Views
— Archives —
- All
- •
- Anime
- Manga
- Novels
- Games
- Music
- Merch
- Events
- Industry
- People
- Live-Action
Text-only Compact View
Text-only List View
Text-only Grid View
List View with Images
Grid View with Images
The Perfect Insider ‒ Episode 6
"Perfect Insider didn't even really try to hide the recap-ness of this episode."
Beautiful Bones: Sakurako's Investigation ‒ Episode 6
"Beautiful Bones pulled a pretty neat trick this week, and shook things up by jumping away from Shoutarou and Sakurako altogether."
Dance with Devils ‒ Episode 6
"This is the episode of answers. (And sexually charged song lyrics from Shiki.)"
Gintama ‒ Episode 297
"This episode is a good almost-end-cap to the current season's onslaught of comedy."
Answerman - Why Is Anime Getting More Popular In The West (Again)?
Anime seems more popular than ever in the West, with merchandise and DVDs common on store shelves and convention populations exploding. What happened?
― Joachim asks: If i look around me, there's more and more people starting to like anime. and i love that. but of course those people are all of western origin and not japanese, so my question is: why is anime growing so much in popularity in the west...
K-ON! Season 2 Blu-Ray
Overall, K-ON! exemplifies “better than the sum of its parts.” And that makes sense, really, because it's the beauty of the construction of these tiny moments that makes it work.
― When I reviewed K-On!, I described it as an “unassuming but quietly excellent slice of life.” Cataloging the first two years in the high school life of Houkago Tea-Time, the show established an endearing cast of characters...
Answerman - Why Are Adapted Dubs Still Being Made?
You hear fans complain about one thing more than anything else: heavily rewritten and whitewashed English dubs of kids' shows like Yu-Gi-Oh! and Pokemon. But why do these hatchet jobs still exist?
― Mitchell asks: So I wanna know, why do bad dubs continue to exist to this day? I find it odd that dubbing companies out there still continue to do things that they know will annoy the fans like replace b...
Ghost in the Shell: Arise 3 + 4 Blu-Ray
Things slow down a little in this ambitious prequel series, just in time for the new film debuting this week. Also: Motoko goes on a date!
― The second Arise release includes episodes 3 and 4, each of which is a little over 50 minutes long. While each episode focuses on a specific case, the two are somewhat related and a definitely continuity exists between the two. Both episodes certainly continue t...
Mr. Osomatsu ‒ Episode 6
"Halfway through its first cour, Mr. Osomatsu shows no signs of diminishing quality."
One-Punch Man ‒ Episode 6
"This week's One-Punch Man takes the long road to a simple conclusion that poor Saitama should have seen coming a mile away."
Shelf Life - Full Metal Disorder
An enormous truckload of new releases appears as we head into the Christmas season, plus full reviews of Full Metal Panic Fumoffu and Inari Kon Kon!
― I feel like I've been visited by the ghost of franchises past this week. I reviewed a series that I first watched when I was around fourteen years old (see below) and played entirely too much of the newest Halo game, whose predecessors were the most w...
Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu BD+DVD
Full Metal Panic's light and silly Fumoffu season stands the test of time - it's just as funny to watch Sousuke blow up shoe lockers now as it was in 2005.
― Welcome back to 2003! Funimation's rescue of Full Metal Panic! Fumoffu, a series originally licensed and dubbed by ADV in 2005, is just as much fun as it ever was, although it must be said that the character designs look a little dated. Based on...
Concrete Revolutio ‒ Episode 6
"This episode is a great example of what happens when superhuman abilities really do trickle down to the "ordinary" people."
Comet Lucifer ‒ Episode 6
"Sogo, Kaon, and Felia hit the road this week in search of a way to bring Felia's powers under control."
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans ‒ Episode 6
"Iron-Blooded Orphans is better at showing than telling."
Chivalry of a Failed Knight ‒ Episode 6
"If you were hoping for a spectacular battle or two this week, you are about to be disappointed."
The Asterisk War ‒ Episode 6
"Episode 6 features the lowest action quotient of any episode to date, and yet it is still a pretty solid one overall."
