Columns - June 2026

The Prescience of Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell

Jul 15, 14:38

anime manga

When does science fiction start becoming reality? Kevin Cormack takes a trip through Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell to ascertain how much of its tech is on its way to the real world. ― There's a truism about science fiction in that it tends to say more about the era in which it was written than about the future it attempts to describe. The original 1960s Star Trek, for example, trailblazed con...

news

Hiroyasu Kobayashi, SAFEHOUSE, AREA35 Unveil Tiny Metal: Zero Line Anime

Jul 15, 13:37

anime

World premiere of pilot episode debuted at Japan Expo in France on July 9 ― Studio Khara's Hiroyasu Kobayashi unveiled the new Tiny Metal: Zero Line anime, based on AREA35's Tiny Metal turn-based tactical game, with the world premiere of the pilot episode at Japan Expo 2026 on July 9 at the Parc des Expositions de Paris-Nord Villepinte in France. The game's official YouTube channel is streaming a tea...

review

Natsume & Natsume Volume 2-10 Manga Review

Jul 15, 12:00 manga

They say looks can be deceiving, but actions also speak louder than words, and Natsume's actions far overshadow his intimidating demeanor. ― The "scary guy who actually has a heart of gold" trope has been done a lot, and I'll fault Natsume & Natsume for it because it occasionally falls into the predictable narrative beats often associated with that setup. There are parts in these volumes where Natsum...

convention

Mob Psycho 100 Director Yuzuru Tachikawa Shared Cut Reigen-Focused Scene

Jul 14, 19:30

anime

At AX, Tachikawa showed a scene that didn't make it into Mob Psycho 100 II episode seven. ― At Crunchyroll's "Go 100%! Mob Psycho 100 10th Anniversary Celebration," voice actors Setsuo Ito (Mob) and Takahiro Sakurai (Reigen) and director Yuzuru Tachikawa reminisced about the anime and shared anecdotes from the series' original run, including an intimate peek into his storyboarding process. During a s...

review

Even a Replica Can Fall in Love Anime Series Review

Jul 14, 12:00

anime

It’s not the most exciting or dynamic of shows, and this is reflected in the overly pedestrian direction and static, flat visuals ― Modern life is stressful. Surely we can all agree on that? Therefore, it's not too much of a stretch to empathize with Sunao, who'd prefer to stay in her room than engage with stressful things like friendship difficulties, socializing, and schoolwork. While she could shu...

column

11 comments

This Week in Anime - Scraping the Bottom of the Barrel

Jul 14, 10:00

11 comments

anime

Coop and Lucas take a look at some of the summer anime season's least interesting debuts.They can't all be winners? ― Coop and Lucas take a look at some of the summer anime season's least interesting debuts.They can't all be winners? The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network. Netflix streams Chainsmoker Cat. HIDIVE streams Hell Mode....

news

5 comments

ippatu's Tsugumi Project Manga Gets TV Anime

Jul 14, 02:48

5 comments

anime

Postapocalyptic action manga serialized in Japan from 2021-2023 ― A teaser website opened on Tuesday to announce the television anime adaptation of ippatu's Tsugumi Project (Tora Tsugumi) manga, and revealed a teaser promotional video and teaser visual.Kodansha USA Publishing published the manga and describes the story:In the far future, a soldier named Leon is taken from his family on a trumped-up c...

review

13 comments

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 4 Episodes 73-84 Anime Review

Jul 13, 12:00

13 comments

anime

If you look up “anticlimax” in the dictionary, you'll see this story arc of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime listed as an example. ― If you look up “anticlimax” in the dictionary, you'll see this story arc of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime listed as an example. Honestly, the arc has so much going for it with Mariabell as a villain. She was built up as a looming threat in the previous ...

feature

322 comments

The Summer 2026 Anime Preview Guide

Jul 13, 11:36

322 comments

anime

With nearly all the new shows debuted, we're into episode two territory! Find out how Goodbye, Lara holds up in its sophomore episode along with Black Torch, Sparks of Tomorrow, Chainsmoker Cat and more! ― Welcome to Anime News Network's Summer 2026 Anime Preview Guide! Here's how it goes: our team of critics writes up their impressions instantly, to be posted here as they go along. Each critic will...

column

This Week in Mobile Games - What's Up With The Lads?

