Hey my fellow anime/manga lovers, I’m Sharon (@almondmoy), your overthinking anime/manga lover content creator bringing you Nakama Mail, your weekly newsletter bringing you upcoming events, industry news, artist highlights and more! All related to anime, manga and culture that you love.

Hope you’re able to celebrate today with the mother figure in your life as well as Ani-May and AAPI month!

Owen Chen’s Eternal Wind Quintet will perform Yoko Kanno’s Cowboy Bebop score alongside the hard bop and blues standards that inspired it.

Place: The Red Pavilion | 1241 Flushing Ave, Brooklyn, NY

Time: Wednesday May 13, 2026 7:00 PM EST - 8:30 PM EST

Tickets: Grab tickets here. Limited seating with a 2 drink minimum for seats. But GA standing available.

The Victor Lin Trio brings you the melodies of Studio Ghibli and other classic anime in this night of live music!

Place: The Red Pavilion | 1241 Flushing Ave, Brooklyn, NY

Time: Thursday May 14, 2026 7:00 PM EST - 8:30 PM EST (Doors at 6:30 PM)

Tickets: Grab tickets here. Limited seating with a 2 drink minimum for seats. But GA standing available.

Anime High Club and We Game Culture are bringing the anime community together for a night full of straight vibes! Whether you’re pulling up to chill, compete, or just meet new people, this is where you wanna be.

Expect anime games, video games, music, food, drinks and a room full of energy all night long. Cosplayers highly encouraged! Come show out!

Place: Sugar Mouse | 47 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10003

Time: Thursday, May 14, 2026 8:00 PM EST and on

Tickets: Free with RSVP! More information here.

This is a small, non-profit, teen-guided NJ anime convention run by the Somerset County 4-H Anime and Manga Club. There will be an artist alley/dealer room, game room, manga library, panels and more! Family friendly event.

Place: 310 Milltown Road, Bridgewater Township, NJ, 08807

Time: Sunday, May 17, 2026 10:00 AM EST - 5:00 PM EST

Tickets: Only door tickets available now. Info about the con at their website here.

Two Chinese-founded, women owned businesses named Ren come together to bring you their 2nd year of hosting this block party to celebrate AAPI month. There will be Sichuan eats, specialty matcha drinks, and live music + DJs. Spots are limited so make sure to grab your tickets below!

Place: Ren Sichuan Restaurant | 623 Grand Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Time: Sunday, May 17, 2026 12:00 PM EST - 4:00 PM EST

Tickets: Grab tickets here. Each ticket includes a full spread from the Ren kitchen (Kung pao chicken, lobster dumplings, pickled cucumber, suncake) and your choice of a specialty drink from Ren Matcha.

Paint your favorite Eeveelution with your fellow Pokémon lovers! There will be themed drinks, music videos, pre-lined canvas (perfect for beginners or a great foundation for experienced painters), unlimited board games, and unlimited video games. There will also be 3 vendors to purchase themed cake pops, personalized nerdy charms, and Pokémon cards.

Place: OSY NYC | 50 Bowery Street, New York, NY 10013

Time: Saturday, May 30, 2026 5:00 PM EST - 9:00 PM EST

Tickets: Grab tickets here. Each paint & sip ticket includes ONE themed mini drink. There are separate time slots to ensure there’s enough seating for everyone. Attendees under 18 must be accompanied by an attending chaperone.

If you love Webcore, old cartoons, and other early internet aesthetics, this cosplay friendly artist alley is perfect for you! There will be 20+ curated vendors, treats, and a craft table. This event is for all ages.

Place: Bayonne Public Library | 697 Avenue C, Bayonne, NJ 07002

Time: Saturday, May 30, 2026 10:00 AM EST - 3:00 PM EST

Tickets: Reserve a spot here. FREE Admission. This just helps the organizers to manage crowds)

Paint your favorite Sanrio character with fellow Sanrio lovers! There will be themed drinks, lo-fi aesthetic videos, pre-lined canvas (perfect for beginners or a great foundation for experienced painters), unlimited board games, and unlimited video games. There will also be 2 vendors to purchase personalized nerdy charms (Mother’s Day charms will also be available) and TCG cards.

