There’s something we keep coming back to here, and that is that manga and anime are very different media, and the ways they are different influence the ways they can be used to tell stories. Manga …
Oct 24, 2022 • Subscribe
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In My View: Why Ideon doesn’t matter
For the last week or so I’ve had two discussions bouncing around in my head taking up space. One was this post over at Full Frontal Moe criticizing…
Episode #284 – Season 1 Doesn’t Matter Anymore
Zaldar returns to review Juibei-Chan: Ninja Girl Season 2! The post Episode #284 – Season 1 Doesn’t Matter Anymore first appeared on Banzai Beat.
Why the Quality of an Anime Doesn’t Matter
In this video I talk about how the quality of an anime Doesn’t matter
“It Really Doesn’t Matter”: The Deceptively Happy Ending of Watamote
Why one of anime’s most depressing comedies might not be such a downer after all…
Nia’s Gender and How It Doesn’t Matter (Tower of God Season 2)
A certain supporting character caught my attention in this new season: a youngster by the name of Nia Nya. There was some confusion about this kid’s gender. That’s…
Medium Matters: Toradora!
Back when I last wrote about Taiga Aisaka – she’s a quivering bundle of tropes instead of a real character – I got into a really good discussion…
Are Jinx and Silco Toxic? (And Why It, Truthfully, Doesn’t Matter) Understanding Arcane, Part 1
Arcane was phenomenal, without a doubt. Everyone understands that. However, I find that many people have numerous reasons for thinking so. Reviews touch at the surface, saying that…
Are Jinx and Silco Toxic? (And Why It, Truthfully, Doesn’t Matter) Understanding Arcane, Part 1
Arcane was phenomenal, without a doubt. Everyone understands that. However, I find that many people have numerous reasons for thinking so. Reviews touch at the surface, saying that…
Anime isn’t a medium
‘Anime is a medium, not a genre’, they say. But the word doesn’t normally mean a medium in English.
Medium Matters: Mardock Scramble
When you’re looking at the structural elements of an anime or manga, sometimes it gets really complex and you can get deep into insights. In The Ancient Magus’…
Medium Matters: Fruits Basket
Okay, not really medium, since there are two Fruits Basket anime, and anime is just one medium. But there ARE two Fruits Basket anime and you don’t have…
Medium Matters: Princess Jellyfish
I got the Princess Jellyfish manga a while back and found it delightful, a sweet, well-told story that spanned nine tankoban volumes. Then I FINALLY found the anime,…
Dark Matter
Syfy’s Dark Matter attempts to fill the black hole where Firefly fans still drift. It’s a pale star in comparison, but we’ll take what we can get.
Medium Matters: Cowboy Bebop II
I was trying to stay away from this one, but Cowboy Bebop has been canceled and the really bad second week numbers made it pretty clear that anyone…
Medium Matters: Cowboy Bebop I
Okay, it shouldn’t be news to anyone that there’s a live action Cowboy Bebop series on Netflix. Everyone has an opinion on the matter and the opinions are…
Medium Matters: School-Live! II
Okay, so last time we looked at how manga and anime differ. Anime is an action medium while manga has more depth; the anime business is higher financial…
Medium Matters: Neon Genesis Evangelion
WARNING: SPOILERS Okay, it’s all here and it’s all done. I’m not sure whether to cheer or feel sad. Probably both: Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0, and the entire…
Medium Matters: Revolutionary Girl Utena
One of the fun elements of the otaku culture is that it embraces multiple dimensions. One is the Japanese lifestyle. I’ve mentioned I am learning Japanese. Did I…
Medium Matters: Tanya the Evil
When I broke down the anime series (and follow-up OVA) The Saga of Tanya the Evil it bothered me that they constructed a great hero for a psychodrama…
Medium Matters: Sankarea, Undying Love
What is it with Japanese anime boys and kinky fetishes? First we get Yamazaki from Welcome to the NHK, who prefers his women 2-D, and now there’s Kuruya…
Medium Matters: Komi Can’t Communicate
If you read back in this blog – oh screw it, here’s a link – I was really unthrilled with the manga version of Komi Can’t Communicate. Y’see,…
Does Anime Matter?
It’s like asking if fiction matters, or imagination matters.
Moments That Matter
Whether lighthearted or bittersweet, slice of life reminds us that the most touching stories can be found in daily life. Slow Loop Slow Loop follows Hiyori, a girl…
BLACK LIVES MATTER
Hey all. With everything going on, it feels insignificant to create and post content as if nothing is going on. As much as I love interviews, anime, and…
Medium Matters: Welcome to the NHK
In the beginning, there was a novel called Welcome to the NHK. I haven’t read it. Now that it’s a collector’s item you have to pay like $60…
Medium Matters (Part 1): School-Live!
