Hey, everyone!

Here’s what’s going in the world of Anime today:

• Black Butler returns with the Public School arc.

• Recommendation: The World's Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat

• AniFest starts on March 30th!

• Toonami pays tribute to Akira Toriyama with Dragon Ball Z marathon

Black Butler is returning on April 13th!

Your favorite demon butler is back! Sebastian and Ciel have been tasked with going undercover in one of the most prestigious colleges in England, Weston College, as The Queen’s Watchdogs.

Mystery, action, and horror await.

They are tasked to go to this school to investigate the disappearance of several students. Normally that wouldn’t seem so bad, but one of the students that have disappeared is a relative to the Queen. He goes by the name Derrick and the Queen wants him found, or at least to know what happened to him.

The World’s Finest Assassin is a hidden gem in the Isekai world.

The anime did pretty well when it aired back in 2021 but it’s still pretty unheard of today. It follows the normal Isekai reincarnation trope but adds a little more edge to it. It follows an older gentleman, known only by the alias Allen Smith, who had become one of the best assassins in the world.

He was wise enough to know that eventually all assassins are disposed of like the tools they are. He saw himself as such a tool, and, to his anticipation, he was disposed of as well. In his dying moments, a goddess impressed by his talents gives him another option besides death.

More than just an assassin.

He was reborn as Lugh Tuatha De, a nobleman born from a doctor. Having been an assassin, he already knew biology and human anatomy well. He quickly became skilled in the new world's ways. Meanwhile, he continued training like he always had when he was an assassin. A deadly aristocrat indeed.

AniFest 2024 is almost here!

AniFest is returning to the Torrance Cultural Arts Center in California on March 30th! The one day festival has become pretty popular for its quality over the last few years and this year looks to be more of the same!

From Maid Cafes to local Idols to anime merch galore, if you’re in the Torrance area this is a must go! Prices on tickets aren’t so bad, but time is running out! It’s $25 for a regular attendee, $50 for a supporter badge, and $200 for a full ride supreme badge!

A day of pure fun for every type of anime fan!

If Idols and live music aren’t your thing, you’ll be happy to see their huge merch area. You buy everything from anime themed clothes to stickers and posters and even figures!

Toonami pays tribute to Akira Toriyama.

Last weekend, Toonami held a Dragon Ball Z marathon in honor of the late Akira Toriyama. Back in the late 90s, Toonami wasn’t very popular. They were just starting out as a television network and finding their place within the same channel as Cartoon Network started off simple. They played cartoons. What else could they do?

Until one day, Dragon Ball Z appears.

Toonami decided to start airing Dragon Ball Z in 1998, where the series gained unexpected traction. Funimation and Toonami continued to work on an English dub after the success with the first 2 seasons, and that snowballed into Funimation’s and Toonami’s success. If it wasn’t for Dragon Ball Z, Toonami may have never gotten as popular as it is today.

In the small tribute Tom says “Back in 98’ Dragon Ball Z put Toonami on the map.” followed by Sara saying “And the Dragon Ball Franchise has been our rock ever since.” It’s clear to see the love and respect Toonami had for the late Toriyama.

Fun Fact:

The anime Black Butler has been popular for many years now. Many don’t know, however, that the butler’s name has a hidden meaning. Sebastian Michealis was summoned by Ciel, and so he works for him as payment. Because the setting is in England, his name sounds fine. But his last name holds a secret Japanese meaning: Michealis is a play on the word Mikaeri, which has a literal translation of “Repayment”!

An Otaku’s Commentary