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Pokémon Center × Sean Wotherspoon: Pikachu, Charizard & Bulbasaur Get the Vintage Treatment

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Two worlds that feel like they were always destined to collide: Pokémon Center and Los Angeles designer Sean Wotherspoon have announced a limited collaborative plush collection featuring Pikachu, Charizard, and Bulbasaur — each reimagined using vintage-inspired fabrics and handcraft-forward construction. Pre-orders open 23 July 2026 at Pokémon Center Japan, with a global rollout expected to follow.

Pikachu, Charizard and Bulbasaur vintage plushies from the Pokémon Center × Sean Wotherspoon collaboration
Image courtesy of Pokémon Center / Sean Wotherspoon

Who Is Sean Wotherspoon?

Sean Wotherspoon portrait
Image courtesy of Pokémon Center / Sean Wotherspoon

Wotherspoon is the founder of Round Two, a vintage and sneaker boutique with outposts in Los Angeles, New York, and Tokyo. He is probably best known outside streetwear circles for winning the Nike On Air design competition in 2017 with the Air Max 1/97 “Sean Wotherspoon” — a corduroy-panelled sneaker that became one of the most hyped Nike releases of the decade and remains highly traded today. His aesthetic is rooted in 1970s–1980s Americana: chenille patches, boucle textures, varsity-jacket colour blocking, and a deliberate handmade quality that pushes back against polished mass production.

He has collaborated with major brands including adidas, Hot Wheels, and Levi’s, but a Pokémon tie-in — a franchise with its own deep 1990s nostalgia DNA — is arguably the most natural fit he has had in years.

The Plushies: Vintage Fabrics, Pokémon Souls

Pikachu plush close-up showing vintage corduroy fabric from the Sean Wotherspoon collaboration
Image courtesy of Pokémon Center / Sean Wotherspoon

The three plushies each carry Wotherspoon’s signature material language. Pikachu is rendered in a warm golden corduroy with contrast-stitched facial features and a red-velvet inner ear. Bulbasaur uses a sage-green boucle body with the iconic seed bulb rendered in a deeper forest-green pile fabric. Charizard is the centrepiece: its wings are patchworked from multiple flame-toned fabrics — rust, amber, and burnt orange — giving it a look closer to a collectible craft object than a mass-produced toy.

Charizard plush close-up showing patchwork wing fabric from the Pokémon Center × Sean Wotherspoon collaboration
Image courtesy of Pokémon Center / Sean Wotherspoon

All three are sized as display plushies rather than standard shelf plushies — approximately 30 cm each — and each comes packaged in a branded round tin decorated with vintage-style Pokémon artwork. The tin alone is being discussed heavily in the collecting community as a reason to pick up the set.

Pre-Order Details and Singapore Access

Pre-orders open at Pokémon Center Japan online on 23 July 2026. Individual pricing has not been confirmed at time of writing, but the collection is expected to be in the ¥4,000–¥6,000 per piece range based on comparable Pokémon Center limited plushies. A bundle option for all three is also anticipated.

There is no confirmed Singapore or Southeast Asia release through official channels yet. Singapore fans have two realistic options: use a proxy or forwarding service to order from Pokémon Center Japan, or watch Pokémon Center Online for a potential international drop, which has happened with previous high-demand collaborations. Given Wotherspoon’s global profile and the three-Pokémon breadth of the collab, an international rollout is plausible — just not confirmed.

For ongoing updates on Pokémon merchandise and collaborations reaching Singapore, check our Pokémon section.

Mario Tennis Fever version 1.1.0 update key art showing new Galaxy Court and characters
Game News, News

Mario Tennis Fever Version 1.1.0 Update Out Now — Galaxy Court, Black Hole Racket, and GameShare

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Nintendo and Camelot have dropped a substantial free update for Mario Tennis Fever on Switch 2, bringing the game to version 1.1.0. The headliner is a Super Mario Galaxy-themed court, a new Fever Racket that bends gravity, and — big one for Switch 2 owners here in Singapore — full GameShare support via GameChat.

