Your Name (Kimi no na wa) is not an original story. The equation for it goes something like this: body switch trope + usual Shinkai + dash of heart atypical of Shinkai = YAY And as with most preceding films, television episodes, et al. that feature this plot convention, switching bodies leads to an understanding… Read More Your Name: The Art (and Heart) of Switching Places
If you have watched any of the three installments in the series Magi you may or may not have noticed how the whole thing is a mishmash of religious and literary references. The manga adopts the flavor of a Babylonian creation story where a will-less Chaos is tamed by, instead of Marduk, the Biblical King… Read More Magi: A Babel of Pagan Practices
As March Comes in Like a Lion progresses, so does Rei, who is growing through his pains and insecurities due to direct and constant exposure to two elements: shogi and the Kawamoto family. The first has been challenging him, through its players and the game itself, to think about who he is, what he values,… Read More Bullies, Bystanders, and the Cost of Love for Hina Kawamoto
Episode five of Kino no Tabi concerns itself with how we choose to live our lives. It begins with Kino finishing up a stay in a country where she and Hermes speak to another motorrad, once belonging to that country’s greatest hero, but now standing still and on display as an artifact at a museum.… Read More Kino’s Journey ~ The Beautiful World ~ Episode 5: Liars and Lovers
Episode 17 of Elegant Yokai Apartment Life (Youkai Apato no Yuuga na Nichijou) is entitled, “The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions.” It is fitting as the episode progresses and we see the interactions between the various characters. The newest teacher at the school, Aoki, has frustrated many of the characters with her good… Read More Newman’s Nook: We Don’t Know What’s Best
No one enjoys failure. I think most of us, though, accept that failure is going to happen, that it’s even necessary to grow because it demonstrates a life that reaches beyond its typical boundaries, a willingness to experiment and change, and the possibility of identifying one’s weaknesses. But there are those of us—and I’m firmly… Read More A Fear of Failure and the Need to Recreate
I am not a fan of horror anime. I used to love scary movies, but that time has since come and gone. Nowadays, I stay away from things that give me frights, and am even more wary of series that feature gore/graphic violence (sorry, Inuyashiki, I barely knew ye), frightening or otherwise. But I can… Read More Seven Creepy Anime for Halloween (That Aren’t Too Scary)
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