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Look Back Director Discusses Artistic Struggles, Anime Adaptation Philosophy, and AI's Role in Creativity
― Studio Durian's film adaptation of Chainsaw Man creator Tatsuki Fujimoto's emotionally resonant one-shot manga, Look Back, is arguably one of the most moving pieces of art to come out of animation in quite a while. As evident by its booming box office success both in Japan and North America and numerous award circuit sweeps, Look Back stands as a testament both to the grueling labor of love that ...
Look Back Director Discusses Artistic Struggles, Anime Adaptation Philosophy, and AI's Role in Creativity
Kiyotaka Oshiyama discusses AI’s impact on traditional arts and whether anime adaptations should be dogmatically faithful to the source material.
― Studio Durian's film adaptation of Chainsaw Man creator Tatsuki Fujimoto's emotionally resonant one-shot manga, Look Back, is arguably one of the most moving pieces of art to come out of animation in quite a while. As evident by its booming box office su...
Your Anime Rankings - Best of Spring 2025, May 27-Jun 2
While The Apothecary Diaries is solidifying its hold on the cumulative, slow-starting series Ninja & Assassin and Too-Perfect Saint are lately picking up steam.
― 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 are b...
Merging Western Comics and Anime: An Interview with Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League Writer Kazuki Nakashima
“I think it's rude for a creator to talk about the essence of a character. What's important is if people can watch the work and feel that on their own."
― Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League is a superhero anime film that takes DC Comics' Justice League of America and reimagines them as yakuza. But that's only the start of how over-the-top this film gets. It's got everything from sudden musical numbers to...
Turning the Justice League into Yakuza: An Interview with Character Designer Takashi Okazaki
The new film Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League reimagines the JLA as yakuza. Character Designer Takashi Okazaki talks about how he did it.
― The sequel to 2018's Batman Ninja, Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League follows Batman and the larger Bat Family as they venture into a strange land where the Justice League of America have all been warped into yakuza versions of themselves. While the film itself is part...
Production +h Want Dark Machine To Be For Gaming What Slam Dunk Was For Basketball
Producer Fuminori Honda and director Tomoyuki Kurokawa discuss working on Dead Dead Demon’s Dedede Destruction and what viewers can look forward to with Production +h’s video game anime Dark Machine.
― Despite being newer on the scene, Production +h is an anime studio already making waves with animated films like Netflix's The Orbital Children and the anime adaptation of Inio Asano's post-apocalypti...
Your Anime Rankings - Best of Spring 2025, May 20-26
The top 5 cumulative is nigh undefeatable, with those same series forming this week's top 5 as well. See how all your favorites fared in our weekly user rankings.
― 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 are...
DAN DA DAN Evil Eye World Premiere Packs the House
The compilation's recap will get you up to speed, but you'll have to wait until the television premiere for any sort of conclusion.
― GKIDS premiered the highly anticipated continuation of Science SARU's adaptation of DAN DA DAN on Thursday. Ahead of its debut in Japan, fans in North America were the first in the world to watch DAN DA DAN: Evil Eye, a compilation movie featuring the first three episo...
Anime Director Shinichirō Watanabe's Corporate Dystopias
Kambole Campbell looks at the political throughline of Watanabe's work, from Cowboy Bebop's destroyed moon to Lazarus' healthcare crisis.
― Whether it's the sprawling mix of frontier towns and multicultural urban mazes of Cowboy Bebop, or the more clearcut contrast seen in Carole & Tuesday's Martian landscape or “Babylonia City” in Lazarus—familiarity bleeds through the various futurescapes in the wo...
Rock is a Lady's Modesty Director Shinya Watada and the Rise of Girl Bands
The hit series' director Shinya Watada discusses working with real-life group BAND-MAID, the inescapable appeal of female rockers, and how they reflect the times we live in.
― Inside the walls of Oshin Girls' Academy, an unexpected story is forming. Lilisa, the new step-daughter of a rich father, is determined to cement her status and become the school's next Noble Maiden. However, deep in her heart ...
Your Anime Rankings - Best of Spring 2025, May 13-19
This week while The Apothecary Diaries is taking a break, Apocalypse Hotel grabs the first place! Find out how your favorite shows performed in our weekly user rankings.
― 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 ranki...
Returning to Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube After 30 Years: Voice Actor Ryōtarō Okiayu
Voice actor Ryōtarō Okiayu returns as Meisuke “Nube” Nueno this summer, and his Demon's Hand is fired up!
― In 1996, a modern action-horror series graced the airwaves of Japan. That series was none other than Jigoku Sensei Nube. Following the clumsy elementary school teacher Meisuke “Nube” Nueno, he fights off spirits who would harm his students with his Demon's Hand. The series was massively popular...
