"I write a certain amount every morning, but I do it while I'm engaging in "gameplay" within an imaginary world." ― This past December, Hironobu Sakaguchi, the man known as “The Father of Final Fantasy,” brought an upgraded remaster of his studio's latest JRPG to PC and consoles with Fantasian Neo Dimension. Recently, ANN asked him a few questions about his return to making traditional turn-based RPG...

your score

Your Anime Rankings - Best of Winter 2025, Jan 29-Feb 4

Feb 9, 18:30 anime

Medalist breaks into the top 5 cumulative, while From Bureaucrat to Villainess emerges as a surprise comedy hit. 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 rankings are bas...

review

7 comments

One Piece Film Red 4K SteelBook Blu-ray Review

Feb 9, 12:00

7 comments

anime

One Piece Film Red is a feast for the eyes and ears, but is more spectacle than substance. ― Disc 1 – The Movie One Piece movies can be understood to come in two distinct types: Arcs summaries, such as The Desert Princess and the Pirates: Adventures in Alabasta, or a single new adventure, complete with a new character to be rescued and a new bad guy to be defeated. One Piece: Red is an example of the...

game review

8 comments

Neptunia Riders VS Dogoos Game Review

Feb 8, 12:00

8 comments

games

I had a decent amount of fun riding around power-sliding through goofy dog slimes and the game never takes itself too seriously to get upset about the shallow plot or simple visuals. ― Neptunia Riders vs Dogoos is one of the stranger games that I've reviewed here for ANN. As far as Neptunia goes, it's something of an institution at this point. Starting back in 2010 on the Playstation 3, the series fo...

review

1 comment

Kawaii Cafe Ramen Cookbook Review

Feb 7, 12:00

1 comment

novels

The number one thing this book taught me was that making homemade ramen isn’t nearly as difficult as I always assumed it would be. ― Has any singular food been made to look more great more often in anime than ramen? Naruto, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Ponyo, Ramen Akaneko, Food Wars—the list of anime that are notable for having excellent looking ramen can go on, and on, and on. And even ...

column

41 comments

This Week in Games - Censorship in Japan

Feb 7, 11:00

41 comments

games

Jean-Karlo flips the perspective and looks at games that had to be censored before their Japanese release, from Abe's Odyssey to Lollipop Chainsaw. ― Welcome back, folks! With February, it's finally Black History Month. It's a good time to read up on the many important Black members of the game industry who have shaped our hobby. This can include voice actors like Cree Summers or John Eric Bentley, i...

interview

6 comments

Bringing Übel Blatt to the Screen - An Interview with Director Takashi Naoya

Feb 7, 09:00

6 comments

anime

Director Naoya shares the reasoning behind some of the anime's story changes and how the team brought Köinzell's vengeance to life. ― Etorouji Shiono's Ubel Blatt manga may seem like an odd choice for a contemporary anime adaptation at first blush - the series was serialized between 2004 and 2019, and it definitely retains the feel of its era of dark fantasy with its grimdark qualities and moments of...

news

4 comments

Kizetsu Yūsha to Ansatsu Hime Manga Gets Anime

Feb 6, 16:44

4 comments

anime

Norishiro-chan, Yukiji Setsuda debuted manga about shy hero targeted by 3 beautiful assassins in October 2022 ― Yukiji Setsuda revealed in the 10th compiled book volume of author Norishiro-chan and artist Setsuda's Kizetsu Yūsha to Ansatsu Hime (The Faint Hero and the Assassin Princesses) manga on Friday that the series is getting an anime. The manga debuted in Akita Shoten's Weekly Shonen Champion m...

column

The ANN Aftershow - New Year, New Anime!

Feb 6, 14:30 anime

James and Lynzee are back for 2025: we'll discuss some of the most promising anime from the Winter 2025 season and whatever else floats our boat. ― New Year, New Anime! James and Lynzee are back for 2025: we'll discuss some of the most promising anime from the Winter 2025 season and whatever else floats our boat. The views and opinions expressed in the After Show belong solely to the show's particip...

review

8 comments

Days With My Stepsister Anime Series Review

Feb 6, 12:00

8 comments

anime

Despite its run-of-the-mill storyline, there is a surprisingly cinematic style to it that makes it stand out among other romance stories of its ilk. ― With a title like Days With My Stepsister, you might already expect how this story will unfold. But this is just at first glance. Despite the tale dipping its feet into the taboo waters of NBR relationships, the anime does what it can to subvert its g...