Produced by Science Saru, DAN DA DAN boasts an expressive, highly stylized art style courtesy of character designer Naoyuki Onda, alien and monster designer Yoshimichi Kameda, color designer Satoshi Hashimoto, and lead series director Fuga Yamashiro.

While its over-the-top plot might not work for everyone, DAN DA DAN has plenty to offer anime fans, especially those who like to see the medium pushed to extremes – making it a worthwhile add to almost every anime fan’s watch list.

DAN DA DAN Hooks Into Its Audience & Refuses To Let Go

DAN DA DAN‘s initial plot summary is pretty to the point, following a self-described gyaru named Momo after getting dumped by her boyfriend on her way to school. Annoyed and somewhat dejected, she comes across a young man from a neighboring classroom getting picked on. After sticking up for him, he follows her and begins gushing about all things related to the occult – particularly, his vehement belief in aliens. Dubbing him “Occult-kun”, Momo tells him that she doesn’t believe in aliens, in fact, she’s hold a deep-seeded belief in ghosts – which, obviously Occult-kun (or Okarun), doesn’t believe in.

The two decide to have a challenge to see if they can prove the other wrong, which subsequently leads them to discovering that, not only are they both correct, but Okarun has been cursed by a malevolent spirit called Turbo Granny, and Momo’s newfound psychic abilities are the only thing keeping him from transforming into a ghoulish beast.

Obviously this is a lot of information for a first episode, but DAN DA DAN manages to execute everything extremely well while maintaining just enough mystery lurking beneath the surface to keep its hooks in its audience. The end of episode 1 also features a stunningly animated fight sequence featuring Momo and Okarun being pit against a troupe of alien invaders that left us begging to see what episode 2 had in store.

That isn’t to say the the story is without its faults, however, as something that may put off potential fans of the series is a pretty glaring plot point that very unabashedly makes itself very clear. DAN DA DAN gets pretty raunchy in its first episodes, with not only Okarun suffering having his manhood stolen from him by Turbo Granny when he got cursed, but Momo being threatened with a pretty dicey scene that had terrifying implications if Okarun hadn’t have swooped in to save her. Neither of these moments are drawn out past a visual threat and verbal confirmation, but for those sensitive to this kind of content, its something to keep in mind when going into DAN DA DAN.

Episodes 2 and 3 easily matched the same quality and energy of the first, following Momo and Okarun’s misadventures as they head back to the shrine Momo resides in with her grandmother, a spiritual medium. Episode 2 in particular shows off an incredibly unique sequence that shifts the anime to a monotone color palette with occasional pops of color to exemplify truly gorgeous action sequences.

It’s so easy to find oneself completely enamored by all the eccentricities in the anime, and DAN DA DAN succeeds in wearing its heart fully on its sleeve. DAN DA DAN isn’t just a love story, its a love song to all things weird. Science SARU, known for its successes with series like Devilman Crybaby and films like INU-OH, was a perfect choice to embody that specific brand of wild. The anime’s soundtrack, produced by Kensuke Ushio (Devilman Crybaby, Chainsaw Man) makes the already lively animation feel even more put together. The series was clearly a labor of love, and despite its one questionable plot point, is the perfect series to put at the top of just about any anime fan’s watch list.

Be sure to catch the official release of DAN DA DAN on Crunchyroll when it premieres on October 3, 2024. Special thanks to Crunchyroll for providing Attack of the Fanboy with advance screeners of DAN DA DAN episodes 1-3.

In January, The Pokemon Company confirmed that they were looking into allegations of infringement, and as officially announced by Nintendo on September 19, 2024, they’re officially opening up a lawsuit to protect their IP.

Officially filed by the Tokyo District Court, the lawsuit is seeking compensation for Palworld allegedly caused by Pocketpair infringing on game’s core game design.

This lawsuit seeks an injunction against infringement and compensation for damages on the ground that Palworld, a game developed by the Defendant, infringed multiple patent rights.

Nintendo

Currently, there are no specific details regarding what exactly The Pokemon Company is going after Pocketpair for, nor is there any public record of the lawsuit as of writing. Palworld has been the target of scrutiny since it launched, with many players noticing the similarities between Palworld‘s character designs, as well as the overall aesthetic of the game’s world. Additionally, the catching mechanic in the game is also eerily similar to that of Pokemon.

As of writing, Pocketpair made a minor statement regarding the lawsuit, calling it “truly unfortunate”. Until more context is given for what Nintendo is going after Pocketpair for, and the evidence they provide, fans will need to form their own opinions on the situation.

He does what I could have done if I’d just stayed home and streamed.

Ninja

The streamer goes on to say how he could replicate Kai’s success if he didn’t go to any outside industry events, “putting in crazy work” to make his streams “unique”. Obviously, fans didn’t love the comments, with many agreeing that the behavior reeked of bitterness. Kai Cenat echoed a similar sentiment, stating that he used to respect Ninja before hearing what he said about him.

The beef wasn’t exactly squashed, though, because in late August 2024, Ninja had more to say about Kai Cenat, with a compilation video being released revealing that Ninja has made a series of comments about Kai Cenat purposefully losing a Minecraft marathon for the entertainment value.

Asmongold weighed in on Ninja’s comments, saying that he feels as though Ninja can’t handle the competition.

Ninja seems to be a bad loser, and I think because of that, people keep trying to bait him for reactions when somebody does something that Ninja didn’t do… The problem is, he takes it too seriously.

Asmongold

In his response video, Asmongold made it clear whose side he’s on, maintaining that he supports Kai Cenat and his metoric rise to fame over the last year. Ninja hasn’t responded to any of Asmongold’s comments regarding him being a sore loser as of writing.

For fans wanting to relive the first season, or for new fans wanting to crash course everything that happened in season 1 so they an be caught up in time to enjoy season 2, Solo Leveling -Reawakening- will be debuting in select theaters in the US and Canada on December 6, 2024.

The film’s synopsis, provided by Crunchyroll, is as follows:

Solo Leveling -ReAwakening- features a catch-up recap of the first season coupled with an exclusive sneak peek of the first two episodes of the highly anticipated second season in one momentous theatrical fan experience.

Over a decade has passed since a pathway called a “gate” which connects this world and another dimension suddenly appeared, and people with superhuman powers called “hunters” have been awakened. Hunters use their superhuman powers to conquer dungeons inside the gates to make a living, and Sung Jinwoo, a hunter of the lowest rank, is considered the Weakest Hunter of All Mankind.

One day, he encounters a double dungeon, a high-level dungeon hidden inside a low-level one. In front of a severely wounded Jinwoo, a mysterious quest window pops up. On the verge of death, Jinwoo decides to take on the quest, which makes him the only person who can level up. 

Crunchyroll

The anime adaptation for Solo Leveling is produced by A-1 Pictures with motion graphics by Production I.G., and is based on the novel and manhwa of the same name by Chugong and DUBU. The anime adaptation is directed by Shunsuke Nakashige (Sword Art Online).

Solo Leveling season 2 has already been confirmed to be streaming on Crunchyroll once it begins airing in January 2025.

Pokimane has undoubtedly maintained her status as one of the most popular female streamers on Twitch ever since her rise to fame in 2016, averaging upwards of 10k viewers every time she goes live. The offer was allegedly so grand, the streamer got her manager involved to try and hash something out with Twitch.

Preferring to stay on Twitch, Pokimane got her manager involved to try and figure out a number to stay on the platform without feeling as though she was missing out on what YouTube presented her with.

Like, I can’t say no to life-changing money like that, especially when the other offer isn’t really comparable.

Pokimane

Apparently, Pokimane’s manager was able to get her on the phone with a Twitch executive, and after a considerable amount of back-and-forth, the Twitch employee asked, “What’s your number?” and ultimately matched YouTube’s offer.

Once she got in contact with YouTube to break the news, the video hosting site increased the offer, but Pokimane chose loyalty, telling them she gave Twitch her word.

I’m kind of an idiot maybe, because I was like ‘No, no, no. I can’t. I gave them my word.’

Pokimane

Interestingly, she’s now distanced herself from streaming exclusively on Twitch. As of January 2024, Pokimane revealed that she’s emotionally distanced herself from the site, saying the platform is messy and disorganized.

Amid the chorrific P. Diddy trial, Kesha has once again proven how incredible she is by further distancing herself from Diddy, changing an iconic lyric in her hit song “Tik Tok” to echo support for Diddy’s victims.

In the video, Kesha raises a middle finger while proudly echoing the updated opening line to the iconic song, saying “Wake up in the mornin’ like F**k P. Diddy.” This isn’t the first time Kesha has taken to calling out Diddy and his actions, either. When the allegations against Diddy were first brought forward, Kesha immediately distanced herself to support the victims, and when performing “Tik Tok” live at the Los Angeles Hollywood Palladium, completely cut his name out of the song entirely.

Fans love the lyric change, too, with fan comments confirming that this update is not only appreciated, but needed. This type of support shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering Kesha has a troubled history as a victim of predatory behavior in the music industry. Her history with Dr. Luke, which led to a decade-long legal battle after she called the producer out for rampant sexual abuse and other harmful allegations have no doubt made Kesha sympathetic to the plights of other women going through similar struggles trying to find their voice.

