Zenshu Ep. 9: QJ’s Sacrifice and A Hero That Can’t Be Copied

If you’ve been keeping up with BtT lately, you’ll have noticed that we’re pretty big fans of Mappa’s original series, Zenshu, starring the animation director Hirose Natsuko as the self-sufficient loner genius who loses an encounter with an out-of-date clamshell bento and winds up incarnated in her favorite anime movie, the tragic A Tale of… Read More Zenshu Ep. 9: QJ’s Sacrifice and A Hero That Can’t Be Copied

Don’t Forget Your Party: Zenshu’s Lesson in Leadership, Humility, and Ministry

“I’ll do it all myself.” The first half of Zenshu, MAPPA’s meta ride following Natsuko, a director reincarnated into the anime movie that inspired her to become an animator, has shown moments of personal growth for the supporting characters and optimism for their story, which in canon form was devastatingly sad. But there hasn’t been… Read More Don’t Forget Your Party: Zenshu’s Lesson in Leadership, Humility, and Ministry

The Power of God and Anime, Episode 17: Naruto’s Perspective on Love

Ah, Valentine’s Day—one of the most beloved and hated holidays of the year! We get emotional as the day draws near and that messes with our minds, even with we have a solid foundation of what love means. Today, Mike looks to Judges and Ephesians for advice in love—and to that irascible ninja Naruto—in our… Read More The Power of God and Anime, Episode 17: Naruto’s Perspective on Love

Christians Coming Together in Creativity: The Gabriel and the Guardians World Premiere

Gabriel and the Guardians, an anime-style series three years in the making, finally premieres today on Angel Studios’ platforms. In my review of the pilot episode, I noted that it “exceeded my expectations” and “sets the stakes high for the remainder of season one.” But those praises don’t only refer to the encouraging first episode—they… Read More Christians Coming Together in Creativity: The Gabriel and the Guardians World Premiere

12 Days of Christmas Anime, Day 12: Buddy Daddies & Why We Need Many Christmases

A Christmas encounter with an orphaned pre-schooler forever changes the lives of two hitmen in P.A. Works’ comedy Buddy Daddies. Not your usual Christmas anime episode! (Especially considering the on-screen executions, trigger warning!) But don’t worry, Buddy Daddies is just getting started: the final three episodes also revolve around Christmas, one year later, and it’s… Read More 12 Days of Christmas Anime, Day 12: Buddy Daddies & Why We Need Many Christmases

12 Days of Christmas Anime, Day 9: Log Horizon’s Resurrections

Christmas happens in the second season of Log Horizon, but it’s just an incidental part of a multi-episode arc (or maybe it’s two parallel arcs, depending on how you look at it). These are “Christmas episodes” only in the sense that the holiday is a background detail—lights twinkle and vendors dressed like Santa hawk strawberry… Read More 12 Days of Christmas Anime, Day 9: Log Horizon’s Resurrections

The Power of God and Anime (Ep. 13) x The 12 Days of Christmas Anime (Day 6): Happy Lesson

It’s the crossover episode! Today, Mike joins the 12 Days of Christmas Anime countdown by discussing kindness and caring through a Christmas episode of Happy Lesson. But before he gets to that, Mike tlks about his birthday celebration, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, and the upcoming winter anime season, and… Read More The Power of God and Anime (Ep. 13) x The 12 Days of Christmas Anime (Day 6): Happy Lesson