Content leaks have been an ongoing controversy in the entertainment sphere for decades, effecting every industry from film, television, to comic books and print novels. While fans obviously want to know everything they can about an upcoming release, it can be easy to forget just how harmful leaks can be to the people working on a project.

Dubbed one of the “biggest leaking disasters” in the anime industry’s lengthy history, the recent Netflix leaks that’s caused highly anticipated shows like Dandadan, Ranma 1/2, and Arcane Season 2, and more to be partially or fully leaked online has fans and industry professionals in an understandable outrage.

How Did So Many of Netflix’s Biggest Animated Releases Get Leaked?

While details are still sparse at this time on how the site was hacked, online sleuths have speculated the leaker may be located in Japan due to the content being recorded in Japanese and lacking subtitles. The leaked footage from these episodes are low quality and covered in watermarks, which seems to suggest that many of them were still in production when the files were taken.

This leak isn’t just a bad look on Netflix’s part, it’s also extremely harmful for the team’s involved in each of these series’ and film’s productions. Fans and professionals alike are furious over this series of events, and many are urging the streaming to giant to make an official statement.

At time of writing, Netflix has been silent on what happened.

Elden Ring might not be getting the TV spotlight that some fans have been hoping for, but FromSoftware’s other franchise Armored Core certainly is.

Amazon’s upcoming anthology series Secret Level will include an episode based on the mech battling series Armored Core. This animated series takes viewers on a journey inside the universe of a selection of games, that have never been shown before. Fans can get a glimpse at what’s to come thanks to a trailer revealed on day one of Gamescom.

The animated show is from the producers of Netflix’s Love + Death & Robots which was a breakout hit for the streaming platform showing breathtaking animation with unique stories. That means Secret Level is in great hands, and fans would want it to be given the popularity of these franchises.

Alongside Armored Core, Secret Level will include episodes that feature Dungeons & Dragons, Mega Man, Pac-Man, and Warhammer 40,000 among others. These are some of the most popular gaming franchises ever, and now they’re getting a fresh animated take for viewers to dive into.

Season one of Secret Level will include 15 episodes, however, the length of each episode is unknown. Just know that they will be shorts so don’t expect full-length episodes, or complete seasons for any of these franchises. 

Secret Level is set to premiere on Dec. 10, 2024, so fans don’t have too long before they get to see these loved franchises on screen. It isn’t clear whether all episodes of the show will be shared at once or if it will be weekly, but expect that information to surface closer to its release.

If you want to get your Armored Core fix in before the show gets here you can purchase and play Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC right now.

A quick scan of social media confirms that Batman: Caped Crusader‘s female version of the Penguin is still a talking point, weeks after the show’s debut. Showrunner Bruce Timm’s comments probably haven’t helped either.

In an interview for the Emmys website, Timm chalked up Caped Crusader‘s gender-swapped Oswald Cobblepot to a shortage of viable alternatives. “[Executive producer] James [Tucker] and I were talking about the overview of [Caped Crusader],” Timm recalled. “And we said, ‘One of the problems with Batman, as he is, is there’s a lack of good [female] villains. You’ve got Catwoman, you’ve got Poison Ivy, you’ve got Harley Quinn. But it would be really good to have more female villains […] We never really could figure out exactly what to do with the Penguin, what the gimmick for The Penguin would be. What if we gender-flip the Penguin?'”

It’s a well-articulated argument; it also doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Yet ultimately, the rationale behind Batman: Caped Crusader‘s female version of the Penguin doesn’t really matter; the execution does.

The Bat-Canon Has Plenty of Good Female Villains

Admittedly, Timm isn’t entirely wrong. The Dark Knight’s list of enemies definitely skews male-heavy. That said, there are still plenty of good female Bat-baddies. Aside from the three Timm mentions (two of whom, Catwoman and Harley Quinn, appear in Batman: Caped Crusader), there’s also Talia al Ghul, Lady Shiva, Jezebel Jet, and female incarnations of Clayface and Ventriloquist. Oh, and let’s not forget two of Timm’s own co-creations, Phantasm and Roxy Rocket. That’s just off the top of my head, too. There’s probably a few more viable candidates I’m missing, without even getting into less flamboyant characters like gangster Sofia Falcone.

Related: Batman: Caped Crusader: What’s Linton Midnite’s Deal in Season 1?

