On March 11, 2011, the 9.0-magnitude Great East Japan Earthquake triggered a powerful tsunami that swept the Tohoku region in Northeastern Japan. Residents had less than ten minutes to flee from a …
Mar 11, 2021 • Subscribe
More like this
Fire Force S2 E7: An Allegory for Modernity
I’m convinced the latest episode of Fire Force is an allegory for the modern western world. I mean, look at this: They come to a continent, call it…
Reading Code:Realize as Queer Allegory
You wouldn’t expect an otome game like Code:Realize to have themes that resonate so strongly with common queer experiences. In many ways, the game follows genre conventions, with…
The Wandering Witch as Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl
Welcome, all, again. I recently raided my backlog of series-to-be-watched and pulled out 2011’s Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl–literally pulled it out of my DVD collection, where it’s…
Reading The Duke of Death and His Maid as disability allegory
The Duke of Death and His Maid takes what could be a cheap device for titillation and, intentionally or not, transforms it into something far more emotionally powerful.…
Sla-Ground
General Information Unit type: unpiloted slave podHeight: 6.2 metersWeight: 23.5 metric tonsArmament: Sla Kila, Sla claw, arm gun x 4 Lineart N/A
The Sacred Peaks: An Introduction to the Dewa Sanzan
Learn about the Dewa Sanzan, the three mountains that are the pride of Japan's north - and a deeply spiritual site for many.
An Anime Fan as An Adult
I’m an adult. Well… I’m technically one. I’m of age, but I’m definitely not the mental age of the mature adult that everyone expects. Anyway, it may sound…
Anime As An Aspie
Not here to claim all people with autism of whatever level or form have the same experiences and not claiming I am an expert. Mostly will be…
Battle Ground Workers
A sci-fi manga about a man who joins the Humanity Union Japan Chapter where employees use remotely controlled humanoid weapons called "RIZE" to battle against invading alien forces…
On “Shiki” Ground
I often talk about what I don’t enjoy in anime. This is done more than to allow me to rant and rave about ‘slights’ foisted against me and…
Day 3 of Hotsui Matsuri: Nihongo Legends-Sacred Weapons
Hey! Welcome to another day of Hotsui Matsuri! I wanted to write a little piece about these mystical objects in Japanese folklore since they are sprinkled in a…
Idaten Deities #11 — A New Arc for an Ending
That seems like a very stupid idea. Impressions: This is the ending I expected from the show yesterday, which is to say, absolutely no ending whatsoever. Just…
The Legendary Witch Is Reborn As an Oppressed Princess, Vol. 3
By Touko Amekawa and Kuroyuki. Released in Japan as “Shiitagerareta Tsuihou Oujo wa, Tenseishita Densetsu no Majo deshita: Mukae ni Koraretemo Komarumasu. Juuboku to no Ohirune wo Jamashinaide…
What anime works best as an ad for the source material?
What makes the original great? Why does the anime fall short or feel incomplete? Is the original work licensed?
Kimizero – 08 – Common Ground
Runa’s efforts to befriend her sister aren’t off to a strong start, and she and Ryuuto want to try new things out, so that first new thing turns…
Sacred Blacksmith - First Impressions
Regular readers of my blog should be well acquainted with my love of strong female characters. So I guess it came as no surprise when ...
As Time Changes – Clannad #11
As Time Changes – Clannad #11 Episode 11 is primarily exposition, with much of its focus dedicated to building relationships between Kotomi and the rest of the cast. We get…
I’m a Behemoth, an S-Ranked Monster, but Mistaken for a Cat, I Live as an Elf Girl’s Pet (Volume 3) – Cat-astrophe Strikes!
After destroying the demon’s first wave of monsters, Tama finds himself singled out when he is trapped with four trolls. Too bad the demon thinks that Tama is…
I’m a Behemoth, an S-Ranked Monster, but Mistaken for a Cat, I Live as an Elf Girl’s Pet (Volume 11) – A Whisker in Time!
Having just returned from defeating Visago, Aria is instantly called on for another quest. This time, she has been approached by the time-travelling daughter of the Grand Sorcerer…
Amnesia as an Anime Plot Device
It seems as if every other anime character is getting clocked on the noggin’ and getting amnesia. Amnesia has become a fairly common plot device with many advantages…
Netflix Adds Ads as an Option
When streaming really started taking off, mainly thanks to streaming service Netflix, one of the biggest benefits both people and companies boasted was no ads. Of course, the…
Beastars, or the Troubling World of Allegory
When I first wrote about Beastars, which you can find here, I tried to focus on its character writing. Don’t get me wrong, Beastars has an excellent story…
MADOX G.E.U. (Ground Effect Unit)
General Information Unit type: hovercraft-equipped slave trooperEquipment: G.E.U. (Ground Effect Unit) Lineart N/A
Kingdom 3 – 11
Who am I to judge the motivations of a man who commanded battlefields for 50 years? Read more
Chihayafuru 3 – 11
One trend I've definitely noticed in Chihayafuru - the best chapters/episodes tend to be the ones that focus heavily on the supporting characters. Read more The post Chihayafuru…
To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts
A manga about how experimental monster soldiers who helped win a war are losing their humanity and becoming true monsters themselves. These sacred beasts are hunted down by…
To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts
By Andrew Osmond. War wracks you with terrible transformations, and turns you into a monster. To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts takes place in an alternate America, renamed Patria,…
Trains: an introspection on art as discourse
Hou Hsiao-hsien’s Café Lumière begins with a title card stating it to be a tribute to the centennial of Yasujiro Ozu’s birth. Even without any contextual knowledge about…
Reading Violet Evergarden as an autistic woman
While it’s not necessarily overtly intended, the series explores and validates the ways that empathy can be expressed by neurodivergent women.
