Author: Tynan Brooks
In the eighth episode of 2019’s Stars Align, Maki and Yuu — a star player and manager of a soft tennis team, respectively — are encouraged by the rest of their club to crossdress so that they can sneak into a crowd of female fans surrounding an upcoming rival’s practice sessions. As a classic plot beat in anime which has appeared in shows from Pokemon to Mob Psycho 1...
Author: Page Lyman
Naruto (referring to both Naruto and Naruto Shippuden) is a staple among anime fans new and old, alike. It ran from 2002-2017 across both iterations, meaning there was 15 years worth of episodes and stories that people were able to follow! That’s quite a long time and a large amount of content for fans to enjoy. Whether people were getting into the anime after starting the manga...
2020-01-29 05:16:15 +0000 UTC View PostNote: Due to a request to publish prior to the film's launch in North America, we will also be publishing the full article on Anime Herald later today. This is one of those "Exceptional Cases" we mentioned previously. Thanks for understanding!
Author: Seth Burn
Anime Herald: Had you read The Mysterious Journey From The Basement?
Ilya Kuvshinov: I had not, but I read the script for the film.
Anime Herald: How ...
2020-01-27 13:46:01 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor: Gabriel Leão
Content Warning: Contains frank discussions of sexual relations. Reader discretion is advised.
In the world of anime and manga, the Boys’ Love genre is often considered a controversial, albeit very segmented niche. Started by trailblazing and accomplished female mangaka in the 1970s, Boys’ Love depicts male homoerotic relationships, in most cases between young adults. Unsurpri...
2020-01-26 04:05:52 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor: MJ Warren
In the past, I’ve had the pleasure of reading several manga titles by Hiromi Takashima, especially her first work, Kase-san and Morning Glories. The title was the first in a series of manga books, which focuses on a romantic relationship between two high school girls: the shy, timid, “girly girl” Yamada, and to...
2020-01-24 05:09:57 +0000 UTC View PostMeeting Date: 1/18/2020
Disclaimer: The Herald Anime Club discusses shows as they’re airing. Naturally, there will be spoilers for a given episode. You have been warned!
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Samantha Ferreira: Hi everyone, and welcome to another week of the Herald Anime Club! I'm Samantha, and I'm here with Anthony Simpson.
Anthony Simpson: Evening
Samantha Ferreira: Tonigh...
2020-01-22 04:20:48 +0000 UTC View Post
Author: Anime Commentary
In Japanese history, the postwar period consisted of economic and cultural recovery from the devastating effects of World War II The victorious Allied forces installed a brief occupation government that controlled Japan between 1947 and 1952, with General Douglas MacArthur serving as the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP). With the position came an extensive reorganization of the country’s infrastructure and society. In Japanese history, the postwar peri...
2020-01-21 02:59:54 +0000 UTC View Post
As part of a joint effort between Anime Herald and the Warui Deshou podcast, we're proud to present the first two episodes of Warui Deshou's discussions on Keep Your Hands off Eizouken! as early access episodes for our patrons. Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Hey folks! Welcome, friends, to the Warui Deshou Podcast, an anime podcast that’s so bad it loops back around to being good. Or so we hope. It’s our pleasure to be partnering with Anime Herald to bring you all our discussion po...
2020-01-17 04:52:39 +0000 UTC View Post
Meeting Date: 1/11/2020
Disclaimer: The Herald Anime Club discusses shows as they’re airing. Naturally, there will be spoilers for a given episode. You have been warned!
-----------------------
Samantha Ferreira: Hi everyone, and welcome to the Herald Anime Club! I'm Samantha, and I'm here with L.B. Bryant and Anthony Simpson.
Anthony Simpson: Evening
L.B. Bryant: Hello
Sam...
2020-01-15 02:50:31 +0000 UTC View Post
As part of a joint effort between Anime Herald and the Warui Deshou podcast, we're proud to present the first two episodes of Warui Deshou's discussions on Keep Your Hands off Eizouken! as early access episodes for our patrons. Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Hey folks! Welcome, friends, to the Warui Deshou Podcast, an anime podcast that’s so bad it loops back around to being good. Or so we h...
