AniFem Round-Up Queer Subtext and Representation in Kamen Rider Nerissa Mercer traces the long tradition of homoeroticism in the flagship tokusatsu franchise and its comparatively short and bumpy record of overt representation. The Dead Mothers of Shounen Alex R. asks why, when so many adventuring heroes are inspired by their dads, moms are still only …
Sep 8, 2021 • Subscribe
More like this


Weekly Round-Up, 26 May – 1 June 2021: Ace Attorney Localization, “Cool Japan,” and Gendered Translation
AnFem Round-Up The Girl with the Healing Kiss: How Talentless Nana explores gender, morality and the savior complex Avanya Manickum unpacks Michiru’s arc and how it implicitly plays…
Auto-tagged Ace Attorney, Land of the Lustrous, Talentless Nana


Olympia Soiree – Riku Walkthrough
Official Website: Aksys GamesGame Link: Nintendo eShop | Amazon | Aksys Games (Standard) | Aksys Games (w/ Soundtrack) General Tips: Only Riku, Tokisada, Kuroba, and Yosuga’s can be sele…


Olympia Soiree – Tokisada Walkthrough
Official Website: Aksys GamesGame Link: Nintendo eShop | Amazon | Aksys Games (Standard) | Aksys Games (w/ Soundtrack) General Tips: Only Riku, Tokisada, Kuroba, and Yosuga’s can be sele…


Olympia Soiree – Himuka Walkthrough
Official Website: Aksys GamesGame Link: Nintendo eShop | Amazon | Aksys Games (Standard) | Aksys Games (w/ Soundtrack) General Tips: Only Riku, Tokisada, Kuroba, and Yosuga’s can be sele…


Olympia Soiree – Kuroba Walkthrough
Official Website: Aksys GamesGame Link: Nintendo eShop | Amazon | Aksys Games (Standard) | Aksys Games (w/ Soundtrack) General Tips: Only Riku, Tokisada, Kuroba, and Yosuga’s can be sele…


Olympia Soiree – Akaza Walkthrough
Official Website: Aksys GamesGame Link: Nintendo eShop | Amazon | Aksys Games (Standard) | Aksys Games (w/ Soundtrack) General Tips: Only Riku, Tokisada, Kuroba, and Yosuga’s can be sele…


Olympia Soiree – Yosuga Walkthrough
Official Website: Aksys GamesGame Link: Nintendo eShop | Amazon | Aksys Games (Standard) | Aksys Games (w/ Soundtrack) General Tips: Only Riku, Tokisada, Kuroba, and Yosuga’s can be sele…


Olympia Soiree | Game Review
Olympia Soiree is a complicated and memetastic story of love, fate, and establishing yourself as the person you want to be in life…
Sweet & Spicy | Otome Game Reviews
Auto-tagged Idea


Weekly Round-Up, 2-8 November 2022: Yamada Naoko Interview, Golden Kamuy Delay, and Butterfly Soup 2
AniFem Round-Up Finding models of healthy masculinity in BL manga Max shares how reading BL as a teen gave him a safe place to imagine himself as a…
Auto-tagged Golden Kamuy
September 1990 Pt.7 Manga Round-up
Manga Round-up and overview. We still had a few on-going Manga comic-books and Anime based comic-books that could be still found “On ...
The Anime Nostalgia Facility UK
Auto-tagged ISLAND, Lensman, Outlanders, OZ, What's Michael?
Naoko Yamada & Friends
By Andrew Osmond. Naoko Yamada is the best-known female director in anime. Most of her directing credits are for TV series made at Kyoto Animation, where she spent…
Auto-tagged K-ON!, Sound! Euphonium, Tamako Market


Weekly Round-Up, 1-7 December 2021: Trans VTuber Love, Cupid Parasite, and Lack of Women at Nintendo
AniFem Round-Up The AniFem Store Grand Opening! We’ve finally opened our store, with a variety of merch we hope y’all enjoy. A Double Edged Sword: Reconsidering Moe Through…


Olympia Soiree Otome Review – Kiss the Rainbow
Olympia Soiree is the otome game that no one thought would ever get localized and yet, it’s the latest Otomate title to make its way to the West. Olympia Soiree definitely…