Your Anime Rankings - Best of Spring 2025, Apr 1-May 12
Now resuming your regularly scheduled weekly rankings, with Anne Shirley and The Apothecary facing off for first place of the Spring 2025 season!
― 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 are based on how peo...
Girls Band Cry Exhibition Brings the Anime's Locations into the Real World
The Grand Opening of the Exhibition also featured an appearance by three members of Togenashi Togeari, Rina (Nina Iseri), Yuri (Momoa Kawaragi), and Shuri (Rupa).
― One of the latest series in the all-girls band genre of anime is none other than 2024's Girls Band Cry. Starring the bands Togenashi Togeari and Diamond Dust and their respective members, the series garnered itself a fan base with its sto...
Finding the Human Heart in a Cyberpunk World: An Interview with YOUR FORMA Director Takaharu Ozaki
"When you add this into the drama between two people, I thought this work could be condensed to explore modern themes and social issues.”
― Currently-airing anime YOUR FORMA is a sci-fi suspense story set in a world filled with humans and androids. The story follows Electronic Investigator Echika and her “Amicus” —i.e., android—partner Harold, as they dive into people's digital memories to solve crim...
Anne Voice Actress Eiko Yamada on What Anne of Green Gables Means to Her
Yamada shares her thoughts on the story and characters that have been integral to so much of her life—starting with the titular Anne.
― With the new anime Anne Shirley on the air and the recently-held concert for the 1979 World Masterpiece Theater Anne of Green Gables anime in Tokyo, the over 100-year-old story is back at the forefront of the Japanese popular consciousness. Thanks to this, Anime News...
Newtype Exclusive Interview with SAKAMOTO DAYS Cast, Tomokazu Sugita as Taro Sakamoto and Nobunaga Shimazaki as Shin Asakura!
The two lead actors from the hit anime series SAKAMOTO DAYS share their experiences as Sakamoto and Shin!
― Crazy incidents break out in the daily life of this former assassin! Taro Sakamoto is a man who runs a convenience store in a peaceful town. He may look like your regular chubby guy, but he was once known as the "Legendary Hit Man" whom all the bad guys feared. After falling in love and retirin...
Backstage Stories About the Making of 1979 Classic Anne of Green Gables with Anne Herself, Eiko Yamada
Eiko Yamada shares how she got the role, working with acclaimed Ghibli directors Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki, and her most memorable moments.
― 2025 is looking to be a big year for Anne of Green Gables. Not only is there a new anime adaptation of Anne Shirley currently airing, but a concert showcasing the music from the 1979 World Masterpiece Theater classic adaptation was held in Tokyo recentl...
Event Report: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Overtakes Shibuya!
From Giant Iggy to Steel Ball Run, we have a full report of JOJODAY in Shibuya!
― Just over a decade ago, the anime world was graced with an adaptation of one of the most artistically beautiful shonen manga series: Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. Following the Joestar family through six, depending on how you view the family tree, an array of stories across multiple locales. So, what better way to celebrate...
Inside CoMix Wave Films: The Studio That Made Your Name.
We took a look inside the acclaimed anime studio to talk with its staff about how they made Makoto Shinkai's hit films.
― On the Eastern fringes of Suginami Ward of Tokyo rests Ogikubo. A well-known hub for the development of Tokyo ramen, the town is home to one of the most creative modern anime studios. That studio is none other than CoMix Wave Films. Known for producing all of Makoto Shinkai's film...
The Spring 2025 Anime Preview Guide
The spring anime season premieres are wrapping up. Read all our reviews and make sure to vote for your favorites in the Daily Streaming poll!
― Welcome to Anime News Network's Spring 2025 Anime Preview Guide! Here's how it goes: our team of critics writes up their impressions instantly, to be posted here as they go along. Each critic will cover as many shows as they can handle, giving you alternate ...
The Spring 2025 Anime Preview Guide
The highly-anticipated Gundam GQuuuuuux smashed onto the small screen this week. Read our reviews of studio khara's entry into the mecha franchise. Plus: Apocalypse Hotel, The Shiunji Family Children, MHA Vigilantes, Lazarus, and more!
― Welcome to Anime News Network's Spring 2025 Anime Preview Guide! Here's how it goes: our team of critics writes up their impressions instantly, to be posted here as...
Summer Pockets Writer, Director On The Hardest Things About Turning a Game into an Anime
“This is kind of bad to say, but there are some works that just can't be adapted [into an anime].”
― During the “'Summer Pockets' Staff Talk Stage by Production Works Gallery”at Anime Japan 2025, game writer Kai and the upcoming anime adaptation director Tomoki Kobayashi spoke a bit about the troubles of turning a game into an anime. The Summer Pockets anime is based on the 2018 Key visual novel of t...
