At this years PAX West, we got a chance to try out Serenity Forge’s (Doki Doki Literature Club! and Slay the Princess) newest title, Fractured Blooms. Dubbed a “life sim”, Fractured Blooms is trying to blend cozy life-sims with horror.

After our hands-on with the event demo, we were able to have a chat with Zhenghua (Z) Yang, CEO and founder of Serenity Forge, and talked about Fractured Blooms, some of Z’s inspirations for this upcoming title and the horror found in the mundane. 

^{Interviewer: Adam Shiroma}

Read more: Interview with Zhenghua Yang (Z) - Founder and CEO @ PAX West 2025

At this year’s Anime Expo, we sat down with SANDA director Tomohisa Shimoyama and producer Kohei Sakita to talk about their work on the anime adaptation of Paru Itagaki’s latest manga. Known for its bold visuals and unexpected story twists, the duo shared insights on what drew them to the series, the creative challenges in bringing Itagaki’s distinct style to life, and what they hope viewers will take away from this unique holiday-inspired inspired story.

Read more: SANDA Interview w/ Tomohisa Shimoyama & Kohei Sakita @ Anime Expo 2025

At Anime Expo, we had the opportunity to speak with two key figures behind TOMY’s expanding collector toy lines: Kenta Wakisawa, Assistant Manager of R＆D Team, and Takayuki Miyauchi, Senior Assistant Manager of Marketing Team, both from the Collector Business Group, Hobby Character Business Division. The two discussed the origins of the T-SPARK brand, its strategic focus, and plans for global expansion, particularly in the North American market.

Read more: Interview with Kenta Wakisawa & Takayuki Miyauchi of Takara Tomy @ Anime Expo 2025

At Anime Expo 2025, I had the chance to chat with Hideaki Ito, the director behind the upcoming school life simulation game Varlet. We talked about everything from the creative process and the challenges of game development to the inspirations that fuel his work.

Read more: Hideaki Ito Interview @ Anime Expo 2025