I really like School-Live!, the manga. Although as the story winds to its end – the final English language volume went on sale in late August – the…
Medium Matters: The Ancient Magus’ Bride
Way back a long time ago, as an experiment I started tracking The Ancient Magus’ Bride manga in real time, picking up the new books as they came…
The Medium (ร่างทรง, Banjong Pisanthanakun, 2021)
A shamaness suspects her niece’s shamanistic consciousness is awakening but soon discovers something far more sinister play in this atmospheric Thai folk horror
Medium - The Medium Detective Hisui Jouzuka / メディウム 霊媒探偵城塚翡翠
Shirou Kougetsu is your ordinary, run-of-the-mill Japanese mystery novelist. He writes novels, goes on wacky adventures with teenage sidekic...
This Anime Doesn’t Exist
This anime does exist. Saki Sanobashi is an anime released in the 90s, this anime is about high schoolers trapped in a highschool. However this anime does not exist.…
When should gatekeeping matter?
As a young girl I was very connected to Anime. I constantly watched it, read it, listened to the music, and spent hours a day trying to learn…
Visuals Matter in Anime
Did that title blow your mind? There are few more obvious statements I could make. To be honest I struggled with it quite a bit. I just couldn’t…
Should Translator Visibility Matter?
There’s this concept called “the visibility of the translator” in translation studies. Certainly, people like us anime and manga fans, who consume translations, would be more awar…
Webtoons: The Most Convenient but Uninspired Medium
Webtoons - the (relatively) new art kid on the block. It gets a lot of bad rep for being derivative from other media, for how saturated, uninspired and…
Episode 618: Isekai Joshi kausei
Anime Pulse comes back to you now, at the turn of the season. A storm of anime is coming, and we must prepare. First, we sharpen the IRL…
Case 39 – Gomera Doesn’t Fly
Here is our newest episode talking about the last case in volume 13 of the Case Closed/Detective Conan manga, The Gomera Murder Case. Guest starring Grant of the…
Black Lives Matter in Cosplay
Hey everyone! It’s time we explain what Black Lives Matter means in terms of the cosplay community! Although the movement is based around injustice and equality, we also…
Do Bonus Features Still Matter?
Even if we are witnessing the end of the physical era, I hope that bonus features will find some way to live on.
Goblin Slayer, why goblins matter?
He is not a brave man. He is not the hero of the gods. He will slay dragons or defeat the demon king. He will only slay the…
The art of the matter
Normally, I don’t care much about whether a series has great art or not. I’ve written before that it bothers me when fans ignore great series because they…
Do Manga Demographics Even Matter?
The debate over manga demographics can be as heated as any Thanksgiving dinner, but some times all you need is a little bit of context and 45 minutes…
Sankarea: Undying Love (Volume 5) – Boy, Medium Rare
Trapped in a burning building, Chihiro has to find a way to help Rea regain her awareness before she eats him or they are consumed by the fire.…
Hakozume – Kouban Joshi no Gyakushuu – 01
「アンボックス＆サンドバック」 (Anbokkusu Ando Sandobakku) "Unbox & Punching Bag" An intimate behind-the-scenes look at what it means to be a policewoman in Japan.
Hakozume – Kouban Joshi no Gyakushuu – 12
A Part 「Saigen Ningyō」 (再現人形) "Reenactment Doll" B Part 「Sōsa Ikka」 (捜査一課) "First Investigation Division" This change in pacing has left some confused and running, others might find it painfully slow.
Hakozume – Kouban Joshi no Gyakushuu – 03
A Part 「エース登場」 (Ēsu Tōjō) "Enter the Ace" B Part 「遺体は語る」 (Itai wa Kataru) "The Corpse's Tale" Sometimes the job involves a more humanitarian approach.
Hakozume – Kouban Joshi no Gyakushuu – 07
A Part 「尾行選手権」 (Bikō Senshuken) "Tailing Championship" B Part 「人たらし」 (Hito Tarashi) "Smooth Talker" You don't play your ace until the end of the game.
Hakozume – Kouban Joshi no Gyakushuu – 04
A Part 「拝啓お犬様」 (Haikei Oinu-sama) "Dear Dog-Sama" B Part 「ランナーズ・ハイ」 (Rannāzu Hai) "Runner's High" What a good puppy!
Hakozume – Kouban Joshi no Gyakushuu – 06
A Part 「合コン狂騒曲」 (Gōkon Kyōsō Kyoku) "The Roaring Mixer" B Part 「暴走ポリス」 (Bōsō Porisu) "Runaway Police" Police politics come with a lot of cobwebs.
Hakozume – Kouban Joshi no Gyakushuu – 05
A Part 「深夜のパトロール」 (Shin'ya no Patorōru) "Late-Night Patrol" B Part 「VS．チカン」 (Bāsasu. Chikan) "Vs. the Groper" Naughty kids get coal for Christmas!
Hakozume: Koban Joshi no Gyakushuu – 03
Much more so than the first two episodes, this one found the right balance between seriousness and whimsy. Read more