Cons and Concerts: Ogiue Maniax Status Update for September 2026

August was very busy! I attended Otakon at the start of the month, then had a whirlwind of an Anime NYC a few weekends later, where I probably attended more music events than I probably should have.

I’m still trying to play catch-up on all my posts, while also trying to make any timely posts (especially those with limited time frames for watching, like VTuber concerts.

And then all these big celebrities with influence in nerd circles and beyond keep passing away! I plan to write a little something, but it’s kind of overwhelming and a stark reminder that time is ticking away. Fun.

Big thanks to this months Patreon members, with especially big thanks to those below:

General:

Ko Ransom

Diogo Prado

Alex

Dsy

Sue Hopkins fans:

Serxeid

Hato Kenjirou fans:

Elizabeth

Yajima Mirei fans:

Machi-Kurada

Blog Highlights from August

My first of two Otakon interviews!

A review and a tribute.

I like many VTubers, but how many can pull out the opening to Daitarn 3 or something?

Kio Shimoku

Kind of a sparse month, which I’m thankful for.

Closing

This month was unusually mecha-tacular. All the more appropriate that I’m finally making time to play through Super Robot Wars Y.

And of course, I have to say it: Till all are one.

Kio Shimoku Twitter Highlights August 2026

A relatively sparse month for August.

All of Dekapai Kishi Matari Tooru! (a manga about a big-boobed female knight) was available to read for free. Kio read through everything at once, which left his head spinning (in a good way).

Kio has been recording a bunch of summer anime.

Celebrating the appearance of the Yamato 1 in the 2026 Ghost in the Shell (I think? Will update with better context once I’ve watched it).

Kio has always had two external hard drives he uses for backups. He’s had to get a new one recently, when the cost of hardware has increased.

Kio bought tickets for both the Chiikawa movie and the latest part of Patlabor EZY.

Kio has been doing manuscripts seemingly nonstop for the past two years.

After some hard work, Kio got some ice cream.

A model kit of the AAA Wunder from Evangelion!

Kio won an opportunity to attend a live viewing of How Do You Like Wednesday?

Strong Summer Sun: Ogiue Maniax Status Update for August 2026

July was the start of a new anime season, and what an incredible summer lineup. I’m actually worried that I don’t have enough time to watch everything I’d like, which includes Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongol, Ghost in the Shell (2026), Goodbye Lara, Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games, and so on. And that’s not even mentioning how good Star Detective Precure! has been. I’ll have to pick and choose my battles, and have enough faith in myself that I’ll circle back around to watch what I couldn’t get to initially.

You may have noticed that the past month’s blog posts have been even more VTuber-tacular than normal. There just happened to be a number of concert streams I watched and wanted to review before their watch periods expired, and the result is my heaviest month in terms of that subject matter. I don’t expect the same will happen in August.

Here are this month’s special Patreon members, whom I thank for their support:

General:

Ko Ransom

Diogo Prado

Alex

Dsy

Sue Hopkins fans:

Serxeid

Hato Kenjirou fans:

Elizabeth

Yajima Mirei fans:

Machi-Kurada

Blog Highlights from July

I didn’t attend in person this time, but I still enjoyed the hell out of hololive EN’s 4th concert.

Now this was unexpected! Two of my favorite things, together? I hope this draws more eyes to both Thunderbolt Fantasy and hololive.

Rooster Fighter surprised me in the best way. I hope you check out this review and the series.

Kio Shimoku

Kio gives some thoughts about new versions of old classics.

Closing

A new hololive mobile game came out, and while it’s pretty fun, I’m wary of the way these things try to monopolize all my attention. I actively have tried to avoid doing dailies because I know they’re an insidiously easy time sink. I’ll have to let you all know if I’ve fallen victim to its charms by September.

Also, by the time this goes out, Otakon will be wrapping up. Hope it was a good con for all attending!

Kio Shimoku Twitter Highlights July 2026

This month, Kio visits the Afternoon exhibit and gives thoughts about the new Ghost in the Shell anime.

Kio dreads (correctly) the chances of Japan getting through the World Cup when their potential path includes Brazil, Morocco, and France.

