FanimeCon 2025 is excited to welcome an incredible lineup of Guests of Honor. Singer-songwriter VK Blanka, known for his Black Clover hit “Black Catcher,” will perform at MusicFest and join panels and signings. Celebrated voice actors Tsubasa Yonaga (Free!, Cardfight!! Vanguard) and Atsushi Abe (A Certain Magical Index, BAKUMAN) will make rare U.S. appearances, alongside Daman Mills (Dragon Ball, Final Fantasy VII Remake), attending as a Guest of Honor for the first time. Cosplay duo Onecuppacoffee, returning cosplayer VampyBitMe, anime historian Gilles Poitras, and J-Fashion icon cybr.grl will also join the festivities. Plus, voice actors Dorothy Elias-Fahn and Tom Fahn (Digimon, Naruto Shippuden) round out a stellar roster of talent ready to meet fans and celebrate fandom all weekend long.

Source: FanimeCon 2025 – Guests of Honor

SlugCon is coming up on May 11th, but there is still time to sign up as a panelist or performer at the event!! Fill out this form if you’re interested, and you’ll also receive more updates on the event as it approaches via joining our Discord server!

A recent analysis from Anime By The Numbers reveals that the Trump-era tariffs on Chinese imports would significantly affect the U.S. anime and manga industry. These tariffs would lead to increased costs for merchandise, and other anime-related products, as many of these items are manufactured in China. The added expenses are often passed on to consumers, resulting in higher prices for fans and potential declines in sales. This situation underscores the broader implications of international trade policies on niche entertainment sectors.

Source: Anime By The Numbers – How Trump’s Tariffs Affect the Anime & Manga Industry

The Sanrio Character Ranking is back for its 40th anniversary! First started by Ichigo Shimbun in 1986, this annual popularity contest brings together fans from all over the world to vote for their favorite Sanrio characters.

This year, 90 beloved characters have been carefully selected to join the festivities under the theme, “JUMP! To the Future With You!”

From now until May 25th (JST), fans can cast their votes daily—once per character—with up to 90 characters a day! It’s a special celebration of dreams, friendship, and leaping together toward a bright future.

Show your love and support your favorite Sanrio friends—let’s jump high into the future together!

Source: 2025 Sanrio character ranking Official Website

The KINGDOM HEARTS world comes to Steam June 13th. This Steam announcement trailer features the newly re-recorded “Simple and Clean” from Hikaru Utada, one of Japan’s most influential and best-selling musical artists.

“If you squint really hard they almost look new…”

Toonami Rewind will begin airing on Fridays from May 31st on Cartoon Network this month, presenting three classic anime series over a two hour time-slot. To start, the programming block will air Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z Kai, and Naruto. It has not yet been announced if Toonami Rewind will include other classic anime from Cartoon Network’s past.