FIF#249-Disney Twisted Wonderland: The Animation

Suddenly snatched from his own world, High School student Yu finds himself forcibly enrolled in Night Raven College.  It’s a school for the most elite of magic users, only Yu has no idea how to use any magic.  His arrival triggers an avalanche of confusion and rage amongst the student bodies most top tier of users. And if they don’t kill him first, Yu will have to survive the Monsters, Ghouls, Ghosts and other dark magics waiting for him in this Twisted Neverland.

 
After years of hosting and distributing Anime films (mostly from the Studio Ghibli catalogue), the House of Mouse seems looking to jump onto the Anime bandwagon with their first Original Anime Series.  And wouldn’t you know it, it’s based on a Mobile Game.  Yes, Disney Twisted Wonderland was released in Japan back in 2020 and localized in the US in 2022.  From the looks of it, the game involves Anime-ifications of some of Disney’s most legendary villains including The Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, Scar from The Lion King, Hades from Hercules and Jafar from Aladdin, just to name a few…and they’re all super attractive bishonen boys.  Ok, sounds Anime enough but how is the actual premiere of the Anime?  Is it a good jumping on point or is this a bit more Fate/GO and confusing as heck?
 

Kpop Demon Hunters

Rumi, Mira and Zoe are Huntr/x, the latest in a long line of Demon Hunters who sing as well as they slay.  For years their music has protected the barrier separating Humanity from an all out Demon invasion.  But now they’re about to face their most dangerous foes: The Saja Boys, a five member Demon Boy Band.  It’s a battle of beats, words and wills as Huntr/x goes head to head with these handsome imposters who are hellbent on using their music to ensnare their fans.  Not if Huntr/x has anything to say about it.

Considering how big of a worldwide phenomenon Kpop has become thanks to the successes of bands like BlackPink, Twice and BTS, you’d think some kind of animation or even live action about hot pop idols kicking some kind of ass would have arrived way before Kpop Demon Hunters (the closest we’ve probably gotten is League of Legends’ K/DA group).  The wait for such a project to emerge has been well worth it as Kpop Demon Hunters delivers on all fronts with stellar animation from the studio behind the Spider Man Spiderverse saga, a bunch of unforgettable characters and a soundtrack that isnt leaving your head well after you’ve heard it.  I might have one or two little issues with it but that isnt stopping me from naming Kpop Demon Hunters as one of the Best Films of 2025.
 

Chainsaw Man: The Movie-Reze Arc

Just when Denji didn’t think his bizarre life could get any crazier, he meets Reze: a beautiful girl who seems truly interested in him.  But fate conspires against Denji once more as the truth of Reze is revealed: She is the Bomb Devil, as powerful and brutal as she is beautiful and she’s after the heart of the Chainsaw Demon’s heart.  Fueled by fury and heartache, Denji engages in his biggest and craziest battle yet.  Hell hath no fury like a Chainsaw Devil scorned.

2025’s proven to be an exciting year for Anime Feature Films, especially the Shonen ones.  Just after Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle took the rest of the world by storm, Chainsaw Man makes its triumphant return after a very long, three year wait.  While I don’t expect it to make Demon Slayer level dollars here in the States, the film adaptation of the Reze Arc might just end up being better than the first part of Infinity Castle, and this is coming from a guy who mostly likes Demon Slayer more than Chainsaw Man. This is thanks to a greater focus on the core story and characters while also allowing MAPPA to let itself off the leash and remind us why despite theyre one of the most in demand Anime studios today.  In short, the Chainsaw Man movie is well worth the wait. 
 

T5W#533-Top 5 Otakon 2025 Cosplays

Well folks Halloween is only a couple of days away and you know the Top 5 I usually save for just this occasion.  Last week, we took a look at the best cosplays I saw at Katsucon 2025.  Today, we’re looking at the best standouts from Otakon 2025.  It was the year where Kpop Demon Hunters and Apothecary Diaries took the convention cosplay scene by storm in some of the biggest photoshoot turnouts I’ve ever seen.  And yet in that sea, some real gems shined and I’m spotlighting them on todays’ Top 5 Wednesday as I count down the Top 5 Otakon 2025 Cosplays.  As always, if I know the cosplayers in question, I’ll let you know where you can find more of their cosplay works.

 

Predator: Killer of Killers

Throughout all of human history, warriors are born through conflict, trial by fire.  And in those moments, secret battles are waged between these champions and a race of Alien Predators known as the Yautja.  Their objective, their drive, to hunt the greatest killers, face them and become the ultimate Hunters themselves.  Those who survive to tell the tale face an uncertain fate.  In the end, only one can be called The Killer of Killers.

