AFA: Animation For Adults : Animation News, Reviews, Articles, Podcasts and More

The AFA Podcast Interview: Lena Greene (Tuna Tartare)

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Perkins) — Fri, 06 Nov 2026 20:00:00 +0000

Howdy-ho, toon lovers, and welcome back to The AFA Podcast, and we have another interview special for you today. In this episode, we were lucky enough to speak to the super-talented Lena Greene, animator, director, character designer and Karaoke Queen. Lena's new film Tuna Tartare has screened at festivals including the Santa Cruz Film Festival, where it won Best Animated Short and the Animation Is Film Festival. It has also now qualified to be submitted for nomination for Best Animated Short at the 2027 Oscars!

Presented and produced by Chris Perkins.

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Show Notes and Links

Tuna Tartare Website

Lena Greene Website

IMDB

Lena Greene Instagram

Girls In Film- Lena Greene

Miyu Distribution

Adult Swim Smalls

Crunchyroll To Exclusively Stream 'Dragon Ball Super: Beerus' Dubs

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Perkins) — Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:52:10 +0000

Dragon Ball is kind of a big deal. Created by the late, great Akira Toriyama- easily one of the greatest comic book artists of all time- the series grew from the adventures of a cheeky young boy with a monkey tail to a cosmos-spanning martial arts epic. It has spanned manga, anime, 24 movies and dozens of video games. Just don't mention the live-action movies (yes, there are two). The last outing in the franchise, Dragon Ball Daima, aired from 2025-25. Now, the newest iteration has arrived in the form of Dragon Ball Super: Beerus.

The series is actually a re-edited, remixed version of the first arc of the 2015 series Dragon Ball Super. It picked up 18 years after the end of the classic Dragon Ball Z (in real time, less time has passed on screen). The story was actually an expanded version of the events of the movie D ragon Ball: Battle Of Gods, which relaunched the franchise.

As the series begins, Beerus, the legendary God of Destruction and supposedly the strongest being in the universe, awakens from his long sleep. He learns of Goku, the Saiyan who defeated Frieza and travels to Earth to challenge him. And so begins the greatest challenge that Goku and his friends have faced yet. Which is really saying something.

The new series features new animation, enhanced animation and visuals, plus a story that is said to be closer to Toriyama's original vision. It also has a newly recorded soundtrack. It is designed to be the ultimate way to experience the story, and to be enjoyable by both original Dragon Ball Super viewers and newbies. It probably means more action, less sitcom-ish hijinks, which will be a relief for some fans, but for others, is a bit of a shame.

The first episode aired in Japan on October 11, and was subsequently streamed on Crunchyroll, Netflix and Disney+/Hulu (regions may vary), with new episodes following weekly. It has now been announced that the English-dubbed version, along with dubs in Spanish and Portuguese, is coming exclusively to Crunchyroll. The dubs will launch on November 12 at 8.00 AM Pacific Time. The dubs will be available in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Latin America. Looks like the UK and Ireland and the rest of Europe's been left out again- who is going to get the rights for that? This kind of thing really shouldn't happen any more, seeing as Crunchyroll is an international company. It's disappointing for fans in Asia and Africa, too.

The new English dub sees returning voices from the Funimation days. Sean Schemmel is back as Son Goku, Christopher R. Sabat is once again Vegeta, Jason Douglas returns as Beerus, and Ian Sinclair voices Whis. Expect the other voice actors to reprise their roles, where possible.

The Spanish cast features Mario Castañeda, René Garcia, José Luis Orozco, and Arturo Castañeda. The Portuguese dub stars Wendel Bezerra, Alfredo Rollo, Marcelo Pissardini and Felipe Grinan. It would be a surprise if we don't eventually get dubs in other widely spoken languages like French, German and Russian, even if they're not announced at this time.

Dragon Ball Super: Beerus is produced by Toei Animation.

©BIRD STUDIO/SHUEISHA, TOEI ANIMATION

Keanu Reeves Starring In Animated 'John Wick' Prequel

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Perkins) — Fri, 06 Nov 2026 11:39:36 +0000

"I'm thinking I'm back..", again. Over recent years, we have seen an awful lot of animation adapted into live-action. But we haven't seen so many the other way around. Now we have news that one of the biggest live-action action franchises of the past fifteen years is about to move into animation. John Wick is getting its first animated outing.

John Wick, which came out back in 2014 saw the return of Keanu Reeves to action cinema. Starring Reeves as the titular Wick, it featured a former hitman who sets off on a path of revenge after the death of his beloved dog. Directed by Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, it grossed $86 million worldwide and unexpectedly launched a franchise. John Wick: Chapter 2, John Wick: Chapter 3- Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4 followed. There was also a spin-off, Ballerina, starring Ana De Armas and a TV series set in the Wickiverse, The Continental. John Wick: Chapter 5 and a spin-off centring on Donnie Yen's blind assassin Caine are in development.

