AniFem Round-Up
WATATABE: This Monster Wants to Eat Me—World premiere and insights from the creative team
We attended the world premiere of this upcoming supernatural drama series, and had a chance to talk with some of the creative staff as well!
Maebashi Witches sets a new standard for tackling fatphobia
Erika Yoshida’s magical girl series imagines everyday ways to make the world a better place. And nowhere is it stronger than in its exploration of fatphobia.
Hero Without a Class: Who Even Needs Skills?! – Episode 1
You can mark “power fantasy about a bland guy and the girls he’ll acquire like Pokemon” off your seasonal bingo card early this fall.
Strikes a balance between evoking the 80s while also feeling fresh on its own.
A Wild Last Boss Appears! – Episode 1
It’s probably not going to get too deep about its protagonist’s gender-bending (or much else), but it’s also not dragged down by the genre’s more exploitative tropes.
A Gatherer’s Adventure in Isekai – Episode 1
It’s still fairly boilerplate, but there’s enough thought put into the “job” element of Takeru’s new life to give it a decent hook.
What anime makes the best use of a weird premise?
In honor of time-traveling bowling.
Beyond AniFem
Why Maison Ikkoku is the Greatest Love Story of All Time (Anime News Network, Caitlin Moore)
A passionate ode to Takahashi’s most grounded series.
On the other hand, they’re both kind of nightmare people who sabotage themselves at every step. Kyoko is rigid, passive-aggressive, and prone to jealousy even though she isn’t actually dating Godai. Even early on, when she is still actively mourning Soichiro, she gets mad about Godai getting calls from girls, refusing to listen when he tries to explain that they’re just members of the puppetry club he’s in. She puts on airs of being an adult, having been married, when she’s still just as emotionally childish as Godai. He, meanwhile, is indecisive and irresponsible; he struggles to choose between even the simplest options, skips class, and gets dragged into escapades because he can’t stand up for himself. Neither of them can communicate worth a damn.
In the hands of a lesser writer, these flaws would have made Maison Ikkoku unreadable; at best, it would have worked as a Wuthering Heights-style drama about two awful people making each other worse. However, the strength of Takahashi’s writing makes the two palatable, even lovable. Their flaws make it possible for them to grow as they travel along on their emotional journey, leading us to root for them every time they make a breakthrough and a step forward. When they take steps back, it may be frustrating, but it’s still organic and informed by who they are as people, rather than contrived obstacles designed to extend the series past its natural stopping point.
No matter how frustrated you get, no matter how goofy the slapstick, there are moments that make you stop and remember that Kyoko and Godai are, fundamentally, decent human beings connecting and growing closer over time. After defending Kyoko at a party, the two sit in a park, and he asks her to wait three years for him to graduate. They dress up in their high school uniforms while drunk and act silly. Kyoko supports Godai, whose leg is in a cast, when he drops his crutch during a walk together. This is the stuff that gradually falling in love is made of: not the drama, but the times they’re there for each other. The times they have fun together. The times they get a little closer to knowing one another’s cores.
Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka posts contract after turning down Riyadh Comedy Festival (AV Club, William Hughes)
The festival is a state-sponsored Saudi Arabian event.
Per Deadline, Okatsuka posted about the festival on Threads this weekend, writing, “FYI there are more of us that said no to the Riyadh comedy festival in Saudi Arabia.” In her post, Okatsuka also posted the list of things comedians have been told they weren’t allowed to talk about, including jokes “that may be considered to degrade, defame, or bring into public disrepute, contempt, scandal, embarrassment, or ridicule” Saudi Arabia, its ruling government, royal family, or any religion or religious figure, period. Okatsuka also takes time to point out that “The money is coming straight from the Crown Prince, who actively executes journalists, ppl with nonlethal drug offenses, bloggers, etc without due process. A lot of the ‘you can’t say anything anymore!’ Comedians are doing the festival 😂 they had to adhere to censorship rules about the types of jokes they can make.” (Worth noting that comedian Tim Dillon has said he was kicked out of the festival for a response video he made about accepting the gig, joking, “So what, they have slaves?”)
The Secret Anime Club Special Preview (Sailor Moon: The Super Live) (The Anime Nostalgia Podcast)
Re-release of a previously subscribers-only podcast.
This SUBTEMBER, I’m giving everyone a chance to preview my subscribers-only podcast, The Secret Anime Club! Since just recently, the official Sailor Moon Youtube Channel let folks watch official recordings of Sailor Moon: The Super Live, I figured this episode where I talk to friend of the podcast Laura Watton about our experiences watching The Super Live in the US and the UK, would be one that a lot of you might enjoy. Here’s my original description for the episode:
On this episode, we talk about how it feels like we’ve gone back in time when it comes to anime we’re watching (from Ranma 1/2 and Dragon Ball Daima, to Gundam G-Quacks!), and I talk a little bit about seeing Tomcat’s Big Adventure on the big screen! Then, we dig into our experiences seeing the stage show Sailor Moon: The Super Live–Laura seeing it in the UK, and me seeing it it on the USA tour. Were there any big differences between the two productions? Let’s find out!
Asahi Shimbun to use AI for news but only in a support role (The Asahi Shimbun)
The announcement is somewhat vague on what tasks the AI’s auxiliary usage would encompass.
An outline of the guidelines regarding AI use at The Asahi Shimbun follows:
1. We will use AI for support purposes, and we are responsible for making final decisions on its use and its consequences.
2. We will protect human rights in the use, development and provisions of AI.
3. We will comply with related laws when using AI and establish guidelines for internal use. We will also comply with internal regulations, such as The Asahi Shimbun’s mission statement, code of conduct, reporter code of ethics, communication policy, and personal information protection policy.
4. We recognize the risks in using AI and will strive to use, develop and provide it properly, as well as establish a system to address these risks and to improve it continuously. In the event of unforeseen circumstances, we will respond promptly and appropriately within our risk management framework.
5. We will strive to ensure transparency by appropriately explaining the processes of AI use, development and provisions to the extent necessary and possible.
6. We will foster human resources who are equipped with the knowledge and skills required for media companies in the AI era.
7. Although direct interviews with related parties and on-site reporting remain fundamental in news gathering, we will also consider and implement AI-assisted reporting.
Shoko Nakagawa Illustrates Her Experience Being Pregnant (Anime News Network, Ken Iikura-Gross)
Nakagawa safely delivered twins on the 30th.
Multi-talent Shōko Nakagawa (popularly known as Shokotan) released an illustration comic detailing her pregnancy experience on Tuesday. Nakagawa stated, “Today, I’m going to talk about some surprising things that happened due to hormonal changes during pregnancy” and asks men to read the comic. In the comic, Nakagawa noted her constant use of the restroom, sneezing and coughing, issues with sleeping, and issues with oily skin.
VIDEO: Unpacking the accusation, “it’s not that deep.”
VIDEO: Interview with Drawing Supervisor Bellamy Brooks.
VIDEO: The streaming version of the C2E2 panel, “What is Shoujo?”
VIDEO: Recommendations for underrated 2000s shoujo.
VIDEO: A deep dive on Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch.
AniFem Community
Is there anything better than a big swing that nails it?
For me, it’s a toss up between Heaven’s Design Team and Thermae Romae, because I love a good weird anime premise that is secretly educational/full of facts.
— G.M. Gray (@gmgray.bsky.social) September 30, 2025 at 5:27 PM
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“Akiba Maid War,” both a parody and a good example of a yakuza crime drama featuring maid cafés, is legit one of the best anime of the past 10 years
— Spooxamers (@merx.bsky.social) September 30, 2025 at 1:33 PM
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