Individual posts about series and topics that caught my interest. Organized in more-or-less chronological order.

The Essays Next Door

Articles written and hosted right here on JND.

Anime

• The Hero Appears! Ping-Pong and the Asobi Spirit
  Anime: Ping-Pong: The Animation, an 11-episode series directed by Yuasa Masaaki. Adapted from the manga by Matsumoto Taiyou.

• Heroine Boys and Princely Girls: How Nozaki-kun is Challenging Gender Roles in Fiction
  Anime: Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun (Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun), a 12-episode series directed by Yamazaki Mitsue. Adapted from the manga by Tsubaki Izumi.

• A Tokyo Ghoul Retrospective; Or, “Waiter, There’s a Tragedy in my Horror Anime!”
  Anime: Tokyo Ghoul, a 24-episode series directed by Morita Shuhei. Adapted from the manga by Ishida Sui.

• My Love(ish) Story: Anime, Aces, and Suna-min Rolls
  A personal essay about asexual representation in anime and the importance of Sunakawa Makoto in My Love Story (Ore Monogatari)!!

• Capriccio of Fantasy & Power: The Silly Brilliance of Dance with Devils
  Anime: Dance with Devils, a 12-episode MUSICAL! directed by Yoshimura Ai and written by Konparu Tomoko.

• Tanaka-kun is Always Listlessly…
  
  • In The Moment; Or, Zen and the Art of Laziness
  • Growing Up; Or, Taking the Staircase Elevator to Adulthood
  • Defying Appearances; Or, Delinquency is Only Skin Deep

  Anime: Tanaka-kun is Always Listless (Tanaka-kun wa Itsumo Kedaruge) a 12-episode series directed by Kawatsura Shinya. Adapted from the manga by Uda Nozomi.

• Magic-Kyun Renaissance and the Spark(le) of Creativity
  Anime: Magic-Kyun Renaissance, a 12-episode series directed by Yamazaki Mitsue and written by Kanparu Tomoko.

• The Nail That Sticks Up: Haikyu!! and the Power of Weirdos
  Anime: Haikyu!!, an ongoing series directed by Mitsunaka Susumu. Adapted from the manga by Furudate Haruichi.

Manga, Western TV, &etc.

• The Korra Retrospective: A series “review” that swiftly spiraled into an essay
  Series: The Legend of Korra, the 52-episode Nickelodeon series created by Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante Dimartino.

• No Geek Girls Need Apply: Bias & Blind Spots in Princess Jellyfish Vol. 1
  Manga: Princess Jellyfish, by Higashimura Akiko

• Watch Me If You Can: Context & Nuance in Imperfect Fiction
  A sprawling essay outlining my thoughts on engaging with our favorite stories (and one another).

Here, There, Everywhere

Articles written for and hosted on other sites.

From Anime Feminist

• So That I Could Be Myself: Gender Performance in Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju and Yuri on Ice
  How two very different male protagonists use their art forms as an outlet to express their femininity.

• AniFem Roundtable: For the Love of Trash Characters
  The team talks “trash characters,” those flawed darlings we relate to more than we’d like to admit.

• Gals of All Stripes: ClassicaLoid & the Girls’ Day Out
  An exuberant exploration and celebration of what it means to be a girl.

• She and Her Cat and Her Story
  Adulthood, family, and the purrpose-driven life.

• Love in the Time of ClassicaLoid
  This wacky rom-com episode comes with a happily inclusive twist.

• [Fan vs Service] WorldEnd vs Hajime no Ippo
  When bad frames happen to good people.

• A Dream of One’s Own: Finding a home outside femininity in Chihayafuru
  Sometimes wrenching but ultimately inspiring, Chihayafuru’s first volume quietly challenges traditional gender norms and offers the hope of a supportive community to anyone who’s ever felt like they didn’t quite fit society’s gendered expectations of who they’re “supposed” to be.

• [Review] In This Corner of the World
  Not so much a review as it is a series of commentaries written by myself, Vrai, and Amelia. I really liked this film, so naturally I spent lots of words discussing its focus on feminine perspectives, “ordinary” strength, and why this story matters now maybe more than ever.

• Know When to Fold ‘Em: “Loudly Laundry” and the feel-good feminism of Princess Principal
  A deep-dive into the upbeat and inspiring seventh episode of Princess Principal, which offers perhaps the show’s most nuanced depiction of inequality to date, asking our central cast to acknowledge their own privilege—and encouraging them to find a better way forward.

From Crunchyroll

• Speak, Fan, and Enter! Heroes & Gatekeepers in Akiba’s Trip
  A refreshingly optimistic and welcoming look at nerd culture nestled inside a fanservice show.

• Like Its Pint-Sized Protagonist, The Royal Tutor is More Than Meets the Eye
  Never judge a book by its cover–or an anime by its quantity of chibis.

• An Introduction to the Saiyuki Anime (…As told by a fan who read the manga almost a decade ago)
  A loving and extremely not-serious overview of an old favorite, written in honor of the Summer 2017 Saiyuki Reload Blast anime.

• Failed Tanuki and Half-Baked Tengu: Identity & Community in The Eccentric Family
  Part 1 | Part 2
  Through its colorful world and unique individuals, The Eccentric Family asks us what makes us who we say we are—and wonders how we’d find that answer in the first place.

• Life After Failure in Sakura Quest
  This low-key inspiring series picks up where most high school anime leave off, exploring what happens after you don’t achieve your childhood “dream” and showing how people can still find happiness and fulfillment on the other side of professional failure.

Elsewhere

• Moon Crisis Make-Up! How Chiaki Kon Saved Sailor Moon Crystal
  A little love goes a long way in Sailor Moon Crystal‘s third season.

• How Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE‘s 2nd Season Struck Comedy Gold
  This goofball series perfectly captures what it’s like to be in high school.

• Light Novel vs. Anime: Baccano! and the Art of Adaptation
  How the anime differs from the source material–and why that’s a good thing.