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…
Category: Anime
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…
Inuyasha: The Best Anime for Beginners
I’ve often thought about what the best anime is for introducing people to the medium. Many anime are great for people who hate anime. But what about those who are curious but find anime strange? What about those who find the tropes of anime and the jokes confusing? What is the best anime for them?…