Jul 13, 09:00

games

Alas, poor Valko, players were just really divided on your existence and Papergames did not handle it well. ― Hello, and welcome once more to another installment of the column! It has, to put it mildly, been a rough couple of weeks, particularly if you're in or covering the game industry. With new waves of layoffs and controversial (to put it mildly) corporate decision-making, the game industry - or ...

feature

The World is Dancing and the Oldest Performing Art in Japan

Jul 13, 09:00

anime

The World is Dancing fictionalizes the life of Zeami, one of Noh's greatest performers and writers, but what is the history of Noh theater? Marcille Donato delves into the history of Japan's oldest performing art. ― Of all the forms of human expression that have ever existed, it would not be incorrect to say that one of the oldest and most universal is the art of dancing. Humans have been shaking the...

news

8 comments

Enma Akiyama's Noa-senpai wa Tomodachi. Gets TV Anime

Jul 13, 06:13

8 comments

manga anime

Senpai is an Otokonoko director Shinsuke Yanagi helms anime at feel. animation studio ― Kadokawa announced on Monday the television anime adaptation of Enma Akiyama's Noa-senpai wa Tomodachi. (Noa is My Senior, and My Friend.) manga, and revealed the anime's teaser visual and main staff members.The manga's story centers on Rihito Ōtsuka — a laid-back and unbothered guy, and an employee in a game comp...

news

Umihoshi Nanai's Kizuguchi to Hōtai Manga Gets TV Anime in January 2027

Jul 13, 03:40 manga anime

J.C. Staff animates romantic comedy series about daughter of yakuza boss, her caretaker ― J.C. Staff announced on Monday that it is producing a television anime adaptation of Umihoshi Nanai's Kizuguchi to Hōtai (Wound and Bandage) manga that will debut in January 2027. The staff revealed two visuals, with the second visual being a "weak loving" version. The anime will air on ABC and TV Asahi's ANiMAZ...

news

Kiki's Delivery Service Illustrator Akiko Hayashi Dies at 81

Jul 12, 21:15

people

Hayashi illustrated many children's books including Miki's First Errand, There's a Hippo in My Bath! ― Japanese news outlet The Mainichi reported on Wednesday children's book author and illustrator Akiko Hayashi died of pneumonia on July 1 in a hospital in Nagano prefecture. She was 81.She was known for illustrating the first novel of Eiko Kadono's children's novel Kiki's Delivery Service, which Stud...

game review

9 comments

Star Fox (2026) Game Review

Jul 12, 12:00

9 comments

games

I was scared it would be just a very safe yet well-produced retread of familiar ground, and I was mostly right. ― It is nearly impossible to talk about this game without explaining the complicated pedigree that precedes it. Star Fox is an established Nintendo IP, but unlike many others such as Mario, Zelda, or even Metroid, the scope of games in Star Fox's library is a little bit muddled. Even though...

news

Mob Psycho 100 III Anime Marks 10th Anniversary With New Short

Jul 12, 10:41 anime

Director Yuzuru Tachikawa, character designer Yoshimichi Kameda reunite for English-subtitled short ― The "Mob Psycho 100 Anime 10th Anniversary Event: Reunion" presented a new anime short at the Fukagawa Mirai Hall in Kawaguchi City, Saitama on Sunday. The short, which is streaming online with English subtitles, features Reigen, Shigeo ("Mob"), Dimple, and Tome at the Spirits and Such Consultation O...

Girls Band Bandwidth: How BanG Dream! YUME∞MITA's Use of Streamers and Social Media Brings Its Story Into the Future

Jul 12, 10:00 anime streamers

The internet is cornerstone of the modern entertainment complex. Creators wanting to get their work out cannot merely be adept in their craft—they must also be able to navigate the multiplicitous lanes and uncertain signage of the information superhighway. So it must go as well for the girls bands in the BanG Dream! franchise, with this season's YUME∞MITA being heavily based in that space. ― The int...

survey

Time to Choose Your Daily Streaming Reviews: Summer 2026

Jul 12, 09:00 anime

Hey. Just checking in. Have you voted in our daily streaming review poll yet?

game review

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales Game Review

Jul 12, 09:00