Sony has made an offer to Kadokawa to purchase the multimedia conglomerate. What does this mean for the anime industry, and why does Sony want Kadokawa in the first place? ― George P. asks: I've noticed that several anime companies and distributors have been purchased by Sony: Right Stuf, Crunchy, and Funimation. They are currently in negotiations with Kadokawa. Why is this occurring now? Are big co...

game review

3 comments

Death Note Killer Within Game Review

Nov 25, 12:00

3 comments

games

From a technical standpoint, this isn't a terribly well-put-together game. It's not tearing at the seams, but its shortcomings are as numerous as they are apparent. ― If there was ever going to be an anime-flavored online social deduction game, Death Note was always the obvious choice for an IP to tie it to. Not only is it super popular, but what is Death Note if not one long social deduction game? ...

feature

9 comments

The Anime News Network Holiday Gift Guide

Nov 25, 10:00

9 comments

merch

Unlike boring catalogs, our gift guide is designed to help you find what the otaku in your life might be missing, from fancy Blu-ray sets to a Demon Slayer computer mouse to a solid gold Godzilla figurine. ― Anime News Network's 2024 Holiday Gift Guide Welcome to ANN's Holiday Gift Guide! Unlike boring catalogs, our gift guide is designed to help you find what the otaku in your life might be missing...

interview

Shinichiro Watanabe on How the John Wick Director Joined the Lazarus Anime Team

Nov 25, 09:00 anime

― Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Space Dandy, Carole & Tuesday – the legendary director behind all those blockbuster anime – Shinichiro Watanabe – is dropping a new anime, Lazarus, premiering on Adult Swim's Toonami in 2025. Watanabe did a ton of promotion at New York Comic-Con, and Anime News Network was able to speak with him about Lazarus, past projects, music, and more. WATANABE MULTIVERSE How ...

news

3 comments

Shabake Novels Get TV Anime in 2025

Nov 25, 06:00

3 comments

novels anime

Daiki Yamashita stars in adaptation of historical fantasy novel series ― Aniplex announced on Monday that Megumi Hatakenaka's Shabake historical fantasy novel series is inspiring a television anime series that will debut in 2025. The novels' story is set in Edo, and centers on a sickly but kind-hearted young man, and the mysterious spirit that watches over him. Daiki Yamashita will star in the anime ...

news

1 comment

The Dinner Table Detective Novels Get TV Anime in 2025

Nov 25, 04:31

1 comment

novels anime

Anime to feature original character designs by Firefly Wedding's Oreko Tachibana ― Shogakukan opened a website on Monday to announce that Tokuya Higashigawa's The Dinner Table Detective (Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de) novel series is getting a television anime that will debut in 2025. Manga creator Oreko Tachibana (Firefly Wedding, Promise Cinderella) is designing the original characters for the anime...

news

7 comments

Highspeed Étoile Anime Has New Anime Project in the Works

Nov 24, 19:42

7 comments

anime

Designer Takuya Fujima posts after event for original TV anime about future motorsport ― Illustrator and manga creator Takuya Fujima reported in a post on their X (formerly Twitter) account on Sunday that the original television anime Highspeed Étoile has a new anime project in the works. Fujima did not reveal the format or any other details of the new anime project. The artist had taken part in the ...

news

17 comments

Netflix Subpoenas Discord in Investigation of Post-Production Partner Leaks

Nov 24, 13:00

17 comments

anime industry

Episodes of Ranma 1/2, DAN DA DAN; whole Mononoke film leaked on sites such as 4chan ― ANN can confirm that The Northern District of California court issued a subpoena on Thursday to compel Discord to share information that could help identify users allegedly involved in the recent Netflix leaks of anime episodes and anime films, as well as other animated and live-action works. Netflix filed the requ...

