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All Out!! ‒ Episode 5
"This show doesn't shoot for the moon, but it's engaging enough to deliver a good time."
ANNCast - The Discotek Threat
Discotek's Brady Hartel stops by to talk about what this boutique DVD & bluray studio has been up to, including Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie and the latest, greatest Lupin anime!
― ANNCast Episode 275: The Discotek Threat Discotek's Brady Hartel stops by to talk about what this boutique DVD & bluray studio has been up to, including Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie and the latest, great...
Answerman - Why Do You Still See Flip Phones In Anime?
They're all but gone in America, but you see classic flip phones in anime all the time - what's the deal with that? Justin has the answer.
― Osiris asks: I've seen a lot of animes in which people only have old cell phones (durarara for example) but rarely they have smartphones, which i find weird since japan has great technology advances. Does people in japan actually use those old cell phones these...
Naruto Shippuden ‒ Episode 482
"If this is a reflection of what we can expect moving forward, it's probably a good thing that this miniseries is slated to end after next week."
Keijo!!!!!!!! ‒ Episode 5
"After the battles for the other Room 309 members last round, now it's finally Nozomi's turn."
Yuri!!! on Ice ‒ Episode 5
"The show buckles down to resolve some of the underlying dangers in Yuuri and Victor's partnership."
Brave Witches ‒ Episode 4
"After taking a week off due to the production reportedly falling behind schedule, Brave Witches is back in business."
Girlish Number ‒ Episode 4
"I'm not sure where everything will end up, but there's still more than enough thoughtful material here to keep me eager to find out."
Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid GN 1
Tired of the guys getting all the monster girls? Here's a story about an unwitting female office worker who invites a dragon girl into her home!
― Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid may be yet another in the seemingly endless library of monster girl stories, but it distinguishes itself right away by being about a monster girl who moves in with an office worker rather than a young male college student. Koba...
Sound! Euphonium 2 ‒ Episode 5
"Euphonium has outdone itself yet again with this aesthetically striking and emotionally charged concert performance."
Twin Star Exorcists ‒ Episode 30
"I'm so glad that the show was indeed able to stick the landing to this arc."
Nanbaka ‒ Episode 5
"The most fun part of these New Year's challenges has been getting to see the weird superpowers that each member of Building 13 hasn't yet shown in their goofy escape attempts."
Answerman - Are Cover Versions of Anime Songs Legal?
Youtube is chock-a-block with singers performing covers of anime theme songs - is that legal? Justin has the answer.
― Trace asks: There's a lot of youtube artist who do English covers of anime songs. A few of them even end up on itunes (though with new instrumentation). This brings a lot of questions to mind. Is this illegal? How does copyright work for covering songs in countries that aren't licen...
Natsume Yūjin-Chō Go ‒ Episode 5
"This week shows that nobody's life needs to be at stake for Natsume Yujin-Cho to deliver a kick right in the feelings."
Bungo Stray Dogs ‒ Episode 17
"It's a definite let down after the previous story arc, but this does have the potential to recreate a lot of what was good about the Oda storyline."
The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan BD+DVD
In this quirky spinoff of the 2006 otaku phenomenon, Yuki Nagato finds herself in the spotlight pursuing a romance with Kyon. How does Yuki-chan's adventure hold up compared to Haruhi's?
― This 16-episode series is based on a spin-off manga of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya light novel series. It's one of those “what if” tales, imagining how things might have played out if the people around origin...
Trickster ‒ Episode 5
"As a criminal mastermind, Twenty Faces leaves a lot to be desired."
One Piece ‒ Episode 762
"The Zou arc is continuing to shape up as a really solid chunk of the One Piece anime."
Dark Souls 3: The Ashes of Ariandel
The latest DLC for Dark Souls III sends Dave Riley to the Painted World of Ariandel, where he can't shake the feeling that he should be having a lot more fun with all this.
