Impressions by Clark A. The animated medium can be a terrific conduit for acquiring worldly knowledge. Shows like Bakuman and Seiyuu’s Life introduce viewers to the nitty-gritty of Japanese industries while simultaneously developing characters and scenarios that make each episode valuable as art. In the case of slice of life…
Read MoreImpressions by Clark A. Despite once being marketed as an opportunity to explore the life of a lawyer, the Phoenix Wright video games have always opted to be gleefully irreverent examples of legal drama. Educational software they are not, instead focusing on developing quirky characters through the adversities the legal…
Read MoreWhen a comedy show spans just a dozen episodes, its setting can dictate its identity just as much as the actual gags and satire behind it. Modern anime turns to academic locales so routinely that every season brings a handful of shows set in this same backdrop. The overexposure is…
Read MoreOne Punch Man should by all means be a one trick pony. How can a show centred on defeating over the top bad guys maintain any prolonged interest when the main hero can dispatch them all with (you guessed it) one punch? If fighting was the crux of One Punch…
Read MoreWriting an origin story for a famous character you didn’t create can’t be an enviable task. There’s an onus to craft a story that is in line with the original work and the slightest deviation can result in a slew of tetchy fans. Modeled after one of Osamu Tezuka’s masterpieces,…
Read MoreLance N’ Masques bills itself as a fantastical tale in which knights roam the contemporary world and protect society from rogues. Though this has proven true, it’s arguably just a backdrop for a narrative that works better when trying to be a sugary-sweet coming of age story than the next…
Read MoreWith the sheer volume and range of experiences the anime industry offers today, it’s easy to view animation studios as faceless entities or ones puppeteered by charismatic individuals. And yet, it regularly takes dozens upon dozens of bit players to bring even the nichest of productions to fruition. While animators…
Read MoreHigh school student Yū Otosaka has a superpower every ten year old school-goer would surely envy; he can manipulate those in his vicinity by inserting his consciousness into their body. And presumably like most ten year olds, his application of this skill is reserved for personal gain. In the span…
Read MoreA mysterious virus wipes away nine tenths of the earth’s population and a monster infestation ensues. Vampires take advantage of humanity’s decline and usurp them as the dominant species, demoting most survivors to “livestock” status. Most stragglers are under 14 years old and aren’t exactly equipped to challenge their new…
Read MoreThe story of an outcast’s journey to acceptance is one that transcends cultures and time itself, from old testament bible stories to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. It’s no mystery why it resonates with a myriad of audiences from all across the age spectrum; there’s a very human inclination to…
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