This is the story of a young man who will do what must be done but nonetheless strives for an unobtainable ideal—not just for his people but also the enemies he comes across. ― The first season of As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill was centered around putting the band together. With Ritsu, Ars gains the ultimate warrior, and with Charlotte the ultimate mage. He gains the ultima...

review

Hell is Dark with No Flowers Volume 1 Manga Review

Jan 24, 12:00 manga

Somewhere between xxxHoLiC and Hell Girl lies Hell is Dark with No Flowers. ― Somewhere between xxxHoLiC and Hell Girl lies Hell is Dark with No Flowers. If you think I've made that comparison before, you're right – Matsuri's Phantom Tales of the Night can also be described that way. But Hell is Dark with No Flowers, based on the novel of the same name by Yoru Michio, is the better use of the descrip...

column

11 comments

This Week in Games - Remembering David Lynch and His Influence on Games

Jan 24, 11:00

11 comments

games

Jean-Karlo looks at Lynch's influence across video game history, from Zelda to Persona. ― Welcome back, folks! Longtime readers might recall that back in October of 2023, I found an old copy of the Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja artbook from Japan. I had mentioned that artist Yoshida On had also made a doujinshi featuring some of his early sketches for the characters and how I likely would nev...

interview

8 comments

A Chat with Lena Atanassova, Editor-in-Chief of TOKYOPOP

Jan 24, 09:00

8 comments

manga

Rebecca Silverman talks to Atanassova about her history with TOKYOPOP, the publisher's LGBTQ+ imprints, and how they're trying to maintain readers' trust. ― As a manga publisher, TOKYOPOP has undergone some difficulties, a statement some readers may think is an understatement. But in its new incarnation, the publisher has made a lot of good changes with solid choices in titles and a dedication to pr...

review

3 comments

Most Notorious "Talker" Runs the World's Greatest Clan Anime Series Review

Jan 23, 12:00

3 comments

anime

There is a lot to The Most Notorious "Talker" Runs the World's Greatest Clan that feels one note, but it’s quite the note if you’re in the mood for some anti-hero cheese. ― There is a lot to The Most Notorious "Talker" Runs the World's Greatest Clan that feels one note, but it's quite the note if you're in the mood for some anti-hero cheese. This is a light novel adaptation that really, really lives ...

column

53 comments

This Week in Anime - Viewer Discretion is Advised

Jan 23, 10:00

53 comments

anime

Recent cuts to Macross 7 Dynamite give Chris and Coop a chance to talk about trusting viewers to make their own choices about what's comfortable for them to watch. ― Recent cuts to Macross Dynamite 7 give Chris and Coop a chance to talk about trusting viewers to make their own choices about what's comfortable for them to watch. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this...

game review

2 comments

Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero Game Review

Jan 23, 09:00

2 comments

games

If any of you are outsiders sitting on the fence, take it from me: This game is pretty neat! ― I've always wanted to dig into the beloved-but-niche JRPGs from Nippon Ichi Software (a.k.a. “NIS”), especially the Disgaea games, but I've always been intimidated by their reputations for containing complex and finicky systems that require a real commitment to number crunching and min-maxing. When the oppo...

game review

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete Game Review

Jan 22, 12:00 games

Pocket Camp Complete is perfectly designed to be playable in bite-sized chunks, a relaxing experience when you just need a brief moment of escape. ― I am not, by and large, a mobile gamer. I'll play games on my clunky old Galaxy A03 every so often, but it's rarely my first choice of platform. That's important to mention because Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete was a game I found myself coming ba...

feature

80 comments

The State of Isekai Anime

Jan 22, 09:00

80 comments

anime

Miles Atherton Thomas crunched the data on one of anime's biggest sub-genres. What makes isekai anime popular, and what kinds of isekai are fans watching the most? ― The State of Isekai, 2025 If you wanted to characterize “the biggest trends in anime of the last decade,” you might be inclined to narrow in on anime's increasingly global presence or the exploding volume of new TV anime being produced....