For millions of people in the West (America and Europe), the word “anime” wasn’t learned online. It came from a single source: a programming block on Cartoon Network called Toonami. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Toonami was, for many, the only gateway to shows like Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, and Gundam Wing. But its legacy runs much deeper than its lineup. It...

The term Iyashikei (癒し系, which translates to "healing type" or "curative") defines an anime and manga genre focused on provoking a sense of peace, comfort, and emotional healing in the viewer. These series are the perfect antidote to the stress of work or modern life, offering an escape to beautiful, slow-paced, and benign worlds. Iyashikei is characterized by: Absence of Conflict: Plots lack...

The “curse of video game adaptations” is a real phenomenon. For decades, most anime based on video games were, at best, 20‑minute commercials and, at worst, rushed adaptations that stripped away everything that made the original great. But that has changed. In the modern era of streaming, creators have had the freedom to take the lore and world of a video game and build something...

Anime, an art form traditionally defined by the 2D screen, is undergoing a radical metamorphosis. The growing sophistication of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) is not just changing how we watch anime, but where and with whom we experience it. The promise of immersive technology is to blur the line between the viewer and the character, moving the fandom into the Metaverse. I. VR:...

The Japanese Idol landscape has evolved dramatically. Today, stars are neither solely human nor entirely digital. The massive success of franchises like Love Live! is based on the 2.5D model, a fusion of animated characters and their real-life voice actresses. This formula would not have been possible without the precedent set by the pioneering figure of digital entertainment: Hatsune Miku. I....