Genderswap character art for Kio’s Star Wars parody, Sister Wars. Luke Skywalker was raised as a boy (father is Padmé, mother is Anakin), Han is basically Han, and Leia is an otoko no ko.

Kio explains that Sister Wars is not necessarily a “genderswap” alternate universe but one where only girls are allowed to become Jedi, and to defy that, some hide their gender.

Kio watched the new Ghost in the Shell and was grinning all the way through.

“If we say it’s all technically Ghost in the Shell, can we adapt all of Masamune Shirow’s works?”

Wishing fellow manga artist Kusada a happy birthday. (Kio interacts with Kusada pretty often.)

Kio likes the Dodge Danko anime.

Kio is impressed by Asano Inio’s 3D modeling of a room and shows his own attempt at 3D modeling he gave up on.

The official account for the mascot of anime store Fantasista reposts Kio’s drawing of her. She recommends everyone read Hashikko Ensemble.

Kio excited about the television airing schedule for Patlabor EZY File 2.

After the World Cup finals, Kio gives his thoughts. He’s impressed by Messi as always. He also finds it interesting that what ultimately overcame Argentina was not the power, technique, and speed of France, but rather the way Spain evaded and made Argentina crumble. He also jokes that defeating Argentina meant engaging in duels rather than playing a game.

Showing off the photo spot for the Genshiken exhibit at the Afternoon 40th Anniversary exhibit. According to Kio, it’s the color spread from a particular chapter.

Some ads for the exhibit, featuring Genshiken and Big Wind-Up.

Kio at the exhibit!

The 2026 Ghost in the Shell adapts the manga chapters “Revolt of the Robots” and “The Making of a Cyborg” in a pretty direct manner, which is pretty surprising to Kio. He thinks they worked well adapting to anime, and he likes the conversation between Batou and the Fuchikoma.

Kio finds the use of Ohtsuka Akio (the original voice of Batou) here interesting in a funny way.

Cooked Like Hot Dogs: Ogiue Maniax Status Update for July 2026

This month, I feel incredibly fortunate to have a good life, and I wish to have a country that could provide good fortune to others, now more than ever. I don’t know how long it would take, but I hope we can someday live in a place where all the xenophobia, sexism, racism, and continuous trampling of the poor are no longer systemically baked into everything. I want people to love and thrive and not be so punished for things beyond their control.

Thank you to my Patreon members below for their generosity!

General:

Ko Ransom

Diogo Prado

Alex

Dsy

Sue Hopkins fans:

Serxeid

Hato Kenjirou fans:

Elizabeth

Yajima Mirei fans:

Machi-Kurada

Blog Highlights from June

Competitive Pokémon used to be one of my biggest loves in life, so revisiting it through Pokémon Champions has been a time.

My review of the second Gundam Hathaway movie. My review title is a little tongue-in-cheek, but I promise that it’s not a big joke.

Happy Birthday to Dooby.

Kio Shimoku

Kio hits some interesting topics this month…

Closing

There are a lot of VTuber concerts this month, including from hololive, so I get the feeling I’m going to be writing a lot about them. I don’t intend to make July nothing but those, but no guarantees!

Also, I watched the first episode of F.D Signifier’s Goon World, which is about the sheer unavoidable volume of pornographic material that people encounter these days, and the myriad complexities that come out of living in that world. It’s a topic I’ve been thinking a lot about myself in recent years (especially with how the internet encourages parasocial interactions), and I’m glad someone like F.D is tackling such a difficult topic.

Kio Shimoku Twitter Highlights June 2026

This month, Kio comments a bunch on his titles for the Monthly Afternoon 40th Anniversary exhibit. 

Also, it turns out that he drew a short comic about how he became a fan of futanari.

Manga author panpanya drew the final web bonus for Rakuen, which involves exploring a store based on all the different Rakuen titles. Kio comments “Heh-heh-heh, what a suspicious store this. How wonderful…”

The Afternoon 40th Anniversary exhibit has Genshiken acrylic panels for sale, featuring panels from the original manga.

The Afternoon exhibit highlights Kio’s Yonensei, to which Kio responds that he can feel his blood pressure rising.

