I’m just going to clarify that ‘An Opinion’ refers to my opinion. So, a few weeks back, I had a friend who wrote in our little group chat something along the lines of “anime…
May 13, 2020 • Subscribe
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How an American Changed Soviet Cartoons
Lucille Cramer in the USSR.


Writing Prompt: Has anyone ever changed your opinion about an anime?
If there’s one thing I’ve learned on the Internet, it’s that trying to change someone’s opinion on something is often a fruitless endeavor, and a waste of time.…


Unpopular Opinion RWBY Volume 8: An Unmitigated Disaster
There are a lot of problems with Volume 8, but before I break into them one by one I think I need to address the influence of team…
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 23)
Cartoon consciousness comes in groups today, as we present a quartet of Tom and Jerrys and a duo of Bugs Bunny adventures, together with solo spots for the…
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 6)
More interactive screen madness from Tex Avery, Friz Freleng, and efforts to keep up from Terrytoons and Screen Gems.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 24)
Magic pencils and paintbrushes abound, as characters continue to provide savvy interaction with the audience.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 3)
Part three in our series highlighting the medium and savvy characters with knowledge of their pen-and-paper world.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 1)
Not only cartoons about animators and the animation process, but cartoons about characters who knew they were in cartoons.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 16)
A wild bunch of episodes today from 1947 and ‘48, including a quartet of Tex Avery adventures into the surreal (two of which are among his most controversial),…
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 27)
The late ‘60’s were not entirely devoid of characters knowledgeable of their existence on screen or of interaction with offscreen narrators and animators.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 7)
Some behind the scenes at Disney, a new franchise for Goofy, and the debut of Walter Lantz’s most durable personality.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 18)
A lot of familiar faces today, as Warner, Paramount, and Terrytoons all provide contributions continuing to exploit their toon existence for all they’re worth.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 22)
More self-referential fare, with Bugs and Daffy - and some surprises from a few relative-unknowns in Terrytoons.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 26)
Today, we transition from the 50's into the early half of the 1960's in theatrical cartoons. You've been warned!
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 4)
The 1930's continued to progress, as animated characters became more and more knowledgeable about their own world.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 10)
1943 continued to abound in self-conscious cartoons, ever aware of their theatrical venue, and eager to draw the audience into the storylines through direct reference. Characters also continue…
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 25)
All action in this post comes from the stars of Warner, Paramount, and MGM, with the final appearance by Terrytoons’ Dinky Duck.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 11)
Another batch of animated eccentricities, all featuring characters that are well aware they are in a cartoon.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 2)
Cartoons exploring the mysteries of their own medium; characters with a knowledge of their ink and pen origins - all this and more!
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 20)
A significant leaning toward Looney stories from Warner Brothers today, with only two titles in our discussion coming from the ranks of other studios. We’ll be doing some…
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 19)
Submitted for your approval: evidence of characters who know they are on screen, and are prepared to use this to their zany advantage.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 15)
Multiple cartoon-conscious visits with Warner Brothers, another with Droopy at MGM, and one-shots from the waning days of Columbia/Screen Gems.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 8)
1942 is our subject year. Many films from this period keep their self-referential elements on the brief side, so some of the discussions below are a little briefer…
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 12)
All our action this week is centered upon four characters, all installments containing self-winks to the illustrated media.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 21)
Character recognition of the cartoon medium tends to come in short spurts during the years of 1953 and 1954.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 13)
A feast of prime Grade A titles from MGM, Paramount, and Warner Brothers is on the table today.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 14)
This week’s installment includes brief references out of chronology to several Warner Brothers cartoons I missed. Then, we move on in 1945 and 1946
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 5)
All action today takes place in 1938, and all from two studios: Warner Bros and Paramount.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 17)
A surprising number of Terrytoons appear in this week’s survey as we resume our overview of characters interacting with audiences, narrators, and/or animators.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 9)
1942 and ‘43 (with one stray included here from ‘44) continued to bring us self-referential cartoons, plating at breaking the fourth wall, and immersing characters into the movie-going…


What makes Japanese cartoons “anime”?
What is anime? All animation from Japan? All animation of a certain style? Then what about Japanese animation outside of that style? What about the international productions? An old…


Opinion: Danger, danger Isekai Anime everywhere!
It's not everyday that I do opinion pieces so here is one for you. Opinion: Danger, danger Isekai Anime everywhere! Allow me to share my thoughts.


An Arbitrary Amount of Time Spent Obsessing Over Japanese Cartoons
When I was little, I used to take painting and calligraphy lessons. My first painting was some random landscape. I used colored ink on rice paper. I felt…


Rakuen Review: Calling Home
FYI, due to some screencapping issues with the game, I’m using the images from the game’s Steam page. Rakuen is an RPG Maker adventure game created by Laura…


Calling it a Day
As this garbage year draws to a close it feels appropriate to actually ‘end’ this blog. Regular readers (all 3 of you) have probably noticed that posts fell…


Unpopular Opinion: 86
Let it be known that I’m not a mecha fan. Particularly not when it comes to Gundam style humanoid mechs, nothing wrong with the mecha designs just not…


Unpopular Opinion: Arcane
If you’re here 3 years after the first season dropped and still don’t know if you should watch Arcane, the answer is yes. From here on there will…


Unpopular Opinion – Arcane
2021 has been a phenomenal year for anime overall. Lots of big sequels to popular IPs, some surprise hits from new titles and handful of very popular manga…


Unpopular Opinion: Pluto
Pluto is an extremely well produced waste of 8 hours. Do not be deceived by the high quality visuals, grounded character designs and theatrically concealed mystery plot. These…
Unpopular Opinion: Babylon
This will contain major spoilers for episodes 1-7 of Babylon. You’ve been warned. Babylon is an interesting show, arguably one of best of the season, despite it’s relatively…
Unpopular Opinion: My Top 50 Anime of Decade
On the one hand I’m kind of excited to do this because this was the first decade of anime where I was really into it. I’ve watched plenty…


Opinion: The most overused scene in anime is…
Wow, another opinion piece coming out you hot and fast. The most overused scene in anime is...
Episode 314, "Calling Into Question"
On this week’s episode of The One Piece Podcast we have a very special call-in episode of The One Piece Podcast! The Dude, Stephen, and Cody join us…
Episode 314, "Calling Into Question"
On this week’s episode of The One Piece Podcast we have a very special call-in episode of The One Piece Podcast! The Dude, Stephen, and Cody join us…


Unpopular Opinion: Baki 2020
With Baki Son of Ogre now on the horizon, now’s as good a time as any to re-examine the existing seasons of Baki, in particular Baki 2020 as…


Opinion | Annieme Awards 2023
The 2023 winners for this year’s Annieme Awards are here!


Unpopular Opinion: Tengoku Daimakyou
Tengoku Daimakyou is a difficult show to review and recommend. There are hardly any shows like it that I can recall but I’ll do my best to start…


Unpopular Opinion: Kyokou Suiri
If you’ve never heard of or seen Kyokou Suiri and want a spoiler free review, this will not help you very much. It is a supernatural detective-type show…


Unpopular Opinion: Summertime Render
There are few things as disappointing as a show which comes so close to perfection, only to fumble at the 11th hour. Which sadly is how I felt…


Unpopular Opinion: Cyberpunk Edgerunners
If you want you know whether you should watch this with as few spoilers as possible, the answer is almost assuredly yes. This was a good show that…