The animated movie will be a prequel, focusing on a younger Wick. It will explore his attempt to complete the Impossible Task, killing all of his rivals in one night, freeing him of his obligation to the High Table and allowing him to live with his true love, Helen. Well, we all know how that turns out- but it sounds like fun getting to see him become the legendary assassin we see in the live-action movies.

Shannon Tindle will direct. Tindle has worked on many animation projects, including Kubo and The Two Strings and Coraline, and previously directed Ultraman: Rising for Netflix. The script is written by Ryan and Kaz Firpo. The movie will be produced by Thunder Road’s Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee, 87Eleven Entertainment’s Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves. Point Grey is also on board. As with all the previous John Wick flicks, Lionsgate Studios will release the film.

The project was first announced a year ago, but Reeves has only just signed on to star and produce. Back in 2025, Lionsgate's Motion Picture Chair Adam Fogelson said “In both animation and the world of John Wick, the possibilities are endless. And there is no John Wick story fans are clamouring for more than the Impossible Task. Shannon’s take on that story is an incredible one, and we are beyond excited to see what John Wick can do in animation.”

So are we. A lot of the details are still under wraps, including what animation style it will use, and what studio/s will produce it. It's easy to imagine John Wick as a slick 2D animation, with a strong anime influence. Maybe they could even hire a Japanese studio to do it. 3D CG could work too, but this just seems like a project 2D was made for.

Also not confirmed is whether this is aimed for a full cinema release. We hope so- a full-blooded animated action film aimed at adults is a rare thing indeed. It would be a missed opportunity to see it dumped on streaming.

Keanu Reeves is also set to voice the lead character in the upcoming stop-motion samurai film Hidari, in which he will star as legendary Edo-era craftsman Jingoro Hidari, who embarks on a quest for vengeance after he loses everyone he holds dear.

[source]

From Screen to Con Floor: Why Adult Animation Characters Are Taking Over Cosplay [Guest Post]

noreply@blogger.com (Animation For Adults) — Thu, 05 Nov 2026 17:51:51 +0000

By The HEROCOS team

Walk the floor of any big convention these days and you'll notice something. Alongside the usual armies of anime heroes and Marvel regulars, there's a steadily growing crowd of characters who never appeared on Saturday morning TV. Blue-braided bomb-throwers from Zaun. Yellow-and-blue superheroes, sometimes with fake blood. Vampire hunters in 18th-century coats. A smiling radio host from Hell.

Adult animation has spent the past few years producing some of the most distinctive character designs anywhere on screen, and cosplayers have noticed. Part of it is visibility. Shows like Arcane and Invincible are big streaming events with large fanbases. But there's something more specific going on too. These are designs made by animators for animation, with strong silhouettes and bold colour choices, and they often have one detail that makes a character readable from across a crowded hall. That readability is exactly what a cosplayer wants. Getting it off the screen and onto a real human body, though, is another matter entirely.

Here's a look at some of the characters fans keep coming back to, what makes them so appealing, and why they're trickier than they look.

Jinx's braids look simple on screen. In real life they're long, heavy and need a lot of care. (Image: HEROCOS)

Arcane: Painterly Characters in a Three-Dimensional World

Riot Games and French studio Fortiche's League of Legends series made history in 2022 as the first streaming show to win the Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program. Its second and final season repeated the feat in 2025. Fortiche's look, with CG characters that appear hand-painted and textured backgrounds, gives every costume a lived-in, slightly grimy quality. That's part of why Arcane cosplay is so popular, and part of why it's hard.

Jinx is the obvious example. Her silhouette is basically her hair: two impossibly long blue braids that swing around as she moves. The design is brilliant on screen. In real life, braids that long are heavy, tangle easily and can drag a wig backwards off the head over a long day. Experienced Jinx cosplayers often secure the braids at the nape, check that the wig cap fits snugly, and treat the braids as a separate thing to maintain between shoots. Then there are her cloud-like tattoos, which mean either hours with body paint or temporary transfers, and her oversized weapons. Fishbones, her shark-faced rocket launcher, is big enough that convention prop policies become a genuine concern.

Vi offers a different challenge. Her short pink hair with one side cropped short is about precise cutting and styling rather than length. Her red jacket in the first season has to look worn without looking cheap, and leather-look fabrics only get there with some careful weathering. Her hextech gauntlets are a full prop build in their own right. Caitlyn, meanwhile, rewards tailoring: her Enforcer uniform depends on clean lines and a good fit far more than on any one big statement piece.

