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The Summer 2025 anime season is just around the corner. So it's no surprise that this week's anime news is dominated by new information about the upcoming season. The Bam Smack Pow team has got you covered for everything you need to know about anime this summer!

With that, let's dive into this week's biggest reveals.

Crunchyroll reveals Summer 2025 schedule In this photo illustration a Crunchyroll Inc. logo seen... | Sopa Images/GettyImages

Crunchyroll has announced a comprehensive list of the anime to coming to the streaming service this summer, showcasing the both new and returning series coming when the new anime reason begins.

Crunchyroll's Summer 2025 line-up includes:

• Clevatess

• My Dress-Up Darling season 2

• Kaiju No. 8 season 2

• Arknights: Rise From Ember

• Dr. Stone Science Future cour 2 (i.e. the second part of the season that already aired)

Elsewhere, Crunchyroll has confirmed its slate of English dubbed series for the Summer 2025 season. The exact...

The official website for streaming service Hidive today announced cast members for an English-dubbed version of Fall 2024 fantasy anime Loner Life in Another World , which is scheduled to begin releasing weekly on Wednesday, February 12, 2025 at 12:00pm Est. John Swasey ( The Eminence in Shadow ) helms the series as English Adr Director with the below cast. Loner Life in Another World English Dub Cast Haruka voiced by Nathan Wilson Class Rep voiced by Monica Rial Cooking Girl voiced by Alyssa Marek Delinquent A voiced by Ben McLaughlin Delinquent B voiced by Andrew Love Delinquent E voiced by James Marler Delinquent F voiced by Shane Fenimore Elf voiced by Hilary Haag Fish Girl voiced by Elissa Cuellar Gal A voiced by Karlii Hoch Gal D voiced by Natalie Rial Gal Leader voiced by Kira Vincent Davis Vermilio Gatek voiced by John Hallmark Girl Shield voiced by Allison Sumrall Gymnastics voiced by Alissa...

Cozy fantasy is a new fantasy subgenre that's been showing up across various media over the years. Instead of featuring heroes on some grand adventure, these protagonists are enjoying their fantasy world at a slow, leisurely pace. Viewers get to soak in the fantastical surroundings without big threats getting in the way.

Naturally, there's been a fair share of cozy fantasy anime as well. Many times these series fall into the iyashikei genre, though some realistic, slice-of-life anime fall into the category as well. For fans looking to relax with a heartwarming fantasy tale, there’s bound to be an anime in this genre that captures their imagination.

Makoto Enjoys a Simply Magical Life in Flying Witch Makoto Is A Simple, Every-Day Witch

Flying Witch is a supernatural iyashikei based on the manga by Chihiro Ishizuka. The manga began serialization in August 2012 and is still ongoing after 13 volumes. The anime...

When it's time to sit back, relax, and be frightened, Hulu has lots of TV shows that fall into the horror genre. The horror shows on Hulu span decades, from shows as old as Rose Red and Death Note from the early 2000s to new shows like Grotesque and Blood Curse. For a quiet night, there is so much available to watch.

The horror genre, of course, is quite diverse. There are disturbing, gruesome, cerebral, and sometimes even humorous horror movies. Hulu has options for any audience and mood, whether looking for a gruesome thrill or a supernatural chill.

Updated on January 3, 2025, by Guillermo Kurten: The horror genre is one of the most versatile in film and TV. Hulu has plenty to offer across both mediums, even those blending different genres. This list has been updated to spotlight more notable horror TV series worth streaming on Hulu.

Parasyte: The Maxim...

