Manben: Behind the Scenes of Manga with Urasawa Naoki

Urasawa Naoki no Manben (Naoki Urasawa's Manga Exertions) is a TV Documentary airing on NHK Educational TV. It follows acclaimed mangaka Naoki Urasawa (creator of 20th Century Boys and Monster) as he sets out to break new ground for manga even further than he already has. In an attempt to educate viewers about manga and preserve the intricate craftsmanship and process of Japanese artists on video for future generations, he invites a manga artist to have their workplace filmed for a couple of days, so as to display them in the process of crafting chapters for their current serializations. After the footage has been shot, Urasawa meets with the artist and they discuss the footage, talking about the artist's workplace and workflow, the difficulties involved in the mangaka lifestyle, their reasons for drawing manga in the first place, and their perspective on the current industry and their own work.

ANIME SANCTUARIES

Did you know that a lot of your favorite anime are based in real-life locations? Join us on a pilgrimage around Japan to the "Sanctuaries" that are the inspiration of some of the greatest anime!

ANIME MANGA EXPLOSION

The size of the Japanese animation market was 2,426 billion yen by 2020. More than half of that amount came from overseas sales. The manga market is also expanding, reaching 675.9 billion yen in 2021. Those unique visuals and stories from Japan have struck a chord with fans around the world and are growing into a huge industry. ANIME MANGA EXPLOSION will actively feature major works that are highly recognized by overseas fans and reveal the secrets of Japanese anime and manga creation through the series.

主夫メゾン

A fashionable condominium found by a newlywed, but the living conditions are limited to "house husband"? Maison de Otto, a condominium limited to full-time husbands' families. Although it is a fashionable 2LDK in a prime location in Shibuya, Tokyo, the rent is only 50,000 yen a month, so to live in this super-favorable condominium, Riku became a "house husband" without even thinking about it. Kamiya Riku moves with his wife, and the story begins! A heart-full romantic comedy that provides dreams, longing, and healing.

Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun

High school student Chiyo Sakura has a crush on schoolmate Umetarō Nozaki, but when she confesses her love to him, he mistakes her for a fan and gives her an autograph. When she says that she always wants to be with him, he invites her to his house and has her help on some drawings. Chiyo discovers that Nozaki is actually a renowned shōjo manga artist named Sakiko Yumeno. She then agrees to be his assistant in order to get closer to him. As they work on his manga Let's Fall in Love (恋しよっ), they encounter other schoolmates who assist them or serve as inspirations for characters in the stories.

Kakushigoto

Single father Kakushi Goto has a secret. He’s a top-selling artist of popular erotic manga, but his impressionable young daughter, Hime, can never find out! Now he’s having to bend over backwards just to keep her inquisitive little mind from discovering what he does for a living.

Kabe-Koji-Nekoyashiki-kun Desires to be Recognized

A BL manga artist chasing fame reunites with his childhood crush, now a rising idol. Their worlds collide, rekindling feelings that never truly faded.

Hey, Your Cat Ears Are Showing!

Daisū is a a manga creator who grew up in an orphanage, and whose works do not sell very well. Daisū lives each lonely day in boredom, but one day he meets a young man named Myō who has cat ears, and his everyday life completely changes. Myō gets in trouble every day, but for the first time in his life, Daisū’s heart experiences "warmth."

Squishy! Black Clover

In a world where magic is everything, Asta, who is the only person who can't use magic, and the magical genius Yuno go all out to become the Wizard King. This is a spin off of the anime series "Black Clover" with an unbelievable story and an amazing cast.

Kotaro Lives Alone

A lonely little boy moves into a ramshackle apartment building all on his own and makes friends with the broke manga artist who lives next door.

Bakuman

Moritaka Mashiro and Akito Takagi are pretty much foils of each other. Mashiro, an average 9th grade student but talented artist, and Takagi, an overall advanced 9th grader and aspiring writer. After great convincing, Takagi convinces Mashiro to join him in becoming the greatest mangakas Japan has ever seen. Takagi, with his gift of writing, hopes to become a successful mangaka, and Mashiro, with his gift of art, hopes to marry the girl of his dreams, Azuki Miho.

