Elijah Gonzalez

Shiboyugi and its death games violently confront anime voyeurism Shiboyugi is a death game show that critiques commonplace anime voyeurism and fan service via its cold camera work.

The very bluntly named Shiboyugi: Playing Death Games To Put Food On The Table continues to be one of the most interesting shows in a stacked season, and I wrote about how its thoughtful visual presentation confronts anime's tendency for fan service.

I wrote about Medalist and how if you want to learn the strategy behind figure skating (or want to become deeply emotionally invested and cry about figure skating), just in time for the final Olympic competitions, then it’s the show for you.

In Misericorde, queer love and attraction are weighed down by the cross Misericorde is a sharp visual novel about 15th century nuns that conveys the crushing weight of queer repression.

For Love Week at The A.V. Club, I got a chance to write about the excellent VN Misericorde and how its queer hot mess disaster protagonist struggles against her own deeply entrenched religious beliefs.

Jujutsu Kaisen's most incisive episode cuts the patriarchy to bits Jujutsu Kaisen's latest episode was arguably the series' best, a sharply directed action scene that gave us a reason to care.

I got a chance to write about last week’s episode of Jujutsu Kaisen which, despite my issues with the show in general, delivered the kind of woman-led badassery that battle shonen so rarely give us. Incredible direction, sharp animation, and some hilarious use of slow mo (punch that twink!).

Silksong's secret final stretch has stuck with me, and not just because it was Team Cherry at its most sadistic. Like the rest of the game its difficulty feels quite purposeful.

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The 10 best anime premieres of winter 2026 The winter 2026 anime season is looking like one of the most stacked lineups in recent memory, and we've summarized the ten best shows.

I put together our winter anime premiere list, and it's an absolutely packed season. There are the knowns—Frieren, Oshi no Ko, JJK, etc.—but what really sets it over are the surprises: Journal With Witch is thoughtful, SHIBOYUGI is deeply upsetting, and You And I Are Polar Opposites is adorkable.

Board the Mothership. You're just in time. A couple weeks from now, on January 26, 2026, we'll be launching the full version of our new gaming website, Mothership, which aims to analyze games specifically through the...

we'll launch mothership.blog in its final form on jan. 26, featuring stories by amazing writers like @nicolecarpenter.bsky.social, @nicoleclark.bsky.social, @susanapolo.bsky.social, @supercrip1994.bsky.social, & @applecider.bsky.social. you can subscribe early for a LIFETIME 15% OFF discount!!

I wrote about Despelote, and how it’s unique presentation paves a way forward for new forms of documentary storytelling.

100 Meters asks if you can find the meaning of life in a 10 second sprint 100 Meters is a new anime film that uses visceral animation and heady monologues to mine a 10-second dash for all its worth.

100 Meters is apparently on Netflix now, hey, you should watch 100 Meters:

Despite critical and financial success, 2025 continued the anime industry's "profitless boom" Despite record revenue, an uptick in global popularity, and an excellent lineup of shows, the anime industry continued to struggle in 2025.

I wrote about how even though anime is more popular than ever, the studios that actually create these shows continue to earn an alarmingly small percentage of the profits, leaving animators underpaid and overworked.

Despite critical and financial success, 2025 continued the anime industry's "profitless boom" Despite record revenue, an uptick in global popularity, and an excellent lineup of shows, the anime industry continued to struggle in 2025.

I wrote about how even though anime is more popular than ever, the studios that actually create these shows continue to earn an alarmingly small percentage of the profits, leaving animators underpaid and overworked.

The A.V. Club's 10 best anime of 2025 2025 delivered a wide range of worthwhile anime for both newcomers and anime veterans alike. After plumbing the depths, here are the 10 best.

I put together The A.V. Club's best anime of 2025 list; this year was rounded out by moving historical epics, queer body horror, and plenty of wonderful weirdos.

Also, if you've been hoping for general pop culture sites to pay more attention to anime, AVC will do so going forward, spread the word!

