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Prison School ‒ Episode 9
"Always ridiculous fun, Prison School continues to straddle the line between so-bad-it's-good and just-plain-good with finesse."
Classroom Crisis ‒ Episode 10
"Classroom Crisis excels at the little things. I just wish it didn't have so much trouble attempting to do almost anything else."
Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma ‒ Episode 22
"It may be just me, but as Food Wars has gone on, I've found myself sympathizing more and more with Megumi Tadokoro."
Answerman - How Do Creators Get Fan Mail?
I want to send fan mail to my favorite artist/animator/director/screen writer/voice actor/key grip. How exactly does that happen?
― Scott asks: I've seen some creators write about letters and fanart that they receive. But who handles fanmail for people in the manga/anime business? Is it collected by a publisher, agency, or studio and sorted from there? Assuming they even feel compelled to read it, h...
Chaos Dragon ‒ Episode 10
"Chaos Dragon had about five minutes of a good episode this week, and that's reward enough for me."
Death Note (Drama) ‒ Episode 9
"This version continues to strike just the right balance between familiarity and originality."
Mega Man Legacy Collection
The Legacy Collection ably captures Mega Man's first great heights as well as his slide into mediocrity, and even that mediocrity is enjoyable.
― Mega Man wasn't meant to survive. As longtime series producer Keiji Inafune relayed, Capcom's heads initially didn't want to make a sequel to the original 1987 Mega Man. They were content to leave it an impressive but not particularly profitable stand-alone...
Naruto Shippuden ‒ Episodes 427-428
"The first in what's sure to be a long line of dream-world-based filler episodes focuses on Tenten."
Ranpo Kitan: Game of Laplace ‒ Episode 9
"This episode, based on a story not available in English translation, feels very much like it is guiding towards the series' finale as it throws butterflies, dominoes, and Twenty Faces at us in an artistic flurry of imagery and plot."
School-Live! ‒ Episode 9
"Let this be a lesson to all you young 'uns out there: not even an existing zombie apocalypse scenario can derail the penchant for a series featuring cute girls to have a pool episode."
My Love Story!! ‒ Episode 22
"Even with its silly visual humor and puns, My Love Story!! remains grounded in the reality of high school life and romance."
Gintama ‒ Episode 287
"Stories centered on the contemptuous relationship between Gintoki and Hijikata are always entertaining, and this episode is no exception."
Answerman - Are There Sports Anime With A Female Protagonist?
Sports anime seem to be dominated by male heroes - Cross Game, Prince of Tennis, et al. What about shows where women are the focus?
― Ogun asks: are there any sports manga with a female protaganist? with my introduction to the haikyuu franchise, i found my self empathizing & swept up in a world I never appreciated before - sports manga. This led to some reflection. slam dunk, real, I'll, prince of t...
Wish Upon the Pleiades Episodes 1-12 Streaming
Wish Upon the Pleiades is a classically styled magical girl story sponsored by Subaru. Don't worry - it's actually quite good.
― There have been some strange production team-ups in entertainment history, and Wish Upon the Pleiades is one of the latest: a magical girl show co-produced by famed anime studio Gainax and Subaru. That's “subaru” as in the car company, and no, the show is not about magical ...
Monster Musume ‒ Episode 9
"Despite a few missteps, this episode still retains the show's eye for minor yet amusing details."
Overlord ‒ Episode 9
"For finally fully delivering again on the series' promise, I award this episode the highest grade yet."
Castle Town Dandelion ‒ Episode 9
"These stories tell us that you deserve to treat yourself the way that people who love you would."
Snow White with the Red Hair ‒ Episode 9
"There's a slow build to Snow White with the Red Hair that leads me to believe that we won't necessarily have a grand finale to this first cour."
Interview: Mega Man Legacy Collection Producer Rey Jimenez
Capcom's Mega Man Legacy Collection is out, featuring the first 6 Mega Man games and a ton of archival artwork. Todd sat down with one of the project's producers to get the dirt on what went in to this museum-quality collection.
― Mega Man is in the midst of a comeback. Well, a minor comeback. After spending a few years on Capcom's disabled list, the plucky robot hero returns with Mega Man Legacy Col...
Assassination Classroom Episodes 1-22 Streaming
A bunch of students try to kill their teacher, an alien who blew a hole in the moon, while learning important life lessons. You know, pretty typical for an anime.
