After Japan was unified under Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and finished with Tokugawa Ieyasu, the Tokugawa government declared there would be no more wars. The final war is a two-part rebellion of Christian samurai, farmers, and other impoverished people. The second part of the rebellion remains the best remembered because of how it ended in…
Sugoi Summer – TokyoTreat Box Review
Ichigo, the parent company of SakuraCo and TokyoTreat, asked me to review a TokyoTreat box. If you aren’t familiar with TokyoTreat, it’s a monthly subscription service that sends you a curated box of candy and other goodies from Japan. Most of the goodies aren’t readily available elsewhere or, as is often the case, you didn’t…
The Nature of Online Piracy
You’ve most likely broken the law by downloading something illegally. In fact, more than an estimated 75% of computers have at least one illegally downloaded file, and 22% of Internet bandwidth is used for piracy (Petrescu, 2018). Scanlations and fan subs are common in the anime community. And yes, they are piracy. Online piracy is…
Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie
Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie addresses interesting themes. Let’s get to them! But first, the summary for those who haven’t seen the anime yet. Not Just a Cutie follows the high school relationship between a boy named Izumi Yuu, who is cursed with bad luck–as in things-fall-and-try-to-kill-him bad luck, and Shikimori, who is an assertive…
11 Steps to Stop Being an Incel
Incels, or involuntary celibates, are men with an unhealthy view of women and of life. Many, of course, would disagree with that statement. They view themselves as more aware of reality. However, the thoughts are self-destructive and can even lead to violence. Some people would say the best way to stop being an incel is…
Interviews with Monster Girls, A Review
Interviews with Monster Girls follows a biology teacher named Tetsuo Takahashi as he teaches three demi (or demi-human) high-school girls. He also tries to understand them better, including the problems they face as teens and as demis. Demi-humans are a protected minority in the society of the anime. Tetsuo quickly becomes a guardian for the…