Place: OSY NYC | 50 Bowery Street, New York, NY 10013

Time: Saturday, June 20, 2026 3:00 PM EST - 7:00 PM EST

Tickets: Grab tickets here. Each paint & sip ticket includes ONE themed mini drink. There are separate time slots to ensure there’s enough seating for everyone. Attendees under 18 must be accompanied by an attending chaperone.

Paint your favorite anime character with your fellow anime lovers! There will be pre-lined canvases (perfect for beginners or a great foundation for experienced painters), of Luffy (One Piece), Serena/Usagi/Sailor Moon, Naruto, and Goku when you choose the paint & sip option. There will also be 3 vendors to purchase themed cake pops, personalized nerdy charms, and TCG cards.

Place: OSY NYC | 50 Bowery Street, New York, NY 10013

Time: Saturday, June 20, 2026 7:00 PM EST - 9:00 PM EST

Tickets: Grab tickets here. Each paint & sip ticket includes ONE themed mini drink. There are separate time slots to ensure there’s enough seating for everyone. Attendees under 18 must be accompanied by an attending chaperone.

Anime High Club and Nikke NYC are teaming up to bring you this Bunny Royale event! There will be live DJs & performances, an anime fashion show, and various vendors. It’s more than a party, it’s supposed to be a whole experience!

Place: Partake NYC | 10-29 44th Rd, Long Island City, NY 11101

Time: Saturday, June 27, 2026 9:00 PM EST - 2:00 AM EST

Tickets: Grab tickets here. For 21+ only

Born on January 15, 1955, she is best known as the voice actress of Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece (voice from 1999-Present). She is also the voice of Pazu in Laputa: Castle in the Sky, Koenma in Yu Yu Hakusho, Uranai Baba in Dragon Ball, Turbo Granny in Dandadan and many more works. In a recent acceptance speech for “Best Supporting VA” award for Turbo Granny, she had said, “I don’t think I’ll be able to live as long as Mako-san (Masako Nozawa, Goku’s VA), but I’ll do my best for another 10 years or so.” This obviously gives some relief to One Piece fans because throughout the years, we have seen the passing and retirement of many voice actors/actresses. She had wanted the studio to find another voice actor for Luffy for the remake, but was rejected by WIT Studio.

In celebration of Mother’s Day, I want to highlight this anime/manga, where the male lead’s mom is such a supportive and inspiring character (I teared up watching/reading everything she felt and did to support our male lead).

Synopsis: Kodansha equates this story as a twist on Romeo and Juliet. You have Kaoruko, a student from an elite, prestigious all-girls school and Rinatro, a student from an all-boys school for delinquents. They are rival schools that are right next to each other and have a long history of hatred between them. Rintaro has a scary appearance despite his kind demeanor, and is often misunderstood. But one day meets Kaoruko at his family’s bakery while he’s helping out. It’s this start of their connection that will grow to influence everyone around them.

My Thoughts: I was drawn to watching the anime because of the art style, and it’s even more impressive to see while reading the manga. This is one of the best romance manga I’ve read that really focuses and depicts not only the romantic relationship between our male and female leads, but their relationship with their friends and family as well. They have their development arcs too of figuring out their futures, which makes me wish I read this while I was also in high school because it would have inspired me so much while trying to find my way (although the journey never ends in self-discovery haha).

The only cons of this manga would be that some people might find the characters/story too “goody goody” and how the adults handle situations in the latest chapters seem pretty unrealistic. Other than that, I do still highly recommend giving this a shot!

Available to watch on Netflix (not sponsored). Only one season, 13 episodes. There’s 187 chapters of the manga out though!

Hope you enjoy!

That’s it from me. Now go clear your watchlist…or add 10 more, I don’t judge.
- Sharon (@almondmoy on all platforms)