Vi's first-season look depends on layering: a leather-look jacket, striped trousers, crossed belts and wrapped hands. (Image: HEROCOS)

Invincible: The Deceptively Simple Superhero Suit

Based on the comic by Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley, Prime Video's Invincible is produced by Skybound Animation, and its fourth season arrived in March 2026. Its look is deliberately close to the comics: flat colour, bold outlines, and costumes that are mostly big blocks of primary colour.

That sounds easy to cosplay. It isn't. A flat-coloured spandex suit has nowhere to hide. Every seam, every wrinkle and every place where the colour blocks don't quite line up shows up in photos in a way it never would on a busier costume. Mark Grayson's classic yellow, blue and black suit relies on the yellow panel landing exactly right on the chest. The cowl and goggles have to sit properly or the whole face reads wrong. Fit across the shoulders matters enormously, which is why many Mark cosplayers either have a suit tailored or add subtle padding.

The show has also given cosplayers more versions to choose from. Mark wore his darker blue-and-black suit in season three, before going back to his classic colours partway through season four. Omni-Man's white-and-red suit and cape bring their own problems, mainly keeping a white suit clean on a busy con floor. And the moustache matters. Atom Eve's pink suit and curly red hair are a popular pick too, with the curls needing to keep their volume all day.

The other thing Invincible cosplayers have to decide is how much gore to add. The show is famously violent, and a "battle-damaged" version with torn fabric and fake blood is instantly recognisable. That does mean checking the event's rules first, and being mindful of family areas.

With flat colour blocking, fit and panel placement are everything. (Image: HEROCOS)

Castlevania and Nocturne: Gothic Fashion and Hair for Days

Powerhouse Animation's Castlevania ran on Netflix across four seasons from 2017 to 2021. Its follow-up, Castlevania: Nocturne, jumped forward to 1792 and the French Revolution, with its second season arriving in January 2025. Both shows are full of rich, period-inspired costumes, which is catnip for cosplayers who love sewing.

Alucard is the standout. His long black coat with gold trim is a satisfying tailoring project, with structured shoulders, a high collar and decorative fastenings. But it's his hair that makes or breaks the look: long, pale blond and smooth. Very pale wigs are hard to get right. They can look yellow or brassy under convention lighting, they show dirt and frizz quickly, and long straight fibres tangle at the ends where they rub against a coat collar. Careful brushing, a light touch with heat (only on heat-resistant fibre) and storing the wig on a stand rather than in a bag all make a difference.

Nocturne's cast swaps medieval Wallachia for revolutionary France. That means waistcoats, frock coats, boots and period dresses, with plenty of room for historical research. It's a good fit for cosplayers who enjoy fabric choice as much as screen accuracy, and who'd rather work in wool and cotton than synthetic stretch.

Alucard's coat rewards careful construction, with a high collar, gold trim and decorative fastenings. (Image: HEROCOS)

Hazbin Hotel: Cartoon Proportions Meet Human Bodies

Vivienne Medrano's Hazbin Hotel started as a self-funded pilot on YouTube in 2019 before becoming a Prime Video series from A24 and Bento Box Entertainment. Its second season premiered in October 2025. Its characters are pure cartoon: spindly limbs, exaggerated grins and saturated colour schemes. That makes them a fascinating cosplay challenge, because the designs were never meant to fit a real human skeleton.

Alastor, the Radio Demon, is a fan favourite. His red pinstripe coat and bow tie are a fairly straightforward sewing job. The harder part is everything above the collar. His red hair with dark tips sweeps up into tufts that look like ears, and a wig has to be styled and stiffened to hold that shape all day. Then come the small antlers, the monocle and the permanent sharp-toothed grin. Most cosplayers handle the grin with makeup or a carefully chosen prosthetic rather than trying to copy it literally. His microphone staff is a fun, lightweight prop build.

Charlie Morningstar's blonde hair, red suit and rosy cheek circles are friendlier for beginners. Angel Dust's extra arms and fluffy pink-and-white look, on the other hand, push cosplayers into rigging and faux fur territory. The common thread is translation. A good Hazbin cosplay doesn't copy the cartoon proportions exactly. It picks the two or three details that make the character instantly recognisable and builds around those.

Alastor's coat is the easy part. The hair, antlers and grin are where the real work is. (Image: HEROCOS)

And the Rest...

Blue Eye Samurai. Michael Green and Amber Noizumi's Netflix series, animated by French studio Blue Spirit, won the Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program in 2024. Mizu is a fantastic choice for cosplayers who love subtlety. Her costume is all muted, layered Edo-period clothing, and the signature detail is small: the round tinted glasses she wears to hide her blue eyes. Fans have even shared 3D-printable files for them. Coloured contact lenses complete the look, but they should always come from a properly licensed source.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. Studio Trigger's 2022 Netflix anime gave the world Lucy, whose short multicoloured bob is one of the most recognisable hairstyles in recent animation. It's also one of the hardest to get right. Wig colour gradients rarely match screen colours under real light, and the sharp, choppy layers need precise trimming.

