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ep. review

My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 ‒ Episode 16

This episode was a pretty firm reality check for Gojo, and I like that his classmates playfully told him off for his borderline self-destructive tendencies.
ep. review

Sakamoto Days ‒ Episode 14

Nothing screams body positivity like watching Sakamoto pummel a guy off a building.
game review

Tamagotchi Plaza Game Review

It's a little ridiculous that a game meant for such a young audience wouldn't be a lot more clear and direct with its instructions. ― When I first got ahold of Tamagotchi Plaza for my Nintendo Switch 2, I was shocked to see the little doodads I used to carry around in those plastic egg toys as full-blown video game characters. My surprise made more sense when I realized that I wasn't just utterly out...
ep. review

CITY The Animation ‒ Episode 4

CITY the Animation is rapidly approaching a level of joyousness where, if you like life, you will love this show.
ep. review

Sword of the Demon Hunter ‒ Episode 16

This episode starts off feeling like a formulaic interlude, but it turns out to be something much better.
ep. review

The Summer Hikaru Died ‒ Episode 4

Rituals are at the forefront of this week's episode, and it's a subject that gels well with the narrative's focus on small town secrets.
ep. review

Bad Girl ‒ Episode 4

While the middle stretch was a total miss for me, the beginning and end segments saved it and brought this episode back to above average.
ep. review

Secrets of the Silent Witch ‒ Episode 4

Among mages, if there is one to be feared, it is the Silent Witch.
ep. review

Witch Watch ‒ Episode 17

This episode isn't totally without its charms, but it's probably the weakest one we've gotten to date.
ep. review

Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus ‒ Episode 4

The various heroines have noticed the pattern in Sakuta’s life—that he’s basically “the great detective who somehow always runs into a murder case no matter where he goes.
ep. review

One Piece ‒ Episode 1137

The Toei team leaves it all on the field for 1137.
ep. review

Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun Season 2 ‒ Episode 16

This episode didn’t provide many answers, but its romantic and fantasy visuals were works of art.
ep. review

Ruri Rocks ‒ Episode 4

Ruri doesn't like sand. It's coarse, rough, irritating, and it gets everywhere.
ep. review

Gachiakuta ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

Gachiakuta may not be perfect, but it is hitting all of the right notes for a fun and quirky action anime without breaking a sweat.
ep. review

With You and the Rain ‒ Episode 4

With You and the Rain continues to prove that it understands the pet/person bond while it pokes gentle fun at what it would be like to have a literate animal in your life.
ep. review

To Be Hero X ‒ Episode 17

Sheng became X not because he cared about being the world's greatest hero but because being the top hero gave him access to the world's best medical staff and technology.
ep. review

Anne Shirley ‒ Episode 17

Jo March may not be the only famous children’s book heroine to fling away perfectly good marriage proposals.
ep. review

Kaiju No. 8 Season 2 ‒ Episode 14

They’re showing what they are capable of and being tested to see if they have what it takes to keep up with the big boys.
ep. review

Call of the Night Season 2 ‒ Episode 4

Call of the Night flexes its craft with this short and sophisticated story about Kabura's self-discovery. It develops her from a minor character into a person I deeply resonate with.
ep. review

The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 4 ‒ Episode 3

Naofumi! Are you leaving your mission and your party's fate in the hands of children?
your score

Your Anime Rankings - Best of Summer 2025, Jul 1-21

As we start the season, popular sequels My Dress-Up Darling and DAN DA DAN dominate as one might expect, but The Summer Hikaru Died might be our little surprise hit of the summer! ― 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 t...
ep. review

Turkey!-Time to Strike- ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

Maybe it’s because I grew up loving InuYasha, but personally, I think every anime should experiment with suddenly thrusting their protagonist(s) back to the Sengoku period.
review

I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince Season 1 Anime Review

7th Prince has some cool ideas that I desperately wish it pursued to any meaningful extent. But instead, we got a royal snooze fest. I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability (henceforth 7th Prince) is an anime that, on paper, sounds cool and, dare I say, relatable enough. I mean, if we were all fortunate enough to be reincarnated into wealth and power...
column

This Week in Games - Pokémon Presents 2025

It's a nearly-all Pokemon edition of This Week in Games, bursting with announcements. But don't worry - there's some news for Atelier fans, too! ― Welcome back, folks! I was feeling punchy last week, and I noticed I had omitted my closer after last week's column was published. Imagine I spent all weekend in a corner of your room, occasionally repeating vocal stims under my breath. Being a vtuber fan:...
ep. review