― Calling the Souls expansions “DLC” does them a disservice. Not at all similar to the micro transaction character skins and map addons the term calls to mind, Dark Souls' Artorias of the Abyss and Bloodborne's The Old Hunters are...
ERASED Blu-Ray 1
Erased's first half delivers an interesting take on a time travel murder mystery. Rebecca Silverman breaks down this new deluxe release.
― Many people have a moment they wish they could return to in order to do just one thing differently. Sometimes it's just to say good-bye to someone who won't be coming back, but maybe it's for a larger purpose, like to save a life. For Satoru Fujinuma, that moment ...
Answerman - What Is That Short Screen After The Opening?
Sometimes, after the opening credits of an anime, a still will appear along with some music for a few seconds - what's up with that? Justin has the answer.
― Steve asks: Every now an then an anime will have an OP or ED that finishes playing, and then a bar or two of the music repeats, with some random frame from that episode as the visual. Flying Witch on Crunchyroll in the US is this season's examp...
Dragon Ball Super ‒ Episode 64
"I can now honestly say that my fear was misguided. Dragon Ball Super is awesome."
Shelf Life - Wake Up, Girls!
James returns to the world of WUG with a review of the Wake Up! Girls anime. Plus, all this week's new releases!
― I talked about my overly ambitious streaming queue a few weeks ago, and while a couple of shows have gotten the axe (farewell, Scorching Ping Pong Girls), I'm actually finding that keeping up hasn't been as tough as I'd feared. It certainly helps that there's a lot of fun stuff airing t...
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans ‒ Episode 31
"It'll take three weeks for Tekkadan's ship to travel from Mars to Earth, and in that time, anything could happen."
Horimiya GN 5
Horimiya continues to delight in its fifth volume of this angst-free look at a sweet romance. Rebecca Silverman takes a look.
― Of all of the many wonderful things about Hero and Daisuke Hagiwara's romance manga Horimiya, one of the best is its lack of melodrama. There are no huge dramatic reveals, no histrionics, no panels oozing with overly tense anticipation. Instead there's just Hori and Miyamura...
Poco's Udon World ‒ Episode 4
"Like last week's installment, episode 4 does an admirable job of fleshing out a supporting character while giving us some additional insight into Souta's past and personality."
Kiss Him, Not Me ‒ Episode 4
"The romantic stalemate was cozy while it lasted, but it looks like the introduction of yet another rival for Kae's affection is going to heat things up in the coming weeks."
Lostorage incited WIXOSS ‒ Episode 4
James Beckett takes over our WIXOSS coverage from Rebecca Silverman, right as the show's star-crossed protagonists finally meet again in the present day...
Occultic;Nine ‒ Episode 4
"Following the sheer information overload of its debut, Occultic;Nine has plateaued into something comprehensible, at least on a basic plot level."
The Mike Toole Show - The Poll Vault
Anime popularity polls have been around for decades, and they've been creating slapfights for at least that long - Mike takes a survey of anime polls through history and what they all mean.
― It's election season in the US! Are you exhausted with the whole thing yet? I sure am—pals, I am completely full up on election news, speculation, and scandal. I have hopes about the outcome of my country's nati...
Izetta: The Last Witch ‒ Episode 5
"After an episode entirely without action, Izetta is now back to the business of showing off her magic and wreaking havoc on enemy forces."
Scum's Wish GN 1
Before its anime adaptation comes out this winter, Rebecca Silverman takes a look at the dark world of sex and self-hatred in this very unusual romance.
― Scum's Wish is a difficult story. A bit like a “lite” version of Inio Asano's The Girl on the Shore, the story takes on the idea of budding sexuality and the disconnect between a physical and emotional relationship between a pair of unhappy sevente...
ClassicaLoid ‒ Episode 4
"ClassicaLoid is great at zany comedy, but I'm most impressed with how the show nailed its more contemplative, melancholy moods this week."
