Anime Herald

Cover art for Anime Herald Magazine, which features a tag that reads "Anime Herald Magazine - we speak otaku. No #001 Fall 2025, launch issue"

Anime Herald Magazine's reprint is officially shipping! We have about 130 copies ready-to-go, so order today to help support independent anime journalism.

Digital copy ($15.75 USD): hera.fyi/buyahmag1dig 💻
Physical copy ($17.95 USD): hera.fyi/buyahmag1 📔
Bundle: hera.fyi/buyahmag1bun 📦

The Dan Da Dan Cast Talks With Anime Herald At Anime NYC 2025 "I read the manga, I knew it was coming. But when you see it animated, it was a whole new story. It hits even harder. Then, Momo comes in with her moment after that. 'Where is she going? She’s just going to disappear? What’s happening?'"

The Dan Da Dan Cast Talks With Anime Herald At Anime NYC 2025: Seth Burn talks with AJ Backles, Abby Trott, and Lisa Reimold about their work on the Dan da Dan anime series.

#interview #dandadan

The Colorful Music of Ichiko Hashimoto She’s also a musician with decades of experience who has contributed to at least two vibrant cultural movements in the history of Japan’s music scene. It’s really the anime industry that should be grateful to have had her, even if for a brief moment.

The Colorful Music of Ichiko Hashimoto: Adam Wescott explores the work of Ichiko Hashimoto, a musician, composer, and actor who made an indelible impact on the anime and music landscapes, and continues to innovate on the craft today.

#anime #music

That's very fair. It's... not a good look at all on the series' part, and would've been better off omitted.

I Think I Love This Little (Little) Life: An Exploration of "Hakumei and Mikochi" Most importantly, they’re free—completely free, living in a misogyny-light society, with no obligations to children, spouses, or anyone, except maybe each other. In short, they are goals.

Hi everyone, it's new article day. 🥰

This week, we have a piece by Meaghan Steeves that explores Hakumei and Mikochi, and the way its world is used to subvert gender stereotypes, while highlighting the relationships in its main cast. It's a great read, and we hope you enjoy it.

#anime

The Heavy Dumbbells The Gym-Girls Lift: An Exploration of Onegai Muscle “I hope someday we’ll see even better stories with fitness as a focus and less problematic elements,” Capps said. “Until then, it remains the crowning jewel of fitness anime and manga.” 

The Heavy Dumbbells The Gym-Girls Lift: An Exploration of "Onegai Muscle": Gabriel Leão explores "How Heavy Are The Dumbbells You Lift?" He talked with Roland Kelts and Borealis Capps to examine the series' appeal, and the rise of woman-oriented sports and fitness anime in recent years.

#anime

Cover art for Anime Herald Magazine, which features a tag that reads "Anime Herald Magazine - we speak otaku. No #001 Fall 2025, launch issue"

Anime Herald Magazine's reprint is officially shipping! We have about 130 copies ready-to-go, so order today to help support independent anime journalism.

Digital copy ($15.75 USD): hera.fyi/buyahmag1dig 💻
Physical copy ($17.95 USD): hera.fyi/buyahmag1 📔
Bundle: hera.fyi/buyahmag1bun 📦

The Law, The Witch, and The Wheelchair: Applying the Social Model of Disability to Witch Hat Atelier The world of Witch Hat is by no means a utopia, and Shirahama’s narrative goes to great lengths to explore the ways in which disabled characters are excluded and further disadvantaged by factors such as social class, wealth, sexuality, or being otherwise marginalized.

The Law, The Witch, and The Wheelchair: Applying the Social Model of Disability to Witch Hat Atelier: AJ Mack examines Witch Hat Atelier and the way series creator Kamome Shirahama uses its setting to cast a spotlight on the challenges and discrimination that people with disabilities face in reality

How The Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, Influenced Odd Taxi While his potential influences range from Martin Scorsese to Samuel Fuller, and from Dashiell Hammett to Raymond Chandler, one influence that increasingly stands out is that of the Master of Suspense himself, Alfred Hitchcock.

