MBS's anime event "MBS Anime Fest 2025" was held at Kobe World Memorial Hall in Hyogo on January 18th and 19th. This was the first time the event was held in about seven years since 2018, and it was the first time it was held over two days. On the first day, January 18th, in addition to "Jujutsu Kaisen", "WIND BREAKER", and "Shangri-La Frontier", "Haikyu!! the Movie: Decisive Battle at the Garbage Dump" participated as a surprise work. On the second day, January 19th, in addition to "Tokyo Revengers", "Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury", and "Dandadan", "Attack on Titan" participated as a surprise work, and there was also a stage for "ONE PIECE", which is broadcast on Fuji TV, realizing a "dream competition" that transcended the boundaries of TV stations. Including the live viewing venue, about 10,000 people were mobilized over the two days.
"MBS Anime Fest" is an anime event consisting of "famous scenes from anime," "live dubbing," and "live theme songs" with the concept of "a one-of-a-kind anime event that can only be seen at this very moment, and will remain in your memory!" It was born in 2005 as an outdoor festival in the Nishinomaru Garden of Osaka Castle. It was held for the first time in about 10 years in 2014, and has been held five times so far, in 2015, 2017, and 2018. As with the past, the entire event will not be streamed or released on Blu-ray disc.
On the first day, the event's customary pre-show manners video was played, with Hange from "Attack on Titan" played by Park Romi teaching fans the secrets of participation. The audience was excited by the passionate message, "Dedicate your heart to the MBS Anime Festival!" Natori, who sang the opening theme (OP) for "WIND BREAKER," appeared as the first performer and performed "Absolute Zero." In addition to Uchida Yuuma (Haruka Sakura), whose appearance was announced in advance, Shimazaki Nobunaga (playing Sofang Junhi), Nakamura Yuichi (playing Umemiya Hajime), and Umehara Yuichiro (playing Juujou), members of the Shishigashira Ren from Fuurin High School, made a surprise appearance and performed the fierce battle against the Shishigashira Ren.
Next, during the "Shangri-La Frontier" section, CHiCO, who sang the ending theme (ED), made a surprise appearance and performed "Ace." Uchida (voice of Sanraku/Yomo Rakurou) performed a reading of a play written specifically for the event. In the live recording, the famous scene against Gravekeeper Weatheremon was reenacted. Hikasa Yoko (voice of Arthur Pencilgon/Amane Towa), Koichi Makoto (voice of Oikaczo/Fushigi Kei), and Hayami Shou (voice of Gravekeeper Weatheremon) made a surprise appearance, captivating the audience with a spectacular stage performance featuring repeated exchanges of special moves. After the live recording, ReoNa, who sang the ED, made a surprise appearance. She sang her first classic ballad, "Gajumaru."
During the "Jujutsu Kaisen" section, the music unit "Who-ya Extended" made a surprise appearance and performed the opening theme "VIVID VICE". In the live dubbing, in addition to Uchida (voice of Fushiguro Megumi), Junichi Enoki (voice of Ryujo Yuji), Junichi Suwabe (Ryomen Sukuna), Nakamura (Satoru Gojo), and Shimazaki (voice of Mahito) made a surprise appearance and re-enacted famous scenes from the first season of the TV anime, "Jutai Taiten" and "Yougyo to Gyakubatsu". The finale of the section was ALI, who was in charge of the ending theme. They sang "LOST IN PARADISE feat. AKLO" and the "Jujutsu Kaisen" section ended with great enthusiasm.
After the talk corner of "Jujutsu Kaisen " ended and the end credits were shown, the image suddenly became distorted and Satoru Gojo from " Jujutsu Kaisen " cut in. Immediately after Gojo's message "Let's do it! Surprise!!", the lineup roulette started spinning again. When the title logo of " Haikyu!! The Movie: Battle at the Dump", which was a big hit last year, appeared, the screaming voices of the audience rang out. Appearing for the live dubbing were Ayumu Murase(role of Hinata Shoyo), Ishikawa Kaito (role of Kageyama Tobuo), Yuki Kaji(role of Kenma Kozume ), and Nakamura (role of Kuroo Tetsuro). Murase, Ishikawa, and Kaji were surprise guests, and the four of them reenacted the "match that will never be played again" between Karasuno and Nekoma. The fierce battle, one of the most intense in the series, was recreated with powerful anime images and live acting, and some of the audience members were crying. The band "SPYAIR" closed this section and was the final act of the first day. Their theme song "Orange" reverberated throughout the venue.