Weekly Round-Up, 20-26 January 2021: Glass Mask Sake, Yamada Naoko’s Influence, and Tokyo Mew Mew
AniFem Round-Up All Folks Bright and Beautiful: The casual gender diversity of Heaven’s Design Team Dee highlights what makes this edutainment manga so charming. Cozy Campfires, Bitter Broth:…
Auto-tagged Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles, Tokyo Mew Mew, Glass Mask, Heaven’s Design Team, Laid-Back Camp


Weekly Round-Up, 24-30 January 2024: Racial Profiling Lawsuit, KyoAni Arson Trial, and Blogging Burnout
Content Warning: This week’s round-up includes a number of heavy topics including sexual abuse, racial profiling, suicide, and hate crimes AniFem Round-Up Anime Feminist Recommendations of Fall 2023…


Weekly Round-Up, 29 September – 5 October 2021: Zombie Land Saga Interview, Beastars Metaphors, and Living as a Foreigner in Japan
AniFem Round-Up Waccha PriMagi! – Episode 1 Colorful magical girl idol show by big name Sato Junichi. Selection Project – Episode 1 Idol competition title worth it for…
Auto-tagged Colorful, Selection Project, The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window, Waccha PriMagi!, ZOMBIE LAND SAGA


Thoughts on Yamada Naoko Leaving Kyo-Ani (why I like slice of life better than action)
On one hand, I’m glad to see that arguably my favorite director is not just anime but cinema returning with a new show. On the other hand, I…


INTERVIEW: Garden of Remembrance Director Naoko Yamada
"The reason why I create anime is because I have a huge respect for human beings in general; what everyone thinks, what people are feeling, what they're going…


Weekly Round-Up, 9-15 June 2021: Anime Outsourcing, BL Games in English, and History of Japan
AniFem Round-Up How No More Heroes tackles otaku toxicity Lucas DeRuyter spotlights the sad life of Travis Touchdown and the game’s satire of toxic masculinity in fandom. Race,…
Auto-tagged Great Pretender


Weekly Round-Up, 8-14 September 2021: Harassment on Archive of Our Own, Anime Overproduction, and Anti-Discrimination Policies
AniFem Round-Up Pregnancy as the pinnacle of womanhood in TSF porn Chiaki analyzes the trend of pregnancy-related happy endings in TSF (“magical sex change”) stories and the possible…


Weekly Round-Up, 15-21 September 2021: Shojo Beat’s Anniversary, Yuri Game Publishing, and Prime Minister Candidates
AniFem Round-Up Portrayals of Black Masculinity in Carole & Tuesday Katherine Mussellam looks at how the writing of characters like Ezekial and Skip swings back and forth between…
Weekly Round-Up, 1-7 July 2020: Underpaid Translators, Anime Himbos, and Queer Doujinshi
AniFem Round-Up 2020 Summer Premiere Reviews All of this season’s premiere reviews in one place. BNA – Episode 1 Colorful mystery with a great lead and the usual…
Auto-tagged BNA, Colorful, Lapis Re:LiGHTs


Japan Diary: September 2021
While the first of September saw the kids go back to school, it wasn’t exactly the return we’d imagined.


Weekly Round-Up, 1-7 May 2024: Black BL, Mental Health Chat, and KOSA Updates
AniFem Round-Up From Takarazuka to Terayama: The influence of queer theater on Revolutionary Girl Utena Looking into the queer outsider theatre that Ikuhara drew inspiration sheds fascinating new…
Auto-tagged Revolutionary Girl Utena


Weekly Round-Up, 6-12 September 2023: Japanese Neopronouns, Joseimuke Imprints, and Historical Shoujo
AniFem Round-Up Lilies In Transition: The state of trans representation in yuri The small number of titles has started to grow recently and expand beyond magical transition to…


A Glimpse of Garden of Remembrance with Naoko Yamada
A summary of Naoko Yamada and Eunyoung Choi’s presentation of Garden of Remembrance at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
Auto-tagged The Heike Story, A Silent Voice, Liz and the Blue Bird, Lu Over the Wall
KyoAni’s Present And Future: Naoko Yamada and Haruka Fujita Interview
It’s time to examine Kyoto Animation’s present and future with an interview featuring their current creative leader and the up-and-coming star who looks up to her! Naoko Yamada…
Auto-tagged Liz and the Blue Bird


