As with yesterday’s Talk post, this week’s Links round-up is slightly different. Below, we’ve listed links to AniFem articles penned by Black contributors, as well as our podcasts on Michiko & Hatchin and Learning Japanese as WOC (focused on fetishization and racism faced by Black and brown students in that space). In addition, we’ve linked …
Jun 2, 2020 • Subscribe
More like this
Weekly Round-Up, 20-26 May 2020: In Memoriam
AniFem Round-Up Beyond UNIQLO: Tips for supporting Japan’s indie fashion designers Daz Skubich provides a primer on the world of street fashion and how enthusiasts the world over…


TSUTAYA Weekly Manga Sales Ranking: May 27 – June 2, 2024
There have been some changes to the reporting style here on the Blog. Please refer to the post here for further information. All of the data you find…
Weekly Round-Up, 3-9 June 2020: Black Anime Podcast Aggregate, Naomi Osaka, and Pro-Bono Lawyers
AniFem Round-Up Beauty and Beast: The messy, complex women of Helter Skelter and Pink Teresa Navarro looks at two of Okazaki Kyoko’s most famous josei series and how…


Japan Top Weekly Video Game Ranking: May 27 – June 2, 2024
Most brands have reported an increase in sales week-over-week with the Xbox Series experiencing the largest percentage gain of 54.74% to 3,248 units from 2,099 units. The PlayStation…
Weekly Round-Up, 10-16 June 2020: Studio D’ART Shtajio, Gender in FukaBoku, and Black-Owned Lolita Fashion Brands
AniFem Round-Up The intersection of queer and Deaf identity in I Hear the Sunspot Lex discusses the importance of intersectional representation, how this college romance manga succeeds, and…


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…


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…
Weekly Round-Up, 2-8 September 2020: “Cosplay While Black” Panel, Service Dogs, and Trauma as Clickbait
AniFem Round-Up “What If Our Greatest Pain Speaks to Us?” Using the supernatural to explore mental health in Bunny Girl Senpai Yasmine Maher highlights how this sci-fi series…


COMIC ZIN Weekly Manga Sales Ranking via Natalie: May 27 – June 2, 2024
There have been some changes to the reporting style here on the Blog. Please refer to the post here for further information. It is thanks to the amazing…
Weekly Round-Up, 17-23 June 2020: Gendered Speech Patterns, BLM Osaka, and Chronotopia Preview
AniFem Round-Up The Worker’s Nekopara: A call to arms against nekonomic exploitation When the creator of Nekopara put out a statement that there was a socialist utopia just…
Weekly Round-Up, 6-12 May 2020: FF7R Interview, New Re:ZERO OVA, and Lesbian Writers
AniFem Round-Up A Tale of Two Nanas: The fuzzy line between homoromantic subtext and queerbaiting in Nana Roy Lemmons discusses the josei classic and the difficulties in analyzing…


Weekly Round-Up, 19-25 January 2022: Girls’ Baseball Teams, Nezuko’s Transformation, and Protest History
AniFem Round-Up An Analysis of Magical Sex-Change (TSF) Manga With not one but THREE anime this season featuring TSF elements, Chiaki explores how this enduring subgenre can be…
Weekly Round-Up, 13-19 May 2020: Sailor J, the Colonization of Hokkaido, and Shoujo Isekai
AniFem Round-Up Perfect World, Disability Narratives, and Writing Outside Your Experience Zahra Ymer explores this josei romance and the pros and cons of disability representation as written by…


Weekly Round-Up, 29 May – 4 June 2024: Trans Legislation, Silent Hill Redesigns, and a Portrait of Abuse
AniFem Round-Up The Villain Edit: Dissecting how Oshi no Ko evokes real-life tragedy in its depictions of harassment and reality TV culture Oshi no Ko evokes a real…


Weekly Round-Up, 27 April – 3 May 2022: Billy Kametz Fundraiser, Tsuda Umeko Biography, and Poe Clan Reprint
AniFem Round-Up Anime Feminist Recommendations of Winter 2022 The team gathers together their top picks from the season past. The Great AniFem Makeover: Rebranding Edition We debut our…


