Minority Mindset

The anime world has been shaken recently by changes at Hulu, a popular streaming home for anime for the past ten years. As Hulu prepares to merge with Disney+, it removed many favorite anime shows in August. This worried fans, given Disney’s past handling of anime content. However, Disney+ recently surprised everyone by releasing the animated adaptation of a project created with manga artist Yana Toboso, offering a hopeful sign for the future.

The Scottish landscape is set to host a variety of celebrities, including dancers, comedians, musicians, and reality stars like Mark Ballas from Dancing with the Stars, Maura Higgins who hosts Love Island USA Aftersun, and chef Kristen Kish from Top Chef. The popular, Emmy-winning show has become a huge hit, with past contestant Gabby Windey even suggesting a new award category – and sparking a lot of excitement among hat enthusiasts! You can catch season four of Traitors on Peacock starting January 8th, if you’re brave enough.

The series sparked strong reactions from many viewers, leaving them feeling uncomfortable and shocked – which seems to have been the creators’ goal. Following the success of Beastars, Paru Itagaki’s latest work, Sanda, is also gaining attention. Like Beastars, it’s unique within its genre, effectively combining thoughtful social observations with exciting action. However, Itagaki’s newest project, Taika’s Reason, might be her most daring yet, and its controversial themes could draw criticism.

Naruto’s personal growth closely followed the rise in popularity of the Naruto series. He began as a struggling, seemingly unskilled child, but ultimately played a key role in the Fourth Great Ninja War and helped build a new ninja world free from the endless cycle of hatred that Nagato foresaw. However, despite how inspiring Naruto’s story is, it also contains some significant contradictions.

Before Now You See Me: Now You Don’t came out, I kept wondering if Mark Ruffalo would be in it as Dylan. Although he wasn’t officially announced as part of the cast and didn’t do any interviews for the movie, I was hoping for a surprise appearance. And I got one! The Avengers star had a quick cameo at the very end, which led me to ask Jesse Eisenberg and Isla Fisher about it.

Although reviews from critics are mixed to positive, audiences seem to really like the new version of The Running Man. As of now, Rotten Tomatoes shows an 80% audience score based on over 250 verified reviews, compared to a 64% score from critics. If these numbers hold, the 2025 film will be a significant step up from the 1987 original, which received a 59% critical score and a 61% audience score.

While still inspired by Mary Shelley’s original, Guillermo del Toro takes significant liberties with the story, changing the location, characters, and core ideas. He presents the Creature not as a cautionary tale, but as a mirror reflecting humanity itself. The final product is distinctly del Toro’s – rich, beautifully written, and full of compassion. By introducing new characters and giving familiar ones new destinies, he elevates Shelley’s classic into a timeless work of art.

The most recent episode of Boston Blue, airing in 2025, really strengthened the bond between Sean Regan (Mika Amonsen) and Jonah Silver (Marcus Scribner). Sean, the youngest son of Danny Regan and played by a new actor, has faced some challenging situations as a new police officer working with Jonah. Their friendship is developing nicely, and a recent plot twist has me feeling both hopeful and anxious about what’s to come for them.

With so many great films released this year, picking the very best is tough! But after careful consideration, we’ve chosen 8 standout movies – including exciting first features and new work from celebrated directors. These films, from festival favorites to successful risks taken by major studios, represent the best of 2025 so far, and we predict the top three will become timeless classics.