Category Archives: Editorials

Knights in Shining Harems

Or: Why I Should Be Guardian of Your Modesty Time to take a break from writing about anime women (in the strictest sense, this post is going to have a lot to do with women as well as men) and … Continue reading

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Filed under Dusk Maiden of Amnesia, Editorials

To Be Dead While Alive, to Have No Mouth Yet Must Scream: Hyouka 5

Hyouka follows Oreki Houtarou as he enters high school wishing to expend as little energy as possible despite his intelligence and deductive capacity. Of course if he were successful, we wouldn’t have much of a story; so we follow along … Continue reading

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Filed under Editorials, Hyouka

AKB0048, Universal Nostalgia, and the Power of the Pop Idol

Do you remember the pop songs you listened to when you were young? More importantly, disregarding their ability to jog your misty-water colored memories, do you still listen to those songs now? For most, the answer to this question is … Continue reading

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Filed under AKB0048, Editorials

When in Rome: The Anglo-anisphere vs. “Haganai”

Note: The following post was originally published on 17 November, 2011 on the now-defunct Remember XVI. It is presented here edited to fit the visual formatting of Altair & Vega, but otherwise unaltered in content. As such, the statistics and such in … Continue reading

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Filed under Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai, Editorials, Modern Visual Culture

Hold the Line With Me: Chronicling Relationships in Tsuritama

“Tapioca, I don’t like such stifling relationships.” -Akira Agarkar Yamada, Tsuritama Episode Three

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Filed under Editorials, Tsuritama

Acchi Kocchi, Ben-Day Dots, and the American Comic Style

“Everything starts from a dot.” -Wassily Kandinsky It’s amusing how many things are produced, or art styles invented, simply in the interest of saving money. Benjamin Henry Day Jr. is a mere blip on history’s radar, and yet the printing … Continue reading

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Filed under Acchi Kocchi, Editorials

xxxHolic and Duping the Audience

source: Pixiv xxxHolic is a difficult series. The manga has a convoluted continuity tied up in several different franchises. The anime adaptation is easier to follow, but has its own hurdles with the extremely stylized designs animated on a modest … Continue reading

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Filed under Editorials, xxxHolic

Hook, Line, and Sinker: Audible Distinction in Tsuritama

It’s an odd world, the one that most of us carry inside of our own minds. We may build things up and tear them down in the next instant. As viewers, we are often privy to the thoughts that flicker … Continue reading

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Filed under Editorials, Tsuritama

Zaregoto and the Role of the Unreliable Narrator

“Come to think of it, I was on my way to deliver the contents to Kunagisa. But this lady really figured that out just from this bag? She was like . . . like one of those famous books of … Continue reading

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Filed under Editorials, Zaregoto

Hanko-e Philosophy in Animation: Shining Hearts and the Uncanny Valley

“My eyes have been trained to examine faces and not their trimmings.” – Sherlock Holmes, The Hound of the Baskervilles I’ve discussed it before, but let us once again touch upon the topic of hanko-e. Literally meaning “stamp picture,” hanko-e is a style … Continue reading

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Filed under Editorials, Modern Visual Culture, Shining Hearts: Shiawase no Pan