Kill la Kill, at first glance, looks like one of those shows designed for horny teen boys by a horny teen boy. Nearly naked women battle each other for the pleasure of male onlookers. Only Kill la Kill has far more to it than that. I will be honest. At first watch, this anime made…
Category: Understanding Anime
Kill la Kill – Exploring our Relationships with Clothing?
I was hesitant toward Kill la Kill when I first started watching it. First, the style of the humor tends to turn me off. The obsession with frantic humor is something I cannot understand. Next, the level of fan service turned me off. The skimpy uniforms and creepy come-ons by the teacher Aikuro Mikisugi toward…
Hentai: What is it, really?
Hentai. Yep, I am going there! Some information here may be considered graphic. You’ve been warned! Hentai is as valid a branch of manga and anime as shonen and shojo. Hentai has a long history and conflicted definitions. The word hentai is a compound word that describes a person, action, or state of being sexually abnormal….
Yaoi: Hate for Boys’ Love
As a librarian, I firmly believe people should have access to information and literature of all types. Yaoi isn’t a genre I have any interest in reading, but many of you will say the same about my beloved Roman history books. It is okay to like and not like something; that is what makes each…
Reality Virtual. Sword Art Online and the Subjectivity of Reality.
Anime, despite the Western view of cartoons as being childish, addresses difficult and looming concepts. Beneath the virtual facade and wonder of the anime Sword Art Online, there dwells many heavy concepts. For those who haven’t watched SAO, it deals with concepts of reality with depth rivaled by Ghost in the Shell. Unlike Ghost, SAO…
Yuri’s History and a Love Suicide that Raised Awareness
Yuri is a branch of manga that deals with girl romance. The genre was originally targeted toward girls, but there is a male-targeted branch as well. Yuri (which literally translates to “lily”) encompasses everything from hardcore sex to school girl crushes where hand-holding is as far as it goes. The genre traces its roots to…