Author: bateszi
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The weight of time in anime and manga
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Read More →: The weight of time in anime and mangaI consume a lot of anime in a purely superficial way; I watch it and enjoy it, but then forget about it. My favourites are those that burrow deeply into the subconscious, with certain moments and images able to rise back into mind at any given time; often, years after I’ve seen them, but why?…
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The tide of violence
Read More →: The tide of violenceI’ve read only 26 chapters of Vinland Saga so far but its quality is such that I have to admit it’s already one of my favourites. Thorfinn is the main character, an Icelandic warrior joined with a band of Viking mercenaries sailing the seas of Europe and sacking the villages and cities of Norman France…
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Azure paler than the sky
Read More →: Azure paler than the skyRevolutionary Girl Utena is one of the most inscrutable anime I’ve seen. It’s like half of me is struggling to keep up with what I’m seeing, while the other, at some base level, just instinctively feels it and understands. I suppose you could call this confusion. Or schizophrenia. Whatever. Episode 29 is my favourite of…
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See You Chinese Electric Batman
Read More →: See You Chinese Electric BatmanIt’s interesting how Darker than Black never explained what has ‘sealed’ the Earth’s sky, caused Hell and Heaven’s Gate to appear and triggered the world’s first generation of contractors; and quite frankly, if it turns out to be aliens from the Moon, I’d rather not know, but my point is, ambiguity is exciting, and yet…
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The harsh beauty of Tsutomu Nihei's Biomega
Read More →: The harsh beauty of Tsutomu Nihei's BiomegaHappy new year, everyone! Time sure flies and it’s now looking likely that this blog will live to see it’s fourth anniversary on the 4th of March, which is just… surreal! This time of year also provides me with the rare opportunity to immerse in some new worlds of fiction. Last year I fell under…
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Injections of fun / Trapeze and episodic anime
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Read More →: Injections of fun / Trapeze and episodic animeAt the moment, I’m probably more satisfied with the anime I’m following than I have been for a long time. Whenever a new season begins there’s always the temptation to try to see as much as possible, particularly as an anime blogger with the self-inflicted responsibility to talk about this stuff ad nauseum, but for…
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Trying to get back into anime movies / Sword of the Stranger
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Read More →: Trying to get back into anime movies / Sword of the StrangerWriting this now is probably a bit old hat, but I finally got around to watching Sword of the Stranger at the weekend! Why the delay? I’ve developed a strained relationship with anime movies; having become so used to watching anime in the 20-min TV format, the mere suggestion of watching anything even slightly longer…
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Timelessness and anime / Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG
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Read More →: Timelessness and anime / Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIGIn the four weeks since this blog was last updated, I’ve seen at least 80 episodes of anime! Not bad, eh? But to write anything of decent length, more than ever, I need to feel like what I’m writing about is really worth your time. That isn’t to say everything airing right now is poor,…
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When all that's left is dust
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Read More →: When all that's left is dustWhen I think about Boogiepop Phantom, I’m also reminded of other recent Madhouse anime, like Shigurui and Casshern Sins. Each has a strange aesthetic; seductive yet tinged by an under-lying sense of sadness and desolation. It would be easy to categorise them as dark and depressing, but they are more complex than that. It’s not…