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Elijah Gonzalez @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

I wrote about the best anime premieres of the fall for But Why Tho, and we've officially entered the "every anime gets a sequel" era, with all the good and bad that entails. This season's not nearly as stacked as this summer, but it's hard to complain, given we get more Apothecary Diaries and JoJo.

butwhytho.net

The 5 Best Anime Premieres of Fall 2026 - But Why Tho?

The best anime premieres of the fall 2026 has a little bit of everything, from political intrigue to coming-of-age drama.

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Elijah Gonzalez @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Huge bummer alert: Goodbye, Lara did not stick the landing, opting for a cowardly and dramatically unsatisfying ending that failed its central queer pairing. Not a Wonder Egg priority level screw up, but still quite bad. I’d knock that down from #2 to honorable mentions and put GITS at #5.

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Elijah Gonzalez @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

I'm back to handling seasonal anime lists! I wrote about the best shows of the summer for But Why Tho?, and it wasn't easy to narrow things down: white lilies, historical dramas, and odes to creation rounded out an incredible slate.

butwhytho.net

The Best 2026 Summer Anime: This Summer Doesn't Belong To Shonen

For the 2026 Summer Anime Season, it wasn't battle shonens that dominated, it was yuri, shojo, and everything that comes with it.

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Elijah Gonzalez @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

butwhytho.net

The Best 2026 Summer Anime: This Summer Doesn't Belong To Shonen

For the 2026 Summer Anime Season, it wasn't battle shonens that dominated, it was yuri, shojo, and everything that comes with it.

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Elijah Gonzalez @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

I reviewed Marvel Tokon, a stylish, unique tag fighter that’s really grown on me the more I’ve played it. Unfortunately, coming around on the game is a bit of a curse because it means interacting with a flaming dumpster fire of a PC port. Trying to play it online is a huge bummer right now.

polygon.com

Marvel's Brilliant, Beautiful New Game Will Be Marred Forever By Its Messy Launch

The new Marvel game needs some major reworks on PC.

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Elijah Gonzalez @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

I reviewed Avatar Legends, a free-form, fast-paced fighting game that might be lacking outside online play, but makes up for it with incredibly spicy core systems. I'm really hoping the game draws in some fresh blood: fighting games can be for everyone, and this one is worth the effort.

polygon.com

Avatar: The Last Airbender officially has its first terrific video game

Avatar Legends is the best game the series has ever had

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Elijah Gonzalez @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Thanks so much to @jessicogs.bsky.social for greenlighting my first article at GameSpot! I wrote about Meccha Chameleon and how the game embraces the fun of making things in a moment where human creativity is being offloaded to AI nonsense.

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Jessica Cogswell 🌸 @jessicogs.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Had the privilege of editing the wonderful @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social for the first time and man, what an absolutely banger of a first piece for GameSpot! Highly highly recommend folks read this one 🎨✨ www.gamespot.com/articles/in-...

gamespot.com

In An Era Of AI Slop, Meccha Chameleon Embraces Human-Crafted Chaos

Meccha Chameleon is a charming, wonky creation about making charming, wonky creations. It’s human through and through.

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Elijah Gonzalez @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Nolan's The Odyssey achieves the seemingly impossible: it finds new magic in a millennia-old story. Both grandiose and granular, this bold vision seamlessly binds myth with historical truth. You wouldn't think a legend everyone knows could have a "twist," but this version does, and it's brilliant.

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Giovanni Colantonio @marioprime.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

D-topia asks big questions about the possibility of utopia in a world increasingly run by machines. But its commitment to coziness and comfort means that it never really confronts the thorny issues it only gestures at. My review. www.polygon.com/d-topia-anna...

polygon.com

Annapurna’s brand-new game is way too nuanced for its own good

D-topia puzzlingly avoids taking a stance

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Elijah Gonzalez @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

I lost a small chunk of my sanity reviewing Chainsmoker Cat, a show that puts weighty depictions of nicotine addiction next to cat girls and shitty jokes about well, shit. Add in impressive animation and an out-of-pocket masturbation joke to get a very confusing/ uneven 23 minutes of television.

polygon.com

This controversial new Netflix anime features cat girls, addiction, and lots of poop jokes

Nothing in the world can prepare you for this bizarre new Netflix anime.

