Kiran Kane

Kiran Kane is a San Diego-based journalist and photojournalist covering anime, gaming, entertainment and culture. His reporting, criticism and photography have appeared in AnimeTV, The Daily Aztec and Mesa Press, with work spanning breaking news, interviews, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major conventions and live events. His work has been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists and the Journalism Association of Community Colleges. Kane is a U.S. Navy veteran.

AnimeTV チェーン •

Review: 'The Ninth Jedi' Forges the Best Star Wars Story in Years — and It Took an Anime Studio to Do It | AnimeTV

There is a moment midway through “Star Wars: Visions Presents — The Ninth Jedi” when a lightsaber ignites and the color is wrong.Not wrong as in a continuity error. Wrong as in diagnostic. Wrong as in the blade has looked at the person holding it, taken a reading and delivered a verdict the character was not ready to hear. In eight episodes, Production I.G. does something Lucasfilm’s live-action output has spent a decade failing to manage: it makes the lightsaber mean something again.The limited...
The Daily Aztec •

Snapdragon Stadium’s Olympic soccer selection spotlights San Diego’s growing game

Snapdragon Stadium’s selection as a venue for Olympic soccer at the LA28 Summer Olympics is more than a scheduling note. For San Diego, it is a signal that the region’s soccer identity is moving onto a global stage, with San Diego State University positioned at the center of the experience.
The venue sits on SDSU’s Mission Valley campus, where the stadium has become a significant year-round site for major events. In 2028, that role will expand as international teams and fans arrive for Olympic m...
AnimeTV チェーン •

Yoshino Aoyama Brings Yumeka Kido’s Hidden Pain to “Blue Box” Season 2 | AnimeTV

Yumeka Kido enters the second season of “Blue Box” carrying more than basketball talent. She brings a complicated history with Chinatsu Kano, unresolved emotional wounds and a sharpness unlike anything the series has explored before.


Season 2 of the sports romance anime is scheduled to begin airing Oct. 4 in Japan and will stream exclusively on Netflix beginning in October. Before then, its first two episodes will receive an advance screening Sept. 6 at TOHO Cinemas Hibiya in Tokyo, with memb...
AnimeTV チェーン •

Anime fans get a packed slate at San Diego Comic-Con 2026: What to Expect at This Years Events! | AnimeTV

San Diego Comic-Con returns to the San Diego Convention Center July 23-26, with Preview Night on Wednesday, July 22. For anime fans, the 2026 lineup reaches well beyond the panel rooms, with a major anniversary reunion, a new Gundam reveal, publisher updates, model-building workshops, exclusives and off-site experiences.The following guide covers the major anime, manga and Japanese pop culture programming announced as of July 15. Times, locations and guest lists remain subject to change.


Crun...
AnimeTV チェーン •

Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc Carves Its Way Back Into Relevance With a Fierce, Beautiful Pulse | AnimeTV

The long-awaited cinematic return of MAPPA’s notorious blood-spattered underdog has finally arrived and it’s not just a continuation, it’s a thesis statement. Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc doesn’t merely extend the story that began in 2022; it reframes it. It clarifies what the series has always been underneath its spectacular carnage: a raw coming-of-age tale about a boy who is still learning what love, longing, and selfhood even mean. This film is breathtaking not because it reinvents Cha...
The Daily Aztec •

Kaytranada and Justice light up Viejas Arena in a fusion of rhythm, intimacy and spectacle

On Oct. 28, electronic titans Kaytranada and Justice transformed Viejas Arena into a pulsing night of light and bass. The concert delivered one of San Diego State University’s most immersive and energetic live music events of the semester — one that celebrated electronic lineage as much as spectacle.
The night opened with Scottish producer Sam Gellaitry. His chilled, melodic textures steadily built into the bass audiences could feel, even from outside the venue. His stage presence was low-key bu...
AnimeTV チェーン •

Inside MAPPA's Industry Shifting Bet to Rewrite Anime's Profit Equation | AnimeTV

For most of the past two decades, MAPPA was the kind of name only animation diehards recognized, the studio you thanked in the credits after another painstakingly drawn fight scene, then forgot about until the next one. That arrangement, in which Japan’s animation houses serve as polished but disposable subcontractors to the production committees that actually own the shows, has defined the industry since the 1990s. It is also, increasingly, the arrangement MAPPA wants no part of.


The Tokyo-b...
AnimeTV チェーン •

AX Chibi 2025 Delivers a Compact but Unforgettable Celebration of Anime Culture | AnimeTV

AX Chibi may bill itself as the smaller, cuter sibling of Anime Expo, but this year’s event proved that “small” does not have to mean “less impactful.” Held over a packed weekend and infused with creativity, community and chaotic fun, AX Chibi delivered one of the most memorable convention experiences of the year. For me, it was easily the most fun I had at any con in 2025.The atmosphere buzzed with energy from the moment the doors opened. A major part of that came from the strong presence of Se...
The Mesa Press •

Online influencers play key role in 2024 Election

This year marks the first election in which a majority of Gen Z can vote, and many are turning away from traditional news outlets like CNN or MSNBC and opting for new digital platforms such as Twitch, TikTok, and other social media, which have played a role in shaping public opinion since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Popular online platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok, once known primarily for gaming and entertainment content, have evolved into political battlegrounds. With millions of users, th...
AnimeTV チェーン •

Crunchyroll’s Role in the Anime Awards Deserves Reflection | AnimeTV

Every art form deserves a moment of recognition a space where the people who shape it are celebrated not for their popularity or platform placement, but for what they contributed to the culture. That’s what awards are supposed to be: a pause in the void, a look back, a measure of what mattered.


But in the world of anime, that moment has become increasingly complicated.


Each year, the Crunchyroll Anime Awards are promoted as a global celebration of excellence in the medium. For many fans ar...