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Even with a feisty female protagonist the convulted plot of this kids’ animation is full of outdated stereotypes and barely scrapes past the Bechdel test

Superficially, the scriptwriters behind this kids’ animation have got the message that being a princess is no longer about standing around in a swishy big frock waiting to be rescued. But has it sunk in? I’m not sure, given that its princess hero, after some spirited fending-off of bad guys, ends up unconscious under a spell, necessitating (it’s really not a spoiler to give away) a spot of manly saving.

Rebellious tells the story of a, well, rebellious princess called Mina (voiced by Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld). Her dad the king wants to marry Mina off to a nobleman strapping enough to protect the kingdom. But Mina has other ideas; for a start, she wants to rule in her own right. Secondly, she has...

The Yu-Gi-Oh! anime franchise does not lack compelling and skilled villains for the heroes to fight against. With each new season of the anime, new mighty adversaries have made themselves known in an attempt to destroy or control the world.

Despite all the major antagonists of the franchise being accomplished duelists, not all of them are on the same level of strength. From beings capable of remaking entire universes to deities with the ability to end all life, Yu-Gi-Oh! has some outstandingly powerful and terrifying villains.

Related 10 Times Anime Villains Beat The Hero

While the protagonist usually comes out on top by the end of the series, there are often battles throughout anime where the villains are victorious.

Yuri Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-v One Of The Most Skilled And Ruthless Duelists Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-v 0

Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V is the fourth main spin-off of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise. The series follows Yuya Sakaki, a student...

Anime and Japanese pop culture aficionados were blown away by a weekend of cosplay, concerts, and unbridled fandom – with a touch of renegade robot uprisings and alien invasions thrown in for good measure – at Anime NYC 2024. Ever since its inauguration in 2017, LeftField Media’s Anime NYC has been one of the most significant anime and Japanese pop culture events on the East Coast. 2024’s celebration, which was held from August 23-25t at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, was the convention’s biggest year yet with estimated attendance at over 100,000 guests – an Anime NYC record that nearly doubled 2023’s 63,000 attendees.

Anime NYC 2024 was packed with more than 150 hours of panels, screenings, fan meetups, and celebratory events that cater towards the diverse tastes of anime, manga, and video game fans. This year featured an eclectic selection of guests from across America and Japan, including esteemed voice actors like Steve Blum,...

Combining elements of the Nutcracker and the Magic Flute into something this bland and forgettable takes some doing, in addition to an inert female lead

Rolling back the years, The Nutcracker and the Magic Flute returns us to the era before the advent of feisty young heroines in kids’ animations – back when the destiny of a female character, as often as not, was to wait around for a prince to show up, duff up the bad guys and make her his princess. That thankless role goes here to pretty, bland ballet dancer Marie (voiced by Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld), a young woman who, in the face of danger, shrieks and hides her face in her hands.

The film opens on Christmas Eve. Marie’s father has died leaving the family in debt. Odious pawnbroker Mr Ratter (Pete Zarustica) makes Marie a repulsive offer: marry him and he’ll let her family keep their house.