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Solo Leveling is a franchise that has quickly become synonymous with success, as it continues to dominate discussions among anime fans. Jin-woo's adventure has continuously captivated audiences with its amazing plot, memorable characters, and stunning art style. The series has achieved many impressive milestones that no other anime in history has been remotely close to.

Yet, despite this unprecedented success, many fans have made their concern for the franchise known after it failed to reach the top of the best-selling adult graphic novels during July. Despite being considered the biggest anime of the moment, the original manhwa from which the show was inspired has found it hard to reach American audiences.

Solo Leveling Is Anime’s Biggest Hit, But Its Manhwa Continues To Struggle

On August 12, 2025, Circana Bookscan's report for the month of July was released, giving fans a chance to see which graphic novels were the most popular during the past 30 days.

Solo Leveling has been one of the biggest global breakout titles in recent years, with its anime winning big at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards, its second season pulling in huge audiences and its manhwa volumes selling strongly. However, new sales data suggest that the series might be losing momentum in the U.S. market.

According to new data from Circana BookScan, not a single volume of Solo Leveling made it to the Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels sales chart for the month of July 2025. This is particularly surprising given that Solo Leveling Volume 12 was just released in June and ranked at fifth place in that month's chart. In contrast, Gege Akutami...

Petals of Reincarnation is another controversial title after 2021’s Record of Ragnarok that is set to drop in 2026. The internet and the anime fandom are abuzz due to this new anime announcement. The series brings out historical characters like Einstein and Hitler, with a unique and gritty take on them.

After the Record of Ragnarok stirred up a massive wave of discontent due to its take on multiple deities, including Hindu gods, there has been a lot of vigilance in the anime medium towards such titles.

While only certain cultures were affected by the deviant portrayal of revered gods in Record of Ragnarok, Petals of Reincarnation has a much wider ambit to offend the viewers. Historical figures like Hitler are always mired in a lot of controversy, and the slightest mistake in their portrayal could lead to bans and boycotts.

Petals of Reincarnation Champions Controversial Elements

The upcoming anime adaptation...

No one really prefers a live-action adaptation of their favorite anime. And maybe, this is the only thing where almost the entire fandom can agree on. Not to say there’s no potential in such adaptations, but generally, the track record with live-action anime has been so disastrous so far that it’s hard to place our hopes on it.

However, as fans, our opinions might not carry much weight, since the industry continues to churn out horrible live-action anime adaptations time and time again. And as a matter of fact, there’s a chance that some of your favorite series listed below might also be getting theirs sooner than you can imagine. Surely, none of you would want to see this become a reality—and as for why, you’ll understand once you read on.

1. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End

Despite being comparatively new, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End has earned...

Kodansha House, the immersive manga-themed pop-up from one of Japan’s largest publisher, is set to return to New York City this October. Taking place in SoHo from Oct 4–19, 2025, the event promises an even more interactive fan experience this year, along with rare appearances from three major manga creators.

Located at 210 Lafayette Street, the 2025 edition of Kodansha House will be open Tuesday through Sunday from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.

With a larger venue and expanded programming, the pop-up will feature interactive exhibits, hands-on workshops, and curated fan experiences, such as movie screenings and date nights. Titles such as Attack On Titan, Blue Lock, and Ghost In The Shell, among others, are featured in the exhibit lineup.

A major highlight of this year’s event will be rare U.S. appearances by three prominent manga creators. While the guests have yet to be announced, Kodansha confirmed they will take part...

Kodansha had a slew of announcements to reveal at San Diego Comic-Con this week, from an update to the Kodansha Print Club to new titles and new editions of fan favorites. Among the latter are Witch Hat Atelier: Grimoire Edition —a deluxe hardcover that packs the first three volumes of Kamome Shirahama’s manga together—an omnibus release of Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura’s Blue Lock and Attack on Titan Definitive Hardcover Collection . The Kodansha Print Club update includes the second volumes of Blade Girl , Teppu and Love, That’s an Understatement , all three of which will be available to order online and through select physical retailers starting August 5. Here’s an overview of everything slated for spring 2026: Attack on Titan Definitive Hardcover Collection 3 volumes in 1, faux leather cover, gold foil stamping, library-style binding, exclusive color pages by Hajime Isayama Synopsis: For eons, humans ruled the natural world.

The popularity of any given anime has always been difficult to predict. Some start small and grow into huge titans of popularity, while others begin with massive success, only to fall off the proverbial cliff in later seasons.

This week, Blue Lock, an anime series that originally aired in 2022, suddenly found itself in HBO Max's top 10 streamed TV series globally, despite the most recent season getting poor reviews due to troubled production and a noticeable drop in quality after Season 1. Blue Lock's general popularity when the anime first premiered in 2022 wasn't hard to understand. The series' central conceit -- that the Japan Football Union was so desperate for a powerhouse striker to lead their team that they decided to lock the best players in the country in a single building to compete for the position in a death-game-style competition -- is one that immediately captured audiences. It premiered...