Fans of the influencer have been uncovering some not-so-benevolent traits regarding MrBeast’s business practices, with many ex-employees speaking out against him, claiming that the creator has fostered a toxic working environment.

The recent allegations against MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) have come to a head following a lawsuit against himself and Amazon over the conditions of his upcoming “Beast Games” show, with many comparing it to the catastrophic Fyre Festival.

The complaint was initially filed on September 16, 2024 in the LA Superior Court, with contestants who took part in the Beast Games, citing inhuman working conditions and chronic mistreatment, including allegations of sexual misconduct occurring on set, as well as the production’s failure to pay staff minimum wage. The five contestants filing against MrBeast are redacted – but raises some truly disturbing allegations about the show’s conditions.

Several contestants [were] up hospitalized, while others reported suffering physical and mental complications while being subjected to chronic mistreatment, degradation and, for the female contestants, hostile working conditions.

A statement from the lawsuit filed against MrBeast & Amazon

In addition to the identities of those filing against MrBeast being kept confidential, many of the details regarding the abuse contestants endured is also private, especially details regarding the onset sexual assault allegations.

The female contestants particularly and collectively suffered.

A statement from the lawsuit filed against MrBeast & Amazon

This news couldn’t have come at a worse time, since MrBeast just announced a new collaboration with Logan Paul and KSI on their new “Lunchly” product launch, a premade meal aimed at providing a healthier alternative to Lunchables.

Source: Dexerto

He backed up his claims by clarifying that the location is based far less on its affordability, and more on how a girl reacts when being asked to go to Taco Bell on a first date.

If she’s gonna get prissy and mad about that, then she’s just gonna be a b*tch. She’s gonna cause you a lot of problems all the time. There’s always gonna be something wrong, bro!

Asmongold

Interestingly, after clarifying his reasoning, a resounding number of his audience members agreed with Asmongold, with many spamming the chat with things like “W” to show their support.

Despite offering advice, Asmongold hasn’t always been the luckiest in love. In 2019, Asmongold went through a difficult break up with fellow content creator Pink Sparkles after being together for over one year. In January 2024, Asmongold announced publicly that he was in a relationship with another content creator named Kaise which fans weren’t as receptive to.

Many of Asmongold’s fans felt as though Kaise was “using him for clout”, or had ulterior motives for jumping into a relationship with him. Publicly, it’s currently unknown if the pair are still together.

Source: Dexerto

While she was told she didn’t have to give a name, she very blatantly stated that her worst experience was meeting Jason Mamoa on the set of the Minecraft movie.

I just saw him mistreat some of the crew, and it was pretty disappointing. It was after a very intense scene, and it was a very emotional scene, so maybe he was still in character.

Valkyrae

She said that she witnessed the alleged incident while on set for a cameo in the film, and went on to describe how it seemed like a bad work environment for everyone involved in the filmmaking process.

Ever since the initial trailer for the Minecraft movie dropped, fans of the game have responded with mostly negative feedback, citing how jarring the mix of live action characters and animated environments look on screen. Jason Mamoa hasn’t responded to Valkyrae’s claims regarding his on-screen behavior.

Source: Dexerto

The beloved animated adaptation of Castlevania‘s latest installment, Nocturne, has finally received its official release window along with a gorgeously animated trailer to get fans excited for whats to come in the new year.

Originally announced in October 2023, the second season of Castlevania: Nocturne is dropping on Netflix in January 2025. The trailer gives fans a glimpse at Alucard and Richter’s impending, iconic team-up, along with a sneak peak at some of the enemies the pair will be pit against in the new season.

Castlevania: Nocturne‘s first season was a hit with critics and fans alike, scoring a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. The series takes place in 1792 during the French Revolution and primarily follows Richter Belmont, a Vampire Hunter, alongside his adoptive sister Maria as they attempt the stop the rise of the Vampire Messiah. The end of season 1 marked the return of Alucard, the son of Dracula and an iconic figure that appeared in the original Castlevania animated adaptation.

In addition to the anime’s box office success, Science Saru has dropped a series of brand-new trailers showing off everything fans who didn’t get to see the first three episodes in theaters have to look forward to.

These special trailers include the “Love” trailer, which shows off the two main characters developing feelings for one another through their endless bickering, a “Battle” trailer showing off Science Saru’s expressive animation style, and an “Occult” trailer showing off more of DAN DA DAN‘s eccentric world.

DAN DA DAN will be available to stream on Netflix and Crunchyroll beginning on October 4, 2024.

Kai Cenat, another popular streamer, is well-known for marathoning FromSoftware titles, with his Elden Ring content breaking streaming records, averaging over 96,000 viewers during the week that he powered through the game.

The copycat claims come from Tyler1’s set up for his own marathon of the game, featuring a themed backdrop, much like what Cenat used during his streams, as well as Tyler wearing a warrior costume when initially jumping into frame to introduce the stream. While some fans were excited and on board, citing previous “cosplay” streams that Tyler had hosted on his Twitch, others weren’t nearly as excited.

Other fans say that Kai Cenat deserves more credit for popularizing the concept of a streaming marathon, and that Kai really went out of his way to make themed streams feel like a spectacle, and that seeing Tyler do it now feels too much like copying.

While fans are decided – one thing is for certain – watching Tyler1 endure the endless trials that Elden Ring throws at its players, especially the boss fights, will be a spectacular show all on its own.

It seemed like fans would finally get the Magic: The Gathering animated series of their dreams from Netlfix, only to have them crushed, as one of the voice actors originally cast in the show stated that the project has been shelved.

In an interview with Collider, Brandon Routh, who was cast in the animated series as one of Magic‘s Planeswalkers, Gideon Jura, said that he has recorded voice lines for the series, but that he heard the series is no longer happening. While there’s been no official statement from Netflix regarding the validity of the talent’s statements, this isn’t the first time the streaming giant has axed an animated project – with others, like Wings of Fire and Bone suffering similar fates.

This is frustrating, because the animated series that Netflix does decide to release to the public have done immensely well, with series like League of Legends: Arcane and Castlevania garnering massive fanbases outside their target audiences. Plus, with a franchise like Magic: The Gathering making over $1.09 billion dollars in 2023 alone, it seems like an animated series to capitalize on the card game’s most iconic faces would be a no brainer.

Source: Collider

Speaking of icons, Megan Thee Stallion absolutely delivered with her look for the event, once again representing he love for anime with a Vash the Stampede dress, bringing her love for the classic anime series Trigun to life.

The dress features motifs to the Human Typhoon, including his coat’s exaggerated collar and the bullet holes featured at the bottom of the skirt. Fellow Trigun fans took notice on Twitter, and were quick to praise the artist on her outfit choices, with some even creating fan art of Vash in the same dress.

This isn’t the first time the artist has been seen sporting looks inspired by her favorite anime characters, having previously donned cosplay looks inspired by Gojo Satoru from Jujutsu Kaisen, Todoroki from My Hero Academia, Sailor Moon, and dressing up as Hatsune Miku for an Amazon Prime Day advert.

While the streamer claims he still has more to share regarding the ban, many colleagues in Dr Disrespect’s circle have urged him to show tangible proof after he admitted to sending explicit messages to a minor in a now-deleted tweet thread earlier in 2024. One of these colleagues, a fellow streamer named NICKMERCS, is urging the Doc to speak up and reveal the DMs Twitch cited as the reason for his ban.

After speaking out against Dr Disrespect after his return stream, NICKMERCS is now speaking out about Twitch, stating that he does, in fact, believe that the streaming platform may have plotted against Dr Disrespect to get him banned. This doesn’t mean he’s no in support of Doc, though – Nick has still confirmed he wants nothing to do with his former friend due to his past actions.

I don’t care if he didn’t break any laws or if a judge found him guilty or not. He admitted to it. We know enough that there was a conversation going on. We also know he had been cheating on his wife, you can put two and two together.

NICKMERCS

Regardless, Nick does believe that Twitch staff may have worked together to get Doc banned.

Nick believes that Twitch might have played dirty due to his belief that the platform has been shady in the past, citing multiple instances where Twitch has “cherry-picked” what they decide to pursue in terms of suspensions and bans.

What Dr Disrespect chooses to do now is completely up to him – as the streamer stated on September 6, he still has more to disclose, but only time will tell what he decides to pursue as he continues to try and come back to the internet.

Source: Dexerto

For those that don’t keep up with the VTubing community, part of what makes the niche form of content creation so special is that it gives creators the chance to stay completely anonymous with the use of handcrafted avatars, most of which look like hyper-stylized anime characters.

IronMouse is one of these streamers, obviously, and one that chooses to keep her real identity fully anonymous, which is what’s threatening the livelihood of her YouTube channel. During a livestream on Twitch on September 8, 2024, IronMouse informed her audience that her VOD YouTube channel currently has three copyright strikes against it, and that the only way to dispute the claims would involve sending compromising personal information – something the popular streamer just isn’t willing to do.

“Apparently, my VOD channel got a copyright strike three times in a row so it’s going to get deleted.”

