Find out what it was like to work for Hayao Miyazaki during production on some of his most famous films from veteran Ghibli producer and master storyteller Hirokatsu Kihara! ― Hirokatsu Kihara, a Studio Ghilbi production coordinator from 1985-1990, holds an exceptional amount of knowledge about the studio's early production history with credits most famously to Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, ...

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49 comments

Answerman - Why Are Teen Sex Comedies Only Acceptable When They're Live Action?

Aug 20, 13:00

49 comments

anime

Some folks find lurid anime sex comedies featuring teenagers like High School DxD deeply offensive, but won't bat an eye at an American live-action sex comedy set in high school. What gives? Justin gets into it. ― Dave asked: Recently an anime company was on facebook promoting an upcoming release of a fanservice heavy show set at a Highschool. The comment section got pretty toxic pretty quickly with...

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11 comments

Shelf Life - No Game, No Life Zero

Aug 20, 11:00

11 comments

anime

Paul takes a look at this prequel film that might be better than its source series, along with a breakdown of all this week's new anime releases! ― This week, I learned that those generic plastic Blu-Ray cases are surprisingly resilient. My review copy of No Game, No Life Zero got absolutely pulverized in the mail, to the point where the case now looks like somebody tried really hard to karate chop ...

review

4 comments

Tales of Zestiria the X Season 2 BD+DVD

Aug 20, 10:00

4 comments

anime

Beautiful visuals and heartening character work butt up against cheesy dialogue and rushed plotting in the conclusion to ufotable's ambitious JRPG adaptation. ― It's sad to say it, but the second half of the anime adaptation of Tales of Zestiria the X is still suffering from the pacing issues brought about by the inclusion of the Tales of Berseria episodes back in its first cour. What's particularly ...

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41 comments

The Mike Toole Show - Canada's Anime Legacy

Aug 19, 18:12

41 comments

anime

Mike embarks on a voyage to the Great White North to discover Canada's history of English anime dubs both great and terrible! ― One of the best things about anime being a fairly hot ticket in global entertainment is the multitude of ways it just suddenly shows up, be it in theaters, on TV, or online. Once upon a time, you could keep track of pretty much everything that was being aired and screened in...

review

4 comments

Defeating the Demon Lord's a Cinch (If You've Got a Ringer) Novel 1

Aug 19, 10:00

4 comments

novels

We get stories about hapless teens getting spirited away to another world all the time, but what do the native citizens of those fantasy kingdoms think of these interlopers? This quirky light novel series offers their perspective. ― Oh look, another novel about a regular Japanese teenager summoned to a game-like fantasy world as a hero in order to defeat one of those apparently ubiquitous demon lords...

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49 comments

The List - 7 Notorious Animation Meltdowns

Aug 18, 13:00

49 comments

anime

Sometimes scheduling problems lead to recap episodes or unplanned hiatuses, and sometimes they result in an entire show's artwork slipping into insanity. Here are seven of the most memorable animation meltdowns. ― There's a lot of variables that can cause an anime television production to go off schedule and affect the quality of a show. Poor animation quality is not always, or even usually a reflec...

review

8 comments

Accomplishments of the Duke's Daughter GN 1

Aug 18, 10:00

8 comments

manga

When a traffic accident lands an office worker in the body of an otome game villainess, is there anything she can do to change her fate? Rebecca Silverman finds out. ― If the male-oriented isekai story tends to land our reborn boy protagonist in a position where he becomes the king of his own personal harem, then the female-oriented version is that she gets plopped down in the middle of her favorite ...

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1 comments

Manga Answerman - Why is Summer the Season for Spooky Stories in Manga?

Aug 17, 15:00

1 comments

manga

In North America we usually bust out the skeletons and draculas in October, but in manga, it seems like summertime is a much spookier season. Deb is ready to explain why! ― Why is Summer considered the season for spooky stories in manga, not Autumn / October like it is in North America? Much as Halloween at the end of October is the holiday that anchors the season for spooks and ghouls in North Amer...

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13 comments

ANNCast Live at Otakon 2018

Aug 17, 13:40

13 comments

just for fun

ANNCast is back with the audio from our panel at Otakon 2018, featuring special guest Mike Toole! Zac and Mike take a quick tour of 20 years of ANN history, followed by a Q&A session with the audience. ― ANNCast Live at Otakon 2018 ANNCast is back with the audio from our panel at Otakon 2018, featuring special guest Mike Toole! Zac and Mike take a quick tour of 20 years of ANN history, followed by a...

interview

18 comments

Interview: SSSS.GRIDMAN with TRIGGER's Masaru Sakamoto and Masato Takeuchi

Aug 17, 13:00

18 comments

anime

Studio TRIGGER's tokusatsu re-imagining SSSS.GRIDMAN hits this October, and we've got a fun and fascinating in-depth chat with two of the show's staff - animator Masaru Sakamoto and animation director Masato Takeuchi. ― It's a big year for Studio TRIGGER director Akira Amemiya. After helming two well-received short series (the adorable Space Patrol Luluco and the cult smash Inferno Cop), Amemiya has ...

Devilman Grimoire (manga)

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