#743: Sometimes a Distraction is Just a Distraction.

Good Smile Company credit card data breach, Evangelion announces collaboration with Hard Rock Cafe Japan locations, and two banks (Comisma, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank) establish an anime production fund! Also, Disney Twisted-Wonderland's second season gets a release date, Pokémon UNITE ends service, and Trigun gets a new novel this winter! Meanwhile in Japan... End of tax-free shopping for tourists, a shoplifting-prevention guard arrested for shoplifting, and Hello Kitty cuts ties with spy drama Vivant due to torture scenes?!

Uma Musume: Pretty Derby concert canceled due to visa issues; Space Battleship Yamato (Uchuu Senkan Yamato) crosses with Love Live! School Idol Project in a new visual, and Bandai Namco Cross Store US and The Gundam Base stores rescheduled openings announced! Also, Shigeru Miyamoto becomes the 1st game creator to receive the Japan Order of Culture award, Ghibli collaborator Joe Hisaishi is named LA Phil composer in residence, and Capcom USA confirms a data breach. Meanwhile in Japan, a man in Suzuka offered 9 million yen for his semen, was conned out of 38 million yen, a fishing website was hit by a data leak, and all 3 users were affected!

New York Comic Con apologizes for ‘repeated disturbance’ during panel; actor slams fan for ‘disrespecting’ his castmates; Street Fighter Movie opens at #1, and Japan Actors Union develops guidelines for generative AI use! Also, a talent agency announced dissolution due to the owner's mental health; new Love Live! anime release date was announced, and an anime studio posted a job listing that encourages generative AI. Meanwhile in Japan... Man arrested for running pet shop with live crocodile among animals, another man gets arrested for being broke and overstaying his visa, a new beer made from udon noodles celebrates Mizusawa food culture, and taxi drivers granted rights to kick out passengers!

Female-led heavy metal band Lovebites suspends live performances for 2027; Eminem drops a Naruto villain Madara-inspired collaboration; includes Madara's English VA and five manga titles announced for a Marvel and Kadokawa partnership! Also, TOYOTA demos an Initial D drifting video complete with a cup-of-water spill test, Idol unit i☆Ris announces ending, and Naruto announces a new continuation manga and crossover anime series! Meanwhile in Japan, Nissin announces its first-ever cup noodle point program; 1 million yen porcelain Sonic The Hedgehog figures are the latest lottery draw!

An update on Tapas shutdown, an AI lawsuit dismissed after a video removal, and Universal Studios Japan (USJ) offers the 1st Sailor Moon theme park ride! Also, Pokémon is releasing an official solid gold collectible for the 30th anniversary, Young Magazine USA special gets its 2nd issue, and Cells at Work gets a dental spinoff manga! Meanwhile in Japan... New permanent residency guideline for foreigners is to earn more than the average Japanese person, Toys''R''Us to leave Japan, and how to claim your free Shinkansen ticket in Japan!

J-Pop artist Mai Kuraki breaks her Guinness World Records with another Detective Conan theme song! One US Gundam store opening canceled, and LEGO teases Dragon Ball collaboration! Also, the 6th live-action Midnight Diner series reveals returning cast and debut date, Kakao Entertainment to shut down webtoon platform Tapas, and four of Goku's voice actors team up for one major Kamehameha! Meanwhile in Japan, robbers steal a drunk man's shoes and 1 million yen in cash, and used books are being bought by the truckload; no buyer has been identified...

AnimeJapan opens submissions for new creator awards, the official Naruto battle board game exceeds crowdfunding needs, and Crunchyroll acquires 7.03% of media company Link U. Also, New Gundam stores are coming to the US, Sailor Moon and Meiji team up once more, and a Pokémon art book is released for a comparison of 30 years of games! Meanwhile in Japan, two Americans attempt to smuggle 1 million in cannabis for a free trip to Japan, a gang of angry monkeys attacks a man in a hot spring town, and the number of centenarians living in Japan tops 100,000!

Adieu Galaxy Express 999 gets 45th anniversary screenings, Netflix and SEGA team up for live-action films and a new Sonic The Hedgehog animation, and RANMA 1/2 gets themed tableware! Also, 15,000 drawings were used to make The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You dance, Level 5 CEO addresses the use of AI in a recent presentation, and Lionsgate partners with Toei Animation for project distribution! Meanwhile in Japan... Megadeth guitarist chimes in as voice of reason on shrine dancing, and mayors challenge each other to a ninja battle!

An update on Toei Animation confirming no license for the French theme park, sleeping like a Pokémon in a limited-run Poké Ball hotel, and the latest Puella Magi Madoka Magica film passed 1 billion yen in opening weekend! Also: InuYasha signed sketch auctioned to help kids orphaned by AIDS, GKIDS responds after complaints about subtitle timing during movie screenings, and Meta glasses and celebrity do not equal CONSENT! Meanwhile in Japan, a Kyoto temple bans visitors from wearing kimonos, a change in laws may ban more than half of Airbnb-style rentals in a Tokyo ward, and Kobe schools abolish school-run extracurriculars and shift to community-based programs!

Idol game app firm collapses as data shows bankruptcies up 7% on year, Universal Studios Japan crosses two popular anime with two popular movie franchises for new collaborative merch, and Pokémon social media account hacked! Also, Korean Pop Culture Expo (KPEX) launched in NYC for 2027, Japanese anisong singer Asaka touches fans with a heartfelt message, and the French president announced a manga theme park, but... There's a lack of license approval... Meanwhile in Japan, Final penguin Suica cards shipped for use, and foreign resident visa renewal is about to jump over 967 percent for some, and that's not even the highest amount!