Magical Girl Raising Project ‒ Episode 5
"With the nasty realities of the game starting to sink in, this episode gives us a pretty good sense of how all the magical girls are dealing with their new situation."
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable ‒ Episode 31
"While the likes of Kandaichi are certainly not Kira levels of horrible, there isn't anything uniquely human about his role as an antagonist either."
WWW.WAGNARIA!! ‒ Episode 5
"Miyakoshi is starting to lose patience with being the only one at the restaurant who can serve customers with a genuine smile."
March comes in like a lion ‒ Episode 4
"Overall, this was easily the weakest episode of March so far."
Haikyu!! 3rd Season ‒ Episode 4
"While Haikyu!! has always excelled at showing the tension in a game – as have other sports series, that being a chief attraction of the genre – this week's episode really outdid itself."
The List - 7 Anime That Take You to The Wild Wild West
Yee-haw! Giddy up little dogies, as we blaze a trail through the desert to worlds of cattle wrangling, saloon brawls, and giant gunslinging robots. Hey, it's still anime, after all!
― West of the Mississippi used to be a dangerous place teeming with outlaws, cattle thieves, sharpshooter duels in the streets, and the long arm of the law coming to track down any who disrupted the peace. The setting is...
The Violet Knight eBook 1
This new web-novel-turned-light-novel stumbles a bit in its first volume, but it has enough potential to merit giving a second look.
― The Violet Knight is Cross Infinite World's second English-language offering, and like its predecessor, My Favorite Song, it is an officially licensed web novel with no light novel edition in Japanese. Its chief appeal is in that it is targeted at a female readership ...
Drifters ‒ Episode 4
"Though I appreciated the show taking some time to give the Warlords more to do, the amount of exposition in this episode still gave it a slightly sluggish feel."
Flip Flappers ‒ Episode 4
"This week, Flip Flappers pulled off the truly unexpected feat of having a pretty straightforward episode for a change."
ANNCast - Darkest Before The Dawn
A week full of Episode Fours won't stop Zac, Jacob and special guest Dawn from going on and on about Yuri on Ice, Girlish Number, Flip Flappers, Shelter and much much more!
― ANNCast Episode 274: Darkest Before the Dawn A week full of Episode Fours won't stop Zac, Jacob and special guest Dawn from going on and on about Yuri on Ice, Girlish Number, Flip Flappers, Shelter and much much more! You can l...
Answerman - Why Don't Simulcast Subtitles Get Corrected?
You catch little mistakes in simulcast subtitles every now and then - why don't these errors get fixed? Justin gets into it.
― Matthew asks: Why don't streaming sites fix obvious translation mistakes and errors in their subtitles? I'm talking about easy-to-spot and non-controversial mistakes like spelling errors, mixed up sign translations, missing punctuation, etc. When I asked Crunchyroll about th...
Interview: Ei Aoki
The director of Fate/Zero, Aldnoah.Zero and Wandering Son goes in-depth on his career, his influences, his most popular works and what's next.
― On a bright and sunny Saturday at this year's first annual Akibafest in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, Ei Aoki sat down for a roundtable interview to discuss his accomplished career as an anime director. Since Aoki has helmed so many projects from Ga-Rei Zero to...
Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky
Departed souls are forced to duke it out in the afterlife in this unusual JRPG adventure. Todd Ciolek explores Exist Archive.
― If nothing else, Exist Archive: the other Side of the Sky poses a creative vision of the afterlife. Never mind those angel-heaped clouds, surging hellfires, or even the Norse realms that developer tri-Ace adapted into their Valkyrie Profile series. According to Exist Archive...
All Out!! ‒ Episode 4
"Gion walks away from his first game with a little bit more respect for his seniors, opponents, and the game itself, without having to redefine his whole character."
Keijo!!!!!!!! ‒ Episode 4
As its heroines take their butts to the next level in the first round of qualifiers, Theron takes a listen to Funimation's new simuldub for Keijo!!!!!!!!
