Not to stop a winning combination whilst the going is good, TakaraTomy 's Shinkalion franchise returned in 2024 for its third outing following a two-year break. However rather further the story that started out 2018-19's Shinkansen Robo Henkei Shinkalion and continued on into its 2021-22 sequel Shinkansen Robo Henkei Shinkalion Z , this time around it's a whole new continuity. Running for a total of 39 episodes (plus  three specials/recap episodes), Shinkalion: Change the World also brought along a number of other changes - dropping the "Shinkansen Robo Henkei" branding as well as Production I.G . and Signal.MD taking over animation duties from OLM . The series was also available to watch worldwide via the official Shinkalion YouTube channel , albeit without subtitles and most episodes only being made available their original week of airing.

Proving that trains and giant robots continue to be a winning combination, the Shinkansen Robo Henkei Shinkalion franchise has returned for a third instalment in 2024 - but this time mixing things up a little bit. Not only does Shinkalion: Change the World appear to be starting afresh with a brand new continuity (ignoring the 2018-19 original series and its 2021-22 sequel Shinkalion Z ), but it's also working with a slightly older cast. From a production standpoint things have slightly changed too, with Production I.G.  and Signal.MD taking over animation duties from OLM . The first episode has also been made available worldwide via the official Shinkalion YouTube channel , albeit without subtitles.

ULTRAMAN Final is available in streaming form on Netflix While the success of Ultraman 's recent bid for global recognition is largely attributed towards the main series and Shin Ultraman , it would be remiss not to give some of the credit to Netflix's adaptation of Eiichi Shimuzu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi 's ongoing manga series as well. It's a very different kind of Ultraman, but the accessibility of Netflix combined with the exposure its received through merchandising and other means have made it something of a surprise hit in the Ultraman arsenal. All good things must come to an end though, and while the manga is still going strong for now the same cannot be said for the anime version. After a strong first season and a good-yet-troubled sequel , Production I.G. and Sola Digital Arts return for the show's conclusion with the aptly titled ULTRAMAN Final .

Ultraman  is available in streaming form on  Netflix It's been a long three year wait exacerbated by production delays and a global pandemic, but the second season of the ULTRAMAN anime has finally landed. The adaptation of the ongoing manga by Eiichi Shimuzu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi , the series continues to be produced by famed studios Production I.G. and Sola Digital Arts (who also collaborate on fellow Netflix series Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 ). Despite its detachment from the main Ultraman universe , the ULTRAMAN manga/anime continues to be a key player in Tsuburaya Productions' bid for Ultraman global takeover – supported through a wealth of merchandising, videogame crossover appearances and the accessibility of the anime through a huge global platform like Netflix .

Ultraman is available in streaming form on Netflix Although the franchise has always remained a staple of Japan's superhero culture, Ultraman has been enjoying something of a revival on a worldwide scale in the past few years thanks to a number of different factors. Legal subtitled streaming options and Tsuburaya Productions finally taking full control of global distribution after years of legal difficulties might be key ones, but not all of Ultraman 's modern recognition has come from onscreen. In 2011 an ongoing manga series written by Eiichi Shimizu and illustrated by Tomohiro Shimoguchi began publication, serving as a direct sequel to the original 1966 series . Eight years and 12 volumes later, ULTRAMAN now has its own 3DCG animated adaptation. Originally announced in 2017 alongside the production of SSSS.Gridman , the series has been co-produced by Production I.G and Sola Digital Arts and is available exclusively on Netflix .

Some anime series wait years to get a sequel. Others wait years and then not only get one, but two almost simultaneously. This was exactly the case for beloved cult classic FLCL (aka Fooly Cooly ), which after 18 years didn't only just come back in the form of the six-part FLCL: Progressive , but also spun off in a different direction with another six-part series - FLCL: Alternative . Like Progressive this new series doesn't have any input from original co-creators Gainax , instead coming solely from Production I.G. in collaboration with Toho and Adult Swim.  As the series was first released through Adult Swim, for the time being only the English dubbed version is available to Western fans. We did however get a taste for  Alternative in its original language earlier in the year, with the first episode airing subtitled as part of Adult Swim's annual April Fools' Day shenanigans.

