Last week, Yen Press announced a slate of new licenses for their Yen On line of light novels. The new titles included the source material for a number of popular anime series, including No Game No Life and Log Horizon. The announcement was a welcome bit of good news, and many fans are justifiably excited about the prospect of light [Read more…]
Deep in the murky past, the most common method of (legally) watching anime in the US was buying physical media. The format changed over time from wallet-draining VHS tapes to single DVDs, then mercifully to reasonably priced box sets. What you got and how much you paid for it varied from year to year, but one thing was always true: [Read more…]
The anime world loves a good parody. Whether it’s a casual Gundam reference or a full series dedicated to lampooning magical girl tropes, there’s a seemingly endless market for poking fun at the classics. At its best, this style of humor can serve as both entertainment and criticism, and can help shake us out of our complacency when it comes [Read more…]
Any public form of entertainment has its own set of rules for the audience to follow. Go to a movie theater and you’ll be expected to shut off your phone (yes, including YOU, guy in the front row) and keep quiet during the film. Go to a sports event, on the other hand, and you’ll be encouraged to scream until [Read more…]
It’s a good time for sports anime. Yowamushi Pedal is set to return in the fall after an initial 38-episode run, while volleyball series Haikyu!! is finally kicking off its first big tournament story arc. The Free! juggernaut continues to roll onward, drawing in a variety of fans in its target demographic and beyond. The genre is even being used [Read more…]
Summer 2014 is packed to bursting with A-list anime titles, from popular sequels to intriguing new series. In order to make your life easier, here are a few of the big names to keep an eye on. Space Dandy Season 2 It’s back, baby! Space Dandy burst onto the scene earlier this year and immediately started more forum arguments than [Read more…]
With Anime Expo 2014 kicking off this weekend, legions of fans are converging on Los Angeles. As diverse as convention-goers may be, there are a few personalities you’re almost guaranteed to come across. From the awesome to the awkward, the first-timers to the grizzled veterans, here are five encounters to expect over the course of the weekend. The Line Buddy [Read more…]
The last time we talked in-depth about manga publisher Seven Seas on this website, the topic was their surprise hit Monster Musume. The quirky supernatural harem comedy has continued to be a sales success, with volume three matching its predecessors in terms of taking up long-term residence on the bestseller lists. In my previous article on the subject, I suggested [Read more…]
No Game No Life has pulled in its fair share of attention this season, and not without good reason. The series has plenty of appealing qualities, and feels as though it’s been expertly crafted to appeal to anime fans. The rich color palette offers a visual break from shows with more typical art styles, and the “gamers save the day” [Read more…]
It’s been an interesting few weeks at the movies for anime fans. Hollywood has taken a shot at making not one, but two big-budget films based on Japanese properties. Godzilla aimed to bring the classic kaiju franchise back on the wave of Pacific Rim’s success, while Edge of Tomorrow adapted the sci-fi novel All You Need is Kill. While our [Read more…]