Recently, I rewatched Moribito, and it struck me how rare such anime are for the US. You see, anime is a storytelling medium just like live-action movies. However, anime has a bad reputation for telling poor stories laced with underboob and panty shots. Why is that? After all, anime contains stories like Moribito. If you…
The Comic Artist and His Assistants. Thoughts on Male Lust.
Normally I avoid anime like this, but I thought to give it a watch to figure out what makes this sort of anime appealing to some fans. I still don’t understand the appeal. Maybe it is because I am an old fogey as the anime viewership goes. Kids these days! The Comic Artist and His…
Bleach: Unforgiven
Despite Bleach’s many story telling problems, I enjoy its world. When I opened a review package from Viz Media, I was surprised to see Bleach: Unforgiven nestled among the books and manga. Bleach: Unforgiven is a double movie pack that includes Fade to Black and Hell Verse. As Bleach movies go, both movies are side…
Stories of Childhood: The Legacy of The Legend of Zelda
The other day I walked through my childhood’s universe. Shadows of the neighborhood kids, my brother, and I raced ahead of my adult walking pace. I glance down one of my favorite spots in the neighborhood, my neighbor’s hedge row lining his house. A tall fence gives just enough space for a lawn mower to…
School Judgment Review-First Impressions (Volume 1)
School Judgement is a new manga series being released stateside by VIZ Media. The series–created by author Obuaki Enoki and illustrator Takeshi Obata (Death Note, Bakuman)– tells the story of a world where, in order to curb crime, schools hold trials for students accused of crimes. The crimes can range from accusing someone of cheating on…
Musings IV: Japanese Idioms, and why it is a good idea to know some.
Perhaps you’ve been so lucky never to have prayed into a horse’s ear (uma no mimi ni nenbutsu), but I bet someone has once looked at you with white eyes (shiroi me de miru) until you felt like your stomach was boiling (hara ga nie-kurikaeru yō). Yes, those are Japanese Idioms. I’ve had a class…