Online reading differs from reading on paper. You won’t read much beyond the first paragraph of this article if you follow the usual online reading pattern. In fact, I’ve violated all the tenants of online post-forging. I’ve forgone headings, images, and even small paragraphs to illustrate my point. Screen reading requires more complex reading skills…
Author: Chris Kincaid
Unhappily Ever After: the Endings of Japanese Fairy Tales
If you read Japanese folklore, you notice how different the endings seem against Western stories. In most Japanese folktales, people die in the end. Happily-ever-after endings stand out because of their rarity. Of course, most of Grimm’s fairy tales end on a similar note. The children’s versions of Grimm’s most of us in the West…
How to Read Japanese Folktales
Japanese folktales have layers that require some thought to fully understand. Of course, Grimm’s fairy tales and even the Bible require reflection too. Context matters for understanding any sort of literature, but context becomes critical when dealing with stories from cultures other than your own. Culture provides a background and a common language of symbols…
Eureka Seven: Psalms of Planets Revisit
Eureka Seven was the first article I wrote for JP 10 years ago. The anime originally debuted in 2005-2006, and it was my favorite anime. I enjoy coming-of-age stories, and Eureka Seven layers them on. You have Renton and Eureka. Both come-of-age and develop a relationship with each other. Renton moves from a whiny, spoiled…
JP Turns 10 Years Old
Ten years is rather old for a blog, especially one that happened by accident. While I was aware of anime and watched it on Toonami, I didn’t have a desire to write about it, nor did I have a desire to study Japanese culture and history. Japan was cool, sure, but not my jam. My…
Looking Back at 2020
It’s time again for my personally indulgent look back on the past year. This is a part of a double post to mark JP’s 10th birthday. Many people describe 2020 as a dumpster fire. It has been a year of self-inflicted wounds, a year that made me realize introverts truly are the minority. Otherwise, the…