The FamiKatsu | February 4, 2024

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The next two months are quite a busy time for both Japan and myself. The fiscal year is slowly creeping up, which means work becomes quite busy. With an increase in work, the FamiKatsu this week is definitely quite late, and the articles are not 100% reflective of the dates listed below.

However, this week on The FamiKatsu, the week of January 29 to February 4, here are what Famitsu readers read the most!

Disclaimer: Unless stated otherwise, all Famitsu article-related pictures are property of Famitsu. Also, as this is an overview, unfortunately full translations of articles will not be provided. Furthermore, if there are any erroneous translations in this article, feel free to submit a comment outlining said error. I will be happy to find out where I fell short!

10 - New Zoids AZ-07 Death Saurer Announcement

Entertainment

[Famitsu Article] [Takara Tomy 100th Anniversary Site]

In honor of Takara Tomy’s 100th Anniversary on February 2, a slew of products have been announced. Among the lineup is the Zoid’s AZ-07 Death Saurer, planned to be released in Fall later this year. Pop over to Takara Tomy’s site, listed above, to see a message from the company's president and the full lineup.

9 - Sony’s State of Play Round Up

News - Home Console Game - PS4 - PS5

[Famitsu Article]

Depending where you live, Sony’s State of Play was broadcast on January 31 or February 1. In this article, Famitsu goes over everything that was announced. Among the titles announced and showcased were Hell Diver 2, Stellar Blade, V Rising, Silent Hill The Short Message and Silent Hill 2 Remake. Check out the article for the full list.

8 - Mighty Empoleon Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Raid Strategy

Special / Project Article - Home Console Game - Switch

[Famitsu Article]

Another raid has come to Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, with the Mighty Empoleon raid the next on the list. This raid, as all others, has a short time frame for it to be attempted; with the first chance between February 2 until February 5, and then February 9 until February 12. How can you easily overthrow this raid? Well Famitsu, as always, has the strats for you! They give details on which Pokémon and move combinations work best for both Solo and Multiplayer modes. Check their article out for more information.

7 - New Release in Silent Hill Series

News - Home Console Game - PS5

[Famitsu Article]

Announced through Sony’s State of Play broadcast, and available immediately after, Silent Hill The Short Message is the latest game in the long-running franchise, however this title is free to play (P.T. was also a free to play demo, also under the Silent Hill franchise). Announced alongside the Silent Hill 2 Remake for PS5, the Famitsu article also contains interviews from The Short Message’s staff members about the product as well.

6 - Gundam SEED FREEDOM Weekend Numbers

Anime - Press Release

[Famitsu Article]

Released in cinemas on January 26, the movie Gundam SEED FREEDOM has amassed a grossing 1.06 billion yen (approx. $7.17 million USD) domestically, with over 630,000 movie-goers over the first three-day weekend. A great smash-hit start for 2024. Famitsu also goes on to show the wide range of goods available alongside the movie’s release, including apparel, stationary and (of course) Gundam models. Check the article for a full showcase of the goods available.

5 - Xbox Japan PC Game Pass Just 100 Yen for 3 Months

News

[Famitsu Article]

Xbox Japan has a very attractive deal to rope in new customers, with its PC Game Pass campaign offering three months of unlimited playtime on all titles for a measly ¥100 (approx. US$0.67). Although the Xbox console is not too popular in Japan, PC gaming is quite big, so this is sure to attract many new users to the service. With titles like recently released Persona 3 Reload and Palworld, as well as popular titles like Yakuza 7 and Starfield, this is a great way to enjoy and complete a few new titles for under a dollar. The campaign lasts from January 31 until February 15 for Japanese users only.

4 - McDonald's and Pokémon Happy Meal Collaboration

Entertainment - Press Release

[Famitsu Article]

Two new Happy Meal sets are coming to McDonald's Japan from February 9 for only two weeks, the Pokémon Mezastar Happy Meal set and the Pokemon Peaceful Place Happy Meal set! Each set contains different and unique items. The Mezastar set includes one of six unique battle tags, each with different Attack, Defense and HP to battle against your friends with, with characters such as Koraidon, Miraidon and a Pikachu and Mew combination tag. The Pokémon Peaceful Place set contains a coloring book with sticks, with different activities inside the book such as mazes, connect-the-dot and puzzles.

3 - New Chiikawa Goods Via Shimamura Collaboration

Entertainment

[Famitsu Article]

Did you know that the full title of Chiikawa is Chiikawa Nanka Chiisakute Kawaii Yatsu (Chiikawa is like, so small that it's a cutie)? No? Neither did I. Anyway segue aside, Chiikawa is a massively popular character in Japan which means an easy target for collaboration. This time? With big-time apparel collaborator fashion brand, Shimamura. On sale from February 3 in retail stores, and February 4 on their online store, this Chiikawa collab has quite a big range of goods. From roomwear, parkas, socks, slippers, hand towels, tote bags and even shoe accessories. Check out Famitsu’s article for the full coverage of goods available.

2 - Which Pokémon Are Coming to McDonald's?

Entertainment

[Famitsu Article]

Pokémon and McDonald's announced a collaboration, did you know? Of course you did! This is the preview announcement before the reveal, which is covered at Ranking #4 of this list, above. Announced on McDonald's Japan’s Twitter account on January 31, the two posts had two silhouetted Pokémon happy meal announcements, teasing both their Mezastar and Peaceful Place sets.

1 - New Dragonball DAIMA Anime Announcement

Anime - Press Release

[Famitsu Article]

A brand new anime series for the Dragonball universe, Dragonball DAIMA, is set to start airing in fall later this year. Akira Toriyama showed off some chibi-illustrations of the characters Goku, Krillan, Hercule, Android 18, Chichi and Majin Buu, and some other character designs as well. A promo video for the series announcement is also available for viewing in Famitsu’s article, linked above.

How many collaborations did you expect this week? Surprisingly only two this time, but at least it is a regular constant on the FamiKatsu lists.

There might be weeks where the FamiKatsu may have a delayed release, but hopefully they will still get up within a reasonable timeframe! Until next week!