Something More: Metaphysical Mushishi, Divine Dr. Black Jack, and Old Testament Anime… Sort Of

“Cartoons” aren’t just for kids. Anime fans probably know that better than anyone. But it’s not just mature content and convoluted plots that make anime an appealing medium for adults. Through animation’s ambiguous limits, philosophy and theology can be easily conveyed in a manner that anyone can grasp (often without their realizing it). For example,… Read More Something More: Metaphysical Mushishi, Divine Dr. Black Jack, and Old Testament Anime… Sort Of

Something More: Sexualized Shipping, Islamic Anime, and the Love of Asuna, Ackerman, and Ashitaka

Tangles is no stranger to tough topics, and the sexualization of anime by fans is one we’ve delved into at length. As a cosplayer and massive fangirl myself, I’m often directly in the middle of the otaku community and consistently surprised by how far characters and narratives are stretched in order to sexualize them. Especially… Read More Something More: Sexualized Shipping, Islamic Anime, and the Love of Asuna, Ackerman, and Ashitaka

Something More: Born-Again Mewtwo, Christian Manga, and the Last Shoujo Supper

Greetings everyone, Cutsceneaddict here: Tangles’ resident manga columnist (Between the Panels), cosplayer, and sushi-addict. Something More has always been one of my favorite columns at Tangles, and I’m excited to be carrying on the torch. From here on, Something More will only be seeing one post per month instead of its usual two, but my… Read More Something More: Born-Again Mewtwo, Christian Manga, and the Last Shoujo Supper

Sen to Chihiro, Control to Freedom: The Significance of Names, Here and Forevermore

So your name’s Chihiro? What a pretty name…and it belongs to me now. – Yubaba (Spirited Away) In the west, we’ve largely destroyed the art of naming children. Parents scramble to discover a name that’s unique (but maybe not too unique), memorable, beautiful, and timeless, but in searching for an aesthetically pleasing name, most will… Read More Sen to Chihiro, Control to Freedom: The Significance of Names, Here and Forevermore

Something More: Death in Totoro, Pokemon Preaching, and Kirito’s Treasure

I’m always happy to link to aniblog posts that touch on spirituality, but sometimes this column is just chock full of amazing articles. I hope you’ll dig into the links below – they’re worth your read, starting with Matthew Newman’s post on Hare Kon and marriage. For those unfamiliar (which included me until I read… Read More Something More: Death in Totoro, Pokemon Preaching, and Kirito’s Treasure

Yo-Kai Watch and Contextual Demons

August has been a month for discussing context here at Beneath the Tangles, and I highly recommend looking at both articles recently written on this subject: Annalyn’s article about historical/cultural context, and Kaze’s article about man’s context VS God’s context. Here, I’ll be adding my humble contribution and completing the proverbial “Context Trinity.” Growing up… Read More Yo-Kai Watch and Contextual Demons

Something More: Noragami Religion, Hopeless Black Butler, and Persecuting Naruto

The past two weeks have been overwhelming in terms of just how many articles have been posted relating to anime and religion/spirituality.  There’s so much to dig into – I hope you have as much fun reading through these articles as I did! Are you headed to SuperCon at the end of this month?  If… Read More Something More: Noragami Religion, Hopeless Black Butler, and Persecuting Naruto