Most relationships we’ll have in life are temporary—impermanent and fleeting. We’re separated from friends, acquaintances, and colleagues by life changes, job offers, tragedy, and barriers that we sometimes raise ourselves. Makoto Shinkai, the famed animator, explores the ideas of distance and separation in all of his films, usually with a trace of sadness if not… Read More A Garden of Words in the Journey of Your Life
Fireworks, the anime film from Shaft and the studio’s acclaimed director, Akiyuki Shinbo, is beautiful and, like its namesake, sparkly, but has also been much derided. The characters come off as flat, the animation is uneven, and the writing is disjointed. The ending, too, has come under criticism, though I think that may be unfair.… Read More Fireworks Shows Us That Love Conquers Fear
While Amazon Prime doesn’t often have new anime that interest me, a couple have come along lately. The only one that blew my mind was Made in Abyss, which I regrettably have yet to write about. The other one that I enjoyed was Wotakoi: Love Is Hard For Otaku, which is about the intricacies of two people at work who… Read More Wotakoi: Love Is Hard For Christian Otaku
Well, it happened. Like the original series, Steins;gate 0 has been on a steady rise, getting a little more heartbreaking each episode, a little more uncomfortable, a little more edge-of-your-seat, but never really slamming me with the feels—not until now that is. Episode eight does it. Boy does it do it. Warning: spoilers ahead for… Read More Kurisu and the Credit I’m Due
Time travel is one of the most romantic elements of a sci-fi love story. The impossibility of it symbolizes the sometimes very irrational nature of love. Romance thrives when beloved characters fight in a world where love isn’t just chemicals in your head, but a tangible super power. Erased was my introduction to anime with… Read More Boy Meets Girl Meets Time Travel
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.… Read More 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?… Read More 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… Read More 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.… Read More 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… Read More Ichiro Inuyashiki and the Realization That No One Really Cares