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AnimeYasuke Is A Full-Circle Moment For Black Anime Fans
Watching the first episode of Yasuke, Netflix’s new fantastical animated show about the life of a Black samurai, I started to cry. I remembered how it felt to be a 16-year-old girl watching anime in the nighttime darkness of my living room. Watching Yasuke, with its titular Black character kicking ass to a soundtrack by…
By Ash Parrish Published May 6, 2021 -
AnimeDemon Slayer Is First Japanese Movie To Top The US Box Office Since Original Pokémon Movie
The Demon Slayer feature film was a box office juggernaut in Japan, surpassing Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away as the biggest earning feature film in Japan. It’s also doing very, very well in the US. Originally, there was concern about how the movie would do considering its R rating. The movie, however, set a box office…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 4, 2021 -
AnimeGold Gundam Statues Go On Sale In Japan For Only $240,000
Like Gundam? Have lots of money? Well, does a Japanese jewelry company have a product for you. Several, actually. Here’s a trio of pure golden Gundam statues, with the larger ones costing a whole lot of money—and the smaller one still costing a lot of money, too. The RX-78-2 Gundam Beam Rifle version measures 180mm…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 3, 2021 -
AnimeDragon Ball Composer Shunsuke Kikuchi Dies At 89
Famed composer Shunsuke Kikuchi has died from pneumonia, Oricon reports. He was 89. Kikuchi was born in Aomori Prefecture in 1931. He made his music debut in 1961 and went on to compose for an array of iconic shows, including the themes for Kamen Rider and Doraemon. His “Doraemon no Uta” (Doraemon’s Song) with lyrics…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 28, 2021 -
AnimeWatch Anime Style Paint Jobs Bring Figures To Life
Over the years, Kotaku has featured the work of artists specializing in anime-style paint jobs (here, here, and here, for example). Now let’s watch as YouTuber MA-Man shows how it’s done. While the clips are in Japanese, even if you don’t speak the language, you can follow along as MA-Man does an anime paint job…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 28, 2021 -
AnimeDespite R-Rating And Pandemic, Demon Slayer Sets Box Office Record In North America
Earlier this spring, when it was announced that Demon Slayer was getting a dreaded R-rating in the US, there was concern that this could impact the movie’s performance. Those concerns, it seems, were wrong. According to AFP, Demon Slayer earned $19.5 million in the United States and Canada during its opening weekend, which is the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 26, 2021 -
AnimeDude Trains Like One-Punch Man During The Pandemic, Gets Buff
Back in 2019, in the before times, Kotaku reported that an investor named Sean trained like One-Punch Man for thirty days and got in terrific shape. Now, in 2021, another dude has trained like the character for a whole year. As Yutara reports, YouTuber Jigoku Dera Guren Maru started at 82.7 kilograms (182 pounds). But…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 23, 2021 -
AnimeThe Mysterious Girl On The My Neighbor Totoro Poster
On the original poster for Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbor Totoro, as well as on the DVD and Blu-ray cover, there is a mysterious girl standing next to Totoro. She isn’t Satsuki or Mei, and this girl does not appear in the movie. Yet, there she is. Below is the scene that appears in My Neighbor…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 19, 2021 -
AnimeDrink Up This Ghost In The Shell Japanese Booze
Joining the likes of other geeky sake comes a line of Ghost in the Shell-themed stuff. Kanpai! Previously, there has been Pac-Man, Yakzua, and Final Fantasy branded sake. Now, three bottles, each with characters from Ghost in the Shell, will be released in Japan. According to Kurand (via Grape and PR Times), there is a…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 16, 2021 -
AnimeAt 79 Years Old, Gundam Creator Yoshiyuki Tomino Is Still Competitive
Yoshiyuki Tomino is an anime legend. At the age of 79, you might think he’s checked out, retired, and is taking it easy. You’d be wrong. As reported on 2ch, in a recent interview on Japanese TV, Tomino talked about what keeps him going. He mentioned how giant robot shows are aimed at kids, but…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 15, 2021 -
