In addition to delicious food and postcard-worthy landscapes, Japan has a culture that is very popular in the West. We’re evaluating 15 Japanese releases for 2023 (movies, novels, video games, anime, manga) that we’ll be talking about this year!
#1 Kimi-tachi wa do ikiru ka – Hayao Miyazaki
The absolute master of Japanese animation, Hayao Miyazaki returns ten years after the release of his last movie, the wind is blowingwith a feature film with a Japanese title Kimi-tachi wa do ikiru ka (in French, how do you live? ). Set to be released on July 14, 2023 in Japan, the film is a free-to-air adaptation of the novel of the same name by Genzaburo Yoshino, which was published in 1937. Having resigned himself as never before through the fate of Jiro Horikoshi, Hayao Miyazaki will deliver on this.”Wonderful movieA true declaration of love for his grandsonIn order to make him understand thatSoon his grandfather leaves for another world but he leaves this movie behind because he loves himIn the words of Producer Toshio Suzuki.
While the first poster was revealed a few weeks ago, Hayao Miyazaki’s fans are terribly impatient to discover this new feature film, which we think is as beautiful and poetic as desired.. If at the moment we do not have a French release date, we can nevertheless expect a theatrical release from January 2024. We can’t wait! Note that to wait, an unpublished work by Hayao Miyazaki will be released in France.
#2 The Legend of Zelda: Kingdom’s Tears – Nintendo
Six years later The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildNintendo is rewarding its fans for their patience with the highly anticipated release of its sequel. The Legend of Zelda: Kingdom’s Tears. The various trailers, unveiled in quirks and quirks, herald a darker game than the previous opus. If they share the same graphics engine, The Legend of Zelda: Kingdom’s Tears It seems to promise a more complete game, especially the addition of verticality by way of heavenly islands, which appeared in the saga in The legend of zelda skyward sword. scheduled for May 12, 2023, Kingdom Tears It will definitely be one of the hottest games of the year! Fans, us included, have already begun theorizing about the appearance of this or that iconic foe. looking forward !
#3 The City and Its Uncertain Walls – Haruki Murakami
It’s been six years since Japan’s greatest contemporary novelist, Haruki Murakami, hasn’t released a new novel. after Kill the leader in 2017, author The impossible poemAnd Kafka on the beach And 1Q84 He will return on April 13, 2023 with a new mystery novel with an English title Uncertain city and walls. An event release of a 1,200-page novel, the writer’s longest novel to date. Its publisher described it as:100% a Murakami story“, The fifteenth novel by Haruki Murakami promises to be a new adventure as poetic as a dream, its pages we are dying to discover Maybe at the beginning of the literary season in 2024.
We hope that this novel will contribute to awarding the Nobel Prize for Literature to the Japanese writer. whose literary work has recently had several film adaptations : excellent South Korean film burning by Lee Chang-dong (2018), driving my car by Ryusuke Hamaguchi (2021) and French animated film Blind willow, sleeping woman Directed by Pierre Faulds, which will be in theaters March 2023.
#4 Attack on Titan – Season 4 Part 3 – MAPPA
The end of an era! For 10 years, Japanese anime fans have marveled and trembled with emotion attack on titans, adaptation of Hajime Isayama’s cult manga. The anime was first produced by WIT Studio, then the rising star MAPPA commissioned from the fourth season, divided into three parts, this last season is very intense. After the first one-hour episode, it was broadcast on Saturday, March 4 at midnight, and was praised by fans Shingeki no KyojinThe long-awaited conclusion to the adventures of Eren, Armin and Mikasa is scheduled for the end of fall 2023.. Final promises to be devastating.
#5 Resident Evil 4 – Capcom
Three years after the remake of resident evil 3And Capcom will be at the center of video game news with Resident Evil 4 remakedue out March 24, 2023 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC. Capcom ante, Resident Evil 4 Being one of the most appreciated games in this saga. This version is described as even scarier than the original game, and will undoubtedly be one of the hottest video game releases of the year!
#6 Final Fantasy XVI – Square Enix
We no longer offer Square Enix’s famous JRPG saga, Final Fantasywhose sixteenth installment will be released on PlayStation 5 on June 22, 2023. appear seven years later Final Fantasy XFifthAnd FF16 You will immerse us in the world of Valiscia. The highly oriented, very dark new license game is reminiscent of in many ways Elden ringGame of the Year 2023, although it won’t be an open world. In any case, the latest images and various previews of the game indicate one of the best games of the year. We also remind you that at the end of 2023 the beginning of 2024 should appear Final Fantasy VII Rebirththe next Final Fantasy VII Remake.
