Sometimes your first kiss is magical, but if you're an anime character, this adolescent milestone can get too weird for comfort. Here are six first kisses that the smoochers might want to forget. ― A first kiss can be a special, a treasured moment shared between two romantic partners. Or it can be haphazardly stolen by some jerk trying to one-up his friend or caused by a pratfall down a flight of st...

review

1 comments

My Monster Secret GN 5

Jun 24, 10:00

1 comments

manga

My Monster Secret kicks into high gear with a pair of wild rambling adventures in its fifth volume. Nick Creamer digs into the action. ― The last two volumes of My Monster Secret have seen the manga drifting through a variety of chapter-length adventures, before settling into the more long-form and ultimately satisfying trip to Shiragami's parents' house. In light of the events of volume five, it see...

column

30 comments

ANNCast - Rumiko Talkahashi

Jun 23, 11:36

30 comments

anime

Zac and special guest Dawn from the Anime Nostalgia Podcast reveal their undying love for Rumiko Takahashi, titan of manga, creator of timeless classics like Urusei Yatsura, Ranma 1/2 and more. ― ANNCast Episode 300 - Rumiko Talkahashi Zac and special guest Dawn from the Anime Nostalgia Podcast reveal their undying love for Rumiko Takahashi, titan of manga, creator of timeless classics like Urusei Y...

feature

20 comments

The Beginner's Guide to The King's Avatar

Jun 23, 11:00

20 comments

anime

We're not used to smash hit anime coming from China, but they have a bonafide success in The King's Avatar - here's everything you need to know about the phenomenon. ― It seems fair to say that every country has its own basic style or flavor of animation. When we think of Asian animated works, most of us go immediately to anime, the Japanese variant, and it certainly is among the most prevalent and a...

review

3 comments

The Seven Deadly Sins: Seven Scars They Left Behind Novel

Jun 23, 10:00

3 comments

novels

Ten years before Princess Elizabeth set out to find Meliodas and the other Sins, her older sister Margaret and Gilthunder struggle to keep a terrible secret in this prequel to The Seven Deadly Sins. Rebecca Silverman investigates. ― If you're a casual fan of Nakaba Suzuki's manga The Seven Deadly Sins or its anime adaptation, you should be aware that this novel is intended to be read either after the...

feature

4 comments

The Best and Worst of the Season So Far: Week of June 10-16

Jun 22, 12:34

4 comments

just for fun

Attack on Titan races up the charts as the Spring anime season closes out! How did your favorite anime fare in our weekly user rankings? ― Our team of reviewers are following 27 anime series of the Spring 2017 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 base...

column

21 comments

This Week in Games - Arms

Jun 22, 11:22

21 comments

games

Dustin goes a few rounds with Nintendo's noodle-armed fighting game for the Switch just in time for the summer. PLUS: Konami controversy, Rap Rabbit's demise, Sega Forever and more! ― Even covering it from the comfort of a home office, the sheer volume of E3 was positively exhausting. My heart goes out to the poor writers in the trenches, and even more to the poor fans who paid money for the mostly u...

review

21 comments

Dagashi Kashi BD+DVD

Jun 22, 10:00

21 comments

anime

Is this slice of life comedy about convenience store candy a sugar rush worth indulging, or is it just as frivolously forgettable as its subject matter? Nick Creamer finds out. ― Anime has already offered us long-running dramas about baking bread and entire franchises predicated on idols fighting interstellar wars, so it's tough to be surprised by basically any premise these days. Slice of life in pa...

column

47 comments

Answerman - What Happened To The "Watch This Program In A Well-Lit Room" Warnings?

Jun 21, 12:00

47 comments

anime

Ever since one Pokemon episode caused an unanticipated medical emergency, there have been viewer warnings in front of many anime on TV. Why are they starting to go away now? ― Chris asks: Back in the day, after that infamous episode of Pokémon gave viewers seizures, many anime would start with an on-screen warning to watch with the lights on and at a safe distance from the TV. A bunch of my late-90'...

feature

40 comments

The Mobile Suit Gundam Films: The Best, The Worst, and What's Worth Watching

Jun 21, 11:00

40 comments

anime

Your complete guide to through the best (and the worst) theatrical feature films the Gundam franchise has to offer. ― Spanning 38 years of giant robot battle action and space opera drama, the Gundam franchise has remained hugely popular. It is also, to put it simply, huge. Between TV series, OVAs, and movies, hundreds of hours of anime bearing the Gundam name has been produced. It's a lot to take in,...

review

31 comments

My Hero Academia - Season One Limited Edition BD+DVD

Jun 21, 10:00

31 comments

anime

Have no fear, for the Limited Edition blu-ray of My Hero Academia is here! Nick Creamer revisits the strengths and weaknesses of this first season alongside its extras-packed home release. ― Debuting just three years ago, My Hero Academia has swiftly become one of the headline manga of Shounen Jump, a rip-roaring adventure elevated by strong art, charming characters, and consistent mastery of battle ...