Sony Just Killed Physical Disc Production For Future PlayStation Games

Posted on July 1, 2026 by Otaku_Kurai

In one of the most disappointing and horrific acts by a video company, the best-selling platform brand will make sure that, “you will own nothing and be happy”.

When the PlayStation 5 was released back in the fall of 2020, aka, during the madness of when the COVID-19 pandemic was running rampant and political discourse entered into free fall never seen before in American history, I told myself that I had plans to buy a PS5, and, eventually I believe I would. As the years went by, I kept telling myself the same thing that eventually I’ll buy myself a PS5, but, somehow, as my life went on, I never did. Jump to six years later, the same narrative was applied to me all the time, but I was never able to figure out why I haven’t bought myself a PS5 yet? I know it’s not money issue, because here I am completely okay with spending $300-$400 on cosplay and buying $100 tickets to attend big name anime conventions. Maybe I thought that priority for other stuff from my same passion was more important for me? Maybe it’s because as a working adult, I don’t really have free time to invest on a console that forks a lot of money and keeps getting more expensive each year? Could it be that it’s library of games didn’t convince me to buy a PS5? Maybe it’s because switching to PC Gaming four years ago made my gaming experience just- (CALM DOWN FANBOYS IT’S JUST A JOKE RIGHT?)

… Maybe?

I came up with so many theories on why I haven’t bought myself a PlayStation 5 just yet? However, today, July 1, 2026, I finally realized why I haven’t bought one, and, the move pulled by Sony only enforces it. What am I talking about? Well, here’s what Sony has done that will probably enrage you, but at the end, nothing will be done about it.

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Mangadex Removes Certain Manga Titles to Comply With Legal Issues

Posted on February 17, 2026 by Otaku_Kurai

New Year, new controversy. If you thought 2025’s legal controversies would be left behind, then you are certainly wrong.

Oh boy, would you look at that! If you thought 2025’s Armageddon of controversy and censorship issues in anime and manga would be left behind, well, friend, smell the coffee because this stuff ain’t leaving anytime soon. So, what’s going on this time? More censorship, or controversy in the community? Well, you could say both. Since last year, there’s been a rampant attack not just on anime and manga, but on the internet as a whole—ranging from age verification laws, to restrictions on certain freedoms of expression, and corruption in the free market. Most specifically, banks and credit card companies have been exposed for refusing payments and services to select individuals or platforms unfairly deemed problematic. The latest incidents are yet another example of this sad continuation of censorship.

MangaDex, one of the most well-known piracy sites for manga, recently announced that it has removed certain manga titles from its website to comply with the law and avoid legal troubles with officials. The question you’re probably asking is: what exactly did MangaDex remove?

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The Anime Tourist Controversy: My Brutal And Honest Opinion

Posted on January 16, 2026 by Otaku_Kurai

Anime’s popularity has tremendously grown in recent years, but, behind that growth left behind a backdoor that has become rife within the community.

For the longest time, the global popularity of anime and manga has continued to rise dramatically. Our medium has become so mainstream and beloved that it’s no longer uncommon to encounter fellow fans almost anywhere. This holds true not only in sparsely populated regions of the United States, but even in countries around the world that have little to no historical or cultural ties to Japan and where the market for anime and manga remains relatively small.

Of course, like all interests, new fans naturally enter fandoms as their popularity grows. When newcomers arrive, controversy often follows, and longtime members frequently take issue with the “hot takes” these newcomers share. These opinions might concern quality judgments, preferences between modern and classic favorites, or challenges to the common practices and core beliefs that the older community has established—especially when those views clash with what the creators of the series themselves believe in.

As we all know, anime and manga are no exception to this pattern. The medium continues to experience unprecedented global growth, expanding the fandom dramatically. But the key question remains: Is this rapid growth ultimately good for anime and manga?

Lately, there has been a wave of controversy in the anime community. What exactly is this controversy about? It centers specifically on the influx of newer anime and manga fans. At first glance, this might seem like the typical case of gatekeeping in a fandom. However, as you take a closer and deeper look into the issue, you’ll see that this controversy is actually a bigger problem than most people realize. It even has its own official name: anime tourism (often shortened to “anime tourist” as a pejorative label). So, what exactly is “anime tourism”?

