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Anime Central 2003

May 26th 2003

Anime Central 2003

May 16^th to 18^th, 2003
Hyatt Regency O'Hare and Donald E. Stephens Convention Center
Rosemont, Illinois
Coverage and reporting by
Mikhail Koulikov
Christopher Macdonald
George Phillips

Friday Industry Panels

Saturday Industry Panels

Sunday Industry Panels

I.C. Entertainment
Viz L.L.C.

Other Panels of Interest

State of the Industry
Anime in Academia

General / closing thoughts

Convention homepage / archives

review

April Showers Bring May Flowers Anime Series Review

Feb 18, 12:00 anime

With the deliberate pacing of the romance plot, there's plenty of room for character introspection. ― No one in April Showers Bring May Flowers is perfect. That might not sound important, but it truly is, particularly as the series goes on. There's a tendency in this style of high school romance to make a few people seem larger than life, as if their outer beauty reflects an inner saintliness that ma...

feature

11 comments

Okay, So What's VOTOMS?

Feb 18, 09:00

11 comments

anime

VOTOMS is always waiting to be discovered, as a story that has been continually added to for decades, with a style and vibe that speak to anyone who likes their robots just a little more real. ― Last month, a surprise trailer dropped for an unexpected project: a new anime in the Armored Trooper VOTOMS franchise, from owner studio Sunrise, with collaboration from Production I.G, and helmed by storied ...

game review

PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid's Curse Game Review

Feb 17, 18:07 games

While its story elements come together in a snug, fantastical narrative, the first entry's gameplay shortcomings remain, and this new game's shift away from spookier, creepier plot beats left me wanting. ― Anime News Network was provided an advanced review copy of this game. Nearly three years since the release of PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo, Square Enix and developer Xeen are back w...

review

Holy Boy Novel Review

Feb 17, 12:00 novels korean

I can already tell Holy Boy is one of those titles that is going to stay with me for a long time. When I first began reading it, I realized I’d need to close the covers or else I’d be up all night following its characters into the most unsettling recesses of their distorted minds. ― You don't need to look very far into real life events to see how idol singers bring out the worst in a select few of th...

column

13 comments

This Week in Anime - Gatchaman Standing Out in CROWDS Waving their Insights

Feb 17, 10:00

13 comments

anime

This week, Coop and Sylvia take a look at 2013 anime Gatchaman Crowds, and its sequel—which predicted the future we're now living in. ― This week, Coop and Sylvia take a look at 2013 anime Gatchaman CROWDS, and its sequel—which predicted the future we're now living in. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network.Spoiler War...

feature

6 comments

I Played the Never-to-be-Released Danganronpa 2x2 Special Trial Version

Feb 16, 20:00

6 comments

games

Made specifically for the Danganronpa 15th Anniversary Event, this short, 15-minute vertical slice was designed to give the most hardcore Danagaronpa fans an original mystery never to be seen again. ― Earlier this month, I was able to visit Spike Chunsoft headquarters in Tokyo to try out the Danganronpa 2x2 Special Trial Version on the Nintendo Switch 2. Made specifically for the November 2025 Dangan...

review

5 comments

There's No Freaking Way I'll Be Your Lover! Unless… ~Next Shine~ Episodes 13-17 Anime Review

Feb 16, 12:00

5 comments

anime

Originally, the series was a bit unclear about why Renako was in denial or always quick to run away from the romantic advances of others. This arc makes it explicitly clear that she does not think she is a good person who is deserving of any of that love. ― There's No Freaking Way I'll Be Your Lover! Unless… was an interesting series that mixed funny comedic hijinx with solid character writing. While...

your score

4 comments

Your Anime Rankings - Best of Winter 2026, Feb 5-11

Feb 16, 11:55

4 comments

anime

Despite starting second from the bottom with middling reviews, The Villainess Is Adored by the Prince of the Neighbor Kingdom has surged to #5 this week. Consider my curiosity well and truly piqued by this week’s rankings. ― Let's have a look at what ANN readers consider the best (and worst) of the season, based on the polls you can find in our Daily Streaming Reviews and on the Your Score page with...

feature

32 comments

Lovely Angels Done Dirty? The Dirty Pair Kickstarter Saga

Feb 16, 09:00

32 comments

anime

Dirty Pair fans came out of the woodwork to back this project—to the tune of US$731,406 what they got were years of delays, authoring problems, and a disc wrapped in a napkin. What happened? ― Full Disclosure: Coop regularly works with Justin Sevakis and MediaOCD, including the modern incarnation of AnimEigo. His opinions given here are purely his own and do not reflect those of his employers. On Oc...

news

29 comments

CyberConnect2 Announces New .hack//Z.E.R.O. Action RPG

Feb 16, 07:47

29 comments

games

CyberConnect2 plans, develops, publishes game with music by Taro Hakase ― The game company CyberConnect2 announced the new game .hack//Z.E.R.O. on Monday, the 30th anniversary of its founding. The announcement indicates that the action role-playing game is for consoles, as opposed to arcades or personal computers, and that it is part of a bigger project across multiple forms of media. CyberConnect2 h...

review

1 comment

Drops of God: Mariage Volume 8-10 Manga Review

Feb 15, 12:00

1 comment

manga

To find the perfect match of food and wine, we must travel the world and try new things, then come home and appreciate the familiar. ― Twice in Volume 9, someone rolled their eyes at someone else's melodrama during the big showdown, and I was 100% there for it. It actually made me like the whole story better. The first half of this arc is spent redeeming Chef Mikasa, the accomplished French chef whos...