Big news for Roblox game developers: If they’ve ever wanted to make games based on blockbuster IPs like Squid Game, Stranger Things, Twilight, and Saw (and not worry about entertainment lawyers breathing down their necks with cease & desists…), they now have their chance, thanks to Roblox’s new IP licensing platform.

We just wrote about how Blue Lock: Rivals, a fanmade soccer Roblox game based on the hit manga/anime, was acquired for $3 million by DoBig Studios. To be clear, we don’t know whether Rivals‘ original teenage developer had an agreement with Blue Lock‘s IP owner, but what we do know is there are plenty of other Roblox games classed as “Fandom,” where they’re based on established IPs. And it’s unlikely they all have agreements with IP owners, because securing said agreements is tough and time-consuming, especially for solo developers.

Those games should count as transformative works,...

Roblox is launching a new licensing platform to streamline the process for IP rights holders to partner with creators on the gaming platform.

Beginning Tuesday, Roblox is teaming with Netflix, Lionsgate, Sega and Japanese publishing giant Kodansha to incorporate build experiences within the game based on seven top franchises: Netflix’s “Squid Game” and “Stranger Things,” Lionsgate’s “Twilight,” “Saw,” “Divergent,” “Now You See Me,” and Sega’s “Like A Dragon” (a.k.a. “Yakuza”). Kodansha’s “Blue Lock” and “That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime” IP will be available on Roblox next month.

While these brands make up the founding partners for the Roblox License Manager and Licenses catalog, “long term, the Roblox License Manager will be available to all eligible IP holders and additional license types will be introduced, offering creators and IP holders greater flexibility,” per the gaming company.

“Until now, licensing IP was a complex and time-consuming process,...

The Esports World Cup 2025, held in Riyadh every year, is fully underway once again. Furthermore, this year’s event isn’t just a competition; it’s a full-fledged event showcasing competitive gaming as a spectacle of entertainment, bringing millions of visitors to the capital of Saudi Arabia.

With competitions of 25 different games set to take place, the Ewc has a lot to offer to its visitors, more than just a big screen to watch two teams fight on. From cultural booths to racing simulators, Riyadh is possibly the best destination for any gamer to visit right now, and the following are a few of the attractions you should not miss out on in case your flights are already booked.

6. Japan Park – Crunchyroll Box at Esports World Cup Japan Park at the Crunchyroll Booth offers an amazing experience to visitors | Esports World Cup

If the event is anything about gaming or anime,...

Dandadan isn’t letting the season 1 hype die down anytime soon. With only a six-month gap before releasing the second season, many worried it might lose some quality. But, as it turns out, Studio Science Saru belongs to an entirely different league. The generalised notions with anime adaptations do not apply to them.

In fact, season 2 of Dandadan has hit us with an even sharper animation compared to the first season. Especially, Jiji’s sick look in this new installment has made the fanbase go wilder. While Blue Lock was believed to have the coolest characters back when it was airing, along with Dandadan season 1, Jiji has completely flipped the table at this point.

Jiji is Now Every Blue Lock Fan’s Nightmare!

The latest Dandadan episode has put Blue Lock fans to shame, and we all know why. The way Jiji nailed that kick had everyone swooning, and honestly,...

Dr. Poro and Nabana Naba’s The Vermilion Mask manga is officially coming to the screen. Yomiuri TV’s Anime Expo 2025 panel delivered the news today, and while there’s currently no release date in place they did reveal the main staff and a subtitled promotional video. Tetsuaki Watanabe ( Blue Lock Season 1) directs, with Gai Hazako as assistant director at anime production house 100studio. Daisuke Ohigashi ( Fate/strange Fake ) is on series composition, Hisashi Higashijima ( Mashle: Magic And Muscles ) handles story supervision and character designs, Fumiyuki Goh ( Kaiju No. 8 ) is the sound director and Arisa Okehazama ( Jujutsu Kaisen ) composes the music. According to Watanabe, the authors have been “directly involved in story development and scripting from the early stages.” The director promises something newcomers and fans alike will be able to enjoy. You can visit the official website and X (formerly Twitter) account, and check out the announcement video and visual below.

Demon Slayer has a stellar reputation for both its story and animation. However, only veteran fans would realize that Ufotable, the studio that adapted the series, contributed massively to Demon Slayer’s popularity,

Not only did they enhance the visuals to make them more aesthetically pleasing, but they also made a lot of choices that increased the immersion into the story. For instance, the manga had a narrator’s commentary, which Ufotable decided not to use.

