Bocchi the Rock! teems with experimental animation that captures the social anxiety and catastrophizing the anime’s namesake character experiences. It’s a fun ride. Bocchi the Rock! follows the members of Kessoku Band: Hitari Goto (better known by her nickname Bocchi), Nijika Ijichi, Ryo Yamada, and Ikuyo Kita. Each of the girls fall into different psychological…
Raven of the Inner Palace
Raven of the Inner Palace wowed me on many levels when I gave it a watch. While the animation is stiff, especially compared to the experimental animation of Bocchi the Rock! and the lovely fluid animation of Do it Yourself!!, it is beautiful. The detailed stiffness works well with the guarded feel of the characters…
Japanese Winter Poems
I love winter. The cold may be uncomfortable, but it is the night of the year. It calls us to stop and rest and reflect. Although, as the climate shifts, I’ve seen less of winter than I had in the past. Winter used to begin as early as late October in my hometown. Now winter…
Looking Back on 2022
This past year was JP’s 10th. Before I started writing this blog, I struggled to see anything through. I would flit from project to project, from interest to interest, without finishing or accomplishing much. Now, I’ve been writing an article each week, at the least, for 10 years. Thanks to JP, I began to chase…
The Fox’s Loneliness
This Christmas I will leave you with this short story I wrote. Merry Christmas! I shouldn’t have shown myself, Kitsune thought. Below her perch in the tree, two human kits walked toward the edge of the forest. They didn’t pay attention to her now. They had dismissed her soon after they held their strange glowing…
Your Book Won’t be Read
If you’ve considered writing a book, here’s the reality: your book won’t be read. Okay, it will be read by friends, family, and a few others, but becoming a full-time author is a moonshot, a lottery win. It’s possible (and yes, hard work matters) but the probability works against you. According to Gallup, Americans read…