My upbringing was, in certain respects, relatively sheltered. Of relevance for this post, I hardly ever heard anyone use profanity in real life. It might occasionally show up in a TV show or movie, but we mostly avoided works with such language, and in any case, those were fictional. Indeed, the fact that I practically… Read More Profanity, Euphemisms, and an Archdemon’s Undesirable Friend
Like so many other isekai protagonists, Raeliana has reincarnated in the world of a story (Truck-kun didn’t kill her, though; a mysterious someone shoved her off a building…hmm). The problem is that the story she’s in happens to be a mystery novel, and she’s the murder victim whose death kicks off the tale. To stay… Read More First Impression: Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion
Koito is a miko at a traditional Shinto shrine…inhabited by an actual, genuine elf! Her name’s Elda, and she’s a shut-in otaku. Then a surprisingly catchy OP plays. Afterward, Koito struggles to get through a ritual prayer with the ridiculous “goddess.” Later, at school, a worn-out Koito talks to her friend Koma. For all Koito’s… Read More First Impression: Otaku Elf
The spacefaring Azatoth Empire has come to Earth and is about to destroy us. But then researcher Liza Luna reluctantly agrees not to judge too hastily and instead to do some more reconnaissance. Which leads to Liza visiting a cat café. Which leads to a comedic meltdown as Liza is overwhelmed by the cuteness of… Read More First Impression: Too Cute Crisis
Welcome back to Text x Context, where we’re not in Kansas anymore! There’s a running joke among the staff of Beneath the Tangles that C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia is an isekai story. Of course, it isn’t what otaku typically mean when referring to a tale as isekai, but what makes the joke funny… Read More Text x Context: Not in Kansas Anymore
The story picks up with the boss fight on the fourth floor of Aincrad. Wait, what? The last movie, Sword Art Online the Movie- Progressive- Aria of a Starless Night, ended with beating the first-floor boss… Uh, anyway, after heading up to the fifth floor and celebrating a little, Kirito and Asuna do some treasure… Read More Review: Sword Art Online -Progressive- Scherzo of Deep Night
A boy approaches a girl sitting in the rain and offers her his umbrella. But these two aren’t quite strangers: they are next-door neighbors who attend the same high school. Mahiru, known around school as an “angel” for being practically perfect in every way, returns the favor of the umbrella by taking care of Amane… Read More First Impression: The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten