You are welcome to look at the talkback but please consider that this article is over 7 years old before posting.

You are welcome to look at the talkback but please consider that this article is over 17 years old before posting.

You are welcome to look at the talkback but please consider that this article is over 14 years old before posting.

You are welcome to look at the talkback but please consider that this article is over 7 years old before posting.

2003 Year in Review

Jan 22nd 2004

Theatrical Anime Review

Feature homepage / archives

your score

Your Anime Rankings - Best of Winter 2026, Feb 26-Mar 4

Mar 11, 14:20 anime

The Holy Grail of Eris climbs to #4 this week while the top 3 spots are hogged by the Journal-Kamuy-Fate triumvirate. Find out where your favorites rank this week! ― Let's have a look at what ANN readers consider the best (and worst) of the season, based on the polls you can find in our Daily Streaming Reviews and on the Your Score page with the latest simulcasts. Keep in mind that these rankings ar...

review

5 comments

BEASTARS Final Season Part 2

Mar 11, 12:00

5 comments

anime

While I still appreciate the juicy meal that was BEASTARS, the final bite was far from the most satisfying. ― Just like that, the anime that made a lot of people question whether or not they're actually furries has ended officially. But does it end on a high note? As someone who read and quite enjoyed the manga, it was interesting seeing exactly how things deviated. This is not a one-to-one adaptatio...

column

8 comments

Answerman - Why is One of the Most-Anticipated Anime of the Season Airing on YouTube?

Mar 11, 11:00

8 comments

anime

Fans were shocked when Akane-banashi staff announced it would air on YouTube instead of a major streaming service. Jerome explains why it makes business sense. ― Chuck Hashi asks: "One of the most anticipated anime adaptations of spring 2026 isn't going to Crunchyroll, Netflix, or Amazon in North America. Instead, TV Asahi is putting Akane-banashi on a dedicated YouTube channel for free. What's goin...

feature

1 comment

Absolute Borderline: The Early Days of Evangelion Fandom, Part Two

Mar 11, 09:00

1 comment

anime

It's time to boot up your Commodore Amiga. We're making fansubs on tape. ― Episode 1 aired on October 4, 1995, on TV Tokyo at 6:30 pm. Posts on RAA acknowledged the high quality of the episode, comparing it to OVAs coming out at the same time. There was also praise for both the opening and ending, with one commentator writing that the casting of Megumi Hayashibara as Rei went against the usual chara...

news

5 comments

So What's Wrong with Getting Reborn as a Goblin? Manga Gets TV Anime

Mar 11, 07:07

5 comments

anime

Kikunosuke Toya, Yōko Hikasa, Azusa Tachibana star in BAKKKA anime in October ― A website opened on Wednesday to announce the television anime adaptation of writer Nazuna Miki and artist Tsukasa Araki's So What's Wrong with Getting Reborn as a Goblin? (Tensei Goblin dakedo Shitsumon Aru?) manga. The website also revealed the anime's teaser visual, main cast, staff members, and October premiere. The a...

news

Reincarnation in the Game World Dan-Katsu Light Novel Series Gets TV Anime

Mar 11, 01:36 anime

Kaede Nishikigi launched story of player reincarnated in dungeon-crawl RPG in 2021 ― TO Books announced on Wednesday that Kaede Nishikigi's Reincarnation in the Game World Dan-Katsu: Game Addict Plays "Encouragement for Job Hunting in Dungeons" From a "New Game" (Game Sekai Tensei <Dan-Katsu> ~Gamer wa [Dungeon Shūkatsu no Susume] o <Hajime kara> Play Suru~) light novel series is receiving a televisi...

news

36 comments

Variety: Live-Action One Piece/Cowboy Bebop's Tomorrow Studios to Develop Live-Action Samurai Champloo Adaptation

Mar 10, 16:21

36 comments

live-action

Creator Shinichiro Watanabe attached to project based on Manglobe's 2004 anime ― Entertainment news website Variety reported on Tuesday that Tomorrow Studios (live-action adaptations of One Piece and Cowboy Bebop), a partnership between producer Marty Adelstein (Prison Break, Teen Wolf) and ITV Studios, is working on a live-action adaptation of Shinichiro Watanabe and Manglobe's Samurai Champloo tele...

