James and Lynzee reflect on the end of Solo Leveling and whether its worldbuilding is worth its edgy turn. PLUS: The big monsters of Kaiju No. 8, & court intrigue in Yatagarasu! ― Will You Watch Solo Leveling Season 2? James and Lynzee reflect on the end of Solo Leveling and whether its worldbuilding is worth its edgy turn. PLUS: The big monsters of Kaiju No 8, court intrigue in Yatagarasu, and a li...

review

Dark Moon: The Blood Altar Volumes 1-2 Manhwa Review

Apr 24, 12:00 manga

Some books are good. Some books read like self-insert fanfiction from the early days of AO3, but you can't stop reading and enjoying them. Dark Moon: The Blood Altar is one of those. ― Some books are good. Some books are not and read sort of like self-insert fanfiction from the early days of AO3, but even though you recognize that they aren't objectively filled with literary merit, you can't stop rea...

interview

1 comment

Interview: Voice Actors Rika Hayashi and Hiroki Tōchi Talk About Their New Golf Anime, Tonbo!

Apr 24, 09:00

1 comment

anime

Hayashi and Tōchi play mentee/mentor in heart-warming golf anime series. ― Golf anime Tonbo! is one of the new anime premiering in the Spring 2024 season. At Anime Japan 2024, we sat down with lead voice actors Rika Hayashi and Hiroki Tōchi to talk about their characters, their experiences with golf, and the positives of country life in Japan. In her first voice acting role as a main character, Hayas...

interest

27 comments

Japanese TV Special Ranks Top Anime Songs, as Chosen by Foreign Fans

Apr 23, 19:16

27 comments

music

What are non-Japanese anime fans' top choices? ― Fans have been debating the greatest anime songs as long as anime has been around. Japanese TV regularly raises the topic for domestic fans, but every so often, Japan also presents the international perspective. On April 21, TV Asahi hosted a nearly three-hour special ranking favorite anime songs by non-Japanese and non-domestic anime fans. In a March ...

column

68 comments

This Week in Anime - So, Is Sound Euphonium Queerbaiting or Not?

Apr 23, 13:30

68 comments

anime

The third season of Sound Euphonium reignites the fandom controversy over Reina and Kumiko's relationship. Chris and Steve delve into it and why 'queerbaiting' is such a loaded term. ― The third season of Sound Euphonium reignites the fandom controversy over Reina and Kumiko's relationship. Chris and Steve delve into it and why 'queerbaiting' is such a loaded term. Disclaimer: The views and opinions...

review

27 comments

Wonderful Precure! Episodes 1-12 Anime Review

Apr 23, 12:00

27 comments

anime

You can't accuse the Pretty Cure franchise of resting on its laurels. Wonderful Precure! could move too slowly for some viewers. But these episodes are full of unmitigated joy. ― You can't accuse the Pretty Cure franchise of resting on its laurels. While there are distinct similarities between all iterations of the long-running Magical Girl franchise, recent years have done their best to maintain the...

review

1 comment

Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction Part 1 Anime Film Review

Apr 22, 12:00

1 comment

anime

Part District 9 meets O Maidens in Your Savage Season, part grimdark deconstruction of Doraemon. ― Many anime films are adapted from manga and Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction is no exception. Usually, a film will cover a single arc of the greater plot—giving the story on screen a solid beginning, middle, and end. However, this is not the case with the first Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destructi...

game review

17 comments

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes Game Review

Apr 22, 00:30

17 comments

games

People might think of this game as a celebration of the energy and experimentation of RPGs past, a tribute to a time when archetypes and genre conventions hadn't yet calcified and anything was fair game. And for once, they'd be right. ― There's a point that Lady Perielle returns to often when people ask her why Nowa, a young warrior from a small village, is the leader of the resistance front against ...