Featured Articles

Good Vibrations: The Undervalued Artistry of an Anime’s Soundscape Good Vibrations: The Undervalued Artistry of an Anime’s Soundscape

Sometimes we get so caught up in the visual spectacle of anime that we completely forget about the equally important sounds that come alongside it.

by MAL_Articles

3,607 views

Spoiler

MAL Staff Picks: Anime of the Year 2018 MAL Staff Picks: Anime of the Year 2018

Absurd comedy, poignant drama, explosive action, and more are all on the list for our favorite anime of 2018!

by MAL_Articles

48,381 views

The True Meaning(s) of Christmas The True Meaning(s) of Christmas

Japan's culture of Christmas is quite unique compared to the Western world, both in real life and in fiction.

by Shymander

17,200 views

Why the Hate? Negative Perceptions Against Anime Fans Why the Hate? Negative Perceptions Against Anime Fans

From east to west, distaste towards anime fans is all-too-common. But how do these prejudices differ around the world?

by MAL_Articles

57,363 views

The Art of Evil: What Makes a Good Anime Villain

A great protagonist and story can give shape to a terrific anime, but sometimes an exceptional villain is what steals the show.

by MAL_Articles

31,847 views

Spoiler

Boku no Hero Academia's Problematic Journey to Hollywood

Hollywood has yet to master how to make successful live-action adaptations of anime, and they've chosen to take on what may be their biggest challenge to date.

by Shymander

24,365 views

12 Complex Psychological Anime to Wrap Your Head Around

In a genre with anime of various types ranging from action to sports, these are the psychological anime that will actually challenge you and the way you think.

by MAL_Articles

48,723 views

The Agony of Aisatsu

Greetings and common phrases are some of the most difficult parts of translating Japanese, but the key to handling everyday aisatsu is simply maintaining flexibility.

by MAL_editing_team

7,211 views

Why Main Characters Sometimes Have to Lose

Despite the potential satisfaction of seeing the main character succeed, sometimes a loss is far more beneficial than a win.

by MAL_Articles

14,352 views

Spoiler

Visual Cues and Panel Layouts

Manga combines drawings with text, so missing a visual cue can easily trip up your translation. You also need to take panel layouts into account when translating certain types of spoken lines. Here are tips on how to deal with these two issues.

by MAL_editing_team

3,979 views

What the Anime Industry Can Learn from Kimi no Na wa. (Part 2)

Kimi no Na wa.’s brilliant story, setting, and music captivated its young audience, satisfying fans and critics both in Japan and overseas, which led to the overwhelming popularity of the film.

by MAL_Articles

10,128 views

Spoiler

What the Anime Industry Can Learn from Kimi no Na wa. (Part 1)

Makoto Shinkai managed to produce the highest-grossing anime film of all time despite the number of challenges that came his way, while also disproving several common misconceptions about producing anime.

by MAL_Articles

11,971 views

The Value of the Slice of Life Genre

Slice of Life is typically an underappreciated genre, despite being the most relatable in terms of subject material. Here's why it deserves to be noticed more.

by MAL_Articles

24,527 views

Translating Puns

Puns can be a translator’s bane since the ninety-nine times out of a hundred, there will be no equivalent pun in English for the pun in Japanese. Still, humor is a big part of manga, and puns a huge part of Japanese humor. So here are tips on how to deal with puns.

by MAL_editing_team

6,288 views

MAL at the Movies: Boku no Hero Academia Futari no Hero

Boku no Hero Academia The Movie hits international cinemas this week, so here's our summary and review of the latest installment in the ever-growing superhero franchise!

by Shymander

11,079 views

Spoiler

First Impressions: SAO Alicization World Premiere

MAL attended the world premiere of SAO: Alicization at MadFest 2018. While the first episode wasn't flawless, it definitely has us excited to see what the rest of the show has in store.

by Shymander

27,762 views

Spoiler

Interview: China Literature on The King's Avatar and Global Ambitions

MyAnimeList spoke with China's largest online literature platform about the global success of The King's Avatar, the webnovel medium, and their plans to expand internationally.

by MAL_Articles

13,937 views

Black, White, and Gray: What Makes an Antihero Work

Antiheroes are often some of the most beloved and most talked about characters in their stories. The appeal of these characters can be high and their character brilliant, but what actually makes an antihero work?

by MAL_Articles

23,759 views

Spoiler

The Art of Time Skips: When, How and Why

With flashbacks, plot twists and foreshadowing often being the most analyzed narrative elements in anime, time skips get ignored quite often. However, they offer just as much potential, for better or for worse.

by MAL_Articles

18,235 views

Spoiler

[Manga Store] Creator Spotlight

There's never been a better time than now to pick up some of the hottest Kodansha titles than in the creator spotlight!

by MAL_editing_team

6,908 views

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Cowboy Bebop: Meaning Behind the Madness

Perhaps one of the most iconic anime titles of all time, Cowboy Bebop has enchanted audiences everywhere for decades. But why has it been such an enduring success? Here is a fresh take on the truth behind Bebop’s allure.

by MAL_Articles

13,835 views

Spoiler

The Importance of Worldbuilding in Anime

It's essential for an anime to have a creative premise, but it's even more important to have worldbuilding that backs it up.

by MAL_Articles

18,645 views

The Seasonal Quarterly: Spring 2018 (Part 1)

In these opening weeks of the Spring 2018 anime season, Steins;Gate 0 starts off as the by far highest rated anime, although Megalo Box is the new heavy hitter if we look past sequels. This and more in the opening edition of The Seasonal Quarterly.

by MSPOfficial

19,318 views