After beginning serialization in 2020, Rooster Fighter quickly went viral for its hilarious premise, and its self-aware humor.

Rooster Fighter’s Anime Adaptation Helped Sakuratani Fulfill a Lifelong Dream

After announcing that the Rooster Fighter anime would be airing on Adult Swim, being produced by Sanzigen and Sola Entertainment, the mangaka shared his thoughts on the adaptation, stating:

Ever since becoming a manga artist, my biggest goal was to have my work adapted into an anime. So, I can’t tell you how happy I am to see my dream come true! This is all thanks to my readers’ continued support and Hero’s and VIZ Media’s contributions. I extend my gratitude to all of you.

Shu Sakuratani

He continued, saying this about his action comedy series:

I believe Rooster Fighter is very blessed. We have the best director, the best writer, the best production staff, and the best voice actors all working together to create the best anime. As the original creator, I am ecstatic! I can’t wait to see Keiji and the gang come to life on TV. I hope that everyone out there will enjoy this anime where chickens take center stage!

Shu Sakuratani

The upcoming anime will be directed by Daisuke Suzuki, previously known for his work on D4DJ Double Mix and 009 Re:Cyborg. Series composition will be handled by Hiroshi Seko, whose credits include Attack on Titan, Mob Psycho 100, and Jujutsu Kaisen.

While fans are still waiting on an official release date, the mangaka’s enthusiasm has the community excited to see what’s to come from the series when it finally airs on Adult Swim.

Updated: July 31, 2024

Searched for new codes!

Gamers hoping to find themselves engaged in high-octane combat with some JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure flare should look into the Roblox experience Sakura Stands as quickly as possible. Alongside plenty of combat to partake in against NPC’s and other players, gamers also have the chance to get plenty of experience to level themselves up.

Are there any codes for Sakura Stands that will give players a bit of a boost, or will they find themselves at the mercy of Killer Queen? Let’s get ready to live out our lives in this new world, and prepare ourselves for the ultimate form of combat.

All Sakura Stand Codes

Players will find all of the currently available codes for Sakura Stand below, alongside some questions asked by players of this experience.

All Sakura Stand Codes (Working)

• batheski – 1500 Tokens and Secret Ska shirt (New)
• ArrivalOfTheSkaFilmShirt1 – 300 Tokens (New)
• FreeAdjucha – Spawn 1 adjucha (5 adjuchas limit per server) (Requires Mastery 3) (New)
• fidgetspinner.io – Free rewards (New)
• SuddenShutdown – 500 Tokens (New)
• 2monthsdelay – Free rewards (Requires Mastery 10)
• theSTARRK – Free rewards
• AnArbiterAwakens – Free rewards
• fixedcutscenewowowowowowowoowowowowow – 300 Tokens
• shutdownmb – 300 Tokens
• tenthousand – Boosts (Requires Mastery 5)
• 115KLikess – x2 EXP, 1 Stand Arrow, and 15k Cash
• 110KLikes – x2 EXP and 1 Token
• CLASSICAUDDY – random 500 – 1,500 Tokens
• ThisFateWasFatedForTheFatedFate – the Will of Fate title
• 105KLikes – 2,000 Tokens
• justice – Boosts (For new servers only)
• 100KLikes – 1,001 Token (For new servers only)
• BugsFix2 – Boosts
• BugsFix – Boosts
• SorryforShutdown – 250 Tokens and 75 Snowflakes
• TYForFollowing – Free Boosts
• HolidayEvent – Free Boosts
• FOURTHSHUTDOWN – 1000 Tokens
• AuddyCOOKED – 895 Tokens
• HeIsGONE – 1 Token
• WHISPERTEAM – 1000 Tokens
• sorryguys – 900 Tokens

All Sakura Stand Codes (Expired)

• CodeBugFix – x2 EXP
• SukunaFingerIncident – x2 EXP

How To Redeem Codes In Sakura Stands

Players hoping to redeem a few codes in Sakura Stands may be confused about how to actually redeem the codes that are available to them, and it is easy to understand why. The Code Redemption Menu is hidden away, but follow these steps and you’ll be ready to redeem in no time.