column

This Week in Mobile Games - I Wanna Be The Very Best, Like Mobile Ever Was

Mar 10, 12:48 games

The Pokémon brand has intertwined with the concept of gaming on the go. Josh looks back on 30 years of monster-catching, the upcoming Cat's Eye mobile collab, and more. ― Hey, there! Welcome to another installment of This Week In Mobile Games. The seasons are a-changing, which means a lot of feeling under the weather while it seems to shift from under your feet (or rather, over your head). While snif...

review

2 comments

Dangers in My Heart Volumes 1-8 Manga Review

Mar 10, 12:00

2 comments

manga

Where Kyotaro is prone to over-thinking and wrongly attributing negative motivations to others, Anna is almost pathologically open, and endearingly quirky. ― It's telling that author Norio Sakurai uses the German loanword “karte” instead of “chapter” for every installment of her most famous manga, The Dangers in My Heart. It's used in Japan to refer to a hospital inpatient's medical chart. Second-yea...

column

23 comments

This Week in Anime - Politics as Usual

Mar 10, 10:00

23 comments

anime

Lucas and Chris examine some of anime's more politically charged offerings. If you're looking for escapism, these ain't it. ― Lucas and Chris examine some of anime's more politically charged offerings. If you're looking for escapism, these ain't it. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network.Spoiler Warning for discussion ...

review

Baki The Grappler Volume 7-8 Manga Review

Mar 9, 12:00 manga

When beating the crap out of other people just isn’t enough, Baki turns to a giant ape for help getting stronger. ― Narrator Disclaimer: Baki The Grappler is not intended to illustrate martial arts in any meaningfully realistic way. Check with your doctor before continuing physical activity with broken bones and ruptured limbs. Baki The Grappler is a primer in unrealistic bloodsports. It's both amazi...

column

11 comments

Answerman - Do Japanese School Gangs Really Exist?

Mar 9, 10:00

11 comments

anime

From Akira to Tokyo Revengers, Jerome discusses how much is real and how much is a fictional trope. ― Alex asks: "I've seen a lot of anime and manga that portray large groups of kids from middle school to high school in gangs that are affiliated with a particular school. Do such gangs exist, and how much impact do they have on society?" I love this question. Thank you for sending it in. You're not a...

feature

6 comments

Edo Justice and Island Gods: What Hell's Paradise Gets Right (and Invents) About Historical Japan

Mar 9, 09:00

6 comments

anime

This is the perfect moment to examine how Yūji Kaku built his dark fantasy on the bones of real Edo-period history. ― With Season 2 of Hell's Paradise (Jigokuraku) now ongoing as of January 2026, this is the perfect moment to examine how Yuji Kaku built his dark fantasy on the bones of real Edo-period history. The Yamada Asaemon were real, and the irezumi kei was an actual criminal punishment—the ser...

news

5 comments

Fist of the North Star, Galaxy Express 999 Composer Nozomi Aoki Dies at 94

Mar 9, 07:46

5 comments

people

Aoki also composed soundtracks for Akuma-kun, Patalliro!, more anime ― The Nikkan Sports and Anime! Anime! news websites reported on Monday that composer and arranger Nozomi Aoki died on February 20. He was 94. Folk singer Chiharu Matsuyama first announced the news on the Matsuyama Chiharu On the Radio radio program on March 8. Aoki arranged many of Matsuyama's early songs in the late 70s. Aoki was b...

review

10 comments

The Water Magician Anime Series Review

Mar 8, 12:00

10 comments

anime

All in all, The Water Magician is proof that subverting clichés just for the sake of it does not make an entertaining story. ― *Note: This review contains major spoilers for The Water Magician. As someone who has seen more isekai anime than they can count, watching The Water Magician is a uniquely baffling experience. At its most basic, it's built on the premise of an isekai genre-savvy protagonist, ...