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Answerman - Why Don't Promotional Anime Cafés Last Longer?
We're constantly running news stories about awesome anime themed cafes in Japan - but most of them seem like they're only open for about a week. What gives?
― Ophno Im'Portynce asks: I notice pretty regularly on ANN that there are themed restaurants that open up in Japan, particularly around the Tokyo area. These restaurants and merchandise shops are usually anime or game based and are themed around...
Prince in His Dark Days GN 1
BL mangaka Hico Yamanaka makes the jump to shoujo with this bleak tale of a girl living in poverty roped into impersonating a missing rich boy.
― There's bleak, and then there's Atsuko's life in The Prince in his Dark Days. Everything about her life is drenched in misery: her mother is gone, her father, unable to cope with her loss, is an angry alcoholic, and there's not even enough money for Atsuko ...
Twin Star Exorcists ‒ Episode 25
"Hopefully this is a one-time lull in what has otherwise been a rewarding story arc."
Gundam Reconguista in G Sub.Blu-Ray
Yoshiyuki Tomino returns to the director's chair for the first time in over ten years for this unorthodox Gundam series, but has the franchise's creator lost his edge? Lauren Orsini investigates.
― The confusion that is Gundam Reconguista in G begins with the name. The word comes from the Spanish reconquista, or “reconquest” in English, but has been altered for a hard “G” sound, as director Yoshiyuki...
Series Finale: Cheer Boys!! ‒ Episode 12
"From a bloated cast to sloppy art to a lack of sports action, Cheer Boys!! had some clear issues, but I can't help but concede its good points."
Assassination Classroom Season One Part Two BD+DVD
In the second half of this cult shonen hit's first season, Class E faces some of their greatest challenges yet! Rebecca Silverman breaks down the highs and lows.
― I hope that I can be as effective a teacher as Koro-sensei someday. Despite the fact that he's a giant tentacular octopus who destroyed the moon and threatens to do the same to the Earth, he also truly cares about his students and manages ...
Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto ‒ Bonus Episode 13
"Gakubun High's bespectacled wunderkind returns for a slightly disappointing swan song in Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto's delayed 13th episode."
Season Finale: D.Gray-man Hallow ‒ Episode 13
"For a tragedy, D.Gray-man Hallow closes on an empowering rather than a depressing note."
One Piece ‒ Episode 757
"Once again we're entering the wonderful world of One Piece flashbacks."
Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya 3rei!!
Theron Martin takes on the fourth installment of the Fate/kaleid franchise, which returns the series to a greater focus on story and action in a mysterious alternate world.
― At 12 episodes, the fourth installment of the Fate/kaleid liner franchise is its longest to date. It's apparently not the last installment in the franchise either, given the recent advertisement for an upcoming movie. That's goo...
Season Finale: Mob Psycho 100 ‒ Episode 12
"I'm going to miss Mob and his friends, and I hope we see them again soon."
Season Finale: The Morose Mononokean ‒ Episode 13
"With this finale, The Morose Mononokean pulled a heartwarming ending from two previous episodes of sadness."
Answerman - Why Are Anime Series So Short These Days?
It seems like anime series used to run longer - 26 to 52 episodes, rather than the nonstop drip of 12- and 13-episode shows we get now. Why did things change? Justin gets into it.
― Mathias asks: Looking back at the past decades, it seems that less anime shows were made, but that they ran for a longer time, often going over fifty or even a hundred episodes. What made producers switch to the current ...
Shelf Life - Super Gals!
Gabriella Ekens jumps back in time to the '90s with the trendy Super Gals! to see how this forgotten shojo gem has aged. Plus, all this week's new releases!
― It never fails. Whenever I have all the time in the world to work on the new release section, four or five things come out that week at most. But when I move to a new apartment and spend most of the week away from my work computer? Well, take ...
Digimon Adventure tri. Episodes 9-13 Streaming
This nostalgic Digimon journey takes a dark turn in its third arc, but what do these melancholy twists mean for Adventure's final chapter? Jacob Chapman dives in.
― Growing up can be wonderful in many ways, but so far, Digimon Tri has just been exploring all the not-so-wonderful things about it. From Tai's realization that the war games he used to play as a child have permanent real-world consequence...
Season Finale: Love Live! Sunshine!! ‒ Episode 13
"It's been a long journey for Aqours, but in the end, they were able to find that "shine" they were looking for."
Series Finale: Orange ‒ Episode 13
"Overall, while this finale didn't do much to address the show's consistent failings, it succeeded in selling its own emotional peaks on the back of its consistently excellent character writing."
