Manabeshima Island Japan is a whimsical, warm stay at one of Japan’s small islands. Populated by 300 people, Manabeshima’s small size allows the artist Florent Chavovet sketch all aspects of life, from the insects to the residents and even to the gangs of cats that control the island. Chavovet’s art contains gentle humor and an…
Musings II: Magical Girls, or, Empowerment VS Sexism
Magical Girls puzzle me; they make me feel intrigued and desperate at the same time. That is not just because of my, admittedly, relatively limited experience with shōjo (‘[for] girls’) anime genres – until recently, I preferred adventure fantasy, which is sadly, but undoubtedly, shōnen (‘[for] boys’) material of the most popular order. No, Magical…
Midoricon 2015 (Meh-doricon?)
Midoricon 2015!!! Amazing isn’t it, just a few short years ago this small convention started at Salt Fork State Park in Cambridge, OH, made it to its fourth year overall, and enjoyed its second year at the beautiful Maumee Lodge in Oregon, OH. I would like to start this, by saying that I do love…
Gender Roles of Men in Japanese Society
Many trees have died to research the effects of Japan’s patriarchal society on women. I also did my part by killing digital trees. Surprisingly, not as much research has been done on men. Patriarchal societies may appear to be a man’s paradise, but these societies place a heavy burden on men, perhaps even heavier than…
How a Man Got the Better of Two Foxes
This story comes from the Ainu, a group of people native to the northern islands of Japan. The Japanese fox, called kitsune, comes from China, but long before the Chinese fox crossed into Japan, the Ainu told stories like the one below. If you want to learn more about kitsune and read more stories like…
Arpeggio of Blue Steel
It is common to refer to ships as female. Now what would happen if warships and submarines were equipped with sentient artificial intelligence? Arpeggio of Blue Steel is one of the more unique anime I’ve watched. The Fog is a fleet of sentient warships and submarines equipped with technology that is centuries ahead of anything…