The Best and Worst of the Season So Far: Week of Oct 29-Nov 4
Check out how your favorite shows are faring in our user rankings, now that we're a full month into the new season!
― Our team of reviewers are following 24 anime series of the Fall 2015 season and readers are rating each episode as the reviews go up. So let's have a look at what ANN readers consider the best (and worst) of the season. Keep in mind that these rankings are based on how people rated i...
Utawarerumono: The False Faces ‒ Episode 6
"Episode six is by far the strongest of the series yet, because it works on two completely different levels."
Young Black Jack ‒ Episode 6
"The actions of the show's doctors are admirable, but the episode's presentation comes off as troubling instead."
Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign ‒ Episode 17
"This episode was a lush visual feast that left me wanting more."
Garo: Crimson Moon ‒ Episode 5
"It's time to introduce another primary cast member, Yasusuke Hakamadare!"
Haikyu!! Second Season ‒ Episode 6
"It's clear from the start of this episode that both boys are nursing bruised egos and crumpled feelings."
Owarimonogatari ‒ Episode 6
"The truth about Oikura's mother was revealed this week, in typical roundabout Monogatari fashion."
K: Return of Kings ‒ Episode 6
"After all of the organizing and laying out of plans and motives last week, indications were that this would be the grand battle episode."
Attack on Titan: Junior High ‒ Episode 6
"This episode is forced to make up new material in the form of ridiculous fantasies."
Ushio & Tora ‒ Episode 19
"After hearing about it for a good ten episodes, we finally see the Hakumen no Mono in action."
The List - 6 Times It Was All Just A Dream
It's one of the most predictable and unpopular endings in storytelling history: the hero wakes up and everything you just saw was a dream. Here are six times anime went to that well!
― Considered one of the cheapest writing tactics in the book, "it was all dream" is so notoriously denounced that it occurs more often as a punchline nowadays than as an actual plot device. Classic examples include The ...
Skip Beat! GN 35
Skip Beat's 35th volume proves the series is still going strong while giving most of the inner monologues to Ren. If you've been waiting for him to make a move, this is your book.
― It isn't often that we get a chance to have an entire volume from Ren's point of view, although given that Yoshiki Nakamura has kept Skip Beat going this long without it declining in quality, we ought to expect the unusua...
Noragami Aragoto ‒ Episode 6
"Noragami Aragoto is only halfway over, and it's hard to tell if it can possibly get any better."
Heavy Object ‒ Episode 6
"Heavy Object's bad habits begin to upstage its strengths in this new story arc."
Answerman - Why Don't I Find Anime Comedies Funny?
One reader wonders why he can't connect with anime comedy the same way so many other fans seem to. Justin gets into it.
― Jsphro asks: I'm a casual anime fan, only watching a small handful of shows a year. One genera I've had always had hard time grasping my enjoyment on is Comedy. Very few anime have ever made me laugh, which I don't know is either the fault on the creators for making something un-...
ANNCast - Saved You a Kleck
Right Stuf CEO Shawne Kleckner returns for a round of the tough questions: what's up with Gundam in the US, the state of the industry in 2015 and much more!
― ANNCast Episode 243: Saved You a Kleck Right Stuf CEO Shawne Kleckner returns for a round of the tough questions: what's up with Gundam in the US, the state of the industry in 2015 and much more! You can listen to the show on our player here, ...
Whatever Happened to Bleach?
10 years ago there was a show called Bleach that was considered one of the biggest shonen franchises going. 10 years later, the show's been canceled and it's barely a memory among anime fans, but the manga's still running. What happened?
― Roughly ten years ago,Tite Kubo's Bleach was among the most popular manga franchises in the world. Online debates raged constantly, with Bleach, Naruto, and One Pi...
Mobile Suit Gundam Blu-Ray
The Gundam series that started it all is out on bluray now, but there are two burning questions: how well does the show hold up and how well has it been preserved?
― When Mobile Suit Gundam Blu Ray edition was released in Japan, Bandai aired several commercials, all of which are included in this Blu Ray's bonus content. Each one features a middle-aged man going about his life while softly singing, “F...
