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
Season Finale: GATE (Episode 24)
"This episode does cover most of its bases, but it never much captures a feeling of tension or energy."
Season Finale: Heavy Object (Episode 24)
"I'd hesitate to recommend this to anyone who doesn't enjoy fictional technical details, but its intended audience will find a competent show that only gets better over time."
Season Finale: Girls Beyond the Wasteland (Episode 12)
"Ultimately, I can't call this a good show, but it did turn out charming in ways that I didn't expect."
Answerman - What Holidays Are Celebrated Only In Japan?
Holidays are frequently strip-mined for use in anime storylines, but Japan's holidays often look a lot different from those in the West. Justin breaks it down.
― T. Brown asks: So many animes cover holidays like Christmas, Valentine's day, and White day, but at there any other holidays that are celebrated that are specifically Eastern or Japanese? It's true that Western holidays tend to get most of ...
ANNCast - Patience Rewarded
Zac and Jacob take a break before Spring Preview Guide to wrap up the winter season, hype up the spring and discuss the FLCL rebirth, the Escaflowne kickstarter and more!
― ANNCast Episode 255: Patience Rewarded Zac and Jacob take a break before Spring Preview Guide to wrap up the winter season, hype up the spring and discuss the FLCL rebirth, the Escaflowne kickstarter and more! You can listen to t...
KonoSuba – God's blessing on this wonderful world!!
Konosuba is inconsistently funny and certainly rough around the edges, but still finds charm in its group of ragtag non-heroes.
― That's right, they made another “trapped in a videogame-style world” show. The leveling, the acquiring of skills, the evil demon lord, all of it. Of course, Konosuba is a little different from Sword Art Online or Log Horizon. Imitation inevitably follows success, but so do...
Assassination Classroom season 2 ‒ Episode 12
"Unfortunately, this episode's second half doesn't measure up to the first."
Naruto Shippuden ‒ Episode 454
"This week's outing reminds us that Itachi's backstory is all about tough decisions, moral ambiguity, and personal sacrifice."
Series Finale: ERASED (Episode 12)
"Overall, ERASED is definitely not as good as the show it could have been, but it's still a very reasonable show."
Season Finale: Haruchika – Haruta & Chika (Episode 12)
"This final episode achieves strong emotional closure by giving us what we want most from each of these characters in a slow, satisfying, natural way."
Season Finale: Active Raid (Episode 12)
"The title of this season's final Active Raid, “For Whom Does Order Exist?”, seems like a pretty good question for a better show to explore."
Myriad Colors Phantom World ‒ Episode 12
"This feels much more like a series approaching a midway point than an end."
Gintama ‒ Episode 315
"For the second week in a row, comedy is thrown out the window, but the show remains riveting and the Farewell Shinsengumi Arc has outdone even the stellar Shogun Assassination storyline before it."
Answerman - How Do Anime Companies Quality-Check Their Work?
There are a million little factors that can go wrong with any bluray - how do anime companies catch (or miss) all those little mistakes? Justin dives in.
― Brian asks: What sort of QA process to anime companies have? I ask this because it seems to me that I've come across a whole variety of issues that at points seem unacceptable for a retail release, such as a sub only show completely missing a spo...
Season Finale: Prince of Stride: Alternative (Episode 12)
"“End of Summer and Beyond” is less about telling the story of the race and more about capturing a mood."
Monster Hunter: Flash Hunter GN 1
Keiichi Hikami and Shin Yamamoto's take on the Monster Hunter world is much more faithful than Hiro Mashima's, and it's off to a decent start - even if it still may be more fun to actually play the game.
― Monster Hunter: Flash Hunter marks the second adaptation of the popular Monster Hunter game franchise to make it into English translation, the first being Kodansha's release of Hiro Mashima's Monst...
Deadman Wonderland GN 13
Deadman Wonderland's conclusion rushes to the finale a little too fast, but it largely proves a satisfying ending to the series.
― Ever since his classmates were killed and he was framed for their murders and sent to Deadman Wonderland, Ganta Igarashi's life has been a nightmare. Forced to fight for his life in twisted gladiatorial matches and later against the forces that put him in the prison in th...
Utawarerumono: The False Faces ‒ Episode 24
"U2warerumono keeps derailing anything that could be dramatically cathartic into another series of time-filler battles."
Mr. Osomatsu ‒ Episode 24
"Somehow, the series has made us care enough about these little jerks to want to see them happy."