― Of the two series to air in 2015 which focus on unconventional teachers helping troubled students (the other being Ultimate Otaku Teacher), this manga adaptation from the winter and spring seasons is the superior one based on nearly any m...
Actually, I Am… ‒ Episode 9
"This episode cuts out all the extra noise and goes back to what makes the show work."
Non Non Biyori Repeat ‒ Episode 9
"Spurred into action by the promise of money, Natsumi forces everyone to go fishing with her this week."
Gangsta. ‒ Episode 9
"If the previous few weeks of Gangsta. played to the show's narrative strengths, this one encapsulates its weaknesses."
Answerman - Are UK and Australian Anime DVDs & BDs Any Different?
A collector with a region-free bluray player wants to start importing DVDs and blurays from the UK, but what happened to all those UK-produced English dubs?
― Vanessa asks: With the help of my region free blu ray player and easy internet shopping, I am excited to find anime series, not available in the US, come out in the UK or Australian markets. However, what is available overseas isn't much diffe...
One Piece ‒ Episode 707
"In an ideal world, this episode would have been mostly cut from the story, or at least truncated significantly."
Classic Review: Paranoia Agent ‒ Episode 8
"This week's Paranoia Agent took a break from being Paranoia Agent for a while, to instead be a very different show."
Tokyo Ravens BD+DVD part 2
This sometimes overly-complicated fantasy action series draws to a close, and it's packed with more magical duels and potentially confusing plot turns than you might think.
― Are you a fan of elaborate magical duels, ones where casters constantly have to throw out their best gimmicks to counter and attack their opponents? Then the second half of this 2013/2014 anime series is worth checking out even ...
The Best and Worst of the Season So Far: Week of August 19-25
Your weekly rankings are here! Find out which shows soared to new heights and which fell a little in the public esteem.
― Our team of reviewers are following 27 anime series of the Summer 2015 crop. And this season, at the top of each Daily Streaming Review, we added a little rating widget to let our readers chime in. So let's have a look at what ANN readers consider the best (and worst) of the seas...
Heroic Legend of Arslan ‒ Episode 21
"This episode isn't quite as strong as the ones that preceded it, but it's still moving in the right direction for a fulfilling ending."
God Eater ‒ Episode 6
"A powerful soundtrack and horrific visuals make this week the most alarming installment of God Eater yet."
Durarara!! ×2 The Second Arc ‒ Episode 9
"We're taking a peek deep into Izaya's past, when he was naught but a scraggly pre-teen!"
Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers ‒ Episode 9
"No matter how solved the mystery may seem, Rokka has three more episodes to fill and a number of unexplored story rivulets."
Wagnaria!!3 ‒ Episode 9
"The subtleties of who does and who doesn't know about the various budding relationships at the restaurant make for some solid comedy here."
Gatchaman Crowds insight ‒ Episode 8
"Gatchaman Crowds stays strong even as its story bums the hell out of me."
Kaze Hikaru GN 23
Emotions are heating up in the 23rd volume of Kaze Hikaru, even if we're not at a fascinating point in history.
― To speak in very generalized terms, there are two basic approaches to writing historical fiction: to loosely base around a famous event or time period or to go into much more detail about that event or era. Taeko Watanabe takes the latter route in her shoujo historical Kaze Hikaru, and as...
Charlotte ‒ Episode 9
"My mouth was hanging open with confusion and horror, in a good way. Going forward, Charlotte will be re-evaluated in light of this twist."
SHIMONETA: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn't Exist ‒ Episode 9
"While the ribald language powering the show may eventually get old, it has yet to do so, and the artistic quality and storytelling advancement remain consistent."
The List - 7 Plucky Kid Detectives
These pint-sized sleuths will solve the murder, unravel the international conspiracy and catch the bad guys, all before it's time for Lunchables.
― Kid detectives are a staple of children's fiction. They're the Robin to Batman, the Scooby Doo gang unraveling the schemes of adults, or the hard-nosed Nancy Drew who can't get away from a good mystery plot. Sometimes they're pint-sized versions of adult...
Core Scramble GN 1
Core Scramble's first volume offers an interesting BL story in a world that blends science fiction and fantasy.
― We don't see nearly the level of manhwa translated into English as manga, which is a shame. Now that NetComics is back in the physical publishing game, however, there are some new titles appearing on the market, and whether you're a fan of manhwa in general or just looking for a series th...
Chaos Dragon ‒ Episode 9
"Perhaps the simplest and most sanely paced entry in the entire show, but that still can't save it from being the worst episode yet."
