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Mr. Osomatsu ‒ Episode 19
"Taken on their own, each of this week's stories is amusing, but they fail to live up to the comedy standard set in previous weeks."
Answerman - Why Did Saint Seiya Bomb In North America?
It's one of the biggest and most influential anime franchises in Latin America, but the mythical golden warriors of Saint Seiya just never found a big audience in the states. Why is that?
― Geoff asks: Saint Seiya is one of the most popular anime of all time worldwide, especially in Europe and Latin America, even bigger than Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moon. It is a Shonen fighting series, the most suc...
Durarara!! ×2 The Third Arc ‒ Episodes 5-6
"After weeks upon weeks of sinister setup, the final climax of Durarara!! is off like a shot in two of its most pulse-pounding, fist-pumping episodes yet."
Dimension W ‒ Episode 6
"While the jury's still out on whether Dimension W will be good, I'm confident in calling it good enough."
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans ‒ Episode 19
"There's a lot happening all at once because there's a time limit on descent battles—either you beat your opponent by the time you hit the atmosphere, or you don't."
Schwarzes Marken ‒ Episode 6
"In an action sense this is the quietest episode to date. In a dramatic sense, however, the episode is anything but quiet."
Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash ‒ Episode 6
"Moving on from a tragedy is never easy, and I admit that I like that Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash hasn't made too quick a move to get the characters past it."
Haikyu!! Second Season ‒ Episode 19
"Mostly this just feels like a match that could have been summed up in the first couple of minutes of the actual Karasuno vs Aoba Johsai episode."
BBK/BRNK ‒ Episode 6
"BBK/BRNK is moving in an encouraging direction, and the fight between Shizuru and Akihito suggests that the writing has the potential to do something genuinely interesting from time to time."
Luck & Logic ‒ Episode 6
"As pretty and polished as it continues to look, there's no getting around the fact that Luck & Logic is astoundingly bland."
Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū ‒ Episode 6
"Following his triumphant performance in the play, Yakumo turns introspective."
GATE ‒ Episode 18
"Before everything is said and done in the episode, chaos reigns once again."
The List - Six Manga & Anime About Raising Kids
Anime usually takes us on incredible flights of fancy, but when it gets down to earth, the results can be incredible. Here are six manga and anime about the trials and tribulations of parenting.
― Anime and manga target a wide array of age demographics. Sure, there might be more in the teenage bracket but whether you're an office lady or a second grader, there's a manga magazine for you. This includ...
Heavy Object ‒ Episode 18
"Heavy Object seems really keen on bringing moral dilemmas to the fore in this story arc, but there's just too much going on, making it feel rushed and rough."
Girls Beyond the Wasteland ‒ Episode 6
"This episode has only a handful of jokes – none of them funny – so all we're left with is the bare skeleton of a scenario we've all seen dozens of times already."
Lupin the Third (TV 2015) ‒ Episode 19
"It's good that Nix is such a strong character, because it's all Lupin and him for most of this episode."
Anime You'd Love To See Remade
We asked a simple question: which anime would you most love to see get a total remake? Here are some wild ideas for remakes of Fate/stay night, Clannad, Voltron and more, and we can't wait to hear yours.
― We asked our writers a simple question: if you could remake any anime in history, which would it be and why? It can be for any reason - maybe the TV series was a shaky adaptation, maybe the animati...
Assassination Classroom season 2 ‒ Episode 6
"Assassination Classroom can do some very good work when it puts a little extra care into its writing."
Answerman - How Was Anime Retouched for Television In The Old Days?
A little history about how all those digital underpants wound up on our favorite naked anime characters over the years and the arcane methods used to draw them.
― Maria asks: I've been watching old English dubs of Samurai Pizza Cats and Sailor Moon from the 90s and I wondered how they 'Airbrushed' and edited various things out before the use digital software. I had heard that for the 90s dub of Drag...
Naruto Shippuden ‒ Episode 448
"With less than a month before the premiere of Itachi Shinden, we can only hope that the final few episodes of Jiraiya's Ninja Scrolls are more entertaining than this."
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 2 GN 2
Things just keep on getting wilder as Jojo and Caesar encounter the Pillar Men underneath Rome. If Jojo's going to beat them, he had better hope Caesar's master Lisa Lisa will take him on in this action-packed, gravity-defying volume.
― One thing you can say about Hirohiko Araki's Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: there is never a dull moment. Battle Tendency, the second part in the ongoing megaseries, is le...
Haruchika – Haruta & Chika ‒ Episode 6
"This week's episode of Haruchika didn't set the world on fire, but it was still one of the more promising installments."
