Our full, spoiler-free report from the premiere of Netflix's hotly anticipated live-action Death Note film, complete with photos and what you should expect from the movie. ― San Diego Comic-Con: The epicenter of western pop culture entertainment. As fans lined up for hours to get a peek at the latest Thor and Justice League movies, a few blocks away from Hall H, a smaller, but enthusiastic crowd vied...

column

35 comments

Answerman - Why Aren't Tezuka and Ishinomori Anime Popular In The West?

Jul 26, 12:30

35 comments

anime

Fans of Astro Boy, Cyborg 009 and other timeless classics have long asked: why isn't this stuff more popular with American audiences? ― Nik asks: Osamu Tezuka and Shotaro Ishinomori are two of my favorite manga/anime creators. My favorite aspect of their works is the "retro" and "rounded" look of the characters. Properties like Cyborg 009, Kikaider, and Astro Boy are extremely appealing to me in an ...

interview

11 comments

Interview: Castlevania producer Adi Shankar

Jul 26, 12:00

11 comments

anime

The producer of Netflix's Castlevania answers a few questions about his favorite anime, working with an international team and dealing with fan expectations. ― Named “one of the most influential global Indian men” by GQ magazine in 2014, producer and director Adi Shankar has very quickly made a name for himself among anime fans as producer of Netflix's Castlevania, an animated adaptation of Konami's ...

feature

18 comments

Explaining the English Light Novel Boom with Bookwalker Global

Jul 26, 11:00

18 comments

industry

There were 80 light novels released in English in 2016, and 2017 has already surpassed that number. Kim Morrissey takes a in-depth look at the blossoming light novel market. ― Light novels are becoming a hot new property in the English-speaking market these days. In 2016 alone, over 80 light novel volumes were published in English translation, a number that 2017 has already surpassed. These Japanese ...

review

4 comments

High School Life of a Fudanshi GN 1

Jul 26, 10:00

4 comments

manga

This first volume about the life of a BL-loving straight boy struggles to be funny without too much cruelty. Rebecca Silverman weighs this comedy's pros and cons. ― If you distill it down to its most basic message, The High School Life of a Fudanshi is about all of the issues that come with being the “wrong” gender for a fandom. That's something plenty of people have experienced, from just not fittin...

column

17 comments

This Week in Anime - What's Stain's Real Problem With Heroes?

Jul 25, 12:30

17 comments

anime

My Hero Academia's newest villain is bloodthirsty to a shocking extreme, but does he have a good reason to hate heroes so much? This week, we take a look at the world through his creepy red eyes. ― Welcome to our new twice-weekly format for This Week in Anime! Going forward, two members of our team will discuss just one hot new anime topic in each column, starting off with a discussion of My Hero Aca...

feature

6 comments

Interview: The Staff of Welcome to the Ballroom

Jul 25, 11:30

6 comments

anime

We sat down with the talents behind the anime adaptation of this hit shonen manga to discuss what it was like bringing competitive dance to life through animation. ― Shortly before its first two episodes premiered at Anime Expo, we sat down with the staff behind this season's Welcome to the Ballroom, a visually ambitious action drama about the world of competitive dance. Animation Director Takahiro C...

column

7 comments

Vice & Luna - The Leaked Jedi

Jul 25, 10:54

7 comments

just for fun

Perry's dedication to the True Fan Comic-Con Experience wavers when the footage he's waiting to see leaks while he's in line... ―

review

9 comments

Garo Season Two: Crimson Moon BD+DVD

Jul 25, 10:00

9 comments

anime

Garo's second season never quite manages to redeem itself, resulting in a finale that's difficult to care about. Rebecca Silverman conducts her autopsy. ― It is a sad day when a series' explication takes so long that the monsters themselves get tired of listening to it and just attack. While that's not literally true of Garo: Crimson Moon, it still feels like the best explanation we've got for its ev...

