Is this under-the-radar idol boy show from last year worth a second look? Nick Creamer explains just what's so special about Starmyu. ― Starmyu offers a fairly unusual premise among musical anime. In a sea of shows focused specifically on idols, Starmyu instead presents a high school and special division focused on musical theater, where a student's ability to dance, sing, and also present a characte...

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8 comments

This Week in Anime - Hugs for the Good Boys

Jun 27, 13:02

8 comments

anime

As This Week in Anime changes gears for the next season, Nick and Micchy say their goodbyes to all the good boys in Attack on Titan, Berserk, and Love Rice, as other shows soldier on into the summer! ― Previous Weeks in Anime Week 1 - Week 2 - Week 3 - Week 4 - Week 5Week 6 - Week 7 - Week 8 - Week 9 Nicholas Dupree got into anime in high school, and manga even earlier. From One Piece to The Promised...

game review

6 comments

Valkyria Revolution

Jun 27, 11:14

6 comments

games

This spinoff of the beloved tactical RPG series Valkyria Chronicles tries to live up to the sterling reputation of its predecessors, but Dustin finds it might fall a little short. ― Valkyria Revolution is told through the pages of history books. A young historian sets out to find the truth about the Five Traitors who led the nation of Jutland to revolution for their own selfish ends, and with the hel...

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1 comments

Vice & Luna - Here Comes Mr. Goodtimes

Jun 27, 10:39

1 comments

just for fun

He's the rowdiest convention goer the Enchanted Grove Comic-Con has ever seen, and he might be in really big trouble... ―

review

13 comments

Gangsta. BD+DVD

Jun 27, 10:00

13 comments

anime

Gangsta's dark story gets off to an intriguing start before things start to go wrong. Rebecca Silverman digs deeper. ― In ancient Rome, ergastula were pits specifically meant to hold unruly slaves or to punish misbehaving ones. In Gangsta., Ergastulum (the singular form of the word) is a city in an unnamed country that may as well be a pit trap intended to punish the wicked. The world that Worrick, A...

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36 comments

Answerman - Why Do Some Anime Change Studios Between Seasons?

Jun 26, 12:00

36 comments

anime

Justin gets into some of the many reasons why an anime might jump to a different production studio between seasons. ― Jun asks: I noticed that sometimes a show with multiple seasons have different studios working on them. For instance, the first season of My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU is produced by studio Brain's Base while the second season was handled by studio feel. Why does this happen sometime...

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22 comments

Shelf Life - Ultra Maniac

Jun 26, 11:01

22 comments

anime

Is this forgotten magical girl romcom from the '90s trash or treasure? Find out after the jump, along with a rundown of all this week's anime releases and a very Maison Ikkoku Shelf Obsessed! ― I live on the second floor of an apartment building, so it's always surprising when one of the neighborhood cats appears on my tiny balcony. I'm not sure if it somehow climbs the fire escape ladder or just ju...

review

10 comments

In Another World With My Smartphone Novel 1

Jun 26, 10:08

10 comments

novels

Before its anime adaptation airs next season, is this isekai series worth reading? Rebecca Silverman has the answers. ― If you've ever wondered what exactly Konosuba is making fun of rather than mere genre specifics, take a peek at Patora Fuyuhara's In Another World with My Smartphone. That's not to say that this series is precisely the basis for Natsume Akatsuki's parody, but it is certainly closer ...

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3 comments

The Mike Toole Show - By the Book

Jun 25, 12:14

3 comments

anime

Mike devours the Sound! Euphonium and Legend of the Galactic Heroes novels and then can't help but compare them to their anime adaptations? Which is better: the book or the movie? ― You can tell what a big anime nerd I am because of all of the books I've been reading lately. Just in the past couple of months, I've killed off the first of Hayao Miyazaki's essential two-part essay collection, Starting ...

review

3 comments

Kase-san and Morning Glories GN

Jun 25, 10:00

3 comments

manga

Shy Yamada falls for school track star Kase-san in the first volume of this sugary-sweet yuri series. Rebecca Silverman has the details. ― In the increasingly diverse world of English-language yuri, Hiromi Takashima's Kase-san and Morning Glories stands out as particularly adorable. While it shares some themes with Milk Morinaga's Secret of the Princess in terms of wondering if having a lesbian relat...