Actor of the "Digimon Generation" Voices Asuka Torajirou in Appmon

July 6th, 2016. The official Appmon portal site updated with two new character profiles, Asuka Torajirou and his Buddy Appmon, Musimon. Like the previous character profiles, these include bits of commentary by the voice cast about the casting decisions surrounding the characters. Torajirou's actor, Kokido Shiho, explained that she was excited to be working in a series that she watched as a child. No doubt this makes her kindred spirits with Uchiyama Yumi, who voices Appmon's protagonist and is likewise a longtime fan of the series. The character profiles and cast commentary are translated below.

Torajirou is much younger than the previously introduced characters. Shinkai Haru is a first-year middle school student, while Karan Eri is a second-year middle school student; Torajirou is still in elementary school, two years younger than Haru. Eri is actually the same age as Mimi was in Digimon Adventure 02, while Torajirou is as old as her in the original Adventure. These gaps will likely make for an unusual dynamic among the core cast.

Asuka Torajirou
Voice: Kokido Shiho
"You follow? You don't follow? Super-follow!"
An 11-year-old fifth-grade elementary student. Has an infectious Bohemian attitude, and judges everything based on that mood. On the video site "AppTube," his self-published videos make him a pretty popular Apptuber. He publishes under the name "Astra" shortened from his real name. Part of an iemoto family dealing in tea ceremonies, he grew up in a strict home, and so has a feeling of longing for great freedom. His Buddy Appmon is Musimon.

(Iemoto is a traditional hereditary Japanese system of training in the classical arts. In Digimon Adventure, Sora's mother was also an iemoto, but in flower arrangement rather than tea ceremony. "Astra" comes from Asuka Torajirou to create Asutora.)

Cast comments
Asuka Torajirou's voice, Kokido Shiho: "When the casting was decided for Torajirou, I was so happy I got goosebumps. Since I grew up as part of the Digimon generation, performing in a series I watched as a child is like a dream. I think there are many like me, who were looking forward to a new Digimon series. This is a work which a wide variety of generations will watch, and with the power of my partner Musimon I want to go go forward at full strength, so please look forward to it!"

Musimon
Voice: Tamura Nao
"No Musimon No Life!"
Torajirou's Buddy Appmon, with the power of a music app. Like Torajirou, he has a high-spirited personality.

(Musimon's quote is based on Tower Records' catchphrase, "No Music, No Life." Similar allusions were made in Cyber Sleuth and in -next 0rder-.)

Cast Comments
Musimon's voice, Tamura Nao: "Participating in the world of Appli Monsters as Musimon, I'm full of incredibly happy feelings! I got goosebumps when I saw the movie, and it was moving seeing the staff's passion for this work. So that this series becomes beloved by many, I'll do my best as an Appmon Member!"

“A Story That’s Digimon, Yet Not Digimon:” Staff Commentary on Digimon Universe Appli Monsters

The official Appli Monsters portal site currently hosts a small collection of Japanese-language commentary from those working on the TV anime. Featuring remarks by the director, series composer, character designer and producer, these comments drop several hints as to the themes and key idea of Appmon. Their statements are translated below.

Series Director, Koga Gou:
"It's been 17 years since Digimon Adventure! Right now digital technology is indispensable to our daily lives, and perhaps artificial intelligence will exceed humanity's abilities. Is that a good thing? A scary thing?

To the children living in the "now," I want to convey an exciting adventure story of a new "current" Digimon = Appmon. Please look forward to it!"

Series Composer, Katou Yoichi:
"Artifical Intelligence is a key point to this work, it's a very hot subject that's jumping into the news every day. I want to look at it freely, laugh, and while a hot story's there, give meaning to this current era, to see the meaning there. The protagonist Haru and his friends obtain Appli Drives and meet Appmon, and in each of their lives take important steps forward. Kindness is the key to everything. We gathered the perfect staff for this work beginning with supervisor Koga and producer Nagatomi, and the screenplay team. I'm very much looking forward to it!"

