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The Beautiful Melancholy of What Could Have Been: In Defence of Uchiage Hanabi

This one's about escapism.

Dawn of the Second Day

Feb 27, 2018 • Subscribe

More like this

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Dropped – What Could Have Been (Anime Vers.)

Again inspired by Phoenix’s series of posts. My manga version is here.

The Animanga Spellbook

Dec 21, 2021 • Subscribe

Hakone-chan, Hakumei and Mikochi, Heybot!, Reborn!, The Demon Girl Next Door

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Dropped – What Could Have Been (Manga Vers.)

Inspired by Phoenix’s Dropped post series.

The Animanga Spellbook

Dec 14, 2021 • Subscribe

Inu X Boku Secret Service, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Dr. Ramune -Mysterious Disease Specialist-, Phoenix

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Code Geass: Roze of the Recapture – What could have been

Code Geass is one of the biggest hits of the 2000’s anime scene. It exploded in Japan. It also became a big hit in N.A. by airing on…

Mechanical Anime Reviews

Oct 2, 2024 • Subscribe

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Oh, What Could Have Been: Maku Musubi Final Review

Maku Musubi by Hotani Shin is a manga that hooked me instantly. Its story—that of a high school girl who abandoned her dreams of becoming a comic artist…

OGIUE MANIAX

Jul 11, 2021 • Subscribe

Maku

Gundam F91: What Could Have Been (Plus, Mecha March Announcement)

At the risk of other blogs out there announcing their events before me, like a certain Lita Kino last year, I will hereby do it here with a…

Mechanical Anime Reviews

Feb 5, 2020 • Subscribe

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Well, Fena Could Have Been Better

2021 seems to be a year when genres of shows that I usually like generally disappoint me. Then again, that doesn’t have to be a designated year. It…

Mechanical Anime Reviews

Nov 17, 2021 • Subscribe

Dropped – A look at what could have been – Manga Part III

Welcome back to the third installment of the “Dropped”, the manga edition. By now, you guys know the drill and may or may not be curious as to…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Dec 17, 2020 • Subscribe

Magic Kaito, Negima!, Black Butler, InuYasha, Kamisama Kiss

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What Could Have Been: Gainax’s Brief Stint as Video Game Consultants

The reputation of Gainax is one that looms large among anime fans. The studio’s iconoclastic origin story and the meteoric rise of Hideaki Anno, its star creator, have…

ZIMMERIT – Anime | Manga | Garage Kits | Doujin

Jun 11, 2021 • Subscribe

Dropped – A look at what could have been – Manga Part I

So, we are in the final category of “Dropped” the series, manga. Which, if you can guess by my previous posts, I am much more of an avid…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Dec 7, 2020 • Subscribe

Arata: The Legend, Blue Exorcist, Bokurano, Detroit Metal City

Dropped – A look at what could have been – Manga Part II

Welcome back to another edition of “Dropped”! This is part of a larger circle of titles I’ve dropped over the years in previous categories and posts on my…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Dec 13, 2020 • Subscribe

Hetalia Axis Powers, Alice, Gate, Hells, Hellsing

Dropped – A look at what could have been – Manga Part IV

So now, we have reached the finale! For both my “Dropped” series, and for the manga edition of this series. It feels like a long time coming, since…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Dec 25, 2020 • Subscribe

xxxHOLiC, Moyashimon, Rosario + Vampire, Attack on Titan

Dropped – A look at what could have been – Anime Part I

Welcome back to “Dropped”! This is a series of posts where I talk about a bunch of titles that at one point or another started and then stopped…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Nov 16, 2020 • Subscribe

Fullmetal Alchemist, InuYasha, Kakuriyo -Bed & Breakfast for Spirits-, Aggressive Retsuko, Aggretsuko

Dropped – A look at what could have been – Anime Part II

Welcome back to “Dropped”! This is a series of posts where I talk about a bunch of titles that at one point or another I started and then…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Nov 26, 2020 • Subscribe

Black Butler, Naruto, Tokyo Ghoul, The Prince of Tennis, Prince of Tennis: Mini Theater

Dropped – A look at what could have been – Asian Cinema and Dramas

Lately, I’ve been thinking about my dropped list. Mostly because I’ve found it way more interesting to see what people stopped and started, verses what they’ve finished. Finding…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Nov 2, 2020 • Subscribe

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This Isekai could have been a Fantasy novel

Over Limit Skill Holder / Aura the Guillotine / The Girl from the Other Side / Digital Minimalism / Yakui The Maid

The Taishō Café

Dec 11, 2023 • Subscribe

The Girl from the Other Side

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Sakugan | Episode Five: It could have been better.

