Latest news with #Aoi
Time of India
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Kakuriyo Bed and Breakfast for Spirits Season 2: Official name, character visuals, and director revealed
It has been seven long years since Kakuriyo Bed and Breakfast for Spirits last aired. Fans of the calm and magical romance anime now finally have big reason to rejoice. The second season is officially titled Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi Ni and it will air in Fall 2025. The word "Ni" means two in Japanese, marking the second season of the show. The anime's official website confirmed the update and also shared new standing visuals for the main characters. These include fresh artwork of Aoi, Odanna, and others from the spirit realm. The new season brings both old charm and fresh creativity. New studio and director joining the project "Kakuriyo -Bed & Breakfast for Spirits" TV anime Season 2 announced for Fall 2025. GONZO, which made the first season, is returning but will now be joined by animation studio Makaria. This is the same studio that worked on Dropkick on My Devil Apocalypse Day. The writing will again be handled by Tomoko Konparu. However, the biggest change is in the director's chair. Joe Yoshizaki, known for his work on The Brilliant Healer's New Life in the Shadows, will take over as director. He replaces Yoshiko Okuda, who directed the first season. In a message to fans, Yoshizaki said, 'Seven years have passed. The team is new. The seasons have changed. I will try my best to create something that truly fits the hearts of these characters. I hope this new version of the hidden world feels like both a dream and reality.' Kakuriyo Bed and Breakfast for Spirits season 1 recap Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits' first season aired in 2018 and ran for 26 episodes. It begins with Aoi Tsubaki, a kind-hearted college girl who can see spirits. After her grandfather passes away, Aoi learns that he left behind a massive debt to the spirit world. To her surprise, she is taken to the Hidden Realm as payment for that debt. There, she meets Odanna, a powerful ogre and the master of a traditional inn called Tenjin-ya. Odanna tells Aoi that her grandfather promised her hand in marriage to repay the debt. But Aoi refuses to marry anyone just like that. Instead, she offers to work at the inn and clear the debt on her own. As she takes up a job cooking for spirits, Aoi slowly wins over the guests and staff of Tenjin-ya with her food and kindness. Along the way, she discovers more about her grandfather's past, the spirit world's rules, and her own strength. Her bond with Odanna also starts to grow into something more. Season 1 blends food, magic, quiet romance, and a lot of heartwarming moments. It ends with Aoi earning the respect of the spirit world and finding a place for herself in a world she never knew existed. The anime is based on the light novel series written by Midori Yuma and illustrated by Laruha. It blends romance, fantasy, and food in a calm and magical setting. What to expect from Kakuriyo Bed and Breakfast for Spirits season 2? "Kakuriyo -Bed & Breakfast for Spirits-" Season 2 character art:Aoi Tsubaki (CV: Nao Toyama)Odanna (CV: Katsuyuki Konishi)Ginji (CV: Shunichi Toki) While full details of the story are still under wraps, fans can expect more of the same warm and gentle storytelling. The new visuals suggest a polished art style. With a different director and studio joining the project, there may be fresh energy in how the characters are shown and how the spirit world is explored. Fans are especially excited to see how the relationship between Aoi and Odanna continues to grow. There is also hope for new spirit characters and deeper stories from the inn and beyond.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Finland's MICHELIN Map Remains Steady, But Helsinki's Casual Dining Scene is Bubbling Under
HELSINKI, June 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- While Finland's Michelin-starred landscape remains largely stable, Helsinki's dining scene is anything but static. A vibrant wave of casual restaurants – led by chefs with fine dining pedigrees, is reshaping the city's culinary identity. This evolution isn't entirely new, but Finnish chefs are embracing it in a way that feels distinctly their own. Meanwhile, seasonal pop-ups on summer terraces and at festivals are elevating food culture and attracting new audiences. The world of gastronomy is increasingly turning its attention to the city as casual dining venues gain visibility and acclaim. Restaurants like Aoi, Maukku, Kuurna, and