#7 Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Season 3) – ufotable
One of the most important anime at the moment, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba It will cause a lot of ink to flow this year. In reality, Tanjiro and his group will return on April 9 for a third season. To help fans wait, ufotable studio released the movie this past February. On the way to the village of Haddadinand consists of the last two episodes of the second season and the first episode of the third season, with a special duration of one hour. As usual with this adaptation of Koyoharu Gotōge’s manga, we can expect really cool animation.
#8 Suzume – Makoto Shinkai
Often considered the most deserving heir to Hayao Miyazaki, although he developed outside of Studio Ghibli, Makoto Shinkai has deeply influenced international audiences with many of his masterpieces, such as Agartha’s Journey and touched it your name. This year, the director presents us with his new feature film, Susumia fantasy tale in which a young teenager embarks on a journey across Japan to close the magical doors she accidentally opened. We can expect a deep poetic story. See you in French theaters on April 12th.
#9 Vinland Saga (Season 2) – MAPPA
Since January 2023, Netflix and Crunchyroll have been broadcasting the second season of Vinland SagaProduced by MAPPA Studio. The season, consisting of twenty-four episodes, adapts one of the best arcs in manga history: the Farm Arc, also called the Slave Arc.. Less violent and epic than WIT Studios’ first season, season two offers more character development. It’s absolutely gorgeous, and it benefits from the usual animation quality of the studio founded by Masao Maruyama.
#10 The Makanai: Cooking for Maiko’s House – Hirokazu Kore-eda
After a trip to France with the truth And in South Korea with lucky stars (With Imperial Song Kong-ho, Best Actor Award at Cannes Film Festival), Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda returns to Japan with a series on Netflix: My place: Cooking for Maiko’s house. Released in January 2023, the series immerses itself in the daily life of a female geisha instructor in Kyoto. Very delicate, luminous, the chain is attractive. The Japanese director will also present in June 2023 his enigmatic new feature film, Monster. We can’t wait to see more!
#11 Pluto – Netflix
Legendary mangaka, Naoki Urasawa (Children of the twentieth century) again this year. In reality, Nineteen years after the quote was broadcast MonsterOne of his greatest masterpieces will be made into a TV series: Pluto. Awesome adaptation version of the storyAstro, the little robot To Osamu Tezuka (Idol of Urasawa), Pluto It is one of mangaka’s most brilliant works. The anime is produced by Genko (Millennium Actress by Satoshi Kon) and Tezuka Productions, to be released later this year by Netflix. We recently discovered his first trailer, of all the beauty!
#12 Octopath Traveler II – Square Enix
After five years of great successOctobt TravelerAnd Square Enix released it on February 23rd Octopath Traveler II on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and PC. We find the same aesthetic as the HD2D, for a more luxurious result. In keeping with this opus, Octopath Traveler II It is sure to be a real treat for all RPG lovers.
# 13 City Hunter: Angel DUST – Kenji Kodama
After the franchise City Hunter: Private Eyes in 2019, Fans of the Tsukasa Hōjō manga and its anime adaptation will be able to find out this year City Hunter: Angel Dust. We don’t know much about this new feature film, except that Seiyû Akira Kaiya will be taking on the role of Ryo Saeba, and that the famous song Get wild again serving as the end credits. A must-have outing for all Club Dorothée fans and Nikki Larson. It is expected to be released in Japan in the fall of 2023.
#14 Berserk (Vol. 42) – Kentaro Miura, Koji Mori, Studio Gaga
After the shocking death of Kentaro Miura, legendary screenwriter and designer RambunctiousAnd Fans of the greatest seinen of all time can be delighted in 2022 to learn that the manga has resumed its publication path.Under the care of Koji Mori, the deceased mangaka’s best friend, and Studio Gaga. Several chapters have been previously published, and have appeared in scans in France; The year 2023 will likely mark the return of Guts in paper form, following the huge success of Volume 41 – the last one written and illustrated by Miura.
#15 One Piece: Odyssey – Bandai Namco
best selling manga in the world, one piece Rejected this year in a video game, with a fresh new adventure, in One Piece: Odyssey. This JRPG was released on January 13, 2023 and is set to be a huge hit with fans of the Eiichiro Oda universe.eager to immerse themselves further in the completely bizarre world of manga.