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Blue Eye Samurai is an adult animation action-adventure drama series created by Michael Green and Amber Noizumi. The Netflix animated series is set in Japan’s Edo period, and it revolves around a mixed-race swordmaster, Mizu, in her quest for revenge. Blue Eye Samurai’s voice cast includes Maya Erskine, George Takei, Masi Oka, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Brenda Song, Darren Barnet, Randall Park, and Kenneth Branagh. So, if you loved the intense personal drama, brutal action, and compelling characters in Blue Eye Samurai, here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Samurai Champloo (Hulu & Rent on Prime Video)

Samurai Champloo is a Japanese historical action-adventure series written by Masaru Gotsubo. The Adult Swim series revolves around two warriors with completely different personalities who hate each others’ guts. They are brought together by a young woman named Fuu,...

As music critic and writer Steve Huey once explained, “from 1976 to 1984, the radio airwaves were dominated by really smooth music.” Once known as soft rock, since the mid-2000s pretty much everyone has called it Yacht Rock.

We’re talking of course about the music of people like Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Steely Dan, Toto, Christopher Cross — pop songwriters at the intersection of soul, jazz and disco who were defiantly uncool for their day but are now recognized as the legends they are. And as an early Christmas president, HBO is giving people a crash course via “Yacht Rock: A Documentary,” which debuts Nov. 29.

Directed by Garret Price, the film features commentary from legends like McDonald, Loggins, Cross and more, plus some of the people they influenced — like Thundercat, Mac DeMarco and Questlove.

Watch the trailer below now:

And as you can see in the trailer, thankfully it also finally...

The next installment of Bill Simmons’ Music Box series dives into the popular Yacht Rock genre populated by artists including Christopher Cross, Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Steely Dan, and Toto. HBO’s Music Box: Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary, directed by Garret Price (Daisy Jones & The Six), airs on Friday, November 29, 2024 at 9pm Et/Pt.

Loggins, Cross, McDonald, Prince Paul of De La Soul, Brian Robert Jones of Vampire Weekend, and Toto’s Steve Porcaro, Steve Lukather, and David Paich are featured in the documentary. Web series creator J.D. Ryznar, Questlove, Fred Armisen, also participate along with rock critics and journalists.

HBO offered this lengthy description of the latest Music Box doc: “Music Box: Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary chronicles the emergence and popularity of the West Coast, soft rock pop culture epitomized by musical artists such as Christopher Cross, Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Steely Dan, and Toto. Retroactively dubbed ‘Yacht Rock...

Trim up the outboard engines and just drift around for a bit — you’ve charted a course to the calm waters of yacht rock.

HBO’s original documentary “Music Box: Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary” (not a typo there — though we don’t love the dual colons), directed by Garret Price and executive produced by Bill Simmons (“Andre The Giant”), debuts Friday, November 29 at 9 p.m. Et/Pt. It will be available to stream on Max.

The dock doc goes behind the music on the West Coast soft rock popularized by late-1970s and early-1980s musicians like Christopher Cross, Michael McDonald, and Kenny Loggins. Their tunes were retroactively dubbed “Yacht Rock” — by a comedy website series of all things.

“Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary” brings forward the musicians and producers of the scene, and details “the genesis, evolution, and downfall of the sound, which was appreciated for its high-quality production, soulful vocals,...

Crunchyroll announced that the English dub of Natsume’s Book Of Friends season 7 will be streamed from Oct 19, 2024, on the platform.

The cast and staff involved in the English dub of the anime were also revealed.

Cast includes:

Adam Gibbs as Takashi Natsume Christopher Wehkamp as Madara Tyson Rinehart as Tanuma Jennifer AuBuchon as Toko Brian Mathis as Chukyu A Greg Dulcie as Chukyu B Danielle Phillips as Kappa Kim Titus as Priest Kenny Green as Shibuzura Elise Baughman as Shidahime Luci Christian as Boy A Izzi Raine as Boy B

Staff includes:

Voice Director: Jad Saxton Producer: Susie Nixon Adaptation: Jessica Sluys Mixer: William Dewell Engineer: Noah Whitehead

Natsume’s Book Of Friends season 7 started airing on Oct 7, 2024.

Crunchyroll is streaming the new season in North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, Cis, and India.

