When I revisited Bleach, I decided to give it what I call the “kai” treatment. Named after Dragon Ball Z Kai, the kai treatment is how I approach long anime that are notorious for filler and story interruptions. I watched Naruto Shippuden using the same approach. The kai treatment involves skipping any episode, or even…
Tag: Anime
JapanPowered isn’t just about anime (even if the bulk of it is). You can find all different types of anime in this section.
Revisiting Twin Star Exorcists
It had been awhile since I watched Twin Star Exorcists. This article will assume you’ve seen the anime too. I will skip the usual summary and sketch of the plot to focus on my impressions, for what they are worth. Everyone has their opinions. My opinions don’t matter. I share them to try to get…
Anime, the Love of Learning, and the Love of Spectacle
In Confessions, Saint Augustine contrasts the love of learning with the love of spectacle. His friend Alypius disliked the gladiatorial games of Rome. One day Alypius’s friends convinced and bullied him to join them for a round of games. The excitement of the bloodsport captured him. As Augustine wrote: “Without any awareness of what was…
Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun Review
Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun surprised me. As long-time readers know, it’s a rare comedy to make me chuckle. Kaguya-sama: Love is War is one of the most recent surprises. Monthly dates back to 2013, but appeared on my Netflix feed, so I gave it a watch. More fodder for JP, after all. I expected the usual…
Horimiya: Surprisingly Subtle
Horimiya appears to be a standard high-school rom-com, but it quickly shows how it is more. The series focuses on how people have hidden sides to their personalities that slowly reveal to those closest to them. The main characters Hori and Miyamura develop a relationship while discovering these layers. Hori is a popular, head of…
Considering Violent Media and Killing
People have a built-in resistance to killing, but this resistance can be overcome through various methods. During World War II, only 15-20% of American riflemen fired at the enemy. This included men faced with Japanese banzai charges and other situations. Most people would rather die than kill someone else (Grossman, 1995). People often bluster about…