How The Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, Influenced "Odd Taxi": Fritz Kurz explores Odd Taxi, and the series' filmic and thematic ties to the works of Alfred Hitchcock, such as North By Northwest, and the way it draws from them to create a work that stands among the greats of the neo-noir genre

Anime Herald does not condone of, nor do we support the usage of AI-based content generation tools (ChatGPT, for example). If our editors discover that a writer has used one of these tools to generate their draft, the piece will not be run on Anime Herald, and the contributor will not be paid. Likewise, if our editorial team discovers that a writer used one of these tools to generate their pitches, said pitches will be immediately rejected, and the writer will be removed from consideration for any future work with us. Following this track, Anime Herald does not condone of, nor do we support the usage of generative AI-based image generation tools (Midjourney, for instance). If our editors discover that a writer has used one of these tools to generate images for their article, the relevant images will be rejected and the author will be told as to why. If the writer continues to try submitting images generated by these tools, the piece will not run on Anime Herald, and the contributor will not be paid.

We've codified our stances on this matter, and we intend to stand by them. (Below)

From the day we started in 2010, we've written about and celebrated stories and works that are testaments to the human spirit, and we intend to continue to do so, on our terms.

In light of the news that hit overnight, I'd like to reiterate that Anime Herald is, was, and always will be anti-Generative AI. We do not use it in our writing or editorial processes, and we're proud of the fact that Anime Herald Magazine is the work of actual humans at every level.

Addressing Ableism Through The Lens of Anime Art, especially pop culture, may not have the power to manifest laws or accessible architecture through its sheer existence, but it can change hearts and minds.

Addressing Ableism Through The Lens of Anime: Robert Iveniuk examines how anime can be used to shine a light on the ableism people with disabilities face in reality, using Komi Can't Communicate, Your Lie In April, and others as subjects.

#anime #disability

Cover art for Anime Herald Magazine, which features a tag that reads "Anime Herald Magazine - we speak otaku. No #001 Fall 2025, launch issue"

It's official: Anime Herald Magazine's reprint is now shipping! Order today to help support independent anime journalism.

Digital copy ($15.75 USD): hera.fyi/buyahmag1dig 💻
Physical copy ($17.95 USD): hera.fyi/buyahmag1 📔
Bundle: hera.fyi/buyahmag1bun 📦

Ascendance of a Bookworm Anime's Goshi Yoshida and Yui Shibata Talk With Anime Herald It has a wide range of readers. For young kids to older adults. A very wide demographic. It’s been translated into over twenty languages. It’s an encouraging and inspiring story of a young girl in…

Ascendance of a Bookworm Anime’s Goshi Yoshida and Yui Shibata Talk With Anime Herald: Seth Burn talks with Ascendance of a Bookworm staffers Goshi Yoshida and Yui Shibata about Adopted Daughter of an Archduke. They discussed the anime landscape, the studio selection process, and more.

#interview

I Think I Love This Little (Little) Life: An Exploration of "Hakumei and Mikochi" Most importantly, they’re free—completely free, living in a misogyny-light society, with no obligations to children, spouses, or anyone, except maybe each other. In short, they are goals.

Hi everyone, it's new article day. 🥰

This week, we have a piece by Meaghan Steeves that explores Hakumei and Mikochi, and the way its world is used to subvert gender stereotypes, while highlighting the relationships in its main cast. It's a great read, and we hope you enjoy it.

#anime

Cover art for Anime Herald Magazine, which features a tag that reads "Anime Herald Magazine - we speak otaku. No #001 Fall 2025, launch issue"

It's official: Anime Herald Magazine's reprint is now shipping! Order today to help support independent anime journalism.

Digital copy ($15.75 USD): hera.fyi/buyahmag1dig 💻
Physical copy ($17.95 USD): hera.fyi/buyahmag1 📔
Bundle: hera.fyi/buyahmag1bun 📦

Divided We Stand: The Two Halves of Figure17 Loneliness, daily routines, the seasonal cycle of death and rebirth; these elements of life on Earth all reinforce the deadly stakes of the science fiction storyline.

Divided We Stand: The Two Halves of Figure17: Adam Wescott explores 2001 anime Figure 17, and how the show's dual nature as a slice-of-life drama and a sci-fi action series help it stand as a genuinely compelling experience.

#anime

Unmasking Neurodivergence in the Manga World Witnessing the gradually changing media landscape to include neurodivergent stories has been a real joy to witness in these past few years, especially stories that encourage the characters to live as their authentic selves.

Unmasking Neurodivergence in the Manga World: Patricia C. Baxter explores three titles, including Spacewalking With You, and how they highlight the evolving portrayals of neurodivergence in manga.