With the trailer of the Infinity Castle Arc out, it is clear that such splendid animation couldn’t have been done by many others. Despite the chaotic setting, it is likely that Ufotable will make the movie visually appealing and narratively immersive.

Ufotable’s Animation Mastery Saved Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle

The Infinity Castle arc of Demon Slayer is pure chaos. This is one of the arcs that the series peaks at. There are simultaneous fights,...

The worlds of football—or soccer, if you please—and anime are colliding with the help of the boys of Blue Lock once again. Kodansha announced a first-of-its-kind collaboration with Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura’s series and the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf), which will result in original content, limited-edition merchandise and crossover activations. The collaboration is set for a mid-2025 launch and will continue through 2026 on the road to the World Cup. Licensing and brand strategy partner Artworks Entertainment is overseeing the project’s implementation across the Americas and “other key markets.” Further details will be shared in the future. For now, plans include: Special events during key Concacaf tournaments Limited edition Blue Lock x Concacaf merchandise Cross-platform campaigns across anime, manga, and football fan communities Related: 15 Moments When Anime Characters Snapped Crunchyroll streams the Blue Lock anime and describes it like so:...

Wind Breaker is that one Yankee anime that has the anime world in a chokehold. From characters to fights, it has set a benchmark in the genre. This also applies to its gripping and compelling backstories, but that’s not it.

Seems like the series is on a winning streak for some reason. Season 2 ended on a high note, and the live-action film is set to release this December. But the franchise is hitting a masterstroke, especially with its latest update!

To give context, Satoru Nii’s series is collaborating with Blue Lock. It’s a bolt from the blue, to say the least, but it would be thrilling nonetheless. But what we do know by this is that Satoru Nii is in his slay era, and here’s how.

Wind Breaker announces collab with Blue Lock

If you’re a sucker for action, intensity and aura, Wind breaker is your go-to anime.

Reality television is the height of binge-watching culture that we have practised for years. In the 2000s, it was The Real Housewives series that had us hooked, whereas nowadays we watch Love Island, Love Is Blind, or Too Hot to Handle.

Most of the romance-based reality series have become synonymous with each other, although Love Island will always prevail as the most entertaining of the lot. We live vicariously through the contestants’ lives, so much so that there’s a mobile game on it.

That’s when we realized we’ve never gotten a reality television anime series, only those that emulate the energy of one. The format sounds ridiculous in anime, but it could work if it’s a satire on the harem genre and utilizes elements from Love Island.

How would a Love Island-based anime even work when the characters aren’t real people?

The basic premise...

Sports manga has long been a beloved genre. Who doesn’t remember stories like Kuroko’s Basketball and Haikyu? Sports manga are well-known for capturing the thrill of competition, teamwork, and personal growth through their stories. Every chapter inspires us to instill the quality of sportsmanship in ourselves.

However, this genre is undergoing a radical transformation. Titles like Blue Lock and Embers are creating stories that are moving beyond realistic athletic depictions. Everyone is familiar with Blue Lock’s weird panels. Embers has joined this trend and is rivaling Blue Lock with its imagery. How will these manga affect the genre, and what changes can we expect?

Blue Lock started the trend of exaggerated art in sports manga Rin with his tongue out | Credits: Studio 8Bit

Blue Lock is all about a bunch of high school footballers wanting to become the World’s Best shooters. All they have is their Ego,...

Another promising Shonen Jumpmanga is coming to an end, and that’s nothing but disappointing for the magazine as a whole. 2025 saw the debut of Embers, a new soccer manga with gorgeous artwork illustrated by a former assistant to the team behind Blue Lock, and with all of that taken into account, there was plenty of hype surrounding its release.

Embers had plenty of potential to be a big hit, but unfortunately, that’s never going to happen. Four new manga are debuting in Shonen Jump right now, meaning that, in turn, four manga are about to end, and sure enough, Embers has been officially canceled and its final chapter will be released on Sunday, June 22. With how the story has progressed and how poorly it’s been ranking, it’s easy to see why Embersgot canceled, but that doesn’t make its cancellation any less disappointing.

Why Embers Was...

The Beginning After the End’s anime has been on top of the discussion boards in the anime community. From the season’s beginning until the final episode was released, the fans were constantly discussing and pointing out the flaws in the series.

But the voices were of disappointment and hope. Hope that within the episodes that remain, maybe the story will pick up and the animation will improve. The main problem with The Beginning After the End is not even the animation.

The fans who stuck with the series until the last episode know this. The lack of animation can be attributed to a low budget, but what about the narration? The haphazard pacing, lack of development leave a story that is hollow.

The beginning had already foreshadowed the end

The Beginning After the End was a much-anticipated series. TurtleMe’s work had brought the Western style of pacing,...