Dr. STONE SCIENCE FUTURE ‒ Episode 15

I do love these real material science inclusions, even though they tend to lead me down hours-long Wikipedia death spirals afterwards.
interview

Returning to My Dress-Up Darling After 3 Years: Hina Suguta and Shoya Ishige

The lead voice actors for Marin Kitamura and Wakana Gojo share their favorite costumes, their favorite moments from the series, and more. ― My Dress-Up Darling is an anime that holds a special place in the hearts of many, including the actors who portray two of the main leads. Shoya Ishige and Hina Suguta, who played Wakana Gojo and Marin Kitagawa, respectively, attended Anime Expo 2025 to share with...
ep. review

DAN DA DAN Season 2 ‒ Episode 16

If DAN DA DAN ended its run right here, just sixteen episodes in, it would already be standing tall as one of the best Shonen Jump adaptations ever made.
column

This Week in Anime - Anti-Nostalgia

We've all got shows that we've outgrown. Coop and Lucas discuss some of theirs. ― We've all got shows that we've outgrown. Coop and Lucas discuss some of theirs. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network.Spoiler Warning for discussion of the series ahead. Full Disclosure: Coop Bicknell regularly works on titles produced b...
review

Uma Musume: Cinderella Gray Season 1 Anime Review

The first season of the story of Oguri Cap stands apart from its previous Uma Musume brethren—and arguably stands above many of them. ― Every great hero deserves an origin story, and that even—especially!—includes the funny big-eating horse girl Oguri Cap from Uma Musume. This obviously isn't the only franchise where a comic-relief background character can undergo this kind of drastic promotion to pr...
ep. review

New PANTY & STOCKING with GARTERBELT ‒ Episode 3

The issue then is that this episode of New Panty & Stocking works better when it's falling back on older, simpler habits than when it's trying to innovate.
ep. review

Clevatess ‒ Episode 4

If a story can deliver a predictable narrative that still manages to keep you engaged and entertained from beginning to end, then it's a good story, no questions asked.
ep. review

Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon Season 2 ‒ Episode 4

Hevee simply loves the journey told by shoes—and experiencing that journey through touch, smell, and… drinking out of said shoe.
ep. review

Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube ‒ Episode 5

This is the closest Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube has come to a standard horror movie format so far.
ep. review

Apocalypse Bringer Mynoghra ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

We’re only three episodes into Mynoghra so far, but it’s already pretty clear where its strengths and weaknesses are.
review

Senpai no Kohai Manga Review

Hanakage Alt’s Senpai no Kohai is, in its slender volume, a beautifully sweet love story. ― Sayuri knows that it's hopeless to fall in love with a straight woman. That's an academic consideration, of course, when in her final year of college, she fell head over heels for Risa. The adorable first year consumed all of Sayuri's thoughts, no matter how hard she tried to avoid them, and when she graduated...
interview

BAND-MAID's MIKU Kobato Talks About the Future and How the Band Decides on Album Names

BAND-MAID is hot off a successful tour and following the recent release of their latest song "What is justice?," we spoke to MIKU about what's next. ― With BAND-MAID taking a break from the middle of a nearly sold-out tour in Japan, Anime News Network had the opportunity to speak with its frontwoman, MIKU Kobato, at Anime Expo 2025. Formed in 2013, BAND-MAID recently celebrated its 10th anniversary a...
ep. review

My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

I am ready to inject this well-animated wholesomeness directly into my veins.
review

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle – Part 1: Akaza Returns Anime Film Review

The problem with this film is not the story being told but rather how that story is being told Akaza Returns is not a film without high points—especially to fans invested in every aspect of the story and world. Zenitsu and Shinobu both reach the climax of their arcs, and we finally learn the complete backstories of what drives them. We also get a rematch between Tanjiro and Akaza—now with Giyu work...
ep. review

The Summer Hikaru Died ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

Nestled among the warm and writhing innards of its titular doppelganger, the complexities of queer identity lie at the heart of the horror in The Summer Hikaru Died.
ep. review

CITY The Animation ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

CITY the Animation is so utterly charming and so completely itself that I now have a hard time remembering a world where it never existed.
ep. review