Naruto Shippuden ‒ Episode 436
"This arc has the unique distinction of being both the longest and least-compelling Infinite Tsukuyomi story to date."
The Perfect Insider ‒ Episode 5
"Things kicked into overdrive in this week's Perfect Insider, as secrets were revealed and chilling contrasts were drawn from the first minute to the last."
Bridging the Gap between US Comics and Manga with Kodansha USA
Nobody denies there's a huge canyon between US comics fandom and manga fandom, but what are manga companies doing to close that divide? Deb Aoki talks to Kodansha USA's top brass for the answers.
― In Part 1, ANN spoke with the editorial team behind the Attack on Titan Anthology. Part 2 is our conversation with some of the top executives at Kodansha USA Publishing and Kodansha Publishing Japan, as th...
The X Button - Long Division
This week, we talk with the creators of the new RPG Indivisible! Plus Street Fighter, Guilty Gear, NieR: Automata, and yet another potential fashion disaster.
― I didn't expect another Nintendo controversy so soon. A few weeks after the company stirred debate by replacing bikinis with Zelda and Metroid outfits in Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water, a similar fuss arose over Nintendo's upcoming Xenob...
Anthem of the Heart
The new film from the creative team behind Anohana is all about expressing yourself no matter how difficult it may be - but how well does the film express itself? Nick Creamer investigates.
― If you expect a movie called “Anthem of the Heart” to have its own heart somewhere in the vicinity of its sleeve, you won't be disappointed. This is a movie about secret hearts and burning youth, full of charact...
Gintama ‒ Episode 296
"If the rest of the stories leading up to the potentially game-changing Shogun Assassination Arc are as funny as this, we'll have plenty of fond memories to look back on when the show puts on its serious face."
Beautiful Bones: Sakurako's Investigation ‒ Episode 5
"Overall, this episode lacked some of the strong atmosphere of the previous one, but still did a fine job of concluding Beautiful Bones' first two-part arc."
Dance with Devils ‒ Episode 5
"Watch out, Ritsuka – you may be Beauty, but you really ought to consider which Beast you want to tame."
Answerman - Does Japan Have Otaku For American Animation?
Are there Japanese fans of American animated shows like South Park, Family Guy and Rick & Morty? Do they resemble American anime fans? Justin gets into it.
― Christopher asks: With the anime/otaku industry being a fairly robust fandom in the west, I was wondering: is that mirrored for western animation/cartoons over in Japan? Are there groups that work on fansubbing new episodes of Steven Universe a...
The Neverending Debate over the End of Naruto
When the Naruto manga wrapped up, a controversial romantic decision caused fandom to explode into a singular argument, one that rages still in comments sections today. Our resident Naruto expert explains this phenomenon.
― When an orange-jumpsuit-clad 12-year-old ninja named Naruto Uzumaki burst onto the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump in 1999, few people gave much thought to whom the hyperactive young ...
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 2 GN 1
It's a new arc with a new JoJo as Hirohiko Araki's tale of epic strangeness moves forward in time fifty years to pit Joseph Joestar against the men behind the stone mask that started all of the trouble in the first place.
― Warning: This review contains spoilers for the final volume of Part One: Phantom Blood. No where outside of an eighteenth century Gothic novel can you find melodrama and ridiculou...
Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer GN 7-8
Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer slows its roll in a volume focused on fleshing out the last few members of the Beast Knights.
― The last volume of Biscuit Hammer ended in dramatic emotional fireworks, as Taro's death prompted Sorano to discover new power within herself and find purpose in her own life. There's little to match those cathartic peaks in this fourth volume; this one is much more leisurely...
One-Punch Man ‒ Episode 5
"Comedy and intrigue aside, this episode's real centerpiece is the outstanding faceoff between Saitama and Genos."
"The Biggest Attack on Titan Manga Announcement Ever" Part I
A hype-tastic Kodansha USA panel at New York Comic-Con announced that for the first time, American artists have been invited to play in the world of Attack on Titan. Deb Aoki investigates in the first part of this 2-part interview.