Much like many of it’s 80s action era brethren, Predator is another franchise ripe for the Anime or Animation treatment and it’s astounding it took us this long to get this kind of feature.  Coming to us from the same creative team behind the smash hit Predator prequel, Prey, including Prey Director Dan Tractenberg, Predator: Killer of Killers is an animated anthology feature that doubles down on what made that much needed breath of fresh air for the franchise so vital.  It enhances what we’ve come to expect from the titular hunters and strives to really make the viewers care about their new prey despite the short length of their respective tales.  Most of all, it shows we really need more of these kinds of stories from the Predator universe and then some.
 

FIF#248-Lazarus

2049.  Dr. Skinner creates the ultimate feel good drug, Hapna, relieving all users of any kind of pain.  After disappearing from the public eye for three years, Skinner returns and announces that in 30 days time, whoever has taken Hapna will die.  The race is on for a cure but only Skinner might have the only one in existence.  To this end, the government assembles a group of criminals with various skills to hunt down the illusive doctor before the 30 day time limit is up.

 
It cant be easy being Shinichio Watanabe.  After playing a key role in the production of Macross Plus then hitting it out of the universe with Cowboy Bebop, every time a new project is greenlit with him at the helm is going to have serious expectations.  Samurai Champloo.  Carole and Tuesday.  Space Dandy.  I’ve only seen 2/3 but nothing has ever quite reached Bebops level of perfection.  I bring this up because when I saw Lazarus being advertised on HBO Max I didn’t pay it much mind until a friend requested a First Impression and told me he was the Director.  So do the first two episodes surpass the pressure?
 

T5W#532-Top 5 Katsucon 2025 Cosplays

It’s that time of year again folks.  And while Halloween may be just around the corner, for Cosplayers, every day and every opportunity is a chance to give the Holiday the spotlight.  As is tradition here at the Gundam Anime Corner, this is the time of year I look back at my two biggest conventions of the year and sift through a sea of neverending options to pick my favorites from each major con.  It’s never easy and this year for Otakon and Katsucon, it was no different.  Katsu continues to be one of the major Cosplay centers of the East Coast Con scene and it’s where some of the best cosplayers in the world bring out their best.  Suffice to say, tough calls as always but still, here are my Top 5 Katsucon 2025 Cosplays.  As always, if I know the cosplayers or follow them on social media, I’ll link them in their entries below.

 

Devil May Cry: The Animated Series Part 3 Episodes 9-12

For a while now, it seems like something has been watching Dante from the shadows, benefiting from his most recent jobs.  Now the puppet masters plans come to light and the whole world is on the brink.  What’s worse, Patty’s long lost Mom is used as bait to lure Dante’s young friend into a dangerous trap.  Together with Lady, Trish and Morrison, Dante must brave a city’s worth of Demons to rescue Patty and put a stop to the Monster who’s been playing him all along.  Even if there’s no money involved, the world needs saving, and Devils need to cry.

Devil May Cry 2 is widely seen as the black sheep, if not the worst, of the franchise.  One of the main criticisms is the change to Dante’s personality.  He’s a lot more serious and less prone to one liners than in his debut game (though he does get a solid one on the final boss at the end of the game).  While it’s an inexcusable approach to try and make Dante more mature, his change in tone and personality makes sense when you realize he’s had to deal with a crappy 12 episode Anime series filled with boring villains, insufferable kid characters, and the feeling that Devil May Cry was having both hands tied behind its back the whole time and was unable to let loose like it should…yeah I’d be depressed and pissed off so much I’d be a bit grumpy going into DMC2.
 

FIF#247-The Rose of Versailles

1755.  When General François Augustin Regnier de Jarjayes learns that his new born baby is another girl, he declares she will become the son he never had, naming her Oscar.  Fourteen Years Later, Oscar accepts the role of Commander of the Royal Guard at the Palace of Versailles.  Her primary mission: to safeguard the wellbeing of Marie Antoinette.  Little does Oscar know, the history of France is about to take a dark and violent turn and she is about to take a central role in its ever changing political landscape.

 
When the new Rose of Versailles Anime movie popped up a few months back, I’ll admit I’d totally forgotten about this title but I remember it seeing a bit of a resurgence in the mid 2000s(?).  And since I’m steadily finding out friends are big fans, I decided to check out the first episode of this beautiful 70 period piece and if the premiere is anything to go by, this could be one history lesson done by Anime worth paying attention to.
 

