One of the defining images of Japanese history and culture, is that of the samurai, warriors with a strict code of ethics, and a singular dedication to mastering the ways of war. Many of Japan’s mo…
Nov 25, 2017 • Subscribe
More like this
An Exploration of Tradition as Found in Kyoto and its Place Within Anime
In my previous posts about my trip to Japan I highlighted a number of occasions where particular aspects of that trip, specifically in Kyoto illuminated attitudes towards…
Hourou Musuko: An Exploration of Identity
Hourou Musuko is an anime from early 2011. It was released by AIC and based off of a manga by Shimura Takako. Who I know from her work…
Revenger: An anime about samurai and assassins
A promising new anime in Winter 2023 is criminally underwatched: Revenger, an anime by the renowned Gen Urobuchi featuring samurai and assassins. #anime #shorts
Tokyo Art Scene: An Anthology of Contemporary Art
From graphic design to contemporary art, here are three curated exhibitions to visit this month which features works by an array of artists.
Notes on Hyouka as an Exploration of Detective Fiction
This is a repost of Notes on Hyouka as an Exploration of Detective Fiction as published on Altair & Vega on July 5, 2012. As the post’s original…
Post-War Anime: The History of Japanese Animation & Japan
Anime from 1945 to 1963 saw the release of some incredibly influential works. While most begin their anime studies with Astroboy released on January 1st 1963, the history…
Protected: [REVIEW] Immigrant Japan: Mobility and Belonging in an Ethno-Nationalist Society
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Contemporary art in Japan: a roundup of weird, wonderful exhibits and installations
As world-famous art collective teamLab celebrates its 20th anniversary, we’re rounding some of our favourite Japanese art encounters.
Contemporary art in Japan: a roundup of weird, wonderful exhibits and installations
As world-famous art collective teamLab celebrates its 20th anniversary, we’re rounding some of our favourite Japanese art encounters.
Exploring Earth-Centered Folklore and Contemporary Witchcraft: An Interview with Ani Drina
Have you ever wondered about the stories we tell ourselves? About the myths and legends that haunt our imaginations and draw us closer to the unknown? For Ani…
Exploration of Voyager’s Two Stories
This post is a response to Voyager’s, from Galvanic Media, call and post for some looks and advertisements for his two projects, so here I am. You can…
The story of Two Watches and RahXephon — an #AniTwitWatches post
So I’m writing about RahXephon again. A few months ago, we finished up watching RahXephon as part of #anitwitwatches. What is #anitwitwatches, you might ask? Well, it’s a…
Cannibalism in Two Contemporary Japanese Novels
Futakuchi-Onna from Ehon Hyaku Monogatari (絵本百物語, “Picture Book of a Hundred Stories”) Like many other countries, Japan has its own body of folklore with cannibalistic monsters. Fo…
Protected: [REVIEW] Intimate Disconnections: Divorce and the Romance of Independence in Contemporary Japan
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Queer time and the quarter-life crisis in contemporary yuri
Series that focus on queer adult characters open the door to a storytelling niche that’s still relatively underrepresented despite the rich narrative potential it offers: the post-adolescence queer…
Representation! Characters of Color– An Appreciation Post
Hey! It’s time we write a post about BIPOC characters in Anime! Honestly, it’s surprising we didn’t already have a post so what better time than the last…
13 Contemporary Fantasy Anime With Magic in a Modern World
There is magic in a good chunk of anime these days. While there is certainly some charm to enjoying fantasy anime set in a fantasy land filled with…
A Certain Magical Index, Blood Blockade Battlefront, Flying Witch, The Irregular at Magic High School, Witch Hunter Robin
A Living Tribute to the Classics: An Exploration of Super Robot Wars 30
Super Robot Wars is an institution. First released in 1991, it’s a franchise with a ridiculous number of entries – almost all of them built around a very
Dissertation Planning: Analysing Depictions of Disabled Characters in Contemporary Manga
When discussing how contemporary manga both reflects and contributes towards a growing awareness of disability in Japan, you are forced to carefully select what works you refer to…
Guest Post – Different types of food in Anime
In Anime different types of food items are shown and god they look very delicious. So This post will show some of the popular Anime Food that are…
The Evaporated People in Contemporary Japanese Literature
Each year in Japan, thousands of people disappear. They haven’t been kidnapped. They haven’t been murdered. (Japan has one of the lowest murder rates in the world. An…
On Female Bonding and Bathing Culture in Contemporary Japanese Women’s Writing
“The Europeans are compelled to take [a] bath in order to clean off the filth… on the contrary, bathing of the Japanese is far beyond the simple object…
Restorative justice and community in Samurai Flamenco
As self-proclaimed hero Hazama Masayoshi learns that heroes and villains are parts of their community, not forces outside of it. he begins to reject violence and root his…
Anime of Foreign Fears: Samurai Champloo
This probably won’t come as a shock to you, but I’m totally a xenophile. It’s not just Japanese culture that I adore, though it is my favorite, but…
The Top 8 Samurai and Ninja Anime of the 90s
The 90s produced a slew of great samurai and ninja shows. See our top picks and set out on your next violent adventure!
