Chris and Steve dive into Naoki Urasawa and Studio M2's Pluto anime and discuss why "aging up" a property intended for children can be a perfect sandbox for broader commentary.
Nov 2, 2023 • Subscribe
More like this
Frieren is a Fantasy Masterclass
Frieren is a Fantasy anime that revolves around an elf who has been alive for thousands of years. We experience what kind of life she lives after she…
This Week in Anime - Is Bubble a Flop?
Bubble boasts big names like Tetsuro Araki, Gen Urobuchi, Takeshi Obata, and Hiroyuki Sawano, but does the appeal of this blockbuster sci-fi romance deflate upon further inspection?
The Luz Clawthorne Saga is a Masterclass in Ambition
RJ Writing Ink Interviews JP-Ryder and BuckJohnson, Co-Author’s of The Owl House fanfic series, The Luz Clawthorne Saga. Several months ago, The Owl House, the popular Disney show…
This Week in Anime - Is Cygames a Mark of Anime Quality?
Known primarily for their involvement in mobile games, Cygames has quietly been producing some of the best, most farcical anime of the last decade.
This Week in Anime - Is Sakugan Underrated?
Like the show's premise, Sakugan has stayed under the radar, but it might be the best show you aren't watching.
This Week in Anime - Cyberpunk Edgerunners is a Certified Crowdpleaser
Trigger has done it again, this time with its anime based on the tabletop-RPG-turned-multi-platform-video-game, Cyberpunk Edgerunners. Strap in for the capital-A Adult anime full of gore, boobs, and…
Kaiju Masterclass II this weekend!
This weekend is Kaiju Masterclass, the second annual meeting of the premiere online convention for all things kaiju-related. There’re lots of cool guests this year, including Ryuhei Kitamura,…
This Week in Anime - Is Tomo-chan is a Girl! a Perfect Rom-Com?
Steve and Nicky check out this season's stand-out romantic comedy starring an athletic girl and her oblivious jock crush. Is this a new romantic comedy to add to…
This Week in Anime - Is Aria the Animation a Hidden Gem?
The original 2005 "healing" anime series is now officially streaming on Funimation, letting viewers travel to Neo Venezia for the very first time. Steve and Nick try to…
This Week in Anime - Is Spriggan Worth Watching?
Netflix revamps the classic action-adventure anime in a six-episode format. It's got a fresh coat of paint, but can Spriggan finally step out of Akira's shadow?
Why Pluto is a must-watch | Netflix anime
So I just watched the Netflix anime Pluto. This 8 episode series is based on a manga of the same name, written by Naoki Urasawa. Who is also…
This Week in Anime - Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is a Near-Perfect Anime Movie
Now streaming on Crunchyroll, you can catch the Jujutsu Kaisen prequel story in all its monster-loving horror. The movie is an undeniable good time, if only there wasn't…
This Week in Anime - A Study in Scarlet Nexus
"It's about the closest I've ever seen an anime come to just feeling like a YouTube compilation of all the cutscenes in Bloodborne, but with none of the…
This Week in Anime - Is There a Double-Standard for Same-Sex Relationships in Anime?
Following the obfuscation of Miorine and Suletta's marriage in Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury, Nick and Nicky discuss canon vs. non-canon and why the barrier to…
This Week in Anime - What is the Anime Localization Controversy?
Nick and Chris weigh in on the vitriol and misinformation swirling around AI usage and localization in anime and manga translation.
This Week in Anime - What Is An 'Anime Game,' Anyway?
Chris and Lucas try to quantify the 'vibe' that makes something an anime game; is it point of origin, art style, or something else?
This Week in Anime - Is takt op. Destiny A Poor Man's Symphogear?
Stunning character design, cool fight animations, and a beautiful soundtrack isn't enough to win over musician Steve Jones this week. Instead, takt op. Destiny only serves to remind…
This Week in Anime - Is Salaryman's Club Worth Watching
This sports series starring male office workers got off to a late start, but is it a hidden gem of the Winter 2022 season?
This Week in Anime - Is Romantic Killer Worth Watching?
Netflix's new "unromantic romance" centers on a teenage girl who values video games and her cat above any kind of romantic entanglement. When she's forced into the role…
The ANN Aftershow - Is the PLUTO Anime a Masterpiece?
The ANN Aftershow Crew dive into the long-awaited anime adaptation of Naoki Urasawa's PLUTO, and it might be one of the best series we've ever watched!
This Week in Anime - Is My Senpai is Annoying Worth Watching?
Don't take this romantic comedy at face value, the primary couple is far from "annoying." Nick and Jean-Karlo check out this series starring one short office lady, her…
This Week in Anime - Cramer
The prequel film raises the production a bit for Farewell, My Dear Cramer while expanding Nozomi's backstory. Come for the training montage, stay for the pre-game kidnapping.
This Week in Anime - Is Gundam 00's Craziness a Bug or a Feature?
Following the announcement of a new CG entry in the Gundam 00 universe, Jean-Karlo and Nick revisit the first arc of the anime series and all of its…
Pluto Is The Perfect Anime Adaptation.
The Pluto anime. Let's talk about it. Merch https://www.bonfire.com/store/masked-merch/?utm_source=copy_link&utm_medium=store_page_share&utm_campaign=masked-merch&utm_content=default Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/maskedasura Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/masked_asura Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_masked_asura/?igshid=OGQ2MjdiOTE%3D ► "Copyright Disclaimer, Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for 'fair use' for…
This Week in Anime - Is Vampire in the Garden Worth Watching?
