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The Origins of Visual Novels
Last year I wrote a blog post about the origins of visual novels and how I believe the term is often misused in the West to classify games…
The Five Anime that Defined My Decade
It’s fair to say that the past decade has been a little light on the Anime Almanac front. I burned out on the blog mid-way through 2010 and…
The Big Three: Anime That Defined A Generation!
Anime. Who would’ve thought it would have this much mainstream popularity in this day and age, compared to being the underground ‘members-only’ niche medium it once was over…
The Japanese Animation Studios that Defined 90s Anime
Anime wouldn't be what it is today without the studios that helped set the benchmark for the quality trademark of Japanese animation in the 90s.
TOP 5 Upcoming Visual Novels
So it has somehow already been three years since I did my last TOP 5 Upcoming Visual Novels list. A lot has changed in that time within the…
Visual Novels: Completion And Internalization
Firstly, I’d like to credit the blog Intermittent Mechanism. I was perusing the WordPress Reader this month looking for interesting articles and lo and behold, I saw an…
Romance Visual Novels with Black Heroines
Black girls deserve to fall in love too! So, I compiled a list of romance visual novels I've played with Black heroines.
Iczer-1: The Lesbian Horror Anime that Defined a Decade!
The Lesbian Horror Anime that Defined a Decade! | Fight! Izcer-1! I need this video to make a million dollars or the IRS will come to my house and…
Video Games in Education – A Rudimentary Exploration ft. Visual Novels
Header Image from Hello, Goodbye. Edit: Later on in this article Manga Classics is mentioned. Unfortunately, it seems their main website continues to be down. Last night, I…
The I-Factor: A Perspective on Intimacy with Characters in Visual Novels
What do we do together with characters when we play visual novels and video games where intimacy is the focus? This is what I think.
Top Four Scariest Japanese Horror Visual Novels
Ever wondered what Japanese readers consider to be the scariest visual novels you can read right now? Well, wonder no The post Top Four Scariest Japanese Horror Visual…
Boys Love Visual Novels You Need to Play
So if you consider yourself a fujoshi, fudanshi, or fujin, you do not want to miss out on these boys love visual novels!
Are There Any God-tier Visual Novels Left?
So a little while ago I saw this post on the visual novels subreddit posing the question: “Are there any big “kamige” left to look forward to?” For…
Things that drive me wild in the Visual Kei Fandom (1)
3/12/24 Update: I hadn’t realized this post got a fair amount of traction over the years. I think it’s been linked or referenced online in a few spaces…
Parade’s Dark Fantasy BL Visual Novel, Lkyt Coming to the West
Mangagamer announced at AX 2022 that Parade's dark fantasy BL Visual Novel, Lkyt is coming to the West! I've got the deets on this new title!
“Save in the name of True Love” – Muv Luv Extra & Unlimited Visual Novels Spoiler Review
Well, I always seem to get myself into something mammoth for January, and this year it’s going to be a big, long look at the Muv Luv franchise.…
The Portrayal of Trans girls in Visual Novels and Its Connection to Characterization and Themes
[This post will include spoilers for Heart of the Woods, AIdol, and Heaven Will Be Mine] While visual novels were initially a Japanese creation, there are now plenty…
[Pride Month 2021] Loads More LGBTQ Positive Visual Novels
Hey Hey Blerdy Tribe, it’s LGBT Pride Month, the annual celebration dedicated to the richly diverse LGBT+ community!! Now more than ever, representation matters, especially in the wake of…
Composing Music for Visual Novels— Interview with Tim Reichert
Fuwanovel's YanYan interviews Tim Reichert, the developer of the horror visual novel Mycorrhiza, about what it's like composing VN music.
Hired to Edit Yuri Visual Novels for Studio Élan!
A pretty short announcement: I am now the editor for Studio Élan’s visual novels! They are the good folks behind Heart of the Woods and Highway Blossoms. all…
Things that drive me wild in the Visual Kei Fandom – Part II
(First and foremost, this particular meme was sourced from Amino Apps Page. If you’d like more specific credit please let me know!!) Welcome back to my arguably, if…
The forgotten childhood anime
Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Digimon, the holy trinity of childhood anime, at least for those of us who grew up in the 90s and early 2000s.
Beyblade, Cardcaptor Sakura, Mushrambo, Pokémon, Sailor Moon
Meikyuu Black Company (The Dungeon of Black Company)
In the modern era, most everyone is running the rat race of life. Working long hours at jobs they don’t particular like in order to pay for things…
When Escape Rooms Meet Visual Novels | Detective Ridelle | PuzzLab Games | Interview
When escape rooms meet visual novels – PuzzLab games have brought their extensive expertise in designing puzzles and escape rooms to the table in Detective Ridelle…
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Forgotten Land represents more than anything else, an opportunity for HAL Laboratory to break out of the side-scrolling mold and expand Kirby's horizons.