To celebrate the 500th issue of Young Comic, the magazine interviewed various creators about their fetishes, and Kio drew a short informational comic about his fondness for futanari. Kio comments that the preview thumbnail makes it look like he’s calling himself a futanari

(I’ll probably write a summary of Kio’s entry and post it to the blog in the near future.)

Anniversary exhibit entries for Genshiken Nidaime and Hashikko Ensemble. Kio thinks the color is strange on the Hashikko Ensemble cover.

Kimi Rito (author of The History of Hentai) comments that Kio’s love of futanari was conveyed quite yell, to which Kio responds with hearts.

Kio comments further that it was supposed to be futanari but he wandered off topic some. Nevertheless, it was a fun gig.

Exhibit entry for Gonensei.

Kio went to the exhibit for Parasyte. He still finds it to be a most bizarre and interesting work.

Having watched the World Cup match between Japan and the Netherlands, Kio says that getting a tie score demonstrates that the Japan team isn’t just for show, and that they have what it takes to win.

Watching Ueda Ayase play is also apparently quite the rollercoaster.

Kio started trying out “hard light layers” for color illustrations, and it’s working surprisingly well.

Running for Time: Ogiue Maniax Status Update for June 2026

This past month was lighter on anime and manga–specific content for that reason, which I hope to rectify.

My mind feels like it’s in a whirl. There are a lot of things I want to write about anime-wise, but I find myself unable to get everything out there in a timely fashion. On a personal level, I think I’m struggling with writing well and putting out insightful commentary. I’m shooting from the hip pretty often, for better or for worse.

June is actually a month I look forward to, though, as it’s an important time for me. I have many plans, and I look forward to some memorable experiences.

Thank you to my Patreon members below for their generosity!

General:

Ko Ransom

Diogo Prado

Alex

Dsy

Sue Hopkins fans:

Serxeid

Hato Kenjirou fans:

Elizabeth

Yajima Mirei fans:

Machi-Kurada

Blog Highlights from May

It was a great time, and I hope they come back for a second year

The hololive Gen concert I’d been waiting for.

The first of multiple planned reviews of curry restaurants in Japan, based on a trip from earlier this year.

Kio Shimoku

Kio gives his thoughts on Patlabor EZY, Ghost in the Shell, and more.

Closing

It’s also been a hell of a time as a VTuber fan, between a Haachama anniversary message that’s trying to bring hope after some serious turmoil, two graduations from V4Mirai, and more. Since Saturday, I find myself listening to the final cover from Komo Dokueki (the Mahoromatic opening) and Serina Maiko’s cover of “Secret Base.”

Kio Shimoku Twitter Highlights May 2026

Kio read the first volume of Kuroda Iou’s new manga, Sendou Yasugorou, and loved the realism and sense of tension. (Incidentally, Kuroda is one of my favorite manga artists stylistically, so I gotta check it out!)

Kio also loves Kuroda’s manga Nasu: Summer in Andalusia, as well as the film based on it. (I didn’t realize the movie was based on a work by Kuroda Iou!)

I’m including some replies to this that I haven’t translated or summarized so I can go back to them once I have proper context.

The sound of Kio’s tortoise walking around is distracting him as he tries to work on a manuscript.

Kio drew supportive fanart for the series Prince Sun Wanna Be a Wife, which is an otoko no ko/femboy series.

A quote tweet of someone who’s correcting a mistaken assumption about an old Animage cover featuring Kiki from Kiki’s Delivery Service. The erroneous belief is that the cover depicts Kiki three years after the events of the film, but it’s actually supposed to be how she looks and dresses before the events of the film.

Kio recalls reading this issue in middle school, and that it showed how Kiki looks when riding a broom in this outfit.

Kio watched The Sheep Detectives after getting a good impression from the previews. Apparently it’s quite the emotional rollercoaster.

Kio tried Blender for the first time in a long while, and his brain is exhausted.

He watched the new Patlabor EZY File 01, and felt that it was very much a modern-day Yuki Masami series and very Patlabor. Cognizant of the old OVAs, Kio is anticipating some major storylines to develop.

