So far, I’ve been sticking to defending things that absolutely no one is attacking, making for a fairly successful and easy run. The importance of choosing your battles! But this time, I may have bitten off more than I can chew.
Category: Essays
The Importance of Frivolity
Boy some of you guys sure are smart, and witty, and you know big words and stuff…My reader feed gets regularly populated by deeply insightful academic dissertation of my favorite animes or topical parsings of the elements of a particular genre. Keep it up! It’s really fascinating, and I appreciate the enormous amount of work…
In Defense of Tags – A Non Tag Post about Tags
If you’ve been blogging or reading non-professional blogs for any amount of time, you’ve most likely come across the “award” or tag post at some point. These wily little beasts are the cause of much inconsequential dilemmas in the blogging community. Everyone has their own views and takes on them and how to approach one….
In Defense of the Unreliable Narrator
There are few plot devices more divisive and difficult to pull off than the unreliable narrator. Unless your work somehow manages to distinguish itself as a classic, the audience often feels cheated and is quick to turn on a story that can’t be trusted.
Stray Dogs, Dead Apples and Mel pt.2
Yesterday I told you I went to see Dead Apples with Mel and told you all about the movie. “All” being somewhat subjective at this point. “About” as well… I wrote a post that mentioned some Bungou Stray Dogs characters… But the movie you see, was only half of the experience! Side note: does your…
The Power of Tears in Anime
Crying is a fascinating mechanism. I’m not talking about shedding a few tears to get rid of a speck of dust in your eye, I’m talking about what we call psychic, or ‘crying’ tears. Basically, this is the good ol’ fashion bawling we do in response to emotional rather than physical stimuli.
OWLS Bog Tour – Small Steps in Sket Dance
I didn’t manage to take part in last month’s OWLS tour as I’ve always struggled discussing music and I’m sort of glad I sat out. My OWLS companions’ posts would have put me to shame… Mind you, the fact that I’m surrounded by intimidatingly talented boggers has never really bothered me before. Which is why…
Danganronpa, Fullmetal Alchemist, and the Viciousness of Hope
I told you I had a couple of these up my sleeve. This time I’m contrasting Danganronpa with my latest obsession, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Yes, I realize I’m the absolute last person at this particular party. I’m still in the middle of the series (35 episodes in) as I write this, but I think I’m…
The Lighter Side of Deconstructions
I don’t know if you guys remember this, but a little while ago we had a whole series of really awesome posts on the subject of anime deconstructions. A slew of great bloggers weighted in and discussed various aspects and elements of deconstructions. And of course, debated over the definition and even existence of a…
In Anime and In Blogging, There is Nothing New Under the Sun
You know that thing: the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon? It’s basically when you’ve never even thought of something but suddenly it occurs to you then you start seeing it everywhere? I think it might be my superpower… With blog posts at least… As some of you know, I schedule everything and on average will write a post 2…
Berseria and Vesperia, Letting go of the Past Without Betraying Your Memories.
So here’s a little scenario that has been happening embarrassingly frequently lately. Irina’s inner monologue: It’s almost 10 pm, I’ll just play a little round of the Berseria card minigame, it takes like 2 minutes, then I’ll finish my presentation for tomorrow and be in bed by 11. I need to get up at 5, I…
Anime is Turning Me Into A Chubby Chaser
OK not really but it definitely is making me crave some variety…. I mentioned it in my Monster Girls review but I’ve come to realize how similar anime character body types are. It’s getting a little boring…. I remember when I first watched Miss Kobayashi, I was struck by the fact that the girls had…
Shaky Science – Binging Anime And Brains!
Binging anime vs weekly watching is an eternal debate… Many of my talented fellow bloggers have written great posts about the merits of each type of viewing. Here are a couple that I could find through my increasingly faulty reader app: https://lethargicramblings.wordpress.com/2017/04/15/lethargic-ramble-why-i-dont-watch-seasonal-anime/ https://remyfoolblog.com/2018/01/18/thoughts-on-marathoning-anime-following-seasonal-anime/ https://mechanicalanimereviews.com/2017/08/24/my-issues-with-binge-watching/
Lines in the Sand – My Fanservice Comfort Zone
Hi guys, for my next trick, I’m going to attempt the daunting task of honestly discussing fanservice without sucking all the fun out of it. Can I do it? Probably not.. tell you what, if you see me starting to loose the thread, just give me the signal and I’ll post some pics of half…
How A Raunchy Visual Novel Taught me to Seize the Day and Say No Thank You!!!
-or Getting Over My Fear of Rejection with Haru – No Thank You!!! is a great visual novel most people will probably not want to play. If you’re not intimidated by the hardcore depiction of homosexuality, you might be scared off by the explicit descriptions of violence and the general uncomfortable subject matter of the…