IronMouse

A fellow VTuber, EzzyDesu, who works with IronMouse, also weighed in on the situation, providing additional details, stating that VShojo has gotten involved and are speaking to YouTube directly to try and sort out the issue.

“The request for personal information is just YouTube’s broken system, not some evil person trying to doxx her as people are claiming right now. So be mad at YouTube.” 

EzzyDesu

While there’s hope the situation will be sorted out, there’s been no official word from YouTube or IronMouse on the video hosting site’s final decision on the matter.

Source: Dexerto

Beginning on October 11, 2024, fans will be able to stream Dragon Ball DAIMA in Japanese with subtitles in the United States, Canada, Latin America including Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India and Southeast Asia, with new episodes releasing every following week.

The story’s plot, from Crunchyroll:

Due to a conspiracy, Goku and his friends are turned small. What sort of adventure awaits Goku, Supreme Kai, and the new characters Glorio and Panzy in this unknown world, the “Demon Realm”?

The anime series is based on the original manga created by the legendary Akira Toriyama, and produced by Toei Animation. The original Dragon Ball anime series can also be streamed directly on Crunchyroll.

Jake Weddle, a former MrBeast employee recently took to Instagram to speak about his own experiences with the MrBeast team, raising intense allegations against him amid rumors that began circulating about the company’s practices after news broke about Ava Kris Tyson sending explicit messages to minors.

In the since-deleted Instagram stories, Weddle spoke against MrBeast’s media empire by stating that the YouTuber’s philanthropic efforts were essentially a money laundering scheme, stating that if the public doesn’t believe it, that they should get the police involved.

In addition to accusing MrBeast of money laundering, Weddle went on to accuse the YouTuber of sexual misconduct on multiple occasions, and of covering up incidents of SA. Weddle also described the toxic work environment fostered by the company, stating that Jimmy had created a “boys club” of sorts within the company.

“His philanthropy is s***. Makes no impact. And is basically money laundering. Don’t believe me? Let’s investigate! Let’s get the police involved! Please? Pretty please?”

Jake Weddle

After “spilling the tea” on everything MrBeast has done behind closed doors, Weddle urged for the company to send him a cease-and-desist, or for them to attempt and take legal action against him. He’s demanded that Jimmy make an official statement addressing everything that’s been brought up against him in recent months.

As of writing, MrBeast has yet to make an official statement on any of the allegations brought against him by Weddle and other former employees.

Source: Dexerto

With the release of the show’s final trailer and other promotional materials before the season drops, fans of League of Legend‘s extensive lore have begun taking notice of some interesting visual cues hinting at some of Runeterra’s most influential figures playing a role in what will happen this season.

Pointing fingers at who is the central antagonist in Arcane season 2 is tricky. While yes, it’s easy to say that Jinx is the villain, she’s clearly being depicted as being more of an anti-hero based on the second season’s teasers locked in an unending conflict with her sister.

That being said, fans have begun speculating if the true evil is somewhere else in the narrative; more specially, with the Noxian forces occupying Piltover. In the first season of Arcane, Ambessa arrives as a warlord turned diplomat from Noxus and reveals herself to be Mel’s mother. This may be surprising for those not as familiar with the deeper lore of Runeterra, but despite Ambessa’s imposing demeanor, she’s far from the being the most powerful force in Noxus, and it’s safe to assume she’s be sent to Piltover for a reason – but who was it that tasked her with the job?

Thanks to some eagle-eyed fans, many noticed that a mysterious figure that appears in the latest trailer looks leerily similar to Silco, but with black hair and tear-shaped markings below the eye. While it could be a stretch, many fans believe that this mysterious individual could be none other than LeBlanc – the Matron of the Black Rose. Considering the character’s involvement in the Rune Wars, which is a narrative hook that even the creative team behind Arcane heavily acknowledge and pull reference from, it’s entirely possible that the Noxian mage could be the one pulling the strings behind the curtain of season 2’s overarching story.

Plus, this Silco-esque visage is starkly different from Jinx’s usual hallucinations. What LeBlanc could want from Zaun’s loose canon hero is unknown, but the appearance lines up a little too well, and if she has the opportunity to stir the pot for a conflict that Noxus has involved themselves with, it seems more than likely that she would jump at it.

What is Jujutsu Kaisen’s Manga Release Schedule?

Jujutsu Kaisen releases weekly on Sundays and is available on Manga Plus and the VIZ Media Jujutsu Kaisen portal, with occasional hiatuses. Aside from the usual holiday breaks for Weekly Shonen Jump series like New Years, Golden Week, Obon, and Christmas, I will keep you posted on any developments.

Full Jujutsu Kaisen Manga Chapter Release Date Schedule (2024)

Please, note that the Jutusu Kaisen chapter release date schedule might change due to unforeseen circumstances regarding the author’s condition and problems with the magazine. If that happens, the data here will be updated to bring you the most accurate release schedule. As of early June 2024, Gege Akutami, the mangaka behind Jujutsu Kaisen, has announced that he will be taking a three week break as he deals with a series of health issues.

Given that Gege doesn’t take any breaks after he returns at the end of this month, Jujutsu Kaisen‘s schedule in 2024 should go as follows:

Fans will want to buckle up – it seems as though, with current events in the series, that Jujutsu Kaisen is officially coming to an end on Monday, September 30, 2024. At time of writing, only five chapters of the series remain, and with everything that’s happened, Gege has quite a bit of ground to cover before the mana concludes.

Full Jujutsu Kaisen Manga Chapter Release Date Schedule (2023)

Below you can find our previously-covered 2023 schedule! As you might have guessed, several unexpected hiatuses happened, but some explosive moments followed too!

It’s bittersweet to imagine the Dark Trio soon losing its second pillar, but the series has had a spectacular run! However, Chainsaw Man has lately been bringing up the rear with some crazy chapters of its own.

Whether they continue an existing story, adapt a popular manga, or exist as their own original concept, film and anime go together better than just about anything else. Plus, Netflix has been working hard to get some of the most beloved, critically acclaimed anime films available for fans around the globe.

Jujutsu Kaisen 0

The official prequel to the smash-hit shonen series Jujutsu Kaisen, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 introduces fans to Yuta Okkotsu, a permeating figure in the series’ key narrative, and his introduction to the world of jujutsu sorcery. Growing up outside the influence of the jujutsu world, Yuta’s fate is forever changed when his best friend, Rika, unexpectedly dies after the two make a vow to always be together.

From that moment on, Yuta tries to find a way to free Rika, believing that she’s cursed him and is attached to him due to their promise. Gojo intervenes, revealing that it’s actually Yuta who cursed her, and that he possesses far more power than the meek young man ever oculd have imagined.

One Piece Film: Red

The One Piece franchise is well known for being flashy and eccentric, and One Piece Film: Red dials this idea up to eleven. Starring Shanks’ estranged daughter, Uta, as the film’s antagonist – though not a traditional villain – FIlm: Red explores a more human and conflicted side to Shanks that fans don’t get to see much of in the canon series. Regardless of the viewer’s inherent knowledge of the franchise, anyone can enjoy One Piece Film: Red‘s striking visuals, fight sequences and songs, most of which are performed by popular Japanese vocalist Ado.

maboroshi

maboroshi is far from being the perfect film, with a convoluted and confusing story that may lose some audience members. That isn’t to say the film isn’t without its strengths, though. For what the film lacks in narrative, it excels with its visuals and unique character designs. The fantasy film follows a 14-year-old boy and his friends after an explosion in his small town leaves the area frozen, leaving his adolescent friend group to grapple with a fractured reality.

Complicated yet beautiful, for anime fans that enjoy indulging in high quality animation and beautifully illustrated landscapes, they shouldn’t miss out on what maboroshi has to offer.

Violet Evergarden the Movie

Violet Evergarden is a beautifully complex series from Kyoto Animation that explores a variety of bittersweet narrative themes, exploring everything from the grief left behind in the wake of war to the inherent longing human beings feel for one another. The feature length Violet Evergarden film is just as powerful as the television series, and finally puts a spotlight on the series’ main protagonist, expertly exploring her own grief and emotions she’s pushed down for far too many years.

While it is recommended to watch the original series before diving into the film, it’s a beautifully haunting film that uses its story to attempt to reunite Violet with her commanding officer after so many years estranged, with so much left unsaid between them.

The Quintessential Quintuplets Movie

Harem anime can divisive among anime fans, but occasionally there will be a series that successfully stands out from others in the infamous genre. Quintessential Quintuplets is one of those series, and the feature-length film, which is a sequel to the original anime series, beautifully wraps up the story with bright visuals and adorable character designs. While viewers do need to possess knowledge of the original anime, the Quintessential Quintuplets movie is worth a watch.

Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop

Filled with unique visual flair and vibrant colors, Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop is an eccentric exploration of adolescence that follows a reserved young man named Cherry who enjoys writing haiku poems to help him express his feelings, and Smile, an online influencer who wears a face mask to cover up her teeth, her biggest insecurity. This film is a fun, low stakes slice-of-life story for anime fans that need something to just kick back and relax.

5 Centimeters Per Second

Fondly remembered as one of – if not the best of – his films, Makoto Shinkai’s 5 Centimeters Per Second is a powerful, bittersweet love story that transcends the entire life of a young man named Takaki Tono exploring the complexities of life and love.