Natsume’s Book of Friends is a Japanese manga series by Yuki Midorikawa.

Crunchyroll announced that English dub of Natsume’s Book Of Friends season 6, including its two special episodes, will be streamed on the platform starting Sep 30, 2024.

Staff and cast involved in the English dub were also revealed.

Adam Gibbs as Takashi Natsume Christopher Wehkamp as Madara Leah Clark as Aiko Brian Witkowicz as Aimiya Aaron Dismuke as Aoi Ciaran Strange as Aoi (Young) Mike Haimoto as Atsushi Courtney Stringer as Azuma Laura Wetsel as Benihimo Maganda Marie as Beniko Barry Yandell as Chobihige Sean Hennigan as Days Eater Denise Lee as Ginro Austin Sisk as Gomochi Bruce DuBose as Hakuhi Jill Harris as Hiiragi Molly Searcy as Hinoe David Wald as Hyakko Phillip Cole White as Jinbe Kate Oxley as Kaoru Michelle Rojas as Kibune Taylor Murphy as Mana William Ofoegbu as Mask Guardian Chris Ryan as Mizusu Morgan Berry as Mountain Goddess R Bruce Elliott as Nanamaki Laurie Steele as...

It's been a little over two years we opened the book on Natsume and Madara in English dub, but our spiritual journey is just beginning! Crunchyroll will begin streaming the entirety of Natsume's Book of Friends Season 6, along with its two special episodes, in English dub on Monday, September 30 to bring us up to speed before the long-awaited seventh season makes its debut on October 7. Here's the stacked cast and crew for the latest season: Natsume's Book of Friends Season 6 English Dub Cast Takashi Natsume voiced by Adam Gibbs Madara voiced by Christopher Wehkamp Aiko voiced by Leah Clark Aimiya voiced by Brian Witkowicz Aoi voiced by Aaron Dismuke Aoi (Young) voiced by Ciaran Strange Atsushi voiced by Mike Haimoto Azuma voiced by Courtney Stringer Benihimo voiced by Laura Wetsel Beniko voiced by Maganda Marie Chobihige voiced by Barry Yandell Days Eater voiced by Sean Hennigan Ginro voiced by Denise...

Anime fans will want to pour a tall cup of coffee heading into the New Year to celebrate in the most ghoulish way possible when the Tokyo Ghoul 10th Anniversary Complete Series Blu-ray Box Set releases on December 31, 2024 from Crunchyroll.

For the first time ever, this anniversary collection will contain all seasons of the popular Tokyo Ghoul series in one complete box set, including every episode of Tokyo Ghoul, Tokyo Ghoul √A, and Tokyo Ghoul:re. The art outside the box is newly commissioned artwork from the animation studio Pierrot that features the main character Kaneki and visual references to the fan-favorite opening song “Unravel” by Tk from Ling Toshite Sigure. Special features will include select episode audio and video commentaries, the “Jack” and “Pinto” OVAs, the “Kaneki in Black and White” featurette with the English dub cast and crew that discusses questions and themes of the anime, and more.

One...

Many anime protagonists are destined for greatness. Their heroism (or villainy) is preordained, either by a prophecy or bloodline. These characters are often the norm, but this trope overlooks main characters who have humbler beginnings. Protagonists who dont fall into the Chosen One trope are just as impressive as fated protagonists (if not more so).

Main characters who dont have mystical backgrounds can be some of the most interesting protagonists. For the most part, they are simply regular people who work through their problems and become stronger through hard work. They may not have been born to be prominent, but they accept the challenge anyway.

Your browser does not support the video tag. Shinichi Izumi Meets Migi By Accident Parasyte: The Maxim

Name

Age

Birthday

Japanese Va

English Va

Shinichi Izumi

16-18

May 17, 1998 (anime)

Nobunaga Shimazaki

Adam Gibbs

3:03

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Natsume's Book of Friends Season 5 Gets English Dub on Crunchyroll - Main Image

Nearly eight years have passed since the fifth season’s initial release, so it may come as a surprise that Natsume’s Book of Friends season 5 now has an English dub on Crunchyroll.