When an anime studio announces that it's going to make a sequel to a cult classic 18 years after its release and without the assistance of one of the key studios originally involved, that's bound to create some skepticism. But that's exactly the case for FLCL: Progressive , the first of two 2018 sequels to the modern classic from Production I.G. and Gainax . Production I.G. have gone solo for these two instalments, co-producing them with both  Toho and Cartoon Network's Adult Swim . As a result of the latter's involvement, the show made it's premiere as part of the programming block - with the dub airing throughout June. The Japanese audio version will follow in September, with both FLCL: Progressive and FLCL: Alternative  receiving theatrical screenings across Japan.

It's been 18 years and as unlikely as it may have ever seemed, FLCL is back. Thanks to a push from Cartoon Network programming block Adult Swim , the 2000 off the wall OVA series from Gainax and Production I.G. has returned for a further two seasons - FLCL Progressive and FLCL Alternative . While fans briefly got a taste of Alternative when the first episode ran as Adult Swim's April fools joke, it's now time to properly dive into Progressive head first as the series begins its six-episode run. Gainax are out of the picture, so animation is handled solely by Production I.G. in a production collaboration with both Toho and Adult Swim. Curiously, the Japanese language version won't be making it's debut until both Progressive and  Alternative receive Japanese theatrical runs in September - making the English currently the only way to experience the show. That's right, the dub is airing months ahead of the Japanese version. What crazy times we live in.

If there's anyone who knows how to pull a good April Fools joke, its Adult Swim . In past years they've brought back Toonami for one night only (eventually leading to the programming block making a proper return), as well as air the Rick and Morty season 3 premiere months months ahead of its official release. So of course all eyes were on them for their 2018 rendition, and in a move that feels both surprising and somewhat expected all at once, this year brought along a sneak preview of the long-awaited FLCL (aka  Fooly Cooly ) sequel. Just why they decided to go with FLCL Alternative (which acts as the third season and due for release in September) rather than FLCL Progressive (which airs in the summer) is anyone's guess, but that's just part of the fun.With Gainax properly out of the picture for these sequels the animation is solely handled by Production I.G. , in a joint venture with both Toho and Adult Swim.  As such, the dub will be airing alongside the Japanese ...

Atom: The Beginning is available in streaming form via Amazon Prime’s Anime Strike service in the US, and AnimeLab in Australia and New Zealand  Even if you’re relatively new to the anime scene, chances are you’ll have heard about Osamu Tezuka in some way. Whether it’s via some of his most famous works ( Astro Boy, Black Jack, Jungle Emperor Leo and more) or simply his iconic art-style, the “Godfather of Manga” remains one of the most influential figures in anime and manga history. His legacy continues today with Atom: The Beginning , a prequel series to Astro Boy written and illustrated by Tetsuro Kashara alongside Masami Yuki and Tezuka’s own son Makoto Tezuka . While the manga series has been ongoing since 2014, this year it has been joined by an anime adaptation – a joint collaboration from studios OLM, Inc., Production I.G. and Signal.MD.

In terms of iconic anime franchises, it’s hard to get much bigger than Ghost in the Shell . Though originally a manga series by Masamune Shirow , the perhaps better-known 1995 anime film adaptation directed by Mamoru Oshii proved heavily influential and is widely recognised as one of animation’s greatest offerings. The film also spawned a sequel, as well as Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – a separate continuity television series that ran for seasons and had a few movies of its own. Partly in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the franchise, Production I.G. produced Ghost in the Shell: Arise , a brand new retelling by Tow Ubukata (who created the similarly cyberpunk Mardock Scramble ) spanning four OVA films. These films were also re-released as a 12-episode series bearing the name Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Alternative Architecture , featuring two brand new episodes to lead into yet another movie – this time simply bearing the name Ghost in the Shell: The New Movi...

