Anime. What more can be said about it that hasn’t already been said before. It went from being an underground niche medium (and still is in some parts) to a mainstream stay that has seen the light of Hollywood and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Everyone has their favorite titles, genres, waifus, husbandos, best boys and best girls, but if there’s one thing that anime fans love more that anime itself…its anime openings.

What is it about these ‘openings’ that draw in crowds of otaku from all around the nation and even overseas? From its panning cameras to its vivid and vibrant colors anime openings have always given fans a taste of what the atmospheric mood of the show that they’re watching, will be about.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the many, MANY years of watching anime, its that the music to the opening of an anime title is the first thing that jumps out at us. If the opening gives us a visual of what the anime series is going to be about, then the music will give us what type of emotion that show will carry along with it. If we had to give an example right now, the best one that everyone’s familiar with is Soul Eater. As soon as you hear the first kick drum you guys lose it; not because its one of the most recognized opening anime songs in the anime community, but also the fact that anybody that is a fan of Soul Eater (or knows someone who is) is already familiar with the opening sequence. Hell, we have T.M. Revolution as one of our top tracks on our Spotify playlist.

When it comes to anime openings it makes fans feel a special type of way; most of the time they’ll sing along to the song or even just do a crazy dance because the rush of endorphins just hits you. The music as we’ve said before is the emotional piece of the opening; which lets the viewer know what the mood and the feeling of the show will be about, while the opening sequence introduces you to the cast of characters that interact with one another, and give you a glimpse of what the story of the series will be about – depending on the genre. Supernatural Fantasy Harem titles like High School DxD will have music and visuals that make you feel a sense of action, excitement, danger, and yes…boobies. High School Rom-Coms and Slice-of-Life Comedy anime openings give you more of a silly, zany, entertaining mood with its music and opening sequences; while psychological thrillers and horror anime openings give you more of a chilling, uneasy, and anxiety-induced mood.

Anime openings are always associated with the overall mood of the anime title itself. There are various alternative versions that change from season to season to reflect the mood of the show during that season; like when the second opening to a funny rom-com title becomes more series and drama-filled during its second season (or half). For some fans the opening may actually be the best part of the anime series even though the rest of it onwards may be, well…trash. (We’re not judging you.) At the end of the day; we love anime openings because they make us feel a sense of excitement and joy when watching the showcase of vivid colors, high quality sequences, and impeccable attention to detail. In fact, there are some anime-inspired shows that have taken a page out of the anime opening playbook to pay homage to anime openings as a whole. To put it simply; there is something visually beautiful about anime openings, and to end this post, here’s one opening that we all know and love! 😉 

Remember when you were a kid and you watched one of your favorite Saturday Morning Cartoons, and then Monday morning you’d talk about said cartoon with your friends at school? If the answer to that question is ‘yes’ then you’re one step closer to what we’re talking about on this post. That one thing we’re talking about…is opinions. Everybody has them, everybody is entitled to them, and everybody isn’t afraid to voice them.

When it comes to opinions, they’re always unpopular. They can be as simple as pineapple on pizza, or as confusing as who’s the best Spiderman (*cough* Tom Holland). The most common places to find them would be from the fans of the sports and entertainment industry; ESPECIALLY the anime and gaming industry! Before social media invaded the internet anime fans only knew about what new shows were coming by television advertisements or Toonami (cuz’ we’re products of the 90’s and that’s how we found anime). Back then we just enjoyed it; and wasn’t even focused on character or plot development, or why Team Rocket wanted to capture Pikachu so badly, or even how Sailor Moon was the pinnacle of the Magical Girl genre of anime; as it opened the door for so many other titles that came in afterwards.

To us; anime was fun, and we had fun watching it. Sure, we got bulled for watching it and gushing about it every single time, but during those days it was all we had growing up. Jump ahead to the 2000’s and now we’re introduced to the era of social media (i.e. MySpace). Now we’re able to take our love for anime to our online chat rooms which helped create small little communities. At this point you’re probably asking where do these ‘unpopular opinions’ you’re talking about come in? Hang in there, cuz’ it wasn’t until 2010 that everything changed.