• Access the Menu in the bottom, left corner of the screen
• Click on Settings in the new menu that has appeared on the screen
• Scroll to the bottom of Settings to find the “Enter Code Prompt”
• Enter the code and press Enter

Why Aren’t My Sakura Stands Codes Working

Players will want to ensure that they’ve typed the codes in exactly as they were typed on this page, and make sure to follow the capitalization. If a code is expired, this experience will let you know that it is no longer valid, but if it says the code isn’t working, there could be a small typo preventing you from claiming your bonuses.

Where To Get More Sakura Stands Codes

The developer of this experience is not very active on Social Media, so joining the Sakura Stand Discord Community is likely to be the easiest way to claim some new codes as soon as they go live for this particular game. Also, make sure that you have bookmarked this page, as we will be checking for new codes quite often.

What Exactly Is Sakura Stands?

Sakura Stands is an action game, based loosely on the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure franchise. Players will be able to power themselves up, as well as earn plenty of unique and powerful allies from not only this franchise, but others such as Jujutsu Kaisen and more. Players can also partake in PVP battles, either in a group or via 1 on 1 battle that can be prompted at any time.

Those searching for a new action title that have tired from other experiences, such as Blox Fruits may fall in love with this title. It offers quite a competitive nature, and plenty of things to do, such as side quests and a story to follow alongside.

Roblox is available now on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Mobile Devices, and PC.

My Deer Friend Nokotan

My Deer Friend Nokotan brings back the same style of comedy anime that the community had been missing out on once the 2010s came and went, filled with slapstick reference humor that resonates with fans of every genre. Poking fun at properties like Dark Souls, the original Spider-Man trilogy, and other anime, it seems as though there’s no limit to the different places My Deer Friend Nokotan will draw inspiration from. Plus, the opening theme is infectiously catchy and hard to avoid.

The Magical Girl and the Evil Lieutenant Used to Be Archenemies

Based on the manga series of the same name by the late Cocoa Fujiwara, The Magical Girl and the Evil Lieutenant Used to Be Archenemies is a light-hearted spin on the classic Magical Girl – or mahou shojo – genre. The series takes place in a world where the villains have taken over, spearheaded by the son of the evil overlord, named Mira. Their plans for domination begin to struggle when the organization is contested by a magical girl named Byakuya, who turns Mira’s world upside-down when he finds himself falling in love with the enemy. As the two begin growing closer, their relationship becomes more complicated.

Perfectly capturing the classic enemies-to-lovers trope without all the angst but plenty of pining, The Magical Girl and the Evil Lieutenant Used to Be Archenemies may not have had a proper serialized ending, but the unlikely adaptation from Studio Bones may give the series the closure it deserves after all these years.

Twilight Out of Focus

One of the biggest BL releases in the last year, Twilight Out of Focus is a wonderfully well-produced anime that, despite some issues with its initial release in the west, has been met with overwhelming positivity from fans of the genre. Opening by following a school film project that blossoms into young love, the series’ two leads are easy to care about and root for as their relationship develops. The build up is done perfectly throughout the show, and each episode is laden with romantic tension.

Senpai is an Otonoko

Anime that explore nuanced LGBTQ concepts aren’t a rarity in today’s landscape, it is rare when one comes along that’s able to captivate an audience beyond its target demographic. Senpai is an Otonoko is a show that’s hit how with anime fans around the globe for discussing the complex journey that comes with navigating one’s gender identity and how we choose to present ourselves to the world. The show is filled with incredibly heartfelt moments discussing the topic of gender expression and learning to accept oneself despite what society may think, and it’s truly stood out this season because of that.

Wistoria Wand & Sword

The non-isekai high fantasy anime of the season, Wistoria has, so far, managed to draw in a sizable audience with a bright, colorful artstyle and high quality magic battles. Adapted from the original series written by the creator of Is It Wrong To Try and Pick Up Girls In a Dungeon?, Wistoria has an arguably stronger premise while still holding on to the same “dungeon crawl” inspiration that made the creator’s first series so successful.

Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest

Fairy Tail was a long-running shonen series that got popular for its world-building and characters, but it’s been a while since the series received any new anime content, with the final season of the original series coming to an end in 2018. However, the shonen fantasy has made a big comeback with the release of the 100 Years Quest anime adaptation, and to the delight of longtime fans, Fairy Tail hasn’t lost any of the charm that made it so popular when it originally released.

