List o the weak: Anime that time has forgotten

So there are some series that make such an impression that they seem to rock the foundations of anime fandom: Evangelion, Serial Experiments Lain, Fullmetal Alchemist, Cowboy Beebop, etc. It’s not that these shows are universally beloved, but they’re definitely universal. They’ll come up at least once in any conversation you have about anime.
And then [...]

In My View: I still like serial. Even if it might rot my brain.

Now before I get into this, let me say that I respect bateszi a lot. I don’t always agree with what he says, but he does say it very well. And even if I disagree, I can appreciate his point of view. And hell, he liked GTO.

It’s just that his latest post got me thinking [...]

Lost in Translation: A look at BLASSREITER and Tower of Druaga

Sometimes I wonder why some genres don’t travel very well into anime. Partially I understand that anime is on the whole a fairly new medium. And it’s not a medium that has a whole lot of experimentation that goes on. It’s pretty possible to pick up a new show that is really the rehash of [...]

Jumping at Shadows: Is the first episode of Code Geass Japanese Right-wing propaganda?

“There is a house down in New Orleans. They call the Rising Sun.”

House of the Rising Sun. (Traditional American Folk song)

Now I’ll admit my first encounter with Japanese culture didn’t come from anime at all, but rather a book. And not really just any book, but a book written by an American. In this case, [...]

In My View: Why I can’t stop worrying and learn to love the anime industry.

Honestly, I think a lot of anime fans don’t have the foggiest understanding (or concern) for the general business of anime, both the creative aspect and the commercial aspect. How often do you hear a fan criticize an animation studio for a business decision it had absolutely nothing to do with, as if the giant [...]

Why not s-CRY-ed?

To be honest I’ve liked s-CRY-ed since I first watched it when it was coming out on DVD out here.

I mean plot-wise, it really isn’t that different from most shounen style fighting shows. You have two guys, who don’t like each other; both of them are trying to get strong enough to challenge the other [...]

Umm… Why is ANN doing a Spring Preview?

So am I the only one who finds it a bit ironic that ANN is doing a “real time” preview of the Spring Season. Granted, it is news. And even if I disagree with their reviews, they do seem to do it every years. But they spend so much time and effort trying to convince [...]

Impressions: Tower of Druaga, BLASSREITER, Madlax, Saiunkoku and Dennou Coil

So I’m taking iknight’s advice and actually looking at who is directing these shows because all my snarky comments aside, I probably should be.

Tower of Druaga: I’ll be fair about this one. Right now, I could go either way. If they decide to make the entire fantasy world some sort of online game and make [...]

In My View: Anime is Art?

(Please note: I am the worst kind of elitist. The type that doesn’t like elitism)
I have to admit that I’m somewhat jaded about the idea of “art“.
It isn’t that Hidoshi did a poor job of explaining it. I think he came up with some of the best criteria that I’ve seen. In the end, they’re [...]

The Otakusphere: My DVDs are attacking me, Crunchyroll sucks and my obsession with classic Southern cuisine

If there’s one thing I like about living this close to the “South” it’s fried chicken. Oh yeah, nothing beats stopping into the local grocery store and seeing boxes of the stuff laid out for me like pre-packaged heart attacks. Which is probably why I found Hinano’s post on buying merchandise interesting because I own [...]