Season Finale: Tales of Zestiria the X ‒ Episode 13
"Tales of Zestiria the X manages to end its season with the same finality of a good last chapter when you know the author's working on a sequel."
Season Finale: Rewrite ‒ Episode 13
"A weak ending to a lackluster series."
Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School: Despair Arc ‒ Episode 11
"The best moments in this little exclamation point to the Despair Arc come from the ever-scene-stealing Junko Enoshima."
91 Days ‒ Episode 11
"The day of reckoning has come for the Vanetti family."
Thunderbolt Fantasy ‒ Episode 12
"Everything is now in place for a thunderous conclusion."
Doamygar-D Sub.DVD
Doamygar D offers simple but endearing riffs on classic super robot staples, two minutes at a time. Nick Creamer investigates.
― It's a little surprising to me that a show like Doamygar-D would get a western release at all. The show is unabashedly insular - starring a young Kyoto confectioner known as Daijiro Kyougoku, it riffs on super robot cliches from nearly half a century ago, mixing them with s...
Season Finale: Food Wars! The Second Plate ‒ Episode 13
"Even though The Second Plate has had its issues with pacing and art, it really pulled it all together in a very satisfying way."
Series Finale: Handa-kun ‒ Episode 12
"While it may not be spectacular, this episode is competent and entertaining enough to wrap the series up on a positive note."
Alderamin on the Sky ‒ Episode 12
"The main attraction is still the back-and-forth on military tactics, but this series has also become an unexpectedly strong display of character development."
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable ‒ Episode 26
"JJBA finally delivered a Rock Paper Scissors episode, the perfect blend of ordinary mundanity and psychological warfare that can be heightened to absurd melodrama. "
The List - 8 Strange Versions of Western Historical Figures
In this Classic edition of The List, we take a more colorful look at history, as famous figures from the past return in wacky ways in your favorite anime and manga!
― Hey everyone, this classic List is brought to you courtesy of an uncooperative baby. Infants are rough and mine decided naps were out of the question this week. Thank you for understanding! I rocked out to Ozzy Osbourne's Prince of Dar...
Season Finale: Amanchu! ‒ Episode 12
"Futaba, Hikari, and the rest of the club go for one last dive in this week's satisfying finale."
Everyone's Getting Married GN 2
The second volume of this josei romance focuses on Ryu Nanami, who may have bigger issues than he thinks. Rebecca Silverman investigates.
― When we first met Asuka and Ryu, they were resisting falling for each other. Asuka has the old-fashioned dream of one day marrying and becoming a stay-at-home wife and mother, while Ryu, a popular newscaster, likes living life his way on his terms, none of which ...
Series Finale: Battery the Animation ‒ Episodes 10-11
"Battery the Animation has made its way to the finish line with the energy of a geriatric trying to parallel park."
Answerman - How Does The Train System Work In Japan?
Japan's train system is referenced constantly in anime - so how exactly does it work? Justin gets into it.
― Tayler asks: How do kids in Japan pay for the trains that they are constantly using? Train use is something that seems to happen in nearly every school anime, but I don't think I've ever seen one that actually mentioned the price of a train ride, or why kids are able to seemingly just walk on...
Inside Tokyo Game Show 2016
From Bandai-Namco to Square-Enix, we've got the inside scoop on the sights and sounds of this year's big Tokyo Game Show exhibition!
― While there are numerous gaming conventions held around the world, many of the larger news stories come from major tradeshows. For instance, E3 generally has the gaming community abuzz with news about major publishers' future releases. Unfortunately, E3 is closed to t...
Laughing Under the Clouds BD+DVD
This story of three brothers battling a mythological monster doesn't really take off until episode five, but once it gets going, it's worth the struggle. Rebecca Silverman explores this overlooked anime.
― Based on a six-volume manga by Karakara Kemuri (whose series Countdown 7 Days, Replica, and Takeru: Opera Susanoh Sword of the Devil have all been at least partially released in English), Laughing ...
Season Finale: This Art Club Has a Problem! ‒ Episode 12
"So long, Art Club. May your canvases always be bright with apples and waifus."
This Week in Games - Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters Daybreak
Dustin takes on Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters Daybreak: Special Gigs!, discusses Metal Gear Survive, Pokemon on the Nintendo NX and next week's biggest releases!
― The Tokyo Game Show took place over the past weekend, and like most recent years for the show, it didn't provide a ton of huge announcements. That's generally reflective of the past decade of AAA Japanese development, which has obviously go...
Review: Shin Godzilla
Evangelion creator Anno Hideaki grapples with Japan's most famous radioactive monster in Shin Godzilla, a deeply political entry in the storied franchise. Mike Toole confronts the beast.