Your Anime Rankings - Best of Winter 2025
Ending the season with a strong episode, The Apothecary Diaries turns the tables on Orb at the very last minute. Check out what else moved up or down in the final ranking of the Winter 2024 season!
― 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. K...
The Spring 2025 Anime Preview Guide
It's time for another superpowered adventure in My Hero Academia: Vigilantes! Also check out our reviews of Zabi Tabi, Aharen-san wa Hakarenai Season 2, Lazarus, Witch Watch, Kowloon Generic Romance, and more!
― Welcome to Anime News Network's Spring 2025 Anime Preview Guide! Here's how it goes: our team of critics writes up their impressions instantly, to be posted here as they go along. Each criti...
Voice Actors Shōgo Sakata and Miharu Hanai Talk About Their Love for The Brilliant Healer's New Life in the Shadows
ANN caught up with Shogo Sakata and Miharu Hanai to get their thoughts on playing Zenos and Lily in The Brilliant Healer's New Life in the Shadows.
― At the recent world premiere for upcoming spring anime The Brilliant Healer's New Life in the Shadows
here in Tokyo, ANN sat down with voice actors Shōgo Sakata and Miharu Hanai. Together, they talked
about their respective characters (Zenos and Lily), ...
Director Shu Watanabe on The Too-Perfect Saint and Turning it into an Anime
ANN sat down with Shu Watanabe to discuss the anime adaption of The Too-Perfect Saint and what viewers can expect.
―
Koki Fuyutsuki's light novel series The Too-Perfect Saint may sound like every other saint-based story out there, but it offers some variations on the theme. More Cinderella than its isekai compatriots, the story follows Philia, a protagonist. She carries out her duties perfectly as t...
The Spring 2025 Anime Preview Guide
It's the biggest day yet for our Preview Guide, starting with The Dinner Table Detective! Also check our reviews for Your Forma, Fire Force Season 3, Can a Boy-Girl Friendship Survive?, and more.
― Welcome to Anime News Network's Spring 2025 Anime Preview Guide! Here's how it goes: our team of critics writes up their impressions instantly, to be posted here as they go along. Each critic will cover a...
Your Anime Rankings - Best of Winter 2025, Mar 19-25
Solo Leveling takes the first spot this week, but it's not enough to move the needle in the cumulative. Stay tuned for the final results next 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 are based on how p...
The Most Anticipated Anime of Spring 2025
Each new season brings with it a sense of anticipation. What new shows will wow us? Which ones will sound great on paper and then crumble under their own weight? Which will surprise us?
― Each new season brings with it a sense of anticipation. What new shows will wow us? Which ones will sound great on paper and then crumble under their own weight? Which will surprise us? Our review team gets into wh...
The Worst Anime of Winter 2025
Not every show can be a winner, and sadly there was no shortage of stinkers in the Winter 2025 season.
― Not every show can be a winner, and sadly there was no shortage of stinkers in the Winter 2025 season. From an elf sexually attracted to her pet to shows that squandered their potential, these are the series our reviewers were underwhelmed by this past season. For our long-time readers, the seaso...
The Spring 2025 Trailer Anime Watch Party
The Anime Trailer Watch Party returns on Tuesday, March 25, for another season, and Geoff Thew from Mother's Basement is back onboard!
― The Anime Trailer Watch Party returns on Tuesday, March 25, for another season, and Geoff Thew from Mother's Basement is back onboard! Find your next must-watch anime with Anime News Network executive editor Lynzee Loveridge, ANN video producer Jacki Jing, and Geoff...
The Best Anime of Winter 2025
The first anime season of 2025 has wrapped! What shook out as some of the best series of the season?
― The first anime season of 2025 has wrapped! What shook out as some of the best series of the season? Our reviewers piled on the love for the second season of Apothecary Diaries, but one series stood above the rest. For our long-time readers, the seasonal Best Anime, Worst Anime, and Most Anticipate...
Your Anime Rankings - Best of Winter 2025, Mar 12-18
Zenshu narrowly beats Solo Leveling to the top spot this week, and the cumulative is quiet as we enter the final two weeks of the season. 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 th...
Chainsaw Man Voice Actors Reveal Their Favorite Scenes
At Anime Japan this past weekend, three Chainsaw Man voice actors showed off their favorite scenes from the first season—and Power didn't show up in a single one!
― At the “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc Anime Japan 2025 Special Stage” this past weekend, Chainsaw Man voice actors Kikunosuke Toya (Denji), Tomori Kusunoki (Makima), and Maaya Uchida (Angel Devil) each showed off their favorite scene...