Sakamoto Days ‒ Episode 13

The biggest goal of this episode is moving one fight to the next.
column

This Week in Anime - The Least Cute Meet-Cute and Other Summer Love Stories

Chris and Steve wander through the summer season's tales of love looking for romantic treasures and finding...stuff. ― Chris and Steve wander through the summer season's tales of love looking for romantic treasures and finding...stuff. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network.Spoiler Warning for discussion of the series ...
game review

Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy Game Review

Surely, there are better dungeons to delve somewhere out there. ― Did you know that those cute little slime-things from the Puyo Puyo puzzle games originate from a series of dungeon crawlers from the early 90s? If you didn't, I don't think anyone could blame you, since the franchise has only ever had a single western release in its decades-long history. It was called Sorcery Saga: Curse of the Great ...
ep. review

Sword of the Demon Hunter ‒ Episode 15

After last week's bizarrely pointless episode, this week's is decent enough, assuming you're happy with talk-heavy period drama.
ep. review

Ruri Rocks ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

You have to be some kind of weird pervert to create strong art, and I'm inclined to welcome the animators getting their rocks off in service of something as overall lovingly crafted as Ruri Rocks.
review

Ultraman: Along Came a Spider-Man Volume 1 Review

In this, Spider-Man and Ultraman are kindred spirits, and I'm not quite sure what I expected their connection to be but I like this angle as a way to bridge these two very different characters. Ultraman: Along Came a Spider-Man is a solid start for an Ultraman and Spider-Man that hits most of the notes you would expect. The premise here is simple enough and totally in keeping with crossover tales o...
ep. review

Witch Watch ‒ Episode 16

While this episode does well at establishing how well Miharu fits in with our band of misfits, its most exciting development has nothing to do with him.
feature

The Summer Anime 2025 Preview Guide sponsored by Crunchyroll

The Preview Guide is still going, with Kaiju No. 8! ― 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 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. This season, our Anime Preview Guide ...
ep. review

Kaiju No. 8 Season 2 ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

The opening gambit creates something of an emotional retelling of prior events but not a literal one, and I think it works exceptionally well.
interview

Fighting for a Better Anime Industry - An Interview with Animator Supporters' Jun Sugawara and Genga-chan

Burnt-out animators, low wages, excruciating deadlines, and toxic working conditions. How is Animator Supporters continuing to push to make a better workplace in anime production? ― Over the past few years, I've had amazing and unique opportunities to speak with some of the anime industry's greatest creatives. However, these luminaries' experiences don't always precisely align with those of animator...
ep. review

Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun Season 2 ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

Even in a super-strong anime season, Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun manages to stand out.
ep. review

To Be Hero X ‒ Episode 16

Who's ready for the most awkward dinner party ever?
ep. review

Bad Girl ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

Even with the jokes landing more often than not, a lot of the other parts of Bad Girl are serviceable to forgettable.
ep. review

Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

This is another consistently strong arc of Rascal Doesn't Dream. It remains both grounded and poignant despite the supernatural twist.
review

Pokémon Horizons: Season 2—The Search for Laqua Part 3 Anime Series Review

We need to find the remaining of Lucius' Pokémon, including the Black Rayquaza. All of that sounds really exciting, right? So why is half of this batch of episodes so boring? ― Training is over and it's time to leave Paldea. Liko, Roy and Dot are stronger than they ever have been before, but now it's time to resume the journey to find Laqua. But first we need to find the remaining of Lucius's Pokemon...
ep. review

With You and the Rain ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

This show succeeds by letting its gentle tone carry the story.
ep. review

Secrets of the Silent Witch ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

Monica’s social anxiety—which is so great she developed a new way of using magic without the need to chant just so she didn’t have to talk in front of people—is a complex issue stemming from two sources.
ep. review

Call of the Night Season 2 ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

The thrust of this part is that Anko is a serious threat with a personal vendetta, so her attack needs to look intense and deranged, and I'd call that a mission accomplished.
ep. review

Anne Shirley ‒ Episode 16

As we start Anne of the Island, Anne's off on new adventures as a New Woman.
review

Dinner Table Detective Anime Series Review

If it’s a worthwhile mystery anime you’re hungry for and The Dinner Table Detective is what’s on the menu, you’re going to starve. ― First impressions are important. Titles are often a key part of an anime's first impression; ipso facto, an anime needs to have a good title that captures the essence of the show. But I'm not sure about “The Dinner Table Detective” as a title. It captures anything but m...
ep. review