The season’s English dub was announced recently by Crunchyroll and was subsequently released yesterday, May 8. Along with its release, the main English voice cast members have also been revealed.

As a multi-season series, some fans may be on the fence about watching this show. Is it worth watching the previous seasons? That depends on viewers' preferences.

Should You Watch Natsume’s Book of Friends?

If you’re looking to watch an action-packed anime such as Jujutsu Kaisen or Solo Leveling, this show isn’t for you. That’s because Natsume’s Book of Friends is a chill slice-of-life series with supernatural elements.

The series can also...

Last November, Netflix released Blue Eye Samurai. The series earned a lot of praise for its stellar writing, characters, and voice acting. It also has a unique animation style that incorporates motion capture. Mizu is the main character, and she is a half-Japanese half-white samurai who wishes to kill the four white men in Japan. One of these men is her biological father. Blue Eye Samurai fans might have to wait a while for season two, but there are a few great anime that they can watch in the meantime.

Many of these anime are perfect for Blue Eye Samurai fans because they also feature skilled samurai. Some of them also have some type of revenge plot. One series in particular stands out because of its powerful female cast. In the end, Blue Eye Samurai fans will like these anime because of their respective characters and action sequences.

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Crunchyroll announced that English dub of Natsume’s Book Of Friends season 4 will be streamed on the platform on Feb 19, 2024.

Staff and cast involved in the English dub were also revealed.

Cast of Natsume’s Book Of Friends Season 4 includes:

Adam Gibbs as Takashi Natsume Christopher Wehkamp as Madara Mike Haimoto as Atsushi Reagan Murdock as Matoba Chris Ryan as Misuzu Laurie Steele as Nanase Marisa Duran as Sasada Matthew Elkins as Satoru Megan Shipman as Taki Tyson Rinehart as Tanuma Jennifer AuBuchon as Toko Additional Voices: Andy Mullins, Irwin Daye, Dio Garner, Kenny James, Randy Pearlman, Travis Mullenix, Bryan Massey, Jeff Swearingen, David Novinski, Paige Guillory

Staff includes:

Voice Director: Jad Saxton Producer: Colleen Clinkenbeard Adaptation: Jessica Sluys Mixer: William Dewell Engineer: Sawyer Pfledderer

Natsume’s Book Of Friends anime, produced by Brain’s Base (seasons 1–4) and Shuka (seasons 5–6), was broadcast on TV Tokyo for 6 seasons in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2016 and 2017.

A seventh season has been announced.

Quick Links Currently Banned Anime Series Unbanned Anime Series

This article mentions sensitive topics such as sexual abuse, violence, and child exploitation.

Anime can get pretty wild sometimes. Like any other storytelling medium, anime can push the envelope and challenge viewers with intense or even disturbing story content. As a result, these boundary-pushing anime went too far for some groups' tastes. This then led to complaints, protests, or even official bans.

Some nations formally banned certain anime, since they objected to what they view as inappropriate content. Often, banned anime made uncomfortably sharp or honest critiques of a nation's history or leaders. Others had such extreme gore or sexual content that a nation's government deemed it unsuitable for viewing.

Update on January 17th, 2024 by Chelsea Steele: While all forms of media can get wild and push boundaries, few do so quite like anime. The medium takes it to new...

The Eminence in Shadow Season 2 teases its new ending theme ahead of the show's October release.

According to the series' official website, the song that will play over the anime's latest closing sequence is titled "Polaris in the Night," and it will be performed by several members of the show's talented voice cast. This includes Ikumi Hasegawa (Lambda), Maaya Uchida (Nu), Mayu Minami (Chi) and Ryoko Maekawa (Omega). The announcement included artwork in the traditional style of an album cover that spotlights the four powerful members of Shadow Garden.