When anime started getting mainstream attention during the start of the next decade, that’s when we knew there was a shift coming. Now that social media sites like Twitter and Facebook gave a platform to people to voice their opinions, people now have a platform to voice their opinions. Youtube gave rise to aspiring content creators to share their content with the world, of course they all brought their opinions along for the ride. Anime has become so subjective these days; now instead of enjoying titles like Dragon Ball Z, Gundam Wing, Pokemon, Cowboy Bebop or Sailor Moon just because they were fun to watch, we find ourselves on the receiving end of heated debates like how Vegeta is actually stronger than Goku, and why Gen Z anime fans like Boruto over Naruto. (Don’t ask us why.)

We’re not saying that you shouldn’t have an opinion, but at the same time it feels like anime fans have overanalyzed anime to the point where it has to be either good, or bad. Take the first season of SAO for example; while the creator may not have had any experience in what MMORPGs are or how they function (cuz’ yeah, the series DID have its flaws, and we saw how bad it was getting bashed online), to some fans it was still entertaining to watch. There are even opinions out there that state if you haven’t seen the ‘Big 3’ or ‘Big 4’ (if you count Sailor Moon) that you’re not a ‘real fan’; and that’s where things get toxic and ugly.

That’s probably what we’re forgetting; that anime’s original purpose was to entertain us. It was something different from what we were used to watching, and it had such compelling and complex stories that were beyond anything our minds could fathom. When it comes to anime reviewers (including ourselves), they love breaking things down and seeing how things work; from the story to the characters and everything in between. When we try to fit anime titles into one of two categories, good or bad, or tier lists (and we’re all guilty of that), it takes the fun our of enjoying what it was trying to do in the first place – entertain you.

At the end of the day its about enjoying the shows you like. You like AoT (Attack on Titan)? go for it! You think Rias Gremory is best girl? Have at it! You think Demon Slayer is the best show ever made? Cool! No title out there is without its flaws, but if you love your favorite anime (flaws and all) then it has value to you regardless of what other people’s opinion of it is. You never want to base or shape your opinion off of someone else’s opinion (even if you admire them), because when their opinion matters more than your own opinion; it makes you forfeit the entitlement of your OWN opinion.

No matter how you slice it; anime fans will always have an opinion about anime – and there’s nothing wrong with that. Unpopular opinions only become problematic when boundaries are crossed (especially when it comes to voice actors), and there have been several moments where that’s happened (the Darling in the FRANXX Ichigo situation comes to mind). When it’s all said and done; if you’re getting the entertainment value from the anime titles that you’re watching, then that’s all that really matters. You’re free to acknowledge and accept other people’s opinions of shows that you like, but don’t let their opinions shape your opinions. On that note that will do it for this post.

Until next time, stay nerdy! 😉  

What’s up guys! Last month we made a teaser post that we were going to be bringing in a new segment for the month of February known as Viz Media Spotlight; where we highlight all of the new and current anime and manga titles Viz has to offer. When it comes to anime and manga, we do our best to keep up with all of the current trends that are happening among the industry as well as in the community. So for this Viz Media Spotlight we’ll be doing some overviews of series and manga titles that are currently available for streaming and reading, and maybe a trailer or two!

Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War

Every Bleach fan (including us) has been wondering if the series was going to continue after the battle between Ichigo and Aizen. Well, after a 9-year wait we’ve finally got an answer; in the form of a brand new arc entitled The Thousand-Year Blood War. We have no idea what’s gonna go down in this arc, but if you wanna know why old school Bleach fans (and by that we mean Millennial fans) are so excited over this new story, just watch the trailer for yourself! 😉

Tower Of God: The Complete Series

Although we watch a lot of anime, there are some titles that stand out among the crowd in terms of plot and character development. This title being one of them; recommended by D&A’s Aaron M. Goldman, Tower Of God is a series that you definitely wanna check out! It tells the story of the main character named Twenty-Fifth Bam (as in ’25th Bam’, don’t ask cuz’ we don’t know either)  as he and his friend Rachael have been trapped beneath a vast and mysterious tower. Suddenly Rachael decides to enter the tower; which devastates Bam, and leads him on a mission to go into the tower himself to find her and get her back with the help of some allies he meets along the way. The manga is also available to so be sure to watch and read both if you’re a fan of this series (or is interested in becoming one).