Kore Kaite Shine

The story is set in Izuōshima, an island 120 kilometers south of Tokyo. It centers on Ai Yasumi, a high school girl who loves to read manga, and learns about the joy and pain of drawing her own manga.

Hanamaru Kindergarten

Anzu, Hiiragi, and Koume are three girls who attend the lively Hanamaru Kindergarten. There they have lots of adventures with their classmates and with Naozomi Tsuchida, their teacher who has just started working fresh out of school.

mono

Satsuki Amamiya was feeling down due to the graduation of the high school Photography Club’s president. However, her best friend and fellow member An Kiriyama encourages Satsuki to dedicate herself to the newly merged Cinephoto Club. Join Satsuki and An as they set out to track down a missing camera, meet new faces, and capture stunning photos and videos along the way.

A Mangaka's Weirdly Wonderful Workplace

The story centers on Nana Futami, a rookie shōjo manga artist who is supported by her female editor Kaede Satō and her assistant Mizuki Hazama. Even though Nana sometimes suffers from intense delusions due to (what she tells herself is) an occupational illness, she keeps working day-to-day with the help of those around her.

The Comic Artist and His Assistants

The life of an artist can be hard: Long, arduous hours working with only your thoughts and assistants to keep you company. In the case of overworked mangaka Aito, his attempts to merge the two are so far unsuccessful. His priorities are askew and subjecting his assistants to his fantasies has taken precedent over work. Despite his abuse of power, his assistants are willing to play along. Thankfully, editor Mihari is there to keep him in line, from threatening to fire him to physical punishment.

Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan

Comic creator Rohan Kishibe, along with his partner-cum-editor, Kyōka Izumi, challenge various incidents beyond human knowledge.

Gu Gu the Cat

About a lady and her cat. The lady's cat dies and she loses all inspiration to continue living, and doing her work from home job. One day when forced to get out of her house for a while she finds and orphaned kitten in the park. The kitten is sick and she takes the kitten to the vet. This kitten brings her out of her depression and gives her new hope.

Comic Girls

Kaoruko Moeta is a 15-year-old high school student and 4-panel manga artist. After moving to a dorm especially for female manga artists, she meets shoujo manga artist Koyume, teen romance manga artist Ruki, and shounen manga artist Tsubasa. Every day, they'll work all through the night trying to ink and finish their work!

Where the Lost Ones Go

Ye Zi, a Chinese art student, and Xiang Zeyi, an oil painting major, whose first love is shattered when Zeyi leaves without explanation. Years later, now a successful manga illustrator, Ye Zi is confronted by Zeyi’s return and his confession, forcing her to choose whether to reignite their love or move on.

The Heirs

After a chance encounter in LA, two teens from different social backgrounds reunite at an exclusive high school attended by Korea's über rich.

It's Okay to Not Be Okay

Desperate to escape from his emotional baggage and the heavy responsibility he’s had all his life, a psychiatric ward worker begins to heal with help from the unexpected – a woman who writes fairy tales but doesn’t believe in them.

Café con Aroma de Mujer

Café con aroma de mujer is a 1994 Colombian telenovela, produced by then programming company RCN TV on state-owned Canal A. It was written and created by Fernando Gaitán. It was broadcast in several countries throughout Latin America, North America and Europe.

Doom at Your Service

A woman with only a short time to live and a man with the supernatural power to bring the world to an end discover the true meaning of life and love.

I Am Not a Robot

Kim Min Gyu has wealth and success, but lives an isolated life due to his allergy of people. He then meets and falls in love with a girl who is pretending to be a robot for her ex-boyfriend, a genius robots professor.

What's Wrong with Secretary Kim

Lee Young-Joon's family runs a large company and he works as the vice-president of the company. He is smart, rich and handsome, but he is arrogant. His secretary is Kim Mi-So. She has worked for him for years and she is perfect for him, but Kim Mi-So decides to quit her job.