NieR:Automata Ver1.1a (Cour 2)

Video games being adapted to anime have always had a dicey track record, with other A-1 Pictures’ attempts at this, like Persona 5: The Animation missing the mark on what makes the source material so special. Luckily, the studio has been taking back their reputation with their animated adaptation of NieR: Automata, which has done a decent job at adapting the game’s storyline and bringing its complicated characters to life. The first cour performed excellently among fans, and Cour 2 has, so far, been a strong sequel that keeps up the same quality and consistency as its first half.

Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!

While the anime is gaining a solid audience, Too Many Losing Heroines is absolutely the Summer Season’s sleeper hit anime. Despite its initial set-up being the typical “plain male lead surrounded by cute girls”, Too Many Losing Heroines! succeeds in actually shaking up this formula in a compelling way. The leading lady of the show, Anna, is a hilarious subversion of the standard “popular girl” trope, and the anime’s sense of humor perfectly encapsulates what makes these characters so fun to follow. It wouldn’t be surprising to see this show receive a 2nd season once the season comes to a close.

Oshi No Ko Season 2

After the unprecedented success of Oshi no Ko‘s first season around the world, it shouldn’t be surprising that a second installment was quickly greenlit and thrown into production. Oshi no Ko season 2 keeps the same level of quality from the first, and is focused on adapting one of the manga’s best story arcs, which has its audience absolutely enthralled. As the anime begins to dig deeper into its psychological crime thriller themes, fans are more devoted than ever to follow Aqua’s journey to unmask his mother’s killer.

The Elusive Samurai

The anime adaptation for The Elusive Samurai was initially met with a small level of excitement from longtime fans of the original manga, but from the moment episode 1 released, the series exploded in popularity. Complete with CloverWorks’ signature colorful animation style and striking color palette, and paired with an extremely well executed story, the anime has seen an extreme amount of success with only a handful of episodes currently available to stream.

The heart of this series lies in its games, of course, and while there have been a few misses – there are a plenty of key standouts in the franchise, especially with its spin-off titles, that have helped it stay relevant for so many years.

Pokémon Red & Green (1996)

It May Seem Cliche, But Red & Green Deserve Recognition For Starting It All

While the first game in the Pokémon franchise may be lacking in all the features that have kept the game popular today, it will always and forever be iconic for being the game that started it all. There’s hardly any Pokémon more iconic than the original 151, and many still hold the game in high regard today.

Approachable to young gamers at the time, bugs and glitches that are still talked about today, and still managing to tell compelling environmental stories in the way of Lavender Town, Pokémon Red & Pokémon Green will always and forever be one of the best entries in the franchise.

Pokémon X & Y (2013)

The First 3D Mainline Pokémon Game Introduced New Mechanics & Franchise Staples

The first fully 3D mainline Pokémon title, Gen 6’s X & Y introduced a number of new mechanics, gimmicks, and story beats that are still beloved by modern Pokémon fans a decade later. This batch of mainline games were the first to introduce full character customization, and also included the Mega Evolution mechanic.

While its storytelling isn’t as strong as other mainline titles, X & Y still had a umber of compelling lore implications for the series, tying its main trilogy back to Norse Mythology. Plus, plenty of diehard Pokémon fans interested in the franchise’s greater lore are still waiting to learn more about the mysterious Zygarde.

Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness (2005)

The Heavily Underrated Sequel To Pokémon Colosseum Deserves More Love as One Of the Franchise’s Best Spin-Offs

The heavily underrated sequel to Pokémon Colosseum is an absolute must-play to any Pokémon fan that has access to a GameCube system. Despite the tragedy that the game is doomed to become more obscure than it already is with the passage of time, Gale of Darkness was a unique entry in the franchise and a bold departure to the standard approach to Pokémon‘s formula. Mechanically, the game operates in a similar fashion to other mainlines titles, but allows the player to find wild Pokémon in specific locations, which is a huge improvement on Colosseum‘s gameplay.

