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May 8, 2023 • Subscribe
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The Anime Realism of 'Run, Melos!'
Exploring one of history's most underrated anime features.
The rise of realism
However dominant it became in the 80s, the Kanada style was never the only aesthetic of anime. Besides the heavily stylized motion of the Kanada school and the…
Robot Carnival, The Hakkenden: Legend of the Dog Warriors, Harmagedon, Only Yesterday
The purpose of realism in animation
The concept of realism in animation is a tricky one. Indeed, animation is thought to be the perfect medium to transcend reality and give shape to one’s wildest…
The purpose of realism in animation
The concept of realism in animation is a tricky one. Indeed, animation is thought to be the perfect medium to transcend reality and give shape to one’s wildest…
Top 20 Personal Animated Shows from 2010 - 2022
So, the last decade and a bit of animation has been a hella big journey for all who have been following along for it, there's been A LOT…
The Art of Animated Titles
During their mid-century boom.
Confessions of a Fujoshi: Realism in fiction.
NB: Fujoshi (腐女子, lit. “rotten girl”) refers to female fans of manga and novels that feature romantic relationships between men. I wasn’t always a fujoshi. Somewhere down the…
Confessions of a Fujoshi: Realism in fiction.
NB: Fujoshi (腐女子, lit. “rotten girl”) refers to female fans of manga and novels that feature romantic relationships between men. I wasn’t always a fujoshi. Somewhere down the…
+15: The Master of Animated Dance
Peeking into the artistry of Jean-Charles Mbotti Malolo.
The Art of the Animated Music Video
Looking at three standout works.
Yasuo Otsuka’s Pioneering Realism
The more I dig into the history of anime the more I’m coming to understand the impact that one man had in turning it into what it is…
The Dilemma of Rewatching Shows
Over these past couple of months, I have been getting temptations to rewatch a lot of my favorite anime.
The Appeal of Ecchi Shows
Ecchi shows get a negative initial response from the general public. These are often looked down upon as cheaply made, horrible shows, that are only focused on the…
Tune of the Week(ish): Sakamoto Days’ RUN SAKAMOTO RUN!
I’ve run hot and cold on shows like this, but it’s a catchy beat. The Tune of the Week is the opening theme to Sakamoto Days: RUN SAKAMOTO…
The last of the 2023 shows
Though there will be more in a second season, S-rank Musume ends with no additional demon lords slain, no answers about Ange’s past or that little thing that…
The Power of Forgiveness
Turn the Page and Start a New Symphony
The Power of Trust
The Promised Neverland is an anime that discusses the idea of trust through its main characters, Emma, Norman, Ray, and Isabella. Here’s a whole video essay analyzing The…
Liz and the Blue Bird : Beyond Realism
This essay is dedicated to all the artists at Kyoto Animation who died in the 2019 fire attack and whose painstakingly beautiful work is here celebrated. What seems…
Animated Movie August: Sword of the Stranger
Welcome back to the second installation of Animated Movie August, 2024 edition. It’s pretty self explanatory, so I’ll keep it moving. This particular film came onto my radar…
Episode 19: Japanese Magical Realism
“Even though She Looks Old, She Is Young” by Utagawa Kuniyoshi Check out Episode 19 of the Read Literature podcast. Magical realism is a literary genre famous for…
The Power of Three: Sankarea
The premise of “The Power of Three” series of posts is that we’re going to be looking at some kind of three-way relationship to see how it works.…
The Power of Three: Penguindrum
Penguindrum is one of those thing, like Wonder Egg Priority, that people have been recommending to me, like, forever. Really. Seriously. For ever. A Certain Retailer had two…
The Objective Power Of Animation
Animation is a powerful medium, but one that is often overlooked largely by hollywood and the broader world. Well, I think theres a good chance that may not…
Zenshu: The Power of Art
#zenshu #mappa #ontherise #bandmaid #ZenshuAnime #animefantasy With its unique concept of altering the storyline and its beautifully crafted visuals by MAPPA, Zenshu stands out in the world…
The Power of Two: Frieren
Okay, I’m going to come right out and say it: I think Frieren is a great character. I think the plot of Frieren is a huge waste of…
The Therapeutic Power of Anime
The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity replaced my therapist. 00:00 Who needs therapy? 02:43 Saku x Subaru 05:24 Kaoruko x Rintaro 08:44 The point of the video Music Used in…
The Otakusphere: Good romances, bad detectives and realism
Good morning or afternoon or evening or whatever time it may be for everyone out there in Internet-land. It’s Sunday here in my corner of the hinterlands, so…
Struggles of Seasonal Shows
At this point I don’t know how the hell I was able to keep up. Between work, finding time for yourself, and other things sure make me question…
The Art of the Animated Music Video, Vol. 2
Three inventive, eye-grabbing videos from Japan.