The film is divided into three seperate “episodes” that explore different periods in Tono’s life and his longstanding infatuation with a young woman named Akari that he grew up with. The film beautifully captures the idea of mutual longing, and learning that moving on isn’t black and white. While it is an emotionally taxing film, its final act is laced with an unavoidable silver lining that solidifies it as a classic.

Suzume

From the critically acclaimed director Makoto Shinkai, Suzume is the filmmaker’s latest work that’s successfully won hearts around the globe, even managing to branch into mainstream appeal. Set in a low fantasy environment, the titular Suzume accidentally opens a door that unleashes chaos on her world, forcing her to team-up with an eccentric young man to help her put the pieces back together.

Shinkai is no stranger to blending the fantastical with every day life, especially when it comes to exploring the complexities of the relationships young people make. Suzume is no different, and much like his other films, is filled with gorgeous environments and visuals.

Blue Giant

An adaptation of the original manga of the same name, Blue Giant is a fill that encapsulates artistry and musical passion in a wholly unique way that can bring even the most seasoned anime fans to tears. The story follows Dai Miyamoto, who, upon hearing a jazz performance, vows to become the world’s best saxophone player.

The film follows his journey as he begins to learn the tenor saxophone with no formal education or training. Blue Giant boasts absolutely stunning visuals and an impeccable musical score that truly solidify it as something special. The film perfectly translates Shinichi Ishizuka’s original manga to an animated medium, and it’s an absolute must-watch for anime fans on Netflix.

One of the biggest draws to a classic farming simulator are the romance options – and Fields of Mistria delivers. Currently, the game offers ten options for players to get cozy with, and even though, as of writing, players can only get their love interest to four hearts, it’s clear which characters will have the best love stories.

While this is all subjective, from our experience with Fields of Mistria so far, we wanted to talk down where we think each of the current romance candidates rank among one another.

Celine

One of the most recognizable faces in the game, Celine is used in much of the official marketing for Fields of Mistria. Her bubbly, kind demeanor perfectly compliments her love for flowers. Plus, with her little cottage being located so close to the player’s farm, it’s easy to run into to her while running errands in and out of the main town.

However, despite all her charm, Celine fits a little too snugly into the tried-and-true “girl next door” archetype. There’s nothing wrong with this, and she is a wonderful character to get close to, with her current heart events consisting of fun, laid back slice-of-life goodness, but some of the other romance options have her beat in terms of content.

Reina

Reina works at the local inn as the head chef – and for good reason. Everyone in Mistria will routinely gush about Reina’s cooking skills, and if you visit on Fridays, players can see her in action. Reina is extremely dedicated to her craft, something players romancing her get to experience once they reach her two heart event.

Reina is an extremely fun character to romance, if anything due to her passion for her craft. Her favorite gifts are, of course, a variety of different dishes – so if you want to win your heart, you’ll have to match her experienced palette. The only reason Reina is beat out by other candidates is because her current heart events, while showing off her passion for cooking, doesn’t explore more about her other personality traits.

Balor

Cunning, suave, and perhaps not all too trustworthy, Balor is a traveling merchant that the player meets during Fields of Mistria‘s prologue along the eastern part of the map. It’s pretty simple to win Balor over – the player just needs to give him gems and other goodies.

A character like Balor is typically a fan-favorite, but his current heart events don’t explore much past his cunning salesmen act just yet, holding him back from ranking higher amid some of Mistria’s other eligible bachelors and bachelorettes. That said, it does seem like Balor has a soft side, and even mentions a desire to settle down while admiring the relationship between Josephine and Hemlock.

Hayden

Having a neighboring farmer is pretty standard in farming sims. Sometimes these neighbors are friendly guides that help you get started, and others view you as a rival, attempting to one up players at any given moment. Hayden falls into the former category, with his farm being located right next door to the player character with his sassy pet chicken, Henrietta.

Normally, a character like Hayden would suffer from the same tropes as Celine, but his eccentric love for his chicken companion and accident-prone nature makes him an absolute delight to chat with, and can make even the busiest of farmers break a smile while keeping up with his antics. His heart events are equally comedic, with his two heart event seeing March get put in his place by Henrietta.

Juniper

The mysterious bathhouse owner with a love for everything witchy, Juniper is one of the most compelling townsfolk in Fields of Mistria, partially due to her direct ties to witchcraft and the age of witches that’s been hinted at in the game’s story. Crafty and a touch vain, Juniper’s heart events open a narrative of her promising not to test her cauldron’s concoctions on the townspeople of Mistria as long as the player promises to be her test subject.

Plus, Juniper is, surprisingly enough, a dog person. Her adorable and very sleepy companion Dozy hangs around the bathhouse on his special dog bed. Funnily enough, Dozy also hits at juniper’s soft side, withe her occasionally commenting on how the lattes that Darcy makes her at the Saturday Market are too cute to drink because the barista drew Dozy in the foam.

Valen

Valen is a woman that keeps a lot of secrets. Easygoing, cool and kind, Mistria’s resident doctor is devoted to making sure that everyone in the tiny village stays healthy – but that doesn’t explain the massive laboratory located in her basement. In her two heart event, she brushes away any attempt the player makes to learn more about her lab, but in her four heart event, she opens up a little bit.

Similar to Juniper, Valen wants help with her experiments, but unlike Juniper, she won’t force or manipulate you into helping her out. While there’s still a lot of mystery surrounding her basement lab and her true motives, the narrative unfolding is compelling enough to make her one of the more interesting romance options in the game.

Ryis

A fellow newcomer to Mistria, Ryis is a city boy who’s moved in with his uncle to help Mistria recover from the earthquake that devastated the area before the player’s arrival. Ryis is hardworking but easygoing, and players will encounter him often, since he usually has a role to play in the different events and quests to help beautify the area.

Part of the reason Ryis is such a lovable option is that his heart events make it clear that he’s openly interested in the player character. He’s the perfect friends-to-lovers archetype, and in his four heart event, players get to have a more intimate look at who he is outside of work.

Eiland

One of the baron’s children spearheading the initiative to help Mistria recover after the earthquake, Eiland is a history nerd that loves talking about days past, as well as ancient and modern customs. Eiland is passionate and dedicated to uncovering the many secrets being held in Mistria, but also has a deep love for sweets – something he’ll bring up, often, when the player speaks with him.

While Eiland’s heart events have been focused on uncovering the Dragonsworn’s legendary armor set so far, his romance route gives players a deeper understanding of the game’s lore and future plot threads the game is setting up. Additionally, Eiland’s hobbies outside of his archaeological practices – especially his ravenous sweet tooth – make him all the more endearing as a potential partner.

Adeline

Eiland’s sister and certified workaholic who initially brings the player to Mistria to aid in their recovery efforts, Adeline is hardworking and devoted to her people, rarely taking time to just be with herself outside of Friday Nights at the Inn. That said, she does still give some of her limited free time to the player during her heart events, even if it’s usually talking about work.

Something that makes Adeline so charming, and also makes her one of the best love interests in Fields of Mistria is how her romance ties in with what players are doing. Considering Adeline is so integral to the main quests in the game, she feels extremely fleshed out. Plus, despite her noble appearance, she’s incredibly humble and down to Earth. While we don’t know what the future of her romance will look like, both her two and four heart events set up a great progression of her as a character, and her reliance on the player for Mistria’s future.

March

Unsurprisingly, the rough-and-tough blacksmith has won just about everyone’s heart, easily making him the best romance candidate in Fields of Mistria so far. When the player first moves into Mistria, March doesn’t try to hide his disdain for their presence, and only softens up when he gets a little tipsy during Friday Nights at the Inn.

Despite this, once the player finally reaches his fourth heart event – they can finally get March to crack a genuine smile. While we still don’t know what the rest of his romance will look like, his one-sided “enemies to lovers” tsundere act is enough to make him everyone’s favorite bachelor.

Nick Kolcheff, a.k.a NICKMERCS, recently spoke out against Dr Disrespect and those remaining loyal to him following the infamous content creator returning to streaming after admitting to sending explicit messages to a minor in a now-deleted tweet.

Being controversial in his own way, Nick doesn’t mind speaking publicly about his disdain for Dr Disrespect’s return to the internet, throwing around a number of heated comments about the streamer’s Twitch ban. After being labeled a fake friend by devoted Dr Disrespect fans, Nick responded, stating:

Now I’m a sh** friend for not having his back??? Buncha brain-rot morons on this app.

NICKMERCS

While Nick and Dr Disrespect previously had history as collaborators, it would seem as though Nick draws the line at messaging minors – something that some of his fans, shockingly, seem to be arguing with him about in his comment section. In addition to NICKMERCS turning his back on Dr Disrespect, other former collaborators have spoken out against Doc, such as DrLupo, who stated in a stream:

You do not defend that, there’s no defending it.

DrLupo

While Dr Disprect says that he still has more to disclose regarding his Twitch ban, there’s no changing his public admission of guilt, even if he did eventually delete the original post.

