Japanese animation
Sword Gai: The Animation, the fourth and final series* in Netflix’s March anime deluge, premiered last week, and by all appearances, it’s a shitshow. It might be good for a laugh (or future Rabbiting), though. So instead let’s talk about … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (March 28th, 2018)
Kids on the Slope (坂道のアポロン Sakamichi no Apollon, lit. “Apollo of the Slope”) is a 2012 12-episode slice-of-life anime directed by Shinchiro Watanabe and based on the mange by Yuki Kodama. The soundtrack was created by Yoko Kanno. Synopsis Kids on … Continue reading Anime Worth Watching: Kids on the Slope
ジェニーハイ (Genie High) is a J-rock supergroup composed of members from Wild Bomb, Tricot, Gesu no Kiwami Otome, and indigo La End. Their debut single,「片目で異常に恋してる」, which Google Translate tells me means “I Fall in Love Abnormally with One Eye,” was … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (March 21st, 2018)
A.I.C.O. -Incarnation- is a science-fiction anime series produced by Studio Bones that premiered on Netflix last week. It tells the story of Aiko Tachibana, a high school student who lost her family in a biological experiment gone awry. I’ve watched … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (March 14th, 2018)
Black Lagoon (ブラック・ラグーン) is a 24 episode action series from 2006 based on a manga by Rei Hiroe and animated by Madhouse. Synopsis After low-level businessman Rokuro Okajima is kidnapped and held for ransom on a work trip his company … Continue reading Anime Worth Watching: Black Lagoon
A new original anime series from Production I.G., the famed studio behind Ghost in the Shell and Psycho-Pass, premiered on Netflix last week. It’s called B: The Beginning, and it’s very much in the vein of the aforementioned two works. … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (March 7th, 2018)
One Punch Man (ワンパンマン) is a 2015 superhero parody anime directed by Shingo Natsume, produced by Madhouse, and based on a webcomic of the same name created by ONE. The second season is currently in production. Synopsis One Punch Man follows a … Continue reading Anime Worth Watching: One Punch Man
Split End is an indie rock band from Nara, Japan. They released their second EP, Night, earlier this month. Here’s the music video for “Siren,” one of the songs from that EP. What have you been watching/reading/eating/playing/listening to lately? Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (February 28th, 2018)
Legend of the Galactic Heroes (銀河英雄伝説 Ginga Eiyū Densetsu) is a (1988-1997) 110-episode space opera produced by Artland, based on the novel by Yoshiki Tanaka and directed by Noboru Ishiguro (Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Megazone 23). Synopsis The setting of … Continue reading Anime Worth Watching: Legend of the Galactic Heroes
Darling in the FRANXX is an anime series about kids who love to buttfuck teenagers raised in near-isolation from the outside world to pilot giant anthropomorphic mechs called FRANXX in a seemingly never-ending fight against a race of monsters called … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (February 21st, 2018)
Shirobako (シロバコ, lit. White Box) is a 2014 24-episode (two 12-episode cours) workplace dramedy produced by P.A. Works, written by Michiko Yokote and directed by Tsutomu Mizushima. Synopsis Shirobako tells the story of five young women who were in the … Continue reading Anime Worth Watching: Shirobako
Japanese all-woman pop-rock band Scandal released their eighth album, Honey, today. They’ve somehow maintained their popularity from their days as a highly manufactured teenage musical unit handpicked from Osaka vocal and dance school CALESS and given guitars and drums they … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (February 14th, 2018)
Crest of the Stars (Seikai no Monshō) is a 13-episode space opera from 1999. Based on a book by Hiroyuki Morioka it was adapted by Bandai back when they still made shows other than Gundam and directed by Yasuchika Nagaoka, … Continue reading Anime Worth Watching: Crest of the Stars
It seems that every anime season has one utterly trashy series that is somehow worth watching. Past series of this nature have included Keijo!!!!!!!! and Love Tyrant. This season’s surprisingly good trash is Citrus, based on a yuri manga about … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (February 7th, 2018)
Tsuredure Children (or Tsurezure Children, or Tsuredzure Children, because nobody can agree on how to romanize a friggin voiced tsu apparently) (徒然チルドレン) is a 2017 shortform romance anime based on a 4-panel webcomic by Toshiya Wakabayashi, directed by Hiraku Kaneko. Synopsis Tsuredure … Continue reading Anime Worth Watching: Tsuredure Children
Kakegurui is a serialized manga about a school for children of the elite, where the social hierarchy is determined by the results of gambling games. It was adapted into an anime series by Studio MAPPA last year, and after months … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (January 31st, 2018)
Spice and Wolf (狼と香辛料) is a 2008, 25-episode historical light-fantasy romance anime based on the light novels by Isuna Hasekura and directed by Takeo Takahashi. Synopsis Spice and Wolf follows the story of Kraft Lawrence, a travelling merchant in a world similar … Continue reading Anime Worth Watching: Spice and Wolf
Based on Go Nagai’s Devilman manga and directed by Masaaki Yuasa, DEVILMAN crybaby premiered on Netflix earlier this month. It tells the story of a high schooler who attends a bacchanalian party that transforms him into a half-man/half-devil. He then … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (January 24th, 2018)
Welcome to another edition of the Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread! This week, we’re spotlighting A Place Further Than The Universe, the story of a teenage girl who recruits three friends to go with her on a journey to Antarctica … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (January 17th, 2018)
One of the new series airing this winter is Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles, based on the manga of the same name. It’s about a stuck-up, aloof transfer student who has a secret ramen obsession. It’s also surprisingly educational. As … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (January 10th, 2018)
The winter 2018 anime season is nearly upon us, and this one is shaping up to have quite a few interesting series. Here’s what I’m planning on checking out, time-permitting: Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens. [Pictured in the header.] This crime drama … Continue reading Weekly Japanese Pop Culture Thread (January 3rd, 2018)
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