― Every time a western film studio steps into the ring to produce a Godzilla movie, it's inevitably followed by Toho spinning the franchise back up again, to show those silly foreigners how proper kaiju movies get ma...
The Heroic Legend of Arslan Season One Part One BD+DVD
This epic story of a prince who fights to regain his kingdom has great ambitions that its lead character struggles to support. Theron Martin weighs this legend's pros and cons.
― Stories about members of royalty who are violently deposed and must struggle to regain their kingdom have peppered storytelling for centuries, and anime is no different. Over the years, fantasy titles like Record of Lodoss W...
Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School: Future Arc ‒ Episode 11
"This penultimate Future Arc episode was basically a series of fist-pumping highlights from start to finish."
Twin Star Exorcists ‒ Episode 24
"Rokuro and Benio's Bogus Journey continues this week, as the Twin Star Exorcists head into yet another town afflicted with Kegare infection, though the Basara they find there completely defies their expectations."
Answerman - Why Aren't More Anime Movies Available For Streaming?
There's a metric ton of TV anime available for streaming - so where are all the anime movies? Justin explains why so few theatrical anime are available streaming.
― Robert asks: Why there are so few movies in legal anime streaming services (unlike Netflix which specializes in movies)? I think at the very least they should have movies that came from popular tv series in their catalog. IMO it is easie...
Which Re:Zero Girl Should Win the Election?
Politics can be harrowing enough on their own, but when you throw five cute anime girls into the running, things could really get ugly! Who's the best choice to rule the kingdom and why?
― When Subaru Natsuki is pulled into the fantasy world of Lugunica, he hardly knows up from down, much less the political machinations that await him and his selected paramour. He's first introduced to the kingdom as...
Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness
In this visual novel adventure, you take on the role of Investigator or Enforcer to help the heroes of Psycho-Pass solve gruesome cases. Can this game live up to the legacy of its franchise?
― In the future, superpowered AI monitor human psychological states, measuring their likelihood of committing criminal acts and meting out proactive justice to prevent those crimes from happening. Enforcers, dire...
Cheer Boys!! ‒ Episode 11
"This episode's drama was far from original, and even three revolving mini-stories weren't enough to keep it afloat."
The Best and Worst of the Season So Far: Week of Sep 9-15
The summer season is winding to a close, but that doesn't mean it's too late for Jojo's Bizarre Adventure to suddenly leap up the charts! Find out how all your favorite shows did in our weekly rankings!
― Our team of reviewers are following 30 anime series of the Summer 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 (a...
Vice & Luna - #14
Luna's date night is over - but she still needs to settle things up with Vice!
―
D.Gray-man Hallow ‒ Episode 12
"If one thing has been consistent throughout this adaptation, it has been inconsistent pacing."
Season Finale: Taboo Tattoo ‒ Episode 12
"Taboo Tattoo was a dud through and through."
Season Finale: Sweetness & Lightning ‒ Episode 12
"As viewers have come to expect, this series' curtain call features far more sweetness than lightning."
Doukyusei -Classmates- Blu-Ray
This ethereal boys-love film dives right into the love confessions and intimacy and never turns back. Jacob Chapman explores what makes this Blu-Ray edition special.
― When I first heard Aniplex was going to start screening a critically and financially successful boys' love movie produced by A-1 Pictures in theaters, I was pretty puzzled. Boys' love, shonen-ai, yaoi, however you want to slice it, is ...
Season Finale: Berserk ‒ Episode 12
"If nothing else, Berserk 2016 at its most awkward has never been able to dampen the strength of Miura's writing."
Season Finale: New Game! ‒ Episode 12
"A fun little comedy with a likable cast that managed to end on a strong and somewhat thoughtful note."
Mob Psycho 100 ‒ Episode 11
"Overall, I was very impressed with how gracefully this episode integrated Mob Psycho's very divergent characters, themes, and even genre styles."
The Morose Mononokean ‒ Episode 12
"This episode is a sharp departure from the much quicker manga version of the story, but I prefer where the anime goes with it."
Answerman - Where Do Animax Asia's English Dubs Come From?
Animax Asia is a 24-hour anime cable channel run by Sony, and it's chock-a-block with English dubs many American fans have never heard. Justin gets into it.
― Skye asks: Why does Animax Asia broadcast anime with English dubs, and who dubs them? I recently watched Toward the Terra, and upon further research (wikipedia), I learned it was dubbed by Animax Asia, which broadcasts dubs in Southeast Asia. ...
Shelf Life - Gundam Build Fighters
James takes his first step into the magical world of battling Gunpla in Gundam Build Fighters, while Paul runs down all this week's new anime releases!