Taking place five years after the events of Colosseum, Gale of Darkness opens with the Orre Region’s criminal organization, Cipher, after creating “Shadow Lugia”, a sinister Pokémon immune to purification that’s meant to wreak havoc on the region. You, the player, embark on a journey with your trusty Eevee at your side to purify different Shadow Pokémon around the region and get to the bottom of the Cipher organization’s schemes.

Pokémon Snap (1999)

The original Pokémon Snap Gave Players a Low-Stakes, Adorable Experience With Their Favorite Pokémon

Pokémon Snap holds a fond place in many Pokémon fans’ hearts thanks to its laid back gameplay and adorable snapshot into the normal activities of Pokémon out in the wild. With a completely different gameplay loop compared to what’s in the mainline titles, Pokémon Snap just focuses on the player exploring the world and trying to get the best possible photograph of whatever Pokémon they can stumble across.

That’s not to say it’s that simple, though, as there are specific Pokémon evolutions and encounters that players can only find after triggering specific, timed events in the world as they explore.

Pokémon Emerald (2003)

Gen 3 Introduced a Number of Fan-Favorite Pokémon

The capstone of Gen 3, Pokémon Emerald ties together what makes Ruby & Sapphire so iconic and builds on specific mechanics to improve the overall gameplay. In addition to shaking up the resolution of the game’s main story by showing off the omnipotent Rayquaza, the game also allows players to catch Ruby & Sapphire‘s respective exclusives with no need for trading with friends.

There were also massive redesigns to many of the locations players can access across the Hoenn regions that improves exploration and makes the world feel more alive. As far as battling goes, Emerald built on the double battle mechanic, allowing players the opportunity to re-challenge gym leaders and participate in double battles against them. Gen 3 was a huge turning point in the franchise by introducing massive changes that would effect all of the mainline titles going forward.

Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver (2009)

Gen 2’s Remakes Rival Newer Games In Content & Quality

Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver were gorgeous reimaginings of Gen 2’s Gold & Silver titles, and combined some elements from Pokémon Crystal as well. Using many of the new core features introduced in Gen 4 and adding beautiful new scenery to iconic locations, HeartGold & SoulSilver stood out as being the first batch of mainline remakes to add just as much as they restored.

Additionally, HeartGold & SoulSilver added the adorably fun overworld mechanic of having whatever Pokémon in the player’s first slot follow them around. This was paired alongside the admittedly gimmicky pedometer called the Pokéwalker that was sold alongside the games to track player’s real-world steps and earn “watts” tht could be exchanged for in-game rewards, and the ability to catch Pokémon.

Pokémon Sun & Moon (2016)

Despite Some Spotty Mechanical Adds, Gen 7 Explored a Deeper Narrative That Hit Close To Home For Many Players

While Gen 7 sometimes gets a bad rep from disgruntled Pokémon fans, Sun & Moon had a stellar story that dove into surprising depth for a mainline Pokémon game. With Lusamine being a more than compelling villain, especially factoring in the storylines following her two children that become a rival and companion to the player, Sun & Moon has more than enough to keep players entertained, and earns it a high spot amid other titles in the franchise.

While the games does have its misses mechanically, its still incredibly fun, and also shook up the traditional Gym Leader dynamic found in past Pokémon games.

Pokémon Black & White (2010)

Gen 5 Bookends the End Of an Era For the Franchise With One Of Pokémon’s Best Stories

Pokémon Black & White was the final 2D mainline entry in the franchise, and ended that era of Pokémon on an incredible note. While Gen 5 does suffer from a few questionable mechanics that never permanently carried over to other games, it did bring some of the liveliest sprite’s in the franchise’s history, and hands down has the most compelling story in a mainlines Pokémon game.

The game’s villains were also compelling, with the dynamic between N and Ghetsis remaining iconic now, with many players voicing their desire to see more complex antagonists like N in the future. From its character and Pokémon designs, to the infectiously catchy OST, Pokémon Black & White will always be beloved entries in the series.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky (2009)

The Mystery Dungeon Series Is Known For Tear-Jerking Stories, & Explorers of Sky Delivered

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon is a unique take on the Pokémon franchise that sees players being transported to a world inhabited only by Pokémon as a Pokémon, and going on dungeon crawling adventures as members of a guild trying to discover what caused them to become a Pokémon in the first place. While the gameplay is fun, the storyline of Explorers of Sky is absolutely iconic, and an absolute tear-jerker.

