I am terrible at rote memorization. In other Japanese language books (and when I took Spanish classes for that matter), rote memorization was the key to learning. I don’t know how many times I had to copy Spanish conjugate verb charts to remember even just a few of them. My memory is good, but not…
Bleach–A Critique
I wrote a critique of the anime One Piece a couple of weeks ago. I was pretty critical of it, and of Shonen in general, during that article. In the interest of fairness, I decided to cast the same critical eye on an anime that I actually enjoyed. After all, it is easy to take…
Maoyu
Maoyu Mao Yusha (Demon King and Hero) can be described in a word: rushed. Enter Hero (yeah that is his name). Hero is humanity’s greatest warrior, akin to something you would find in Final Fantasy game. He is able to demolish entire cities and armies with his magic abilities. He was sent to vanquish the…
Life Lessons from the Captain: White Day
White Day, or Opposite Day, is a holiday started by bakeries in Japan to stimulate business. It is held on March 14th. Where the ladies give giri (polite, obligation) and honmei (what we would consider true valentines) chocolates on Valentine’s Day, White Day sees the guys return the gesture. Guys are expected to give gifts…
One Piece: A Critique of the Anime
I am not normally the anime guy here on JapanPowered, as long time readers know. My brother normally takes on the analysis of anime/manga. My preference leans more toward history and folklore, with a little dabbling in the social sciences. This probably is in part due to my love/hate relationship with anime. While I enjoy…
Shigeru Miyamoto: A Sketch
Most Americans don’t consider Mario to be Japanese. His plumber’s (construction worker) overalls look all American. Yet, behind the famous mustache is a Japanese man. Shigeru Miyamoto created three of the most well known video game franchises: Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda, and Metroid. You’d think he would be a video game player,…