Major revelations will be blithely glossed over, and new characters are thrown at the audience who get one or two scenes to make clear that they're supposed to be somewhat relevant or important, but with no connective context as to why. ― There's an element of presumed prestige to the back half of this Muv-Luv Alternative anime adaptation. And why shouldn't there be? The original visual novel is a pr...

review

7 comments

The Legend of Mana: The Teardrop Crystal

Jan 27, 12:00

7 comments

anime

The possibilities in The Legend of Mana: The Teardrop Crystal seem endless. Sadly, a show is not just possibilities and vibes— The Teardrop Crystal struggles with executing a meaningful plot. ― I went into The Legend of Mana: The Teardrop Crystal anime with a very patchwork understanding of the original game. I have never played the original title from 1999 nor had a chance to play the recent remaste...

column

25 comments

This Week in Games - It Feels Like 2008 All Over Again

Jan 27, 10:00

25 comments

games

Jean-Karlo dives into the recent rumor of a "lost" Fire Emblem game, why Hi-Fi Rush isn't the Jet Set Radio successor he wants, and how AI helped botch the Persona 3 Portable remaster. ― Hello, everyone! Here we are again, on the verge of the weekend. We've got tons of fun stuff to talk about this week! The year is starting to kick in with plenty of awesome stuff to discuss. Unfortunately, not all of...

feature

3 comments

What in the World is a Final Fantasy XIV World Race?

Jan 27, 09:00

3 comments

games

Find out why this fan-made event has resulted in some of the most exciting moments in this Final Fantasy XIV and MMO history. ― Final Fantasy XIV's newest “Ultimate” boss fight was released on Tuesday. With it, competitors, streamers, viewers, and casters are gathered once again to commentate and celebrate a fan-made event that has resulted in some of the most exciting moments in this game's history,...

column

15 comments

Answerman - What's With All the Delayed Aniplex Shows?

Jan 27, 09:00

15 comments

industry

Kim explains how it's not just COVID, but shortcomings of the industry itself, that led to three anime productions' schedule crashes. ― This time, we interrupt the regular reader-submitted questions with some “behind the headlines” analysis. Kim asked: Three Aniplex shows—NieR:Automata Ver 1.1a, UniteUp!, and Ayakashi Triangle—have recently announced delays due to COVID-19. Is COVID actually a probl...

column

8 comments

This Week in Anime - Junji Ito's Content Mill of Horrors

Jan 26, 12:59

8 comments

anime

A name like Junji Ito deserves a worthwhile anime adaptation. Yet here we are with another installment from Studio DEEN. Did you watch Junji Ito "Collection"? It's more of that, which is to say, a muddy-looking series of stories that fail to scare. ― A name like Junji Ito deserves a worthwhile anime adaptation. Yet here we are with another installment from Studio DEEN. Did you watch Junji Ito "Colle...

game review

23 comments

Fire Emblem Engage

Jan 26, 12:00

23 comments

games

Fire Emblem Engage has had a rough time coming. The art style left a lot of people unconvinced, and it's coming on the heels of the widely-beloved Fire Emblem: Three Houses. How does Intelligent Systems' newest strategy RPG hold up? ― Fire Emblem Engage has had a rough time coming. The title was weird, the art style left a lot of people unconvinced, and it's coming on the heels of the widely-beloved ...

feature

PREVIEW: Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

Jan 26, 10:00 games

There's difficulty in terms of enemy mobs, surprise enemies with bumped-up Morale, and bosses that require mastery in deflection, but Wo Long is surprisingly welcoming to even the most inexperienced of Souls-like players. ― While Koei Tecmo already has one foot in the “Souls”-like genre courtesy of their Nioh series, it seems they want to take a second bite at the apple with their upcoming “masocore”...

review

4 comments

Pokémon Master Journeys: The Series (Episodes 49-90)

Jan 25, 12:00

4 comments

anime

This is where Pokémon: Journeys shines the most, taking familiar past elements and putting a twist on them in the present day to progress the story forward. ― After dealing with a major threat to the Galar region, Ash and Goh continue their journey as if nothing had ever changed. Still, it feels like we're finally getting into the significant challenges that both of our protagonists were bound to fac...

interview

5 comments

Interview: Shuzo John Shiota, President of Polygon Pictures

Jan 25, 09:00

5 comments

industry

Polygon Pictures president recounts his earnest beginnings, trying to win over overseas fans, and competition with Studio Orange in our newest interview. ― In December 2022, I had the privilege of visiting the Polygon Pictures Digital animation studio in Tokyo when it was about to enter its 40th year of production. One purpose of the visit was to learn more about the studio's latest TV series, Kaina...