I Watched It For The Story
We've all been there—you find a show with such a compelling, engaging story that you can't stop watching...but it looks like absolute garbage.
― We've all been there—you find a show with such a compelling, engaging story that you can't stop watching...but it looks like absolute garbage. Maybe the character designs are terrible, maybe the animation is intensely subpar, maybe baffling color choices we...
Your Anime Rankings - Best of Winter 2025, Mar 5-11
After a few weeks of great results in the weekly ranking, Dr. Stone is starting to see this reflect in the cumulative! Find out how your favorite shows fared in our weekly user rankings.
― 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...
Sword Art Online Illustrator BUNBUN Celebrates 20th Anniversary Exhibition
Check out the exhibition to see everything from BUNBUN's Sword Art Online and Yuki Yuna Is a Hero artwork to more obscure finds, like his early doujin!
― Anime and manga exhibitions are mainstay events across Japan. From displays in event centers to established museums, fans of both mediums love seeing manuscripts of their favorite works. Light novel illustrators are often overlooked in their creativ...
Newtype Exclusive Interview with Composer Kaoru Wada: Crafting the Soundscape of Ranma ½
The director's order: “A song with a melody.” Composer Wada discusses how they added a "Chinese feel" to the hit romantic comedy anime!
― The director's order: “A song with a melody.” —How did you feel when you were asked to work on “Ranma”? Wada: I had worked on Inuyasha for a long time and have a close relationship with the original author, Rumiko Takahashi, on both a personal and professional lev...
Your Anime Rankings - Best of Winter 2025, Feb 26-Mar 4
After several weeks coming close, Zenshu grabs the top spot this week! And in the cumulative, Orb narrowly reclaims #1 from Apothecary Diaries. Discover what else is moving in the rankings.
― 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 m...
Your Anime Rankings - Best of Winter 2025, Feb 19-25
Sakamoto Days started strong but now appears to be losing steam? Find out how your favorite shows stacked up according to viewer votes.
― 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 are based on how people rated ...
History of Saban: Part 2
Saban finds an ally in Margaret Loesch, helping to bring in a new wave of transforming heroes to kids. The success would open new doors for anime in the West as the media mogul's ventures take over Fox Kids.
― Striking Gold With Costumed Heroes Moving into the 1990s, Saban Entertainment would begin their relationship with the burgeoning Fox Kids block being helmed by Margaret Loesch, an executive pro...
Your Anime Rankings - Best of Winter 2025, Feb 12-18
Thanks to another great episode, Zenshu climbs the cumulative by severals spots. Meanwhile Übel Blatt suffers the opposite situation. See how your favorite shows stack up 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...
The Beginning After The End Web Comic's TurtleMe on His Upcoming Anime Adaptation
A decade after launch, The Beginning After The End is getting the anime treatment. We spoke with the series creator about developing the world and any concerns about the format change up.
― The Beginning After the End is a lot of things. It's a web novel, a webcomic and in 2025, it's going to be an anime directed by Keitaro Motonaga at studio A-CAT. Written by TurtleMe, the story starts with King Gr...
History of Saban: Part 1
In the first installment of a three-part feature, Kurt Yoder chronicles Haim Saban's beginnings in music to his early cartoon career with Inspector Gadget, Mysterious Cities of Gold and Macron 1.
― Introduction Adapting Japanese media has taken many forms over the past 60 years, from rewriting stories and editing content to creating new music scores. While the practice has mostly fallen out of favor ...
Your Anime Rankings - Best of Winter 2025, Feb 5-11
Isekai series are having a good week, with Solo Leveling and Zenshu taking the first 2 spots and propelling themselves in the cumulative. Check out our weekly user rankings!
― 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 r...
Studio Mir Director Kang Hei Chu on The Little Mermaid Twist in The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep
Kang Hei Chu discusses the oceanic world-building, A Little Mermaid, veteran voice actor Cockle of The Witcher video games, and whether it's right to call the movie an “anime.”
― The Witcher has sown a bountiful crop of a franchise since Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski published the first Witcher short story in 1986. Sapkowski's The Witcher books acquired adaptations in the form of the CD Projekt Re...
Our Favorite Isekai Titles Are...
We asked our editorial team to pick their favorite isekai anime. Here are our picks for newcomers to the genre or seasoned travelers looking for something different.
― One of the fastest-growing genres in anime is isekai. Each season, variations of these otherworldly adventures appear on screens, usually featuring an unfortunate Japanese salaryman who met his end only to reawaken in some form in a tr...
