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Statement of intent: Spring 2010
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Read More →: Statement of intent: Spring 2010I can at least promise you this. I won’t suddenly just up and leave; I won’t go out at the top of my game; the end won’t be glorious, no, it will be a long, drawn-out and disappointing affair.
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Sora no Woto: apocalypse moé
Read More →: Sora no Woto: apocalypse moéI’m not an admirer of the moé aesthetic, so my initial response to Sora no Woto was one of indifference; just more moé, I thought; not interested. That’s always my default reaction to a series like this, but the thing is, life’s not that simple. Genre is a superficial excuse; no single story is the…
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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…