Character Designer, Onuki Kenichi:
"When I first saw Haru's rough draft, I said "It's good!" and felt relieved right away.

This is my first time working for Toei, but it's not just the scenery, it's the various duties and discussions that make me look forward to working on this. There's still a little time until the broadcast, so I'm going to do my best."

Producer, Nagatomi Daichi:
"'A story that's Digimon, yet not Digimon.'

That's Appli Monsters. I want both people that already love Digimon, and those that are seeing it for the first time, to please get swallowed up in Haru and Gatchmon's story. (Laughs)

The keywords are "Digimon," "Smartphones," "AI," and "Appli Monster." Look forward to it going on air!"

Appmon's First Female Character Introduced, Cast Commentary

June 29th, 2016. The Digimon Universe portal site updated today with two new character profiles, featuring the series' first female character Karan Eri and her Appmon partner, Dokamon. Like the previous trio of profiles, these contain commentary by the voice cast, which is translated below. A recurring theme among the cast members thus far is a sense of unreality--most of them have doubted that they've been cast in the long-running Digimon series, expressing both excitement and anxiety at the roles.

Note that while Eri is listed as a second-year middle school student, the Japanese second year of middle school is equivalent to the first year of high school in the United States. (There are only three years of high school in Japan, not four.) Eri is in 9th grade.

Karan Eri
Voice: Shouji Umeka
"Dokkan Punch to your HEART! I am the center of space, the supreme Karan Eri!"
A fourteen-year-old second-year middle school student, she's an active member of an idol group with great reflexes and a lively personality. She plays a strong character, but in reality is docile and kind. She also has a side to her that easily succumbs to loneliness. Her Buddy Appmon is Dokamon.

Cast comments
Karan Eri's voice, Shouji Umeka:
"Writing commentary like this right now, it doesn't feel real, it still feels like a dream. The Digimon series beloved by so many people. I'm really happy to take this chance. Ever since I was a kid I got this feeling of excitement, and a "dream" from animation. I want to do my best along with Eri-chan to impart that "dream" packed full of heart-pounding excitement to the kids of today."

Shouji Umeka's Profile
Born August 20th. Part of Aoni Productions. Major works include One Piece (Ran/Inazuma) World Trigger (Kumagai Yukou) Bihada Ichizoku (Bihada Sara) among others.

Dokamon
Voice: Kumai Motoko
"Dokkan Punch to your BODY!"
Eri's Buddy Appmon. A powerful person with a kind personality, they're an action game application Appmon. Loves everything about Eri, and respects Gatchmon as his aniki. (A kind of big-brother figure found in yakuza gang culture. The Agumon of Digimon Savers also referred to protagonist Daimon Masaru as his aniki.)

Cast comments
Dokamon's voice, Kumai Motoko:
"It's a great honor to be part of the latest work in the long-loved Digimon series! I'm looking forward to recording. Taking this opportunity, I'll do my best to digitally evolve my analog self. (Laughs) I want to perform with all my soul, so please cheer for me!"

Kumai Motoko's Profile
Born September 8th. Part of 81 Produce. Major works include HeartCatch PreCure! (Coffret) Negibouzo no Asatarou (Asatarou) Tanken Driland - Sennen no Mahou (Sword of Intense Flame Kibamaru) among others.

Cyber Sleuth Producer Habu Kazumasa Celebrates International Launch

January 29th, 2016. In celebration of Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth's international launch in North America on February 2nd and Europe on February 5th, producer Habu Kazumasa has sent out a special announcement through Bandai Namco Entertainment's European branch, thanking fans for their enthusiasm in supporting the Operation Decode petition. Stating that Cyber Sleuth is a game not just for Digimon fans, but for fans of role-playing games as a whole, Habu outlined how his aim was to capture an adult audience with the latest Digimon title, rather than its traditional child demographic. Ever since the financial problems of the Xros Wars era, Digimon has skewed increasingly towards a young adult demographic, targeting both fans that were children at the time of the franchise's height and newcomers with no prior familiarity to the series.

