Whether it’s dream pop or shoegaze or somewhere in between, listening to songs along that spectrum makes me feel like I’ve been transported into some ethereal parallel dimension. Plasti…
Jul 26, 2023 • Subscribe
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Drift off with some Balloons from Sala!
Sala has a way of channeling a lighthearted playfulness in her music and she found the perfect metaphor for that in Balloons! It’s just the kind of track…
Drift off into a dreamy Raspberry Life from Living Rita.
In an unusual sequence of events, Living Rita released the music video to Raspberry Life before the song was available on streaming services. So I had to wait…
The Manga Review: Scrolling Down the River
Kicking off this week's news round-up is Shueisha's announcement that it will launch its own manga app in 2024. The twist? Jump Toon will publish stories in a…
Existential Drift in Anime
I don’t know if the expression “existential drift” actually exists. Ha! (Cause existential…never mind…) I think I made it up but I not infrequently think I’ve coined a…
Existential Drift in Anime
I first published this post years ago but I thought I would give …
Wataoshi 08 – The chimera in the closet.
Matt the commoner is in quite the serious state after the incident from the end of the previous episode. Rae and friends are here to listen to his…
The Closet Massacre
Welcome to Year 16 of Murakami Fest! This year, as hinted in last month’s newsletter and podcast, I’ll be continuing my look at 遠い太鼓 (Distant Drums), Murakami’s travel…
Mizuiro 2003 01 - Trapped in the Closet II
This is yet another project I'd had sitting around for awhile; I'd thought that TSunDere was going to do it, but IIRC it got removed from...
Closet Metaphors in Monogatari and OreImo
Nadeko Sengoku and Kirino Kousaku are, on a fundamental level, the same character. This isn’t simply passing similarities that have added up. Major aspects of their personalities, stories,…
Studio WIT’s New Dream Factory: Ibaraki Studio and The Girl From the Other Side
Unknown to most people, Studio WIT’s regional branch is already operative with the goals to train young artists, revitalize animation for children, and give a platform to independent…
You shouldn’t swim in the Meguro River
But there is a great place to swim right next to it. The photo above shows a view of the river from a bridge that you can find…
Papika, the Manic Pixie Dream Girl — lystlesse
Let’s go adventuring again, okay? Flip Flappers is the type of anime that invites dialogue—character-driven, stylish, rich in symbolisms, and, perhaps most importantly, darker than its visuals woul…
Inertial Drift Review Link
Racing game centered around drifting. Driving take some getting used to but once players get the hang of it it will be worthwhile. Review Link HERE.
Breaking Down The Magical Girl Genre – Let’s Never Become a Magical Girl
If you missed the first post on Magical Girls be sure to check it out and then let’s get into part 2. If she’s a magical girl, what…
Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle, Vol. 4
By Hiromu and raemz. Released in Japan as “Chitose-kun wa Ramune Bin no Naka” by Gagaga Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Evie Lund.…
Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle, Vol. 1
By Hiromu and raemz. Released in Japan as “Chitose-kun wa Ramune Bin no Naka” by Gagaga Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Evie Lund.…
Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle, Vol. 2
By Hiromu and raemz. Released in Japan as “Chitose-kun wa Ramune Bin no Naka” by Gagaga Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Evie Lund.…
Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle, Vol. 6
By Hiromu and raemz. Released in Japan as “Chitose-kun wa Ramune Bin no Naka” by Gagaga Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Evie Lund.…
Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle, Vol. 3
By Hiromu and raemz. Released in Japan as “Chitose-kun wa Ramune Bin no Naka” by Gagaga Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Evie Lund.…
Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle, Vol. 5
By Hiromu and raemz. Released in Japan as “Chitose-kun wa Ramune Bin no Naka” by Gagaga Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Evie Lund.…
Argonavis from Bang Dream! Episode 5: Separation from the Past
Visit the post for more.
Manhwa Review | In My Closet by RISA LISA
Sua knew he was gay from the moment he saw his first love: Jung, an idol at the same agency Sua was training in. It’s enough of an…
Plastic Little Review
There are a lot of silly OVAs from the late 80s to early 90s. While not every one of them is of the type of high quality you’d…
Seasonal First Impressions: From The Closet With Love – Socially Anxious and Slinging a Six-String in BOCCHI THE ROCK!
Seasonal First Impressions is a column where I detail my thoughts, however brief or long, about a currently-airing anime’s first episode or so. We’ve all heard this story before,…
Shoujo Ramune
Shoujo Ramune is a 4-episode slice of life anime OVA about a trio of girls who spend their free time at the local candy shop.
