Once upon a time… there was a young traveller. During his journey, he gave money to everyone he met that told him sad, sad stories: a mother, who needs medicine for her sick child; a young ma…
Oct 24, 2020 • Subscribe
More like this
Is empathy a virtue?
Let’s move away from what I’ve been writing about recently in regards to making efforts to improve oneself and instead look at something else. It’s something that I’ve…
How Silence is Portrayed in Stories
It was a moonless night; the forest has fallen into deep silence, and only the fire crackling sound of burning corpses resonate in the air, seemingly clinging onto…
LGBTQ+ Stories from Japan
RJL presents a list of LGBTQ+ stories from Japan that are available in English translation. Japanese authors have written about same sex relationships for more than a millennium.…
A Star Fruit is Born
In what has become a recurring topic in this column, it’s time to introduce a new small publisher to the market! On June 11th, a Twitter account by…
Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born
The Takarazuka Revue has inspired several manga and anime. Now comes Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born, a Korean drama (currently streaming on Hulu and Disney+) that features an analogous…
Empathy with Zombies
*Brushes off dirt and picks off cobwebs* This season at the anime club I attend we’re watching both Zombie Land Saga and Shiki, two series in which (and…
A New Legend is Born – Haikyuu!!
Haikyuu!! arguable the biggest sports series in the shonen game since basketball series Slam Dunk. Where to even begin talking about mammoth of a legacy? I guess, with…
How Stories Create Layers of Emotions
There’s a time when you experience a story, and you feel this churning, weird feelings inside your heart. Somewhere deep inside your heart, you didn’t know if it…
Convention Stories: My Flight from Hell
So recently I went to Anime Impulse OC and had an amazing time; however, because I went by myself I decided to only go for one day to…
Stories from Translating 「SNOW ~Plus Edition~」
As detailed on my game development blog, I had a bit of downtime throughout 2021 due to some wrist issues that prevented me from working very much. With…
The Darkest Hour: How Stories Employ It
Inside most heroes’ journey, in order for them to win, they must first lose; to have their face slammed to the ground, their motivation crushed, as they cry…
How To Build a Story: Descending Stories
I know there’s a Descending Stories anime. I think it’s on Tootsieroll, or whatever that service that Sony just bought is called, but I haven’t seen it. But…
Glass Mask (2005): NEW ROLES ARE BORN FROM PAIN.
When I started poking around Crunchyroll several months ago, the first oddity I noticed was not that they carried Fist of the North Star or even Galaxy Express…
Glass Mask, Glass Mask (2005), Fist of the North Star, Galaxy Express 999
Uzbek-born Politician Aims to Change Japan from Setagaya
Orzugul Babakhodjaeva, an immigrant to Japan from Uzbekistan, just won election in Tokyo's Setagawa Ward on a platform of inclusion.
How My Brain is Different allows the neurodivergent to tell their own stories
When manga author Monzusu realized how poorly the general population understood neurodivergence, she sought out the stories of ordinary people with experiences similar to her own, eventually turning…
Oshi no Ko Review: A Star is Born
Produced by Doga Kobo Directed by Daisuke Hiramaki Streaming on Hidive As a reviewer, I believe I have some small obligation to be impartial. It’s not possible to…
[Feature] No One is Born to Be a Slave: How The Twelve Kingdoms questions social systems
Fantasy is often described as escapism, but the genre has great potential to expose a reader to different perspectives on their own society while drawing them into an…
Episodes 39-40: LGBTQ+ Stories from Japan
Listen to Episode 39 of the Read Literature podcast online or on your favorite podcast app. Episode 39 transcript available. Episode 40 of the Read Literature podcast is…
Human Interaction, Expression, and Empathy
***SPOILERS AHEAD*** I heard of the anime Violet Evergarden, but I had the impression watching it would make me cry buckets of tears. I heard there would be…
This Week in Anime - Porn From Before We Were Born
What was anime porn like back in ye olde dayes? Sylvia and Chris check out Cream Lemon to find out!
Born to Boil!
Act-Age 102 - 1:22Boruto 43 - 8:43Spy x Family 22 - 20:02EDENS ZERO 83 - 31:40Mashle: Magic and Muscles 5 - 41:56Mission: Yozakura Family 25 - 50:06Zipman!! 11…
Black Clover, Chainsaw Man, EDENS ZERO, One Piece, The Promised Neverland
The History of TMS – 2 : A Star Is Born
During the 60’s, Tokyo Movie, still a small studio, laid low and only produced one new show in 1967, the SF-manga adaptation Perman. But they were working hard…
An Egoist is Born – Blue Lock Ep 5 Review
Isagi’s defeat of Team Y unlocks the inner Egoist in him. Chigiri reveals why he joined the Blue Lock Project and confides in Isagi about a past injury.
Sabikui Bisco Episode 4 – A Crab Rider Is Born
Post sponsored by Crow's World of Anime. Sabikui Bisco spends an episode really working on the dynamics of Milo and Bisco's new partnership. But there's a third member…
Convention Tales #14: Short Stories From Anime North
It’s hard to believe that this week marks about two years since the last time I officially travelled to a convention – I do not consider my short…
Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest Short Stories
By Ryo Shirakome and Takayaki. Released in Japan as “Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou Shouhenshuu” by Overlap Bunko. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by…
SPECIAL TOPIC: Single Volume Stories from Manga Goraku
With so many different manga magazines out there on the Japanese market, I would love to follow them all yet can only realistically read a few per week.…
Transcript of Episode 39: LGBTQ+ Stories from Japan
Find out more about Episode 39 of the Read Literature podcast on the episode page—coming soon. Link to listen Notes and sources Ways to support the podcast This…
Kagurabachi, the Smash Hit Born from the Modern Manga Hype Machine
What is happening? How did a brand-new manga instantly launch to such memetic popularity? The answer to this question reveals much about what’s going on lately in the…
To Your Eternity ep. 13 – Empathy
To Your Eternity is now more than halfway done and I'm still enjoying it. Tagging along with Fushi on his adventures is quite the ride!
