Most anime follows a conventional narrative structure, with setup, conflict, and resolution occurring both within an episode, and often, across a larger story arc. But over time the traditional method becomes predictable and stale, thus ...
Read More »Sailor Moon Season 1 DVD review
For anime aficionados, there are several significant works that serve as historical turning points for the medium. One early, essential exemplar is 1963’s Astro Boy, a title which boosted the global influence of Japanese animation. ...
Read More »Genshiken Second Generation Premium Edition review
One of the fundamental principles of Aristotle’s Poesis is the subject of mimesis, a term used to discuss one of the tensions of artistic representation. For the Greek philosopher, mimesis was the stylization of reality; ...
Read More »The Eccentric Family Premium Edition review
Pundits argue that the medium of anime is teeming in trope. Yet that allegation could be leveled at the creative efforts of any culture; entertainment acts as a transmitter of social norms and practices. Certainly, ...
Read More »Nyaruko: Crawling with Love! Season 2 review
Popularized during the 1960’s, the high concept situation comedy juxtaposed the ordinary with the extraordinary. In theory, the technique was seemingly simple, taking one of more fantastical characters- such as the eponymous djinn of I ...
Read More »LoveLive! School Idol Project Premium Edition review
An English professor once explained why Shakespeare’s sonnets were still a fundamental part of the college curriculum: they are the quintessential model of triumph over form. Shackled by a structure of a rigid rhyme scheme ...
Read More »Cardcaptor Sakura: Premium Edition Review
With Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal and Puella Magi Madoka Magica commanding sizeable stateside audiences, a growing number of viewers are discovering the merits of the magic girl genre. But anime aficionados will quickly point ...
Read More »Toradora! The Complete Series, Premium Edition Review
As the overabundance of police procedurals and supernatural-themed teen lit have demonstrated in the West, a single success can spur an upsurge of copycats. Naturally, anime follows an equivalent route, with depictions of high-school romance ...
Read More »Fusé: Memoirs of a Huntress Premium Edition Review
As a gainfully employed adult living in the United States, I frequently have to justify my appreciation for anime. Woefully, many still associate animation with children’s entertainment. A typical response involves a discussion between the ...
Read More »Nyaruko: Crawling with Love! Review
One of the more fascinating elements of modern anime is the existence of fan service- material that is specifically included to gratify or titillate an audience. From manga drawn to reveal a sliver of shimapan ...
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