Newtype Exclusive Interview with Creators Behind ONE PIECE FAN LETTER - Part 2
Creatives Ishitani, Toyoda, and Mori share how the ONE PIECE novel Straw Hat Stories evolved into an animated special with 500 animation cuts!
― In the second part of the interview, Director Megumi Ishitani, Screenwriter Momoka Toyoda, and Character Designer/Animation Director Keisuke Mori discussed the creative process behind ONE PIECE FAN LETTER. (Click here to read Part 1) What were your ideas for...
Your Anime Rankings - Best of Winter 2025, Jan 29-Feb 4
Medalist breaks into the top 5 cumulative, while From Bureaucrat to Villainess emerges as a surprise comedy hit. 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 are bas...
Bringing Übel Blatt to the Screen - An Interview with Director Takashi Naoya
Director Naoya shares the reasoning behind some of the anime's story changes and how the team brought Köinzell's vengeance to life.
― Etorouji Shiono's Ubel Blatt manga may seem like an odd choice for a contemporary anime adaptation at first blush - the series was serialized between 2004 and 2019, and it definitely retains the feel of its era of dark fantasy with its grimdark qualities and moments of...
The First ANN Readers' Choice Awards!
The readers have decided! Who was the best female protagonist? What anime was the most underrated? Which anime had the best soundtrack? Find out here!
― Hello, ANN Community! Thank you for participating in our first-ever ANN Readers' Choice Awards! We were absolutely blown away by the outcome! With over 300 participants joining us, the turnout was incredible, and so were the results! And so, without...
Newtype Exclusive Interview with Creators Behind ONE PIECE FAN LETTER - Part 1
Newtype spoke with director Megumi Ishitani, character designer Keisuke Mori, and scriptwriter Momoka Toyoda about this truly incredible animated special.
― A story of the ordinary and unassuming every-day people A letter to convey one's feelings to the person whom they admire—a fan letter. On October 20, 2024—exactly 25 years since the anime's very first episode was broadcast—a special animated shor...
Your Anime Rankings - Best of Winter 2025, Jan 22-28
It's been a while since Yuri on Ice, but now Medalist is drawing the spotlight back to figure skating. Find out how your favorite shows performed in our weekly user rankings.
― 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 ...
The Complete Main Dragon Ball Anime Timeline
The main Dragon Ball story has been continuing across various anime TV series, movies, specials, and OVAs for nearly 40 years now. Here's when each takes place.
― Dragon Ball is a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon—to the point that calling it one of the most popular anime of all time feels like an understatement. From the first episode of the original series to today, there have been hundreds of epis...
Was D.Gray-Man Actually Any Good?
I think part of the reason that D.Gray-man, as a series, stood out to so many people is that it used death as an overarching aesthetic and theme.
― There are plenty of things that a lot of long-running shonen series have in common, from over-the-top fights to themes of friendship and perseverance. One common complaint often thrown at some of the bigger shounen series is the lack of permanence and wei...
The Depiction of Hikikomori in Japanese Pop Culture: Can the Anime Industry Help 'Social Recluses' Break out of Their Shells?
Maja Djordjevic compares the real struggles of hikikomori with their depictions in anime and how Japan is trying to offer solutions to families.
― Distorted representations are endemic to pop culture. By definition, the latter upholds the target ‘popular’ narrative and its basic purpose — instant gratification delivered by means of entertainment. When tackling complex concepts, pop culture prevalentl...
Your Anime Rankings - Best of Winter 2025, Jan 1-21
Here comes our first rankings of the Winter 2025 season, and returning favorites such as Orb and The Apothecary Diaries are hogging the spotlight!
― 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 are based on how pe...
The State of Isekai Anime
Miles Atherton Thomas crunched the data on one of anime's biggest sub-genres. What makes isekai anime popular, and what kinds of isekai are fans watching the most?
― The State of Isekai, 2025 If you wanted to characterize “the biggest trends in anime of the last decade,” you might be inclined to narrow in on anime's increasingly global presence or the exploding volume of new TV anime being produced....
The Shōjo Anime Renaissance
After a long dry spell, there's finally an increase in shōjo anime adaptations. Which ones are worth watching?
― Anime is not always there for shōjo fans. Not that there isn't any in a given season, but at times it can feel like every other show that comes out is either an adaptation of a Shonen Jump property, a male power fantasy light novel, or something else that isn't all that concerned with attr...
The Winter 2025 Anime Preview Guide
All the Winter 2025 anime premieres are right here! Read our reviews and find your next-must watch!
― Welcome to Anime News Network's Winter 2025 Anime Preview Guide! Here's how it goes: our team of critics writes up their impressions instantly, to be posted here as they go along. Each critic will cover as many shows as they can handle, giving you alternate takes on almost every show. The guide is o...
