No one cares about anyone else’s life’s story, but I was reminded recently that I never closed off this blog properly, so I might as well do it now. Here’s what happened over the past few years: 2008: Memories of Eternity was founded (mid-high school for me). 2009: Joined twitter and made my first internet [...]
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The teacher, Nana, orders Rikka to improve her grades by threatening to disband the club if she fails the test. After the usual pool-cleaning antics, Yuuta and Rikka score poorly on the test only to realize that the class average is just below theirs. The episode ends with a hint of romance between the main [...]
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I’m surprised at the number of people who don’t like Hyouka when the primary complaint about it is exactly what makes it special. The first few episodes make it clear that it’s an unconventional mystery series–a light mystery, you might say, aimed towards the light novel audience. But what struck me about the show right away, and [...]
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I don’t know much about 5pb even with their Wikipedia page open in front of me. Steins;Gate is a collaboration with Nitro+ but it was written by one of 5pb’s staff, dodging Gen Urobochi’s sadistic pen keyboard. (For better or worse, one might argue, but one Fate/Zero per year is enough for me).  Like its quirkily-named predecessor [...]
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Shira Oka is an original English dating sim that you might have heard of. It’s notable, sort of–the OP has real animation in it–but it otherwise flew under the radar in anime fandom (the indie game crowd might be different). The game is charming where it counts and flawed in forgivable ways. Flaws are flaws, though, and “charming” Continue reading →
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Director Satoshi Kon is known for his illusions; there’s even a book about it. But he’s also known as the Hitchcock of anime given his work in the psychological drama genre, which is only partly true, not unlike comparisons between Miyazaki and Walt Disney. Paprika is a tricky film because the mind-bending plot and use of [...]
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 [source] Honey and Clover fans would be familiar with the ubiquitous Ferris Wheel and weathervane symbols from the anime adaptation, but there are several less explicit symbols that aren’t telegraphed in the OP/ED videos. I noticed while reading the manga that the sweet osmanthus–apparently a common flower in East Asia–features prominently in Yamada’s narration. (The flower’s [...]
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I’ve always maintained that tone and atmosphere can trump plot given the right author’s touch. This was more or less the case for Chica Umino‘s first manga series, Honey and Clover, which successfully finds the middle ground between subjective narration and a show-don’t-tell approach to character development. It’s an odd but effective style that results [...]
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There’s a silly webcomic by a guy named Andrew Hussie that you might’ve seen if you spend much time around /co/ or Tumblr. (I don’t, but I’ve heard complaints). It’s called Homestuck and it’s a fascinatingly meta take on RPGs and youth. Though famous more for its formal gimmicks and odd sense of humour, there’s a [...]
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Hey. This is a heads-up that I’m going to try anime blogging again. There are a lot of things that I don’t like about the blogosphere, but there are still some great blogs that are worth following and I think I can gain something from this endeavour. Hopefully you can gain something from reading. Unfortunately, [...]
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