The update is live now and downloads automatically if you have auto-updates on. If not, head to the game’s page on the eShop or press + on the home menu to check for updates.

Galaxy Court and the Galaxy Court Match

Mario Tennis Fever – Galaxy Court, a new Super Mario Galaxy-themed court
The new Galaxy Court takes the match to a distant planet. Image: Nintendo

The new Galaxy Court is modelled on the Super Mario Galaxy universe — think deep-space skies and planet surfaces underfoot. Ball speed on this court is relatively forgiving, but balls bounce much higher than you’re used to, so expect your lobs and drop shots to behave differently. The court geometry also changes depending on mode: Free Play and Ranked Match use one layout, while Special Match flips to a different shape entirely.

Speaking of Special Match, there’s now a dedicated Galaxy Court Match ruleset. You’re playing on a spherical court (yes, literally wrapped around a planet), and as the match progresses, one of three types of Prankster Comets swoops in to upend the strategy. If you’ve played Super Mario Galaxy, you know Prankster Comets mean business — expect the format to keep you guessing until the final point.

Black Hole Racket

Mario Tennis Fever – Black Hole Racket Fever Shot in action
The Black Hole Racket’s Fever Shot creates a gravity well that pulls in nearby players. Image: Nintendo

The new Black Hole Racket is this update’s standout Fever Racket. When your Fever Shot lands, it spawns a black hole at the bounce point. Leave it alone for a moment and it grows — and starts pulling any player who strays too close. It is exactly as chaotic as it sounds, and it pairs perfectly with the Galaxy Court’s high-bounce physics.

GameShare — Good News If Your Mates Haven’t Bought In Yet

This is the addition that’ll matter most locally. Version 1.1.0 adds full GameShare support, meaning Switch 2 owners can share the game over GameChat so friends who don’t own Mario Tennis Fever can jump in and play. Swing controls, button controls, and Mix It Up mode all work for GameShare participants — so your friend group doesn’t need four copies to get a proper session going.

For Singapore players, this is a tidy win given the game retails at S$79.90. One copy in the group, and you’re sorted for GameChat nights.

New Characters, Outfits, and Quality-of-Life Tweaks

Mario Tennis Fever – Five new Luma colour variants added as playable characters
Five new Luma colour variants join the roster as playable characters. Image: Nintendo

Five new Luma colour variants are now playable characters, fleshing out the Galaxy theme across the full roster. On the cosmetics side, Mario’s Classic Outfit — a nod to his vintage red-and-blue look — is earnable as a reward for collecting five medals.

Quality-of-life-wise, Star Shot detection has been tuned to trigger more reliably, which should smooth out frustrating misses near the star zones. You can also now select Random on the racket selection screen, so every match you continue throws a different racket at you — good for players who want more variety without manually switching each time.

Official Trailer

Official update trailer via Nintendo of America

Mario Tennis Fever version 1.1.0 is available now as a free update on Nintendo Switch 2.

Images: © Nintendo. Press image via Gematsu; eShop screenshots via Nintendo.

GameTrader.SG AI Access - use GameTrader with your AI assistant
Guides, News

Post Your Games by Chatting: GameTrader Adds AI Access

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Clearing your shelf usually means the same routine: snap a photo, open the sell form, pick the platform, type the description, set the price. From today there’s a shortcut — you can just say it. GameTrader.SG now plugs into Claude and other AI assistants, so searching the marketplace, catching up on the blog and posting a game for sale can all happen in a chat window.

The feature is called AI Access, and it’s built on the Model Context Protocol (MCP) — an open standard that lets AI assistants connect to real services instead of guessing from memory. It’s free for every member, and it’s live now.

