During the week leading up to Easter, I often think upon the love Christ showed us through the cross, the one that models how we are supposed to love others, but giving generously, sacrificially, graciously is so hard to do. We see such love from our parents, though imperfectly, and for some, not often enough.… Continue reading Holy Week: The Grace Chase of Joseph and Cartaphilus, Part I
I feel that all too often the media portrays femininity in a bad light. Either a woman is written as weak and pathetic, or she is a ridiculous OP for the sake of fan service. Where is the balance of being a fierce woman who retains her feminine identity without being an object of lust?… Continue reading Anime’s Fierce Femininity
Valentine's Day isn't a happy holiday for everyone. In fact, it can be downright depressing. To avoid the misery, some run away from the love stuff on February 14th (out of sight, out of mind), but for me, even when I was a lonely single, I still always embraced the day as I drowned in… Continue reading Five Anime Couples to Warm Your Heart on Valentine’s Day
Episode five of Kino no Tabi concerns itself with how we choose to live our lives. It begins with Kino finishing up a stay in a country where she and Hermes speak to another motorrad, once belonging to that country's greatest hero, but now standing still and on display as an artifact at a museum.… Continue reading Kino’s Journey ~ The Beautiful World ~ Episode 5: Liars and Lovers
Despite my calls of authenticity, I have a habit, still, of showing only the best side of me on Beneath the Tangles. I try to make it seem as if I have it all together, as if my faith is rock solid and that I'm a humble dad, faithful father, and all-around amazing Christian. But… Continue reading Ichiro Inuyashiki and the Realization That No One Really Cares
The beauty of Clannad is in how it shows love expressed through family of all different kinds - that kind of love has the power to heal, to restore, to give life, even in the midst of extraordinary difficulties, even when life itself isn't fair. There's a sincerity to the series that's lacking in most… Continue reading When Community Fails: Tomoya and the Failure of Clann
We live in a culture that's about big displays of love - grand marriage proposals (all caught on Facebook Live of course), fancy trips around the world, heart stirring confessions in the rain. We want immediate gratification in our love, for our hearts to be set afire. The long, challenging work of a relationship is… Continue reading Clannad and Failing at the Ends of the Earth
My family and I have been tearing through anime films this summer, and by serendipity we watched one last night whose action takes place that night, July 31st, and concludes today, August 1st. Summer Wars, one of my favorite films, brings together the Jinnouchis in celebrating the matriarch's 90th birthday. And that day is today.… Continue reading A Summer Wars Birthday and the Greatest Love
I've known girls like Horikita - one in particular, actually. She was intelligent, talented, pretty, and unabashedly about herself. No shame, no apologies. If it bothered you, well too bad. It's not like she cared, anyway. Episode two of Classroom of the Elite shows us Horikita's goal (to move her class up to A status;… Continue reading Classroom of the Elite, Episode 2: Think Like Horikita, Act Like Kujita
I was really excited to watch Koi to Uso. The plot summary for the series felt like Minority Report meets moe, where a high school boy wants to be with the girl of his dreams, but is assigned a different match by the Japanese government, which at this point of the future assigns marriages to… Continue reading Koi to Uso’s Marriage System and a Call for Incompatibility