Source: Dexerto

As reported by Deadline, the new adaptation will be handled by Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television, the same team behind the LGBTQ+ series Fellow Travelers. Interestingly, though, The Picture of Dorian Gray seems as though it will lack any remnants of its queer source material, instead opting to make its two leads brothers. The brief synopsis for the upcoming series, titled The Grays, is:

In a twist on the gothic novel, the series revolves around siblings Basil and Doran Gray.

In the original novel published in 1890, it was blatant that Basil’s adoration and obsession with Dorian was romantic in nature. Most importantly, though: the two were not related. When the novel originally released, it was incredibly taboo and sparked outrage, leading to subsequent editions suffering from censorship of Basil’s declarations of affection toward Dorian. Because of the book’s narrative and its cultural impact, it has since become an LGBTQ+ reading staple, especially for those interested in classics, which makes Berlanti and Warner Bros. decision even more perplexing.

The novel has been adapted multiple times throughout the years on stage and screen, and with The Grays being currently in-development, fans of the story are very nervous to see if the story will be butchered in the writing process due to the strange choice to make the two main characters siblings. It seems as though Katie Rose Rogers and Rina Mimoun seem to want to make The Grays a contemporary commentary on the beauty industry – but it truly seems as though they’re just grossly misrepresenting the novel’s original intent.

Source: Deadline, Jake News

After a series of lawsuits and messy legal feuds, it’s hardly surprising to see that this complicated legal battle would only get messier between the pair, and it seems this time around, much of the trouble comes from xQc’s car, a McLaren 720s Spider which was valued at being worth $300,000, that had, according to the streamer, been frozen as an asset by the judge that Adept allegedly sold illegally without notifying xQc.

The McLaren situation – of course – has become a bit of a running meme in his community following the court battles, and during a Q&A held on September 8, 2024, xQc updated his community on the situation, which is where the dismissal was officially announced. During the Q&A, though he tried to stay rather vague, the streamer said the following:

“Let’s just say, the other party didn’t play fair from the beginning. The sneaky tactics they were doing. It was supposedly frozen, the car was sold under the radar. Shouldn’t be happening.”

xQc

xQc did state that he would like to pursue getting his $500,000 dollars back, but that he doesn’t want to risk everything, and is currently “biding his time”. xQc has won two previous lawsuits made against his ex, and though there are no updates as of time of writing, it seems as though he may eventually pursue further legal action down the line.

Source: Dexerto

While many are celebrating Nikocado’s “comeback”, so to speak, others aren’t so welcoming, and are urging their fellow netizens not to forget everything that transpired between Nikocado Avocado and a fellow YouTuber, Stephanie Soo.

In 2019, a very publicized fight broke out between the two YouTubers after Stephanie Soo released a video titled “Why I Am Scared of Nikocado Avocado” calling Nikocado out after the pair had worked on a collaboration with one another. In Soo’s original video, she spoke out about how, during the filming process, Nikocado was pushing her to “spill the tea” on another content creator named Veronica Wang, making her uncomfortable. Soo claims that the tactics used by Nikocado throughout the interaction were highly manipulative.

Additionally, Soo claimed throughout the video that while Nikocado was in her home, he would allegedly take stealthy photos of the interior whenever Soo wasn’t present, adding to her discomfort. Nikocado responded to the allegations made against him in Soo’s original video, denouncing the claims and stating, “Stephanie, you painted the stage for your viewers that you had no idea I was taking photos and that was the reason you’re questioning their safety. That’s the only thing you supposedly had on me.”

Stephanie Soo released one final follow-up video to the drama in January 2020 titled “How Nikocado Manipulated All Of Us” where the YouTuber breaks down and speaks candidly about the situation once more, reiterating that he did pressure her to speak about Veronica Wang and the other alleged incidents that happened while he was in her home. To add insult to injury, many netizens were swift to point out that the panda mask Nikocado donned in his weight loss reveal video is – again, allegedly – eerily similar to the one worn by Soo’s partner in their videos together.

Source(s): Stephanie Soo on YouTube, Nikocado Avocado on YouTube

Twitch Streamer itmeJP was among one of the first content creator’s to take notice of the tribute while live streaming the end of the campaign, commenting: “Holy. They put a shoutout to TB in there?!… Holy. That’s sick.”

The tribute in the credits reads:

In Memoriam: John Peter Bain “TotalBiscuit”.

Space Marine 2

The late YouTuber’s wife commented on the tribute as well, stating:

John Peter Bain “TotalBiscuit” was a beloved YouTuber in the gaming community, and was among one of the most popular gaming commentators and critics who actively participated in major esporting events. His influence is still felt today, with his YouTube channel still having 2 million subscribers at time of writing and over 135,000 views for August 2024.

Source: itmeJP, Genna Bain on X, Reddit

Back in June 2024, allegations were brought forth by multiple Twitch staff regarding the reason for Dr Disrespect being permanently banned from the platform, spearheaded by Cody Conners, who alleged that the streamer had been sending explicit messages to a minor in 2017. Dr Disrespect confirmed the allegations in a now-deleted tweet, and took a hiatus from the internet before recently returning to try and defend himself in a stream called “THE TRUTH”.

Conners recently responded to the claims made by Dr Disrespect in his comeback stream through a series of hilarious tweets, including one where Conners shared a screenshot of a ChatGPT message that read: “What kind of lawyer do I need when I am definitely not getting sued?”

He later tweeted out a similar jab that stated: “Siri, when do I need to leave for the courthouse if I don’t have to go?”

While there’s no confirmation, the tweets do indicate that Conners isn’t worried about Dr Disrespect taking any form of legal action against him following the declarations made in his latest livestream.

As of writing, there’s been no news on whether Dr Disrespect will take any of the Twitch employees (former or otherwise) to court, but the streamer did state that he still has “more to disclose”, so, only time will tell.

Source(s): Cody Conners on X, Dexerto

Luckily, the magazine’s latest addition doesn’t just look promising – it also marks the comeback of an all-star manga creating duo. Ichi the Witch, a joint project between Osamu Nishi (Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun) and Shiro Usazaki (the artist half of the short-lived Act-Age) is an absolutely gorgeous fantasy series that’s filled with potential.

In a world filled with magic witches and powerful creatures, one human hunter eagerly waits for the right moment to strike!

Shonen Jump on X

Ichi the Witch takes place in a high fantasy setting wherein witch’s have to hunt down the magic that they use in combat. The first chapter introduces the series’ protagonist, Ichi, after he swoops in to join a battle between the King of Magic and the strongest witch. The series boasts a gorgeous artstyle that is reminiscent of other major ongoing fantasy manga like Witch Hat Atelier and Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End.

While there’s only so much story that can be gleamed from the first chapter, the series has a lot of potential – and hopefully the series will survive long enough to be able to properly build its world and show readers what the iconic mangaka duo is capable of.

Ichi the Witch is available to read in English on Viz Media’s Shonen Jump service.

Following an absolute whirlwind after a Twitch employee spoke out about how the streamer was permanently banned from the platform after sending explicit messages to a minor in 2017 – something Dr Disrespect admitted to by stating he had been “having mutual conversations with a minor that sometimes leaned too much in the direction of being inappropriate.” Now, he’s officially trying to make a comeback, backpedaling on his previous statements, and trying to reapply for YouTube Partnership.

Dr Disrespect Is Declaring War On Twitch For All the Wrong Reasons

In his big “comeback” stream – if anyone wants to actually call it that – the streamer stated that he wanted to set the record straight about the allegations made against him. After a series of cryptic messages, Dr Disrespect went live on September 6, 2024 to play Call of Duty Black Ops 6 in a stream he titled “THE TRUTH”.

In the stream, Dr Disrespect mentioned that, “to a certain degree,” he wasn’t nervous about coming back to the internet. Continuing, he later said:

“People ask, ‘Now that you’re not monetized, you’re never gonna be streaming on YouTube again, are you?’ There’s an opportunity to re-apply. So in the meantime, we’ll do what we need to do. I enjoy my time here on YouTube. We’ve built a nice, strong community for years.

Dr Disrespect

He then went on to call out the former Twitch employee that spoke out against the streamer earlier in the year, Cody Conners, alleging that Conners did not have any first-hand knowledge with the situation, nor was he ever involved.

… Cody Conners, ex-Twitch employee, wasn’t even involved in leaking Twitch’s reported reason. Years later. Cody, why do this? What was the point? This was settled professionally. And you, knowing how black and white the internet is, you decided, you f**king rat, you reported the f**king reason Twitch banned me.

Dr Disrespect

In the rant, Dr Disrespect claims that he never had any intention of meeting the minor he had been explicitly sending messages to, nor were they exchanging photos – but, it doesn’t change the fact that the streamer did admit to sending inappropriate messages with a minor. He then goes on to claim that the entire situation was likely orchestrated by Twitch staff, alleging that the company holds some kind of vendetta against him, stating that he was the “face of the platform” but never received any form of “front-page love”.

 I suspect you all planned and coordinated this attack.

Dr Disrespect

The situation is messy, and still ongoing – as the controversial figure stated in the stream that he still has more information to disclose. At the end of the day, though, even if Dr Disrespect tries to change the narrative by pointing fingers and using rage bait to try and erase the fact that he admitted to having inappropriate conversations in his since-deleted admission of guilt, it doesn’t change what he did. Plus, trying to spin some sort of conspiracy theory that Twitch staff were actively working against him is a ludicrous statement to make – especially without any sort of legitimate receipts to back up his claims.