After 8 years and 380 chapters, Rent-a-Girlfriendmay have finally encountered the biggest turning point in both the protagonists’ relationships and for its fans to decide if it's worth continuing the story or not. Despite the popularity of the manga, with Rent-a-Girlfriend becoming the best-selling title in Kmanga over hit series like Blue Lock and Shangri-La Frontier in 2023, fans of the series have criticized the author, Reiji Miyajima, for lengthening the story and stagnating Kazuya and Chizuru’s relationship for more than a hundred chapters.

However, just as the plot seems to be advancing with Chizuru finally reaching a decision after considering her feelings towards Kazuya, the release ofRent-a-Girlfriend chapter 380 has sparked controversy after having invalidated all the developments teased so far in the current date arc.

Rent-a-Girlfriend’s Manga Toys With Readers’ Expectations With Chizuru’s Shocking Rejection Despite the Recent Progress, Rent-A-Girlfriend’s Story May Have Stagnated

Following the Hawaii Trip Arc,...

Blue Lock has been a cutthroat world where one mistake means elimination and the end of a person’s dreams. In this world, the controller, mastermind, and supreme being has always been Ego. From the very beginning, he had forsaken his emotions and decided on just winning.

All the efforts he had taken, including fighting for the massive amount of funding, were because he was committed to crafting the world’s best striker. But as the U-20 arc progresses and Ego takes the reins as head coach of the national team. There seems to be a subtle but game-breaking flaw that may finally be surfacing in the perfectionist that is Ego- his favoritism towards Isagi Yoichi.

Ego might be biased towards Isagi Yoichi

According to the theory by a Redditor, Ego might not be as unbiased as he claims. Instead of being an emotionless and objective bystander, it has become...

Animation is the essence of anime; manga is a set of still panels that are put into motion in an anime. In a day and age where having movements and attacks look cool is the norm, there are some anime that fall too far short of the expected standard. This might have happened from the very beginning, or it might have been a rushed effort due to time constraints.

Be it the long-time legendary Berserk of Kentaro Miura, or the recent adaptation of popular webnovel The Beginning After The End, they all have had clear flaws in their animation. Whatever the case, here is a list of ten anime that have animation that is far worse than that of anime made several decades ago, hurting fans who dare watch them.

1. Berserk (2016–2017) Guts in Berserk (2017) | Credits: Studio Gemba

Possibly the worst adaptation in recent times is that of the legendary manga,...

To commemorate Crunchyroll's 2025 Anime Awards, America's #1 fast food chain has playfully invoked the names of several anime heroes for one of its latest pieces of marketing. McDonald's recently released a new illustration showcasing the official breakfast orders for 10 iconic characters, including Solo Leveling's Op icon, Sung Jinwoo.

Guillaume Huin, McDonald's' Senior Marketing Director, shared the official collaboration artwork via his X (formerly Twitter) account. As shown below, the illustration depicts numerous McDonald's takeout bags with receipts displaying the characters and their respective orders. According to Huin, each bag design is directly inspired by the character's personality. "For example, Maomao (The Apothecary Diaries) is represented via a green background and the way the bag is folded neat and tidy," Huin wrote in an accompanying post. "If you look at Kaiju's (Kaiju No. 8) order, the bag is drawn in a way that represents the duality of the character." The artwork was...

Sports drama Blue Lock returns to the stage this autumn, this time in an adaptation of spinoff series Episode Nagi , which was previously adapted into the anime film Blue Lock The Movie -Episode Nagi- ! With the announcement come two teaser images of our lead egoists in costume. Check out Takamichi Sato as Seishiro Nagi and Shuji Kikuchi as Reo Mikage as they reenact an iconic moment from the story: Blue Lock -Episode Nagi- Stage Play Teaser Visuals Related: Blue Lock Anime Exhibition Reveals Michael Kaiser Visual, Adds Osaka Dates The rest of the cast has also been announced. Like the two leads, cast members from the fourth Blue Lock stage play will return to reprise their roles. Zantetsu Tsurugi played by Kenta Matsui Meguru Bachira played by Nobunaga Sato Hyoma Chigiri played by Ryo Saeki Shoei Baro played by Yu Imari Tabito Karasu played by Yuya Uno Eita Otoya played...

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is absolutely winning us over, right now! This prequel has Koichi Haimawari, a college dude zipping around using his Slide and Glide Quirk, pulling off a low-key hero stint. Vigilantes has got a cool, gritty comic-book feel.

But you know what is crazy? Fans are losing their minds after witnessing a single scene in Episode 7, where a ‘soccer’ villain, Emperor Yotsuura, is overshadowing Blue Lock, the soccer anime that is supposed to rule the sport.

