The setting is medieval Japan in an era where a loose word against the local lord can cost you your life—or that of your family member, as young Biwa learns tragically in the opening moments of this episode. The child has heterochromia, a fairly common visual trope in anime, but this particular case of the… Read More First Impression: The Heike Story
Your heroes will all eventually let you down. This was a particularly hard lesson for me to learn as I transitioned from childhood into adolescence. We all encounter this feeling to some degree as a part of maturation, but it was maybe especially harsh for one who worshiped at the foot of pop culture and… Read More Never Meet Your Heroes, Right, Renton?
Maison Ikkoku Collector’s Edition, Vol. 5 Having watched (and loved) the Maison Ikkoku series first, I’ve been struck upon this reading of the manga that the pacing is quite different. The length of time it takes for Kyoko and Godai to grow as individuals and grow closer together is what creates both the frustration and… Read More Reader’s Corner: The Way of the Househusband, Her Royal Highness Seems to be Angry, and a Daughter Returning as an S-Rank Adventurer
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the… Read More Solo Leveling and the Value of Life
What does it mean to be in the world but not of it as a creator (John 15:18-19) who focuses on spotlighting manga? This is a question I have been deeply pondering as of late. Recently on my personal social media profiles, I’ve gradually (or not so gradually) made a transition where I am almost… Read More Loving Manga Isn’t Purposeless: Our Passion Has Eternal Value
What do you desire the most? Honor and pride? Authority and power? Money, and all sorts of shining riches? Revenge? Helping, or saving, or mattering to someone other than you (even when you’re not piloting a giant robot)? Or perhaps… something even more significant, more transcendent? No matter. Reach the top of the tower, and… Read More Leah for Rachel: On Tower of God
Elephants! Germans! Love Triangles! Oh my! That’s right folks, it’s time for Emma: A Victorian Romance Season 2! Buckle your elephant-riding seatbelts, prepare your mechanical bathing machines, and get your ship building tools ready to hand because we’re in for another great adventure circumnavigating the choppy waters of Victorian England and no less than two Bermuda… Read More Emma: A Victorian Romance, Season 2 (BD Boxset Review)
Interested in watching thoughtful, human-centered conversations with people connected to anime?
Watch Something Genuine, our interview series that cuts through the noise and focuses on the people behind the costumes, in front of the mics, and watching anime, just like you and me. Season two premieres on May 27th.