Habu has been an outspoken advocate of the fans in the past, repeatedly pointing out the importance of Operation Decode to Sleuth's localization across many interviews with different publications. While Digimon has been backed into a corner for more than a decade by its failure to attract new audiences, Habu has hinted that the international success of Cyber Sleuth could lead to a franchise revival, including simultaneous worldwide launches of future games.

Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth will launch on the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4 in North America on February 2nd, 2016, and in Europe on February 5th, 2016. First print copies of the game will come with downloadable content for Beelzebumon Blast Mode and Cherubimon Vice, two new Digimon exclusive to the international versions of Cyber Sleuth. While the Vita edition in North America and Europe is digital-only, the launch DLC will be available through the end of the month, and import seller Play-Asia is stocking a physical Asian-English edition of the game. The game is rated T in North America, and PEGI 12 in Europe.

Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth Will Have Global Multiplayer Battles Across the PlayStation Network

In late December at Jump Festa 2016, journalist Katrine Baumgardt of Gamereactor DK interviewed Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth producer Habu Kazumasa. Habu, who was dubbed over a translator for the interview, discussed his approach in designing the game to recapture former fans that had grown up with Digimon. Rather than the fantasy tone of past games, Habu gave Cyber Sleuth a science fiction slant that would deal more in the real world and in the Digimon's true nature as computer viruses.

Towards the end of his time, Habu touched on changes and enhancements made to the international version of the game, confirming for the first time that Cyber Sleuth's online multiplayer component will work across the PlayStation Network to connect players from around the world. This will allow players from North America and Europe alike to compete against one another, greatly expanding the number of available competitors. Prior to this, in Japan fledgling tournament play emerged for Sleuth on top of its existing ranked multiplayer mode, being held as part of the quad-annual DIGIMADO event series. (Habu did not specify if the first version of the game launched in Japan, or the Taiwanese Sleuth that came out earlier this year, will be compatible with the English game.)

As in his numerous past interviews, Habu emphasized that the decision to localize Cyber Sleuth was motivated primarily by the Operation Decode fan petition. In choosing which Digimon players could choose to start the game with, Habu avoided choosing the most popular Digimon, instead making the iconic Agumon and Gabumon play a key storyline role. The starters for Sleuth were instead based around the traditional Vaccine-Virus-Data element triangle, which has had a background role in the Digimon games for many years. Habu also explained that as players clear the game additional times, they will be able to gain additional items and Digimon with each successive playthrough.

Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth will launch on the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4 in North America on February 2nd, 2016, and in Europe on February 5th, 2016. (In the interview, Habu says February 4th, but all previous information from Bandai has stated the 5th.) First print copies of the game will come with downloadable content for Beelzebumon Blast Mode and Cherubimon Vice, two new Digimon exclusive to the international versions of Cyber Sleuth. While the Vita edition in North America and Europe is digital-only, the launch DLC will be available through the end of the month, and import seller Play-Asia is stocking a physical Asian-English edition of the game. The game is rated T in North America, and PEGI 12 in Europe.

Bandai Namco EU to Interview Cyber Sleuth Producer at Jump Festa

December 3rd, 2015. Bandai Namco EU announced over Twitter today that they will be interviewing Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth producer Habu Kazumasa at Jump Festa 2016, and the company is asking fans to submit their own questions. This year's Jump Fetsa will be held over December 19th and 20th at the Makuhari Messe expo center.

Jump Festa 2016 is currently set to host Digimon World -next 0rder-, which Habu will likely be presiding over as producer. Habu has been the producer for all Digimon games since Sunburst & Moonlight in 2008. This will be his fifth interview on Cyber Sleuth; Habu has been very open to questions in the past, doing interviews with Anime News Network, DualShockers, The Koalition, and Gematsu.

