When The Great Passage is halfway through, life kicks in like a tsunami. Editorial machinations, illustrious yet sloppy collaborators, unexpressed feelings, family matters, time jumps. But in the middle of the storm, the dictionary project and the ideal it represents stay the course. But what ideal is that? “Life.” “Love.” “Purpose.” “Enterprise.” “Death.” These are… Read More The Gospel as the Great Passage, III: Words and Life
Have you ever been on the receiving end of bullying so relentless that you feel there’s no hope that life will ever get better? Episode six of Oshi no Ko expertly helps us understand that feeling through actress Akane Kurokawa’s eyes as she drowns in a sea of criticism and bullying. And having previously shown… Read More Akane Kurokawa and a Savior Who Sees and Saves
Koito is a miko at a traditional Shinto shrine…inhabited by an actual, genuine elf! Her name’s Elda, and she’s a shut-in otaku. Then a surprisingly catchy OP plays. Afterward, Koito struggles to get through a ritual prayer with the ridiculous “goddess.” Later, at school, a worn-out Koito talks to her friend Koma. For all Koito’s… Read More First Impression: Otaku Elf
Crown Prince Siegwald can hear the voices of the gods. And all they ever want to talk to him about is someone else. If you were in the prince’s shoes, would you listen? It’s pretty common in Christian circles to talk about God speaking to us or hearing God’s voice. It’s a vital part of… Read More Endo & Kobayashi Live! Part II: Sieg Listens, & It Changes His Life
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!
Human beings have two responses to anxiety and crisis situations: to freeze up and do nothing, or to get busy—and I mean really busy. Or as Brené Brown and other mental health professionals term it, under-functioning and over-functioning. Sadly, this fundamental difference in responses to stress is the stuff that often tears relationships apart, rendering… Read More Lycoris Recoil Ep. 9: The Grace of a Friend
What do Itsuki Koizumi, Mikuru Asahina, St. Justin Martyr and St. Thomas Aquinas all have in common? Well, not much! Yet, there’s the fact that they have all been part of my collection of articles on the Haruhi franchise and the Thomist tradition. With the groundwork laid by these illustrious figures, now it’s time to… Read More Haruhi’s Five Ways, Way III: The Necessity of Kyon
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