Are you telling us that a superhero show outshone a sports series at its own game? Sounds crazy but it might be the case as Vigilantes has got people freaking out over some stellar ‘soccer’ moments in their latest episode.

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes pulled off a crazy soccer stunt

Episode 7, titled Makoto/Truth, introduces Emperor Yotsuura, a sly thief with a Soccer Quirk, who snatches Makoto Tsukauchi’s laptop. It is followed by Koichi,...

Blue Lock offers a wide range of characters, with the only unifying agent amongst them being ego. But it looks like the biggest egoists in the series might actually be alike. Isagi and Nagi have long been the most popular characters of the story, and they might mirror two other major characters.

While Isagi is the driven protagonist who always strives for improvement, Nagi is naturally gifted and used to behaving nonchalantly towards the game. Their personalities have always contrasted, but there might be more to their differences.

Jinpachi Ego is similar to Yoichi Isagi in Blue Lock

Blue Lock revealed that Jinpachi Ego used to actively play football. Noel Noa and Marc Snuffy even confirmed that Ego’s style was similar to that of Isagi. Ego was Noel’s first true rival, but he had to stop playing football for unknown reasons. It is also implied in the story that Ego even favors Isagi.

For Blue Lock fans, the anime has largely centered on Isagi Yoichi, an underdog striker whose growth and grit have made him the face of the series. Yet, behind the scenes, the creators have long harbored a broader vision for who truly stands at the center of the story. In a revealing interview, series writer Muneyuki Kaneshiro and anime director Megumu Tsuchiya offered fresh insight into their character priorities, and it turns out, fan-favorite Isagi might not be the singular lead viewers have assumed he is.

While Episode Nagi already clued fans in on Seishiro Nagi’s importance, Kaneshiro’s comments, via @Bocchi7x and @Rayuga101x on X, make it clear that Nagi is not just a secondary focus, he is a co-lead. The creator confessed that as he explored Nagi’s potential, more layers emerged, revealing that Nagi, like Isagi, embodies the core themes of ego and evolution...

Blue Lock fans might love the series, but they also absolutely adore Blue Lock: Episode Nagi, the spinoff manga by the same author. This spinoff explores the story from the perspective of Seichiro Nagi, and the story has everyone hooked due to its impressive progression and realistic portrayal of the character.

The spinoff not only shows another perspective on the story but also fills in a few gaps that the main storyline has. So far, it has been highly successful and even received a movie adaptation in 2024. Unfortunately, enough, the manga is ending, leaving disappointed fans in its wake.

Blue Lock: Episode Nagi manga is all set to end

It has been confirmed that Blue Lock: Episode Nagi will end with its eighth volume on August 12, 2025. So far, the series has received 34 chapters, and 32 of them have been compiled into seven volumes. However, since the manga is covering the story from Nagi’s perspective,...

Over the years, we’ve seen the rise of stellar sports manga, and Blue Lock is one of them. It would be a crime not to include Muneyuki Kaneshiro’s opus. Well, that’s because it gives us a refreshing perspective that we all need.

Let’s be real. No one likes overused tropes because they get boring over time. The series underlines ambition, hustle, and glory through the characters, and Nagi is one of them. His spinoff manga is spot-on, but there’s a caveat to that.

To give context, Nagi’s arc is ending without a set conclusion for fans. This seems inconclusive, but what does it truly showcase about his future in the franchise? Let’s find out now, shall we?

Blue Lock’s spin-off manga disappoints fans Nagi Seishiro in a still from Blue Lock anime | Credit: 8Bit

Blue Lock is one of the bestselling sports manga,...

Warning: The following contains spoilers for Blue Lock's Manga chapter #302!!

Blue Lock has recently fueled fans' concerns after the recent announcement that its spin-off series, Blue Lock: Episode Nagi, will end soon. Blue Lock: Episode Nagi is a manga starring Seichiro Nagi, which gives another perspective to his character and fills the gaps in the main series by showing the side stories of players that couldn’t be explored due to Isagi serving as narrator. Despite the spin-off being highly successful and even adapted into a high-grossing film, it has been confirmed thatBlue Lock: Episode Nagi will end in volume 8, which is set to release on August 12, 2025.

This news (shared by @mzk_70 on X) comes after the shocking exit of Nagi from Blue Lock’s program in chapter 299 and has completely overthrown fans' expectations, as many have speculated that one of the reasons for removing him from the main story,...

The Beginning After the End was one of the most anticipated anime series of this year. However, just one episode in, and it turned into one of the most hated ones. The overnight turnaround wasn’t unjustified, though, as for such a beloved manhwa, the anime adaptation failed to deliver on every aspect.

While the terrible animation has obviously been the most talked-about topic, its impact has also reached the storyline. That is, The Beginning After the End hasn’t just been butchering the animation, but also the very narrative that made the manhwa so great.

