I have hit a snag in reviews due to the number of prose materials I am chugging through. Right now I’m reading these 4 books: Yuri Bungei Novel Contest Selection (百合文芸小説 コンテスト セレクション) from Pi…
Apr 27, 2021 • Subscribe
More like this
Learning to Slow Down in Skyrim
My Steam Deck and recent desktop PC upgrade have turned me into a certified PC Gamer™, and with that, trying out some new games that weren’t on my…
5 Ways to Slow Down in Life
The lowest point of my time in Japan was directly after the JET Program. I worked for a travel agency here in Tokyo as an English-speaking consultant. While…
Short Reviews: Frieren
Yes I’m alive. Consider this short review a message to myself: Stop getting annoyed that people like Frieren “too much”. Yes Frieren has its fair share of issues.…
Short Movie Reviews
Havent done one of these in a while. *** American History X - 5.5/10. Ah yes, this movie about a guys transformation into a Neo-Nazi and later reformation.…
Slow Loop | #Short Anime Review
Finally, I have finished Slow Loop. What did you expect? Slice of Life anime will always be highly rated by me. Sorry. Allow me to share my thoughts!
Short Movie Reviews Again
Cardcaptor Sakura The Movie - 8/10. Its been years since Ive last seen this, and now that Ive seen the entire series, I have a better understanding of…
AMP Short Reviews (2019)
In today's update, allow me to make a jump to the past and highlight for you some of the short film reviews I wrote from AMP back…
Short reviews: Kaiju No.8
After months of moving across continents, changing computers a few times, all my streaming subscriptions lapsing, and getting a whole new set of furniture, I’m finally in a…
Anime short review: Azur Lane: Slow Ahead!
After several months, I’m back with the anime shorts. I haven’t had a great track record with the series on the shorter side, but I always try to…
Anime short review: Azur Lane: Slow Ahead!
After several months, I’m back with the anime shorts. I haven’t had a great track record with the series on the shorter side, but I always try to…
Short reviews of every game I played in 2022
When the pandemic started and I was stuck indoors, I decided to dig through my library of games and achieved the unthinkable in clearing out my Steam backlog.…
Short reviews of every game I played in 2021
At the end of 2020 I wrote a post (two posts in fact) on all the games I played that year. I enjoyed that writing process so I…
Walking Down the Shore (A Short Story)
Much of my life feels like strolling down sunset-lit beach all by myself. In the horizon, I can see crowds of people tending and minding their own businesses;…
Nier:Reincarnation shutting down after 3 short years
Although it was painfully inevitable it looks like Nier Reincarnation will finally shut down after 3 years. I feel like this blog has become some kind of collection…
Diplomacy in Reviews
The other day I was thinking about what my biggest pet peeves are when reading a review, and while there are a few, instead of listing them I…
Sometimes we all need that Shower Room Rendevous to slow it all down.
As time rolls in to wind down the weekend, I felt like I needed a little something slow and smooth. Shower Room Rendevous made me feel like my…
Regional Japan: slow travel in Setouchi
How to explore the 'real' Japan? Pick a region, and explore it in depth! Here's everything you need to know about Japan's Setouchi region.
Regional Japan: slow travel in Setouchi
How to explore the 'real' Japan? Pick a region, and explore it in depth! Here's everything you need to know about Japan's Setouchi region.
2023 Reviews in Review
I normally don’t write seasonal posts, but seeing as I’ve published a lot of reviews this year compared to my usual, I thought I’d put out a summary…
Are Manga Sales Down In 2024?
Wonder if digital manga is on the rise in Japan.
Slow Loop
Uhm another cute girls doing cute fishing anime?! Well, because Houkago Teibou Nisshi didn’t get a second season, we all have to be content with Slow Loop instead.…
Slow Loop
Slow Loop is currently streaming on Funimation....
Tier List and Short Reviews of All Manga by Nobuyuki Fukumoto FKMT
Tier List and Short Reviews of All Manga by Nobuyuki Fukumoto FKMT #manga #FKMT #Kaiji #Fukumoto
This Week in Anime - Going Down Stream
Coop and Steve ponder the streaming landscape and how ridiculously impossible they've made it to get a decent screencap.
Music in Anime: Penguin Research – Button (Slow version)
Been looking for the slow version of Penguin Research’s Button, the one that plays at the end of ReLife: Kanketsu-hen. It’s perfect.