Dr. STONE SCIENCE FUTURE ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

If this were a Danganronpa game, Dr. Chelsea would be “the Ultimate Geographer."
ep. review

The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 4 ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

Well, we're back for Round Four.
review

Spider-Man: Kizuna Manga Review

Spider-Man: Kizuna is a rather cartoony story, but succeeds at highlighting the appeal of Spider-Man in a traditional Japanese manga. ― With great power comes great responsibility! These words permeate throughout most, if not all, Spider-Man media, as it is the very mantra of the character himself. The ethos of Spider-Man revolves around a perfectly normal guy being pushed into situations where he is...
column

This Week in Games - Horse Play

Jean-Karlo celebrates a second wave of Umamusume, shares more details about Ghosts of Yotei, and speculates on Universal's possible Donkey Kong film. ― Welcome back, folks! I saw Kpop Demon Hunters for a second time this past weekend. It's still an addictive movie. I'm short on news otherwise, let's get into it! This is... Uma Musume: Pretty Derby Gets Big Like many of you, I was made aware of Uma Mu...
interview

Reading with Manga One App Editor-in-Chief, NOVELOUS App Producer Yuki Wada

Longtime editor Yuki Wada discusses his experience in the Japanese publishing industry and where it's going from here. ― Yuki Wada has been an editor for various publications in Japan for quite some time, working on a wide range of titles. He has been instrumental in the creation of the NOVELOUS platform, a light novel serialization app that offers readers a variety of light novels not otherwise ava...
game review

No Sleep for Kaname Date – from AI: The Somnium Files Game Review

It would be best for fans of AI: The Somnium Files to manage their expectations. ― If you have not played AI: The Somnium Files, I do not recommend you pick up the new side story, No Sleep for Kaname Date – from AI: The Somnium Files. I don't recommend you do anything other than go into the eshop of your platform of choice and purchase the absolute masterpiece that is the first game of the series. If...
ep. review

DAN DA DAN Season 2 ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

I fully expect this second season of DAN DA DAN to remain one of the premiere anime that absolutely everyone should be watching.
column

This Week in Anime - Once More Unto the Isekai Breach

It's time for the Summer 2025 Isekai Roundup! Coop and Lucas see if there's anything worth your time in this season's offerings of the ubiquitous genre. ― It's time for the Summer 2025 Isekai Roundup! Coop and Lucas see if there's anything worth your time in this season's offerings of the ubiquitous genre. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the v...
review

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: A Lonely Dragon Wants to be Loved Anime Film Review

It is through the relationship between Kanna and her father that the film explores the concept that neglect is abuse. ― On its most basic level, this is a movie about family. In the lore of Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, dragons don't have family units. They don't love their young and tend to see them only as battlefield companions or eventual rivals. However, thanks to her time in the human world, Ka...
ep. review

New PANTY & STOCKING with GARTERBELT ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

This is like pulling off Twin Peaks: The Return but with decidedly more dildos and giant disembodied vaginas on-screen!
ep. review

Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube ‒ Episode 4

Miki and Nube are as dumb as a box of rocks in this episode, though it would be a lot less funny if they weren’t.
ep. review

Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon Season 2 ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

In these first three episodes of the new season, it's safe to say things have gone to crap for our heroes.
ep. review

Clevatess ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

Clevatess is merely one beast winding his way through a dark, violent, and cruel world, and the scars it bears on account of all this bloodshed run deep.
feature

The Summer Anime 2025 Preview Guide sponsored by Crunchyroll

Shiki's bombastic Oni powers can turn blood into a weapon. Read our reviews of Tougen Anki in the Preview Guide! Plus: New Panty and Stocking, The Summer Hikaru Died, Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun, Gachiakuta, My Dress-Up Darling Seaosn 2, 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 impression...
review

Bullet/Bullet Episodes 1-8 Anime Series Review

On its most basic level, this first arc of episodes is a story of the rich exploiting the poor, and the poor accepting it. ― This first set of eight episodes is the story of a heist gone wrong—or one gone right, depending on your point of view. Gear, our starry-eyed youth, is a kid enraptured by the idea of an outlaw lifestyle who is being held back by his love for his sickly father figure. However, ...
interview

Car Chases, Analog Technology, and Social Commentary: An Interview with BULLET/BULLET Director Sunghoo Park

"When I'm watching Hollywood movies with car chases in the theater, I get so excited by the speed that I feel like I can't breathe." ― While anime is often thought of as being created by Japanese people by definition, this isn't always the case. Take, for example, Sunghoo Park. In recent years, this South Korean man has garnered no small amount of acclaim as the director for Garo: Vanishing Line, The...
ep. review

Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

I love the look of vintage, pre-digital anime, and Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube pleasingly scratches that aesthetic itch.
watch

The ANN Aftershow Returns with Spooky Summer Anime Line-up!

