Tag Archives: anime

Early Anime Impression: Gosick (Pronounced “Gothic”)

ゴシック (“Gothic”) Gosick is animated by Bones, which I have lauded in the past; I liked Heroman, but at any rate they tend to do far out and artsy stuff which I respect. Pronounced “gothic” (and you see this clearly in … Continue reading

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The Fractale Scandal And Its Implications

A Sad, Infuriating Spectacle My experiences with the new anime Fractale began innocently enough with this article in the Asahi Shimbun (official romanization; ‘shinbun’ in text but ‘shimbun’ as spoken in Tokyo dialect). Long story short, director Yutaka Yamamoto sees … Continue reading

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No Spoiler Anime Review, Ore no Imouto

Highly Recommended. Ore No Imouto Ga Konna Ni Kawaii Wake Ga Nai OK, the basics: this is not Yosuga no Sora. This is not porn. The relationship at the heart of the show usually translated as “My Little Sister Isn’t … Continue reading

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Japanese Culture: Duties, Roles and Parts to Play

Yakuwari (役割、やくわり) A yakuwari can be a duty, a role, or a part to play. The first kanji can be read as “of use,” which is a concept used in service (for if you are of use to the Emperor, … Continue reading

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Anime Review: Iron Man

Better Than I Expected Before diving into the spoiler space, here’s a general impression. Themes: Sacrifice, Bonds (See spoiler space.) Visuals: 8/10 (More than adequate, but not top) Characters: 9/10 (Better than expected, -1 for annoying reporter) Sounds/ Music: 7/10 … Continue reading

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So You Want To Read Manga In Japanese

Try This. I only just saw this, but try this link and take a look. It’s by the Japan Foundation and well, I can’t draw and I can’t program in Flash by myself, so I don’t want to repeat anything … Continue reading

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Anime Review: Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu

Legend of the Legendary Heroes 伝説の勇者の伝説 The English translation of this throws me WAY off. When I wrote a rant about this show (link in spoiler section), I got the name wrong. It’s an odd name, and here’s why. Usually, … Continue reading

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Japanese: “Right Where I Want To Be”

望むところです The above, and variations thereof (which differ in how they end), combine nozomu (望む,のぞむ), which is to desire, to want, and tokoro (所、ところ), which simply means place. (This tends to be a figurative place, more often than not.) That … Continue reading

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Why We Watch Anime, Part 4: Culture

Culture Means Civilization I know I’m going to get into some controversial territory here, but it is for a good cause. This is, after all, called The Japanese Culture Blog. It is about appreciation of culture, and Japan has it. … Continue reading

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Why We Watch Anime, Part 3: Visual Art

Creativity + Visual Art While other nations have no lack of artists, it is Japan’s mix of creativity and visual art involved in the cel (celluloid) animation used for anime. While hard economic times and an improvement in technology have created … Continue reading

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