Anime Herald

Interview Location: Anime Expo 2026 Interview Format: In-person, One-on-One Koki Uchiyama Daiki Yamashita Anime Herald: Congratulations on reaching the finish line. What are some of your favorite moments from the series (My Hero Academia)? Daiki Yamashita: There are so many that it is hard to choose. I have received this question many times. It’s always hard for me to choose, but I do have…

Interview Location: Anime Expo 2026 Interview Format: In-person, One-on-One Anime Herald: What are some memorable moments from recording season one? Hana Hishikawa: Riirii is a character that gives herself over to highly emotional expressions. It’s not common to have a character like that, so it was a lot of fun, but also a challenge. I hadn’t played a character like that before. Anime…

Interview Location: Anime Expo 2026 Interview Format: In-person, One-on-One Anime Herald: How much has the story of ZAN the anime evolved from the original Dark Horse graphic novel Deva Zan? Mariko Suzuki: We had the same question in a previous interview. Deva Zan from Dark House was a rather large and esoteric book. He (Yoshitaka Amano) had sent in a bunch of illustrations that were connected…

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 Mark of Late ’80s Animation  The 1980s were a tumultuous period that contained an ever-changing cultural zeitgeist. Coinciding with events occurring on the world stage were facets of popular culture that pushed the limitations of violence and…

Interview Location: Anime NYC 2025 Interview Format: In-person, Round Robin At Anime NYC, we at Anime Herald had the chance to talk with the team behind the successful rakugo manga Akane-banashi. We were able to speak with editor Seisuke Araki and TV Asahi producer Kazuki Endo.  Anime Herald: Rakugo is a niche subject, even in Japan. Can you share what made Akane-banashi so special that it was…

Table of contentsThe CoverThe Article ListNew Articles“From The Archives” ArticlesThe Sample SpreadOdds and Ends Good evening everybody, On June 3, we hosted our second-ever Anime Herald Online Town Hall, where we showed off the cover art and a sample spread for our upcoming second issue of Anime Herald Magazine. We’re excited to reveal both  to you tonight, in addition to our final article…

Table of contentsThe Ghost of Paper StarsThe Nsukka Spartan: Costume as PerformanceThe Race Barrier: Breaking the CanonThe Cost of the Cape: Heat, Dust, and the Lagos StareThe Attachment Alchemy: Innovation by NecessityThe Mean Team Killing MachineThe Sanctuary: The Communal HearthThe Future: Just Have FunWorks Cited The Ghost of Paper Stars In the early 2010s, the Nigerian anime scene was a…

Table of contentsOur Annual Fund DrivePride Month Donation DriveIn Conclusion Good afternoon, and Happy Pride. To say that this year has been an important one is a bit of an understatement. It’s been nine years now, since we relaunched as a fully reader-supported publication. At the time, we had set out with a mission, to become a publication that would pay fair rates to our editorial team and…

Interview Date: 4/5/2026 Interview Location: Anime Boston 2026 Interview Format: In-Person, Round-Robin Anime Herald: Your last book came out in 2020. How do you feel cosplay has changed in the past five or six years? Yaya Han: I wrote my book in 2019. It has changed a lot. I think the pandemic shifted some priorities. There have been some positive and some negative changes. I think the…

Good evening, everyone. Earlier this month, we announced that we had officially started work on Anime Herald Magazine’s second issue. At the time, we were light on details, promising that we would reveal more information in the coming weeks. I’m pleased to announce that we’ll be hosting our second annual Anime Herald Online Town Hall on June 3, at 8PM Eastern (5PM Pacific). There, we’ll be…

Interview Date: 4/4/2026 Interview Location: Anime Boston 2026 Interview Format: In-Person, Round-Robin Anime Herald: What was it like working with Shigeru Chiba? What is the backstory behind the name he gave you, “Kujira?” Kujira: Starting with what it was like working with Shigeru Chiba, he’s a man with a lot of talent in him. He was the one who suggested I work with him in acting. That’s…

Anime Herald: Who is your favorite character, and what is it you like about them? Alberto Vázquez: Oh, there are lots of characters that I like, but one of my particular favorites is Pato Roni or Duck Roni. He’s sort of a parody of Donald Duck. I enjoy the character because I really like that sort of meta language and what happens to him where he goes from being a famous cartoon star to being a…

Interview Date: 4/3/2026 Interview Location: Anime Boston 2026 Interview Format: In-Person, One-on-One Anime Herald: What were your initial impressions of Petals of Reincarnation? Wakana Maruoka: During the auditions, everyone reads the original manga. It was so interesting to me that I kept on reading it beyond the portion we had to read. I was drawn to the world setting.  Takanori…

Good evening, everybody. In January, we were excited to announce that our first print run of Anime Herald Magazine had sold out. At the time, more than 650 copies of the publication had reached readers across the globe, shattering all of our initial expectations. We also revealed that we had entered pre-production for a second issue, though we kept details close to our chests at the…

Table of contentsWhat is the “Fight, Flight, Freeze, and the Fawn/Feign Response”?Shizuka and the “freeze” responseHow the brain develops a “fawn” response through the lens of Naoki and MarinaMarina and the demonization of the “fight” responseTakopi’s realization: toxic positivity and how well-meaning actions lead to more distressA poignant finale With dreamy animations in stark contrast with…