True, some of the above supervillains are overexposed (particularly Ivy), while the rest aren’t exactly A-listers. However, Timm’s approach to Caped Crusader is rooted in reinvention and revitalization. If the likes of Roxy Rocket and Lady Clayface don’t work as is, that’s the perfect invitation to revamp them. After all, Timm’s done it before with underappreciated male villains. Together with Paul Dini, he gave us the modern Mr. Freeze! So, while I don’t personally have an issue with Penguin being a woman, I find the notion that Timm was essentially forced down that road a tad disingenuous.

Batman: Caped Crusader’s Penguin Is About Reinvention

Yet, again, just because Timm’s “female Penguin” motivations don’t stack up doesn’t mean they’re without merit. As noted above, Timm’s goal with Batman: Caped Crusader was to put a fresh spin on the Bat-mythos, the way he did as a co-architect of Batman: The Animated Series (only different). James Tucker said as much in the joint Emmys interview. “That was the mission statement for [Caped Crusader] in general: to do something that harkened back to the original, but flip it.” Recasting Oswald Cobblepot as Oswalda certainly does that.

Related: Is Batman: Caped Crusader Getting a Season 2?

Of course, this approach is bound to rub some fans up the wrong way. Setting aside the gender politics of it all, some folks just don’t like drastic deviations from established comics canon, and that’s totally fine. We all have our own threshold for change. But for a Batman adaptation to stand out from its decades’ worth of predecessors—and, heck, to justify its very existence—it can’t be afraid to mix things up a bit. Otherwise, things get same-samey and stale. Trying to avoid this fate is how you end up with a slimy Harvey Dent, a Joker-free Harley Quinn, and yes, Timm’s female Penguin.

Bruce Timm Is Wrong About Batman’s Rogues (But Right About Caped Crusader’s Penguin)

And let’s be real: a cabaret-singing female Penguin is an objectively fun take on the character (even if the Oswalda name is a bit lame). It’s surprising, without actually straying all that far from the OG Penguin’s essence. A ruthless, avian-looking crime boss who feigns legitimacy? That certainly tracks with several depictions of Penguin (including in the comics). Voice actor Minnie Driver’s performance is terrific, too. Indeed, it’s not hard to see why Oswalda has her defenders as well as her detractors. So, no, it doesn’t matter that Bruce Timm is wrong about Batman’s lack of good female villains; he was still right about Caped Crusader‘s female Penguin.

Batman: Caped Crusader Season 1 is currently streaming on Prime Video.

It’s safe to say that Disney+’s Star Wars series The Acolyte divided the fanbase. Many embraced it for taking the franchise in new directions, while others were never on board. Well, just like when it was airing, Star Wars fans can’t agree on a stance when discussing The Acolyte‘s cancellation.

Deadline dropped the news that The Acolyte would not be returning for a second season. However, reports claim the axing has nothing to do with fan backlash but with the series’ inability to maintain steady viewership. Some will point to fans’ frustration as the reason people weren’t tuning in, but it was a lot more complicated than that.

The Acoltye Never Stood a Chance

There were two major camps going at it while The Acolyte was airing: those turned off from the series from the jump and those willing to give it a chance. Unfortunately, between all of the debates about breaking canon and Sith abs, a third group was forgotten: the casual fans who don’t care about canon or really anything but having something to watch after work.

Seeing all of the discourse online about the show likely made a lot of people look elsewhere for entertainment. After all, who wants to be thrown into the middle of a fight about space wizards when there are far more important things to worry about?

“Star Wars fans, smh,” said X user Deshair. This series never stood a chance. And before anyone says, ‘Well what about Ahsoka?’ They only watched it for Anakin.”

“The Acolyte being cancelled is just another example of toxic internet hate,” added Alex on X. “The show never got a chance to breathe and half the people hating on it never even watched an episode.”

Related: The Acolyte Subverts Star Wars in a Big Way That Doesn’t Always Work

It’s a Bad Time To Be a TV Show

There are also more than a few discussions online about how shows aren’t able to find their audiences anymore. Countless shows struggle in their first season, only to come back stronger in later outings. It’s possible that could’ve happened with The Acolyte, but it never had time to grow.

“It’s a generally bleak time for television; not just because of The Acolyte,” said Riley on X. “Everything gets cancelled. Nothing gets a chance to find its footing like before. Companies wonder why no one’s watching and it’s because no one wants to get invested in an inevitable unfinished story.”

Unfortunately, unless Star Wars releases some sort of tie-in, like a novel or comic, The Acolyte will be an unfinished story. That’s not bad news for everyone, but those close to the industry will say it’s bad news for the entertainment landscape.

isney+ Star Wars series The Acolyte wrapped up its first season with a decidedly open-ended finale. So, does this mean the The Acolyte is getting a Season 2?

Related: The Acolyte: Is Darth Plagueis in Season 1?