Wellamo combine innovative dishes with a relaxed, personal atmosphere, drawing both locals and visitors into a fresh food culture. "As a globally recognized leader in sustainable tourism, Helsinki's culinary professionals consistently draw inspiration from the high-quality ingredients sourced from Finland's natural environment. This further distinguishes and strengthens Helsinki's position as a thriving culinary travel destination", says Nina Vesterinen, Tourism Director for the city of Helsinki. International connections strengthen the scene Meanwhile, a wave of newly opened wine bars is broadening Helsinki's gastronomic appeal. Neighborhood spots like Pinocchio and Gadeplan bring a warm, European flair to Helsinki, while Klaava in Kruununhaka further expands the city's culinary map. While Helsinki has long been on the periphery, recent years have seen more chefs gain experience abroad, deepening Finland's global culinary ties. Local chefs are collaborating more closely with peers across Finland, the Nordics, and beyond, strengthening a vibrant, evolving ecosystem. Ina Niiniketo, restaurateur at Canvas Canteen located in Helsinki, recently traveled to New York to team up with US Top Chef contender and private chef Lana Lagomarsini at Visit Finland's 'Taste of Finland – A Midsummer Pop-up'. Restaurant Nolita, sister to Nolla, has started a new program called 'Co-Hosted Dinner Service'. Past guests have included Restaurant Lux from Rotterdam and the rising bistro star Barbarea from Tallinn. This initiative injects new energy and international influence into Helsinki's dining scene, fostering culinary exchange. Nolla – renowned for pushing boundaries in sustainability and collaboration – is preparing a pop-up on July 12th in Helsinki with chef Matthew Orlando, former Noma chef and the founder of Amass in Copenhagen, further cementing Helsinki's place on the global gastronomic map. "We want to contribute to Helsinki's evolving food scene — and for us, collaboration is a valuable way to learn and grow. At the same time, it's an opportunity to show our international peers what this city and its food culture are all about," says Albert Franch Sunyer, co-founder of restaurants Nolla, Nolita, and Elm. Food takes center stage in Helsinki's urban cityscape Even food festivals are tapping into this momentum. The new À la Park festival invites restaurants from Helsinki and beyond to participate, featuring highlights such as Finnish chef and Noma veteran Toni Toivanen, who will present an extended tasting menu during the event. Flow Festival continues to be at the forefront in their high quality and versatile food offering. The festival's sustainability efforts include a commitment to becoming fully vegan in the coming years. The city of Helsinki has actively woven food culture into its urban fabric from curated summer terraces to lively pedestrian streets creating fresh, inviting spaces for gastronomy to flourish. The legendary "lippakioski", Helsinki's iconic canopy kiosks, have experienced a remarkable renaissance after decades of obscurity, reviving a cherished part of the city's culinary heritage as a new generation of entrepreneurs give them fresh relevance in the city's evolving culinary scene. "Helsinki feels like a garden that is just coming to its fullest bloom. The culinary scene has been taking huge steps for the past 20 years and the city has finally found its culinary identity. We are a compact city full of freshness, vibrant energy and strong seasons that incorporate itself into everything we do and eat. The quality of restaurants is incredible and constantly getting better," concludes Laura Styyra, restaurateur at restaurant Kuurna and wine bar Klaava. For more information, please contact: Sara Jäntti Senior Manager, PR & Communications, Helsinki Partners +358 40 709 2913 This information was brought to you by Cision The following files are available for download: Lunch at Canvas Canteen - Anders Husa, Kaitlin Orr Interior at restaurant Nolita - Nikola Tomevski Casual dining scene is booming - Svante Gullichsen View original content: SOURCE Helsinki Partners
The Sun
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Sakamoto Days anime now streaming on Netflix
