Jump SQ debut My Girlfriend is the Ultimate Weapon pairs giant robot action with high school romance. Yet despite a fun premise, the execution relies on tired wish fulfillment tropes and lacks direction, delivering a disappointing start.

Great read on GITS. I remember reading the manga and seeing how different it was from Oshii’s film. Both can exist, but I appreciate having Science Saru’s manga accurate version b/c it’s more colorful, fun, bouncy, and punchy. Maaya Sakamoto also fully taking the mantle of Major was cool too.

Andes Chucky@wendeego.bsky.social · 4d ago

For scrmbl, I wrote about the new and old Ghost in the Shell. What does it mean to be a "faithful" adaptation?

Latest essay for @scrmbl.com is out, where I vent out a lot of my love and frustrations with baseball. Read it here! 👇

scrmbl@scrmbl.com · 6d ago

Catch Me at the Ballpark! captures the unique culture of Japanese baseball through beer vendor Ruriko and her run-ins with stadium regulars. Beyond the game's unpredictability, the series celebrates the emotional journey of fans, staff, and team alike.

Born as an expensive department store fashion line, Angel Blue defined 2000s Harajuku style before fading with shifting trends. Now, Japan's Y2K revival is bringing the iconic character driven brand back, proving streetwear style moves in cycles.

Japanese espionage thriller VIVANT returned for Season 2 with even more over-the-top action and a massive marketing push. Yet its Koikeya tie-in potato chips surprisingly miss the mark in comparison, offering only decent flavors that fail to match the show's wild energy.

Weekly Shonen Jump's circulation might be at an all time low, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the magazine is down for the count.

Unlike past adaptations that altered Ghost in the Shell's dense source material, Science Saru and writer Toh Enjoe are embracing its raw complexity. This “faithful” approach brings a version of Masamune Shirow's opus that many viewers haven't seen before.

Bandai and Twin Engine have formed a strategic partnership for the development of new IPs. While Bandai needs no introduction, Twin Engine owns the studio that produced the recent adaptation of Witch Hat Atelier.

Falcom's 1991 dungeon crawler Brandish stands apart with its unique revolving perspective. By making players rotate the entire environment, the game treats its massive 40-floor dungeon like a hands-on 3D puzzle waiting to be solved.

Putting aside the gun meme for a second, the story for that new Fire Emblem game looks absolutely bonkers. Time travel, anyone?

Recent comments from some iconic mangaka about the use of AI has raised eyebrows among the fandom. As some artists look to AI to lighten the physical load, automating the drawing process removes the human intent that gives every panel its deeper meaning.

Catch Me at the Ballpark! captures the unique culture of Japanese baseball through beer vendor Ruriko and her run-ins with stadium regulars. Beyond the game's unpredictability, the series celebrates the emotional journey of fans, staff, and team alike.

The last chapter of The New Prince of Tennis has forced the very first additional print run of Jump SQ, alongside several special included gifts.

We're back once again to help you kick off your week with some excellent new music! This week's additions to our 2026 playlist include tracks from Big Animal Theory & Phritz, lilbesh ramko, Okame, omeme tenten, punipunidenki, and Yoyou!

After 14 years, the main story of Dragon Quest X is coming to an end. But don't worry! There's plenty more content planned.

Each month Patrick from Make Believe Melodies rounds up a selection of the month's best new albums & EPs for us to share with our readers. This month features an eclectic mix with a pair of releases from AVYSS, Moto Kawabe's debut solo album, a wacky yet charming Shohei Ohtani themed work, and more!

Mamoru Hosoda's anime film The Boy and the Beast found new life as a successful stage musical by Gekidan Shiki. The acclaimed theatrical adaptation uses music and stagecraft to resolve the pacing and narrative issues of the 2015 original.

In the new manga MEGAPHONE PARADE by Umecchi, humanoid chatbots rule a dystopian future where humans are quietly replaced or silenced. Antique shop owner Kai helps fugitives escape as a six-month countdown ticks toward an impending revolution against AI.

With double the budget of standard primetime dramas, Vivant thrills Japanese audiences through intense espionage and high-stakes intrigue. Its massive success proved that a big-budget TV series can still become a countrywide phenomenon in the streaming age.

“Everyone's emotions are unique and I wanted to have that expressed in each of the characters by using hand-drawn [art], watercolors, and water brush techniques.” - artist and mangaka Marco Kohinata discussing her personal style

Konami is celebrating the 20th anniversary of beatnation Records this year with the establishment of an official twitter account and special website for the in-house label. Continuing the celebration they launched an artist page along with special music video uploads on YouTube.

Fans of the ONE PIECE Card Game should feel right at home with the Naruto Card Game, even though Bandai Namco has introduced several changes to the gameplay to keep things fresh.

Seven-Eleven currently has a range of tie-up treats and dishes to celebrate the newly released Chiikawa movie, but the “Red Perch Boiled in Soy Sauce” in particular may prove to be just a little unsettling to those who have already seen the film...

Schrödinger’s Call is a stunning picture-book styled visual novel about Mary, an amnesiac taking phone calls from dead spirits before the moon falls. Despite pacing issues and linear choices, its emotional story about grief makes listening to these tragic callers deeply moving.

Kohei Horikoshi is returning to Weekly Shonen Jump next month with a new horror one-shot. Maybe this is his opportunity to expand on some of the scarier stuff found in My Hero Academia.

Coinciding with out an outpouring of love for late musician Rei Harakami on the anniversary of his passing, AMBIENT KYOTO teased an upcoming exhibition focused on the artist to take place from March to June 2027.

Chiikawa The Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island brings the fan-favorite unhinged characters to cinemas. Behind its cute, family-friendly visuals lies a surprisingly bleak and complex story that pushes the franchise into dark new territory.

Genki Ono’s Hima-ten! proved that shonen romance doesn't need to drag on forever. Wrapping up in just under 100 chapters, this Weekly Shonen Jump series delivered distinct artwork, tasteful fan service, and a surprisingly restrained story.

Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo (and the Pikachu Sweets concept café) will open for business again on August 24, five months after the horrific incident that claimed the life of an employee.

We're back once again with our weekly new music selections! This week has some heavy hitters with new must-listen tracks from Ami Maeshima, AprilBlue, DADARAY, Hakushi Hasegawa, Swashi2, and tempalay!