Is The Acolyte Season 2 Happening?

No, The Acolyte Season 2 isn’t happening. Per Deadline, Lucasfilm cancelled the Star Wars series on Aug. 19, 2024. The outlet’s sources didn’t supply a reason for The Acolyte‘s cancellation, although its lacklustre viewership figures were likely a contributing factor. As noted by Deadline, The Acolyte lost its spot on Nielsen’s Top 10 originals chart from Episode 4 to 7. To its credit, The Acolyte eventually landed back on the chart with its eighth and final episode. But even then, its total number of minutes viewed was reportedly the lowest of any Star Wars series.

Related: Is Yoda in Star Wars: The Acolyte?

Lucasfilm axing The Acolyte will no doubt come as a blow to showrunner Leslye Headland, who was ready to hit the ground running on Season 2. In March 2024 Collider interview, Headland revealed that The Acolyte was always conceived as a story that spanned more than one season. “I would say that when I pitched it, I definitely pitched it as a multi-season show,” she said. “There are a lot of things at the end of this season that I think are narrative threads that are not tied up, for sure.”

What Was Planned for The Acolyte Season 2’s Story?

So, what did Leslye Headland have planned for The Acolyte Season 2, if it had happened? More Darth Plagueis, for one thing! Plagueis briefly cameos in Season 1’s finale, which Headland confirmed in an Inverse interview was set-up for Season 2. She also reiterated the importance of Osha and the Stranger’s newly-forged partnership to the second season’s unrealized narrative.

Related: Does The Acolyte Season 1 Have a Post-Credits Scene?

“[Darth Plagueis is] definitely a signifier of things to come if we end up moving forward,” Headland said. “Osha and the Stranger are aligned. Literally the last shot of the show is the two of them holding the same lightsaber. It’s the last shot of Fight Club – these are two people that are looking out under the horizon and believing that their power is intense, and strong, and shared, and passionate.”

All eight episodes of The Acolyte Season 1 are currently streaming on Disney+.

 The above article was updated on 8/20/2024 by the original author to include information about The Acolyte’s cancellation.

Whilst DC barely dipped its toes into the concepts of the Multiverse before heading into a bold new reboot with James Gunn and Peter Safrans DCU, there were some surprising faces seen across various movies. Most DC Cameos were not all that exciting and featured characters too obscure, or actors, celebrities, and politicians that feature as mere easter eggs rather than for comic fans to enjoy.

Amazon’s Fallout Series Teaser Trailer Read More »

The Blackening Review: Predictable Yet Hilarious Read More »

The first look at The Last of Us Season 2 is here, which means iconic moments from the game are being brought to life. However, fans are figuring out that things can’t always be adapted perfectly. In fact, one moment has them worried that a crucial scene is being altered.

HBO’s footage features an older Ellie and Joel living in Jackson, Wyoming, alongside Tommy and his family. Despite the time jump, events from the first season are still relevant, as Joel is opening up about what he did to save Ellie from the Fireflies. However, while the dialogue is ripped straight out of the game, Joel doesn’t appear to have the same scene partner.

Joel’s Confession in The Last of Us Part II

The Last of Us Part II video game opens with Joel having a heart-to-heart conversation with his brother, Tommy, about killing the Fireflies. It sets the stage for the opening of the game, where Ellie and Joel are estranged. The spoilers can end there, but it’s a massive moment for Joel, who, of course, has trouble talking about his feelings.

The footage for The Last of Us Season 2 makes it seem like Joel is not revealing this information to Tommy but Catherine O’Hara’s character, who many are speculating is a therapist living in Jackson. Opening up to a professional shouldn’t be frowned upon, but that’s not stopping fans from thinking the show is making an unnecessary change.

Related: Does House of the Dragon Season 2’s Finale Confirm the Daemon/Night King Fan Theory?

Completely Out of Character

When the footage made its way on social media, fans were quick to notice the change. And while countless people in the replies pointed out that it could’ve just been clever editing on HBO’s part, that didn’t put out the fire.

“sorry i’m saying it anyway if this is their version of the opening of the game i already hate it i don’t think joel would tell anyone other than tommy about what happened,” lauren on X said to kick off the converstation.

“they way they’re presenting it is that he’s seeing perhaps a therapist and tells her instead of which is completely out of character for joel he would never tell anyone anything other than tommy,” replied mizu.

“I’m interested to see where they go with this & why they made the change, but that scene really was so important,” added X user abby.

This debate isn’t likely to go away anytime soon, as The Last of Us Season 2 isn’t set to arrive on HBO/Max until 2025.