Scavengers Reign. Joe Bennett and Charles Huettner's sci-fi series, made with Titmouse and Green Street Pictures, ran for a single season. But its Moebius-inspired world has made it a cult favourite. Its stranded crew wear practical, worn spacesuits, which makes them a great project for cosplayers who'd rather weather and paint than wrangle a wig. The truly ambitious can try one of the planet's strange creatures.

Why It Matters

Cosplay is a kind of love letter to character design. When fans spend weeks working out how to make a braid hang right, how to line up a colour-blocked suit, or how to turn a cartoon grin into something a human face can wear, they're studying the same choices the original designers made. Adult animation is giving them more interesting designs to study than ever. Studios like Fortiche, Powerhouse, Titmouse and Blue Spirit have proved that "animation for adults" doesn't have to mean one house style. Each new hit brings a different set of shapes, colours and problems to solve.

So the next time you see a Jinx with braids down to her knees, or an Alastor whose hair tufts somehow survive a full day of con humidity, take a moment to appreciate the work. That's character design, translated by hand.

The HEROCOS team writes about cosplay wigs, costumes and the characters behind them. Find more at HEROCOS, including a range of character cosplay wigs.

Was Sylvain Chomet's 'Christian Dior's Night In Colour' Made Using AI? (Updated)

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Perkins) — Thu, 05 Nov 2026 15:20:00 +0000

What do you get when you cross one of the most acclaimed traditional animators in the world with one of the world's most glamorous fashion brands? Among the first of this year's batch of holiday films is a new short from the world-renowned French company Christian Dior. The film is directed, co-written and designed by the Oscar-nominated French filmmaker Sylvain Chomet (The Illusionist, Belleville Rendez-Vous). It features the voices of Louis Garrel, Camille Cotin, Rihanna, possible future James Bond star Josh O'Connor, Greta Lee, LaKeith Stanfield and narration from Robert Pattinson. Sounds pretty exciting, right?

The film features a fictional episode in the life of the real company founder, Christian Dior. One snowy Christmas Eve, 1949, Dior is stuck in Paris, while his friend and movie star Marlene Dietrich is in Hollywood. At the last minute, Dietrich is in need of a new dress. And with a little bit of Christmas magic, featuring a star, a trio of bees and a talking chair, he's able to get it to her. Although the story may be entirely poetic license, it's inspired by the very real friendship between Dior and Dietrich.

Christian Dior's Night In Colour is being sold very much on its hand-drawn nature. It's a love-letter to traditional 2D animation, we are told. Jonathan Anderson, a Dior designer, is credited as Creative Designer. "The film we've created together for Dior is all hand-drawn using techniques that go back to the 1940s," he said. The making-of video they released also seems to back this up.

Why, then, is the film at the centre of a storm online? Why are other sites and social media accounts that have covered it finding themselves the target or criticism and (shamefully) abuse? Part of the online community that is opposed to the use of AI, particularly in animation, are quite convinced that the short uses the technology. If true, it would be tremendously disappointing to see a hero of 2D animation going down that path.

What actual evidence is there that Chomet used AI? Online "detectives" present images of individual frames that they claim are evidence of it being AI Slop. It's not exactly a smoking gun. The animation quality isn't as smooth as in Chomet's features and the movement has a bit of an uncanny feel to it. This could be due to the use of AI; equally, it could be the result of a lower budget and digital production.

The making-of footage confirms that Chomet created original artwork for the films and characters. This doesn't rule out that AI could have been used for the "animation". But, honestly, it doesn't seem that likely.

If Artificial Intelligence was used for this film, then the filmmakers are being downright cagey about it. Scratch that, if it does, then they are outright lying. Why would they do that? AI advocates are usually proud to use the technology and will disclose its use. If Dior used it and tried to hide it, that would be an extremely risky strategy. Imagine the furore if it came out.

Positive reaction is out there too. The comment section under the YouTube video is full of people celebrating 2D animation and praising it for not using AI.

This is not the first time Dior has worked with animators for a campaign. They worked with double-BAFTA-winning animator Nina Gantz on the short Year Of The Horse and Miss Dior with French studio Remembers, founded by Arco's Ugo Bienvenue and Felix de Givry. And that is just in the last year. These certainly seemed to have been produced traditionally- in stop-motion and 2D, respectively.

So, is it AI or not? On consideration, probably not. But accusations like this are likely to become more common for traditional animators going forward. It's unlikely we are ever going to get a definitive answer. And even if we do, some anti-AI folks are militant enough that they won't believe it. You'll just have to make up your minds for yourselves.