What you can actually do with the GameTrader AI assistant

Once GameTrader is connected, your assistant can reach the real marketplace and the real blog. In practice that means three things:

  • Search listings — “Find PS5 RPGs under $40” or “show me Nintendo Switch games from sellers in the East.” It filters by platform, price, genre and seller, same as the site.
  • Read the blog — “What’s the latest gaming news on GameTrader?” and you get summaries of our newest articles.
  • Post a game — “List my Elden Ring, PS5, pre-owned, $45.” The listing goes live under your account, no form involved.

It’s the same marketplace either way. A listing created through an AI assistant shows up exactly like one posted on the site, and buyers reach you through the usual chat.

Reading is open to everyone, posting needs a token

Searching listings and reading the blog need no login and no setup beyond adding the connection — anyone can do it. Posting is different, because a listing has to belong to a real account.

For that you grab a personal access token from your token page and paste it into your AI app’s settings once. That token is what tells GameTrader the listing is yours.

One deliberate design decision worth explaining: you never type your GameTrader password into a chat. AI assistants are built to refuse passwords and tokens handed to them in conversation — which is exactly the behaviour you want. So the token lives in your app’s configuration, where the assistant can use the connection without ever seeing the credential itself.

Setting it up takes about two minutes

The full walkthrough, with copy-paste config for each app, is on the AI Access setup guide. The short version is three steps: get your token, add GameTrader to your AI app, start chatting.

If you use Claude Code, it’s a single line in your terminal:

Adding GameTrader to Claude Code
Adding GameTrader to Claude Code is a single terminal command. Image: GameTrader.SG

If you use the Claude Desktop app, you paste a small block of JSON into Settings → Developer → Edit Config, then fully quit and reopen the app:

GameTrader MCP config for Claude Desktop
Claude Desktop uses a small block of JSON in its config file. Image: GameTrader.SG

Either way, your token page prints both versions with your own token already filled in, so it really is copy, paste, done.

Then just talk to it

Once connected, there’s nothing new to learn. You ask for what you want in plain English:

Example prompts for the GameTrader AI assistant
Once connected, you just ask in plain English. Image: GameTrader.SG

A quick tip: if your assistant says it can’t see the GameTrader tools, fully quit and reopen the app. AI apps read the available tool list once when they connect, so reloading the window isn’t enough.

What to know before your first listing

Three practical things, so nothing surprises you:

  • Photos still come from the site. Listings posted through an assistant start with the default image, because AI apps can’t upload files. Add your own photos afterwards on GameTrader and the listing looks completely normal.
  • Treat the token like a password. Anyone holding it can post listings as you. Keep it in your app’s settings, and never paste it into a chat message. If it ever leaks, tell us and we’ll invalidate it.
  • Support varies by app. Claude Code and Claude Desktop are tested and working. Other MCP-capable apps can read listings and the blog; whether they can post depends on whether they support custom connection headers yet.

We’ve also put the common questions in one place:

GameTrader AI Access common questions
The common questions, answered on the AI Access page. Image: GameTrader.SG

Try it on your next clear-out

If you’ve got a stack of games waiting to be listed, this is the fastest way we’ve built to get them up. Grab your token, connect your assistant, and describe the pile — the listings appear on GameTrader as you talk.

Start here: gametrader.sg/mcp. And if you’d rather keep using the sell form, nothing has changed — it works exactly as before.

News

Pokémon × UNIQLO UT Wave 2 Drops 24 July — Pixel Art Tees Confirmed for Singapore

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UNIQLO’s Pokémon 30th-anniversary UT collaboration is back for a second wave — and this drop fully commits to retro. Eight graphic tees built from the original Game Boy’s monochrome pixel art hit stores on 24 July, with the collection already confirmed for Singapore through the UNIQLO Singapore UT page, listed there as “Launching Late July.”

From Watercolour to Game Boy Grey

Pokémon 30th Anniversary Red Version promotional artwork with Trainer Red, Charmander, and the 30th anniversary logo
Image courtesy of The Pokémon Company / UNIQLO

The first wave of UNIQLO’s Pokémon anniversary UT (March 2026) celebrated the franchise through Ken Sugimori’s original watercolour illustration style. Wave 2 takes the opposite approach, dialling back to Pokémon Red and Green’s 160×144 Game Boy display. Every adult design in this collection uses the same dot-matrix sprites that appeared on screen back in 1996 — black and white, no gradients, pure nostalgia.

