I'm always excited to see the latest Otaku USA magazine come in the mail. It's a gorgeous publication full of great articles by awesome people. And also, I love writing for it. I'm already excited to tell as many people as possible about anime I think they'll like, and this is (potentially) my biggest platform to do so.

For June 2023, I've got a trio of pieces: two reviews and a feature. This was one of those issues that got me to sniff out at least one series I wasn't as familiar with, and I'm glad I did.

First, though, reviews.

Any day I get to write about Lupin the Third is a good day, to be honest. While Part 6 isn't my favorite season, it's still pretty sharp. I steer clear of spoilers in my review—it's how I try to be in anything I write for the magazine, unless the statute of limitations is well and truly past. I knew coming in that this was a divisive season, and I can see why.

My full opinions on it are in the magazine, of course, but there's one thing I didn't get to bring up: the dub. It's a Tony Oliver/Richard Epcar joint, and the dub cast they lead is super-strong and does things with a lot of care. Oliver really hits it out of the park at the end of the Witch & Gentleman storyline especially. What was odd, though, was that all the British characters had American accents. A weird choice, and one I still can't get my head around. Then again, this is a season of weird choices.

For my second review, I revisit Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun. I will admit a slight bias toward this series, as I am long-time friends with the dub voice of Ronove Romiere. But I do legitimately like this series, and I love where the third season goes. Again, further details in the article itself.

Previously, I did a feature-length write-up on season 2. I can't for the life of me remember which issue that was in; but if you can find it, I'm a bit happy with it, so give it a read.

Last but not least... it's cover story time! Arknights: Prelude to Dawn was very new to me, as the mobile game from which it originates is not one of the few I play. (These days I'm a Disney Twisted-Wonderland girl.) There were a lot of really fantastic things this show did in terms of serving as a mobile game tie-in, though. And considering the game itself is already lauded for its art and lore, it's only fair that the anime adaptation measures up.

This is based on a tower defense game, by the way. Anime is wild.

If you're interested in reading these for yourself, grab a copy on your local newsstand or order online. Let me know what you thought! I'm always really happy to know when my features hit right for people, and when I'm giving ink to a show people don't get to see represented much.

On that note, I've just turned in my pieces for the next issue, and I get to cover some winter series I'm extra passionate about. You'll know when it drops.