Source(s): Dexerto, Rolling Stone

For “anime-only” fans that aren’t sold on adding the series to their seasonal watchlists, the latest trailer is an easy sell.

In addition to showing off additional visuals in the upcoming anime, the new trailer also gives fans a quick preview of the series’ opening theme, “UNDER and OVER”, written and performed by THE ORAL CIGARETTES.

Yakuza Fiancé is set to air in Japan beginning on October 7, 2024 on Tokyo MX at 11 PM JST, as well as Amazon Prime at roughly the same time. For audiences located in the west, Crunchyroll will be streaming the series in North America, South and Central America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Oceania, and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

The anime will be produced by Studio DEEN, with leading staff members including Toshifumi Kawase as the lead director, Rika Takasugi handling scripts and writing, Itsuko Takeda in charge of character designs, and Masato Suzuki and Hiroaski Tsutsumi composing music for the series.

For those interested in getting caught up with the series before the anime begins airing, the original manga is available in English through Seven Seas Entertainment on retailers like Amazon.

Every Map Icon (or Symbol) in Cult of the Lamb

During the crusades in Cult of the Lamb, you will encounter several icons within each map to mark your journey. In total, across all four dungeons, there are 14 different icons that all benefit your adventure in one way or another. For example, while some propose a more significant threat with more enemies, others will provide some time to forage for food or resources to take back to your cult. These icons are essential to know the ins and outs of, especially since they can be so vital to your journey.

Each area you visit will have a different length map. Darkwood is predominantly the most accessible area to face since it has a relatively small map and is incredibly easy to navigate; however, this usually means you won’t experience many new and rewarding icons. But once you reach Anchordeep and Silk Cradle, you’ll begin to experience many different icons, so it’s essential to know which ones are worth visiting to make the most of each of your crusades.

Normal Fight

Standard run-of-the-mill combat will be signified on the map by an inverted crucifix. There’s nothing particularly out of the ordinary with these areas, and you will experience these more than anything else during the crusades. These areas consist of several rooms you will have to explore, slaying enemies until you reach the staircase to the next place, but at least it’s an excellent excuse to farm some materials and practice with your weapon before facing the final boss.

Hearts

These map areas are precious for any player who has taken a beating during the rest of the crusade. There’s no denying that health is hard to come by in Cult of the Lamb, so it’s best to ensure you have ample hearts when necessary. These areas will be marked with a heart on the crusade map and consist of one room where you will visit an NPC called Ratoo. He will restore the Lamb to total health with a few additional blue hearts to ensure you can progress through the rest of the map.

Coins

For a player desperate to get some extra cash, these coin rooms are vital to visit. Signified by a coin on the map, these areas are similar to standard fights, but the resource will be in excess. So rather than collecting something like Stone or Lumber, you can line your pockets with some extra gold before facing the last heretic.

Lumber and Stone

During the early hours of your time with Cult of the Lamb, you will need to make sure you have as much Lumber and Stone as possible, as once you start crafting, they will be in incredibly short supply. Lumber rooms are marked with a log on the overview map and consist of a single room filled with trees or buildings to destroy, all of which drop an ample supply of wood for you to collect and take home to craft your decorations. Stone rooms work similarly, yet are symbolized by a rock icon on the map, and the room will be filled with large stones instead of a log.

Food

Keeping your cult happy and healthy is another essential part of Cult of the Lamb, so you must also ensure you’re keeping them fed. Alongside growing your own food and making the most of the extra hands at camp, you’ll need to gather a few additional resources along the journey to ensure you have the right ingredients when it’s dinner time. Food rooms are signified by a turnip and a few berries on the map, and each room is filled with berry bushes ready to be harvested. For an extra meal or two, be sure to destroy the campfires made by heretics for a few bits of meat to drop.

Event

Event Rooms are remarkably unpredictable. They are symbolized by a question mark on the map and can host a variety of things, both good and bad. While one event may allow you to increase the loyalty and devotion of one of your followers, there’s a chance you may walk away with every enemy you’re about to encounter strengthened. Therefore, these rooms are worth the risk if you find them since they can potentially buff the rest of your experience within the crusade but be prepared for it to have detrimental effects too. They consist of one room where you will interact with an NPC and see what they offer.

Follower

Follower nodes are vital to visit for anyone looking to increase the footfall at their cult, especially when trying to access the final area to meet The One Who Waits. These areas are signified by a figure praying on their knees, and within each follower room, you will have to face several waves of enemies before reaching your new animal pal. However, visiting one of these rooms alongside meeting the miniboss will guarantee at least two new followers, so it’s worth stopping if you can face the hordes of oncoming enemies.

Shop

Like the event node, Shop spaces can also be sporadic in their stock. Occasionally, these will be another way to access new followers, but they may also grant you access to things like decor blueprints or tarot cards. More often than not, you will need to exchange gold for goods, but you may stumble across a deal now and then. These icons are signified by a small house on the map, and for an insight into what they will stock, keep an eye out for the red ribbon at the bottom of the diamond. Once again, these areas consist of one room where you can access the shop before heading to the next area.

Tarot

Tarot icons are the key to visiting Clauneck, in case you haven’t encountered his tent during your crusade. These areas are signified by a single card, and consist of a single room where you can speak to Clauneck and select your tarot card. However, if you have the doctrine in place, which pulls four tarot cards at the beginning of the crusade, you will not have access to any further tarot during your time with the game. So Clauneck’s areas will not appear on the map at all.

Bones

Symbolized by two bones on the maps, these areas are primarily there to harvest bones. So whether you need to collect for the following funeral, for a follower request, or to create some haunting decorations for your cult, these rooms are a must-visit. Like Stone and Lumber rooms, you can spend time destroying structures to harvest the resources before moving on.

Pray

The Pray rooms are signified by a red crown icon on the map, and you can visit these rooms and receive some perks. Unlike the event rooms, these rewards are predominantly positive and come as gifts from The One Who Waits. These rooms also consist of a single area with an altar where the prayer will commence.

Miniboss

At the end of each crusade, you will have to face a miniboss. These are marked at the top of each map by a skull and two daggers and are essentially the end point of each crusade. You will enter one large hall and face a large boss in these areas. Once defeated, you can select one of three rewards and indoctrinate a new follower. These minibosses usually lead to the final Bishop fight if you have gone through the crusade four times.

Bishop Fight

Bishop Fights are signified by a similar crown icon to the prayer icons, but instead of showcasing a red eye, they will have a diamond-shaped green eye. These boss battles are far more intense than minibosses, and you should be sure to have total health before entering the final fight. These areas will only appear once you have visited and completed a dungeon four times and will take the place of the miniboss logos. They consist of a large hall, which you will enter before engaging in the final battle with one of the four bishops.

Alongside standard icons showcased across the entire crusade map, there is a chance that each area you explore will have an additional bonus signified by a red ribbon below the icon. For example, the shop icon will tell you what’s for sale, be it decor or a new follower, there’s a chance that the loss of red hearts can bring blue hearts forward or something as simple as double gold. When looking for the ideal path to take, depending on whether you’re going on a crusade for something in particular, it’s essential to keep an eye on the map. No two crusades will ever be the same, which is part of the charm of Cult of the Lamb.

Cult of the Lamb is available on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S|X.

There is also its treatment of female characters, avoiding the gender tropes so prevalent in shonen anime to portray a wider variety of female perspectives. With Jujutsu Kaisen coming to an end with just a few more chapters, fans now have the opportunity to experience other, similar shonen anime and manga that have gone under the radar.

Ushio To Tora 

Remember the initial relationship between Sukuna and Yuji? Now imagine that but if Sukuna was a softie who came around and started working with Yuji instead of against him. That’s the premise of Ushio To Tora. The anime centers around a young boy, Ushio Aotsuki and a supernatural tiger-like monster called Tora who follows him around. 

Ushio accidentally frees Tora at the start of the series, but is able to keep him from devouring him. The two’s relationship starts as an antagonistic one, but as Tora agrees to help Ushio, the antagonism becomes more comical than anything. The anime is fast-paced with lots of good action and plenty of funny scenes as the ancient tiger-like demon tries to adapt to modern life.

Devilman Crybaby 

Based on Go Nagai’s Devilman, Devilman Crybaby follows Akira Fudo, who becomes the titular Devilman after being possessed by a powerful demon named Amon. Not too different from Yuji gaining cursed energy via Sukuna’s possession of him – he major difference, however, is that unlike Yuji, Akira completely absorbs Amon, gaining access to all his powers.

The story then follows Akira’s childhood friend Ryo Asuka’s attempts to expose the existence of demons while protecting Akira’s secret, with plenty of twists along the way. Much like Jujutsu Kaisen, Devilman Crybaby is also a dark fantasy. The anime features a lot of graphic violence and adult content, making it a must-watch for any dark fantasy fan.

