Although I don’t usually seek out doujin games, there are a few memorable ones I’ve come across over the years, especially the doujin fighters…
Observations on buying (or not buying) anime
March 3, 2010 by 11 Comments
Despite the complexity of anime fandom, it always amazes me how it’s a hobby one can be fully involved in and yet never have to spend any money on it. I’m not going to get into the whole debate about fansubs vs official viewing. Rather, I’m just thinking about what compels some fans to spend a good amount of money on their hobby, while others spend little to nothing, yet both are equally interested in anime…
“How” do you watch anime?
February 28, 2010 by 30 Comments
I put “how” in quotations because I’m not discussing how you watch anime in terms of subs vs dubs, bittorent or streaming, etc,. Rather, I’m curious as to how my fellow fans watch anime in terms of two things in particular – one, your ideal setting for watching anime, i.e., by yourself or with friends, on the computer or TV, at night or during the day, etc., and two, do you prefer to watch currently airing shows once a week, marathon older shows a bunch of episodes at a time, or some combination of both…
Determining my 10 favorite anime studios
February 22, 2010 by 8 Comments
About three weeks ago, I wrote a post listing my 50 favorite anime. Last week, Scamp over on The Cart Driver analyzed his own list of favorites based on animation studio. I realized that I had never really thought about my favorite anime studios even though it’s one of the first things I look at when deciding to watch a new series. Thus, I was inspired to look back at my 50 favorite anime and, based on those, decide on my favorite studios…
Is frequently changing anime OPs and EDs a new trend?
February 19, 2010 by 14 Comments
I’ve noticed that, for a handful of recent anime, a trend has been going on in which the openings and/or the endings are changed more frequently than usual. I’m curious if this is just a coincidence or if it’s pointing to something more…
Animism and “non-human” characters in anime
February 17, 2010 by 13 Comments
There’s a certain trope that’s quite popular in anime, though not so common in Western TV shows and movies – the abundance of characters who embody animism, with human traits and often human form, but are not human…
The end of “The Melancholy” of Haruhi Suzumiya
February 12, 2010 by 34 Comments
Now that the 2009 rebroadcast/second season is over and the much anticipated “Disappearance” movie has proven to be quite successful, it seems that Haruhi’s popularity continues despite the three year wait for new episodes and the “Endless Eight” fiasco. However, an interesting discussion came up on this AnimeSuki forum post – the fact that “The Disappearance” movie may be the final installment of the title known as “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya”…
The common themes of anime songs
February 7, 2010 by 14 Comments
One (of many) things about anime that’s always stood out to me since I became a fan is the songs. No matter what the nature of the anime in question is, with relatively few exceptions, the majority of anime opening and ending songs, more often than not, have common themes…
“The state of anime today” summed up in an AMV
February 1, 2010 by 10 Comments
Not too long ago, while browsing through the highly rated AMVs on AnimeMusicVideos.org, I came across a rather memorable AMV (whether it’s memorable in a good or bad way, you can decide for yourself). I’ve embeded the AMV after the jump below. Be warned, it’s NOT SAFE FOR WORK!…
Why are characters in Japanese and American children’s cartoons so different?
January 25, 2010 by 10 Comments
In addition to watching niche anime marketed towards fans, I also enjoy a number of children/family series that are marketed for the general Japanese public, from the massive, long-running hits like One Piece, Pokemon, and Naruto, to shorter and newer shows like Tegami Bachi and Kobato. Since I started watching kids anime over a decade ago, it never ceases to amaze me how vastly different the characters are compared to American cartoons…