Kagami Koji lives a simple life: He beats up monsters and collects the rewards. Apparently he’s trying to save up 5,000 gold for something, but he’s got a long way to go. In the interim, his town is visited by the Hero, who is trying to build a harem party in order to defeat the… Read More First Impression: The Villager of Level 999

Umapyoi! Umapyoi! (Horse joy! Horse joy!) Time to lace up the track shoes. It’s Fourth of July weekend, which means three things: backyard barbecues, fireworks, and Anime Expo. And while the peak of summer uma racing bursts from the gate on July 3 at Saratoga, the starting bell rings one day earlier in downtown Los… Read More Uma AX 2026: Pretty Busy (Daily Dispatches from Anime Expo 2026)

Carolina Sanchez is the second daughter of a powerful duke, who suffers greatly because of her incredibly callous and vain older sister. Carolina views herself as insignificant compared to Flora, who’s so magically gifted that she’s expected to become a saint. Even apart from magical abilities, Carolina doesn’t seem to have any other talents she… Read More First Impression: The Oblivious Saint…

The latest volumes of The Fake Alchemist, The Remarried Empress, and Vagabond Definitive Edition—along with the final volume of Insomniacs After School (sigh!)—are among the manga and manhwa we’re reviewing this week on Reader’s Corner. Read to see what we think of these volumes! Blade & Bastard (Vol. 4) • The Fake Alchemist (Vol. 2)… Read More Reader’s Corner: Girl Crush (Vol. 6), Lycoris Recoil…

Violence and poverty are part of everyday life for villagers during the Nanboku-chō period, during which a decades-long civil war has broken out between the Kyoto Northern and Southern Courts. Desperate for distraction, people turn to the theater, including the form called sarugaku. Kan’ami is a master of this medium—which combines acting, music, singing, and… Read More First Impression: The…

The year is 2029, and the world is in the throes of cyberization as humanity upgrades itself with physical and mental enhancements. Tech corporations have extended their reach to the stars, yet the distinctions of nations and ethnic groups have not yet been left behind. And in the metropolis of Niigata, there is a high-risk… Read More First Impression: The Ghost in The Shell (2026)

A wise cat of the magical Cait Sith race has just birthed her kittens, but she’s about to discover another infant to add to her brood—a baby dragon who had been orphaned, but hatches because of the magic that spills over from the kitten births. Defenseless and not having the smell of a threat, he… Read More First Impression: The Cat and the Dragon

After his party defeats the demon king, Eftal the sage is recognized as one of the four greatest mages in the realm. Then he gets old and trains a new generation of young magic users. Eftal reveals to Merlin (one of his students) that he was never truly satisfied because he was never the strongest;… Read More First Impression: From Overshadowed to Overpowered: Second Reincarnation of a Talentless…

News dropped that the Demon Slayer Infinity Castle movie is finally hitting Crunchyroll for streaming (on July 29th), so we’re celebrating by posting these amazing illustrations of those brave Hashira! ★ 【灸場メロ】 「 柱 」

Check out these kawaii, cutecore-esque fanart pieces of Ichigo, Rukia, and Orihime from Bleach—just in time for the new season of the series dropping! I like the Orihime cooking-baking one the best. What about you? ★ 【야텅코】 「 🍓🍞🫐 」

Another anime season is upon us, and that means it’s time once again for our first impressions! Over the next several weeks, our writers will be sampling a wide range of new and returning shows and sharing their early thoughts—what excites us, what surprises us, and what might be worth adding to your watchlist. This… Read More Summer 2026 Anime First Impressions

For the fourth episode of season two, I had the pleasure of speaking with singer-songwriter Hana Hope. Anime fans may know Hana from her work singing themes* on Spice and Wolf, Fate/Grand Order, and most recently, my favorite anime of spring 2026, A Hundred Scenes of AWAJIMA. But while her music first drew me to… Read More Something Genuine Season 2, Ep. 4: Hana Hope on Music, Identity, and…

Melody is the sole servant at an impoverished noble estate. In the span of a couple weeks, she’s completely transformed the dilapidated mansion, and then she helps the estate’s resident, Luciana, host a tea party. That about covers the first three minutes, and the rest of the episode is flashbacks, in which we learn about… Read More First Impression: Heroine? Saint? No, I’m an All-Works Maid (And…

Few artists have become as closely associated with anime music over the decade and a half as Eir Aoi. Since her breakthrough with songs like “Memoria” (Fate/zero), “Innocence” (Sword Art Online), “Genesis” (Aldnoah.Zero), and “Hello Hello Hello” (A Couple of Cuckoos), she has helped define the sound of countless anime memories for fans around the… Read More From “Memoria” to “Unrealistic” and…

I recently started following Jolseon, an artist who often posts work on Twitter. Among the many splendid pieces on the artist’s account are a ton of fanart scenes of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. I’m so happy to share them—by permission—here: ★ 【Jolseon】 「 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 //… Read More Fanart Friday: Scenes of Journey’s End