Related: The Eminence in Shadow's Naming Conventions are Both Hilarious and Ingenious

Studio Nexus's The Eminence in Shadow anime adapts the light novels by Daisuke Aizawa. The book series first appeared on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō before it was acquired by Enterbrain. Over five million copies are in circulation across the globe.

At first glance, the story...

Both the original Japanese version and the English dub of The Eminence in Shadow's second season will simultaneously debut.

According to Anime News Network, both audio versions will become available on Hidive on Oct. 4. The announcement also confirms many returning English voice actors, with Adam Gibbs (My Teen Romantic Comedy Snafu) reprising his role as protagonist Cid Kageno being the most notable. Other members of the dub's cast include Christina Kelly (Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma) as Alpha, Annie Wild (Call of the Night) as Beta, Elissa Cuellar (Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?) as Gamma, and Raven Troup (Farming Life in Another World) as Delta.

Related: 10 Weirdest Isekai Worlds In Anime

Members of the Japanese voice cast have reprised their roles as well. For example, Seiichirō Yamashita (Suppose a Kid From the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town) will once...

The Eminence in Shadow is a Mature series.

Anime streaming service Hidive has announced that the second season premiere of The Eminence in Shadow will take place at Anime Expo. Already critically acclaimed for its oddball humor and pulsing action, The Eminence in Shadow will adapt Volume 3 of Daisuke Aizawa’s light novel series featuring the surreal “Red Moon Incident” story arc. Now, Hidive has announced that the voice actors behind Shadow, Seiichiro Yamashita and Adam Gibbs along with the English voice actor for Alpha, Christina Kelly will also be on hand at Anime Expo to answer fan questions after the show.

According to a statement released from Hidive, the two premieres will take place on two days of the convention, with the subtitled Japanese screening on Saturday, July 1, at 12:15 p.m. Pst in the convention’s Main Events Hall at the Los Angeles Convention Center, followed by Yamashita’s Q & A.

In Hollywood history, no Oscar-winning couple has earned greater admiration than Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. The actors who were married for 50 years before Newman’s death in 2008 are the subject of the six-part CNN Films/HBO Max documentary series The Last Movie Stars, directed by Ethan Hawke, himself a four-time Oscar nominee.

“I’ve dedicated my life to this profession, and they are kind of the high-water mark of what can be achieved,” Hawke said as he appeared along with his filmmaking team at Deadline’s Contenders Television: Documentary + Unscripted event. “A lot of the stories of great artists — a lot of them end tragically. So it was really fun to study two people who continued to develop, and they became better at their craft and became better citizens and better parents.”

The Woodward-Newman love affair was not uncomplicated. When they first met and fell passionately for each other,...

HBO Max will premiere its six-part original documentary from CNN Films, “The Last Movie Stars,” on July 21. The docuseries centers on Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman, and explores their personas, talent and love story. Four-time Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke (“Seymour: An Introduction”) directs, with Academy Award-winning director, writer and producer Martin Scorsese as executive producer.

The docuseries incorporates an abandoned project that Newman commissioned from friend and screenwriter Stewart Stern, who interviewed close friends, family, and artistic collaborators including Elia Kazan, Sidney Lumet, Karl Malden, Sidney Pollack, Gore Vidal, Jacqueline Witte and Joanne Woodward for a planned memoir. Newman was also interviewed by Stern, and discussed his childhood, his first marriage with Witte, his romance and life with Woodward and more.

Actors Karen Allen, George Clooney, Oscar Isaac, Latanya Richardson Jackson, Zoe Kazan, Laura Linney, Sam Rockwell and others voice parts of the original transcribed interviews. Hawke also interviewed some of Newman’s daughters,...

HBO Max will debut all six-parts of Ethan Hawke’s documentary “The Last Movie Stars,” which premiered at SXSW and the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, on July 21. The series explores the personal lives and careers of actors Joanna Woodward and Paul Newman. Hawke, who previously helmed the documentary “Seymour: An Introduction,” directs all six entries in the CNN Films docuseries while Martin Scorsese serves as executive producer.

Central to “The Last Movie Stars” is a long-abandoned project that Newman commissioned from friend and screenwriter Stewart Stern. At Newman’s request, Stern interviewed close friends, family and artistic collaborators like Elia Kazan, Sidney Lumet, Karl Malden, Sydney Pollack, Gore Vidal, Jackie Witte, Woodward for a planned memoir. Newman was also interviewed by Stern to discuss his youth, his first marriage with Witte, his romance and life with Woodward, his personal demons, and the loss of his son, Scott.

“It...

Ethan Hawke is to direct and Martin Scorsese exec produce a celebration of Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman’s lives for CNN+ and HBO Max.

Featuring transcribed readings of interviews read by the likes of George Clooney, Oscar Isaac, Laura Linney and Zoe Kazan, The Last Movie Stars will celebrate the enigmatic personas, incandescent talent and love story of the two actors, who occupy a unique space in the Hollywood pantheon.

The project emerged from Woodward and Newman’s daughters’ approaching Hawke during the early days of the pandemic, at which point they asked him to direct a doc about their parents from Nook House Productions.

Central to the film is a long-abandoned project that Newman, who died in 2008, commissioned from friend and screenwriter Stewart Stern. At Newman’s request, Stern interviewed the likes of Woodward, Elia Kazan, Sidney Lumet, Karl Malden, Sidney Pollack, Gore Vidal, Jacqueline Witte and others for a planned memoir.

They were a Hollywood power couple who chose to live and raise their family in Connecticut, far removed from the center of moviemaking. They were box office draws who remained true to their art, using their celebrity to finance smaller dramas and passion projects. They epitomized glamour and romance for legions of fans, but remained more devoted to social justice and philanthropy than red carpet premieres.

Now, a new six-part documentary will examine the lives and legacies of the enigmatic and incandescent Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman. The series, “The Last Movie Stars,” is directed by Ethan Hawke and executive produced by Martin Scorsese. CNN Films and HBO Max are backing the series, which will premiere exclusively on CNN Plus, the news network’s subscription streaming service which will debut later this year. The film will also be available later via HBO Max.

There’s certainly a lot of rich material to dig into.

Black Out 2022 Short Film Shinichiro Watanabe‘s Black Out 2022 (2017) short film stars Jovan Jackson, Luci Christian, Beyson Bauguss, Edward James Olmos, and Adam Gibbs. Black Out 2022‘s plot synopsis: As a prologue to Blade Runner 2049, “In 2022, an Emp detonation has caused a global blackout that has massive, destructive implications all over [...]

Continue reading: Black Out 2022 Short Film: Replicants Wipeout Electricity in Blade Runner 2049 Prequel...

Stars: Yû Aoi, Jessica Boone, Ayano Fukuda, Arata Furuta, Adam Gibbs, Kiyoshi Kobayashi, David Matranga, Haruma Miura, Toshiyuki Morikawa, Rob Mungle, Emily Neves, Shun Oguri, Chikao Ohtsuka, Maaya Sakamoto, Miyuki Sawashiro | Written by Harutoshi Fukui, Kiyoto Takeuchi | Directed by Shinji Aramaki

2977: Forced to flee a ravaged Earth, humans have now depleted the corners of the galaxy to which they fled. Earth has become the most valued and precious resource of all, controlled by the corrupt Gaia Coalition which governs the human race across the different galaxies. One man, along with his pirate crew, stand against the Coalition, determined to keep it from controlling the universe.

Space Pirates, guys! Come on, what more do I have to say? This review basically writes itself. Pirates. In space. If that’s what you want, this is the film for you. You want dramatic space battles, rather crazy non-stop action and the intense...