Review: BLAME!
Anyone’s anxieties over the all-seeing eye of the Internet of Things are justified in BLAME!, a future in which the AI has assumed control, deems humans poisonous life forms and becomes the epitome of our worst mistakes. Humans had begun to construct cavernous cities, presumably after the surface world became overpopulated or unliveable, and once held genetic control over the Builders of our invention. But … Continue reading Review: BLAME!
Review: Initial D Legend 2 – Racer
Takumi Fujiwara didn’t know if he even wanted to be a racer when he won his first downhill drag against Keisuke Takahashi of the formidable Akagi RedSuns. Hell, he only struck a deal for his trusty 8-6 auto so he could go out on a date with his best girl. Even now, as his own racing outfit the Speedstars gain notoriety, he doesn’t know what … Continue reading Review: Initial D Legend 2 – Racer
Living in the database: the appeal of the unreal
Ever since the Wachowskis repackaged the themes and imagery of Masamune Shirow’s cyberpunk staple Ghost in the Shell for western audiences in 1999, the notion of living in a virtual world has become something of a fascination among creatives, consumers and conspiracy theorists. The most frightening aspect of The Matrix was in how perfectly the illusion recreated our own existence so that no one thought … Continue reading Living in the database: the appeal of the unreal
Review: Fate/Grand Order – First Order
Little did we know that in 2016, the human species would have been destroyed if not for a Master and his Demi-Servant. This humanity knew through the Chaldea, a celestial oracle shining out the future of our survival. The root of mankind’s demise, a ravaged temporal bubble in Fuyuki circa 2004, the time of the Fifth Holy Grail War. As a new recruit to the … Continue reading Review: Fate/Grand Order – First Order
The cute corruption of the anime zombie
Zombies provide an outlet for that most mortal of fears and fascinations; death, and what comes after. It’s a universal thread that’s tugged by all cultures, linking all human thought. This gives the walking dead a power that transcend interpretive borders; for instance, between anime and the western viewer. Subtleties of language and cultural significance are bound to be lost in translation, but that gulf … Continue reading The cute corruption of the anime zombie
Darkly dreaming: the legacy of Isao Takahata
Studio Ghibli has been a powerful part of both of our lives as otaku, inspiring nightmares, empowerment and the hope that we can each be heroes in our own way. It’s safe to say that its legacy wouldn’t have held quite the same place in our hearts without co-founder Isao Takahata, whom we have sadly lost. Where Hayao Miyazaki brought the whimsy, enchantment and flights … Continue reading Darkly dreaming: the legacy of Isao Takahata
Making sense of my pregnancy through anime
It’s not just strangers, family or friends who see me differently now; every aspect of my life and view of myself has been altered by the fact that I’m a mother. During pregnancy, I’d wonder about the magnificent and cruel world around me, and how I’d teach my daughter its better lessons as a guard against the negative. I’d rehearse whole conversations with my daughter … Continue reading Making sense of my pregnancy through anime
Taking a bite of anime’s after-school snacks
No matter how bad the school day has been, whether rejected by a crush, your club on the brink of closure or keeping your supernatural double life hidden against all odds, a feel-good snack can come to the rescue in record time. Anime is a veritable menu of choice nibbles for characters as a coming home reward, or as a coming together for good friends … Continue reading Taking a bite of anime’s after-school snacks
The odd couple: our favourite unlikely anime friendships
Friendship doesn’t always make perfect sense on the surface. Many a time, it’s only in reflecting on where we’ve been and how we’ve grown together that we realise why our bonds have stayed so strong. Despite the ridiculous arguments and petty differences, the obstacles overcome keep true friends connected across all distances. So it is for these five weirdo pairs, whose faith in one another … Continue reading The odd couple: our favourite unlikely anime friendships
My Favourite Anime: Paradise Kiss
In this installment of My Favourite Anime, Stephanie of Dear Anime shares why she loves Paradise Kiss for its profound character arcs and lessons in failure. Sometimes, reality is more mysterious than fiction. This show teaches us how to ride the waves. I love anime for its kaleidoscope of worlds—each at the same time ineffably strange and yet hauntingly familiar. But the most mysterious world is … Continue reading My Favourite Anime: Paradise Kiss
Review: Dragon Ball Z Movie Collection 6 – Fusion Reborn / Wrath of the Dragon
A spiritual waste spill at the check-in point between Heaven and Hell sets the evil dead free to walk among the living. So commences this film duette’s final all-killer-no-filler flourish, beginning with Fusion Reborn in the last of the Dragon Ball Z Movie Collections. As the dearly departed, vampires and Hitler ooze, float and tank their way across the earth, Goku decides to leave the … Continue reading Review: Dragon Ball Z Movie Collection 6 – Fusion Reborn / Wrath of the Dragon
The mother’s absence in anime
While reading Fruits Basket, I was shaken by a part of Tohru Honda’s story. She, like me, had lost the mother who taught her that she would always be loved, as long as she remained true to herself. The loss she’s suffered is why she wound up with nowhere to call her home, save a tent furnished with a sleeping bag and a portrait in … Continue reading The mother’s absence in anime