On the second day, after a pre-show "Introductory Manners Video" by Toudou Aoi ( Subaru Kimura ) from " Jujutsu Kaisen " was played, the band "KANA-BOON", who performed the opening theme for "Zombie 100: 100 Things to Do Before You Become a Zombie", made a surprise appearance to open the show, performing "Song of the Dead".
The first film on the second day was " Tokyo Revengers." In addition to Shinyuki (playing Hanagaki Takemichi), whose appearance was previously announced, Fukunishi Katsuya (playing Ryugujo Ken), Kano Sho (playing Matsuno Chifuyu), and Morikubo Shoutarou (playing Kisaki Tetta) made a surprise appearance and performed many famous scenes.
The next work was "Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury". Yama, who was in charge of the opening theme, appeared and started the main part by singing "Slash". Kana Ichinose(voice of Suletta Mercury), Lynn (voice of Miorine Rembrandt), Yohei Azakami (voice of Güell Jetak), Natsuki Hanae(Elan Ceres *Enhanced Personnel No. 4, Enhanced Personnel No. 5), and Makoto Furukawa(voice of Shadik Zeneli) performed original readings. The story was about what would happen if the characters came to Kobe, and the audience was filled with laughter as the characters lectured on the differences in the Kansai dialect while strolling around Kobe. During the live dubbing, many famous scenes were shown, and the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became serious. After the live dubbing was over, the performance switched back to the reading, and at the end, the characters greeted the audience in the Kansai dialect, which drew loud applause from the audience. After the cast had left the stage, surprise artist Shiyui appeared and performed the ending theme song "Kimi yo Kizaku Are."
Afterwards, Daisuke Ono appeared on stage as Erwin Smith from "Attack on Titan". When it was revealed that the secret work was "Attack on Titan", cheers from fans echoed throughout the venue. Following Ono, a surprising cast of voice actors including Hiroshi Kamiya (voice of Levi), Marina Inoue (voice of Armin Arlert), and Yuki Kaji(voice of Eren Yeager) made a surprise appearance. They re-enacted many famous scenes. The finale of this part was Ai Higuchi, who sang the ending theme song "Devil's Child" for "Attack on Titan The Final Season Part 2". She captivated the audience with her overwhelming singing ability in her live performance, and the venue erupted in thunderous applause.
The next work was "Dandadan". Hanae (Okarun/Takakura Ken), Wakayama Shion (Momo/Ayase Momo), and Tanaka Shinji (Turbo Granny) appeared and re-enacted the popular episode in which Okarun and Momo play "tag" with Turbo Granny. The audience was excited by the comical and fast-paced dubbing surrounding "Tama".
After the "Dandadan" part ended, a video was shown of "MBS Anime History," a lineup of 21st century anime works that have been broadcast on MBS up to now. After listing the names of works that have aired from 2001 to 2024, the countdown stopped at "2025," then suddenly reversed and stopped at "1975." The video then showed the words "Manga Nippon Mukashi Banashi" in 1975. For a surprise ending live performance, "Gagaga SP" appeared and performed "Ningentte Ii na," the theme song of "Manga Nippon Mukashi Banashi." The venue was united in the nostalgic, rock-style arrangement of this anime song.
And when the live ended, the end credits were played, and it seemed like the event had ended with a grand finale, but at the end of the end credits, the words "MBS supports all animations" appeared, and the venue was filled with loud applause. Immediately after that, the words "Therefore!!" appeared on the screen. The logo for "TV animation ONE PIECE 25th" appeared on the screen, and the participation of "ONE PIECE" was announced beyond the boundaries of the TV station. Amid the commotion, a special anime video drawn specifically for the event was played on the screen, and Tanaka Shinji (voice of Monkey D. Luffy) and Kamiya (voice of Trafalgar Law) appeared and performed a live dubbing of an original story. Immediately after Luffy's famous line, "I will become the Pirate King!", Kitadani Hiroshi appeared. They performed "We Are!" and at the end, Luffy read out the broadcast information for the "Anime One Piece Egghead Arc" (Fuji TV) in a live commentary, making it a "dream competition" stage that transcended station boundaries.
At the finale, all the cast members gathered on stage and gave their final greetings to the audience. At the end, the cast and the audience all joined together in a call of "MBS Anime Fest." As silver streamers shot from a cannon flew around the venue, the "MBS Anime Fest 2025" came to a close with endless applause.
