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Featured image for Oh, So Trope-ical: The Hair BraBackground image for Oh, So Trope-ical: The Hair Bra

Oh, So Trope-ical: The Hair Bra

The point of manga and anime is to get eyeballs onto content, whether it’s paid for directly (by buying manga) or indirectly (by ad sales during anime). In…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for The Power of Four Plus One: ToradoraBackground image for The Power of Four Plus One: Toradora

The Power of Four Plus One: Toradora

I haven’t done one of these in a while. This could be fun if I can keep track of the mess. But then again, that’s the point. Toradora…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for Character Analysis: Isaki MagariBackground image for Character Analysis: Isaki Magari

Character Analysis: Isaki Magari

Let’s be frank here: Insomniacs After School is so sweet it could be named High-Fructose Corn Syrup. That’s not necessary a bad thing. When you’re making an anime…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for How to Cook a Story: Komi Can’t CommunicateBackground image for How to Cook a Story: Komi Can’t Communicate

How to Cook a Story: Komi Can’t Communicate

Somehow I keep saying that Komi Can’t Communicate was something whose premise didn’t appeal to me. I’m going to say it again: Shoko Komi doesn’t need a hundred…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for Killer Ending: Your Lie in AprilBackground image for Killer Ending: Your Lie in April

Killer Ending: Your Lie in April

Your Lie in April is one of those stories that could have gone either way, Comedy (happy ending) or Tragedy (sad ending) and – watch my lips –…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for Oh, So Trope-ical: The Gamer GodBackground image for Oh, So Trope-ical: The Gamer God

Oh, So Trope-ical: The Gamer God

There are certain tropes that are so obvious it’s almost a waste of time to look at them. Oh, man, what’s the point of the Princess in Peril…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for Off The Tracks: The Promised NeverlandBackground image for Off The Tracks: The Promised Neverland

Off The Tracks: The Promised Neverland

I wasn’t planning to post this piece this week. I had something else, about Insomniacs at Night, I think. BUUUT, we ended up having an actual discussion last…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for The Antagonist: IsabellaBackground image for The Antagonist: Isabella

The Antagonist: Isabella

I’m going to start out with this: Isabella, the orphanage “Mom” from The Promised Neverland, is not the best example of this type of antagonist for REASONS. I’ll…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for Jumping the Tracks IV: Change the plotBackground image for Jumping the Tracks IV: Change the plot

Jumping the Tracks IV: Change the plot

This is it for Jumping the Tracks, okay? You won’t have to hear me (in your mind’s ear) blather about it again for quite a while! But for…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for Jumping the Tracks III: Throw in more charactersBackground image for Jumping the Tracks III: Throw in more characters

Jumping the Tracks III: Throw in more characters

I’ve had a bug in a delicate place about stories that Jump the Tracks, that is, lose track of progress in the main meta-plot of a series, for…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for How To Cook a Series: BeastarsBackground image for How To Cook a Series: Beastars

How To Cook a Series: Beastars

I’m taking a week off from shows going off the track, since even I don’t think it’s THAT interesting. I mean, you know, really. Problem: This is the…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for Jumping the Tracks II: Streeeeetching the plooooottttttBackground image for Jumping the Tracks II: Streeeeetching the ploooootttttt

Jumping the Tracks II: Streeeeetching the ploooootttttt

There’s a longer explanation of all this if you go back to Jumping the Tracks I: Just Keep Going, but just to run through it quickly this is…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

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Off the Tracks I: Just Keep Going

Going off the tracks happens when the writers lose track of the story’s meta-plot, the storyline that defines the end of the story. Was that technical, or what?…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for The Antagonist: Desty NovaBackground image for The Antagonist: Desty Nova

The Antagonist: Desty Nova

Okay, Dr. Nova from Battle Angel Alita may not be the best example here, since the manga is like a zillion years old and no one went to…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for Gender Bender: Najimi OsanaBackground image for Gender Bender: Najimi Osana

Gender Bender: Najimi Osana

The writers of Komi Can’t Communicate make it very clear we’re supposed to expect some pretty weird kids. They come right out and say it: Admission to their…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

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A Strange Aside

I’ve been looking at transgendered characters this month, since in the US it’s LGBTQIA+ Pride Month, and sure, why not? It’s not like we don’t have a ways…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

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Gender Bender: Hana

Okay, let’s start with this: If you haven’t seen Tokyo Godfathers, you should, okay? And if you haven’t, you don’t know who Hana is, so let me spell…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for Gender Bender: SapphireBackground image for Gender Bender: Sapphire