Update (7/11/2026)

Since we've published, the controversy has blown up online and several outlets have adjusted their posts. Eventually, this has prompted a response from Chomet and his fellow filmmakers. In short, he has categorically denied using AI on the short. They do, however, acknowledge that they used "automated interpolation to generate some of the intermediate frames that make movement fluid". “It’s a way of automating the repetitive, mechanical part of animation, not the creative work,” says Chomet.

Chomet says that the attacks against him are especially ironic given how he has supported traditional animation over the years. He told Variety “Before I made ‘The Triplets of Belleville,’ it was the era of ‘Toy Story.’ I remember Disney declaring that traditional 2D animation was dead and that everything would be CGI, but I decided to continue making hand-drawn films,” Chomet says. “That’s why I find it so strange that people are attacking me today. I’ve remained faithful to drawing throughout my career. At the same time, I’m going to use the tools that technology offers us.” We don't think he gets that is precisely because he has been a champion of 2D animation that some people are so disappointed at the thought of him using AI.

“Sylvain and I have been championing traditional 2D animation for such a long time, and Dior came to us because they wanted Sylvain’s very distinctive drawing style,” said producer Aton Soumache. "Some people are claiming Sylvain was contacted two weeks ago and that the entire film was made with generative AI, without a single drawing, but the reality is that this film took seven months to make and it was entirely drawn by artists,” he added. He points out that it employed 20 artists including six animators, storyboard artists and background artists.“We used an automated interpolation system for a very small part of the process, but the film itself is traditional 2D animation."

“But we’re still drawing by hand, it’s just done digitally,” says Chomet who added that he finds it frustrating to work on graphics tablets and planned to go back to pencil and paper. “I design the characters, we create the storyboards, the backgrounds, the colors. The entire creative process is exactly the same as when I started making animated films. What has changed is the technology,” he added.

So it seems conclusively (unless they are massive liars) that AI was not used.Automated interpolation is essentially not much different to 'motion tweening' in Flash/Adobe Animate. Is it cheating? That's a matter of opinion. And based on this example, it doesn't look that great. In the end, some anti-AI crusaders owe Chomet, and certain other websites an appology.

Even if it's not AI, using digital technology in this way when you're making such a big deal of the film's 'hand-drawn' nature is not the best look. We would hope that Chomet will learn from this experience and not do it again. But when it comes time for his next project, it would be understandable if fans approach it with more caution.

➤AFA's policy on AI

Blue Eye Samurai Season 2 Gets New Trailer, January Debut

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Perkins) — Wed, 04 Nov 2026 15:36:26 +0000

Animation has been a key part of Netflix's original programming strategy for years now. They've released animation for all audiences, both kids and adults, including high-end movies and anime, with varying degrees of success. But when they're good, they can be really good; look at Arcane, Love, Death + Robots, Hilda and BoJack Horseman. Another series thought of as part of the best-of-the-best of Netflix animation was Blue Eye Samurai. The American/French-made, Japan-set series boasted a compelling story and astounding visuals, with action inspired by anime and Japanese live-action cinema. Created by Amber Noizumi and Michael Green, it followed a mixed-race swordswoman named Mizu in Edo-era Japan, as she tried to track down four foreign men, one of whom is her father.

The first series launched in 2023 to much praise from fans and critics alike. It went on to win four awards at the Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Animated Program, and an incredible seven Annie Awards. Netflix wasted no time in greenlighting a second season, but it has been a long wait. Now, at long last, the new series is nearly here, and Netflix have released a new trailer that announces the release date.

Blue Eye Samurai season 2 is coming to Netflix on January 19, 2027. The series will consist of six episodes. It was originally scheduled to be released during 2026, but it was ultimately delayed. Directors of the new series include Federico D'Alessandro, Jane Wu, Paulette Victor Lifton and Ryan O'Loughlin. All episodes are again written by Noizumi and Green.

Netflix must be pretty happy with the outcome of season 2, as it was announced it had been renewed for a third season before the second is even out. The third season will also be the final one, allowing Noizumi and Green to complete their originally planned three-season arc. Let's hope we won't have to wait another four years for the next season- but we wouldn't hold our breath.

In season two, Mizu continues her roaring rampage of revenge. She discovers that two of her quarries are hiding out in London, and she travels to England to try and track them down. This will mean quite a change of setting from the first season. How is Mizu going to fare in the Big Smoke? We don't know, but it's fair to say that anyone who crosses her will soon live to regret it (although probably not for long). Anyone who underestimates her because she's a woman will find themselves in a whole heap of trouble.

Blue Eye Samurai season one is now streaming on Netflix.