The Men’s Line: Four Kanto Designs

UNIQLO Pokémon 30th anniversary UT men's collection: four designs including Mewtwo, Red Version, Pikachu pocket tee, and Kanto Gym Pokémon
Image courtesy of The Pokémon Company / UNIQLO

Four adult graphic tees make up the collection, priced at ¥1,990 each in Japan (sizes XS to 4XL):

  • Pokémon UT Red Version — The opening-screen pixel art (Trainer Red and Charmander mid-battle) printed on a white tee, exactly as it appeared in the game.
  • Pokémon UT Kanto Gym — A light grey tee with the eight Gym Leaders’ partner Pokémon marching across the chest (Onix, Starmie, Raichu, Vileplume, Weezing, Alakazam, Arcanine, Rhydon), plus the eight Gym Badges embroidered on the left sleeve as a discrete detail.
  • Pokémon UT Mewtwo and Mew — White shirt with Mewtwo rendered as No. 150 on the front in the original Japanese Pokédex label style; flip the shirt and Mew appears as a hidden print on the back hem.
  • Pokémon UT Pikachu Evolution — A black pocket tee with original-sprite Pikachu on the chest pocket, with Raichu hidden inside the pocket lining — the evolution reveal you have to earn by actually opening the pocket.

Kids’ Line: Same Pixel DNA, With Colour

UNIQLO Pokémon 30th anniversary UT kids' collection featuring Gengar, Pikachu, and Red Version designs
Image courtesy of The Pokémon Company / UNIQLO

The kids’ range (¥990, sizes 100–160 cm) pulls the same retro sprites but adds colour, landing on a different wavelength from the adult monochrome line. The four children’s designs include a light blue Red Version screen tee, a Pikachu multi-expression tee, a white tee with a pixel lineup of fan favourites (Charizard, Caterpie, Jigglypuff, Eevee, Dragonite), and — the standout of the kids’ set — a black Gengar tee, No. 094 rendered in purple pixel art.

The Gengar shirt is the only piece across both adult and kids’ lines to spotlight a Pokémon outside of the Kanto trio and Pikachu/Mewtwo. On a black base with purple pixel sprite, it reads like a proper Halloween piece and will likely sell fast.

Getting It in Singapore

The UNIQLO Singapore website already has the Pokémon 30th Anniversary section active with a “Launching Late July” label, placing the local on-sale date in line with Japan’s 24 July launch. The collection should be available both in-store at UNIQLO outlets across Singapore and through the UNIQLO Singapore online store — SGD pricing has not been confirmed, but the Japan price of ¥1,990 per adult tee is roughly SGD $18–20 at current rates.

If the first-wave sell-through is anything to go by, the Gengar and Kanto Gym tees will be the first to go in the more popular sizes. UNIQLO’s larger stores (ION Orchard, Jewel Changi Airport, VivoCity) tend to carry the fuller UT size range, so those are worth heading to early if you need XS or XL options.

Game News, News

FFX Museum -幻光の記憶- Opens in Shinjuku This September — Fan Art Deadline 31 July

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Final Fantasy X turned 25 on 19 July — a landmark anniversary for one of the most beloved JRPGs ever made. Square Enix has already marked the occasion with the Switch 2 HD Remaster and Daimaru Tokyo pop-up, but the centrepiece is still to come: a dedicated museum exhibition landing in Shinjuku this September.

FINAL FANTASY X MUSEUM -幻光の記憶-

Final Fantasy X 25th Anniversary artwork — Yuna and Tidus, character design by Tetsuya Nomura
Image courtesy of Square Enix. Character design: Tetsuya Nomura.