Fire Force 

Another dark fantasy like Jujutsu Kaisen, Fire Force features a post-apocalyptic world with few habitable areas after “The Great Cataclysm” set everything on fire. Almost 200 years after this incident, the Fire Force fights “Infernals”, humans made into living infernos via spontaneous human combustion. 

The anime follows Shinra Kusakabe, who’s a third generation pyrokinetic with the ability to ignite his feet at will. This leads him to join Special Fire Force Company 8 made up of other pyrokinetics. While there, Shinra learns that his presumed-dead brother was actually kidnapped by a doomsday cult called the White Clad. Now they’re after him to redo the Great Cataclysm for an ancient being. 

Beyond the Boundary

Despite its moe artstyle, Beyond the Boundary is a great series for fans of Jujutsu Kaisen to dive into, and is actually relatively short – making it a great binge-watch. The series follows Akihito Kanbara after rescuing his classmate, Mirai Kuriyama, from taking her own life. Suddenly, Mirai stabs Akihito with a sword, discovering that the very normal-looking Akihito is actually a “half-youmu”, making him immortal. Akihito subsequently discovers that Mirai is a Spirit World Warrior sworn to protect humanity from youmu.

She’s also the last surviving member of her clan, so, in classic shonen fashion –she and Akihito join forces to help her gain enough confidence to properly fight youmu. Beyond the Boundary is a gorgeous series, whose animation is just as impactful as its story. It’s a great choice for fans that want something that isn’t afraid to deliver powerful gut-punches to its audience.

D. Gray-Man 

Katsura Hoshino’s D.Gray-Man takes place in an alternate 19th century where exorcists fight to protect humanity against demons called Akuma. This premise is already similar to Jujutsu Kaisen’s, except Akuma are artificial creatures made by the Millennium Earl. 

In contrast to Jujutsu Kaisen’s sorcerers use cursed energy, D.Gray-Man’s exorcists fight using sentient holy artifacts called Innocence. The titular character Allen Walker starts by working with other Black Order exorcists to search for Innocence, but things quickly become complicated as the series continues.

Hell’s Paradise

Hell’s Paradise asks its audience what they would be willing to do to return home with grisly, horrific body horror and mythology-fueled action. The series follows “Gabimaru the Hollow”, a shinobi on death row with a reputation as a soulless, mindless killing machine, who’s given the opportunity to earn his freedom by traveling to a deadly island of Shisenkyo in search of the elusive elixir of youth.

Competing against other death row inmates, Gabimaru, alongside his would-be executioner must traverse the deadly landscape and survive against not only other criminals, but against the horrific monsters on Shisenkyo.

Soul Eater 

Soul Eater is a shonen anime set at the Death Weapon Meister Academy or DWMA, a school for humans that can transform into weapons and their Meisters who can wield them. The anime follows Meister Maka Albarn and her scythe partner, Soul “Eater” Evans, on their journey to have Soul ‘eat’ the souls of 99 evil humans and one witch to turn into a “death scythe”.

Akame Ga Kill!

One of the edgiest anime of its time, Akame Ga Kill! is a staple for fans of anime that get gritty and dark just for the sake of breaking the hearts of its audience. The series initially follows Tatsumi, a young man who’s setting off to the Capital to earn enough money to send home and aid his poverty-stricken village. After unsuccessfully trying to join the army, Tatsumi is taken in by a noble family in the city who gets attacked by a group of assassins called the Night Raid. He then, in true edgy fashion, learns that this noble family was planning to brutally torture him.

After surviving the attack made on the family, Tatsumi joins the Night Raid, consisting of powerful fighters – including the titular Akame – who wield Teigu, ancient weaponry forged 900 years before the story takes place. Life doesn’t get any easier, though, as being a member of the Night Raid is filled with grievous challenges that threaten Tatsumi and the other member’s lives at every turn.

Baccano! 

Featuring alchemists, demons, and immortals, Baccano! is a highly underrated 16-episode anime based on Ryohgo Narita’s award-winning light novels by the same name. The anime follows a non-linear storyline with lots of interesting characters and has a good mix of drama, adventure, action, and fantasy.

Much like Jujutsu Kaisen, many Baccano! characters are highly eccentric, like the assassin Vino or the nonsensical thief duo Isaac and Miria. The anime even features immortals reminiscent of Jujutsu Kaisen’s Master Tengen, except Baccano!’s immortals do not age or evolve beyond the point they became immortal.

Dororo 

Dororo follows the mysterious warrior Hyakkimaru as he travels with a young Dororo in Sengoku era Japan. Hyakkimaru had his organs and limbs sacrificed to demons as a newborn. Now, much like Yuji and his fellow sorcerers’ quest to collect all of Sukuna’s fingers, Hyakkimaru is on a journey to regain his body by fighting and killing these demons.

Much like Jujutsu Kaisen, Dororo also falls in the dark fantasy genre, although the former has more adventure elements while Dororo is more horror and action elements. There’s also a parallel between Dororo’s Hyakkimaru and Jujutsu Kaisen’s Mechamaru, as both have weak/damaged bodies and must rely on prosthetics to fight. 

Tokyo Ghoul 

Tokyo Ghoul‘s anime adaptation is far from being perfect, and while the original manga absolutely reigns supreme, those wanting to fill the void left behind in Jujutsu Kaisen‘s absence would be missing out if they didn’t at least give the series a try.

The anime follows Ken Kaneki, a young man who exists in an alternate version of the real world where a subspecies of humans called ghouls exist, creating a looming threat as they can only survive by consuming human flesh. Going about his days as a normal young adult, Ken is asked out by a striking woman named Rize, who reveals herself to be a ghoul and tries to eat him, when in a twist of fate, heavy construction materials collapse, killing her and injuring Kaneki. Awaking in the hospital, surgeons inform Kaneki that they replaced his damaged organs with Rize, and in turn, he begins to realize that he’s turning into a ghoul.

Yu Yu Hakusho 

While not exactly underrated, Yu Yu Hakusho is a great retro shounen anime centered on a teenage delinquent named Yusuke Urameshi. Despite his troubled past, Yusuke has a soft side, much like Jujutsu Kaisen‘s protagonist Yuji Itadori. After Yusuke dies trying to protect a kid from a car accident, he enters the afterlife where he is named the Spirit Detective and sent back. 

This opening is very similar to Jujutsu Kaisen’s, with both Yuji and Yusuke being sucked into the world of supernatural creatures due to circumstances beyond their control. And while Yusuke’s new position is initially about investigating cases concerning demons and spirits, the anime quickly transitions into a more fighting-oriented one.

Shaman King

A supernatural adventure like Jujutsu Kaisen, Shaman King follows the medium Yoh Asakura on his quest to become the Shaman King capable of channeling the Great Spirit. To do this, Yoh must win the Shaman Fight, a tournament held once every 500 years.

While this anime is very different from Jujutsu Kaisen on the surface, thanks to its tournament style, fans of the Kyoto Goodwill Event arc will find it to be a very enjoyable watch nonetheless. The series features lots of interesting characters, imaginative plot twists, and nonstop action which will have any shonen fan hooked.

Noragami: Stray God

Noragami is a supernatural shonen series that follows a minor God named Yato who yearns to someday be recognized and have a shrine made in his honor. One day, Yato is saved from being hit by a young woman named Hiyori, who tragically dies in the process. Her soul becomes suspended in an in-between state, and requests Yato’s help to return her to normal. As the two bond and spend more time together, she becomes involved in the matters of gods, the afterlife, and other supernatural beings.

The series explores concepts like death and identity through many tried-and-true shonen tropes, and, much like Jujutsu Kaisen, tackles it all in a narrative structure that doesn’t spoon-feed its audience its true message.

Blue Exorcist

In the world of Blue Exorcist, demons possess living beings to hide unnoticed among humans. But like Jujutsu Kaisen, there are Exorcists who can see and destroy these demons. The story follows Rin Okumura, who, along with twin brother Yukio Okumura, is the son of Satan. Neither care much for that fact, with Rin seeking revenge against Satan for the death of their adoptive father. 

The main character’s origins are reminiscent of Jujutsu Kaisen’s Yuji, who doesn’t have the most conventional parentage either and gained his power by getting possessed by the King of Curses Sukuna. 

Trying to chase this success, Netflix will be bringing another Shonen Jump giant to live-action, and we can only hope that their take on Demon Slayer will be able to match the same level of passion and quality poured into One Piece.

According to Giant Freakin Robot, Demon Slayer, another wildly successful shonen series with mainstream appeal will be receiving a live-action adaptation on the streaming giant. With the anime adaptation set to conclude after the release of the Infinity Castle films, it actually makes sense for Netflix to be making this move. If the studio manages to pull it off, a live-action adaptation could be just what fans need after the tear-jerking finale finally releases.

Of course, when compared to something like One Piece, Demon Slayer has a much tighter narrative, concluding after releasing only 23 collected volumes. One Piece‘s first season was able to condense 50 of the original anime’s episodes, but what would a structure like this look like for a story like Demon Slayer? Visual effects will also play a huge roll in adapting Demon Slayer, as properly depicting the different Breathing Techniques and demon designs might pose a challenge.