NETFLIX continues to build on its impressive licensed anime library with Sakamoto Days, an action comedy revolving around a retired legendary assassin turned small convenience store owner and family man. Once a feared figure in the Japanese underworld, Taro Sakamoto (Tomokazu Sugita) in the present operates a family-owned convenience store in a quiet part of Tokyo. After getting married and becoming a father, Sakamoto is unrecognisable from his days as a bachelor assassin, having gained an estimated 70kg in excess weight. Sakamoto Days kicks off when Shin Asakura (Nobunaga Shimazaki), a clairvoyant hitman reluctantly locates him, with the order to either successfully convince Sakamoto to return to the underworld or if failing to do so, to snuff out the portly ex-assassin's life. Based on Yuto Suzuki's manga series, Sakamoto Days bears a lot of similarities with other fictional works, especially recent ones such as the films Nobody and John Wick. What sets the animation apart is the Japanese eccentricities common in manga and anime, along with the story's heavy emphasis on the family unit. There is also the comedy that comes from juxtaposing a stoic, mostly quiet character such as Sakamoto with the other more colourful and expressive characters, such as Asakura. As his clairvoyance is always 'turned on', he is constantly reading the minds of others and it gives a window for the series to inject humour by having Sakamoto think of hyper-violent things to shut Asakura up. The series' action and art style are also commendable, with the latter being more stylistic than adhering to more typical Japanese animation. For a better idea of what this means, think of how different Studio Ghibli films look compared to say, Dragon Ball. Unfortunately, the show has a minor flaw: as the first season keeps introducing new characters with each episode, Sakamoto's relationship with his wife Aoi and their daughter Hana gets slightly sidelined in terms of screentime. The few scenes they share together, such as the flashback of Aoi giving Sakamoto an ultimatum to stop killing by threatening to jump off a building to show him the value of life, are great, but few and far in between. Given the first season's finale involves the dangerous antagonist Slur helping four serial killers escape to hunt down Sakamoto, Aoi and Hana may get pushed out of the frame further in exchange for more action scenes in the second season. Sakamoto Days is streaming on Netflix.
The Sun
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Family man assassin
NETFLIX continues to build on its impressive licensed anime library with Sakamoto Days, an action comedy revolving around a retired legendary assassin turned small convenience store owner and family man. Once a feared figure in the Japanese underworld, Taro Sakamoto (Tomokazu Sugita) in the present operates a family-owned convenience store in a quiet part of Tokyo. After getting married and becoming a father, Sakamoto is unrecognisable from his days as a bachelor assassin, having gained an estimated 70kg in excess weight. Sakamoto Days kicks off when Shin Asakura (Nobunaga Shimazaki), a clairvoyant hitman reluctantly locates him, with the order to either successfully convince Sakamoto to return to the underworld or if failing to do so, to snuff out the portly ex-assassin's life. Based on Yuto Suzuki's manga series, Sakamoto Days bears a lot of similarities with other fictional works, especially recent ones such as the films Nobody and John Wick. What sets the animation apart is the Japanese eccentricities common in manga and anime, along with the story's heavy emphasis on the family unit. There is also the comedy that comes from juxtaposing a stoic, mostly quiet character such as Sakamoto with the other more colourful and expressive characters, such as Asakura. As his clairvoyance is always 'turned on', he is constantly reading the minds of others and it gives a window for the series to inject humour by having Sakamoto think of hyper-violent things to shut Asakura up. The series' action and art style are also commendable, with the latter being more stylistic than adhering to more typical Japanese animation. For a better idea of what this means, think of how different Studio Ghibli films look compared to say, Dragon Ball. Unfortunately, the show has a minor flaw: as the first season keeps introducing new characters with each episode, Sakamoto's relationship with his wife Aoi and their daughter Hana gets slightly sidelined in terms of screentime. The few scenes they share together, such as the flashback of Aoi giving Sakamoto an ultimatum to stop killing by threatening to jump off a building to show him the value of life, are great, but few and far in between. Given the first season's finale involves the dangerous antagonist Slur helping four serial killers escape to hunt down Sakamoto, Aoi and Hana may get pushed out of the frame further in exchange for more action scenes in the second season.