Date Announcement

Trailer 1

Japan Anime Awards Set To Launch in 2027

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Perkins) — Wed, 04 Nov 2026 12:33:40 +0000

Various film and television awards ceremonies have a category or categories that recognise animation. Festivals also hand out their own awards. But there are also several dedicated awards events that are entirely devoted to animation. The Annie Awards are the most famous and longest established, but there are also The European Animation Awards (Emiles), The British Animation Awards, The Irish Animation Awards, The Crunchyroll Anime Awards and the Premios Quirino (for Iberian-American animation). Next year, a new awards ceremony will be joining them. 2027 will see the first ever edition of the Japan Anime Awards aka the Nippon Anime Awards.

There are already several annual events that celebrate Japanese animation. As well as the (international) Crunchyroll Anime Awards, there are The Tokyo Anime Awards, The Newtype Awards, and the Animage Anime Grand Prix, as well as the Animation Of The Year Prize at the Japan Academy Film Prizes (Japan's equivalent of the Oscars). There are also awards dedicated to anime music, scriptwriting and Seiyu (voice acting).

Still, there's room for something closer to a Japanese equivalent of the Annies. And this could well be just that. The awards are being organised by The Association of Japanese Animations (AJA), and the debut event will take place on November 21, 2027, at the SGC Hall Ariake, in Ariake, Tokyo. The official statement read, "Moving Frames. Moving hearts. Moving the World." Further details will be released later.

The event seems very much focused on animation produced in Japan, rather than a more international approach. Still, the AJA are seeking to attract attention worldwide (as evidenced by the fact that they're emailing English-language websites). If the voting body is made up of animators and creatives, we could see a very different result from the global, publicly voted Crunchyroll Anime Awards.

The announcement was made during the finale of the Tokyo Anime Next event in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. The inaugural festival ran from October 30-November 2 and was a celebration of anime and anime culture for fans from around the world. It consisted of screenings, talks, workshops and exhibitions, finishing up with a concert featuring music from popular anime. The organisers plan to launch a larger international festival in 2027, with the Tokyo Anime Award as a centrepiece.

The finale was split into two parts. The first featured a talk titled "What makes Japanese anime captivate the world?" It was hosted by Toshiyuki Itakura (novelist and half of comedy duo Impulse), Shoko Nakagawa (actress, idol and singer), and voice actress Sally Amaki. The second half featured scenes from iconic anime including Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Attack on Titan, and Case Closed (Detective Conan), brought to life with a live performance from the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, plus performances from Mai Kuraki, Nami Nakagawa, and Ai Higuchi.

The AJA was established in 2002. They represent 52 affiliate Japanese animation companies, mainly small to medium sized studios. They issue a report on the state of the industry once a year, and as well as the forthcoming Japan Anime Awards they also organise the annual Tokyo International Anime Fair.

Emile Awards 2026: Living Large, Arco and Little Amelie Take Prizes

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Perkins) — Tue, 03 Nov 2026 12:44:44 +0000

The Annie Awards, presented annually by ASIFA-Hollywood, are the longest-running and most famous awards dedicated to animation. But they are not the only ones. There are also the British Animation Awards, the Irish Animation Awards and the Crunchyroll Anime Awards. Established in 2017, the European Animation Awards, also known as the Emiles, were introduced as a pan-European counterpoint to the US-centric Annies. The 2026 edition of the Emiles took place on International Animation Day in Krakow, Poland.

There were some very high-profile European animated features released this year, including two that were nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Ugo Bienvenu's time-travelling adventure Arco was the winner of two Emile awards. It was the winner of Best Background Design In A Feature Film and Best Soundtrack In A Feature Film for composer Arnauld Toulon and sound designer Nicolas Beacker.

Arco's fellow Oscar-nominee Little Amelie or The Character Of Rain was the winner of Best Writing In A Feature Film. Best Animation In A Feature Film went to Savages, the stop-motion feature directed by Claude Barras (My Life As A Courgette). The animation was by Timothée Crabbé, Marcos Valin and Antony Elworthy. The Best Of The Best In Feature Film, the closest the ceremony gets to Best Feature, went to the relatively obscure Living Large. A stop-motion comedy coming-of-age film starring an overweight schoolboy named Ben, it was directed by Kristina Dufková. A model of pan-European cooperation, it was a Czech-Slovakian-French co-production. It was also originally released in 2024, so how it qualified for this year's ceremony it's hard to say.

In the Short Film categories, Best Background Design and Characters In A Short Film was awarded to Mother's Child (The Netherlands) directed by Naomi Noir. Design was by Naomi Noir, Lenke Duyvendak, Elisa Draeger and Lilien Galgóczi. Best Sound Design In A Short Film went to Earth Coal (France), directed by Bastien Dupriez, with sound design by Yan Volsy and Pierre Caillet. Best Animation In A Short Film went to Weeds (Czech Republic) directed and animated by Pola Kazak.

Best Experimental Short Film was awarded to On Weary Wings Go By, a Lithuania-Estonia co-production, directed by Anu Laura Tuttelberg. The Best Of The Best In Short Film award was given to Dog Alone (France, Portugal), from director Marta Reis Andrade.