Gender Bender: Sapphire

Now that we live in a day that permits it, there are a lot of representations of LGBTQIA+ characters in manga and anime. Some of them are good,…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for The Eternal Triangle: WaltzBackground image for The Eternal Triangle: Waltz

The Eternal Triangle: Waltz

I keep telling people that Shuzo Oshimi is my favorite magaka. That’s not a lie. You might know him from The Flowers of Evil if you’re more into…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

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Character Analysis: Zero Two

Darling in the Franxx is one of those things that popped onto the radar because it tried to do something we’d seen a million times – a mecha…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for The Power of Three: Komi Can’t CommunicateBackground image for The Power of Three: Komi Can’t Communicate

The Power of Three: Komi Can’t Communicate

Komi Can’t Communicate is one of those stories that chaps my ass when you get right down to it. You see Communication is my racket. I is a…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for The Antagonist: Gendo IkariBackground image for The Antagonist: Gendo Ikari

The Antagonist: Gendo Ikari

There’s a special kind of antagonist we can call a monomaniac, right? The person who is focused entirely on one single thing that motivates everything they do. Bizarrely,…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for One Story, Two Stages: Aura, Koga Maryuin’s Last WarBackground image for One Story, Two Stages: Aura, Koga Maryuin’s Last War

One Story, Two Stages: Aura, Koga Maryuin’s Last War

So let me see: There’s a boy. Isn’t that the start of a lot of anime stories? But this boy has a problem. Back in middle school he…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for The Antagonist: The Faceless FoeBackground image for The Antagonist: The Faceless Foe

The Antagonist: The Faceless Foe

There are a lot of good reasons to make the antagonist an on-screen character. An on-screen antagonist can have dialog, for one thing, and if they’re written well…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

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How To Start a Series: Pleasure and Corruption

There’s a manga out there called Pleasure and Corruption. It is hard R-rated. Be warned. I’m going to be frank here. I’ve only read one volume of the…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for The Antagonist: Haruhi SuzumiyaBackground image for The Antagonist: Haruhi Suzumiya

The Antagonist: Haruhi Suzumiya

You don’t think of Haruhi as being an antagonist. You don’t even think of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya as having a meta-plot that calls for either a…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

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Hidden Protagonist: Satsuki Kiryuin

I may not use the terms “main character” and “protagonist” in the same way a lot of people do. A lot of people use them interchangeably, but I…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for Oh, So Trope-ical: The Big BrotherBackground image for Oh, So Trope-ical: The Big Brother

Oh, So Trope-ical: The Big Brother

For storytelling reasons heroes often have sidekicks. Sure, right? A sidekick can do a lot of things, like be comic relief, or have some skill that the hero…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for The Antagonist: The SystemBackground image for The Antagonist: The System

The Antagonist: The System

“The System,” some kind of deeply hidden procedure or agency, makes a great antagonist. Tell you why in a sec. You see “The System” in a lot of…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

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Character Analysis: Roanapur

It seems a little odd to describe a locale or setting as a character. I mean, in college, it could get your paper marked “-5 Anthropomorphism” or something…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

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Medium Matters: Fruits Basket

Okay, not really medium, since there are two Fruits Basket anime, and anime is just one medium. But there ARE two Fruits Basket anime and you don’t have…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for Character Analysis: Marin KitagawaBackground image for Character Analysis: Marin Kitagawa

Character Analysis: Marin Kitagawa

All right, you know who Marin Kitagawa is. She’s – depending on how you look at it – the Dress-up Darling of My Dress-up Darling. You can fight…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for The Antagonist: Ragyo KiryuinBackground image for The Antagonist: Ragyo Kiryuin

The Antagonist: Ragyo Kiryuin

You know it seems like in a lot anime you never really see the antagonist unless there’s big fight. Look at Sailor Moon, right? The antagonist appears in…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for Character Analysis: Ryuji TakusaBackground image for Character Analysis: Ryuji Takusa

Character Analysis: Ryuji Takusa

It seems bizarre that one of the anime I write about a lot is Toradora. I mean, compared to Neon Genesis Evangelion or Cowboy Bebop or The Melancholy…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

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Happy Anniversary, Me

I normally post on Monday morning, in fact, generally about 12:01 AM since I’m so eager … well, no. It’s because if I do things the same way…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for How Not to Start a Story: Heaven’s Design TeamBackground image for How Not to Start a Story: Heaven’s Design Team