As such, fans heavily protesting against it is understandable. It turns out, though, there might still be hope for the series in the end. Especially if Tbate ends up pulling an unexpected Blue Lock move by the time Season 1 concludes.

Is The Beginning After the End going down Blue Lock’s lane?

The 2024-...

What started as a single-city event branched out into two... now, the Blue Lock Egoist Exhibition has confirmed it will be touring a total of eight more cities beyond Tokyo and Osaka! Tour dates are now locked in for Ishikawa, Hiroshima, Aichi, Miyagi, Shizuoka, Hyogo, Fukuoka and Okinawa. Blue Lock Egoist Exhibition Promotional Video Related: Blue Lock Anime Celebrates Its Egoists in New Exhibition All the popular features from the Tokyo venue will be available in each city. Watch the opening sequence in a special theater, take photos at atmospheric photo spots, explore recreations of rooms from the series and dive into recaps of the main series and Blue Lock The Movie -Episode Nagi- . Blue Lock Egoist Exhibition Images (Tokyo Venue) Opening theater Photo spot Exhibition hall Locker room Nagi corner Childhood bedroom Related: Blue Lock Anime Exhibition Reveals Michael Kaiser Visual, Adds Osaka Dates The Tokyo exhibition wraps on...

While most sports manga emphasize things like teamwork, camaraderie, and treating every victory as a collective triumph, Blue Lock, by Muneyuki Kaneshiro, chooses to flip the script by leaning all in on individualism and ego. Every player in Blue Lock is hell-bent on following their ambitions instead of cooperating with their team, and this makes for an interesting narrative.

But why did Kaneshiro choose to create such selfish characters? We found the answer to this question in his interview with Animania, and we are here to dissect it for you.

Did Kaneshiro’s inability to write selfless characters give us Blue Lock? Isagi Yoichi wants to become the World’s Best Striker | Credits: Studio 8-Bit

Why would you read a sports manga with routine narratives that emphasize teamwork and friendship, when Muneyuki Kaneshiro’s Blue Lock gives you a fresh narrative filled with selfishness and (takes a deep breath) ego?...

Lately, things weren’t faring well for The Beginning After the End anime. The popular Isekai series faced immense backlash for its lackluster and shoddy animation. Fans were angry and even called for the anime to be completely cancelled altogether.

Controversy sure is the series’ middle name, but what if we told you things aren’t too down south? The anime has its pros and cons, but it has scope for improvement, so to speak. It’s the bare minimum, but the makers may have fixed one of its glaring flaws.

Interestingly, the anime gave us a mic drop moment with its recent episode, and it sure seems hopeful for its future episodes as well. This has most fans divided, which is fair, to be honest. It’s a much-needed change, but can it overpower the blatant criticism fans have against it? Let’s find out.

The Beginning After the End...

Anime in general never had a good track record with conclusive endings. They all start off great, however, most of them lack a clear vision towards the end. The climaxes just never seem to hit. A recent prominent example of this would be the Jujutsu Kaisen manga, and fans were deeply heartbroken by it.

The series had a lot of potential to flesh out each of its characters, and it seemed everything was going according to plan. But that abrupt ending just washed it all away. Questions have remained unanswered, stories were left unexplained, and whatnot.

But if you’re a Blue Lock fan, then rejoice! You might not have to suffer from the same Jujutsu Kaisen fate. At least that’s what the author promised to us.

There will be no loose endings in Blue Lock!

Back when the Blue Lock anime was just announced, Animania got the opportunity...

If you’ve ever watched or read Blue Lock and thought, “Man, everyone here is such an ego freak,” you’re right. But here’s the thing: that’s all intentional. Where other sports shows are all about those feel-good team moments, best friends, and heroes playing ‘for the team,’ Blue Lock just takes that entire idea and flips it on its head and throws it out of the stadium.

At the heart of all this chaos is the author of Blue Lock, Muneyuki Kaneshiro. And here’s the crazy part: he’s not a fan of heroes. Like, not even a little bit. In an interview, he basically admitted that writing characters who ‘live for someone else’ is really difficult for him. So instead of pretending otherwise, he was like: screw it! Let’s just create a manga where everyone’s totally selfish on purpose.

Blue Lock: A cast without heroes,...

The sports genre in anime has always been a niche, yet it has somehow earned its own identity within the community and has become quite popular in recent times. While it started with series like Slam Dunk, Kuroko no Basuke, and Haikyuu!!, the one that has been most talked about in the past few years is, of course, Blue Lock.

However, despite the manga and even the anime having a huge fan base, one thing about its creative process might turn you off. Author Muneyuki Kaneshiro must have had a weird habit of naming the characters according to their astrology results online! Yes, you read that right, and here’s what he had to say about this in a past interview.