Despite being a spin-off title, Explorers of Sky has some of the best storytelling in the entirety of the franchise, with many fans wishing to see the spin-off series make a comeback after a handful of lackluster entries since Explorers of Sky dropped.

Pokémon Platinum (2006)

The Final Mainline Entry of Gen 4 Gave Pokémon Fans Everything They Want Out of the Franchise

Pokémon Platinum is hands-down the best Pokémon game. Not only is Gen 4 well-regarded for adding many of the series most iconic Pokémon, including Giratina and Arceus – the literal God of Pokémon – Platinum also introduced a variety of upgrades from Diamond & Pearl that truly made it stand out.

Of these, some of the best additions included the game running faster – Diamond & Pearl chug along far more than players might remember – story improvements, with many of the core themes surrounding creation and time, culminating in Platinum‘s box-art showcase Pokémon, Giratina, representing anti-matter and chaos. Platinum also marks the return of the beloved Battle Frontier, and much like Emerald, allows for a broader Pokédex that’s easier for players to complete.

With frequent updates from Togashi, an upcoming 3v3 fighting game, and a brand-new tankoban release confirmed by Shueisha, Hunter x Hunter is making a huge comeback in 2024.

Hunter x Hunter’s Indefinite Hiatus May Finally Be Coming To an End

With a record of taking multiple breaks due to his health, Togashi placed Hunter x Hunter on an indefinite hiatus in early 2023 due to his ongoing health and personal issues after the release of chapter 400. Though saddening to many fans, they’ve regained hope that the series could potentially begin serializing again after Togashi’s X (formerly Twitter) account had begun putting out multiple updates from the end of 2023.

These increasingly frequent updates have featured page numbers, and even fully-colored artwork. His most recent post at time of writing is a full color illustration of Chrollo from the Phantom Troupe.

In addition to this, Shueisha recently volume 38 of the manga for a Fall release on September 4, 2024. Togashi has also made posts stating that the new chapters are ready to hand off chapters 409 and 410 to his assistants, and has teased progress all the way through hapter 416. Despite the long break Togashi has taken, fans are elated for any potential updates, and are rooting for the mangaka to continue monitoring his health while working hard on the upcoming chapters.

The Upcoming Nen x Impact Game Has a Lot of Promise

While anime fighting games are often hit or miss with critics, the upcoming Hunter x Hunter video game project, Nen x Impact, looks incredibly promising, and the promotional videos showing of the game’s roster have been anything but bland.

From Arc System Works and Bushiroad Games, Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact features a variety of iconic characters from the series, including the core protagonists, and most recently announced the addition of Feitan and Meruem to the roster. While anime tie-in fighters often have lower budgets, it’s still interesting to see the amount of marketing Nen x Impact is receiving, so hopefully the project will have something for hardcore Hunter x Hunter fans to enjoy.

Hunter x Hunter‘s anime adaptation can be streamed on Netflix, the official manga can be purchased from retailers like Amazon.

A surprising hit from this season, however, has come in the way of CloverWorks’ adaptation of The Elusive Samurai, which has a remarkably high score on MAL despite only having one episode available at the time of writing.

What Makes The Elusive Samurai So Sensational?

While CloverWorks has solidified themselves as a solid and reliable studio, producing standout hits like Horimiya, Black Butler -Public School Arc- and My Dress Up Darling, from time-to-time their new releases can get buried amid a season filled with other promising titles. While there weren’t many anime fans talking about The Elusive Samurai before episode 1 dropped, it’s now become hard to avoid seeing Tokiyuki’s face all over the internet.

It’s clear that CloverWorks is putting a lot of love into this adaptation, with many fans of the original manga commenting on how well the studio has done to re-contextualize small details that were left in dialogue boxes in the source material, as well as offering the studio’s signature fluid animation to the show.. The characters and setting are fun and refreshing, with the series taking place during Japan’s Nanboku-cho period (1333), and following the up-and-coming successor of the Kamakura Shogunate. Historical fiction isn’t uncommon in anime, but it is rare to see something that sticks so closely to the era it’s attempting to portray.