Mynavi Interviews Hanae & Hosoya on Digimon Adventure tri.

Original image uploaded by Mynavi.

November 20th, 2015. In an interview done in advance of Digimon Adventure tri.'s Japanese premiere on the 21st, Japanese news outlet Mynavi conducted an interview with voice actors Hanae Natsuki (Yagami Taichi) and Hosoya Yoshimasa (Ishida Yamato). In the interview, Hanae discussed his shock at the original cast being replaced for Digimon Adventure tri., and the challenges he faced in becoming the voice for one of his childhood heroes. Hanae saw Taichi as being Fujita Toshiko, his original voice actress, and went into the audition believing he would never be chosen for the role of Taichi. For his own part, Hosoya had no knowledge of Digimon prior to being asked to audition for Adventure tri., but felt the need to portray a Yamato that Kazama Yuuto (the character's original Seiyuu) could never perform as. A complete translation of the interview was published on the 24th by fan translator Onkei-kun.

"When I attended the Digimon event and saw the bright, shining eyes of the fans who anticipated this series, I felt over again how much love these pure-hearted people have for this anime, and how I'm going to be voicing in such a cherished series."
—Hosoya Yoshimasa

Many fans both in Japan and abroad have remarked on similarities between Hosoya's and Kazama's voices when used for Yamato, with several theatergoers initially mistaking Hosoya for the original actor by the sound of his voice alone. The similarities in the film are reinforced by Yamato's character in the film, which of the cast displays the least amount of change since Adventure 02. In contrast to this, Hanae's Taichi has been immediately singled out for the differences both in portrayal and tone when compared with Fujita's presentation. Hanae is normally chosen to portray very youthful and boyish characters, and his more mature version of Taichi is somewhat surprising to the industry as a whole.

The second chapter of Digimon Adventure tri., Decision, will premiere in Japan on March 12th, 2016, and be simulcast overseas by Crunchyroll.

Habu Kazumasa: "The Passion of Our Fans Gave Us a Lot of Strength"

November 19th, 2015. In a recent interview with Todd Ciolek of Anime News Network, Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth producer Habu Kazumasa explained his decision making process behind the game. Habu has been the producer for Digimon games since 2008, around the era of Digimon Championship on the Nintendo DS. Being directed at both nostalgic fans and newcomers to the franchise, Habu chose the Story series for its easy-to-get-into features, and drew ideas from the franchise's original line of digital toys.

According to Habu, Cyber Sleuth was influenced by new technology and current discussions about virtual reality. He focused on including the most iconic Digimon to the game while introducing almost no new monsters, as opposed to forcing in all of the currently existing one-thousand-plus Digimon. Habu explained that the English version of the game's long-anticipated Hard Mode  will be available from the moment the player starts the game, while the New Game Plus feature will be available after one complete run of Sleuth. He also alluded to modifications made to the strength of certain Digimon's skills, potentially rebalancing a somewhat skewed metagame.

“The localized version of Cyber Sleuth was approved because of a passionate campaign run by fans that had a petition signed by 65,000 people. [...] When we found out we were so cheered that we decided to bring a localized Cyber Sleuth to North America.”

As in previous interviews, Habu emphasized the power of Operation Decode's massive fan petition in persuading Bandai to localize the game. The producer also touched on the idea of making "toys and animation based on this narrative and world," but the success of the game overseas is Bandai's first priority.

Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth will launch on the PlayStation Vita and PS4 in North America on February 2nd, 2016, and in Europe on February 5th, 2016.

Aoi Eir is a Huge Digimon World Nerd

"To everyone who loves Digimon and travels with them, please look forward to it."