Weekly Round-Up, 23-29 June 2021: Utada Hikaru’s Coming Out, Cosplay in 2020, and Translator Interviews
AniFem Round-Up Love, Sex, and Power in Fruits Basket Sara Connor analyzes Akito’s character arc and the complicated interplay of abuse and trauma. A Dress Isn’t Just A…


Weekly Round-Up, 27 October – 2 November 2021: Japan’s Election, International Anime Collabs, and Konbini Zombies
AniFem Round-Up Finding Inner Magic: Depression in The Ancient Magus’ Bride Lynzee Loveridge explores Chise’s character arc from suicidal depression toward self-worth and inner strength, and how it…


Weekly Round-Up, 22-28 February 2023: Protest for Higher Wages, Sci-Fi Yuri, and Steamy Otome
AniFem Round-Up The Transient Queerness of Fruits Basket For all the series does well, it also treats gender nonconformity and queerness as passing phases its characters discard by…
Weekly Round-Up, 24-30 June 2020: Misogynoir Reading List, Yuri VN Devs, and Sailor Moon Fan Club
AniFem Round-Up Brianna Slaughter on organizing BLM Kansai / インタビュー:BLM関西オーガナイザー、ブリアナ・スローター Chiaki interviews one of the organizers and PR manager of BLM Kansai; includes a translation by Masaki C.…
Weekly Round-Up, 21-27 October 2020: Onyx Equinox, Fandom Post in Peril, and Noir Caesar on Mobile
AniFem Round-Up My Fave is Problematic: Phantom Thief Jeanne Latonya Pennington revisits the 90s magical girl series that stood out with its lovable thief heroine, and the romanticized…


Grims Monthly Round-up JUNE 2017
Hi folks! Welcome to my brand new monthly round-up where I’ll compile everything I found of interest during the last month. As this is my first one I…


Weekly Round-Up, 21-27 June 2023: Pride Manga Roundtable, Final Fantasy XVI’s Grimdark Narrative, and Barefoot Gen’s 50th Anniversary
AniFem Round-Up Working Out the Kinks: Deconstructing gendered expectations of sex in Ladies On Top This steamy josei series pushes back against assumptions that women shouldn’t be sexually…


Book Round-up: July 27, 2019
This is just a quick book round-up of the books I’ve completed reading (and haven’t done a full review on yet) and ones that are in progress. I…


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…
Weekly Round-Up, 2-8 December 2020: Harassment Lawsuit, Naomi Osaka Manga, and Gift Guide
AniFem Round-Up Aq-ward Feelings: Discussing the experiences of female and queer Love Live! fans Eryn Dearden shares her history as a queer fan of Love Live, and her…


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…


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…
Resources and Fundraisers: October 2020
As always, we encourage folks to bring attention to fundraisers we’ve missed in the comments. If you’re in the United States, we encourage you to vote if you…
Resources and Fundraisers: December 2020
Cyberpunk by Asian Creators Game Jam (Itch.io) A call for analogue games running from December to January. Rules are at the source. Western cyberpunk media borrows heavily from…
Resources and Fundraisers: August 2020
While protests are no longer front page news, that does not mean they've stopped happening. Please read on for news updates and causes in need of support.
Resources and Fundraisers: July 2020
We received an overwhelmingly positive response about keeping on the resource posts, so consider this a permanent monthly feature. Feel free to keep giving feedback about what you’d…
Resources and Fundraisers: September 2020
It's quickly becoming clear that these resource posts can't encompass every dire event going on, even focusing mainly on the United States. But hopefully it gives you a…
Weekly Round-Up, 12-18 February 2020: Basara Retrospective, Tokyo Godfathers Casting, and Wigs Tailored to Black Cosplayers
AniFem Round-Up Yuri is for Everyone: An analysis of yuri demographics and readership To investigate the claim that yuri is predominantly written for straight men, Nicki “YuriMother” Bauman…
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, 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…


Weekly Round-Up, 25-31 May 2022: #OurFlagMeansUnion, PIXIV Lawsuit, and Precure’s Tokusatsu Connection
AniFem Round-Up Framing the Model Minority Myth with Neo Cat Chiaki shines a light on this hidden josei gem, and how its surreal story about self-aware humanoid cats…