T5W#531-Top 5 Kpop Demon Hunter Characters Everyone’s Gonna Cosplay for Halloween

Suffice to say Kpop Demon Hunters is the biggest Animated anything on the planet this year (even bigger than Demon Slayers Worldwide Box Office Dominance).  Heck, the three real life voices of Rumi, Mira and Zoe: Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami respectively, just made their live performance debut on SNL and Jimmy Fallon last week AND we given the news that the Kpop Demon Hunters soundtrack has gone freaking Platinum.  Obviously, we haven’t fallen out of love with this Animated Musical Epic and since we’re a couple of weeks out from Halloween, you can bet these characters are going to be all over the place.  Originally I was going to do a list of the top titles big in the cosplay scene right now…but let’s face it, after what I saw at Otakon 2025, Kpop Demon Hunters wins.  So let’s break down which individual Hunter, Demon or Creature who would be the most spotted this spooky season with my the Top 5 Kpop Demon Hunter Characters Everyone’s Gonna Cosplay for Halloween.

 

Devil May Cry: The Animated Series Part 2 Episodes 5-8

For Dante, the life of a Devil Hunter is hardly dull.  But even the new jobs he’s taking on are becoming more and more surreal even for him.  From tortured souls to demon prisons to obsessed stalkers, everything and everyone seems to be hurling themselves into Dante’s path.  Thankfully Dante’s still as sharp as ever and is in desperate need of money for his endless string of debt.  All the while, someone seems to be pulling the strings from the darkness, someone with plans for Dante or maybe worse.

It should really be a crime to make Devil May Cry so dull and boring you don’t want to watch it.  I already had a bad enough feeling after the first four episodes that I was in trouble with this one.  But four more episodes in, it kind of clinches it.  I cant believe this series actually is part of the official cannon AND some of it was even written by the head series writer, Bingo Morihashi, himself.  And just how does Part 2 of this supposed DMC series somehow end up worse than Part 1?  Simple: They haven’t fixed a single thing and there’s no signs of that happening anytime soon.
 

FIF#246-The Dinner Table Detective

Reiko Hosho may look like a beautiful socialite, the daughter of a world famous business group.  But beneath that façade, Reiko is a investigator working for the city police department and she’s determined to keep her true self a secret so she doesn’t get treated any differently.  But that’s tough when her partner is a super self obsessed heir and her butler is a no nonsense, often blunt mystery with a penchant for solving cases on his own.

 
I guess I’ve been on a bit of a cute Detective kick on FIF this back half of the Season.  There was Maomao (who’s still the gold standard of female Sherlock Homles types imho).  Then there was the disturbingly similar to Haruhi Suzumiya Ameku M.D.  The Dinner Table Detective’s Reiko Hosho falls in the middle of those two and I’ll explain why when I get into the First Impression properly.  Anyway, this popped up on my Amazon recommendations and I’m a sucker for a cute brunette in a red dress.  Plus if she specializes in high profile, upper class murder cases, that’s pretty unique right?  Too bad The Dinner Table Detective only seems to have aesthetic going for it cause under the good looks hides a slew of problems that wouldn’t take a detective to figure out why it wouldn’t work.
 

T5W#530-Top 5 Changes Hellsing (2001) Made from it’s Manga (Episodes 1-7 Only)

Recently Retcon 404, a YouTube Anime Vlogger who does a lot of Gundam content, did a full series retrospective on the first Anime adaptation of Hellsing from 2001.  I put the title on in the background while working on Gunpla and it occurred to me just how different this version was from both the Manga and the more faithfully adapted Hellsing Ultimate.  A lot of this has to do with the fact that by the time it was released (or even initially worked on), the Hellsing Manga only had 2 volumes completed.  Ergo, it went the Fullmetal Alchemist (2003) route of making a brand new story arc for its second half.  Well for todays Top 5 Wednesday, we’re gonna look back at the first half of this iconic action/horror classic to identify the Top 5 Changes Hellsing (2001) Made from it’s Manga (Episodes 1-7 Only).