GUEST POST – Best user of every element in anime
Today we have a guest post looking at Best user of every element in anime. If you are a fan of action shonen, you'll have fun with this…
A Society Without War- Vinland Saga S2 Ep 15 Review
Thorfinn and Einar ruminate on what it would take to build a society without war. Arnheid inadvertently frees her husband Gardar from captivity.
Boondoggle - Sakura Quest's exploration of rural depopulation
Sakura Quest is the most recent series from studio P.A. Works’ “earnest girls working earnestly” genre that it started back in 2011 with Hanasaku Iroha. Sakura’s story starts…
Taiso Samurai – 06 [Samurai Father and Daughter]
I’ve been opening these posts with some variation of, “I can’t believe Jotaro wasn’t the focus of this episode!” for three weeks now, so it’s about time I…
From the New World and the problem of unused weaponry — an #Anitwitwatches post
The rest of the #anitwitwatches crew and I finished From the New World, and I have some thoughts. Oh, boy. Do I have some thoughts. Wait. You out…
A Forgotten Tohoku “Tree War” and an Enduring Rivalry
To this day, a rivalry exists between the northern Japanese prefectures of Aomori and Iwate. And its source? A bunch of trees.
Pick of the Week: Samurai and Kings
KATE: There is SO MUCH GOOD MANGA coming out this week, y'all, I don't know where to begin! VIZ is unveiling two new series with grown-up appeal—Steel of…
How to properly execute exposition in Anime (and an example of one)
Whenever the topic of exposition is brought up, it is usually painted in a negative connotation as an inherent form of amateur writing, and I don’t think any…
Love and War of Underworld
Finishing out the SAO analysis series with its most recent entries, adapting Alicization. I mention in the video the chances of us living in a simulated reality, and you…
Books on Japanese Culture and Society
This past semester I taught a class on Japanese science fiction and fantasy, and I was surprised by how interested my students were in learning more about the…
An article in which I lose my mind trying to figure out saiyan society
Okay, so, recently I watched Dragon Ball Super: Broly for like, the ninth time. I went, damn, that’s still a good movie. The last few times I’d watched…
Does Godzilla Minus One Have a Post-War Japan Problem? - An Interview With Yoshiki Takahashi
The Japanese writer / director of "Rageaholic" takes aim at the Big G's latest flick
Star’s experience in war anime- 86
I am really excited about this review y’all. 86 was definitely the best emotional wild ride I’ve had in a long time. It’s a brillant story that demostrates…
Goblin Slayer: A Bizarrely Thoughtful Exploration of Trauma
Goblin Slayer is one of the strangest anime I have ever seen, though I don’t mean that on a conceptual level. Fantasy anime with comedically single-minded protagonists and…
Seven Samurai and Hanebado
The Chicago Bears are the champions of the NFC North! It has been a long journey toward relevancy for the Bears, but we’re finally here again. It’s been…
Seven Samurai and Hanebado
The Chicago Bears are the champions of the NFC North! It has been a long journey toward...
What gets (and keeps) me interested in an anime?
While an episode usually lasts around 24 minutes, sometimes even less if you discount the opening and ending, the number of anime titles seems to be steadily growing…
Manga Chapter Dump Post 10: The War Of The Strong Ones
Hey, everyone! I know- “This Again.” But as you can all probably understand; I had to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family. Which basically meant no internet for a…
Another boring post about feminism and stuff in the anime community…
I’m gonna level with you. I fell down a rabbit hole of watching dudes who seem super angry about “feminism” and how it’s destroying everything good like video…
Life in an Anime Fandom
This was originally a response to Scott, but I ended up weaving my own post about a topic I wanted to write about anyway, so…here we are.
Anime licenses surge in post-pandemic boom
Plus: Survey reveals gender gap in anime production; Sony drops satellite broadcasting for anime; 'One Piece' puts spotlight on anime reboots; and more
The winter of my discontent with Kanon — an #anitwitwatches post
I’m having a difficult time with Kanon. The sad girls in the snow have led me to the winter of my discontent, and I’m still sorting out my…
The War of Misunderstandings in RahXephon
For the past few days, I’ve been struggling with how to explore the larger war in RahXephon. Unlike other shows, RahXephon seems to be difficult for me to…
How to Write an Anime Blog Post When You Don’t Know Much About Anime and Can’t Write
I have always approached life with the idea that I know next to nothing. You see, for me that makes things way more fun. I get to occasionally…
February Update 2021: Aka the 700th post is an Update Post
Visit the post for more.