I’m pretty sure that everything in this post applies to fiction in general and not just anime but I rather not take any chances. I like the word antagonist and I use it a lot. But I might be using it differently than some of my readers. I often get comments along the lines, I…
Tag: Irina pretends to know things
Aggressively Reading Anime
There’s a pseudo-debate that I’m actually interested in which boils down to Death of the Author vs Authorial Intent. Of course, this doesn’t just apply to anime but since this is an anime blog and it’s what I know best. I figured we might as well stick to that medium. In the past, I have…
Nuancing my Views on Fanservice
I have spoken of fanservice in general and my personal take on it several times on my blog. The short version is that I’m all for it. Generally, I’m prone to speaking in favour of fanservice even in instances when it doesn’t particularly appeal to my personal tastes. Vive la difference and all that. But…
The Risk of Parody
I like Parodies. I like them a lot. Ok, that’s an easy statement. I like most comedy genres so there’s nothing new here. But in watching Pretty Boy Detective Club, I have been thinking about just how tricky it can be to pull off a good parody. It’s a genre that comes with a whole…
What do we owe our readers?
How about our Blog? Do we owe them anything at all??? I should mention I’m not talking about people who have patrons. That’s a different relationship and if you have patrons, you probably owe them whatever you promised on your Patreon page. But I have often talked about the general “bloggers guilt” many people experience….
Should Anime be Critiqued by Different Standards?
Man, I hope this doesn’t make people angry. Let me start by explaining what I mean by the title Should Anime be Judged by Different Standards. The first question is probably different from what, and to that, I say from the rest of entertainment, i.e shows and movies. You may be wondering what brought this…
Why is the Manga Always Better?
Ok, that title is clickbait. I baited you. I’m sorry. I don’t actually think the manga is always better than its adaptation. In fact, I’m one of the few people out there that tends to prefer the anime to the manga by default but that’s really not the norm. In general, you see manga readers…
Quasi-professional blogger Irina on what changes when you *Have* to post
You know, I think that even quasi-professional is too strong a term here. I do like that title though, it makes me sound like a light novel protagonist! As some of you may know, a little while ago I started to publish more PR and Solicited posts. I always tell you when I do and…
Expanding beyond WordPress
This post was originally published on 100 word anime but I’m repurposing it. Some time ago I realized that although the WordPress community is absolutely wonderful and I wouldn’t trade it for the world, it remains for lack of a better word, “limited”. In numbers, not in wonderfulness. For a blog to *keep* growing and…
Japan’s Fried Chicken Christmas Tradition
Many years ago, I taught you all how to bring a little Japanese touch to your Christmas celebration by baking your very own traditional Japanese Christmas Cake. This year, I figure it’s finally time to cover the rest of the meal. You can’t just eat cake, even if it is Christmas. Your tummy is gonna…
Is Anime Already Mainstream?
Lately (I’m writing this on November 1st, 2020) I’ve been seeing a few anime fans express their worry over anime becoming mainstream. As in if it becomes mainstream either quality or variety will suffer. This isn’t a new concern or an unusual one by any means. I have been seeing it for decades in fact….
Other Types of Fan Service in Anime
I had a really hard time coming up with a title fr this one. For a while there it was going to be called “Non-sexy fan service” but I think that sounded a bit off. I was watching an OVA the other day (for Aoharu of all things) and it really got me thinking about…
Do Blogging Breaks Work?
Ironically, I originally published this on 100 word anime. This post about blogging breaks is now painfully ironic. Ouch. You know guys, when you’ve been around the blogosphere for a while, you start to recognize certain patterns. Signs if you will. When you pay attention, you can sort of tell when a blogger is no…
If Horror Movies Reflect Societal Anxieties What do Horror Anime Say About What Otakus are Afraid of?
I fail at blogging and I overshot my Halloween posts… But I really liked this one so you guys get a bonus Countdown to Halloween post! Get ready to learn nothing about what Horror Anime can teach us about ourselves! There’s been a long-running belief that horror fiction is a way to explore and ultimately…
Demon Slayer’s Wisteria Hysteria (Countdown to Halloween)
Because I read my comments, I do know that a fair bit of you aren’t exactly fans of Demon Slayer as an anime. In fact, the comments would lead me to believe that most of you really disliked the series and dropped it early on. But today I’m not really going to talk about the…