Dharma Delight reveals the key tenets of Buddhism with bright, vibrant illustrations. I received a review copy from Tuttle Publishing. The author’s illustrations leap from the page with cute monstrosities and humor. Each drawing contains layer of meaning. Unfortunately, Dharma Delight assumes you know Zen and Buddhist philosophy. Many of the illustrations contain multiple layers of meaning…
Author: Chris Kincaid
Lolita: Style, Sin, and Soul
Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta. -from the book Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov America and Japan give the word lolita different meanings. Most…
Manga Sound Effect Guide
Japanese has around 1,200 onomatopoeia divided into 3 families (Kadooka, 2009.; Inose,n.d. ). That’s around 3x more than English has. Onomatopoeia are words used to represent calls of animals, sounds of nature, sounds of people, and other sounds (Alilyeh & Zeinolabedin, 2014). Luckily, manga doesn’t use all of these sound words. However, it’s common for manga…
The Vampire Cat of Nabéshima
There is a tradition in the Nabéshima family that, many years ago, the Prince of Hizen was bewitched and cursed by a cat that had been kept by one of his retainers. This prince had in his house a lady of rare beauty, called O Toyo: amongst all his ladies she was the favourite, and…
The Otaku Versus the Sportaku
Society thinks anime fans are uncool. Yet, that same society accepts the sportaku. A sportaku is better known as a sports fan. You know, the people who fill their houses with jerseys, blankets, and everything else stamped with their favorite team’s logo. Really is a sportaku any different from an otaku? Nope. In fact, sportaku…
Symbols of Summer: Power Lines and Cicadas in Anime
Have you wondered why anime shows power lines with cicada chirping in the background? Power lines and cicadas seem to be a strange association, but for many, overhead power lines are a part of home. They are a common sight in Japanese towns and cities . Unlike many countries where power grids are underground, the…