Coffee in Japan: A Short, Tasty History
Did you know canned coffee is a Japanese invention? Learn how coffee went from foreign luxury to everyday staple in Japan.
In Praise of 2023’s Short Anime
Wooper: Happy New Year, everyone! I hope your 2023 was safe and successful. Mine was more productive than usual, thanks in part to my greatly reduced anime-watching habits.…
In Praise of 2020’s Short Anime
Happy New Year, everyone! Hope your January is off to a good start. Mine is about to filled with writing, both for our Winter First Impressions and the…
In Praise of 2016’s Short Anime
Happy New Year, everyone! As is tradition here at Star Crossed, our first post of the new year is a rundown of Wooper’s favorite shorts from… 2016? Yes,…
31 Short Stories for January in Japan
In honor of January in Japan, RJL presents a list of 31 translated Japanese short stories you can read on-line for free, listed alphabetically by author. 2025 marks…
In Praise of 2019’s Short Anime
Happy New Year, everyone! With 2019 in the history books and another season of anime in danger of beginning any day now, it’s easy to get swept up…
In Praise of 2021’s Short Anime
Happy New Year, everyone! As was the case in 2019 and 2020, our first post of the new year is a rundown of Wooper’s favorite short anime from…
Vampire in the Garden – Short and Bittersweet
When I first noticed Vampire in the Garden on Netflix, I felt a mixture of excitment and wariness. While I’m almost always a fan of dark supernatural settings,…
Short Story: The Monk in the Arena
Some fascinating news for you, my dear readers! I’ve written a short story. It’s the first one which I have published in twelve years. Some people on X…
Apex Down
As all cool kids clubs end in cults and tragedy, so does the BK Kids Club in Book Three of the Train.
Upside Down
Author: Ukari (translated with author’s permission, please visit their website to see the original Japanese works!) To say here is far, The post Upside Down first appeared on Kowabana.
“Hands” Down
There are a lot of animes out there about making animes and all the trials and tribulations that are required to pull it off. It also acts as…
Slow-budding Romance
There’s something incredibly rewarding about a slow-budding romance—the kind that takes its time, built on shared moments, quiet growth, and emotional healing. ReLIFE ReLIFE follows 27-year-old Arata Kaizaki,…
Slow Starter Homes
When your friends are buying starter homes with their accomplishments, Drinking at a house show can feel childish and embarrassing. — “Get Old Forever” | Jeff Rosenstock The…
Big Feelings in Small Moments – A Short (REVIEW) of the Short & Sweet HONOBONO LOG
Totaling just barely 20 minutes, Honobono Log is a catalogue of short, simple moments from lives any one of us could lead.
Neptune Frost: Bless the Hackers Down in Africa
I have sworn off live action movies for a number of reasons, well really just one reason: the mainstream. In my experience as a consumer, you do not…
Breaking Down the Visions in Mashiro no Oto
By “visions”, I mean two things – mental images and dreams.
Anonymous Noise, Forest of Piano, Those Snow White Notes, Piano no Mori
This Week in Games - Burn It All Down
The State of California has filed a lawsuit against the company for what is being called “frat boy culture,” but that phrase, to me, minimizes the abuse far…
Firechick's Anime Reviews: Delicious In Dungeon
Rating : 78/100 So...I knew nothing of Delicious In Dungeon until I learned an anime was going to be made for it this year. My only knowledge of…
Slow Damage BL Game Review – Beauty in the Macabre
After a few delays, Nitro+chiral's much anticipated BL game, Slow Damage has made its English language debut—and it was worth the wait!
Slow Loop Episode #08
Let’s begin with Koharu Minagi where she caught a cicada, although Hiyori Minagi is scared of bugs as expected. Speaking of bugs, cicadas are good as bait but…
SLOW LOOP – Episode 1
There’s nothing wrong with Slow Loop (except some potential yellow flags in the dynamic between these soon-to-be stepsisters, which I'll get to in a second) but it just…
Slow Loop (Episode 03)
I adore this anime’s mature, yet also innocent approach when it comes to serious topics! Dealing with the loss of a parent is extremely hard to express into…
Slow Loop Episode #02
On this episode, looks like the step-sisters went to a fly-fishing specialty shop which is owned by the Yoshinaga family. Well, looks like Koharu is very interested in…