Enjoy long-running favourites, reinventions of classics, and the newest sensations, all from the world of Japanese animation.
Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online
Karen Kohiruimaki may be tall for a Japanese woman, but she’s short on self-esteem. Standing at 183 cm, she’s always the butt of jokes. But in the serious virtual reality online shooter Gun Gale Online, she can finally be both diminutive and larger than life as her pint-sized avatar LLENN, dubbed the Pink Devil due to the colour of her attire and weapons.
As she racks up her kill count and grows in notoriety, it’s not long before she makes her first friend (or enemy?) in Pitohui: a fellow female player with a disturbing lust for violence and suicidal moves. Pitohui is a danger not just to herself but also to her stoic and subservient sidekick, the mysterious M. Soon after Karen joins a new tournament with M, she learns that there lies a dark secret about her new online pals, one which may affect their real-world lives.
Long-time fans of Reki Kawahara’s Sword Art Online, the franchise this series is spun off from, will appreciate references to the mainline series, while newcomers and battle-royale enthusiasts will enjoy the character-based storytelling and worldbuilding. With the second season set to premiere this month, now’s a great time to join the battle with LLENN and her P90 submachine gun P-chan and catch up on Season 1.
LLENN meets Pitohui, and doing as she is told by Pitohui, she enters the Squad Jam group battle.
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Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series (S25)
The long-running Pokémon animated series began its three-season-long Pokémon Journeys arc in its 23rd season and concluded it in the 25th season, which is subtitled Ultimate Journeys: The Series. The Pokémon Journeys arc introduced viewers to young Pokémon trainer Goh, who joins long-time protagonist Ash on his adventures. Both of them are based out of the Cerise Laboratory in Vermillion City, Kanto, overseen by Professor Cerise. Chloe, who is Professor Cerise’s daughter and Goh’s childhood friend, also joins Ash and Goh on their journey. Ash, his beloved Pikachu, and their friends undergo intensive training as the Pokémon World Coronation Series tournament approaches. Meanwhile, Goh attempts to join Project Mew, a research project that recruits Pokémon trainers to find the elusive Mythical Pokémon, Mew.
As a treat for fans, the last 12 episodes of the season reunite Ash with Misty and Brock, bringing the iconic trio back together to travel the world. This season brings things full circle for Ash after 25 years and is sure to evoke nostalgia in fans who have followed the series all this time.
As the Pokémon World Coronation Series tournament heats up, intensive training is in store for Ash.
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Rurouni Kenshin (2023)
The manga Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story (subtitled Wandering Samurai in some English versions), written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki, ran from 1994 to 1999. The successful title spawned an anime series that aired from 1996 to 1998, three original video animation films, five live-action movies, and multiple video games. This new anime series from Liden Films has been praised by fans for its faithfulness to the source material and its dynamic fight scenes. And there’s no competition between this and the original anime series. In fact, Hideyo Yamamoto, who directs the revived adaptation, is a fan of the ’90s anime classic, having grown up watching it.
The story takes place in the late 19th century, as the Bakumatsu Period gives way to the Meiji Restoration era. A lone wanderer named Kenshin Himura meets Kaoru Kamiya, the owner of a struggling local dojo in Tokyo, and they gradually fall for each other. Along the way, they meet the ex-thief Myōjin Yahiko, who joins Kaoru’s dojo, and the swordsman Sagara Sanosuke as they face off against formidable opponents. But the toughest enemies of all are the demons from Kenshin’s past that still haunt him.
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Upon the arrival of the new era the Battosai disappeared from the public eye, leaving behind just his legend.
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Mashle: Magic and Muscles
Have you ever wondered what a combination of Harry Potter and One Punch Man would be like? Hajime Kōmoto’s fantasy manga series, Mashle: Magic and Muscles, has often been described as just that. The manga ran from 2020 to 2023, and its anime adaptation premiered in 2023.
Mashle is set in a world steeped in magic, where the most powerful and adept magic users sit at the top of the social hierarchy. Mash Burnedead had the misfortune of being born with no magical powers at all. His father, Regro, raised him in isolation in the forest, where he spent his childhood and adolescence doing rigorous physical training. Mash enrols into the Easton Magic Academy with the goal of becoming a Divine Visionary, the school’s highest honour. He must outperform his magic-wielding peers, relying only on brute strength and determination. Featuring a combination of action, humour, and quirkiness, Mashle is an eclectic take on the fantasy-comedy genre.
Mash Burnedead attends Magic School. He sets his sights on becoming a "Divine Visionary."
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