The Future of Manga Looks Dire
I tend to avoid bookstores these days – not because I’m opposed to them in any way; quite to the contrary, I have a ravenous book-owning addiction, and I prefer to remove temptation when possible. […]
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Anime roundup 4/7/2013: Stop the World, I Want To Get Off
First, a little awards news: Nominees for the Seiun for Best Media (roughly equivalent to Hugo nominees for Best Dramatic Presentation) include two anime series, Bodacious Space Pirates and Eureka Seven AO. E7AO is a […]
Pretty Soldiers: Makoto Kino
The strength of characterization in Sailor Moon is, in my opinion, what has made it such an enduring series. When we were children, we chose our favorite and used her to represent who we were […]
Anime As An Art Form
One of the greatest things that anime ever did for me was give me the desire to create. I was a really bookish kid, and the idea of writing had always been pretty appealing to […]
Spring 2013 Anime Preview
Every three months, like clockwork, Japanese TV remakes itself. A bunch of shows end, a bunch more start, and many continuing series bring out new opening and closing sequences. Most anime series run for only […]
Anime roundup 3/31/2013: You Are In a Maze of Twisty Little Plotlines
From the New World, end – If there has been one theme running through every episode of From the New World from the beginning, it’s been that there is always another way to make the […]
The Pros and Cons of Comicon
It is the day before the first day of spring. As I sit in my office chair, working at my computer, the giant snow thrower passes by and deposits a massive blast of snow onto […]
Sex and the Senshi
(Author’s Note: This article deals with issues regarding sex and sexuality in a non-explicit manner. Regardless, it might not be safe for work.) Usagi, the titular character of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, is a great […]
It’s Pretty – and Deadly: Horror Animanga
[Author’s warning: the following post contains images with some violent and/or graphic themes. Please proceed with caution.] Any of my friends could tell you how much I hate horror movies. Whether it’s the hack-and-slash or […]
Anime roundup 3/24/2013: High Anxiety
Space Brothers #49 – Yes, international viewers who may not be familiar with the southwestern US, there are rattlesnakes near Amarillo, and yes, if you’re going to be walking through the wilderness around there for […]
The Fallen Magical Girl and the Crisis of Adolescence
The Fallen Magical Girl is a trope as endemic to the mahou shoujo genre as the transformation sequence. Though she once swore fealty to ideals of love and justice, now she obeys only herself, or […]
The story so far: Hunter x Hunter
International stream: Crunchyroll (US, Canada, UK, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand; subtitles in English or French; and for those who may be wondering by now, yes, there are other streaming services, but Crunchyroll is […]
Punk Rock Queen: A Nana Review
[Image from animedepot.net. Nana belongs to Ai Yazawa and Shueisha.] I would like to come forward with a confession: throughout most of college, I largely had to put my anime love on hiatus – not […]
The Howl of Family: A Review of Wolf Children
To smile through any hardship is a commendable virtue for anyone to have. Continuing to do so while having to raise two half-human, half-wolf children is something on a different world of resilience altogether. The […]
Anime roundup 3/17/2013: Showdown time
So here’s how this works: Every week, I commentate on the latest episodes of various anime series, and then we all discuss further in the comments! Then in April, From the New World will end […]
Debunking Lolita Fashion and the American Otaku Myth
[Author’s Note: This article deals with defining the differences between Lolita fashion and the “lolita complex.” As such, there is some discussion of sexuality and pedophilia, which may not be appropriate for children under a […]
The story so far: From the New World
International stream: Crunchyroll (North & South America, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden; subtitles in English, Spanish, or Portuguese) The only thing some of you will need to know about […]
Cat Heaven: Neko-sama in Animanga
There is a small fishing island in Japan, Tashirojima, which has been dubbed “cat heaven” because of the phenomenal amount of stray cats living there – there are more cats than people! It sounds, to […]
The story so far: Space Brothers
Hello there! I’m going to be doing weekly discussions of current sf anime episodes and previews of upcoming shows in this slot. Since we’re going to be dropping right into the middle of a few […]
The Impossibility of Escaping the Palm of Buddha’s Hand
“Mortal, you have angered Shaka-sama and now Pigsy will eat your face.” This is one of the improbable lines that is never spoken in the foundational saga of Buddhist fiction. Many other improbable lines are. Further out on the improbability spectrum: Shingo Katori costumes up as a monkey.
Adding the Human Element: An Interview With Juliet
All right, so I’ve given you all some abstract thoughts about the anime world, and I’ve even thrown in a review. But I think it’s fair to say that one of the most interesting things […]
Jazz and Drama: A Kids on the Slope Review
Even casual fans of anime have heard of Cowboy Bebop, the jazziest, classiest, most sophisticated space opera anime to ever be created (whoops, my bias is showing). Bebop’s director, Shinichiro Watanabe, and musical composter, Yoko […]
In Fear Of Dub: How Should You Watch Your Anime?
Ever since foreign film and television have become popular in the English-speaking world (and title cards were a thing of the past, of course), there has been the great debate over whether subtitles or dubbed-over […]
Anime Mondays with Morgana! An Introduction
Happy Monday, everybody! I’m very excited to be joining the Amazing Stories Magazine blogging staff. Every week, I’ll be posting something new, mostly focusing on anime! Anime is an interesting and widespread topic, and I […]
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