Hatsune Miku is stylish, cute, bubbly, musical, epic, fun…but on rare occasions, too, she’s depicted with a darker edge by musicians and artists. I love this take on her below, where, well…I’ll let you interpret what Miku thinks she is (and what she’s trying to do)—it definitely feels like the stuff of a horror film!… Read More Fanart Friday, Too: Hatsune Miku Is Not a…

One of the goals of Something Genuine is to introduce viewers to people whose stories might challenge our assumptions about fandom. This week’s guest, Ani, does exactly that. Ani is a cosplayer, content creator, and anime fan who has built a following through her creative approach to cosplay as a hijabi. But what struck me… Read More Something Genuine Season 2, Ep. 3: Hijabi Cosplayer Ani on…

We go back—way back—for today’s Reader’s Corner, with the release of two manga taking place in the 1940s: the volume one rerelease of Naoki Urasawa’s Billy Bat and the one-volume manga about the heroic Himeyuri schoolgirls during the Battle of Okinawa, cocoon. Reviews of other new releases are also below. Check them out and let… Read More Reader’s Corner: Billy Bat (Vol. 1), cocoon, and Double…

Enter: Lucy and Rebecca! Cyberpunk: Edgerunners has officially crossed over with Wuthering Waves with a special collaborative event! I’ve been so hyped for this one—and artists have been, too! Here are some of our favorite pieces showing the Edgerunners x Wuwa crossover—all posted with permission:

I think it’s safe to say that the most impactful anime this season (which is almost over—can you believe it?) is Witch Hat Atelier. One of my favorite artists, Jolseon, has illustrated a ton of fanart pieces featuring the series—including those below (reprinted with permission). Have you been watching the adventures of Coco, Qifrey, and… Read More Fanart Friday, Too: Scenes From Witch Hat Atelier

This week’s offerings on Reader’s Corner include the first extra-long volume of Ai Yazawa’s shoujo classic, I’m No Angel, the latest volumes of Hirayasumi and Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life, and more! Read our thoughts below! Cosmos (Vol. 5) • Hirayasumi (Vol. 9) • Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards (Vol. 9) • I’m No Angel (Vol. 1) •… Read More Reader’s Corner: I’m No Angel (Vol. 1), Cosmos (Vol.…

As one of our writers, Laura Grace, is wont to say: “Be still, my heart!” So much 2000s shoujo goodness in the lovely artwork below, with pieces depicting Fruits Basket, Kamisama Kiss, and Ouran High School Host Club. Can you feel the love?? ★ 【osu】 「 2000’s shoujo animes in my style 💗💗💗 」

The Nakanoshima Museum of Art in Osaka is having a special exhibition this summer featuring the famed Dutch artist, Johannes Vermeer, including his most recognizable piece: Girl with a Pearl Earring. Tsukasa Abe, the artist half of the duo behind Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, contributed an illustration as a collaboration piece, inspiring other artists, like… Read More Fanart Friday, Too:…

For the second episode of season two, I had the pleasure of sitting down with voice actor and ADR assistant director, Ben Stegmair (Daemons of the Shadow Realm, Kaiju No. 8). What immediately stood out to me about Ben’s story wasn’t just the work he’s doing today—it was how intentional his journey has been from… Read More Something Genuine Season 2, Ep. 2: Ben Stegmair on Mentorship, a Manga…

Kaiju, apocalyptic aliens, cryptid witches, and loving couples fill the pages of the volumes we’re reviewing this week. Read on to see if we recommend the latest releases of Dandadan, It Takes More Than a Pretty Face to Fall in Love, and more! The Color of the End: Mission in the Apocalypse (Vol. 3) •… Read More Reader’s Corner: Dandadan (Vol. 18), Kaiju No. 8 (Vol. 15), and Handyman Saitou in…

Happy Friday, otaku! Here I come again with another “old school” anime devo, but as Discotek Media says in all their sizzle reels, “Blu-rays are forever. So are the classics.” Speaking of them, they released today’s subject on Blu-ray a few years ago: Iria: Zeiram the Animation (1994). This six-episode OVA (original video animation) from… Read More A Relentless Enemy: Zeiram and the “Roaring…

Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc is one of the most explosive, coolest anime films in recent memory. Have you seen it? If not, it is now streaming on Crunchyroll. Beware, of course, because this is Chainsaw Man and the content can get graphic in all sorts of ways. ★ 【drmy】 「 Reze doodle… Read More Fanart Friday: Reze is Ready to Go

Who’s that Pokemon we see?? ★ 【Neg】 「 イーブイ姉弟の遭遇 」

Once Genos sees how overpowered Saitama is, he starts to revere him as almost a god—as something he’s not. In episode 43 of The Power of God and Anime Podcast, Mike looks to One Punch Man to consider how we sometimes change God into our own image as well. Plus, he has a new anime… Read More The Power of God and Anime, Episode 43: Genos, Saitama, and How We See Jesus

Season two of Something Genuine begins with a conversation about identity, reinvention, and the unexpected places where people find connection. TNT college football broadcaster, retired player, Notre Dame sports podcaster, and football analyst, Mike Golic, Jr., joins the series to discuss anime fandom, football culture, broadcasting, and what it felt like to start over after… Read More Something…