The Lotte Reiniger Lifetime Achievement Award went to Polish Animator Witold Giersz. Active since 1950, he has created more than 50 films and is still animating today at the age of 99, and passing on his knowledge to younger generations of animators. His films include A Little Western, The Red and The Black, Please Mr Elephant, A Horse and The Secret of The Old Castle. He has won awards at Cannes, Annecy and Etiuda&Anima, and has also won recognition from the Polish government for his contribution to Polish culture. And now he can add an Emile Award to his shelf!

In order to qualify for nomination, films need to win a Grand Prix or equivalent at one of the qualifying festivals. The list includes many festivals, large and small, across the continent. It includes Cardiff Animation Festival, Manchester Animation Festival, Encounters, Animation Dingle, Kilkenny Animation Festival, Animayo, Cartoon Movie, Fantoche, Kaboom Animation Festival, Weird Market and Fest and many more.

The 2026 Jury consists of: Olga Bobrowska (Poland), Nancy Denney-Phelps (Belgium), Mariam Kandalaki (Georgia), Holger Lang (Austria), Daniel Suljic (Croatia) and Katarzyna Surmacz (Poland). The jury consists of EAA members.

The 5th edition of the Emile Awards was held as part of the 33rd edition of the Etiuda&Anima Film Festival at Małopolska Garden of Arts in Krakow.

[source]

Death Stranding: Isolations Trailer Revealed

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Perkins) — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 12:08:05 +0000

Gamers will be familiar with the name Hideo Kojima. The Japanese game designer and director led the Metal Gear franchise. Although it began in 1987, it really registered on most people's radars with Metal Gear Solid, released for the original PlayStation by Konami in 1998. Featuring innovative stealth-based gameplay and cinematic presentation, it was one of the most influential games of its era. Kojima released several sequels across subsequent generations of PlayStation, continuing to blur the boundaries between games and movies. By the time Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (PlayStation 4) came around, it seemed like half the game was cutscenes.

In 2015, Kojima left Konami and established an independent studio, Kojima Productions. Its first game was Death Stranding for the PlayStation 4. Set in a post-apocalyptic America, where dangerous creatures roam the Earth, players are put in the shoes of a courier named Sam Porter Bridges. The game features the voices and likenesses of Hollywood stars Norman Reedus, Marget Qualley, Léa Seydoux, Mads Mikkelsen, Troy Baker and Lindsay Wagner. There are also cameos from film directors Guillermo del Toro and Nicolas Winding Refn. The game also received a 'Director's Cut' release on PlayStation 5. A full sequel, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, was released in 2025.

Kojima Productions have ambitions beyond the world of games, and both a live-action and anime feature films have been announced to be in production. Now, an anime series has also been announced that will stream exclusively on Disney+ and other Disney services (we presume this means Hulu) in 2027.

Death Stranding: Isolations is set in the world of Death Stranding but will feature a completely separate story and characters from the games. The series will feature a young man and woman as they set off on an adventure. It will be produced in 2D animation and will be produced by E&H Productions in association with Kojima Productions.

Hideo Kojima serves as Executive Producer, and the director is Takayuki Sano. Acclaimed author Tow Ubukata (Mardock Scramble, Ghost In The Shell: Arise, Psycho Pass) is credited with series composition and screenplay. Uber-talented Russian artist Ilya Kuvshinov (Birthday Wonderland, Ghost In The Shell SAC_2045) is contributing character designs.

Sano says, "One of the unique abilities of entertainment is its power to enhance the spirituality of those who consume it, and I think this is something that Mr. Kojima’s works have always achieved. As a result, I approached this production with an exceptionally strong sense of duty and responsibility. I knew that no matter what, I needed to accomplish the same thing."

The first teaser trailer has been released; you can check it out here. There's not a whole lot to it to be honest, but it establishes a pretty creepy atmosphere. It could be that the series is leaning towards sci-fi horror rather than straight post-apocalyptic science fiction. Either way, we look forward to a longer trailer or a more detailed promo, sometime before it streams next year.

STORY SYNOPSIS

“My mom became a crater.”

The Death Stranding—a catastrophic series of explosions caused when the dead crept into our world and collided with the living.

In the wake of this cataclysm, many were forced to live in absolute isolation—among them, a young girl. Although this lonely existence was forced upon her, she soon grows to prefer solitude, eschewing all opportunities for real human connection and allowing herself to be strung along by fate.

In DEATH STRANDING, legendary game creator Hideo Kojima brought you a haunting vision of a shattered world. Now, that world expands into new frontiers with a brand-new animation series.

The story is set in North America immediately after Sam—the protagonist of the game—reconnects the continent by means of the Chiral Network. However, as America is reborn from the ashes, the renewed connections that bind it together bring about new and unforeseen consequences.

