My drama slump is deep everyone. So deep that it’s very unlikely I will complete my drama and movie challenge. Sigh. It wasn’t meant to be it seems. On a positive note as I stray from m…
Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan
Aug 25, 2020 • Subscribe
More like this
Finding Value in All Aspects of Life
I'm really impressed with this speech by Yuji Itadori in Chapter 255 of Jujutsu Kaisen about what does it mean for someone to have value. We've all been told…
Falling in love… 1000 times later
These are the girls I used to fall in love with, and here’s to the girls who I have yet to meet.
Love & Japan Part 3: Distance
Welcome to another edition of Love & Japan. Compared to the previous two editions, however, this one is going to be bit more reflective and serious as this…
Activism and Art in Times of Moral Crisis
Over the past month or so, for obvious reasons, I’ve been thinking a lot about how socio-political and cultural revolutions have been and should be fought, how I…
In Life and Love, Ride Your Wave
“I’ll be here until you’re able to ride those waves alone.” Several years ago, I attended a family wedding in Hawai’i. The trip ran through my birthday, and…
86 and Justice by Distance
So yes, the secret is out. I am not writing as much as I did last week. Last week, I spent hours and hours of energy covering two…
Finding Comfort and Longing in Harvestella
Not long ago there was one particular video game that gave me a lasting impression. That title was Harvestella, and it was surprisingly its demo that gave me…
Times and Places
If you don’t know much about Japanese geography or history, I went and looked up some background information about the places and events in Katanagatari. And some pictures…
Three Generations of Love Live Idols on Overcoming Challenges and Finding Yourself
Aika Kobayashi (Yoshiko/Yohane), Mayu Sagara (Kasumi Nakasu), and Sayuri Date (Kanon Shibuya) shared how they overcame challenges in their career and found inspiration from their own characters.
Classmates and finding the humanity in clichés
Nakamura uses the reader’s familiarity to build a framework for a humanistic, multifaceted story about queer intimacy, connection, and joy.
Blogging in Quarantine Times
For context, I’m writing this in the first week of May and I’ve been at home for a couple of months now. I just wanted to have a…
The Psychological Price of Distance—Gundam Reconguista in G Part IV: The Love That Cries Out in Battle
It’s been over two years since my last review of a Gundam Reconguista in G movie. In Part IV: The Love That Cries Out in Battle, the series…
Men of Yoshiwara Kikuya Otome Review – Finding Love in the Red Light District
Men of Yoshiwara-Kikuya is a port of the popular Japanese otome game, Gyakuten Yoshiwara, developed by D3 Publisher and Dogenzaka Labs. In the game you play as a young woman…
En Route To Finding Life On Venus
Recently NASA has made a sizable donation of $500,000 to the Ohio Aerospace Institute (OAI), giving it financial support to launch their latest invention LEAVES
In The Distance (2022) review [Japannual 2022]
“A very pleasant slice-of-life narrative that elegantly shows that bonds between subjects are that much more genuine if they are grounded in the acceptance of the other’s radical…
Finding Kafka in Kaneki: Tokyo Ghoul and the Perils of Boyhood
We take a deep dive into Sui Ishida's Tokyo Ghoul, and examine the implicit and explicit ways that the series ties to the classical works of Franz Kafka.
Finding Joy in Responsibility
Life is full of things that we have to do, mundane chores eating up our time. But could these things actually be some of the most valuable moments……
Finding Positivity in Death Via Anime and Manga
Recently, my mother and I had a conversation about a topic a lot of Westerners don’t talk about - death. My mom discussed how she wanted to die…
Whisper Me a Love Song – 06 – Finding Her Love
When Yori and Himari go shopping for clothes for the concert, it counts as their first official date, and they treat it as such. Himari’s outfit is adorable…
Battle Athletes Victory ReStart! Episode 7: Finding Love in a Warzone
Fans of a certain duo were eagerly awaiting an episode like this, myself included.