We can’t speculate much until Netflix gives us more to work with, but until then, we can at least look forward to the second season of the live-action One Piece and wonder if the inevitable live-action Demon Slayer can keep up the pace with good live-action anime adaptations.

The now-deleted blog post detailed many of Martin’s concerns regarding an inevitable butterfly effect that would be created through some of the major changes being made from his novels. Of course, the internet did its thing, and despite deleting the blog post, the internet isn’t ready to let it go.

According to George RR Martin, despite being credited as a co-creator and executive producer on the spin-off, he’s had little control over the actual story writing in the series an expressed a deep-seeded disappointment with how the series has been handled up to this point.

The blog post, which was aptly titled “Beware the Butterflies” to drive his concerns about narrative changes effecting the overall storytelling going forward was announced on August 30, 2024. After the scathing piece was uploaded a few days later, though, the author quickly took it down. In the original blog post, Martin discussed how fans felt about a key sequence in House of the Dragon that was modified from the novel, describing the scene as “…underwhelming, a disappointment, [and] watered down.”

It isn’t all negativity, of course, and Martin does offer praise where he sees it applicable. However, to many fans of the original novels and HBO’s adaptations of his work, many fans were floored by the author’s scathing comments. Whether Martin will follow up the controversial blog post is currently unknown, but fans are waiting to see just how far the butterfly feud will go.

One of the biggest mysteries surrounding Yamato was who mothered Kaido’s fiery heir, but with the help of One Piece‘s “Vivre Cards”, fans have started to piece together their mother’s identity.

While nothing has been explicitly confirmed, Yamato’s Vivre Card revealed that they’re roughly 28-years-old. Interestingly, when Kaido landed on Wano, he was conspiring with none other than Higurashi, who is capable of changing forms around the same time Yamato would have been born.

This, interestingly enough, points to Higurashi being a prime candidate to have being the person that mothered Yamato. Even more interesting is that Higurashi was ultimately killed by Kaido – so, if the rumors are true, Yamato will never have a chance at a mother-son reunion.

Source: Comicbook

Warning: The following contains major spoilers for the final arc of Jujutsu Kaisen.

During the Shinjuku Showdown arc, Gojo decides to take Sukuna on in a one-to-one battle. While it seems to be a fair fight in the beginning – as fair as it could be against the King of Curses – in Chapter #236, Gojo is defeated, and subsequently killed. To rub salt in the wound, something Gege Akutami excels in, Gojo has a quick flashback to a conversation he shared with Geto, wherein the pair express the idea that we’re ultimately alone when we die.

Gojo Tragically Suffers the Same Fate as His Closest Friend

In Chapter #261, after copying Kenjaku’s cursed technique and acting in a moment of desperation to try and finish Sukuna off, Yuta Okkotsu does the only thing he feels like he can, and takes over Gojo’s body, piloting it like Kenjaku did to Geto.

This turn of events has devastating implications, showing that even in death, Gojo was treated as though he was nothing more than a weapon by the mass majority of jujutsu society. The reveal of Yuta taking over Gojo’s body was poetic and tragic, and led to Gojo unofficially having a rematch against Sukuna. Of course, being Yuta’s first time piloting another living person, he struggles to control Gojo’s body, and is swiftly defeated by Sukuna in Chapter #262.

Jujutsu Kaisen is available to read in English on Viz Media’s Shonen Jump service, with the anime adaptation available on Crunchyroll.

Set to release on October 11, 2024, both Dragon Ball Daima and Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero tackle two very different mediums, but give fans of Toriyama’s smash-hit shonen something to hang on to and enjoy for the remainder of the year.

Daima, a brand-new anime series whose concept, story, and character designs were all handled by Akira Toriyama, takes place in the Demon Realm and follows Goku and Vegeta in pint-sized forms trying to figure out a way to go back to normal. Sparking! Zero is a new game being released by Bandai Namco coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC that’s loaded with gorgeously animated fight sequences and some of the best graphics that any of the Dragon Ball fighters have ever had.

While Toriyama is sorely missed by fans around the globe, it’s great to see that his legacy has been truly memorialized and continues to live on in his absence.

This opinion, despite being considered a hot take, is actually one that’s commonly held among performers located in England, with other performers, like Dame Judi Dench and Ralph Fiennes, holding similar positions.

In the interview, Smith said:

It’s OK to feel uncomfortable or provoked while looking at a painting or watching a play, but I worry everything’s being dialed and dumbed down. We’re telling audiences they’re going to be scared before they’ve watched something…

Matt Smith in an interview with Times of London

The actor believes that the usage of trigger warnings is ultimately detrimental to the stories being told, and that audiences should be made uncomfortable by certain scenes, if that’s the creator’s intent. As a performer, many of Smith’s characters – especially his infamous role in House of the Dragon – perform actions that can be viewed as nefarious, or cruel. He feels as though adding warnings before audiences have the opportunity to see what these characters are truly capable of robs the audience (and in some cases, the creatives) of a genuine experience.

Fan reactions to Smith’s comments have been mixed, with some agreeing with the actor’s take on the matter, and other’s vehemently disagreeing, with some outlets, like Buzzfeed, saying that the comments reek of privilege.

Source: Movieweb

The highly-acclaimed Baldur’s Gate 3 from Larian Studios was a smash-hit when it launched, and the studio has kept fans hooked by continuously adding new content and ironing out bugs through giant patches.

For those wanting to dive into Patch 7, the updates is 11.6 GB on PC, and requires 160GB of free space to install.

These patches are released periodically and enhance the gameplay experience for players, making QOL updates and even expanding on the relationships that players can build throughout the game. The most recent patch just launched, and its maybe the most monumental that the game has had yet.

Patch 7 Is Filled With Goodies For Evil Doers & Heroes Who Love a Challenge

Looking at Larian’s hefty patch notes, their intentions are clear right from first paragraph:

Are you ready to embrace evil? Do you yearn to see the consequences of unleashing your inner jerk?

Larian Studios

At a glance, Patch 7 is massive, boasting brand-new evil endings and cinematics, Honour Mode impprovements that include new Legendary Actions for specific encounters, an upgrade to split-screen, modding tools, and a variety of bug fixes and general gameplay improvements.

Patch 7 Introduces 13 New Evil Cinematics

Larian makes it clear that every adventurer taking on the Swords Coast – whether they’re a custom Tav, a Dark Urge, or an Origin Character – has the opportunity to experience a whopping thirteen brand-new cinematics to tap into player’s more sinister compulsions. The patch notes tease this development by showing off some short clips of new cinematics featuring Wyll and Lae’zel – but we won’t give away what the implications of those scenes are.

Additionally, for Dark Urge players (redeemed or otherwise) Patch 7 now decides to make one of the playthrough’s biggest gut punches even more brutal by making Alfira temporarily playable as a party member to really twist the knife for those that haven’t experienced the moment hands-on.

Honour Mode Introduced Brand-New Legendary Actions For Seasoned Adventurers

Honour Mode players are in for some major changes with some combat adjustments and new Legendary Actions to make these playthroughs more challenging. Directly from the patch notes, here’s everything that’s been updated:

• If Dror Ragzlin finds himself inside the spider pit, he’ll try to befriend the spiders residing there with a new spell, “Arachnid Compulsion” so they can band together to fight you.
• The Bulette has a new condition, “Diamond Scales” and a new Legendary Action, “Shredding Scales”.
• Malus Thorm has a new Legendary Action called “Grasping Appendage”.
• There’s a new aura and spell for Spectator encounters called “Panicked Sentinel” and “Ocular Nightmare”.
• Ch’r’ai Tska’an, the leader of the githyanki ambush in Act II, has a new Legendary Action, “Soul Sacrifice”.
• Ch’r’ai Har’rak, the githyanki leader at the Knights of the Shield Hideout, has a new Legendary Action, “Tu’narath’s Embrace”.
• Ptaris has a new Legendary Action, “Ptarian Dogma”.

Wyll Fans Rejoice – the Blade of Frontiers Received Some Much Needed Updates

Despite being one of the main characters in the game, many Baldur’s Gate 3 players have felt as though Wyll gets left out when it comes to receiving new/updated content, but thankfully, Patch 7 introduces many much needed updates to Wyll’s romance and presence in the game.

Among these updates, here’s a few highlights that stood out to us:

• The background goal Blueblood Solidarity not completing after you talk to Wyll about him being Duke Ravengard’s son has been fixed.
• Wyll will no longer talk about hunting down Mizora when she’s close by.
• If Avatar Karlach and Wyll are partners and go to the Hells, he’ll act accordingly during the epilogue.
• Karlach’s scene in Avernus not playing if you decided to go with her when playing as Wyll has been fixed.
• Instances where Wyll still has an exclamation mark above his head after players exhaust his dialogue has been fixed.
• Wyll’s greetings for players with low approval have been fixed so that they properly trigger.
• A dialogue option asking for a kiss in more paths of Wyll’s epilogue dialogue has been added.
• Wyll won’t automatically assume he’s talking to Lae’zel if the player is a holograph in the epilogue.

Larian still has few more patches in store for Baldur’s Gate 3 before moving on to other projects. For players interested in reading the detailed patch notes in full, they can find them on Larian’s official Baldur’s Gate 3 site.