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Elijah Gonzalez @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

Intense sapphic yearning with actual payoff, in this economy? While it takes a bit to get going, Botan goes from a seemingly straightforward hobby show, to an artfully presented will-they-won’t-they full of well considered imagery and double meanings. My review for the series at But Why Tho?:

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austin_walker @austinwalker.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

I will be ever grateful to Garrett for running this and my Mordor/Watch Dogs piece, but also for just letting me review like… Sid Meier’s Starships or whatever. The big critical swings were important, but the other thing that was developing a regular writing rhythm (and putting some cash in wallet).

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Isaiah D. Colbert @shineyezehuhh.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

At Paste, I got to gush over Fire Punch. I've never written so much for a blog (in the afternoon I pitched it, no less) without it feeling like work, and I have @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social to thank for taking me on. That's the type of ship they ran & it'll be missed. www.avclub.com/fire-punch-a...

avclub.com

The World Isn’t Ready For An Anime Adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Fire Punch… But Someone Should Make It Already

With Tatsuki Fujimoto's star on the rise, it's time for someone to have the guts to adapt his thorniest, most controversial work: Fire Punch.

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Marc Normandin @marcnormandin.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

too much of the industry is overly concerned about the games that people already know and are searching for because it's a business, I get that, but someone needs to care about the games that people *should* know about, and I was always allowed that chance to tell the people what they should know.

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Elijah Gonzalez @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Thanks Will! Going to take a couple weeks to recharge but then I’ll definitely be in touch.

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Garrett Martin @garrettmartin.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

hey. thanks! thanks to everybody who wrote for us, thanks to Eli, Moises, Holly, Jenn, Gita, and Maddy for helping edit it, thanks to Kirk for passing the baton, thanks to Chris for starting it up, and thanks to everybody who ever read it. see ya around.

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Zombies. The undead. You know, ghouls. @edgarallanbro.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

If you had anything you were working on for Paste that needs a home, please reach out to @skyboxcritics.com It's lousy that we have to say this every couple of months, but we'll do what we can to help out as many people as we can.

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headfallsoff @headfallsoff.com · 01/05/2026

paste games closing is disastrous. they were first place that offered me stable freelance work and their presence was invaluable to a writer like me. was down to review james bond but that’s not happening now lol. i dunno if ill be able to write games crit going forward, the field is basically gone

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Dia Lacina @dialacina.com · 01/05/2026

Well, I'd been waiting for Garrett to drop the news, but it looks like we're doing it now, so yeah... Paste Games (AV Club doesn't deserve the stolen valor) is no more. End of an era. I've been reading Paste's games coverage for years before I got to be a part of it.

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Leigh Alexander @leighalexander.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Paste published my very first game review in its print games section in 2007. Paste Games has done so much for games crit and everyone in it over the years. Sad news.

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Joshua Rivera @jmrivera.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Games criticism owes so much to Garrett Martin. Quietly one of the most influential people in the space, a guy who was happy to publish anyone that had something interesting to say. A shame AV Club is shuttering its games coverage. End of an era, long live Paste Games

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Elijah Gonzalez @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Last thing, shoutout to Paste Games and everyone who came through there over the years, y’all wrote some genuinely excellent stuff.

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Elijah Gonzalez @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Any tips on making it as a freelancer in 2026 would also be appreciated. For PR folks, feel free to add me to your newsletters at elgonzalez.gamingpress@gmail.com.

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Elijah Gonzalez @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Well, my turn to make one of these posts. Yesterday was my last day at The A.V. Club. I got laid off and the site’s Games section is basically gone. It was a pleasure working with Garrett and our freelancers. If anyone has opportunities for games/TV/film journalism or consulting please let me know.

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The A.V. Club @avclub.com · 22/04/2026

Puzzle-strategy hybrid Titanium Court is a true original, and one of this year’s best video games. Our review: www.avclub.com/titanium-cou...

avclub.com

Titanium Court is a most rare video game vision

Puzzle-strategy hybrid Titanium Court is a true original, and one of this year’s best video games. Our review:

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Elijah Gonzalez @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

I just finished the latest Paranormasight, and ya its definitely one of the best games of the year so far. Thank you Square for your sicko release tendencies and letting that team make another anthology period piece murder mystery about folklore and the weight of history.

