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Persona5: The Phantom X Game Review

Jul 9, 12:00

games

I found the original Persona 5’s story to be particularly resonant and engaging, so this is an unbelievably disappointing downgrade so far. ― Love them or hate them, games featuring prominent gacha mechanics are big business. While initially more the domain of mobile platforms, we've moved on technologically since the heady days of (decade old!) Fate/Grand Order's one billion US dollar annual earnin...

feature

257 comments

The Summer Anime Preview Guide sponsored by Crunchyroll

Jul 8, 12:35

257 comments

anime

Fresh reviews for new anime and new episodes are live in the Preview Guide! Read on about Rising of the Shield Hero Season 4, Turkey, Mr. Osomatsu Season 4, A Couple of Cuckoos Season 2, Grand Blue Dreaming Season 2, Ruri Rocks, and more! ― Welcome to Anime News Network's Summer 2025 Anime Preview Guide sponsored by Crunchyroll! Here's how it goes: our team of critics writes up their impressions ins...

review

I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class Volume 1 Manga Review

Jul 8, 12:00

manga

There’s the potential for a stronger story if the rest of it can continue leaning into the exploration of social expectations that this first volume presents, and it’s planted enough seeds that I think it could get there. ― Although I enjoy my share of high school rom-coms, I'll admit that I was a bit wary of this one going in. While you can't always tell much about a series based on its title, light...

interview

Final Fantasy XVI Producer on the Series' Future

Jul 8, 12:00

games

Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida discusses how the series will progress in the future, as well as what he'd like to accomplish in the next several years. ― At Anime Expo 2025, Anime News Network got the chance to sit down with Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida to discuss how the series will progress in the future, as well as what he'd like to accomplish in the next several years. With ...

news

Manga Café Comedy Manga Ichijōma Mankitsu Gurashi! Gets TV Anime

Jul 8, 11:41

anime

Mako Hisamaku's story of girl living, working at manga café for free tuition ― The August issue of Houbunsha's Manga Time Kirara magazine announced on Wednesday that a television anime adaptation of Mako Hisamaku's Ichijōma Mankitsu Gurashi! (Living Life to the Fullest in a Tiny One-Tatami-Mat-Sized Room) manga has been green-lit. The "somewhat sexy manga café comedy" follows Meiko Morita, who moves ...

convention

WEBTOON Platform Steps Into the Spotlight at Anime Expo – But Can It Break Out of the Corner?

Jul 7, 16:30

korean

K-Comics platform WEBTOON is stepping up its presence, but first it has to make sure that its brand is associated with its biggest hits. ― For the first time ever, WEBTOON Entertainment set up its booth at Anime Expo, marking a notable step into the mainstream spotlight. Coming off its 2024 debut on the Nasdaq, this year's presence at North America's biggest anime convention felt like the company's f...

column

30 comments

Answerman - Anime and AI

Jul 7, 15:00

30 comments

anime

Jerome examines the thorny problem of AI generated art and animation. ― A reader asks: “Recently there is a trend on social media to create, share and display AI-generated imagery that looks like it came from the Studio Ghibili films, and some of it quite controversial. Meanwhile! Some others seem to be cashing in on the hype by using the Ghibli image generator to create funny or satirical posts, or...

review

Unico: Awakening and Unico: Hunted Manga Review

Jul 7, 12:00

manga

This story is like a child's imagination come to life. ― Osamu Tezuka is a legend in the world of animation and manga. Not only is this man responsible for some of the most iconic series of all time, but his stylistic influences can still be felt to this very day. Many of his franchises, like Astro Boy, continue to persist into the modern day with adaptations or re-creations. So when I heard that one...

Missed Anime Expo? Don't worry! KADOKAWA's AX Merch is Still Available Online at amiami and animate.

Jul 7, 10:00 merch

Another AMAZING Anime Expo has just passed where fans from all over showed up to enjoy the latest KADOKAWA merch. If you weren't able to attend, don't worry because now it's your turn to get these amazing items from some of your favorite anime. ― Another AMAZING Anime Expo has just passed where fans from all over showed up to enjoy the latest KADOKAWA merch. If you weren't able to attend, don't worry...

interview

New Director Kazuaki Kuribayashi is Risking it Big on KILLTUBE Anime Film

Jul 7, 09:00

anime

The film staff revealed a new scene at AX this year; read how the team raised US$6.68 million for this animated "experiment." ― On April 8, a one-minute clip circulating on social media caught anime fans' attention worldwide. It's actually the pilot film of the newly-announced anime film titled KILLTUBE. The film is scheduled to be released sometime in 2026, but it's safe to say that the release win...

review

3 comments

Nue's Exorcist Volume 1 Manga Review

Jul 6, 12:00

3 comments

manga

Nue’s Exorcist is the sort of book that’s more fun the less you think about it. ― The history of the nue is long in Japanese yokai lore, dating back to at least the Heian period, when it was described in Heike Monogatari as a chimera-like creature composed of bits and pieces of snake, chicken, tiger, tanuki, and monkey. Different variations on the theme followed, but manga fans may best know it as th...

news

The 100th Time's the Charm Fantasy Novels Get Anime

Jul 5, 22:02

novels manga anime

Fantasy series about woman falsely accused of plotting to assassinate a saint has English release on J-Novel Club ― Drecom announced at its panel at Anime Expo on Saturday that storywriter Yūji Yūji and illustrator Nami Hidaka's The 100th Time's the Charm light novel series is getting an anime adaptation. The full title of the series is The 100th Timeʼs the Charm: She Was Executed 99 Times, So How Di...

news

Hiromu Arakawa's Daemons of the Shadow Realm Manga Gets Anime

Jul 5, 21:20