I had a whole lot of fun with this week’s Why It Works article, as it fell into one of my favorite categories of criticism: thorough explorations of seemingly trivial cinematic moments. In th…
Aug 24, 2020 • Subscribe
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Dance Dance Danseur – 3 [What Does It Mean to Be Manly]
Welcome everyone to week 3 of Dance Dance Danseur! This one is simultaneously the most interesting, and concerning, episode yet. Why? Well lets jump in and find out!…
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Everyone on the internet right now is telling me to watch ‘Shelter’, the very talked about 6-minutes anime music video by Porter Robinson (am I supposed to know…
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The term ‘Cosplay’ comes from combing the words costume and roleplay. But what does that mean? Is it simply dressing up as a fictional character? No, cosplay is…
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My understanding of, and definition of, anime has changed a lot over the years. But I’m at a point where I don’t know if I can convince myself…
What Does Neckbeard Mean?
Neckbeard (and the lesser-used Legbeard) is a label used online across many different communities, including the otaku community. Academia tends to ignore terms like weeaboo and waifu and…
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I have recently been binge playing otome games on both my computer as well as my phone. The Otome’s I play on my computer I usually use my…
What Does Eyecatch Mean?
An eyecatch is a unique and creative way of enhancing the anime experience and connecting with the viewers. Discover the true meaning of the word eyecatch and get…
HAIKYU!!, My One-Hit Kill Sister, One Piece, Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku
What Does Tsundoku Mean?
I love books and suffer from a mild case of tsundoku. Tsundoku is the Japanese word for the tendency to buy books and not read them. My books…
What Does Yaoi Mean?
Discover the true meaning of the word Yaoi and get a few examples of this sub-genre to cover anime, manga and webtoons with links to where you can…
What Does Iyashikei Mean?
I have come across the term Iyashikei quite a bit in my recent anime viewing and I realised I did not know what it meant. I then delved…
Aharen-san wa Hakarenai, Barakamon, Bunny Drop, Laid-Back Camp, Tanaka-kun is Always Listless
What Does Tsundoku Mean?
I love books and suffer from a mild case of tsundoku. Tsundoku is the Japanese word for the tendency to buy books and not read them. My books…
[AniFemTalk] What does KyoAni mean to you?
The devastating loss of life from the recent arson at Kyoto Animation has left folks reeling–here’s a place to talk out your feelings and share your positive memories.…
Why It Works: What Are the Best Anime About Anime?
This week I’m once again diving into Eizouken-adjacent articles, as I use the show’s unique production focus to shamelessly promote some of my other favorite anime, like Shirobako…
What it means to be alive.
Connect With Me: Official Discord (Juhnime's Anime Haven) - https://discord.gg/fb7hECUQn5 Anime: Frieren: Beyond End's Journey Music: Dabin (feat. RUNN) - Alive (Acoustic)
Representation: Why Does It Matter and What Are Its Limits?
Years ago I wrote about representation in media. I think I made some good points, but I also feel like it was a bit vapid. My thoughts on…
Why It Works: What Are Your Favorite Musical Cues in Anime?
This week on Why It Works, I dug into the power of a great musical cue, something I personally am an absolute sucker for. Nearly all of my…
Why It Works: What Are the Fundamentals of Great Horror Anime?
This week in Why It Works, I capitalized on Halloween’s approach to write a general article about how tricky it is to make animation scary, and what tools…
A Mystery to be Revealed…What Could it be?
Getting recognized as a mysterious blogger.
“I’m in Love With the Villainess” Translation Controversy – What Does it Mean For Readers?
What a day! I woke up this morning ready to face an AMA on reddit as part of a Women’s Month celebration with my publisher (the thread is…
Feature: I Am Human – But What Does That Mean?
Anime does a lot of things. It shows us amazing places and takes us on wild adventures. It can make us laugh or cry or wince or groan.…
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Why It Works: Not Born to Be a Hero: My Hero Academia and the Road to Greatness
Today I’ve got a fresh My Hero Academia article for you all, largely inspired by the show’s recent provisional license retakes, as well as Mirio and Nighteye’s additions…
What is Anime and What Does it Matter?
Today I ask two large questions and fail to answer them. Yup, that sounds like me. What is anime? I don't know but it does matter!
Why It Works: Here’s Why You Should Be Excited for Josee, the Tiger and the Fish!
Welp, the title kinda covers it, right? BONES’ upcoming film Josee looks phenomenal in basically every regard, so it was a no-brainer to write a rundown of its…
Why It Works: Kaiju Are Making a Comeback!
For this week’s Why It Works, I took stock of just how generous our current era is in terms of kaiju productions. We’ve got the Anno-Higuchi films, Legendary’s…
Why It Works: Animating the Impossible, the Breathtaking Works of Kou Yoshinari
This week, I actually took my Why It Works inspiration from an airing show, though not one I’m actually watching. It turns out Kou Yoshinari showed up to…
Why It Works: What Anime Should You Check Out After Avatar: The Last Airbender?