― At New York Comic-Con 2015, Kodansha Comics tantalized fans with a panel with the hype-tacular title "The Biggest Attack on Titan Manga Announcement Ever." So what was t...
Mr. Osomatsu ‒ Episode 5
"The brothers' personalities are becoming better-established with each new story, as their little world grows ever more expansive."
One Piece ‒ Episode 716
"I really love the Dressrosa arc, but it's definitely the One Piece adventure where Oda's godlike sense of big-picture storytelling begins to crack and show its weaknesses."
Answerman - Why Isn't American Animation Outsourced To Japan?
American animation used to be outsourced to Japan all the time - obviously that isn't the case anymore. What happened, and where is animation outsourced to these days?
― Abe asks: Why are so many American animated shows sent to Korea for main production and not Japan? The Japanese animation industry seems to be a more logical choice considering how much animation is produced there compared to the am...
The Best and Worst of the Season So Far: Week of October 22-28
How did your favorite fall series stack up in our user ratings? Find out here!
― Our team of reviewers are following 24 anime series of the Fall 2015 season and readers are rating each episode as the reviews go up. So let's have a look at what ANN readers consider the best (and worst) of the season. Keep in mind that these rankings are based on how people rated individual episodes of the current sea...
Shelf Life - Finer and Dandier
A boatload of this week's new releases PLUS full reviews of two fantastic shows: Space Dandy season 2 and Tamayura!
― As I was putting together the list of this week's new releases, I noticed that we're getting quite a few lower-priced rereleases of older titles. Most of the big companies have at least one product line for bringing their older licenses back into circulation, and it's nice to be able...
Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden
Arc System Works put together a competent fighter with some enjoyable side attractions, but Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden can't escape the fans-only landing zone that awaits merely adequate anime-inspired games.
― The modern fighting game barely existed back when Dragon Ball Z first appeared as an anime series and an extension of Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball manga. Yet the two worlds were fated to m...
Concrete Revolutio ‒ Episode 5
"This episode seems designed to make sense of everything that's happened previously, but it could just confuse viewers further."
Comet Lucifer ‒ Episode 5
"Comet Lucifer has a lot of ground to cover in this episode, and the pacing is a tad rushed as a result."
Haikyu!! Second Season ‒ Episode 5
"Hinata's got a lot to work through in the coming weeks, and it will be just as, if not more, rewarding to see him grow as a person as well as a player."
Utawarerumono: The False Faces ‒ Episode 5
"In a questionable lapse of judgment, Utawarerumono decided to put the mild momentum it had worked so hard to build up on hold for tired old comedy hijinks."
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans ‒ Episode 5
"Iron-Blooded Orphans remains entertaining thanks to its winning combination of character development, action choreography, and great animation."
The Asterisk War ‒ Episode 5
"With its introductory story arc done, The Asterisk War moves on to its next one (presumably the adaptation of the second novel?) with a blitz of new character introductions."
The Mike Toole Show - The Secret of Mr. Osomatsu
In the wake of the success of Osomatsu-san, Mike takes a look at that show's source material and its connections to other eternally-popular gag manga from the 60s, like Doraemon!
― There's a new TV anime running at the moment called Osomatsu-san ("Mr. Osomatsu," natch), which is actually based on a gag manga and anime about six dumb brothers from the 1960s. It should come as absolutely no surprise to...
Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign ‒ Episode 16
"This week's Seraph of the End has united two of my favorite things – action and character development."
Young Black Jack ‒ Episode 5
"None of this is outside standard war-movie fare, but at least it wasn't boring."
Attack on Titan: Junior High ‒ Episode 5
"There's still a fair amount of repetition, but this is one of the more original episodes the show has given us so far."
Garo: Crimson Moon ‒ Episode 4
"It took four episodes to get there, but Crimson Moon is no longer a serious downgrade from the first season, and it still has the potential to surpass it with a more compelling narrative."
Owarimonogatari ‒ Episode 5
"This week's Owarimonogatari let slip the whole (alleged) story of Oikura and Araragi's relationship, straight from Oikura herself."