In this tumultuous new landscape, there are some who walk a different path to the one chosen by Sam and his Bridges comrades: a wise old man who connects people through a method that defies all reckoning; a female soldier ensnared in a cycle of war and destruction; a boy who seethes with rage at the absurdity of his life...and of course, the girl who chose to sever all ties with the outside world...Fate has other plans for her, however, and chance encounters see her launched headfirst into a world she does not recognize

The announcement was shared during Kojima Productions' 10th Anniversary Event Beyond The Strand: The Odyssey of Creation and Endeavour at Azabudai Hills Gallery, Tokyo.

Out This Week: K-Pop Demon Hunters, Avatar Aaang The Last Airbender, Rick & Morty And More

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Perkins) — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 10:03:51 +0000

Well, howdy-ho and welcome once again to Out This Week, AFA's regular new release round-up. Newly available to buy Stateside this week is Avatar's big-screen outing Avatar: Aang The Last Airbender, the Criterion Collection release of Sony Pictures Animation's megahit K-Pop Demon Hunters on 4K, Blu-Ray and DVD and Season 9 of Rick and Morty. Also released are both seasons of charming anime Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, Season 16 of SpongeBob SquarePants and Dr Seuss' TV Treasures Collection.

New for UK readers this week is Mamoru Oshii's cult classic Angel's Egg on 4K. Hitting 4K and Blu-Ray is Avatar: The Last Airbender, and 4K is a collector's 25th Anniversary Edition of Shrek. Also out is Fate/Grand Order Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia Part 2, Collector's Edition, Rock Is A Lady's Modesty and Rick and Morty Season 9.

All information provided is true to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication, and is subject to change. Affiliate links used where available. Release information from BluRay.com.

UK Releases For November 2, 2026

Angel's Egg (Anime Limited, 12) "In a desolate and dark world full of shadows, lives one little girl who seems to do nothing but collect water in jars and protect a large egg she carries everywhere. A mysterious man enters her life... and they discuss the world around them."

FORMATS: 4K UHD+ Blu-Ray, 4K UHD+ Blu-Ray Collector's Edition (All The Anime Exclusive)

AFA: Animation For Adults : Animation News, Reviews, Articles, Podcasts and More

The AFA Podcast Interview: Lena Greene (Tuna Tartare)

Show Notes and Links

Crunchyroll To Exclusively Stream 'Dragon Ball Super: Beerus' Dubs

Keanu Reeves Starring In Animated 'John Wick' Prequel

From Screen to Con Floor: Why Adult Animation Characters Are Taking Over Cosplay [Guest Post]

Arcane: Painterly Characters in a Three-Dimensional World

Invincible: The Deceptively Simple Superhero Suit

Castlevania and Nocturne: Gothic Fashion and Hair for Days

Hazbin Hotel: Cartoon Proportions Meet Human Bodies

And the Rest...

Why It Matters

Was Sylvain Chomet's 'Christian Dior's Night In Colour' Made Using AI? (Updated)

Update (7/11/2026)

Blue Eye Samurai Season 2 Gets New Trailer, January Debut

Date Announcement

Trailer 1

Japan Anime Awards Set To Launch in 2027

Emile Awards 2026: Living Large, Arco and Little Amelie Take Prizes

Death Stranding: Isolations Trailer Revealed

STORY SYNOPSIS

Out This Week: K-Pop Demon Hunters, Avatar Aaang The Last Airbender, Rick & Morty And More

UK Releases For November 2, 2026

US Releases For November 4, 2026

Upcoming Releases

Happy Halloween From AFA

Don't Walk Home Alone After Dark: A horror Animation Anthology

Anime Limited Reveal First Studio Ghibli Collector's Editions

'A New Dawn' UK Cinema Screenings This November, Home Release In December

Coyote Vs Acme Ruled Eligible For Best Animated Feature

Anime Limited Bringing Julian, Studio Ghibli, Ninja Scroll 4K and More To The UK

My Anime NYC Experience

Science Saru Are Making More 'The Ghost In The Shell'

Eric Bauza (1979-2026)

Wildwood's Opening Weekend Takes $11.2 Million

Out This Week: Forgotten Island, Shaun The Sheep: The Beast Of Mossy Bottom, Mr Benn and More

UK Releases For October 26, 2026

US Releases For October 27, 2026

Upcoming Releases

Web Animation Watch: Deep Rooted, Ducks and More

Deep Rooted

Ducks

Sound Of The Sea

The Lumins

Equmi

Love Letter To A Dungeon Master (Music Video)

Watch More...

Animation Is Film Awards 'Tangles', 'Iron Boy' and More

Game Over: EA Shutters BioWare, Cancels New Mass Effect

First Teaser Trailer Released For Adult Animation 'Tangles'