Based On Manga Archives | Otaku No Culture

Black Jack Is No Bleak Phantom of the Opera, He Cuts for Compassion

Often mistaken for a cold, enigmatic figure, Black Jack is anything but heartless. This updated OVA release reveals a doctor driven by compassion, challenging rigid medical institutions and reminding us that empathy can matter as much as expertise.

Black Jack Blu-ray — **Available to purchase on Amazon USA**

Released Dec 16, 2025

MediaOCD has taken a careful, almost surgical approach in updating Black Jack, the OVA series, treating it less like a nostalgia item and more like an essential entry point for a classic manga series that many viewers may have missed reading. Alongside a revised song translation, this release restores the two episodes absent from earlier editions and makes a clear effort to remaster the material for modern digital viewing.

For anyone unfamiliar with the property, this set finally presents the series as a complete experience. I’ll also include a brief guide at the end to help newcomers understand how this fits into the wider world of Osamu Tezuka’s work and the many versions of his famously unconventional doctor, Kurō Hazama.

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Lights, Pencil, The Fable Manga Build Roguelike… in Action! A Playful Mash-Up in Mixed Genres.

The Fable Manga Build Roguelike is a fresh sense of style, turning every encounter into a right-to-left comic page that springs to life. It’s ambitious, clever, and an intriguing experiment for fans of the long-running series.

Mono Entertainment & Kodansha
PC and Nintendo Switch

Instead of traditional turn-based combat or flashy real-time brawls, The Fable Manga Build Roguelike hands you a very different way to stage a fight. You’re not pressing attack buttons; you’re making a comic. Each action is defined by a randomized manga panel you must arrange, and the layout flows right to left like an authentic Japanese graphic novel. When the page goes live, the game animates those panels and decides the outcome.

It’s clever, and best appreciated on a big screen. My only regret during playtesting was requesting the Nintendo Switch code first. This isn’t a small-screen experience; after activation issues, shifting to the Steam version became necessary. Unless the handheld is attached to an adapter for a big screen, enjoying the art is like squinting to appreciate the details.

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Two Episodes In, Nyaight of the Living Cat is a Feline Parody Done Right!

The Nyaight of the Living Cat continues the hiliarity for those who love mashups, like Night of the Zoopocalypse. Fans will just need a creative team to IP the concept!

Now broadcasting on Crunchyroll;
New Episode Every Sunday

Only cat lovers and zombie heads will find lots to love in the animated series, Nyaight of the Living Cat. The puns are everywhere! And new cat owners can learn a thing or two about why cats react the way they do to certain human behaviors. The creators tacked these bits onto the episode and post-credit sequence. It’s better than what Marvel Entertainment does, since what’s taught can be useful.

As for why this work is a parody, that’s because the adaptation has no shame in subverting the tropes from classic horror and action films! When audiences are supposed to be frightened, we aww or laugh-out-loud instead! This series’ world becomes sillier by the minute and is not afraid to overstate a cliché–cats are cute! From the obvious nya (the onomatopoeia for meow) being used in everyday speech to trying to explain the behaviour of felines, I chuckled at nearly every turn.

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When Assassination Classroom is Making A Comeback in Japan, There’s A New Soundtrack Attached (not Attacked) To It!

Fans of the anime Assassination Classroom might want to check out the upgrade! As for whether Crunchyroll will also replace their vaults with this new broadcast, it’s all about the music here!

Assassination Classroom Manga Cover A Japanese television network is rerunning the anime series Assassination Classroom using new opening and closing songs. This wonky science fiction comedy manga series created by Yūsei Matsui has quite the following because it’s about saving Earth from destruction.

This series is about an alien octopus teaching tweens the finer points in what goes on in their galaxy and encouraging them to put a stop to his nefarious plans by any means necessary. Honestly, I think he looks more like Pumpkinhead Sam from Trick ‘r Treat, but I digress. While he doesn’t hide the fact he’s targeting their home world for destruction, they’ll have to halt his plans. On my first impression, this high school series may well be digging up ideas which predate Baby Assassins and include concepts from Nightmare on Elm Street on top.

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Demon Slayer Movie: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle is Coming and Where To Find It!

The first chapter of the Demon Slayer Movie: Infinity Castle trilogy will be coming and it’s a global roll out!

The Demon Slayer Movie titled Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle is wasting no time to spread the love at North American theatres this Fall! As the first film in the epic trilogy from the famed animation studio Ufotable, nobody wants to delay this work following its Japanese premiere on July 18, 2025. In what’s special is that this tale forms the first part of the Infinity Castle trilogy. It takes place after season four and that finished its American run almost exactly a year ago.

IMAX and other premium large formats will present this latest film. The film will be available in both Japanese with English subtitles and dubbed in English.

From the Press Release

International release dates include (with additional dates announced later):

August 14: Malaysia, Singapore, Pakistan
August 15: Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam
August 20: Philippines
September 11: Mexico, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Caribbean (Jamaica, Aruba, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Curacao), Central America, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lithuania, Macedonia, Netherlands, Oman, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland (Italian-speaking), Syria, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates
September 12: India, Mongolia, Spain, Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Kenya, Latvia, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Romania, Southern Africa, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom
September 17: Belgium, France, French-speaking Africa, Luxembourg, Switzerland (French-speaking)
September 18: Moldova
September 25: Austria, Germany, Switzerland (German-speaking)

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When Coping With Loss, Ghost Cat Anzu is Here to Save the Day!

Although available on digital last month, the movie Ghost Cat Anzu is finally available on home video. That way, this feline won’t get away at all, since he’s like a welcome member of the family. There’s no added features in this release, and that’s just fine.

Ghost Cat Anzu Bluray Cover — Available to order on Amazon USA

GKIDS & Shout! Studios

Ghost Cat Anzu is a rather strange spirit, and he’s ready to manifest for folks who want a little help in their lives! With the home video release, fans can hit the pause button if they want to compare this cinematic adaptation with the manga. When the print edition is ongoing, that need find out what he’s been up to since has my curiousity maxed out! I’m sure to read about what else this bakeneko is up to won’t kill me.

People adore this big giant cat (voiced by Mirai Moriyama) because he’s like Norm from Cheers. In the dub, Jason Simon sounds like George Wendt too! Everyone in the town knows his name. And when he acts more like a human than that of an oversized feline, I suspect there’s more to him than meets the eye. Although he’s a little rough around the edges, that’s okay.

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