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bee wertheimer @beewertheimer.com · 27/03/2026

i wrote about how internalized misogyny kept me from playing one of the greatest games of all time

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The A.V. Club @avclub.com · 21/03/2026

We've rounded up the best anime of winter 2026, including comedies about "torture," battle shonen brawls, and a must-watch drama. www.avclub.com/best-anime-w...

avclub.com

The 10 best anime of winter 2026

We've summed up the best anime of winter 2026, including comedies about "torture," battle shonen brawls, and a must-watch drama.

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Elijah Gonzalez @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Live-action One Piece continues to be one of the best adaptations around because it takes a very sincere approach to its source material that gets at its underlying sense of kindness and adventure while also understanding the limitations of its new medium. Also, Chopper is goddamn adorable.

avclub.com

One Piece season 2 was worth the long wait

One Piece is finally back with a great second season that once again captures the spirit of its source material.

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Elijah Gonzalez @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

The very bluntly named Shiboyugi: Playing Death Games To Put Food On The Table continues to be one of the most interesting shows in a stacked season, and I wrote about how its thoughtful visual presentation confronts anime's tendency for fan service.

avclub.com

Shiboyugi and its death games violently confront anime voyeurism

Shiboyugi is a death game show that critiques commonplace anime voyeurism and fan service via its cold camera work.

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Elijah Gonzalez @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

I wrote about Medalist and how if you want to learn the strategy behind figure skating (or want to become deeply emotionally invested and cry about figure skating), just in time for the final Olympic competitions, then it’s the show for you.

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Elijah Gonzalez @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

For Love Week at The A.V. Club, I got a chance to write about the excellent VN Misericorde and how its queer hot mess disaster protagonist struggles against her own deeply entrenched religious beliefs.

avclub.com

In Misericorde, queer love and attraction are weighed down by the cross

Misericorde is a sharp visual novel about 15th century nuns that conveys the crushing weight of queer repression.

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Elijah Gonzalez @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

I got a chance to write about last week’s episode of Jujutsu Kaisen which, despite my issues with the show in general, delivered the kind of woman-led badassery that battle shonen so rarely give us. Incredible direction, sharp animation, and some hilarious use of slow mo (punch that twink!).

avclub.com

Jujutsu Kaisen's most incisive episode cuts the patriarchy to bits

Jujutsu Kaisen's latest episode was arguably the series' best, a sharply directed action scene that gave us a reason to care.

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Elijah Gonzalez @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

Silksong's secret final stretch has stuck with me, and not just because it was Team Cherry at its most sadistic. Like the rest of the game its difficulty feels quite purposeful.

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Elijah Gonzalez @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

I put together our winter anime premiere list, and it's an absolutely packed season. There are the knowns—Frieren, Oshi no Ko, JJK, etc.—but what really sets it over are the surprises: Journal With Witch is thoughtful, SHIBOYUGI is deeply upsetting, and You And I Are Polar Opposites is adorkable.

avclub.com

The 10 best anime premieres of winter 2026

The winter 2026 anime season is looking like one of the most stacked lineups in recent memory, and we've summarized the ten best shows.

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Elijah Gonzalez @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

I wrote about Despelote, and how it’s unique presentation paves a way forward for new forms of documentary storytelling.

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Elijah Gonzalez @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

I wrote about how even though anime is more popular than ever, the studios that actually create these shows continue to earn an alarmingly small percentage of the profits, leaving animators underpaid and overworked.

avclub.com

Despite critical and financial success, 2025 continued the anime industry's "profitless boom"

Despite record revenue, an uptick in global popularity, and an excellent lineup of shows, the anime industry continued to struggle in 2025.

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Elijah Gonzalez @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

avclub.com

Despite critical and financial success, 2025 continued the anime industry's "profitless boom"

Despite record revenue, an uptick in global popularity, and an excellent lineup of shows, the anime industry continued to struggle in 2025.

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Elijah Gonzalez @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

I put together The A.V. Club's best anime of 2025 list; this year was rounded out by moving historical epics, queer body horror, and plenty of wonderful weirdos. Also, if you've been hoping for general pop culture sites to pay more attention to anime, AVC will do so going forward, spread the word!

avclub.com

The A.V. Club's 10 best anime of 2025

2025 delivered a wide range of worthwhile anime for both newcomers and anime veterans alike. After plumbing the depths, here are the 10 best.

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Elijah Gonzalez @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

avclub.com

The A.V. Club's 10 best anime of 2025

2025 delivered a wide range of worthwhile anime for both newcomers and anime veterans alike. After plumbing the depths, here are the 10 best.

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