Metropolis: The Forgotten Madhouse Masterpiece
In 2001, Studio Madhouse released a new vision of Fritz Lang and Osamu Tezuka's worlds, and created a stunning feature film that has since been lost to the…
The West Wing
It seems like I am forever playing catchup with my sources of entertainment. Half a decade after The West Wing finished airing, I finally took the time to…
Breakout – How Atari defined Apple’s history
Okay. We all agree. Compared to modern video games, Atari’s Breakout is the equivalent of the Chinese morra. Yet this very simple video game that came four years…
The Forgotten Charms of the Fandub
English versions of anime have gotten exponentially better over the past few years. …
The Secret of the Forgotten City
detective fiction, 推理小説、games,
Visual novels: why you should read them, from the perspective of a complete beginner
{Here’s one of my regular head ups! It’s been a while since I had the chance to slip one in, but for a start this post is quite…
The Well-Being of Fans Living in the West
This might be somewhat off-topic for the blog and in the same time, it might be on-topic. I just read this report on a survey reporting on the mental…
Student Podcast Episode 4 - Anime in the West
In the Meiji at 150 Student Podcast, UBC students discuss aspects of Japanese culture they research in class. In this episode, a student shares his passion for anime…
Weekly Round-Up, 2-8 June 2021: Immigration in MEGALOBOX 2, LGBTQ+ Visual Novels, and the Best Sailor Moon
AniFem Round-Up My Fave is Problematic: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Bella Lara Blondeau revisits the 00s megahit to celebrate its highs and grapple with its casual attitude…
How I stopped worrying and got into Visual Novels and Otome Games
One of my favorite types of videogames is definitely Visual Novels; since I got into the genre I’ve played a good amount of them, ranging from horror, sci-fi…
12 Aesthetic Anime That Explore Visual Storytelling Stunningly
However, an aesthetic anime isn't just having superb animation and visual flair. There are many anime series that save their budget for those good sakuga
March Comes in Like a Lion, MUSHI-SHI, No Game, No Life, Non Non Biyori, The Ancient Magus' Bride
Weekly Round-Up, 13-19 2022: Dub Acting Pay Scales, Disability in Visual Novels, and Remembering ICO
AniFem Round-Up SHINEPOST – Episode 1 A solid start for fans of the idol genre. 2022 Summer Premiere Digest All our summer premieres with content warnings and notes.…
[Links] 11-17 September 2019: Hijab Cosplay, the Fall of Tokyopop, and Beginner Visual Novels
AniFem Round-Up REMINDER: This month the team is republishing classic feature articles in order to give the team time to focus on implementing the site redesign. [My Fave…
The Forgotten Hero Of 90s Anime
i really like tenchi universe : ) bird site: https://twitter.com/afewbruises patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HazelYT song list: https://i.imgur.com/1zioJMW.png 2nd channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9P1nNJvNyzHtjnGTkRFKSQ wife: https://twitter.com/lovelandisle (remastered toonami bumpers courtesy of SlimD716V2)
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…
Way of the Reader: Magazines vs. Tankouban in the West
Like most American manga fans, I was introduced to the medium through tankouban; and also like most of them, the only other way I can read manga is…
Book ‘The Early Reception of Manga in the West’ published
I’m thrilled and excited that my PhD thesis has now been published in print: The Early Reception of Manga in the WestCh. A. Bachmann Verlag 2023ISBN 978-3-96234-077-3 It…
JAST BLUE to bring Varenyett’s BL Visual Novel, ‘Sorcerer’s Choice: Angel or Demon’ to the West
Publisher JAST BLUE announces English release of Varenyett's fantasy boys love game Sorcerer's Choice: Angel or Demon!
Visual Kei in the Rain: Kizu’s “Black Rain”
Welcome back, to the fourth and final installment of “Visual Kei in the Rain”. Yes, we are still in a bit of doom and gloom with rain to…
Forgotten Anime: “Voltus 5”
Distributor: Hi-Tops Video (USA) Original Year of Release: 1977 English Video Release: 1983, NTSC VHS, English Dubbed Japanese Title...
Forgotten Anime: “Blue Sonnet”
Distributor: US Manga Corps (Central Park Media, USA) Original Year of Release: 1989 - 1990 English Video Release: 1994 - 1995, NTSC ...
The Melancholic Middle Aged Anime Fan
Hurricane Polymar, Kiba, Project A-ko, Blue Sonnet, Dominion Tank Police
Outbreak Company: Gaiden
By Ichiro Sakaki and Yuugen. Released in Japan by Kodansha Light Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Kevin Steinbach. This book feels like an…
Outbreak Company ~ Review
Outbreak Company ~ Review “References… references everywhere…!!” You gotta love it when you’re watching a particular anime series and they reference a series that you …
Detective Opera Milky Holmes, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions, Nagi-Asu: A Lull in the Sea, Outbreak Company
Meikyuu Black Company
Boy, do we sure loathe and hate those who don’t have to put in any effort or go slog at their everyday job. Because they inherited the money…
Chua Tek Ming~*Anime Power*~ !LiVe FoR AnImE, aNiMe FoR LiFe!