My most favorite non-Japanese comic

Back in January I wrote a post about my most favorite non-Japanese cartoon. Today I’m following up with that idea and writing about my most favorite non-Japanese comic. I’ve always been an avid fan of animated movies and TV shows, but I’ve only read a few non-Japanese comics. I never had that much interest in comic strips, but this one stands out to me in particular…

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Posted in Anime Lists, Essays and Ramblings | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

Don’t get discouraged when learning Japanese (because it’s easier than English)

I’ve been studying Japanese at college, abroad, and on my own since mid-2004. The most common reaction I get from people whom I talk to about it, or who are beginning to learn themselves, is that it must be an extremely difficult language. But over the years, I’ve come to the conclusion that Japanese is actually a relatively easy language, and there are in fact numerous ways in which it’s easier to learn than English…

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Posted in Japan & Japanese | Tagged , , | 31 Comments

The experience of watching anime with my mom


My mom’s favorite anime

Although there are plenty of exceptions, most anime fans are teenagers or young adults. As with other things, the generation gap makes it difficult for older people to get into something like anime…

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Posted in Essays and Ramblings | Tagged , , | 24 Comments

Anime – blurring the distinction between masculine and feminine

In a week and a half from now, my gig as an anime enrichment teacher for the local YMCA will come to an end. After spending nine months at thirteen different elementary schools and experiencing well over 200 kids’ reactions to anime I’ve shown them, I’ve come to an interesting realization…

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MAY in Round 3 of the Aniblog Tourney

Mainichi Anime Yume’s match has once again come up in Round 3 of the Aniblog Tourney. For those of you already familiar with MAY and feel like voting for me in this match, go ahead and visit the poll here to cast your vote. And for those who are new to MAY and are deciding whether to vote for it, I’ll direct you to my previous post, “Mainchi Anime Yume in the Aniblog Tourney,” which explains what kind of blog MAY is and the kinds of posts I write.

I managed to pull off a victory in Round 2 by just one vote. However, I know the matches will get harder from here on and I don’t expect to get much further. My victory in Round 2 is enough for me, though it would be nice to see how far I can get. But please do visit the other great blogs in the tourney and vote for the one you like best.

Happy voting~!

Posted in Miscellaneous, Site News | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

My favorite pixiv illustrations


フライヤー by ながれぼし

Anime fan art is not hard to come by. However, exceptional fan art could be if you don’t know where to look. I first heard about the Japanese fan art site, pixiv, in late ’08. It is indeed the number one site to find incredible anime fan art from many different series…

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Posted in Anime Lists, Images, Videos, & Mp3s | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Reminiscing about my anime crushes


He was my dream man

I’m sure many of us do, or at least did at some point in our fandom, develop crushes on certain anime characters…

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Posted in Essays and Ramblings | Tagged , | 19 Comments

Examining the appeal of Angel Beats!

Being one of the most hyped series of the spring ’10 season, Angel Beats! has sparked a lot of discussion, both negative and positive. But in spite of the fact that I can recognize its flaws, why am I enjoying it more than any other currently airing seasonal show I’m watching?…

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Posted in Anime Reviews, Essays and Ramblings | Tagged , , | 16 Comments

Evangelion 2.22 thoughts and impressions

I wasn’t planning on making an Evangelion 2.22 post since everyone has already written reviews/impressions of it and I can’t imagine what more can be said. But…I had a lot to say about it anyway and I just couldn’t keep it to myself XD This post is sort of a review, but it’s mostly my thoughts and impressions after finally watching the movie last night…

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Posted in Anime Reviews | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

The allure of high school in anime

Anyone who’s familiar with a fair amount of anime knows just how common high school life, and characters who are high school students themselves, are in many genres of anime. Some may say the reason for this simply comes down to target audience, but I think there’s more to it than that…

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Posted in Essays and Ramblings | Tagged , | 19 Comments