Titled FINAL FANTASY X MUSEUM -幻光の記憶- (“Museum of Phantom Light Memories”), the exhibition will run from 12 to 27 September 2026 at Lumine 0, NEWoMan Shinjuku 5F — a venue directly accessible from Shinjuku Station without stepping outside. Per the official Final Fantasy 25th anniversary page (Japanese), hours are 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM daily, with an earlier close at 5:00 PM on the final day, 27 September. Last entry is 30 minutes before closing.

Ticket pricing has not yet been announced. Square Enix describes the exhibit as covering multiple displays on the game and its history, with exclusive anniversary merchandise available on-site.

Fan Art Could End Up on the Exhibition Wall

Final Fantasy X 25th Anniversary character plushies — Tidus, Yuna and the full party
Image courtesy of Square Enix. Character design: Tetsuya Nomura.

Square Enix has opened an online fan art submission form ahead of the exhibition, with selected works to be displayed as part of the show. The form closes on 31 July 2026 — two weeks from now. The company is also accepting short written comments from fans (targeted at Japanese residents) for the exhibit. If you want a piece of your FFX fan art in Shinjuku, the official anniversary site (Japanese) is the place to start.

The Perfect Tokyo Game Show Side Trip

Final Fantasy X LP Vinyl Set -Eternal Calm- — two-record set with Yuna and Tidus cover art
Image courtesy of Square Enix. Character design: Tetsuya Nomura.

The dates are no coincidence: the exhibition overlaps with Tokyo Game Show 2026, scheduled for 17–21 September at Makuhari Messe in Chiba. Singapore consistently sends one of the strongest overseas contingents to TGS, and Shinjuku is an easy same-trip addition — about 50 minutes by JR from Makuhari Messe, well within day-trip range. Tidus and Yuna in a Shinjuku museum while you’re already in Tokyo for TGS is too good a combination to pass up.

For those staying home, the FINAL FANTASY X LP Vinyl Set -Eternal Calm- — two records, 20 tracks of the iconic Nobuo Uematsu and Masashi Hamauzu soundtrack, with new Tidus and Yuna sleeve art — launched on 1 July via official Square Enix channels. Anniversary merchandise tends to move quickly around exhibition periods; Singapore importers may want to get in early. The FFX/X-2 HD Remaster is also live now on Nintendo Switch 2 if you need an excuse to revisit Spira before September.

More anniversary news as it comes through — follow our Game News section for the latest on the exhibition and any ticket announcements.

Game News, News

EXSTETRA HD Remaster Launches on Steam July 30 — Japan’s Kiss-Powered JRPG Gets Its World Debut

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FURYU Corporation’s cult PS Vita and 3DS JRPG EXSTETRA is finally making its way to PC after more than a decade as a Japan-only release. The EXSTETRA HD Remaster launches on Steam on July 30, 2026, bringing the romance-driven RPG to a worldwide audience for the very first time — with full English language support included at launch.

Originally released in Japan in 2013, EXSTETRA takes place in Amazia — a world born when Tokyo fuses with a parallel dimension. Players take on the role of Ryoma, a high school student who discovers he is the chosen Prisma: a being with the power to awaken warrior guardians known as Prisma Knights. What makes EXSTETRA stand apart from most JRPGs of its era is its central mechanic — Ryoma awakens each Knight’s power through a kiss, a device that drives both the story’s progression and its character relationships in ways that were fairly audacious for the genre in 2013.

Selene character portrait in EXSTETRA HD Remaster
Selene is one of the Prisma Knights Ryoma awakens on his journey through Amazia.

Combat is turn-based, built around a four-character party system and the EXS energy mechanic, where managing your team’s EXS gauge is central to pulling off powerful abilities in battle. The system rewards tactical thinking about resource management alongside the usual JRPG decision-making around skill selection and target priority. Between fights, players navigate dungeons and the fused landscapes of Amazia, uncovering the story of how two worlds collided — and what it means for those caught between them.