 
Special Thanks to Retcon 404 for giving me this idea.  If you love Mecha and especially Gundam, his retrospectives are pretty damn awesome and you can check them all out here: https://youtube.com/@retcon404?si=yPlHzIdG1brkTNgv

Devil May Cry: The Animated Series Part 1 Episodes 1-4

Dante is the offspring of a powerful Demon and a mortal human woman.  He’s a Demon Hunter, one of the most feared around.  There isnt a job this unstoppable bad ass cant handle…until he’s tasked with protecting a young heiress from Demons on the hunt for her inheritance.  A simple job is only getting bigger and more dangerous.  Thankfully Dante’s got the right tools for sending monsters back to Hell on a regular basis.

Devil May Cry’s Anime inspirations are pretty obvious unless you’re blind or oblivious.  From the razor sharp swordplay to the use of slow mo to the endless amounts of bullets and one liners, playing a DMC game is one of the best instances of playing your own Anime adventure.  So yeah, Devil May Cry is tailor made for the genre if you get the right creative team and studio to bring the unchained wild card action to life.  Sadly, while I know a lot of people have their gripes about the new Netflix series, this first shot at a Devil May Cry Anime feels less like its namesake and more like a diet version of the first run of Hellsing back in 2001.  It’s not off to a good start and here’s why.
 

FIF#245-Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song

Diva, or Vivy, is the first autonomous AI, programmed with one single directive: Make people happy with her music.  With her idol inspired look and beautiful voice, Vivy aims to take the main stage at NiaLand Park, where she songs can reach hundreds.  However, when a hyperactive AI Teddy Bear appears before Vivy, everything changes.  Bearing a warning of a dark future for mankind, Matsumoto seeks Vivy’s help in averting an AI caused catastrophe set to occur in the next 100 years.

 
I forget how I found out about Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song.  Maybe I saw one of the posters or key visuals somewhere and thought it looked intriguing.  Before going into the first episode, I was just expecting a dramatic song filled Anime about an AI and a dream, nothing more or less.  And then I saw the first couple of minutes and JESUS CHRIST!!!  I am going to talk about spoilers in this one but let me say, if you think you know what you’re getting with Vivy without watching any trailers or sneak peaks, boy are you wrong.  And truth be told, I don’t know if that means this is an Anime for me.  Why’s that?  Well lets break it down.
 

T5W#529-Top 5 Best Moments from Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba): The Movie-Infinity Castle (Part 1)

Hoooof I’ve been waiting to do this list for weeks now.  Honestly I wanted to post it right after I saw the movie but it didn’t feel right to do so til I actually reviewed the thing.  But hey, kept ya waiting huh?  And in the time since Demon Slayer’s latest big screen adventure dropped, the film has skyrocketed past one milestone after another.  It’s already crossed the $100 Million marker, making it the undisputed Highest Grossing Anime Film in the US and the 5^th Highest Grossing Film Worldwide of 2025 (as of this writing anyway), beating out major Hollywood blockbusters like Superman and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.  The movies holding on pretty strong in the Top 10 to and right now it seems like I’m gushing over it’s financial achievements more than the movie itself…and I am (I’m a box office nerd too).  But the movie would be doing nearly as well as it is if Demon Slayer wasn’t delivering the crowd pleasing goods.  And now that the review is up, I can head into Spoiler Alert Territory breaking down my Top 5 Best Moments from Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba): The Movie-Infinity Castle (Part 1) on todays Top 5 Wednesday.

Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba): The Movie-Infinity Caste (Part 1-Akaza Returns)

Just when it seemed as if victory was in the Demon Slayer Corps grasp, Muzan Kibutsuji opened the doors to his realm and dragged everyone with him.  Now Tanjiro and his allies are on his turf, surrounded by Demons in an infinite setting changing by the minute.  The strongest of Muzan’s elite lie in wait and the Hashira aren’t leaving without Muzan’s head.  The long awaited final battle begins with a rematch between Tanjiro and the Upper Rank who killed one of his beloved mentors, Akaza. 

Demon Slayer has enjoyed quite the success over the last few years, becoming one of the most beloved Anime by fans worldwide.  The announcement that the Infinity Castle arc, aka the final arc of the original Manga, getting a trilogy of films instead of a fifth season is a bit headscratching but you cant fault Ufotable for wanting to unleash their animation mastery on the big screen for the grand finale.  And while Infinity Castle Part 1 dials up all the spectacle and heartache that was inevitable with the showdown with Muzan’s forces, a lot of what’s hampered the storytelling of the Swordsmith Village and Hashira Training Arcs still persists.  I’m not saying this movie isnt mostly a blast to watch cause clearly Ufotable’s been holding a lot in reserve for this occasion.  It’s just got a bit holding it back from being the absolute best Demon Slayer experience since the Entertainment District Arc.