Features 554
Sword Art Online II
By Andy Hanley. Every light novel that enjoys sufficient success to continue beyond its first volume faces a single, pivotal problem – how do you take the core concept and then build or improve upon it? This is particularly true in the case of Sword Art Online. Its original tale of a virtual reality where […]
Sword Art Online: the story so far
By Andy Hanley. It is the year 2022, and virtual reality has become the new must-have accessory for gamers everywhere. But this isn’t the kind of technology familiar from our own present. Rather than simply a headset designed to place a virtual world in front of your eyes, this is the real deal – a […]
Near-Future Romance and HAL
By Meghan Ellis. Does the idea of a near-future romance sound like something created especially for you, or was that just me? If the answer is a resounding yes, then you should check out Hal. Anyone familiar with the girls’ comics sub-genre in Japan will almost certainly recognise the character design, carefully created by manga […]
Castle Town Dandelion Music: YuiKaori
By Paul Browne. With security cameras tracking our every move and reality TV shows like Big Brother part of our everyday lives it seems as if surveillance has become ingrained in our culture. It’s difficult to imagine something that was once considered pure science fiction to be given a fresh twist. New anime Castle Town […]
Blood Blockade Battlefront
By Andy Hanley. When Sting sung about being a legal alien in his song Englishman in New York, he was in fact alluding to the story of gay icon Quentin Crisp’s experiences in the city. However, the broader sentiment of feeling completely lost and adrift in a place which seems so far removed from the […]