You know the scene. It starts with a sneeze or a chill, usually after being caught in the rain. Next, the character collapses into unconsciousness. Sometimes this happens in the classroom; other times it happens during some emotional event, such as a kokuhaku. The character’s friends and love interest rush to their side. They call…
Author: Chris Kincaid
Kokuhaku, How to Confess Your Love the Japanese Way
Kokuhaku, or love confession, isn’t easy to research. People take contemporary cultural practices for granted; such practices aren’t studied until they fall out of practice. If you do a web search for kokuhaku, you will find many articles, but I aim for academic or newspaper sources. These are scarce. In any case, like so many…
Be Curious Beyond Anime
You need hobbies beyond anime. It sounds obvious. However, I’ve encountered many people who are consumed by their interest whether it is anime or, more common to my area, sports. These people have few interests outside their field and those few interests link back to that field. Growing up, I idolized Leonardo da Vinci and…
Praise For A Quiet, Average Life
In anime, you sometimes see a protagonist who wants nothing more than a quiet, average life only to be plunged into some sort of drama or misadventure. Usually, the character learns they enjoy a more-than-average life. American society also frowns on a quiet, average life. Media teems with stories of people traveling, doing extreme sports,…
Manga Sound Effect Word List [Over 250 Words and Meanings]
Manga has a vast amount of onomatopoeia. They go beyond simple sound effects, representing emotions like anger and actions like staring. Manga artists fold sound words into their panel designs and story. Japanese sound words divide into three families (Inose, n.d.): Giseigo mimic the sounds of people and animals. Giongo imitate other sounds, like water,…
Remember Death All Year Long
The man who would be a warrior considers it is the most basic intention to keep death always in mind, day and night, from the time he first picks up his chopsticks in celebrating his morning meal on New Year’s Day to the evening of the last day of the year. -Daidoji Yuzan Remembering death…