One Piece ‒ Episode 733
"The fated day has finally come, as the final episode of Luffy vs. Doflamingo has arrived."
Snow White with the Red Hair ‒ Episode 23
"What is mostly lacking in this episode is Shirayuki herself."
Answerman - Why Aren't More Dubs Available For Streaming?
One reader observes that while subtitled anime is plentiful in the streaming world, dubbed shows still lag behind - why is that? Justin gets into it.
― Scotty asks: Do you know why site likes Hulu and Crunchyroll only let you steam the subbed versions of anime even if there is a dub available. I'm a paying member of both but they only have some dubs there but I know some shows actually have them. Ar...
Shelf Life - Free! Eternal Summer
Those swim boys are at it again, this time with a controversial dub - Gabriella Ekens dives in. PLUS: Your complete list of this week's new anime releases, and a new anime collection!
― Spring has sprung, and in my corner of the world that means that racing season is back in full swing. Just as some people obsess over baseball or football, I waste nearly every weekend from March through November wat...
Schwarzes Marken ‒ Episode 11
"In a setting predicated on paranoia and backstabbing, it seems only fitting that yet another round of betrayals and power grabs plays out in this next-to-last episode."
[email protected] Cinderella Girls Season 2
Cinderella Girls’ second season rises high above the first, finding new strengths and firmly establishing itself as a worthy idol series.
― When I reviewed the first season of Cinderella Girls, I mentioned how the show seemed to have serious trouble getting out from under the shadow of its predecessor. The animation was a clear step down, and though occasional episodes were very well-directed, the sh...
Dimension W ‒ Episode 11
"The direction remains weak, the animation quality has plummeted, and the art style has been brought down by a series of increasingly questionable character designs."
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans ‒ Episode 24
"Iron-Blooded Orphans pushes our feelings to the limit with a heartbreaking half hour filled with loss, betrayal, and the horrors of war."
Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash ‒ Episode 11
"What could possibly be worse than seeing your friends die because of your own failure?"
The Mike Toole Show - The Fabulous Thunderbirds
Gerry Anderson's puppet adventure show Thunderbirds had an enormous impact on anime; Mike takes a tour through some of the franchise's weird, wild and occasionally successful anime adaptations.
― When I'm lucky enough to hit the road and head overseas, I often find myself looking for two distinct experiences. Of course, I'll seek out completely new things—unfamiliar food and drink, and local art and ...
Haikyu!! Second Season ‒ Episode 24
"It's an incredibly tense game, right up until the last second before the ending credits, and it really pulls out all the stops to get this moment right."
School-Live! GN 2
As Kurumi, Yuri, and Yuki venture out to the mall on a field trip, more details about what happened emerge. Hope, as it turns out, can really be a double-edged sword.
― Even if you've seen the anime, it's worth reading the School-Live manga, because this volume shows just how much was changed or left out in the adaptation. The storyline for the second book in the series covers the “field trip” storyl...
BBK/BRNK ‒ Episode 11
"It's common for a show to lose some of its emotional punch when it tries to deliver a lot of information at once, but BBK/BRNK actually manages to do the opposite."
Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū ‒ Episode 11
"It's a refreshing bit of happiness after the tragic spiral of the last three episodes."
Dagashi Kashi ‒ Episode 10
"As with many of the show's best episodes, this week was all dedicated to one extended storyline, with all of the leads hanging out and being their usual endearing selves."
Luck & Logic ‒ Episode 11
"The battles make this filler episode tolerable, so they're bound to make the inevitably cliché happy ending watchable too."
7 Original Pokemon Rumors Unmasked
Back in 1998, the original Pokemon game spawned countless urban legends and rumors about hidden secrets in the game - here are seven of the most outlandish!
― The Pokemon game franchise's 20th anniversary is in full swing this year, with nostalgic revisits to Red, Blue and Green in the form of merchandise, game ports, and event tie-ins. When the games first debuted in the U.S. in 1998, few were expe...
God Eater ‒ Episode 12
"By itself, the episode features tense moments and gripping action, but as part of a whole, I had some plot concerns that showed through the cracks."
Nichijou GN 1
Nichijou's first volume finally hits shelves as it combines comedy with slice-of-life to good effect, showing just why so many companies have been willing to take a chance on it.
