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Alex Holt-Cohan

A conversation with Philltomato

interview Featured

A conversation with Philltomato

If you’ve ever watched early 2000’s Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon then Philtomato’s work will hit you like a truck. He takes just about every cartoon and anime character you can think of and uses them to create these layered pieces that hit you in new ways every time.

New Panty & Stocking With Garterbelt is back, to internet punch you in the Eyeholes

New Panty & Stocking With Garterbelt is back, to internet punch you in the Eyeholes

In My Interview with two of the three directors, Hiroyuki Imaishi discussed Panty and stalking as a Kind of creative playground where his team and he could freely experiment with creative ideas and concepts. Imaishi also spoke about the importance of not specifically offending individual viewers. That might surprise you

Dan Da Dan season 02: 2 Found 2 Family

Dan Da Dan season 02: 2 Found 2 Family

It’s hard to do something that feels truly fresh on the Shonen action space. This is for a bunch of different reasons one primary on is that the Shonen Jump formula topically dictates how the flow of your average story goes, that’s why so many stories in the

A conversation with Jessica Luna AKA @_eatslugs

interview Featured

A conversation with Jessica Luna AKA @_eatslugs

Being a fan of anime can take many forms, and while it’s not a requirement of fandom, many people choose to contribute to the culture of anime fandom meaningfully. For decades, young artists have flocked to art schools, hoping to one day find a place in the creative world

Why Tougen Anki Feels Like Every Other Shonen Anime You’ve Ever Seen

Why Tougen Anki Feels Like Every Other Shonen Anime You’ve Ever Seen

There's a saying in art, "good artists borrow, great artists steal," but what happens when artists copy those that came before with little regard for why what came before worked?

¥£$: Anime That Count Every Yen

Article Featured

¥£$: Anime That Count Every Yen

As I write this, Amarican anime fandom is currently facing a genuine hurdle, with the dual challenges of the elimination of the de minimis exemption, a rule that exempts all goods under $800 from import taxes and the tariffs being imposed across the board by the US, resulting in many

FLCL: The Cult Classic That Defined a Generation of Anime Fans

FLCL: The Cult Classic That Defined a Generation of Anime Fans

Acast Embed Player (377a84a64c1c2ad341d434d7b5fd740d87cc6381) It’s hard to explain the hold FLCL has on a generation of American anime fans. It’s the cult classic that everyone has seen, everyone has some real thoughts about, and basically nobody’s happy to see beaten like a dead horse in the name

Before Evangelion: The Wild, Weird Origins of Gainax in Otaku no Video

Before Evangelion: The Wild, Weird Origins of Gainax in Otaku no Video

Outaku No Video was created during a time when anime was not yet widely popular. It is part mockumentary, part traditional story, recounting the birth of the now infamous Studio Gainax, which is responsible for some of the most influential shows in the medium of animation, let alone anime. Recently,

Panty & Stocking Returns After 15 Years: Studio Trigger’s Imaishi & Wakabayashi on Reviving the Cult Classic

Anime NYC Featured

Panty & Stocking Returns After 15 Years: Studio Trigger’s Imaishi & Wakabayashi on Reviving the Cult Classic

Panty and Stocking has, since its first episode, been unique even in the Medium of anime. Watching it feels more like you're watching a Powerpuff Girls-era Cartoon Network show rather than your standard anime, or it would if it weren't unapologetically obscene, intensely violent, and if

When Anime Came in the Mail: The Forgotten Era of Promo DVDs

When Anime Came in the Mail: The Forgotten Era of Promo DVDs

Back in the early 2000s, before the advent of streaming and fully Digital media, watching anime was very different. If you wanted to watch something on TV, you had to sit down at a set time every week and tune in. Streaming wasn’t an option. There were, on demand

Con Report: Anime NYC 2025

Con Report: Anime NYC 2025

Episode Notes – Bento Radio Episode Title: Anime NYC 2025: Cosplay, Press Access, and the Heart of Fandom Episode Summary: Alex takes you inside Anime NYC 2025 with a full press recap—cosplay highlights, panel deep-dives, screenings, and the communal magic of one of the East Coast’s biggest anime conventions.

Anime NYC’s New 4-Day Format Ends with a Classic Con Farewell

Anime NYC’s New 4-Day Format Ends with a Classic Con Farewell

Lot’s of people lament the end of a con and often wish there was more to do, but if you’re willing to to go to something you’ve never heard of you can find panels that become yearly traditions.

The Hardest Part of Anime NYC? Choosing What NOT to Miss

The Hardest Part of Anime NYC? Choosing What NOT to Miss

Usally when I go to conventions there’s at least one day where I spend the entire day in panel rooms. In the days of Liberty city it was because I was a panelist But, theses days it‘s as a member of the press.

Anime NYC Day Two Reminded Me Why We Go to Cons

Anime NYC Day Two Reminded Me Why We Go to Cons

I’m fortunate enough to to attend Anime NYC as Press and with guests and panels in full swing on the conventions first full day it was a packed day Kicking off with a Press Confrance style interview with Hiroyuki Imaishi and Hiromi Wakabayashi. Then it was time to hit

Genshiken: The Anime That Defined What It Means to Be an Otaku

Genshiken: The Anime That Defined What It Means to Be an Otaku

Podcast Notes: Step into the world of Genshiken, the cult-classic anime about college otaku life, cosplay, doujinshi, and the friendships that form around fandom. In this episode of Bento Radio, Alex breaks down what makes Genshiken so unique, how it reflected otaku culture during the anime bubble (late 90s–2010s)

From Vendors to Vibes: Why Anime NYC’s First Day Felt Strange

From Vendors to Vibes: Why Anime NYC’s First Day Felt Strange

bigger and longer than ever yet something’s missing. after the first Day of anime nyc I’m left with this nagging feeling that there’s something different from the cons I used to roam. That could be that the organizers have extended the con to Thursday afternoon and the

Shimoneta & The Fight Against Censorship

Shimoneta & The Fight Against Censorship

Podcast Notes: In this episode of Bento Radio, Alex explores Shimoneta: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn’t Exist, the outrageous ecchi comedy that hides a sharp commentary on censorship, free expression, and society’s relationship with sexuality. From its over-the-top humor to its surprisingly relevant

Bento Radio Season 2 Episode 10 Brand New Animal

Podcast Notes: In this episode of Bento Radio, host Alex delves into the intersection of anime and real-world issues, focusing on the Netflix series "Brand New Animal" (BNA), produced by Studio Trigger and directed by Yoh Yoshinari. Alex begins with updates about attending Anime NYC as press and

Gambare!

How to be a new hire, an anime-based guide to career success It can be intimidating to step into a new career, especially right out of college. Luckily, anime comes from a culture that values the ability to become an outstanding and dependable employee. While the medium has depicted “black