Like in any culture, Japanese kids grow up listening to the stories repeatedly told by their parents and grandparents. The boy born from a peach; the princess from the moon who is discovered inside a bamboo; the old man who can make a dead cherry tree blossom, etc. These short stories that teach kids to see both the dark and bright sides of life have passed traditional moral values from generation to generation.
Each half-hour episode of Folktales from Japan consists of three self-contained stories, well-known and unknown, with a special focus on heartwarming stories that originate from Tohoku, the northern region heavily touched by the earthquake of 2011. May this program help cheer up earthquake victims and cast a light of hope for them.
(Source: Crunchyroll)
The most beautiful! A coming-of-age litter-picking tale!
In the near future, litter-picking has become a competitive sport as popular as soccer.
Akari stands out the least in her class, but one day she meets Tokio—a charismatic SpoGomi competitor blessed with an overwhelming amount of talent and popularity. Thus starts a coming-of-age story that involves young people from around the world, united via SpoGomi and the aim to create towns, rivers and oceans free of garbage.
(Source: SpoGomi Official Website)
Sequel to Furusato Saisei: Nihon no Mukashibanashi.
The town of Milky Town has a problem. All of the animals are drinking the milk from the company Milking, and are slowly turning into cats who have lost all motivation. The cat Milking hatched the evil plan in order to take over the world. By chance, Ippon, a tiger cowboy who used to work on the Charmy ranch, returns from his wanderings to Milky Town. There, he realizes the truth of what's happened to Milky Town, and works to save it alongside his friends.
(Source: Anime News Network)