『BLACK LAGOON』Director Sunao Katabuchi's Long Message Revealed! Voice Actress Sora Tokui Directly Interviews Kohei Kato, Author of 『Million Moja』, on His Passionate Roots｜SHIBUYA ANIME BASE #84

New Future TV "ABEMA" broadcasted "SHIBUYA ANIME BASE #84" live on "ABEMA Anime Channel" from 9 PM to 10 PM on Friday, May 1, 2026. This episode featured guest Tenchihan Taro and was packed with highlights, including information on new spring anime and a special feature on a masterpiece celebrating its 20th anniversary.

The first half of the program continued with the latter part of "Iwai's Picks! Recommended Spring Anime 2026." The first work introduced was 'Replica, I'm in Love.,' a poignant youth romance about another self, currently airing on ABEMA every Tuesday at 24:30. Iwai was thrilled, exclaiming, "It's so heartwarming!" about the secret sharing scene where the protagonist, aware of being a replica, feels sad, and when her crush Sanada-kun talks to her, she wears her hair in a half-updo. He praised the sadness of the protagonist, who cannot experience fun things like school trips due to being a replica, and the fast-paced development where her true identity is revealed as early as episode 3. Nakamura, who plays Haruka Yoshii in this work, expressed her joy, saying, "I'm so happy you're watching so much!"

Next, they introduced 'Nihon Sangoku,' a profound sci-fi epic drama that aims to reunify a collapsed Japan. Iwai cited "the despair-condensed first episode" as a recommended point, passionately describing the shocking development where the protagonist's small happiness with his beloved wife is unreasonably taken away. Tenchihan Taro, a fan of the original work, also praised the work, asserting his long-time fandom by saying, "I've been saying it would be animated for three years since the first volume came out." Iwai enthusiastically spoke about the charm of the contrast between the protagonist who fights with "intellect" and characters who fight with "martial arts."

Following this, the "Will it be animated!? Topics" segment presented a luxurious collaboration project with Shueisha's vertical manga service "Jump TOON." For two consecutive weeks, they will deliver live readings of popular manga and interviews with their original authors. This week, they featured 'Million Moja,' a hellish office comedy that has been serialized since December 2025 and won the commemorative 1st Jump TOON Award Grand Prize. During the program, Sora Tokui and Shugo Nakamura performed a lively live reading, and Iwai aptly described the noisy daily life at the workplace of the lazy protagonist Bellrieve, "Yobatsu Nanaka," or "Batsunana," as "like a hellish version of Shomuni," bringing laughter to the studio.

Furthermore, the program broadcasted Sora Tokui's direct interview with Kohei Kato, the original author of 'Million Moja.' Kato candidly confessed about the birth of the work, saying, "At that time, I was really into 'The Idolmaster Shiny Colors.' The initial proposal had 'a series with many girls like a social game → Hell's Kemono Friends,' and looking at it now, I wonder what that meant. I can't believe I thought I could win with this on Jump TOON (laughs)." He also touched upon his passionate journey of quitting his company job in his late 20s to become a manga artist, stating his roots: "I was encouraged by the protagonist impulsively jumping out in the first episode of 'My Hero Academia,'" and "I was pushed by the episode where Kenta Shinohara, the author of 'SKET DANCE,' also quit his company job in his late 20s to take on a challenge, and I decided to work hard for two years myself." The story of their collaborative efforts, including advice from his editor to "make the storyboard understandable to animators (with animation in mind)," was also revealed, deeply impressing the studio.

'Million Moja,' introduced this time, is currently serialized on "Jump TOON." All episodes are available for free for the first read. Please check it out.

The latter half of the program, as "Shibuani Masterpiece Theater," featured a grand special on 'BLACK LAGOON,' a hard-boiled action anime broadcast in 2006 and celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Director Sunao Katabuchi, known for heartwarming works like 'In This Corner of the World,' revealed a long questionnaire response about why he took on this seemingly opposite work. When his profound production secret, "to depict the opposite shore of self-realization," and his passionate message of gratitude for the 20th anniversary to fans, "If the work continues to live on, it is thanks to all of you," were read aloud, the studio expressed their emotion, saying, "He thinks so deeply about animation. So happy," and "Isn't it incredibly passionate?"

Also, Tenchihan Taro introduced 'Rooster Fighter' as his recommended spring anime. Regarding the unprecedented story of a rooster named "Keiji" seeking revenge against suddenly appearing "demon beasts," Tenchihan praised it, saying, "It's so intense I can't take my eyes off it. The structure where serious execution becomes a joke is excellent." He also commented on Kentaro Miyake's incredibly passionate acting and the exquisite balance between comedy and seriousness.