This Viz Media Spotlight is just a small taste of what we’re trying to make this segment out to be; although this one’s just a temporary one for the month, we’ll be working and researching hard to bring you updates on what anime and manga you can find on Viz Media’s website. (As we’re just highlighting new trailers and also what our recommendations are based on seeing the titles for ourselves, but we WON’T be spoiling any of the them.)

That will do it for this post, and as always we thank you guys from the bottom of our hearts for all of the love and support that you’ve given us for the blog; and D&A Studios. Until next post, stay nerdy! 😉

When you’ve watched enough anime as much as we have, it becomes easier to pick out things that have become the most common; overpowered protagonists, guys or girls being dumped into another world, and characters who cater to a specific type of personality. Most of the time its usually the anime girls who tend to fit the latter, but in some anime, there are guys who can fit into this category as well. What are we talking about you ask? We’re breaking down our Top 10 Anime ‘Dere’ Types that you’ll find in any anime title that you’ve seen. Of course you already know about the Big 5 ‘dere’ types, but there are five more that you might not quite be familiar with.

10. Deredere: The Fun-Loving Energetic One

We all have that one friend who’s waaaay too energetic, but she’s kind and caring towards others and quite the social butterfly. You might’ve seen her in some of your anime titles (like Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun) and though she’ll show her affection towards her loved one, she’s able to have normal friendships and conversations with others. She’s also one of the Big 5 that you’ll encounter among ‘deres’.

9. Bakadere: The Airheaded Annoying One

This one’s a new one, but right away many fans already have characters that fit this ‘dere’. There’s always that one character who’s just annoying as hell, and a total airhead! She may be energetic and optimistic but she’s clumsy, aloof, and doesn’t really think before acting most of the time. In some extreme cases, she may even be a useless goddess – like the one below. 

8. Dandere: The Shy & Quiet Introverted One

Who is the most common anime character who fits this ‘dere’ type? Naruto fans know who she is – or who she used to be back in the day. These types of characters will open up once they meet up with the right group of people, and when they do, their ‘dere’ side will show up and show out! 😉

7. Nyandere: The Cat-Loving One

There are a LOT of girls out there who fit this category; both in anime and in real life. Who doesn’t love cats? (Or in this case, catgirls?) Any rom-com fantasy or isekai anime you’ll find that one character who has become one with the feline – or might be part feline herself. There are some males who like cats but not to the same degree, though I could be wrong.

6. Sadodere: The ‘They’re Like Yandere’s But Worse’ Ones

Avoid these individuals like the plague! Unlike Yandere’s who act violent and cruel towards others who ‘threaten’ their loved one in any way they deem unacceptable, Sadodere’s get a thrill out of manipulating others they care about and treat them like trash. They also take pleasure in inflicting pain and despair upon others, and basically are the reason why they caused ‘world-ending’ pandemonium. Isn’t that right, Junko Enoshima?

5. Himedere: The Spoiled Princess Bratty One

As we said before, watch enough anime and you’ll find a character who fits this model perfectly. This is that one character who’s high and mighty, and condescending towards others as if she was a princess or something. (Most of the time she is, or at least has that type of personality.) Nevertheless these characters can sometimes be the main antagonist of the story, or a side character.

4. Yandere: The ‘Touch My Man And I’ll Kill You!’ One

Another member of the Big 5! We all know this character quite well; loves and showers their loved one with love and admiration, but the minute another girl has a conversation with their man, they’re ready to snap! Sometimes they may even hurt the ones they love.

3. Kanedere: The Gold-Diggin’ One

These types of individuals only care about one thing when it comes to their loved one; their money! These types of girls want hustlers, big ballers, shot-callers, the rich ones! If you ain’t got money they don’t want nothin’ to do with you; even if you tell them that you can treat them better than the rich idiots that they’re gunnin’ for. If they find the RIGHT person though, they could learn to love them for who they are; not how much they make.

2. Kuudere: The Calm, Cool, and Collected One

Somewhere along the line, you might have had that one friend who’s like this. In the mist of total chaos this is the type of character that you may want to have by your side. Sure, they may not show much emotion or affection of any kind to their loved one, but it might be because they’re keeping their true emotions deep down inside. 