Netflix's new five-episode anime series from Studio Wit takes the typical "vampire-human" war angle and crafts a love story. It's not reinventing the wheel, but it's a very,…
This Week in Anime - When Your Fav Anime Couple is Problematic
Chris and Nicky take on fandom shipping discourse and coming to grips with your problematic favorite couple.
This Week in Anime - When Your Fav Anime Protagonist is Problematic
Heroes who do bad things aren't new to anime, but when is a protagonist flawed and complex and when are they an irredeemable scumbag?
This Week in Anime - Is BEASTARS the Best Anime on Netflix?
The second season of BEASTARS brings us back to Cherryton Academy and hormones are as high as ever. What started as a murder-mystery in a school of animals…
This Week in Anime - Summit of the Gods is a Serious Oscar Contender
The French-animated adaptation of Jiro Taniguchi's manga follows two men obsessed with Mt. Everest. Together they'll face the unrelenting brutality of one of Earth's highest peaks in this…
This Week in Anime - A New Age of Anime Delinquents
Bucchigiri is reintroducing the anime world to delinquent culture, but is this homage to old-school bad boys refreshing or lost on modern audiences?
12 Moments In Anime 2023, #7: Pluto Is Finally Here!
In June of 2017, it was announced that Naoki Urasawas manga Pluto was going to get an anime via the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, along with a…
This Week in Anime - Why ODDTAXI is Must-Watch TV
ODDTAXI is the tightly-written noir we didn't know we needed. Nicky and Steve look into why this walrus-starring mystery cannot be missed.
This Week in Anime - Is Strong World Peak One Piece?
Suffering from One Piece withdrawal while the anime series is on hiatus? Netflix added One Piece Film Strong World to its line-up last month and it works as…
This Week in Anime - Is Nagatoro's Second Season Actually...Wholesome?
Nagatoro and Senpai are basically a couple at this point and the playing field has evened out. Their relationship is practically...pure now. Well, almost.
This Week in Anime - Is The Faraway Paladin Worth Watching?
This rather wholesome entry into the isekai subgenre features Will, a good boy raised by the undead. Nick and Jean-Karlo debate whether a good, straightforward fantasy can hold…
This Week in Anime - Is Godzilla Singular Point TOO Smart?
The fantastically animated spectacle looks promising, but is it bogged down by its sci-fi jargon script?
This Week in Anime - Is Fena More 'Princess' Than 'Pirate'?
Nick and Nicky catch up on the seafaring adventures of Fena: Pirate Princess but hit choppy waters when it turns out the story's titular character is given little…
This Week in Anime - What is Cyber City Oedo 808?
If you enjoyed Cyberpunk Edgerunners, it's time to get reacquainted with this OAV directed by Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust's Yoshiaki Kawajiri.
Cyber City Oedo 808, Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge, Vampire Hunter D, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
This Week in Anime - Is Do It Yourself Worth Watching?
This "girls join an ailing club" anime has stayed mostly under the radar, but its stellar animation and humorous character writing is reason enough to move it off…
This Week in Anime - AI Is Here, But Who Is It Helping?
If this tech is making things worse for the people who work on this material and those who want to enjoy it, then who exactly is it for?
This anime is a lot...
anime: Brigadoon: Marin to Melan song: Glimpse of Us 00:00 explaining 02:06 AMV
This Week in Anime - Navigating Anime Conventions
Anime conventions like Anime Expo and FanimeCon are the perfect place for anime enthusiasts from all walks of life to mingle and gather. Join Chris and Nicky this…
This Week in Anime - Halloween Anime Spooktacular
Happy Halloween, anime fans! We have a special TWIA on this extra spooky Tuesday. Nick and Nicky discuss their favorite horror series and compare notes on which anime…
This Week in Anime - What the Hell is Going On in Freakangels?
The post-apocalyptic series stars a group of psychics who try to protect Whitechapel from a former ally, but its production struggles to deliver either humor or action.
Heil Tanya the Evil: A Masterclass in Film Sequels
Word of warning this review will totally spoil the shit out of Youjo Senki aka Tanya the Evil, both the tv season and the recent film sequel. If…
This Week in Anime - Shigeru Mizuki
Halloween may have passed but that won't stop Nicky and Steve from taking a deep dive into the OG of horror manga, Shigeru Mizuki.
This Week in Anime - What is the Future of Anime and AI?
The AI wave reached anime shores a long time ago - will anime ever be the same again? Join Chris and Nicky this week in their discourse about…
This Week in Anime - Is Water Polo Anime RE-MAIN Worth Watching?
This MAPPA-animated series follows the typical sports series formula with an added mix of amnesia thrown in. Is there anything unique about it its Speedo-wearing cast?
This Week in Anime - When a Wife Guy Is Banished From the Hero's Party
Banished from the Hero's Party offers an appealing romance between a wife guy and a former adventurer princess... and then there's everything else.
This Week in Anime - Serving Up Laughs with The Devil is a Part-Timer
It took nearly a decade for a sequel, but what was it that made the first season of The Devil is a Part-Timer so unforgettable? Nicky and Steve…