Back when VHS fell to the mighty DVD, how did the US anime industry transition to a new format, and what did that mean for the industry as a whole?― Jake asks: I have been wondering for a while now about when the anime industry transitioned from VHS to DVD's. I know that the DVD player was introduced on the market in the mid 90's but like a lot of people I did not get around to transitioning until ...
Shelf Life finishes up its run of Gundam reviews with the divisive final part of the original Univeral Century timeline. Plus, all this week's new releases!― I started playing the farming game Stardew Valley last week, and it's taught me that I should never, under any circumstances, be allowed to name a real animal. My character owns three chickens named "Drumstick," "Buffalo," and "McNugget," and ...
Corpse Party's manga adaptation isn't quite as good as it could be due to some issues with both art and story, but it still seems like it has potential.― Based on the updated version of the horror visual novel/adventure game, Corpse Party: Blood Covered feels like When They Cry's younger sibling. It's trying really hard to hit all the same horror highlights, with some lighter moments thrown in to ke...
Mike sings the praises of Right Stuf's recently resurrected space comedy, Galaxy Angel - and ruminates on the genre as a whole.― Last week at Otakon, I somehow ended up in the audience at the Right Stuf's panel. There were some technical challenges, but we won't get into that—my big takeaway from the event was company head Shawne Kleckner extolling the virtues of a genre he simply referred to as spa...
If you've been wondering what happened to Maou and his merry band post-anime, now's your chance to find out, when a mysterious little girl falls from the sky and claims the devil king as her father!― Covering the first part of volume three of the novel series, volume six of The Devil is a Part-Timer's manga adaptation picks up pretty much where the anime left off. If you've been waiting for new mate...
How well do you know the creator of Naruto? Here are a few snippets of trivia about the author of one of the most beloved shonen manga in the world!― Masashi Kishimoto ended his main Naruto manga after 15 years of serialization in November 2014. The manga and its equally popular anime series introduced a whole generation to the medium, not unlike Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moon before it. The anime r...
Comfort food takes on a new meaning in the endearing and adorable first volume of Sweetness & Lightning, even as it stumbles a little when combining its genres.― Manga has always excelled at creating genres you might not have expected to see, much less enjoy, and Gido Amagakure's Sweetness & Lightning is no exception. It combines “single dad raising a daughter” literature with a cooking story, and t...
Mike Toole and Daryl Surat are fresh off the plane from Otakon 2016 and they're here to tell the tale! PLUS: Char's Counterattack, Berserk and much more!― ANNCast Episode 269: Otakon Special with Mike and Daryl Mike Toole and Daryl Surat are fresh off the plane from Otakon 2016 and they're here to tell the tale! PLUS: Char's Counterattack, Berserk and much more! You can listen to the show on our pl...
Re:Zero's protagonist is no ordinary NEET, but is he extraordinary in a good way or a bad way? Jacob Chapman dives into this otaku hero's mind to uncover what makes him tick and why it matters.― Spoiler Warning: This article contains spoilers through episode 18 of Re:Zero. Re:Zero is definitely the kind of anime that draws polarized feelings out of people. Right off the bat, it's based on a series o...
Yona's first season concludes open-ended, but the journey is still well worth the price of admission. Rebecca Silverman explores the twists and turns of this shojo adventure.― If part one of Yona of the Dawn's anime adaptation was about Yona's journey from pampered princess to a young woman who could survive in the world, part two is about her realization of what she wants to do in that world as she...