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Grok’s Cosplay Creep Epidemic: What The Heck is Going On?

Posted on January 5, 2026 by Otaku_Kurai

“The cosplay community is being rocked by a horrific trend unfolding on X—but what exactly is it?”

New year, new beginnings, new excitement, and of course, new drama. Although that sounds typical, this new crazy firestorm that’s been rocking X lately is what I’d call “something else.” Today we know that, nowadays, the concept and lifestyle of hyper-sexualized living may be in a golden era—or in this case, “a dark era” for sane individuals like us. On the internet—whether it’s social media, websites like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram (especially), and of course X (formerly known as Twitter)—these platforms, along with the entire online hemisphere, are rife with sexual content. The phenomenon has gotten so out of hand that there’s now a popular term for it, which I’m sure most of you already know: “gooning.” Those who practice this insane pornography-addiction ritual are called “gooners.” Because of this wild gooning epidemic, the internet has truly lived up to its meme and that old song: “The Internet Is for Porn.”

Cosplay is a fun passion where many people dress up as characters they love—fictional ones, original ideas, and of course, all sorts of other creative concepts. In my personal opinion, cosplay is a form of artistic expression where a fictional character is brought to life by an individual simply through dressing up in a costume. While this sounds typical, it carries a very deep meaning, and when done professionally, it elevates costume-wearing to a whole new level. In other words, it’s like two souls—one from the real world and one from the fictional world—merging into one. That’s how I feel when I cosplay as my favorite characters. Of course, like all interests, cosplay has a dark side. The community is plagued by notorious issues such as racism, degradation of looks, toxic attitudes, indecent incidents, consent violations, and body-shaming. These problems run rampant throughout the cosplay community, and even as of 2026, they continue to persist. Of course, there’s another issue emerging right now—one that no one, myself included, ever expected… In fact, it’s pretty scary what’s going on…

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Hideaki Anno: “I’m sorry, but the audience will have to be the one to adapt.”

Posted on December 27, 2025 by Otaku_Kurai

Death taxes and anime controversy. Ever since I started Animangemu, controversial topics with hot takes by famous figureheads of the anime industry have somewhat become the norm. Of course, this isn’t new, and this phenomenon dates back decades. Either it was Hayao Miyazaki saying that anime is made by people with unrealistic expectations—in a negative tone—which people mistakenly thought meant “anime is trash and was a mistake.” Nowadays, controversial issues have gotten more notable and a lot more common, especially this year in 2025.

Now Hideaki Anno joins the scene, and although he’s made previous controversial statements before, this one is his latest. But is it really controversial? According to some fans, it is—for them—and the reason why is clear. In a recent Forbes Japan interview, Anno stated that creators should not adjust anime for overseas or global audiences, emphasizing that works must first succeed domestically in Japan, and adding, “I’m sorry, but the audience will have to be the one to adapt.” Some fans (especially in Western discussions on platforms like Reddit and X) find this controversial because it feels like a rejection of global inclusivity, a pushback against localization pressures, or even a dismissal of “modern audience” sensitivities. Others, however, praise it as a defense of authentic Japanese storytelling against homogenization.

As we all know, in terms of popularity and industry business practices, anime as a whole has indeed globalized. Anime is more popular than ever, and people are watching anime—both old and new—racking up DVDs, buying up all the manga, and hogging all the merchandise. This year, we saw three anime movies dominate the box office worldwide: Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc, and Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution. All three enjoyed unprecedented success at the box office in Japan and internationally. Most notably, in countries like the United States, China, and numerous nations in Southeast Asia and parts of Europe, anime has not only enjoyed explosive popularity but has equalized—and even dethroned—once long-time pop culture favorites among the locals.

So, with such success globally, it’s no surprise that a critically acclaimed and legendary director like Hideaki Anno would be asked such a question. So, what’s going on exactly, and what did he say?

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