In his first impressions of Accel World, one of my favorite bloggers, draggle, calls the protagonist “fat, short and unbelievably ugly.” I…can’t really argue with him there. But what’s fascinating is that we have a rare model of a protagonist who looks like he’s supposed to. Ouma Shuu, for instance, is a similarly depressing character,… Read More Accel World 02: Breaking the Barrier and Responding with Dedication
I love you, but… For all of us, there are strings attached to what we do and say, and maybe none of this is more prominent than in how we demonstrate love for others. Even if it isn’t at the forefront of our minds, we generally expect something out of the ones we love, whether… Read More Loving You For Who You Are – Happy Easter!
I’ve had a lot of really bad moments in my life – times when I acted like a complete fool. Maybe my very worst happened late one night, after a long evening of arguing on and off with my wife. At it’s climax, I was so mad that I took her glass of water and… Read More From Manslayer to Wanderer: Kenshin and the Spirit Fruit of Self-Control
Goodness is one of those words which we know intimately, but which is hard to define. Go ahead and try – define “goodness” without using the word “good” Hard, huh? I’ll give it a try: goodness is the state of consistently doing what’s right and what’s loving. I think those latter two parts of the… Read More From Me to You: Sawako and the Spirit Fruit of Goodness
I grew up singing “Crown Him With Many Crowns,” but never a version like this! The multi-talented Emily of Altair and Vega sings Draggle’s reworked lyrics to the hymn, conveying events in Guilty Crown episode 19 that paint Shuu as a Jesus figure. [Draggle’s Anime Blog] Abilene Christian University professor, Richard Beck, discusses what might… Read More Spirituality in the Anime Blogosphere: Crown Shuu with Crowns and Song, Fan Service in Church, and Rick Santorum Talks Boku no Pico
It appears to be Catholic week here at Beneath the Tangles, emphasized by a couple of blog posts relating Catholicism with anime: I am not arguing that the Church is a lot like the Pokemon world. (Alright, I am.) But more than that: The natural cry of the human heart — as best shown in… Read More Spirituality in the Anime Blogosphere: Pokemon and Priests, Dreams of Crusading Anime, and Superflat Artist Tackles Buddha in Qatar
My very favorite manga is the violent series, Claymore, about women who are half-demon (yoma), engineered to destroy other demons. It may seem an odd pick for me, but the last few years I’ve been engrossed in it like I’ve been with few other manga. But it wasn’t until recently that I decided to march… Read More Claymore, Episodes 3 and 4: Sinners and Saints in the Holy City
Interested in watching thoughtful, human-centered conversations with people connected to anime?
Watch Something Genuine, our interview series that cuts through the noise and focuses on the people behind the costumes, in front of the mics, and watching anime, just like you and me. Season two premieres on May 27th.