If you’ve been watching anime for a while, you may have learned of the dreaded Middle School 2nd Year Syndrome (Chuunbiyou). Somehow, this condition has avoided mainstream recognition despite being widespread among the youths of today. If you can’t recognize the signs, you may not realize that your friends and relatives are suffering until it’s…
A recurring theme I’ve noticed when reviewing series is that shows try to do “too much”. One of the most common pitfall, especially in shorter series, is that they introduce a bevy of elements and different plot points that they simply don’t have time to properly develop or resolve. As such, they inevitably create plot…
Fair warning, I’m going on one of those weird rides again. Even I’m not entirely sure where this post is going to take us but I hope you take a leap with me. If we don’t end up anywhere interesting, at least we’ll be together. Wait… I know this is going to take some of…
I’ve been doing these top 5 lists for a little while now, and you know, they really don’t get enough credit. They are a lot harder to put together than people think. Just like any other type of post, you’ll get a wide range of quality out there, with some lists being barely a few…
In one of the first Pretty Derby Posts, I made a joke about the main character having put on weight because she’s secretly pregnant. There was a bit more to it…you had to be there. Point is, this was a joke because a pregnancy (scare or otherwise) story line in anime is practically unheard of….
Navigating ever-changing moral landscapes is tricky for most of us. Ironically going too far in either direction tends to lead to eerily similar places. My personal rule of thumb is: don’t be a d*uche. I like it cause it’s simple to remember and applies in most situations. But do the same rules apply to the…
Because watching anime is time consuming, I occasionally publish posts on blogging between more anime centric material. I try to share the whenever I pick up any useful tips that could help other bloggers or when a lot of people seem to have similar worries, I’ll publish something to let them know they are not…
We’re back with our 3rd instalment of completely making a mess out of Steins;Gate’s lore. You guys are lucky that Arthifis is around to keep me on track. I had this whole thing about umbrellas and penguins… Just for a bit of context – we ended last post with me ging on a long rambling…
Do you guys have a creative cycle? Are there periods when you’re more productive? Do you need a precise schedule or are you the type to chase after muses? As someone who posts daily without any precise topics, I’ve come to notice that I tend to have a few very discernible rotations. I’m not someone…
Hello everyone, Today we’ve got a special treat! Not for you guys, for me… I’m not sure how many of you follow my Steins;Gate 0 reviews but if you’ve been around my blog for a while, you probably got the feeling that I don’t dislike the Steins;Gate franchise in general. I guess you could even…
Can you believe it’s summer already? I mean it was snowing last week and might snow again next week but that’s just how summers work here. It seems like the year is just flying by. Maybe it’s because I have all these great posts to read and as always my OWLS companions are contributing their…
Irina: It’s me guys! Man I have GOT to figure out how to start posts. It’s getting sad… What was I saying? Nothing, I just started…oh well this is going great… A little while ago, I posted a series of tips about how to write about/review a series or episode, when you don’t really have…
This is a little embarrassing to talk about, so don’t tell anyone ok? Sometimes, not that often but still, I seek validation through my blog. Like when I’m having a really cr*ppy day and everything is going wrong, I find comfort in a supportive comment even if I’m not sure how sincere it is at…
For those of us who write anime reviews, especially those brave souls who do so on an episodic basis, there will come a time when you are faced with a show you just don’t have that much to say about. You know…it was fine. I can hear some of you already, just don’t review it if…
When we think of healthy lifestyles, we tend to think of our bodies first. Exercising and eating right. Making sure we get enough sleep and drink enough water (there’s water in vodka, right?). We get these images in our heads of tanned, active people, with glistening muscles. That’s all well and good. (especially the images…