Over the holidays, two BtT superfans of Bocchi the Rock! were chatting about their favorite series of the season year, when they realized that the same minute-and-a-half-long scene in episode 10 had spoken to them both powerfully. Only, it said different things! So in celebration of the manifold ways in which we receive freedom-bringing truths… Read More Two Takes on Ten Seconds of Bocchi the Rock!
At first glance, the Christmas episode of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid has all the characteristics of your average anime Christmas. Outrageous decorations? Check. Christmas pageant that almost goes horribly wrong but ends up working out in a heartwarming way? Check. After-party and romantic (well, somewhat romantic) gift exchange? Check. In reality, though, this episode isn’t… Read More 12 Days of Christmas Anime, Day 4: How to Celebrate Advent With Kanna Kobayashi
Everyone wants to grow. We all want to look back at ourselves in a year’s time and say “I’m better now,” whether at some craft, at school, work, or our personal goals. We want to be able to pat ourselves on the back for a job well done. We all want to succeed. We all… Read More Bocchi the Rock! Ep. 5: Reflections on Growth
It’s finally time for new content in the Rascal Does Not Dream franchise! The latest volume of the light novel series dropped last week, and with this release, the English-language publications officially outpace the anime. In the wake of the dramatic conclusion of Shouko’s arc, it’s time for Sakuta and his friends to face the… Read More Review: Rascal Does Not Dream of a Sister Venturing Out (Light Novel)
Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Personally, I’d say that I’m a pessimist, if only because of my penchant for overthinking every single situation and action to the point of exhaustion. So why then am I such a fan of slice-of-life shows where, as one aniblogger puts it, “good things will happen to kind… Read More Summer of SoL: Optimism and Learning to Hope
Every year, liturgical Christian churches celebrate a season called “ordinary time.” It’s like the “slow arc” of the church calendar: no Easter or Christmas, no super special feasts—just quiet, normal life. I think the citizens of the metropolis of slice-of-life are always celebrating ordinary time. After all, they spend each and every day in the… Read More Summer of SoL: Dwelling in the Ordinary
Do you remember that kid from elementary school that everyone called the “teacher’s pet”? The kid all the adults loved because they were responsible, mature, and generally did everything expected of them? Koi Yoshinaga from Slow Loop probably grew up as that kid. And while it’s nice to get all that praise for doing well,… Read More Summer of SoL: Koi, You Don’t Have to Know Everything
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