How Not to Start a Story: Heaven’s Design Team

The manga Heaven’s Design Team gets itself hyped with the blurb, “Does for zoology what Cells at Work! does for human biology.” I know this for a fact.…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for Character Analysis: Haruko HaruharaBackground image for Character Analysis: Haruko Haruhara

Character Analysis: Haruko Haruhara

Haruko from FLCL is another character who is really easy to analyze. She’s a Look at Me woman. Boop. That’s it. That doesn’t make her a bad character,…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for Same Stage, Different Show: My Dress-up Darling and 2.5-Dimensional SeductionBackground image for Same Stage, Different Show: My Dress-up Darling and 2.5-Dimensional Seduction

Same Stage, Different Show: My Dress-up Darling and 2.5-Dimensional Seduction

The breakout success of My Dress-up Darling made the Powerz That Be say, “Hey, ya know what? There’s moniez to be made in this Cosplay stuff.” So I…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for Character Analysis: Toshiko TamuraBackground image for Character Analysis: Toshiko Tamura

Character Analysis: Toshiko Tamura

Okay, yeah, I know you never heard of Toshiko Tamura. Let me lay down some backbeat here. If you ain’t heard of Osamu Tezuka, you’re probably reading the…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for Oh, So Trope-ical: The Sexually Aggressive GalBackground image for Oh, So Trope-ical: The Sexually Aggressive Gal

Oh, So Trope-ical: The Sexually Aggressive Gal

Yeah, I started spelling it Trope-ical. There’s no point in a pun no one gets. But yeah, there are a lot of tropes in storytelling. That’s not an…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for Character (Re)analysis: Rei AyanamiBackground image for Character (Re)analysis: Rei Ayanami

Character (Re)analysis: Rei Ayanami

Happy holidays to all of you who recently celebrated, are celebrating, or will soon celebrate a holiday. It’s that time of year! One of the saddest (for me)…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for The Power of Two: Nagatoro and HachiojiBackground image for The Power of Two: Nagatoro and Hachioji

The Power of Two: Nagatoro and Hachioji

Watching Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro is like watching Teasing-Master Takagi-san but without the innocence. The kids of Teasing-Master are, well, kids; the kids of Miss Nagatoro…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for Medium Matters: Toradora!Background image for Medium Matters: Toradora!

Medium Matters: Toradora!

Back when I last wrote about Taiga Aisaka – she’s a quivering bundle of tropes instead of a real character – I got into a really good discussion…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for Evolution’s Hand Book 2: Dying Breath is Now Available!Background image for Evolution’s Hand Book 2: Dying Breath is Now Available!

Evolution’s Hand Book 2: Dying Breath is Now Available!

Evolution’s Hand Book 2: Dying Breath is now available for purchase! It’s available as an ebook or paperback from Amazon. It’s also available as an …Evolution’s Hand Book…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for Character Analysis: Hotori ArashiyamaBackground image for Character Analysis: Hotori Arashiyama

Character Analysis: Hotori Arashiyama

And Yet the Town Moves is one of those silly little slice of lifers built around a slice of the life of Hotori Arashiyama, and her friends, family,…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for How To Build a Series: Spy X FamilyBackground image for How To Build a Series: Spy X Family

How To Build a Series: Spy X Family

Okay, repeat after me: Stories don’t need conflict if you don’t want people to pay any attention to them. Of course, if you DO want people to like…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for How to Cook a Series: Wonder Egg PriorityBackground image for How to Cook a Series: Wonder Egg Priority

How to Cook a Series: Wonder Egg Priority

You know what Wonder Egg Priority reminded me of? Interviews with Monster Girls. Let me tell you why. The deal with the demi-human girls of Interviews is that…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for Character (Re)analysis: Shinji IkariBackground image for Character (Re)analysis: Shinji Ikari

Character (Re)analysis: Shinji Ikari

Sometimes you go back a look at a character you’ve looked at before because you’ve noticed something new about the character. And sometimes you have to go back…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

Featured image for The Power of Three Plus Two: O Maidens in Your Savage SeasonBackground image for The Power of Three Plus Two: O Maidens in Your Savage Season

The Power of Three Plus Two: O Maidens in Your Savage Season

When you’re dealing with characters in writing, I mean seriously, do I have to say this? The more you have, the harder it is to keep them straight.…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

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Medium Doesn’t Matter?: Joshi Kausei

There’s something we keep coming back to here, and that is that manga and anime are very different media, and the ways they are different influence the ways…

Confessions of an Overage otaku