Senior Journalist - Gachiakuta is often praised for its art and aesthetic but criticized as structurally messy, with many viewers and readers describing it as full of plot holes rather than purposeful mysteries. When people hear the word “overhyped,” the usual retort is that critics offer no clear explanation or fail to justify their stance... But in this case, we’re providing grounded reasons why the series earns that label. This is not one journalist’s hot take, but a throu

Senior Journalist - So, the list of the top manga of the year, based on manga sales from Japan as reported by Oricon , is in, and a few of the West’s most beloved series didn’t make the cut. The ranking period spans from November 18, 2024 , to November 16, 2025 . Without further ado, here are the top 10 best selling manga series  and the top 50 best selling manga volumes .   Top 10 best-selling manga series: RANK./LAST YEAR'S RANK. TITLE [WRITER] ( MAGAZINE / PUBLISHER ) {NUM

Junior Journalist - Oh wow, here we go again — another “Why can’t women just stay in the kitchen castle and wait to be rescued?” manifesto disguised as a “pure storytelling critique.” Spare me. You’re not uncovering some ancient narrative wisdom; you’re speed-running the same tired misogyny% glitchless route that every internet incel forum has already done twice since breakfast. Let’s start with this whole “How hard is it to tell a simple damsel-in-distress story?”  thing. B

Senior Journalist - How hard is it to tell a simple damsel-in-distress story? And no, this is not about hating women or wanting women to be weak. If anything, that’s the modern mental programming. Always jumping to negative, sexist conclusions. Not everything is about hating women or wanting them to be inferior. It’s about telling the story correctly, which they failed to do in the first movie. In the first movie, Mario had to learn from Princess Peach how to be Super Mario .

Senior Journalist - Right to Left, Rumiko Takahashi creator of Inuyasha , Kazue Kato creator of Blue Exorcist , Katsura Hoshino creator of D.Gray-man , Hiromu Arakawa creator of Fullmetal Alchemist , and Kei Urana creator of Gachiakuta. Several months ago, I saw a few comments from men discussing Kei Urana, the creator of Gachiakuta, getting in her feelings after some male fan called her series “mid” (meaning average, mediocre, or just okay, rather than bad or terrible). She

Senior Journalist - I’m surprised they are coming out with an anime adaptation so soon, considering that Hiromu Arakawa, the creator, is a monthly mangaka. Daemons of the Shadow Realm only has 46 chapters as of October 2025. Clips from the first trailer Daemons of the Shadow Realm It took four years for Hiromu Arakawa to reach chapter 46. Unlike weekly series in Weekly Shonen Jump, which can publish 50 to 52 chapters a year and quickly build up source material, Daemons of t

Senior Journalist - This is the number one scan used to breakdown how Sailor Moon is this omnipotent, infinite, universe bust being that can wipe any other anime character from existence, preferable Goku. Let's debunk this scan shall we... First off, look who’s talking That line, “From what I am told, the mystical Silver Crystal is the source of all energy… and she who wields it will be ruler of all the universe.” is not coming from Sailor Moon or any neutral narrator . It i

Senior Journalist - The manga and mostly anime community is raving about episode 18 of Gachiakuta , which covers chapters 60 through part of 65. At the end of the fight between Riyo Reaper, a member of the Cleaners organization, and Noerde Hew Amozo, a member of the villainous Raiders, Riyo couldn’t beat Noerde, so she pulled out a gun to shoot her in vital mobility areas (allegedly) and revealed that she used to be an assassin. However, she had promised her Akuta team leader

Senior Journalist - This guy right here, Hideyoshi Andou, doesn't get much credit for his part in the weekly Shonen manga series Gachiakuta ... And here's why. The creators of Gachiakuta are Kei Urana and Hideyoshi Andou. And yes, we know that Kei Urana is the intial creator of the series as far as writier and illustrator, but Andou contributes significantly to background concepts, front cover art, and many of the graffiti designs that Urana says she doesn’t quite understand

Senior Journalist - Rei Urana, the acclaimed creator behind the hit manga Gachiakuta , recently spoke out on social media urging fans to stop using artificial intelligence to replicate or manipulate her artwork. On her official X (formerly Twitter) account, Urana wrote: “Style, lines, colors, design, etc. I have been honing my own weapons for many years. In other words, I would like you to refrain from using my artwork for AI.” Her statement highlights a growing concern among

Senior Journalist - To answer the question… yes and no. I’ve had arguments with mostly Generation Z, Alphas, and others in general about this for years. I’ve been watching anime for several decades. No point in arguing with them or anyone else. They are going to insist anime is everything because in Japan it just means animation and cartoon. Which is true, but outside of Japan it distinctly means Japanese animation. In Britannica it is defined as “a style of animation that

Senior Journalist - As a fan and someone who pays close attention to this industry from a more journalistic angle, this whole situation really rubs the wrong way. This below meme going around is downright misleading. Kei Urana did not tell the fan who called her series “mid” to “get a real job.” She actually said, “You go to work.” Those are two completely different statements, and that distinction matters. If she had actually said “get a real job,” that would have been deepl

Senior Journalist - I know the internet is roasting Rent-a-Girlfriend as the worst rom-com ending in manga history. Fans are furious, calling Chapter 380 trash and wishing the author would burn in manga hell for dragging readers through four years of emotional investment only to deliver a cold, anticlimactic finale. But what if… that’s exactly the feeling Reiji Miyajima wanted us to have? What if the ending wasn’t about payoff, but a painful wake-up call . One that forces re

Senior Journalist A conversation with a friend about Demon Slayer  author Koyoharu Gotouge recently got me thinking about the cultural assumptions some western fans bring to anime. He thought Gotouge kept their gender a secret to avoid gender discrimination in Japan, which made me laugh out loud! I’ve seen this idea floating around online, and it’s so American-centric. Sometimes, we push our own social struggles onto other cultures, assuming our views must be universal.   Her

Senior Journalist - Look… I get why Reiji Miyajima made the characters and the story the way he did to push its concept/central plot, which is the title. But the main female character, Chizuru Ichinose, doesn’t deserve the main character, Kazuya Kinoshita. I found myself getting pissed off from time to time with Chizuru’s reactions to Kazuya. Most of the time, when Kazuya compliments her, shows sincere concern, or is willing to help her, she makes this face right here (pictur

Senior Journalist - This is my take on this unique but antecedent anime. The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen is about a young lady whose soul is reincarnated into the body of an 8-year-old princess named Pride, who grows up to be the villain in her respective world. The reincarnated young lady knows this because, in her world, Pride and Pride’s world is a video game she used to play. She tries to change things due to the horror she knows Pride inflicts on everyone around her

Nintendo fans, mark your calendars! The second installment of The Super Mario Bros. Movie is officially set to hit theaters in Japan on April 24, 2026. This exciting announcement was made by none other than Shigeru Miyamoto on June 17, 2024, via Nintendo's X (formerly Twitter) account. According to a translated post: “Hello, this is Miyamoto. We will be broadcasting a Nintendo Direct tonight, but before that, I would like to make an announcement. The release date for the new