― Nichijou, also known as My Ordinary Life, has had a long road to continuous publication in English. First licensed by Bandai, then briefly released digitally by JManga, it now at last has found a reliable home at Vertical,...
Heavy Object ‒ Episode 23
"A hostage rescue mission sees the crew finally get a break from the arctic conditions of the last few story arcs, as they set up shop in a sunny mountain range."
Girls Beyond the Wasteland ‒ Episode 11
"In depicting its final crunch time, Girls Beyond the Wasteland is accurate yet uninspired as usual."
Lupin the Third (TV 2015) ‒ Episode 24
"Lupin III is not the type of franchise where everything needs to make perfect sense."
GATE ‒ Episode 23
"If one of your primary interests in GATE has always been the hard-core military action then this episode will not disappoint."
Assassination Classroom season 2 ‒ Episode 11
"It feels like this is a decisive moment in the show's ongoing clash of educational philosophies, and the dramatic tension jumps up a notch as a result."
Active Raid ‒ Episode 11
"This was a reasonably successful episode of Active Raid; not thrilling, not tedious, just another movement towards the end."
Naruto Shippuden ‒ Episode 453
"After sitting through several months of material that served up an abundance of unintentional laughs, it's nice to see an episode that makes a conscious effort at bringing the funny."
Answerman - Why Do Companies Buy Rights For Territories They Don't Service?
Amazon is getting into the anime simulcast game, but their Prime service is available in a limited number of countries. Justin gets into the nitty-gritty of those rights.
― Corey asks: Hi! I'm asking this on the heels of the recent announcements from Amazon regarding Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, and now the entire Noitamina lineup. Amazon announced global streaming rights to Kabaneri, even though ...
Ten Years of Death Note: Is Light The Bad Guy?
It's been a decade since Death Note took over the world, and there are some who still argue that Light Yagami had some pretty solid ideas. Jacob Hope Chapman investigates.
― Ten years ago, Tsugumi Ohba's bizarre and controversial creation, Death Note, became an anime series. It also became a mainstream success almost immediately, infecting Hot Topics everywhere and creating the world's most inexpensi...
[email protected] Cinderella Girls
In spite of inviting unflattering comparisons to the original series, Cinderella Girls still has enough merit to stand on its own feet.
― It's hard not to compare Idolmaster: Cinderella Girls to the original Idolmaster. While Cinderella Girls isn't a direct sequel, it's an adaptation from the same broader media empire, takes place in the same universe, and even following roughly the same structure. A...
ERASED ‒ Episode 11
"This week's ERASED started right where the last one left off as far as storytelling goes."
ANNCast - Beat The Clock
Ann Tomoko Yamamoto got Time of Eve off the ground on Kickstarter, and now she's back with the beloved - and underseen - shojo comedy Skip Beat, which has a big crowdfunding mountain to climb.
― ANNCast Episode 254: Beat The Clock Ann Tomoko Yamamoto got Time of Eve off the ground on Kickstarter, and now she's back with the beloved - and underseen - shojo dramedy Skip Beat, which has a big crowdfund...
Haruchika – Haruta & Chika ‒ Episode 11
"This episode is an exciting prelude to an increasingly promising finale."
Interview: Akira in Color with Steve Oliff
The man who brought full color to the Akira manga at Marvel Comics so many years ago has unearthed his original pages for sale. Deb Aoki talks to the artist about his experience working on a classic.
― In the 1980's and early 1990's, there was no bigger manga series than AKIRA by Katsuhiro Otomo. Otomo's dynamic, detailed artwork and mind-blowing post-apocalyptic story was a game-changer in Japan, an...
The X Button - First Impressions: Senran Kagura: Estival Versus
This week: a rundown on the new Senran Kagura: Estival Versus cavalcade of ninja! Plus the PlayStation VR, Romancing SaGa, and a shocking piece of Fire Emblem’s past!
― I hope you're enjoying Anime News Network's expanded video-game coverage, including Gabriella's look at Fire Emblem's history. It's very thorough, but there's one minor piece of the series I'd like to examine in greater detail: its e...
Legend of the Galactic Heroes Novel 1
Legend of the Galactic Heroes’ clumsy writing only somewhat detracts from its sharp commentary and engaging storytelling.
― Western fans have been waiting a long time for Legend of the Galactic Heroes. Created over the course of twelve years, the series' lengthy anime adaptation has never received a western release, in spite of garnering consistent praise from fans. It's not hard to guess why; the co...
