The Case Study of Vanitas – Episode 1
Look, let’s be honest about how this will go. It’s an exquisite-looking BONES anime with vampires, homoeroticism, and liberal use of paper cutout-style aesthetics. Also, I read the manga.
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Peach Boy Riverside – Episode 1
Among the many different retellings of the Momotaro legend, it’s nothing new to argue: “what if Momotaro was a douchebag for massacring a bunch of ogres?” But Peach Boy Riverside doesn’t quite go there and instead presents an uneasy set of mixed signals in its art direction, narrative and characters.
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Scarlet Nexus – Episode 1
It seems that Scarlet Nexus is a fairly popular game, but as of this review, the premiere is basically “OK.”
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Godzilla Singular Point – Episode 1
Godzilla, the legendary cinematic kaiju, has stomped his way onto Netflix in a brand new incarnation co-produced by studios Bones and Orange.
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My Fave is Problematic: Samurai Flamenco
No one has ever asked whether Samurai Flamenco is good, because the question is a loud and simultaneous “no” and “yes.” But the question of whether it “counts” as queer romance has waged on for eight exhausting years now. Incidentally: yes, it does.
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“Serves You Right”: The abolitionist condemnation of retributive justice in Akudama Drive
With a cast mostly of “dangerous criminals” identified by the crimes they’ve committed instead of their names, I assumed Akudama Drive’s dystopian setting would act as little more than set dressing in a story that ultimately reinforces, rather than challenges, the stigmatization of criminalized people. I have rarely been happier to be proven wrong. Echoing the calls of the prison abolition movement, Akudama Drive delivers a powerful and subversive statement against the criminal legal system, one that goes beyond slogans like All Cops Are Bastards and questions the basis of our conception of justice.
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Race, power dynamics, and the missed opportunities of Great Pretender
The initial premise promised colorful heists alongside an interesting story, but it ultimately failed its characters of color.
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How No More Heroes tackles otaku toxicity
No More Heroes is able to distill my biggest issues with the anime scene, mocks those who defend and perpetuate its shittiest elements, and makes me hopeful that things can improve by having Travis embody and then question his identity as a scummy anime nerd.
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Chatty AF 141: Angelic Layer Watchalong – Episodes 20-26 (WITH TRANSCRIPT)
Caitlin, Dee, and Mercedez fight their final battle and look back on Angelic Layer as a too-rare example of women-led sports anime.
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Kyubey’s Multi-Level Marketing Scheme: The capitalist metaphor of Madoka Magica
Looking at this series through an economic lens reveals yet another layer of interpretation: a story about the cruelty of business models that profit off the worker’s suffering.
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My Fave is Problematic: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
From 2007 to 2011 or so, Kyoto Animation’s multimedia juggernaut dominated most aspects of Western anime fandom. Whether getting stormed by a “Hare Hare Yukai” flash mob at a con or debating the “correct” viewing order online, you couldn’t escape the series’ sizable cult of personality. When watched today, it’s still easy to see why the small show left such a big impact. Yet for all of its still-endearing charms, Haruhi is plagued by foundational cracks that consistently threaten to undermine its core strengths.
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Genderless Gemstones: The pros and cons of Land of the Lustrous as non-binary representation
In the discussion surrounding queer representation in fiction, things are not always so simple as stamping a work with “good rep” or “bad rep”. While the series is not perfect—or perhaps because the series is not perfect—Land of the Lustrous makes a useful case study for reading and critiquing through a queer lens.
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The Girl with the Healing Kiss: How Talentless Nana explores gender, morality, and the savior complex
Despite having a teen girl assassin as its protagonist, the contrast between Nana and the healer Michiru ultimately paints a picture of the ‘savior complex’ being righteous amongst women.
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Chatty AF 140: Angelic Layer Watchalong – Episodes 14-19 (WITH TRANSCRIPT)
Caitlin, Dee, and Mercedez continue their exploration of CLAMP’s foray into battle shounen with the fighting robot series Angelic Layer!
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Honda Tohru and the Strength of Nurturing
Female characters who put their energy into caring for others, rather than standing up and fighting, were dismissed as passive doormats who exist only for the male cast’s development. One such character was Honda Tohru. The first part of the remake has made it abundantly clear that Tohru is plenty strong. However, since her strength comes in the form of traditionally feminine roles such as nurturing and protecting those dear to her, audiences tend to disregard her strength because of how these roles are devalued.
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Idols Gone Viral: How Hololive VTubers both subvert and reinforce expectations of idol femininity
Contemporary virtual YouTubers are often characterized by a mix of conventional femininity and “unladylike” behavior. Yet, while the most prominent creators are able to explore more varied and even subversive topics than traditional idols, they are in many ways still beholden to a set of rules and expectations for what an idol “should” be.
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She’s Fighting for Him: Black Clover and battle shounen’s male-centrism
Women in shounen battle anime and manga have traditionally been sidelined, even as it became more and more common to include women as fellow fighters. When the guys go in to fight the final boss, the girls stay behind to help with some B-plot battle no matter how competent they may seem. In a new era of shounen, we’ve seen some of these tired tropes be turned on their heads. However, even when series like Black Clover make some strides, they still end up repeating tired cliches.
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The Feminist Potential of the Lolita Fashion Subculture
While it may appear on the surface to be an overtly feminine, traditional fashion, Lolita’s history and present iteration are rooted in rejection of the male gaze and societal expectations for women, as well as the building of women-centric community spaces. Of course, these things don’t make it feminist outright, but the result is a subculture well-positioned for the potential to embrace feminist ideals of choice, self-empowerment, and autonomy.
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Chatty AF 139: 2021 Spring Mid-season Check-in (WITH TRANSCRIPT)
Caitlin, Peter, and Mercedez check in on the 2021 Spring season!
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My Fave is Problematic: Yu Yu Hakusho
The lovable characters have kept me hooked on Yu Yu Hakusho for the past 18 years, in addition to the “fight your enemies head on and defeat them through raw power and sheer force of will” storyline that will always be a guilty pleasure of mine. Although these elements make it worth the rewatch even now, my love for this anime hasn’t completely blinded me to its flaws. Yu Yu Hakusho, unfortunately, overtly and subtly fails its female characters time and again.
