The past month’s chapter of The Five Star Stories is apparently so full of information that it’s ridiculous. Also the character Concord makes an “erotic expression.”
Kio will be going analog (physical media + projector!) for his live drawing session this month with Minoda Kaidou. He plans to draw a Spotted Flower character.
Because Kio has felt his concentration decline recently, he decided to draw outside. He’s not sure how well it worked, despite being more productive overall.
Having decided to write out the plot in the morning for something in Spotted Flower, Kio went and finished the written storyboard. He had thought about how it should go for a while, so the drawing went pretty smoothly.
Additional advertisement for the live drawing event. Kio mentions you can get a photo copy of the drawings! He also reconfirms that it’ll be streamed using a projector.
When asked about what they’re hoping for at the live drawing event, Minoda said her answer was a difficult one—she wants to see people to react to their drawings by going, “What the heck is this?!” This makes Kio look forward to being there.
Kio thanks Minoda for her congratulatory message on 50 chapters of Spotted Flower. Minoda also drew characters from Kio’s previous manga Jigopuri. Minoda also mentions the live drawings will be bunny girls.
Kio responding to a person who considers Haraguchi from Genshiken their “#1 oshi,” and asks whether the character has a full name. Kio’s answer: He never came up with one.
The print edition of Spotted Flower Chapter 50 is out [and so is the digital edition now!]. There will be one more print chapter and then two digital ones after this, due to Rakuen: Le Paradisending.
Kio drew a short comic about one of the model kits from the 1/00 scale Volks Super Modeling Series: Daccas the Black Knight from The Five Star Stories.
At first, Kio talked about how it feels like he was doing nothing, and all of a sudden the release date of the adult video adaptation of Zenbu Sensei no Sei. 2. is almost out. But then he realized that he was definitely not “doing nothing,” and was drawing a manuscript, doing research for it, revising it, and even scrapping the whole thing sometimes. (NSFW)
He also made a drawing of his own replicating the ad for Zenbu Sensei no Sei. 2. There’s currently a sale going for both the prequel and the new stuff until November 23. It’s also available on DVD.
Sounds like Chapter 50 of Spotted Flower will have a hell of a finale. It’s not clear whether this means the end of the series, or it’s just the final scene of the chapter that’s a big deal.
Different stores in Japan have different purchase bonuses for Volume 8 of Spotted Flower! Almost all of them are basically different girls in skimpy swimsuits.
It also seems like Kio will be including something like a doujinshi with Volume 8.
There will be a live action adaptation of Kio’s erotic doujinshi sequel, It’s All Your Fault, Sensei.2. Here’s an NSFW tweet with a barely censored picture of the actors.
While visiting Obata Castle in Ibaraki Prefecture, Kio heard a loud roar coming from the south. Then he remembered that the JSDF’s Hyakuri Base is there.
Kio caught COVID at the beginning of the month. He went to the hospital (which is a very normal thing in Japan), got some medicine, and his fever broke around the 5th. He also thanks all the fans who wished him well.
When he saw the movie Kokuhou, Kio managed to eat ramen and not have to pee for the entirety of the 175-minute movie, so he decided he’ll do the same for the Demon Slayer movie, which is 155 minutes long.
Kio thought a picture of two tortoise toys from the Ichiban Kuji line looked shockingly realistic, only to realize one of them was an actual tortoise. It reminds him a lot of his own pet.
Nakayama Yoshiko is the producer of the anime Anne Shirley, based on the Anne of Green Gables novels, and Inoue Honoka is the voice of the titular heroine. This interview was also conducted after I had already attended the Anne Shirley panel at Anime Central 2025.
Hello, thank you for coming to this interview. I really enjoy Anne Shirley; I’m a fan of Anne of Green Gables as well, so I was happy to see this new anime being created, as well as Ms. Inoue’s portrayal of Anne.
Inoue: Thank you!
Between the beloved 1979 anime and the general popularity of Anne of Green Gables in Japan, as well as the numerous adaptations around the world, was it intimidating to create a new Anne anime? How did you overcome this pressure?
Nakayama: I was a fan of the original novel, and I think this applies to everyone who loves Anne of Green Gables, but I think Anne exists in all of us. As for me, I saw the story a little differently, and that’s exactly why I wanted to make this anime.
So that’s why I wanted to start this project. I’m aware of Director Takahata’s anime from 1979 but I haven’t seen it myself. When the project was greenlit, I was excited. However, the rest of the production staff was probably a little nervous.
For Nakayama: I believe female anime directors are relatively rare, and female producers even moreso. Do you have any advice for other women who might aspire to do the same thing?
This is my first time as the main producer for the project. As for advice, you need a lot of stamina, a lot of love for the project, and have a strong heart, and to not give up.
My next question is directed towards Inoue-san. I actually interviewed your mother, Inoue Kikuko, back in 2019. Getting to interview you now is amazing, just because I’ve gotten to talk to both mother and daughter over the years. Back then, she told me that she practiced with you at home. Is there any advice that you really took to heart from your mother?
Inoue: I’m honored to meet you as well—thank you very much! My mother always tells me to give it your all. It’s been a while since I debuted, so we haven’t practiced for a while, but with Anne Shirley, it’s different. My mother is a very big fan of Muraoka Hanako-sensei’s translation of Anne of Green Gables, so every episode, she asks if she can watch it with me. I think the Anne Shirley–esque qualities in my mother might be an influence on my performance.
Inoue-san, Anne is such an expressive, talkative character, that playing her must be a real feat. Is there anything you try to keep in mind as you voice Anne Shirley?
Inoue: I don’t particularly keep anything in mind, and I don’t really have a specific way I go about a role, but I do think a lot about how I want to express Anne’s lines when I perform her role.
This next question is to both: What messages do you think Anne Shirley the show carries for a new generation discovering Anne of Green Gables for the first time?
Inoue: I think the message is to not lose things like your imagination and your hope, and to continue living as yourself. Also, within our daily lives, there’s just beauty everywhere and it all has meaning, and I think that’s what Anne is trying to tell us.
Nakayama: I have a similar answer, but I think if you approach things with imagination and courage, you can make it through even when times get tough or you feel trapped, and you might even change life for the better. That’s what I want to convey through this work.
OGIUE MANIAX 