We’re still a ways away from the second season of HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation, but the teasers are already starting to roll out slowly. We’d previously seen some behind-the-scenes shots of Bella Ramsey on set, but this teaser really sets the tone for Season 2.

You can check out the video for yourself down below:

The video shows off Catherine O’Hara and Jeffrey Wright as casting newcomers for the show, though it’s looking like O’Hara may not play an existing character from the games. In the clip, she’s shown asking Joel if he hurt Ellie, and what he did when he says no. Joel then responds by stating that he saved her, as a tear rolls down his cheek. I’ve no clue who O’Hara could possibly be playing just based on the clip, but it’s possible that she may take on a newly created role for the show.

On the other hand, we also got a glimpse of Jeffrey Wright, who’s likely reprising his role as Isaac Dixon — one of the main antagonists in The Last of Us Part II. He’d voiced Isaac in the game, so it’s fitting that he should play him in the adaptation as well.

All in all, it’s looking pretty good so far, and it should be interesting to see the fan reaction to the second season, particularly if they don’t know anything about the games.

HBO’s The Last of Us Season 2 is set to premiere sometime in 2025.

Blue Lock has quickly become one of the biggest sports anime in the world, and after the success of the Episode Nagi film, fans all around the world were excited to see new updates regarding the 2nd season’s release.

In an exciting new teaser trailer uploaded by EMOTION Label Channel and a post made on the official X (formerly Twitter) accounts revealed that Unison Square Garden will be returning to perform the new opening song, as well as showing off some flashy new footage from Blue Lock season 2.

When Will Blue Lock Season 2 Release?

The second season of Blue Lock is slated to release during the Fall 2024 Anime Season, on October 5, 2024. Just like the first season, season 2 will be streaming on Crunchyroll, subbed and dubbed. The new season will be featuring some new additions to the voice cast, including Satoshi Hino as Oliver Aiku, Kakeru Hatano as Nijiro Nanase, Eiji Mikami as Yo Hiori, and Akihisa Wakayama as Shuto Sendo.

The latest installment in the Dragon Ball franchise, Dragon Ball Daima, was originally announced during the Dragon Ball Special Panel during New York Comic-Con in 2023, and we finally have confirmation for when fans will be able to enjoy the late Akira Toriyama’s final project.

Toei Animation recently dropped a new trailer filled with details about the anime, including its official release date.

Dragon Ball Daima Will Officially Drop In October 2024

The trailer shows of Daima‘s flashy animation style and high-energy vibe, once again showing a child version of Goku taking on the upcoming anime’s biggest threats. In addition to the new trailer, the official Dragon Ball X account dropped a new key visual for the anime.

The new visual is reminiscent of early Dragon Ball manga cover artwork, injecting the project with a rush of nostalgia.

Studio Trigger’s anime adaptation of Ryoko Kui’s high fantasy dungeon-delving fantasy series Delicious In Dungeon was iconic, and its fanbase has skyrocketed ever since.

While its great to see more people talking about the series, its even more incredible to see the vast number of fan projects pop up following the anime’s success, with many of the perfectly capturing the underlying themes of the series.

@mihaelillustrates Captures a Heartwarming Meal Shared By Laios’ Party

This gorgeously illustrated fanart features Laios, Marcille, Chilchuck, and Senshi sharing hotpot together. The color palette chosen for the piece gives it a warm and cozy feel – even with Marcille’s disgruntled expression. It beautifully captures one of Delicious In Dungeon‘s core themes: the importance of taking the time to share a meal with the people you care about.

With the tense season 1 finale ramping things up leading into the already announced second season, it can be easy to forget that some of the show’s best moments come from Laios and the rest of the party connecting with friends new and old through the power of home cooking, even if they are making their meals with monsters.

Delicious in Dungeon is available to stream on Netflix.

Off the heels of the new Urusei Yatsura anime adaptation’s success, fans of Rumiko Takahashi were delighted to learn that another one of the iconic mangaka’s series was coming back with a fresh new anime.

Rivaled in popularity only by her massively popular shonen series Inuyasha, Ranma 1/2 is by far one of Takahashi’s most recognizable works around the globe, and now even newer anime fans will have an opportunity to experience it.

The New Ranma 1/2 Trailer Perfectly Captures the Manga’s Energy

It’s been officially announced that the new anime will be produced by Studio MAPPA (Jujutsu Kaisen, Yuri!!! On Ice, Chainsaw Man) and is set to air on October 5, 2024 in Japan, with Netflix picking up the series for a worldwide release on October 6, 2024. It’s also been announced that much of the original voice cast will be returning to reprise their roles from the original Ranma 1/2 anime from the 80s and 90s, including Kappei Yamaguchi, Megumi Hayashibara, and Noriko Hidaka.