Ryoma and Selene exploring the world of Amazia in EXSTETRA HD Remaster
Ryoma and Selene venture through Amazia’s fused landscapes on their journey.
Dungeon exploration in EXSTETRA HD Remaster
Dungeon crawling is a core part of EXSTETRA’s gameplay loop, with treasure and enemies around every corner.

The HD Remaster brings the experience to Steam with support for English, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese — this is the first time the game has been officially available outside Japan in any language. FURYU is best known in Singapore for titles like Caligula Effect and Mary Skelter, so fans of the publisher’s niche-but-devoted style of JRPG storytelling will know what kind of ride to expect. The developer has also confirmed that console versions for PS5, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2 are in development, though no release windows for those platforms have been given yet.

Watch the official opening movie to see EXSTETRA’s story and visual style in action:

Party management screen in EXSTETRA HD Remaster
Manage your Prisma Knights’ stats and loadouts between battles.
Turn-based combat in EXSTETRA HD Remaster
EXSTETRA’s turn-based combat lets you command a party of four Prisma Knights against Amazia’s threats.

If you’re a fan of classic JRPGs and want to jump in before launch, EXSTETRA is available to wishlist on Steam now. It goes live on July 30, 2026.

Game News, News

FFXIV Mobile Shuts Down in September — Global Version Officially Cancelled

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If you have been holding out hope for a global launch of Final Fantasy XIV Mobile, today is not the news you wanted. Square Enix and Lightspeed Studios — Tencent’s game development arm — announced on 17 July 2026 that the China-exclusive mobile adaptation will end service on 30 September, and that the once-promised worldwide release has been cancelled entirely.

FINAL FANTASY XIV MOBILE | Global Official Reveal Trailer — via LightSpeed Studios on YouTube
Final Fantasy XIV Mobile in-game entertainment venue scene
Image courtesy of Square Enix

Mobile Eorzea Is Closing Its Doors

Final Fantasy XIV Mobile launched in mainland China in June 2025, developed by Lightspeed Studios under an official licence from Square Enix. The project was ambitious — a mobile adaptation of one of the most beloved MMORPGs ever made, with producer and director Naoki Yoshida personally involved in its introduction to players. It ran for just over thirteen months.

The shutdown announcement, posted in-game and signed by the FINAL FANTASY XIV MOBILE (Chinese Edition) Operations Team, cited “adjustments in business operations and changes in the market environment” as the reason Tencent and Square Enix mutually agreed to terminate their licensing agreement. The statement was frank about the disappointment this would cause beyond China’s borders as well: “To everyone who has been looking forward to the global version, we also offer our sincere apologies for being unable to meet your expectations.”

The Shutdown Timeline

Official FFXIV Mobile shutdown notice dated July 17 2026
Image courtesy of Square Enix

The winddown has already begun. Here is every date to know:

  • 18:00 (UTC+8), 17 July 2026 — In-game top-ups and new user registrations suspended. (This has already taken effect as of today.)
  • 11:00 (UTC+8), 30 September 2026 — Game servers shut down; the official website goes offline; players can no longer log in.
  • 11:00 (UTC+8), 15 October 2026 — Community forums and dedicated customer support close.

After the servers go dark, player account data and character information will be deleted in accordance with China’s Personal Information Protection Law. No compensation or refund scheme has been announced.

What Singapore Players Need to Know

Final Fantasy XIV Mobile gameplay screenshot: Warrior of Light riding a chocobo
Image courtesy of Square Enix

The China-only mobile release was always a closed door for Singapore players — you were never able to download it through official regional channels. The news that stings here is the global version. Square Enix had been hinting at an international launch, Lightspeed Studios had set up a dedicated global website with pre-registration pages, and the reveal trailer released through the official LightSpeed Studios channel framed the game for a worldwide audience. Many Singapore fans of the PC MMORPG signed up, watched the trailers, and waited.

That wait is now over. With the licensing agreement terminated, there is no partner to carry the project forward and no timeline to revive it. The main Final Fantasy XIV on PC — the Dawntrail-era live game, with the Evercold expansion confirmed for January 2027 — is completely unaffected and continues as normal. But the mobile dream is done.