Prison School ‒ Episode 8
"If Prison School didn't try so hard to be so solemn, it wouldn't be half as entertaining."
GATE ‒ Episode 9
"If the theme of episode 8 was overt politics then the theme of episode 9 is covert politics. Well, that and fan service of varying kinds."
Classroom Crisis ‒ Episode 9
"Today's Classroom Crisis is called “Joyless Victory,” and it doesn't take much sleuthing to unravel that title."
Death Note (Drama) ‒ Episode 8
"Death Note leaves us on a delicious cliffhanger after easily its best episode so far."
Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma ‒ Episode 21
"Once the tasting begins, we get back into the meat of the show – people reacting to amazing dishes while the skills and techniques of the cooks are expounded upon."
Ushio & Tora ‒ Episode 9
"This is a battle anime turned emotional and cerebral, and I look forward to the next leg of the journey."
ANNCast - What It Feels Like For A Monster Girl
Friend of the show and graphic designer Brady Hartel joins Zac and Hope for a rip-roaring live Q&A session wherein Zac reveals his secret monster girl crush. Also: Rokka, Dragon Ball Super and more!
― ANNCast Episode 236: What It Feels Like for a Monster Girl Get the Flash Player to see this player. Friend of the show and graphic designer Brady Hartel joins Zac and Hope for a rip-roaring live Q&A se...
Answerman - Will Anime Ever Come To My Country (Legally)?
A writer from Iran wants to know if there's even a slight chance the anime industry will legally come to his country with physical releases and streaming options.
― Vahid asks: I'm from Iran, and I always read your answers on ANN. (Access to ANN is denied in Iran and i have to use proxy software to visit.) My country doesn't allow us to buy or sell anime and manga (because of Islamic issues, you kno...
Why I Can't Stop Watching Prison School
Prison School is disgusting. Prison School is degenerate. Prison School is juvenile. Prison School has no likable characters. So why can't Hope Chapman tear her eyes away from Prison School? WARNING: NSFW imagery.
― I can't stop watching Prison School. I'm not sure I'd call myself a fan of the show, and I'm not sure why I can't stop watching it, but I'm definitely hooked. Unfortunately, I'm also the ...
Senki Zesshō Symphogear
Once you give in to the absurd, over-the-top ridiculousness of Symphogear, you'll never look back.
― Symphogear isn't a “traditionally good” show. Its dialogue is ridiculous, storytelling somehow simultaneously cliche and incoherent, and drama laid out with the subtlety of a writer who has literal hams for hands. It is a very silly show based on a very silly idea, and yet, in spite of its absurdity, ...
Naruto Shippuden ‒ Episode 426
"Keeping track of the real story may prove difficult if we, like the characters, are caught in a web of Infinite Tsukuyomi illusions for too long."
My Love Story!! ‒ Episode 21
"The point of the show is that we're all more than our appearances, even if they define how the world treats us sometimes."
School-Live! ‒ Episode 8
"When you're talking about a zombie apocalypse show, an episode title like “Future” can carry certain ominous connotations."
Answerman - At What Point Are You No Longer A Fan?
Ever feel your ravenous desire to consume all anime slowly fading? Do you find yourself only seeking out the small handful of shows that might interest you every year? Does that make you no longer a fan? Justin gets into it.
― Robert asks: From 2007-2010, I always considered myself a huge anime fan. I checked out every anime that came out in Japan each season (eventually sticking with no less than 5...
Interview: International Otaku Expo Association
These three guys are attempting to create a global otaku community by encouraging communication and collaboration between otaku events (like, say Comiket and Otakon). Let's find out what they're all about!
― We had the pleasure of chatting with three representatives from the International Otaku Expo Association, an organization established this year to "encourage new developments within the wider ota...
A Silent Voice GN 1
A Silent Voice examines childhood bullying with uncommon frankness, telling an engaging story of cruelty and responsibility.
― A Silent Voice's first volume is not a comfortable read. It's slow and mean, full of small violences that make you wince and characters you just want to shake. That's not necessarily a bad thing though; in fact, it's often the best stories that make you uncomfortable, that ma...
Gintama ‒ Episode 286
"This week's Gintama consists of two half-episode segments that both poke fun at Japanese summertime traditions."
Terra Formars GN 7
Terra Formars shifts gears to expose its heroes to a new threat...from back on Earth.
― Spoiler Warning: This Review Contains Spoilers for Volume 7 There's a good possibility that this volume of Terra Formars, which really does up the plot factor to the point where our heroes are no longer just fighting increasingly powerful roachmen but actually dealing with some of the other repercussions of being ...