ERASED ‒ Episode 6
"ERASED pulled together nicely this week, in an episode that wasn't a series highlight, but was still a fine board-adjusting maneuver."
Active Raid ‒ Episode 6
"This week's episode was a thematically bulletproof ode to giant robots that also fit perfectly within the world and concerns of Active Raid."
The X Button - Voyage to Neptunia
This week: a look at the referential turns of Neptunia and Sega Hard Girls! Plus Mother 3 rumors, Kickstarter woes, and the secrets of Mega Man!
― It seems as though everyone's playing Firewatch this week. That's fine with me, because it's a very interesting game. Firewatch casts the player as fire lookout Henry, who monitors a patch of Shoshone National Forest in the late 1980s. Communicating only ...
KonoSuba – God's blessing on this wonderful world!! ‒ Episode 4
"This is all a rousing round or two of fun, provided that you can tolerate what the artistry isn't doing."
Corpse Party: Tortured Souls Blu-Ray
This well-animated OVA series is one of the most gruesomely graphic anime titles ever made. Does anything else about it actually matter?
― Whatever else might be said about this four episode OVA series, there's exactly one thing you need to know: it ranks among the most gruesomely graphic anime titles ever made. And really, does anything else about it actually matter? If hyperviolent fare on the leve...
Gintama ‒ Episode 309
"This week's Gintama confirms that no matter how dark things get, humor will always be the backbone of this franchise."
Myriad Colors Phantom World ‒ Episodes 5 and 6
"Phantom World has spent most of its early episodes on character-centered pieces so far, and that does not change with episodes 5 and 6."
Answerman - How Are Short Anime Series Shown on Television?
Short anime comes in a huge variety of runtimes and start times. How in the world do they keep the television anime schedule straight in Japan?
― K. Anna asks: I recently got into shorts last year with "I Can't Understand What My Husband Is Saying" and I was actually really surprised by the number of shorts that come out each year. But with each show varying in length starting with anything from two...
Thirty Years of Castle in the Sky
On the eve of its thirtieth birthday, Sean Bell considers the impact and legacy of Hayao Miyazaki's beloved but often overlooked mid-80s fantasy classic.
― For years, I couldn't remember its name. Films absorbed in the haze of early childhood often have that downside. Nevertheless, images endured, bouncing around my brain for a decade afterwards. Slapstick pirates. Cannon-bedecked blimps. Children a...
A Silent Voice GN 5
A Silent Voice’s fifth volume continues to examine the fragile bonds of young acquaintances with its trademark heart-catching acuity.
― A Silent Voice's fifth volume opens with a very unexpected change of pace - an action pastiche detailing the adventures of a rough and tumble hero known as Big Friend “N,” who gallantly fights at the side of his, well, big friend. Full of dynamic action panels, drama...
Prince of Stride: Alternative ‒ Episode 6
"It's a satisfying story, but way too predictable to be supremely entertaining."
Snow White with the Red Hair ‒ Episode 17
"While the introduction of an abduction plot does seem to run counter to expectations, it also isn't reducing the story to a simple damsel in distress tale."
BBK/BRNK ‒ Episode 5
"This episode is a small step up in overall quality from its predecessor, thanks to a more nuanced pair of Bubuki duelists and a reduction in clunky character movements."
Aldnoah.Zero Part 3 Limited Edition
Aldnoah.Zero's second season can't quite live up to the finale of the first, but it does use some interesting themes and references to build its story of an increasingly senseless war.
― In all honesty, the first twelve episodes of Aldnoah.Zero didn't really need a sequel. With their pointed conclusion they made a definitive statement about the follies of war while leaving viewers the space to fill i...
The Best and Worst of the Season So Far: Week of Jan 29-Feb 4
Witness the meteoric rise of Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans in our user rankings this week! What mighty shows have fallen in its wake?
― Our team of reviewers are following 27 anime series of the Winter 2016 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 ...
Mr. Osomatsu ‒ Episode 18
"Everything from Mario Kart to Mad Max is parodied throughout this episode's Wacky Races-like clusterfudge."
Answerman - Why Do So Many Anime Take Place in High School?
It's an inevitable question: why are so many anime series set in and around high school, or star high-school age folks? Justin gets into it.
― Julian asks: After watching a lot of Anime, depending on the demographic, a good chunk of it tends to take place in a high school setting or the characters, while not always, range from the ages 14-17. This has led me to believe or assume writers of Anime or ...
