I think the best word to describe Noragami Aragoto, the second season of the series about a little known god of calamity, is surprising. After an initial series that was sometimes very good (as in the arc about Yukine and Yato’s blight), but also sometimes bad (as in the anime-original conclusion) and ultimately uninspiring, season… Read More Yatogami and the Disappearing Yahweh
On Beneath the Tangles, we celebrate two Christian holidays with special fervor: Easter and Christmas. As we take a look back at the ten years of this ministry, and with Easter 2020 fast approaching, it felt like an excellent time to throw back to Holy Weeks past and the topics we discussed each year. 2011:… Read More Throwback Thursday: Holy (Anime) Week!
While browsing Pinterest recently, I found this: Beneath, some wags had christened this the “Moe Lisa” by “Leonardo Doujinshi.” The whimsical, anime-esque style reminds me of the playful appropriations of Western art by Hiroshi Mori (not to be confused with the novelist by the same name). (I was not able to confirm if the “Moe… Read More The Playful Icons of Hiroshi Mori
For episode 63, David, Peter, and Holly join in on Ghibli Month by examining the themes of Spirited Away through its characters. Perhaps not unexpected from Miyazaki and the movie considered by many to be his highest achievement, Spirited Away has a lot to tell us about the human condition through its bath house denizens,… Read More TangleCast 63: The Characters of Spirited Away
The first conveyor belt sushi restaurant I went to was in L.A., in the middle of Koreatown—BYOB. They definitely didn’t have their liquor license. Conveyor belt sushi, if you’ve never had the pleasure of trying it (the first such restaurant opened in Higashiosaka sixty years ago), is an experience as much as a meal. My… Read More Voice Actress Elizabeth Maxwell on Sushi, Screams, and SXSW
Though only about three hours drive from both Dallas and Houston, cities with bustling Asian populations and excellent matching cuisine, it’s only been recently that Austin’s Asian food scene has grown in prominence. Restaurants and retail centers with Taiwanese, Japanese, and Korean roots are popping up, presenting a perfect opportunity for a couple of the… Read More Visiting Kinokuniya with Voice Actress Elizabeth Maxwell
We’re living in the social media generation, and voice actors have embraced it fully—it’s an opportunity to market themselves while sharing their interests. Some have growing families and are involved in their community. Others like to travel. And then there are those who not only voice anime characters, but personally love anime and other geeky… Read More Geeking Out with Voice Actress Elizabeth Maxwell
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
Anime, especially in the dark fantasy/dystopian genre, thrives on the concept of freewill. Death Note shows the futility of forcing the world into a mold to which it cannot conform. Kiznaiver reveals that shared adversity and duty-driven empathy aren’t enough to keep people (or the peace) together. Psycho-Pass… well… you get the picture. At least as far… Read More Something More: Fullmetal Anti-Semitist, Re:Samaritan, and Ultimate (Idolatrous) “Harmony”
As 2015 draws so an end, so does the anime season. In the coming week or two, we’ll give our reviews for Fall 2015 anime, but today, we’ll wrap up the year by giving our selections of the year’s best anime. Kaze, Japes, and myself give our top five picks below, and we also have… Read More Best Anime of 2015