With the spring season largely cancelled by COVID, the anime-adjacent thing I’ve most enjoyed recently has undoubtedly been the utterly fantastic Avatar: The Last Airbender. And fortunately, …
Why It Works: Worldbuilding, Storytelling, and Weaving a Song
For this week’s Why It Works, I pulled together an old-fashioned “philosophy of storytelling” essay, centered on the relationship between worldbuilding and dramatic structure. As …
Why It Works: Worldbuilding, Storytelling, and Weaving a Song
For this week’s Why It Works, I pulled together an old-fashioned “philosophy of storytelling” essay, centered on the relationship between worldbuilding and dramatic structure. As …
Black Cat: The Best at what it does
Last October and November, I decided to take a season long look at the manga series Black Cat. I discussed the manga from cover to cover, looked into…
Does Dr. STONE REALLY Deliver What It Promises?
Does Dr. STONE REALLY Deliver What It Promises? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------] hey guis i'm in india rn das kinda cool 0:00 Intro 0:47 does dr stone rly deliver wat it promises? 2:41 Outro
Why It Works: Hope Lights the Way Through Desolation in To Your Eternity
For this week’s Why It Works piece, I wrote a response to To Your Eternity’s phenomenal first episode. I haven’t been cross-posting my Why It Works pieces, since…
Salaryman Kintaro: Damn It Feels Good to Be a Gangst... I Mean "Real Man"
* This review is in memory of the legendary Masami Suda, who was character designer for this anime, as he passed away earlier this same mont...
What would it mean if Evangelion is a new Gospel?
I officially made it past the halfway point. I reached episode 14, and I’m ready to talk about angels. For the one or two possible people reading this…
Critical Thinking: What is it to be a Critical Thinker?
How and why of critical thinking? We often urge others to think critically. What does that really mean? How can we think critically? This essay presents a general…
Why It Works: Here’s Why You Absolutely Need to Catch Up on My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU!
With the summer season nearly upon us, this week’s Why It Works ended up being unsurprisingly dedicated to singing the praises of Oregairu, one of my very favorite…
What Miura Kentaro – and Berserk – Mean to Me
In May, 2021, manga legend Miura Kentaro passed away, leaving his opus Berserk unfinished. Our author discusses the true genius behind his art.
Why It Works: Fabulous Hair, and Other Character Design Fundamentals
For this week’s Why It Works, I leapfrogged off Ninny’s absolutely fantastic hair from Burn the Witch, in order to discuss the nature and importance of character designs…
Why It Works: Gen Urobuchi’s Puppet Masterpiece Returns This Spring!
Hey folks. I think you can figure this one out by the title – Thunderbolt Fantasy’s on the way back, and so I am conscience-bound to hype it…
Why It Works: The Madness of Hunter x Hunter’s Hero
Hey everyone! For this week’s Why It Works, I dove back into Hunter x Hunter, that seemingly infinite well of potential storytelling topics. This time, I explored the…
Why It Works: My Hero Academia’s Most Terrifying Team-Ups!
Today I’ve got a pretty silly Why It Works feature, mostly prompted by how much fun the new My Hero Academia movie was. Inspired by that film’s generous…
Why It Works: The Quiet Lessons of Laid-Back Camp
Laid-Back Camp is friggin’ back, meaning I can once more wax rhapsodic regarding the meditative, life-affirming qualities of the best slice of life anime. That basically covers this…
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This week’s Crunchyroll article returns us to My Hero Academia, as I explore the central question presented by Gentle Criminal’s addition to the narrative. Gentle’s actions aren’t legal,…
Why It Works: Gen Urobuchi’s Puppet Masterpiece Returns This Spring!
Hey folks. I think you can figure this one out by the title – Thunderbolt Fantasy’s on the way back, and so I am conscience-bound to hype it…
Does Toradora Deserve to be a Classic?
I love romcom anime. Kaguya-sama and Horimiya rank among my favorite manga of all time, and I even came around on Oregairu when it recovered from a disappointing…
Hetalia’s Version of History: What Does It Offer Readers?
Full disclaimer: I work for TOKYOPOP as an editor, and I have worked on every print volume of Hetalia thus far. But I do enjoy Hetalia as a…
Digimon Adventure WHY — I mean, Psi
So, I haven’t talked a lot about this on this blog before but…I LOVE Digimon. Like love, love Digimon. I grew up on it and it’s always been…
Digimon Adventure WHY — I mean, Psi
So, I haven’t talked a lot about this on this blog before but…I LOVE Digimon. Like love, love Digimon. I grew up on it and it’s always been…
Why It Works: Let’s Celebrate the Birthday of A-1 Pictures!
Welp, it’s A-1 Pictures birthday, and I think you all know what that means: time to shamelessly plug every single artistically interesting thing they’ve ever been involved with,…
Why It Works: How Eizouken Embodies the Messy Thrill of Storytelling!
I am sure it could not be less surprising that I’m favoring Eizouken in this season’s Why It Works columns, but you only get so many chances to…