Dimension W ‒ Episode 5
"While there continue to be problems with the execution, this episode demonstrates that Dimension W contains a wealth of thematic potential, all thanks to its titular science fiction device."
Shelf Life - Mobile Suit Gundam Part 2
Gabriella straps in to her mobile suit and conquers the second half of the original Mobile Suit Gundam series, along with all of this week's new anime releases!
― I spent most of this past weekend stuck in bed with a cold, but I did at least get a valuable life lesson out of the experience. While reading manga can be a good way to kill time, think twice before opening a volume of Monster Musume when...
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans ‒ Episode 18
"Fittingly, an episode titled “Voice” has some of the most impactful one-liners we've heard so far."
Schwarzes Marken ‒ Episode 5
"It provides a satisfying amount of action on the mecha front while also scattering throughout elements of the political situation and small doses of character development."
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam Blu-Ray
The sequel series to the original Mobile Suit Gundam is a much darker look at the horrors of war, and now it's out on bluray in English! Our resident Gundam expert Lauren Orsini weighs in.
― Don't be fooled by the new name or the young new protagonist—Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam is a sequel series. Its many tie-ins to the One Year War at the center of Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 cement it as a follow-up to t...
Heavy Object ‒ Episode 17
"This is a return to the more complicated storylines that characterized Heavy Object's early plot arcs, and that means we've got plenty of exposition to slog through."
Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash ‒ Episode 5
"Knowing that someone is dead is one thing. Coming to realize it, to truly understand it, is another."
The Mike Toole Show - Monster Girl Safari
Mike dons his pith helmet and goes on an expedition to observe one of the most unique (and suddenly popular) species of anime character: the Monster Girl. The journey will change him... forever.
― Lately I've been cruising up and down the aisles of my public library almost every day, because the library is a good place to go and do important research of a critical, academic nature. It's also a good p...
My Little Monster GN 12
There's one volume left, but the main story ends here in a book that is sweet, thoughtful, and thoroughly satisfying.
― Stable, happy couples don't tend to make for great reading, but they do provide excellent happy endings. Robico's My Little Monster has never fully promised us either of these things as it followed the rocky, awkward romance between emotionally wounded Haru and deliberately cold Shi...
Utawarerumono: The False Faces ‒ Episode 18
"Like all the episodes before it, this installment of U2warerumono does a pretty poor job of detailing how Haku feels about much of anything."
Luck & Logic ‒ Episode 5
"The human equivalent of Luck & Logic would be an attractive face who can't express an original thought to save their life."
Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū ‒ Episode 5
"While it's not for everyone, Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju easily continues to be the most challenging anime of the year so far."
Haikyu!! Second Season ‒ Episode 18
"It wasn't a stretch of the imagination to think that this week's episode of Haikyu!! would be a tense one."
GATE ‒ Episode 17
"GATE excels here because it successfully generates a heavy degree of tension despite the viewer being reasonably sure that none of the main characters are going to buy the farm."
The List - Six Lost Mysteries of Anime
Mystery anime is back in vogue lately, but the genre is famously underrepresented in the US. Here are six mystery anime that still need an official US release!
― Recent anime seasons has shown a renewed interest in the mystery genre, from lighter fare like Haruchika to dark thrillers like this season's ERASED. This is boon for fans of an oft neglected genre, doubly so because its previous entries ra...
UQ Holder! GN 2
UQ Holder maintains its polish and consistency, but has yet to truly find its voice in this second volume.
― In many ways, UQ Holder feels like the series Ken Akamatsu has been wanting to write for most of his career. His first major hit, Love Hina, started off as a traditional harem series, with serial failure Keitaro Urashima finding himself the manager of a lady's dorm and comedy predictably ensui...
Dagashi Kashi ‒ Episode 5
Dagashi Kashi pulled off another solid episode this week, and at this point seems to have largely figured out its own comic rhythm.
There's a Pervert Impersonating ANN Staff
Sadly this isn't a joke. Someone out there is impersonating an ANN staff photographer to put female cosplayers in compromising positions.
― tl;dr version: Anime News Network staff will always contact you from an @animenewsnetwork.com e-mail address. Freelance journalists / photographers do not have @animenewsnetwork.com e-mail addresses and will never identify themselves as “staff.” If a freelancer c...
Lupin the Third (TV 2015) ‒ Episode 18
"This episode feels like the beginning of the series' grand finale."
Naruto Shippuden ‒ Episode 447
"Yet another entertaining story arc and iconic villain have fallen victim to the whims of a terrible (and apparently clairvoyant) author."