Myriad Colors Phantom World ‒ Episode 11
"Though most of its attempts at humor still come off flat, this episode has something that most of the previous episodes haven't: heart."
Gintama ‒ Episode 314
"The joke count clocks in at zero this week, but you'll be so swept up by the action and the plethora of game-changing revelations that you'll hardly miss the humor, even if it is the show's greatest strength."
Prince of Stride: Alternative ‒ Episode 11
"The Stride competition was great, fantastic even, but this week it came at the price of pretty much every other element of the episode."
Season Finale: Konosuba (Episode 10)
"...never forgets its snarky wit or clever twists on game mechanics even in the face of crisis."
Answerman - Who Watches Late Night Anime in Japan?
One reader wonders exactly who is watching something like Haruchika at 1:35am on a Wednesday. Justin has some insight.
― Ashley asks: Who does late-night anime in Japan target, age-wise? Lately it seems like when I talk about the intended audience for a late-night anime with my friends, a lot of them who only experience anime through a Western lens (i.e., only on Funimation, Crunchyroll, Adult Swim,...
Your Ultimate Guide to Anime Ending Credits: Part I
You know what a director on a Hollywood movie does, but what does an "animation director" do in anime? Kevin Cirugeda takes apart the end credits in our guide to the folks who make the shows you love!
― There's an understandable disconnect between western anime fans and the craft of their hobby. Anime production is shrouded in mystery, starting with the credits at the end of every TV anime episode; i...
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam - Part 2 (Blu-Ray)
The second half of Zeta Gundam suffers from a little tonal whiplash and struggles in places - is it still worth taking the dive on bluray? Lauren Orsini is ready to find out.
― It's nothing new to say that Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam is a coming-of-age story. However, it becomes more apparent in the second half of the series that it's also a coming-of-age story for the Gundam franchise itself. The first ...
The Best and Worst of the Season So Far: Week of Mar 4-10
It's Konosuba's time to shine as the fantasy-comedy climbs up a tremendous number of spots on the weekly chart! Find out how your other favorite shows did in our weekly user rankings!
― 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 se...
Snow White with the Red Hair ‒ Episode 22
"Shirayuki comes off as a stronger character when she admits her weakness."
Lord Marksman and Vanadis BD+DVD
For all that this blending of epic high fantasy and fan service-y harem antics is a mess, an engaging cast plays a key role in making it tough to dislike.
― Tactical fantasy warfare meets fan service-laced harem antics in this Fall 2014 TV series. Though based on light novels, Lord Marksman actually feels more like a game adaptation, as it boasts distinct RPG flavoring and an emphasis on combat overv...
Mr. Osomatsu ‒ Episode 23
"Through two interconnected stories, episode 23 starts off as a humorously inflated slice-of-life tale before transitioning into an exercise in surrealism."
Answerman - Are AMVs And Other Fan Works Really "Fair Use?"
Arguments about this one have raged forever: are AMVs and other fan works that use clips from anime really "fair use" or are they just copyright infringement? Justin digs in.
― Jake asks: I have been hearing a lot discussion over the last few months about fair use and how many artists are getting a lot of push back from the copy right holders. It has made me think about AMV's and there position at c...
Dimension W ‒ Episode 10
"This episode wasn't as much of a step down as the last one, but that doesn't mean that the show has improved."
Shelf Life - Terror in Resonance
Shinichiro Watanabe's terrorist teens get another look, plus this week's new releases and an anime collection you need to see to believe!
― I've been writing episode reviews for BBK/BRNK this season, and it's been an interesting little series to follow. The show uses CG character models instead of more traditional two-dimensional drawings, and it doesn't always work from an aesthetic standpoint. The...
Utawarerumono: The False Faces ‒ Episode 23
"We may be two episodes from the end of The False Faces, but we're going to spend the entirety of episode 23 running around the city like chickens with our heads cut off."
Schwarzes Marken ‒ Episode 10
"Frankly, I'm a little surprised that the series didn't drag this climax out for another episode, which leaves me wondering what the show is going to do for its final two episodes."
Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash ‒ Episode 10
"Ranta far outdoes the other party members in rashness, stubbornness, and even noise level, and Haru is starting to wonder if this is really okay."
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans ‒ Episode 23
"Trust nobody on this week's episode of Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans."
Durarara!! ×2 The Third Arc ‒ Episodes 9-10
"Durarara!!'s endgame continues to prove that there's no such thing as a negligible person."