review

My Classmate Ren-kun is Kinda Scary Manga Review

Nov 24, 12:00 manga

My Classmate Ren-kun is Kinda Scary is, in a word, frothy. ― The narrator of this story isn't the romantic lead. That's probably the most interesting aspect of the book – it's narrated by a mostly nameless girl (we learn her name in the author's afterword, but never in the story proper) as she observes the boys on either side of her in class. It works fairly well as a framing device, particularly sin...

news

6 comments

You and I Are Polar Opposites Manga Gets TV Anime in January 2026 by Lapin Track

Nov 24, 10:09

6 comments

anime

Kōcha Agasawa's Shonen Jump+ romantic comedy manga ended on Monday ― A website opened on Monday to announce a television anime of Kōcha Agasawa's romantic comedy You and I Are Polar Opposites (Seihantaina Kimi to Boku). Lapin Track will animate the project for a January 2026 premiere. The manga also ended on Shueisha's Shonen Jump Plus platform on Monday. Manga Plus publishes the series in English an...

interview

1 comment

From Music Videos to Feature Film: An Interview with A Few Moments of Cheers Director POPREQ

Nov 24, 09:00

1 comment

anime

Why don't I try [the art path] just once and see what I can do? And, if in the end, I find out that I don't have any talent, I will just give up. That's how I got started." ― Recently at the Tokyo International Film Festival, I sat down with POPREQ, the director of the recent film A Few Moments of Cheers. Throughout our conversation, we talked about the film's production and how much of its story com...

review

2 comments

Who Made Me a Princess Volumes 4 - 6 K-Comics Review

Nov 23, 12:00

2 comments

korean

Who Made Me a Princess was good in its first three books, but it's very good in its second. The final three volumes should be excellent if things continue on this trajectory. ― It's practically narrative law that if the villainess character turns out to be good, the heroine must be bad. We've seen that play out over a plethora of series, and while there are exceptions, it happens often enough to feel...

interview

8 comments

Directors Takahito Sakazume and Shun Enokido on Adapting Fate/strange Fake to the Small Screen

Nov 23, 09:00

8 comments

anime

Learn more about their philosophy when it comes to adapting the novels into animation and the involvement of the original author, Ryohgo Narita. ― As the Fate series celebrates its 20th anniversary, Anime News Network was able to speak with Shun Enokido and Takahito Sakazume, the directors of the upcoming anime Fate/strange Fake. Together we talked about their history with the series, their philosoph...

your score

1 comment

Your Anime Rankings - Best of Fall 2024, Nov 12-18

Nov 22, 19:10

1 comment

anime

The Do-Over Damsel has been pulling herself up for the last two weeks; we'll have to see if she can keep it up from here. Find out where your favorites rank this week! ― 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 these ranking...

review

Our Aimless Nights Manga Review

Nov 22, 12:00 manga

By no means is this a deep, page-turning tale of love and lust, and it's not really meant to be. ― The risk in naming your manga Our Aimless Nights is that the adjective is already giving too much away. This two-volume manga has its narrative meandering around in certain areas, although this serves as a good thing. Teenage romances with all of their awkward tendencies are never exactly straightforwar...

column

19 comments

This Week in Games - Welcome Back To The Stage

Nov 22, 10:00

19 comments

games

The Game Award nominees are out with contentious rule changes, like including DLC for "Game of the Year." Plus, Shenmue III finds a new home and Riviera is coming to Switch! ― Welcome back, folks! I had a fun experience this past weekend: I checked out a local game store and played a few rounds of the Digimon card game. It's really fun! I'm especially taken with the "Hatching" mechanic, where you can...

feature

14 comments

Who is DAN DA DAN Heartthrob Ken Takakura?

Nov 22, 09:00

14 comments

anime manga live-action

The '60s-'70s era action film star stole Momo Ayase's heart. Here's why he should steal yours, too. ― “I am an awkward fellow, after all.” These are the words that make Momo Ayase's heart swoon in Yukinobu Tatsu's romantic paranormal phenomenon Dan Da Dan. Originally uttered by the man of her dreams, classic film actor Ken Takakura, these words eventually catch her off-guard when repeated by her UFO-...