40 Years of Newtype Magazine
Brian Stremick takes us on a journey through 1986 CD players, the anime "it" girls of decades past, and more.
― One of the most important things to any fan of anime, manga, or anything related to the fandom is having access to quality information. Whether the announcement of an upcoming anime in Japan or a license for the Western market, we have that knowledge coming across our screens within hours, ...
The Winter 2025 Anime Preview Guide
Rentarou's quest for 100 GIRLFRIENDS continues! What is it about this horny polycule that just...works? Check the ANN Anime Preview Guide for more reviews of this season's best shows.
― Welcome to Anime News Network's Winter 2025 Anime Preview Guide! Here's how it goes: our team of critics writes up their impressions instantly, to be posted here as they go along. Each critic will cover as many shows...
ANN's Most-Read News and Interest Articles of 2024
These were the stories and events that shaped the anime community in 2024.
―
2024 was a year for monsters, whether laying waste to the nearest metropolis or becoming a feast for dungeon crawlers. Anime News Network readers were hungry for new information about the King of Monsters; news articles focused on Godzilla ranked high as fans tracked Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire and Oscar-winner Godzilla...
Creating Realism in a Sports-Romance Anime: An Interview with Blue Box Director Yuichiro Yano and Series Composition Writer Yuko Kakihara
When the two began working together, they found they shared a bit of a problem when it came to making a high school sports anime: neither of them played sports in high school.
―
Currently airing anime Blue Box is a love story about a pair of sports-playing high school kids. The way it mixes the romance and sports genres to create a grounded story has made it a hit with audiences both inside Japan an...
The Winter 2025 Anime Preview Guide
From the original writer of Sound! Euphonium comes Flower and Asura! Is it as good as its popular sibling? Also: Honey Lemon Soda, Unnamed Memory Act.2, I'm a Noble on the Brink of Ruin, My Happy Marriage Season 2, ZENSHU, Solo Leveling Season 2, and more!
― Welcome to Anime News Network's Winter 2025 Anime Preview Guide! Here's how it goes: our team of critics writes up their impressions instantly,...
The Worst Anime of 2024
It's time to cue the sad trombone.
― There's the worst anime of a respective season and there's "The Worst" of the entire year. Below are series that weren't just disposable and annoying; they failed so spectacularly that we couldn't stop thinking about it. ANN's critic choices are based on loose criteria for "worst;" below are series our writers found wholly disappointing despite initial first impr...
Your Anime Rankings - Best of Fall 2024
What a surprise! After reigning supreme all season, Dan Da Dan loses the top spot at the very last second! Were the fans frustrated by the last episode's cliffhanger? Check out the final ranking according to viewer votes!
― 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 Winter 2025 Anime Preview Guide
Jinwoo is back! Solo Leveling's second season is underway, and the reviews are in...plus ZENSHU, I Want to Escape From Princess Lessons, I'm Living with an Otaku NEET Kunoichi!?, Tasokare Hotel, Beheneko, Grisaia, Ave Mujica, and more!
― Welcome to Anime News Network's Winter 2025 Anime Preview Guide! Here's how it goes: our team of critics writes up their impressions instantly, to be posted here as...
The Best Anime Moments of 2024
Here are the shocking, hilarious, and truly touching moments from anime that stayed with our writers all year.
― A truly great moment comes in multiple forms. Sometimes, the biggest payoff is the denouement. This is when all the threads come together to reveal the truth of the matter, and it can be shockingly effective in fiction. Anime is no exception, pulling back the curtain to reveal the true in...
The Top 10 Anime of 2024
This was another great year for anime, from sci-fi spectacles like DAN DA DAN to the fantastical foodie adventures of Delicious in Dungeon. Read on to find the very best anime had to offer in 2024.
― This was another great year for anime, from sci-fi spectacles like DAN DA DAN to the fantastical foodie adventures of Delicious in Dungeon. In between were heart-pulling dramas about girls trying to mak...
The Best Anime Characters of 2024
A character can bring catharsis when his journey mirrors our own. A villain can become sympathetic when we can relate to her backstory. Or sometimes we just love a funny dwarf who cooks a killer hotpot.
― An engaging story is often only as good as its characters. A character can bring catharsis when his journey mirrors our own. A villain can become sympathetic when we can relate to her backstory. Or...
The Best Anime of 2024
Find out the top 10 anime of the year, the characters that inspired us, the moments that we couldn't stop talking about, the songs that are still on our playlists, and more.
― Welcome to our editorial team's countdown of the very best anime that aired this year! Below you'll find Anime News Network's top 10 anime of the year, the characters that inspired us, the moments that we couldn't stop talking...