Naruto Shippuden ‒ Episode 481
"Episode 481 manages to recapture the feel of last week's outing, but young Sasuke's and Sakura's stories just don't feel as complete as Naruto's and Hinata's."
Yuri!!! on Ice ‒ Episode 4
Yuri and Yurio start taking their careers into their own hands in two very different ways, and Gabriella takes a listen to Funimation's new simuldub of the first episode!
This Week in Games - Nintendo Switch
Dustin goes deep on the Nintendo Switch and considers the possibilities. PLUS: a video game voice actor strike, The Last Guardian, Dragon Quest and much more!
― This Week in Games gets published on Thursday mornings. You might even be reading this on Thursday morning—if so, congrats! However, it gets finalized and submitted on Wednesday, typically early in the afternoon. This is why last week's colum...
Kizumonogatari Part 2: Nekketsu
In this middle entry of the Kizumonogatari trilogy, things take a hyperviolent and hypersexual turn that pushes Araragi to his limits. Nick Creamer explores this provocative film.
― The key moment of Kizumonogatari Nekketsu comes after its second battle, after Araragi has just faced the half-vampire, Episode. Episode is defeated and almost killed, but Araragi can't relish the victory. Instead, he's c...
Twin Star Exorcists ‒ Episode 29
"Sae's charm that's helped bring out the Twin Stars' parental instincts has been the highlight of this anime-only arc."
Girlish Number ‒ Episode 3
"Girlish Number's third episode did the most important thing the show could do: allow Chitose to fail."
The Best and Worst of the Season So Far: Weeks of Oct 1-21
The first round of rankings for the Fall 2016 anime season are here - and you won't believe what took the #1 spot! Find out where your favorites rank!
― Our team of reviewers are following 27 anime series of the Fall 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 ranki...
Sound! Euphonium 2 ‒ Episode 4
"While Euphonium is generally focused on elevating tiny moments, this episode demonstrated its equal confidence in hitting major narrative beats."
Nanbaka ‒ Episode 4
"It's still all about the gags, but Nanbaka expands its repertoire this week by reaching into other genres like battle tournament shows. "
Answerman - Why Can't Anime Use Trademarked Names?
Plenty of anime use silly fake brand names in place of real ones - why is that necessary? Justin takes a trip down to WcDonald's for the explanation.
― Jerome asks: Do Manga Publishers and Anime Distributers fear a lawsuit from using a trademark? Watching a lot of anime over the years, I never see real world trademarks if any. They usually just change the name. An example is in "Freezing" they use B...
Interview: Dragon Ball Super's Toyotarou
First he was a super-fan of Dragon Ball - now he's drawing the official manga adaption of Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball! Find out what makes mangaka Toyotarou tick!
― Dragon Ball Super is a big step for Akira Toriyama's vast and influential action series. It's the first major follow-up to the original Dragon Ball Z storyline in a long time, and it's the first Dragon Ball TV anime series since Dragon ...
Natsume Yūjin-Chō Go ‒ Episode 4
"This uneasy new conflict between two of the show's recurring characters indicates that this season's revelations may be the most pivotal ones yet."
Attack on Titan Anthology
Over 30 American comic book artists and writers come together for this compilation of Attack on Titan inspired stories! From its light-hearted parodies to its haunting horror tales, how does this anthology hold up?
― While the publisher Kodansha's claim on the introductory page that the Attack on Titan manga is “the biggest hit in a generation” may be debatable, there's no question that this franchis...
Trickster ‒ Episode 4
"This week's Trickster was easy to like for being very much in on its more campy shenanigans."
One Piece ‒ Episode 761
"If more episodes looked like this, people wouldn't feel so down on the anime's modern art style."
Review: World of Final Fantasy (Playstation 4)
Just in time for the series' 30th anniversary, World of Final Fantasy brings together characters new and old for a lighthearted role-playing adventure that builds on three decades of legacy while crafting its own identity.