Blue Lock author visits online fortune-telling sites to name the characters

Whenever an author takes up a new project and starts drafting the main storyline, the first thing they...

Blue Lock is undoubtedly one of the best sports manga of recent years, proving how exhilarating and intense this genre can be if handled with a battle Shonen touch. It has some great characters who go through immense growth, and their development is something that captures every fan of the franchise.

Muneyuki Kaneshiro, the writer of Blue Lock, became candid in an interview about his creative process and how he managed to come up with such dynamic characters. Plus, he also sheds light on his depiction of Rin, whom he tried to present in a very nuanced way.

Rin is a coming-of-age hero of his own story in Blue Lock

Rin had an interesting upbringing, where he looked up to his brother, Sae, who had always been one of the best players for him growing up. Not once did Rin doubt his brother’s ambitions, and he consistently felt that...

Within the anime industry, every sports anime has one common element that represents a major part of the storyline and the character development. This common element is the essence of teamwork and dedication that is required to be a successful athlete. However, Muneyuki Kaneshiro’s Blue Lock is a little different in this sense.

Blue Lock is one of the most recognized sports anime and manga series that has gained fame through the egotistical display of different kinds of football players. These football players aim to become the world’s best strikers and represent their country on the international stage, but the journey requires hard work, sacrifices, and toughness.

While Blue Lock may feel like a traditional sports anime or manga, Kaneshiro once revealed that he wanted to defy the classic tropes and deliver a story that works on a separate idea. This idea revolves around the path of being alone,...

Every author has their own process of creating their story. Some can first decide on an outline, some want it based on a specific setting, while some might think of the characters first. Yusei Matsui, who created Assassination Classroom, did not create his characters before he decided on a story.

His thought process isn’t shared by everyone in the manga industry. Famously, Tite Kubo designed his story around the characters, not the other way around. However, one mangaka who did understand Matsui’s process, but chose to implement it differently, was Haruichi Furudate, the creator of Haikyuu!!

When speaking about Matsui and how he doesn’t make his character top priority, Furudate initially misunderstood what it meant. They went on to agree with it as it was the same way as Haikyuu!! was born, but the characters were an integral part of its creation.

Haikyuu!! relies heavily on the...

2025 hasn’t been a great year for us anime fans. This is quite surprising because this was also the year I had major expectations. I mean, come on, Sakamoto Days and The Beginning After the End in the same year, and much less the same anime season? I was all signed up for it.

That is, until those anime series actually hit the screens. Honestly speaking, I haven’t seen such great titles being reduced to such deep messes in such a short time. Especially since the source materials were almost flawless masterpieces.

Regardless, if 2025 has taught me anything so far, it is that bad animation can turn even the best storylines into absolute horse-sh*t. If anything, these five anime series are the biggest example of that.

1. Seven Deadly Sins

Nakaba Suzuki’s Seven Deadly Sins once used to be hailed as one of the best shonen series in recent years.

The unfair working conditions in the anime industry are nothing new, as we have seen how much the people behind our beloved shows go through. Even though we tend to idolize the voice actors or even the studios themselves for our watching experience, we forget other people who made that outcome possible.

There also exists a monetary hierarchy in the industry because the money primarily goes to the investors rather than the workers who put in real work. This is where Michiaki Sato, the current Representative Director of Satelight, wants to make a difference.

Satelight is famous for its work on popular anime franchises like Fairy Tail, Macross Delta, Nanbaka, etc. But apart from churning out these famous names, now Sato wants to reshape the anime industry, at least within his company.

Michiaki Sato, behind Fairy Tail, wants to bring a change

In the anime industry, many people put their...

Despite increasing popularity worldwide, One Piece failed to reach the #1 spot as the best-selling manga of 2024. The honor went to a former staple of Weekly Shonen Jump, which ended its six-year run in 2024, to mixed reviews.

Oricon's 2024 Yearly Comic Sales Ranking was recently shared by Shonen Jump News and @/Rand0manga on X (formerly Twitter). The massive list of 50 titles ranked the sales of manga released in Japan in 2024. As one would expect, many of the high-ranking titles come from Weekly Shonen Jump. What might take viewers by surprise is that One Piece, despite its massive reach domestically and internationally, didn't take home the title of best-selling manga of 2024. Instead, the #1 ranking belonged to another Shonen Jump series, which, despite its polarizing ending, retained its dominant readership and sales in 2024.

Major Story Developments in One Piece Weren’t Enough to Overcome Jujutsu Kaisen’s Grand Finale Oricon's 2024 Yearly Comic...

A common misconception among fans is that anime adaptations are a cakewalk. The reality is far-fetched from our imagination. This is precisely why there is an array of both good renditions and bad renditions.

