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 a whole new light. But becoming a daddy is a scary prospect and so I … Continue reading Dad goals: our favourite anime fathers
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 the events of 2013’s Battle of Gods. Still, it expanded on Goku’s clash with Beerus … Continue reading Review: Dragon Ball Super – Season 1 Part 2
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 rictus grin and heart a human flutter. Bloodshed brings bitter tears for a fallen son … Continue reading Poem: Blessed he who weeps
If at any time the human race is invaded, permeated or otherwise undone by exterior forces, it’s likely that the threat already exists from within. Whether that’s for observation, reconnaissance or a simple prelude to invasion, who could say, but this unseen enemy is a blank canvas, allowing respective societies to project their own fears onto them. The plot of DEVILMAN crybaby hinges on enemies … Continue reading The demonisation of youth culture in Devilman
We’ve explored the unlikely influence of anime on hip hop before, but what about the other way around? Mangaka Takashi Okazaki took his love of hip hop and western media and wound up creating Afro Samurai at the turn of the century. Initially obscure, the series was given a new lease of life after studio Gonzo took an interest and created a trailer, which caught … Continue reading Classics corner: Afro Samurai
Kiznaiver follows a group of high school students who are chosen to be a part of an experimental program which creates bonds between people by forcing them to share each other’s pain. White haired and vacant, Katsuhira “Kacchon” Agata lives a half-life, neither fully present or entirely withdrawn, numb to the sting of experience and physical sensation. Pain is the one true universal language, and … Continue reading Growing pains: the philosophy of Kiznaiver
Seldom seen in mainstream circles, writer Mikel Miles is fast becoming one of underground comic’s most important new voices. Having hit a home run with his Samurai Shin series, blending anime aesthetics, slick storytelling and a hip hop soundtrack, Miles is back with a new demo manga – Her Impact! Like its predecessor, the Toronto native uses the trappings of anime and manga to weave … Continue reading Manga review: Her Impact! #0
Released in 1992 and ‘93 respectively, the latest in FUNimation’s Dragon Ball Z movie remasters brings together Super Android 13 and Bojack Unbound – a title harder to take seriously since a certain Netflix series. Although both movies, clocking in at under 50 minutes each, have been digitally restored with all the blood intact, its poppy colours, stylised fights and iconic animation can’t help but … Continue reading Review: Dragon Ball Z Movie Collection 4 – Super Android 13 / Bojack Unbound
The comet crosses the panorama soundless and lonely in the long night. Its fluorescent contrail cuts the sky in two. Tethered time space, this umbilical through which the tides of all time are ephemeral. Where the water meets the skyline it forms an open wound, There I see your face and there I know your name, infinite and beautiful, and for a fleeting moment … Continue reading Poem: Signature in satellites
With frank discussions of war, death and destruction, this piece isn’t an easy read, and may upset some readers. In the first instalment of this series, we explored the origins of anime as a propaganda tool in Japan’s war effort, specifically around the bombing of Pearl Harbour in 1941. The focus of this follow-up will instead be on the bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, and … Continue reading The death of innocence: how Hiroshima haunted anime
On paper, a story set shortly after new legislation is signed allowing for humans and non-humans to co-exist in a cultural exchange is an interesting one. Instead, imagine a cast of women characters completely devoid of agency or independence, and reduced to fetish for one desperately dull lead and the slew of teen boys he’s standing in for. The result is summer 2015’s most notorious … Continue reading Review: Monster Musume – Everyday Life with Monster Girls
Every Pokétrainer worth their salt knows that going out in the long grass without a bag or backpack is tantamount to jumping headlong into the abyss. Inside you’ll find a veritable reservoir of Poké Balls, potions, berries and more – everything the discernible catcher needs out in the field. And so it is with ani-bloggers. I could hardly conceive of leaving the house without my … Continue reading What’s in the bag: ani-blogger’s survival kit
