It was announced on January 15th that Nippon Television's anime slot "FRIDAY ANIME NIGHT (Fura-ani)" will be expanded to two slots and one hour in April. "Fura-ani" was launched in October 2023 as an anime slot at 11pm on Fridays, following on from the movie slot "Friday Road Show." This marks the first time in approximately 31 years that the station has established a regular nationwide anime slot, and it was established with the aim of focusing on the global expansion of anime. To date, it has aired popular works such as "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End," "That That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime(That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime The Apothecary Diaries Datta Ken)," and "The Apothecary Diaries." As commercial broadcasters are focusing on anime, Nippon Television will also be putting even more effort into anime.
The program will be expanded to two slots: "Furaani 2300" at 11 PM on Fridays, and "Furaani 2330" at 11:30 PM. In April, "Furaani 2300" will air the first season of the fourth season of "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime," while "Furaani 2330" will air "Snowball Earth," based on the manga by Tsujitsugu Yuichiro, which is currently being serialized in "Monthly! Spirits" (Shogakukan). In July, "Furaani 2300" will air the second season of the fourth season of "That Time I Got Reincarnated That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime," while "Furaani 2330" will air "Kore Kaite Shine, " based on the manga by Toyoda Minoru, which was nominated for the Manga Taisho 2023 and the 70th Shogakukan Manga Award.
A press conference was recently held at the station in Shiodome, Tokyo, to announce the expansion of "Furaani." Hiroko Osawa, head of the station's animation division, said, "It's been two years since Furaani was born. We want to deliver happy works that will remain in people's memories for a lifetime and have an impact on reality. Anime has the power to change everyday life, transcending borders, languages, and generations."
Also appearing at the press conference were Atsumi Tanezaki , who plays Frieren in " Frieren: Beyond Journey's End ," Okazaki Miho, who plays That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Tempest in "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime," Yoshinaga Takuto, who plays Yabusame Tetsuo in "Snowball Earth," and Akira Sekine , who plays Ankai Sho in " Kore Kaite Shine ."
The first season of " Frieren: Beyond Journey's End" was broadcast from September 2023 to March 2024 as the first installment of "Furaani" and became a big hit. Regarding the broadcast of the second season, Tanezaki said, "I've heard from so many people that they're looking forward to it. The second season won't disappoint, so I hope everyone will watch it soon. I'm a fan myself, so I'm looking forward to it."
It has been announced that the fourth season of "That That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime" will be a big project spanning five seasons, and Okazaki enthusiastically commented, "I haven't heard much about a five-season split series. I'll do my best to take on the 11pm time slot starting in April."
"Snowball Earth" is a highly anticipated work produced by Studio KAI and directed by Munehisa Sakai, who is known for "Zombie Land Saga." Yoshinaga commented, "When I read the original work, I was inspired by the characters, each with their own beliefs. I hope I can deliver that courage to others this time."
Regarding the much talked about film "Kore Kaite Shine," Sekine said, "It's a film filled with many miracles. Ankai Ai (the character she plays) is an ordinary girl, innocent and cheerful, and works hard at everything. I felt a sense of empathy; when I found my dream, I shone so brightly!"