Haikyu!! Second Season ‒ Episode 23
"It's kind of delightful that one of Karasuno's greatest weapons is Tanaka's obnoxiousness, and it highlights once again how the characters are just as important as the games they play."
Wicked City DVD
If graphic, sexually-charged supernatural action series appeal to you then this remastered rerelease of a 1987 OVA from the director of Ninja Scroll should fit the bill quite nicely.
― Despite clocking in at 82 minutes, this 1987 production is actually technically an OVA, as it was originally released straight-to-video. It is based on novels written by Hideyuki Kikuchi, the prolific writer most famou...
BBK/BRNK ‒ Episode 10
"As a prologue to a season-ending confrontation, this episode gets the job done."
Luck & Logic ‒ Episode 10
"Pardon the pun here, but this is too many leaps of logic for me to follow."
God Eater ‒ Episode 11
"This week follows two careful plans, one in the past and one in the present, as they spiral out of control."
Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū ‒ Episode 10
"Five years after Kikuhiko's climactic confrontation with a desolate Sukeroku, Tokyo seems shrouded in a permanently overcast sky."
GATE ‒ Episode 22
"For most of the season, GATE has been almost overloaded with story. With episode 22, the series actually feels like it is stalling."
The List - 6 Most Dangerous Military Organizations in Anime
Sometimes our heroes aren't fighting against just one villain and a few henchmen - sometimes they're taking on an entire globe-conquering military force.
― There are few tropes capable of mirroring real world fears like a world power gone corrupt and its military running rampant. The backdrop is a common one, be it a dystopian future or a righteous war against a neighboring nation. Heroes have fough...
Heavy Object ‒ Episode 22
"The drones used by the Battlefield Cleaning Service add an intriguing new dimension to Heavy Object's man-against-machine battles."
Dagashi Kashi ‒ Episode 9
"This was a bad episode, but not an unexpected one."
Lupin the Third (TV 2015) ‒ Episode 23
"The penultimate episode of Lupin III: Part IV is here, and we're digging right into the action."
Hour of the Zombie GN 1
Seven Seas' latest zombie title has some interesting twists that make it stand out in a crowded genre - and it's not just that the zombies are fast.
― Zombie stories have rapidly filled the supernatural niche previously reserved for hot vampires, and every day it feels like a new one pops up. Loosely based on Voodoo beliefs, academics have hypothesized that the popularity of the zombie horror story h...
Girls Beyond the Wasteland ‒ Episode 10
"This episode had a somewhat redemptive ending, but that doesn't erase the largely nonsensical middle section."
Answerman - Why Do Voice Actors Work On Yaoi Drama CDs?
One reader wants to know why some Japanese voice actors (the straight ones, mostly) take yaoi and boys' love drama roles. Is there no stigma attached to playing gay in Japan? Justin gets into it.
― "Minako Sempai" asks: So this is something that I've always wondered about, most Yaoi manga tend to get adapted into drama cds or BL cds as some would like to call them. The male voice actors in these thi...
How Fire Emblem Became a Phenomenon
A cult classic for years, RPG series Fire Emblem has become a bonafide phenomenon among anime fans. Gabriella Ekens dives into the franchise to uncover what suddenly made anime fans sit up and take notice.
― For the longest time, Fire Emblem stood alongside Earthbound as one of those Nintendo franchises people primarily knew from Super Smash Bros. That all changed in 2013, when Fire Emblem: Awakening...
Assassination Classroom season 2 ‒ Episode 10
"As old friends and enemies alike come out to support Class E, Nagisa gets a chance to find some closure on a couple of past conflicts."
Review: Free! Eternal Summer BD+DVD
The pressure is on as Haruka, Makoto, and Rin enter into their third year of high school and have to face the idea of the future...once they're done swimming, of course.
― There is no faster way to make something enjoyable into a chore than to add a little pressure to the mix. While Free! Eternal Summer is still at its heart a show about beautiful young men in tight, skimpy swimwear, that idea forms ...
Naruto Shippuden ‒ Episode 452
"The two episodes of this miniseries that have aired thus far are more entertaining than any of the anime-original material the show rolled out in 2015."
Haruchika – Haruta & Chika ‒ Episode 10
"While the mystery itself may have been less difficult than previous weeks, the race-against-the-clock more than makes up for it with extra tension."
For all articles, see the archives