One Piece ‒ Episode 728
"Fourth Gear lovers rejoice as the action picks back up with our new Bounceman Luffy continuing to wale on Doflamingo as the two trade blows and flex their Devil Fruit-y muscles."
ANNCast - Supernerds: Civil War
Daryl Surat and Mike Toole return to Supernerds headquarters to chat about Turn A Gundam, Evangelion 3.33, Fullmetal Alchemist and much more! PLUS: a license announcement from Discotek!
― ANNCast Episode 251: Supernerds: Civil War Daryl Surat and Mike Toole return to Supernerds headquarters to chat about Turn A Gundam, Evangelion 3.33, Fullmetal Alchemist and much more! PLUS: a license announcement ...
Answerman - Why Are Americans In Anime Always Blonde?
One reader wants to know why Americans in anime are almost always portrayed as blonde-haired and blue-eyed. Justin Sevakis, a non-blonde American, explains.
― Dana asks: My question is how Americans are labeled in anime. I have read and seen a lot of anime and manga. In all of them, Americans are all drawn being blonde and blue eyed. This just irks me sometimes. I'm American and I have brown hair an...
The Real Pirates of One Piece
Uncover the history behind the real-life seagoing bandit kings and scalawags that inspired some of the most memorable villains in Eiichiro Oda's world-conquering pirate fantasy One Piece!
― I discovered pirates through a bizarre combination of Astrid Lindgren's Pippi Longstocking novels (and the weird 1988 film) and Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island when I was in elementary school, and my fasc...
Daimadaler: Prince V.S. Penguin Empire BD+DVD
This hyperactive sex comedy sendup of giant robot shows might be trying a little too hard to be ribald, but it also just might generate a few chuckles nonetheless. Theron Martin gets into it.
― The very first line of the opener should serve as a warning about what you're getting into here. It translates as “turn your roaring libido into strength,” and that fully embodies the essence of the show, for ...
Assassination Classroom season 2 ‒ Episode 5
"This series is good enough that I'd like to see it take a few more risks, which is why I'm hoping we'll see more of Asano this season."
Girls Beyond the Wasteland ‒ Episode 5
"I can't rule out the possibility of Girls Beyond the Wasteland climbing back up into something watchable, but it's dug itself a pretty steep pit."
ERASED ‒ Episode 5
"ERASED took an unfortunate step down this week, in an outsourced episode that demonstrated few of the show's great strengths and all of its weaknesses."
Haruchika – Haruta & Chika ‒ Episode 5
"Most of HaruChika's mysteries deal with depressing personal issues like grief, but I think this episode feels not only darker, but also more resonant."
The X Button - Hard-Boiled Detective Pikachu
This week: imports join the yakuza, the Asterisk War, and a Dragon Quest construction crew! Plus Detective Pikachu, 7th Dragon, a shooter with a great title and a DBZ game contest!
― I have the winners of my recent games-as-art contest, but I'll save them for this column's last stretch. That's because I have another contest to run! Bandai Namco's mobile game Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle starts up its...
Active Raid ‒ Episode 5
"As usual, Active Raid's actual episodic narrative was far less engaging than the slowly accumulating details of character and worldbuilding."
The Boy and The Beast
Just as he tackled motherhood in the acclaimed Wolf Children, Mamoru Hosoda takes on fatherhood in his latest film, The Boy and the Beast. Absent his crucial screenwriting partner, Hosoda's film is an unfortunate and rare stumble for a promising artist.
― At first glance, The Boy and The Beast carries all the hallmarks of a Mamoru Hosoda film. The warm colors, wiggly lines, soft expressions, and hype...
Gintama ‒ Episode 308
"The Shogun Assassination Arc truly was a point of no return."
Prince of Stride: Alternative ‒ Episode 5
"Without the action, tension, and fluid animation of actual Stride matches, there's not much to see, which left this episode lacking."
Your Most Memorable Anime Villain
Everyone has a favorite anime villain, but which one was the most memorable, and had the most impact on you? Our team of critics reveal the bad guys that still keep them up at night - and we need to hear yours, too!
― This week we asked our team of critics for the most memorable villain they've ever encountered in anime. We specifically didn't ask for favorite - "most memorable" suggests a villain th...
Answerman - Why Do Guys In Yaoi Claim To Be Straight?
Justin navigates some of the fantasies and realities of the way men behave in yaoi manga and doujinshi, which, in a surprise to everyone, isn't particularly realistic.
― Quinn asks: Recently I stumbled upon "Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi - World's Greatest First Love" and all though I didn't know it was a yaoi title when I first started watching the show I did enjoy its story. However, one thing kept nagging ...