In addition to the exciting cast announcement, ano will be performing the opening song for the new series, also known for performing the 7th Chainsaw Man ending song, “Chu, Tayousei”. One Piece anime director Konosuke Uda will be directing the upcoming anime alongside Kimiko Ueno (Delicious In Dungeon) handling series composition, Kaoru Wada (Inuyasha) handling music composition, and character designs by Hiromi Taniguchi (FLCL Alternative).

Demon Slayer has been nothing short of a cultural phenomenon, with the original manga being a smash-hit in terms of sales and the anime adaptation produced by Ufotable made the series a mainstream success around the world.

Despite having a dedicated fanbase, mountains of merchandise and record-breaking sales, fans have grown exhausted with the franchise – but why?

Despite Its Success, the Anime Is Drawing the Story Out Too Much

The original Demon Slayer manga, which was created by Koyoharu Gotouge and began running in Shonen Jump magazine from February 2016 to May 2020, with its chapters being collected into 23 single volumes, or tankobon. The series was an instant success, and in 2020, the year that the manga concluded, had an estimated ¥1 trillion ($8.75 billion USD) in annual revenue. According to Shonen Jump‘s editor-in-chief, Hiroyuki Nakano, the series’ sales began skyrocketing after the first season of the anime had concluded.

This makes total sense – Demon Slayer season 1 was nearly flawless. Featuring Ufotable’s signature animation style and introducing audiences to the main cast in a way that made it easy to get invested in their stories, the series had something for everyone. While action-packed and filled with terrifying demons, the anime also boasted one of the most endearing takes on the “found family” tropes in the industry.

The praise continues when the Mugen Train arc’s animated adaptation released – a feature length film that pushed the boundaries of modern anime cinema in terms of animation quality, storytelling, and hype. The film became an absolute sensation, and the perfectly orchestrated beats throughout the film highlighting the pivotal Hashira Rengoku is something that’s still discussed today. However, from this point onward, the anime starting facing controversies for something unexpected: “canon” filler.

Demon Slayer’s Reliance On Reusing Story Arcs Is Hurting the Series’ Reputation

While there are plenty of criticisms to be made about Demon Slayer being a shorter series and debates on whether or not it stuck the landing with its final arc, one thing is clear – the anime adaptation’s reliance on reusing content is a massive problem that’s causing fans to feel a lot of burn out.

As previously mentioned, the Mugen Train film was absolutely incredible – but then, when the subsequent televised season released afterward, Ufotable returned by retelling the film’s plot all over again. While the studio did add a precursor to provide extra Rengoku content which many fans of the series enjoyed, they proceeded to release an episodic “cut for television” version of the film. This was easy to overlook at the time with the addition of the new content, but this was an unfortunate trend that persisted into the Entertainment District arc and the Swordsmith Village arc, which saw a theatrical release of what ultimately culminated in a compilation film of the Entertainment District’s final episode, and the first episode of Swordsmith Village.

While marketing efforts made the formula seem as though it was doing well – and financially, it was – fans began to sour on this approach to the anime’s release. This happened again with the initial release of the Hashira Training arc, which has undoubtedly been the series’ lowest point.

Everything Wrong With the ‘Hashira Training arc’

The Hashira Training arc is relatively short in the manga, acting as a very brief montage that leads directly into the manga’s grand finale: the ‘Infinity Castle’ arc. Despite maintaining a good chunk of its popularity due to audience investment, the consensus is clear: this is the Demon Slayer anime’s lowest point, and fans of the show are exhausted.

While the animation quality is still solid, the arc added quite a bit of filler to pad out its run time, and had a record number of exposition dumps between characters that could have easily been cut for time. Why the team behind the anime made this choice is unclear, but grim speculation from fans are obviously accusing the team behind the anime of stretching out its length for money.

Not to mention, Demon Slayer is an easy money maker. The manga was the first series to ever take every single top 10 slot in Oricon’s weekly manga charts, and occupied the top 10 for an entire month. Even with the popularity boom of anime and manga in the last decade, those kinds of numbers are almost unheard of. Hopefully the anime adaptation can win its fans over and stick the landing with the adaptation of the final arc, which, in classic Demon Slayer form, will be split into an entire feature-length film trilogy. We just hope that they’re capable of sticking the landing and that the series won’t go out with a disappointed community.

Demon Slayer is available to stream on Crunchyroll. The original manga is published in English by Viz Media.