This Bureau guy doesn’t seem so bad after all. In the words of Gagumber, they (Merooro and Memenpu) are both “nerds”. Which for once worked against Gagumber because…

Otaku Central | Anime Review

Nov 10, 2021 • Subscribe

SAKUGAN

In Defence of Fanservice

This is the first essay post I ever published so I figured I would give it a second chance at the spotlight. Fanservice has become a commonplace and…

I drink and watch anime

Mar 19, 2020 • Subscribe

What Have You Been Up To?

I mean, I’m a professor. I’m on lockdown here so I’m teaching from home, but now it’s finals time and all I have to do is figure out…

Confessions of an Overage otaku

May 1, 2020 • Subscribe

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TenSura – 50 – This Could Have Been an E-mail

In past seasons TenSura has overindulged in “standing around talking” episodes that serve exclusively as setup. Here we get perhaps the most egregious one yet, and to be honest,…

RABUJOI – An Anime Blog

Apr 13, 2024 • Subscribe

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Pokémon Colosseum Could Have Been the Franchise's Future | Game Studio Spotlight

Canipa looks back at his favourite Pokémon game and dreams of a world where new artists and developers continued to create Pokémon RPGs. (Spoilers for Pokemon Colosseum and Pokemon…

The Canipa Effect

Oct 3, 2022 • Subscribe

Cipher, Hells, Pokémon

In Defence of Anime Comedy

I like comedies. I’m just a person who likes to laugh a lot. …

I drink and watch anime

Jan 5, 2022 • Subscribe

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In Defence of Ore Imo

I recently rewatched Ore Imo and thought I’d better get something off my chest: I really like Ore Imo, you could even say that I love it! But…

Washi's Blog

Jul 19, 2018 • Subscribe

Oreimo

In Defence of Nitpicking Anime

Once in a while I post random screencaps I have taken, to twitter without context. It’s a fun little game. What can I say, I’m easily entertained! Since…

I drink and watch anime

May 20, 2020 • Subscribe

Land of the Lustrous

In Defence of Predictable Anime

Why did I choose that as my header gif? Even I don’t know but I like it so so much! Apparently it’s from an anime called Aiura which…

I drink and watch anime

Jul 22, 2020 • Subscribe

AIURA

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Saki Zenkoku-hen Episode 1 Could Have Been Improved By…

…Actually animating things. As much as I love Saki, the folks at Studio Gokumi tried my patience with this Saki premiere episode. I understand that it costs money…

The Platinum Lily

Jan 6, 2014 • Subscribe

The Gap of Four Months, or: What I Have Been Doing

I have not posted in approximately four, maybe five, months. I have good reasons for this, depending on your definition of “good reasons”: the Grad School is a…

Anime wa Bakuhatsu da!

Apr 16, 2010 • Subscribe

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The delightful world of what could have been Sailor Moon – Project Y i.e. Saban Moon and Team Angel Commentary

I have a confession to make: I never got hype of Sailor Moon despite being a 90’s kid. You can begin throwing tomato’s… But I was at least…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Aug 22, 2022 • Subscribe

Sailor Moon

In Defence of Isabella – The Promised Neverland

Every villain is the hero of their own story. A hero will do what must be done, regardless of how it makes them look, even if to some…

The Otaku Author

Nov 23, 2020 • Subscribe

Promise, The Promised Neverland

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An Uncomfortable Look at Who I Could Have Been – Gachikoi Nenchakujuu

Well, well, well if it isn’t another live action adaptation of a manga series I’ve never read. This comes as a surprise to no one at this point,…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Nov 20, 2023 • Subscribe

Kanon

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Katsuhiro Otomo's Domu Pilot: An Unnerving Movie Adaptation That Could Have Been

Domu remains a cursed affair: forgotten in the shadow of Otomo's more famous creation and repeatedly stumbling in attempts to bring it to a broader audience. It remains…

Anime News Network - Views

Apr 12, 2023 • Subscribe

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Library Loot Round-Up: What Would have been the Halloween Special

I make secret plans for the blog. They just don’t quite always come to full fruition. I found a good stash of manga at my library, as always…

Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan

Nov 17, 2024 • Subscribe

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Where Have I Been?