2020-01-11 21:58:39 +0000 UTC View Post
Article By: L.B. Bryant
Author: Hiroyuki
Publisher: Irodori Aqua
Review Copy?: Yes
As recently as a year ago, Rolling Stone published an article, which states that approximately four to five percent of the population ...
2020-01-11 03:36:46 +0000 UTC View PostIn 1910, scholar Kunio Yanagata published published a collection of stories, entitled Tono Monogatari. This collection of folktales compiles myths from the city of Tono, located in Iwate Prefecture (found within the Tōhoku region of northeastern Honshu). He gathered these tales from Kizen Sasaki, a...
2019-12-24 01:56:59 +0000 UTC View PostIn English-speaking countries, it’s become almost a given to see manga on store shelves next to western comics. It really isn’t too much of a stretch to assume that readers expect a manga that becomes even somewhat successful in Japan to receive an English release at some point.
This is not the case in my home country of Denmark. While I remember manga translated into Danish being available on sto...
2019-12-18 15:13:17 +0000 UTC View Post
If you thought that the first half of The Ancient Magus’ Bride got a bit too dark at points, then brace yourself: you’re about to dive into twelve more episodes of “you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!
In the second half of this series, we learn much more about Chise’s tragic and violent past with her birth mother and meet a handful of new friends. At the same time, El...
2019-12-16 17:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post
Note: This was a piece that I was hoping to have out around Anime Boston time... but due to some scheduling issues and, well, life getting in the way, it was delayed. Still, it felt wrong to not share it with everybody. I hope you enjoy it.
-Sam
Since its creation, Bad Anime, Bad! has become a staple of the Anime Boston experience. Part stand-up act, part cavalcade of the horribles, the event has grown in...
2019-12-14 03:23:51 +0000 UTC View Post
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Sleeping Dogs and the Yakuza game series.
Now that we’ve examined the chaotic playgrounds that are Grand Theft Auto and Akiba's Trip, it’s only apt to look at a pair of games that place value on some manner of order. This time, I'll be comparing Sleeping Dogs, a 2006 title from Canadian studios United Front Games and Square Enix, and Sega’s ...
2019-12-09 02:44:51 +0000 UTC View PostThe ways that video games from across the globe tackle similar topics has always been fascinating to me. It's only been in the past decade, though, that I've been able to start piecing together the why and explain how different takes on a similar theme or concept can result in wildly different experiences. The reasons usually come down to a matter of cultural differences, which especially apply to games set in modern times, with otherwise contemporary foci or styles. That said, the s...
2019-11-29 17:01:01 +0000 UTC View Post
On November 20, far too many fans to count came together to share an experience that had long been forgotten. That night, after fourteen long years, fans received their first experience with Sakura Wars.
As the clock struck 9:00PM Eastern, a low, murmuring chatter arose on social media as gamers logged into the Japanese PSN store. Clicking through the market's countless tiles all vying for attention, they zeroed in on one image that had been drilled into their minds for months.
One by one, they found w...
2019-11-24 06:33:54 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor: MJ Warren
The fates have decided that we return to the world of swords, sorcery, and multi-targeting moms. The third volume of Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks? hit North American retailers just as the anime adaptation hit the airwaves in Japan. Frankly, if you’ve been reading along to this point, then you’re likely unsurprised by the anime’s events. I did have t...
2019-10-27 00:29:55 +0000 UTC View Post
Author: L.B. Bryant
At the tail end of 1993, I was eleven years old. By this time in my life, I had played a few video games, and I knew that I particularly enjoyed role-playing games. Despite this, I had yet to find a game that truly captured my imagination. Sure, I had games that I enjoyed playing, but I never finished any of them. I’d often forget that they existed after only a few weeks each time I started anew. Lunar: The Silver Star for Sega CD changed that, and it’s not an overstateme...
