■Fist of the North Star Fist of the North Star is a Japanese manga series written by Buronson and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara. It was serialized in Shueisha’s shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump for 245 issues published from 1983 to 1988 and initially collected in 27 tankōbon volumes under the Jump Comics imprint.
The head-exploding Fist of the North Star returns in a new 2026 special re-make using modern CGI (computer generated imagery) animation technique.
While, I personally like the new details and smooth motion, I know fans have not liked the new series – often complaining about the CGI. I do find traditional animation charming, but I also recognize its limitation and lack of details. I, for one, do like the modern art style.
Now that the negative is out of the way, this new series is basically a re-telling/re-mastering/re-make of the original 1983 anime, which was based on the original weekly manga by Buronson and Tetsuo Hara. With over 100 million copies sold, Fist of the North Star is one of the best-selling and most influential manga series of all time.
Since I’m so familiar with the source material (and the original anime), none of the episodes in the new series surprised me and I was rather bored of it (knowing exactly where it’s headed and all the mysteries). It adds nothing new – except for the new, detailed CGI artwork.
I shouldn’t complain that much, because the new series is really meant for new readers or viewers, who have never seen the original and hopefully the (old) story will inspire and make Kenshiro fans. So, if you’ve never seen Fist of the North Star, I feel this is the series you should watch. It starts from the beginning of a mysterious man with the seven scars, walking through the desert. As the first episode ends, you realized he’s probably the most powerful man in the world.
Dorohedoro (2026)
The second season of Dorohedoro just kicked off last month… six years after “my new favorite anime” of 2020 came out. As I suspected, I lost all memory of the first season, so watching the new series I was totally lost. I recommend re-watching the first series (which I didn’t take my own advice).
I had to look up why it took so long for the second season, it turned out that the animation studio, Studio MAPPA, was busy with other projects like Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan, Vinland Saga, and the popular Chainsaw Man (which even got a movie made!).
Watch Season 2, I was really impressed with all the unique art style and details. The company uses CGI and 3D style, but it looks good and it looks hand-crafted. It was slow-building as we focused on the assassins and their adventure in a haunted house in the first episode of Season 2. What a weird way to start the new series… and, in fact, we don’t get to see our heroes, the girl (Nikaido) and the lizardman (Caiman) until the second episode.
I might have mentioned how silly the first season was, I think the comedy has almost double, especially when Caiman shows up and it’s like full-on comedy hour.
It got so bad that I started fast-forwarding some scenes, because I felt like it wasn’t moving the story forward. I mean why are we spending so much time with these joke-characters?
When the show is good, is when there are gruesome fights and encounters. This season, we’re introduced to a new big bad. He’s so dangerous, even the mushroom villain doesn’t stand a chance against him.
My biggest criticisms about the show are that no one ever really stay dead. How many times have we seen characters gets murdered… only a few episodes later, they resurrected them? It’s because this world has this weird black power magic that can bring back anyone.
Anime Awards
Celebrating the 10th Anniversary, this May, is Crunchyroll Anime Awards. This year they are bringing in global icon and long-time anime fan The Weeknd to the Award show on Saturday, May 23, 2026 in Tokyo, Japan. Crunchyroll subscribers can watch the live stream day and date.
The award show is fueled by fan voting their favorite anime, helping to decide the winners for 32 categories—including the Anime of the Year (recipient to be presented by The Weeknd).
The Weeknd talked about how important Anime is to his life:
When I was first introduced to anime, I was a child. Sailor Moon was one of my first crushes, Goku my first imaginary sparring partner, and “One More Time” by Daft Punk was a song and music video I couldn’t get out of my head.
But it wasn’t until my teenage years that one specific anime changed me forever and became part of the fabric of my early career: Samurai Champloo by Shinichiro Watanabe. It was the first time I experienced two of my favorite mediums—anime and hip hop—blending so seamlessly that it completely reshaped the way I watched film and listened to music.
The fusion of a samurai story told with auteur precision, paired with the sounds of Nujabes, Fat Jon, and Force of Nature was nothing short of transformative.
That influence stayed with me all the way through the creation of House of Balloons, where I wrote “The Morning,” “Glass Table Girls,” and “Loft Music” over Nujabes’ instrumentals. Without Watanabe and Nujabes, House of Balloons simply wouldn’t exist.
Samurai Champloo opened my eyes to a more mature world of anime and helped shape my visual DNA. The works of Satoshi Kon, Mamoru Oshii, and Katsuhiro Otomo became foundational to the look and feel of The Weeknd.
So it’s safe to say I wouldn’t be here without anime. It’s an honor to celebrate the artists behind it and a medium that continues to inspire the world.
Official Hige Dandism
J-Pop group Official Hige Dandism (or Higedan for short) announced their first screening of concert film at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres, in Hollywood, California, on Sunday, May 17, 2026. The film captures the final performance at the Nissan Stadium in Yokohama from their first-ever stadium tour “OFFICIAL HIGE DANDISM LIVE at STADIUM 2025”, which drew a total audience of approximately 250,000 people.
If you don’t know who they are, you may have heard their song “Cry Baby” and “White Noise” for the anime Tokyo Revengers, “Mixed Nuts” for SPY x FAMILY, and “Same Blue” for Blue Box.
Event Details
OFFICIAL HIGE DANDISM LIVE at STADIUM 2025
Special Screening in Hollywood
Date: Sunday, May 17, 2026
Start Time: 6:30 PM
Venue: TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
6801 Hollywood Blvd, Ste 335, Los Angeles, CA 90028
*Exclusive sticker for attendees
*All seats are general admission (unassigned).
Ticket Information: On sale starting April 24 at 12:00 PM (Los Angeles time).
■ Fist of the North Star
