The World Only God Knows ( Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai, or Kaminomi for short) is a charming manga series. It is also an anime series. It follows Keima Katsurgi, an obsessed bishojo gamer known online as the “God of Conquests.” He is able to conquer any dating sim. He is sharply intelligent, but appears…
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…
Sword Art Online
There are very few anime that left a lasting impression on me: Spice and Wolf, Eureka Seven, and Ghost in the Shell. Sword Art Online is the latest addition to the short list. Sword Art Online is a Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (phew, quite a mouthful) where people “full dive” into…
Anime Blogging and Copyright Considerations
American copyright law is a beast! The regulations are complicated and often confusing. Because I am a librarian by profession, I thought I would demystify some of these legal wranglings. First, the usual disclaimer: this article is by no means legal advice or a legal guide. It is for informational purposes (there, no one can…
13 Assassins
I don’t normally write about Japanese films, but this remake is worth mentioning. The movie remakes a 1963 black and white film. Set just before the end of the Shogunate period in Japanese history, the storyline pits 13 samurai against a cruel lord, Naritsugu, poised to become a part of the Shogun’s inner council. How…
A Look at Gender Expectations in Japanese Society
Gender roles are often something we don’t think about. We are socialized as guys and gals to behave in certain ways and often don’t realize it. Our media reflects these mores. Anime, like any other medium, reflects the expectations society has for its members. Aspects of anime, such as a girl cooking a bento for…