TONIGHT! The ANN Aftershow returns with The Summer Hikaru Died and DAN DA DAN Season 2! ― TONIGHT! The ANN Aftershow returns with spooky summer anime line-up! Join Jacki Jing, James Beckett, and Lynzee Loveridge as we discuss ghosts, aliens, monsters, and...chicken cutlets? 🍗 Join the discussion LIVE at 6pm PDT/9pm EDT on YouTube, X, and Facebook!
column

This Week in Anime - Back in the Saddle

As the Uma Musume game races to the top of the popularity charts, Steve and Chris explore the reasons why horse girls are perennial favorites. ― Steve and Chris explore the reasons why horse girls are perennial favorites. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network.Spoiler Warning for discussion of the series ahead. Uma Mus...
ep. review

Sword of the Demon Hunter ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

The new cour starts with an unexpected flashback to Jinta’s pre-demon life in Kadono, but it’s very thin fare.
review

Sword of the Demon Hunter Episodes 1-13 Anime Series Review

After an impressive start, this period supernatural show is hampered by terrible action scenes and squandered potential, but it's still watchable and interesting. ― We're midway through Sword of the Demon Hunter, with the two-cour series due to resume on July 15, and it's still tricky to evaluate as a whole. As the amusingly generic title suggests, it's a period supernatural drama, mostly set in 1850...
ep. review

One Piece ‒ Episode 1136

Episode 1136 may very well have cemented Kuma as one of - if not the - most tragic figures in the entire series.
ep. review

Anne Shirley ‒ Episode 15

Anne remarks that she's coming up to a bend in the road and that she's not sure she ought to go round it, and that sums up the feel of the episode nicely.
ep. review

Sakamoto Days ‒ SEASON PREMIERE

Fighting Saw gives Shin and Lu the opportunity to learn how they stack up against the rest of the underworld.
review

I Tamed My Ex-husband's Mad Dog Volumes 1-3 K-Comics Review

Don’t pick up I Tamed My Ex-Husband’s Mad Dog if you’re looking for a light, romantic read. ― It may seem disingenuous to say this, but I Tamed My Ex-Husband's Mad Dog is one of those stories that gets very dark, maybe darker the longer it goes on. Certainly, the covers make that case, although as we all know, you can't always judge a book by one. (Or by their titles, for that matter.) But even among...
ep. review

Witch Watch ‒ Episode 15

With Miharu's addition to the main cast, the truth has at last been revealed: Witch Watch has been drip feeding us a reverse harem all along
interview

Global Anime Challenge Unites Industry Veterans to Mentor Aspiring Animators and Tackle Crunch Culture for a Healthier Future

Anime talents behind Frieren, The Elusive Samurai, & Your Name reflect on industry hardships and whether unionization could be the key to lasting reform. ― At Anime Central 2025, Anime News Network sat down with four of Japan's rising anime talents—director Keiichiro Saitō (Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Bocchi the Rock!), producer Takafumi Nakame (The Garden of Words, Your Name), and animators Kaoru...
ep. review

To Be Hero X ‒ Episode 15

This episode does two things at once: 1) gives us Ghostblade's origin story and 2) recontextualizes his actions in Loli's.
interview

Inside the Director's Toy Box: An Interview with Hiroshi Nagahama at Animazement 2025

If there's a director who embodies the childlike wonder of believing that a man can fly, look no further than Hiroshi Nagahama. ― If there's a director who embodies the childlike wonder of believing that a man can fly, look no further than Hiroshi Nagahama. While speaking at Otakon last year, the Mushi-Shi and Flowers of Evil director was so passionate about his work, he ended up having to leave the ...
ep. review

Yaiba: Samurai Legend ‒ Episode 14

Only in a show as silly as this one can a bird ninja somehow feel bland compared to its usual standards.

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