It is worth remembering how much anticipation this project carried. FFXIV is not a small IP in Singapore; the game has a vocal, active local community, and a polished mobile port that retained the look and feel of Eorzea on the go was exactly the kind of project that could have pulled in a whole new generation of players. The studio had the backing of Tencent’s Lightspeed, one of the largest game developers in the world. And it still did not survive its first year in the market.

A Short but Earnest Run

Reading the official shutdown letter, there is a genuine warmth to it that is easy to miss beneath the corporate language. The operations team described the player community as having “truly brought Mobile Eorzea to life,” praised the veteran Warriors of Light who mentored newcomers through Eorzea’s complexity, and called those shared mornings and nights “a memory we will always treasure.” Whatever the commercial realities were, the people who worked on it clearly cared.

For Singapore players who had been watching from the sidelines, that sentiment lands differently. We never got to step into Mobile Eorzea, and now we never will. If you have been on the fence about the PC version of Final Fantasy XIV, the upcoming Evercold expansion in January 2027 is as good an entry point as any — the News section will keep you covered on all things FFXIV going forward.

Manga Anime, News

Tiny Metal: Zero Line Anime Revealed — Studio Khara Director, Fire Emblem Artist, and a First Teaser

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If you grew up queueing tanks and infantry on a grid — Game Boy Advance cartridge in hand, trying to out-think the enemy AI — the name Tiny Metal probably means something to you. AREA35’s turn-based tactics series has spent nearly a decade earning its reputation as the spiritual heir to Advance Wars, and now the franchise is making the leap to anime. The project is called TINY METAL ZERO LINE (零戦線), and its debut teaser, screened at Japan Expo 2026 in Paris on 9 July, has strategy fans across Asia paying close attention.

An Advance Wars Heir Gets Its Anime Moment

Major Nathan Gries in military helmet — still from the Tiny Metal: Zero Line official teaser
Still from AREA35’s official teaser

AREA35 unveiled the project alongside animation studio SAFEHOUSE — the team behind Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance — and a pilot episode directed by Hiroyasu Kobayashi, a storyboarder and key animator whose credits span DAN DA DAN, The Heike Story, and Tatami Time Machine Blues, all produced under the banner of Studio Khara. It is Kobayashi’s directorial debut, and the choice of SAFEHOUSE for animation suggests AREA35 is aiming for something with serious visual ambition rather than a quick franchise cash-in.

Series scripts are handled by writer Hirotaka Inaba, with original story and production supervised by AREA35 founder Hiroaki Yura. Rounding out the crew are composers Yuu Miyake and Jessica Mao, and an art direction credit for Koji Moriga.

The Character Designer Singapore Gamers Will Recognise

Tiny Metal: Zero Line Official Teaser — via TINY METAL GAME on YouTube

The name that will turn heads among fans of Japanese tactical RPGs is Yūsuke Kozaki. Alongside character designer Go Takahashi, Kozaki is responsible for the anime’s visual identity — and his portfolio reads like a highlight reel of beloved Asian gaming: he designed the characters for Fire Emblem Fates and Fire Emblem Awakening, two entries in Nintendo’s strategy RPG series that remain hugely popular across Southeast Asia. His aesthetic sensibility — clean linework, expressive faces, military detail — fits the Tiny Metal world well, and it is one reason the early character art has made an impression even before broadcast details emerge.

The voice cast is equally notable. Toshiyuki Toyonaga plays protagonist Major Nathan Gries, Kenjiro Tsuda voices Lord General Isoroku Tsukumo, Mikako Komatsu takes the role of Wolfram — leader of the White Fangs — and Riho Kuma plays Nora Godwin.