Not to mention, watching the first episode, it’s fun to see child characters that actually behave like curious children, instead of having their personalities aged up. All around, The Elusive Samurai is a gem of a series, and we can’t wait to see where it goes from here.

Fans interested in getting caught up with The Elusive Samurai can stream the show on Crunchyroll.

Toei Animation recently dropped a new trailer filled with details about the anime, including its official release date.

Dragon Ball Daima Will Officially Drop In October 2024

The trailer shows of Daima‘s flashy animation style and high-energy vibe, once again showing a child version of Goku taking on the upcoming anime’s biggest threats. In addition to the new trailer, the official Dragon Ball X account dropped a new key visual for the anime.

The new visual is reminiscent of early Dragon Ball manga cover artwork, injecting the project with a rush of nostalgia.

While its great to see more people talking about the series, its even more incredible to see the vast number of fan projects pop up following the anime’s success, with many of the perfectly capturing the underlying themes of the series.

@mihaelillustrates Captures a Heartwarming Meal Shared By Laios’ Party

This gorgeously illustrated fanart features Laios, Marcille, Chilchuck, and Senshi sharing hotpot together. The color palette chosen for the piece gives it a warm and cozy feel – even with Marcille’s disgruntled expression. It beautifully captures one of Delicious In Dungeon‘s core themes: the importance of taking the time to share a meal with the people you care about.

With the tense season 1 finale ramping things up leading into the already announced second season, it can be easy to forget that some of the show’s best moments come from Laios and the rest of the party connecting with friends new and old through the power of home cooking, even if they are making their meals with monsters.

Delicious in Dungeon is available to stream on Netflix.

Theo Solomon, who plays Wyll Ravengard and Bernard in the smash-hit RPG, recently found himself on the receiving end of being not-so-subtly rejected by the fiery Barbarian during his playthrough of Baldur’s Gate 3 on Twitch.

Theo May Have Been Rejected, But He Shook It Off

In the hilarious Youtube Short, Theo decides to shoot his shot to spend some one-on-one time with Karlach during the Tiefling party at the end of Act 1. In a tragic twist, Karlach shoots him down with her classic “let’s not ruin a good thing” voiceline. Theo plays it off, though, putting on a pair of sunglasses and moving on with the party.

Not to fear – as Theo did manage to score a romantic night with Shadowheart instead. For fans of Baldur’s Gate 3 and Theo Solomon, the actor streams on Twitch at theosolomon1 and posts clips from his streams on Youtube @TheoSolomon1.

That’s where AnimeNYC and the Japan Society come in, uniting to create the American Manga Awards. Aiming to celebrate and acknowledge the dedicated and hard-working individuals making our favorite titles more accessible, the American Manga Awards have finally revealed their nominees for 2024.

Every American Manga Award Nominee

The American Manga Awards are shaping up to be a huge event, and the committee in charge have selected a number of stand-out titles to join the ranks of their nominations for 2024.

Best New Manga:

• The Darwin Incident by Shun Umezawa | Kodansha
• #DRCL Midnight Children by Shin’ichi Sakamoto, based on Dracula by Bram Stoker | Viz Media
• Just Like Mona Lisa by Tsumuji Yoshimura | Square Enix Manga & Books
• Mothers by Kusahara Umi | Glacier Bay Books
• Soara and the House of Monsters by Hidenori Yamaji | Seven Seas Entertainment

Best Continuing Manga Series:

• Blood on the Tracks by Shuzo Oshimi | Kodansha (Vertical)
• Delicious In Dungeon by Ryoko Kui | Yen Press
• Dinosaur Sanctuary by Itaru Kinoshita | Seven Seas Entertainment
• She Loves To Cook, She Loves To Eat by Sakomi Yuzaki | Yen Press
• The Summer Hikaru Died by mokumokuren | Yen Press

Best New Edition of a Classic Manga Series

• Minami’s Lover by Shungiku Uchida | Fantagraphics
• My Name Is Shingo by Kazuo Umezz | Viz Media
• Okinawa by Susumu Higa | Fantagraphics
• UFO Mushroom Invasion by Marina Shirakawa | Living the Line / Smudge
• Neighborhood Story by Ai Yazawa | Viz Media