The A.V. Club's 10 best anime of 2025 2025 delivered a wide range of worthwhile anime for both newcomers and anime veterans alike. After plumbing the depths, here are the 10 best.

I put together The A.V. Club's best anime of 2025 list; this year was rounded out by moving historical epics, queer body horror, and plenty of wonderful weirdos.

Also, if you've been hoping for general pop culture sites to pay more attention to anime, AVC will do so going forward, spread the word!

Many good video games did in fact come out this year, and we got help from some excellent writers to compile the A.V. Club's list of our favorites!

The A.V. Club's best games of 2025 Unsurprisingly, the best games of 2025 came from the fringes of the industry. Here's what The A.V. Club's games critics loved the most this year.

good games www.avclub.com/best-games-2...

After a rocky opening act, Unbeatable eventually finds rhythm game harmony Unbeatable is rough around the edges, but it eventually finds its sound through powerful visuals and punchy rhythm gaming.

Unbeatable is rough around the edges, but it eventually finds its sound through powerful visuals and punchy rhythm gaming. www.avclub.com/unbeatable-r...

Cracking Angel's Egg is a fool's errand, but let's try anyway Forty years later, Angel's Egg finally reached U.S. theaters. To celebrate we attempted to crack the film wide open.

For its 40th anniversary and 4K re-release, I took a crack at unraveling the enigmatic all-timer Angel's Egg, while also acknowledging that fully "figuring out" the movie is impossible and kind of missing the point.

Cowboy Bebop director Shinichirō Watanabe on what it takes for art to "survive beyond" We interviewed Cowboy Bebop director Shinichirō Watanabe about his work, where his love of overseas culture came from, and what's next.

I had the privilege of interviewing Shinichirō Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Kids on the Slope, etc.) for The A.V. Club and asked him about what initially drew him to American pop culture, who he wants to work with next, and what defines enduring art.

Cowboy Bebop director Shinichirō Watanabe on what it takes for art to "survive beyond" We interviewed Cowboy Bebop director Shinichirō Watanabe about his work, where his love of overseas culture came from, and what's next.

I had the privilege of interviewing Shinichirō Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Kids on the Slope, etc.) for The A.V. Club and asked him about what initially drew him to American pop culture, who he wants to work with next, and what defines enduring art.

PSA: We're over at the A.V. Club now.

yeah so here’s the news

I reviewed Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26, a frantic animated anthology that elevates the chaos, strangeness, and pathos of its source material. Another excellent adaptation of Fujimoto's work, this dude signed his soul away or something.

I've really been enjoying May I Ask For One Final Thing? mostly because it's about monstrous rich people getting their shit rocked by a heroine nicknamed "The Bloodstained Lady."

Six Missing Children Have Haunted These Arcade Cabinets For Decades. Why? For 40 years the faces of missing children have haunted arcades from inside a miniature golf video game.

why are there missing children posters coded into Mini Golf and other Bally Sente arcade cabinets?

for @endlessmode.bsky.social, I tried to get to the bottom of it.

Sanda (aka the buff Santa Claus anime) continues to be one of the most interesting shows of the season, and its latest episode offered a suprisingly robust critique of anti-queer politics in Japan and Class S Tropes. Never judge a book by its cover etc.

I got blindsided by the Egg game in a way that was very enjoyable.

I reviewed Star Wars Visions Volume 3: overall, a bit of a step down from the previous two volumes, but it features a weirdo experimental short (Ep 9, “Black”) that everyone needs to see.

Just in time for the big day, we updated our best horror games of all time list to include one of last year's standouts.

Five Horror Games That Need To Be Re-Released It's hard to play many old games, and that's even more true when it comes to horror. Here are five horror games that deserve a re-release.

It's hard to play many old games, and that's even more true when it comes to horror. @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social looks at five horror games that deserve a re-release on current hardware. www.endlessmode.com/video-games/...