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…
Author: Chris
10 Anime Essay Topic Ideas
People often ask me for help with choosing topics for essays and thesis assignments. Anime gives us many, many topics to write about. Sometimes too many. So here is a list of ideas and links to articles I’ve written that have sources you may find useful. 1. Manga and American Comics Contrast the different themes…
The Ending of Samurai Champloo
Samurai Champloo is one of the reasons why I like anime. It was one of my first exposures to anime for better or worse. It is hard to enjoy Hershey’s chocolate bars after eating Swiss chocolate. I watched Samurai Champloo before Cowboy Bebop. Perhaps this shapes my opinion of the show, but Samurai Champloo is…
Looking Back on 2015
This past year has been a blur for me, but it has been productive. I managed to get 4 books published, Vixen Hunted, Shepherd Hunted, Come and Sleep: the Folklore of the Japanese Fox, and Tanuki: the Folklore of Japan’s Trickster. I was hired at a public library to be their Assistant Director this year….
No Game. No Life. The Rise of the Introvert
Welcome to NHK, Log Horizon, and No Game. No Life are all part of a trend of featuring NEETs (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) and hikikomori (extreme shut-ins) as protagonists. In the past several years, NEETs have been on the rise across the world. Anime, as an international storytelling medium, reflects this rise. In…
Gurren Lagann Does Suspense Right
Andrew and I often criticize shonen for ruining story pacing and suspense. I’ve wrote one article about the problems of anime/manga storytelling. Andrew, recently, wrote critiques of One Piece and Bleach. We often discuss what Bleach and other shows could do to tighten the storytelling and build suspense. The pull-back almost all shonen do, just…