Another shonen manga has been deemed worthy to become an anime—but this one’s different from the rest. During its Emerald City Comic-Con panel, Viz Media announced an adaptation of Tsuyoshi Takaki’s 2016 shonen Black Torch from 100studio and director Kei Umabiki (Quality Assurance in Another World). The series stars Jiro Azuma, a teen ninja that […]
Zeta Gundam Set the Legacy Sequel Blueprint
We live in a new age of legacy sequels these days, the not-quite-a-reboot movement of smashing together a new generation of potential heroes with the old vanguard we know and love. Everyone’s doing it, from Star Wars, to Marvel, to Jurassic Park, to Ghostbusters, to Cobra Kai and countless other TV and movie franchises. But few have managed to […]
I Love the Moment That Everything Changes in Gundam GQuuuuuuX
The latest entry in the Gundam franchise, GQuuuuuuX, is built around one of the most fascinating premises a mainline Gundam show has had in years. To get there, we’re asked to cast our minds back over 45 years to the original 1979 anime—and in doing so, we’re also asked to consider a pretty hilarious idea. The vast […]
Daima’s Ending Is a Fitting Last Note on Akira Toriyama’s Vision for Dragon Ball
Dragon Ball Daima has finally come to an end. The anime’s 20-episode run delivered an ample helping of fan service by making wishful fiction from internet forums of old real, with myriad new and returning transformations. The show also served as a huge animation flex on the part of Toei Animation weekly, putting the stalwart […]
Of Course Dragon Ball Daima Gave Us the SSJ4 Reveal We Really Wanted, Too
Last week, Dragon Ball Daima virtually broke the internet by canonizing one of Goku’s long-forgotten transformations, Super Saiyan 4. Although fans didn’t get a lot of time to gawk at Goku flaunt his ape muscles all over before villain King Gomah negated his transformation, the latest episode in Daima‘s final stretch circled the block once […]
Revolutionary Girl Utena Is as Lynchian as Shojo Anime Has Ever Been
Over the years, critics and everyday people have come to identify media as “Lynchian,” in reverence for how video games, movies, and TV shows evoke the dream-like quality of the late auteur David Lynch. Although most media described as Lynchian takes its inspiration from seminal works like Twin Peaks through referential nods, no show completely […]
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’ Prequel Manga Lets Rebecca Bask in the Spotlight
In 2022, Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red and renowned anime studio Trigger jointly released the Netflix anime series Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. In quick succession, the show joined the super exclusive club of phenomenal video game adaptations and revitalized its player base, which had long lost faith in the monumentally hyped game from its historically rocky […]
The Anime Industry Needs to Stop Trying to Make Rurouni Kenshin a Thing Again
Warning: The following story discusses criminal acts around the abuse of children that some readers may find distressing. As with Hollywood and video games, the anime industry is often guilty of carting out some of its older hit-making stories and remaking them for a new audience with mixed results. We’ve seen this time and time […]
This Self-Aware Harem Anime Must Finish Its Story
Harem anime is akin to junk food in the anime world. It’s filled with empty plot calories, overloaded with the instant gratification of fanservice, and binge-watching it as a sole source of entertainment is crazy work. Like shonen and isekai anime—which equally remain a mainstay in seasonal anime releases—harem anime’s mass appeal comes from it […]
Being a Manga Letterer Is More Than Having a Fun Job
When people read manga, they often focus on the Instagram caption-worthy one-liners and larger-than-life illustrations that fill their pages. What usually goes unnoticed in picking up a manga is the work that goes into its lettering and graphic design, done by the folks who pour their craftsmanship into typesetting popular Japanese manga for Western audiences. […]