Weekly Round-Up, 17-23 March 2021: Rap in Japan, Villainess Light Novel, and Marriage Equality Update
AniFem Round-Up Non-Binary Orochimaru and the homophobic legacy of queer-coded villainy Danny McLaren unpacks the troubling implications behind the fact that the Naruto universe’s first confirmed LGBTQ+ character…
Auto-tagged From the New World, Marriage, Naruto


Weekly Round-Up, 22-28 September 2021: Gay Weddings in Rune Factory, Kageki Shojo Interview, and Death Stranding Update
AniFem Round-Up The View from the Sidecar: How Kamen Rider fails its women A throwback piece for all you tokusatsu fans! Haru details the disappointing treatment of female…


Weekly Round-Up, 7-13 April 2021: The Newest Jojo, Translated Historical Documents, and Writing BL Inclusively
Content Warning: Please note that several of this week’s articles discuss sexual assault, including CSA AniFem Round-Up Fairy Ranmaru – Episode 1 Glitzy, entrancingly baffling beefy magical boy…
Auto-tagged Fairy Ranmaru


Weekly Round-Up, 1-7 March 2023: Shoujo AniTube, Funding for Anime, and Stars Align Update
AniFem Round-Up Airborne Onnagata: Viewing Macross Frontier’s protagonist through a genderqueer lens Corrine Courtland focuses in on the much-maligned Alto and how his arc is greatly enriched by…
Auto-tagged Ai Yori Aoshi, Macross, Macross Frontier, Stars Align


Weekly Round-Up, 11-17 September 2024: Animator Dormitory, Watase Yuu Health Update, and #DRCL
AniFem Round-Up Clothes Make the Guardian: Fashion and femininity in the Sailor Moon franchise With the release of the Cosmos films and Shionhara Emi’s tragic passing, it feels…
Auto-tagged Sailor Moon


Weekly Round-Up, 7-13 September 2022: BL in Italy, Marriage Equality in Harvest Moon, and Misogyny in Manga Discussion
AniFem Round-Up JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure actor Tiana Camacho discusses her favorite shoujo and systemic casting hurdles for actors of color Vrai sat down with Camacho at Otakon 2022…
Weekly Round-Up, 1-7 April 2020: Spring Premieres, Beastars Analysis, and Abuse of Power in My Hero Academia
AniFem Round-Up AniFem Fundraiser and Site Update: March 2020 Things are scary, but we have at least a small bit of fundraiser-related good news. 2020 Spring Premiere Reviews…


Weekly Round-Up, 25 September – 1 October 2024: Kimagure Orange Road Film, Free Yuri Games, and Saito Chiwa Interview
AniFem Round-Up 2024 Fall Premiere Reviews All the fall premieres in one easy-to-find place. Loner Life in Another World – Episode 1 Starting the season off with an…
Auto-tagged Kimagure Orange Road, Loner Life in Another World, Uzumaki
We’re Getting More Otome Games!! Olympia Soiree, Dairoku: Ayakashimori, and Variable Barricade coming to the West in 2021
Blerdy Otome has the scoop on the upcoming release of Olympia Soiree, Dairoku: Ayakashimori, and Variable Barricade--coming to the Nintendo Switch in 2021
Auto-tagged Ayakashi


Weekly Round-Up, 21-27 April 2021: Free Otome Games, Yasuke, and Grown-Up Magical Girls
AniFem Round-Up The Mazinger Problem: On “different times,” “lost in translation,” and the role of translators Kara Dennison shares her approach to the ethical dilemmas translators face when…
Auto-tagged Princess Tutu, Yasuke, Yasuke


Autumn 2021 Anime (and Manga) Round-Up Post
I wasn’t able to do any First Impression reviews at the beginning of this season as I was unexpectedly busy due to life/work circumstances, but I still managed…
Auto-tagged Deiji Meets Girl, Restaurant to Another World, The Vampire Dies in No Time