#manga

We just handed that first shipment off to the mail carrier about 40 minutes ago. Get your orders in today to help support independent anime journalism. 💖

When's The Best Time To Scream In Public? Catching Up With Ladybeard At Otakon 2025 "I do the bro splits: chest, back, legs, arms, shoulders, and I spread that over about two weeks nowadays. It used to be six days a week, but now I space two to three days per week as appropriate with the schedule."

When’s The Best Time To Scream In Public? Catching Up With Ladybeard At Otakon 2025: Lauren Orsini had a chance to talk with LadyBeard at Otakon 2025 about his work and career, the BabyBeard project, his workout routine, and more.

#jpop #ladybeard #interview

How Doujin Illustrators Influenced The Aesthetics of Japan's Underground Music Culture Many illustrators who’ve contributed to underground and doujin music scene history eventually find themselves working on monumental projects, like Vtuber designs or video game concept art - but it’s cool to see that there’s a place for everyone to play a role in this part of the subculture, irrespective of where the future takes them.

How Doujin Illustrators Influenced The Aesthetics of Japan’s Underground Music Culture: Kai Redfield explores Japan's underground music scene and how doujin illustrators have played an invaluable role in defining the aesthetics and vibes of the landscape.

#music

Your donation has been received! Share your link Copy Link Facebook Twitter SUMMARY Donate to the Pink Haven Coalition $50.00 Subtotal $50.00 Order Total $50.00

In light of today's news, we've made a donation to the Pink Haven Coalition: a collective of trans organizers, mutual-aid groups, progressive faith organizations, queer associations, and individual justice-lovers.

No one is free until everyone is free.

Link: www.pinkhaven.org

Cover art for Anime Herald Magazine, which features a tag that reads "Anime Herald Magazine - we speak otaku. No #001 Fall 2025, launch issue"

It's official: Anime Herald Magazine's reprint is here, and copies start shipping tomorrow! Order today to ensure that you're in the first shipment.

Digital copy ($15.75 USD): hera.fyi/buyahmag1dig 💻
Physical copy ($17.95 USD): hera.fyi/buyahmag1 📔
Bundle: hera.fyi/buyahmag1bun 📦

So, yeah... we'll be shipping soon 🥰 Order yours today to get into the first wave!

Digital ($15.75 USD): hera.fyi/buyahmag1dig 💻
Physical ($17.95 USD): hera.fyi/buyahmag1 📔
Bundle: hera.fyi/buyahmag1bun 📦

How Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links Gives Fans Closure for Their Favourite Forgotten Characters Thanks to the power of trans-media storytelling, a mountain of corporate capital, and a fanbase that simply will not let their favorite character’s story end, we’re entering an unprecedented age of enjoying our beloved duelists long after their final appearance. 

Hi everyone, it's new article day. 🥰

This week, we have a piece by Amity Gilmour that explores Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links, and how the mobile game offers a way for fans to finally get closure for their favorites who may have slipped through the cracks. It's a great read, and we hope you enjoy it

#yugioh

This is not a drill. If the tracker prediction holds, we're shipping out as early as Tuesday 💖💖

How Record of Lodoss War Influenced Anime and Tabletop Gaming "There’s a relatability and accessibility to imagining yourself in a group of people shouting at each other over where to take their adventure next, how to overcome some impossible odds, or trying to ask the DM what you can do to get yourselves out of a jam."

How Record of Lodoss War Influenced Anime and Tabletop Gaming: Robert Iveniuk explored the Record of Lodoss War franchise, looking at its humble beginnings, and tracing its history to become an influential force in anime and gaming that can still be felt today.

#anime #ttrpg

OK so... we now have 150 magazines headed our way. 👀👀👀

It's a bummer. We were hoping things wouldn't be this brutal for shipping, and hadn't even anticipated it when we announced the first issue, but things are, well... *gestures at the US and its current mad king*

An Unexpected Gem: How Bocchi the Rock! Outshines the Competition Bocchi the Rock, at its essence, is a story about how we find community and love by challenging ourselves to chase what’s meaningful to us.

An Unexpected Gem: How Bocchi the Rock! Outshines the Competition: Austin Jacques, explores 2022 anime series Bocchi the Rock!, its themes of found family and identity, and how this ties in with its good-natured, self-effacing humor to earn high praise, even a couple of years later.

#anime #manga