The Story So Far

Tiny Metal Zero Line 零戦線 title reveal from the official teaser
Still from AREA35’s official teaser

The anime’s setting is a post-war world haunted by what the story calls “the Lost Tech” — caches of powerful military hardware buried and forgotten after a devastating conflict, now a powder keg waiting for the wrong hands. Major Gries believes the only way to keep that powder keg cold is to locate and lock down every cache before they can be weaponised. Things get complicated when an unknown signal is detected beneath the Northridge Alps, drawing Gries, Tsukumo, and Wolfram’s White Fangs into an uneasy alliance.

Fans of the game series will recognise the world’s mix of retro military aesthetics and anime character energy — think grimy tanks alongside sharp character designs, low-stakes political intrigue that can turn lethal. For the uninitiated, the teaser gives just enough: moody lighting, tense faces, and the promise of armoured combat on a human scale.

Release Window Still TBA — But Already on Radar

No broadcast or streaming platform has been announced for TINY METAL ZERO LINE, and no premiere window has been confirmed. AREA35 is simultaneously developing the game series: Tiny Metal 2, which was rescheduled from 2026 to spring 2027 for Steam and other platforms, will also feature SAFEHOUSE cinematics, meaning the anime and the sequel game are being built in parallel.

For strategy fans in Singapore and across the region, this is the rare case of a game-based anime adaptation that actually has the pedigree to justify excitement. The anime and manga space is full of rushed adaptations — this one, at least, has taken the time to assemble a crew worth watching. We will be keeping an eye on the official TINY METAL GAME YouTube channel for the next teaser.

Manga Anime, News, Shop and Merchandise

Chiikawa Movie UT Tees Drop in Japan Today, Uniqlo Singapore Gets Them Mid-August

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The Chiikawa × Uniqlo movie UT collection went live in Japan today — and Singapore Uniqlo is confirmed to carry it from mid-August.

Chiikawa The Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island – tropical island key visual
Key visual for Chiikawa The Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island, opening in Japan 24 July 2026. © Nagano / Chiikawa Movie Production Committee

What’s in the collection

Launching today (17 July) at Uniqlo Japan stores and online, the Chiikawa movie UT collection includes eight graphic tees — four women’s cuts at ¥1,500 each and four kids’ sizes at ¥990 — all featuring original artwork drawn from scenes in Chiikawa The Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island. The designs lean into the island holiday aesthetic: flower crowns, grass skirts, and all three main characters looking cheerful about whatever the Siren Arc is about to put them through.

Three sweatshirt styles follow on 24 July — the same day the film opens in Japan — rounding out the collection for the Japanese market.

Chiikawa movie goods banner featuring Usagi in island grass skirt and flower crown
The island-themed outfits carry across the full movie merch line. © chiikawa.toho-movie.jp

Singapore: mid-August

Uniqlo Singapore has confirmed the collection is coming in mid-August 2026. No exact date has been announced yet, but the range is already listed on the Uniqlo SG website. Chiikawa UT drops here tend to move quickly, so mid-August is worth marking.

About the film

Chiikawa The Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island is the first theatrical film for Nagano’s manga, adapting the Siren Arc — the storyline where Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi head to a mysterious island promising “basically free” food in exchange for some tasks. As you’d expect, it’s not entirely what it seems.

Chiikawa movie limited theater-entry bonus keychains showing characters in island outfits, distributing from 24 July
Limited-quantity theater-entry bonus keychains, distributed from 24 July. The same island outfit aesthetic inspired the UT designs. © chiikawa.toho-movie.jp

Directed by Oikawa Kei with animation by Cygames Pictures, the film opens in Japan on 24 July in IMAX and standard formats. Haruka Aoki, Makoto Tanaka, and Ari Ozawa reprise their roles as Chiikawa, Hachiware, and Usagi respectively. Singapore release date is still TBC.

Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island — teaser trailer (via Far East Films)

For the full movie breakdown including the Singapore release situation, see our earlier post: Chiikawa’s First Movie Opens 24 July — Is Singapore Next?

Short version: The UT tees are live in Japan now. Singapore Uniqlo gets them mid-August. Set a reminder.