All Articles
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The possession and performance of relationship in Spice and Wolf
Holo and Lawrence’s relationship is initially held back by the circumstances upon which they first meet, rendering Holo as an owned object rather than an equal companion and stifling both leads’ feelings behind layers of performative inauthenticity. Part of the appeal of Spice and Wolf is watching these two characters overcome the gendered norms of their medieval setting, as well as their own personal flaws, to achieve an emotional reciprocity that is narratively satisfying.
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Queer resonance and critiquing heteronormativity in SPY x FAMILY
Spy x Family is a great example of how a story might have queer resonances and queer themes even if it cannot be classed as queer fiction.
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Chatty AF 164: Dear Brother Watchalong – Episodes 32-39 (WITH TRANSCRIPT)
Vrai, Mercedez, Chiaki, and special guest Diana check in on the kids one last time, grit their teeth through some tragic lesbians, and give a warm send-off to this powerful classic.
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Comedic Highs and Objectified Lows: The girls of The Disastrous Life of Saiki K
The Disastrous Life of Saiki K is a hilarious supernatural comedy in which a cast of teenagers tries to live ordinary lives amidst extraordinary shenanigans. The female characters are three-dimensional and compellingly written, often just as expressive, funny and absurd as the boys. Although this potential is often well-utilized, narratives on the show that involve male attraction often sacrifice the depth of the girls, for the sake of sexualized scenes and lazy punchlines.
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Personifying and relating to neurodiversity in Love, Chuunibyou and Other Delusions
When I first watched Love, Chuunibyou and Other Delusions I had no idea what “chuunibyou” was, but the anime quickly made me think: I was definitely a chuunibyou as a kid! While not a form of mental divergence in and of itself, I contend that for neurodiverse kids, chuunibyou can be a coping mechanism.
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Strength Unsaid: How Moribito’s main characters normalize gender equality
The roles and characterization of main characters Balsa, Tanda, and Prince Chagum make gender equality seem natural, and therefore powerful, even if their story takes place in a patriarchal system.
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Parasociality Killed the VTuber Star
While many people can maintain a healthy relationship with them as entertainment personalities, others developed an unhealthy level of parasocial attachment, particularly to the female creators. These parasocial fans have caused incident after incident, making the space unsafe to VTubers and the audience alike, and are even suspected to have caused some of them to “graduate,” or retire from streaming. The most infamous of those incidents is the case of Kiryu Coco.
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Chatty AF 163: Dear Brother Watchalong – Episodes 24-31 (WITH TRANSCRIPT)
Vrai, Mercedez, Chiaki, and special guest Diana finally find out what exactly Fukiko’s Deal is and talk about how the leftist protests of the 1960s may have influenced the series.
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Queer media, escapism and self-discovery in Sasaki and Miyano
While the series itself is a sweet, wholesome story about self-discovery, it also offers an incredibly potent metatextual analysis of how queer media can help LGBTQ+ teens come to understand themselves.
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Framing the Model Minority Myth with Neo Cat
Hi, it’s me, Chiaki, once again thinking too hard about cats in media. Today I’m here to tell you that Aoka’s Neo Cat conveys how being celebrated doesn’t necessarily exempt you from racism.
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Death Notes on Camp: Repurposing a classic
New layers and new ways to appreciate the series emerge when it’s considered as a campy melodrama rather than the brooding thriller that writer Ohba Tsugumi intended it to be.
