ANIME FEMINIST

Japanese pop culture through a feminist lens

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Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid

[History] The diversification of otaku in Japanese media

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What are otaku? In the west, we have our own general impressions and ideas of what that word means: antisocial men who watch anime, and girls who identify as fujoshi. However, Japanese people tend to have a different concept of the term. “Otaku” can define anyone (male or female) who is obsessed with a single interest, though the stereotypical image swings more towards anime … [Read more...] about [History] The diversification of otaku in Japanese media

[Versus] Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid vs… Itself?

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Here at AniFem we talk a lot about fanservice—no surprise, given how predominant and normalized the sexualization of (mostly female) characters is in the industry. But it’s far from a cut-and-dried issue: a boobs ‘n’ butts show about adults isn’t the same as panty shots of a 13-year-old which, in turn, isn’t the same as fetishizing helplessness. And all of that can make it … [Read more...] about [Versus] Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid vs… Itself?

[Podcast] Chatty AF 5: Winter 2017 anime wrap-up (WITH TRANSCRIPT)

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I'm very pleased to announce that Chatty AF is now available on iTunes and Stitcher! Unfortunately, Google has regional restrictions getting in the way of us getting on Google Play, but we are available through Player.FM, which offers a free app Android users can access. If there is another service you would like us to apply to, let us know in comments! We want all of you to be … [Read more...] about [Podcast] Chatty AF 5: Winter 2017 anime wrap-up (WITH TRANSCRIPT)

Feminist anime recommendations of Winter 2017

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Now we've reviewed all the Spring 2017 premieres, we thought we'd round up some of our favourites from shows that ended last season. We talked about three kinds of recommendation: Feminist-friendly favourite (you would recommend it to a feminist friend with no caveats) Problematic favourite (you would only recommend it to a feminist friend with caveats) Surprise … [Read more...] about Feminist anime recommendations of Winter 2017

[Feature] Why Aren’t Problematic Translations Fixed?

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When the first episode dub of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid came out, fans were quick to notice a problem: lines which had been accurately translated for subtitles had been revised for the dub. This is not unusual; lines must be expanded or trimmed to synchronise with lip flap movements, and jokes in particular can fall flat if not overhauled. But that’s not what happened … [Read more...] about [Feature] Why Aren’t Problematic Translations Fixed?

Winter 2017 premiere rankings

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Another season of premieres reviewed! I have never found a season as disheartening as this one. It was five painful days before I finally found something to enthusiastically recommend, and I credit Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju for reminding me in that time of the heights anime can reach. It felt like a constant process of my bar for quality being lowered and lowered again, then … [Read more...] about Winter 2017 premiere rankings

[Review] Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid – episode 1

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Miss Kobayashi, a developer, wakes up one morning to discover she invited a dragon to come and live with her as a maid while blind drunk the night before. The dragon, Tohru, can either appear as full dragon or mostly human with just a hefty dragon tail behind her, and must adapt to such human customs as "washing laundry without using your own saliva" or "cooking something other … [Read more...] about [Review] Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid – episode 1