― It's been nearly 30 years since the four Warriors of Light crossed the bridge out of Cornelia and into our collective hearts, launching one of the biggest—if not the biggest—RPG ...
B-PROJECT Episodes 1-12 Streaming
B-Project is a bit like UtaPri's calmer little brother - it's fun, it's silly, and it's entertaining start to finish, even if it's nothing new in the boy idol reverse harem genre.
― A large group of uniquely beautiful and talented young men? A slightly eccentric producer? An innocuous and normal (yet secretly talented) young woman thrown into the mix? Bubbly J-pop numbers with slightly feminine chore...
Dragon Ball Super Episode 63
The day has finally arrived. Dragon Ball Super is being simulcast legally in the United States! Sam Leach gets dropped in the middle with the rest of America, at episode 63.
Answerman - Are There Any Vegetarians In Japan?
Vegetarianism rarely ever comes up in anime, although meat is almost always on the menu - is it a cultural thing, or something else? Justin gets into it.
― Chris asks: I was wondering if vegetarianism is something practiced by a notable amount of people in Japan. In anime I've only noticed a few cases of characters being vegeterian or vegetarianism being mentioned, so is it correct to assume that it...
Shelf Life - Golgo 13: The Professional
Osamu Dezaki's Golgo 13 film is the first to bring the iconic character to life in animation, but does it still hold up today? Paul Jensen take a look. Plus, all this week's new anime releases!
― I tend to drink a lot of tea when I'm writing reviews, so buying a new electric tea kettle a couple of weeks ago has improved my life in a noticeable way. Being able to heat water to exactly the right tempe...
Poco's Udon World ‒ Episode 3
"Poco's Udon World continues to touch on issues affecting young adults while peppering the proceedings with light comedy in its most reflective episode yet."
A Town Where You Live Sub.Blu-Ray
What happens when you try to cram two dozen volumes of manga into twelve episodes of anime? Rebecca Silverman finds out in A Town Where You Live.
― What happens when you take twenty-seven volumes of manga and try to condense it down to twelve episodes of anime? It's an issue that we've seen many times before with mixed results, but in the case of A Town Where You Live, based on Koji Seo (of Suzuka fa...
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans ‒ Episode 29
"Tekkadan is on the precipice of realizing that they have problems that can't be fixed with killing, marking a new era in this show."
Bungo Stray Dogs ‒ Episode 16
This episode of Bungo Stray Dogs appeared quite suddenly this weekend, rather than waiting for its usual Wednesday simulcast. So how did this prequel storyline pan out?
Kiss Him, Not Me ‒ Episode 3
"Given the show's jokey premise, I was surprised to see an actual effort to develop the principal characters beyond their surface quirks."
Occultic;Nine ‒ Episode 3
"I've gotten used to the show's style of storytelling, and while I still can't call it good, I'm willing to go along with it in order to find out what Occultic;Nine is trying to accomplish."
Magical Girl Raising Project ‒ Episode 4
"If you're hoping for this series to bring something fresh to the table or if you just enjoy a good plot twist, this episode is an encouraging effort."
Izetta: The Last Witch ‒ Episode 4
We learn a little more about Izetta's world in this transition episode and have a listen to the series' simuldub premiere!
Kitaro Meets Nurarihyon GN
Don't be scared off by the 1960s publication date - this GeGeGe no Kitaro compilation still holds up, as the yokai boy finds himself up against a variety of spooky villains!
― Drawn & Quarterly's second collection of the late, great Shigeru Mizuki's GeGeGe no Kitaro stories may be named after Nurarihyon, but he actually only features in one chapter. However, his essence definitely permeates the curat...
ClassicaLoid ‒ Episode 3
"Chopin and Liszt bring two new colorful extremes to the cast, and with Schubert seemingly joining next week, I'm sure things will get even crazier on ClassicaLoid."
WWW.WAGNARIA!! ‒ Episode 4
"After three episodes full of character introductions, this episode gives us a chance to slow down and get to know the core cast a little better."
