After 10+ years of collecting anime goods, I feel it’s time for me to pick out the handful of products that are the pride and joy of my collection…
The ethos of self-sacrifice in anime
Nausicaa’s selflessness always makes me cry
A common trope that I’ve noticed in all genres of anime is the many scenes of dramatic self-sacrifice. Even if it’s a comedy series, even if it’s a character who’s not particularly noble, self-sacrifice is one of the most common forms of drama I’ve seen in anime…
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…
Communal Japan vs individualistic America
Now that I’ve had some years of experience studying and being immersed in Japanese culture, one particular thing that’s always fascinated me about Japan when compared to America is the sense of communality that permeates many aspects of the country. Japan’s emphasis on the communal is quite contrasting to America’s emphasis on individuality…
How do you keep up your Japanese studies after graduation?
I have now gone half a year without any formal Japanese study after taking it up to advanced level at my university. Although I don’t feel like I’ve forgotten too much yet, what with my daily exposure to anime and my sheer willpower to keep it in my head, I wonder how long I’ll be able to keep it up…
Autobiography of How I Became an Anime Fan (2009 edition): chapter 6
Thoughts on the recent arrest of anime uploaders
Recently, around 10 people between the ages of 23 and 57 were arrested in Japan for illegally uploading anime episodes, games, and music via the file-sharing program Share…
Aoi Bungaku – Kokoro (thoughts and novel comparison)
Kokoro is one of the most famous Japanese novels by arguably the most influential Japanese author, Natsume Souseki. But with only two episodes with which to adapt a roughly 190 page book, the anime version of Kokoro left out a majority of the novel’s content, and instead offered a new twist on the story’s conflict…