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
Despite what people believe about happy endings, whether they think they’re the paragon of a good series or trite and boring, they can be done well. They have come to be what we expect in all stories, even if they are poorly written. As we now arrive at the point leading to ACCA’s conclusion, it… Read More ACCA: The Cost of Trust
In spite of expressing some skepticism about the game in a recent podcast here, Final Fantasy XV quickly won me over once I started playing it. It was much better than I felt it had a right to be, and for the first time in at least a decade, I found myself getting attached to… Read More Final Fantasy XV and the Cross
My pastor talked about serving others yesterday. As he did, I realized how selfish I’ve been about maintaining unhealthy habits. Any of you who’ve stuck around here long enough know that finding and keeping good routines is an ongoing struggle for me. Yesterday, I was forced to confront how that affects multiple areas of my… Read More Annalyn’s Corner: My Body is Not My Own
Anime is full of references to religion, which presents a great opportunity to discuss matters of spirituality. And that’s the idea behind this column, Fact Check, in which I’ll investigate some of the claims of anime and manga characters and weigh them against the truth of scripture. The Claim One of the things that makes… Read More Fact Check: Archer’s Irredeemable World
One of my favorite anime antagonists is Shishio, the evildoer from the Kyoto Arc of Rurouni Kenshin. Shishio looks like a mummy, replaced Kenshin as the battousai, is never really bested by Kenshin with the sword, and in the dubbed version of the show, he’s voiced by always-awesome Steven Blum. What’s not to love (or… Read More Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki and Laying Down Your Life
Episode 2 of Charlotte gives us more insight into these adolescents with special abilities. We find that the entire school in which Yu is now enrolled is comprised of students with special abilities or with the potential to become mutants. It’s like a Japanese version of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. We also discover that… Read More Charlotte Episode 2: More Than Human
I watched the first five episodes of Ore Monogatari!! (My Love Story!!) this weekend. The premise intrigued me: this shoujo anime is shown primarily from a male point of view, and he’s not the typical bishounen love interest. Instead, Takeo is the bishie’s big, clumsy best friend. I was immediately intrigued by this break from the mold, but… Read More Annalyn’s Corner: Ore Monogatari!! and Sacrificial Love
People are drawn to the horror game genre for different reasons. For me, I enjoy the challenge of desperate survival in an eerie atmosphere and satisfying that “Why is something like this happening?” curiosity. Fatal Frame is one of my favorite horror series because it creates that tense atmosphere and puts plenty of story behind… Read More Inadequate Sacrifices in Fatal Frame
After several years, the Earth has become survivable again, and Kotarou and Kagari have grown into an enormous tree in the short time, very reminiscent of Sakuya’s end. The five heroines come together again, this time as people who are no longer carrying the emotional baggage that resulted from the war 10 years prior to… Read More Rewrite Part 4: The Meaning of Salvation