Your Anime Rankings - Best of Fall 2024, Dec 17-23
Only one week remains, and Villainess secures a strong weekly score that tips the scales, propelling it five spots up the cumulative rankings! See how your favorite shows stack up 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 ...
Most Anticipated Anime of Winter 2025
New year, new anime season! Anime News Network's critics scanned the nearly fifty new shows coming in January for the most promising picks, and the answer is clear: you can't have too many girlfriends.
― New year, new anime season! Anime News Network's critics scanned the nearly fifty new shows coming in January for the most promising picks, and the answer is clear: you can't have too many girlfrien...
The Worst Anime of Fall 2024
They can't all be winners, anime fans, but this season has a clear "worst" winner from ANN's critics: Uzumaki.
― They can't all be winners, anime fans, but this season has a clear "worst" winner from ANN's critics: Uzumaki. The four-episode series catastrophically imploded after multiple delays and a PR campaign that conveniently focused on its premiere episode; the only one truly helmed by director...
The Anime Trailer Watch Party with NIJISANJI EN VTuber Doppio Dropscythe Starts Soon!
Tune in live in one hour to join Doppio Dropscythe, Lynzee Loveridge, and Jacki Jing as they watch all the trailers for the latest anime season!
― The Anime Trailer Watch Party crew is excited to welcome NIJISANJI EN VTuber Doppio Dropscythe to this season's stream! Doppio will join us live from the arcade on Friday, December 20 at 5pm PT/8pm ET. You can join us and chat live on YouTube and X while d...
Your Anime Rankings - Best of Fall 2024, Dec 10-16
Natsume takes the top spot this week, bringing it neck-to-neck with Orb for second place in the cumulative. Negative Positive Angler is also doing well, displacing Ranma½ in the previously entrenched cumulative top 8.
― 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 ...
NIJISANJI EN VTuber Doppio Dropscythe Joins the Anime Trailer Watch Party!
Tune in live on Friday at 5:00pm PT/8:00 ET to join Doppio Dropscythe, Lynzee Loveridge, and Jacki Jing as they watch all the trailers for the latest anime season!
― The Anime Trailer Watch Party crew is excited to welcome NIJISANJI EN VTuber Doppio Dropscythe to this season's stream! Doppio will join us live from the arcade on Friday, December 20 at 5pm PT/8pm ET. You can join us and chat live on Yo...
Fate Anime—Where to Start and What's Worth Watching
If you're interested in the Fate franchise but don't know where to start, Kevin Cormack has a handy guide to Nasuverse's many anime iterations.
― Ask a hundred fans of TYPE-MOON's intimidatingly huge Fate universe about the best place to start with the franchise, and get a hundred different answers. Founding writer Kinoko Nasu's even more expansive “Nasuverse” (of which the various Fate iterations a...
Your Anime Rankings - Best of Fall 2024, Dec 3-9
In the weekly ranking Danmachi grabs the first spot, and in the cumulative we see the first change in 5 weeks as Bleach climbs above Blue Box and Ranma ½. Discover what else is moving in the rankings.
― 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...
The Winter 2025 Anime Trailer Watch Party Has a New Guest...
The Anime Trailer Watch Party returns on Friday, December 20, for another season, but what's this? A new player is joining the party...
― The Anime Trailer Watch Party returns on Friday, December 20, for another season, but what's this? A new player is joining the party... Find your next must-watch anime with Anime News Network executive editor Lynzee Loveridge, ANN video producer Jacki Jing, and our...
Director Kenji Kamiyama Calls The War of the Rohirrim an 'Unprecedented Opportunity' for Anime
Kamiyama shares how The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim anime film is important to him as a unique chance to feature animators' work on a global scale.
― Director Kenji Kamiyama has been in the business of making anime for over 30 years and has since garnered acclaim for his work on Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Eden of the East. His latest project offers an unprecedented opp...
Not Your Average Anime about Cute Girls Doing Cute Things
Of all the tropes and genres to repeat themselves over the years in anime, perhaps none have garnered as controversial a reputation yet passionate a following as Cute Girls Doing Cute Things.
― Of all the tropes and genres to repeat themselves over the years in anime, perhaps none have garnered as controversial a reputation yet passionate a following as Cute Girls Doing Cute Things (CGDCT). Well, bes...
Newtype Exclusive: Delicious in Dungeon Director Yoshihiro Miyajima Reflects on Season 1
Miyajima lets us go behind the scenes about casting the Canaries, bringing Izutsumi's cat-like qualities to life, and more!
― Delicious in Dungeon's first adventure has come to an end However, the second season is already underway, meaning many more future opportunities to meet Laios's party and the rest of the Delicious in Dungeon characters! First of all, we must give thanks to Laios, his companion...