How Foreign-Born University Students Became Animation Coordinators on Wonder Egg Priority
When production began to fall apart, aspiring animators filled in to save the show. Kim Morrissy talks with FAR and Blou about the coordination effort and its reflection…
Cagalli is Crying and Other Bedtime Stories
Somehow, Gundam SEED has returned, and like old sith lords, it will likely be underwhelming and completely undermined by a Mary Sue.
How is Akame Ga Kill Zero different from the main storyline?
Akame Ga Kill is certainly one of the starter anime everyone gets recommended to. But what about Akame Ga Kill Zero? Is it any different from its famous…
Supernatural Stories from JAPAN (Kevin O’Shea) | Japan Station 154
On this episode of Japan Station, supernatural stories, Japanese folklore, Japanese urban legends and more with Kevin O'Shea, host of the Supernatural Japan
JapanKyo – Exploring Japan today via videos, podcasts, and articles
Supernatural Stories from JAPAN (Kevin O'Shea) | Japan Station 154
On this episode of Japan Station, supernatural stories, Japanese folklore, Japanese urban legends and more with Kevin O'Shea, host of the Supernatural Japan podcast. 👉Topics Discussed …
Convention Tales #20: Short Stories From Anime North #3
I can’t believe that Anime North is only a month away as of the time of this writing! Knowing this has my hype difficult to contain as the…
What I Learned from Watching the Ghost Stories Dub
Do you guys know about the hilarious and sorted history of the Ghost Stories dub? I feel like a lot of people have at least heard of it…
Supernatural Stories from JAPAN (Kevin O'Shea) | Japan Station 154
On this episode of Japan Station, supernatural stories, Japanese folklore, Japanese urban legends and more with Kevin O'Shea, host of the Supernatural Japan podcast. 👉Topics Discussed …
Japan Station: A Podcast About Japanese Culture & the Japanese Language
[Feature] Who is Allowed to Speak Their Pain? Demon Slayer, empathy, and Nezuko
Demon Slayer’s commitment to empathy thoroughly impressed me from the beginning of the series. However, Nezuko’s infantilization, objectification, and silencing throughout the season makes me worried the series…
How Kaguya-sama: Love is War Converted Me From a Romance Hater
It’s hard to believe that not too long ago, I hated romance; that there was a time when I thought romance was garbage that only girls liked; or…
Toaru Kagaku no Railgun T – 12 – A Star is (Being) Born
Misaki hoped that Touma would be able to keep Mikoto under some measure of control with his Imagine Breaker, but that possibility went south almost immediately. Touma finds himself…
Elaina’s relationship with others in her journey; how an observer is born, and expectations that come with a main character
{Spoilers for the first 4 episodes of Majo no Tabitabi and minor spoilers for motivations of Itadori Yuuji from Jujutsu Kaisen} My expectations for this anime where a…
How anime is made
Let's take a look at how anime is made. 00:00 Intro 01:07 Planning/Kikaku 02:18 Screenplay/Shinario 03:10 Design/Settei 04:10 Color Design/Shikisaisettei 04:32 Storyboards/E-konte 05:52 Layout/Reiauto 08:05 Tiedowns/Genga 09:24 Inbetweens/Douga 10:14 Cel Painting/Shiage 10:42 Backgrounds/Bijutsu 11:28 3DCG 12:02 Compositing/Satsuei 12:50 Editing/Henshuu 13:16 Voice Recording/Afureko 14:10 Audio…
How Global is Anime?
Huge thanks to Sandra Annett for her time! DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this book for free. I was not paid in any way to review this book.…
Dance in the Vampire Bund, Sailor Moon, Sound! Euphonium, Mitsudomoe, Outbreak Company
How Memory is Manipulated
Can you prove that your memories are true? Wouldn’t all of the evidence, which itself relies on memory, have the potential to be just as false? With the…
Stories without Stories: CITY the Animation
With City, the Animation, which is by implication nothing at all like City, the manga, we’ve got another of those slice-of-life stories that doesn’t really have a plot.…
Teaching English in Japan: 5 Essential Stories from Foreign Instructors
Want to teach English in Japan? Here are five essential articles for a deep dive into the life of a school teacher.
Transcript of Episode 40: LGBTQ+ Stories from Japan, part two
Find out more about Episode 40 of the Read Literature podcast on the episode page. Link to listen Notes and sources Ways to support the podcast This is…
Convention Tales #15: Short Stories From Anime North, Part #2
It dawned on me this week that, south of the Canadian border in the Big Apple itself, New York City, Anime NYC had recently transpired, as once more…
Holiday Review #19: NEIGHBORHOOD CRAFTSMEN - STORIES FROM KANDA'S GOKURA-CHOU
Now this is more of what I was looking for! This is the sort of hyper-focused historical story that you could only ever get from manga (even if…