March comes in like a lion ‒ Episode 3
"In the end, what most sticks with me about this episode was how good it was to all its characters."
Haikyu!! 3rd Season ‒ Episode 3
"If you weren't a Tsukishima fan before this week's episode, you might be one by its end."
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable ‒ Episode 30
"I love this family so much. I want them in every episode from now until the end of the series."
Lostorage incited WIXOSS ‒ Episode 3
"It's only been three episodes, but I feel like I've been watching this show much longer."
The List - 6 Coproductions That Challenge the Definition of Anime
What's the true definition of "anime?" These internationally-produced animations may surprise you and challenge your own perception of the medium!
― Back in early 2014, I wrote a column about international co-productions with Japanese studios. That column had a general "here's some shows you might not know were animated in Japan or financed outside of Japan" focus, but this column is more of a look ...
My Girlfriend is a T-Rex GN 1
"Dinosaurs evolve into hot humans to avoid extinction in this funny send-up of the increasingly crowded monster girl genre. Rebecca Silverman takes a look."
― If your first reaction upon looking at the title of Seven Seas' newest monster girl offering is to think, “Wow, the monster girl genre has definitely gone too far,” you could be forgiven. From the outside, My Girlfriend is a T-Rex just looks li...
Drifters ‒ Episode 3
"This episode takes a hard right turn to introduce almost a dozen new players, Drifters and Ends alike tearing each other apart on the battlefield."
Flip Flappers ‒ Episode 3
"Despite the ever-present feeling of dread that sneaks into the creases around the show's colorful aesthetic, this episode is the most exuberantly joyful Flip Flappers adventure yet."
Answerman - Is Working To Death Really A Thing In Japan?
"Karoshi", or working yourself literally to death, is a phenomenon sometimes mentioned in anime, and it's on the rise in Japan - Justin goes over the basics.
― Vincent asks: There's always some sort of news about employees dying of overtime work in Japanese media. A professor at an university in Tokyo even stated that he thought it was "pathetic for someone to die just from working more than a hundr...
ANNCast - Shin Godzilla
Zac and Jacob do battle with Anno Hideaki's political hot take, Shin Godzilla. PLUS: Miss Hokusai, Yuri!!! on Ice, Girlish Number and much much more!
― ANNCast Episode 273: Shin Godzilla Zac and Jacob do battle with Anno Hideaki's political hot take, Shin Godzilla. PLUS: Miss Hokusai, Yuri on Ice, Girlish Number and much much more! You can listen to the show on our player here, direct-download the M...
Twenty Years Ago: The Best Anime of 1996 (And Some Others Too)
Twenty years ago right now some of the most incredible anime ever made were released; Daryl Surat is here to run down the best of them, including Escaflowne, Gundam, Detective Conan and more!
― I've long been of the opinion that the number of great works in anime is a relatively constant thing from year to year. But as I noted in my previous feature, Thirty Years Ago: The Best Anime of 1986, the amou...
Kuromukuro Episodes 14-26 Streaming
Kuromukuro does its best to resolve its many mysteries in its action-packed second half, but does it succeed? Theron Martin investigates.
― Despite Netflix breaking the series into two 13-episode blocks for its subtitled stream, there was no break in Kuromukuro's 26-episode airing in Japan. Hence it's only natural that its second half picks up exactly where last season left off with zero recap. Where...
All Out!! ‒ Episode 3
"For a show about rugby, sparking a sense of physical thrill in the viewer is essential, and All Out!! isn't quite there yet."
Naruto Shippuden ‒ Episode 480
"The first installment of the “Boyhood” miniseries is an enjoyable watch that represents one of Naruto Shippūden's better filler efforts."
Keijo!!!!!!!! ‒ Episode 3
"Marked by minor flaws in what is otherwise proving to be a consistently enjoyable and surprisingly well-thought-out series."
For all articles, see the archives