Could South Korea or Japan disappear as nations? For those who asked this question: my apologies for taking forever to answer it. Modern nation-states, at least the developed ones, seem too solid to just disappear. Conquered, sure. But disappear? However, it has happened in the past. Amazonian and Mayan civilizations, for example, disappeared. Jomon civilization in…
The “Precious Memories” Theme in Anime
If you’ve watched anime or read manga for any length of time, you will have come across the phrase “precious memories.” This phrase appears across all sorts of genres, most often in slice-of-life stories. When I first got into anime, in my early-to-mid 20s, the phrase made me cringe a bit. It struck me as…
Suzume: A Door Opens to Another Coming of Age Story
Suzume released in 2022, and I only got around to watching it in 2025. You might be surprised to learn that I don’t watch cinematic, stand-alone anime films all that often. I find it hard to cordon two hours to watch a single film. I don’t watch live-action films for the same reason. I’m bad…
Ren, Book 3 of the Teahouse Mysteries, is Now Available
Ren continues my Teahouse Mysteries series. I have plans for 2 more books within this series. As the middle book in Mameko’s character arc, it aims at developing a hinge that forces Mameko to reflect on her actions. While each book offers a standalone mystery, I weave hooks into each novel that the others tie…
Witch Watch: Rom-Com With True Wingmen
I can sum Witch Watch in a word: forgettable. As I sit down at my laptop to bang out this article, I remember little of the series, and I had finished watching the series a few days ago. It’s not that Witch Watch is terrible, that I remember of it. The story is a romantic…
Secrets of the Silent Witch
Monica Everett is a genius mage who delves into the mathematics that underpin magic. She even worked out how to do the impossible: Unchanted Magic. Magicians normally need to use chants to weave the underpinning physics. Monica, however, is able to instantly see the numbers behind spells. Her father, too, researched the numbers behind reality,…