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

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.

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.

• 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.