Netflix dropped its final punch-fest for 2019, this time with bonus steampunk flavor. What separates Levius from Baki and Kengan Ashura? Steve and Nick dig into the show's unique brand of humor—and one villain that's all about clowning around. ― Netflix dropped its final punch-fest for 2019, this time with bonus steampunk flavor. What separates Levius from Baki and Kengan Ashura? Steve and Nick dig ...

review

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86 novel 3

Dec 12, 13:00

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novels

"With this volume Asato reinforces that her writing caliber is a decided step above that of the typical light novel writer; it feels much more refined and is definitely more evocatively descriptive." ― Possibly the most surprising thing about the contents of this volume is a point that author Asato Asato raises in the Afterword: that this part of the story was originally intended to be much lighter-h...

site news

13 comments

ANN in Japan 2020 Tour Update

Dec 12, 12:56

13 comments

just for fun

Announcing our first ANN travelling companion, and final pricing! Join ANN for a special tour of Japan in October 2020! ― In August we announced that Anime News Network and PacSet Travel will team up for a very special tour of Japan in October 2020. PacSet was founded in 2011 by Evan Miller, a former ANN writer. Since then, dozens of ANN readers have gone to Japan with PacSet and Evan, and we felt it...

column

1 comment

Astro Toy Special: S.H. Figuarts Dragon Ball 2019 Event Exclusives

Dec 11, 13:00

1 comment

just for fun

Returning champion Rob Bricken takes a close-up look at 4 of this year's Dragon Ball convention exclusives in a special edition of our classic Astro Toy column! ― S.H. Figuarts Dragon Ball 2019 Event Exclusives Maker: Bandai/Tamashii Nations Series: Various Price: $55-75 The convention season is long over, but it wasn't a bad year for Dragon Ball fans. Tamashii Nations' long-running S.H. Figuarts li...

review

4 comments

To Write Your Words GN 1

Dec 11, 12:00

4 comments

manga

"Those looking for a sexier story may be disappointed while those wanting something on the sweeter side may be turned off, and that's too bad on both accounts." ― Despite what the synopsis sounds like, To Write Your Words has much more in common with something like Arte, where the heroine learns her trade through solid instruction, than Overcumming Writer's Block (being digitally published by Renta),...

column

57 comments

This Week in Anime - Babylon Has a Whore Complex

Dec 10, 15:00

57 comments

anime

The Babylon anime is on short hiatus as it prepares for its big finale. Micchy and Andy dig in to the show's philosophical conundrums on suicide and gender relations and come up with a lot of reeking garbage. ― The Babylon anime is on short hiatus as it prepares for its big finale. Micchy and Andy dig in to the show's philosophical conundrums on suicide and gender relations and come up with a lot of...

feature

7 comments

Exploring The Intense Visual Mastery of Square-Enix Cutscenes

Dec 10, 13:00

7 comments

games

Callum May dives deep into the incredible history - and the future - of Square-Enix's world-famous, spectacular CG videogame cutscenes and animated films. ― Realism can be a contentious part of 3D animation creation. Although cartoon approaches are common, realistic artistic movements have benefited greatly from advances in technology over the past few decades. That said, realism can often be constra...

review

12 comments

ISLAND BR + Digital

Dec 10, 12:00

12 comments

anime

"Island leaves a few things completely unexplained in its quest to nail down its dramatic love story." ― The mid-to-late 2000s was a period where the moe boom – fueled in large part by several highly successful visual novel adaptations – prevailed in the anime landscape about to the degree that isekai series currently do. If your anime fandom does not date back that far then this Summer 2018 series, ...

review

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That Blue Sky Feeling GN 3

Dec 9, 12:00

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manga

"That Blue Sky Feeling ends with the idea that it doesn't matter who you love; what matters is that you love them." ― Despite years of thought to the contrary, there really aren't many, if any, binaries to human existence. Sexual and romantic preferences are definitely included in that, and the inability to look beyond the idea that you're either gay or you're straight has been one of the central iss...