November 4th, 2015. Japanese singer Aoi Eir, who was just named earlier this week as the one responsible for Digimon World -next 0rder-'s main theme, has put up a special announcement through YouTube regarding her role. In it Aoi recounts a familiar story of playing Digimon World as a child, how her Agumon evolved to Numemon and then Monzaemon. Her story will resonate with those that played the original game; getting Monzaemon is a near universal experience for first time Digimon tamers, as when starting out the unclear evolution requirements often lead them to go through this sequence to make the early parts of the game easier.

Monzaemon

In a similar interview with -next 0rder- character designer Taiki last August, the artist also made statements outing himself as an original generation Digimon fan that had a Digital Monster virtual pet on its launch day. Based on these interviews it seems Bandai has staffed -next 0rder-'s development team with individuals that were fans of Digimon as children, to reproduce the aspects of the games that made them so successful to begin with.

A translation of Aoi's statements is provided below. Note that when she refers to the "village," she's talking about the Village of Beginnings, which was called File City in the English localization of Digimon World, and Primary Village in the dubbed anime.

I was among the first generation to play Digimon World. I was totally immersed in its universe. I remember building the village, and returning the Digimon that lost their memories to that place, my little brother and I were addicted. It was a disaster, because we accidentally raised a Numemon, but after that we went to Toy Town and evolved him to Monzaemon.

Up until we got Monzaemon, it was a very long road. When going to Toy Town, we couldn't afford to encounter any other Digimon along the way, and I was mashing "flee" with my nails.

Even now, I remember the Digimon. Things like Agumon, Jijimon's village, Botamon, it's amazing how clear everything still is. In the end, we were safe once we arrived at Toy Town. I was happy to get Monzaemon, coming from Numemon. I remember having to use Buster Dive a lot. I thought since no enemies [could stand up to it], we could go to various places and do our best to develop the village.

This is why I am currently recording this song. It's become a very bright, up-tempo piece of music. I want to work hard on this project, so to everyone who loves Digimon and travels with them, please look forward to it.

Digimon World -next 0rder- will launch in 2016. Please wait patiently for follow-up information. This has been Aoi Eir.

Habu Kazumasa: "Sense of Honor" in Localizing Cyber Sleuth, Online Multiplayer Inspired by Virtual Pets

October 16th, 2015. Today Allisa James of DualShockers published her interview with Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth producer Habu Kazumasa, conducted at New York Comic-Con just last week. In it, Habu describes how the game is designed "so people not familiar with Digimon would still be accessible," while at the same time "trying to target to older fans who were fans of Digimon as kids." Habu stressed that both the Cyber Sleuth team and those responsible for Digimon Adventure tri.'s development felt it was important to "take care of" their teen and adult fans, though the two groups were not actually collaborating. Cyber Sleuth had already finished development by the time work on the movies began, making the current direction of the franchise something of a happy accident.

The international debut of Cyber Sleuth came at the intersection of the franchise's new direction and immense western interest in the game. Habu was surprised by the passion of fans in the US, stating that seeing the Operation Decode petition made Bandai realize they could bring Cyber Sleuth to international players. He also referred to having a "sense of honor" about localizing Cyber Sleuth for the western market, nearly ten years after the second game in the Digimon Story series (Sunburst/Moonlight) had been translated in the west. A similar statement was made in his Gematsu interview from the same day.

Habu remained vague about just how many copies Bandai wants Cyber Sleuth to sell in order to secure Digimon's future in North America, but suggested reaching the same figures as in Japan. This would be about 120,000 units in ten weeks, four times the initial western sales of Digimon Story Sunburst/Moonlight in 2007. If Cyber Sleuth were to hit these numbers, it would tied with Digimon Savers: Another Mission for the fifth best-selling Digimon game of all time, surpassed by Digimon Adventure Anode Tamer, Digimon Story Sunburst/Moonlight, the original Digimon Story, Digimon World 2, and the fifteen-years record holder Digimon World.