Kio’s tortoise was showing some bravery by stepping outside their home, but quickly came back because it was too cold.

In a Twitter discussion about works people expect might never get a real ending, one title that popped up is Pandora in the Crimson Shell by Shirow Masamune and Koshi Rikudo, which was expected to never conclude but then suddenly came back with a proper conclusion.

In response to the initial tweet, another person talks about how those who criticize Shirow’s works for not having endings do not understand the world of Shirow and the entertainment his manga provide. Kio in turn says that when it comes to incomplete Shirow stuff, he mainly thinks of Appleseed rather than Ghost in the Shell, but that he’s grateful for getting a complete series in the form of Pandora in the Crimson Shell.

Kio makes a pun here, basically saying he feels grateful with all his “ghost,” playing off of the Japanese zenshin zenrei (with all my body and soul) and the idea of the “ghost” as one’s soul/consciousness from Ghost in the Shell.

Kio upgraded to Clip Studio Paint 5.0. He’s normally not so comfortable with new features, but he thinks he might be able to make good use of Smart Shape.

He wants to play Forza Horizon 6.

A Completely Real One Piece Theory: The True TRUE Identity of Imu Revealed!!!!!!

I present to you a very real and thoroughly researched theory that will shake the foundation of One Piece and its lore: I have figured out the true identity of Imu.

No, I don’t mean that he is the secret centuries-old ruler of the world. Nor am I talking about his recent face reveal. Rather, I am certain that Imu is actually the reincarnation of Jack Dawson (as played by Leonardo DiCaprio) from the film Titanic.

Evidence 1

Imu is king of the world in One Piece. Jack famously says the aspirational phrase, “I’m king of the world!” He has found a way to fulfill his desire in his new life.

Evidence 2

Imu has some kind of negative relationship with his ocean-covered world and is antagonistic towards its nautical culture and the pirates who inhabit it. Jack died after having to escape the Titanic, and I believe this grudge against water and boats has carried on.

Evidence 3

Imu also has a grudge against the giants in One Piece. In other words, he is the antagonistic towards a titanic race of people.

Evidence 4

Imu has some kind of connection with a woman from his past: Nefeltari D. Lily. James fell in love with Rose Dewitt Bukater. Both women have flowers in their names (Lily, Rose). Imu is also obsessed with the clan of D, and Rose was a D(ewitt).

Evidence 5

The first chapter of One Piece is titled “Romance Dawn.” James’s last name is DAWsoN.

Looking Ahead

I am absolutely confident that as the story further unfolds, more proof for my theory will surface in the pages of One Piece

(In all seriousness, I plan to write a real post about Imu, but that’ll have to be for another time.)

May the 1st Be with You, Everyone: Ogiue Maniax Status Update for May 2026

April somehow felt both much too fast and far too slow, but here I am on the other side. I haven’t had quite as much time to watch anime as I’d like, but I have been enjoying the hell out of Witch Hat Atelier.

I’m still worried about the fate of our world, but what else is new. Seeing people’s voting rights taken away as the war and violence rob people of their humanity makes me feel helpless at times, but I also always know I can do more. Life is good for me at the moment, and I should use that for the benefit of others.

Thank you this month to my Patreon members, and the following cool folks.

General:

Ko Ransom

Diogo Prado

Alex

Dsy

Sue Hopkins fans:

Serxeid

Hato Kenjirou fans:

Elizabeth

Yajima Mirei fans:

Machi-Kurada

Blog Highlights from April

Some thoughts on the Soul of Chogokin Shinkalion E5 Hayabusa.

My review and report of the hololive Drawn to Dawn concert featuring Takanashi Kiara and Ninomae Ina’nis

One of my favorite manga authors got a new anime! Do you like…Kamen Rider?

Kio Shimoku

I wrote two very important posts related to Kio Shimoku this month, so I hope you’ll check them out! While it’s more a mindset than anything else, Ogiue Maniax was close to being 50% Ogi this month.

Closing

Congratulations to VTuber REM Kanashibari for her 100,000 subscriber celebration! She’s been one of my faves for a while, so it was great seeing her hit such a major milestone.