― In my endless search for interesting things to talk about in these intro paragraphs, I completely missed a personal milestone: it's been over a year since I started my time at the helm of Shelf Life. I moved from just writing reviews to organizing ...
The Rolling Girls BD+DVD
Rolling Girls is a compelling but ultimately disappointing jumble of great ideas and rickety execution. Nick Creamer rolls out its pros and cons.
― The Rolling Girls is pretty much exactly the kind of show I want to believe in. Graced with a vivid visual aesthetic, centered on the poignant edge of adolescence, and framed as a rock and roll road trip through a fanciful alternate Japan, it breathes cre...
Season Finale: Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World- (Episode 25)
"Going into next season without more Re:Zero to anticipate will be sad indeed." The season finale of Re:Zero is here!
Orange ‒ Episode 12
"This week's Orange was easily the show's emotional peak so far, winding back to explore the drama of the original timeline from Kakeru's perspective."
Tales of Zestiria the X ‒ Episode 12
"This episode does a good job of showing Sorey's character progression over the course of twenty-five minutes."
DAYS ‒ Episode 12
"If there were a way to bring these emotional high stakes to the actual soccer field, DAYS would be one incredible show."
The Mike Toole Show - All-new Originals
Mike takes a journey through the long and storied Super Robot Wars franchise, a mashup of strategy, action and beloved classic giant robot anime.
― Getting the game took longer than I expected. Just ordering it was complicated, a procedure involving an inquiry on Twitter, a few exchanged emails with a vendor in Malaysia, and a PayPal invoice. Then I was treated to a fairly long wait, which is my faul...
Love Live! Sunshine!! ‒ Episode 12
"Now that the end is in sight, the girls can finally figure out what will make Aqours work and what will make them shine."
Food Wars! The Second Plate ‒ Episode 12
"It's a shame that Food Wars couldn't have started with the Stagiaire, because with this story arc, the show has really returned to its former glory. "
91 Days ‒ Episode 10
"Now that Avilio has nothing left to lose, the Vanettis have no idea what they're in for."
Goodnight Punpun GN 3
No one writes dark and difficult stories quite like Inio Asano, and the third omnibus of Goodnight, Punpun is no exception as Punpun prepares for high school.
― No one writes dark and difficult stories quite like Inio Asano. While there are tragic and depressing elements to his series, and those certainly abound in this latest omnibus edition of Goodnight Punpun, it wouldn't be fair to simply label h...
Rewrite ‒ Episode 12
"The unimpressive visual quality of the series as a whole seems to weigh more heavily in this penultimate episode."
Handa-kun ‒ Episode 11
"This school festival storyline benefits from Handa-kun's surplus of outlandish personalities, and it feels like there's still enough content left over to carry on into next week's continuation."
Thunderbolt Fantasy ‒ Episode 11
"Always hilarious, tense, and exciting, Thunderbolt Fantasy continues to be everything I could ask for out of a work of pure entertainment."
Alderamin on the Sky ‒ Episode 11
"The real meat of this episode comes after the battle."
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable ‒ Episode 25
"By far the most interesting aspect of this episode comes from Kira's new domestic life."
The List - 6 Anime Series to Help You Relive Your Goth Phase
Grab your fishnet shirt, your latex pants and your Sisters of Mercy LP because it's time to relive your dark phase with six classic anime so goth that bats will fly out your nose!
― Goth subculture really hit it big in the west in the 1990s, fueled by films like Interview with a Vampire and The Crow. A preoccupation with death, dark poetry, Victorian romance, and period clothing can all be attribute...
Wagnaria!!3 Sub.Blu-Ray 2
This long-running slice-of-life comedy reaches its conclusion in this volume, as burgeoning romances within the restaurant come to a head. Paul Jensen breaks down Wagnaria's last hurrah.
― Anime comedies, particularly those that overlap with the slice of life genre, often have trouble with endings. When the whole point of a series is to observe the everyday misadventures of a group of charming oddbal...
Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School: Despair Arc ‒ Episode 10
"While Future Arc's 10th episode concluded in catharsis, the Despair Arc finally descended into its deepest dungeon of despair."
Amanchu! ‒ Episode 11
"Heartfelt, adorable, and evenly paced, this week's Amanchu! is an entertaining almost-finale to a consistently solid show."
Answerman - Why Are Anime Discs Re-released So Much?
Ever wonder why there are so many releases of Dragon Ball Z? Or why one show might get 3 releases, while another barely gets one? Justin breaks it down.
― James asks: Funimation has released and re-released Dragonball countless times, which I find to be very annoying, since it is clearly an attempt to get more money from their customers, and there is little that can be added to any further releases ...