AnimeTattoos Removed For Anime’s Chinese Release
In the anime The Way of the Househusband, the main character, former yakuza boss Tatsu, is covered in tattoos. But for Chinese release, all that ink has been removed. Tattoos are connected to yakuza culture, with members getting elaborate, expensive designs. Not all yakuza get tattoos, just as not all people with tattoos in Japan…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 12, 2021 -
AnimeHideaki Anno Says Evangelion Is A “Robot Anime”
Over the years, Evangelion fans have often pointed out that the large Eva units are not actually giant robots. As the EvaWiki explains, “Evangelions are often mistaken for giant robots, but as early as Episode 02 Evangelion Unit-01 is seen without its helmet on, revealing that Evangelions are clearly not robots, but cyborgs, living creatures…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 12, 2021 -
AnimeYour Spring 2021 Anime Guide
Spring is in the air! That only means one thing. Actually, it means several things, but one of them is that it’s time for a new season of anime. What are you interested in? What are you watching? What are you not watching? Have a look and let us know in the comments down below.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 8, 2021 -
AnimeWhy Studio Ghibli’s Anime Food Always Looks So Delicious
Watching Studio Ghibli movies can make you hungry. The food always looks so darn good. But why? There has to be a reason for this, and producer Toshio Suzuki has it. Recently on Twitter, Studio Ghibli’s official account fielded an array of questions, with Suzuki answering. One person asked the following: “Why is it that…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 5, 2021 -
AnimeLegal Action Being Taken To Prevent Attack on Titan Manga Upload Leaks And Spoilers
After eleven and a half years, the Attack on Titan manga is drawing to a close. There are already steps being taken to prevent illegal uploads. “Regarding illegal upload and pre-release leakage of Attack on Titan,” wrote the manga’s editor on Twitter, “we’ve begun to take legal actions against several accounts and individuals. We’ll take…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 31, 2021 -
AnimeAnime Tokyo Babylon 2021 Canceled Due To Plagiarism, But New Version Planned
Originally scheduled for this April, Tokyo Babylon 2021 was delayed last December after the anime had apparently based character designs on a promotional photo of K-pop star Yeri from Red Velvet as well as another source without permission. Now, it’s been announced the anime will be canceled, with plans to start again anew. Tokyo Babylon…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 29, 2021 -
AnimeFamed Anime Studio Wit Made A Stop-Motion Anime And It’s Very Cute
Wit Studio, perhaps best known for the Attack on Titan anime, is expanding its repertoire. This week, the studio released a stop-motion anime, and it’s very cute. Founded in 2012, Wit is a subsidiary of Projection I.G. Last December, Wit created its own stop-motion studio in order to, as IT Media reports, meet the needs…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 25, 2021 -
Anime
Online Hate Took Evangelion Creator Hideaki Anno To A Dark Place
Hideaki Anno, the creator of Evangelion, is an anime icon. He says he’s done with the series. With its fame and popularity came haters, who took him to a very dark place. At one point, twisted online comments made Anno contemplate dying by suicide. In a recently aired NHK program, Anno opened up to film…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 23, 2021 -
AnimeAnime-Themed Gaming Chair Has A Katana Holder
Forget a place to hold your drink or snacks! This Demon Slayer-themed gaming chair from Lenovo has a place to store a katana. The motif is designed to resemble the character Giyu Tomioka, with the cushions’ patterns reflecting his threads. The chair even comes with a Nichiren Blade replica. Lenovo isn’t selling these chairs (bummer!)…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 19, 2021 -
AnimeDemon Slayer Anime Film Slapped With R-Rating In The US
Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train is the highest-grossing film in Japanese movie history. Now, the movie is headed to US theaters. With an R-rating. Released last fall, the animated feature became a box office juggernaut, surpassing the previous earnings king Spirited Away. As Deadline reports, the movie made $100 million at…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 18, 2021