotchi was reborn as a mobile app, duplicating the experience of the plastic handheld toy. The toy was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame in May. Fidget spinners — the 3-inch twirling gadgets that took over classrooms and cubicles — were all the rage in 2017. The toy was considered somewhat of an outlier at the time, given that it wasn't made by a major company, timed for the holiday season, or promoted in TV commercials. Fidget spinners were more easily found at gas stations or 7-Eleven than at big toy chains. Fidget spinners had been around for years, mostly used by kids with autism or attention disorders to help them concentrate, but they became more popular after being featured on social media. While hot toys are often made by one company, fidget spinners were made by numerous manufacturers, mostly in China. The toys were marketed as a concentration aid but became so popular among children that many schools started banning them, saying that they were a distraction. The Labubu, by artist and illustrator Kasing Lung, first appeared as monsters with pointed ears and pointy teeth in three picture books inspired by Nordic mythology in 2015. In 2019 Lung struck a deal with Pop Mart, a company that caters to toy connoisseurs and influencers, to sell Labubu figurines. But it wasn't until Pop Mart started selling Labubu plush toys on key rings in 2023 that the toothy monsters suddenly seemed to be everywhere, including in the hands of Rihanna, Kim Kardashian and NBA star Dillon Brooks. K-pop singer Lisa of Blackpink began posting images of hers for her more than 100 million followers on Instagram and on TikTok, where Labubu pandemonium has broken out. Labubu has been a bonanza for Pop Mart. Its revenue more than doubled in 2024 to 13.04 billion yuan ($1.81 billion), thanks in part to its elvish monster. Revenue from Pop Mart's plush toys soared more than 1,200% in 2024, nearly 22% of its overall revenue, according to the company's annual report. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Asahi Shimbun
4 days ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Yamada ‘played it by ear' as he conducted Berlin Philharmonic
Japanese conductor Kazuki Yamada's improvisational skills guided him through one of the most high-profile guest performances of his conducting career. 'I played it by ear, just as I always do,' he said. 'I was excited by the way the orchestra transfigured.' In June, Yamada appeared on stage with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra for the first time and drew applause from the audience. Yamada, 46, shared his impressions of the fulfilling time he spent with one of the leading classical music orchestras in the world. CONDUCTING IS ABOUT 'CARRYING' 'The orchestra organizes 100 top-notch soloists, who are performing in the way they each prefer,' Yamada said. 'A swell arises, however, when they unite. They become mutually linked, both in music and in appearance. The better that things work out, the more wildly, and incredibly, the swell begins to grow.' He added: 'I was thinking about how I could add air into the harmony. Nobody there, apparently, had ever experienced an approach like that. They were, like, 'Oh, this guy is going to try something novel with us. OK, why don't we take him on?' They likely decided to deal with me in that way.' The Berlin Philharmonic was founded in 1882 by young musicians as a self-governing body. It went on to be a time-honored, prestigious orchestra, where famed composers Johannes Brahms and Antonin Dvorak conducted their own pieces and Herbert von Karajan built a golden age. Yamada is the 15th Japanese to have wielded the baton on the illustrious stage, where every aspiring conductor fancies taking a turn. Yamada took the rostrum during the Berlin Philharmonic's regular concert held from June 12 through 14. He told about the experience in a casual manner, as opposed to the way that Yutaka Sado talked passionately, and excitedly, about how he conducted the Berlin Philharmonic in 2011. Yamada chose to perform, instead of pieces of the German school, works by an Italian composer (Ottorino Respighi's 'Fontane di Roma'), a Japanese (Toru Takemitsu's 'I Hear the Water Dreaming') and a French artist (Camille Saint-Saens' Symphony No. 3, 'Organ Symphony'). In selecting these pieces, Yamada sought advice from Daishin Kashimoto, a close friend, who has served as first concertmaster with the Berlin Philharmonic since 2010. 'He encouraged me by saying, 'Why don't you try a French piece?'' Yamada said. 'I found that reassuring. After all, he is the only person that fully knows both me and the orchestra.' For reasons of scheduling, Kashimoto was unable to appear on stage with Yamada, who, however, said he didn't mind. 'I think it worked out all right in the end,' Yamada said. 'I am afraid I would have been reliant on him if he had been there. And that could also have been counterproductive if that were to make the others believe that he and I, fellow Japanese, were helping each other. Well, to tell the truth, however, I would have wanted him to be in the audience.' Yamada said that while he was performing on stage, he recalled an episode he had been told about by the late Hiroyuki Iwaki (1932-2006), who also previously served as music director of the Philharmonic Chorus of Tokyo and conducted the Berlin Philharmonic himself. In Yamada's words, Iwaki quoted Karajan as often saying, when the native of Austria was artistic director with the Berlin Philharmonic, that conducting is not about 'driving,' but is about 'carrying.' Yamada said he understood for the first time what that description meant. 'I realized that I am not there to control,' he said. 'Perhaps, in a sense, an orchestra is not so much like a car as it is like a horse. The horse has a strong willpower itself. I have to respect that when I am astride it. I am there to show where we should be going, but I am not there to force it.' Yamada continued: 'We are on totally equal terms, so I am always face to face with all the 100. I realized that this sense, which says this orchestra would be all right even without the conductor's cues, represents, more than anything else, the tradition that Karajan nurtured.'
