NHK will be launching a large-scale NHK Special series, "New Japonism," on January 5th as part of its 100th anniversary of broadcasting. The series will feature Japanese culture, including manga, anime, music, food, and design, which are popular with people all over the world. It will visit passionate locations around the world and depict interactions with local people and culture. It will also trace Japan's history and unravel the background to the development of this culture that has captivated the world.
The first episode, titled "Volume 1 MANGA: Stories that Set Me Free," will air on NHK General TV on the 5th at 9:15pm. The theme is Japanese manga. Including anime, it is estimated that there are 1 billion fans around the world. Researchers overseas have analyzed that the reason for the enthusiasm lies in the "chaos of the world." People facing harsh realities are projecting themselves onto the diverse and realistic characters and stories of Japanese manga.
The program will interview fans from all over the world, including Ukraine and Zimbabwe, and will also visit the scene where the global hit manga is created. The host will be Ryusei Yokohama , who will play the main character Tsutaya Juzaburo , who is said to have laid the foundation for Japan's media industry and pop culture in the 2025 taiga drama " UNBOUND ".
