Wee folk, fair folk, good folk. Faeries travel under many guises and by many names, the mischievous gatekeepers of nature’s small and secret realms of nature. But in all their forms they are irresistible, and humanity’s unified wondering about these oft-invisible beings is no less present in anime. In the […]
The four-panel manga uses the most basic of frameworks to fire off gags at startling pace, as well as offering unexpected, haiku-like views into life’s little dramas. It’s all on that third step of what’s known as Kishoutenketsu structure; the climax, an unforeseen development. Like or loathe it, the web-yonkoma-turned-anime Pop […]
Western fantasy and sci-fi literature has long proven influential for anime, and an early example, shortly after the glamour of Howl’s Moving Castle, was the less well-known Studio Ghibli effort Tales from Earthsea. The late, great Ursula K. Le Guin, who sadly passed away in January, had broken through to literary greatness […]
Kotaro has been learning to live for himself since his only protector, the monk Shouan, bid him to flee alone from their faceless pursuers. The young orphan boy is wanted for his blood, the key to a mystic medicine which will bring immortality. Sengoku-era Japan is rent with war against […]
Right from the get go, and under the glittering façade of Kyoto Animation’s visuals, we’re introduced to jaded highschooler Hotaro Oreki, who sees himself in shades of grey. Imagine that instead of being simply listless, Tanaka-kun was nihilistic, and you’ve got a fair approximation of Oreki, who shuns school clubs, […]
There is no fact of life harder to face, or conceptualise, than its ending. Since I lost my mother last year, I’ve been struggling for ways to guard against the fact she will never be a phone call away, that strong, vital voice of reassurance. There’s the regret that I […]
Some anime only grow in our love and all they mean to us as the years go rushing by, and so it is for all of these anime turning ten this year. Some of these series are personal favourites, some might count among yours, but we think anyone’s certain to […]
The poet deadheads the roses in the warmth of the morning sun, bidden by the thirst of flowers and his own heart a threatened clutch of thorns. Between the scented petals and stonewall he stole a glimpse and saw her, dressed in negligee sheer on skin that sipped the […]
Television detectives can be loosely categorised into two camps. The first is the gruff, “too old for this shit” type drowning their sorrows in stiff liquor. The other is the kooky wunderkind, sporting an intimidating intellect and usually sitting somewhere on the spectrum. While the former often prioritises immediate action […]
While I hadn’t envisioned becoming a father in my twenties, news of our expanding family has left me elated. Now I can’t wait for the little one to arrive on scene. They say becoming a parent changes the way you view the world, and already I’m watching father-child relationships in […]
The start of Dragon Ball Super arrived with such fanfare, fans could scarcely believe they’d be treated to the continuing screen adventures of Goku and co. While the reception was overwhelmingly positive, it was hard not to feel a little aggrieved with the first half of the inaugural season retelling […]
Darkness was their first gift, night pulled as a curtain across the celestial temple of heaven. Rapturous the demons dine on frenzied blood and body. There, where a mouth had been, something new is spawning with jaws that open outward and devour. And him in the middle with his […]
