Suletta Mercury, Part II: Of Maxims, Mothers, & Murder

There’s a meme going around these days featuring Miorine, Suletta and the caption: “Daddy issues make you a people pleaser. Mommy issues make you, like, a sociopath.” And after the post-credit scene of the final episode, things kind of look that way. In a few short moments, Suletta Mercury—that lovable ball of social anxiety in… Read More Suletta Mercury, Part II: Of Maxims, Mothers, & Murder

Review: Piccolo Is Black: A Memoir of Race, Religion, and Pop Culture

Han Solo, He-Man, my dad, and Jesus Christ. These were my heroes as a kid. I would weave stories about them in my head, filling in the gaps as needed (this was the 80s after all—emotionally available men and endless streaming episodes of Masters of the Universe weren’t yet accessible). The myths and narratives I… Read More Review: Piccolo Is Black: A Memoir of Race, Religion, and Pop Culture

Sonny Boy, Episode 5: Making of a Judas, Rising of the Beast

Though the series Sonny Boy, which tracks a group of Japanese students who are given superpowers and find themselves transported to alternate universes, has been playing with the idea of salvation since early in the series, episode five more directly alludes to that idea as it crosses into religion. From any perspective, the new angle… Read More Sonny Boy, Episode 5: Making of a Judas, Rising of the Beast

Finding God in Anime (Yes, You Really CAN Find Him in Anime)

“Anime is evil.” “Anime is not God-honoring.” “You call yourself a Christian and watch that?!” I think many believers have been told similar statements as I have. Despite the fact that I grew up watching Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z, when my parents became Christians, I recall them being very strict about letting me… Read More Finding God in Anime (Yes, You Really CAN Find Him in Anime)

The World Is Not Enough: Isekai and the Hope for More

When it comes to anime and light novels, you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting an isekai series or six. Countless stories spanning many genres have used the person-travels-to-another-world premise. To borrow language from the infamous TV Tropes, the isekai concept has been played straight, played with, inverted, subverted, parodied, deconstructed, reconstructed, and more.… Read More The World Is Not Enough: Isekai and the Hope for More