The X Button - Cyber City
This week: Bandai Namco’s future with Dark Souls III, Project X Zone 2, and Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth! Plus your chance to vote on Konami games, Dead or Alive rosters, and the future of Guilty Gear! And comics!
― Nintendo recently put a little The Legend of Zelda comic on its Play channel. It's drawn by Seitaro Komatsu, it's based on The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, and it showcases a lazy, man...
Monster Musume ‒ Episode 8
"Rachnera moves in with the rest of the monster girls this week, and her arrival garners some mixed reactions."
Overlord ‒ Episode 8
"How much of Momonga's shtick is him just play-acting, and how much of it is him actually becoming an arrogant bastard because of his overwhelming power?"
Castle Town Dandelion ‒ Episode 8
"The siblings' powers are going berserk!"
Interview: Yuki Yuna director Seiji Kishi
The director of the late night magical girl anime Yuki Yuna is a Hero answers a few questions about the show, including what went in to writing a disabled character.
― We sat down with director Seiji Kishi to talk about Yuki Yuna is a Hero, which he was representing at Otakon 2015 as a special guest of Ponycan USA. Over his long career, Kishi has also directed other notable series, including Assassin...
Review: Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls
Ultra Despair Girls takes Danganronpa into the third person shooter genre, with decidedly mixed results. Some of the things you love about Danganronpa are still here, but there's something amiss...
― Taking place between the first and second Danganronpa games, Ultra Despair Girls is a sidequel starring ultra-generic series lead Makoto Naegi's ultra-generic sister Komaru Naegi. Komaru, kept as a hosta...
Non Non Biyori Repeat ‒ Episode 8
"If you watch Non Non Biyori for the warm fuzziness, there's plenty on display here."
Actually, I Am… ‒ Episode 8
"This storyline simply doesn't produce enough comedy to merit wasting half an hour on."
Snow White with the Red Hair ‒ Episode 8
"This week Snow White with the Red Hair takes us on a journey to the past. Zen's past, that is."
Gangsta. ‒ Episode 8
"Gangsta. has settled into a consistent mood over these past few weeks, and the limp violence has mostly faded into the background."
Shelf Life - Group Therapy
This week's new DVD and Bluray releases, alongside fresh reviews of Kamigami no Asobi and the first season of fan favorite K-ON in HD!
― Jump to this week's reviews: Kamigami no AsobiK-ON! On Shelves This Week Fairy Tail - Part 16 BD+DVD Funimation - 300 min - Hyb - MSRP $54.98Currently cheapest at: $32.12 Rakuten Synopsis: Lucy and Yukino are arrested for their involvement in crimes against the sta...
Answerman - What Happens to a License When a Publisher Goes Under?
When an American anime company goes out of business, what exactly happens to all of their licenses? Justin examines the fallout from several angles.
― Robert asks: What happens to shows (or manga) that are licensed and then for some reason, something happens to the company? Shows like Gosick (which was licensed by Bandai) or manga like Alive: The Final Evolution (which was licensed by Del Rey). And ...
One Piece ‒ Episode 706
"Okay, this is the last of the flashback episodes, I swear."
Durarara!! ×2 The Second Arc ‒ Episode 8
"I barely had time to put everything together before the episode wrapped up and slid right through to the credits."
Satoshi Kon 1963-2010
On the fifth anniversary of the day the world lost Satoshi Kon, we're reprinting our original retrospective of his ouvre for fans who may be reminiscing today about this great artist and his incredible work.
― Editor's Note: this retrospective was produced by Anime News Network shortly after Kon's death in 2010. We're reposting it today on the anniversary - some of the information may be a little ou...
Classic Review: Paranoia Agent ‒ Episode 7
"This week's episode starts with one more of Paranoia Agent's classic tonal confinement-chambers, but swiftly gets very, very weird."
Heroic Legend of Arslan ‒ Episode 20
"Now that Arslan has accepted both prongs of his destiny, it feels like the show is finally moving into its last act."
Gugure! Kokkuri-san Episodes 1-12 Streaming
This raunchy comedy that draws from Shinto folklore may not be for everyone, but if it winds up being for you, you might have a great time.
― Between Gugure! Kokkuri-san and Hozuki's Coolheadedness, 2014 was a good year for shows rooted in Japanese mythology. These series can do decently in Japan, but often struggle to find an audience stateside because of the knowledge base required to get the jokes...
Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers ‒ Episode 8
"These extended discussions are fun and all, but it feels like all the competing theories are about to start spilling out of my brain."
The Best and Worst of the Season So Far: Week of August 12-18
Your favorites of this season get shuffled around once again according to the voting decisions of our daily streaming reviews audience! Did your favorite show rise in the ranks?
― Our team of reviewers are following 27 anime series of the Summer 2015 crop. And this season, at the top of each Daily Streaming Review, we added a little rating widget to let our readers chime in. So let's have a look at ...
Wagnaria!!3 ‒ Episode 8
"It looks like it's time for Souma to start turning up the heat on the rest of the cast."
SHIMONETA: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn't Exist ‒ Episode 8
"The growing sense that what SOX is doing is a double-edged sword is what gives the series at least some semblance of depth."
The Mike Toole Show - Ai Am Legend
Mike takes a very fashionable journey through the world of anime based on the manga of Ai Yazawa, including Paradise Kiss and Nana.
― This week, the anime director Osamu Kobayashi fired off some tweets in English. When asked if he'd done anything new lately, since his last project, an episode of Dantalian, was several years ago, he replied, “I directed the 13 episodes of the new Lupin III. And Garow2...
Spell of Desire GN 5
Spell of Desire finishes on a stronger note than it started on, with Kaoruko finally doing something of her own volition. It's pretty romantic, too.
― A complaint about Tomu Ohmi's previous series to get an English-language release, Midnight Secretary, is that her heroine went from being strong to just another heroine under the romantic sway of a powerful hero. Whether or not you agree with that sent...
Charlotte ‒ Episode 8
"At this point the people-with-powers story could fall flat on its face, and Charlotte would still hold up as a strong adolescent love story."
Ushio & Tora ‒ Episode 8
"Want to raise the stakes of any situation? Set it on a plane!"
GATE ‒ Episode 8
"The fantasy girls, with Princess Pina and her subordinate in tow, finally make it to Japan with Itami and his two chief subordinates as escorts."
The List - 7 Anime for Grown-Up Romantics
The endless parade of anime about teenagers figuring out love for the first time is heartwarming but sometimes, if you're a little older, you want a show about adults who have been around the block a few times already.
― Romance anime, or the medium in general, is dominated by adolescent stories. Characters between the ages of 14-18 getting in trouble, saving the world, or enjoying club activities m...
Kagerou Daze Novel 1
Kagerou Daze isn't off to the strongest start with this dense novel. Is it still worth reading?
― The term “light novel” can be misleading. While it is generally accepted as the term for the Japanese equivalent of Young Adult fiction (and as anyone who's read any English-language YA can attest, they're often very heavy), it's also hard not to just assume that the books themselves will be “light:” the...
Prison School ‒ Episode 7
"This week shines more of a spotlight on Meiko than we've seen in previous episodes."
Chaos Dragon ‒ Episode 8
"When will these awful clichés stop rearing their ugly heads?"
School-Live! ‒ Episode 7
"Although the series has touched before on Yuki's delusions not being entirely flawless despite how strong they are, this episode emphasizes that more strongly than before."
Classroom Crisis ‒ Episode 8
"It was school festival time in this week's Classroom Crisis, meaning time also for A-TEC's traditional rocket launch."
Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma ‒ Episode 20
"Watching different people stir pots isn't as exciting as some of the other cook-offs have been – but once again little details make the episode."
Ranpo Kitan: Game of Laplace ‒ Episode 8
"Despite the simplicity of figuring out who the killer is in the first half of the episode, this is a really well put together show."
Answerman - Why Does Anime Have "The Motion Picture" In The Title?
"Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture". "Slayers: The Motion Picture". "Lady Death: The Motion Picture". Why do US anime studios seem to insist on this antiquated label for anime films?
― Matt B. asks: I was wondering if all anime movies that say "The Motion Picture" were actually in theaters in Japan at some point? Often they don't seem much better quality than OVAs. Funny you should ask this, as this is...
Ranpo Kitan: A Twisted Metamorphosis from Page to Screen
The gruesome mystery anime Ranpo Kitan serves as a flashier, gorier, modern adaptation of several famous Japanese horror stories by author Edogawa Ranpo. But how much did they change in the transition?
― Note: This article contains some spoilers for the first seven episodes of Ranpo Kitan. You've probably heard the names Edgar Alan Poe and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle before. They're two of English literat...
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