Haruki Murakami writes bestselling postmodern surrealist fiction. His work often focuses on loneliness and alienation. I’m writing this article in response to a reader’s question about how he writes about women. I’ll focus on two books Kafka on the Shore and 1Q84. This article will focus on sexuality and will quote explicit passages from Murakami’s…
Kaguya-sama: Love is War Actually Made Me Laugh
I’m not one for comedies, anime or otherwise. They usually strike me as dumb and trying too hard. My sense of humor leans toward satire and slap stick like Takeshi’s Castle (if you haven’t seen it, go watch an episode on YouTube right now!). When I saw Kaguya-sama come out in Crunchyroll, I decided to…
The Firefly’s Lovers
This story was collected around 1887 when the American William Griffis visited Japan. Many of Japan’s early Western visitors during the Meiji period collected and recorded the oral stories they encountered. IN JAPAN the night-flies emit so brilliant a light and are so beautiful that ladies go out in the evenings and catch the insects…
A Look Back at Winter Anime 2019
Lately, I’ve taken to watching current run anime instead of just older stuff. Winter 2019 proved to be a bit of a slow season for me compared to previous seasons. But I found a few that caught my attention. I also watched a few that left me wondering why I spent the time. Others I…
I Am a Cat. You Need to Natsume Soseki’s Writing or You Can’t Call Yourself a Japanophile
Japan’s novelist Natsume Soseki remains relevant for us today. Soseki grew up during the upheaval after the fall of the Shogun and the rise of the Meiji period. He numbered among the first Japanese to live in a Westernized Japan. His experiences of modernization mirror what we experience today with our own transition into attentionization,…
Anime and Manga’s Buff Men and Male Body Image
Much has been said about the impact of commercial images of women with rare or impossible body shapes. Despite all the analysis, little has been done to change this problem. Frankly, it’s because dissatisfied people consume more. If you like who you are, you don’t buy as much makeup, diet plans, gadgets, gizmos, cars, and…