I’m only caught up on one series this season: Interviews with Monster Girls, or Demi-chan wa Kataritai. I don’t love this series, but it’s easy to watch, and that’s the key to getting me to watch anything lately. Demi-chan wa Kataritai centers around normal teacher Takahashi Tetsuo and four female demi-humans: a succubus—the only other teacher in the… Read More Annalyn’s Corner: “But Everyone Does It!”
I just watched Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke for the second time, this time with my mom. She was intrigued by the story, although she thought the mythological elements were a bit strange. This opened up great discussion about Japanese folklore, Shinto, and religion in Japan—and how these things sometimes influence anime like Princess Mononoke. But as we… Read More Annalyn’s Corner: Agents of Peace in a World Split by Hate
This year, I actually entered Reverse Thieves’ Secret Santa Project in time! I like being forced to watch an anime I might not have chosen myself—or one I’ve been procrastinating on. In this case, my Santa recommended three shows that fit in one or both of those two categories. Out of the three, I chose to watch… Read More Secret Santa 2016: Love Lab
Hatoful Boyfriend is quite possibly my favorite visual novel, not that I’ve played/read enough for that statement to mean much. At first, it appears to be a dating sim featuring pigeon love interests, but it’s both a lot more ridiculous and a lot deeper than that. And darker. And bloodier. And sweeter. And… well, you… Read More 12 Days of Otaku Christmas, Day 2: Hatoful Boyfriend
One of our favorite yearly traditions at Beneath the Tangles is our “12 Days of Christmas Anime” series. In the past, our staff has put together twelve posts about Christmas anime episodes. This year, we’re doing things a little different: we’ve expanded our scope to include not only anime, but also manga, visual novels, JRPGs,… Read More 12 Days of Otaku Christmas
As the subtitle implies, my corner is a mess this week. So I’m dividing it into two parts—my mess and Nanbaka‘s relevant mess—and hoping it somehow edifies someone besides me. Confession I have a pretty casual approach to this column. That’s partly because when I first came on board, I was told I could write the… Read More Annalyn’s Corner: Messes, Purpose, and Nanbaka
When I first saw anime containing Japanese folklore, I passed it off as fantasy content. I didn’t think about the youkai much differently than I would about fairies. I didn’t even notice that the word “youkai” was being used most of the time, as translators muddled along with words like “spirit” and “demon.” But over… Read More Annalyn’s Corner: On Folklore, Natsume, and Nature
The easiest way to keep up with Beneath the Tangles is to sign up for our email newsletter, Above Anime, on Substack!
Each Friday, you’ll receive an original anime devotional along with links to all our reviews, analysis, videos, and other content for the week. It’s the easiest way to keep up with our ministry!