Film

Lesser Known Anime from The God of Manga, Osamu Tezuka

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Hey everyone! Sorry for the hiatus after such a short-lived return, but I am back (and unfortunately in America). I’ve been using my quarantine time on a number of things: a new creative project, remote work, cleaning, exercise, and so on. After settling down a bit and seeing that this situation will probably not change for a while, I figured I should throw myself into my work. I think this blog isn’t something I consider to be work, so I haven’t been keeping to it (perhaps as much as I should). That being said, I still have lots I want to write about and I want to be more consistent with posting. We’ll see what happens. For now, please enjoy this article about the independent films of the great Osamu Tezuka! Continue reading →

Layers of Fun in Night is Short, Walk on Girl

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Theatrical releases of anime movies here in the states are always an exciting time for me. These days, I never miss an anime film’s American debut—so long as they meet my two requirements: 1) Must be coming to a theater near me and 2) MUST be subbed. Whether the movie itself was a flop or not, I tend to always have a good time seeing them the way they are meant to be experienced. Sure, I could do without being surrounded by strangers in a large, dimly lit room, but there’s just nothing that beats a giant screen and cinema quality sound. Decent headphones and an HD computer monitor can’t really compare to the true theater experience, even though they do allow me to take screenshots for my blog. Viewing preferences aside though, your set up can only be as good as the awesome things you have to show on it. Luckily Night is Short, Walk on Girl has plenty of awesomeness to go around. Continue reading →

Thoughts on Maquia

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Maquia: When the Promised Flowers Bloom finally made its way to a theater near me, so like any other anime film that comes my way, I had to go out and see it. What was really nice about this experience was that, unlike typical American movie releases, I went in knowing virtually nothing about what I was going to watch—which I believe is the best way to experience any film. Japanese trailers just seem to spoil much less, though even if they didn’t, they’re still much easier to avoid than, say, the latest Marvel movie. And so, with no conscious expectations in mind, I eagerly awaited whatever it was Mari Okada had in store for me. For the most part, I was incredibly pleased. Continue reading →

Quick Thoughts on Fireworks

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Fireworks is…a bit of a mess, and most people are probably going to rightfully point that out. Taken at a basic level—the level of which general audiences will most likely perceive—the plot, dialogue, and acting are at least weird, if not completely stupid, nonsensical, and hopelessly romantic. The way characters act and engage with each other doesn’t entirely make sense. It’s like watching an alternative world that looks almost exactly like our own, with the only differences being the way fireworks look, and the way human nature is portrayed. Sometimes it’s as simple as the feeling of wanting something only when you can no longer have it—which is completely relatable. At other times, it’s as if characters act without any conscious whatsoever, saying idiotic things and committing obscenely asshole-ish acts. Continue reading →

Tokyo Story: The True Essence of Japanese Domesticity

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[Preface: Here’s another essay I wrote, this time for an art history class. I know I typically only write about anime and the occasional video game here, but I figured this might make for an interesting read considering Tokyo Monogatari is widely considered a masterwork in film, taught in any intro film class worth its salt. It is also Japanese, which almost makes it anime! Perhaps give it a chance!] Continue reading →

Perfect Blue and Losing Our Perfect Self

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[Preface – I’m back! Summer break is finally here, and after a particularly soul-crushing semester in academia, I’m ready to get back to working on things I actually enjoy doing: Drawing, biking, watching anime, and most importantly, writing this blog! To kick off my surely long-awaited return, I’m sharing my final paper from a film class, one that I’ve actually added to and touched up quite a bit since turning in because I apparently care more about what my readers think than my professor…to whom I’m sorry if you end up reading this. You’re cool, I swear! I just was lazy and didn’t give the proper time and effort for the graded paper that I did for my anime blog! Um…anyway, I will give a SPOILER WARNING for all of you that have not seen Perfect Blue. Go watch it. It’s amazing. If you don’t believe me, go watch it, then come back and tell me all the reasons why I’m wrong. Oh, also, I only used KissAnime for screenshots because I couldn’t do it on my own personal DVD. It was for educational purposes! And I’m a Crunchyroll Premium member!] Continue reading →