Best Translation

• Kevin Steinbach – for Issak by Shinji Makari & DOUBLE-S | Kodansha
• David Evelyn – for Doll-Kara by Kazuyoshi Ishii, Hanamura, and Kei Ryuzoji | J-Novel Club
• Stephen Paul – for Akane Banashi by Yuki Suenaga & Takamasa Moue | Viz Media
• Stephen Kohler – for Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama | Kodansha
• John Neal – for Bocchi the Rock! by Aki Hamaji | Yen Press

Best Lettering

• Vadim K. – lettering for They’ll Make a Man Out of You by Shiwasu no Okina | J18 Publishing
• Rebecca Sze – lettering for Tokyo Interstellar Immigration Volume 3. by Mado Guchimoto | VAST Visual
• Tomoko Saito – for letteing & retouch for Blade of the Immortal Deluxe Edition Volume 10 by Hiroaki Samura | Dark Horse
• Lys Blakeslee – lettering for Witch Hat Atelier | by Kamome Shirahama | Kodansha
• Phil Christie – lettering & retouch for Search & Destroy Volume 1 by Atsushi Kaneko, based on Dororo by Osamu Tezuka | Fantagraphics

Best Publication Design

• Nicky Lim & Sandy Grayson – box set design for Orange Complete Box Set
• Nicky Lim & Karis Page – cover design, lettering, & interior design for My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness: Special Edition by Nagata Kabi | Seven Seas Entertainment
• Phil Balsman – design for Initial D Omnibus by Shuichi Shinego | Kodansha
• Andrea Miller – cover design for Tokyo Aliens by NAOE | Square Enix Manga & Books
• Adam Grano – design for My Name Is Shingo by Kazuo Umezz | Viz Media

The American Manga Awards Aim To Celebrate the Individuals That Make the Industry What It Is

The Western manga industry – and the manga industry in general – have faced a number of challenges over the last few years due to struggles with AI generated translations and publishers underpaying staff for work on a medium that is nothing short of lucrative. It can be easy to forget that there are very real, very passionate individuals that work on manga in the process of bringing it to English-speaking bookshelves, and that social media echo chambers discussing the industry often lack an ounce of empathy when it comes to understanding the workload.

That’s where the American Manga Awards come in – the committee seem dedicated to celebrating and acknowledging the behind-the-scenes folks that work hard every single day to bring the community’s favorite books to the West. The judging committee are all longtime members of the industry, and have been very vocal for their love of the medium.

Our Favorite Picks From the Nominees List

Obvious favorites from this year’s American Manga Awards are of course big-hitters like Delicious In Dungeon that have recently broken into the mainstream thanks to its impeccable anime adaptation on Netflix. The series is a wonderful high fantasy romp that wears its Dungeons & Dragons influence on its sleeve, as well as pulling from other major fantasy properties.

Something else we’ve loved seeing on this years nominations list is the recognition of smaller publishers, like Glacier Bay Books – which made it onto the list for their work on bringing Mothers to English readers. Mothers by Kusahara Umi is a debut work compiling fifteen years of self-published short stories. As described by the publisher:

“Mothers is Kusahara Umi’s debut English title, collecting and translating 15 years worth of self-published short stories developed on themes of love, family, and loss. Offset printed on a luxury cream paper stock, with a sewn binding. The cover will feature gatefold flaps spot printed with a mix of red and blue inks on uncoated paper, showcasing brand new artwork created by Umi specially for this, their first collected edition. Mothers contains 12 short stories that encapsulate different facets of the human experience.”

There’s also been a return of many iconic classics becoming more accessible for new manga fans, like the gorgeously designed Initial D Omnibus collection. One of the biggest series we’re rooting for is The Summer Hikaru Died, a haunting supernatural mystery that beautifully discusses the nature of loss and its relationship with grief.

While we’re still waiting for final results, in our eyes, this event marks everyone working in the industry as a winner. Those interested in voting for their favorite series and supporting their favorite publishers can find the link through AnimeNYC’s official website, here.

Despite having a dedicated fanbase, mountains of merchandise and record-breaking sales, fans have grown exhausted with the franchise – but why?