A full run through the King Crimson discography: Part 19 (The Power to Believe, 2003)
As the new year unfolds, I feel more and more like it’s a good idea to tie up loose ends. If you were waiting for this post for…
Hikikomari Kyuuketsuki no Monmon – Episode 7 – Komari Shows Her True Power
Episode impressions of Hikikomari Kyuuketsuki no Monmon Episode 7 as after the failed attempt to kick Komari out of the Crimson Lords, Flote wants to settle it with…
The Art of Pitching Shows to Friends
I, for one, find that I am incredibly hard to pitch a show to. I like what I like and if you’re not pitching something to me correctly,…
Surrealism and Magical Realism in Anime
I am very inconsistent with my opening paragraphs. I sort of switch between a personal introduction to ease readers into the post and just jumping right in without…
Horrors of Animated Food Hygiene #2
Today: Polar Bear Cafe Episode 20 In the second story from this episode, “Summer Festival“, Polar Bear and Grizzly jointly run a stall at the local Summer Festival…
The Power of Threes: The Flowers of Evil
I’m not fond of the Eternal Triangle or the Love Triangle as a trope because it’s usually just too trite. So you’ve got person A, who is being…
The Power of Three: Flowers of Evil
While I was waiting for the Flowers of Evil manga to go on sale I picked up the anime to tide me over, and BOY, was I glad…
Pick of the Week: We’ve Run Out of Beans!
SEAN: I feel a bit guilty for not picking One Piece 100, but I’ve gotten really far behind with it. I’ll go to the light novel well again…
Books: Batman – The Animated Series
By Raz Greenberg. Perhaps the most surprising thing about Joe Sutliff Sanders new book, Batman: The Animated Series, which analyzes the superhero show as part of Wayne State…
Chainsaw Man: One of the Shows of all Time
Right, well it’s time to talk about this show. One I’ve no doubt people are sick of hearing already but hey it came out and it deserves a…
SPIRIT: STALLION OF THE CIMARRON: An Animated Western Classic
One day late last year, I got to thinking about my favorite American animated movie of the 21st century, SPIRIT: STALLION OF THE CIMARRON, and realized I hadn’t…
The Power of Three: Steins;Gate
I was thinking about Steins;Gate for a different reason when I hit on why it works narratively. Because it shouldn’t, you know. Steins;Gate is really kind of a…
The Power of Tears in Anime
How does anime use tears and the visuals of crying characters and why do I like it so much!
The Power of Two: Golden Kamuy
I’m reading the manga for Golden Kamuy when I get around to picking up a new issue every so often, up through volume four by now, and I’m…
The Power of Hope over Despair
Zenshu Episode 11 Review The moment that everyone dreaded to see has finally arrived: A Tale of Perishing has seemingly gotten back on track for its horrendously sad…
Episode 202, "The Power Of Love"
On this episode of The One Piece Podcast we have the crew on to discuss some classic manga, some current anime, some late-breaking video game trailers, and a…
The Power of Three: Tokyo Godfathers
The late Satoshi Kon was famous for playing sleight-of-hand with his characters. They were always existing at two or three different levels of reality or slipping around in…
Macross 7 – The Power of Rock
I write this post with lots of happiness and yet, lots of sadness. Both for the same reason. By watching Macross 7, I have officially watched all the…
The Power of Three: Millennium Actress
Satoshi Kon was the original flim-flam man. Well, probably not. The original flim-flam man probably dates back to about five minutes after the invention of portable currency. If…