feature

512 comments

The Summer 2017 Anime Preview Guide

Jul 24, 18:28

512 comments

anime

Looking for a fresh Summer anime? Our complete guide to the entire season is available now.
Reviews Include: Gamers! - Classroom of the Elite - My First Girlfriend is a Gal - Magic Circle Guru-Guru - In Another World with my Smartphone - New Game!! - Angel's 3Piece! - Chronos Ruler - Princess Principal - A Centaur's Life - Hitorijime My Hero - Action Heroine Cheer Fruits - and much more! ― Welcome t...

column

52 comments

Answerman - Is It Ethical To Import Anime From Other Countries?

Jul 24, 12:30

52 comments

industry

Anime fans in the UK will often import low-price American anime box sets - but is that ethical? What's the impact on their own local anime distributors? Justin gets into it. ― Jason asks: What do Japanese licence holders think of people in the UK importing US region 1 discs? How legal is this? Some times a show never seems to get a UK release and isn't available for streaming either. Japanese produc...

feature

10 comments

Interview: Attack on Titan's Trina Nishimura and Yui Ishikawa

Jul 24, 12:01

10 comments

anime

The voices behind Mikasa Ackerman come together to discuss what it's been like to be part of Attack on Titan's legacy! ― As Attack on Titan's second season came to an end, and Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block aired a supersized marathon of episodes from the series over the weekend, both the Japanese and English voice actresses for Mikasa Ackerman convened at Anime Expo to celebrate this mega-series...

column

13 comments

Shelf Life - School-Live!

Jul 24, 11:00

13 comments

anime

James Beckett discovers surprising thrills and chills in this slice of life drama that's more than it seems on the surface. Plus, all this week's new releases and a new Shelf Obsessed! ― My daily streaming review shows for this season have a suspicious number of things in common. Both New Game and Gamers are video game-themed slice-of-life comedies (one about the people who make them, one about the ...

review

53 comments

Review: Saga of Tanya the Evil

Jul 24, 10:00

53 comments

anime

This unusual series combines dark comedy and war drama to shockingly entertaining effect. Nick Creamer delves into Tanya's cynical world. ― Saga of Tanya the Evil's first episode largely confirmed all my worst suspicions regarding the title. Framed from the perspective of a tiny girl who'd somehow risen to officer status within a faux-German military, it seemed to revel in nastiness, playing up the g...

column

43 comments

The Mike Toole Show - The Magnificent 1997

Jul 23, 13:49

43 comments

anime

Mike straps in to his time machine for a trip back to the year 1997 to revisit some of his old favorites, from Battle Athletes to a little show called Berserk! ― This week, I'm finding myself stuck between stations. I've got a couple of pieces in the early stages, and one column that's almost done but just needs a little more detail to really make it work. Retrospective pieces are always good in a pi...

ep. review

31 comments

Series Premiere: The Reflection

Jul 23, 11:40

31 comments

anime

Studio DEEN and Stan Lee team up for this summer's new superhero anime, with a controversial artistic style. Our weekly series reviews begin here!

feature

38 comments

The Controversial Legacy of Final Fantasy XII

Jul 23, 11:26

38 comments

games

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age is an ambitious remaster of a game with a notoriously rocky development and release. Dustin turns the pages of Ivalice history for a look back. ― There is perhaps no Final Fantasy game—and certainly no 3D entry in the series—which has been uncontroversial. Maybe that's the cost of a franchise where each iteration is wildly different from its predecessor, making group...

review

9 comments

Genshiken: Second Season GN 9

Jul 23, 10:00

9 comments

manga

Genshiken seeks to steer its most questionable plot arc into safer waters in its surprisingly thoughtful ninth volume. ― Genshiken Second Season has been a bit of a mess. In contrast with the original series' sensitive and remarkably grounded approach to fandom circles, Second Season has shifted from a promising setup into outright harem comedy territory, its characters moaning about their own cliche...