Chivalry of a Failed Knight ‒ Episode 5
"The prelude to a kiss has to be done just right to get the perfect reaction from the audience – preferably the one where they wait with baited breath for the moment to come and smile when at last it does."
K: Return of Kings ‒ Episode 5
"So bigger and more active things are coming and this episode is just the set-up. Some of the content is just a slog, but it offers enough intriguing details."
Noragami Aragoto ‒ Episode 5
"The Bishamon Arc, which concludes next episode, has proven itself to be a surprisingly raw, emotional, and mature work of animated storytelling."
The List - 6 Times Anime Went Full Halloween
Halloween episodes are commonplace in American television, but you don't see it quite as often in anime. Here are six spooktacular instances of anime getting into the spirit.
― Christmas and Halloween are easy themed go-tos for Western television programming. The former is also common in anime where Christmas is synonymous with "romantic date." Halloween, on the other hand, has only recently caught ...
LDK GN 1
LDK's first volume is a sweet shoujo romance about unlikely roommates that avoids some of the less enjoyable tropes of the genre.
― Shoujo manga has never been shy about finding ways to throw its teenage protagonists into a shared living situation. The most commonly found trope in English-translated works seems to be the Marmalade Boy: parents remarry and kids are thrust into a shared life under the ...
Heavy Object ‒ Episode 5
"Watching the little guy win by outsmarting the enemy can be a very satisfying experience, even when the script isn't the best thing ever written."
Ushio & Tora ‒ Episode 18
"Even though this episode featured Ushio in a desperate situation, the plot presented a balanced mix of comedy and drama that gives every character a part to play."
Answerman - Is Japan Over-Reacting To Ai Takabe's Arrest?
Ai Takabe is a voice actress who was recently arrested on drug charges in Japan. The kick in the pants the Japanese justice system is giving her seems excessive; is this business as usual?
― Dimitri asks: Today I noticed a huge uproar in regards to Ai Takabe and her arrest for drug possession and potential usage. Now would this not have interested me, was it not for the fact that here whole presence...
ANNCast - Ghoul Runnings
Justin Sevakis returns to ANNCast just in time for Halloween to answer a bunch of spooktacular (and spooktacularly off-topic) questions! Hope and Zac are along for the ride.
― ANNCast Episode 242: Ghoul Runnings Get the Flash Player to see this player. Justin Sevakis returns to ANNCast just in time for Halloween to answer a bunch of spooktacular (and spooktacularly off-topic) questions! Hope and Zac...
The Resurrection of Vampire Hunter D with Hideyuki Kikuchi and Yoshiaki Kawajiri
There's a new Vampire Hunter D series on the horizon, so we spoke to the show's two chief creative influences: series author Hideyuki Kikuchi and legendary director Yoshiaki Kawajiri.
― This summer, Unified Pictures announced ambitious plans for an animated Vampire Hunter D series, to be produced entirely in CG. Given how early this new series was in the production cycle (and still is), very little ...
Fatal Frame 5: Maiden of Black Water
Fatal Frame returns as a somewhat modernized horror game experience just in time for Halloween, but the results are decidedly less than spooktacular.
― Featuring more spooky dolls than you can shake a camera at and a cast comprised primarily of breathily voiced young women in incredibly intricate attire, Fatal Frame's fifth installment, Maiden of Black Water, certainly nails the look and feel. The ic...
The Perfect Insider ‒ Episode 4
"This episode wasn't a highlight, but The Perfect Insider is still threading its strange needle of mystery, character, and theme."
Beautiful Bones: Sakurako's Investigation ‒ Episode 4
"The show finally got what it apparently always needed - a little bit more time."
The X Button - Blasting Away
This week, Todd considers the history and fate of light-gun games! Plus Gravity Rush 2, more Trails in the Sky, and some strange Sonic sightings!
― With Halloween approaching, now's a good time to pull out your favorite scary games. I assume you'll be dressing up and going to parties or passing out candy when the actual holiday arrives, but a creepy game is invaluable during the buildup. And you hav...