The Romance of Space as an Ocean
So we all know I love space operas, right? I think that I have proven that on so many levels with so many blog posts already. So why…
Weekly Round-Up, 8-14 July 2020: BNA as Queer Allegory, Black Anime Podcasts, and Ghosts of Tsushima
AniFem Round-Up The Misfit King of Demon King Academy – Episode 1 Painfully dull fantasy series with flat characters. Deca-Dence – Episode 1 Post-apocalyptic sci-fi that executes familiar…
BNA, DECA-DENCE, Rent-a-Girlfriend, Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out!
Weekly Round-Up, 8-14 April 2020: Potential Summer Anime Delays, FFVII As Trans Allegory, and Weaponized Spoilers
AniFem Round-Up Princess Connect! Re:Dive – Episode 1 Mobile game adaptation that has an appealing sense of humor about its premise. The Millionaire Detective – Balance: Unlimited –…
Gutenberg Doesn’t Suck as an Editor – Because It’s Not An Editor!
Gutenberg Doesn't Suck as an Editor: No, really! It doesn't suck as an editor. Why? Because, in all honesty, I don't think it's an editor!
Princess Connect #16 — Catchphrase Dumping Ground
Please stop yelling the same phrases over and over. Impressions: Well, it was better than the last two episodes, but it was still quite obnoxious. I guess…
Home Ground (홈그라운드, Kwon Aram, 2022)
Kwon Aram’s contemplative documentary follows the proprietor of an endangered lesbian bar as he reflects on the changes in his community.
Chihayafuru 3 – 11, 12
「きりたちのぼる あきのゆふぐれ / はなさそふあらしのにはのゆきならで」 (Kiri tachinoboru aki no yūgure / Hana sasou arashi no niwa no yuki narade) "Before Wisps of Fog Rise in the Autumn Dusk / Flower…
Golden Kamuy 3 – 11
「罪穢れ」 (Tsumi kegare) "Sin" I don’t know WTF this series is, but I hope it never changes.
Special Review: Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom
Unlike most other movies connected to anime series, The Sacred Kingdom is not a compilation, sequel, or original side story. It is, instead, an interstitial story, one that…
The Sacred Blacksmith (Seiken no Burakkusumisu)
The Sacred Blacksmith (Seiken no Burakkusumisu) 2009 Lots of tropes here! But did that ruin the series for me? No, yet on a related note, if any of…
On Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
got nothing witty to write here April 2004. Fire Emblem: Souen no Kiseki, the Gamecube game now know as FE: Path of Radiance in the West, was announced.…
Holiday Review #11: DUR-AN-KI
There was some original fantasy manga to be found in 2025. Fittingly enough, some of it came from the team that helped to craft one of manga's greatest…
Holiday Review #11: DUR-AN-KI
There was some original fantasy manga to be found in 2025. Fittingly enough, some of it came from the team that helped to craft one of manga's greatest…
There’s No Such Thing As An Easy Job
Japanese Title: この世にたやすい仕事はない (Kono yo ni tayasui shigoto wa nai)Author: Kikuko Tsumura (津村 記久子)Translator: Polly BartonPublication Year: 2015 (Japan); 2020 (United Kingdom)Press: Bloomsbury Publis…
Processing Overseas Loss And Grief As An Expat
Grieving from halfway across the world is a heavy feat. Savvy Tokyo spoke with Dr. Mira Simic-Yamashita for some insight on dealing with expat grief.
Akihabara loses its edge as an anime mecca
Plus: NTT Docomo launches Manga Mirai reading platform; Kadokawa names leader of anime studios; Domestic anime home video sales return to growth; and more
42. An Apology for Scanlation
In the end, the point of all this is to say that copyright is a legal and not a moral framework, and as such its principles are fundamentally…
NEET Kunoichi - Episode 9 - Shizuri Stomps Ground
Shizuri made the gacha event for her game, but she blew through all her pulls with no 5-Stars! She only had one left! NEET Kunoichi - Episode 9
Kabushikigaisha Magilumiere - Episode 4 - Hitomi Slams Ground
Magilumiere has advantages from its start-up status: it can craft magic spells on the fly! Kabushikigaisha Magilumiere - Episode 4