Abyss of Passion

Rosendo Arango, the owner of Grupo La Anita, is married to Alfonsina. They have one son, Damian. Estefanía Bouvier is married to Augusto Castanon and they have one daughter, Elisa. Rosendo cheats on his wife with Carmina Bouvier, Estefanía's sister. Damian and Elisa become friends because Augusto and Rosendo were best friends. But one day, Rosendo and Carmina try to go away from La Ermita, the pueblo in which they live in. But, Estefanía, who had found out about their plans, wants to prevent this, shuts Carmina in her room and then goes with Rosendo in his car, trying to convince him not to run away with Carmina. They have an accident and die and everyone thinks they were lovers.

Sky of Love: Someone I love is there

An ordinary senior high school girl named Mika meets Hiro, a showy boy with dyed hair and pierced ears. It is a "pure love" story of the two going through many unimaginably sad incidents while nurturing their love single-mindedly. It not only depicts the first love of the senior high school couple but also weaves "a story of Mika and Hiro" through episodes probably familiar to anybody, such as warmth and affection of their family members supporting the two, importance of living, interactions with friends, and so on.

Business Proposal

In disguise as her friend, Ha-ri shows up to a blind date to scare him away. But plans go awry when he turns out to be her CEO — and makes a proposal.

Ranma ½

Ranma Saotome, a teenage martial artist, and his father Genma travel to the 'cursed training ground' of Jusenkyo in China. There, despite the warnings of the Chinese guard, they fall into the cursed springs. From now on, whenever Ranma is doused in cold water, he turns into a girl and a cute, well-built redhead at that. Hot water changes him back into a man again, but only until the next time. To make matters worse, his father engages him to Akane Tendo, a girl who hates boys.

Are You Human?

Nam Shin is a son from a family who runs a large company. After an unexpected accident, he falls into a coma. His mother Oh Ro-Ra is an authority on brain science and artificial intelligence. She creates an android named Nam Shin III which looks like just like her son Nam Shin. The android pretends to be Nam Shin and he has a bodyguard So-Bong.

Nevertheless,

The intoxicating charm of a flirtatious art school classmate pulls a reluctant love cynic into a friends-with-benefits relationship.

City Hunter

The story takes place in Seoul, 2011. Lee Yoon-sung is a talented MIT-graduate who's working on the international communications team at the Blue House. He encounters dangerous situations while solving a variety of cases, both big and small, for people who need his help, and eventually becomes a "city hunter."

Xica da Silva

Dark Fate

Mariana de la Noche is a Mexican telenovela from 2003. Written by Delia Fiallo and produced by Salvador Mejia, it starred Angélica Rivera, Jorge Salinas, Alejandra Barros and César Évora.

Domestic Girlfriend

Natsuo is a high school boy who is experiencing the crushing despair of unrequited love. To make matters worse, the person he is in love with is his teacher, Hina. In an attempt to lift his spirits, he attends a mixer where he meets a girl named Rui. The two sleep together, expecting never to see one another again, but fate has other plans. His life suddenly becomes more complicated when his father comes home and announces he has remarried a woman with two daughters whom Natsuo has met before: Hina and Rui!

Toradora!

Ryūji Takasu is a gentle high school student with a love for housework; but in contrast to his kind nature, he has an intimidating face that often gets him labeled as a delinquent. On the other hand is Taiga Aisaka, a small, doll-like student who is anything but a cute and fragile girl. Equipped with a wooden katana and feisty personality, Taiga is known throughout the school as the "Palmtop Tiger." One day, an embarrassing mistake causes the two students to cross paths. Ryūji discovers that Taiga actually has a sweet side: she has a crush on the popular vice president, Yūsaku Kitamura, who happens to be his best friend. But things only get crazier when Ryūji reveals that he has a crush on Minori Kushieda—Taiga's best friend! Toradora! is a romantic comedy that follows this odd duo as they embark on a quest to help each other with their respective crushes, forming an unlikely alliance in the process.

María la del Barrio

A brave, poor young girl is welcomed into a rich family and develops a romance with their misogynist youngest son, driving a woman already in love with him to go to great lengths to destroy their relationship.

My Happy Marriage

Miyo's abusive family deems her worthless – but together with her powerful husband-to-be, her true self and hidden powers slowly begin to shine.

Mischievous Kiss

A clumsy high-school girl - Oh Ha-ni - is at the bottom of her class, and she has had a crush on a popular genius, Baek Seung-Jo, ever since she first laid eyes on him.