Weekly Round-Up, 31 May – 6 June 2023: Director Utsumi Hiroko, Crunchyroll vs Unions (Again), and Anti-Racism in Game Design
AniFem Round-Up Site Update: New Shoujo-Inspired Merchandise at the AniFem Store! The new “Needs More Shoujo” designs over at our store. She Has Two Hands! Room For non-monogamous…


Weekly Round-Up, 27 January – 2 February 2021: Bigotry at Toei, INKR Translator Rates, and Building Better Cyberpunk
AniFem Round-Up The Queer Blood Ties of Vampire Princess Miyu Camellia James on the franchise’s mixture of Western vampires and Japanese mythology, and its unique take on the…
October (2020) Monthly Round-Up
Hello again blog-o-sphere viewers! It is once again, time for the staple feature of my blog, my monthly round-up! It’s the best of the best, and me briefly…


Weekly Round-Up, 26 April – 2 May 2023: Fire! Re-release, Soaring Sky PreCure, and Asexuality in Yuri
AniFem Round-Up Anime Feminist Recommendations of Winter 2023 This season had plenty of shows we liked, but only a handful that stood head and shoulders above the rest.…


Weekly Round-Up, 13-19 March 2024: Stolen Ryukyu Artifacts, Adult Content Creators, and Union Wage Wins
AniFem Round-Up Curses and True Forms: Reading Fruits Basket as a lesbian The manga’s take on textual queerness is messy at best, but its broader metaphors about being…


Weekly Round-Up, 19-25 June 2024: Dyslexia-Friendly Fonts, Yuri Autofiction, and Omegaverse Chat
AniFem Round-Up How racial inequality in From the New World mirrors the Black American struggle The series achieves deeper nuance than many fantasy metaphors, and isn’t afraid to…


Weekly Round-Up, 16-22 June 2021: Olympics Protests, Gundam Wing, and Digital Shoujo Manga
AniFem Round-Up “Serves You Right”: The abolitionist condemnation of retributive justice in Akudama Drive Inkie remembers the cult hit of 2020 and its powerful critiques of criminalization and…


Weekly Round-Up, 21-27 July 2021: Olympics Shitshow, Science SARU, and Manga Publishing Roundtable
AniFem Round-Up 2021 Summer Premiere Digest Our summer reviews in one place, with updated content warnings where available. The Idaten Deities Know Only Peace – Episode 1 Visually…


Weekly Round-Up, 2-8 February 2022: Sk8 the Infinity Interview, Japan’s Queer History, and Black Cosplayer Documentary
AniFem Round-Up The Metamorphosis of the Magical Girl Genre Nina Morales traces the demographic shifts of magical girl shows over the last decade, what they might mean, and…


Weekly Round-Up, 27 July-2 August 2022: Discussing Age-Gap Romance, Lovely Complex, and Needs More Magical Girls
AniFem Round-Up Anime Feminist Recommendations of Spring 2022 The team shares their favorite new titles and sequels from the past season. Conformity, mob mentality, and intersectionality in Gatchaman…
Gatchaman, Gatchaman Crowds, Lovely Complex, Yurikuma Arashi


Weekly Round-Up, 27 March – 2 April 2024: A Sign of Affection Production Process, Disability Accommodations, and Sega’s Union
AniFem Round-Up Who is Granted Personhood? Frieren’s demons and the trouble with the “inherently evil race” trope The quiet, meditative fantasy series has one major bump: its demons,…


Weekly Round-Up, 5-11 May 2021: Olympics Protests, Tokyo Revengers, and Anti-Muslim Discrimination
AniFem Round-Up The Spell of Self-Assurance: How Howl’s Moving Castle challenges myths about youth and beauty Nicci Attfield revisits the 2004 film and the ways its female cast…


Weekly Round-Up, 12-18 May 2021: MAPPA Animator Conditions, Intersectionality, and Nagata Kabi Interview
AniFem Round-Up The Feminist Potential of the Lolita Fashion Subculture Sarah Alexander explores the history of lolita fashion as a rebellious outlet and highlights marginalized voices in the…


Weekly Round-Up, 11-17 May 2022: Evolution of BL, Neurodiverse Manga, and Okinawa Protests
AniFem Round-Up Reading The Duke of Death and His Maid as disability allegory Borealis Capps digs deeper into this story about a couple who can’t touch one another…