Anime Feminist - Japanese pop culture through a feminist lens

[AniFemTalk] Spring 2017 wrap-up

Amelia Cook July 3, 2017 Talk

The spring 2017 season is coming to an end, and we want to know what you thought!

[Podcast] Chatty AF 13: Shirobako watchalong – episodes 19-24

Amelia Cook July 2, 2017 Podcast

We made it through our first watchalong! Huge thanks to special guest Miles for joining us every week to talk about Shirobako. What has been the most memorable part of our discussions for you? What did you think of the watchalong process itself? What would you like to see us watchalong …

[Review] Clean Freak! Aoyama kun – episode 1

Vrai Kaiser July 2, 2017 Review / school / sports

The handsome young soccer genius named Aoyama is a Japan representative. His play style is “cleanliness.” He doesn’t tackle and doesn’t head the ball. If he’s doing a throw-in, he’ll only do it if he’s wearing gloves. Source: Anime News Network “Comedic germaphobia” is not a good way to endear …

[Review] Knight’s & Magic – episode 1

Vrai Kaiser July 2, 2017 fantasy / magic / Review

A Japanese mecha otaku dies in a car accident and his soul is reincarnated into another world as Ernesti Echevarria. Eru inherits memories and interests from his previous life, and aims to be a pilot of a Silhouette Knight, a large humanoid weapon that really exists in his world. Source: …

[Review] Fox Spirit Matchmaker – episode 1

Amelia Cook July 2, 2017 comedy / Review / supernatural

In a world where Spirits and Humans coexist and can fall in love with each other, many Spirits see their human loved ones die before them due to the Spirits’ much longer life expectancy. Even when that human is reborn, the previous memories of their past life is erased from …

[Links] 21-27 June 2017

Anime Feminist June 27, 2017 Links

This is a rough week for news, folks. Content warnings for sexual assault, child abuse, homophobia, suicide, and racism.

[AniFemTalk] Feminism in shonen

Amelia Cook June 26, 2017 Talk

In last week’s piece on sexism in shonen, we discussed how My Hero Academia seems aware of the problems female characters usually suffer from in shonen tournament arcs. My Hero Academia is doing some things well, others less well (ugh, Mineta), but shonen stories have such a history of treating female …

[Podcast] Chatty AF 12: Shirobako watchalong – episodes 13-18

Amelia Cook June 25, 2017 Podcast

This week we’re continuing our watchalong series with special guest Miles, started recently with Shirobako. Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

[Feature] How My Hero Academia confronts shonen sexism

Peter Fobian June 23, 2017 Analysis

The second season of Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia was one of the most hyped anime for the Spring 2017 season, no small accomplishment next to titles like Dragon Ball Super, Attack on Titan, and Boruto. Horikoshi has built a story that is now considered an inheritor in the pantheon …

[Links] 14-20 June 2017

Anime Feminist June 21, 2017 Links

Best and worst (pictured) dads, genderqueer students, and ethical fandom practices.

[AniFemTalk] Dads of anime and manga

Amelia Cook June 19, 2017 Talk

If you’re on Twitter, you couldn’t help but notice it was Father’s Day in a few countries yesterday. Our timelines were full of good anime dads and some great discussion, so let’s gather some of that here! Who are your favorite biological fathers of anime or manga? How about your …

[Podcast] Chatty AF 11: Shirobako watchalong – episodes 7-12

Amelia Cook June 18, 2017 Podcast

This week we’re continuing our new watchalong series with special guest Miles, started last week with the first six episodes of Shirobako. This episode digs deep into the nature of careers and seniority for women in particular, let us know your thoughts in the comments!

[Editorial] The Big Problem Behind Unpaid Interpreters: Why anime fans should value their skills

Amelia Cook June 15, 2017 Editorial

This week Anime Expo, the biggest anime convention in the English speaking world, put a call out for volunteer interpreters. Anime Expo is far from a new event, and had over 100,000 attendees last year. How did they fail to account for the cost of professional interpreters when budgeting? If …

[Links] 7-12 June 2017

Anime Feminist June 13, 2017 Links

Life outside gender roles, 60s drag life in Japan, and South Korean women still looking for justice.

[AniFemTalk] Gender non-conforming characters

Amelia Cook June 12, 2017 Talk

Last week Dee wrote a piece on how Chihayafuru handles main character Chihaya’s experience of femininity. We are here taking ‘gender non-conforming’ in the broadest sense possible to allow us to discuss a spectrum of presentations, from simply appearing as a ‘tomboy’ as Chihaya is in her childhood, to switching …

[Podcast] Chatty AF 10: Shirobako watchalong – episodes 1-6

Amelia Cook June 11, 2017 Podcast

Two mostly unspoiled newbies and one superfan watch six episodes of a series at a time, then record a discussion on them before watching the next six. This is Chatty AF’s new watchalong format, looking at completed anime through a feminist lens. Shirobako is a show patrons have been asking us …

[Feature] A Dream of One’s Own: Finding a home outside femininity in Chihayafuru

Dee June 7, 2017 Analysis

Chihayafuru is one of my all-time favorite anime series, so you can imagine my surprise and delight when Kodansha announced they’d licensed the manga for an English-language digital release. While devouring the first volume, I once again fell in love with this endearing, intense, emotional rollercoaster of a sports series …

[Links] 31 May – 5 June 2017

Anime Feminist June 6, 2017 Links

Twitter is in fine form today, plus A Silent Voice and a Pride Month round-up.

[AniFemTalk] Which anime would suit women-only screenings?

Amelia Cook June 5, 2017 Talk

You almost certainly heard about the women-only screenings one cinema chain in the US held for newly released Wonder Woman. Predictably, some manbabies kicked off, only to be dismissed, ignored and outright mocked. Since then, those who attended the screenings have talked about how empowering it felt to watch this …

[Podcast] Chatty AF 9: Team Q&A part 2

Amelia Cook June 4, 2017 Podcast

The second part of our Q&A responding to questions from our Twitter followers! (You can find the first part here.) This time the questions are all about anime. Listen to us talk about our favourites, disappointments and guilty pleasures from the Fall 2016, Winter and Spring 2017 seasons and beyond.