Fuck. I mean this is bad. I’ve been telling myself to continue writing in my spare time for months, but stuff kept getting in the way. At first,…

Sakura Sunrise

Jul 22, 2022 • Subscribe

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Where Have I Been?

In the last few months…. ok maybe more the last year or so you may have noticed a slow down in posts from yours truly. At first, a…

Yaoi Playground

May 20, 2022 • Subscribe

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Where Have I Been?

Well this is a bit awkward. It’s been a while since I have written on here and I am not really sure what I should say about that.…

Anime and Cosplay

Jan 18, 2022 • Subscribe

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What We Could Do More of

I've been thinking about this panel from Volume 14 of Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie. There's a lot of people who have no one who will truly listen…

Drop-In to Manga - Manga, Mental Health & Community

Jan 27, 2024 • Subscribe

Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie

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Fireworks In Japan: The Culture and Festivals of Hanabi

Summer in Japan sees the skies aflame with fireworks. Ever wonder why? Read on to learn about the history and cultural significance.

GaijinPot

Aug 1, 2024 • Subscribe

Fireworks

Where the Fuck have I been?

Lately, my content has been a little sparse. I went from posting thrice or four times a week to posting maybe once. So, I do want to apologise…

Anime Reviews

Apr 28, 2022 • Subscribe

A long overdue beginning of 2026 update: what the hell have I been up to!?

Hi friends, I hope you’re all doing well! I figured it was long overdue for me to come on here and let you all know what I’ve been…

mosaicboy's Interest Nook

Feb 7, 2026 • Subscribe

Engaged to the Unidentified

Pick of the Week: It Must Have Been the Roses

SEAN: Come on. We all know what it is. This is the last time we can pick it, so it HAS to be the 5th and final volume…

Manga Bookshelf

May 3, 2021 • Subscribe

Rose of Versailles

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The Eminence in Shadow (Volume 6) – What Beautiful Swordplay…

Cid is focused on his performances in the Bushin Festival as Mundane Mann. He keeps winning and no one can tell how. Cid is delighted with the way…

The Otaku Author

Oct 17, 2023 • Subscribe

The Eminence in Shadow

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The Anime You Should Have Been Watching… in Fall 2012

10 years later, which Fall 2012 titles are still continuing today, and which have fallen into obscurity?

Anime News Network - Views

Oct 25, 2022 • Subscribe

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The Anime You Should Have Been Watching… In Winter 2012

If viewers have only time to watch the very latest shows, and online discourse focuses only on the contemporary, is all anime destined to be forgotten once its…

Anime News Network - Views

Feb 9, 2022 • Subscribe

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TenSura – 35 – The Conditions Have Been Met

Once he began eliminating soldiers of Falmuth by the thousands in service of his goal to evolve into a Demon Lord, it marked the official end of the…

RABUJOI – An Anime Blog

Mar 23, 2021 • Subscribe

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

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The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Haruhi has its own fun thing going on. It doesn’t “feel” like really any other anime, and that’s part of what has made it a mainstay of anime…

At a Glance Anime

Feb 26, 2021 • Subscribe

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Melancholy comfort in Majula

It’s been nearly a year since my last post on this blog, and I’ve decided to end that period by penning something that’s not related to anime or…

Cast into the heart

Apr 29, 2019 • Subscribe

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Anibros Podcast Episode 59 – What Have the Cats on the Street Been Cheep Chippin’ About?

Just as the snow melts and the plants bloom once again, one season of anime ends and another begins. What was great? What…

ANIBROS ☆ CREATIVE

Apr 9, 2014 • Subscribe

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What Anime Could Do Better

Horror is a genre anime can do, but does not do much in likes of what North America or Europe does. There is The Omen, Sunshine, Babadook, Let…

Anime Gerad – Anime Community

Oct 9, 2016 • Subscribe

Hellsing, Gasaraki, Hells

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Might Have Been: World Beach Volley

[Might Have Been tracks the failures of promising games, characters, and companies. This installment looks at World Beach Volley , released ...

Kid Fenris

Mar 20, 2021 • Subscribe

Appleseed

Okazu Community Standards Have Been Updated

I cannot believe that in 2020 I have to say this, but recently there have been a spate of really grotesque comments by supposed fans here on Okazu.…

Okazu

Aug 11, 2020 • Subscribe

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The most important anime of the 2010’s might have been Saekano

Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata might very well be the most important anime of the decade. The fact  that such a funny idea blossomed within my mind throughout the…

Artificial Night Sky

Sep 26, 2022 • Subscribe

Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend