One Piece director and animator Henry Thurlow has sparked discussion among anime fans after saying he believes Black Clover deserved the kind of production resources that helped make Demon Slayer a global phenomenon. While watching Black Clover, Thurlow said he felt it was a shame the series received a different level of production treatment, adding that its story has impressed him more than Demon Slayer and that he believes it deserved more resources. His comments specifically draw attention to the uneven animation of Black Clover's original 170-episode run, which aired continuously from 2017 to 2021. Rather than simply criticizing Demon Slayer, Thurlow's comments highlight how production schedules and available resources can dramatically affect how an anime is presented to audiences.

This is an interesting conversation for Black Clover fans, especially with the anime returning in a new seasonal format. The original series had to maintain a demanding weekly schedule for years, while newer production models can give animation teams more time to polish individual episodes. Whatever fans think about Thurlow's comparison, his comments bring up an important point: sometimes the way a story is animated can have just as much impact on how audiences experience it as the story itself.

Shangri-La Frontier Season 3 Sets January 10 Premiere!

Shangri-La Frontier is officially returning for its third season on January 10th 2027, and fans won't have to worry about another long break in the middle of the story. The new season has been confirmed for two continuous cours, meaning the series is expected to run for roughly six months. A new key visual was also released with the tagline “Chaos erupts,” giving fans a small hint at the trouble waiting for Rakuro and the rest of the cast. Crunchyroll will stream the new season as it airs.

I’m so glad to see Shangri-La Frontier getting another full-length run instead of having its story interrupted halfway through. The series has always worked particularly well when it has time to build its world and let the game mechanics develop, so having six months of episodes ahead of us gives this season plenty of room to really get going!

Ranma 1/2 Season 3 Finally Gets New Promo Video!

The new Ranma 1/2 anime is heading into its third season, and a new promotional video is giving fans a preview of what's ahead, including the season's opening and ending theme songs. Season 3 will premiere in Japan on October 3rd and will stream exclusively on Netflix immediately after its television broadcast. An advance screening will also take place in Tokyo that same day with voice actors Kappei Yamaguchi, Noriko Hidaka, and Kōichi Yamadera in attendance, reprising their roles as Ranma, Akane, and Ryoga.

It's always nice to see a classic like Ranma 1/2 continue getting a fresh audience through this new adaptation. With the original cast voices returning and the story moving into another season, there's a good mix of nostalgia for longtime fans and something new for viewers discovering Ranma and Akane for the first time!!

Watch the promo video:

The Diary of a Middle-Aged Sage Sets January 2027 Premiere!

The upcoming anime The Diary of a Middle-Aged Sage's Carefree Life in Another World has revealed its first cast member and a January 2027 premiere through a new teaser trailer. Tomokazu Sugita will voice Satoshi Ōsako, a 40-year-old farmer and hardcore VRRPG player who is killed after defeating a game's final boss, only to be reincarnated in another world as his incredibly powerful in-game character, the Great Sage Zelos Merlin.

Naturally, Satoshi's first goal isn't to become a legendary hero, it's to find a quiet farm and enjoy a peaceful life. Unfortunately, dangerous monsters, bandits, and a young noble girl who needs magic lessons have other plans for him.

I do appreciate an isekai protagonist whose greatest ambition is simply to be left alone. The setup has plenty of the familiar overpowered-main-character elements, but Satoshi wanting to spend his second life farming instead of saving the world gives it a fun twist. I’m curious to see how long his “carefree” life actually stays that way.

Watch the teaser:

One Piece’s Cooking Management Game Is Almost Here!

The Straw Hat crew is opening a restaurant, and this time you are in charge. Bandai Namco has released a new trailer for One Piece: Grand Gourmet, a cooking and restaurant management simulation from Kairosoft. The game puts players in the role of a rookie chef working alongside Sanji and the Straw Hats to run a new Baratie, where you'll cook dishes inspired by the series, use characters' Devil Fruit abilities to help prepare food, and customize the restaurant's interior. With more than 400 One Piece characters appearing in the game, Grand Gourmet launches October 23rd for Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC via Steam, iOS, and Android.

This feels like a surprisingly natural combination for One Piece. We've seen the crew eat countless meals throughout the series, and putting Sanji in charge of a restaurant while letting players actually create the menu sounds like a fun way to explore that side of the world. And honestly, getting to decorate our own Baratie while working with 400+ characters might be just as entertaining as the cooking itself.

Watch the trailer:

Recipe Of The Week!

🍙ONIGIRI🍙

Forget ramen. Forget instant noodles. Today, we’re entering the RICE BALL ARC!

If you’ve ever watched an anime and thought, “Wait… why does that little triangle of rice look WAY more delicious than anything in my kitchen?” this one’s for you.

We’re talking ONIGIRI: the humble Japanese rice ball that has somehow become an absolute MVP of anime food.

What You'll Need

Serves: 6 onigiris
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

2 cups Japanese short-grain rice
2½ cups water
1 tsp salt
1 can tuna, drained
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp soy sauce
1–2 sheets nori (seaweed)
Optional: sesame seeds, furikake, or pickled ginger

🍙 Instructions

Cook the rice: Rinse the rice until the water is mostly clear. Cook with the water according to your rice cooker's instructions. Let it cool until comfortable to handle.
Make the filling: Mix tuna, mayonnaise, and soy sauce in a bowl.
Season your hands: Wet your hands with water and rub a little salt onto your palms.
Shape: Take a handful of warm rice, make a small indentation, and add about 1 tablespoon of tuna filling.
Seal: Cover the filling with more rice and gently form it into a triangle or ball. Don't compact it too aggressively! You want fluffy rice.
Wrap: Add a strip of nori around the bottom or wrap the whole onigiri.
Finish: Sprinkle with sesame seeds or furikake if you like.

Villager Tip

Make several different fillings! Tuna-mayo, salmon, even ground chicken and arrange them on a plate with the nori like a little bento spread.

Also, don’t pack the rice too tightly! Think of onigiri like an anime power-up: strong enough to hold together, but still soft and fluffy on the inside. Gentle hands = elite-tier onigiri.

Anime Connection

Remember those classic Pokémon adventures? Brock famously serves up rice balls during the gang’s travels, although if you grew up watching the English dub, you may remember them being hilariously called “jelly-filled donuts.” The animation, however, very much showed what they really were: delicious little onigiri.

And then there’s Fruits Basket, where onigiri aren't just food, they actually become part of the story. Tohru makes onigiri for the Sohmas, and the rice ball becomes a recurring symbol connected to her character. There are even adorable cat-shaped onigiri involved!

Until next week's recipe, villagers!