But, what are we to make of a mere revenant of our heroes surviving? Does the sacrifice of the many for the sake of the few diminish the value of the few’s survival?… Read More Examining Old School Anime: On Self-Sacrifice
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
Sometimes when we make the decision to do the right thing, to make the noble sacrifice, to be gracious, it doesn’t always feel like it was right, especially when everything turns out rotten and worse than if we did nothing at all. Yuu and Shun must feel as much after their plan, which in their… Read More Charlotte Episode 11: Meaning in Sacrifice
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
I’ve really enjoyed Oreshura – while it’s characters and situations are retreads of retreads, there’s something fun and refreshing about the show, even when it repeats itself, like it did in episode six. Eita, for a second straight week, puts his pride in the backseat and endures physical pain and embarrassment to defend a “young… Read More Oreshura, Episode 06: Pride (or Forgetting It in the Name of Love)
Few series have frustrated me like Bleach. Two minutes into the first episode, I was hooked. One season in, I thought I’d found one of my favorite anime. Two seasons in, I was still loving it. But the subsequent Aizen storyline was draining and uninteresting, and the series lost so much of the momentum with… Read More Unohana and Kenpachi: Dying to Live
What a satisfying episode. We get to see Klein again. We get to see Asuna attend to Kirito like Shinji for Rei. We get to see Kirito show his awesomeness. And we get to see our characters make the most human choice over the most human desire. As the Grand Whatever Army gets smashed by… Read More Sword Art Online, Episode 09: Automatically Yours
I’ve been watching Kokoro Connect in anticipation each week to see what happens next in Inaba’s journey. What stuck out this week was the idea, again, of loving yourself versus loving others, and the sacrifice it takes to do the latter over the former. The same message was conveyed in episode seven of Sword Art… Read More Kokoro Connect (Episode 07) and Sword Art Online (Episode 07): Loving You is Not Easy
I don’t pronounce myself an expert on dating, but as a married man and father of two, I feel I have some wisdom to share. I also believe anime, with all its quirks and make-believe scenarios, can teach us something about relationships. With this in mind, I’ll be sharing a bit about relationships over the… Read More Atypical Dating, Day 1: Women Who Can’t Cook and Reversing Expectations
Dialogue to relish. Check. Ryuuji’s obsessive housewifery. Check. Return of an awesome OP and ED. Check. Laughs. Check. Oh man, how I’ve missed Toradora. Quite possibly my favorite show ever and featuring my favorite character, Toradora is a special anime to me. The new special episode that recently came out with the Blu-Ray release only… Read More Desperate Housewife: The Toradora OVA and Understanding the Value of a Meal