Review: Night on the Galactic Railroad Blu-Ray
Gabriella Ekens is all aboard the train to existential happiness in this classic film, based on Kenji Miyazawa's timeless children's book. It's out now on bluray for the first time, and it's never looked better.
― Editorial disclosure: two regular Anime News Network contributors worked on this disc, Mike Toole and Justin Sevakis. Neither were involved with nor consulted on this review in any capacity...
Review: Evangelion 3.33: You Can (Not) Redo Blu-Ray
Rebuild of Evangelion's long-delayed third installment finally arrives on bluray, where it's revealed that maybe it's a bad idea to keep screaming "GET IN THE ROBOT, SHINJI!"
― Well, it's finally here: after a little over three years in release limbo, Evangelion 3.33: You Can (not) Redo is finally on bluray in the US. Let's not waste any time: the odds that you've heard this movie sucks are astronomi...
The Best and Worst of the Season So Far: Week of Jan 22-28
See how all your favorite Winter 2016 shows are performing in our user-driven polls!
― Our team of reviewers are following 27 anime series of the Winter 2016 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 cur...
Durarara!! ×2 The Third Arc ‒ Episode 4
"It feels like the climax is coming together like never before, incorporating every character and subplot in creative ways to seal Ikebukuro's last story."
Mr. Osomatsu ‒ Episode 17
"All of episode 17's skits share a common theme: fan-favorite space-case Jyushimatsu."
Utawarerumono: The False Faces ‒ Episodes 16-17
"We get the full Haku origin story, and boy is it a doozy!"
Snow White with the Red Hair ‒ Episode 16
"Things are certainly heating up, both emotionally and in terms of the plot...although this episode doesn't always do the best job of showing that."
Dimension W ‒ Episode 4
"As with all mysteries, I can't really judge the story's success until the end, but this first part is suspenseful and entertaining at least."
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans ‒ Episode 17
"There haven't been enough Gundam battles lately and now that we're back in space, I hope this wild choreography becomes our new normal."
Shelf Life - One Piece: Season 7 Part 4
Paul hops onboard the Going Merry and wonders why the Straw Hat Pirates didn't need an anime critic onboard. PLUS: This week's big new releases, including Evangelion 3.33!
― I've been having fun watching Dagashi Kashi this season, but I have found one problem with the show. It's the same issue I ran into back when I was doing episode reviews of Gourmet Girl Graffiti: I simply cannot watch a series a...
Review: Sword Art Online II Blu-Ray 4
Asuna takes over the lead role for the series' final story arc, which is a key component in making it the best SAO arc animated to date.
― You do not need to be an Asuna fan (as I am) to acknowledge that she has been woefully underused and underdeveloped through the first five story arcs of the SAO franchise (including Extra Edition). Despite being one of the original two faces of the franchise, she ...
Schwarzes Marken ‒ Episode 4
"While Lise's arrival and reconnecting with Theodor is the early feature, the combined mecha/naval fleet action actually forms the bulk of the episode."
Umineko When They Cry Episode 5: End of the Golden Witch Volume 2 GN 11
Umineko devolves into a tedious debate about the rules of the Golden Age mystery in a volume that's all about the genre without actually giving us much mystery.
― It's time to ask yourself, are you reading Umineko: When They Cry because you like the story and Ryukishi07's style of telling it, or are you reading it because you have a deep investment in the philosophical discussion of mystery novels, f...
Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash ‒ Episode 4
"Grimgar had lulled us into a false sense of security (albeit one with some niggling doubts), but things are going to have to start moving from this point on."
Haikyu!! Second Season ‒ Episode 17
"One of the more satisfying episodes, allowing two second-tier characters to come to the fore."
Luck & Logic ‒ Episode 4
"This plot has the depth and complexity of an after-school special, and looking pretty isn't enough to save it."
My Monster Secret GN 1
My Monster Secret opens with a by-the-numbers but endearing set of harem shenanigans, full of fun characters and ridiculous faces.
― The harem bar has been somewhat raised as of late. While the harems of years past could get away with occasional hot spring shenanigans and the promise of a kiss, modern sex capers like Prison School and Monster Musume throw lust and nudity front and center, accompanyin...
BBK/BRNK ‒ Episode 4
"Each episode of this series has featured flashes of brilliance, but it continues to struggle with turning that potential into a strong finished product."
Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū ‒ Episode 4
"It's a slower episode than usual, but Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū continues to be a strong production."
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