Eureka Seven was the first article I wrote for JP 10 years ago. The anime originally debuted in 2005-2006, and it was my favorite anime. I enjoy coming-of-age stories, and Eureka Seven layers them on. You have Renton and Eureka. Both come-of-age and develop a relationship with each other. Renton moves from a whiny, spoiled…
Category: Anime
Considering Violent Media and Killing
People have a built-in resistance to killing, but this resistance can be overcome through various methods. During World War II, only 15-20% of American riflemen fired at the enemy. This included men faced with Japanese banzai charges and other situations. Most people would rather die than kill someone else (Grossman, 1995). People often bluster about…
Love and an Umbrella: Romance Anime and Context
Anime has many romance tropes, such as the symbolism of an umbrella. These tropes came out of the realities of relationships within modern culture. After all, romance is more about fantasy and escapism than any sort of reality. Romantic literature traces to 12th-century France. The first romance story appears to be Tristan and Iseult. As…
My Next Life as a Villainess
I watched My Next Life as a Villainess on a whim. I had been deep in my revisiting of various past anime series and needed something new. The new anime season has been thin with COVID-19 related closures and other events hampering production schedules. My Next Life offered a different look on the isekai genre….
This is Your Brain on Anime. Any Questions?
Teen brains sit on an important stage of brain development. Adolescence isn’t just a cultural construct; it’s a period of drastic rewiring. I will be using Robert Sapolsky’s book Behave (2017) for the following facts. Remember too that research focuses on averages. At the start of adolescence, teens have more gray matter than adults. Gray…
Who am I? Amnesia as an Anime Plot Device
It seems as if every other anime character is getting clocked on the noggin’ and getting amnesia. Amnesia has become a fairly common plot device with many advantages and disadvantages (the main one: over use!) According to the Mayo Clinic, amnesia “refer to the loss of memories, such as facts, information and experiences. Though forgetting…