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.… Read More A Summer Wars Birthday and the Greatest Love
It is October, the month commonly associated with spooky stuff, which means it is the perfect month for me to talk about all those overlooked horror anime! …except that I do not like horror. Personal preference and all, but having the living daylights scared out of me or watching gruesome and disturbing images is not… Read More The Secret Stars of Anime: Re-kan!
Maybe the most astounding thing about Fate/stay night Unlimited Blade Works, and Fate/zero before it, is that through all the violence and ungrace in the show runs a theme of kindness and indeed, grace. In episode five, we get a sense of it when Tohsaka, at the episode’s conclusion, declares that Kiritsugu, Emiya’s adoptive father,… Read More Fate/stay night Unlimited Blade Works Episode 5: Father Above Mage
The world of Noragami reflects the pantheon of kami in Japanese religion. There’s an unraveling uniqueness to Yato, but from the beginning, Noragami also emphasizes the truth of Shintoism, that he is just one of many gods. And without a shrine, Yato is a minor one at that. The presence of many kami in Shinto… Read More Holy Week: Noragami and a Saving Grace
Tokyo Godfathers is a movie that follows three homeless individuals that find a baby in the trash around Christmas time and try to find the child’s parents. When I first heard the plot if the movie, I wasn’t really excited to watch it, but it’s a lot better than the basic plot sounds. The movie delves into… Read More The 11th Day of Christmas Anime: Tokyo Godfathers
God is cruel. That one phrase is repeated several times in the first episode of the most unexpected show of the new season, Mawaru Penguindrum. They’re also words that are repeated daily, in various incarnations, by many people. As spoken in the show, the idea is that how can God give a good person a… Read More Mawaru-Penguindrum Episode 01: Cruel God