Brian Cox and Gaia Wise Share Their Voice-Acting Stories from LotR: The War of the Rohirrim Anime Film
The War of the Rohirrim film's leads, Wise and Cox, share their personal connections with the franchise, the difference between voice acting and live-action, and their characters' interiority.
― Actors Brian Cox and Gaia Wise lead the cast as Helm Hammerhand and Hera in the upcoming The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim anime film. The War of the Rohirrim expands on a scant few pages from J....
Your Anime Rankings - Best of Fall 2024, Nov 26-Dec 2
Dragon Ball Daima scores a #2 spot this week, bringing it near the top of the pack currently competing over the middle of the cumulative. Check out our weekly user rankings!
― 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 r...
Interview: BE:FIRST Vocal Group Returns to the High Seas of One Piece
We spoke with the seven-member dance and vocal group recently to learn more about the project, their creative process, their experience with One Piece, and more.
― The band BE:FIRST is collaborating with Toei Studios to perform the new ending song for the new version of the One Piece Log: Fish-Man Island Saga anime arc. First formed via the reality program The First, Sota, Shunto, Manato, Ryuhei, Ju...
Creators Discuss Reinventing the Dark Knight for Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League and Aztec Batman
We spoke with Batman Ninja's Jumpei Mizusaki and Kazuki Nakashima and Aztec Batman's José C. García de Letona and Juan Meza-León about adapting the iconic superhero for their unique projects.
― Batman is one of the most influential superheroes of all time. He's a malleable character, capable of fitting into different stories, and he has been adapted into many different mediums, from cartoons, comics...
Your Anime Rankings - Best of Fall 2024, Nov 19-25
Ranks 9 to 18 of the cumulative are in a heated and chaotic race, with Fairy Tail currently in the lead. Find out how your favorite shows stacked up according to viewer votes.
― 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...
LeSean Thomas Schools New York on 'Consumer' Fans and Uplifting Animators
When someone says they wish Yasuke was more like Samurai Champloo or Vinland Saga, he responds, “Why do you want the same shit?”
― Last week, the Japan Society in New York City hosted the film series "Foreign Exchange: Anime Inspirations & Visionaries with LeSean Thomas.” Thomas, the first Black American to work as an anime director in Japan, participated in three talks hosted by Coach Mike of The I...
Newtype exclusive interview: My Deer Friend Nokotan Megumi Han as Noko Shikanoko × Saki Fujita as Torako Koshi
Voice actors Saki Fujita and Megumi Han share the importance of a "straight man" in a comedy like Nokotan!
― Follow Your Heart, Not Your Horns! My Deer Friend Nokotan charges into chaos! The much-talked-about comedic anime My Deer Friend Nokotan first blew up a storm when its opening theme loop video dropped prior to the show's broadcast, and continues to be a topic even now well into its run. This “...
A New Saber Debuts at Fate/strange Fake Episode Los Angeles Premiere
Series directors Shun Enokido and Takahito Sakazume joined character designer Yūkei Yamada and Saber VA Yūki Ono to bring the America-set series to Los Angeles.
― After nearly a year and a half since the Fate/strange Fake: Whispers of Dawn special, the upcoming TV anime series premiered for fans at the Fate 20th Anniversary event in Los Angeles. Shortly after the showcase, the full English dubbed ep...
Shinichiro Watanabe on How the John Wick Director Joined the Lazarus Anime Team
― Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Space Dandy, Carole & Tuesday – the legendary director behind all those blockbuster anime – Shinichiro Watanabe – is dropping a new anime, Lazarus, premiering on Adult Swim's Toonami in 2025. Watanabe did a ton of promotion at New York Comic-Con, and Anime News Network was able to speak with him about Lazarus, past projects, music, and more. WATANABE MULTIVERSE How ...
From Music Videos to Feature Film: An Interview with A Few Moments of Cheers Director POPREQ
Why don't I try [the art path] just once and see what I can do? And, if in the end, I find out that I don't have any talent, I will just give up. That's how I got started."
― Recently at the Tokyo International Film Festival, I sat down with POPREQ, the director of the recent film A Few Moments of Cheers. Throughout our conversation, we talked about the film's production and how much of its story com...
Directors Takahito Sakazume and Shun Enokido on Adapting Fate/strange Fake to the Small Screen
Learn more about their philosophy when it comes to adapting the novels into animation and the involvement of the original author, Ryohgo Narita.
― As the Fate series celebrates its 20th anniversary, Anime News Network was able to speak with Shun Enokido and Takahito Sakazume, the directors of the upcoming anime Fate/strange Fake. Together we talked about their history with the series, their philosoph...
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