2019-10-18 02:40:56 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor: Jonathan Kaharl
Of the many games I’ve played over the years, Luminous Arc on the Nintendo DS stands as one of my favorites. It was the first title released by Imageepoch, a mid-tier JRPG studio that sadly shuttered its doors with a very spotty record in 2015. For every Fate/Extra in their line-up, there was a Criminal Girls not far behind. Even Luminous Arc, ImageEpoch’s debut s...
2019-09-25 16:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor: L.B. Bryant
Hi, I’m L.B. and I have a not-so-secret confession to make. I enjoy crossplaying at anime conventions.
In the cosplay world, “crossplaying” is defined as the act of cosplaying a character of the opposite gender to one’s own. It’s equal parts art and hobby, which I’ve been absolutely addicted to for the better part of a decade.
My life as a crossplayer began innocently enough. I...
2019-09-16 16:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor: Ashley Hakker
Content Warning: Mild nudity used in a demonstrative context.
On July 3, 2000, Cartoon Network took its Toonami block to a galaxy far, far away. It was on this day that the block started airing Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki for fans who were fortunate enough to have American cable service. The run featured a unique brand of censorship, which included re-recorded dialogue, altered scenes and visual edits that included ‘Digital Bikinis’ drawn over nude characters.
<...
2019-09-12 16:41:18 +0000 UTC View PostAuthor: Jonathan Kaharl
Fans love self-insertion. There’s something exciting about being part of a story we’re familiar with, or getting to be a part of a fictional world we’ve come to know and love. For example, one of the smartest things ever done with the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise was to give their fans the ability to put their own characters into the spotlight. For all of the shortcomings found within Sonic Forces, it's hard to deny the enjoyment of seeing your little furry persona become...
2019-09-02 22:04:26 +0000 UTC View PostHi everybody,
As you know, things have been kind of quiet at the Herald for a while. To make a long story short, a lot has happened. :)
That said, in this period of radio silence that we've had, I've been given a lot of time to thing, and a lot of time to talk with some trusted friends and partners. Some of these have been in regards to a greater content strategy for 2020. Some chats have focused on ou...
2019-09-02 21:38:35 +0000 UTC View Post
This is a critical look into Love Me For What I Am ("FukaBoku", henceforth), a manga series by author Kata Konayama. In the article, Ashley takes a deep dive into the work, exploring the subversive drama and strong characters, who serve as guides (of sorts) through a very relatable presentation of Japan's LGBT+ community.
She notes situations like the "Accepting Qu...
2019-04-26 17:34:24 +0000 UTC View Post
This is a critical review of Funimation's first Blu-Ray set for The Ancient Magus' Bride.
Patreon funds paid for about one third of the cost of the Blu-Ray that was used for the review. The total cost of the set was $63.33 USD. Patron funds paid $20, while the rest of the cost came out-of-pocket.
-Samantha
2019-04-09 17:01:39 +0000 UTC View PostSo, I never expected to find these again. Like... ever. I was going through the file tree for Anime Dream's site, mostly to see what I could post to the old AD Twitter account. And, well... I found a bunch of old photos from Anime Boston 2003. The very first year was held at Boston's Park Plaza Hotel, and it was.... it was something special! These were originally published in a Media Spotlight, titled "Cosplay Critters Invasion!", which was my first-ever "on assignment" piece - it was awful, so I won't be pu...
2019-04-09 14:03:07 +0000 UTC View Post
Title: Family Ties With Locke The Superman: An Anime Origin Story
This is an op-ed from M. Gallery, in which he takes readers back to the distant past of the 1980s. They tell their tale of growing up in central California, and their first experiences with anime. They discuss how these moments led to a lifetime of fandom, and how it helped them to connect with their ...
2019-03-27 19:25:34 +0000 UTC View Post
Title: Anime Conventions in the UK, and How They Could Become Better
This is an op-ed from Pete Maunder, which examines his perspectives on the convention scene in the United Kingdom. The article draws from his years of experience as an attendee, as well as a volunteer, and what he sees as opportunities for growth.