Spring 2021 Anime (and Manga) Round-Up Post
There’s a bonus manga review added onto this round-up review because I didn’t have enough to say about it to make a separate post. Yay efficiency!
Auto-tagged Dragon Goes House-Hunting, Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, ODDTAXI, The Royal Tutor, SHADOWS HOUSE


Weekly Round-Up, 21-27 September 2022: Fushigi Yugi Returns, Nintendo’s Scrapped Accessibility Controller, and #JustAMeeting
AniFem Round-Up Tekken: Bloodline – Episode 1 Unfortunately, the most interesting character dies before the credits roll. Bee and PuppyCat (2022) – Episode 1 It’s a co-production with…
Auto-tagged Tekken: The Motion Picture, Tekken: Bloodline


Weekly Round-Up, 21-27 September 2022: Fushigi Yugi Returns, Nintendo’s Scrapped Accessibility Controller, and #JustAMeeting
AniFem Round-Up Tekken: Bloodline – Episode 1 Unfortunately, the most interesting character dies before the credits roll. Bee and PuppyCat (2022) – Episode 1 It’s a co-production with…
Auto-tagged Tekken: The Motion Picture, Tekken: Bloodline
Weekly Round-Up, 26 August – 1 September 2020: Nonbinary Monk/Makeup Artist, Masculinity in Yakuza, and Gender in Land of the Lustrous
AniFem Round-Up The Devils in the Details: The grotesquely charming world of Hayashida Q Kirsten Doroff looks at the author best known for Dorohedoro and the undercurrent of…
Auto-tagged Dorohedoro, Land of the Lustrous, Tower of God


Weekly Round-Up, 7-13 June 2023: Pride Recommendations, CBR Layoffs, and Abuse Investigation
Content Warning: Excerpts included in this post discuss police brutality/racial profiling and suicidal ideation/planning. AniFem Round-Up Akane-Banashi: Writing women protagonists using Battle Shounen tropes The series not only…


Weekly Round-Up, 28 July – 3 August 2021: Pokemon Unite’s Predatory Monetization, Anime Licensing Fees, and COVID in Japan
AniFem Round-Up How fan service can attract or repel an audience, and how to tell the difference In this blast from the AniFem past, Lauren Orsini offers her…
Japanese Horror Weekly Wrap-up 2024/1/7
Another quick wrap up this week because I’m still on holidays, but enjoy! VIDEOS Cho-Kowai! Gakkou no Kaidan: Doll With The post Japanese Horror Weekly Wrap-up 2024/1/7 first…
Auto-tagged Ghost Stories


Weekly Round-Up, 4-10 September 2024: Grave of the Fireflies on Netflix, Shoujo Magazine Sales, and Nintendo Heroines
AniFem Round-Up Coming of age as a queer teen in Okazaki Kyoko’s River’s Edge Okazaki’s 90s manga is a portrait of queer youth during both the “gay boom”…
Auto-tagged Grave of the Fireflies


Weekly Round-Up, 7-13 July 2021: Anime Tube Autopsy, Doki Doki Literature Club’s Content Warnings, and Ainu Folklore
AniFem Round-Up Tsukimichi -Moonlit Fantasy- — Episode 1 Mostly funny isekai if not for the frustrating slavery jokes. Drug Store in Another World: The Slow Life of a…


Weekly Round-Up, 25-31 August 2021: Cosplay Gatekeeping, Kawaii Thesis, and Hate Raids
AniFem Round-Up Is it Hot in Here? Consent, communication, and boundaries in Sweat and Soap This sweet and sexy manga pairs its kink with a story about two…
Auto-tagged JUJUTSU KAISEN


Weekly Round-Up, 19-25 May 2021: Miura Memorials, Toxic Nostalgia, and Queer Demons
AniFem Round-Up Idols Gone Viral: How Hololive VTubers both subvert and reinforce expectations of idol femininity Katie Gill explores the freedom the VTuber space provides for weirdness and…
Auto-tagged Fruits Basket


Weekly Round-Up, 10-16 February 2021: 90s BL, CLAMP’s Impact, and Isekai Exhaustion
AniFem Round-Up Blue Flag vs. Our Dreams at Dusk: A look at LGBTQ+ representation and its audience Kaye Scheidler compares two manga about queer teens and how marketing…