Macross is a franchise that has been around for, as of 2022, 40 years. This all started back in 1982 with Super Dimension Fortress Macross.  While I wasn't able to see it until many years later, it's not an exaggeration to say that Macross is what brought me into anime. Giant robots, epic battle scenes, swarms of missiles; Macross was quite thrilling for young me. Macross is also the thing that first brought me to Anime Expo back in 2010. I was a big fan of Macross Frontier and the announcement that May'n and Megumi Nakajima would be in Los Angeles was what pushed me to go. A big part of Macross has always been the music, and having these two artists perform their craft in America is something I didn't know if I'd ever be able to see again.

NEMOPHILA has just premiered their newest single, ADABANA, about an hour ago.  Give it a listen.

Crunchyroll Expo's 2022 edition features a slightly different musical format than last time.  Instead of a concert with a separate ticket purchase, they have decided to make it all-inclusive with your badge.  They've just announced BURNOUT SYNDROMES as one of the headliners of the New Cruncy City Music Fest.

bilibili, China's largest streaming site, has just announced a streaming event featuring some of Japan's top anison artists.  The event is titled "BILIBILI MACRO LINK - STAR PHASE" and will take place on July 17

Earlier this year, Hikaru Utada streamed a special concert titled "Hikaru Utada Live Sessions from Air Studios." It was later bundled on DVD and Blu-Ray alongside the limited edition release of her latest album, BAD MODE. As of today, you can also watch it worldwide on Netflix!

Aniplex has a tradition of bringing big name guests to Anime Expo, and this year is no different.  For 2022, they have Kaguya-sama: Love is War, Sword Art Online, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Disney's Twisted-Wonderland, and Fate/Grand Order on tap.  Even better, they have Japanese guests, which if you've looked at conventions nowadays, have been in short supply due to the state of the world.

One Piece is a name that every anime fan should know.  It's reached a mythical status thanks to the longevity of its author, Eiichiro Oda, and has over one-thousand chapters, and likewise over one-thousand episodes of anime.  It seemed that it would go on forever.  Well, all good things...