One day after school, Aoto Endo and Shihono Kobayashi become gods. One minute they’re playing Kobayashi’s beloved otome game Love Me Magically! (Magikoi), fangirl-and-boying over the tsundere villainess Lieselotte, and the next, they are being hailed as gods by the in-game male lead, Crown Prince Sieg, who can suddenly hear their voices. Fun premise for… Read More Endo & Kobayashi Live! Part I: God Speaks Like an Otaku!
Folks, we finally have it—a tsundere origin story! Endo & Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte tells all in episode 6, and what it reveals is quite surprising. It turns out that tsunderes are not born; they are made. But what’s more, not only do genetics have nothing to do with the matter,… Read More Hope Deferred & the Tsundere Heart: Endo & Kobayashi Live! Ep. 6
There’s a meme going around these days featuring Miorine, Suletta and the caption: “Daddy issues make you a people pleaser. Mommy issues make you, like, a sociopath.” And after the post-credit scene of the final episode, things kind of look that way. In a few short moments, Suletta Mercury—that lovable ball of social anxiety in… Read More Suletta Mercury, Part II: Of Maxims, Mothers, & Murder
Suletta Mercury is stuck in the Old Testament. I’m not talking about the eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth revenge plot stuff, though the mecha dueling system runs on that kind of logic; nor do I mean the smiting and wiping out of enemies, though we definitely see that too in all its… Read More Suletta Mercury, Part I: Stuck in the OT
I’m not sure if a Fanart Friday post has been more on-brand for Beneath the Tangles, a place where anime meets faith, than this one. ★ 【このはな】「 St. George Slays the Dragon 」 ☆
The feeling of helplessness is among the worst experiences in life. The complete, utter lack of control. The despair that leads to resignation. It’s an awful emotion. But it’s also a learned one. It arises when we are faced with the perceived inability to make a choice, and it’s this perception that Hitori “Bocchi” Gotoh,… Read More The Courage of Bocchi the Rock, Or Free Will & How to Use It Well
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!
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!