Jul 4, 2023

Highlights of the Anime Expo: "Panties & Stockings", "Pokemon Concierge", "Suicide Squad ISEKAI", "Solo Leveling".

As the largest anime event in North America, the Anime Expo in Los Angeles concludes today, we look back at the four standout announcements that caught our eye in this year's packed edition.

This studio Trigger was announced at last year's anime Expo, which announced a revival of the popular 2010s series, and made a big splash this year by sharing a new teaser. The original director, Hiroyuki Imaishi, has returned for a reboot along with animation director Susio, writer Hiromi Wakabayashi and designer Shigeto Koyama. According to Trigger President Masahiko Otsuka, the studio has long wanted to revive panties & stockings, but recently acquired the rights from Gainax, the show's original producer.

Garter Belt Panties & Stockings tells the story of two fallen angels raising hell on Earth while trying to return to heaven. The original show stood out for the way it blended East and West animation styles in a frantic and fun story that always felt very original.

Netflix's previously announced stop-motion series Pokemon Concierge will be released from the platform on May 12 this year and will feature a new behind-the-scenes video at the Anime Expo. Netflix hasn't shared many plot details yet, but here's a quick overview:"This fun stop-motion animation tells the story of Concierge Hull, who works at the resort just for Pokemon, and the guests who visit.

In the behind-the-scenes video, Non, the voice actor who plays Hal's voice, and Iku Ogawa, the show's director, walk the audience through the Dwarf Studio Pokemon Set, where several adorable dolls pop up.

WIT Studios and Warner Bros.Japan announced this new DC Comics anime series at the Anime Expo2023 panel on Monday. The show, which got a short teaser, will be directed by Eri Nagata from the script by Taihei Nagatsuki and Eiji Umehara.

Isekai means "a different world" and the teaser certainly has shots of at least some of Suicide Squad's most popular villains, in this case Harley Quinn and Joker, a Mon floating island, a dragon, an orc-looking horned creature, and an armored pig man in a distinctly otherworldly setting.

Aniplex and Crunchyroll are teaming up on an animated adaptation of the hugely popular webcomic Solo Leveling that will be available to stream on Crunchyroll by the end of the year. With the announcement of the series, Crunchyroll released a teaser that included several stills and production credits for the show. Sadly, there's very little animation in the teaser, so you'll have to wait to know better if the show looks like it's moving.

Produced by A-1Pictures, directed by Shunsuke Nakashige, screenwriter Noboru Kimura, and character design by Tomoko Sudo. The original webcomics were created by Dubu, Chugong, and h-goon and are available on Tappytoon.