Our friend and colleague Zac Bertschy, the host of ANNCast, passed away last week. Over 30 of Zac's friends and colleagues contributed their thoughts and memories for this special final episode. ― ANNCast Final - Zac Bertschy Memorial Our friend and colleague Zac Bertschy, the host of ANNCast, passed away the week of May 18, 2020. Over 30 of Zac's friends and colleagues contributed their thoughts, s...

review

10 comments

REVIEW: Paranoia Agent

May 29, 13:00

10 comments

anime

What is the most important thing to remember about Paranoia Agent is that it is a mystery story where the answers to the mysteries are not as important as the questions they raise. ― It's been years since Paranoia Agent has been legally available to watch or own in the West, what with Geneon's original DVD release being out of print since the mid-2000s. Given that this is the one and only television...

news

1 comment

Live-Action Kingdom Film Gets Sequel

May 28, 20:38

1 comment

live-action

Actors Kento Yamazaki, Ryō Yoshizawa, Kanna Hashimoto & director Shinsuke Satō reunite ― The official website for the live-action film of Yasuhisa Hara's Kingdom manga announced on Friday that the film will have a sequel. Shinsuke Satō (live-action Gantz, Death Note Light up the NEW world, Bleach) will return as director. Kento Yamazaki, Ryō Yoshizawa, and Kanna Hashimoto are all returning from the p...

column

16 comments

This Week in Anime - The Sweet Life of Villainess Catarina Claes

May 28, 16:13

16 comments

anime

"You know how a lot of isekai is traditional masculine wish fulfillment wrapped up in fantasy dressings with at-best questionable politics sprinkled on top? Well, what if I told you it didn't have to be like that." ― Catarina Claes didn't realize she was dropped into the world of her favorite romance sim until a sudden bonk on the head causes her to recover all her past memories...including the secr...

column

5 comments

This Week in Games - Warmer Days Ahead

May 28, 13:11

5 comments

games

Heidi shares the latest game updates, including the long-awaited info on Samurai Shodown Neo Geo Collection, upcoming streaming events, and more ― I may be a writer by trade, but there are times when I just feel completely lost for words. Like most of us who write for ANN, the sudden passing of Zac Bertschy came as a complete surprise to me. I had a nagging feeling that day that something wasn't righ...

news

9 comments

Top-Selling Manga in Japan by Series: 2020 (First Half)

May 28, 00:15

9 comments

manga

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba sells 45 million, followed by One Piece, Quintessential Quintuplets ― For the first time since Oricon began reporting its book ranking charts in April of 2008, one franchise topped both the general book ranking and the manga ranking for the first half of a year. In addition, the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba manga series overall has sold a total of 60.027 million physi...

review

9 comments

REVIEW: Tsugumomo Blu-ray

May 27, 15:00

9 comments

anime

I can now say that that the series isn't a major stand-out but is more deserving of attention than it got at the time it debuted. ― The debut of this 12 episode manga adaptation did not make much of an impression on me (or any of the other reviewers) during the Spring 2017 Preview Guide, and it did not receive enough support at that time to earn weekly episode reviews. However, it ultimately proved e...

feature

14 comments

How Similar is Beastars to Zootopia, Really?

May 27, 13:00

14 comments

anime

The comparisons were inescapable but how much do Disney's talking animals and Paru Itagaki's brooding teen beasts have in common? ― As more and more people watch, come to like, and recommend Beastars, many have ended up comparing it to Disney's Zootopia. It's hard to blame them for this connection. Beastars and Zootopia are both stories about talking animals in a society, and in general, short compar...

column

7 comments

This Week in Anime - Thanks for the Memories

May 26, 17:06

7 comments

anime

Nick and Micchy plug in to RetroCrush to check out of the service's streaming gems: Katsuhiro Otomo's Memories, a trifecta of short films adapted from the Akira creator's story collection. Time to fly to the far reaches of space and back to cogs of the all-too-familiar warmachine. ― Nick and Micchy plug in to RetroCrush to check out of the service's streaming gems: Katsuhiro Otomo's Memories, a trif...

news

50 comments

List of Shows, Films, Manga, Games Affected by COVID-19 (Updated May 30)

May 14, 08:00

50 comments

covid-19

All of ANN's coverage of works hit by new coronavirus disease ― Here is all of ANN's coverage of the series, films, manga, and games that the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has affected. Note: Asteroid in Love, Bungo & Alchemist, Darwin's Game, Fate/Grand Order Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia, Hatena Illusion, Kukuriraige -Sanxingdui Denki-, and Jewelpet: Attack Travel all had delays this year,...

news

15 comments

List of Current Anime With Completed Productions (Updated May 24)

May 9, 08:11

15 comments

anime

Shows not delayed by COVID-19 so far ― Here is all of ANN's coverage of current anime that have confirmed the completion of production, and have not been delayed due to the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) so far. Ore no Yubi de Midarero. Heiten-go Futarikiri no Salon de... (last episode debuted on May 24) Stars Align (special fan movie epilogue completed and now streaming) The Magnificent KOTOBUKI...