[four – A Girl in Gaea] to sleep, to dream, to fade
I have a bone to pick with Escaflowne: the Movie. In fact, I have several bones to pick with this film but the one that really sticks in…
Director’s Comment: The Takatsu River
Dir. NISHIKORI Yoshinari 錦織良成監督
Breaking Down The Magical Girl Genre – Going Their Own Way
Alright, if you missed part one or part two, definitely check them out first and then let’s talk about magical girls. Let’s wrap up this mini-series of posts…
[Editorial] Stepping out of the Anime Closet
Midday at a coffee shop. Two hours into the most boring transcription on viral uncoating and mechanisms of anti-retroviral drug resistance in HIV (as if it couldn’t be…
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha | Dream Before Dusk
Two weeks ago, in honor of the game-changing Madoka Magica’s 10th anniversary, it was announced that a sequel to 2013’s Rebellion movie had begun production, reuniting Madoka’s entire…
Is Haruhi a manic pixie dream girl
Talking about the character of Haruhi Suzumiya is downright infuriating. Some things are obvious about Haruhi. For one, she serves the same role as an earthquake or a…
Argonavis from Bang Dream! Episode 2
Even though Ren was hesitant on joining the band, he sure was adamant about convincing Rio to be more serious about it. But hey, at least in the…
I Come From a “Land” Down Under
This is the oddest looking show I have seen in some time. And I don’t mean wild and crazy as with “Dead Leaves”; I mean it more like…
Closet (クローゼット, Takehiro Shindo, 2020)
An emotionally repressed young man begins to overcome a crisis of masculinity while working as a sleep companion in Shindo’s empathetic indie drama
Guest Review: Taisho Alice: Tokyo Drift
As I mentioned before, I grabbed all the rest of the Taisho Alice games when they got released before the Steam Summer sale. Buuuuuuuuuuuuut then we got sidetracked…
This Week in Anime - The Beauty of The Girl from the Other Side
It is strange, and haunting, and tender, and reaffirming all in one, and I cannot recommend it enough to people. This film is great. The manga's great. Nagabe's…
Reader’s Corner: Housekeeping Mage from Another World, Frieren (Vol. 3), and Chitose is in the Ramune Bottle
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The Quintessential Quintuplets – 13 (S2 01) – Kyoto Mystery Dream Girl
The wait is over. The Quints are back, and while production has moved from Tezuka to Bibury, this first episode looks absolutely fantastic, both in the crispness, quality,…
Plastic (Daisuke Miyazaki, 2023)
Bonding over their shared love of a ’70s glam rock band, a young couple find their romance undermined by the demands of adulthood in Daisuke Miyazaki’s coming-of-age tale.
Plastic Little (Purasuchikku Ritoru)
Hello! Seems it’s been a long while since I wrote a review for an entire series here on the blog – maybe December of 2022? I actually found…
Plastic Memories Anime Rant
Has there ever been an anime that deeply moved your emotions and spoke to your heart despite not actually being a great series? If you’re reading here at…
Argonavis from Bang Dream! Episode 7: Beyond the Waves
When they said that they wanted this show to be more mature, I guess that included possible death. T_T Who knew that Truck-kun would appear here and isekai…
Shoujo Ramune Review
Every genre has its Citizen Kane, whether in anime or hentai. Most would point to the Loli genre with the 1984 six-part OVA series Lolita Anime as its…
Review: Only the River Flows (2023)
Only the River Flows 河边的错误 China, 2023, colour, 1.85:1, 101 mins. Director: Wei Shujun 魏书钧. Rating: 5/10. Darkly-shot psychodrama-cum-whodunit is a brave stab at a China Noir but…
Jujutsu Kaisen – 22 – Crossing the River
Yuuji, Nobara, and Megumi are driven by Asst. Supervisor Nitta Akari (a new face) to Saitama to investigate a string of curse-related deaths involving a malfunctioning automatic door.…
Reader’s Corner: The Villainess Turns the Hourglass, When I Became a Commoner, They Broke Off Our Engagement, and Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle
I love the numbers reflected in our reviews this week: 1, as in the initial volumes of four series we review this week. 5, as in the volume…
Mushoku Tensei II – 15 – Message in a Plastic Bottle
In a way, Rudy’s story is over. He’s struggled and wallowed in pain and anguish and failure, but now he’s happier than he’s ever been. He has a…
Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai
By Hajime Kamoshida and Keji Mizoguchi. Released in Japan as “Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai no Yume wo Minai” by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America…
Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl
By Hajime Kamoshida and Keji Mizoguchi. Released in Japan as “Seishun Buta Yarou wa Yumemiru Shoujo no Yume wo Minai” by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by…
Plastic Memories ep10: the most important things
I’ve waited quite a while for some of the moments in this episode. Characters needed to hash things out and confess their true feelings. But while it’s clear…