Despite Its Success, the Anime Is Drawing the Story Out Too Much

The original Demon Slayer manga, which was created by Koyoharu Gotouge and began running in Shonen Jump magazine from February 2016 to May 2020, with its chapters being collected into 23 single volumes, or tankobon. The series was an instant success, and in 2020, the year that the manga concluded, had an estimated ¥1 trillion ($8.75 billion USD) in annual revenue. According to Shonen Jump‘s editor-in-chief, Hiroyuki Nakano, the series’ sales began skyrocketing after the first season of the anime had concluded.

This makes total sense – Demon Slayer season 1 was nearly flawless. Featuring Ufotable’s signature animation style and introducing audiences to the main cast in a way that made it easy to get invested in their stories, the series had something for everyone. While action-packed and filled with terrifying demons, the anime also boasted one of the most endearing takes on the “found family” tropes in the industry.

The praise continues when the Mugen Train arc’s animated adaptation released – a feature length film that pushed the boundaries of modern anime cinema in terms of animation quality, storytelling, and hype. The film became an absolute sensation, and the perfectly orchestrated beats throughout the film highlighting the pivotal Hashira Rengoku is something that’s still discussed today. However, from this point onward, the anime starting facing controversies for something unexpected: “canon” filler.

Demon Slayer’s Reliance On Reusing Story Arcs Is Hurting the Series’ Reputation

While there are plenty of criticisms to be made about Demon Slayer being a shorter series and debates on whether or not it stuck the landing with its final arc, one thing is clear – the anime adaptation’s reliance on reusing content is a massive problem that’s causing fans to feel a lot of burn out.

As previously mentioned, the Mugen Train film was absolutely incredible – but then, when the subsequent televised season released afterward, Ufotable returned by retelling the film’s plot all over again. While the studio did add a precursor to provide extra Rengoku content which many fans of the series enjoyed, they proceeded to release an episodic “cut for television” version of the film. This was easy to overlook at the time with the addition of the new content, but this was an unfortunate trend that persisted into the Entertainment District arc and the Swordsmith Village arc, which saw a theatrical release of what ultimately culminated in a compilation film of the Entertainment District’s final episode, and the first episode of Swordsmith Village.

While marketing efforts made the formula seem as though it was doing well – and financially, it was – fans began to sour on this approach to the anime’s release. This happened again with the initial release of the Hashira Training arc, which has undoubtedly been the series’ lowest point.

Everything Wrong With the ‘Hashira Training arc’

The Hashira Training arc is relatively short in the manga, acting as a very brief montage that leads directly into the manga’s grand finale: the ‘Infinity Castle’ arc. Despite maintaining a good chunk of its popularity due to audience investment, the consensus is clear: this is the Demon Slayer anime’s lowest point, and fans of the show are exhausted.

While the animation quality is still solid, the arc added quite a bit of filler to pad out its run time, and had a record number of exposition dumps between characters that could have easily been cut for time. Why the team behind the anime made this choice is unclear, but grim speculation from fans are obviously accusing the team behind the anime of stretching out its length for money.

Not to mention, Demon Slayer is an easy money maker. The manga was the first series to ever take every single top 10 slot in Oricon’s weekly manga charts, and occupied the top 10 for an entire month. Even with the popularity boom of anime and manga in the last decade, those kinds of numbers are almost unheard of. Hopefully the anime adaptation can win its fans over and stick the landing with the adaptation of the final arc, which, in classic Demon Slayer form, will be split into an entire feature-length film trilogy. We just hope that they’re capable of sticking the landing and that the series won’t go out with a disappointed community.

Demon Slayer is available to stream on Crunchyroll. The original manga is published in English by Viz Media.

Titled Solo Leveling: Ragnarok, the sequel was originally announced back in April 2023, but fans mightfinally be able to start reading in 2024.

Solo Leveling: Ragnarok’s Release Date Is Coming Faster Than Fans Of the Series Expected

Solo Leveling: Ragnarok was originally a novel written by Daul that follows Sun Jinwoo’s son who aims to follow in his father’s footsteps. In addition to a gorgeously illustrated promotional piece, it looks as though the WEBTOON will begin on August 1, 2024 – which is right around the corner.

With the next season of the anime adaptation of Solo Leveling in production at A-1 Pictures, there’s no better time for Ragnarok to keep fans of the series invested while they wait for Jinwoo to return in season 2.