“Gintama - Mr. Ginpachi’s Zany Class,” the anime series based on a spin-off novel series of the popular manga “Gintama,” airs at midnight on Mondays on the TV Tokyo network.In this series, the familiar characters are now high school students enjoying their youth.The original “Gintama” manga series by Hideaki Sorachi has sold more than 73 million copies in book form and became an anime series of the same title that began broadcasting in 2006. The story is set in a fictitious version of Edo, which is the former name of Tokyo, and features characters with strong personalities — with odd-job workers Gintoki Sakata, Shinpachi Shimura and Kagura at the center — who run wild.“Gintama” features moving stories, from tear-jerking tales of humanity to thrilling battles as well as stories that touch on a wide variety of topics, including controversial accounts of current affairs, parodies and even dirty jokes, making the world depicted in it extremely popular with fans. The manga’s final installment was released in 2019, and the TV anime concluded with a film shown in theaters in 2021.Set in a multiverse version of “Gintama,” the new anime’s story unfolds at Gintama High School and indicates that the worlds of “Gintama” and the high school coexist simultaneously. When news broke that the novel would be adapted into an anime, fans expressed their excitement on social media.The Yomiuri Shimbun interviewed Tomokazu Sugita, who voiced Gintoki in the original series and now voices high school teacher Ginpachi Sakata in the new one.

Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded medals to Japanese actress Komaki Kurihara and others on Tuesday. The recipients included foreigners from Europe, the Middle East and other regions who have contributed to the promotion of Russian culture.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs will begin assisting in creating connections among drama troupes, arts-related organizations and local theaters in an effort to increase opportunities for those living in regional areas to enjoy stage dramas, music concerts and other cultural events.

The number of visitors to the exhibition “Expressing Prayer, Capturing Form: Buddhist Sculptures by Unkei from the Northern Round Hall of Kohfukuji Temple” at the Tokyo National Museum in Taito Ward, Tokyo, surpassed 200,000 on Wednesday.

Architect Sou Fujimoto has been drawing attention as the designer of the Grand Ring, the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo’s symbolic structure.

Disgraced comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto made his first public appearance in about 22 months on Saturday evening, appearing solo in a live internet show.