Anime Herald

@animeherald.com

The official Bluesky account for Anime Herald, and everyone's anime-shaped sleep paralysis demon. We Speak Otaku. 💖 Patreon: http://hera.fyi/patreon

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

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.

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The Failure of “America’s Greatest Otaku” - Megan D. examines TOKYOPOP's ill-fated attempt to create a reality TV series geared toward anime fans. She examines the series from the top down, from baffling production choices, to ill-advised locations, set against the backdrop of an industry crash.

The Failure of "America's Greatest Otaku"

Tokyopop’s situation was still precarious after a round of layoffs in 2008, but company founder and CEO Stu Levy was certain he could turn things around.

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We want EVERYONE to enjoy anime, and the things we publish, and the books we release. Anime is for everybody, and we stand by that. It's not like we'd do something absurd like list gawdy, overpriced junk behind a paywall before you can even purchase it. That would be business suicide.

Forged from fandom Inspired by the fans who make up the community, Anime Herald Magazine evokes magic baseballs, phantom thieves, and the idea that anime is worth celebrating. It carries that energy. Bright colors, fun layouts, and articles written from the heart. This is a truly vital publication

Cover art for Anime Herald Magazine #2, which features Hera in a grey floral yukata deciding between two masks, at a Japanese summer festival

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

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.” 

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Today is Sakura Wars' 30th anniversary, and you'd better believe that we're ready for it. 🥰 Researcher Rai Kanada explored the series and its depictions of queerness and queer survival, with a focus on the relationship between Maria and Ayame. It's a great read, and we hope you enjoy it #SakuraWars

Arming the Heart with Steel: How Sakura Wars Explores Structural Queer Survival

Taken together, these practices suggest that Sakura Wars’s non-normativity lies not simply in its characters or its romantic possibilities, but in its broader refusal of conventional hierarchies of gender, intimacy, and economic value. 

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On Saturday, we celebrated our 16th anniversary, which is still just... a lot to process. We've been around longer than some anime and manga publishers, and that's kind of wild to think about. But I digress. Our EIC wrote a short piece regarding the big day, which is definitely worth checking out

Celebrating Sixteen Years of Anime Herald

While I'm unable to predict what will happen tomorrow, let alone ten years from now, I sincerely hope that we'll be able to keep producing Anime Herald as a publication that you enjoy and trust, for as long as I'm able to hold a pen.

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Hi everyone, we have a new interview today! 🥰 Seth Burn talked with Kadokawa's Satoshi Arima and the winners of last year's Honeyfeed Light Novel Contest about publishing, the light novel market, the growth of international authors, and more. It's a great read and we hope you enjoy it. #anime

A Conversation About Global Publishing With Kadokawa's Staff

Interview Location: Anime Expo 2026 Interview Format: In-person, One-on-One Anime Herald: What is the role of a manager and chief editor? Satoshi Arima:

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Looking Back on Protoculture Addicts 15 Years Later: Red Bard covers the history of Protoculture Addicts, which currently stands as the longest running anime magazine in North America. They examine the publication's founding, its partnership with ANN, and its settling into dormancy. #anime #manga

Looking Back on Protoculture Addicts 15 Years Later

15 years after its last issue was published, Protoculture Addicts is still North America’s longest running anime magazine.

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We have a new column today! Borealis Capps examined the current season, which brought two smoking-forward anime in Chainsmoker Cat and Smoking Behind The Supermarket With You, and whether these shows are part of a larger "Joe Camel" type campaign. It's a great read, and we hope you enjoy it #anime

What’s with All the Smoking Anime Lighting up Our Screens?

The history of anime characters smoking is long and varied. While our brains may be tempted to see these more overt examples as something worth extra notice, sometimes a coincidence is just a coincidence.

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Akane-banashi’s Anna Nagase Talks to Anime Herald at Anime Expo 2026: Seth Burn talked with Anna Nagase, who plays Akane in "Akane-banashi." She discusses her work on the series, her rakugo traning, her favorite rakugo, and more. #anime #akanebanashi

Akane-banashi's Anna Nagase Talks to Anime Herald at Anime Expo 2026

"I find that the Jugemu story was particularly fun to perform. It was shown in the tenth episode. It was mostly done in one take."

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Happy new article day 🥰 We just went live a piece by Alex Henderson that explores "Train to the End of the World," and the way the series' use of absurdism and biting social commentary come together to create a once-in-a-generation coming-of-age story. It's a great read and we hope you enjoy it.

Train to the End of the World: Coming of Age in a Strange, Stupid Apocalypse

In being so surreal, this series touches on very real and relatable ideas, holding up a bendy carnival mirror to the audience’s own world.

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Transgressive Sexuality and The Cold War: A Look Back at Wicked City: Jerome Reuter explores classic OVA Wicked City, and the way it uses its format to push the boundaries of graphic material, which it uses to underscore a smart, political thriller. #anime

Transgressive Sexuality and The Cold War: A Look Back at Wicked City

Table of contentsA Partnership, A Comic Relief, and An Escalating Conflict Between Two WorldsA Thrilling Climax and Hopes for a Better Future A High-Water

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Happy new article day 🥰 We just went live a piece by Bolaji Akinwande that explores "My Best Friend, The Weeb," a Nigerian podcast about the country's anime scene. He talks with its hosts about Nigerian anime fandom, the growth of anime access, and more. It's a great read and we hope you enjoy it.

The Nigerian Anime-Focused Podcast To Know

Podcasting in Nigeria has become a form of storytelling within mainstream media, beginning in the 2010s, with names like I Said What I Said, F & S

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