Selector Infected WIXOSS BD+DVD
Teenagers do battle with a card game you can conveniently purchase! Sound familiar? Maybe, but Theron Martin discovers that there's a lot more to this show than it might seem at first glance.
― By all appearances this 12 episode anime is intended a complement to the real-life CCG WIXOSS rather than an adaptation of or pure advertisement for it, as the two were released concurrently during the Spring ...
Dance with Devils ‒ Episode 4
"This felt like a slow episode, honestly, devoted to explaining things that we had already figured out for ourselves."
Gintama ‒ Episode 295
"Picking up one month after the previous installment left off, episode 295 continues the story of the perpetually silent Saito Shimaru."
Answerman - How Popular Are American Movies In Japan?
Justin delves into the Japanese box office and just how American films stack up to Japan's domestic output when it comes to the bottom line.
― Cordelia asks: I noticed that in Japan, American movies are highly popular such as Titanic and Frozen for examples. I even heard Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean are really popular and are some of the top grossing movies there. Are American films rel...
The Sex-Obsessed Cyberpunk Dystopia of Shimoneta
Did you know this summer's controversial sex comedy Shimoneta is just Psycho-Pass with sex jokes? You didn't? Well, Joe Dempsey is here to open your mind (NSFW Language).
― What anime from the past few years is Shimoneta's story and world most similar to? From the outside we can see that it's based off a light novel with the classic light novel naming scheme of a plot description title ( the idea be...
Durarara!! x 2 Volume 1
Durarara!! came back in a big way, and now the very first chunk of its return season is on bluray, with a dub, from Aniplex. Hope Chapman puts it through the paces.
― After five long years away from Ryohgo Narita's tangled web of Ikebukuro intrigue, Durarara has finally returned with a second season, split into three cours, which have been split yet again into six releases (of six episodes each) from...
Mr. Osomatsu ‒ Episode 4
"After sampling three different formats, I think Mr. Osomatsu is best served by the two-segment setup featured in this episode."
Concrete Revolutio ‒ Episode 4
"Jiro was a mysterious protagonist from the start, but now that we know a little bit about him, more questions have been raised than answered."
Answerman - Are There More American Otaku Than Japanese Otaku?
Someone asks whether or not there are more American otaku than Japanese otaku, and Justin tries his best to figure that out.
― Randall asks: Given the rising attendance figures at anime conventions here in the US, comparing to attendance figures from the (two?) comikets and assuming that such convention attendees would be considered otaku if living in Japan, is it possible that the US now has more o...
One Piece ‒ Episode 715
"I never thought I'd find myself wanting to join some kind of Mansherry fan club, but here I am."
Inari Kon Kon BD+DVD
If forced to describe the shapeshifting romantic comedy Inari Kon Kon in a phrase, I'd likely go with the classic “mostly harmless.”
― If forced to describe Inari Kon Kon in a phrase, I'd likely go with the classic “mostly harmless.” Inari Kon Kon is neither an impressive nor offensive show - it's pleasant enough, has a couple strong elements, and has its heart in the right place. It's not the best s...
Shelf Life - One Good Turn
A particularly head-turning installment of Shelf Life includes all of this week's new releases and reviews of Turn-A Gundam and Sasami-san@Ganbaranai!
― I was all set to gripe humorously about the number of new releases that I had to look up this week, but then I saw the schedule for next week. And the week after that, and the week after that. The holidays are upon us, which means mountains of new a...
The Best and Worst of the Season So Far: Week of October 15-21
It's a brand-new season, so it's time for brand-new rankings! Find out how your favorite shows are faring so far according to our reader voting!
― Our team of reviewers are following 24 anime series of the Fall 2015 season and readers are rating each episode as the reviews go up. So let's have a look at what ANN readers consider the best (and worst) of the season. Keep in mind that these rankings ar...
Comet Lucifer ‒ Episode 4
"It feels like the wheels that drive the story are starting to turn, and some of this week's events will likely have consequences that extend beyond the end credits."
One-Punch Man ‒ Episode 4
"Poor Saitama may be the world's strongest man, but he's been doing it all wrong for three whole years, and he'll have to learn that the hard way!"
For all articles, see the archives