50% of one-parent Japanese families live below the poverty line (Ichino, 2014). Japanese single mothers are one of those topics people do not talk about. Japanese society has a long history of divorce, but during the Meiji Restoration, divorce became a problem for women. The combination of strong family values and tax policies that support…
Author: Chris Kincaid
The Evangelion of Shojo: Revolutionary Girl Utena
Revolutionary Girl Utena is a game changer on the order of Evangelion. Like Sailor Moon, Utena is a magical girl story. The story is stuffed with symbolism and considered a post-modern fairy-tale (Haeker, n.d). This symbolism is what makes many people consider Utena the Evangelion of shojo (Rose, 2013). I will touch on some of these…
Sailor Moon: The Rise of the Girl Hero
It came to my attention that JP is biased. We often focus on shonen and more male oriented topics. When I initially planned this series of anime/manga that changed the medium, Sailor Moon wasn’t on the list. After thinking about it, I realized how wrong this was. Sailor Moon is one of the most important…
Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End (Beginning) of Mecha
What makes Neon Genesis Evangelion important? I asked myself this as I researched for this article. The fact the series and movies are still some of the most discussed stories suggests just how much of an impact the anime made in 1995. Yep. The anime is 20 years old and still being talked about. Okay,…
Akira: Changing the Face of Anime
Akira is important for anime both in the West and in Japan. It seems odd, but Akira’s predecessor isn’t another anime. Rather, Akira is the child of Godzilla. So what does the teen angst of Akira have to do with the giant city smashing Godzilla? Both Akira and Godzilla show the influence of World War…
Mighty Atom and Tezuka’s Production System
Any series that looks at the most influential anime must talk about Osamu Tezuka’s Mighty Atom (Tetsuwan Atomu) or Astro Boy as we in the West know it. Astro Boy laid the groundwork for anime and manga storytelling, production, and all other aspects of the medium. While it was not the first Japanese animation, Tetsuwan…