1. Tsundere: The Sour-Sweet Hot & Cold One

The MOST COMMON dere there is! Action, Fantasy, Rom-Com, Isekai, it don’t matter! You’ll always find this most common dere in 90% of the anime titles you watch. Arguably, the OG Tsundere who started this trend is Asuka Langley from Neon Genesis Evangelion. Ever since that series a whole new generation of Tsundere girls have come about in various anime titles, but every anime fans knows that it all started with Asuka; the original Tsundere!

Although these are the ten that we’ve chosen for this post, there are so many others out there that fit a wide range of characters. Some of them might be enhanced versions of the ones we’ve already mentioned, while others may even be the polar opposite. Either way, these personalities are ones that you’ll find in many male and female anime characters from your favorite series. If you found some ones that we might have missed, let us know in the comment section below.

Until next post, stay safe and stay nerdy! 😉 

What does it mean to be a fan of something? If you ask anybody on the street they would tell you it means that you have admiration for a famous person, a sports team, a music genre, or an entertainment medium that you like to indulge in. These days we’re all fans of something or someone, and when those fans gather together to support or celebrate that person or medium that they love and enjoy, it becomes a fanbase. When it comes to pop culture mediums like professional wrestling, music, and even anime, its actually considered a fandom. To the average joe with no idea what that means, let’s talk about it.  

When you think of the word ‘fandom’ the first thing that comes to mind is anime. Anime is one of the most popular and influential mediums out there both nationally and internationally; so much so, that other fandoms (particularly wrestling and sports) are fans of the medium as well. Video games are up there too and work in tandem with anime, but that’s another post for another day. As for what a ‘fandom’ is exactly, we’ll tell you:

A Fandom is a subculture of fans of a hobby or a medium such as sports, movies, music, and even anime and video games.

That’s basically it; if you’re an anime fan in general or are a fan of a certain genre of anime, and you happen to join up with others who like the same type of anime genre you do (or anime in general), then you are in fact a part of a fandom. Anime fandoms are more than just being in the number of fans who are passionate about certain anime titles. Take the Attack On Titan fandom for example; not only are they passionate about the series as a whole, they have tons of fanart from artists who love the show, cosplay fanclubs who do massive photoshoots at conventions, fanfiction about the characters they want to ship, and panels detailing the overall mythology of the series.

One of the best parts about being in an anime fandom is that fact that you can connect with other fans of the series that you like. The size of the fandom is usually based on how popular the series is; Dragon Ball, Naruto, One Piece, and My Hero Academia come to mind when it comes to large fandoms. 

There are some anime fans who aren’t very enthusiastic about anime fandoms, or even want to be a part of them for one particular reason; toxic fans. Every fandom has them, but its usually the mainstream anime titles that have the most concentrated amount of toxic fans. Why so toxic? It could be a number of things; they didn’t agree with a situation or ending to a point in the story, a character didn’t ‘get with’ the character that they wanted, they don’t like newcomer fans (noobs) who know nothing about the series or characters, or just maybe they just wanna be mean.

It’s one of the reasons why fandoms behind some of the biggest anime titles are the worst part about being a part of one, and sometimes the toxic fans are not the main problem behind why certain anime fandoms are bad; it could even be the fandom itself. There are many pros and cons when it comes to the decision of if you should jump into your favorite anime’s fandom or not, but if you’re an anime fan on the outside looking in, it gives you an opportunity to scope out whether or not you want to become invested in the fandom of the series you like; or just watch it with your friends – assuming they like anime.

Fandoms are a subculture of fans who like a particular hobby, medium, or a sport. The anime fandom as a whole contains subfandoms who like and are passionate about certain genres of anime titles. Sure, the part that sucks about them is the off chance you’ll encounter a toxic fan or fanboy online (cuz’ that’s the main place you’ll find them), but connecting with other fans of your favorite series is such an awesome feeling. Liking anime by yourself is fine, but talking about your favorite moments and gushing over your favorite characters with other fans is something that you can only experience in an anime fandom.

Until next post, stay nerdy my friends! 😉