But today, we’ll discuss the worst animated adaptations of all time, and fans may or may not agree with all the entries. But there’s one thing we know for sure: the manga might not be inherently bad, but several factors determine the anime being “worse”.

From animation to pacing, these are the 10 worst anime adaptations of all time. While some had potential, others are a lost cause, but irrespective of that, you’d not want to recommend these to your friends, and here’s why.

10. Ex Arm

Ex-Arm is a Seinen anime based on Shinya Komi’s manga. It centers around Akira, a high school student with a penchant for exploring electrical devices. He dies in an accident,...

It’s a simple fact of life that being an anime character can be pretty tough sometimes. Whether you’re fending off legions of monsters or just trying to get through the rigors of high school, there are occasions when it all gets to be a bit too much. As such, it’s perfectly understandable how sometimes, anime characters just go off the deep end in spectacular fashion. In the modern lexicon, it’s known as crashing out, that distinctive moment in which you just say “nope” to your senses and release the anger, rage or whatever else you're feeling. For your enjoyment (and perhaps as a bit of a warning), I have assembled a list of 15 infamous instances where anime characters snapped. For clarity’s sake, there has to be a distinct indication that they lost control of themselves in order for them to qualify. If we were just...

2025 was a great year for anime, but unfortunately, this wasn’t the case for all of them. The Beginning After the End has only had 3 episodes released so far, and fans are already asking for it to be canceled and potentially reworked by another studio. Studio A-Cat has done a terrible job adapting the series.

To say that the animation doesn’t do justice to The Beginning After the End would be a heavy understatement. It got to the point that even TurtleMe had to explain his side of the story.

Fans have given up on the series getting any better, and it’s incredibly tragic that a series as unique as this got the short end of the stick. The webtoon deserved better. It probably will not get a remake, like Fullmetal Alchemist did with Brotherhood, and the only hope is if the author himself intervenes. However, is that...

Manhwa-to-anime adaptations are almost cursed to fail unless they magically become Solo Leveling. We saw this with the adaptation of Tower of God, now we’re witnessing it happen in The Beginning After the End. It’s only been two episodes, and Studio A-Cat looks like they’ve put in little to no effort.

But it’s a shame because The Beginning After the End is one of the most unique Isekai stories. It has a ton of depth, and Arthur’s journey is packed with incredible character development. The anime adaptation, however, saw that and stripped all of it away.

Arthur Leywin and his parents in The Beginning After the End. [Credit: Studio A-Cat]

If you haven’t watched The Beginning After the End, count your blessings. The animation can barely be counted as animation when all they did was make a PowerPoint presentation and call it a day.

The Beginning After the End has been getting a lot of criticism for its anime adaptation for very understandable reasons. Fans are not happy with the end product and would even prefer a redo rather than the continuation of the current adaptation.

However, this kind of rage might not result in anything because complaints will come even when something is a great adaptation worthy of praise. Anime like Chainsaw Man was not spared criticism despite having a good production process.

Arthur from The Beginning After the End [Credits: Studio A-Cat]

Hence, if Chainsaw Man, a really good series, can cause outrage, The Beginning After the End anime will also continue to draw negative attention. On top of that, now that the Tbate anime has started to air, there is no way the production will just stop, with the makers relaunching this entire process from scratch.

When good was not good enough...

The Beginning After the End has long been praised for its emotional storytelling, compelling characters, and layered world-building. It was one of the most intriguing reincarnation-isekai novels in a very long time.

This was why the fan community of The Beginning After the End (Tbate) has been waiting for many years for an anime adaptation that can truly open the eyes of the isekai fans, but possibly none of the eager fans could have expected the surprise that Studio A-Cat actually brought for them with its adaptation.

Arthur Leywin from The Beginning After the End anime. | Credit: Studio A-Cat

The web novel and manhwa formats offered readers heartfelt scenes that deepened character development and drew readers into Arthur Leywin’s personal struggles, slowly growing his character and the scope of the world with him. On the other hand, the Tbate anime is just a complete mess.

From a promise...

What’s wrong with all the manhwa adaptations these days? Even The Beginning After the End‘s anime adaptation has simply become another PowerPoint presentation, and it’s even painful to watch!

For whatever reason, it seems that none of these highly acclaimed Korean webcomics are getting the respectful adaptations they deserve, and things are just spiraling downward. While Solo Leveling did show a little ray of hope, with A-1 Pictures going above and beyond to deliver what fans wanted, other similar adaptations have yet to make such an impact.

A still from The Beginning After the End anime, episode 2 | Credits: Studio A-Cat

With episode 2 of The Beginning After the End now released, manhwa fans were eagerly anticipating the series’ first engaging fight scene to at least look decent. But what did they get? Sheer disappointment.

What is this cringefest of an animation in The Beginning After the End anime?...