Finding models of healthy masculinity in BL manga
In retrospect, I recognize those first fanfics as something that let me safely imagine myself as a boy in a relationship with another boy. That desire to find…
Re:Zero Starting Life in Another World 2 – 09 [Love Love Love Love Love Love You]
If the MAL episode count is correct, we have four more episodes before the series goes on break as the second cour will air in January 2021. I…
Finding Tokyo’s soul in sento
「メゾン刻の湯」 小野美由紀, 2018 Maison Toki no Yu, by Miyuki Ono, 2018 In my quest for books set at sento or onsen, I ran across 「メゾン刻の湯」by Miyuki Ono. When Ono…
Finding Tokyo’s soul in sento
「メゾン刻の湯」 小野美由紀, 2018 Maison Toki no Yu, by Miyuki Ono, 2018 In my quest for books set at sento or onsen, I ran across 「メゾン刻の湯」by Miyuki Ono. When Ono…
Finding Comfort in Bad Anime
What a way to spend the quarantine
Finding Role Models in Anime
In my New Year’s resolution, I stumbled on an important idea. “Anime isn’t afraid of emotional intimacy – it celebrates it. Rather than aiming for mass appeal, anime…
Finding Comfort in Bad Anime
What a way to spend the quarantine
“Distance” by Fifi Rong
Welcome, all, again. I’m about a month late on this one, but Fifi Rong has released a song touted as “the ideal isolation anthem.” (Not so sure how…
50 Years in Times Square: Kurosawa and his Western Remakes
On April 8, 1971, 50 years ago today, I made my first trip to see a Japanese movie on the big screen. It was Akira Kurosawa’s SEVEN SAMURAI…
Vexille: Still Human in Dire Times
My last two reviews focused on similar ideas like sweeping cityscapes and people out in the streets protesting or something for one reason or another. After doing some…
Episode 29 - Busy Times in February
The 2023 Animator Dormitory Project is Live! https://gogetfunding.com/animator-dorm-2023/ The Animator Dormitory is made possible thanks to our supporters via crowdfunding. ---------------------------------------------------------------- New Anime Making System Project Phase 1 https://gogetfunding.com/2020-new-anime-making-system-project/ ---------------------------------------------------------------- Raising Wages…
The End of Another Decade in Anime…and then Shorter Times in Other Stuff (11th Day of Anime)
Inspired by Yon Nyan’s self-care post. If we don’t count Pokemon and start with Sailor Moon as a point where I started engaging with anime in general (since I…
The Fun of Finding Your Style in Multiplayer Games
When I was playing Splatoon 3, I would do something that I barely attempted in previous games: try out as many weapons as I could to get a…
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (Episode 22) – Backs in the Distance
Ling Yao tries to escape from Wrath and Gluttony while keeping an injured Lan Fan safe. Edward and Alphonse are keeping Scar busy, but they never expected Winry…
Finding Fukuoka Guidebook Released in the United States and Europe
My second guidebook, Finding Fukuoka: A Travel and Dining Guide for the Fukuoka City Area, is now available in the United States and Europe through Amazon. Finding Fukuoka…
Wano Times
My Hero Academia 262 - 6:22Act-Age 103 - 16:45EDENS ZERO 84 - 20:42Mashle: Magic and Muscles 6 - 34:32Chris Spotlights... - 46:37Mission: Yozakura Family 26 - 48:24Samurai 8…
The Promised Neverland, The Seven Deadly Sins, World Trigger, Black Clover, Chainsaw Man
Good Times
Man, I love it when my parents leave the house for several hours. I can watch my anime blu-rays the entire day and not be bothered! Best of…
Finding God in a Light Novel!?
Gods tend to come off badly in fiction. Really, really badly. No, wait, “badly” isn’t strong enough. Worsely? Worstly? Anyway… There are stories with evil gods. There are…
Adachi Mitsuru’s “Nine” – Lessons On Life And Love
Before “Mix,” there was “Cross Game.” Prior to that, “H2” was published, and “Touch” came out even earlier. But Adachi Mitsuru’s first, very own story was “Nine,” published…
Adachi Mitsuru’s “Nine” – Lessons On Life And Love
Before Mix (2012–present), there was Cross Game (2005–2010). Prior to that, H2 (1992–1999) was published, and Touch (1981–1986) came out even earlier. All four of them are baseball…
Fifi Rong releases “Distance” video
Fifi Rong has released the video to her song "Distance" as a Christmas present to all.
COMMENTARY – Keeping Abreast of the Times
If you have watched anime for any length of time, you have been presented with the city of Akihabara. Just after WWII, it was Akihabara Electric Town, a…
Volume 2 of Lesbian Comic ‘The Life of a Yuri Couple in Love’ Released
The second volume of mk’s lesbian doujinshi, The life of A Yuri Couple in Love ( (Osananajimi no Yurifufu Seikatsu), was released in English and Japanese on January 21. The manga…
Anime & The Apocalypse: Finding Catharsis in the End of Everything
This essay is for all of us who look to retreat into the end of everything. Get in the car, loser, we're escaping into the apocalypse.
Review: Love Life Light
Love Life Light 照明商店 China, 2023, colour, 2.35:1, 98 mins. Director: Cai Erduo 蔡耳朵 [Cai Jing 蔡婧]. Rating: 8/10. Classy directing debut by former a.d. Cai Erduo, aka…
Classroom of the Elite – S3 07 – Closing the Distance
Ayanokouji sows the seeds for his plan right from the start, by questioning Suzune’s resolve to choose someone from their class to expel. This puts Suzune in a…
In the Distance (距ててて, Saki Kato, 2022)
Two roommates struggle to get along amid the stress of pandemic-era life in Saki Kato’s indie dramedy.
Fujojocast No. 14: When Asian Fans Socially Distance because of Cultural Tensions in Fandom
In case you missed the memo, fandom is not a safe place, especially for BIPOC fans. It’s something that we Asian fans have been keenly aware of since…
Togainu no Chi~Lost Blood~ BL Game Review – Finding Love in a Hopeless Place
Say what you will about Nitro+Chiral and their games, but beneath all the angst, leather, and dubious consent are some pretty introspective stories. Sure, their games tend to…
Finding Balance
I have been posting on this blog every day for over 5 years now. Pretty impressive right?? Huh, huh!!! Ok, it’s no great accomplishment but it was something…