On October 13th, JakeJames Lugos of The Koalition also published a video interview with Habu, who spoke through a translator. Here too Habu stressed the importance of the Operation Decode petition, emphasizing the 65,000+ signatures and his gratitude to those fans for demonstrating their enthusiasm. Habu reiterated his points about targeting both core fans and newcomers, and also revealed near the end of the interview that the original idea for the Cyber Sleuth's online multiplayer came from the handheld Digimon toys, referring to the Digital Monster, Pendulum, and Digivice games from 1997-2001. The Cyber Sleuth team wished to expedite the experience of battling and make it easier for Digimon tamers to do so.

Habu Kazumasa: Operation Decode Gave Bandai "Strength and Confidence"

October 10th, 2015. Today American games journalism outlet Gematsu published their interview with Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth producer Habu Kazumasa, conducted Friday at Comic-Con New York. In it, Habu explains how Cyber Sleuth was designed to attract new players unfamiliar with the Digimon brand, and the type of thought that went into revamping the Digimon Story battle system. Notably, Habu made direct reference to the Operation Decode petition responsible for the games' western revival;

We knew we had a lot of fans here in the global market because of the petition for the game’s localization. The petition gave us a lot of strength and confidence that we can still bring Digimon to a lot of fans here in North America.

We picked the Digimon Story series’ game systems instead of the Digimon World systems because we wanted a simplified battle system for new players to get into. We wanted this battle system to be very simple. Instead of the positioning thing, we redesigned the battle system with different kinds of features.

Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth will launch in 2016 for the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4. Gematsu suggested a unified release date for Cyber Sleuth between the game's North American and European releases.

Character Designer Taiki's Interview in Weekly Famitsu Discusses Next Order's Protagonist

August 6th, 2015. Chinese gaming outlet TGBUS uploaded scans of this week's issue of Weekly Famitsu magazine, leaking new info on the upcoming Digimon World -next 0rder-. The issue contains a brief interview with Taiki, the game's character designer who has previously worked on the Seiken Densetsu series' Rise of Mana, Black ★Rock Shooter Arcana, and Lord of Vermillion.  Digimon World -next 0rder-'s CERO rating is pending review, while the producer been identified as "Fujiwara;" previously it was thought that Habu Kazumasa, producer for Re:Digitize, Decode, and Cyber Sleuth would be continuing in his role with -next 0rder-.

Translations of the issue's key articles are provided below.

The Digimon World Series' Returns After 2 Years!
Beginning in the year 1999, the Digimon World series is beloved across generations. An encounter with the unknown is beginning.
In the RPG "Digimon World" series, you train and adventure in a computer world with the digital lifeforms called "Digimon." Two years after the previous work in the series, it has been decided to launch this one on the PS Vita! A new journey begins with your Digimon partner. In part 1, we will introduce a new world and protagonist.

The Protagonist and Partner's Adventure in a Mysterious Digital World
The protagonist of this new story is a boy who spends every day rigorously preparing for his entrance exams, Takuto. The character designer is the illustrator who has served a multitude of RPGs, Taiki. As a long-time Digimon fan, expect stylish and charming characters from him!

The New Protagonist: Takuto
A third-year male high-school student. He was once enthusiastic about digital monster games, and in fifth grade was the runner-up in the national championships. Currently he spends his days studying for college entrance examinations, and he can't see any other purpose for himself.

Character Designer Taiki-shi's Comments
In elementary school, I crossed paths with Digimon standing in line at a department store, on the launch date of first generation of portable Digimon devices. I can't believe it's been about 20 years, but just thinking about being involved in this series, half gives me joy, and half pressure. I'm all fired up for this challenge. Takuto was once one who was enthusiastic about Digimon, but without realizing it he forgot, and in a new form he will once more be a character that can respond to the circumstances of crossing paths. It made me anxious, but somehow I think I created a new Digimon protagonist.

The national championships referenced in Takuto's profile likely refer to the D-1 Grand Prix, a real series of tournaments held by Bandai across Japan from 1997 to 2007.