Mobile Suit Gundam: A Char For All Seasons
It isn't a great Gundam show without a great villain! Lauren Orsini starts with Char and counts down the complex, ruthless and iconic bad guys of Gundam.
― Sometimes it's not the hero that makes a story great—it's the villain. This is especially true for the Gundam franchise. Each of these space opera stories focuses on the tireless rivalry between the protagonist and antagonist, and with so many var...
My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected Novel 1
The first novel that spawned the cult success anime series "My Teen Romcom SNAFU" is as divisive as it is unique. Rebecca Silverman weighs the ups and downs of Hachiman's adventure.
― As far as annoyingly unrealistic statements made to children by adults go, “these are the best years of your life” is probably one of the worst. Apart from the fact that you (hopefully) have a lot of life to live post-h...
Inside the English Dub Premiere of Digimon Adventure Tri
The original English cast of Digimon Adventure reunited for the first time in over a decade for the first Digimon Tri movie, and we've got the inside scoop from Thursday night's premiere!
― It was a packed house at the TCL Chinese Theater for the English dub premiere of Digimon Adventure Tri's first movie, as everyone settled in their seats, goodie bags and tickets in hand, with nervous energy. I hav...
This Art Club Has a Problem! ‒ Episode 11
"Not only did this episode present one cohesive storyline, but it also offered us a tantalizing glimpse of life outside of the art club."
This Week in Games - Death Stranding
This week's biggest news, including the Playstation 4 Pro, The Last Guardian's release date slip, a few more details on Death Stranding and much more!
― Ireland's a nice place. Good food. Great beer. Lot of sheep. But now it's time to put all that fresh air and beautiful country aside and talk about the things that really matter: video games! I had all these grand plans of playing through the Phoenix...
Twin Star Exorcists ‒ Episode 23
"While the results are definitely a little uneven, the episode still absolutely delivers an entertaining, emotional, and effective story."
Cross Ange: Rondo of Angel and Dragon Blu-Ray part 2
The second half of this controversial series comes to Blu-ray, but can it wrap up all its wild plot twists in a satisfying way? Theron Martin investigates.
― Whatever your reaction was to the first 12 episodes of Cross Ange, your reaction to the last 13 episodes is unlikely to be any different. Those who found plenty to hate about the first half will find more things to despise in the second half, wh...
Answerman - How Do Franchises Keep English Translations Straight?
How does a mega-franchise like Pokemon or One Piece keep their English-language names and translations straight? Justin gets into it.
― Jennifer asks: I've been watching the Pokemon anime recently, and it's made me wonder about the translations of pokemon names, which are different between Japanese and English, and how they keep the same name though the different media Pokemon can be consumed throug...
Cheer Boys!! ‒ Episode 10
"This week's episode balances a massive cast while carefully training the spotlight on two of the cheerleaders' engaging and relatable struggles."
A Beginner's Guide to Tales RPGs
Now that Tales of Zestiria has gotten its own anime adaptation, you may be wondering what this long-running JRPG series is all about and where to start playing. Gabriella Ekens has the answers!
― Deluging the market with a new game every year or so, the Tales series is the biggest JRPG franchise that you might not know about. While still slightly beneath the notice of the average Western gamer, the s...
The Best and Worst of the Season So Far: Week of Sep 2-8
ReZero retakes its place at the top of the heap, but it's a 12-point jump up the ladder for Thunderbolt Fantasy! How did your favorite summer 2016 shows fare in our weekly rankings?
― Our team of reviewers are following 30 anime series of the Summer 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 seas...
NTR Netsuzou Trap GN 1
Less sweet and consensual than most yuri series translated into English, NTR's first volume has some issues but is a decent read nonetheless.
― If you like your yuri sweet and focused on the emotional relationship between the protagonists, like in Whispered Words or Sweet Blue Flowers, NTR Netsuzou Trap is not the series for you. It has much more in common with Citrus in its more sexually aggressive ...
Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School: Future Arc ‒ Episode 10
"Despite not getting much closer to the truth, episode 10 delivered the most emotionally resonant content from Future Arc yet."
D.Gray-man Hallow ‒ Episode 11
"With two full episodes and only one manga chapter left before the scene many fans suspect to be the closing point for this adaptation, it's time to speculate where Hallow will leave things."
Yona of the Dawn GN 1
The source manga for the 2014 anime is finally available in English! With its focus on Su-Won and Hak, it offers an interesting look at the start of Yona's journey.
― Spoiler Warning: if you don't want to know the identity of Yona's betrayer before reading the book, perhaps skip this review. All of us know that life is full of changes, some good, some less so. Very few, however, actively plan for tho...
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