I am often confused about all the –kuns, –chans, and other name attachments in subtitles. These are called honorifics. They are roughly the same as our own Mister, Miss, Madam, and Sir. Although for the Japanese they tell a lot more about the relationships between people. Honorifics are gender neutral, but some are used more…
Category: Culture
Anime Annoyances 2: Fan Service and High School
Far too many anime series take place in high school. Couple that with frequent fan service and I am left squirming uncomfortably. Fan service is when an anime “gives fans what they want.” Fan service can include long, full shots of robots in mecha (mmmm look at that tall, pulsing steel tower of a robot…just…
Eden of the East
What does nudity have to do with terrorism and politics? Quite a bit it seems. Eden of the East opens with a naked man who calls himself Akira Takizawa in front of the White House just as Saki Morimi gets in trouble with the Secret Service for tossing a coin onto the White House lawn….
Parted Roads: The Ending of Samurai Champloo
The ending of Samurai Champloo is a mix of emotions. The journey is over. Trials are completed. Fuu, Jin, and Mugen part down their separate roads. It is a happy yet also sad ending. Despite everything they faced, and the friendship they forged with each other, they walk away without even a glance. That is…
Imprint – Masters of Horror
Most horror doesn’t shock me. Every now and then though I come across one that weedles its way under my skin and sticks with me for awhile. Audition was one, and Imprint is another. Imprint was considered so shocking that Showtime banned it from being shown with its “Masters of Horror” series (but then, they…
The Machine Girl
There are good movies. There are bad movies. Then there are movies that are so bad, they somehow flip around and become good in their own special way. The Machine Girl lay in the third category, although I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s so bad that it’s awesome. The movie follows a…