The final anime season of 2015 brings some good and bad news. The good news is that Attack on Titan has finally returned! However the bad news is that this return isn’t the season two that many were hoping (and still waiting) for. Instead this season marks the debut of Attack on Titan: Junior High ( Shingeki! Kyojin Chūgakkō ) – a comedy reimagining of the franchise based on the parody manga of the same name. Production I.G. are fully spearheading animation duties this time around, with Studio WIT seemingly ducking out for the time being. It might not be a season two, but will this fill the void in the meantime?

Futuristic settings have always been a brilliant playground for anime titles, and the kind that tender to garner quite a bit of attention since they can count renowned classics such as Akira  and Ghost in the Shell among them. In 2012 anime hot topic Gen Urobuchi (who's works reviewed on this blog include Madoka Magica and Gargantia ) made his contribution to the genre with Psycho-Pass , a 22-episode series that aired on the esteemed Fuji-TV Noitamina programming block and has gone down quite a storm since. Carefully timed with the new season set to start next month, the original briefly returned as Psycho-Pass Extended Edition , which saw it reedited into 11 40-minute episodes. A perfect opportunity for me to find out what all the fuss is about.

After the overwhelming success of shows such as Puella Magi Madoka Magica  and Fate/Zero , it's no surprise that writer  Gen Urobuchi is a hot topic in the world of anime. Despite only being responsible for a handful of episodes and the overall concept, having his name attached to Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet ( Suisei no Gargantia ) has no doubt brought it to people's attention. A 13-episode series from the studio Production I.G. , Gargantia first aired in 2013 and has since spanned a further two OVAs - with a two-part OVA sequel also set for release later this year.

With anime being the incredibly diverse medium it is, everyone has their own favourites. But every so often one show will come along and everyone's attention will be squarely on that, whether they're a fan of the show or simply caught up in the media frenzy/hype train that follows it. Recently, that show has undoubtedly been Attack on Titan (or Shingeki no Kyojin  for those purists out there). Championed as a show suitable for longtime anime fans, casual fans and newcomers alike, the internet has been ablaze with this 26-episode series based on the ongoing manga series by Hajime Isayama . With two recap films, a live-action remake and a second season planned somewhere down the line, demand couldn't be much higher for this franchise. Better check out what all the fuss is about I guess.

It's that time again where the winter anime season draws to a close, allowing reviewers such as myself to share their thoughts on the weekly series they've been following for the last 12+ weeks before launching themselves into the spring season's offerings. Robotics;Notes  is a 22 episode series that began airing back in October 2012, based on the visual novel of the same name by 5pb. The story is set in the same universe as fellow visual novels Chaos;Head   and Steins;Gate , however references to either shows are fleeting, if anything at all. Akiho and Kaito, not your average robot builders The story is set in the year 2019 on the Japanese island of Tanegashima. Here the exciteable Akiho Senomiya and her laid back friend Kaito Yashio are the only members of their high school's robotics club. Their aim is to build the GunPro-1, a giant robot based on the titular robot from the anime series Gunvarrel started (but not finished) by Akiho's older sister when s...

When I first heard of Guilty Crown, it sounded like something that would be right up my alley. Post-apocalyptic  setting? Check. Protagonist granted godlike powers? Check. Robots? You better believe it. Created by Production I.G. (whose repertoire includes works such as Ghost in the Shell , Palabor and The End of Evangelion ), this 22-episode series aired between October 2011 and March 2012. On Christmas Eve, 2029, the unidentified "Apocalypse Virus" spreads and plunges Japan into a state of emergency in a chaos known as the "Lost Christmas" incident. An international organisation named the GHQ intervenes using martial law in order to restore Japan, but it comes at the cost of the country's independence. Ten years later in 2039, Shu Ouma, a reserved 17-year-old high school student, meets Inori Yuzuriha (lead singer of music group Egoist) while visiting one of his favorite places on before heading home from school. While Shu is a big fan of Inori's m...